"I'm fine," Anne said with a half-hearted smile. It was rare for Kevin to look and sound so thoughtful,
which made her wonder if everything that happened was real.
In one swift movement, he picked her up in his arms and headed upstairs to her bedroom.
"Put me down! I'm fine. I can walk by myself," she insisted.
"Don't worry. I've got you. Besides, we're indoors. What are you so worried about?" Kevin said
confidently.
His overbearingness made her a bit displeased. However, she couldn't deny that the way he was
caring for her made her feel nice. It was as they were finally able to be together harmoniously like two
normal people.
"I..." she stammered, wanting to protest further. But the words were just caught in her throat. Just like
that, she was helplessly whisked away. Kevin effortless opened the bedroom door while she was still in
his arms. Then, he gently laid her down on the bed.
"I'm going to bed. Good night."
After saying that, Anne buried herself under the soft blanket and closed her eyes.
Unexpectedly, Kevin had grown some affinity towards her aloofness. In fact, he was starting to think
that it was kind of lovely and cute.
Bending down, he brushed the hair on her face and kissed her lightly on her forehead. Right after, he
turned around and left, closing the door behind him.
As soon as the door closed with a click, Anne opened her eyes. There was a faint smile on her lips that
she didn't even notice was there.
Meanwhile, Kevin returned to his own room. Instead of going straight to bed, he turned on his computer
and continued to write the draft. Glancing at the time, he saw that it was almost ten o'clock. This draft
needed to be ready for Ms. Sophia by tomorrow. Without any more delay, he went straight to work.
The story he wrote was about everything that happened between him and Anne. There were a lot
horrible things that happened, filled with bizarre twists and turns. Although it seemed unbelievable, this
was what really happened in their lives.
At last, Kevin was done writing. It was already four o'clock in the morning. A sense of fulfillment
washed over him. Breathing a sigh of relief, he stood up and went to lie down on his bed, not bothering
to change his clothes or get under the covers.
Later that morning, Anne woke up rather early. This was usually the case when she had a nice, deep
sleep. Even though it was only six o'clock in the morning, it was already very bright in Paris.
Outside, the sun had only begun to rise. The sky was a lovely wash of pinks and oranges, almost as if
it was made out of sweet cotton candy.
With a stretch and a yawn, Anne got out of bed and went to get a glass of water. Inevitably, she passed
by Kevin's bedroom. The door had been left open, and she saw him sprawled onto the bed, quietly
snoring.
Usually, he woke up first before she did. Since he always had a lot of things to do, he always had a
fixed time for sleeping. But now, it seemed like he had tired himself too much last night.
Tiptoeing, Anne walked in and gently put a blanket on him. She carefully looked at him to check if he
would wake up. To her surprise, she saw the dark circles under his eyes.
Seeing that his computer was still on, she realized that he must have been up all night finishing the
draft he was going to give to Sophia.
At this moment, Kevin woke up and grunted groggily. "Why are you up so early?" he said with a tired
groan. He thought that it was still early.
"Well, unlike you, I went to bed early yesterday," she said, a playful smile on her lips. "You should get
some more rest."
Seeing how tired he was, she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him.
Reaching out, he lightly stroked her hair. The smile on his face was so peaceful, as if he was currently
living his best possible life.
"By the way, are you done with the draft you planned on giving Sophia? I can sent it to her for you,"
Anne offered.
Since it was the two of them together, she figured that they should at least be helping each other out.
But Kevin immediately sat up and looked at her sternly. "No, it's your first time to Paris. You're not
familiar with this place. If you want to go out, I'll go with you. Don't think about going out there on your
own."
It was easy to take advantage of tourists, especially if they were women. There was no way he was
willing to risk Anne's safety just so that she could do him a favor. It would be a lot more worrisome if
she suddenly got lost or taken by some stranger.
"Okay, but you still need to catch up on some sleep. What time is your meeting with Ms. Sophia?" "Two
o'clock later this afternoon.
Don't worry. Her address is actually pretty close from our hotel. How about we go out for some
breakfast first then I'll just go rest a bit when we come back? Just help wake me up by noon, okay?"
Kevin said.
"Yeah, sure. Actually, maybe I can go out and buy the food myself. It shouldn't be hard to find some
place to buy food nearby. What do you want to eat? I'll bring it for you." Just when she was about to go
out of his room to get ready, he quickly called out to her,
"Wait. We should just go out. I've been around this place a number of times. There are a lot of food that
I think you'd like. We don't have much time to stay here anyway, so this might be the only chance you
can have a taste of what Paris cuisine has to offer." Rubbing the sleep off his eyes, he went out of bed
and put on his shoes. "After this deal with Ms. Sophia, we'll have to leave soon," he added. "There's
also some business in Denmark that needs to be attended to."
The bright and sunny day Anne saw from her window had suddenly turned a bit gloomy. However, with
so much beauty in the streets of Paris, it was impossible not to feel relaxed no matter what the weather
was.
As she and Kevin walked side by side, they passed by a local pastry shop. Through the glass walls,
passersby could see all of the freshly baked goods. Tarts topped with fresh raspberries, chocolate
covered croissants, cinnamon rolls that came straight out of the oven, and many more delicious treats.
"The cream puffs here are very delicious, different from that at home. You should try it," Kevin said as
he noticed Anne's eyes glisten with interest.
There was a long, elegant flower carved on the cream puff. It smelled even better than it looked, but
the taste of the soft pastry and smooth filling was the real star of the show.
They also ordered two different slices of cake before heading out into the streets once more.
After stopping by two more local stores, they then went back to the hotel.
The moment they entered the room, the air was filled with the delicious smell of all the food they had
just bought. It was as if they had personally brought the French charm into these four walls.
"Go and eat. I'll just go lie down for a while," Kevin said as he touched the top of her head, bending
down to kiss her softly on the lips. "Just don't forget to wake me up at twelve o'clock."
"Why don't you grab a small bite before going to bed?" Anne said worriedly. She could only imagine
how hard he had been working hard yesterday.
"No, it's okay. I'm not hungry."
As he plopped down back on the bed and closed his eyes, she smiled at him sweetly. Recently,
whenever she saw him, she felt as light as a feather in her heart.
After everything that had happened between them, she never thought that they would get along so
well.
Everything seemed to be falling into place. There was no need for her to keep looking over her
shoulder, nor was there any need to keep explaining herself or protecting her own right and interests
with Kevin.
Later that day, they arrived at Sophia's house on time.
It went without question that Sophia was a highly-respected writer. Her novels had the ability to fill the
reader's soul, always filled with beautiful anecdotes about life and nature. That was why she could
always set a trend. From the looks of her home, it was easy to see how her writing was reflected in her
lifestyle. There were so many beautiful flowers that she had planted and grown herself. It was like an
enchanted wonderland that came straight out of a fairy tale.
"Oh, you're here!" Sophia greeted once she opened the door. She invited them into the living room.
There, she looked at them appraisingly.
A good story was always supposed to have a good protagonist, after all.
"Well, this is my story," Kevin said as he handed the USB flash drive to her.
With her trained eye, she quickly skimmed through the pages, leafing through it until she was satisfied.
"This is really good," Sophia said as she nodded. "The story of your love is so complicated yet moving.
Ah, I really do hope that you two will be happily together. As for you, Mr. Kevin, I can see what a
business minded man you are. However, you don't have that attitude most crude businessmen have. I
think we're all done here! I'll give you a satisfactory advertising copy for your jewelry." The author's
words were filled with nothing but praise.
Anne and Kevin looked at each other with a smile, both of them feeling very excited.
After chatting for a couple of minutes, they made their leave soon enough, much to Sophia's
disappointment.
"Bye, my friend," she said as she closed the door behind them.
As they walked down the street, they passed by a street performer with an acoustic guitar. He was
singing a slow and charming song in French. Kevin twirled Anne around, her laughing ringing
pleasantly in his ears. Then, he pulled her close to him, catching her in a tight embrace. Maybe there
was just something about this city. It was, after all, known to be one of the most romantic places in the
world.
As they embraced each other, slowly dancing to the music, their hearts filled with so much love. It was
a moment both of them wished would never end. But they only had a short time to cherish this moment.
Nevertheless, it was definitely a time they would surely remember. Their short five-day trip had been so
much more profound to them than the past year.
Before they knew it, they were on a plane heading back home. By the time they arrived, it was already
evening.
The colorful lights actually made Anne feel safe and happy. Before, she didn't really feel like she had a
home to return to here. Now, she knew that 'home' was the person right by her side.
"How about we pick up the baby first?" Kevin suggest. They had been away for many days that he was
also starting to miss the baby as well.
"Okay." With a small smile, Anne nodded.
In truth, she didn't like the idea of going back to the Fu Family's old house. Even up until now, she
didn't know how she was supposed to deal with Kevin's mother, Selma.
Before, she didn't care what his mother would say about her and Kevin.
But now, as her relationship with Kevin started to change, it would be a lot more complicated to face
Selma.
"Don't worry," Kevin said, seeing the anxiety in her eyes. "You don't have to say anything when you see
my mother. My grandfather's home as well, I think. Even though he's very strict, he's a fair man. You
might not like him at first, but I think you can warm up to him eventually."
Anne nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed that he was able to see right through her.
The old house of the Fu Family was actually not that old. It was built about only ten years ago, and the
only reason why it was called that was because Kevin spent his childhood there. It was a place that
had so many old and painful memories for him, memories that were impossible to forget about.
Anne and Kevin entered the house and waited at the living room. A servant went upstairs to call Selma
and Carl. "Mr. Kevin is back," she announced. A little while later, they came downstairs.
The first thing Anne saw was the baby, sleeping soundly in Carl's arms. Closely behind them was
Selma.
"You finally came back?" Although Carl's voice was strict and gruff, there was a glint of compassion in
his eyes as he looked at his grandson.
"Grandpa," greeted Kevin. He reached out his arms, intending to take the baby from Carl. However, his
grandfather moved the baby away from him and rolled his eyes.
"I feel like I don't even have a grandson anymore because you don't come here that often. Now you're
trying to take my great grandson so that both of you can leave? Where are your manners, boy?" Carl
scolded.
Of course, he was just teasing, and Selma let out a small laugh.
"Dad, I'm sure Kevin would want to stay one night here to spend some time with you. Right, Kevin?"
Selma said lightly.
In truth, she knew that Kevin wouldn't stay here if she was the one who requested it. Their relationship
as mother and son still wasn't that good yet. However, she thought that maybe Kevin would be more
willing stay if he was going to do it for Carl.
"Alright. Just one night. You can go ahead and prepare a room," Kevin said as he held Anne's hand.
Seeing this, Carl frowned, the look in his eyes darkening as he scrutinized the young couples' hands
interlocked with one another.
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