117 Painful and Sad

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 Michelle'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 glasses 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 assistant.

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 assist 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?!