Pursing his lips, Brian gazed at Molly whose face had turned deathly pale. Frowning, he could tell that
Molly was at a loss what to do at that moment. Her pale face reminded him of what he had seen at Mr.
Shen's place when he went to pick her up.
Molly hadn't been sleeping on the bed. Instead, she had curled up on the floor in a corner, burying her
face between her legs. This scene was familiar to him as he had found Molly cowering below the stairs
once before.
She must have been terrified last night.
Brian knew that Molly was claustrophobic, and now, it seemed that she was showing signs of autism
too. She must have been through something so terrible that huddling up in the corner made her feel
safe. However, she looked calmer than he thought.
He had thought that Molly was just an ordinary girl, but now he was starting to think that he had been
wrong. She might be much stronger than he thought, and this thought intrigued him. He wanted to get
to know her better, but slowly. She was like a book which he wanted to read gradually and carefully,
page by page. Even if she didn't want to let him in her heart, he was determined to get to know her
better.
Meanwhile, Shirley was mad at Richie's rhetorical question. If she had known that this day would come
when he would mock her about it, she would have definitely learned how to drive.
"You don't need to worry about that!" said Shirley with clenched teeth. Then, she grabbed Molly's arm
and continued walking with her. Molly was still in a daze because of Shirley's abrupt decision to leave.
Everyone remained silent again. It seemed that the surrounding air was completely frozen.
Since Shirley was so anxious to leave, she held onto Molly's arm to lead her out. Molly had no choice
but to walk with Shirley. Although Molly was looking ahead, she felt that someone's eyes were glued on
her from behind. Apparently, it was Brian's piercing eyes that had followed her retreating steps.
Brian didn't say another word, but she could still feel the pressure coming from him despite his silence.
He seemed to be telling her to stop. After a while, Molly stopped walking as she couldn't bear the
pressure any longer. "Aunt Shirley, I..."
Shirley stopped as well. Looking straight into Molly's eyes, she immediately understood Molly's deep
worry about walking away like that. Suddenly, Shirley turned around and gave both Richie and Brian a
stare. In fact, her eyes had just swept over Richie and it fell on Brian. Clearing her throat, she told Brian
in a serious tone,"I'm taking Molly with me. Do you have any problem with that?"
Molly turned around while Shirley was speaking and saw that Brian's lips curved in a slight smile. His
smile was so unusually delightful that Molly felt it hard to withdraw her gaze. She had never seen him
smile like this before. It seemed that his smile was coming from his heart, sincerely. Molly found that it
was too good to be true, so she couldn't help but feel a chill creep over her.
"I don't mind you taking Molly with you. But, have you asked Molly if she minds going with you?" said
Brian slowly. Looking straight into Molly's eyes, he then continued,"Do you mind?"
Brian had said every word clearly in a firm voice. Molly understood at once what he was really trying to
do: he was intimidating her to keep her from going out with Shirley. The pressure he was giving her
made her profoundly aware of the kind of person she was actually dealing with.
She had been wrong.
Brian's father was an older man with a commanding presence and authoritative voice, while Brian
wasn't worldly and sophisticated like his father, but still, Brian was a powerful young man with
unscrupulousness and fearlessness. He might be even more like a king than his father. For the first
time, Molly fully recognized the kind of man she had been trapped with. She had a feeling that she
might not be able to get rid of him.
Since Shirley was standing very close to Molly, she noticed that Molly was breathing more heavily than
normal. Shirley frowned. This was such a familiar scene! It seemed that she had gone through what
Molly was going through at the moment. She had a feeling that Molly's life was about to be exactly like
hers.
Shirley saw Molly bit her lips lightly, and her hands felt very cold. Frowning, she stared at Molly with
concern. She realized that she wouldn't be able to leave with her now because Brian wouldn't let Molly
go with her, and Richie wouldn't let her go away like this either.
A tall figure walked up to them while Shirley was still lost in her thoughts. It was Richie. He reached out
and grabbed Shirley's hand with one of his big hands. Pulling Shirley away from Molly, he said in a cold
voice,"Stay away from Shirley. If you put her in danger again, I will make your life so miserable that you
would just want me to kill you."
Holding Shirley's hand firmly, Richie led her to the car outside. Antonio walked to the car immediately
and opened the door for them. Molly, who was still in a daze, just watched Richie take Shirley away,
shove her into the car, and drive away afterwards.
Stunned by what happened, she just stood still while the cold wind cut through her skin like a knife.
Somehow, she no longer felt afraid and she even had an urge to smile.
Everyone wanted to make her life miserable, but what could she have done to deserve all this?
All she wanted was to live quietly with her family. She hadn't intended to get involved with Brian and run
into Edgar again. She just wanted to stay away from all the troubles, live for herself, and fight for her
family.
Was it impossible?
Molly put on a big smile on her face while she thought of this. Her smile was so bright that she seemed
to have forgotten all her problems at the moment. However, the tears brimming in her eyes were telling
a different story. Inside, she was crying out as she could feel the unbearable pain in her heart. Her
heart seemed to be cut through by someone with a knife.
She was just an ordinary woman. How come so many unexpected things were happening to her, one
after another? Did anyone notice that she was afraid of all this?
No one did.
Everyone was accusing her and blaming her for whatever had happened.
Just like today, Brian's father was blaming her for putting Shirley in danger.
However, it wasn't her fault.
If it were not for Brian, she wouldn't have gone through all these terrible things.
An even brighter smile appeared on Molly's face. She began to laugh. She kept laughing and laughing
until she couldn't breathe. Finally, she crouched down, buried her face in her arms and burst into tears.
Brian stood by the door, staring at Molly quietly the whole time. Her smile was so bright that he almost
lost himself in it, but thinking about the meaning behind her laughter made him upset. Before he could
clear up his thoughts, he saw Molly crying abruptly. He thought that he would get mad at her for crying,
but he didn't. He wasn't able to figure out what he was thinking anymore. There was only one thought
left in his mind. It was to hold this woman, who kept bringing him troubles, into his arms.
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