Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 529 Belief Ideal, Reality Harsh (Part One)

Molly sat in the villa, and cried her heart out.

Her eyes had become swollen and sour.

She sat on the sofa and tearfully looked outside- it was drizzling and gloomy, just like her mood. She was so sad that even her fluorite had turned dark green.

"According to Mr. Jason of the Grand Night Casino, Mr. Brian Long will hold the press conference at three p.m. at the Sophia Hotel today. This rare decision from Mr. Brian Long is believed to be the result of the postings in Crazy Website this morning.

"

The entertainment news channel reporter broadcasted. Molly wasn't paying much attention to the TV at first, but when she heard the words Crazy Website, she immediately turned towards the TV. The headlines read, 'Mr. Brian Long holding press conference at three p.m. at the Sophia Hotel'. The news caught her by surprise; she forgot to even cry for a moment.

Molly frantically checked the time - it was almost three o'clock. Judging by the cameras, the journalists, and the name tags on the scene, she guessed that the channel must be live streaming the conference.

Molly's head went blank. All she could hear was the tick-tock of the clock as it approached three o' clock. The clock soon struck three and after Jason had maintained order in the conference hall, Brian made the entrance. He had one hand in his pocket and sat down at the center of the conference table.

His presence provoked a string of camera shutters to go wild. This was Brian's first public appearance. As he was such a mysterious figure, even a picture of Brian was enough to send their sales through the roof. All of the reporters were clear on that.

Amid all those flashes and clatter, Brian just sat there, calm and collected. After a while, he raised his brows and glanced around with his piercing eyes. Instantly the previously excited journalists froze- Brian's eyes were too cruel and intimidating.

"I arranged this press conference," Brian announced, "to make something very clear. It's about Spark and Molly."

Brian paused and everyone held their breath, while they waited for what was coming next. Even Tony and Jason frowned and stared at Brian with concern. "Molly is not the third wheel. I am."

His words rocked the waters as the scene turned messy in the conference hall.

Tony clenched his fists in rage. He was known for his poise, but it was different this time. He hurried to Brian and tried to block the cameras and the media.

But Jason pulled Tony back and murmured, "This is Brian's decision."

Tony gnashed his teeth and answered furiously, "Mr. Brian Long is a prideful man. How could he sacrifice so much for that woman?"

Jason frowned and turned his eyes to Brian. He remained detached, but Jason could feel his determination. "Brian knows what he is doing. Whether Molly is worth it or not, as long as he thinks she is worthwhile, then it is worth his efforts," Jason persuaded Tony. Tony angrily tightened his fists, then sat down, his eyes still on Brian. But eventually he was too heartbroken to even look at Brian and turned his head away.

At that same time, Molly was also staring at the TV in disbelief.

She was astonished and confused that everything else seemed less important.

'Why would he say that?' Molly's mind was cluttered and messy.

She tried to stop watching the news, but she just couldn't turn her eyes away from the screen.

At the hospital, Spark had a desperate and miserable smile on his lips. Over the past few days, he had constantly lied to himself, saying that it didn't matter that Brian and Mol had a past because he didn't love Molly; he just wanted to conquer her. That was all. And one day, he would be tired of her. They were only together for Mark. And as far as Spark was concerned, it was enough for him if Mol cherished him in her heart. But now, it seemed that the truth was not what he had thought.

Manny was even more startled. He stammered, "Is that... Is that Mr. Brian Long?"

At the City Council, Edgar was also focused on the screen. The press conference continued, but his attention was not on the TV anymore. His eyes were ruthless and bloody.

"Mayor," Bill said cautiously. He had just identified Molly's whereabouts, and then came these posts all of a sudden. With no time to deal with these issues, now the Mayor had to watch Brian's press conference. And Brian was such a big shot that if he said Molly was his, no one else would dare stir up any trouble.

Edgar turned his eyes to the bonsai nearby, then asked, "How's Daniel doing?"

"I just got news from the police station," Bill reported, "He was hanging out with a group of junkies again and was arrested this morning."

"Send him into rehab," Edgar said in such a contained voice that it was hard to guess what he was thinking.

Bill thought for a moment, then said, "Mayor, we should leave this problem to Brian. This 'Cold Heart' is harder to give up on than 'Dream'."

Edgar didn't respond. Back then, Jenifer had injected Daniel with 'Dream', a drug almost impossible to quit. He was saved only thanks to Brian who was able to provide him with the 'Cold Heart' while developing a medicine to suppress the addiction of 'Dream'. In the end, Daniel was able to get rid of his addiction to 'Dream', but had gotten addicted to 'Cold Heart'. Now, this had become a real problem because 'Cold Heart' couldn't be medicated. Will also played a part in it.

"Why should we let Brian take all the credit?" Edgar quipped.

Bill understood.

At the Golden Bay Club, Jenifer and Hannah lay lazily on the couch as they watched Brian's calm press meet. Jenifer sneered, "Hannah, it looks like Brian really loves Molly."

Hannah smiled in response. Suddenly she asked, "Jenifer, I was thinking... If I took Molly's place in Brian's heart, will she go to Edgar?"

Jenifer grasped the wine glass tight, then loosened her grip. She raised her brows and said in a composed tone, "If that happens, I would feel very sorry for Spark."

"Yeah, right!" Hannah laughed and took a sip of her wine as she looked at Brian on the screen. "All women should replace their place with the right man for their own good. I'm afraid Molly just doesn't have enough luck to be with a man as good as Mr. Brian Long," Hannah said as her eyes turned foxy and hateful.

Despite the uproar, Brian remained calm. After listening to the journalists' rapid questions, he concluded, "From now on, I don't want to see Molly's name on any headlines in any media."

He made his warning pretty clear. Again, Brian swept his eyes through the crowd, then stood up and left. His team was assigned to take care of the rest.

Since he had exposed his own identity for Molly's safety, she would not be harmed by anyone again. Ever!

"Where is Becky?" Brian asked after getting into the car.

Tony took the driver's seat. He threw a glance at the gloomy Brian, then answered as professionally as he could, "She is staying in Smile."

Brian picked up his phone and dialed Becky's number. When the call was put through, he ordered, "Wait at the hotel. I'll meet you there."

He hung up abruptly, his tone icy and bossy. "Drive."

"Yes, sir." Tony obeyed as he took another look at Brian through the rear-view mirror. He started the car and drove to Smile.

*

At the school.

After her English class was over, Shirley specifically called Mark to the teacher's office. Mark was smart, but not very vocal since he started late. He had grown up abroad, so his listening comprehension was not a problem, but his oral English could be better. "Don't worry, Mark. You still have time to improve," Shirley beamed and comforted him. When she saw that he was nervous, she really wanted to hug and kiss him. "You may be lagging behind now, but I believe you'll catch up pretty soon."

Mark nodded tacitly, thought for a while, then replied, "I'll work harder and catch up."

Mark's resolute look only boosted her desire to hug him. But for fear of scaring him, Shirley just ruffled his hair and told him that he should finish more tasks together with his parents.