After all, Emp meant a lot more than the Grand Night to Brian. He wouldn't take just anyone.
"Mr. Brian Long!" Harrow shrugged off his doubts and regained his composure. He nodded to Molly,
then turned to Brian. "Our shares have opened in America, and the index is one percent higher than
expected."
Brian looked astounded at the news. He glanced at the screen on the wall to confirm Harrow's report.
"They're like little toads, sitting in the scummy swamp, but they always like to hop ahead of me," said
Brian.
Harrow shrugged. "They're still a threat. And it doesn't look like they'll go away on their own. Why don't
we kick their asses before our stock takes a hit?"
Brian gave him a casual glance before he suddenly turned to Molly. She hadn't moved since they
walked in, unsure of what was going on. "What do you think, Mol?"
Molly was taken aback by his sudden question, and she fixed Brian with doubtful eyes. She couldn't
really think clearly after she'd seen Rory on the monitor at the Grand Night Casino, and didn't
understand what Brian and Harrow were talking about. What should she say? What could she say?
Brian snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He didn't seem to care who else
was in the room. But Harrow and Tony didn't even care. He asked her in a low and charming
voice,"Someone's messing with my business. Harrow suggested I kick their asses. Sound like a plan?"
Molly glanced at the other two in embarrassment. Tony still wore a cold face as if he had seen nothing
happening, and didn't care if he did see anything. Harrow shrugged slightly as he said,"Miss Xia, you're
welcome to chime in."
Molly gritted her teeth and tried to squirm out of Brian's arms, but he just held her more tightly. She was
mad, and her lowered eyebrows gave testament to that fact. She glared at Brian fiercely. Of course,
she couldn't speak, so she could give no advice at all.
She flashed Brian a cold gaze which seemed to say,"So what if I say yes?"
"Well," a faint smile appeared on Brian's face as he met Molly's angry stare, and he said in an uncaring
voice,"now that Mol thinks that we should teach them a lesson, it's all you."
With that, he spared Harrow another glance, and then left the office with Molly.
Harrow just sat there, staring after them long after the door had closed and they had made their exit.
After a while, he turned to Tony and asked with a titter,"What do you think he means by that?"
Tony replied with a cold glance,"He means we should deal with them as we see fit, and there's no need
for him to dirty his hands with this."
"Do you think that was his idea, or hers?" Harrow felt strange. He just tossed the issue out there,
mainly because he thought Brian wouldn't care. He thought wrong, because otherwise why did Brian
stop at Emp tonight? Harrow couldn't help thinking about this.
Tony didn't reply to Harrow's question, but he also fell into deep thought. Brian should have planned for
this with stock buybacks, stop-loss orders, etc. But he consulted with Molly and left it up to them.
A flicker of doubt flashed in Tony's eyes. He wondered, 'Did Mr. Brian Long do this on purpose? Or was
it really possible he did this because of Miss Xia's whims? Mr. Brian Long, what are you up to?'
Molly was still confused, teetering between rage and resignation. Brian had escorted her out of Emp as
quickly as they had come, and guided the car onto the snowy roadways again.
They said nothing as the car moved slowly through the city. Molly leaned back in her seat and tilted her
head to look out the window. The snow kept coming down in large flakes, and the whole city was
blanketed with white snow, shining with glorious brilliance in the nighttime lights.
Molly's thoughts weren't on the view, but rather her identity. She suddenly felt afraid of finding out the
truth. And she bet that this would overwhelm her no matter whose daughter she was. This wasn't just
like changing your clothes. This was like finding out that your whole life was nothing more than a lie.
She had the strangest feeling that something wild would happen soon.
The car rolled to a halt, and it snapped her out of her trance. She tore her eyes away from the snowy
scene and stared at Brian blankly.
Brian glanced at a public park beside the road. Then he turned to Molly and asked,"Tired yet?"
Molly wrinkled her brow and wondered why Brian asked that question, but she still shook her head
truthfully.
Brian gave her a smile in answer. He got out and walked around the car to open the door for her. When
Molly saw him offering his hand, she looked up at him, blinking in confusion. After Brian nodded in
reply, she eventually put her hand in his and also got out.
Brian closed his fingers around her cold hand, and tried to warm her up. He took his other hand and
rubbed hers gently. Immediately, Molly felt the warmth flowing from her hand to her heart.
They stepped onto the thick snow laying on the ground, leaving footprints behind them. They walked
into the park hand-in-hand. Their footsteps crunching on the snow were in sync, rhythmic, playing a
harmonious duet in this quiet place.
They walked along a pathway lined with lights. In the dim orange light, their shadows lengthened as
they moved forward. This was truly a winter wonderland, and her emotions toward Brian had melted
again.
Molly stole a glance at Brian. The expression on his face was different than usual, and she could see
many complex emotions in his eyes, including worries and an uncommon hesitation. 'It's not my
imagination. I think he really cares about what's going on, ' she thought.
Molly dropped her gaze to the snow under her feet, laughing at her own thoughts. What kind of man
was Brian? "Worries" and "hesitation"? Those were never words she would have used to describe him.
"You know, it almost never snowed when I was a kid. The one time I remember was a winter storm that
hit the area. That night, Richie and Shirley decided to take a walk in the snow the same way we are
now, hand in hand. I walked behind them. Everything was quiet and peaceful." Brian looked into the
distance, but his eyes saw only his childhood. His handsome face was framed by the silent snowy
night. "Shirley always wears a pretty smile, and so does Wing. Shirley likes to complain that I'm not
really her son, because I don't smile a lot. But every time I do smile, someone gets in trouble."
Molly observed the masculine silhouette of Brian's face, and she didn't want to do anything to interrupt
him. She had a feeling that Brian just wanted to talk, to pour out his heart to someone who could listen
in silence.
"I've walked in the snow a lot since then. But I just can't capture that magical moment again." Brian
inadvertently tightened his grip on Molly's hand. His brows lowered, and he had the strangest feeling
that the peace he'd been searching for all this years was here, now, with Molly. He basked in the
serenity, relaxing for once, and he felt his heart melt. He stood still, closed his eyes, and just lived in the
moment for a bit.
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