Chapter 98 - The Shens Have Failed

Lu Fang woke up only to find his woman missing. The sliding glass doors were already open and so were the curtains. It was still 6 AM, island time. 'How could she get up so early?'

He was about to put on his boxers when he saw his swimming trunks already ready for him at the other side of the bed and beside it was a set of snorkeling gears. He wore his robe instead and went out to the sundeck of their water villa.

The shades of the sky immediately caught his attention, while the sun was still rising from the east. He breathed in, taking as many fresh air as he can before looking out.

When Andrea was nowhere in sight, he scanned the waters and found a slim figure snorkeling 15 meters away. He shook his head seeing she was not wearing any life jacket.

He looked down at the water below their villa and immediately saw a stingray pass by. The number of fishes and corals under them were already plentiful and yet she still chose to explore into deeper waters.

After putting on his trunks and snorkeling gear, he jumped into the cold water and found himself enchanted with the life beneath. He had never seen anything like it. True enough, the Maldives had preserved their nature well. Even the water was crystal clear like he was swimming in a freshwater pool.

Reaching to where she was, he understood why she had to swim further out. She was completely surrounded by a school of small fishes.

Andrea dove under the water taking pictures of the fishes when a man scared away most of them. She went up to the surface to welcome him. "Babe, you are finally awake. What took you so long?"

"How long have you been out?"

"Just 30 minutes… Isn't it amazing?"

"Yes, it's amazingly cold here."

She rolled her eyes at his remark and asked him to follow her. "Babe, I saw turtles on that area. The corals are really colorful too, let's take a picture under the water. I'd love to send them to dad."

"Hmmm… Okay."

After putting their mask back on, they headed to another location where the corals were far more abundant. They took several pictures of each other before deciding to head back and get ready for breakfast.

Christina Lu was already at the main restaurant waiting for the couple in a reserved round table. She had been wanting to hear news from them and when they finally arrived, she asked with enthusiasm, "Well… How was it?"

Andrea was stunned at the question and was momentarily speechless. Before she could reply, Lu Fang beat her to it. "Mother, you chose your gifts well. Though, I must tell you, your son does not require any help."

Mrs. Lu laughed.

The man was about to get breakfast for the both of them when Andrea pulled him back to his seat. "It's okay, babe. I already asked them to prepare our breakfast."

It did not take long for several food attendants to arrive with their starter and so the trio began to indulge.

"Where is Gao Rou?" Asked Lu Fang.

Christina was shaking her head recalling how Gao Rou sounded incredibly wasted on the phone earlier. "Oh, I could not wait for them. They were still asleep when I called their villa, but they should be here soon."

She then turned to Andrea and hinted how she looked forward to having grandkids soon. "You know, Andy, I only have few friends in China and they all have grandchildren." She began introducing some of her friends by name and showing pictures of their family especially the grandchildren.

"When I gave birth to Lu Fang, the doctors told me I was bleeding excessively and to save me, they needed to take out my ovaries… I ended up with only one child who finally decided to take marriage seriously with you in the picture." She then pulled her chair closer to Andrea's before whispering, "He is turning 31… You can imagine how long I have waited to see another little bun."

Andrea immediately drank a glass of water, almost choking, feeling the pressure of giving her soon to be mother-in-law a grandchild.

When their main dishes were served, the resort's head chef came out to greet them and introduce the sumptuous food. The attention that their table received caught the eyes of other guests around them. They were curious as to why the table was given special treatment.

Across their spot was another family of wealth who came all the way from the US to take a short vacation. Their one and only daughter had been keenly observing the said table since the grand entourage of the hotel staff came to service them.

"Patricia, will you stop staring at the other table. It's very rude to do that," reprimanded her mother.

She smiled just looking at the man who was lovingly attending to his partner then a thought came to her mind... She turned to her father and said, "Daddy, I want that man over there."

Patricia Smith pointed her finger directly to Lu Fang.

"Sweetheart, it looks like the man is already married. They even look like they are on their honeymoon."

"But daddy! Look at him, he is so gorgeous and sweet towards that woman! I want somebody like him." She turned back to gaze at Lu Fang and went back to plea with her father. "Daddy, please. I want him!"

"Sweetheart, please be reasonable – "

"Daddy, I feel like my heart is in pain… I can't breathe." Patricia pretended to hurt in the chest, gasping for air. "Daddy, please… you have to get that man for me… I want him!"

"Daddy, please. I want him!"

Harold Smith could only let out a sigh at her daughter's request. Because of Patricia's heart condition, he had always given in to her demands. "I will see what I can find out about the man, sweetheart. Now, relax and breathe. Daddy will see to your every need."

Meanwhile, back in China. Han Yun had reported to Rou Yanlin.

"Sir, it looks like even the Shens have failed. The Commissioner's goddaughter was dismissed from Lu-Wei Enterprises instead. Though, he says he is currently putting this Andrea Li under surveillance. He plans to remove her from the Lus base on the results."

"Yun, we don't have many options right now. This Andrea Li is a nuisance to my plans and we cannot seem to give a direct attack! "

"Let's give the Commissioner one more try."