Love Began with the First Meeting

"Hmm.... Hm..."

Frightened, Molly groaned struggling to keep her eyes open and frantically fighting to pry away the hand that covered her mouth. The horror of it all felt surreal, like a bad dream you wished you'd wake up from. From somewhere, she heard someone say in a low voice,"You are such a stupid woman!"

The tone of those words tasted like salt and bile. Bitter, malicious words, but unmistakably a familiar voice. When she finally stopped struggling, the oppressive hand over her mouth was removed.

"Humph! Do you want everyone to hear you scream?" Brian took a contemptuous, sarcastic glance at Molly.

Glaring at him, Molly said in a huff,"Since you suddenly drew me, I was very frightened."

"Are you such a coward?"Sarcastically, with a straight face, Brian continued,"You only put on an intrepid face when you know it's me!"

Already, Molly had given up on her idea of making an apology to Brian. She bit her lips, stared him straight in the face and asked through clenched teeth,"Didn't you leave just now?"

In response, Brian snorted coldly,"I won't just leave you here alone. I would have to rescue you if you were to be abducted by others. I wouldn't want to let such thing happen again and be involved by any means."

"You could just stand by!" Angrily, Molly probed, her mood sour as green gooseberry.

The words made Brian sneer. With a raised brow, he asked,"Do you think Edgar will rescue you if I don't?"

Those words took Molly by surprise. She couldn't put her finger on a plausible answer. After a short silence, she spoke in a measured voice,"I think, it's you who's always thinking about him, not me!You're such a crazy man, Brian Long. I think you suffer from not only schizophrenia but also IAD! Illness Anxiety Disorder," she remarked.

Molly draped on Brian's suit jacket more tightly and walked straight

she kept on reacting to his provocations, she feared her fuse would blow. She didn't fancy pitching a hissy fit. Just the same, Brian was intentionally driving her nuts. And he was working hard at it. In these last few days, she really wanted to get on well with him. Also, she was mindful of his few random gestures of candor and civility.Whichever little hint of kindness she noticed in him, she'd concentrate on that. As flawed as he was, it wasn't lost on Molly that her own father had done her and the entire family untold injustices. It was on account of the indolent old-man's debts that Molly now found herself in Brian's hands. Unable to pay off the

"Ah!"

engrossed, Brian suddenly grabbed her arm again. Without a word, he pulled her and she almost

her right in. Tony cast a glance in the rear-view mirror and then started the car and drove

From there, they could see Molly still standing where they

stood among revelers, but she easily stood out from the crowd, looking

she was wrapped in Brian's coat, the waitress uniform underneath. The cold wind must

to him like glue. It had been only when he was with Wing that he was willing to show his

was on Brian's mind. Perhaps, Harrow was right. Something had

passed by, but Brian still didn't take any action to look for Becky. Tony had thought before

until now, she still hadn't come back. Moreover, Brian also seemed to forget

backseat, Brian and Molly didn't talk to each other. Brian looked morose. Likewise, Molly kept a straight face, pensively taking in the neon lights through the car window, as if those lights were crystal balls that contained clues to the puzzles of her life. In her mind, she kept simulating possible alternate scenarios of surviving the following ten days without incurring his unreasonable anger. She also got a bit excited because she could leave

she'd hit the jackpot. Even the corners of her eyes lit up, although she was cautious, knowing Brian was watching. At that, her shoulders tightened, her face

car was oppressive. Right at that point, the awkward silence

the phone, the morose expression on her face giving way to surprise. Right away she answered, casting a dubious glance at Brian who was looking at her with interest, almost

"Little Molly..."

knew that only Brian and Daniel had her phone number. Now that Brian sat beside her, she thought it must have been