With You For the Rest of My Life

Rose took the paper and opened the cover. An old family photo came into her sight.

The family of three stood side by side behind a worn-out mud wall.

The middle-aged man stood in the middle, with a chubby woman around his age in his arms. The other girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old, stood at the outer side, dressed in a white school uniform, looking dull.

Rose realized that the woman was Amanda.

And the chubby woman who looked a bit like her must be her mother.

"Is this man Amanda Zhao's father?" Pointing at the photo, Rose asked.

"No," Xavier shot a glance along the direction of Rose's finger. He sat down and said, "That's her stepfather."

"No wonder they don't look like a family." Mumbled Rose.

"Amanda's father was missing ever since she was born, and her gambling mother eloped with another man. She lived with her aged aunt grandmother in a remote village. At the age of seven, her aunt grandmother died, and she became an orphan completely. When the police cracked a gambling case, they caught her mother, Janice Chen. After being released from the police station, Janice Chen was sent back to her original village. When she returned to that village, she couldn't bear the pressure of the public opinion and had to bring up Amanda again. " Xavier explained.

"So her mother brought her to Qinshan Town?" Seeing the words on the page, Rose's eyes twinkled slightly.

Qinshan Town was where she first met Burke in her childhood.

At that time, she often went there to escape the summer heat at the hold housekeeper's house. And Burke went there to rest.

During that family feast, Amanda claimed that she had known Burke for ten years. Given her family background, it was not easy for her to know him. They might have known each other in Qinshan Town.

"Yes, she was brought to Qinshan Town by her mother because her mother's lover Lucas Chen opened a repair shop there. At early times, Lucas Chen's repair shop could still earn some money to support their lives. So Janice Chen and Amanda was depending on that earnings at that time." Xavier took a glance at the documents in the hand of Rose, and his eyes fell on the only man in the family photo for a moment. He said in disgust, "I disdain to speak of this man."

"What's wrong with him?" Asked Rose, raising her head.

"Rose, do you know why I have this material?"

Xavier worked in a government department and didn't have much contact with Amanda. The only connection between the two was

knew her

said Xavier hesitantly for a few seconds before he continued, "A case where

Rose got quite surprised.

Amanda...

created a lot of sensation, but the news about the exposure of the victim was suppressed, because Amanda was only 17 years

"What happened then?"

evidences were kept by the mother of Amanda Chen. However, in

Rose had got too stunned to

think of a gambler's mind from a

Rose was going through the material, her eyes suddenly fixed on the section of Lucas Chen's family relationship. She found a familiar name- Rocky Chen.

the son of Lucas

he is

from the rough voice of the man threatening her on the phone

bag. She stopped thinking and looked up at the clock on the wall. It was half

was still

Let's see what they are

the phone.

on the other side of the phone was not from

voice that

to

matter in a short sentence at

up before Rose could make any response.

they say?" Looking at the pale look

been turned

the caller's name. It

Xavier was more