"I don't want to cooperate with you for the time being, but I have made sure that we are not enemies
now. Don't always come here to disturb my peace."
When Kim spoke, he was facing the vast sea that stretched into the horizon. The sea was dark blue in
color as though it was hiding secrets underneath. His voice was vague as if he was not taking Ryan
seriously.
"Okay then. If there's nothing else, I won't bother you anymore, Mr. Nicholas. I'm leaving," replied Ryan.
Suddenly, Kim turned around and looked at Ryan with scrutinizing eyes, like a judge from hell. He
stared at Kim with his dark, cold eyes, as if he was inspecting other emotions other than respect.
But he was disappointed to see that there was nothing else. Like the calm seas, Ryan's eyes were
unperturbed from beginning to end.
After two years, had Ryan thought things through? Honestly, Kim could not believe that someone like
Ryan would really change his mind.
Maybe he had a new idea, or he was just better at hiding his true intentions?
Unlike in the past, Ryan was now far more dangerous. Despite this, Kim would never be afraid of him
whether Ryan was a friend or a foe. After all, his life had been too peaceful and boring in the past few
years.
"Okay." Upon saying this, Kim looked away.
In A City.
It had been two years since Anne left. It was late summer at that time, and now, a new one had arrived.
At night, the sunset cast a faint orangish light which made the shadows appear longer. The ginkgo
trees on the roadside stood tall and proud like old men. Their leaves scattered on the road.
After the leaves fell, they turned yellowish over time. Even so, it was a sight to look at.
Although it was deep into the night and the scorching heat was gone, the sultry heat was still there.
This place was the old town where Kevin and Anne visited. Since Kevin did not know Anne's thoughts
about this place, he decided not to sell the renovated house as a commercial one.
However, he decided to open this town to the public.
It had an elegant environment and retro style and the place was far away from the hustle and bustle.
Oftentimes, writers would come here to look for inspiration in writing their books. All they had to do was
gaze and appreciate the place's beauty. Even painters loved coming here to paint their masterpieces.
This place seemed to be a haven where people could think and be free.
As people passed by the road, the citrus smell of lemons hung in the air. The fragrance partly came
from the lemon trees planted by Kevin, and partly from the lemonade that young girls held in their
hands.
"Mr. Kevin?"
An uncertain voice from a young girl was suddenly heard. With a frown, Kevin turned his head in the
direction of the sound.
Noticing his displeasure, the girl quickly explained, "Don't think too much, Mr. Kevin. I just want to
confirm if you really renovate this town for your wife."
In all honesty, most people did not believe it.
Kevin just put his hands into his pockets and looked around in response. He did not speak but
acquiesced instead.
The girl was overjoyed despite his response. "I see it's true! I really envy the love between you and
your wife, Mr. Kevin. By the way, I don't know if you're free or not, but I want to draw a picture of you
and your wife. Thank you for creating such a good place for us."
But upon saying those words, the young girl noticed that Kevin's eyes were deep and sorrowful. With a
frown plastered across his face, he left without saying anything.
The girl was confused upon seeing his reaction, so Daniel came to the rescue and explained the
situation, "I'm sorry about that. Mr. Kevin's wife is not here at the moment."
Meanwhile, Kevin walked quickly away from the place.
Their love story became popular in A City because of this town. When others mentioned this, envy
could clearly be seen in their eyes. They didn't expect that love could be expressed through an old
town.
But that was how others saw it. Only Kevin who was the hero of the love story, knew how intense the
love between them was. And that was also why he became painful and anxious as they were not
together.
"Mr. Kevin, don't take that girl's words to heart. Anyway, Mr. Sam asked you to play billiards with him.
Also. Mrs. Selma has a reservation in the Courtney Hotel for you with a lady. Don't worry, I refused it.
The lady has already been informed."
At that time, Kevin felt emotional and contemplative. "Why does she always do such useless things?"
he said absentmindedly.
For two years, everyone assumed that Anne was already dead.
Therefore, Selma had been trying her best to find another wife for him.
But Kevin did not care about anyone else except for Anne. Even if her memory was the only thing he
had of her, it was enough for him to indulge himself for the rest of his life.
"I know. If there's nothing else then shut up." Kevin had become moody and aloof. Most of the time, he
preferred to be alone and not talk to anybody.
"Also, the young master has gone to the kindergarten. You promised to pick him up," whispered the
assistant.
That made Kevin turn around suddenly, his eyes wide with anger and panic. "Why didn't you tell me
earlier? What if Eddy gets anxious?"
With that, he got in the car and drove away without even waiting for his assistant.
"I thought that you would like to be alone. Hey, Mr. Kevin, why are you leaving? I haven't got in the car
yet!"
Many cars were parked on a quiet and elegant street. The most conspicuous one was a limited edition
Rolls-Royce which belonged to Kevin. It had a silver-gray body, and its design and features were all
exquisite.
Kevin preferred black, but Eddy liked it silver gray.
The moment the school bell rang, the closed doors of the kindergarten swung open. Eddy was wearing
a printed white T-shirt with small artillery soldiers, green army shorts, white shoes, and a light blue hat.
As he stood in front, he looked imposing as though he was a cartoon character who had come out of
an animated film.
"Dad!" As soon as he saw the car, Eddy ran towards it. He immediately went to his dad and nestled in
his arms. His small body was full of attachment and love for his dad. He was grinning from ear to ear as
well, revealing a row of neat teeth.
"Let's go home," said Kevin as he touched his son's head.
To be honest, they were not this close before. But after Anne left, Eddy was left alone with Kevin.
Thankfully, they grew fond of each other with the passing of time.
"Dad, why hasn't Mom come back yet?" Eddy's smile disappeared in an instant and he looked at Kevin
with pitiful eyes.
He looked like his father, but he had his mother's eyes. Although he looked happy, he was a little lonely
inside.
Knowing this, Kevin felt sad. In order to hide his sadness from Eddy, he touched the kid's head gently.
"Your mother has abandoned you," he said indifferently as though it was nothing.
Other children would definitely cry if they heard this, but not Eddy. He was precocious, so Kevin
believed that his son would understand and would not be hurt.
As he expected, Eddy just blinked his innocent eyes. All of a sudden, he stood on Kevin's legs. Fearing
that he would bump his head at the roof of the car, the roof opened in an instant and the car became a
convertible.
With his little hand, Eddy squished Kevin's good-looking face, making it looked ridiculous and
deformed. He made sure he only did it gently, so as not to hurt his father.
"Dad, come on. How could Mom abandon me? Have you forgotten that when I was a child, Mom
ignored you to run around with me?"
Who could have thought that a child's tender voice could be so ruthless in reminding Kevin that he had
been neglected once?
Although Eddy was being naughty, Kevin was not angry. Only when he was with his child that he felt
like a normal person. That was because Eddy was the fruit of his and Anne's' love.
"So what? Your mother abandoned me before, and now she has abandoned you as well." Kevin's voice
sounded somewhat gloating, but his heart was exhausted.
Eddy did not respond. Instead, he climbed onto the backseat of the car and went to the child's safety
seat. "Dad, is Uncle Sam asking you to play billiards? And Grandma wants you to on a blind date,
remember?" he said as he fastened his seatbelt.
"Don't talk nonsense, or else I'll throw you to a cram school," said Kevin expressionlessly.
But Eddy had lived with Kevin long enough to know that he would never do anything to him even if he
made trouble. He knew what kind of person his dad was.
"Why Uncle Sam always asks you to play billiards every time? Couldn't he come up with more
interesting ideas? No wonder he hasn't marry Aunt Emily yet. He's not only stupid, but also
unromantic."
Kevin raised his eyebrows upon hearing his words. He thought it would be interesting if Sam knew
Eddy's comment on him.
"Anyway, let's go to scare the woman away as usual." Kevin turned his head and understood what
Eddy meant. He stretched out his hand and the two gave each other high fives. The father and child
reached a consensus.
The Courtney Hotel was a newly built five-star hotel in A City.
The hotel was located on the city's riverbank. The scenery seemed dazzling and charming, especially
at night.
Along the riverbank, the lights of the street lamps reflected in the water. As the wind blew, the water
created a ripple and in turn, broke the reflection of the hotel.
"Oh my God! Grandma has spent a lot of money on this. This hotel is much more expensive than
Dad's. Women don't know about frugality, do they? She doesn’t know to use our hotel, but come out to
waste money."
Holding his chin, Eddy sat on the steps by the river. His two legs swayed as he looked into the distance
with eyes full of vigor.
"Didn't you say in front of me last time that Grandma was young, beautiful, and frugal? Why did you
change your opinion on her?" asked Kevin with a sneer.
"I learned from you how to coax women," retorted Eddy.
To Eddy's surprise, Kevin waved his phone. "How many times have you tricked your father? Now it's
my turn. I've recorded what you just said. If you don’t want to make your Grandma sad, just listen to me
from now on."
Hearing this, Eddy rubbed his eyes and remarked, "My family is so unlucky. Dad is playing tricks on his
own son."
But Kevin did not care. When Selma was nagging him, Eddy was snickering and making fun of him.
Although his child was more precocious than other children, he felt that this was better. Being a friend
was better than being a stranger.
"In a few days, you'll pester your grandma again. I'm telling you, if I go on a blind date again, I'll
definitely find you a stepmother," with his phone in his hand, Kevin threatened Eddy again.
"Who believes it? Oh, it's eight o'clock. Dad, hurry up! It's not good to be late." With that Eddy pushed
Kevin away from the riverside.
In the top private room of the Courtney Hotel.
The walls' style looked fresh and beautiful. Along with their small, green floral designs, they looked very
pleasing to women. The curtains were dark blue in color, and it seemed that they had been sprayed
with a fragrant Chanel perfume. Their fresh scent that resembled palm trees hung in the air.
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