Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 429 Thinking Of You Day And Night (Part Three)

Staring at the night sky, he said, "Go tell Richie that I will join the long-term training of XK Intelligence Agency in Hell Forest in the spring." After hearing Brian's instructions, Tony's face suddenly changed. Brian wanted to say something more but the driver cut in, "Mr. Brian Long..."

"You have no say in this," Brian said. He withdrew his gaze from the sky. His face remained sharp but emotionless, unlike before. The man now controlled his feelings and was back to his normal self. His eyes remained dark, having lost the glimmer that was once there. "I have made up my mind."

"But your injuries..." Tony protested. His tone clearly showed his concern for Brian.

"What could possibly hurt more than what I am feeling now?" Brian replied, his voice sounding so far away. It seemed as though he was directing the question at himself. As had been his way lately, his lips curved into a bitter smile. After a moment, he turned around and went back to the villa.

Tony watched Brian's retreating back, as his heart filled with heaviness. If Mr. Brian Long participated in the training at Hell Forest with his current state of mind, it was possible that things might not end well. The training would last more than two years, even five years or more. Was the hardship going to be worth it? Was all that for Molly?

"Brian must be desperate to get back into power as soon as possible, right?"

Tony was taken aback by the low voice that seemed to come out from nowhere. He turned to look at the direction where it came from and saw Eric. Eric's sudden appearance at the villa flustered the driver. For one, because he was unaware that Brian's brother had arrived at the villa, and second because Eric's statement baffled him. He also became frustrated with himself for not noticing the man's presence. Eric was considered a strong 'enemy' that you could not ignore.

"I have been here for a while now," Eric said, reading Tony's mind. "You have been so focused on Brian, so you didn't notice my arrival, Tony. But Brian knew I was here as soon as I arrived." He spoke without looking at Tony. But his eyes were trained on his brother, who had walked back to the villa and disappeared from his view. A playful smirk crossed his face. Then addressing no one in particular, he said, "Maybe, it is for the best. We all need a new beginning after all. Now we can all start again, fair and square. And suddenly, it doesn't feel too bad at all!"

After making the statement, there were mixed emotions in Eric's eyes. He smirked as he glanced at Tony. He didn't go to the villa as he intended to. There was no need because he already got what he wanted. He turned around to leave as if the only reason he came was to see Brian's attitude.

It was hard not to show confusion in the face of Eric's statements and behavior. In truth, Tony didn't understand what Mr. Brian Long and Mr. Eric Long had been fighting about all this time. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to try.

Eric went into his car. He had come to A City to spend New Year's Eve with Brian, who was alone. But now it appeared Brian didn't want any company at all. He wanted to be alone. And since Eric learned that his brother was starting to prepare, he thought it best to catch up with him.

Driving him was Lenny, who sped off to the airport. At the same time, she called ahead to inform the airport staff to prepare for their departure. She glanced at Eric through the rearview mirror, but his face was turned away from her as he looked outside the car window. Grimly, he thought, 'Molly, no matter where you go, you can't run from us forever. Your future has already been determined. You can't run away from me. And you can't run away from Brian!!

Deep in thought, Eric's lips lifted into a smirk. There was a determined look in his eyes. He was so sure they would find Molly eventually and bring her back to them.

*

Back in London...

Molly sat on the stairs fronting the subway station looking terrified and feeling helpless. The place was nearly deserted at that hour because hardly any cars drove by. The subway station closed earlier. Molly, already agitated, held on to the strap of her bag tightly. She kept biting her lip as she looked around for someone to help her.

All her stuff was missing. Everything was gone. She was so engrossed with the billboard that she hardly noticed when her bag was slit open by a thief. Now she had nothing as he took all her things. All that was left was her ratty bag. What was she going to do now? Everything she needed was inside that bag. Aside from the checks given by Richie, it contained her passport and other identification papers, plus some cash. Now, all she had was a damaged bag with nothing in it. All of a sudden, she didn't know what to do. Her nose was already red from crying, but she was about to burst into tears again. Her eyes were swollen and kept fluttering in fear. It was very dark, and there was no one in the streets at such a late hour. So, she sat on the stairs alone. The cold weather made her body numb, and the stone-cold steps didn't help at all. Molly knew she couldn't stay any longer. Otherwise, she would freeze to death. But right now, she had no idea what to do or where to go. Alone in a strange place, Molly had nothing and no one.

Eyes full of tears, she looked at her abdomen and rubbed it while murmuring, "Baby, mommy is really useless and stupid, isn't she? I can't even take proper care of myself, so how can I take care of you? What should mommy do right now?" Molly knew her baby heard what she was saying.

The more she thought about her situation, the more her tears kept flowing, and it didn't want to stop. She couldn't even remember why she was crouching in the first place. Her mind went blank. But that was no longer important. Her primary concern was that everything she had was gone. She had no money, and no papers to identify her. She had nothing.

At that point, Molly wrapped her arms around her legs and cried her heart out. Suddenly, someone was standing in front of her, silently watching her as she shook violently. After staring at Molly for a long time, the person slowly crouched down in front of her and gently said, "Mol..." Upon hearing the voice, Molly looked up.