Love Began with the First Meeting

Hon Entertainment Center was one of the biggest on Dragon Island

and belonged to the entertainment department of Ji International.

It was not a leading enterprise of the Ji Family but was rather a necessary, sordid connection to the existence of the gangland.

Addison arrived quickly. As soon as the car stopped, he saw Hedy standing at the door and looking around anxiously. He took off the symbol of his position and then got out of the car, walking over with an expression like a thundercloud.

"Mark, you've finally come..." At the sight of Addison, Hedy hurriedly ran to him. "My brother is still inside, and I can't persuade him to leave at all."

Addison didn't reply but looked Hedy up and down before saying coldly, "It seems that the Ministry of Culture needs to investigate the entertainment industry of Dragon Island..."

Hedy grinned briefly but then turned serious and said in a hurry, "Mark, now is not the right time to ask why my brother and I are here, alright?" She wore a sad face as she suddenly thought of something, and it gave her enough pause to hesitate. "Damn it. How could I forget that there are reporters inside! Mark, if you enter..."

"Young Master, I am going to find the manager." Wyatt showed up quite timely, with a bow and then headed inside.

"Ah, I have forgotten our lovely Little Wyatt..." Hedy hugged Wyatt gratefully. "Hurry up. If you get there too late, either my brother or those men will be beaten up. No matter who wins, it will be screwed."

Wyatt was not impressed and wore a long face. Every time he heard Hedy call him Little Wyatt, he had the urge to squeeze the life out of her. Of course he could do nothing but nurse that thought. Addison nodded slightly and then took Hedy to the coffee shop on the other side of the building.

Hedy lowered her head submissively and followed Addison. She raised her head several times and wanted to explain, but she remained silent, since she didn't know what to say in the end. Her brother was 17 years old, and she was 15. They had not only entered the entertainment center, despite being teenagers, but had also gotten involved in a fight with somebody. They were done for.

"Where are your shadows?" Addison's voice was calm.

"We sent them to do something else." Hedy's voice was as low as a mosquito's hum and equally whiney. Actually Hedy and her brother had told their shadows to go somewhere faraway intentionally and they would have fun freely. This was also why the bodyguards were unable to return in time when they were needed.

Addison turned his head back and glanced darkly at Hedy, and snorted in exasperation. He saw her taking one cowardly step backward and shook his head in helpless anger. Then he pushed the door open and entered the coffee shop.

"Excuse me..." The waiter was surprised when he recognized Addison's face. Then he lowered his head respectfully and whispered, "Your Highness, do you need us to clear the shop of the customers?"

"No. Just find a quiet seat for me," Addison said casually, not wanting to cause a fuss.

"Yes, certainly!" the waiter answered. "Your Highness, this way, please."

The light in the coffee shop was dim, and the seat backs were tall and well padded. Because it was a high-class establishment, in a sense, every table had been designed with privacy in mind.

The waiter led Addison to a corner table at the far end. Since it was dinner time already, there were only a few customers in the coffee shop. Addison could observe a large part of the shop from there, but it was difficult to see his table from the other seats. Addison ordered coffee for himself and orange juice and some cakes for Hedy. Then the waiter left. In order not to affect the daily life of the kids of the Long Family, the media wouldn't report about them at ordinary times, but Addison often showed up in public. Now he had brought a teenage girl to a coffee shop, so the waiter curiously stole another look at them before leaving.

Addison didn't say anything while they waited for Wyatt to solve the problem. Hedy fidgeted uncomfortably and the atmosphere had become depressing, making it difficult to breathe. After the waiter had served the orange juice and cakes, she could finally hide her discomfort in eating.

Addison glared at Hedy and then took out his cell phone to make a call. After the call was connected, he stated coldly, "Inform all members of the Ministry of Culture to attend a meeting in the small council chamber at nine tomorrow morning." Afterward, he hung up the phone.

Hedy howled in secret. 'Mark is not being reasonable at all. Huh? If only Charlie didn't leave... Although he would also have taught us a lesson, we would have the chance to have more fun in future!'

Feeling resentful, Hedy cut the cake mechanically while staring at Addison with her eyes wide open in silent protest.

"Your dad is not home today. If he was, I would enjoy seeing how he would punish you," Addison said ruthlessly. "You are becoming more and more disobedient. It would have been better if you just came here, but you chose to make trouble. Huh..." Hedy pulled a long face and pouted, but she lowered her large eyes powerlessly. She continued eating the cake in an attempt to elevate her low spirits.

There were noises from the door. Addison looked in that direction. He saw Wyatt forcefully guiding York Long to them. As the two approached, he could clearly see York's black and blue lips. The evidence of his fighting was undeniable.

"Mark..." York greeted Addison and then glared balefully at Hedy before sitting next to her. He was in an even sadder state than her. He had been naughty and fearless since childhood, but for no apparent reason, he only feared Mark. This was odd because Mark had always been nice to his younger brothers and sisters. His mother always said that it meant there would always be one thing to conquer another.

"Do you know what the consequence of your actions today is?" Addison asked in a cold and calm voice.

"It is me who sent Morry and Shelia away... If you want to punish us, I will accept the responsibility," York stated bravely.

"Huh." Addison snorted. "I am going to see how you plan on taking that responsibility." Afterward, Addison stood up and walked to the door. He heard York complaining behind his back that they shouldn't have asked him to come.

"In fact, it was not entirely Young Master York's fault. Those punks were bullying some waiters, because of their background. Young Master York couldn't bear to see that, so..." Wyatt tried to offer an explanation. "Sadly, we can't interfere directly, but it is a common social problem."

Addison didn't say anything but strode on. However, halfway out of the coffee shop, he suddenly stopped.

"Sorry, can you speak slowly?" Sally had a pen and a notepad in her hand and was trying her best to understand what a customer was ordering. However she had only taught herself English while in prison, and knew very little French, which she had learned over the last two days after coming here.

The two Frenchmen looked at Sally with intense dissatisfaction and spoke a lot, becoming obviously impatient.

Addison stood at a distance and looked at them, with his eyes deepening. As he was about to look away and ignore them, he saw Hedy walking there. In less than two minutes, Hedy had quickly saved Sally from the embarrassment and told her what the customers wanted to order. Hedy even kindly left her telephone number with Sally, saying that she would come to the coffee shop to teach her French the next evening, because the day after tomorrow would be weekend.

Sally sighed with relief and looked at Hedy, wondering why this little girl was so happy to help others. Then she finally noticed the sharp gaze which was focused on her, as if to look right through her. She looked in the direction of her beholder by instinct and was surprised to meet Addison's eyes. In an instant, she felt like she was falling into a bottomless abyss.

When Sally stared at Addison, he looked away indifferently and immediately turned to leave.

"See you next time." Hedy saw that Addison was leaving and hurriedly said goodbye to Sally before running out after him.

"Wyatt, drive the two kids back home," Addison abruptly ordered outside the coffee shop.

"Mark, you're not coming back?"

"Aren't you going home?"

Hedy and York asked at the same time. However, neither of them dared to wait for the answer when they saw Addison's eyes turn stormy. Then they obediently turned around and got into the car with some haste.

"Young Master..." Wyatt asked and then glanced casually at the coffee shop. He sighed secretly. 'Young Master can't forget Miss Li.'

"Take them back and don't let Aunt see them..." Addison ordered.

"Yes, Master!" Wyatt responded, turning, and got into the driver's seat.

The island was not silent at night. Dragon Island was covered with colorful lights and revelers who came out to drink. The small island had been a harmonious closed community in the past, but it was a world connected to foreign countries now. The bright and dirty signs of progress were everywhere. The island was populated with wealthy and powerful families, as well as poor people scraping by at the bottom of society.

After serving the food to the two Frenchmen, Sally felt tired and went to the washroom. Addison was not supposed to frequent such a place, but now she had met him after only three days of her starting to work here.

"Ah, Lancy... You are so lucky!" A girl's voice came from outside. "Alas, you got to serve His Highness unexpectedly..."

"Yes, Lancy, you deserve a treat after you get off from work tonight," another girl echoed to make a fuss.

"No problem!" the girl called Lancy said happily. "You should have seen him up close. His Highness is more handsome than on TV. My God, why is every man from the Long Family so outstanding? Alas, a woman who could be in a relationship with Mr. Long, or any man of the Long Family, would be extremely happy."

"Yes, right. The people of the Long Family don't really pay attention to a suitor's family background. You know what? Except for the current ruler's wife, who comes from a wealthy and powerful family, every ruler's wife for the past several generations had been from an ordinary family. If only I can have a beautiful, romantic encounter with His Highness one day! Ha-ha! I think I will laugh to wake up from that dream."

Sally sat on the toilet and listened to the gossiping voices discussing Addison so recklessly outside. She felt even more tired.

"By the way, did you see just now how the two Frenchmen sneered at Sally Gu?"

"Of course I saw. I told her to serve that table on purpose..."

"You know she can't speak French, but you still told her to go serve them on purpose. You are so cruel!"

"Huh," the girl snorted. "All of us come to work here after being trained, but she... The boss said she was beautiful and then immediately told her to go work. Huh... I just wanted to embarrass her a little. I am not the Virgin Mary, after all."

At the moment, their laughter rang out from outside. It was said that where there were women, there were disputes. That was true of any place.

A flushing sound suddenly echoed

from the bathroom stall, and the

girls immediately shut up. They looked at each other speechlessly before turning their heads back. Meanwhile, with a clatter, Sally walked out and said indifferently, "The washroom is the best place to gossip, but it is also easiest for people to overhear in this place. It's no problem if you talk about me. I just don't know what would happen if somebody heard your comments about His Highness and happened to report it to the newspapers or magazines..." She wanted to continue but hesitated. Looking at the girls' changing expressions, she stated coldly, "I want to warn you that disaster always comes from careless talk." Afterward, she washed her hands, while the girls stared at her. Then she straightened her back and left the washroom

unhurriedly.

They cursed Sally behind her back, but she didn't care. Such voices were nothing new to her. When she was new at the prison in the past, much more vile things had happened to her.

Sally stopped walking, and the dark corridor seemed to transport her back to the past.

"Take off her clothes. I hear that this bitch is in here because she killed somebody." "Ah, let me go. Let me go..."

"Take off all of her clothes. Put her head in the toilet..."

"Ah..."

"Aha..."

Sally's breath grew fast and deep. She shook her head as panic and long remembered fear gripped her, and tried to shake off all the humiliating pictures which replayed in her mind. However, that sharp and sarcastic laughter of the prison gangs seemed to have been sealed into her bones and she couldn't shake it off at all.

Sally took deep, slow breaths and leaned against the wall for support. She dug her fingers into the plaster of the wall, and the sharp pain seemed to calm her nerves and return her to the present. She swallowed with difficulty and walked on, still gasping and out of breath. The summer's evening was cool and breezy, tasting of salt and sea. Sally didn't know how she had persisted for the past few hours. Only when she changed from the uniform to her own clothes, and walked out of the coffee shop, did the cool breeze alleviate her tension and relax her mind.

Sally walked slowly on tired and heavy legs to the apartment which she rented. Her greatest concerns these days were to find Little Pear and allow herself to get used to everything on Dragon Island again. Just stand up whenever you fall. But it was easier said than done. "Ah!"

Suddenly, somebody grabbed Sally's arm, and she instantly became alert, despite her fatigue. As she screamed, she was pulled down an alley. Wanting to shout for help, she stopped when a warm hand covered her mouth abruptly. She was alarmed and opened her eyes wide.

Addison was unsure why he had lowered himself to this point. Why did he act in this way because of a woman? Why this woman?

When the frightened Sally saw Addison's dark face, she drew in a deep breath and tried to calm down. But because of the sudden scare just now, her heart still beat fast, and her chest heaved up and down dramatically.

Sally angrily threw off Addison's hand, which had been covering her mouth, and looked at him resentfully. "Addison Long, what are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Addison

lowered his eyes as he whispered. It

was unclear whether he was talking

to Sally or mumbling to himself. "I also want to know..." He raised his head and looked at Sally with deeply complex eyes and gritted his teeth. "Why am I here?" He pressed against Sally's shoulder and pushed her back against the wall. "You had gone, so why did you come back? You could have returned at any time. So why do you only return now, after I've met you?" Sally didn't know how to answer these aggressive questions for now, and helplessly she just let Addison press her to the wall.

"Addison, Dragon Island belongs to your family. But it is my home, too. Do I need to ask your permission to return?" She gritted her teeth and glared at him angrily. "As the future ruler of this country, do you need to handle every such trifle in person? Should I praise you for cherishing your people, or think of you as an approachable leader?" Sally stammered out the rebuke with one single breath, not knowing if it was because of her anger or sadness. She gasped for breath and her chest heaved up and down again with emotional gasping.

Addison's charming face was hidden

in the dark, but had she seen him clearly, she would also have seen his

turbulent emotions. He stared at Sally both humbly and helplessly. He slowly loosened his grip on Sally and gazed at her for a while before turning around. He stopped after moving three steps and then said in

a blank and distant voice, "Sally, I shouldn't have loved you in the beginning, or waited for you until now." His voice was firm and decisive, but hinted at a strong and unusually vulnerable emotion. He seemed to feel intense regret, or he was wildly wishing for something which he could not have. "Even so, I have still hoped that my love for you would enjoy a happy ending and wished that I would finally have you by my side, after years of waiting..."

These words of loneliness were spoken in a deep voice, and they were especially touching in the darkness.

"I saw you just now. You were at a loss..." Addison looked ahead, his black eyes mixed with the darkness. Even he seemed unable to feel the sadness hidden in his eyes. "Do you know how much strength I needed to stop myself from walking over to help you? After you leave, do you know that I will quietly wait for you here? Sally." He called her name in a long and gentle tone. It spoke of a longing which was inexpressible and hidden. "I want to see your heart... and check if you even kept me in it after all for these past seven years." Addison smiled in a self-mockery and turned his face away, even though he couldn't see anything. "If you want to go on living in this way... If you want to live without me, I will make your wish come true." He looked down at the dark pavement. "Please, live happily. I don't want to see you, ever again. Please don't show your face before my eyes again, or make me feel pity ever again..." After these bitter utterances, the self-mockery twisted his lips into a scowl. After a long moment's hesitation, he slowly walked away. Sally slowly looked after Addison while he walked into the darkness, and she didn't say anything at all. Her mouth opened slightly as if to respond, or to call him back, but instead she couldn't utter even one word.

With her body slumping forward, she slid down from the wall. Sally's lips turned down with grief as tears fell from her eyes and salty sorrow stained her lips. What Addison had said was like a knife which twisted in her heart with such impact that she could hardly breathe. "Addison, remember what you have said..." Sally stated indifferently. "Please don't ever show up in front of me, either. If something like today happens, please treat me as a stranger..." She stood up slowly until, finally, her grief consumed her and she was swept away in the darkness. Finally, she continued calmly, "It was an accident to meet you, but I don't want to make it inevitable!"

Addison suddenly stopped as he reached the end of the alley. Hearing Sally's words ringing with finality through the night, he thought it hateful and closed his brooding eyes to conceal the sorrow in them even if nobody

would care about it now. ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐