It'll Come Naturally

When Rain got home, Edward, hearing about the news, immediately called him.

"Don't say anything yet - I know what you want to say," said Rain once he had picked up the call. Rain knew that Edward was good-intentioned, but he also knew that whatever Edward thought was wrong; Rain would never be the one to wreck another man's family. "Man, give it to me straight. Are you acting like some kind of coward in front of Annie again?" Edward wore a frown in his face. When he heard that Rain left the hotel alone, he was certain that Rain did not succeed last night.

"No, I'm not. I don't want to make a fool out of myself, Edward. I don't want to look like a creep," explained Rain who looked down. His grief came in waves, devouring him.

"Hold on. What do you mean?" Edward did not think that Annie would ever have the guts to turn down Rain. She had loved Rain dearly in the past and it wouldn't be like her to just change her mind all of a sudden. "Edward, she has children already. Do you think I would stand a chance?" asked Rain, trying not to blame fate so that he could face the music.

"Are you sure? You can't just assume those children are hers," Edward debated. He was trying not to show that he was taken aback from what he just heard and was thinking if he was wrong about how steady Annie's love for Rain was. As much as Edward wanted to agree with Rain, he was positive about what he saw: Annie and Fred, however, treated each other like guests. The two did not seem like a couple at all.

"It's obvious," Rain said. "They're a couple and it's normal for them to have children," he added with a bitter smile plastered across his face.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

"A couple? You really think those two love each other? I don't agree." Edward snorted, looking handsome and striking even in the midst of disgust.

"I saw this with my own eyes, man. It's an immutable fact," Rain said in a depressed tone.

"Come on. Not everything you see is necessarily true. Sometimes, you have to look with your heart, not with your eyes." Edward was once in the same situation as Rain before, so he could empathize with Rain very heavily.

"Stop trying to comfort me." Rain knitted his brows in despair and closed his ears to whatever Edward had to advice.

"Fine. Tell me, was there anyone else in the room besides you and Annie last night?" Those who were closely involved couldn't see as clearly as those who were outside. Edward decided that he would help Rain think rationally so that everything could fall into their respective order.

"Nope. Weren't you the one who arranged the room?" Rain was perplexed. He had no idea why Edward would ask such a question.

"Oh, man, no. We didn't do anything," Edward said, thinking how foolish Rain was.

"So you're saying my eyes deceived me?" Enlightened, Rain sprung up from the sofa, overwhelmed. 'Why didn't I figure this out sooner?' he thought to himself.

"Thank God, man! Your dense little head has finally wrapped itself around the situation. Now that you get it, do something! Find Annie and never let her go." Edward had let out a long sigh of relief. He had finally made Rain realize reality in its truest form much so that Rain had to act on it.

"Thank you, Edward! Drinks on me the next time we go out. We'll get drunk!" Rain picked up the car keys on the table, hoping to do something redemptive.

"Forget the drinks. You owe me greater things. I'll ask you for something else soon." Edward was always like this; he never did as others said. He had his own rules.

"Suit yourself. I have to go." Rain hung up and hurried out. He got inside his car and revved the engine. The minute he was about to drive, his phone rang. His secretary, William He, was calling him.

He picked up the call and immediately asked William what the call was for. "Hey, William," he said, "What's up?" William was an intellectual and was capable of many things. Rain transferred him to the KD Group from the FX International Group because he trusted William. "Mr. Xia, there is something wrong with the project in the Western Hill. It seems that the materials aren't very high quality, much less durable. As I like to put it, the materials are inferior. This being said, many workers have been injured from the rubble. We need you here right now," William spoke fast. It was very noisy on the construction site because everyone was crowding up the site and talking about the accident.

"What?" asked Rain in utter annoyance, "Who's responsible for this project?" Rain then drove to the Western Hill instead of driving to Annie. He had to set her aside for work.

"Mr. Ke is responsible, but I can't seem to reach him. His phone must be off," said William.

"I see. Do your best to rescue and aid the victims and send all those who are wounded to Renxin Hospital. I'll meet you there. Call the police for back up," Rain instructed as he made a turn for the hospital. 'Damn,' he thought to himself, 'I shouldn't have compromised with the Ke Family.' "Alright. I'll make arrangements right away." William hung up the phone and executed Rain's instructions immediately.

Rain closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down. He then called Tom.

"Hey, man. Are you calling to share your joy this early in the morning?" Tom smirked knowing that every minute of last night was precious for Rain.

"Cut the crap, Tom. Get your men ready for the casualties. I'll be right there." Rain wanted to see the site for himself first but he thought twice about this and changed his mind. The lives of the staff were more important so he postponed his site visit.

"Wait. What do you mean? Get ready for the casualties?" Tom thought that he was still tripping in his sleep.

"An accident happened in the Western Hill project. Many people were hurt and I ordered to send them to your hospital." Rain did not trust other hospitals except Tom's. He was aware that the casualties would be costly but to Rain a human life held greater value than anything else.

"Really? It sounds really serious." Tom walked out of his office and made arrangements for the pressing task he had to do.

"I have no idea what happened, but if it's saving lives then it's my top priority. I'll see you later." Rain hung up and called Sanford.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐