“I want to but he doesn’t.”
This made Mrs. Steele felt weird, “Why?”
“Chloe added some exaggeration of my difficult birth when having Annie. It looks like he was terrified
by it and directly refused to let me have another one.” Speaking of this, Olive was moved and felt
warmth in her heart.
Mrs. Steele said, “Alan, this child, he sincerely cherishes you, but if you still plan to have another child,
you should hurry up while you’re young. While I can still move, I can help you take care of the baby. In
a few years, you’ll give birth at an older age, which will be dangerous.”
Olive smiled, “Mom, it’s not as serious as you say. I’m still twenty six-seven years old. It’s still quite a
long way for me to be in advanced age. Medical technologies are so advanced now. Weren’t there
women in their forties that still gave birth to a healthy child? Don’t worry about it, I’ve planned it.”
“If you really gave birth in your forties, I wouldn’t dare to let you.” What kind of joke is that? Gave birth
in her forties.
Olive chuckled and rubbed his mother, “I will not let you wait that long to have the second grandchild.
Now he has a big pressure at work. After a while, I’ll discuss it again with him. Don’t worry, he’s always
unable to resist me. I’ll go out first.”
She came out bringing fruit and greeted everyone. As usual, Ivy and Mr. Steele had a match on the
chessboard. The onlookers beside them were more nervous and excited than the players. The noise of
them giving directions drowned the sound of the TV in the living room, forgetting the rules of watching
the chess game without talking.
Alan and Dave were standing on the balcony. Several stars could be faintly seen in the sky.
Both of them leaned on the iron railing, Dave suddenly turned his head, “Mr. Hoyle, you clearly know
that I’m not being friendly towards you now, yet you still dare to leave your baby to me for martial art
practice. Don’t you afraid that I will be harmful towards her one day or threaten you using her?”
Alan looked at the bustling city from a distance, the neon lights were flickering. Because his back was
facing indoor lighting, his face was hidden in the shadow, leaving only his eyes shining deep in the
dark, “If you’ve thought of doing it, you would’ve done it long ago.”
“If I haven’t done it, it doesn’t mean that I won’t do it in the future.” Dave seemingly reminded him.
Alan smiled lightly, and slightly glanced at him, “I believe in my wife’s judgment and trust in her friends.
I think you also can’t deny your liking towards Annie.”
“But don’t forget, there’s more of our grudge. Maybe one day when I’m in a bad mood, I might also do
something irrational.”
“You won’t do it and you also won’t have that chance,” Alan said with confidence and certainty.
Both their voices were not loud and they also closed the glass door between the balcony and the living
room, only enough for them to hear clearly.
Olive approached with the fruit plate, “What do you chat about? Do you want to have some of these?”
Dave plucked out two cherries, tossed them to the air, and caught them with his mouth accurately.
Olive laughed, “Are you performing acrobatics?”
Dave said, “In front of your man, it’s called showing my skill before an expert. If you don’t believe me,
you can ask him to it, he will definitely hit the bull’s eye.”
But Alan took a bit of the apple in Olive’s hand. Olive was annoyed at him, “You are really lazy.”
Alan was indifferent and didn’t get excited, “Able to act lazy is also a blessing.”
“He just wanted to show his affection in front of me. I said, Alan, aren’t you being childish?” Dave
despised him.
Alan smiled, “I don’t mind if next time you bring your young girlfriend over and show your affection. I
definitely won’t tease you.”
“My feelings are not for show, I’m not as childish as you.” Dave wanted to draw a clear line with him.
There were times when mature men acted childishly. No wonder that some people said that women
must be able to take several roles to be qualified.
Olive laughed unconsciously, “You guys continue your chat and compare who is more childish. I’ll just
watch from the side and act as your referee.”
“If you act as the referee, won’t I be the one at loss? Let’s just end it.” Dave refused. In the end, he
thought of something, “Right, I’ve arrived for so long, but I haven’t congratulated you for being
discharged from the hospital.”
“Thank you!”
“I think both of you are a match made in heaven since both of you love being involved in a car
accident.”
Olive laughed, “What can we do? When we’re unlucky, we just couldn’t avoid it.”
“Fortunately there’s nothing serious. As for your hand, you can go to my health club and try it. Just a
day before yesterday, a skilled massage old master came there, which might help you heal faster.”
Alan naturally put his arm on Olive’s waist, “Since there’s such a good thing, we may not miss it. Then,
Mr. Chou please help us to introduce him.”
“You can come directly. I’ll talk to Master Jiang later. But, Alan, can be less wordy when you speak?
You’re bullying such a person who had never liked reading since young, like me.” Dave mumbled.
Alan smiled, “Your name and surname are much better than Mr. Hoyle or Young Master Hoyle.”
Olive didn’t know that she should say it or not. But even if she’s not allowed to say it, she had blurted it
out now, “Dave, I don’t know what particular resentment that the previous generations of Hoyle, Chou,
and Davis had. It’s not that I want to take my man’s side but I believe there must be some sort of
misunderstandings that haven’t been solved. So, I hope that you can give him some time to investigate
clearly and to clarify the facts.”
Dave sneered, “It has been so many years. If he wants it to come to the light, he would have done it
long ago. The previous President Hoyle has died and the old man in my family also quickly died of
depression in the prison. Hoyle Group has replaced the old generation with the younger ones. I’m
afraid that Zhou Wannian is probably a name that not many people remember anymore. If it wasn’t
because I reminded you that time, Mr. Hoyle, I’m afraid you couldn’t even think of it.”
“I’m really sorry. Before the incident happened in Hoyle Group, I haven’t joined the board of directors,
and I haven’t even been assigned to Hoyle Group yet. At that time, I don’t have any interest in Hoyle
Group but in car racing and doing the things that I like. My father also didn’t have strict demands
towards me. He only promised that I can enjoy and develop my life freely before thirty. Starting thirty,
while deciding on my interest, at the same time I must hold the responsibility of Hoyle Group. That
incident happened considerably to let me enter Hoyle Group ahead of time. But regarding the past,
currently, I still can’t give you a definite answer. I can’t say whether my father took the wrong decision,
or your father was being wronged. I’m also still tracing it right now.” Alan said all of these frankly at
once.
Dave was silent for a long time, then, he stared at him with his deep and sharp gaze, “I know that you
and Finn are not getting along anymore now. Either you win or not, many things that happened then will
be befallen on his head. But Alan, I don’t need a scapegoat, but a fact. I won’t behave like Sean
because of Olive and that my heart is softened. Without any evidence that can convince me, I won’t
yield to you.”
Alan said, “You may not believe me but I have to remind you about one thing. Your father was indeed
dead because of a heart attack at that time, but the cause is more than one. Someone pulled a trick at
his emergency medicine. This person is still in prison now, his nickname is Old Nine.”
After a fun time, all of them returned to their home. Olive returned to the bedroom after taking a shower.
She still couldn’t help but sigh, “When I heard you and Dave talking before, I always felt the dispute in
the air. But now, I feel more like a bloody fight in the air.”
Alan gently hugged her and lifted her bangs on her forehead that was covering her eyes, “Did we scare
you?”
“It’s not that. I just feel that human nature is complicated and unpredictable. It is cruel to use any
methods to achieve their goal and even go as far as disregarding human life.” She remembered how
she found him injured on the mountain foot, probably was just the tip of the iceberg.
“I’m sorry, kid. I always let you see those dark and dirty things as you followed me, causing a smear to
your eyes and ears.” Alan was terribly sorry about it. He wanted her to have a smooth life but he
couldn’t avoid getting her anxious, even harming her life. He couldn’t calm down as he thought of this.
“It’s fine. Isn’t there an old saying? Follow a man you marry, be he a fowl or a cur.” Olive stretched her
hands and hugged his waist and comforted him instead, “Since the man I marry has a complicated
background, then I have to accept it and endure the consequences caused by it. Don’t worry, your wife
is very strong.”
“Yes, my girl is the strongest. So, just wait until this brother takes to the road full of sunshine.”
“I also want spring scenery on the road.”
Alan pecked lightly on her lips, “I’ll give you what you like except for the moon and stars. I can’t take
them off.”
“How can you say what’s on my mind?” He almost pleased the roundworms in her stomach.
“I still don’t know what you’re thinking of.” Alan smiled. She always used this trick to divert his attention
to something, by relaxing his tight nerves without getting tired.
However, he likes it.
He likes everything about her. Kent said he loves her too much that he forgets about himself. He doted
a woman so much that he had lost his principle as a man.
Is that so?
Maybe, he didn’t know.
What are the principles of men? Male ethnocentrism? Like Kent, he clearly fell in love with a woman,
but he held onto his stand, in the end, he scared the woman away.
He likes to pamper his girl, so what? He had owed her so much. He couldn’t compensate without effort,
so he loved her deeply.
He always remembered what she said to him five years ago, “If you choose to love, please love deeply.
If you choose to give up, please be thorough, and don’t be ambiguous.”
She seemed gentle and sociable but she carried a firm trait in her body. Therefore, when she knew that
he went through all hardships to find her, she completely denied their destiny at that time. One of the
reasons was because there’s no guarantee for the safety of her family members. But at the same time,
Ophelia’s existence as his fiancée was also a major reason to avoid him.
She didn’t want to be his hidden lover and she didn’t want to share his man with another woman. Her
love was straightforward and thorough.
Therefore, he confirmed her status and made her unable to avoid it. He also didn’t dare to let his
relationship with his unworthy fiancée to remain ambiguous in the media.
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