Hardy was at Acma Corporation and just hung up a call from abroad. He pondered for a moment and decided to call Bevan to come in.
“Arrange a few of our best men to keep an eye on William. Keep him under a close watch!”
“Erm… Mr. Anthony, what are you planning to do?” Bevan wanted to know what was going on in Hardy’s mind.
“You don’t have to ask questions and just do whatever I say,” Hardy replied impatiently.
“I’ll arrange accordingly, but William’s men are very cautious and alert. If they happen to find out…” Bevan reminded.
“Isn’t that why we have to be careful? Tell them to be discreet! Do not let William’s men spot us!” Hardy then realized that they might mess things up no matter how meticulous they were. He then waved his hand at Bevan and said, “Wait, let me think about it again.”
Bevan stood there and waited for a while. Hardy then sneered and said, “Let’s not fix our eyes on William to avoid being exposed and I have another idea. You do know where Declan is being locked up, right?”
“Yes, I’m aware of it.”
“Arrange our men to camp outside of Declan’s detention center for twenty-four-seven.”
Bevan then agreed on Hardy’s plan. Hardy thought of Valeria, whom he met today, “I saw Valeria in the hospital today and she was with Abbie.”
“Does it mean that Miss Brown is fine?”
“It does seem so. It looks like she has been recuperating at home since it has been such a long time that I last met her. She stared at me blankly, and I assume that she probably doesn’t remember me?”
Hardy’s words were filled with disappointment as he continued, “I can now feel assured as she is currently doing well. Do arrange for someone to keep an eye on Abbie. Both Valeria and Abbie would show up regularly together as the pair are friends.”
It sounded that Hardy still had feelings towards Valeria. Bevan hesitated for a moment and said, “Mr. Anthony, the secret of you and Talitha would be eventually revealed to Miss Brown as they are both cousins. I think she…”
“Alright, I know what you are trying to say. I don’t intend to marry Talitha and I know where I stand. You shall just do as I say.”
After having a seat at the DIY store, Valeria picked up a paintbrush and started drawing. She was sketching William with different expressions on his face, which included him sitting down, standing up, lying down, lost in thought, laughing, pissed off, squinty eyes, touching his chin, and many more.
Valeria drew swiftly as William’s expressions had been deeply imprinted in her mind.
Abbie sat next to her and rested her chin on her hands while looking at Valeria’s work of art. She knew that Valeria had a knack for painting but had never seen her painting a human figure before.
She instantly knew what Valeria intended to give William as his birthday present upon seeing the lifelike figures of him being drawn by her.
She couldn’t help and said, “My love, why are you going through such a hassle to make these? It’s unnecessary for you to draw him just to make a DIY album. You can just turn on your phone and get his photos, right?”
“I just want to draw,” Valeria replied without looking at her and continued, “His movements, every frown, and smile, are profoundly rooted in my mind. Those expressions could not be captured by a mere mobile phone.”
“Your husband must be moved to death seeing you genuinely care about him!”
“He has also spared no efforts to take good care of me and they say that love is mutual. He has always tolerated and protected me from the very beginning. He did not feel annoyed by a single bit when I used to be stupid and naive in the past,” Valeria thought of the moment that she first met William.
She was so foolish at that time and always regarded him as an untrustworthy man and had done numerous ridiculous stuff. However, he had always put up with her and continued to cherish her.
“Abbie, he chose me, a dull woman when he has numerous potential partners to choose from and even treats me so well. He is the best gift given to me by God. I don’t mind being mocked by you, but I used to not believe in fate. However, I have changed my mind when William has entered into my life and I will continue to cherish him for the rest of my life!”
Abbie was also very touched by Valeria’s words, “I’ve always been worried about you as you are kind but easy to be deceived. I can finally be rest assured seeing that you have William beside you now.”
“Am I that dumb?” Valeria stopped drawing and looked at Abbie.
Abbie nodded with certainty, “Yes, you definitely are! But you’re much better now! William’s intelligence is contagious as you’re increasingly smart as the days go by.”
Valeria rolled her eyes at Abbie and continued to draw with a smile on her face. She had drawn for five hours from one to six in the late afternoon. She used ten minutes to draw an image of William and she had completed twenty-eight of them.
She decided to draw this many as William was turning twenty-eight this year.
Valeria’s wrist was extremely sore after she had finished the drawings. Abbie massaged her hand and said, “You have painted for such a long time. Aren’t you tired?”
“I’m fine, but I’m in a good mood! Haven’t you been fed up for waiting for so long?” Valeria was not exhausted as she had been concentrating on making gifts for her lover. However, she was worried about Abbie.
“It’s alright, I’m okay.” Abbie shook her head and continued, “Valeria, why don’t you draw for me when you’re free? I know you’re good but had no idea you’re so talented when you have drawn your husband so beautifully. Please paint me a picture when you have the time and I’ll hang it in my room as a decoration.”
“Sure, as long as you don’t mind my amateur drawing skill.”
Valeria handed her drawings to the personnel to make an album out of it. She had also chosen William’s favorite song to go with the album.
William finally called when she was out and about for too long, “Honey, you’re being a little bit unreasonable. How could you be away for a few good hours? Don’t you miss your husband?”
It was rare for William to be so clingy. Valeria replied in a good mood, “I’ll be back soon and I’m starving to death. I would like to have mouth-watering dishes when I get back.”
“Don’t worry, everything has been arranged accordingly.”
“I would want to have steamed meat with vermicelli noodles,” Valeria reminded him.
“I’ll ask them to prepare it right away. Will Abbie be joining us for dinner?”
“Of course.” Abbie immediately interrupted when she heard the lovebirds talking to each other, “I don’t intend to become the third wheel. I shall head home and have dinner myself.”
“No, I disagree. You’ve been accompanying me for the entire day. Let’s at least have dinner together before you head back home.”
“No, someone would be treating me dinner tonight.”
“Who is it? Could it be Michael?” Valeria asked.
Abbie then nodded her head. Valeria did not press her further as she knew that the pair were going on a date. “I won’t meddle if you’re going to date him. But have you come up with a conclusion about your relationship with him?”
“My parents definitely won’t agree, as well as my older brother. I’m still thinking on how to go about it,” Abbie sighed.
“You wouldn’t be met with trouble if it wasn’t for Azalea,” Valeria knew that the relationship couldn’t be settled swiftly as the Clark family’s reputation is on the line. Michael’s mother was a trouble-maker and their relationship would be faced with hurdles very soon.
However, there was currently no better way and the pair could only take it one step at a time.