Love Began with the First Meeting

Someone knocked on the door.

Brian turned his gaze towards the door and found Eric opening the door and coming in. "Why are you late?" Brian asked flatly.

"I was dealing with something."

Brian frowned as he glanced at his watch. He paused when the bite marks Molly left on his arm caught his eye. "You only have half an hour left," he reminded Eric.

Eric looked at his watch, puzzled, "But it isn't even nine yet!"

"Mark needs to go to bed before ten o'clock."

Brian said casually much to Eric's confusion. After the custody case in T City, Eric flew back to QY Island to deal with some things before returning to Dragon Island for an orientation meeting about the second half of the year. Even though he knew that Brian already brought Mark to A City these days, he still didn't expect that Brian would exert so much effort for Mark and even make him a central part of his life.

In the past, Brian didn't give a care about time. He never followed anyone's schedule as well as his own. Whether it was work at the Emp or the Grand Night or anything with XK.

"I work from my villa now," Brian answered Eric's unspoken question. He noticed a flicker in Eric's face as if another question had popped into his mind,"I don't start working until Mark is asleep," he said before Eric could even say anything.

Eric shrugged and teased him, "Wow, you're actually a good father!"

"He has grown up without me at his side. I don't want him to feel alienated from me." Brian said matter-of-factly, "You only have 20 minutes now," he added.

Eric was startled so he grabbed Brian's laptop and typed something quickly. After one final clicking sound, a blueprint for the potential project of Dragon Empire was displayed on the screen. Eric started talking about the blueprint.

Brian listened carefully. Currently, the Dragon Empire Group was planning to build a world-class entertainment center in QY Island. According to the design proposal, the entertainment center would cover a large area including one portion where the Grand Night was planning to expand. If that happened, Brian's original idea of building a fully functional casino in QY Island would have to be postponed.

"Aaron has approved this proposal because it'll help the QY Island tourism," Eric concluded as he closed the display, "But I'm afraid it isn't aligned with your original idea. I've visited the area myself and we can't work our way around it. We really have to follow the blueprint. But either way, if you don't approve this I'll edit the blueprint as you wish and find another solution,"

Eric continued flatly. Although he wanted this whole project to be successful, he didn't want to make a profit off something that didn't have a ground to stand on. Even though they were family, they still couldn't get along on some things. While he wouldn't force Brian to approve this plan and thus give up that portion of land - because that symbolized his pride as a Long - he would still try his best to fight for it but he didn't mind losing either.

QY Island was a good investment. Neither the Grand Night nor the Dragon Empire had any reason to say no to a few sacrifices for an otherwise excellent long-term and profitable plan.

Eric patiently waited for Brian's answer but Brian remained silent. Eric looked up at him out of curiosity and found him staring at the screen with knitted eyebrows. He turned to look at what Brian was looking at.

At the center of the picture, was a flirtatious woman sitting at a blackjack table. Someone much younger than her, a boy, was sitting beside her and lighting a cigarette for her. After taking a brief drag, the woman seductively blew the smoke upon his face. The young boy was delighted and leaned in to kiss her on her lipstick-drawn red lips.

"What is Daniel doing with that woman?" Eric cried in shock.

Brian's eyebrows furrowed deeper. After the Sacred Domain had fallen apart, some other forces rose in power in the underworld in A City. And that woman, the one smoking, as one of them. Despite her beauty, she was known to be quite cruel. So cruel that they referred to her as "Black Widow", mostly because she was actually a widow to a gangster who was just as cruel as her. They quickly rose to power in A City until the gangster, her husband, was murdered the following year. She had been alone ever since - still in power. As an all- powerful, merciless figure, she had a taste for boy candy, specifically those who were give and take a few years around the age of 20. Once she set her eye on someone, she always got her way and that was always in the direction of her bed. She would seduce him with her beauty and money and if that didn't work, that was when she brought the alcohol and drugs in.

Their confusion only lasted for a few moments because Brian and Eric quickly put the pieces together on why Daniel was with that woman. The drug he was addicted to cost a lot of money. And in addition to that, Black Widow was heavily involved in drugs herself and the dealing side of it too.

They were the gruesome twosome - one was addicted to young men and the other drugs; a perfect match indeed.

Brian returned his gaze towards Eric nonchalantly. "I'll give up the land but you have to pay 30% more," he negotiated.

While the 30% was a bit heavy, Eric was more concerned about the fact that Brian had agreed in the first place. The 30% could be managed as long as the project was successful. Nonetheless, they would've spent that much anyway had they needed to modify the blueprint.

Brian stood up from his seat and put on his coat. "I didn't expect you to agree," Eric said. "I'm waiving the 30%. Keep it.

Then set up a foundation in Mark's name under the Dragon Empire." Brian left as soon as he finished speaking. Eric nodded, a bitter smile appearing on his face.

Eric thought to himself, 'Brian must be changing for her.

But he's still that same, old Brian.'

Eric was confused - he didn't know what his next action was.

He looked back at the screen again. At that moment, Black Widow had just won another game and was throwing a transparent token - which was worth ten thousand - into Daniel's hand. Daniel kissed her on the lips again to show his gratitude. 000000