Love Began with the First Meeting

When Molly entered the courtyard, she stood in the middle and looked around. Everything was the same as usual, and every house had its door closed, as if all the neighbors there lived in their own worlds, without the slightest interest in communicating.

She went straight to her family house. When she got to the door, it was locked. She fumbled for the key hidden under the mat at the doorstep and finally opened the door, which ushered her into dead silence.

"Why is it that nobody is at home?" she muttered to herself, frowning. After searching every corner of the house, she confirmed that there was indeed no one at home now. "Hasn't mom just left the hospital? Where did they go? Why aren't they at home now?"

Upset, Molly sighed. As she slowly looked around this familiar house again, memories of her mother's daily suffering flooded back.

Suddenly, Molly laid her eyes on the bedside desk. She hastily walked up and saw a piece of paper pressed under a glass.

As she grabbed it and read the words, she furrowed her brows and muttered,"Friend? What friend? Who is it?"

From the day they moved out of the military compound, her father had cut any contact and severed all ties with his old friends. Proud and arrogant, he couldn't face up to his failures, especially in front of his former colleagues and acquaintances. And in his isolation, for many years, he dragged the family along, forbidding any attempts to communicate with relatives. To pay off his huge loan, her mother worked like a beaver, and couldn't afford the luxury of friends.

Looking at her father's good and firm handwriting, Molly pondered on his message again. He said that he would call her back later. It seemed that... her father had already known that she would come back home today.

The confusion increased in her mind. She kept staring at the piece of paper, rapt and unable to move, until her phone rang breaking the hushed silence of the house and shook her back to her senses.

the phone from her bag. It was Shirley

where are you now?" Shirley asked cautiously, as if she was doing something clandestinely.

the house, Molly intuitively answered,"I am at home

Brian's villa. She turned around to glance at Antonio who was standing at the doorstep, and then quickly turned back and asked with

phone. Molly was very much fond of Shirley, though they had only met once. There was something so enchanting and inspirational about Shirley's

Um... then how about we have lunch together?" Shirley paused, and then added,"We can meet at the rotating restaurant on the top floor of Falloon Mall. What do

As she hung up, Molly took out a pen and scribbled a message on the same paper, below her father's words. She asked them to contact her as soon as they came back home, because she had something important to discuss with them.

she put it back on the desk, under the glass, the same way it was. Then, she locked the door and walked towards the bus station. She didn't want to take a taxi, as she wasn't spending her own money now. What was more, she wasn't into luxury. She was determined to pay this money back

bus, Molly kept thinking about what she should do in the following few days. No matter what would happen then, she had to get her parents' agreement to leave here. As long as they agreed to move to another place, she believed she would leave the city, once and for all, never to come back again.

in a cap,

**

rotating restaurant, on the top floor of the Falloon Mall, Shirley looked out of the window, contemplating

Antonio's eyes, and he comforted her,"I believe Young Master

Richie's shadow, his bodyguard many

and snorted,"He misses me? I've been away from home for so many days, but he hasn't made a single call or sent any messages to me, yet. Fine! Just let him

and Shirley were taking these sorts of quarrels as some form of amusement, ever since Wing and Brian had