Sometimes, you have to hurt the ones you love in your desire to protect them.
**
"You aren't telling her the reason?
What's that supposed to mean?" Richie asked Brian. Brian looked at Richie sharply, "You know Molly's
character well. If I tell her the reason why I asked you to take Mark away, she'd probably lose her mind
and do anything to protect the boy, and in the process harm herself." He paused, and a hint of sadness
flashed across his eyes, "I love them both so much. And I don't want to see Molly hurt herself because
of Mark, just as I don't want Mark to lose his independence and freedom because of his mother's over
protectiveness." People seemed to think that everyone born in the Long family was free, and they could
do anything they desired. Unknown to them, Brian Long, as head of the family-owned conglomerate,
had to give up certain things because of his responsibility. But he wanted his son to be in charge of his
own life. More, he wanted Molly to live freely with him, like any ordinary person.
Richie looked at Brian coldly. He knew exactly how his son felt. Even as Brian spoke calmly, Richie
could feel the struggle and confusion in the young man's heart because he had gone through the same
thing himself. Richie expected Brian to have several love affairs, but knowing his son was indifferent,
finding one girl to love deeply was unexpected. His son had found the love of his life, and he was
determined to stay with her for the rest of his life. It seemed that every man in the Long family was
destined to fall deeply in love with one woman and love her the rest of his life. But whether that man
would end up living happily ever after with his love or suffering from a hopeless and miserable life
without his true love, no one could tell.
"You're still going to do this even though Molly doesn't understand you and will blame you for it?" Richie
asked. It was a question that was sure to bring unbearable torture to Brian and cause him much pain.
His son's eyes darkened, and his thin lips twitched slightly. Slowly, he said, "I don't care. It's better than
hurting her."
"Brian, when someone's heart gets deeply hurt, the consequence may be disastrous. And it will be very
tough for them to recover," Richie warned. What prompted Richie's warning was because he didn't
want Brian to go through what he did. It was proper advice from a father to his son. But Richie also
knew that had he been in Brian's situation, he would be doing the same thing his son wanted to do.
Richie loved Brian and didn't want to see him miserable.
There was a bitter and desperate look in Brian's face. He lowered his eyes to conceal his misery. Then
he gritted his teeth and shut his eyes to think. Finally, he spoke with determination, "I only want to be
with her. As long as she stays with me, there is nothing I can ask for."
His father sighed deeply, knowing Brian had made up his mind and there was no use trying to convince
him otherwise. Richie said coldly, "I won't say anything more since you've made up your mind."
There was a silence that no one wanted to break. Richie slipped out to the balcony and started
smoking. The situation was clear now. If Brian didn't want Mark to be one of the deputies of National
Congress, shackled by power and transformed into a brutal and murderous man, the best way was to
arrange for him to stay at XK Intelligence Agency. The moment Molly found out about this, she would
be in danger. So, Brian would prefer Molly to hate him than suffering the pain of losing someone
beloved. He already lost her once and could not afford to lose her again. The gut-wrenching feeling of
losing Molly was so unbearable that he could never forget it.
"Richie," a voice called out behind him.
He didn't need to turn his head and look to know it was Shirley who spoke his name. Quickly, he
stubbed the cigarette in his hand and whirled to see the concern in her eyes. "Brian just told me he
wants you to take Mark away. Is that true?" she asked her husband.
"Yes, it's true," Richie admitted. "Mark isn't safe here. Someone may hurt him, that's why Brian made
that decision," he explained.
Her brows furrowed, Shirley asked, "Can't you just send some bodyguards to protect him without taking
him away?"
Reaching for her hand, Richie pulled Shirley and sat her down, "They may come and attack Mark any
time. We can never predict when a situation like that would happen. If these people attacked Mark, he
could easily die because of his poor health. So he can't stay here. He needs to leave with me."
Both Richie's words and tone weighed in her heart. What he said was utterly frustrating. Shirley was no
longer the woman who used to compromise a lot of things in her life, so she thought their plan to
protect Mark was unacceptable. She loved the boy so much. Shirley knew that they were doing this
only to defend Mark, but she remained hopeful that Richie, whom she thought was capable of doing
anything, would find a better way to secure their grandson.
Richie simply held Shirley in his arms and didn't speak. After a few minutes, he calmly said, "It's okay,
Shirley. Take a deep breath and relax. Let Brian and Molly resolve this matter among themselves. They
don't need our help." Up to now, Richie disliked Molly. He thought she was a coward. Each time she
was in trouble or faced with a difficult situation, she would opt to isolate herself from other people. And
this made Richie think the girl wasn't good enough for his son. Ironically, in Molly, he saw the same
stubborn character of his wife, Shirley. They were both passionate, feisty, and highly opinionated. Molly
was a woman of contradiction, and this was the reason why she and Brian over the years had been
going back and forth, that's why their relationship had always been unstable. Now, however, Brian was
out to protect not just Molly, but Mark as well. There were still many loose ends where Brian and Molly's
relationship was concerned.
*
Hannah sat at the bar, with a cocktail on hand, especially concocted for her by the bartender. The drink
called "Red Lips" suited her personality. To anyone who saw Hannah, she would appear careless, just
enjoying a drink at the bar.
"They have Mark under their care, the atmosphere is intense, yet you're here enjoying cocktails at a
bar." A woman's voice spoke lazily next to her. "I think I'll have a shot of whiskey."
Shrugging her shoulders, Hannah looked at Black Widow who sat next to her. "I have to thank you
because what you've done allowed me to enjoy my stay here. Without you, we couldn't have executed
our plan perfectly. Then to top it all, the surprise ending was something I never expected," Hannah
said.
The Black Widow smiled. Studying Hannah's innocent face, she saw the girl was tougher than she
looked. No one could resist her charm. Here was a femme fatale, she decided. Black Widow had seen
the girl in action, and she was beyond vicious. Hannah was capable of killing people using subtle
means. Her mind was clear, sharp and focused, plus she knew how to manipulate people to her
advantage. It was in her nature, and she was born to do this. So, Black Widow believed the girl was
ready to take over from Mr. Song.
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