Love Began with the First Meeting novel Chapter 203

All of his actions were stupid.

All that he did was for nothing, he bitterly thought.

His arms tightened around her, making her uncomfortable with pressure and pain. She cried out for release but he refused to let go.

He hated the fact that she was his cousin's lover. The reality of not having her pained him greatly. No matter how their relationship ended, she would never be his. Frustrated, he told himself not to fall for his cousin's woman.

Releasing her from his hold, he stared at her while she glared at him in return. He wore his infamous roguish smile. There was a daring glint on his deep-set eyes and an expression on his striking face that she failed to define.

Molly rubbed her arms. She was about to yell at him when she noticed his smirk and gave up. She would have to let this one go, she thought. "Why are you here?" she asked despite feeling hesitant.

"I came to pick a stray cat up. Got it?"

Eric stood and instantly sat right next to her, closer to her this time. "That stray cat gets a bad sense of direction. She needs my guidance," he explained, smiling at her.

Angry to an extent where her mouth was slightly trembling from it, she shouted at him. "Am I? You're the stray cat here! You're the one with no sense of direction!"

He was truly having the time of his life by teasing her. "Are you not lost?" he asked.

"I…," she evaded his eyes and focused on something else. Caught off-guard by his question, Molly chose to keep quiet. She turned around and saw his face which further added to her annoyance and anger.

He could see that she was truly mad. She was always like this. He could see past her actions and emotions, as she could not hide them from her eyes.

It was disappointing to see her expression.

A palpable pain dawned on him upon knowing she was upset to see him.

She looked like she was waiting for someone else.

Was she expecting to see Brian?

Despite being uncomfortable, he was willing to be by her side. "I told you before that whenever you need me, I will appear in front of you as soon as I can. I'm your hero."

With his words, Molly turned to him in disbelief, her eyes wide in astonishment. Eric's face was serious at once. Gone was his smirk or his expression, she thought. He always behaved cleverly that it became difficult to find his real personality. Maybe this was one of his other sides. However, when she was in great need, he would surely be there in an instant.

"Eric...", she whispered his name, only for her to hear.

He grinned, his teeth showing. His expression was bright once again. Suddenly, he leaned his face towards her, which turned out to be too close for comfort. "You are touched with my words, aren't you?

Am I the best man in the world?"

Molly's mouth twitched, admiring his words one moment then hating his arrogance the next. She applauded his transition of character. How he loved to give him a smack! "Eric!" she gritted her teeth in annoyance, emphasizing each letter as if she wanted to crush him up.

"What?

Gentlemen reason things out rather than resort to force."

Molly raised her hand to smack him but he effectively evaded each blow. She was targeting his poor head.

"Unfortunately for you, I am not a gentleman. I am a woman, you idiot!" She was beyond mad. She was about to stand and run after him when she felt her feet and legs go numb. The lower part of her body was out of her control. She limped forward, losing her balance and eventually falling to her knees.

"Ouch!" she cried in pain.

At the sound of distress, Eric turned to see her crouching on the ground. He was on her side at once. "What happened, Molly?" he was quick to assess the situation. "How long were you sitting out here?" he asked further,"You need to move once in a while to prevent this from happening."

She bit her lips and remained quiet. Intermittent varying degrees of pain was all she could feel from her legs down to her ankles. A cold sweat broke from her forehead at the immense pain she felt.

His expression turned grave as he looked at her legs. He said,"Let's have you checked in a nearby hospital. You might have a bone fracture for all I know."

He carefully carried Molly in his arms with one arm under her legs while the other was supporting her back. He hastily walked towards his car parked near the road.

"Whoa…," she cowered in embarrassment, shielding her face with her hands.

Being in the arms of a man in public like this was beyond her wildest dreams. It was true that she had thought it was romantic. But when she was the person being carried and the subject of attention of the onlookers, then that was a different story.

Unbeknownst to the two, Brian's eyes were on them up until Eric's car drove away. Feeling far beyond displeasure, his eyes grew darker with his emotions and his mouth set into a grim line. Empty with emotions, his body got rigid and his face was akin to a stone.

The car phone rang and interrupted his train of thoughts to which Brian rudely answered.

"Mr. Brian Long, Miss Xia was with…" a man's voice spoke from the other side.

"Stop looking for her!" he said, interrupting the man's words. He was truly beyond his limit. Tony, the man who was on the other end of the line, froze at his outburst. But before he could even reply, Brian hung the phone up.

Tony was rendered speechless at his boss' sudden temperament. The call was long gone but his vision remained on it.

He was unable to absorb Mr. Brian Long's actions.

When did he start to be so emotional?

Was it the same Mr. Brian Long he knew? The cunning man with a cool demeanor who had excelled on beating his competitors without much thought and mercy?

Of course, he thought. Those ideas were only on his mind, nothing more.

At the exact moment, Brian had turned cold and dark, his eyes turning fierce and sharp. He started his car and quickly made a sharp turn, speeding off to the hotel.

Meanwhile, Eric reached the best hospital in QY Island and took Molly into a specialist. The doctor assessed her legs thoroughly then run some tests. "Thankfully, what you've experienced was only a minor sprain. There is nothing to worry about it. Just have some rest at home and you're good to go. I will also prescribe some medicinal oil to hasten the healing and ease the pain," the doctor reassured. He smiled at Molly but gave Eric a grudging look, to which the latter ignored. After some health reminders, the doctor left them alone.

Molly caught the doctor's expression earlier and was about to ask when she clearly heard the doctor's hard voice behind the door.

"Who are you to demand a specialist to see a minor sprain? Do you think you and your family own this hospital?!" the doctor exclaimed, his voice harsh.

Molly hesitantly looked up to Eric, but it seemed like he didn't give a damn about what the doctor had said. Instead, he shrugged and said,"You looked like you were in great pain back there, so I thought you broke your bone. For the sake of your future escape plan, please look out of yourself, especially your feet."

He looked at her feet as he spoke.

Molly's mouth was slightly open in amazement until she realized his words. "What 'escape plan' are you talking about?" she asked as she glared at him.