The rain fell down and the wind blew, catching hair, raincoats, anything it could. The yellow leaves on the ground were covered in raindrops, but the air was as fresh as ever.
Standing alone beside the tombstone, Anne looked at the young smiling face in the photo and her spirits sank.
"Mom, you know what? No matter how long you have left, I won't feel scared if I hold your memory in my heart."
With a gentle smile, Anne reached out her hand to touch the photo.
"But Eddy's sick. I don't know if you can hear me, but can you protect him and help him get better? That's really the only problem I have."
She squatted down and stared at the tombstone, her hands weak.
The rain stopped for a moment, and sun began to break through the clouds. Soon enough, the rain started up again. She opened the umbrella and prepared to leave the cemetery. She stopped when she heard a hesitant voice.
"Miss Anne?" Turning her head to figure out who it was, she got a nice surprise.
It was the man who saved her a few days ago. "Hello," she said.
"Here to see someone important?" Mark asked.
Anne nodded. "What about you?"
"A friend of my dad's. My father's busy, so he asked me to come see him." He smiled gently.
"Okay."
"I don't know if you remember me. Mark Mu. Nice to meet you." Mark recalled when he met Anne last time, she had been lost in thought. They hadn't had much of a chance to talk.
"I don't mean to get too personal, Mr. Mu, but how do you know Trey?" asked Anne. The question had been bugging her for a while. "He's my brother, but we couldn't be more different." He paused, trying to figure how to explain.
"Trey always puts his career first. I don't like to be tied down. So my family says he's the good son, and I'm the one who can't be tamed," Mark explained. But Anne had a different take on it.
She liked Mark a lot more than Trey.
"Opinions are like belly buttons. Everyone has one. If you'll excuse me, I have things to do." After saying that, Anne started to walk away.
But Mark stopped her, trying to continue their conversation. "Miss Anne, you seem to have something on your mind. Just tell me. Maybe I could help."
His voice was sincere. Anne stopped and turned around. She said indifferently, "No one can solve my problem. Mr. Mark, I'm sorry. You're a good guy, but I don't know you well."
He stared at her. The transparent umbrella was wet, and he could see her damp hair through it, though it was quite blurry. She looked like a haunted soul.
He was considerate, so he didn't want to get too personal. "It's raining, and the road's pretty slick. Be careful, Miss Anne."
In the East Mountain Villa.
It was drizzling on the mountain. The yellow grass and trees swayed in the wind. But around the East Mountain Villa, there were juniper, cedar, and willow trees, carefully selected for their hardiness in the wintertime. They all swayed together, yellow and green mixing in subservience to the wind.
The taxi stopped some distance away from the door. Anne walked to the villa slowly. The door was ajar, and Kevin wasn't back yet. She could see Emily through the window. Emily held the baby, adult and child. Those two had bonded quickly. Anne smiled bitterly.
"Hi Anne, back already?" Emily asked. She was surprised to see her so soon.
"I took long enough. Has he been a good boy?" she asked, touching Edward's face.
"Of course he was. You can ask him if you don't believe me."
Emily turned to Edward and her eyes became gentle. Chatting with a child really made her feel innocent and carefree.
"So tell your mom, Eddy. Were you a good boy today?" With these words, Emily rubbed against Edward's face.
"Emm," Edward uttered, lowering his head as if he was nodding.
"Did you see that?" Emily said proudly.
"I'll take care of Eddy now," Anne said. "Take a break, and rest up." she added.
"No, I'm not tired. I like staying with him. He is just the cutest," Emily said, looking up at Anne with smile.
"You should probably head back home. You only have a couple more days off. You need to get ready to take over the family business. Might as well get used to it now." Anne was getting serious.
"It doesn't matter. My father's still pretty healthy." Emily pretended not to care.
"Eddy and I will be fine. And I'll keep you in the loop, too. Just focus on yourself. Don't make me worry."
"All right," Emily agreed dejectedly.
"Ah! Good! You're all here." It was Kevin, just walking in the door.
He was as impressive as ever. A silver gray tailored suit adorned his svelte frame, and he still wore that indifferent expression. No matter what, he was perfect and ruthless.
"Yes, Mr. Kevin," Emily answered quickly. She was scared of him. He was an animal when enraged.
But Anne didn't say a word and walked back to the bedroom, Edward in her arms.
Afraid that Kevin would be angry, Emily immediately explained, "Mr. Kevin, I'm sorry. Anne's in a bad mood, so she ignored you. Don't be angry."
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