Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 616 Conflict And Destruction (Part Four)

Lucy smiled brightly, "Yes, it does," she said. "You know this painting is specially painted for you."

Jeff stepped forward a little. His eyes shone golden like the stars glinted in the darkness. "I know, that this was your final work before graduation. You were waiting for me all this time. You and I, together we'll conquer the world together," he said in such a blank tone that made Lucy think if he was just trying to pull one on her.

But even then, Lucy's heart started beating rapidly. He always knew exactly what to do to make her happy. "How dare you come here! There are so many people here," she grumbled in a low voice then eyed him from head to toe. "And looking so dapper! I'd think you'd be here just for the ladies," she said teasingly.

A small, cunning smile formed on Jeff's lips, "Why? I'm assuming Brian doesn't know that I'm here, right?" He was oozing with confidence as he spoke. Then very quickly, he shifted his gaze towards John and Lisa who were chatting with some guests then back at Lucy again. "Well, I didn't just come here for the pretty girls, you know? I also wanted to meet my future mother and father-in-law," he said as he looked squarely into her eyes.

Lucy blushed instantly at his words. Her long, thick lashes shadowed over her large eyes making her look lovelier than ever. "Jeff, don't joke like that," she muttered, averting from his gaze.

His heart melted at the sight of her flushing cheeks. She looked so delicate and enchanting. "You think I'm joking?" he quipped as he gazed into her eyes.

This made Lucy blush even more. Even her neck was red and she could feel a tingle run through her body. Now she really couldn't meet his eyes anymore. She lowered her head and bit her lower lip. Jeff just continued watching her, looking so tender in her shyness. He could feel the tingle run across his body too, his heart beating rapidly, and his loins burning. He leaned towards and whispered in her ear, "Lucy, I missed you so much."

His voice was so close that she could feel his warm breath and it sent chills down her spine. Her lips slightly parted, her face still flushed, and her eyes dilated as he lingered near her. She diverted the conversation, "I, I just got some news from mom," she stammered. He burst out laughing at how tense she was. Then he said, "I'd like to buy this painting but may I request that you frame this for me yourself?" he requested.

"Absolutely," she said, smiling politely at him. Then she turned around and motioned for an assistant to come near her. "Take this painting to my office. I'll need to frame it for this gentleman right here," she said nicely.

The assistant nodded and took the painting off the wall. Lucy smiled knowingly at Jeff and held out her hand and motioned for him to follow her. They both headed towards her office. He just wanted to be alone with her right now. The moment they entered her office and Lucy hadn't even closed the door yet, Jeff had grabbed her and pushed her against the door. "Did you miss me?" he asked, breathing heavily.

Lucy didn't answer instead she just gazed at him then closed her eyes and lifted her chin. She wanted him to kiss her all over, to satisfy her thirst for a man to dominate her.

So they kissed passionately. She cupped her hands on his loins as he towered over her. She was breathless as he devoured her. After this burst of passion, she tried to retreat. "My mom says that Brian loves Molly... Jeff... I think we should give it a try," she said, running out of breath. She could barely get a word out as his mouth covered hers. He didn't stop, he just kept kissing her everywhere: her lips, her nose, her neck.

After some time; they stopped, satisfied and out of breath. They fixed themselves on putting their clothes on and brushing their hair by their fingers. Then Jeff suddenly turned serious, "Now, this is a very critical moment. This is going to determine our future so we should be careful. We can't afford to make a mistake not even the tiniest one. It could blow the entire plan."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them," she assured Jeff. Meanwhile, she felt the urge to remind Jeff to be alert. "You should still have a back-up plan though," she suggested.

Jeff nodded his head and then kissed her softly on the forehead, "I'm going to leave for Dragon Island this evening. I need to be at the parliament meeting or people might start raising their eyebrows."

Lucy sighed in dismay. She knew that Jeff was actually supposed to leave for Dragon Island the day before but he stayed so he could come to her exhibition because he knew how much it would mean to her. She was torn between feeling touched and frustrated.

"Just hold on a little longer," Jeff comforted her when he saw how sad she was. He pulled her in and put his arms around her waist. "When the parliament meeting is over, you won't have to hide anywhere anymore, okay? We can finally tell everyone that we care about one another," he promised her, looking closely into her eyes.

"I know, don't worry about me," she waved him off. Then they said goodbye to one another

and Jeff left with her painting in hand. Lucy lingered for a while in her office as she dwelled in her sadness. Then she collected herself and returned back to the gallery.

It was scorching hot outside. The sun was up and shining and along with it was the stifling heat. Everything was hot to the touch and it was extremely humid.

At a rather secluded milk tea place across the corner, the atmosphere was cool and pleasant. The place was buzzing with chitchat from their customers. And in one of the tables by the window was Spark and Molly enjoying a light conversation that deliberately avoided the mention of Brian or Mark.

"My mom," Spark said, recalling a bittersweet memory, "She used to play violin too. To everyone, she was a star except for me. To me, she was just an ordinary mom who liked to bake cakes for me because it was my favorite. You know how much I love sweets," he said wistfully.

Molly knew that. It was something they didn't have in common before. But eventually, Molly developed a certain tongue for sweets because of him. She didn't feel sick anymore when she ate sweets. Ironically, she found them rather good. 'Everyone changes eventually. No one stays the same forever,' she thought.

"Spark, have you moved on?" she asked attentively. He remained silent, not quite sure how and what to answer. She just continued to watch him in her wide, expectant eyes waiting for his answer as if she'd completely forgotten how much he was hurting. To him, though, he would rather suffer throughout his whole life than see her hurt. But he knew her well enough to know that she would get hurt if she found out that he still hadn't gotten over her. And she'd never been good at hiding what she was feeling no matter how hard she tried. "You want to hear the truth?" he asked softly.

Molly's lashes flickered. For some reason, she hoped that he would say no. She wished that his heart didn't just stop the day she left him. She was torn as to what answer she really wanted to hear from him. But still, she nodded her head, ready to hear whatever answer he had for her.

There was a momentary pause before Spark suddenly spoke in his low, distinct voice, "You know that feeling when you suddenly swallowed a fish bone? And it pricks your throat and it kind of hurts a little every time you breathe or swallow and how difficult it is to pull it out?" He smiled wryly when he finishes speaking, as if his soul was not at ease.

"Is it because of Harrow?" she asked reluctantly.

He was taken aback at her question. He just looked at her when she continued, "I mean, you love him, care about him, and that is the reason why you can't move on from your mother's dying? The words he said was pretty harsh back then."000000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐