"Carlos has been in a coma all these years. He has not been conscious ever since the accident," Colleen told Blair. "James is as cunning as Megan. He had tried to ruin Debbie and Carlos' relationship even before the car accident. And since Curtis is Debbie's uncle, the old man kept throwing mud at him. It's a good thing that we all know his true colors and won't fall for his trap too easily."
"James? Isn't he Mr. Huo's father?" Blair asked in confusion.
"Yes, he is. Oh, don't tell anyone about what I just told you. We don't know James' true intentions yet, so the guys are trying to maintain a good relationship with him on the surface."
"Huh?" Blair's head went blank for a moment. "Fine…" 'I really don't understand these rich people. I thought all these fights over family money happened only in TV dramas.'
The two women chatted happily, and they even sat next to each other during dinner.
Colleen put some food onto Blair's plate and asked for her opinion on the dishes.
Wesley was frustrated. Colleen was stripping him off his right to serve his lady. "Colleen, you should go and take care of your man," he said grumpily.
"What?" Colleen raised her head to look at Wesley in confusion.
Curtis smirked. "Senior Colonel Li is getting jealous. Babe, come here."
"Jealous? Why?" Colleen was even more confused now.
"He wanted to serve Blair, but you stole his spotlight," Curtis explained.
Colleen's eyes widened and a wide smile spread across her face. "Oops! I'm sorry, Wesley. I'll leave it up to you then."
Wesley rolled his eyes and picked up his chopsticks. He removed the food from Blair's plate and put it onto his. "She doesn't like this dish," he told Colleen.
"Oh," said Colleen with an amused look as she stared between the couple. In order to not embarrass Colleen, Blair hurriedly said, "Don't listen to him." She didn't think of herself as a picky eater. Even though she disliked some food, she could still take a bite or two.
"I know what you like and don't. Let me serve you," Wesley offered.
Damon rolled his eyes and complained, "Come on, dude! First, Curtis and Colleen. Then, Carlos and Debbie. And now, even you have begun to show off in front of me. I always took you for a serious man. Looks like even you have become a show-off after falling in love. Oh babe, I miss you so much." Damon's wife was on a business trip, and he was the only one who was alone in the room.
To make fun of Damon, Curtis ladled some soup for Colleen and said in the softest voice, "Babe, eat this soup."
Knowing his intentions, Colleen gave him a sweet smile. "Why don't you feed me, darling?"
"Sure, sweetie. Be careful. It's hot."
Damon was struck speechless and lost his appetite.
Ignoring his sulking, Wesley picked up all the food that Blair didn't like, and ate it himself.
Uneasy, Blair bit her bottom lip and stammered, "You…don't need to do this. I can eat all of that." 'Don't treat me so well. I'm afraid I might go soft on you again, ' she thought to herself.
"Don't force yourself if you don't like it," Wesley said.
After a short pause, Blair said, "I know that."
Wesley suddenly realized that his words might be subject to multiple interpretations. So, he immediately explained, "I meant the food."
"Oh really?" she asked.
He nodded vigorously. He didn't want her to misunderstand him again.
After dinner, they played mahjong for a while before leaving the Orchid Private Club.
In the parking lot
"Blair!" Wesley called out.
"Hmm?" Blair continued walking, without turning back.
"I am craving for a smoke."
"So?" She turned to look at him, with a raised brow.
"Now that I have quit smoking, I can only ease my craving by kissing you." He reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Blair pressed her hands on his chest to stop him. "That doesn't make any sense. I'm not a cigarette."
"You are more intoxicating than a cigarette." After a pause, he added, "I quit smoking because I want to have a baby with you."
'We should kiss and get laid more if that is to happen, '
he thought. He slowly lowered his head and kissed her gently.
Blair's head was in a complete mess. "I want to have a baby with you"—his words kept resounding in her head.
Their passionate kiss lasted for so long that Blair felt suffocated. Finally, Wesley let her go reluctantly.
He held her in his arms tightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go back home."
Blair panted heavily in his arms. "We have no home. We have parted ways."
He scooped her up in his arms and walked towards his car. "The one in the Eastern Coastal Apartments is our home."
They were a married couple, and they should be living together. He already had the best interior architecture redecorating the biggest room. It would be their bedroom.
"Let me go! I'm not coming."
"You must!" Wesley moved towards his car, ignoring her struggle.
"Let go of me! I'm just fooling around with men now. I drink in bars every day, and date different guys."
Wesley's Adam's apple bobbed. "You want to fool around? Then, I'll play along with you."
Blair stopped struggling. "What?" 'Is he planning to play around with other women?'
"You can do whatever you want to me. You can hurt me as you like. But no other guys."
"If there are no other guys involved, then how am I supposed to play around?" Blair asked in disbelief.
"I'm a soldier, and it's my duty to protect the citizens. You are not allowed to hurt other people's feelings. If you insist on breaking hearts, then you can break mine." He let her down on her feet and opened the passenger door of his car.
Blair took a deep breath and touched his cheek lovingly. "You are a hero; I can't break your heart."
She refused to get in the car, and Wesley had to make her sit in the seat.
"I'm just an ordinary man, Blair." Wesley didn't want to be a hero in front of her. He just wanted to be her man.
Blair rolled her eyes. "Senior Colonel Li, you really have become a smooth-talker. I guess you've had lots of practice with other women, huh?"
Wesley didn't respond. He shut the door, got into the driver's seat and sped away from the Orchid Private Club.
Blair thought that Wesley would remain silent all the way. To her surprise, he said in a serious tone, "I admit that I hugged those women in D City. But I assure you that I never betrayed you, mentally or physically. On the wedding night, it was not me, but one of Patty's men who had sex with her."
Blair looked out the window, clutching her purse tighter.
"I almost died in the explosion, had it not been…" he paused. Blair's heart skipped a beat.
Malcolm had set up a trap to find out who had betrayed him.
He was the kind of person who would gladly kill innocent people to meet his goals.
He had placed bombs in that ship, though there were several hundred people on it.
Malcolm had told Wesley not to go, but he had his own reason to be there. So, he created a false identity to go aboard the ship.
