Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 564 Asking Him For Pocket Money (Part Three)

A hint of mockery flashed through Eric's eyes. He thought, 'She's either pretending to be calm or doing it intentionally to catch my attention. It's such a pity, though.' The grin on his face widened.

In contrast to the bustle in the office room, the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful in the garden at the top floor of the Smile Hotel. Under a beach umbrella, two couples chatted away happily. Richie, Shirley, Frank and Smart sat around in a circle, talking to each other

merrily.

"Smart, why don't you come see Mark with me?" suggested Shirley, her eyes glittering with excitement.

Every time Smart met Shirley after being away for a while, she found that there was always a brighter light shining in her eyes. It looked like her yearning for the beauty in this world would never diminish despite her growing age. Smart replied while smiling, "Even you are restricted to meet him secretly now. How could I dare come along? I'm afraid that Brian would blame it on us if he failed to capture Molly's heart."

Shirley burst out laughing. Shaking her hand, she looked towards Frank and said without any qualms, "If your son stops messing around between them, my son will surely be able to capture Little Molly's heart."

Frank was dumbfounded by her words. Shedding the usual serious look on his face, he complained to Richie just like he used to do during their younger days, "Richie, is Shirley indirectly saying that my son is better than yours?"

"Hmm..." Richie's gaze deepened as he said slowly, "I won't argue about who is more outstanding between them. However, in this case, only Molly's decision will give us the result, no matter what the boys are capable of." Shirley and Smart both pondered over Richie's words. A frown appeared on Frank's face, but it quickly turned into a charming smile as he said, "Hey, I was only kidding and you had to go ahead and destroy my joke." They all burst out laughing, and then Shirley changed the topic.

She asked, "Why don't you stay here for a few more days? You may get the opportunity to see Mark soon."

"No," replied Frank, "we'll be flying to M Country tomorrow. We were just passing by here today, and decided to drop by to see you. You and Richie, I mean."

Bitterness surged through Smart's heart, but she kept her smile, "After all, we haven't seen you in almost three years. And you haven't returned to Dragon Island even once."

"I understand, but Eric is in A City too. You should drop by to visit him once in a while."

"As Richie said, the boys should solve their own matters themselves. Smart and I don't want to get involved in their personal issues."

"I guess you are right," said Shirley in a low voice.

The night passed by slowly. Many years had passed by in the same way, with many different stories buried in the river of time. Some affections never vanished over time, instead they remained as precious memories that built a satisfying past.

*

Mornings in QY Island were the same as the ones in every seaside city. The sun illuminated the sea surface as it rose from the horizon. Soon, the bright rays radiated in every direction and lighted up every corner of the city.

Molly enjoyed the fresh morning air as she stood in the open balcony of her room. Unlike that of A City, the air here smelled humid and serene, and she liked it.

After enjoying the beautiful sunrise, Molly went downstairs and prepared breakfast for herself. Brian had left early in the morning. She already knew that he had something important to deal with during this trip.

After finishing breakfast, Molly wondered whether Brian would come back in time for lunch. She decided to get the food ready anyway and returned to her room to get changed. She rummaged around in her bag for a while, but couldn't replace her purse.

"Where's my purse?" murmured Molly as she took out all the things one by one out of her bag. She rifled through them again, yet there was still no sign of her purse. She tried to think back to when she had last seen it, and her eyes opened wide in realization. She had left it behind in A City!

Staring blankly at the clutter on her bed, she sat down on the corner of the bed. She was annoyed by her own carelessness.

Her phone rang as she was wondering what to do. She grabbed it and glanced at the screen-- Brian. Her eyes lit up in joy and she answered it immediately. Before Brian could say a word, she grumbled, "Bri, I forgot to bring my purse from A city. I don't have money to buy lunch. Could you ask Tony to send me some pocket money?"

The other end of the call remained silent. After a while, Brian replied shortly, "Okay."

A smile appeared on Molly's face and she asked, "Will you come back for lunch?"

"No, I'm occupied with some work here," said Brian, "I've booked a restaurant for dinner. I'll pick you up after I'm done here."

"Okay." Molly felt strangely delighted, although she couldn't figure out why she was feeling that way.

After some more casual talk, Brian hung up. Tony observed the joyful look on his face during the call and sighed secretly. He thought, 'If he could always be so happy with Molly by his side, then I'll accept her as our Mrs. Long.'

"Tony," Brian called and snapped him out of his trance.

"Yes, Mr. Brian Long?" Tony immediately asked.

"Send some money to Mol for me," ordered Brian. He thought for a while and continued, "Also, prepare some loose change for her. She might want to go shopping."

Tony nodded in reply. He noticed Brian's soft tone and his shining eyes. He wondered, 'Why is he so happy about giving her money?'

What Tony didn't know was that Molly had never asked Brian for money before. Brian had given her a credit card, and she had spent a large amount of money when she had gone out with Shirley, but she hadn't done it willingly. However, it was different this time. When Molly asked him for money to buy lunch, Brian felt that she had finally regarded him as her family.

The day quickly passed by. It seemed like days in QY Island were shorter than those in A City, and the sun had gradually sunk into the sea before six o'clock.

Molly was curled up on the sofa, watching news on the TV-a typical couch potato. The news was about the world-class entertainment center of the Dragon Empire Group and she was listening intently to it.

At that moment, she heard the doorbell ringing.

Molly quickly jumped out of the sofa, put on her slippers and rushed to the door.

She opened it and looked at the man waiting outside her door. A hint of disappointment visibly flashed across her eyes.