บท 39: Where is the portrait?

In the big garden behind the Hillside's Villa, three men were leisurely enjoying their breakfast.

"Eric Bro, you should know, it was fucking difficult to speak a lie, no?" Sun Nan had his body leaned forward. His eyes were staring grudgingly at Eric Wu who was sitting on the rattan chair in such a composed manner. His hair that was blown by the gentle breeze made him looked so fucking handsome. Sun Nan gulped, trying so hard to maintain his angry state.

"You're an actor," the other replied as a matter of fact. An eyebrow rose as if telling Sun Nan that it should be an easy job for him.

"Eric bro…" Sun Nan was defeated. He looked at Lu Fei who was looking at Eric Wu with scrutinizing eyes. His eyes shone as he thought of something.

"Lu Fei, say something! Your name was borrowed as well," he tried to get Lu Fei to his side. However, Lu Fei simply looked at him before he decided to ignore him.

"F U!" Sun Nan sulked as he crossed his legs and looked in the other direction. His childish actions brought laughter. Both Eric Wu and Lu Fei clashed their cup, cheering at the expected outcome. Sun Nan glared at them with his lips now pouted. He sighed after realizing that he had become an entertainment for the two men. Again.

"Thank you for covering for me," Eric Wu said with a trace of laughter. He filled Sun Nan's empty cup in a poised manner. Like a butler serving his lord. Seeing this, Sun Nan beamed. He cheerfully drank his coffee. Lu Fei shook his head after witnessing the way Sun Nan was easily swayed by Eric Wu's so-called kindness.

"Bro, the motorbike that you sent to Bella, is it the new product of your new venture?" Lu Fei asked. While listening to their conversations with Bella Lim earlier, he already had a guess. Eric Wu had talked to them many times about expanding Wu's influence into the automotive industry. Therefore, he thought that could be the reason.

Eric Wu stared at Lu Fei. A small smile on his face. He nodded once, confirming his guess.

"While it's true that Bella's old bike was now a waste, I thought, having her as a beta rider for Escaper 117 is a good move," he explained with one corner of his lips curled upward.

"Eric bro, good move indeed!" Sun Nan had recovered to his usual self. He slammed the table's surface as a way to support Eric Wu's decision. Lu Fei, however, was still looking confused. The first motorbike that Wu Automotive would release supposedly to cater to motorcycle racing.

Lu Fei was certain that Bella Lim wasn't a racer.

Eric Wu noticed that Lu Fei was having a doubt, but he remained silent. He would only explain when asked.

"Escaper 117? That's a good name choice. But, why did you choose Bella?" Lu Fei asked. He knew that a beta rider was a term Eric Wu used to refer to someone that could give a professional input about Escaper 117. That was the reason why he was curious about his actions.

Could Bella Lim provide the information he needed? As far as he knew, she was just someone who used a bike solely for transportation. Wasn't she?

"Is it wrong? Besides, it's only one motorbike. It will not affect the true assessment of Escaper 117," Eric Wu lifted one of his eyebrows. He smiled, but somehow that smile looked mysterious to Lu Fei. He felt that Eric Wu had another reason because this man was a calculative person. He would never do something without profit.

Seeing that he would not get the answer he wanted, Lu Fei gave up. He chuckled as he took a sip of his drink.

Eric Wu was still smiling, but his mind was now on something else. Lu Fei was right to be curious because what he did was indeed unexpected. What he said earlier wasn't the reason for him to give the million AD motorbike to Bella Lim.

The main reason he did what he did was the horrible accident involving a young girl in Kastache many years ago. He had witnessed the accident with his two eyes. At that time, he was going undercover to get materials for his next book in that country. The isolated street in which the accident took place was lucky to have him there or else, the girl would long leave this world.

Until now, that incident was engraved to his mind and unable to be erased. This made him prioritize safety when choosing a vehicle. Therefore, knowing that Bella Lim was now one of them… Well, since Sun Nan and Lu Fei was too attached and cared about her, he thought that he should take responsibility too. At least, he could ensure that her next vehicle has top-notch safety features.

However, if it was two days ago, he was still considering the option as he thought Bella Lim was probably attached to her old, green bike. The motorbike wasn't totally irreparable. It still could be saved by undergoing major customization with important parts replaced with the new one. In the end, she still gets her old motorbike. However, the duration to accomplish that would take a month, sometimes more. Well, as long as the motorbike didn't cause trouble for her, Eric Wu thought that she wouldn't mind waiting.

It was only yesterday that he decisively decided on the thing he did today. Tao who always curious about everything actually did research on Bella Lim and found that she had resigned from her workplace.

He was shocked at the news, but after listening to the details from his assistant, he couldn't help but respect her resoluteness. True to his original assessment of her, Bella Lim could become a tigress in times of need. Although she was 'dangerous' as she knew secret she shouldn't know, this woman deserved his respect!

"Eric bro!"

Startled, Eric Wu looked at Sun Nan who was frowning at him. He frowned back, a signal for Sun Nan to speak.

"What were you thinking, you looked dazed," Sun Nan asked.

"Just some stuff. Why?" Eric Wu asked in return.

"Well, I'm thinking about the woman in your dream. Lu Fei said that you've assigned an artist to draw her. Is it true? Where is the portrait?" Sun Nan asked.

Lu Fei patted Sun Nan's back as he said: "For once, you asked a good question without cursing. Eric, I'm curious about this too. Have you found her? Is she real? Can I have a look at the portrait?" he asked a string of questions.

After a while, he noticed that Eric Wu still appeared calm even under their non-stopped questions plus teasing looks. This was different from a few weeks ago when he first told them about the woman in his dream...

Sun Nan and Lu Fei knew that Eric Wu was a man who hated dating around. If a woman wanted to sincerely become his friend, he wouldn't refuse her. But such a woman was rare. Even if there was one, Eric Wu had no interest in her. Therefore, their friendship never blossomed to something beyond.

Seeing how difficult he was to fall in love, Sun Nan and Lu Fei thought that he simply had a cold heart. Only a 'fiery' woman could melt his frozen heart. Sadly, such a woman hadn't appeared in Eric Wu's life.

Yet, things began to change a few weeks ago, when Eric Wu suddenly told them that he had been dreaming about the same woman for a whole week.

The look he had while talking about her was akin to someone who couldn't believe that he had fallen in love. Although he didn't speak about how he really felt, the way he described her… they could hear the longing in his voice. They even made a trip to Azure just to help him go through those heart-wrecking days.

Well, they were simply listening and observing how he sometimes in dazed and tripped while walking on a perfectly smooth, flat floor. They wanted to tease him but couldn't, as he looked madly in love. They could only wish that this woman was real. If she wasn't, they hoped that Eric Wu could get over her.

Eric Wu stared at the two thirsty people in front of him and shrugged. "The painting isn't finished," he said and secretly rejoiced at their disappointed looks.

The truth, he was lying.

Last night, Mr. Yang had sent the portrait in a hurry. He invited him to their small party but was rejected as he was in a rush to catch a flight for another assignment. Due to this, Eric Wu secretly transferred another sum of money to his account. That man was probably freaking out by now since he had insisted for him not to pay more.

The portrait was now hidden somewhere in the villa. He purposely hid it from other's eyes as he didn't want Sun Nan and Lu Fei to associate the portrait with Bella Lim.

That's right. This was also the reason why he was so willing to let one of his Escaper 117 became her possession. The second he saw the portrait; Bella Lim's face was the first thing that showed up in his mind. He really thought that she was the clue. Although the other had denied having a female sibling.

In the end, Eric Wu, didn't think that Bella Lim could be the woman he had been looking for. Not in the slightest! It wasn't because he didn't want to, but it just didn't cross his mind…