Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 782 I Just Like A Kite Without A Rein (Part One)

For the most part of my life, I was like a kite without a rein; I did not know where I was headed. But I never stopped flying, because I loathed the idea of falling to the ground.

*

"I have made the decision to pursue Little Molly once again. You're not going to stand in my way this time, are you, Brian?" Eric asked, taunting him. Despite his suited and executive look, the glint in Eric's eyes was that of the young and arrogant boy in the Sophia Grant Hotel many years ago.

Brian glared at him and tucked his fists into his pant pockets. He asked, "Weren't you supposed to go to T City?"

"I should have gone today. But when I heard that Little Molly and Mark had come back, I just had to drop by and see them." As he spoke, Eric shifted his glance from Brian to Molly with a nasty skittish smile on his face. Then he shifted his gaze back to Brian and the smile faded from his face. He said slowly, with a serious expression, "But to my surprise, as soon as I got off the plane, I heard about what happened last night. Brian, it is hard to believe that Little Molly and Mark could get caught in such a dangerous situation in your turf." Eric stood up slowly to show his dissatisfied face to Brian. His voice became lower and more outrageous, "I'm not sure if I should start doubting your authority here or..." he gritted his teeth and continued, "if I should believe that Molly is really not important to you anymore." His words stung Brian and he was aware of Eric's anger and disappointment. Eric, who stood in front of him, was the power holder of the Dragon Island, not the childish and arrogant boy from the past. Now, he was on par with Brian in both power and competence. However, Brian chose to disregard his offensive words and replied in an insensitive manner, "Say whatever you want. I don't care about your opinions." His words displayed no emotions. There was none who could detect his real feelings which were hidden and locked away. Brian threw a sideways glance at Molly and walked past Eric in a steady pace, leaving Eric and Molly to look at his cold and nonchalant back.

As Brian got into the elevator, Eric furrowed his eyebrows. He shook his head slightly and put Brian out of his mind as he headed to the inpatient ward.

As soon as he entered the room, a brisk little voice yelled, "Uncle!"

Mark ran into Eric's arms with a huge smile. Eric caught him and threw him into the air and caught him with his strong arms. He examined him from head to toe and said delightfully, "Ha, Mark! You have grown so much in just two years. You are a tiny adult already." Hearing his uncle's praise, Mark beamed with pride, "I'm the tallest in my class, Uncle!" He raised his tiny chin and puffed out his little chest. For a moment, he forgot all about the problems around him.

Eric kneaded Mark's small nose playfully and laughed with him. He then walked towards Molly. He felt a little angry when he noted her pale face and scolded, "If you want to be strong enough to be around Brian, you should pay a lot more attention to your health." Molly shrugged her shoulders and passed him a bottle of water. She said in a calm tone, "It's nothing serious. Given that situation, I couldn't let the robber trigger the bomb."

"Hm..." Eric breathed a sigh, shaking his head. Looking at her with his brooding eyes, he thought to himself, 'Little Molly, don't you understand that if you get injured, Brian would move farther away from you?'

"Eric," Molly called him back from his thoughts, "Did you know that Brian had not lost his memory two years ago?"

Eric sighed and shook his head slightly, "I didn't know. I only heard about it a few days back. I should have seen it coming. But Brian had even made himself believe his lie in a bid to deceive everyone else." He put Mark down and asked him if they could have some privacy. Mark nodded slightly and left the room. He was so smart and considerate that he closed the door for Molly and Eric before leaving. Eric continued, "Brian never lost his memory. He was acting all along and only Shirley knew the truth. I guess Uncle Richie had detected it too, but he chose to remain silent. As for the rest of us, we had our suspicions but couldn't confirm it. Brian brilliantly fooled everyone."

Molly stayed silent for a while with her head down. Then she whispered in a sad voice, "He said he doesn't love me." Her face looked agonized as she spoke those words.

Eric smiled and looked delighted to hear that Brian had no love for Molly. He said, "If that's true, then why don't you leave him for good?" A nasty, flirtatious smile unfolded on his well-shaped face.

"What?" Taken aback by Eric's words, she jerked her head up and looked at him in bewilderment. She blinked at him, trying to figure out the meaning of what he had just said.

Eric grinned widely at her funny facial expression. He replied in a firm tone, "I'm asking you to leave him for good this time. If Brian has already given up on your relationship, and does not want to keep any ties with you, then I will not sacrifice my love anymore." His eyes were sincere and honest. His expression had turned serious and his words were earnest, "They say that time heals everything and as years go by, everything changes people and their feelings. But sometimes, time deepens those feelings and makes them more profound, especially when those feelings are pure and true. Do you understand what I am talking about?"

Shocked by his unexpected words, Molly was dumbfounded. She stared at Eric's passionate and tender face. After a short pause, she regained her ability to speak and said with an awkward smile, "Eric, this isn't funny at all." Molly wanted to desperately avoid responding to his confession. However, Eric did not let her dodge his question. He said, "I'm not joking. I'm very serious about it." His solemn expression elucidated how sincere and earnest he was about his confession. He continued, "When I heard that you were back, I finished my work sooner than expected. And I'm supposed to be attending a meeting in T City soon. But I came to A City instead." He sighed and said, "Little Molly, I didn't come here for my brother, I'm here for you. I only came because you are here."

"Eric..." Molly didn't know how to respond to such passionate words. Words failed her.

Eric wasn't surprised by Molly's silence. He smirked bitterly, "I know that there's no place for me in your heart. I know that it belongs to Brian, no matter what he says."

"I..." Molly could not finish her sentence. She just let her voice trail.

"But tell me one thing. Do you think that this relationship is going to do either of you any good?" Eric fixed his keen eyes on her. She just looked at him because she had no answer for his question. Eric did not expect Molly to give him a proper answer anyway. He continued, "This relationship started all wrong in the first place. And then, you missed a multitude of opportunities which would have ensured your happiness. On top of that, so much happened in your past which has left nothing but scars and sorrow for both of you. Is your tenacity to make this broken love work good for you or Mark?"

Molly opened her mouth several times trying to refute and disagree with whatever he had said, but she couldn't. She couldn't say that he was wrong, because he wasn't.

Ignoring her silence, Eric said, "I know Brian better than anyone else, and I know how stubborn he is." Eric leaned back against the sofa, exhausted from all the talking. But he went on, "Once he decides that he wants something, he will do anything to get it at any cost. And if he doesn't need it anymore, no one in the world can force him to keep it around. Even in the case of love, once he makes up his mind, he will give it up without any hesitation. It might upset him for a while, but he won't change his mind."

Eric's downright words broke her faith which she had built to deceive herself into believing that Brian still loved her. The light in her beady eyes was extinguished by the reality. She lowered her head, trying to hide her emotions. Each word from Eric was like a bomb thrown at her protective castle, destroying the walls and shattering her perfect delusion. After a long silence, a sympathetic smile appeared on her lips. She stared at her feet, evading eye contact with Eric and said, "Eric, you may not understand this, but I love him."

"You're right. I don't understand." It was hilariously painful. He sneered, but he wasn't sure if he was the more pathetic one, or whether it was Molly. He replied, "I have witnessed your relationship from the beginning. I was right by your side when you fell in love with him and I was at his side when he really began caring for you. And here I am again, when everything has broken apart."00000000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐