The coffee shop was shrouded by the starless night sky. The lights glowed an aura of brilliance around
the cafe, and the lively plants waved with their dusky emerald green leaves.
"Are you saying that I should agree with Selma's proposal?" Rose’s expression was seemingly off as if
her parents said something horrible. Instead of being the obedient girl that she was, her face was
steaming like a hot potato.
Looking at his daughter, Liam heaved a sigh. In everyone's eyes, Rose was a compliant girl, but they
had no idea that under her tender personality, a firestorm of fierceness prowled. Rose worshipped true
love like a miracle, but pure hate made her abandon all the goodness in her.
"Dad, how can you allow this?" Seeing that neither of her parents intended to speak a word, she
pushed her chair backward, stood up, and growled at them.
"Rose, calm down. Don't get too pumped up. That’s not what we mean. We can't sell our daughter, how
could we? We just think that Kevin owes you his life, and this could be the easiest way for us to get his
signature on the contract," said Liam.
"The contract will be signed in due time. Dad, don't you believe in my ability?" Rose raised the question
of her doubts angrily.
"That's not my point. Of course, I believe in you, but some things are destined to happen. Kevin
rejected our project because a similar beauty and physical therapy proposal was already submitted by
the Feng Group. They have close relationship with Kevin, and we know we have little chance, but we
still handed in our proposal just to try our luck," said Liam as his face darkened.
"I see…" The disappointment was painted all over Rose's face. She composed herself as she sat on
her chair with a terrible look on her face.
"So, it's not because I can't do it. It's just that the case itself is trashed already. Dad, what should we
do? There has to be another way," asked Rose as she raised her voice with conviction.
Looking at the disenchanted look in his daughter's eyes, Liam suspired, but before he could say
anything, Valentina, who had been sitting quietly next to him, interrupted. She said, "Rose, it's trivial.
There are thousands of money-spinning partnerships in the business circle, but we managed to win the
most profitable one the moment you donated blood to Kevin. You should try your best to stay on the
good side of Selma. If that happens, even if Kevin doesn't agree to the marriage, we will still get to be
their associates, and ensure that we do our best to cooperate with a compromise."
Valentina was good at business. It was her trademark. She enunciated the high stakes of having a
bridging friendship with Kevin and why they needed it as soon as possible. In this way, Rose, who had
always been against the idea of having an intimate relationship with Kevin, would rethink her verdicts
from top to bottom.
Rose was thinking of how to make friends with Kevin, but rather the puzzling facade of his melancholic
expression on that day.
"Rose, are you angry with us?" Valentina asked cautiously.
"No, mother, I will listen to you and Dad. Even if I can't promise Selma, I will give my best shot to get
along with Kevin. It will cost me some energy, but in the end, there’s nothing to lose in trying." After
saying that, she flashed a reassuring smile that relieved the tension in the air.
Seeing that Rose was so considerate, Liam felt gratified and somewhat guilty.
"Thank you, my daughter." He patted Rose's shoulder, and the three of them left the place together.
It was about six o'clock in the evening,
and the East Mountain Villa was extraordinarily quiet. Faints of twinkling starlight crowded the heavens
as the moonlight leisurely rose against the sinking sunset.
The wind blew a nibble colder which made Kevin frown.
Seeing the servant pass by him, he stopped her, and asked, "It is such a scene of desolation here, isn't
it?"
There was no such thing as a luxurious sight from the maid's quarters, but after staying with Kevin for a
long time, she knew if the skies were bad or good. She said, "When Miss Anne roamed the villa,
oftentimes I saw her look at the outdoors, and she doesn't seem to be as pleased as before as well."
Hearing the servant's words, Kevin took another look and fathomed that it was indeed deserted. He
saw Anne sit on the balcony. Her eyes were locked on the lemon tree and she looked satisfied.
The room temperature in the East Mountain Villa was indeed comfortable like a constant warm hug.
The temperature was strictly maintained at twenty-six Degrees Celsius. One could wear a long downy
robe and still felt cozy, but the scenery in the open-air did disrupt the overall mood.
Kevin was a person who tended to go to extremes. When he hated her, he would punish her to her
demise, but once he fell in love with her, neither mountains of gold nor rivers of flowers seemed to have
been enough.
"I see. How about we move to a villa that can control the temperature outside?" Kevin stared outside
and spoke his thought seriously.
The servant had never heard such a house. How could one even control the weather outdoors? She
immediately shook her head with a silly grin, and said, "I don't know, Mr. Kevin. You decide."
After leaving the verdict to him, the servant left. Kevin's lips suddenly rose to a smile. Because of Anne,
he seemed to think that building a better villa was a good plan.
A pleasant ringtone echoed in his dreamy thoughts. Kevin picked up the phone, and said, "Hello, Mom.
What's up?"
Today, Kevin's voice was not the usual bland water which made Selma speak delicately.
"I have something to deal with back home. Can you come here tomorrow?" she begged.
"I don't have the time, Mom. Eddy's health is needing the utmost attention," said Kevin.
Eddy's health was indeed important, but deep down, Kevin just didn't want to leave Anne alone.
"Of course, I know Eddy’s condition is vital. He is the only boy in our family, born in this generation.
Eddy is our treasure. But if this is all for his well-being, will you see me or not?" Kevin was stunned
when he heard the hint of hope from Selma.
"If that's the case, then I'll go there the day after tomorrow. You must convince the person involved to
stay in touch. I'm sure it's not a difficult problem for you, right?" Kevin asked.
Selma meant differently, but after hearing Kevin's words, she knew that her son was certainly clueless
about the fact that she found a woman who could give birth to a baby with the same blood type as
Eddy. She didn't intend to spoil the truth. She thought that she could use the misunderstanding to play
a trick on him so he could go back to visit her.
And when Kevin arrived to meet the woman, he would have no chance to reject the opportunity.
"No, Kevin. Eddy's health is a priority right now. Anyway, you must come back tomorrow. Goodbye."
Selma hung up the phone in a jiff.
Kevin was surprised that Selma didn't ask for more, but he didn't want to overthink the situation
because his eyes had been distracted by Anne. Out of the corner came Anne as she observed the
lemon tree with a shy smile on her lips. Her every move was beautiful, fresh, and elegant, but above all
that, there was a hint of a queen's temperament.
Kevin was startled. He thought that he had gone too far to the point that he failed to unearth the pure
beauty of Anne before.
However, his thoughts didn't last long. When Anne saw him looking at her intently, she gave him a
fierce scowl, left the lemon tree, and stormed back to her bedroom.
Kevin felt the frustration, but as a man, he knew how to consider his chances. If he chased her now,
she would just bang the door in front of him.
Without a second thought, he decided to go back to sleep and recover his spirits.
There would be several hulking transactions tomorrow, and then he had to deal with Eddy's affairs at
night.
The thought of it made him beg to sink himself in his supple bed. So, he went to his bedroom and
called it a day.
Tonight, it was the earliest time that the lights in the East Mountain Villa were turned off. There were
fewer quarrels, less sarcasm, and of course, it was all because the two of them had less chance to
meet and talk.
In the blink of an eye, the warmth of the sun welcomed a new day.
At seven o'clock in the morning, a seeming breakfast feast was served on the table. There was a huge
bowl of red date porridge, steaming white fungus soup, crispy bread fried dough sticks, delicate
vegetable tempura, assorted clubhouse sandwiches, and juicy hamburgers.
If Kevin or Anne didn’t decide on the menus, then the food on the table would always be a banquet of
festivities.
Anne sat at one side of the table, and Kevin was sitting opposite her. He glanced at her delicate face
and thought that she still looked pleasant even when she gave him a distressing stare.
"I won't be home tonight," pretending to be apathetic, Kevin said these words recklessly as he kept a
keen eye to Anne's subtle reactions.
However, there was not much response from her at all. She said insipidly in a dismissive tone, "Okay."
Her sparing words dropped a bomb of disappointment on Kevin.
"I will to go to the company directly tomorrow," said Kevin as his words felt like frost.
"I know. You can be busy with your work. You don't need to report to me."
With two pieces of toasted bread smeared with a dollop of sweet jam oozing on the sides, Anne took a
bite and chewed slowly.
"Aren't you going to ask where I am going or what business am I up to?" Kevin’s voice started to snarl
as his temper peeked from the tip of his tongue.
However, Anne sneered at his plead for concern, and said, "I can stand it even if you sleep with a
woman in the most deluxe hotel for as much as you want because we have nothing to do with each
other."
Anne's words left Kevin speechless. He was so furious that he pushed his seat, stood up, and walked
out the villa with heavy feet as his car key clinked in his pocket.
Suddenly, after Kevin left, Anne became upset. Deep down, she was curious about his forthcoming
whereabouts. She didn't care about anything before because she was too immersed in the perturbing
fact that Eddy was sick and that his survival was uncertain. But now, she came to her senses, and she
still couldn't deny that it was extremely impossible for her to completely ignore Kevin.
Either way, she had to stand in her ground. Now that they had divorced, the boat could gyrate upside
down into the bottom of the ocean without warning. If she dillydallied from the thought, she would lose,
not only herself but her son as well.
She had suffered too much to be complacent, so it took a ton of courage for Anne to look at Kevin
without any ambiguity.
"Take these back to the kitchen."
Anne put the single-bitten bread down her plate and sauntered out of the dining.
"But, Miss Anne, you barely ate breakfast yet. You'd better have some more," said the servant with a
level of concern.
Anne was quick to dismiss the persistence. She shook her head and said, "No, I'm full."
She lost her appetite and never felt starving in the first place, so it didn't matter if she ate or not. Eating
by force would only cause harm to her stomach. Since she was in such an aggravated disposition, she
had to take a breath and take good care of her body. She didn't have enough time to deal with Kevin,
and she could only pray that Eddy would recover pronto.
The servant had no choice but to do as she was told. She withdrew the well-prepared breakfast right
away.
With Eddy in her arms, Anne took him out of the nursery. It was their bonding time as a mother and
son, so she hid her bitter emotions under the sweet and supple lips of hers.
The sun glimmered on her skin, warming up her spirit.
Eddy struggled in her arms, but he couldn't escape the fortified protection of a mother's embrace. At
last, he seemed to be weary and rest in Anne's arms. His big eyes were full of enthusiasm, and
everything was pure and good to him.
"Ah!" Eddy sat in the stroller and curiously looked at the ear studs on Anne's ear.
In the past, Anne didn't wear such bling-bling on her ears, so Eddy was sneakily snooping and turned
an inquisitive eye at the earrings as if he was thinking about something rational.
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