Words I Was Afraid To Hear

Dan was worried about his wife"s reaction on the matter so he wanted to see her .

"Riley . " he handed an envelope .

"C-CEO Zhou . " Riley was still a bit out of sorts .

"Your previous boss had found out . I"m worried about how she"ll react . The baby . . . " Dan stopped . Riley had discussed with him the matter that the doctor had told him . Riley did not have anyone else, and he cannot tell Mich.e.l.le"s parents just yet .

"It"s okay, CEO Zhou . You should not hesitate to talk about your family just because . . . " he was saying this, but tears welled up in his eyes .

"Riley, take this . " Dan almost shoved the envelope into his hands .

Riley opened the envelope and saw a cheque with a million written on it .

"If you need more . . . "

Riley lost all restraints and hugged Dan as if he was a friend and not his wife"s boss . He cried .

Dan tapped his back in understanding .

___________

In City T, Midori came to pick Manta up from school .

Her eyes widened as she saw a girl in blue ribbon pigtails give him a peck on the cheeks .

Midori chuckled at the scene .

Manta came running towards his aunt, blushing .

Midori had a wide grin fixed on her face . "So . . . how"s school today?" She eyed the girl who was hopping away .

When they were about to board into the blue Toyota Aqua, an imperial umber Nissan Note stopped behind their car .

"Ryuu-jichan!" Manta called out as he saw the man descent the vehicle .

Midori was surprised to see Ryuuji . Though they work in the same company, he is in another department . Plus, he was sent to a week-long conference so their usual lunch outs were also compromised .

Midori smiled as he approached them . "When did you get back?"

Takagi Ryuuji timidly smiled . "About an hour ago . . . " He gulped . "Care for an early dinner?" He looked at his watch .

"Oh . . . sure!" Midori was startled by the sudden offer but it would be rude of her to refuse .

"Great!" He stooped down to face Manta . "Do you like pizza?"

"Yey! Ryuu-jichan will buy us pizza!"

_____________

Masaichi Xiu walked from the arrival area as Verdan Zhou prepared to board his private plane .

The CEO of XCG went straight to the office . Outside his door stood a thin woman in gla.s.ses who greeted him .

"Welcome back, CEO . "

He furrowed his brows as he remembered that Riley filed a leave of absence .

He nodded and opened his door .

He was pondering over how his sister lectured him for leaving his a.s.sistant .

It was not because he is numb . On the contrary, it was because he could feel it .

He could not bare to look at a woman who was badly injured . It will take him back to the incident with his wife . With the new information on her involvement, everything just turned painful and sad again . However, he will never tell his sister about this .

There was a knock on his door .

Secretary Ta came in after getting permission, placing a cup of coffee on his desk .

"Thank you . " He managed to hide the feelings from his voice .

"You"re welcome, CEO . Can I a.s.sist you with anything else?" She noticed that he was not his usual self .

"I"m alright . " He sipped his coffee as she left him alone in his office .

_____________

While they were dining, Midori"s phone rang .

"Where are you?" Dan had just arrived at the house and found her still not home . The housekeeper was not informed of her dining out and was preparing dinner . His mother-in-law was away on a business trip .

"Hey . Do you remember the tranquil place where you talked to my parents? We"re eating a full-course meal again . " she giggled .

Her statement came with recalling a memory because there was no intention of giving directions since she did not know that he just arrived to City T .

Of course, Dan will never forget that place! If his father-in-law had been just a little bit weaker, Aoi Xiu would have skinned him alive!

He immediately hung up and borrowed a motorcycle from one of the clan members . His speed was violating the rules and soon he arrived at the place .

The waitress recognized him as a returning customer . She greeted him, but she had a wry smile . Earlier that afternoon, the woman whom this man went with before had just reserved a room with another man, even bringing a child that looked to be their son .

Is this a gonna be a confrontation of a love affair?!