Love Began with the First Meeting

"I'm really lucky to have such an amazing sister like you! "Daniel gazed fondly at Molly as he wrapped his strong arms around her. He affectionately rubbed his face against her shoulder and murmured, "Molly, thank you so much for always being there for me. You have

never turned your back on me and for that, I am forever grateful."

His words touched her heart. Molly curled up her lips as she gently looked at his face and whispered, "Of course I will always be there for you. I am your sister. I will never give up on you." Her smile was as splendid as the summer sun. The past was behind them now. Her heart was filled with joy. As she leaned back against his shoulder, Molly released a soft sigh, "I'm thankful to you for having faith in yourself. You have done a great job, Daniel."

Daniel responded with an even bigger smile. She was right. He finally had reasons to be happy. He had earned it himself. The past was long gone and he was no longer the same old Daniel who was addicted to drugs and was on the road to destruction. He had progressed tremendously and had made great achievements in his life till now. He had also been recently promoted to a higher rank because of his numerous meritorious deeds in the special force.

He had achieved all these thanks to Mol and Brian's help. They had supported him all along, and to some extent, had given him the chance to start his life over once again. He could never ever fail their expectations. Deep down, he knew that he owed them more than words could say. He had to work even harder to prove to them that they were not wrong about him. He needed to show them that they had made the right decision in not giving up on him. That strong motivation pushed him forward every day. Despite the ups and downs in his life, Daniel had crossed over all his hardships and overcame all the obstacles along his way.

"Daniel," Molly's eyes sparkled with joy as she giggled, "In the future, if you ever see Brian bully me, you must stand by my side and help me fight him! I am your big sister, so you have to take my side. Although Brian has helped you out so many times, you are still not allowed to side with him!"

Her childish demands cracked him up. Daniel grinned. "Come on! Brian is lucky that he doesn't get bullied by you. I could never believe anyone if they told me that he bullied you," he laughed, teasing her.

"Well, you never know..." Molly curled up her ruby lips amusingly. But she had a different opinion. She still remembered the aggressive woman in the park. She had claimed to be Brian's wife to be. She thought it was hilarious. Molly slowly shook her head to get rid of that woman from her mind. It was all in the past now. She had better things to worry about. Brian was an outstanding and charming man; he could easily attract other women's attention without any effort. Even as she thought that, deep down, Molly was concerned that one day Brian would walk out on her because the temptation was always out there. She was not sure about the future. What would happen if he was actually seduced away by some other woman? Her eyebrows knitted deeply.

Releasing a silent sigh, she forced a small smile, "Anyway, if Brian ever bullies me, you have to defend me and teach him a hard lesson!"

"Good joke, Sister," Daniel burst out laughing at her bizarre demand. He stared at her pouted mouth and teased, "Mol, you've got to be kidding. First of all, I can't even picture Brian bullying you. And secondly, if he ever does, I am afraid I can do nothing but offer you my sympathy."

"What? Why?!" Molly asked with a frown and a childish expression on her face. She stared straight into his smiling eyes.

Daniel grinned and said, "Well, think about it. Do you actually see me winning a match against Brian? I won't even last two rounds against that monster of a man. He'll wipe the floor with me."

"Ah!" Molly uttered slowly, "You're right." She tilted her head slightly and nodded in agreement.

Daniel forced a helpless smile. He was just being polite when he said he wouldn't be a match for Brian. But she sincerely thought that her Brian was unbeatable. Daniel shook his head, smiling at Molly's reaction.

The moon shed its gentle silver light on them. The ambience was cozy and peaceful. Meanwhile at the guest house, the kids were having fun. Joyful laughter could be heard even from the outside. Cathy had brought some handcrafted toys for them. She also brought along with her materials to handcraft their own toys. It was a unique experience and was nothing like what Charlie and Evelyn did at their school. The kids were very curious about these. In order to make these handcrafted toys perfectly, they had to be really careful and pay attention to details. Along with Cathy, the kids devoted themselves into handcrafting.

Brian was sitting on the sofa in the other side of the room, browsing through the newspaper. He had a cup of warm tea in his hand. Occasionally, he would cast a casual glance at the kids and Cathy. The newspaper quoted some general articles regarding military life. It was mostly written by soldiers who had first-hand experience in the field. Brian found some of the articles quite interesting as they were talking about how to improve the military quality of the soldiers. He was surprised about certain ideas reflected in the paper. With the development of modern technologies, the difference between soldiers who came from the cities and those who came from villages were getting wider. Brian's attention was fully drawn to the points listed in the article. Since technology played a major role in modern society, it was essential for the soldiers to advance with time. They needed to increase their knowledge about technology in order to better cope with the changes to come.

"Charlie, please help me!" Evelyn pouted her lips and acted like a spoiled child. She was really bad at handcrafting the toys. It was too complicated for her, while her brother was quick to learn and had already started paying attention to every detail on his toy. Evelyn started to feel left behind. Every time she tried to make the handcraft better, it turned out worse than before.

"How about I help you with it?" Before Charlie could answer, Brian stood from the sofa and approached her with a gentle smile.

"Daddy! Thank you!" Evelyn gave her dad a splendid smile and raised her chin up proudly to Charlie, "With Daddy's help, my handcraft will be the most beautiful of the three. You guys will definitely lose!"

"Well, that's hard to tell, young lady," Cathy winked at her and teased, "Your daddy might be good at many things, but I doubt that handcrafting is one of them."

"No way! My daddy is the most amazing daddy in the world. He is my superman and he can do anything!" Evelyn declared with pride. Every child felt the same about their fathers and Evelyn was no exception. In her heart, her daddy was Superman-reliable and strong, capable of anything and everything. Nothing could ever defeat him.

Charlie gave Evelyn an uncertain look and questioned, "Evelyn, do you really think that Daddy is good at handcrafting?" He tilted his head and stared at the bibs and bobs all over the table. It was quite overwhelming. Somehow, he agreed with his aunt that handcrafting might be too intimidating for Brian. 000000