Unaware of the tragedy they had just escaped,Onita and Qi Cheng reached Al and Ryu"s house.Qi Cheng looked on as Alicia and Onita hugged each other and both came away with misty eyes.Onita"s little girl Al had also run off to play with Ru.Suddenly he felt a pang in his heart.This would have been his family if fate had not intervened."It still can be" whispered an insidous voice inside his head.Shaking off, the thought he went and sat next to Ryu who was watching the kids play.Following his line if sight,Qi Cheng did the same.But his thoughts were very different from Ryu"s.While Ryu was thinking of the little addition of another child,Qi Cheng was trying to convince himself that he could love the little cute as his daughter.He would have found it difficult to accept of little Al had been Onita"s biological daughter as that would have meant that she had cheated on him.But the question was not whether he could accept them but whether he was acceptable to them.He knew in his heart that he could love her as his own.
Just then Neil entered the room,opening the door with a loud bang.Looking around the room a little wildly,he saw the two children.Little Alicia was laughing wildly as Ru tickled her.The kids also soon spotted their favorite uncle..Ru ran over to give him a hug and a high five while little Alicia rolled over and crawled to him speedily.Holding the little girl in a bear hug,Neil closed his eyes in relief.Even though he knew that they were safe,his heart had been in his throat.Neil arms tightened around little Al causing her to protest,"Tuptakeouchiee!"
Loosening his hold immediately,Neil placed a gentle kiss on the girl"s head and turned around with his usual jovial expression to greet the others only to meet their stares.Al and Onita were looking at him in confusion,Ryu looked amused and Qi Cheng looked bewildered.Only Zheng Mi rae looked at him with sympathy.Before Neil could say a word,Alicia spied Attorney Zheng at the door.Smilingly greeting her she said,"Attorney Zheng,what a pleasant surprise..Why are you standing at the door?Come in.You know everyone here,except the knucklehead there.right?"Alicia pointed to Qi cheng and then went on to introduce,"That is Qi Cheng.He is Onita"s ex."
Qi Cheng glared at Alicia.She could have just said he was a friend.There was no need to sprinkle salt on his wounds.
By now,Neil had gone to Onita and with a hand on her wrist was pulling her into another room.Seeing him touch Onita so casually,Qi Cheng frowned and followed them.Alicia also followed alongwith Mi Rae.The only people left in the room were the kids and Ryu Long.Ryu shook his head at them and made a call.They were going to need him in a minute.
In the small room which was now filled with people Neil tried to convince Onita to leave and go back to her parents.She adamantly refused and protested that she had already made a home here.
Qi Cheng was about to interfere but Alicia stopped him.His heart was burning with anger at Neil and Onita"s intimacy and argument but he stopped for Alicia"s sake.
Finally frustrated Neil roared,"You have to leave!If not for your safety then for little Alicia"s sake!I am responsible for this mess and I need to solve it!"
Onita who had been trying to reason with Neil and as someone who had lived independently was angered by this and roared back,"You are not responsible for this!The only thing you are responsible for is representing us in court!All the dangers and everything else,only those Hu"s are responsible."
Realizing she had probably hurt Neil,Onita took a calming breath and said,"Neil,I know these last few days,I may have seemed weak to you.I agree that you were there for me when I had wanted to give up and I also let you be.Because I was selfish.But I would like you to trust me to take care of everything.Please do not force me."
Neil knew that he had indeed over reacted so he too calmed down and nodded a yes.Onita then turned to Alicia and said,"Al,we will catch up some other time.I"d like to go home now.."
Befroe Qi Cheng could offer to take her home or Alicia could protest,Neil said,"You cannot go."
Thinking that he was about to try to stop her, Onita was going to say something but Mi Rae who had been watching from the sidelines interrupted,"Your home does not exist anymore Onita.I am sorry."
Saying this,she pa.s.sed on her phone to Onita where a video of a burning building had been recorded.Alicia and Qi Cheng also saw the video and seeing the high flames were shocked.Mi Rae continued,"You were lucky that you were not in there.And the floor where the fire started was yours,so now you know why Neil wants you to leave the country?It is you who needs to trust him.He will handle the case but you and the little girl need to be safe for him to do it.It seems the Elder Hu has been involved with the underworld and you are not safe here.Only until this is resolved,we ask that you leave.You are not running away but sometimes retreating is necessary."
Qi Cheng knew that she had no one to help her back home in country A as well.So taking a chance he offered,"Come back with me Onita.We"ll find a way."