A Force Love Contract With GANG LEADER

On the way back to Phoenix, Kate felt tired and fell asleep. When she woke up, she found herself leaning on Tristan’s shoulder. She smelt a light scent on him. It was the fragrance of wood from the soap he used.

She sat up straight and looked out the window of the bus. It was endless forests and mountains of peculiar shapes. The magical trip of three days was going to be over, and she was unwilling to leave.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

A question that had been lingering in her heart slipped out of her mouth “Did you…”

Tristan turned to see her with tenderness.

His eyes made her lose courage, but since she had already opened her mouth, she decided to say it, “always take her out?”

He understood who she referred to immediately and turned his head a little way down and shook his head.

“Life wasn’t as easy as it is now. Now I am still busy, but that is for business development. I was busy surviving then. Besides, I didn’t have the mood…”

“So she always waited for you at home?”

“Right.” Tristan thought about it and added, “She had something to occupy her too. She was teaching ballet in a dance school for children.”

“She liked children?”

Tristan was puzzled by the question but soon nodded, “I suppose so.”

Kate didn’t ask again, and Tristan stayed silent.

They were too young. They had just been married, and at least he didn’t think of that issue. As a man in his late twenties, he focused on his career.

Besides, he had some burden in his mind that was heavier than the ordinary people. She was understanding and considerate. She never mentioned having a child.

Now that he thought about it, she should have longed for having a child; otherwise, she would not put away her major of business management and went to teach children dancing.

And after she saw a report on some remote area of Arizona on TV, she said to him that the kids there were pitiful and suggested he build a school for charity.

He replied in a world-wise way that it was okay to donate the money, but he was afraid the money could not go to the children there. She seemed to realize that it was still too hard for him to make money, and she never mentioned this again.

Until three years after she passed away, he saw some pictures of the children there. Tristan had decided to fulfill her wish.

Tristan drew back his attention from his thoughts. It was not necessary to tell the story to Kate. He just wanted her to be happy coming out to see the sights. This subject was too heavy, and she might not understand.

Besides, what she might think after hearing this?

However, she didn’t ask about this before. Did it mean that she started to care about him as she asked today? The idea brought ripples to his heart.

They were detained in Phoenix because of bad weather. When they got back to LA, it was the fifth day. Kate missed quite a lot of classes and had to study hard to make up for them.

After a few days, she looked in the mirror and found she had lost some weight. Insufficient sleep, fatigue, weakness, all of the symptoms Tristan warned her of had come together.

After she finally caught up with the schoolwork, Kate had a good sleep over the weekend. Refreshed after the sleep, she thought of her brother, whom she had not contacted for many days.

She called him, and Max said in a sorrowful voice, “Kate, will you go to Jimmy’s memorial service tomorrow?”

Kate didn’t trust her ears, “What service?”

Max was surprised, “You didn’t know? The gangs took revenge, and Jimmy had an accident in action. The injury was too serious, and he didn’t survive in the rescue…”

Kate didn’t remember what she said, or she didn’t say anything at all. All she could hear was the beep of the phone, and her head was only filled with that beep sound.

She had tears all over her face. Was Jimmy dead? How could it be possible? Did he die in a car crash?

She had just left for a few days, and she saw him on TV the night before she went.

He was awarded a prize. Though he didn’t look glad to receive it, he was alive and standing there…

After a long time, she muttered, “It can’t be true…”