However, before Hailey walked away, a bold idea sprang into her mind. She then returned into the house and ran towards Edward’s bedroom directly. She would rest assured as long as she confirmed that Mark stayed with Edward.

She did not quite understand why Edward, such a cold and distant man, would care about a dog that much.

Did he like it because Mark was too cute?

Yes! That must be the reason! Hailey thought.

What surprised her was that all the security cameras were turned off in the house. She went into his room quite easily.

There were only two or three wall lamps on in the house. They all were emitting white light. Plus the cold tonal decoration, Hailey felt colder staying there. It made her feel that Edward’s room was isolated from the world. The room was lonely and cold.

“Edward? Edward? Are you there?” Hailey asked, keeping her voice low. She was afraid that Edward might become upset if she interrupted him.

She was welcomed by nothing but silence. No one made any response. It was so quiet that it made her feel weird.

She tiptoed into his bedroom while looking around. The deeper she approached, the more stressful she felt.

“Mark? Mark, where are you?” she called with a low voice.

Standing in the center of his room, she raised her head and saw everything in the room.

There was a gap in the door that led to the balcony. The moonlight came in through the gap. It was vague and dim. Everything was left in secret behind the door.

Hailey moved her feet and crept toward the door.

She put one of her hands on the handle and was ready to open it. However, someone pulled it open from outside.

She was scared and lifted her head up in a hurry before she saw a pair of beautiful and meaningful eyes. It was none other than Edward.

His hair was a mess and his eyes were slightly red. He looked gorgeous, wild and, sexy with that look.

“Oh, Edward! Did you drink? You…” Hailey said. But before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by a sudden hug.

Edward embraced her in his arms. Hailey could even smell the special herbal smoke from his body. Being surrounded by him, she heard his heart beating lively.

Hailey opened her eyes wide, making no response. She was just too shocked by his behavior.

Edward, on the other hand, held her tighter and tighter as if he would squeeze her into his body.

“No, Edward. I… I can’t breathe.” Hailey struggled and tried hard to push him away. This was just too suffocative.

Edward loosened his arms. However, he did not pull himself away from her. Instead, his fair and slender fingers were stroking her cheeks slightly.

He worshiped her with his gentle and sincere eyes carefully. He stared at her, eyes unmoving.

There was affection in his eyes. A man would only stare at his girlfriend or wife with such passionate eyes. Hailey suddenly realized that he seemed to have a crush on her.

Hailey hated the most the kind who would show his feelings for her after he was drunk and would not remember anything after he was sober.

She exerted her strength to pull Edward’s hands away from her. However, he forced to take her face and stared at her carefully. There were only a few inches between their faces. Edward was totally drunk and had no idea what he was doing. He almost could not control himself to kiss her.

Hailey stared back at him with furrowed eyebrows. “Where is Mark?”

Edward seemed to be unable to hear her. He kept staring at her as if he had been falling in love with her for a thousand years.

“Humph! Aren’t you so powerful to have anything you like? But what now? Drinking unhappily inside your bedroom? What is bothering you?”

Hailey’s question woke Edward up. The man, who had been lost in his mind, immediately collected himself and became the cool man like alway again.

His eyes staring at her became cold and distant. He was no more showing such passionate to her anymore.

Edward retreated his hands. Hailey would still feel the warm brought by his hands. She raised her head and looked at him with angry and stubborn eyes.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice cold.

Hailey was not accustomed to such a distant tone. He just had changed into another distant person in the blink of an eye.

Edward went around her and entered the room.

Hailey examined the room again to see if Mark was there. It was dim in the room so she could not see everything clearly.

However, a chilling breeze came in from outside. She felt so cold that she kept gritting her teeth.

She immediately caught up with Edward and said, “A maid told me that Mark is missing. It’s your dog. That’s why I came here to inform you of this.”

“It’s sleeping now,” Edward responded in an indifferent tone.

He seemed to be too drunk to walk normally. He staggered out of the room and almost fell down.

Hailey had wanted to help him. But she hesitated when she thought of his cold and ignorant attitude.

She took her hand secretly and said again, “Edward, Mark hurt Sully. What if she insists on taking it away?”

To her surprise, Edward suddenly turned around and stared at her. There was a hint of cruel intention flashing through his eyes.

Why is he reacting like this? Does he love Mark that much? she pondered curiously.

“It’s my property. No one is going to take it away,” he replied. his voice remained distant.

Fine! You are right! Hailey murmured in her heart.

But she wanted to raise Mark as her pet! Mark was a birthday present from her father, after all.

How could she figure out a way to take Mark back to her?

Hailey tried to find an excuse. “Mark seems to like me very much. Can I come here and play with it often?”

“You can come every Tuesday and Thursday to play with it for a while.”

Hailey’s eyes lit up at once when she heard his reply. “Sure, no problem! Deal!” she responded in a happy voice.

***

Seeing the delightful girl disappear into the distance, Edward wondered, the Chihuahua seemed to be very familiar with her the first time they met. Is there any relationship between the dog and her? Or is it because the dog also thought she was very special just like the first time when he met her?

The moment Hailey left the room, Mark, who had been fallen asleep, woke up at once and rushed to the door.

It stood at the door and barked.

“Do you want to be with her?” Edward said as he sat on the sofa of the room. His tall figure looked so lonely. He then reached out his hand and rubbed Mark’s head. “She seems to be different from the trouble-maker people used to say, doesn’t she?”

“Bark… Bark…” Mark could not speak. Barking was the only way it expressed itself.

“Be a good dog. Go and fetch me a cigar,” he instructed patiently. Mark seemed to understand how its master was feeling. It rubbed against Edward’s legs with its head before it turned around and left.

Before long, it had already returned to Edward with a box of cigar.

“She must have trained you well,” he touched its smooth hair and praised it.

Hailey was now standing upstairs. She saw the dog and the man on the sofa in the living room.

Edward seemed to have been locking himself inwardly for a long time. He was just like a lonely emperor who could say nothing to anyone. Somehow, Hailey felt a lump in her throat.

She decided to leave Mark. He would not be that lonely if Mark stayed with him.

But when she was done with her resent plan, she was determined to take Mark back. She would figure out a way to persuade Edward.

Mark went back to Edward’s bedroom to sleep.

Hailey, on the other hand, was unable to fall asleep. All she thought about was the picture when Edward stared at her with his passionate eyes.

A man would only show such affectionate eyes when he deeply loved a woman.

Suddenly, she felt her face burned. Is Edward always having a crush on me? she pondered, feeling shy and sweet.

Edward was handsome, tall, and rich! What was more, any woman would accept him as long as he showed his feelings for her.

Thinking about it, Hailey felt that she was so lucky.

But still, she could not help doubting that maybe the woman Edward loved was Sully because that was what had happened in her past life.

No, no, he must love me! Hailey said to herself inwardly.

All of a sudden, she thought of the time when she had knelt in front of him and saw his almost naked body.

Her face turned red immediately. But it was invisible because she was surrounded by darkness.

Excuse me? What are you thinking about, Hailey? Wake up! she said to herself silently.

She covered her head with the quilt and remained thrilled and why for a long time. She did not finally fall asleep until midnight.

The next morning, she was awakened by her sharp ring tone. Keeping her eyes closed, she answered the phone.

“Hello, Hailey. It’s me, Aunt Lucy!”

Hearing Lucy’s voice, Hailey knew that Lucy was just pretending to be zealous. A teasing smile crept onto her lips. She answered in a lazy tone, “Good morning, Aunt Lucy.”

“Hailey, I’ve arranged a date for you and Mr. Wang. Get up and dress yourself well. I will pick you up later and drive you to meet him.”

“Oh, Aunt Lucy. That’s so sweet of you to care about my future happiness. You must have been worried about my marriage a lot.”

“Yes, of course I’m worried about you. I’ve already told this to your uncle. He is totally supportive! Get up now! Keep this in mind; dress yourself well the way you usually do. You will look beautiful. I’m sure of it.”

The way she usually did?

“Okay, Aunt Lucy. I will.”

Hearing the obedient reply, Lucy finally felt relieved.