When Molly woke up at 9 pm, Brian was nowhere to be seen.
The other side of the bed where he had slept was still warm.
His smell still lingered on the pillows.
Molly freshened up and went downstairs. Brian was sitting on the sofa, reading a book. Molly realized
that most days he loved to sit in the living room and read. A large bookshelf rested against the wall,
stocked with all kinds of books. When she had first been here, Molly thought the books were just
ornaments, never to be touched. She didn't think Brian actually read them. Later on, while she was
browsing the books on the shelf for herself to read, she found that some had annotations written inside
of them. The writing was quite incisive.
Brian felt someone staring at the back of his head. He turned around and met Molly's rattled eyes.
Noticing that Molly tried to avoid eye contact with him, he was amused. "Did you have a good sleep?"
Brian asked casually with a faint smile.
Molly nodded her head in reply. Last night, sleep had been out of her reach. But today, she had been
sound asleep since afternoon up until now. Moreover, she hadn't had a single dream.
Brian checked the time. "Are you hungry? Why don't you go get something to eat? I have to go to the
casino later," he said.
Molly once again nodded obediently and went downstairs. Lisa was cooking chicken soup in the
kitchen and heard Molly's footsteps. She immediately ladled out the soup in a bowl and served it on the
table.
To Molly's surprise, Brian came downstairs too and sat opposite her. He picked up his spoon and had a
sip of the soup as Molly stared in confusion.
"Eating alone makes people lose their appetite sometimes," Brian explained briefly, shooting her a
glance. He continued to drink the soup quietly.
Molly didn't know whether or not he lost his appetite when he ate alone. But she sure as hell didn't like
having her meals in solitude! Did he know that?
After finishing the soup, Molly left the table and went in the direction of the stairs. Just as she climbed a
few steps, Brian's deep and charming voice sounded from behind her.
"I will wait for you here."
Frowning, Molly turned her head and looked at Brian. She pointed at herself as if to ask if it was her he
was going to wait for. Molly was not so sure about that.
"I'll give you five minutes to get ready," Brian said coldly. His face was impassive as usual.
Molly found this strange. Why would he take her to the casino? Hadn't he told her to stay at home and
avoid revealing her whereabouts to anyone?
"Hurry up. Go get changed!"
Brian snapped and gestured her to leave, obviously annoyed. Molly veered back to reality at his harsh
voice. Flustered, she nodded and ran upstairs. Molly always dressed casually, so it took her only three
minutes to slip into her attire. She was quick to get to Brian in time.
She wore a pair of tight jeans and a round-neck sweater, layering the outfit with a coat. A knitted scarf
was wrapped around her neck. She looked like a lively and carefree college student, not a girl who had
gone through so many hardships in the matter of a month.
Brian stared at her, longing to wrap his arms around her. He was a person who had been stuck in the
darkness for too long and was desperate for light.
Molly noticed how his expression darkened. A complex emotion passed over his face, but she only
nodded to him and looked pointedly at her wristwatch. She looked proud, as if saying,"I'm done within
five minutes!"
A faint smile emerged on Brian's face, only to fade the next second. Molly suddenly flushed, realizing
she had behaved a little too excitedly.
"Let's go," Brian announced coldly. He walked ahead and ignored Molly's embarrassment as she
followed him outside.
Tony was waiting for them next to the car. The Benz they usually traveled in had been switched for an
Audi. Tony opened the passenger door for Molly as Brian walked toward the driver seat.
"Have Harrow pay close attention to the stock in New York," Brian commanded Tony as he opened the
car door.
"Got it!" Tony replied as Brian got into his seat.
Molly was amazed to see Brian in the driver seat. She had never seen him drive before. Watching him
put his hands on the steering wheel, she realized it made her nervous.
Brian started the car and threw her a glance. "What?" he asked in a contemptuous tone. "You don't
believe in my driving skills?"
Molly shot him a surprised look. She had never got the impression that he could sound so scornful.
She curled her lips and raised her eyebrows, as if to tell him that no, she did not believe in his skills!
A sly look flashed across Brian's eyes when he saw the outraged look on her face. He accelerated the
car unexpectedly. Startled, Molly flung forward and then immediately fell backward onto her seat.
She huffed angrily, glaring at him with a disgruntled look on her face. Since Molly couldn't talk, that was
all she could do.
Brian's mouth lifted up insolently. He kept his eyes on the road and didn't look at Molly again. The car
drove fast and unsettled the snow on the road. The horn whistled loudly, forcing other cars on the road
to give way. The harsh sound disrupted the silence of night time.
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