Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 745 Could She Win (Part Two)

Molly rolled her eyes at her son and her mouth twitched. "Don't let Golden Flower No. 5 hear this. She'll be furious," Molly reminded him.

While wearing a grin, Mark lifted his head and looked at her. His two dimples looked adorable. "Mommy, I already made fun of her about it just now. She left in a rage," he said casually. "What?" Molly's mouth hung open, speechless at what her son did.

Grinning, Mark changed the topic and asked, "Mommy, what did Uncle Chester say?"

"I did exactly what you said, and I made it happen." Then she smiled down at him. "He agreed to teach me. I have half a year to learn."

The young boy nodded, contemplating. "Mommy," he suddenly said, "when you go back for Papa Brian, will you be able to win all his money?"

"No, I won't," admitted Molly, sipping some orange juice.

"It will be impossible to wipe all his money out at once. Apart from all of his casinos, he also has a stock exchange company."

"Mommy, how about I take finance lessons from Prince Victor?"

Mark asked, his eyes glistening with interest. "You can win Papa Brian's casinos, while I win his stock exchange company. We can work together and win all of Papa Brian's money." "No." She shook her head. "Even after we do that, he still has XK Intelligence Agency." Sighing, she added, "He might even ask his mercenaries to hunt us down,"

"Oh. I was too happy to remember that." He frowned, curling his lip while deep in thought. He looked at his mother and said seriously, "Mommy, I have to remind you something," "What is it?" Molly asked, intrigued by her son's serious expression.

"Papa Brian will only hunt you down.

Although he might not remember us, I am still his son. He will treat me differently," he said with a smirk.

While hearing Mark's words, Molly happened to be drinking juice. Sufficed to say, the cheekiness of her son made her choke on her drink. As Mark patted her back, she glowered at him with a slight pout. "Mommy, just accept the reality," said Mark casually. "You have to work hard. I got your back. You go, Mommy!"

"Victor!" Molly yelled, gritting her teeth.

The look in her eyes was horrifying. Yet it did not appear to daunt the prince one bit as he approached the infuriated woman and her son.

"Miss me much?" jested the prince. Dressed in a white suit with white shoes, Victor stood there gracefully while looking at them. He waited patiently for her to talk.

Standing up swiftly, she glared at him, "What did you say to my son?"

Prince Victor merely smiled. "Not much. I prefer to let him do what he wants. All I shared with him was ways to handle his father, Brian. But this kid... he is as smart as his father. He can draw his own interpretation by analogy."

At this, Molly's face grew dark. With a forced smile, she spoke through clenched teeth, "Prince Victor, my son is still just a kid."

"So what?" questioned the prince. After stepping forward, he continued, "I started studying royal courtesies since I was a little kid. Brian won his father's favor over an auction item, and earned 30 million dollars from him when he was only 5." She had to take a deep breath before answering, "I just want my son to be an ordinary kid. Aren't you tired yet? Is Brian not drained from all of this? All I ask for my son is a simple happy life."

Shrugging, Victor sat down beside Mark and gave him a wink, a casual gesture that went against a prince's usual decorum. "Having been born into a royal family, I've never had the chance to choose the lifestyle that I want. But Mark here can. As long as it is what he wants, he can live a long and simple life," he shared sincerely. "But actually, Molly," he added as an afterthought, "You still don't appear to understand something. I do believe that you will in the future though. But right now, you need to understand just one thing: only Mark can decide what kind of life he'll want to live," he observed.

Upon hearing the conversation exchanged between the adults, Mark winked back at Victor and said, "Mommy, don't worry about me. I think what you should be more concerned about is the hard assignment that Uncle Chester is planning to give you tomorrow for training. Or figure out how to win Papa Brian over."

The unprepared mother winced at her son's honest words. Both Victor and Mark shared a smug look while Molly grumbled to herself. It was two against one, so she decided to let it go. For now.

*

At XK Intelligence Agency, an unsatisfied Brian stood in front of an army of about thirty men. Everyone was mildly out of breath.

Wearing an athletic shirt, camouflage pants, and combat boots, he bore a frown and said in a stern voice, "Even the fastest among you spent more than three seconds. The rest of you took half a minute. Is this really the best that you can do?"

The mercenaries listened quietly, holding their breath and actively avoiding their boss' eyes.

The lack of results angered Brian. He tossed the file in his hand-which was caught by Tony, and commanded coldly, "Three hours of push-ups, then twenty kilometers raid in complete battle gear."

"Yes, sir!" answered Tony. After Brian had left the vicinity, Tony surveyed the mercenaries who were still standing at attention, and said icily, "What are you all waiting for? Me to treat you guys to dinner? Get to work!"

Upon hearing this, the men all got down and started working on their push-ups.

Once out of the training field, Brian walked towards Shawn who was standing under the shade of a tree. As years passed by, Shawn became less daring and energetic. Although he remained just as powerful, the man had softened compared to his past self. When Brian got closer, Shawn threw him a fruit that he had picked while they were in Hell Forest. Catching it expertly, he glanced at it, and did not take a bite.

"When are you going back to the city?" Shawn asked, taking a bite into the wild fruit.

Ignoring his question, Brian said indifferently, "You're too soft on these men," Then, leaning against the tree, he grunted in disappointment. His men needed to do better, he thought.

The older man smiled and retorted, "Your standard is too high." After spitting the core of the fruit, he continued, "These men are unfortunate to have you as their examiner."

But his words fell to deaf ears, as Brian became silent. It appeared as though he had more troubling thoughts on his mind.

And Shawn had a hunch what it might be about. "Have you forgotten about her?" When the words left his mouth, he tilted his head to look at Brian. To the formidable man before him, he was not only a senior, but also a dear friend. In all likelihood, Brian might even feel closer to him than to his own father. That was, perhaps, the only thing Shawn could take pride in before Richie.

"I don't dare to think of her." A single bite into the fruit tasted sour, yet he did not mind, for wild fruits had once been the only source of nourishment that they survived on when they were starving during the harsh training in Hell Forest. "This might be the best for both her and me," he said.

His companion, however, was not convinced by him.

"If only that were true,"

Shawn drawled, as if he sought for a good show.

Annoyed, Brian looked at him with sharp eyes, but Shawn was already laughing wildly. Brian threw the fruit away and left without another word.

As he watched Brian's retreating figure, Shawn tsk-tsked at the man's short temper.

"My, how powerful this thing we call Love can be," he said out loud to himself.

"It can make even the strongest man turn to jelly within a snap of a finger."

"Oh, really?" an alluding voice said.

Slowly turning around, Shawn dreaded replaceing Yuri standing behind him. His eyes widened in recognition, and the next moment, he was running after Brian without hesitation. Arms folded as if she were hugging herself, Yuri stood there alone for a bit, fostering such complicated emotions in her eyes.

*

In a dim room, the only piece of furniture it had was a table with green flannel atop it, and two chairs on opposite sides.

The light that hung over the table swayed ever so slightly on the smallest gust of wind, adding to the grave atmosphere of the room.

With Chester and Molly sitting on opposite sides, they stared at each other. Motionless.

The wind swirled among the trees outside, whistling and shaking leaves off the trees. Inside the room, however, it was truly a moment of silence, and for Molly, a defining and culminating moment of all her efforts.