Love Began with the First Meeting novel Chapter 1404

The happiest thing about love was that there would be a response when I called out to you gently.

*

At that time, the kiss between them had been as mild as a spring breeze, and as sweet as the falling cherry blossoms. There had always been a connection between them.

Sally endured Addison's fierce kiss in silence. At the same time, she kept thinking about the good memories that they had shared in the past seven years so that she wouldn't shake so badly. However, a voice inside her kept telling her that it was a fact that everything had changed, and there was no way to change it back.

Tears slipped from her eyes down to their interlaced lips. Tasting her salty tears, Addison stopped his kissing. Feeling hurt and rejected, he closed his eyes and let go of Sally's lips, but he didn't move away.

Seven years ago, she would be palpitating at the mere thought of his kiss, but now… How could she now only feel humiliated?

Her rejection left Addison feeling more humiliated than he had ever felt before. Why had he waited at the parking lot? Why had he decided to bring her back? Maybe it was because he hadn't reconciled with her, or because he had been discontented, but his anxiety certainly factored in.

It was all written on her face that she didn't want him to dig up what had happened to her over the past seven years. And clearly, someone had helped her to hide her past. Addison wasn't a curious person by nature, but with the help of the Shadow Organization and XK Intelligence Agency, there was nothing that he wouldn't discover.

However, this was Sally! She was so clearly resisting him now, but he couldn't bear the thought of forcing her, or hurting her.

"I'll drive you home," Addison said sadly. He sat up straight, started the car and then drove it quietly and steadily toward the Romantic Club.

The return trip was different from how they had come to the villa, and it was extremely quiet on the way back to the Romantic Club. The atmosphere in the car was oppressive and threatened to suffocate them.

Addison always thought that Sally would forever be only a few steps away, no matter whether it was seven years ago, or right now. Their closeness had been a constant force in their lives. However, their relationship had ended moments after it had just begun.

When the car stopped near the elevator in the parking lot, Addison didn't say anything nor even look at Sally. He was afraid that he couldn't face her.

Sally laid her slender hand on the door and pushed lightly. The door opened. Sally slowly stepped out with one leg and said in a low voice, "Addison..." Both of her feet were outside of the car now, on the ground and ready to carry her away, but she hesitated and still sat in the car with her back to Addison. It was said that people would always yearn for light and time, and therefore they always faced the sun or the light. If you always turned your back to the light, you would become lost in the dark and then lose the confidence to seize the opportunity to gain what you really wanted.

'I have lost my opportunity for happiness, ' Sally grimly thought to herself. People moved on. Such was the way of the world. But Addison hadn't let go, because he still had hopes for Sally. Now that he had seen Sally and realized that they couldn't go back to the way they were, he would finally forget about the past and move on. Time would erased everything.

"I'm sorry," Sally said, looking blankly ahead of her, and her face filled with sorrow. "I thought I wouldn't change, but I overestimated myself." Her voice was carefully devoid of emotions. She had learned how to conceal her real feelings during her seven terrible years in jail. "You are a good person. A perfect, impeccable man. I admired you, but I feel nothing for you now. You couldn't remain in my heart just because of your perfection."

Addison listened quietly, while his left hand stayed tightly clenched around the steering wheel, and his foot stomped down hard on the brakes.

"Thank you," Sally continued honestly, tears cascading down her face. "Thank you for the seven years of your company at that most innocent age!" Sally finally got out, closed the car door, and then resisting her impulse to run away, she walked away with determined steps in her 10-centimeter high heels.

For a long time Addison wasn't able to gather up his courage to look at Sally, until finally he could hardly even hear her footsteps. He turned his head to follow her, but could only catch a glimpse of her. Then she disappeared around the corner like she had done seven years ago.

Addison lay back silently in the driver's seat, staring into empty space with his watery eyes. His soul had been evacuated, and his body was completely nerveless. If love was the curse of the Long Family, what could he do to break that curse? Let her go, or force her to stay with him?

He couldn't act tough to Sally, as his father had done with his mother. Yet he wasn't willing to let her go, either.

His heart twitched, like someone was ripping it apart with barbed wires. The pain grew worse and it throbbed painfully in his chest. Addison covered the left side of his chest with one hand, while the other hand gripped the steer wheel tighter, until the blue veins stood out between his fingers. He lowered his head, opened his mouth and struggled painfully to breathe.

The pain was dozens of times, or even a hundred times worse than any of the injures which he had sustained when he was training. How could he let go of her while he was in such pain? But how could he bear to see her unhappy, if he forced her to stay with him? He was standing at crossroads.

There was nothing he could do. There was no clear path to take.

Addison raised his head and smiled bitterly from beneath his pale, bloodshot eyes. After several long moments he recovered from the pain, and started the car, pushing it into gear. Then he drove away quickly with the engine roaring, and the tires squealing around the corner of the parking lot.

As the car was driving off, Sally stepped out from the entrance to the elevator and watched till the car was gone from sight. Her tears were falling like pearls unstrung across her marbled cheeks.

'Goodbye, Addison! Thanks for your love and your years of waiting! I'll live on happily with the memory of your love, and I'll forget the past. And you, please just stay where you belong and live your life seriously. You will fall in love with another woman who would finally match your royal status, ' Sally thought bitterly.

*

Mysterious encounters always happened at night.

Matthew sat in a cafe, nursing a cup of tepid coffee in his hand. He was checking the messages sent by his subordinates on his phone, and then a slight smile brushed his twisted lips. Sometimes you wouldn't know the things you wanted to know, but what you hadn't intended to know, you would inadvertently find out about. How marvelous it was?

"Master Matthew," Ian Zhou, Matthew's special assistant said, and walked up to him. "It seems that Addison has been looking into Sally's past."

Smiling, Matthew thought for a while and answered, "We can't afford to lose the advantage. If Addison were to find out about what had happened to Sally seven years ago, we would muck up the whole thing." He paused for a moment, and then continued, "I really don't want the Long Family to step into this. If they dug up the truth, we would all get burnt."

Ian listened quietly, waiting for Matthew to finish, and then added, "Fortunately, Henrik doesn't want Addison to know about it, either. He had Sally's identity erased when the Ji Family adopted Rachel. There is still a 'Sally' out in the world but it isn't really Sally. Maybe Sally doesn't even know herself that she doesn't 'exist' in the world anymore."

"Book a seat on tomorrow's earliest flight to the Dragon Island for me," said Matthew, the corners of his lips raising into a smile. "Henrik will return to the Dragon Island in two days' time to celebrate Roger's birthday. We must prepare in advance."

"Yes, sir," Ian replied. "I'll go make the arrangements now."

For some people, the night had become special because of Sally. For others, it was just a night that was too short for sleep. In the early morning while most people were still struggling to leave their beds, the International Airport of T City had become a bustling hive of activity in the dim lights.

In the VIP guest room of the International Airport

Matthew was sitting with his legs crossed and was reading a finance and economics magazine. He happened to come across Henrik's interview in the glossy pages, and cheerfully started to read it until the silence of the room was interrupted by rapidly approaching footsteps.

"Master Matthew, Master Addison is here!" Ian bowed and said.