Echo felt a little embarrassed at that. Back then, it was Edward who had sent out the invitations in her name, inviting everyone he thought should come. Ivy and the others, though, Edward hadn’t even met, so of course, they didn’t get an invite. It seemed like she’d been blaming the wrong people for something that wasn’t their fault.
Seeing Echo’s embarrassment, Michael chuckled. “It was just a ceremony. We’re happy to know you’re doing well. The rest doesn’t matter.”
Ivy nodded in agreement. “Exactly. As for Brook and me, you were pregnant at the time, and Mr. Ryan wouldn’t let you come, so what could we do?”
At that, Echo smiled brightly at Michael, then pulled Ivy’s hand with a sigh. She quickly changed the subject, looking at Brook. “If I find out you’re bullying Ivy, I’m not letting you off the hook.”
Brook raised an eyebrow and looked at Echo. “You should be saying that to her,” he replied.
Echo froze for a second, then glanced at Ivy, who was smiling sweetly and gently. She immediately realized what Brook meant, turned to Ivy, and whispered, “Teach me.”
Ivy couldn’t help but laugh. “Your husband’s no ordinary man. If he finds out I’m teaching you these things, you might be wishing I’d die early and come back in another life!”
At that, Michael and Brook both burst into laughter. Echo shot Ivy a playful glare, her expression not angry, but definitely not happy either.
“By the way, how’s everything going with the business side of things?” Brook, noticing Echo’s glare at Ivy, decided to change the subject to avoid making things awkward.
Echo noticed Brook changing the subject and glanced at him. She wasn’t the one who should be embarrassed. Ivy was just speaking the truth, and she wasn’t that petty.
Still, she responded, “It’s still the same. The Dark family and the Street family are still enemies. Nothing major’s been going on lately, so there’s not much to worry about.”
Michael nodded and smiled. “I did hear that a few world leaders resigned recently, for different reasons. After that, they kind of disappeared. Oh, and just a couple of days ago, a guy in Hong Kong got shot ten times in the stomach. He bled out and died. I think he was one of those world leaders’ bodyguards.”
When Echo heard Michael mention this, she immediately understood. This had to be the guy who’d hurt her. He’d managed to escape all this time, but now he was dead. It seemed like he’d gotten revenge in the end. She raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Ryan hadn’t mentioned it, probably because he didn’t want her to know-after all, she was pregnant, and hearing about bloodshed wasn’t exactly good for her mental state.
“Alright, alright, let’s talk about something more pleasant. It’s rare that Echo’s here in France. Let’s not bring up all that other stuff,” Ivy said, noticing that Echo was silent. Michael and Brook didn’t push it. They just wanted to tell her that one thing, and nothing more.
As soon as Ivy finished speaking, Brook smiled slightly and said, “They say pregnant women are moody, but I think Echo’s gotten much more… down to earth.”
Michael immediately nodded. “Yeah, I agree. She used to be so carefree, always coming and going like the wind. It seemed like she didn’t care about anything, but now she’s different-warmer, more considerate.”
Echo listened to them and rolled her eyes.
Ivy chuckled and said, “The wind’s unpredictable, soaring through the sky, heartless. But once you have something to care about, something to hold onto, you naturally become more grounded, more… human.”
Echo was taken aback. She’d never thought of it that way, but it felt so thoughtful, so comforting to hear.
“Ugh, how cheesy,” a cold voice interrupted.
Everyone turned to see Edward and Bill walking up the steps. Edward raised an eyebrow and snorted lightly.
“Get lost, you little punk,” Echo shot back, glaring at Edward. She noticed that Bill didn’t look too happy, but she didn’t care why. She waved at him, ignoring his mood. “I was just thinking about that.”
Bill walked over and set down the fruit platter in front of her. Echo reached for it, then said to Ivy, Michael, and the others, “Try this. I’ve been craving it these last few days, and it just arrived today.”
“Ryan, your wife is eating frozen watermelon,” a faint voice suddenly came from behind her just as Echo’s hand reached out.
Echo froze, then quickly looked around.
Nobody was there. She shot a glare in Edward’s direction, who was fiddling with his communicator, looking completely relaxed.
She muttered angrily, “Do you want to die?”
Edward slowly shook his finger. “No, it’s you who’s going to die, not me.”
Bill, standing off to the side, couldn’t help but laugh. He’d already informed the boss when he arrived. A pregnant woman eating frozen watermelon? Didn’t she know what the weather was like? They couldn’t stop her, but there were others who could. It seemed like Edward had only shown up at the last minute to put on this little show, probably just to watch Echo squirm.
“Take it away, take it away,” Echo waved her hand and kept urging Bill.
“What do you want me to take away?” Bill hadn’t answered yet when a cold voice, mixed with irritation, came through.
Echo immediately frowned. Great, Ryan was already here.
Ryan took a few quick steps forward, his anger barely hidden in his eyes. He looked down at Echo, who was lounging on the wicker chair, and snapped, “What kind of crappy fruit is this? Is there anything else you want to eat?”
Ryan wrapped his arm around her, saying, “You can eat whatever you want, but if it’s bad for your body, you can’t have it. Don’t be stubborn, not in this weather.”
Echo didn’t respond. She knew she shouldn’t eat it, but she couldn’t help feeling disappointed. She had been hoping to sneak a piece before Ryan showed up, but now it seemed like she wasn’t meant to have it.
Ryan noticed her silence and gently rubbed her belly, lowering his head to kiss her forehead. “After the baby is born, I won’t stop you from eating anything you want.”
Echo looked up at him, and Ryan gave her a small, affectionate smile. She smiled back, reaching for his shirt, but before she could say anything, a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She winced slightly.
“What’s wrong? Is something hurting?” Ryan immediately tensed, his face growing serious.
Echo, seeing his worried expression, smiled and shook her head, saying, “He just kicked me.”
Ryan’s expression softened instantly, and he gently rubbed her belly, his face glowing with tenderness.
It was hard to imagine that this was the same Ryan known as the ruthless, iron-fisted boss of the Dark family.
“It’s getting windy,” Ryan said, glancing up and frowning slightly. He turned to Edward and said, “Go bring the fur coat.”
Edward gave them a half-smile, looked at Ryan and Echo, and then turned and walked out.
Echo immediately spoke up, “It’s already this time of year, no need to wear something so thick.”
Ryan stood up, pulling Echo closer to him. “Don’t catch a cold,” he said, tightening his embrace.
Echo didn’t argue further. She just leaned into Ryan’s arms, feeling the warmth radiating from him.
She didn’t even know when Ryan had started paying so much attention to everything around her-what she ate, wore, drank, and used.
When did he begin to care about the weather or notice even the smallest changes in her? She didn’t know, but now she had gotten used to this constant care and protection. His embrace made her feel warm all over.
The white fur coat was quickly brought over.
Ryan took it from Edward and draped it over Echo himself, shielding her from the spring chill. The thick fur kept the cold out, and warmth spread through her body.
The wind picked up, and light rain began to fall, bringing the scent of fresh earth and spring breeze that was refreshing to the senses.
Ryan raised an eyebrow slightly, and Edward pulled out an umbrella that seemed to be from an earlier time.
Ryan glanced at the spring rain that hadn’t even wet the ground yet, took the umbrella from Edward, opened it, and with one hand holding the umbrella and the other around Echo’s waist, he headed out into the rain.
Behind them, Michael and the others, who hadn’t said anything, watched the scene unfold.
Ivy shook her head and said, “The tough guy with a soft heart-who else could see this side of Ryan?”
Edward smiled faintly, watching the two of them walk off together in the rain. He said coldly, “That’s his luck, having someone like my sister treating him this way.”
Under the rain, the umbrella tilted to shield Echo’s head.
The two of them seemed lost in conversation, occasionally tilting their heads to whisper to each other.
The contrast between the black of the umbrella and the white of the fur coat was simple but spoke volumes.
Their figures grew smaller in the distance as they walked, and at one point,
Echo suddenly turned to Ryan and gave him a sweet smile.
It was a smile that bloomed like a hundred flowers, warming the spring chill with its charm.
The March spring rain fell gently, and in that moment, happiness felt so simple.
—The End—