1 Ten Years Since Then.....

' And then suddenly you meet that one person who makes you forget about your yesterday and wants to dream with you about tomorrow. ' - Evelyn O'Connell.

The sun set revealed a golden afterglow over Lin City.

" I guess he's late again? " The waitress asked with a smile as she refilled Xia Meilin's coffee for the third time.

" Honestly, I'll be surprise if he ever makes it on time. " Xia Meilin replied politely. It was a well know fact amongst the staff of Coffeeista that the man Xia Meilin was waiting for was an all time late comer.

Checking the time she thanked the waitress and continued with what she was doing.

The coffee shop was quite with not many customers. And those present in the shop were mostly focused on the man on the television.

Li Yujin. He was not a renowned economist, but was the pillar behind the current state of the global economy. He was the most unrestrained childe of Eastern, but no one dared to call him a fuerdai. It seemed he was derelict towards his duties as the president, yet he managed to build a trillionaire empire from scratch. Ranked second in the list of the top three trillionaires of the globe, he was titled as the ' Golden Bachelor ' by women and was worshipped by every businessman around the world.

Titles such as ' The Uncrowned Emperor of the Business World ', ' The Lord of Economics ', ' The Money-making Machine ', ' The Golden Bachelor ' and ' The Youngest Trillionaire ' are appropriate in describing the man, yet at the same time they fail to do justice to him. He was a multi talented genius and it's suffice to say that all of this put together was still just the tip of the iceberg.

In the news, he could easily be spotted amongst the huge crowd. His black tux, tall and well built masculine physique, and features of that exquisite face were a prefect creation of Heaven.

No amount of words were enough to compliment this man. On the other hand, people couldn't help but, compliment him.

His arm was gently wrapped around a woman.The news on TV was about a him and the famous super model getting caught by the paparazzi outside of a resort.

" Sorry I'm late, Evy...Had some merchandise to deliver at the last minute...." Said a man just as the wind chime of the coffee shop sounded.

Evelyn O'Connell or Evy as they nicknamed her was Xia Meilin's stage name and she was famously known around the globe by her stage name rather than her real name.

Xia Meilin looked up and saw the person she was waiting for swiftly take the opposite seat with a concerned look. She wanted to respond, but her mind was stuck on the news. They could hear the news on the TV speculating if the president of Rizhao Corporation and the hotshot super model Xia Sichun were dating and whether they were tying the knot. Looks like they have prepared a " big fish " for her to fry.

That's good...

Very good....

Xia Meilin's lack of response only added the man's worries. " I thought you said they don't effect you anymore. " He said as soon as the bulletin was over.

" They don't Roberto! And you know it. " Xia Meilin promptly replied sipping her now cold coffee.

" Then what's with the look and the news? " He asked, interrogating her further.

Xia Meilin chuckled saying " Let's say I can't decide whether to simply grill them or deep fry them for what they've done. Also, I'm open to suggestions if you feel like it. "

There was no hesitation, only an unwavering determination that brought the world at her feet.

Tha man named Roberto looked visible relieved. It seems his worries were unfounded.

Just then the waitress who was serving Xia Meilin approached their table. " Good evening, Mr. Atkinson. I'm glad you could make it within time. "

" Do I detect sarcasms, Linda? " Roberto asked looking as if he was terribly wronged.

" No, Sir. That is of course if you haven't forgotten about what happened the last time. "

Linda's response seemed to have worked, for now it was a look of shock replacing wrong.

" Seriously Linda?? I can't believe this. I came hear today thinking about having a cup of coffee with you and this is how you treat me? "

" I'm sorry, I'll have to pass. " Linda had no idea what to do with this particular customer of hers and nor was she interested in knowing. " Anyways, what can I get started for the two of you? "

" Anything that you'll make with love--" Roberto was quickly interrupted by Xia Meilin, who suddenly bursted into a fit of laughter. All this time she was doing her best not butt in but, Roberto's last statement was just to much for her.

Linda on the other hand, completely ignored Roberto and turned to Xia Meilin for their order. " Just get us two of his usuals and one tropical mix for me instead of coffee. "

" Great, I'll be right back. " Given the order, they watched as Linda quickly scurried away mostly to escape Roberto's flirting. It was hilarious and they bursted out laughing.

After a good laugh, things quickly turned serious between them.

" So you wanted to talk to me about something? " Roberto was the first to speak, channeling their conversation towards business in hand.

Xia Meilin did not reply instead, she took out a file from her hand bag and placed it before Roberto.

" What's this? " Roberto asked with a bit of confusion.

Again, she said nothing, only gestured him to read the file. Roberto was now even more confused and quite suspicious as he cautiously opened the file.

And the minute he did so, his eyes widened in shock! He felt as if he was struck by thunder atleast a thousand times. He knew Xia Meilin to be a dare devil but, this...was way too much! Even for her!

" Have you lost it, Evy? " Roberto yelled, failing to stomach what he was seeing.

Thankfully, even in aggitation he still had sense of his surrounding hence, managed to keep himself in check.

While Roberto was so aggitated, Xia Meilin remainded calm and composed. Not minding his aggitation a bit, she replied. " Relax Roberto, it's not what you think. "

" What do you mean? It's clearly written here Evy that you're transferring all of your companies to me along with its power of attorney. "

" Yes, it does! But, only for the time being. "

Roberto didn't interrupt anymore. Only made himself comfortable on his seat with all ears on Xia Meilin.

" Mr. Camwell from International Express called me the day after my birthday saying he wanted to show me something important. As you know, Grandpa had multiple vaults in there. He took me to a vault full of Grandpa's documents. Most of the stuff was related to his business and charities. However, what Mr.Camwell showed me was a box full of diaries. According to Mr. Camwell while all the other inheritance were be transferred to me on my eighteenth birthday, this was the only thing that Grandpa asked him to reveal after my twenty-fifth birthday. "

Xia Meilin paused, giving Roberto the time to process everything.

Roberto slipped deep in his thoughts. He clearly hadn't expected such a story behind Xia Meilin's transfer.

" So what did those diaries say? "

" Everything yet, nothing...."

Roberto's seriousness instantly flew out of the window. " My dearest cousin, unlike yourself I'm not some literary genius who completed three series earning a whopping thirty-five billions nor, am I the highly sort after screenwriter and director who's out of the world imagination has shaken up the entire world of cinema around the globe. Hence, I would kindly request you to spare a few more words on this humble being. Thank you. "

Xia Meilin forced herself to not roll her eyes. " And here I was thinking that you're an adult. "

Failing to find a suitable refute, Roberto took to making monkey face at Xia Meilin.

" Forget it.. " Xia Meilin continued ignoring the monkey face. " What I meant to say was that those diaries were Grandpa's personal journals. "

" What!! " Roberto yelped in shock. " Since when did that old bag of bones invest himself in words? " This was a ground-breaking discovery for him. " Did you go through them? " His curiosity and excitement was obvious in his features.

" Yes, I did... And even so, he wasn't out of character. The journals only spoke about the Song family's strained relationships. "

" Hmm..." Roberto frowned. From what Xia Meilin reveal, by now he had a clear idea as to why she was transferring the companies. Her next words only provided him the seal of approval on his thoughts.

" Grandpa wanted me to go back to Eastern. "

There was a long silence between them....

" I see..." Roberto replied breaking the silence. " What exactly do you have in mind? "

" The transfer is temporary, I promise. It's just that I don't want to have anything on me that will give them a leverage against me and you're the only one I can trust for the job, Roberto. "

" Fine!! " Roberto declared. " But, you'll have to promise me one thing, Evy... "

Xia Meilin knew that Roberto was a worrywart. " Sure.. "

" You will not do anything that will put you or Zen in danger. I'll not interfere with your work but, will keep an eye on you. If you feel you can't deal with something or sense any kind of danger, you'll let me know immediately. Is that clear? "

" Yes sir!! " With Roberto willing to cooperate, a heavy weight was lifted off from her shoulders. She could now focus on her return without having to worry about the safety of her company. " Thank you, Roberto. "

" Don't thank me just yet, coz the minute I find you messing around you're grounded! " Xia Meilin chuckled at Roberto. He was like a parent hovering over her. She didn't mind having this parent though and was infact quite grateful. Atleast she knew that she wasn't alone.

Roberto let out a sign." Understand this very carefully, Evy. " He warned. " Times have changed. It's been ten years since then. Just like you're no longer your fifteen year old self, so aren't they. I have no clue as to what sort of means did they practice to have been able to trap Li Yujin and the amount of nonsense they fed him. " Roberto paused trying to choose the right words for what he was about say next. " Evy, Li Yujin is not someone to be messed with. "

" I understand what you're saying, Roberto. I too have to admit they have prepared well. Don't worry, I won't risk myself, I promise. But, I'll have you know that wood only burns once. No matter what Li Yujin does, it doesn't change the fact that he's on the wrong side. Hence, sooner or later he'll have to pay. "

After this they both fell silent for a while before Xia Meilin chose to speak again. " Thank you for everything you've done for us, Roberto. You have no idea how much it means to me. "

Roberto gave off a self-depreciating laugh. " You don't have to thank me for anything, Evy. Believe it or not, I know first hand what its like to be in your shoes and I, myself would have long been a lost cause if not for the old Gramp. "

With that, there conversation came to an end and right on cue, Linda also arrived with the food. " Here you are. Two chicken spaghetties cooked in spicy tomato sauce, two grilled club sandwiches, two herbed potato wedges, one special tropical mix fruit crusher and one frappuccino. "

In mere seconds, on the empty table an array of food was neatly laid out for them. " Please enjoy your meal. " Linda said with a smile and was about to leave when Roberto got back down to his flirting. " You know what would really make us enjoy our meal, Linda? "

" I have a feeling that I don't want to know, Mr. Atkinson. "

" That would be you sitting down with us. " It seems Roberto didn't hear Linda's disinterest or pretended to not hear her. Whatever it was, there was no stopping him.

" With all due respect Sir, I'm still on the clock. Please...Enjoy your meal. " With that said, she again scurried away. This time even faster than the last time.

Although Linda rejected Roberto's offer to dine with them, her presence helped lift off the gloomy tension between them making their meal truly enjoyable.

Digging deep into the delicious spread laid before them, they discussed their future plans most of which was focused on Xia Meilin's departure to Eastern.

By the time they left the cafe, the golden glow was long gone and they were greeted with neon lights and the starry sky.