IN LOVE WITH A SOLDIER, VOLUME 2 - Season 11 Episode 9

Two months later.

Under the leadership of two business masterminds, the FS Empire extended it business holdings abroad. In the past three months, it had established business relationships with enterprises throughout the world.

In the office, Lawrence sat in his leather chair, going through financial statements. ‘This is excellent. We’re showing record profits this quarter, ‘ he thought.

A knock at the door tumbled him out of his reverie and brought him back to the here and now.

“Come in!” Lawrence said without raising his head.

His assistant came in, made her way to Lawrence and paused at his desk. “Boss, there’s a file for you to go over. Mr. Austin has already approved it,”

she reported as she handed the paper to her boss.

“No need. I trust him. Carry out the plan according to company procedure,” Lawrence replied as he let her keep the paper. He didn’t need to be bothered with it.

“Yes, boss,” the assistant replied respectfully.

“From now on, you don’t need to show me anything that has Mr. Austin’s approval,” Lawrence demanded. Those words would become the rule of the company.

“Yes, boss,” the assistant responded.

“We have a meeting in an hour. Tell Mr. Austin that he needs to be there and preside over that meeting. I have a thing, so I’ll be out the rest of the day,” Lawrence instructed.

“Okay, boss. I’ll let him know,” the assistant returned as she bowed, turned around and took her leave.

The instant Lawrence was done reading his last report, a buzzing sounded from his desk – his phone. Catching a glimpse of the caller ID, he grabbed it and picked up the phone.

“Hello, Anna,” Lawrence answered. “Don’t forget our meeting, Lawrence. It’s almost time,” Anna reminded gently.

“I’ll be there. I’m on my way,” Lawrence replied.

“Okay. See you later,” Anna said sweetly.
Lawrence pressed the button to end the call. After gathering up the papers on the desk, he stood up and stepped out of the office.

He drove to the April Cafe. Anna had booked the shop today, so there was only a waitress standing at the exit. She sat at a table by the window in a corner.
Lawrence found a parking spot nearby and stopped his car. As soon as he walked into the cafe, a waitress came forward to greet him. Pointing to Anna, she said politely, “Hello, Mr. Lawrence, Miss Anna is inside.”

Lawrence nodded at her and went straight to the table where Anna sat.

“Hi,” Anna said, as she motioned for Lawrence to have a seat.

“Hello,” Lawrence replied, as he sat down across from Anna. Glancing around, he didn’t see her boyfriend. So he asked, “Isn’t Ryan with you?”

“He has something to deal with, so he couldn’t make it,” Anna explained.

“I see.” There was a tinge of disappointment in Lawrence’s voice. He had only met Ryan once at a party and all they exchanged was some meaningless small talk. ‘I was hoping to sit down and get to know the guy. Another time, then, ‘ he thought.

“Lawrence!” Fixing her eyes on the man, she said earnestly, “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“With Ryan?” Lawrence’s tone was even. He was unsurprised by the news.

“Yeah,” Anna nodded and smiled, the happiness spreading across her face. “I can’t live without him.”

“I hope you’ll be happy together,” Lawrence said, not knowing what else to say. All he wanted was for her to be happy. She was the only girl whom he regarded as a true friend when he was young, after all. He cherished the friendship between them.

Lost in the past, Anna recounted, “When I met Ryan in college, he wouldn’t leave me alone. I blew him off because I thought he wasn’t serious. We both know that some men play the field and sleep around. But to my surprise, he wasn’t one of them; he never gave up on his love to me. He was good to me when I was in the master’s program and worked abroad. Now he even came here for me. He makes my heart feel so warm. When he proposed to me the other night – yeah, I was hooked.”

Lawrence remembered the night Ryan proposed to Anna. It was a party for people in show business. Ryan and Anna were the focus of the party, thanks to his romantic inclinations. The crowd roared its approval when he got down on one knee. Anna was moved to tears and said yes.

“He’s different from everyone else. He’s a mature guy, a good guy. He’s from a small country, but his family is big in politics. He’s grown into a responsible, upright man, due to no small influence by his parents. I’m sure that he’s good for you and you two will have a happy life,” Lawrence said emphatically.

When she heard Lawrence’s sincere blessing, tears of delight gushed from her eyes. With a nod, she said, “He’s a prince. He’s going to take his father’s place and rule the country. But all that doesn’t matter to me. I chose him because he loves me. I know he gave his heart to me, just like you did. And that’s good enough for me.”

Looking out the window, Lawrence said broodingly, “For people like us, it’s not easy to marry the one you love and be yourself. You found Ryan, don’t let him go. Like you said, he gave you his heart.

And that’s what you want. You can do whatever you want, and meanwhile, he loves you and has your back. No matter where you are, he’ll always be there and you won’t be alone.”

“You’re right.” Anna nodded non-stop. “Thank you, Lawrence. You taught me how to love. I’ll never forget you.”

“I just want you to be happy,” Lawrence blurted out his thoughts from deep inside.

“I know. You too!” At the thought of leaving her old friend, she couldn’t hold back her sadness anymore. She cried, “I don’t know if we’ll see each other again. But if I have time, I will come back to visit you, Aria and Mike. I want you guys to be happy.”

Lawrence nodded in reply. “Tell Ryan to treat you right. He promised, he needs to keep that promise.”

“I will.”

The two sat silently. When Anna regained her composure, she broke the silence. “Do you remember our kindergarten days? You and Mike were best friends and I always followed you around like a lost puppy. I annoyed the shit out of you,” Anna said, wearing a wistful smile.
“But you were the only girl I liked,” he said.

“It’s true.” she grinned. After a pause, she continued to recall, “All the girls sent you cards and chocolate. But you looked like a prince, holding court. You wouldn’t let anyone get close.”

“I hate to admit it, but I have a way with the ladies.” Lawrence lifted the corners of his mouth.

“What’s gotten into you? You’re not the same person I remember. Only Joe would brag like that,” Anna exclaimed with a surprised expression.

“What makes you say that?” Lawrence asked the question only to hear what she had to say.

“Because Joe Shen was a cute little boy, but now you’re all grown up, going by the name Lawrence Chu. You’re the president of the world-renowned FS Empire,” Anna replied. With a playful smile, she teased, “According to rumors, Mr. Lawrence has no interest in women; no woman can manage to get close to him no matter how hot she is.”

“You buy that?” Lawrence asked.

“More or less. Some of it is true,” Anna replied with a playful smile. ‘I know you, probably better than you know yourself. You’re a gentle, kind man. You’ll do anything for the ones you love. You also understand the art of the deal. You never use dirty tricks and are not coldblooded, ‘ she thought.

“Whatever,” Lawrence said with a resigned expression.

“So, how’s Auntie doing?” Anna asked.

“She’s good. Mom’s an optimistic person, so she doesn’t have any problems,” Lawrence answered with a warm smile. His mood lit up at the thought of his mother.

“She’s happy because Uncle loves her dearly and she has a wonderful son,” Anna said. “Remember your username? You named yourself as Lovemommy?”

“Of course I do. She’s always been my number one. She always put me first since I was born. She’s done so much for me. I couldn’t repay her even if I spend the rest of my life taking care of her,” Lawrence replied.

“Maybe all that Auntie wants is that you and Violet live happily ever after,” Anna surmised.

“I guess so. If she hasn’t seen me in a couple days, she’ll call and ask me to have dinner with her at home. I love hearing her voice. At least, there is someone who is waiting for me in that cozy house,” Lawrence responded, warmth spreading though his body.

‘Blood ties are forever, ‘ he thought. “Do me a favor?” When she heard Lawrence mention his family, she thought of her father.

“Anything. What?”

“My Dad will be alone when I leave here. Can you drop by and check on him from time to time? I don’t want him to be lonely. Besides, he’ll forget to eat or sleep when he’s up to his neck in work. That’s not good. He needs to take care of himself,” Anna replied. ‘Now I’m leaving with the one I love. I’m glad that I finally got someone who will keep me company and look after me. But I don’t like leaving my father and friends behind, ‘ she thought.

“Sure. Don’t worry about your father. I’ll drop by now and then. Besides, my dad likes your dad. Maybe they can get together so Uncle won’t feel so lonely.

Maybe they can start a weekly Go game or something,” Lawrence agreed immediately. ‘I know what she’s worried about. Maybe I can help, ‘ he mused.

“Thanks, Lawrence,” Anna said gratefully.

“Take care of yourself. You’ve never been there before, so you need to try to fit in. Remember you’re the best and you can do anything,” Lawrence urged. The last sentence was once Anna’s motto, so he tried to encourage her with it.

“I will.”

The two stared out the window, slight smiles breaking on their faces.

If you live long enough, you’ll meet the right person at the wrong time. But if you’re really lucky, you’ll find the right person at the right time, and they could become the love of your life.