Love Contract
Chapter 188 Agreement ( Part One)

Evenings in Z City were chilly. People were unconsciously pulling their clothes around themselves a little tighter. The moon hung in the sky and gently bathed the ground below in soft light.

After dinner, Barry, Mary and the two kids sat happily around the room, exchanging laughs and smiles. Eventually, bedtime rolled around, and the four of them nestled under the covers of the king-sized bed. The children made themselves comfortable in the middle of the bed. The boy curled up next to Mary, and the girl tucked herself into Barry's embrace.

"Mommy, is this your hometown?" Alick blinked up at Mary. "Why didn't we sleep at your house? Why are we staying at a hotel?"

Mary felt a familiar pang of sadness. She smiled gently at her son and patted his head. "Mommy has no parents now, honey. I'm afraid there isn't a house we could have stayed at. But this is still my hometown I grew up here and made lovely memories," Mary said softly.

"Is this your hometown too, Daddy Barry? Did you live here?" Elissa tilted her head towards Barry, curiously. "Yes, it is," Barry said from the other side of the bed. "We'll visit Mommy and Daddy's university tomorrow," he said. A fond smile tugged at his lips.

"Really? Yes, please! That'd be so fun!" Elissa stretched her arms out and squirmed in excitement.

"Mommy, look! The full moon is enormous! It's so beautiful!" Alick's eyes glittered as he stared in wonder. "It's prettier than the moon in the US.

"Of course, the moon is always the most beautiful in one's hometown!" Mary laughed.

She kissed him on the top of his head and looked out the window. Watching the moonshine, she was struck with a sudden wave of nostalgia. Mary's thoughts wandered back to that night from many years ago. People and places change, yet the moon remains the same. Back then, she had been with William.

"William, I can give you half of the moon in my hometown! And you won't have to be sad anymore."

"Would you do that?"

"I would do it for you."

Her stomach churned at the unpleasant memory. The glow of the moon had gotten uncomfortably bright. Mary couldn't help but feel like it was a giant eye that was inspecting her closely. She grimaced at the thought, looking away, and tried to clear her mind.

In Kylin International of A City.

William was restless. He lay on his bed and fiddled with his phone.

The sun had long set, and moonlight enveloped his room in a soft white glow. He turned his head towards the source cautiously, as if any sudden movements would chase it away. He hazily wondered if the moon in Z City was as bright as he remembered it to be. Regret settled in his chest as he thought of the woman who had promised to share half of her moon with him, the woman who was no longer by his side.

"Mary!" William shouted, bolting up in bed. He hurriedly unlocked his phone and dialed a number.

"Ring... Ring..."

Lucas had started the day with a long surgery, followed by stacks of paperwork. By the time he got home, he was drained and immediately went to bed. It was midnight when the doctor's phone rang. Its incessant ringing scratched at his ears, waking him up from his needed sleep.

"Ah! Darn it!" Lucas threw the covers off in irritation. He snatched his phone up and checked the caller ID. Answering the call, he yelled, "If you called me for something stupid, I'm going to kill you!" "What's up with you? You don't have to get so mad!" William said rudely. "No, look, I have something important to tell you."

"Fine, what is it then? Ah..." Lucas yawned. He blinked his eyes drearily, waiting for William's news.

"Barry has taken Mary away."

"What? Seriously?" Lucas was wide awake now. "Where did they go? Back to America? How dare Barry lie to me? Shit!" He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"No, they didn't go back to the US. They went to Z City, Mary's hometown," William said. "Also, Mary could be in danger tonight."

"Danger? What kind of danger?"

"A man and woman staying in a room together, just the two of them. What do you think will happen?"

"Damn it! He wouldn't, would he? Humph!" Lucas straightened his back, trying to figure out a solution. "So, what are we going to do? You called because you have a plan in mind, right?" "Yes, of course. I'm going to Z City now. Are you coming with me?"

"Yes, I'll go! Of course, I'd go with you," Lucas said seriously. "Barry told me he was going to visit Z University to attend the school's anniversary. I guess he must've gone with Mary. We need to leave right now!"

"Okay," nodded William. "Let's meet on People's Road."

"Alright, then. I'll be there in half an hour," Lucas said. He was out of bed now, rushing to change out of his sleepwear.

After confirming the meeting place, William ended the call and got ready to leave, grabbing his car keys.

"If a little man appears who laughs, who has golden hair and who refuses to answer questions, you will know who he is."

Mary was calmly reading "The Little Prince" storybook out loud to the children. She was leaning sideways slightly, a tender smile gracing her face. The woman had grown up a lot, being a mother of two. Despite this, she was still as innocent-looking and dainty as she was in university.

Barry gazed at her longingly, entranced by her gentle and unchanging manner.

"If this should happen, please comfort me. Send me word that he has come back." Mary closed the book gently, finished with the story.

"I like the little prince so much! I want to go to the desert, too!" said Elissa, eagerly.

"Let me come too!" Alick replied quickly. "I want to see the desert and have my own roses." "Okay," Barry smiled. "When you are a little older, let's go to the desert. Maybe we can meet the little prince there!" "When can we grow up?" asked Alick, brows furrowed at the thought.

"Sooner than you think." Barry cupped the boy's little face in his hands.

"Anyway, it's bedtime for you two! You'll grow up faster if you get enough sleep!" "We have to get up early tomorrow," Mary reminded.

"Will Mommy sleep with us?" asked Elissa, crawling under the blanket.

"Of course, sweetie," Mary assured her, tucking a strand of hair behind the child's ear.

"Daddy Barry too?"

"Ah, well..." Mary was a bit stunned at the question. She looked at Barry, unsure of his answer.

"Yes, we'll all sleep together!" Barry said confidently. "Shall we sleep then?" he asked, lifting the covers.

"Sure!" Alick said.

"Yeah!" Waving her arms, Elissa turned around and tugged on Alick's sleeve. "Alick, sleep next to me!"

"I will," said Alick as he got into the quilt. "But you have to be obedient!"

"I will..." his sister pouted.

"Good! Good night, sweeties." Mary coaxed them to sleep. "Be good now."

Some miles away, under the same starry sky, two men were hastily making their way to Z City.

"Barry sure did a good job!" Lucas sat in the car and clicked his tongue. "The two of them traveling alone, it's the perfect opportunity! Why didn't I think of that?" "You're stupid, that's why."

"Oh, yeah? And how smart are you?" Lucas retorted. "You were certainly smart enough to let Barry get away with this."

William didn't respond.

"William, did you hear me? You have to drive faster than this! If we don't get there in time, Barry would have done all the things he wanted to do!" Lucas nagged. He felt helpless, just sitting in the passenger seat. His leg bounced up and down, and he tugged at the seatbelt.

"Fuck off!" William roared. What did he mean the things Barry wanted to do? He started seeing red at Lucas's comment and could practically feel smoke coming from his ears. "You want to drive, then? There's a speed limit, you know!"

"Okay, fine!" Lucas turned away, looking out the window and watching as buildings whizzed past. "I'll replace out where they're staying tonight."

William frowned but stayed silent. He didn't

bother asking how Lucas would get that

information, knowing the other man would replace it one way or another.

The car eventually arrived at the busy intersection of Z City. From his windshield, William glanced up at the pale disc sitting

relaxedly in the night sky. He felt that it was eyeing him with mild disinterest.

Lucas interrupted his thoughts. "Okay, they're staying at a hotel called Hyatt Regency. It's about an hour's drive from here."

"We can get there in 30 minutes," said William shortly. It was already late in the night. If they couldn't make it in time, William worried that

Barry would have already done something to Mary. He stepped on the gas.

Back in the hotel room, Alick and Elissa had fallen fast asleep.

Seeing the kids had gone to sleep, at last, Mary closed her eyes and dozed off. She lay on the very edge of the bed to accommodate the children and was close to falling off.

Quietly, Barry slid out of bed. He kissed the two kids and tucked them into the middle.

Barry tiptoed to the other side of the bed to take care of the "third older kid." He saw her curled up sleeping form and felt his heart melt. Carefully peeling back the covers, he lifted her up in his arms and held her tight to his chest.

"Hmm..." Nudged awake by the movement, Mary blearily opened her eyes. "Barry? What's wrong?"

Candy GSmgB