The hustling and bustling international airport was busy as always. The person at the PA system was announcing arrival and departure times and going over rules in a sweet voice.
Luke was worried. 'Will the master and the lady be disappointed to see that Edward doesn't come to pick them up?' he thought. He had come to the Mu's residence at an early age. To protect Edward, he had absorbed knowledge of diverse fields. The senior Mr. Mu and the lady regarded him as their godson, so Luke thought of himself as a member of the Mu family rather than merely a bodyguard.
Years ago, on a cold winter evening, he had been near frozen and hungry. As an orphan, he had nowhere to go, but curled up at the corner of a building to protect himself from the cold. The structure would stop some of the chill winds from reaching the boy. A limo stopped in front of him. An elegant, attractive woman stepped out. She was so radiant that little Luke didn't dare to meet her gaze.
Kid, do you want to go home with me?" she asked. Her soft voice warmed little Luke up. He nodded and followed her into the limo. Inside, he was too nervous to know where to put his hands.
"Relax. My son's your age. Would you like to protect him when you grow up?" she said tenderly with a smile. As a little boy, Luke hadn't been able to understand what she meant by protecting, but he said yes. Then he entered the prosperous family and started his new life.
The master and the lady were kind to Luke. Yet he'd seldom seen the boy that he was to protect. He wasn't assigned to be at Edward's side until the master and the lady thought he was capable enough. At first, Luke thought the boy would be a difficult one. But later he found him handsome, refined, and elegant. Luke was 15 years old that year, but he already defined his sole purpose in life -- protecting the boy whose family had taken him in.
Edward didn't like Luke following him around at first. But over time he grew accustomed to it, because he knew that no matter how much he hated it, Luke would keep following him everywhere, so at last he stopped resisting this arrangement by his parents. Over the following days, little Luke had figured out the young man's temperament. He felt sorry for little Edward's loneliness. When Edward started to turn into a playboy from an urbane youth, he didn't stop him. He was unwilling to hold him back, because he knew that was Edward's way to dispel loneliness.
Luke let out a deep sigh at the airport. Bored, he looked around and spotted a familiar couple. Time had been friendly to them. After so many years, the woman remained beautiful and the man was still handsome. They looked to be in their forties though they were actually over sixty years old. Their appearances were dramatic, like time had stopped in deference to their orders. Luke smiled and approached them.
"My master and my lady, welcome back, " he said happily, standing next to the couple, looking for all the world like a son meeting his parents. Joy was apparent in every fold of his face, which was usually cold as ice.
"Luke, look at you. You're all grown up. And I told you not to call us master and lady. Call us Dad and Mom, like Edward does. Please. Besides, you didn't address us as master and lady when you were little. Why now?"
Cynthia Fu was glad to see Luke. She opened her arms and wanted to hug him. But Jonathan Mu, her tall, handsome, cool husband, hugged her first. It wasn't new to Luke, so he didn't feel awkward. Luke thought he was aloof because he had been affected by Jonathan, whose impressive bearing even Edward couldn't copy.
"Darling, why are you so jealous? This is Luke, for crying out loud!" Cynthia Fu pretended to be angry and rolled her eyes at Jonathan Mu, but she was actually happy, because his love for her never changed. They had been married for many years, and he still couldn't stand any other man getting close to her. Day after day, year after year, his love was like the sunrise, which always had been and would constantly be there, for her only. She was touched and loved him for it.
"Honey, don't forget that he's a man." Jonathan Mu gazed at Luke coldly. But there was appreciation in his eyes. He found that Luke had become much more confident than before. He never saw Luke as an outsider. However, Cynthia Fu was his wife. No man but himself was allowed to hug her, not even his son.
"Huh, he's just a kid in my eyes. What are you so nervous about? Besides, Luke isn't attracted to old women like me." Cynthia gave a sweet smile, looking charming. One could imagine how beautiful she had been when she was young. Evidently, Edward had inherited his mother's genes.
"He's a threat in my eyes. And --" Jonathan paused, to give his next phrase impact. "You're not old at all, " His arm was still around Cynthia's waist, and Luke was ignored for the moment. Jonathan whispered something in Cynthia's ear. Rare tenderness flitted across his face, which could be seen only when he was with Cynthia.
This was an overbearing man, a man powerful enough to command any situation.
You're saying all sweet nothings. I don't want to talk to you anymore. Luke, where are Edward and Justin? Why aren't they here? Cynthia asked, still blushing at Jonathan's honeyed words. She look around as if tto cover the embarrassment. She and Jonathan had heard about Justin earlier from Lloyd, but hadn't been able to make the time to come back to see him until now.
Lady, Mr. Mu took Justin to his office this morning, Luke answered hesitantly. He knew Edward was still mad at his parents and had deliberately chosen to go to the office instead of coming to the airport. He thought sometimes Edward had an almost childlike stubbornness. Like today, he had been behaving rather immaturely.
Oh, they didn't come. Cynthia's beautiful face went gloomy. She knew immediately that Edward hadn't forgiven them. They hadn't see each other for many years, yet he still didn't want to see them now. Cynthia thought they must have hurt Edward deeply.
Hummph! Let's go. Ignore him. He doesn't want to see us? Then we won't go to the house today. Let's go to his villa instead. I'd like to see how long he can avoid us! Jonathan Mu said angrily. How dare he make my woman sad? Just wait. I'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget.