Take My Breath Away

When he heard what Erica said, Louie breathed a sigh of relief and nodded seriously. "Don't worry! I'll be good to Tessie," he said. As long as Tessie was okay living with him, he'd make her really happy.

His first wife had cheated on him. She couldn't take the loneliness anymore, or so she said. He divorced her once he found out.

They continued their bull session. Louie told Erica he owed her dinner. He had to find some way to repay her for taking care of Tessie.

Erica didn't turn him down. Anyway, she was going to stay with her family for Spring Festival. Matthew would be coming up to visit, and they'd go back home to Y City together.

She had never imagined she'd be without him for so long. She'd been there half a month, and Matthew hadn't shown up yet. And he did something pretty major while she was gone.

One day, she was out with the kids. They were at a playground, and the kids were having a great time, laughing and shrieking. Wesley was playing with his grandsons nearby. Erica sat on a swing and casually opened Weibo.

She listlessly scrolled through the shared content and status updates. Finally, something caught her eye. "Michel Wang, Drug Lord, Captured."

She tapped it to get a more in-depth look. It said, "Michel Wang, CEO of Wang Group, long suspected as a drug lord and racking up an impressive list of charges, was hauled in for questioning by local police yesterday.

Eight major players in the financial industry remain under suspicion, including the well-known entrepreneur Neville Chai, chairman of Champion Group. The police say they'll know more as they continue their investigation."

She jumped off the swing excitedly and asked Wesley, "Dad, where's my brother?"

Gifford hadn't been home these past few days. Chantel had been here two days already, but hadn't yet seen her husband.

Wesley knew he couldn't hide it from her anymore. "Your brother, Sheffield, and your hubby are doing something in Y City," he answered.

"And just what are they doing?" Erica pressed.

Standing in front of her, Wesley didn't answer her question. Instead, he said in a soft voice, "The men in our family can handle themselves. We don't want you going up against a drug lord."

They had Matthew, Gifford, Sheffield, Joshua, Remus, Harmon and Sean. Each of them had their own strengths, each of them useful in the fight against evil.

Erica pouted and cried indignantly, "Dad! You're so sexist, you know that?"

A

.

At the sight of the lighter, Gifford suddenly remembered something and popped off with, "Dad has a lighter that's so old it's broken. He still keeps it around. It's one of his little treasures."

Joshua reclined on the sofa and replied, "Maybe your mom gave it to him. He wouldn't throw something like that out."

Sheffield took off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of the chair. He agreed with Joshua. "A woman gave it to him. Yeah, it's just like him to keep it around."

Gifford chuckled. "You're both right."

"Of course I am. After all these years, your dad is still a henpecked husband," Sheffield said with a proud smile.

The three of them chatted for a while. Gifford kicked Matthew's toes and asked, "Hey, what are you thinking about?"

Matthew opened his eyes and looked into Gifford's eyes. "I'm thinking about your sister."

Before Gifford could tease him, Matthew added, "She's going to be so pissed when she found out what we did!"

Gifford chuckled after hearing that.

Sheffield burst into laughter. "Dude, you are so screwed. Don't let her cook or pour you a drink." Erica was not that easy-going.

In fact, from the very beginning, they had been investigating Michel and his business behind Erica's back, and had done their best to expose and report him.

Matthew glanced at Sheffield indifferently. "Man, you're the charmer of the group. Tell me what to say to her."

Sheffield exhaled a mouthful of smoke and said, "I think she can be swayed by reason but not be cowed by force. Do something to demonstrate you're sorry. Kneel on a keyboard or durian shells. The rest depends on her."