Love Began with the First Meeting

Brian nodded and politely replied, "It's very generous of you to say so. Your very presence means a lot to us. I am just a family member to the newly wed, but you are the leader. Of course, you should be the one to officiate the wedding. I couldn't think of anyone else more suitable than you to do the deed."

The chief official was flattered by his words. He nodded with a contented smile, briefly shook hands with Brian and then headed to the stage, to get ready for the ceremony.

It was quite rare for the army to hold such a big-scale wedding in the base, especially in a special force camp such as this. This was quite unprecedented. The military officials had kindly approved the usage of the venue for Brian's sake. They had always been on very good terms with each other. To some extent, the wedding was another good occasion for the senior officials to socialize with Brian Long.

The wedding march notes were played by the military ceremonial guards. Members of the Falcon Commando gathered by the arch, with confetti in their hands, ready to greet the couple. The beautiful tune swayed gently in the air, as the twins walked through the arch. They each had a gorgeous floral basket on their arms. Two steps behind them were Daniel and Cathy, both in their handsome military uniforms. Gracefully, they walked down the red-carpeted aisle hand in hand.

Everyone stood up as they approached closer. The guests gazed at the couple's joyful faces. They were all greatly moved by the occasion and everybody's faces were adorned by a huge warm smile.

The ceremony went on beautifully. The newly-weds received hearty blessings from their close ones. As the senior officials were still on site, the restless young soldiers behaved themselves and didn't dare tease the couple too much. However, as soon as the officials left the venue, the playful young soldiers all started to pick on the newly-weds as part of the tradition. Edgar had hinted earlier that on such a joyful day, it was all right to exhibit some harmless pranks. So, the soldiers gathered closer to the couple and tried to embarrass them with some tricks.

However, Daniel simply wouldn't let them get their way. With Charlie and Evelyn's help, he managed to escape from all sorts of wicked trickery. As Brian was still on site, the soldiers had to quiet down from time to time because they didn't want to carry it too far in front of him. Crossing Brian was not their idea of fun. As time passed, joyful laughter echoed through the trees around the venue. What a memorable day it was for everyone!

Brian and Molly stood far away from the cheerful crowds. Seeing the young ones chasing and teasing each other, their thoughts were carried away instantly. The lively wedding reminded them of the day they had tied the knot. What was this feeling called romance? And what was happiness? No matter how romantic a ceremony looked, if you were marrying the wrong person, it wouldn't give you any happiness in life. However, if you were marrying the right partner, even if the wedding ring was just a simple band, you would still feel like you were the luckiest person in the world and that your ceremony was the most romantic ever.

"Let's go." Brian pulled Molly's hand closer to him as he turned to leave. Together, they headed towards the Jeep parked next to the training field.

Edgar, who was in the driver's seat, cracked a big smile when he saw them. He teased, "Well, well, well! You guys are Daniel's sister and brother-in-law. Are you even allowed to leave from the wedding this early? This is just so sad. I feel bad for Daniel." "And what about you? You are his direct superior and yet here you are! What is your excuse, huh?" Molly smirked. She poked him slightly on the shoulder and then continued, "Actually, if you stayed there, you'll probably be in an even worse situation than me and Bri. These young soldiers, I tell you..."

Edgar laughed and shrugged his shoulders. He then started the car. As they pulled out of the army base, they could still hear the cheerful crowd behind them.

"How come you finally agreed?" asked Edgar.

"To be honest, I had already made my decision when Daniel had mentioned the topic."

For a moment, they both were silent.

"You don't need to test me now. I know what you mean," Brian said aloofly as he looked out the car window. "XK Intelligence Agency has its unique training methods. Even if I did reveal them to you, you won't be able to apply it to your boys."

Edgar said nothing. Deep down, he agreed with Brian. His words made perfect sense. The army's way of training its soldiers was still quite conservative. He had to make sure that his boys were safe while carrying out all sorts of hardcore missions. Despite the fact that he desperately wanted to make some breakthrough, he still prioritized his soldiers' lives. However, things were totally different in XK Intelligence Agency. He had never witnessed their cruel training programs himself, however, he had heard enough rumors about it. Things could go absolutely ugly there. There, only the best of the best could survive. Life in XK Intelligence Agency was expendable, in order to select the strongest of the lot.

*

At the office of the ruler of the Dragon Island, National Congress.

Ever since taking over Dragon Island and its affairs, Eric realized that he was overwhelmed with a huge load of responsibilities. He had to deal with all sorts of issues, especially during the peak season of meetings; he simply didn't have any time for himself. It was beyond his wildest imagination, and he actually had no patience for this kind of business at all! His father used to a stubborn man, and yet he settled down and had shown all the patience in the world to be a sensible ruler. However, as his father's successor, he found all these meetings boring and tedious. He was at his wit's end as to how to deal with the endless meeting requirements. From the bottom of his heart, Eric detested his current lifestyle.

He wondered if there was any way for him to escape from the upcoming meetings. Modern technology should have been a much better help, but he was disappointed.

Beep!

He was again wanted. Eric helplessly shook his head and put down his pen. He heaved a silent sigh as he pressed the bottom on the phone.

"Ruler, Mr. Brian Long has sent you an email. Shall I print it out for you or would you rather I forward it to you directly?" his secretary asked politely over the phone. She was well-trained and had a sweet voice. A certain protocol had to be followed by the Long family members while contacting the National Congress. All contacts were to be held via the secretary's office. Mails sent to the island ruler had to be filed and tested for viruses by the secretary's office first. Brian's email was no exception. The security level was top notch here on Dragon Island. Any potential cyber-attacks would be eliminated from the very beginning. ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐