Love Began with the First Meeting

Yesterday, Shirley had taken Mark to the hotel for dinner. That was the first time he had seen Richie. He had almost thought it was Brian who was standing in front of him. He could hardly tell the two people apart except for the age difference. He had wondered who that was, but he didn't ask Shirley. Then after Shirley had told him Richie's name, he connected all the dots. He also recalled how Shirley had introduced herself when they first met so Mark figured out who Richie was from there.

Shirley was very happy that Mark finally knew who she was. She had been thinking about how to introduce herself and Richie to Mark these days. Unexpectedly, her smart grandson had worked out the puzzle by himself.

It should have been a happy family reunion, but too many things had happened that day.

***

In QY Island, Brian was having a meeting while Molly was reading a magazine in the lounge. But not one single page had been turned after a long while. She raised her head every now and then, looking towards another room through the glass window.

The meeting had been ongoing for more than three hours now. They had even skipped the meal. The secretary had brought her takeout food instead but she barely touched it. Her brows were furrowed in worry.

All over the news was the bombing at the amusement park - things were definitely serious. She put the magazine down and walked to the glass window. The expression on Brian's face was cold as usual. He listened and wrote every once in a while.

Molly lowered her eyes, turned around, and sat back on the sofa. She watched Brian. Her heart tightened. Somehow, she found it difficult to breathe. She pressed her lips together and called Eric.

"Hello, hello, look who's missing me," Eric joked.

Molly frowned and scolded, "How can you be in the mood to joke right now?"

Eric raised his brows and asked, "Little Molly, are you worried about me?"

"..." Molly was silent.

"Don't be embarrassed. Just tell me. If this thing led you to call and worry about me, then it was worth it even if I lost the Empire," Eric continued teasingly.

"Eric Long!" Molly roared.

better," Eric

wordless. She rolled her

worry about these things. Brian will take care of the things on QY Island. I am not worried. And things

she felt much relieved, "Eric, is everything

promise," Eric answered earnestly. "Don't you believe in

just..." Molly looked down and then continued, "I have this bad

you need to do is take good care of yourself so we won't have

like a tranquilizer. They talked for a few

meeting room. The air there remained tense.

When the night fell, QY Island was lit by various kinds of lights. The meeting that had

again this

the room looked

a sniper," Tony reported when Brian walked out of the meeting room. "He's trained and well-prepared. But we don't know yet

him to Aaron and tell Aaron

Tony

scheme was working from two angles: one was for Mark and the other was for Molly. Once they controlled them, they controlled Brian. He remembered how worried he had been when he had gone back to the

way to the lake, he kept thinking about what his enemy could possibly want. But Brian had been admittedly careless too as he underestimated

was only a distraction from

was reflected on the rear-view mirror from the sunshine and the glass in the building. As the head of the XK Intelligence Agency, he knew right away

a zigzag line, which would make it difficult for

recalled all this, but it was gone quickly. He opened the door of the lounge and stopped at the doorway when he found

with the magazine still in her hand. His heart ached. He walked over and sat down on the end table, looking at

moaned with a frown. Her

startled. She opened her eyes and looked at Brian. After a while, she came to her senses and sat