She took her hand bag, heavy with a pistol hidden in its secret compartment, and strode towards the door.

She was wearing a hat over her dark brown hair neatly tied in a low bun. The color of the hat matched her navy blue trench coat which ended below her knees. Her black gloves and pump heels made the look more sophisticated and the dark sungla.s.ses with golden frame made her look mysterious.

She was about to exit the airport and into her black Porsche Panamera which was waiting for her, when beside the car appeared a middle-aged man with handsome features.

He was wearing a light grey business suit and dark grey tie, enhancing his appearance despite his age.

He held the card with Aoi's name on it. As she approached him, he flipped the card which showed 'Boku no tsuma' in weird strokes of the calligraphy of her language.

She could not help but chuckle. She took off her sungla.s.ses and casually placed it to hang on her neckline, as he gave her a peck on the cheek.

He opened the pa.s.senger door for her, then sat beside her.

Instead of going to the Xiu estate, the car went beyond city limits and parked just outside a Spanish villa.

Xiu Jin and Aoi Xiu took turns to play with their new grandson. Coaxing him with a rattle and setting their prides aside to make goofy expressions.

Midori was chopping vegetables for the hotpot when Dan found his wife after arriving home. At first, he was again startled by an unfamiliar car, but the laughter coming from inside the house appeased him.

"They seem happy together..." he remarked.

"What made you think that they're not?" Midori flashed a confused expression.

"I didn't think that!" The way he denied it sounded more suspicious.

"Dan, when we grow old, I want us to be like Mom and Dad." Her smile was warm and sincere.

Then she continued chopping some mushroom.

He embraced her from behind and gave her a kiss on her head. "I want us to even be happier than they are." Even though he knew that she meant well, because he suspects something was amiss in his in-laws, he could not totally agree with her.

She giggled. "Okay. Now, remove your snake arms from my waist so I could finish preparing and we could all eat hotpot."

"Snake arms?" He raised an eyebrow without removing his arms.

"Y'know...your arms tend to slither here and there."

"Where, here...?" He moved his hands all over her abdomen and waist.

She almost squealed when they ventured on her b.u.t.tocks. She even dropped the knife while giggling.

"Dan! Stop that!" She was trying hard to scold him as she turned to flash him a stern look. "Go wash up before dinner!" She pointed to the curved doorway.

Dan made a sad puppy noise and teasingly licked her lips before leaving the kitchen.

She squinted her eyes at his retreating figure and chuckled. "Dog!"

_____________________

"I...am not...who you think I am!" She placed her palms flat on his chest and exerted all her efforts to push him away. "Mister, I don't even know you! This is kidnapping!" she blurted out. She decided that this is the more normal response.

He shook his head. "No! You know in yourself that you are my wife! Why do you want me to pretend with you that you are somebody else?!"

"I am not-"

"It's not only me! Manta misses his mother...EVERYDAY!" He emphasized the last word.

This melted her legs as she fell on her knees. She felt the sand scratch her smooth skin. She wailed.

Masaichi Xiu supported her up and held her.

"Please don't!" she protested, but her whole body felt drained of energy.

He embraced her tighter. "Anata wa boku no tsuma.*"

She continued crying. "Gomen...gomen ne...gomenasai!"