It'll Come Naturally

"Miss, there's a saying that barkers are not biters. If you're done talking nonsense, can you please get out of our way?" Fred said sternly. Eleanor stood there, dumbfounded. Fred eyed Eleanor with resentment when he saw that Annie was starting to get uncomfortable. "Mommy..." Joyce called out as she tugged on Annie, clinging to her closer out of fear.

"Let's go, Joyce," Annie said softly, patting her lightly on the head. She took her daughter's hand and walked past Eleanor while she was still distracted.

As Annie brushed past her shoulder, Eleanor finally came to her senses. "Wait! So, does this child have anything to do with Rain?" she said, calling grumpily after Annie.

"Sorry, but I have nothing to say about that," Annie answered, not even bothering to look back. Eleanor took a step to follow Annie, but was stopped by Fred who already had his hand firmly on her shoulder. He shook his head, implying that she should just leave them alone. He then turned and caught up with Annie.

"Damn it!" Eleanor said through clenched teeth. She frowned as she looked at them walking farther away -- her suspicions grew along with Annie's denial and evasion.

"Miss Xiao, I'll... get along now. Excuse me," Tiana said. She, too, was in shock. There was a strong, undeniable resemblance between Annie's son and Rain. Her thoughts raced as she tried to take everything in. She needed to calm down and think about the explanation, one that was reasonable enough to explain the relationship between them.

"Alright..." Eleanor mumbled. Tiana went on her way. When she was out of sight, Eleanor slumped down on the seat. It was a real blow to the chest for her -- like she had already lost the game before it even started. She could barely deny it to herself anymore; just moments before, she had thought Fred was Annie's husband, and that Huey was their son. Why the boy would take after Rain? Her brows furrowed, and even if the facts were laid before her, she still couldn't piece it together. Or perhaps she just couldn't bring herself to accept it. This was odd enough!Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

Somewhere along the road, not too far from the scene, Rain had been silently watching. Although he had excused himself from the table, he didn't leave at once. He sat in his car, watching all of them argue with one another. He was not able to hear what they all talked about, but he did notice, however, the way Fred acted towards Annie.

Rain saw how protective Fred was of her. More importantly, she seemed to appreciate it very much. Besides, it looked like that his own son and daughter preferred that man to their own father. 'So maybe that's why they didn't want to come live with me, 'Rain thought bitterly. They already had someone else to take his place, and be the father he wasn't able to be. Why should they need Rain now?

He sat there in his car, his heart sinking to his stomach. He shook his head, trying to calm himself down. After taking a deep breath, he started the engine all of a sudden and sped past them in a fit of pique.

Rain reached for his phone and dialed Edward. After a couple of rings, Edward answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, are you free right now, boss? Let's go out for a drink," Rain said, keeping his eyes on the road. His heart was throbbing unbearably in his chest. The only way he knew how to cope with it right now was with alcohol. "Okay, where? I'll just tell Daisy that I'm going out then I'll be on my way," Edward said without hesitation. He had just finished his dinner, and was about to take a walk in the garden when Rain called out of the blue.

"The usual place. Please tell Daisy that I'm sorry for stealing you away for a couple of hours," Rain said with a bitter smile. He realized that not every man would be as lucky as Edward, and not every woman would be as loyal as Daisy. He and Daisy seemed to be perfect for each other. But you just couldn't have the grand hope that you would definitely find the right person. So it was only natural that he and Annie would end up like this, and he should simply accept what he had seen just now! He shook his head, thinking how stupid he was to believe and rely on destiny.

"Oh shut up! I'll see you in a bit," Edward said jokingly. He hung up on Rain, and paused, deep in thought. He knew Rain well enough to hear the pain in his voice. Edward stood there, his phone still in his hand, trying to figure out what could have possibly happened to his dear friend.

"Edward!" Daisy called from behind him. "Come back inside or else you'll catch a cold! Or at the very least, put a coat on. Don't think that I'll be around to take care of you when you get sick, mister!" She walked up to him and draped a coat over Edward's shoulders. Only then did he notice that the Senior Colonel was glaring at him.

"Well, that's just what I want! Since you've said it yourself, I'll get a few pretty young girls to come and take care of me without any guilt," Edward teased while drawing the coat closer around him. He then wrapped his arms around Daisy's waist and pulled her close to him. But his eyes were fixed meaningfully on Daisy's rosy lips, which were pursed out of displeasure and jealousy.

"Only a few? Are you sure that's enough for you? I bet your insatiable appetite won't be satisfied unless you get dozens of them!" Daisy sneered, squinting her eyes at Edward. 'So you think I'm not pretty now, eh? Am I getting too old for you now?' she thought to herself. "Looks like our Senior Colonel quite approves of my capacity in...that regard?" Edward whispered in her ear, a mischievous smile forming on his lips. He pretended not to notice Daisy's slightly bitter tone. He had found it quite amusing to tease her with this sort of stuff. "I'm sorry, but I am never one of those perverts, so I don't know anything about capacities and the like. Go and ask people of your kind!" she snapped. 'What a sleazy man!' Daisy thought in disbelief. 'How can you say things like that so freely?' Although she was getting really a bit annoyed, she still couldn't help blushing.