IN LOVE WITH A SOLDIER - Season 9 Episode 79

“Exactly. So we don’t need to worry about anything, Uncle Derek. Everything is under our control,” Mike replied.

Derek gave a satisfied smile.

Mond seemed to have caught up with what they said. Only Soren and Greg were not following, but they didn’t show it on their faces.

To break the tense atmosphere, Mike took a deep breath and began, “Alright. Now we all understood the whole situation. Let’s divide our work.”

Looking towards Derek, he said, “Lawrence had arranged his work before leaving, so everything will go well with the JC Group. But we can’t let down our guard. Uncle Derek, please keep an eye on the JC Group and watch out for any suspicious signs, okay?”

“Okay,” Derek replied with verve, feeling like they had already won the fight.

‘Looks like all my worries are unnecessary. But how long have Lawrence and Aria been dating? Why did he keep me in the dark?’ he pondered, somewhat unimpressed.

Afterward, he shifted his gaze to Mond, whom he instructed. “Please send your men to protect Aria secretly, Uncle Mond. It’s what Lawrence wants. She was set up. It must be hard on her, serving time in prison on trumped-up charges. On top of that, she’s also been having it rough with her mum who’s in the hospital, fighting for her life after she was poisoned. Perhaps the girl might have an emotional breakdown or worse still; someone might try to kill her. So…” he said politely.

“How about I get her out?” Mond suggested. “It’s not big deal.”

“No. I don’t think it’s a good idea. It will alert Sally and she might change her plan. That way, we can’t foresee her next step,” Mike replied, shaking his head. Mond didn’t respond.

“Please just do what I said. Keep Aria safe and don’t let anyone hurt her. When Lawrence is back, he will get her out,” Mike reasoned. There was no need to overreact in trying to save Aria, as Lawrence was the real target of her accusers. And in any case, Lawrence could find a way out for her. In the meantime, all they needed to do for Aria was to ensure that no one harmed her.

“Okay, I see,” Mond agreed at last. ‘If that’s all Lawrence wants, I’ll have to trust his judgment and abide by his instructions, ‘ he thought.

Next, Mike turned to Greg. “I won’t repeat your task again. If you want to protect your stepmother, you need to bring her home,” he said with furrowed brows.

“I will,” Greg nodded with a decisive look on his face.

After Greg, Mike now addressed his father. “You got a task too,” he said.

“What is it?” Soren Yu asked eagerly.

“Send your men to follow Rebecca secretly and find evidence to prove that Aria is innocent. Since Rebecca set Aria up, she must have accomplices. We need to find them out. It could be, she just kicked up a storm for no other reason than her love for drama,” Mike said. After all, she was an excellent actress with a knack for controversy and publicity stunts. Mike even suspected Rebecca might have had faked her illness.

“No problem,” Soren Yu agreed confidently.

“Well, that’s all. Please play your part according to plan. Should there arise situations that could get you panicked, you’ll need to do your best and wriggle yourself out without causing alarm. All the way, we will ensure there’s always someone to round,” Mike concluded. “That’s it for now, but once Lawrence is back, we’ll have further plans,” he added.

…

When Greg stepped out of the JC Group, he drove straight to the Xiao family’s residence.

As he walked in, he called out his father, assuming that his old man was in the living room as usual.

But there was no response. Once he stepped into the living room, he glanced around but there was no one. So he went straight upstairs.

When he pushed Fred’s bedroom door open, he found his father sitting on the balcony smoking. Silently, he made his way to his father.

“Dad!” called Greg softly standing behind Fred.

The father leaned sideways slightly. “You are back, Greg,” he greeted, looking at his son askance.

“Ummm,” Greg hesitated as he took several steps forward and stopped in front of his father. With a little frown, he squatted down, took the remaining cigar from his father’s hand and stubbed it out in the ashtray. “Dad, Sharon is in deep trouble. We need to save her,” he began with a concerned look.

“What happened to her?” asked Fred in panic, his eyes meeting his son’s gaze. From the look in his eyes, Greg could tell the old man was rattled.

“Don’t get panicked, Dad. Hear me out,” Greg said, trying to appease Fred. “Here is the thing. A few days ago, Aunt moved out from here, claiming that one of her friends returned from abroad. But today, I met Mike, and he gave me spine-chilling details about the woman that Aunt claims to be friends with. The woman has a heinous criminal record. She also has connections in high places which makes her get away with anything, including murder. But you know, with crime, what goes around comes around.

Who knows when she’ll finally get her dues? For that reason, Mike has strongly advised that we bring Aunt home and all together stop her from seeing that woman again.”

The reality shook Fred to the core. Since Sharon left home, he had been missing her. But it didn’t occur to him that his wife was now living with a notorious coldhearted criminal.