Every Breath You Take

After thinking for a while, Old Mrs. Gu asked Monica to meet in a coffee shop. Monica arrived the coffee shop 20 minutes earlier, while Old Mrs. Gu came in on time.

It had been nine years since Old Mrs. Gu saw Monica last time. Monica was still so beautiful that people in the cafe shop were all looking at her.

Old Mrs. Gu walked over to Monica and sat down. Monica smiled politely at her. "What would you like?"

"Blue Mountains coffee!"

The waiter quickly brought coffee to them. After stirring the coffee with a spoon for a long time, Old Mrs. Gu stopped and slowly said to Monica, "You are much thinner than before." Monica smiled faintly and did not speak.

Old Mrs. Gu wasn't angry. She sighed softly, "Time flies! It's almost nine years!"

Monica understood what she meant. It was not the first time they had met in a cafe. Monica still remembered what she had said at that time. "Don't worry, Old Mrs. Gu. I always remember what you said to me. I know I don't deserve Leon."

Her answer made Old Mrs. Gu's face flash with embarrassment. At that time, she was not polite to Monica at all. She took a sip of the coffee and said, "I also heard about your son's illness. What a poor child. He's so young, so smart and lovely." "Yeah, this is unfair!" Monica answered faintly, and there was no sadness or joy on her face.

"Monica, I want to ask you one thing." Old Mrs. Gu had no choice but to be direct. "Can you leave Leon? I mean, I can pay for your child's treatment. Please don't show up in front of Leon."

Monica knew she would say that. If it had been in the past, she would have agreed to leave Leon without hesitation. But Coco was being treated now. Leon said that the treatment that his attending doctor used was very effective. How could she leave at this time?

"Monica, I know I'm selfish, but I have no choice. I did it for Leon's happiness. I don't want my grandson to be lonely for the rest of his life." Seeing her silence, Old Mrs. Gu said carefully. "Leon still loves you. He has been alone for nine years because of you. How many nine years can he have in his life? Can you bear to see him grow old lonely?"

"I never thought of making Leon lonely. He is the best person I have ever met in my life. I regard him as a friend, a confidant, and an elder brother. I also want him to be happy." Monica answered.

"I know, but Leon's happiness has always been controlled by you. Over the years, his heart has always been in your hands. I have arranged dozens of women for him, but he has not taken a fancy to any of them... I have been worried about his marriage. Monica, I beg you to stay away from Leon!"

"Old Mrs. Gu, do you really think that my leave would change it?" Monica smiled bitterly. "Back then, you asked me to stay away from Leon for his happiness. I agreed and married Quarmy. But Leon still didn't get married. Is it also my fault?"

"Well..." Old Mrs. Gu didn't know what to say. What Monica said made sense. Leon's loneliness seemed to have nothing to do with Monica.

"I don't think I have the ability to control Leon. Maybe his loneliness is partly because of me, but if it weren't for you, he wouldn't have become like this."

"Monica, I know I was wrong, but what about you? Leon's parents died when he was young and he was brought up by me. I have high expectations for him, so it's natural that I want to find a helpful wife for him. At that time, why didn't you tell me your identity? If you have feelings for him, you wouldn't leave without a word."

"I don't have any feelings for Leon?" Monica couldn't help sneering. All she ever wanted was a pure relationship, but things went contrary to her wishes. Most people paid more attention to status and power. Indeed, at that time, if she told Old Mrs. Gu that she was Zoe's daughter, she might be able to stay with Leon. But who would care about her feelings? Her mother passed away because of Zoe's cheating. How could she admit that her father was such a shameless person?

"Old Mrs. Gu, if your father had an illegitimate daughter with his mistress behind your mother's back and caused her death, would you forgive him?"

"Of course not!" With that said, Old Mrs. Gu looked at Monica in surprise. "What do you mean?" "You should know that his current daughter is the same age as me."

"I see!" Old Mrs. Gu sighed. "I misunderstood you, I'm sorry!"

"In fact, I did like Leon at that time. I knew I was not qualified to like him, so I didn't tell him how I felt. Later, you asked me to leave him and I agreed. I know that his loneliness has something to do with me. However, I didn't choose him when I was still an innocent young girl, now that I have experienced too much, I am even more unworthy of him. I will persuade him to find a girlfriend."

Monica took a breath. "As for what you said, I want to tell you that I won't leave..." Suddenly, she found that Old Mrs. Gu's face became pale and her eyes were full of horror. Monica was stunned, and then she found that the coffee shop was surprisingly quiet. She turned her head and saw a bunch of hooded guys with guns.

One of the robbers turned around and locked the door, while the others pointed their guns at the guests in the cafe and asked them to gather together.

Monica, who had never encountered such a thing before, was so stunned that could not move at all. Although Old Mrs. Gu was used to big scenes, they were limited to mall fights. At this moment, it was a matter of life and death. She was also freaked out.

A robber came over with his gun and knocked on the table in front of them, indicating for them to gather together with everyone. Monica helped Old Mrs. Gu into the crowd. The robbers asked everyone to hand over their wallets, including jewelry. They did what they were told to do to for the sake of their lives.

Several robbers aimed at them, while the other two began to collect their wallets and jewelry. When they came to Old Mrs. Gu, she handed her purse, necklace and bracelets to them.

The robbers opened her purse. There was little cash but a lot of bank cards in it. They only wanted cash, so they took out the cash and threw the purse to Old Mrs. Gu.

However, a business card fell out. A robber picked it up and looked at it carefully. Then, his face changed. He ran to the leader with it and whispered a few words in his ear. The leader came over. He stared at Old Mrs. Gu for a while and asked, "Are you Cecilia Gu?"

Old Mrs. Gu knew it was useless to deny it, so she nodded.

Monica's heart sank. She thought that something bad was going to happen. The Gu family was not an ordinary family. How could they let Old Mrs. Gu go if they knew her identity?

She immediately said, "She's not Old Mrs. Gu from the Gu family. You've mistaken her for someone else!"

"Really? I remember I've seen a photo of Old Mrs. Gu in the newspaper." The leader sneered. "Why don't we call her family to confirm it?"

Old Mrs. Gu knew that it was useless to escape, so she admitted her identity.

Sure enough, after that, the leader smiled slyly. "I didn't expect to meet Old Mrs. Gu here. We want to invite you to come back with us. Don't worry, we just want money. We won't hurt you!1' After saying that, he winked at a robber.

That robber came up and wanted to drag Old Mrs. Gu out. Monica hurried forward to stop them. "You can't take her away!"

"Get out!" The robber pushed Monica aside. Monica was pushed to the ground by him. She did not give up. She got up and continued to plead. "Don't you want money? I am her granddaughter. Let me be your hostage! Let my grandmother go back and she will give you money."

"Are you really her granddaughter?" The robber couldn't believe it.

"Yes, I am Mandy. My grandmother is old and she is not in good health. What if something happens to her? You don't want to cause trouble, do you?" The robbers naturally heard of Mandy. After thinking for a while, they let Old Mrs. Gu go and chose Monica as the hostage.

Monica was taken out of the coffee shop by the robbers. Before they left, they asked Old Mrs. Gu to prepare 100 million cash. Seeing them leave, the guests called the police. After some inquiries, the police began to search for the robbers all over the city. They told Old Mrs. Gu to inform them if the robbers called her.

After that, Old Mrs Gu was sent home. She was very worried about Monica's safety. If it weren't for Monica, she would have been taken away by the robbers. She had to save Monica. She ordered the housekeeper to prepare cash. At this moment, Mandy came back. After knowing what happened, she stopped her. "Grandma, don't you think it's a perfect opportunity for us?"

"What opportunity?"

"An opportunity to get rid of Monica." Mandy reminded her. "As long as we don't give them money, they will definitely kill Monica. At that time, Monica will completely disappear. You don't have to worry about Leon anymore."

"What did you say?" Old Mrs. Gu looked at Mandy in surprise as if she did not know her at all. "Why do you have such a terrible idea? Monica was taken away for saving me. Shouldn't we save her?" "I... I..." Mandy knew that she said the wrong thing. She had always been gentle and kind. It was no wonder that Old Mrs. Gu would be surprised.

The robbers took Monica to a house. After locking the door of the house, they began to think about how to blackmail the Gu family. One of the robber called the Gu family. Old Mrs. Gu was very straightforward. She said that someone was preparing the ransom and asked them to wait for a while.

They did not believe her words and warned her not to call the police. If she made them unhappy, they would kill her granddaughter. Old Mrs. Gu promised not to call the police, but Mandy's eyes lit up. After hanging up the phone, several robbers sat together to discuss. One of them reminded that the Gu family was a rich family. Did they ask too little money? The leader felt a little regretful after hearing that.

It was common for the robbers to go back on their word. Monica's heart sank when she heard that. At this moment, she was not as scared as she used to be. She carefully observed the terrain. She was brought into the room with her eyes blindfolded, so she did not know where she was.

Now that the black cloth on her eyes had been removed, she could see clearly that she was in a room of an apartment. The robbers were talking in the living room.

There was a window in the room, but there were iron railings on the window, so there was no way to escape at all. Generally, the windows of bathrooms would not be equipped with iron railings. Therefore, Monica told them that she wanted to go to the bathroom. They agreed.

Monica entered the bathroom and found that she was right. She stood on the toilet and looked out. She was on the third floor. If she jumped down, her body would get hurt.

However, there was an air conditioner next to the window, and there was an awning below it. If she climbed to the air conditioner, and then jumped to the top of the awning, it would be much better. However, it was also very dangerous to do so. If she was careless, she would fall. However, she did not have to think too much. If the Gu family did not agree to the conditions of the robbers, she would die. She had to save herself.

Monica returned to the room quietly and continued to wait. Two hours passed. The robbers called the Gu family again. The Gu family said that the money was ready, then the robbers told them the location to transact.

Two robbers went to get the ransom, but they didn't take Monica with them. Monica knew that they wanted to ask more money. After a while, she proposed to go to the bathroom again. The robbers were happy so they didn't refuse.

She entered the bathroom, locked the door and started to escape. She thought it was easy, but she was wrong. She took a lot of effort to climb out of the window and stood on the air conditioner. She felt dizzy when she looked down, and she subconsciously squatted down.

Seeing that she had been in the bathroom for so long, a robber began to knock. Monica was flustered and jumped down from the air conditioner with her eyes closed. When she landed on the awning, the old awning couldn't withstand her weight and broke. Monica also fell down.

Fortunately, she jumped vertically and there was an awning to reduce the impact force. The most serious injuries were to her ankles. As soon as her feet touched the ground, the heart-wrenching pain came from her ankles. She could not care so much and struggled to run out. At the same time, the robber began to kick the door hard.

Soon the door was kicked open, but there was no one inside. "Boss, the hostage has escaped!" The leader panicked when he heard this. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and chase her!"

A group of people went downstairs with curses. Monica's ankles hurt so much. She knew that they would catch up with her soon, so she turned back and hid in the grass downstairs. The most dangerous place was the safest place.

The robbers were not familiar with the terrain either. After running for some distance, they got a phone call. "Boss, we are fooled. There is no ransom at all. They called the police. Now there are police everywhere. Run!"

Hearing that, the leader fled in a panic with his men.

Mandy went to visit Gracie in a good mood. Gracie was much better and was talking to a servant. She was very happy to see Mandy. "Mandy, you don't have to come to see me every day."

"I'm free anyway." Mandy sat down beside the bed and spoke softly to Gracie. Roland returned with a cigarette. When he saw his mother and Mandy chatting happily, his face changed. Mandy left the ward and saw Roland standing in the corridor, leaning against the wall in a daze. She reached out and pushed him. "Why don't you come inside?"

Roland came to his senses and said, "Mandy, I have something to ask you!"

"Is it about Auntie? Don't worry, she's better now..."

"No, it's about you and me." Roland stared at her pretty face and asked, "Mandy, do you really want to marry me?"

Mandy looked at Roland in astonishment. She did not understand why he said that. Roland added, "Even if I don't love you, do you still want to marry me?" Mandy nodded. "Roland, even if you don't love me, I want to marry you!"

"You'd better think about it. I will never love you and we can only be a so-called couple. I'm still a playboy and you can do whatever you want. Do you still want to marry me?"

"I do!"

"Fine, Mandy, I am willing to be engaged to you. If you still want to marry me after three years, I will marry you!" After saying this, he pushed the door open and went inside.

Mandy pinched her wrist in disbelief. It was very painful. It was not a dream! Joy filled her brain, and she ran out of the hospital without caring about anything.

It had been a few hours before Leon knew what happened to Monica. He rushed to Gu Residence and asked, "Grandma, why didn't you inform me earlier?"

"I was afraid that you'd be worried, so..." Old Mrs. Gu didn't dare to look at her grandson. "It's all my fault. I thought the robbers just wanted money. I didn't expect that they wouldn't keep their words."

"The robbers are nowhere to be found now, and so is Monica." Leon was really anxious. "You should have told me earlier. What should we do now?"

At this moment, the man who went to give the robbers money before came back. "We arrived at the appointed place but the police were also there. The robbers probably saw them and didn't show up." "Why would the police be there? I didn't inform them, did I?" Old Mrs. Gu was surprised.

"I don't know. When I drove there, I saw policemen everywhere."

"Who on earth informed the police?" Old Mrs. Gu looked at the people in the room and found that Mandy was absent. "Where is Mandy?"

"Miss Gu went to visit Mrs. Wang!" A servant answered. Old Mrs. Gu's face darkened. When she was about to lose her temper, the phone rang. It was from the police. They had found Monica and were sending her to the hospital.

Old Mrs. Gu and Leon immediately went to the hospital. Monica's ankles were twisted and there were some slight bruises on her body. But she was fine.

Seeing that, Old Mrs. Gu and Leon were relieved.

After knowing how Monica escaped, Leon breathed a sigh of relief. It was a stroke of luck that she only sprained her ankles after she jumped from such a height. Fortunately, the robbers did not find her, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.

Old Mrs. Gu was really grateful to Monica, and her attitude towards her changed dramatically. She held Monica's hand and told her to take good care of herself.

After leaving the hospital, Old Mrs. Gu returned home. Mandy had been waiting anxiously in the living room for a long time. When she saw Old Mrs. Gu, she said, "Grandma, I have something to tell you!" However, Old Mrs. Gu was not as kind as she usually was. Instead, she said coldly, "Follow me."

Mandy followed her into the study. After closing the door, she slapped Mandy in the face. "Bastard, did you call the police?"

"Grandma! I..." Mandy covered her face and the joy in her heart turned into grievance. She really wanted to deny, but Old Mrs. Gu's gaze was too fierce. She had to lower her head and say nothing.

Old Mrs. Gu stared at her coldly. "You'd better tell me the truth. If I find out..."

"Grandma, I did it for her own good. If the robbers want to kill her, the police will save her."

"How dare you say that! Are you afraid that the robbers will not kill her? Do you want her to die so badly?" Old Mrs. Gu was really shocked. She had always thought that Mandy was obedient, talkative and adorable. But it seemed that she was wrong. "I didn't expect that you to be so vicious. You really let me down!"

"Grandma, I was wrong. Monica hurt Leon so much, but you don't bear to drive her out. I..." Mandy still didn't give up. "I think Monica did it for herself. As long as you are grateful to her, she can be with Leon!" "You still want to lie to me? Do you think I'm an idiot?" Old Mrs. Gu looked at Mandy with disappointment. "How dare you say that you did it for Leon? I think you did it for Roland. Do you think he will marry you if Monica dies? I'm telling you, if it were that simple, all the rich people would get what they want. Why should we need justice and law?" "Grandma, I was wrong!" Mandy suddenly knelt on the ground. "It's my fault. I was so crazy that I did that. Please forgive me, Grandma!"

"Fortunately, Monica survived, otherwise..." Old Mrs. Gu was still freaked out. However, Mandy was her own granddaughter, so she did not punish her. She just ordered her to reflect on herself. "Mandy, being selfish and vicious will only hurt yourself."

Old Mrs. Gu went to the hospital the next day to visit Monica. Monica's ankles were better after the treatment. Leon and Coco were also there.

The three of them were playing games, and the ward was filled with laughter. Looking at their happy faces, Old Mrs. Gu sighed. If it weren't for herself, Monica and Leon would have been together and had a

child!

The three of them saw her and stopped playing. "Grandma, why are you here?" Leon greeted her.

She walked in and smiled at Monica. "How do you feel?"

"Much better. I don't think there's any need for me to stay in the hospital."

"No, you should listen to the doctor and stay in the hospital for a few days." Leon interrupted.

"Yes. Don't worry. We are here." Old Mrs. Gu was very kind.

After staying in the hospital for a while, Old Mrs. Gu said that she should leave. Leon sent her out. At the entrance of the hospital, she held his hand and said, "You are so busy with your work that you don't have to stay in the hospital all the time. I'll ask a servant to take care of Monica." "Don't worry, Grandma. The company's business won't be delayed." Leon smiled. "Monica is my friend. In addition, she was injured because of you. As the grandson of the Gu family, I should take care of her."

Hearing this, Old Mrs. Gu's face changed slightly. Leon seemed to be reminding her not to forget about Monica's favor. Did he want her to agree to Monica being with him? She was a little unhappy and returned home.

When she got home, she sat on the sofa and started thinking. She had lived for a long time and had experienced too many things, but she never thought that she would be in such a dilemma.

She didn't hate Monica. She disliked her because Leon kept single for her. When Monica saved her regardless of the safety of herself, she suddenly found that her attitude towards Monica had changed and she felt sorry for her. However, when she saw her grandson and Monica were having fun with Coco, she felt uncomfortable again.

Although Mandy did something wrong, her words made sense. If Monica uses this matter to ask her to allow her to be with Leon, what should she do?

She felt very uneasy. As the saying goes, people's hearts are unpredictable. She was afraid that Monica saved her for something else. While she was thinking, Monica bought a flight ticket and was ready to return home.

The day after tomorrow was Monica's mother's death anniversary. She had to go back.

Monica's sudden leave made Old Mrs. Gu feel a little guilty. She misunderstood her. Then, she decided to see her off.

Looking at her grandson holding Coco and saying goodbye to Monica, she suddenly felt touched. They should have been a perfect couple. For the first time, she found herself very cruel.

When Monica was going through security, she couldn't help but come forward to hold Monica's hand. She said something that even surprised herself. "Monica, if you like Leon, go ahead. I will never stop you

again!"

Sitting on the plane, Monica's mind was filled with Old Mrs. Gu's words. She knew that Old Mrs. Gu was sincere, but it was too late.

If it had been nine years ago, she would have been ecstatic. But after so many hardships, she had lost the courage to love.

All she wanted now was her son's safety. As long as Coco could be fine, she was willing to suffer.

The plane landed safely at the Jiang City Airport. Monica took a taxi to the apartment she rented. She reported Coco's condition to Xanjer, but she didn't tell him that she was kidnapped.

Hearing that Coco was better, Xanjer was very happy. They talked for a while, and then Monica went back to the Jane family.

On the way back, she had made up her mind. It was time for her to face Quarmy. During the time abroad, there were countless foreign missed calls in her mobile phone. They were all strange numbers, but she knew who the caller was. She blocked his number, so he would definitely call her with different numbers.

Of course, she ignored him. The purpose of her going abroad was to escape from his entanglement. But for Coco, she had no choice but to stay with him. She was due to ovulate soon. No matter how much she hated this man, she had to be with him.

Monica pushed open the door of the Jane family and saw Madrigal and Quarmy sitting on the sofa. Of course, there were also Zoe and Yale.

The four of them were talking with smiles on their faces. It seemed that they were happy.

Her appearance disturbed the harmony of the family. Madrigal stood up first and said, "Sister, you are finally back."

Her words sounded intimate, as if she missed Monica very much. Monica ignored her and went upstairs with her luggage. After she took a shower, Zoe told her to have dinner.

Monica got up and took the lead to the dining room. There were fragrant dishes on the table. Madrigal told Lancy, "Lancy, soup first. You can lose weight by drinking soup before meals."

Lancy served soup for everyone. Monica sneered. When she was Quarmy's wife, he served her soups before meals, saying that it could make her stay thin. Gradually, she was used to having soup before a meal. She didn't expect that Quarmy would tell it to Madrigal too.

Lancy put the soup in front of Monica, but she didn't take it. Instead, she pushed it aside. "Lancy, I'm not used to drinking soup before the meal! I want to eat food first."

"Okay." Lancy quickly took the soup away.

Madrigal interrupted, "Sister, I remember that you used to like to drink soups before meals, didn't you?"

Monica didn't look at Madrigal. She swallowed her food and said, "That's because I wanted to lose weight. Now I find that I was really an idiot before. If a man really loves me, he will not leave me no matter

how fat I am."

Quarmy's face was a little gloomy. Monica had a bad stomach, and she refused to take medicine. In order to let her drink soup, he told her that she could lose weight by doing it.

However, Monica didn't get it. She actually thought that he was asking her to lost weight.

Zoe took a sip of soup and looked at his daughter. "Did you go abroad to see Leon?"

Monica didn't say anything, but Yale added, "Old Mrs. Gu didn't make things difficult for you, did she?"

Monica put down her chopsticks. How could she let Yale take advantage of her? "Thank you for your concern, Madam Jane. She didn't make things difficult for me. She said that she wouldn't stop me being

with Leon anymore!"

Zoe was surprised to hear that. He knew that Leon broke up with Monica because of Old Mrs. Gu's opposition, and Leon had been single for Monica. It would be great that if Old Mrs. Gu agreed them being together. The Gu family was a big family, and Leon loved Monica so much. He really wanted them to be together.

Thinking of this, Zoe cleared his throat and said, "When will you bring Leon back?"

"Let's talk about it later!" Monica answered ambiguously. She just told them what Old Mrs. Gu said. She didn't care whether they believed it or not.

Quarmy was holding the chopsticks with his strong hand. He held back the anger that was about to spread from his chest and picked up a piece of duck meat for Madrigal. "Try it. It is nourishing."

Madrigal was flattered. Monica looked at them with a smile and said, "My brother-in-law is so kind to my sister!"

This was Monica's first time calling Madrigal sister, but it was said in this kind of situation. Quarmy choked and couldn't breathe for a long time.

At the same time, Zoe put a piece of duck meat into Monica's bowl. Monica took it out and said, "I don't like it. It's fatty and disgusting, okay?" Madrigal was sweetly enjoying the duck meat Quarmy gave her. However, when she heard Monica's words, she suddenly felt a little disgusted.

After dinner, Monica said that she was tired and went upstairs to rest. Quarmy came here because he heard that Monica was back, but he was annoyed by her before he could say something to her. He knew

that he didn't have a chance to talk to her, so he sat down for a while and then left.

The next morning, Monica changed clothes early in the morning and went out.

Her mother's graveyard was on the mountain in the west of the city. It was very far away. After taking a few buses, Monica finally arrived at the mountain. She bought incense and flowers and walked up the

mountain.

From a distance, she saw a flower in front of her mother's tombstone. It was not a chrysanthemum, but a bright rose. She wondered as she approached. Her mother loved roses very much when she was alive. Who put the rose here? Zoe? She shook her head. Zoe wouldn't be so infatuated.

She cleaned up the weeds, lit a candle, and quietly sat in front of the tombstone, staring at the photo of her mother on it.

Her mother's smile was so bright and dazzling. She had experienced betrayal, so she naturally knew her mother's despair and pain at that time. She could not help but ask softly, "Mom, have you regretted it?"

Her mother was looking at her with a gentle smile. Monica reached out to touch her face. "You lost your life for such a man and left your young daughter alone. Idiot! Idiot!"

There was a sound of footsteps behind her. Then, she heard a man's surprised voice. "Hannah?"