Hou Yi turned looking at all three men, before Chester turned and said "Do not worry. Lexi forgets her past and what she and Matthew had planned.  None of us knew about this until just recently.  But as we have told her in the last week and a half, she cannot change things, so she must get use to her new reality.  She does not want to face that and the three of us have decided that we will not interfere."

"Plus, at the moment I do not need the stress of those two," chipped in Phillip Rong.

Something clicked for Hou Yi. The law here in Country Y with respect to marriages for military members was different to that for everyone else. Any staff they sent to this country were soundly briefed as to how marriages could occur for different ranks and the consequences of causing trouble that impacts on the marriage of a military member. "A military marriage?"

"I knew you were not dumb. That is why I sent Chester here to see you just before Christmas,"

Andrew said. "Now apologies Madam Hou in your condition we should not have you standing."

Just after they had sat down and handed drinks, in stormed a woman, who Anna immediately determined had to be Lexi Yao. She had more feminine features that had similarities to her brothers.

Not observing Anna and Hou Yi were there she angrily said "You three, you are not doing your job and protecting me from that maniac. He keeps insisting that we are married, I have no options, I cannot get a divorce unless he agrees and that I can only go to limited places, or I will be detained on the military base. He is a liar, and you all know I want nothing to do with him. I will see you later as I am heading home, and if he tries anything I am, I hate to say it my brothers, leaving the country. He will not mess up my life."

All Andrew and Chester could do was shake their heads, so it was left to Phillip to respond "Lexi, calm down. I spoke to President Dong yesterday to clarify the situation.  What Matthew has told you the absolute truth. I would guess your name is already flagged at immigration so trying to leave is impossible. Calm down. I will try and convince Matthew that you can stay at my villa as well as the other options you have been given. The last thing any of us want is for you to be forced onto the military base."

"Your brother can go to h.e.l.l Phillip. I love you, and you are the best thing for my brother, but his time in the military has made him arrogant, demanding and controlling and he has no right to control me."

Sighing Andrew said "Lexi, Phillip is right calm down. And I think you need to apologise to our guests."

At that moment Lexi noticed Anna and Hou Yi in the room and had the grace to blush recognising the scene that she had created. One thing her parents had always drummed into her was not to cause a scene in front of visitors, and she had done that. "My apologies for that…" and she then squealed observing that Anna was pregnant, before turning to her brothers "And you did not tell me that she was pregnant. You idiots."

"Well Lexi we asked you could you help her shop tomorrow, and by the way that is an approved activity" which saw a dark look pa.s.s over Lexi's face "and you said that you would take the wife of our guest shopping while we were talking business. You cannot back out now."

Before any response could not happen, they were all called into dinner, and as Anna and Hou Yi followed the Yao siblings and Phillip Rong, they noticed two young military officers came into the house. Hou Yi leaned over "Lexi Yao is in for a hard time if she thinks that she can fight against this military marriage."

Despite the turmoil before their dinner, the rest of the evening pa.s.sed on well, before Hou Yi and Anna took their leave and headed back to their hotel.