Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 1405 Extra Story 8 Of Mark An Influential Family

Brightness and darkness were always intertwined, completely different but could not exist without the other.

If there was no light, there wouldn't be shadows and vice-versa.

When Henrik and Roger finally walked out, a luxury caravan had arrived. It made its way to its parking space slowly and an attendant opened the door.

A pair of shiny leather shoes had stepped on the ground as those slender legs cast a long shadow. Addison appeared in a black suit, white dress shirt, and a blue striped tie. The shield-shaped brooch on his chest shone brightly under the lights. His bright and deep eyes narrowed and then fixed towards Roger.

He was way different from the twins, Charlie and Evelyn, who only joined to have fun. Addison represented the imperial family for the celebration of Roger's birthday. After all, the imperial family paid attention to the top four families despite having frustrated them. There were times that political measures must be taken due to helplessness.

"Your Highness!" All members of the Ji Family bowed respectfully to him.

Addison looked forward and walked calmly to support Roger's arm. He smiled sincerely. "It's your birthday, so the spotlight is all yours today. There's no need for such formalities." Then he paused for a moment, glancing at Henrik and then his parents. "Everyone, please don't be so uptight because of my arrival. I wish all of us to relax and be merry in this day!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Everyone finally stood straight with smiles on their faces and invited Addison into the villa.

Despite the evening summer breeze blowing gently, some people felt restless. There were fake smiles, gossipy whispers, and suspicious glances at the gathering.

Different from other countries, Dragon Island followed the royal system but the Long Family made sure to stay close with their people. After all, the Long Family had devoted themselves to civilian harmony and the wish and core belief of Dragon Island. So Addison's attendance didn't make the party of this wealthy family stiff, although there were times wherein he had taken the spotlight.

A lot of things turned difficult upon Addison's arrival. Some people who wanted to do something would rather restrain themselves.

Addison didn't stay long in the lobby and accompanied Roger to the study room. Roger had a special hobby. It was playing chess. There was a reason why Addison seemed to quieter and calmer than most people. He couldn't speak properly when he was under the age of four due to language barriers. He was always busy with the affairs of the country and Dragon Empire Group. Nobody could have known since when he liked playing chess which wasn't suitable for young men.

"Oh. Mark has already accompanied Roger into his study." Elsa blinked innocently and watched with her head held high. Nobody could tell if it was because she saw him for the first time in the party. She even thought that Addison was way more handsome than Charlie. Charlie's face fell for a moment and then his lips curled into an evil smile. He warned her, "Elsa, your eyes might pop out and fall off any moment now."

"Hmph! Shut up!" Elsa was way calmer dealing with Charlie than before. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Compared with the women who stared at Mark greedily, at least I know how to restrain myself." Then she uplifted her groomed eyebrows and glanced at Sally who was dressed in a long black evening dress that showed off her curves. "Look at that woman, for example. Ugh. Look at the stupid way she stares at Mark. An outsider might mistake her as Mark's secret lover."

"Huh? You saw that woman? Where?" Evelyn, who had brought too much food, happened to walk back and overheard what Elsa said. She stretched out her neck and scanned across the room with her large eyes.

Even Elsa could notice that woman's unusual stare. Charlie also looked at Sally and realized it at first glance. He furrowed his eyebrows slightly and the expression on his handsome yet devilish face froze. He rubbed his temple as he said, "Addison isn't that kind of man who would randomly abandon a woman. But this woman's a little strange, indeed."

"I'll go ask," Evelyn said. She turned around and placed the food plate in Ezra's hand.

"Wait!" Ezra had both his hands full with the food plates. He wanted to grab Evelyn but his hands were both occupied. Luckily, Charlie reacted quickly and grasped her. Ezra only shook his head helplessly. "It doesn't matter if this woman has anything to do with Mark. Don't get so worked up with this."

"That's where you're wrong!" Evelyn had a serious look on her face. "Mother told me that since Charlie and I are both married already and Mark's still single, she's very worried about him. It's normal for a mother to be worried about her own children, right? As Mother's beloved and most considerate daughter, I have to do something for her!

I have to!" Ezra was speechless and only sighed. He was powerless to stop Evelyn whenever she found a reason to have some fun.

"Mark's business is none of your business," Charlie said and nodded at Elsa. Then he dragged Evelyn to the resting area. "You should be well-behaved and eat your food. None of us should get involved." Addison was gentle but it was under the situation that nothing had irritated him. Addison had always been bold and decisive since childhood and was willing to sacrifice anything to keep their parents stay together. As the future successor of Dragon Island, he would never be the man who would spoil Evelyn.

Everybody made sure not to get in others' relationships. If something went wrong, it was more likely that Evelyn made trouble. Who knew what kind of troubles Evelyn could bring? Although Evelyn liked to have fun, she wouldn't simply just go and do anything as she pleased. She pouted for she felt restrained. In order to satisfy herself, she started to eat.

"Hmph! Fine. I won't get involved. After all, I am going to Katie's concert in two days," Evelyn grumbled after she took a spoonful of her food. "And I'll be too busy to care about anything else!"

Charlie nodded and made eye contact with Ezra. He said, "Please watch over Evelyn." Then he turned around to look at Sally again. Alas! The alluring woman who was like a rose had disappeared from her original spot!

Sally didn't actually want to return to Dragon Island but sometimes, there were things she couldn't get to decide on. When Rose was about to leave for the airport, Sally had a parcel delivered to her. She didn't contact anybody for the past seven years. She hardly knew anybody except for the people in Romantic Club.

What was mailed to her was simply strange. She even thought that it was from Addison. Then she quickly denied it.

Addison was a control freak. Perhaps Spark's music had affected him when he was young or he was already groomed to be ruler. He was sure to make everything look exquisite from the big picture down to the smallest detail. The parcel delivered to her was obviously random. She didn't remember that she had ordered something anyways.

Her heart thumped out of panic. Sally gulped and opened the parcel. It felt like she was throwing herself into the unknown. It was a photo before her eyes, which would force her to go to the place where she would never come back from in her life, if she could. "Hey, Sally, the party will be on..." Rose looked at Sally and whispered. Rose had never told a single soul about the relationship between Sally and Addison. She didn't even ask Sally about what happened last night. Some stories were better kept hidden, after all. "Don't worry, Rose, I'm fine." Sally forced herself to smile as she shook her head. It seemed like a lot of prominent people came to the party today, including politicians, businessmen, superstars, and some unknown rich men. Compared with what she had known back then, the influence of the Ji Family had never weakened. Ah, that was right. Nobody would give her a second glance because she wasn't a powerful politician, an influential entrepreneur, or a famous star. The moment the party started, she had thought that she would finally have a chance to see whether what the photo said was true.

Rose watched over Sally and the latter was calm throughout the party, except that when Addison showed up, Sally felt panic. So Rose thought she must be okay and relaxed. "You haven't eaten anything yet, right? You should eat!" When she paused, she saw Sally open her lips trying to say something. Rose added before Sally could even speak, "You should be mindful of your health, you know. Health is a person's most important wealth!"

Sally wanted to tell Rose that she didn't have any appetite but when she saw the latter's serious expression, she only nodded. Ever since she saw the photo, she didn't have any appetite for food and drink. If such thing was true, it would mean that Little Pear was living a more miserable life than a beggar.

Sally's heart was broken and filled with guilt. She opened and closed the clip to put food and didn't notice that her plate was already full of food. Rose softly reminded her and she heard some people whispering about her in disdain. Her thoughts finally came back to earth. "Oh my, it looks like she hasn't eaten anything for a long time, eh?"

"Look at her! She looks so poor! No matter how expensive her dress is, it would still be obvious that she came from a poor family!"

"But, Lili, why are you saying such unpleasant words? All the men coming to this party are either wealthy or powerful. What are we going to do if she hooks up with someone powerful? Someone we can't afford to offend?"

Rose could only frown and look at the people who whispered at Sally's back with disgust. How could they? They claimed to be from well-mannered families but they were not different from disgusting reptiles! She already had taken part in this kind of parties where there were many wealthy men and poisonous words from the superstars and rich women. However, Sally was indifferent and unaffected. Rose couldn't help but admire how aloof she was right now.

Sally put down the food clip and said, "Rose, let's just go. Let's not waste our time." She didn't want to bother herself with these women. Those women must have thought that having diamonds was a personality. Except for Little Pear, it was only Addison who could arouse her interest.

She was fine until Addison appeared in her thoughts. Her heart throbbed sadly as she thought of him. The greatest pain for a person, especially for a woman, was missing a man whom she loved and who loved her as well.

"Ugh. Oh my God. I can't stand staring at her. She's so filthy and dirty!" Out of nowhere, a woman screamed, "Check out her back! It's actually..." She began to speak and then hesitated for a moment. When laughter and jeering came, she did her best to hold back her laughter. "Maybe her dress got hungry..."

'That's it!' Rose had enough and was prepared to fight anybody in the party. Then she felt someone grab her by the arm. Sally remained unmoved. After all, she didn't come here to attract anybody's attention. She didn't care that those witches put something on her back on purpose. She'd just go to the washroom and handle it later by herself.

Rose looked at Sally. She couldn't bear seeing Sally being ostracized by those women! Sally passed by them, pulling Rose with her. "Let's go. Don't mind them."

Unfortunately, it seemed like those women didn't want to let Sally go. It must be because of the nonchalance she showed. The women looked at each other and one of them slightly nodded and tried to stop Sally. They could only glare, not knowing how to react. Then what they saw made their jaws drop. They saw Charlie take off his coat and drape on Sally's shoulders gently. He smiled gracefully. "Hello, Mademoiselle. Please pardon me. Can I give you a better evening dress?"

Sally stared at Charlie dumbfounded. He seemed familiar to her. She must have seen him before somewhere or perhaps he looked like someone else.

"Huh? What happened here?" After greeting some people, Hotch walked over and glanced at Sally. Then he looked at Charlie and gave a slight nod. "Young Master Charlie, long time no see. What implores you here?" Charlie only kept his joyous smile. "Well, Mr. Gu, you are always busy working and naturally won't wish to see a nobody like me frequently."

Upon hearing Charlie's words, Hotch could only shake his head with a smile and glance at Sally again.

Charlie followed his stare and also glanced at her. Then he scanned over the women who pulled a trick on her. He shrugged. "It's nothing." Then he turned to Hotch. "I came by to get some food for Evelyn just now but I made this lady's dress dirty by accident." He ignored those women who were whispering among themselves. He gave a guilty expression and rubbed his temple. "I'll be leading her to the changing room. Please excuse me!" Then he bowed, making a gesture like a gentleman as an invitation to Sally.

Sally smiled slightly and glanced at Rose before going with Charlie. Rose gave her a thumbs-up to show her support.

There were some formal attires prepared inside the villa. There were some instances that accidents occurred at a party sometimes and these were useful. No matter how dirty it could be within a wealthy family, they still had to be more generous and showy to others to protect their public image.

Charlie chose a formal dress for Sally himself. It was simple, white long dress which emphasized her bosom and her curves. Except the complex decoration at the waistband, there were no other embellishments on the dress. He said, "You're beautiful and look pure and elegant. Black isn't suitable for you, you know." Then he handed the dress to an attendant with a smile. "Go change. I will wait for you here."

Sally looked at Charlie and didn't move anywhere. But she asked her first question which made her feel regretful. "Uhm...please don't take this the wrong way but have we met somewhere before?"

"No. We have never met before." Charlie still smiled warmly. "Well, if you're from Dragon Island and often watch the news and know Young Master Addison, You may think I do look familiar." His eyes only deepened. "Well, I'm his younger brother!" Sally's face went pale instantly. From what she knew, Addison had a younger brother and sister who were twins but she had never seen them. It was because not only they seldom came to Dragon Island but she wasn't exposed to the public by then. Sally swallowed and cleared her throat. "Please excuse me. I am going to change now." She tried her best to keep a calm composure. Then she hurriedly turned around and went to the changing room with the attendant.

Charlie only kept his smile as he watched her disappear.

This woman really knew his brother very well.

"Ah, Roger. You have made a lot of changes recently. Is that right?" Addison asked casually as he put down a white chess piece.

Roger chuckled as he picked up a black piece. "Well, I have no other choice. After all the fighting, all of the top four families have weakened. But with a foundation built for so many years, the Ji Family's business can't break down, right?"

"What you said has a point," Addison looked at the chess board. "But... The Long Family has remained a firm stand and won't come again. I am just afraid that the damages might be more complicated than expected."

Roger looked petrified and then glared at Addison. "You boy! You're giving me threats now, eh?"

Addison laughed. His dimples were showing on his face. He looked like a harmless school boy for a moment. "You were the one who was threatening me just now."

Roger curled his lips, snorting. "Anyways, I don't want to think anything about business for now. Later, I'll declare that Henrik will officially take over the Ji Family's business. It's up to the younger generation to decide for the future." He sighed deeply and never felt so powerless. A long time had passed and he was not getting younger anymore. Sooner or later, it would be his time to go. Then he checked his pocket watch and said, "Let's go downstairs. It's almost time. Let's leave the chessboard as it is. If we both have spare time someday, let's play it again."

Addison answered with a small smile and stood up with Roger. Then suddenly, Henrik walked into the study and said, "Grandpa. It's time to go downstairs."

The three of them went down at the same time. Meanwhile, Sally, who just finished changing in the temporary guest room on the second floor, came out with Charlie.

"Just as I expected, white looks better on you than black," Charlie said smiling. "Simple looks more elegant on you."

He was actually referring to the dress but Sally thought he talked with his tongue in his cheek. When she looked at Charlie, he said casually, "Let's go, milady. It's time for the show. We can't afford to be impolite, okay?"

Sally furrowed her eyebrows slightly. Was she just overthinking about his words? Was there no other meaning in what he said? Within that year, nobody knew the relationship between her and Addison except for Rose.

Feeling restless, Sally followed Charlie and walked to the stairs. Then they happened to meet Roger and the others who were walking downstairs. Charlie greeted them politely, "Good evening, Roger, Mark, and Henrik. What a surprise to see all of you here!"

As the four men conversed with one another, Sally wished there was a barrier to keep them from seeing her. She tried not to look at Addison but she couldn't control herself. However, when the men turned around to go downstairs, she realized how narcissistic she was. From the beginning until the end of the conversation, Addison didn't spare a single glance at her.

Sally watched the three men walk downstairs and remained frozen in place. There was a mix of emotions swirling inside her. She didn't know whether she should feel frustrated, happy, or sad.

"Why don't you go downstairs?" Charlie stopped in his tracks and looked at her with a confused expression.

Sally gracefully shook her head and didn't want to see Henrik's playful eyes to be checking her out. "I'll go down later. Don't mind me. If I go to the party with you guys, I am afraid I'll be unable to bear all the stares." Charlie heard that and nodded in agreement. "All right. I shall accompany you as you go to the other side." He bid goodbye to Roger and led Sally to the stairs at the end of the corridor.

They didn't know that Roger was watching them walk away. He turned to the other two men and joked, "Charlie is such a gentleman. You guys, you need to learn from him."

Henrik looked at Addison who remained calm and indifferent, responding, "I think we're unable to be as nice to a woman as Charlie. Well, he had some practice when he was younger. After all, he did pursue Elsa back then." Then his eyes shifted again on Addison's face unintentionally yet deeply.

Addison looked at Sally and Charlie from behind. His eyes remained sharp yet calm. "I believe it will be difficult for a man who doesn't take relationships seriously." Then he looked back at Henrik's eyes with a warning faint smile. This was different from the leisure he felt when he played chess with Roger.

He had suddenly become grumpy. 0000