Love Began with the First Meeting

The proposition extremely annoyed Brian and his eyes suddenly appeared heavy, cold, and cruel, as if they didn't belong to human beings but devils from hell. But the man was oblivious to the fury in Brian's eyes and just flashed Molly a smile. It might not be obvious to most people, but the man very well knew that Brian had every intention of losing to him because he wanted to offer him something. Since Brian badly wanted to offer him a favor, if he did not accept such favor, wouldn't it be a waste of Brian's "good intention"?

'6, 27, 21… Hmmm... very interesting numbers. This woman must really be very important to Brian, ' he thought.

The tension between the two men was so palpable even as the rest of the room suddenly felt chilly like it was frozen. Never imagining herself as a prize for a wager, Molly was dumbfounded by what she heard. She could hardly control her feelings, and her expression shifted from embarrassment to anger to panic, while the hands on her legs started to tremble.

She tried to calm herself. There were obligatory rules in casinos. As one of the top casinos in the world, the Grand Night Casino strictly adhered to its rules. And having worked there before, Molly was aware that once Brian sat down to gamble, he was obliged to abide by his casino's rules. And rejecting the man's proposition would mean breaking one of his hands himself. Rolling her eyes, Molly tried not to show too much emotion in them. Subconsciously, though, she was no match for the strong resistance and fear that she felt knowing she was the prize of a wager.

Brian didn't have to look at Molly to understand what she was feeling right now. He squinted at the man, and just as he opened his eyes, slowly declared, "I cannot agree to this stake. So, according to the rules of the Grand Night Casino, I will break one of my hands!" The room fell into hushed silence.

"Wow!" Everyone gasped and looked at Brian in disbelief. No one ever imagined that he would turn down the wager because after all, it was only to accompany a woman for a midnight snack.

"Bri!" Molly suddenly turned around to look at Brian and while grasping his hand, bitterly said, "No!"

the stake, do you?" She froze at his question, while

from going out with the man, and Molly ended up with tears welling in her eyes. "Bri, I don't want to be the stake. But, I also don't want you to lose a hand for

his face and wiped out the cold, fierce look he had on earlier. With a light touch, his fingers brushed away Molly's tears, and then he gently kissed her on the forehead. "Your words are enough, and

them, Brian wrapped his arms around Molly and

no question at all. In the Grand Night Casino, no

quickly disentangled herself from Brian's arms and with eyes flashing, begged him not to go through with it.

as he observed Molly's hopeless expression and Brian's impassive face. From start to finish, Brian never once wavered in treating Molly with gentleness. Pausing to think, he pondered, "So, what should I bet

about offering each other as the stake?"

have in mind?" Hanson asked with raised eyebrows. He was suddenly intrigued by Brian's suggestion and wanted to hear more about

me. And if you lose…" He left the sentence unfinished as Brian stared at Hanson with dark eyes. "Of course, you will

Abruptly, he stopped laughing and in an icy tone said, "Mr. Brian Long, since you came to me, I would like to think you know who I am. What I am interested in finding out is where all that