Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 794 The Celebration Party (Part One)

I have more than ten thousands reasons to leave you. However, the only one keeps me from doing that is... the fact that I still love you!

*

Eric froze halfway before his lips even touched Molly's. He had remained on that strange position for some while as if he was under a spell and he didn't know what he was doing. 'What am I doing? How can I take advantage of her like this?' he wondered. Furrowing his eyebrows, he stared at Molly who was still half asleep.

It was then that Molly stirred up a little and suddenly woke up completely. Her eyes widened as she called in surprise, "Eric!"

A sly smile appeared on Eric's face as he watched Molly's cute reaction. He asked, "Who else did you think I was?" He looked calm on the surface as he showed no trace of the embarrassment that hit him just minutes ago.

Molly pushed Eric away annoyedly. She was blushing with embarrassment because she had mistaken Eric as Brian. She even forgot to ask him why he was leaning so close to her. "I... I was..." she tried to explain but ended up stammering. It took her some seconds more before she finally got to ask, "Er, so, the bidding ceremony has already finished?"

Eric nodded with a smile and then said, "There will be a celebration party tonight. I come back to check on you..." he paused and stared at Molly, "...and to ask if you wanna go with me."

Molly slightly shook her head, "Sorry, I don't want to go anywhere."

"So you'll just stay alone here?" he asked.

Molly leaned back lazily at the sofa. She didn't answer Eric's question but asked back with a hint of shyness, "Will Bri... Will Mr. Poker Face go as well?"

"I don't know," answered Eric honestly. "The officials of Sun Island will attend the party. According to the protocol, Brian is supposed to be there. But as you know, he is such a self-willed man. If he doesn't want, he won't be restricted by any etiquette." Molly's shoulders drooped with depression. She asked in a gloomy voice, "Doesn't he feel anxious when he sees me staying with you all the time?"

Eric fell into silence. He knew that she wasn't asking for an answer. She was just unconsciously complaining from the bottom of her heart.

Nobody could understand what was actually going on in Brian's mind.

Eric thought that Brian was intentionally alienating Molly because of Wing's illness and for the sake of Molly's safety. However, there were still some times when he felt that he might be wrong again. It was very likely that his cousin had totally given up on Molly as he did to Becky.

"Didn't you say that you don't want to be a negative Nancy?" Eric scoffed purposely with his lips curling into a mocking smile.

"Of course!" Molly glared at him with resentment. "If I'm still the same..." Her words stopped abruptly as her eyes widened. Something had come to her mind all of a sudden as she blankly stared at Eric. She asked, "Eric... Is it possible that Bri doesn't like me anymore because I'm no longer the person I was before?"

Eric sniggered upon hearing her. He then looked into her eyes seriously and said, "Little Molly, remember this, okay? If one person really loves you, he will always love you even if you change. If he stops loving you just because you have changed, it means that he doesn't really love you..." He paused for a second. "Little Molly, if Brian really stops loving you, do you still have the courage to continue loving him?"

The question made Molly terribly annoyed, however, she still answered without hesitation, "Eric, I love him!"

Eric quietly gazed at her. Gradually, a soft smile appeared on his face. Relief, frustration, and blessing were suddenly mixing deep inside him. He slowly said, "Since you're sure about your love to him, then everything must be easier for you now." He stood up from the sofa, "Let's go."

"Go? To where?" Molly asked confusedly while raising her head.

Eric rolled his eyes impatiently, "The celebration party!"

"I won't attend it," Molly collapsed on the sofa wearily, "I told you that I'm not going with you."

"But, you have already stayed at the hotel alone for several days..." Eric raised an eyebrow. "Why not go and have a walk around? Who knows, you might see Brian there!"

"Or maybe not. It's an even bet," rebutted Molly unconcernedly.

"Well, you're right. But if you stay here, there is no chance at all," Eric leaned forward to take her hand. "Come on! I'll buy you new dresses!"

Molly was unwillingly dragged out of the hotel and into an exclusive beauty salon. An hour later, with natural makeup, her hair tied back casually, a knee-length strapless bubble dress draped from her shoulders, and a dull look on her face, Molly got into Eric's car. The car slowly headed to the hotel where the Sun Island's government held the party. When they reached there, the entrance had already been crowded with reporters.

"Look! Here comes Mr. Eric Long!"

A shout of surprise came from the crowd. Immediately, Eric's car was surrounded by a group of reporters. The shutter sound of the cameras hummed like the chirping of cicadas at summer night. Their bright flashes lightened the early evening. Eric got out of the car first with an indifferent face. Escorted by Lenny and some security guards, he walked around the car and opened the door of the passenger seat, offering his hand in a gentlemanly manner.

A snow-white hand gently reached out from inside and rested on his. The reporters pressed the shutter madly. Since Eric took over the Dragon Empire Group and the Dragon Island parliament, it was the first time that he had brought a woman with him besides Lenny in public.

With a calm and leisurely look, Molly got out of the car. Knowing that she had sprained her ankle not long ago, Eric considerately selected a pair of ballet flats decorated with crystal beads for her rather than high heels. Aside from its delicate appearance, it was comfortable to wear.

"Excuse me, Mr. Eric Long. Is this beautiful lady your girlfriend?"

"Mr. Eric Long, you brought her with you in such a formal occasion. Does it have any implication of her relationship with you?"

"Miss, when did you start dating Mr. Eric Long?"

"Mr. Eric Long, can you please answer..." "Miss..."

The reporters kept throwing questions at them.

Molly merely replied to them with an elegant and polite smile as she was surrounded by reporters. She took Eric's arm and accompanied him to walk towards the entrance.

"You handled it very well." Eric praised her in a low voice as they walked along the way that the security guards had cleared out for them.

As a reaction though, Molly let out an awkward smile and said, "Hey! What is the name of this play?"

"The Jealous Mr. Brian Long, Act 1, Scene 1." Eric answered in a joking tone. He slightly raised his gaze and looked towards Brian who was talking with an official at the door. "What's that?" Molly asked as she followed his gaze. Doing so made her see Brian too. She forced a smile and said, "Well, our Mr. Poker Face always reveals no emotions."

"It just hits the spot!" A wicked spark flashed in Eric's eyes as he suddenly changed the topic, "Do you know what the headline of tomorrow's newspapers will be?"

"The head of our domestic oil company unexpectedly got half of the shares!" Molly replied without a second thought. She had heard many people talking about that news while she was still at the salon earlier. To most people's surprise, the two large companies joining the bidding only got small shares of the project while their weak rival got the biggest part.

Eric's lips curled up into a faint smile. He then slowly leaned closer to Molly and widened his tempting grin. "Wrong!"

"Huh?" Molly met his eyes puzzledly.

All of a sudden, Eric stopped in his tracks and looked affectionately at Molly's eyes. After some seconds or more, he said flatly, "The right answer is: CEO of Dragon Empire Group shows up at Crystal project celebration party with his girlfriend-Will she be the next First Lady of Dragon Island?"

Molly slightly opened her mouth in surprise. She hadn't completely absorbed Eric's words in when he bent over to her ear and whispered softly, "Mol, I don't want you to just be one of the millions of women who come and go in my life. If I propose to you before the media like how Uncle Richie did to Aunt Shirley in the past... Will you say yes to me?"

The reporters went wild as they shot that scene with their cameras like mad.

The angle that Eric intentionally chose made him look like he was kissing Molly's cheek. Aside from that, the stunned look on Molly's face also contributed to the illusion that she was amazed by his sudden action.

Slowly, Eric pulled himself away from Molly. He took her hand and dragged her towards the door. Molly was dumbfounded the whole while. Eric turned to Brian's direction the moment they passed him by. He then stretched his hand to the handsome man and greeted, "Mr. Brian Long! Nice to meet you here."

Sparing a casual glance at Molly who looked a bit nervous, Brian shook hands with him and said, "I'm around here for business. Thus, I attend this party according to etiquette."

That statement made Eric smile cunningly, "Shall we come in together?"

"No, sorry. I'm waiting for someone else," replied Brian in a cold tone. He was too composed and casual that it was really hard to tell what was in his mind.

Noticing a hint of disappointment flashing in Molly's eyes, Eric said, "Then we'll go first now. See you later!"

"See you later," responded Brian indifferently as he nodded to Eric. He didn't pay any more attention to Molly except for the short glance he gave her when they approached.

Hand in hand, Eric and Molly walked into the door. At a corner nearby, two men holding a glass of wine in their hands had witnessed all of that.

Hanson was staring at Molly's back before he shifted his gaze to Brian. Just as he expected, he caught Brian taking a quick peek at Molly. Thus, he said to his companion, "Let's bet how much longer can Mr. Brian Long maintain his pretend-composure."

"Are you nuts?" said the man standing next to him. He was the same guy Molly had kicked a few days ago. He rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, you're an expert on betting! Do you think that I'm that stupid as to make a bet with you?"0000