Kevin attended to making an appointment with his friends to talk business, after breakfast. Anne was
going to take the child for a walk about the general area to get some fresh air. Before she had made
this trip, she had known that the place was known for its exquisite natural beauty. The hotel service
was fantastic and attended to arranging a driver to accompany her on her walk.
Emily described the facts and history about the beautiful area. Her voice was melodic and easy on the
ear. She spoke in such a pleasant tone. The walk through the beautiful place did wonders for them.
Anne felt relaxed.
When they had arrived at the first designated picnic spot, Anne could feel the hot, humid atmosphere
on full blast. This was truly weather only fitting of a tropical season. The hotel was air-conditioned so
Anne hadn't felt the true heat of the place until now. Emily, however, was fully prepared.
Equipped with a lovely sunhat, she pushed the stroller and did her best to walk in whatever shade was
available on the lane. They were not too far from the sea. In the distance, she could make out the
beautiful beach coconut palms, and general scenery so characteristic of the southern parts of the
country. The baby was quite well-behaved, but it had been a long time since he had a chance to stretch
his little limbs. So, he lifted his arms and legs, kicking and punching the air. His eyes watched his arms
and legs intently, but he also glanced at his mother fondly, from time to time.
He was still so new to the world and everything he saw aroused his curiosity. He struggled but
managed to free himself from the stroller. He went to grab his mom's hand and totter on the leaves
under his small, unsteady feet. He became very excited by this new experience.
Both mom and son were dressed casually in white sports tights and three-quarter sleeved T-shirts.
Kevin also had a similar set of clothes, but since he wasn't with them now, no one noticed that the three
were in fact coordinated.
Holding the tiny tot by the hand, Anne walked a little ahead of Emily, who pushed the baby stroller and
followed them. When she saw Ted looking at her curiously, she winked playfully at him. She couldn't
help smiling.
"Anne, this tot is so cute!"
"You can also have one," Anne responded.
"It's not that easy," said Emily. She seemed to think of something, and the smile slowly slipped off her
face.
As they proceeded on their walk, they heard some commotion coming from nearby. Her motherly
instincts kicked in and Anne picked up her baby quickly. She noticed that someone had fainted a few
feet away. A young man was busy next to the person as if he was attending to treating the person's
condition.
Just as Anne was about to turn away from the scene and walk away, she noticed Emily looking a bit
glassed over. Her eyes were unfocused and she unconsciously followed the busy young man's
movements.
"Emily, what are you looking at?" asked Anne.
"What? Nothing." Emily snapped out of it, coming back to her senses. Her answer was abrupt and her
eyes wandered as if just rudely awakened.
"Oh, then let's go. There is nothing else interesting to see here," Anne responded.
"Wait a minute. Let's just stay a bit longer. There is a beautiful statue; it's not too far away and I hear it's
quite an interesting visit. Let's go have a see," Emily reported quickly.
Just as Anne was about to disagree with Emily, she noticed that the young man had attended
successfully to the person who had fainted, and the crowd had completely dispersed now. He was
walking towards them.
As he approached them, he came into better focus. The young man was quite a towering figure,
probably 182cm in height. He was strikingly handsome and had a grace about him. There was a hint of
a smile in his hazel eyes. His general appearance and aura made people feel at ease.
After looking at the man for a little while, Anne turned to look at Emily for her reaction. Emily looked
stunned. Anne thought the two of them would look quite good together and sensed something between
them.
"Hello, Miss," the young man greeted.
"A pleasure to meet you," replied Anne cordially.
The young man hesitated and then said, "I am a friend of Miss Emily. Do you mind if I steal her for a
minute for a quick word?"
Emily didn't deny their friendship, and considering that Kevin was on his way to them now, Anne placed
the baby gently in the stroller and obligingly walked a short distance away to give them some space.
She and the baby had been walking in the direction of the statue Emily had mentioned, and by the time
they reached it, Kevin had also arrived. The trio was wearing matching outfits. As they walked down the
lane, people admired the cute scene. Even passersby couldn't help but notice how sweet it looked.
The statues adorned the area around the fountain, but they were all varying sizes and placed in an
erratic pattern. Anne was very taken by the artistry, and even Ted admired the site.
Since his wife and son were so happy, Kevin happily took pictures of them in the bright sunlight.
Kevin looked at Anne through the camera. She was smilingly from ear to ear, holding the bouncing
baby in her arms.
It was indeed a beautiful sight to behold. Such was her happiness that her eyes seemed to shine with a
happy luster. Ted was also very happy spending time like this. He narrowed his eyes in the bright light.
His parents were his entire world. He hoped this moment could just go on endlessly.
Kevin's friend had invited them for lunch at midday. They went straight to the hotel after that, took a
quick shower and changed their clothing. They had such a long morning so they decided to leave Ted
at the hotel to rest. Then they drove to their friend's place.
Before they left, Anne learnt from Kevin that the friend they were visiting was named Sam, the son of
the Feng Family. He was quite a well-renowned doctor and owned a private hospital. His family was
very well off, to say the least. The Fu Family and Feng Family had a lot of connections, and some were
even relatives.
When Kevin and Sam were kids, they had spent many hours happily playing with each other. But now
they seldom met each other as they were both often consumed by work.
The place the luncheon was to be held was a gorgeous seaside villa. When Anne saw Sam standing at
the door, she took in a surprised breath. What a twist of fate, the man she had seen this morning at the
park was none other than Sam. She really had not anticipated such a coincidence!
After Kevin introduced the two of them, they both looked at each other in surprise.
"Oh? You two are already acquainted?" Lowering his head, and pulling his sleeves down to straighten
his cuffs, Kevin asked Anne quietly.
Sam had turned and walked into the mansion without answering. Anne thought she couldn't address
Kevin adequately on the topic on this occasion. So she just said, "We met briefly this morning. He is an
excellent doctor."
"I'm flattered, Ms. Anne. It was nothing to brag about," Sam responded.
Kevin glanced at Anne, trying to hide the emotion and uneasiness that he felt from his facial
expression. Something came to his mind but he suppressed the idea, convincing himself that this was
not the case. In fact, what he feared was not the true position.
Kevin turned and walked into the hallway. Apparently oblivious to his unusual behavior, she followed
him in.
He agreed to come to X City and had wanted to introduce Anne to Sam. On one hand, he didn't really
want to introduce his wife to another man. On the other hand, he felt that if he saw them meeting with
his own eyes, it would prove something to himself and dispel doubts.
But considering his attitude, he wasn't too pleased to hear they had already met. He felt a little anxious.
The scene of them at the park this morning was hazily appearing in his mind, against his will.
"How long will you guys be X city? Would you like for me to arrange a city tour for you?" asked Sam
with consideration, looking at Kevin. He walked towards the bar.
"It's up to Anne. I'm just the company on this trip," he said.
"Thanks, Mr. Sam. I have a good friend who is very familiar with this city. She can assist in arranging
it," she said. She smiled at Kevin as she took her seat on the couch.
She glanced at Sam who was preoccupied with wiping a glass and did not take any notice. She was
very curious about Sam's relationship with Emily. But since it hadn't come up naturally in conversation,
she thought it prudent not to mention it of her own accord. Her plan was to rather ask Emily about Sam
once she went back to the hotel.
Frowning slightly, Kevin looked at Anne, thinking that she was acting very strangely. He could feel a
little anger bubble up inside him.
He really just wanted to take Anne back to the hotel, and never see Sam again, even though he knew
Sam was an upstanding friend who would never try anything improper with her.
"Anne, you can take a small walk around and see the place," said Kevin, squinting his eyes at Sam.
"Are you okay with that, Sam?"
"Sure, please make yourself at home," said Sam to Anne. He placed the first glass on the counter and
continued to pick up a second one.
"Alright, and you two will also have an opportunity to catch up," she said with an obliging smile. She
followed a waiter who directed her to a beautiful yacht to view.
Now that Anne had left the room, Kevin felt more relaxed and unbuttoned his top button to get more
comfortable.
Sam out down the next glass, picked up some good red wine which had been prepared in a stunning
carafe, and poured generous amounts into the glasses.
"You are still so boring." Kevin picked up the glass, lazily leaned against the sofa and swirled it gently.
Looking at the light reflecting beautifully off the glass, his mind wandered elsewhere.
"Would you think it would be funny if I told embarrassing childhood stories?" With a playful smile on the
corners of his mouth, Sam sat down.
"Humph!" Kevin didn't say anything more.
"You two seem very close to one another," Sam said slowly, as if something had just dawned upon him.
Kevin at up straight. After a few moments, he eased up and relaxed back into his seat.
When Anne came back, the three of them sat down for the meal. The dishes that were served were
rich and delicious. She enjoyed the crab paired with the sweet wine. It was scrumptious. Since she
wasn't in her own home, she took care to eat in a reserved manner, As if reading her mind, Kevin
dished out another portion of crab meat onto a side plate for her to eat.
Anne ate happily, listening to the two men chatting, catching up after such a long time. The afternoon
sun shone warmly on them and the sea breeze pleasantly licked at them. Drinking the exquisite wine,
she started to feel very comfortable.
Perhaps because the atmosphere was so relaxed when they alighted their seats, she felt rather tipsy
and off balance when she got to her feet.
She rubbed her eyes and placed a hand on the table to steady herself. Looking at the two men walking
out, she felt a little nervous.
She didn't know how to tell Kevin she was tipsy. Plus, she didn't want to make such a gaffe in front of
Sam when they had just met.
She ran her fingers through her hair, placing some of it behind her ear. She regretted that she had
chosen to wear heels that day. It was making it even more difficult for her to walk. She wondered if
Kevin had caught on that she was inebriated.
She was a little lost in her own thoughts. Suddenly, she grabbed onto the back of Kevin's shirt as he
walked in front of her. Her eyes were slightly out of focus. She staggered a little, falling forward.
'Oh my God! I'm so screwed!' she thought. Fortunately, Kevin was in front of her.
Well, that is what she had thought anyway. But the stunned face that turned around in shock to look at
her, was not of any comfort. 'Alas, my luck, ' Anne smiled bitterly.
Seeing the two of them bumping into each other right next to him, Kevin was furious. He immediately
pulled Anne to her feet.
"Anne clearly isn't feeling well. We should go now. See you next time." Before Anne could offer any
apology, Kevin had picked her to her feet and began to head to the exit. It was apparent from his eyes
that storm was brewing inside him.
As soon as they left the house, Anne buried her face in Kevin's chest in embarrassment. Nothing
seemed too out of place to her, though.
Kevin assisted Anne into the car, went to the driver's seat, and then drove off. Only then did Anne
realize something was wrong, and it was too late now.
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