"Yes, I think so, too. But her phone is off all this time. That is strange." Kevin had been calling Leena, but she never answered. Though he knew Leena was probably okay, he couldn't stop himself from having some really horrible thoughts every now and then.
That's not like her. Did she leave you any messages?" asked Daisy with a frown. She knew Leena was a considerate girl; she would never suddenly disappear without saying anything and make her friends worry. Besides, like any young girl, she lived on her devices.
I'm...not sure." Kevin closed his eyes and hit his head with his palm. Why did he miss that? But such notes were usually left near the phone or on the door of the fridge. He couldn't recall seeing notes in any of those places.
I'll check tonight when I get home." Daisy smiled and went towards the office building. It seemed that Leena was the most difficult task that Kevin had ever encountered.
Kevin smiled awkwardly and followed Daisy into the building. Mark was left alone with the Humvee, having no idea what he should do next.
It was in the wee hours in Paris when Leena finally got back to her hotel room. As soon as she walked in, she threw herself onto the bed with a satisfied sigh. She went to attend a party hosted by the sponsors of the competition. The competition would be finished in two more days, and Leena could head back home by then. She wondered whether Kevin had done with the military exercises or not. She was careless and forgot to bring her phone, and she didn't bother to remember anyone's number. She couldn't even call Kevin even though she really wanted to.
To be honest, most of the time, she didn't think about being a married woman. But when she was alone, Kevin's face kept flashing through her mind. Leena forced a weak smile.
It seemed more like a alliance than a marriage, since they both got what they needed from this relationship. She didn't believe that Kevin married her simply because of being responsible. Her instinct told her that he was avoiding something, or someone; that was why he married her. However, Leena didn't care, because she didn't love Kevin, not yet.
But they would be living together for the rest of their lives, and Leena wasn't sure whether she would fall in love with Kevin someday. She had decided if Kevin was honest with her, then she would treat him with all her sincerity. Although Leena seemed a carefree person, she could be quite sentimental on certain occasions. She sighed deeply and thought of Kevin again. 'Do I really have no feelings for him? Why do I keep thinking about him?' Leena was confused.
Rain was also confused about Annie's sudden disappearance. He couldn't focus on anything except for Annie and why she left him. He hadn't smiled for days, and he looked like a soulless puppet that could only stare into space.
"Now spit it out. What happened this time?" Edward tossed the report aside casually and fixed his eyes on Rain with great interest. Rain would only come to his office and listlessly spread out on his couch when there was something wrong. Edward wouldn't care if Rain just sat there and remained quiet, but he stared at him the whole time. Wherever Edward moved, Rain's eyes would follow him. It was enough to give Edward goosebumps.
Why are women so heartless?" Rain muttered and turned to Edward with his eyebrows raised, as if Edward had the answer he wanted printed on his face.
"Are you referring to Annie? What did she do to you? Did she rape you?" Edward was only joking; however, Rain didn't think so.
"Damn it! Me raped? Are you kidding? It should be the other way around!" Rain overreacted every time he was provoked, which made him an easy target.
"No way! Did you rape her? You animal!" Edward was surprised. He knew Rain was a considerate man, and it was hard to believe that he would hurt the girl he loved.
"What are you talking about? I didn't force her! She was willing to give it to me!" Rain deliberately omitted the part of truth that he was rough and mean to Annie that night. He felt so ashamed of himself, and he would never hear the end of it if Edward knew it.
"Why do you seem so depressed if that's the case? Are you done with your work?" Edward found that Rain would be depressed every now and then; it almost felt as if he were having a period during certain days every month.
"But she left without saying anything! And her family said she didn't come home; they said she went to travel alone. She also told them not to worry or try to find her; she said she needed some time alone. What did she mean by that? Is she trying to avoid me? Or does she regret about that night?" Yesterday, Rain spent the whole day making calls, trying to find Annie, and all he got was she went to travel alone.
"How should I suppose to know? I'm not her, and I hardly know what women think." Edward rolled his eyes at Rain. He couldn't even figure out what Daisy was thinking about, how could he have the time or energy to care about other women?
"Damn! I should have thought about that. You know nothing about anything! Why do I bother asking you in the first place? I'm wasting my time." Rain glared Edward with discontent and shook his head. Edward knew nothing about love and relationships. Why should he come to him?
"I haven't blamed you for interrupting my work! How could you blame me for not solving your problem? You know what? Why don't you go finish all your work before you clock off? Or you could go back to Thailand for the rest of your life!" Edward had no sympathy for Rain at this moment. The last thing he needed was someone to trouble him.
"Fine, Thailand it is! I don't care about work or anything. I'll just lie here today." Rain had no intention of moving. He couldn't find Annie anywhere, and nothing could be worse than that.
Edward was once again surprised. It used to work every time when he threatened Rain with throwing him back to Thailand. But he didn't move an inch this time. It seemed that Annie really meant that much to him.
"Really? Do you think I couldn't do anything to you now? Tell you what: I have more ways to make sure you never see Annie again than you could ever think of. Are you still staying in that couch?" Edward never took threats lying down. He turned the table with a single sentence.
"No! You devil! How could you threaten me with that? Okay, okay. I'll go back to work right now. You voracious capitalist!" Rain despised Edward whenever he threatened him with Annie; he also despised himself for compromising every time. 'Shame on me!' Rain couldn't help muttering in his mind.
"As you said, I don't care." Edward smirked. He knew that everyone had a wound that they'd better keep it to themselves. Annie was Rain's deepest wound in his heart. He got what he wanted every time because Rain cared too much about Annie.
"You don't care, huh? Great. When Daisy comes back, I'll tell her all your stories with those women you dated before!" Rain snorted and strode out of Edward's office without looking back at him or letting him fight back.
What? When she comes back? She has already come back!' Edward shrugged. That was something he wouldn't tell Rain about. Daisy had always known that he had been a womanizer and dated a lot of women; she didn't say anything about that, but it didn't mean that she wouldn't get hurt. Edward didn't want to see Daisy get hurt. It would tear his heart apart.
But someone else didn't care. Jessica had been plotting to get back at Daisy ever since she found out who Daisy really was. She still didn't believe that Edward was married, and she was also surprised that Daisy was a military officer. Maybe that was for the best. She had already come up with a plan. And Daisy personally inspired her with her identity of being a military officer. She wondered what Daisy's supervisors would do once they found out that she gave birth to a bastard before marrying a man. She might get kicked out of the army! The thought made Jessica tremble all over with excitement. She was thrilled by the idea.
Jessica soon wrote an anonymous letter. But she didn't know which branch of the military that Daisy served in. So she had someone investigate the matter before she mailed the letter.
Daisy Ouyang! Don't blame me for ruining your career; blame yourself for getting involved with the wrong man. He's mine! And I won't give up so easily! Jessica thought to herself with a sneeer. No matter how many times Edward told her that her baby had nothing to do with him, Jessica didn't care at all. To Jessica, Edward is the only man she wanted. He was the love of her life and the father of her child.
Meanwhile, Daisy sitting in the conference room, suddenly felt a chill creeping over her. She couldn't help shuddering. She looked up doubtfully at the AC, Is the temperature too low? But she didn't know that someone was secretly plotting to take her down.