IN LOVE WITH A SOLDIER - Season 9 Episode 70

“I didn’t intend to bother you with trivial matters such as my trips, Dad. And besides, you taught me to decide for myself so I booked a ticket and took a vacation without the need to get your permission,” Mike retorted. Yes, it was Soren’s way of raising Mike that made him like this.

Soren was always away for business trips and seldom could make time for Mike. So, his son grew away from his father having so much freedom, money to burn, and time to waste. “Besides, you could have at least asked me first before you have committed to your friend. I believe I have a say if I wanted to do it or not. Am I right, Dad?” Mike continued. “I could’ve said no, and you wouldn’t be able to change my mind on that. Please don’t make any decision on my behalf without first checking on me,” Mike ended his argument politely.

‘Well, he has a point, ‘ Soren told himself. And this is what he needed to hear from his son. He was so fed up by this favor system in the elite society circle that he didn’t realize what his son would say. He gradually calmed down and admitted defeat in this argument. “You’re right, son. It was a mistake to not consult you first. Go on and take a rest,” Soren told Mike. “But please at least let me know where you’re going next time. Or else I will break your legs and you wouldn’t be able lift a toe. Do you hear me?” Soren jokingly threatened his son.

“Come on, Dad! You know better that to threaten me like that. I’m not a kid anymore,” Mike confidently told his father. He stood up from the couch and pulled out something from his pocket. It was a key to his new car that his father gave to him. Before leaving the room, he put the key down on the table and said, “By the way, you can sell this car if you like. I actually like my old car more.”

And Mike helped himself out of the room. Soren couldn’t be any prouder of his son at that moment. He saw his young self while looking at his son. But he knew there were more important things that they needed to discuss but decided to leave it off for tomorrow. His son needed to rest before hearing these things.

Mike had been longing for his own bed. He didn’t have a good night sleep since he went to visit Lawrence last month. As soon as he jumped to his bed, his dozed off immediately. He was awakened by a light buzz coming from his cell phone that he placed on his side drawer. He looked at his window from his bed and saw a small ray of sunlight coming in. He took his phone to check the time and was surprised to see that it was already 1:00 p.m. ‘It’s already this late?’ Mike asked himself. He swiped the screen to unlock his phone and to his surprise, he already had a dozen of missed calls from one person.

Mike immediately redialed the number. Mike patiently waited while the other line was ringing.

“Mr. Mike?” a man’s voice resounded from the other end of the line.

“Go ahead,” Mike instructed the man on the other line.

“Sir, you asked me to investigate about Aria Liu. I found out that she was taken to a police station and has been detained for two weeks,” the man on the other line said. He paused and waited for Mike to respond.

“What?” Mike asked in disbelief as he sat up immediately. He still felt a little sleepy before he called this man but now all his senses were awakened by this news. He was getting anxious at to what he was about to find out. “Tell me what happened,” he urged sternly.

The man sounded like he was rummaging through his notes. He asked, “Have you read the news about the famous celebrity named Rebecca Lin?”

The man paused for a while, waiting for Mike to respond. But when he sensed that Mike was letting him continue, the man proceeded. “According to the information I have gathered, Aria was accused of attempted murder by Rebecca. It was said that Aria tried to kill Rebecca during an event, but she failed. As a result, she was taken by the police and is now detained at the police station. I’m waiting for additional information from a reliable source as we speak.”

‘Rebecca Lin, ‘ Mike thought to himself. He was trying to remember where he heard this name. The name finally rang a bell and Mike had a hint of what was going. Before Lawrence left for Hong Kong, he entrusted Aria’s safety to Mike.

He didn’t know why Lawrence would make such request, but now Mike somehow realized what it was. His gut was telling him that Rebecca had something to do with Aria’s situation and that the latter was set up. From how Lawrence described Rebecca to him, Mike was certain that she would do anything to get revenge from Aria.

After realizing what was happening, Mike gave instruction to the man. He said seriously, “Give me more updates on Aria’s situation. I also need to know what is happening with her family. I believe her mother is currently in a hospital so get something about her, as well. Lastly, dig further about Rebecca Lin and how she is involved in this. Do it discreetly. Do you understand?”

“Copy, sir. I’ll call you in the next three hours,” the man replied.

Shortly after, Mike ended the call. With the phone still in his hand, he got out of bed. ‘Am I dreaming?’ Mike asked himself. He couldn’t believe how fast things were going. It was just a month ago when Lawrence asked him to take care of Aria, and now this had happened. But he had no time to be dreaming right now. He had to act fast. He couldn’t afford to let his only best friend down.

He tightened the belt of his bathrobe and put his phone in the pocket in case the man called again. ‘If Lawrence was right, then Rebecca must really be a dangerous person to deal with, ‘ Mike thought to himself as he was getting out of his room.

Mike rushed to the dining room to have his late lunch. He was intending to meet Rebecca today but needed some time to condition his mind as to what to say to her, so he thought a light lunch would be a good way to relax his mind. After all, this was the first time that he’d be dealing with this kind of task on his own. As he was on his way, he walked past the living room. Mike didn’t intend to eavesdrop but when he had a glimpse of his father’s men, he got interested. He stopped so he could clearly hear what his father was saying.