"Could you hug me for a while?"
The words appeared on Molly's phone screen.
Brian squinted at the screen.
His black eyes were fixed on Molly's words. He didn't react. He just stood there, staring at the screen.
When the screen finally turned off, he raised his head and gazed at Molly.
Molly looked like a pouting child, seeking love from her negligent parent. She noticed that Brian didn't
make any move. She hesitantly took her mobile phone back, and lowered her eyes, deliberately hiding
her frustration and disappointment. Then she turned around and set off towards the villa.
But her arm was pulled back by a strong hand and she was embraced from behind.
Brian held Molly in his arms quietly. He tightened his grip on her shoulders, as if he was trying to
prevent her from escaping. "Did you go back home?"
his deep voice came from behind her. Brian already knew the answer to his question.
Molly didn't answer. She closed her eyes and turned around towards him. She pressed her cheek
closer to Brian's chest and listened to his heartbeat, taking in his unique scent. She kept her arms
around his waist and enjoyed the sense of security she only felt when she was with Brian.
Tony stood beside the car and watched the two lovers embrace under the light of the setting sun. The
sight was pleasant, yet sad. He admired the love between Molly and Brian, and he hated that sad aura
they were emanating. He wondered what it would be like when he was in love with a girl.
The young couple remained locked in the embrace. Brian remained silent and stared into space.
Tony's mind drifted to a conversation that he had witnessed between Brian and Vincent earlier that day.
His mind was soon clouded by darkness.
"Mr. Brian Long, the situation seems to have gotten tricky." Vincent's impassive face appeared on the
monitor during the video call. "A few past incidents might be involved in the political conflicts between
Dragon Island and Four-Nine City."
There was a brief silence before Brian spoke,"Justin once spent his holiday on his twin brother's
territory. As the Chief Commander of the C Army Group, he was engaged in some secret mission
during the time. Dragon Island was at the very edge of its political power, so nobody noticed him there.
However, unfortunately, he was exposed and set up by an intelligence agent from X Country. His
mission failed and he was also drugged with some potent philter. People who were affected by that
drug were said to have no control over their thoughts, or their body. He was easily misled and
manipulated."
Vincent's face darkened after hearing what Brian had said. He felt sick to the stomach.
Brian slowly sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, lost in thought. Moments later, he added,"Under
the influence of the philter, he raped Sharon, who was Rory's maid's daughter. Consequently, top-level
secrets were leaked and were dispatched to the intelligence agent of X Country. To cover up this
scandal, he tried to set up his twin brother and made him a scapegoat. Nobody cared if Rory, the CEO
of Sunny Group, had raped a daughter of his housemaid, and nobody dared to accuse him of rape
either. However, he was a good man and took in the poor girl as his mistress. Rory either did so to help
his brother out of any possible trouble, or he did it to thank Sharon's parents for saving his life."
Vincent continued after Brian,"After Justin left, X Country commenced a military operation and it
succeeded. Later, it was confirmed that it was Justin's liaison who had leaked confidential intelligence."
After Vincent gave him the full report about Justin, Brian's lips tilted upwards slightly at the corners. He
said,"It was nothing but a political game. That's all. Behind Justin was the reformist faction in Four-Nine
City. At that time, both the conservative and reformist factions were engaged in conflicts. If something
bad happened to Justin, the reformist faction would surely be greatly undermined. To cover up his
scandal, they had to pull some strings and make sure that their interests remain unharmed."
After hearing Brian's explanation, Vincent gazed at him awestruck. He had dug hard to find out what
had happened in the past, but Mr. Brian Long seemed to have already known everything. Vincent came
to realize that he had spent the last few days working hard for nothing. Brian guessed what Vincent
was thinking about and smiled.
He said,"You have done a good job. I only know these things because I was investigating an
otolaryngologist and accidentally came upon this piece of information which should have been
destroyed ages ago. Plus, your investigation reports had inspired me to find more. Your expression
tells me that I have guessed right, haven't I?"
"Yeah! You're absolutely right. You are the smartest person I have known in my line of investigation."
Vincent added,"Tony brought some samples the last time he was here and we did some DNA tests.
The result indicates that Molly is indeed Justin's daughter. So, after a painstaking investigation, it
seems clear that Steven is closely involved in the conflicts between the conservative and reformist
factions."
Brian listened carefully and thought for a while. He lowered his eyes and tried to cover up the
deepening gloom lingering in his mind. He smiled dangerously and there was not a tinge of humor in it.
He had failed to figure out certain things about the past. It suddenly occurred to him that everything that
was happening now was connected in one way or another.
He didn't want to admit it, but he was foolish enough to be manipulated and used.
Brian shook with laughter, which was eerie because the atmosphere in the house had become rather
tense. Vincent felt suffocated even though he was on the other side of the screen. His brow wrinkled.
"The assassination mission by the special force is to prevent you from conducting any further
investigation into this matter, or..." Vincent stopped. He looked up at Brian's grim face and swallowed
hard. He was nervous and was clearly at a loss for what to say next.
Brian raised his head and continued,"Or, those fools from the conservative faction will take advantage
of Steven's grudges about what happened in the past and stir up trouble. As a result, Justin will be
forced to act against me. Meanwhile, it's also a test of my power and strength. They expect us to suffer
loss on both sides."
Vincent twisted his mouth in anxiety. He could sense that Brian was pissed off. Ever since his younger
days, Brian had been in control of everything. He had never been set up or used by others before.
Molly was just a toy for Mr. Brian Long. She was just one of his countless women, who would be
abandoned after he got bored of them. However, Steven saw his opportunity and found Mr. Brian
Long's soft spot.
"What should we do next?" Vincent asked carefully, afraid that Brian might get angrier.
"Tell our people to pull out."
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