LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT - SEASON 2 CHAPTER 82
“Madam, we have already done everything as per your instructions,” reported her assistant. Old Madam Liu nodded and waved her hand to dismiss him.
She let out a long frustrated sigh and rubbed her temple as she started to feel her head spin. She had just finished reading Thea’s investigation report.
She could not believe the defective background of the woman her grandson had entangled himself with. It was the worst credential she had ever seen in her entire life.
Forget about her being an orphan and coming from nothing. But the woman’s involvement in the underworld was scandalous! It made her head hurt. She had worked so long and hard to preserve the prestigious name of the Liu family and maintain its spotless reputation. But this… this was a disaster!
She couldn’t even begin to explain how disappointed she was with her only grandson. He had failed her. But there was no time to lament. She should make a move soon, so she called her secretary to call Mrs. Huang.
“Yes, Mrs. Huang. Oh yes, that would be nice. Do you think you could bring your daughter along with you? It’s been a long time since I saw Lana. You must be very proud of her… Yes, dinner this evening would be lovely. Alright, see you,” Old Madam Liu chirped before she ended the phone call.
Fortunately, no one in their society had found out about Jeru’s marriage yet. She must act fast to get him to divorce Thea before the news leaked out. Of course, she would take care of Thea. She would also offer her a lot of money because she was already carrying another Liu. But she could never accept Thea as a member of their family. Especially after reading this report. The name ‘Liu’ would never suit her.
She had her secretary call Jeru’s office to tell him that he had to clear his schedule this evening because she would like to have dinner with him.
Then she instructed her secretary to call a reporter she knew. She would make sure that this dinner would be posted in the media. The headline in tomorrow’s news must be about the marriage talks between the Liu’s and Huangs.
The media was a powerful tool that she could use anytime she needed to get to her goals without creating any suspicions. After she directed the reporter, Old Madam Liu dismissed him. She glanced through Thea’s investigation report once again.
She gotta admit that the woman was quite commendable, for achieving so much despite coming from nothing. It was such a shame that she had to involve herself in the underworld that she despised the most.
…………….
Jeru and Old Madam Liu arrived together at one of the most well-known restaurants in one of the most prominent hotels in their city. Jeru was not at all aware of his grandmother’s meticulous plan involving a paparazzi that would snap their photos right from the moment they stepped out of their car.
“Are we expecting more people?” Jeru asked when he noticed the table arrangement, which was set for four people.
“Yes, we are. Oh, and here they are…” Old Madam Liu smiled as she greeted Mrs. Huang and her daughter Lana, who was surprised to see Jeru.
Jeru and Lana knew instantly that the two ladies were up to no good. But it would be impolite for any of them to simply leave.
Lana looked at Jeru with an arched brow and questioning eyes while the latter shook his head.
Not far from their table, someone snapped a lot of their photos.
So far, the talks were about business and family, and Jeru did not see the point of mentioning his marriage since it was out of topic and would definitely make the situation awkward. Lana could feel the tension, and she sympathized with Jeru.
Though her mother and Old Madam Liu were only talking about trivial things and had not opened up the topic of marriage between them, she had always been a keen observer, and she knew something smelled quite fishy behind this impromptu dinner appointment. So she looked around.
She found a familiar face sitting with another man at another table not far from theirs. It was the paparazzi that had stalked her actor cousin a while ago. She immediately knew what kind of scheme the Old Madam was cooking up. She looked at her, who was still busy chatting with her mom, while shaking her head in disbelief.
“Lana, where do you plan to have your internship?” Old Madam Liu suddenly asked with a smile. Lana cleared her throat while she gave Jeru a knowing look. This was it. The topic was now shifting toward them.
“I’m not sure yet, Ma’am, but hopefully, I will have it at Sy Law Firm,” Lana said with a poker face.
She saw the paparazzi, and the other man, who was obviously a reporter, stand up from their table to approach them.
Lana knew that once the reporter approached and provoked them, Jeru would inevitably spill the beans about his marriage to the reporter. But it would not be appropriate for Thea to have the news about her matrimony to Jeru be revealed to the public, mainly because the rumor about her involvement with the underworld was still hot. Moreover, she would be put in a more delicate position given that she was also pregnant at this point.
So, once again, Lana looked around.
She saw a handsome man entering the restaurant. He looked familiar, but since she was in a hurry to catch a prey, the first thing she checked was his hand, particularly his ring finger. She let out a sigh of relief once she confirmed there were no rings. She quickly stood up and gave her mom a bright smile.
“Oh, my boyfriend is here, mom. I forgot to tell you, but he’s picking me up here because we actually have a date tonight,” she articulated in a loud voice, making sure it was clear for everyone nearby to hear, including the reporter.
She quickly bid her farewell to Jeru and the ladies in an apologetic tone of voice as she walked toward the man and hugged him tightly.
“You’re here,” she smiled. The man frowned and pushed her gently. Lana could see from the corner of her eyes that the paparazzi and the reporter were staring at her in disbelief.
Then she looked at the man who had a bewildered look all over his face. He opened his mouth and said, “Who the hel…”
But before the man could finish his sentence, Lana quickly tiptoed to give him a mindblowing kiss. In between their kiss, she silently murmured, “Just shut up and help me now. I will repay you later.”
After that dominant kiss, Lana immediately pulled the man out of the restaurant, whose face paled from a total shock.
“Wasn’t that Liam Sy of Sy Law Firm?” Old Madam Liu doubted. Her face reddened from anger and embarrassment as she questioned Mrs. Huang, “I thought your daughter doesn’t have a boyfriend yet?”
Mrs. Huang shook her head as she looked at the back of her daughter, who was rushing to leave the restaurant, “I told you, my daughter is quite complicated. I, myself, have a hard time understanding her.”
Jeru, on the other hand, was grinning broadly. Lana had never failed to impress him when it comes to thinking up an unexpected solution like this.
_______
Torin was restless as he thought about how he could convince his bro, Zach, to accept him as his future brother-in-law. Today, he would formally ask for Lyra’s hand in marriage from her whole family. He was now driving to the Lims’ villa in the province, with a trunk full of gifts he had bought for them.
Lyra was already there a day ahead of him to inform her elders about his intention.
Although he was no stranger to the Lims, but for some reason, he felt so nervous. He kept drawing in and out a loud sigh to calm his nerves during his drive.
But, the one he was most nervous about was Zach. Especially after seeing his wicked smile for the first time in his life the last time they talked. His bro was definitely up to something.
“He is becoming more and more like his wife,” he complained, his whole face crumpled. Who would have thought that the once expressionless and cold general would know how to smile wickedly now? He sure had gotten it from his mischievous and playful wife.
At the Lims’ villa, everyone was in the garden, preparing for a barbecue party while they waited for Torin’s arrival.
And Lyra was the center of raillery.
“Who would have thought that Lyra and Torin have feelings for each other based on how they treated each other?” Grandpa Shen remarked in a whimsical tone. The blush on Lyra’s face from her family’s continuous teasing was not fading away.
“That was probably why Torin would always ask me where Lyra was and how she was doing whenever he visited. I thought he was just asking because Lyra wasn’t often here whenever he was here.” Sheila recounted as she prepared the table.
“So the saying, ‘The more you h@??, the more you love’ could be applied to them. Those two never stopped pestering each other before,” Josh concluded.
“Well, that’s probably their way of hiding their feelings,” Grandpa Shen commented, laughing.
All of the Lims had joined in to tease Lyra at least once, except for one.
Rizie was unexpectedly quiet, so Josh messed with her hair and asked, “Hey, why are you so quiet? Are you that shocked? Isn’t it a good thing that big sis ended up with bro Torin? Better than a man we don’t know. At least we know that big sis is in good hands.”
Rizie sighed… Of course, she agreed that there were no better men for their sister than Torin. But what about her arms? She had dared provoke Torin, telling him that she would cut both of her arms if he and Lyra indeed turned out to be a couple.
Rizie looked at her arms and winced as she prepared herself for Torin’s revenge later on.
“Let Torin stay here for a week, Grandpa. Let him help you with our herds,” Zach instructed, to which Lyra protested, “Big bro… you know Torin doesn’t like animals…”
Zach laughed and replied, “Exactly. Let him adjust to the ranch life, so he knows how hard your Grandpa works. Let him work for your hand in marriage. That way, he would cherish you even more.”
“Yes, big sis, don’t you know the saying, ‘Success tastes sweeter when you’ve earned it’? Or ‘No pain, no gain’? That is true for men in pursuing women. They would appreciate and love their women more if they won them over through some challenges and hardships,” Josh seconded, to which Keira gulped. In her case, it was the other way around…
“But, his surgery was not too long ago…” Lyra defended. Keira, who was listening quietly, nodded, and threw her husband a look. Zach laughed. He knew the meaning of that look. She was reminding him not to be too harsh on Torin.
“So? Cleaning horse manure will not ki|| him,” Josh retorted. He was the first person to agree that Torin must at least experience what he called ‘The Lim’s initiation.’
Then he added with a mischievous grin, “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle with bro Torin…”
Lyra looked at Keira timidly, and complained hesitantly, “How come Keira never went through any initiations from any of us?”
Grandma Terry, who just arrived with a plate of fruits, chimed in, “Says who she didn’t? Keira had gone through enough initiations from your own brother.”
Zach nodded in agreement and concurred, “Yeah, Keira had been through a lot just to get my attention…”
Everyone looked confused, so Keira gave them an awkward grin as she confessed, “Yeah… I entered the military academy just to follow him around and win him over.”
All eyes widened in disbelief, so she added, “He really gave me a hard time back then… Punished me a lot…” All of the Lims stared at Keira as they listened attentively to her narration on her own journey to win Zach’s heart.
“Wow, bro! You’re the man! My hero!” Josh burst out as he looked at Zach in admiration, while Rizie looked at Keira in bewilderment. “You went through all that, just to get our big bro’s attention? Why?” She asked, to which Keira responded with a chuckle and an inexplicit answer, “You’ll understand once you fall in love with someone, Rizie.”
Rizie couldn’t understand. She and Keira were of the same age. She couldn’t imagine liking someone so much to the point that she would go through all those hardships just to get his attention. But no matter how she saw it, she really admired her sister-in-law. For a girl as young as eighteen to be able to endure all that, she must be a strong lady, and she must love her brother a lot. Her big brother was, indeed, a fortunate guy.
That time Torin appeared in the garden with some of his presents, and he greeted everyone.
“What’s going on?” Torin asked, confused when all eyes were on him. Josh was the one who opened his mouth first and spoke, “I think the horses would need checking later…”
“Huh?” Torin baffled as he looked at Lyra, who could only give him a helpless look and answer him with a shrug.
Rizie then told him, “You can still back out now, bro… Otherwise, prepare yourself to be peeled alive…”