Love Began with the First Meeting novel Chapter 1394

"I'm starting to think that perhaps it was a waste of talent that they didn't assign little Molly the rank of foreign minister," Eric said with a faint smile.

Brian gave him a sideways glance but said nothing.

Addison fixed his eyes on Molly and said to Eric, "I have a feeling that your mom is doing this to return a favor to you. She knows what you have done for her and Papa Brian. She has always wanted to do something in return for you. Now, it seems this is a good chance."

Eric's face darkened visibly. "Addison, you should realize, silence is golden."

Addison chuckled, revealing his adorable dimpled cheeks. "I'm just telling the truth. Right, Aunt?"

Wing nodded, and smiled as she winked. Her shining eyes wickedly swept over Eric, and Eric's expression became disdainful. Everyone at the table burst out into laughing.

"I heard that you would personally oversee the ceremony," Brian asked, turning to Eric with a curious look.

"Yes," Eric replied. "Yates has been too busy of late. The city is really afire with news of Yates and that woman. Besides, I happened to be available. So I have decided to take it out of his hands. It's a good chance to find out what those people are up to."

Brian nodded. "It works in your favor to have both Y Country and Z Country on your side. If the Island's economic growth and export trade cannot reach a new high, the population are all bound to come after you over this."

Eric's eyes darkened, though his face remained indifferent. "I will be gone for a while. It will fall to Addison to handle the situation. Show them what you are capable of, Addison."

Addison grimaced slightly. "I won't play the fool for you. This is your business. And I don't want to have anything to do with it. I am still a child. And a child shouldn't grow up in a dark and cruel world like yours." To emphasis his point, Addison walked away determinedly once he had spoken. Addison sat down beside Evelyn and began to play with and tease Evelyn and Katie.

"Your son is getting more and more defiant recently," Eric said with a disgruntled look and slightly shook his head in disapproval.

Brian laughed. "That's a good thing. I thought that you had said that you were worried he was too tractable, and that people would take advantage of him."

Eric felt as if he had now tasted his own medicine and it was bitter. The thing with Little Molly and his old brother had been the first dose, while this thing about Addison was the second.

Since Edgar, the life-long bachelor, was finally going to get married, and the case involving Cain had ended perfectly, the leaders had rewarded them with an invaluable two-day holiday. Sadly, it passed very quickly. After the wedding, Edgar and the others immediately buried themselves in meetings. They were making a series of rules and battle plans for the coming maneuver between S Army and the Dragon Island Army. Days of endless meetings exhausted them. When they returned to the hotel room from the conference room, all they wanted was a good night's sleep.

According to the decision reached at the meeting, the mock battle would take place in appalling conditions to closely simulate the conditions of real war. The soldiers would find it almost impossible to rest since they would need to be constantly on guard. Because of their busy days, the newly wedded couple, Edgar and Maggie, were suffering from increasing tension with each passing day. They could only hug each other briefly at night before falling into exhausted sleep. It seemed that they had become ships sailing past each other at night.

Finally, the scheduled maneuver commenced as planned. A month-long confrontation would take place on a desert island near the Dragon Island. Every soldier participating in the operation would only get a meager portion of fresh water and food on a daily basis. Clearly these couldn't sustain them for a month. This was then also a test of everyone's ability to survive in the wild and forage where possible.

Maggie, who had spent some time with the Falcon Commando, seemed to adapt well to the island and its hardships. But Benjamin, Monica, Lorraine, Sam, and the rest of the trainees were clearly out of their depth. They were all student soldiers and had never before seen combat, whether real or simulated. It was natural then that they had a hard time when their willpower was put to the test. The island had become their crucible.

But war wouldn't stop because of their weaknesses, nor would it end because they couldn't sustain their efforts. To win the final victory, everyone had to grit their teeth and see it through to the end. It was a case of buckling up and sticking it out.

However, time passed at its own pace. The confrontation had now become a struggle for even the experienced soldiers, and much more so for the inexperienced trainees. Even Maggie hadn't been able to sustain her efforts. The best of them collapsed ten days before the maneuver ended.

A month of intense training had passed. When Edgar and Eric met face to face, they had both lost a lot of weight and their skin was dry and rough from hours in the sun and rain.

"You want to make a bet?" Edgar was the first to speak. "I bet I win."

"Like you, I too would bet on my team," Eric said playfully. "What are the stakes?"

"A contract of two billion in revenue from trade and exports," Edgar said calmly as if he were discussing the weather.

His cheekiness made Eric laugh. "I have the right to decide it and you don't."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." Edgar laughed heartily. "Take a look at this. Then you can make your decision." After that, he took out a piece of paper, which seemed quite dirty, from his pocket and threw it to Eric.