Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 764 The Beginning Of The New Trial (Part One)

There is always a story behind a person's passionate undertakings. Every persistence, desire to overcome trials-these urges were influenced by such an impressionable event in the past, that the person was compelled to succumb to any means necessary just to quench one's needs.

With a chicken leg in one hand, and a cup of Coca-Cola in the other, a content Mark was thoroughly enjoying himself in McDonald's.

One glimpse at the boy, and his face would express just how satisfied he was. After all, satiating his craving for fast food was long overdue. Usually, the opportunity for such kind of fast food was uncommon due to their current life situation. However, as Mark had discovered Brian's little secret, he used it as a leverage, and bargained it for the food that he had been longing to have for so many days.

Like any other kid, his top recommendation was Mcdonald's. So there they went, ordered a lot of food on the menu, and sat down to have his little dream come true. As part of his job, Tony stood in the corridor and watched over the father and son. For a while now, he had been suppressing the urge to burst out in laughter. It was the first time for Brian to take Mark to such a place, and thus, they appeared to be in a rather comical situation. His restraint, which was on the verge of failing, only left him with a weird, distorted look on his face. As Brian was seated with Mark on the other side of the table, his eyebrows creased at the sight of the Hamburger and Coca-Cola that was placed in front of him. Stealing a glimpse at Mark, he wondered how to start eating such a meal. As far as he could remember, Shirley never brought him to any of these fast food chains when he was a little boy. Now, however, he found himself in such an establishment, and it was all because of his son. Being Mark's father, this was the first time he took him there as well.

When Mark saw that Brian had not touched his food yet, he frowned in wonder and looked up at him. "Uncle," he said with a hint of uncertainty, trying to get his attention. "Do you not like the food?"

Averting his gaze from the food to the boy's earnest face, he put on a grin and shook his head in denial. "No, I like them as much as you do. I was just thinking which one I should begin with," he said, easing Mark's tension. He was not about to spoil Mark's day just because of these food. When he noticed the boy return back to his light-hearted and elated self, Brian began to take a sip of the soda.

"Uncle, why don't you try these chicken wings out?" suggested Mark, pushing the box of chicken wings towards him. "They're mighty tasty. Give it a try." He then added, "Look, there are plenty of them. I can't eat it all by myself, and Mom always reminds me not to waste or throw food away." The entire time he instructed Brian, his face turned into serious mode.

Tilting his head in a dubious manner, Brian knotted his eyebrows and wondered how to eat them. It seemed like a difficult task for him. However, at this point, he had no way of getting out of Mark's request. Embarrassing as it might be, he did not want to disappoint the boy. So, awkwardly, he grabbed a chicken wing from the box and started gnawing it in an elegant yet bizarre manner. Out of nowhere, a memory of Wing or Shawn taking him out to eat in a similar fast food when he was very young popped up in his mind. When he turned seven or eight, the casual fast food trips came to a complete end, and he was taught to eat meals which required a fork and knife instead of grabbing them by hand.

The way he ate the chicken wing looked so odd and funny. Intrigued, Tony was amused by the rare sight of it that his mouth bulged after constantly gulping back the laughter. Any minute now, he might burst out of control. So when he found it unbearable and could no longer hold them back, he helplessly turned around and snickered in secret. It was a whole new reaction that he never had in front of Brian. After easing his nerve, he turned back and returned to his former serious and grim look, which he often wore during his shift. His eyes were fixed on Brian, who appeared to be 'elegantly' enjoying his chicken wing.

No past memory of Brian eating such type of food crossed his mind, not even when he was in Hell Forest. All he could remember from their time there was that Brian had no choice but to live off on wild fruits and preys. Yet there he was, willing to consume such food with his son, like any other father would. There was no question about Brian's concern towards Mark.

Brooding over his own thoughts, his eyes shifted towards Mark, who looked rather engrossed in his own delight of the food. There was something that Tony noticed though. Whenever he shared his interests with Brian, the boy would call out 'Uncle' to gain his attention. Now he just could not help but wonder how magical bloodlines worked! They appeared a lot like two peas in a pod, clever and quick-minded. Like his father, Mark pretended to have lost his memory as well. Even more, his disguise looked so casual and thoughtful. Whoever would be first to compromise or confess the truth to the other, the outcome was difficult to predict.

*

Meanwhile, Molly had been bustling around in the kitchen of the villa ever since Brian and Mark left in the morning. She chopped all of the meat and vegetables which she bought, and cooked the dishes as well as some soup. Being in the kitchen once again, her soul felt uplifted while preparing dinner for the family. At that moment, she seemed like an ordinary yet happy housewife, free of complicated experience or tragic memory.

On the other hand, when the soup started to simmer, she brought out the philter that she prepared for Brian. A bit hesitant, she sensed that Brian might detect her trick if she put it into the soup once more. For a few minutes, she was lost in her thoughts, trying to figure out what's best to do. Then, a brilliant idea came to her.

"Yes, that's it," she mumbled to herself and moved towards the bar counter with a sly, cocky grin hanging on her face.

The wine cabinet displayed several famous wines which came from all over the world. Biting her lower lip, she pondered for a bit, and then started to grab all of the bottles which were already open. 'Let's see if you can get over the test this time. I don't believe you're that strong,' she snorted inwardly, pouring the medicine in every bottle that she pulled. Knowing Brian's habit of drinking wine during dinner, she was certain that he would consume the medicine regardless of which bottle he picked. When the deed was done, Molly checked each of them one by one to ensure that there was no color change due to the medicine. Then gingerly, she put all of the bottles back to their original position in the wine cabinet.

After looking at the wine bottles, she felt a bit of satisfaction. Propping her body against the bar counter, her arm supporting her face, she pondered over her relationship with Brian. If you love Ling so much and have massive control over yourself, then why didn't you act like it last night?' she contemplated, pouting over Brian's intentions. After mulling over it some more, she concluded, 'Men are just animals who behave accordingly to physical satisfaction. They're incapable of having emotions or sentiments over relationships with others.'

The boiling sound of the water interrupted her thoughts. Coming out of her reverie, she returned to the kitchen and went back to work. Apart from making dinner for the rest of the day, she also spent time coming up with ways on how to get the upper hand over Brian. Unlike her entanglement with Brian in the past, she found her current relationship with him rather fascinating. It did not matter if it was for a good or bad thing. As long as Brian was concerned, she was willing to take part in the game.