The orchard was filled with many fruit-bearing trees. As Anne walked slowly, she came across a patch
of large, green watermelons. This made her smile.
She always seemed aloof and detached. Now that she smiled, she looked so charming.
Unknown to her, Kevin had been watching her all this time. Seeing her smile suddenly made him grin
as well. It was the right decision to bring Anne there all along.
It was a lovely and warm day. Anne slowly bent down and placed her hands on a big watermelon. Her
eyes were bright with amusement.
"That's not yet ripe," Kevin said gently.
Anne looked up at him in disbelief, "How do you know?"
She had been looking at the watermelon and even touched it herself, but he merely looked at the fruit
for a couple of seconds. Could his eyes see through the watermelon?
"The farmer had just now checked it. If he didn't pick it, it's probably not yet ripe. But if you don't believe
me, you can go ahead and take a look," Kevin explained.
Seeing that Anne's interest was roused, Kevin added, "Let's cut it open and have a look inside then."
In Anne's heart, she didn't believe what Kevin had said. He couldn't be right. Perhaps the farmer just
left a mark on the watermelon and he would sell it at a higher price.
She looked away and said, "You can't just cut it open and look. Besides, if the watermelon turned out to
be ripe, you would lose. You have to think about what you should do if you're wrong!"
It was rare for Anne to act like a child. With a smirk on his lips, Kevin replied, "If I lose, I'll book the
whole orchard and let you cut all of the watermelons you want."
It was even more rare for Kevin to show a childish and arrogant side.
"That's not good. That would ruin a year's worth of the farmers' hard work, wouldn't it?" Anne felt
uneasy but Kevin disagreed.
"The farmers work hard to make money and support their families. If I give them enough money to
make you happy, then I'd be fulfilling their wishes, too. Do you think they would object?" Kevin asked.
"You're right. Let's try it."
There was a stone table in the pavilion at the edge of the garden. Although simple, the structure was
well-maintained and clean.
"Stay here and rest for a while. I just have an order to attend to," the melon farmer said enthusiastically.
He didn't know who they were but it seemed to him that Kevin had a unique temperament and he
thought Anne was quiet and elegant. Whoever they were, they were not ordinary people.
"Okay. Go ahead with your work."
As soon as the farmer left, Kevin picked up a knife and cut the watermelon open. As soon as they
looked inside, it became apparent that it was ripe. He frowned while Anne's eyes lit up.
"You lost, Kevin. This watermelon is ripe!" Anne excitedly pointed at the fruit and gave Kevin a proud
look.
"Yes, I lost," he admitted calmly.
But Anne took a second look at Kevin and couldn't believe how gallant he was being. People like Kevin
hated losing at anything.
But the more she thought about it, the happier she felt.
"You don't have to pay to book the whole orchard. If you did, then others wouldn't be able to eat
anything. Let's just take a few back," Anne said. But Kevin pretended not to hear what she just said.
The truth was that he was really just pretending to be calm. Seeing Anne act like an innocent child
made him very happy. He wanted to tell her that he didn't see any farmer checking on the watermelon
at all. He did it just to make her happy.
"I admit defeat," Kevin said seriously.
The short trip to D City soon enough came to an end. After getting her fill of watermelons, Anne
planned to head back with Kevin.
He had booked the entire plane for just the two of them.
To Anne's surprise, all of the stewards were female. It was normal for a couple of male stewards to be
onboard on a regular flight.
"Would you like some warm water?" Kevin asked.
"No," Anne replied as her eyes scanned the plane trolley for coffee and soda.
Looking at her, Kevin could easily tell what she was thinking.
"Drinking water is good for your health and the baby's," he said as he put an arm around Anne's
shoulder.
Hearing this, Anne frowned and knocked away his hand.
"Fine." She then picked up her cup and drank water.
She then realized that being pregnant meant that she couldn't eat nor drink the things she liked for a
while. This made Anne feel very sad.
"Good girl, honey." Kevin reached out to pat her head, but this only made her feel uncomfortable.
"Don't call me honey. Just call me Anne," she blurted rudely. She was quite cross.
"They do say that pregnant women easily get thrown into a bad mood. Where do you want to go now,
honey? I'll go with you." Kevin's love for Anne was so deep. The only thing he worried about was that
he wasn't doing enough to make her feel happy.
"I'm good. Thank you." Anne pushed back her chair and lay down, ready to sleep.
Deep inside, she wanted Kevin to leave her alone. She didn't understand why but she thought that he
was acting more and more shamelessly. She decided it was better to sleep than talk to him.
"Well, have a good rest." After saying as much, Kevin looked out of the window. As the plane took off,
the lights on the city buildings looked very small, like bright dots on a vast sheet of black paper.
Inside the plane, the temperature was a bit low, which made Anne quickly fall asleep. But after
checking up on her, Kevin realized that she was feeling a little cold. He took off his grey windbreaker
and put it over her.
As soon as he saw that Anne's breath was slowly becoming regular, he smiled before falling asleep as
well.
It took three hours before they arrived at A City.
When their plane landed, it was already twelve o'clock at midnight but the lights in the city were still on.
Kevin walked down with Anne in his arms. His eyes were gentle, as if he had been changed into a new
person. His expression was soft, unlike his usual cold and steely gaze.
The next morning, it was another day at Claire Jewelry City.
The sunlight brightened up the sky, as if declaring a good day.
But the lights in the jewelry shop were still on. It was not until an employee came in when a scream
was heard from the vice president's office.
Rose finally snapped to her senses and realized that it was already morning.
"It's seven o'clock. How can the time go by so quickly?" she asked in surprise.
Despite her panic, Mark was rather calm.
"It's time to go to work. But I see that you've been up all night. Why don't you go back and rest?" he
suggested.
"But I don't feel sleepy," replied Rose.
"You need sleep. You can't exhaust yourself like this even if you want to learn more about business. I'll
drive you back," he offered thoughtfully.
The spacious road was full of cars and sunlight was spread across the sky. The glass buildings
reflected light but they didn't look too dazzling. Everything was beautiful.
"Mr. Mark, aren't you worried that I will steal your business ideas?" Rose asked once they got in the
car.
With a faint smile on his face, Mark replied, "Of course I'm not worried. The business model will change
with the market. Besides, you're not that kind of person, so I'm willing to teach you."
Mark noticed the trace of a smile playing on Rose's lips. He knew that her temperament was not very
restrained. On the contrary, she was a very persistent girl. Once she had made a decision, she would
try her best to see that it was done.
And just then, she had decided that she liked Mark.
"Why are you willing to teach me?" Rose asked after a moment of silence.
All of a sudden, the atmosphere in the car turned tense. Although the expression on Mark's face was
blank, it suggested that he was carefully composing a reply.
After a couple of minutes, he said, "Maybe it's fate."
This was the best that Mark could say, but it didn't satisfy Rose.
She could feel that Mark was not rejecting her. On the contrary, he was willing to entertain her. But he
acted as if they were friends, not lovers.
Rose appreciated these moments however. Seeing the person she liked getting closer and closer to
her made her feel gratified and happy.
"Here we are," Mark announced as soon as they arrived at the door of the Luo Family's house.
To their surprise, the door suddenly burst open.
Through the vintage door, out stepped Rose's parents Liam and Valentina.
As she saw them, Rose's heart trembled with fear and anxiety.
She forgot to inform her parents that she would not be coming home last night. She worried that they
had been anxious and fearful for her safety the whole night.
"Rose, where have you been? Why didn't you come home last night?" Seeing Mark beside her,
Valentina became vigilant.
Rose had never stayed out all night for no reason, so Valentina looked at Mark with hostility.
"Mom, I'm sorry. My phone was turned off yesterday. Mark is my friend. I wasn't sure about the product
promotion, so I discussed work with him," her voice trembled as she explained.
Valentina listened to her words but didn't believe them. She knew that Mark was a member of one of
the most prominent families in the country. But their business was in jewelry and was different from the
Luo Family's trade. Was Rose trying to get revenge on Kevin so she partnered with his competitor?
She considered it but didn't say a word, deciding that she would have to ask her daughter the moment
they were alone.
"Well, don't stay out so late in the future. We were so worried." Despite being upset, she tried to sound
more collected.
Rose merely held her mother's hand and smiled. "Yes, mom."
On the other hand, Liam didn't say a word. He only stared at the young man in front of him and tried to
guess what their relationship really was.
"Well, now that Rose is home, I guess I have to go. I have something to deal with in the office. As for
keeping her in the office last night, I do apologize," Mark said.
His tone was very elegant. And although he didn't have Kevin's aura, his demeanor was rather friendly.
Hearing his polite words, Liam gave a slight nod.
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