Love Began with the First Meeting

Chapter 243 An Involuntary Change (Part One)

The snow lay thick on the ground.

The snow-covered land became a vast expanse of whiteness stretching to infinity. Everything was covered -- houses, cars, sometimes doors. The occasional tree or building was the only interruption in this sea of white.

The snow finally came to a stop in the middle of the night, as if to make the night even quieter. However, a quiet night like this was depressing, like the calm before the storm.

The next day, the sun lazily broke through fluffy clouds and fell on the frosty cityscape, reflecting the dazzling light. Row upon row of high buildings seemed colder this morning. People rushed to work much earlier on the snowy day. Knowing they had to drive slower due to the snow, they didn't want to be late for work.

After the successful conclusion of the charity concert of Wing and Spark, the city parliament staff devoted themselves to a special task: the investment of Dragon Empire Group in another project in the city.

Bill walked in quickly, sporting a tight black suit, lollipop in his mouth. The parliamentary staff members greeted him, but he just nodded to them without stopping.

"What's wrong? Bill is like an ant on a hot pan." It was obvious from his hurried manner that Bill was anxious.

"Maybe the debt collectors stepped up their game." Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

"…"

Ordinarily Bill laughed and joked with others, but now he ignored the jibes, as well as other people, strode into the elevator, and quickly punched the button. He couldn't afford to lose any time.

Bill went straight to Edgar's office after the elevator whisked him up to the top floor. Jenifer lived in Edgar's apartment these days, so Edgar seldom went back and slept in the office suite on the plea of busy work. Besides, it afforded the mayor a certain amount of privacy.

Edgar lived a normal life. Unless there was some kind of meeting, he could usually be found shaven and showered, spruced up and sprawled out in his chair behind the desk, reading the documents related to city business or thinking about the development of the city as a whole. His office was decked out with all the comforts of home and more, with devices, a computer, big screen TV, and coffee maker. Not to mention silk sheets and a comfy bed. But Edgar thought most about his city. The city was only a stepping stone, but he never made excuses to slack off at work.

Thump-thump-thump. Edgar frowned at the sharp rapping at the door. Bill pushed his way in before Edgar could even answer, and stood in front of the desk, an anxious look on his face.

"What is it now? You know it's too early for this, right?" There was a trace of unhappiness on Edgar's handsome face. He was annoyed as Bill was always high-strung. And Bill didn't come to him with solutions, only problems.

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't urgent," said Bill with a frown. "Howard's back in town!"

"Oh ?" Edgar answered coldly. He was strangely undisturbed by the news. He was only surprised by truly surprising things. This wasn't one of them.

Bill said anxiously,"What? Mr. Mayor, I --"

"Hardly shocking, and hardly urgent. Are we done here?" Edgar looked down at the report on the construction of the new viaduct in his hand. He was gloomy about the projections. It looked like it would go behind schedule, over budget and in general be a big nuisance while it was being put up. But the old viaduct was getting old, and people took their lives in their hands every time they used it. Something had to be done. He looked for ways to make the project more efficient.

Bill settled his bulk into the chair, leaned forward on the desk and said,"Jenifer's here, and it's no secret. Now Howard's back, and you're not worried?"

"Why should I be worried?" Edgar said indifferently without raising his head. He wasn't going to let Bill take up too much of his time. "Howard serves in the special forces. He's a career military officer, like most of his family. But unlike most of his family, he hasn't risen through the ranks quickly. But he's smart, and he has his own dreams."

Still puzzled, Bill looked at Edgar, while taking a cloth from his pocket and mopping his forehead. So if Edgar wasn't worried, why should he? But the thought still didn't make him feel any better.

Edgar wrote a note for the project to be reworked, and then filed the document in his outbox. He looked at Bill and continued,"The Zeng family is a pretty tough nut to crack. But Howard really doesn't care anything for politics. He's no threat. He's more dedicated to the special forces than anyone else. I don't think he gives a rat's bottom about what's going on here."

"Err… that sounds reasonable. But do you mean..." Bill raised his eyebrow. "Howard's here on a mission?"

Edgar stopped writing and slowly leaned back in the chair, immersed in thought. His gold-rimmed glasses magnified the faraway look in his sharp eagle eyes. He muttered to himself,"Yeah. He'd be here for that, but why were the special forces sent to my city?"

Bill didn't answer. He knew what Edgar was thinking.

The big office became so quiet that they could hear a pin drop. Even the breathing was shallow. The only sound was the hissing of the coffeemaker in the corner. Edgar was lost in his own thoughts until the internal telephone buzzed. He pressed the answer key.

"Mr. Mayor, I thought I'd remind you of the meeting on the secondary development of energy resources at 9 AM on the twelfth floor," the assistant secretary said in a sweet voice. She was new, but he liked her. She was brutally efficient, and had a head for facts and figures.

"Okay," Edgar answered briefly and pressed the button to release the call. He checked the time. The clock on the wall indicated 10 to 9. He turned again to look at Bill. "If Justin Yan is here in secret, no special forces will be around. If he comes here for official business, we'll find him. Rory's in the city now. I think Justin Yan should be here too. If he's here, but uses his twin brother as a cover, it's worth checking in to. And now, Howard's here, too." Edgar continued after a pause,"So things are getting more tangled after all. Maybe our chickens are coming home to roost, Bill. The past can't stay buried forever."

Edgar stood up and strode over to the closet. He took the suit jacket off the hanger and went outside, shrugging it on as he walked.

Bill thought about what Edgar said. When Bill came back to the present, Edgar was already out in the hallway. He jogged to keep up with the man and asked,"One more thing. Steven took the fall for what happened back then. It has to be 12 or so years ago. Why bring it up now?"