Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 534 I Only Did It For You (Part Four)

"There's no need for you to do that," he dismissed the offer. To explain, Brian said, "Aaron has sent his men to investigate the suspected newcomers in the island. But obviously, the person behind this matter has done things very efficiently. If we go there together, it's likely that he will quickly move to other places."

"But even your men were unable to confirm his identity," Eric pointed out grimly. This time, the Dragon Empire Group poured in a large amount of money in the project, including a big chunk of its working capital. Although it still wasn't as close in magnitude to that of Richie's oil project, any loss due to the fluctuation of stock prices would be a considerable blow to the conglomerate. As the newly appointed Governor of the Dragon Empire, Eric would never allow such a thing to happen. It wasn't merely a matter of money; politics was also a part of it because opposition factions against the Long family of Dragon Island would seize upon his failure.

Brian nodded in agreement, clearly aware of the seriousness of the matter. "His real intention is still not clear, so it's difficult to narrow down the range of investigation." It wasn't hard for that man to take over the Grand Night Casino in Las Vegas. But curiously, his actions stopped all of a sudden. So Brian guessed that his real target was in QY Island, although there weren't any big operations there yet. After analyzing the entire situation, Brian's face darkened and with an icy tone, he said, "I'm curious as to the kind of man this is." "There are only a handful of people able to escape investigations done by you or the Shadow Organization," Eric pointed out.

Shifting his gaze to Eric, Brian suddenly changed the topic and said, "The parliament meeting held every five years in Dragon Island will be happening soon, right?"

Since he didn't expect the question, Eric paused momentarily and said, "Yes, the meeting will be in the next half of the year." Curiously, he asked Brian, "Why do you ask?"

"Never mind. It just came to mind," Brian waved away the query. Then he followed it up with, "Is Uncle Frank planning to step down?"

Eric shrugged. "I don't know, nor do I care. I've just taken over the Shadow Organization and the Dragon Empire, and I'm in no hurry to take charge of the parliament."

"Really? You're in no hurry?" Brian mocked. "It seems to me that you're in a rush to build your power and compete against me."

"Brian!" Eric raised his voice in fury. It annoyed him that his cousin managed to read his mind.

Lost in thought, Brian recalled their childhood when Eric usually followed everything he did and imitated his actions. He suddenly wondered, 'When did he start competing with me?'

Thinking about it, Brian finally decided to set his mind at ease and ask Eric directly. "I've never asked you this, but do you honestly feel happy competing with me, Eric?"

In response, his cousin let loose a big hearty laugh. He grinned like a child as he looked at Brian.

It was a response that slightly baffled Brian and one that never answered his question. Still, he had asked not hoping for an answer, but to remind Eric about one thing: he can persistently pursue something, but it could hurt him in the process then only to replace out it wasn't what he wanted at all.

In his mind, Brian asked himself, 'But am I not like Eric?

I've been forcing Molly to stay with me, even though it may do no one good.' Brian sighed.

Human beings are selfish creatures. One person may persuade another to give up their obsessions in earnest, while on the other hand, tenaciously clinging to their own pursuits, regardless of the cost or the harm that comes with feeding their obsession.

Eric eventually forgot what he told Molly about taking her to see someone. Brian's last question threw him off, and for some other reason, he hurriedly left the villa after coming out of the study. The man didn't even say anything to Molly before leaving.

As she faced Brian, Molly's heart was in turmoil with so many different emotions crowding it. She did throw a tantrum over the phone, so it surprised her to watch the press conference. But her joy turned into disappointment after what Eric told her. Overwhelmed by complex emotions, Molly forgot about what she had done without a thought. The moment she felt wronged and aggrieved, the only person she thought of calling was Brian, so she dialed his number immediately.

"Thank you for what you did today, regardless of your reason for doing it," she said. She hesitated a long time before finally expressing her gratitude to the man. If there were words that Molly would always be sensitive about, these were "mistress", and "the other woman". He sat down on the sofa, and patted the space beside him. Glancing at Molly, he ordered, "Sit here." Obediently, she sat next to him. His expression dark, Brian asked, "What are you thanking me for?"

Behind the faint voice was an invisible pressure that made Molly wriggle in her place. She lowered her head and did not answer.

"I wasn't doing that for your sake," Brian spat. "Those comments would have a bad effect on Mark. I was only thinking of how terrible it would be for him to have a disreputable mother."

His words had the effect of dousing her with cold water. A lump formed in her throat, and she bit her lips tightly, Molly almost tasted blood. Suddenly, she felt a sharp sense of loss. Molly told herself, 'Eric was right. He only did it for Mark, not for me.'

As he observed the depressed look on Molly's face, Brian's gaze deepened. Throwing her another cold sneer, he said, "You guessed it right this time, Molly."

She pressed her lips even tighter as tears brimmed in her eyes and made them turn red.

The look in Brian's eyes was as serene and quiet like staring at a mirror. But his heart was bursting with anger. He truly wanted to check if her brain was still functioning normally or not. So, he challenged, "Molly, what if I say I was not kidding? What if I told you I was doing it merely because of you?"☐☐☐☐☐☐