Joanne was never one to avoid dealing with her problems. At first, she had been unwilling to accept the reality of her mother's passing. But at the same time, she also knew that she had to come to terms it at some point. That way, she could move on and live a good life, just like her mother would have wanted.

Back then, she had sat before her mother's grave for one day and one night.

She had sat there until she had seen the first trace of daybreak emerging from the east, the rising sun of a new day. At that moment she had a revelation. She realized that even though her mother had been turned to ashes and buried six feet under, even though she had lost her mother forever, none of that would affect the sun's rising and the moon's descent. Life had to go on.

Even a reality as painful as her mother's death she had accepted, yet she somehow could not bring herself to do as Shawn said - find out how Brian truly felt about her.

It was Brian who had promised Rosalyn that he would get a divorce.

It was Brian who had told her that he had no interest in little girls, that this mutually beneficial marriage would come to an end after two years.

But it was also Brian who came to her rescue when she was kidnapped and assaulted.

Also, the light brush of their lips from last night, the kiss they had shared in the car.

She did not dare delve deeper into it.

Brian had told her that he would be divorcing her, yet he protected her and even kissed her. Just when she had ascertained his feelings through his actions, his words would force her back into doubt.

If that was the case, she might as well not think about it at all.

After she finished lunch and cleared away all utensils, she began to wonder if she should send Brian a text to express her gratitude.

The problem was, they had never exchange texts or calls with each other before. If she sent out a text all of a sudden, would Brian even know that it was from her? Calling him seemed quite unnecessary...

"Forget it," she thought. "I'll just tell him tonight. It'll be the same thing anyways."

Well, Joanne did not have the chance to do that.

Just when Shawn returned from lunch, their colleagues from the vice squad came rushing in. "We've received police reports of a homicide in Peacefield Residences. An entire family was murdered. Shawn, Joanne, you're with us."

Situations like these were frequent. Joanne and Shawn sprang into action. The swiftly gathered their things and hopped onto a police car to visit the crime scene.

Brian's workload was not heavy today. It was rare that he could make it home early, yet there were no signs of Joanne when he got home.

"Young Madam hasn't returned from work yet," Simon told him. "Young Master, would you like the cook to start preparing your dinner?"

Brian frowned. "No need. Get the ingredients ready. I'll wait for her."

Simon left to instruct the cook to ready the dinner ingredients. By 6pm, there were still no signs of Joanne.

Since Brian was upstairs, Simon took the chance to call Joanne. There was some kind of ruckus over her end of the line, so Simon had to raise his voice. "Young Madam, why haven't you come home?"

"I've got some work on my hands. I need to do overtime today," Joanne said. "Simon, please ask the cook to prepare Brian's dinner. I can't make it back today. My phone's about to die too, so I'm hanging up first, okay?"

When Simon told Brian about Joanne's overtime, Brian frowned. "Did she tell you when she'll be back?"

"No, she didn't. But I've already called the station. Apparently, there's a family massacre down at Peacefield Residences. It would keep Young Madam and her colleagues busy for a while."

Brian's frown deepened, though he did not comment further, only asked Simon to instruct the cook to skip dinner preparations. After that, he left the villa.

He drove to the summit clubhouse.

The clubhouse was by no means famous. In fact, the place did not even have an official name. Everyone just called it the 'summit clubhouse'. Its general popularity was less than even the KTV nightclub over at the pedestrian zone. However, this clubhouse was the go-to place among the rich and wealthy. More than anywhere else, it was a symbol of social status and power.

This was also the only clubhouse Brian would ever set foot in. The clubhouse was open to its members only, whose memberships were all obtained through direct invitation. Without a membership invitation, no amount of money could get one past the door.

The list of members included billionaires from not only the various cities within the country, but from abroad as well.

Everybody knew that by spending a few hours here, they might end up gaining a few connections or even securing new business deal.

Everyone in the circle was well aware that the Summit Clubhouse was the true top 1st of all clubhouses in the country.

Brian owned the entire clubhouse, including the private suite on the top floor. The suite could only be accessed through a private elevator, which he now rode.

When he entered the suite, there were already two occupants sitting inside. One of them was Gavin, who wore a suit. The other one was Wesley Hayes.

Wesley, a man with a clean-shaven head and an imposing look, definitely did not look like someone to be trifled with. His features were hardened and intense, and his arms were lined with bulging muscles. The way he sat on the leather couch, one leg crossed over the other, with a cigarette in his mouth bespoke his wild belligerence. He looked as if he were some kind of badass who could stir up a massacre and kill dozens of people within minutes.

Brows raised, Wesley glanced at Brian. "Well, well, well. Look who's here. Didn't you say you're not coming?"

"His wife didn't come home, I bet," Gavin goaded as he took a lighter from Wesley to light his own cigarette. "A certain somebody used his recent illness as an excuse to get off work early today. Didn't expect to find that his wife has to do overtime."

Wesley burst into laughter. Before his laughter subsided, Brian's chilly stare swept towards him. Well, he had nothing to fear at all, because that stare was aimed at Gavin.

Gavin shivered all over. "Hey, hey. There's Darjeeling Tea in front of you. Freshly-prepared. That stuff costs hundreds per gram! They just arrived at the clubhouse today!"

The tea set, which was immaculately cleaned, was meant for Brian's private use whenever he was here. He picked up a cup and breathed in the tea's aroma. "Tea's very good."

Gavin felt instant relief. Just when he was about to smile, Brian put down the cup and said, "But you're still taking a trip to Nepal."

People had been right in calling that place 'Land of the Gods' since only godlike beings could live and survive there. For one, the place was constantly filled with dust and grime. One could put on ten masks all at once and it would not make a darn difference. Having been to Nepal a few times, Gavin swore he would never set foot on the place again.

Now, he just wanted to lie down and play dead. "What?! Why?! On what grounds?! When you were at the hospital, it was all because of me that Joanne would even be there to see you! What the hell did I do this time?!"

At that point, the injustice and anger Gavin was feeling in his heart could not be eased no matter how loud he yelled.

Brian took a sip of tea nonchalantly. "You gave her a fright."

Gavin was rendered completely speechless.

Wesley looked at Gavin mockingly. "Man, you're fucking useless! After all these years, is there even a single thing Brian did that he would want Joanne to know about? Why not just pick one from there and use it as leverage?"

Wesley shut up instantly. Gavin was still wallowing in his grievances. Truth was, he had already thought of using those things to threaten Brian. But Brian had told Gavin that he had over a hundred ways to prevent Joanne from believing in whatever Gavin said to her. In fact, he could even make Joanne believe Gavin to be a complete nutcase!

In the end, Gavin had to leave to make preparations for his 'business trip'. Brian and Wesley stayed in the suite to discuss matters.

It was already past midnight by the time Brian came home from the clubhouse. Joanne still had not returned.

He knew that in Joanne's line of work, this was how things usually were. If things got hectic, she would not even have time to blink let alone come home. He dialed Joanne's number and heard the operator's voice saying that Joanne's phone had been shut off.

"Young Madam told me just now that her phone was about to die." Simon appeared suddenly. "Young Master, you should go get some rest."

Brian nodded and went back to his room.

The next morning, there were still no signs of Joanne. On the surface, Brian seemed to be fine and dandy, but when he left for the company, he took a roundabout route just so he could pass by the police station.

Coincidentally, he had already noticed Joanne from afar. Joanne stood at the intersection and she still wore yesterday's clothes. Her dark tresses was pulled back into a messy bun, which looked a little bedraggled and loose. The twigs on the trees had filtered and split the morning sunlight into thread-like streaks. The light fell upon her face gently, giving her profile a beautiful glow.

She was walking side by side with Shawn. Each of them had a cup of coffee and a bag of takeaway coffees in their hands. As they walked, they were laughing and chatting with each other. There seemed to be a lot of chemistry between them.

The car neared, and Brian could now see the way Shawn was looking at Joanne. His gut told him that something was not right.

Brian stepped on the accelerator. The ONE77 pulled up at the police station's entrance imposingly with unstoppable momentum. Joanne had ridden on Brian's car a few times, so she was very familiar with the sound of his car. Just that for a moment, she could not believe what she was seeing. When Brian stepped out of the car, she felt like she was dreaming.

However, the Brian before her eyes seemed so real.

The dark-colored tailored suit accentuated his tall and perfect physique. His tie, which came in the same brand as his suit, gave him a corporate, businessman air. When he lifted his hand, the cuff of his white shirt would peek out from under the sleeve of his blazer, revealing a delicate but modest cufflink. Subtle details like these made him look like the perfect gentleman.

His handmade Oxford shoes were spotlessly clean, as if they held not a single speck of dust on them. Each step he took carried his idiosyncratic aura of prominence. For a moment, Joanne was unable to her eyes away from him. Women who were passing by stared at him overtly. The only thing missing from the picture was one of those women coming up to him to chat him up.

Brian's eyes were locked on Joanne from the start, as if Joanne was the only thing that existed in his world.

When Brian reached her, his hand automatically went to relieve Joanne of the bag, which contained 6 huge cups of coffee. Only then did Joanne snap out of her haze. "What are you doing here? I mean you won't pass by the station... on the way to the company."

"So? I can't come see you if it's not on the way?" Brian stroke Joanne's cheek. "You didn't get any sleep last night?" The dark circles under her eyes looked heavier than they had been yesterday.

At the mention of last night, Joanne felt the sudden urge to cry. While everyone else was in bed, she and a couple of icy dead bodies had spent the entire night in the morgue. She could not even count the amount of coffee it had taken for her to stay awake.

"Nope. There's been a murder case. I can't afford any sleep. I'll be busier than you were a while ago."

It completely escaped her how aggrieved her own voice had sounded.

A smile formed on Brian's lips. He wrapped an arm around Joanne's waist and guided her into the building.

Before Joanne knew it, Captain Turner, Hannah, and the rest of her colleagues had already been giving her suggestive looks. She shifted uncomfortably but Brian tightened his hold on her waist. He bent down, asking, "Have you guys had breakfast?"

"Not yet." Joanne felt as if the stares of the entire vice squad would soon burn holes on her body.

"I'll have someone send over breakfast for everyone, okay?" Brian's tone held nothing but pure affection. "Moonlit Dine? Or somewhere else?"

"Moo... Moonlit Dine, then." She could practically hear those guys salivating.

Brian smiled. "Okay." Then, he looked as if another thought had come to him. "How's your tongue?"

This time, Joanne played it smart. She turned around obediently and stuck out her tongue for Brian. "I applied some cream yesterday. It's healed now." Her face had grown warm, and she struggled in his arms for a bit. "You're going to be late for work."

Brian glanced at his watch, looking as if he had only just realized the time. He let go of Joanne and politely bid farewell to everyone. Before he left, he leaned in to whisper into Joanne's ear. "Breakfast will arrive in half an hour."

Joanne did not snap out of it despite the fact that Brian's figure had vanished from the entrance for quite some time. When she looked at her colleagues, the looks on their faces were nothing but ambiguous. All of a sudden, Captain Turner looked at Hannah with concern. "Honey, how's your tongue?"

Playing along, Hannah stretched out her tongue. "I applied some cream yesterday. It's healed now."

Joanne felt a sudden disgustl. "We're not as gross as you two."