"I know," Ryan said, his voice tinged with dejection.
Some pills were hard to swallow, but even he had to admit surrender when confronted with the facts.
Besides while it might be true that he was nowhere near Kevin now, but that did not mean things would
stay the same in the future. The bitterness of his loss in the present only made him more thirsty for a
taste of victory.
With this resolve, he clenched his fists and said, "What's the plan?"
"I've already thought things through. I'll tell you all the details the day after tomorrow. You have to make
sure to carry things out quietly. You can't afford to slip up and be found out. If everything goes
accordingly, I guarantee you, you'll get Anne and I'll achieve my goal. We both win," Nicholas said with
an enticing smile.
The promise of his words quelled Ryan's irritation, all the while sparking his greed. "I want more than
that," he said. "You will destroy Kevin's company with my help. It would only be fair that I get a share
from your spoils."
Ryan laid out his demands with confidence. He was convinced that Nicholas would agree to his terms.
"Then what do you want?" Nicholas asked.
"Oh, it's very simple, nothing too elaborate. You are on your own, but I have a company. If you lose, it
will just be you, but I am gambling my whole company. Objectively speaking, I'm betting at a much
higher risk, so it follows that the returns honor the wager. How about we split up? 60-40 sounds fair
enough, considering what's at stake for both of us," Ryan said.
Nicholas' eyes lit up with a wicked glint. Ryan held nothing back in revealing his own greed. He had to
bite back his tongue from releasing a derisive laugh. Instead, he answered, "What you said about the
risks are true. However, you missed one crucial detail. I am the brains behind all this. Without me, you
won't have anything to work with, and I doubt you can construct a solid plan alone. If that was the case,
you wouldn't be working with me right now, would you?" He paused and smiled impishly before
continuing, "But if you insist on your conditions, I might have to reconsider this partnership."
At these words, Ryan clenched his fists. Nicholas was a capable member of CY Group, but he was
nothing special. Be that as it might, Ryan was definitely interested in hearing his plans, especially if it
spelled Kevin's potential undoing.
"Alright. I hear you. Then why don’t we do it this way instead? Send me the plan first. If I find it to my
liking, we'll split profits 50-50 once everything has been carried out successfully. This is my last offer.
Take it or leave it."
Nicholas' smile grew. "We have a deal," he said, stretching out his hand to seal the agreement.
The two men shook hands, their eyes not leaving the other's as each concealed their own ambition
behind the shadow of their gazes.
In Luo Family's mansion.
Peals of bright laughter rang through the living room. The curtains danced lightly as a refreshing wind
blew from the outside.
"Uncle, it really was my fault last time. I apologize," Mark said.
Liam hummed thoughtfully as he looked at the young couple across him with a relaxed expression.
"I had some doubts at first when you sent Rose back. You didn’t do anything special, so I had assumed
you two were just ordinary friends," he said in amusement.
Liam could never play favorites between his two daughters. He loved them in equal measure and
desired only good things for the both of them. However, as if the world was playing a joke, his precious
children both fell in love with the same man,
which was why he stepped back and gave the choice to Kevin. He was not in the place to meddle with
the affairs of the heart, even as he hoped that Kevin and Anne could be together because they had
already had a child.
Things had taken a turn for the better. He looked favorably at the young man in front of him.
"At that time, even I did not understand my own heart," Mark explained.
At his words, Rose lowered her head. Her face was flushed to the tips of her ears, and she did not dare
meet her father's eyes.
"Oh ho, what is this?" Liam teased, unable to help himself at the sight of his daughter's obvious
embarrassment. "You brought him here to see me, but now you are ashamed?"
"Father!" Rose cried out indignantly, her flushed face growing crimson. "Don't talk nonsense." She had
been nervous about this meeting, and now her very own father was having his fun at her expense.
"Am I the one talking nonsense? You can’t even look up," Liam quipped.
Rose could not bear a second longer of her father's baiting. She stood up the next moment and said,
"I'm going to see Anne. She has been pregnant for a few months now, and I also want to see Eddy."
"Go ahead," Liam agreed. "Speaking of which, I haven't seen my grandson yet either." Like all men his
age, Liam longed to see his grandchild. He couldn't wait to be the doting grandfather. However, he
pushed his own desires aside. He didn't want to press Anne, since she had never brought Eddy to see
him. He wanted her to do it at her own volition and comfort.
"Okay, I'll tell Anne when I get there," Rose said.
Then, she turned to Mark. "Let's go," she said, taking his hand.
The smile on Liam's face did not leave as he watched the pair go out of the house with entwined
hands.
A moment later, Valentina came out with a frown.
"Liam, are you really in favor of their relationship?" she asked, not even bothering to hide her
displeasure.
Mark was no Kevin. The gap between the two men was all too clear. Valentina felt as if her daughter
had lost, and it left a sour taste on her tongue.
"I think they are good together. Of course, it all depends on Rose," Liam answered.
His response only irritated Valentina even more. "You are Rose's father. Aren't you concerned about
her? It’s true that the M Group is on par with us, but the Mu Family has two sons. That means the
inheritance will be divided between both children. Don't you think Rose deserves better?"
Liam's expression darkened at her words. For the first time in his life, he was truly losing temper over
Valentina. "I don't know understand what you want to happen, Valentina. I know you, and while being
headstrong isn't necessarily a bad trait, there's a limit to how much you should push people.
Inheritance? Rose deserves better? Only she can decide what is good and what is not. You are fixated
on such foolish matters," he said sternly.
"What's wrong with what I said? You can let Anne get Kevin, but can't I have a say in my own
daughter's relationship?" Valentina countered, refusing to back down from the brewing argument.
Liam sighed. "For how long are you going to remain thickheaded? I know that you wanted Rose to
marry Kevin, but their choices are not things we have control over. What do you think would have
happened if we forced Kevin to marry Rose even when the one he wants is Anne? It would be nothing
less than a disaster. If that happened, both of our daughters would be miserable. Is that what you
want?"
Valentina thought over Liam's words quietly, and finally saw reason. He was right.
Liam was encouraged with her show of acquiescence and added, "What's more, I can see that Mark
makes our daughter happy. When Rose came with him, it was clear that she was completely smitten
with him. If they decide to marry, I would have no objections. Mark is a good person. I have a good
feeling about him."
"All right," Valentina gave in.
A part of her was still wallowing in bitterness, but Liam was right. Her daughter's happiness came first.
"They are grown-ups. We should just watch over them and let them live their own lives."
In the East Mountain Villa.
The day was brimming with a lively energy.
The villa was in the suburbs. A thin layer of trees lined the roads, giving a calm air to the surroundings.
The days were warm and pleasant, and the evenings were blanketed in a cool, and tranquil silence.
However, this night was different.
Sam, Emily, Mark and Rose all came to the villa unexpectedly. They gathered in the living room.
Kevin and Anne were also there. The space was filled with conversation as six adults surrounded a
child.
Eddy was wearing navy blue suspenders, with a beige undershirt and a small hat. He was an adorable
sight.
A plate of candies was laid out in front of him. His small hands curled around the sweets and Anne
said, "Why don't you give everyone candies?"
Eddy reached toward the men and women who all cooed in delight.
However, when Eddy was about to hand out one, his head turned to Anne and gave her the sweets
instead.
"Eddy, you are so obedient!" Anne praised. "Can you share the rest with other uncles and aunts too?"
"Okay." Eddy nodded seriously and grabbed another handful of candies.
This time, he gave them to Rose. She let out a delighted gasp and kissed him. Her nephew was simply
lovely. She was growing fonder of him as the days passed.
The third handful of candies were given to Emily, along with a kiss. Emily beamed at Eddy as she
thanked him.
Emily had been a little disappointed that she was the last one among the girls to get Candy, but when
Eddy took the initiative to give her a kiss, she had quickly forgotten her dissatisfaction.
Everyone was praising Eddy, except Kevin and Sam. Kevin touched his chin thoughtfully, while Sam
turned his attention to Eddy, grinning the entire time.
"Eddy is such a good boy. He knows how to put the ladies first. What a smart child, so little and already
so well-mannered," Emily said happily, holding Eddy's face in her hands.
Anne's chest swelled with the praises. She now understood what a mother's pride meant.
"Give the candies to the uncles next," she said, patting her son's head.
The second round began again, but the results were the same. Once again, Eddy gave the candies to
the women.
"I don’t think he's too fond of us," Mark said gloomily.
"This reminds me of that time more than 20 years ago," Sam said.
Everyone turned their attention to him in confusion at his vague words.
"What are you talking about? How old were you 20 years ago?" Emily said helplessly. She couldn’t
follow Sam's train of thought.
"Sam, how's the new equipment in your hospital? I think you've got enough, right?" Kevin suddenly
asked. The others were confused by the sudden change of topic.
"Yes, everything is just peachy. I appreciate your concern," Sam retorted. "Eddy is just like you when
you were his age," he added.
Everyone was suddenly interested at the turn of the conversation.
"Why? What was Mr. Kevin like when he was a child?" Emily asked.
"Well, since you asked, I have no choice but to tell the story now, don't I?" Sam started, sending a
devilish smile towards an unimpressed Kevin. "It was the same situation as now. Kevin had to divide
snacks, but he just gave them to the girls. The boys didn't get any. Exactly like Eddy. I hated playboys,
so I beat him up and took all his snacks away,"
Sam recounted the story with a proud grin.
"Yes, and that was also your last glorious achievement," Kevin replied drily.
Indeed, after that incident, Sam was never able to take anything away from Kevin again, because he
had kept his own things well.
Emily silently turned to look at Anne, and the two women shook their heads at the two men's
childishness. Some things just didn't change. Boys will always be boys, as they said.
"But it won’t be good for Eddy if he always favors girls. He is a child, and children sometimes need to
be taught a lesson." Kevin came over and crouched down to where Eddy was. It was the perfect
opportunity to teach his son a lesson.
Eddy looked up at his father and grabbed the candies in his hand without doing anything else.
To everyone's surprise, the boy handed out the candies to Kevin, as well as Sam and Mark.
Sam's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at Eddy, who managed to learn in such a short amount of
time. He sighed and said, "Each generation surpasses the one that precedes it. Kevin, I'm betting my
money that your son will be much smarter than you. He is already a master of judging a situation. I
don't know if I should be surprised or scared."
Suddenly, Anne recalled Kevin calling Eddy a lady-killer the day before. Her expression twisted into
displeasure. No son of hers would go down that wayward path. She was going to make sure of it.
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