Love Began with the First Meeting

"Geek", a squeak pierced through the air. A Maserati screeched in a halt suddenly at the roadside. Since the car had been
accelerating really fast, Molly had to grab the door's armrest tightly. When the car stopped abruptly, her whole body plunged
forward and her head would have hit the windshield if she hadn't grabbed the door's armrest.
"I've told you to fasten the seat belt. Why didn't you listen to me?"
Eric said to Molly banteringly. Molly swallowed hard and turned to Eric. Staring at him with a pale face, Molly could not help but
shout," You're a lunatic!"
Right after she had finished shouting at him, Molly opened the door and got out of the car. Might be because her feet had gotten
warmer in the car or because they suffered from frostbite that she could feel the pain in her feet now. Nonetheless, she didn't
care about the pain. She moved forward slowly, enduring the discomfort.
She had walked a few steps already before someone gripped one of her arms. Molly stopped walking and tears started to stream
down her face. Although she had been trying to hold in all her emotions, she couldn't restrain herself any longer. She turned to
Eric and shouted again," What do you want from me? Don't you see what I've gone through? I've been working so hard to
survive, to support my family. I have to do three, sometimes five jobs a day. My mother is dying and my brother needs money to
go to school. And to add to that, my stupid father has a gambling problem, and I have to pay off his gambling debts... I have
nothing now, nothing. I've even lost my virginity to someone I don't know because of those debts! Please go away. Just leave me
alone, please! I'm begging you." She burst into tears after blurting it all out.
Close to a breakdown, Molly didn't care where she was or whom she was talking to. Tears were all over her face as she
helplessly stomped the ground while she spoke.
"That's impossible," Eric muttered. He looked at her in astonishment, frowning. "My brother would never touch any strange
woman sent by a gambler," he continued.
"Let go of me!" Molly couldn't hear what Eric had said. She swung her arm and tried to shook off his hand, but he held it so tightly
that she failed to do so.
Eric thought it wasn't right to leave a woman in a robe walking alone on the street in winter. Since Brian treated her cold-
heartedly, Eric had felt initially obligated to offer her some help, but now, he became honestly intrigued.
"I'll let you go after I get you some clothes," said Eric casually. He then took Molly by the arm and led her into a flagship store in
the street regardless of her resistance.

"Welcome!" A salesgirl greeted them warmly with a professional smile.
"Bring her some clothes. Get her changed," said Eric without thinking.
"Okay. Let me help you," said the salesgirl. With a glint of amused contempt in the salesgirl's eyes, she looked at Molly who was
totally dishevelled, and said with a smile," Miss, please come with me."
Molly did not budge and stood still quietly. Seeing that she was obviously upset, Eric persuaded her by saying," If you really want
to go, you should get changed first, or we'll be here all day."
Molly stared at Eric with tears brimming in her eyes. For a while, they stood there facing each other. With futile attempt, Molly
eventually conceded to the compromise and went with the salesgirl.
Just then, Eric's phone rang. Withdrawing his gaze from Molly, he took out the phone, looked at the screen
And then answered," Hey, Brian."
"Where are you?" Brian spoke at the other end of the line in a low voice.
Taking a quick glance at Molly, Eric answered," I'll be there in a minute."
"Okay," Brian said coolly, and hung up the phone instantly.
Eric caught a glimpse of Molly again and decided to leave first. Before walking out of the store, he whispered something to the
cashier and wrote down a note.
After Molly was done changing her clothes, she took time to clean herself up in the bathroom. By the time she walked out, Eric
had already left. A little stunned, Molly blinked her eyes.
"Miss, the gentleman you came with left you this," the cashier said with a smile, handing Molly the note and some cash.
Perplexed, Molly took the note from the cashier and glanced at it. There was a phone number and a few words on it: "If you get
into trouble again, you can call me. Don't try to refuse this money because of pride. At least, you need it to go home."
The careless handwriting and the way he talked to her revealed his independent uninhibited personality. He looked only a few
years older than her and he seemed to be a nice man, but she felt that he wasn't just an ordinary man. A certain wildness in his
soul reflected through his smile gave her the impulse to run away from him.