Chapter 85: Another Funeral

Watching the coffin gradually swallowed by the earth, Rolando felt a complex mix of emotions.

He was not a good brother—nor even a good man. As the first member of the Defoe family to engage in arms trafficking, he had committed countless wrongdoings. His name brought shame to the entire Defoe family. Yet, due to his power, few dared to confront him.

But now, the person who had once been his brother was dead, and he had died in his own room.

A lingering sorrow wrapped around Rolando. He found himself reminiscing about Adams as a child. Back then, Adams was so adorable. With their father often absent, the responsibility of looking after his three younger brothers naturally fell on him, the eldest.

Strictly speaking, the ones who needed his care were Adams and Murphy. Montreux had always been independent and strong, never requiring anyone’s help.

Perhaps because their ages weren’t too far apart, Adams had been the closest to him during childhood.

Now that he was gone, Rolando was certain many would consider it a good thing.

Silently, Rolando tossed a white calla lily into the grave. It didn’t take long for the white petals to be covered by the brown soil.

After the funeral, Murphy cast a complicated glance at Lei Yin, who stood beside Amy, before leaving the cemetery with the others.

“Little one, wait in the car for me, alright?” Masashi opened the car door for the little girl.

“Okay.” Amy obediently climbed in.

“I’ll be back soon,” Masashi said, turning on the radio before closing the door.

He walked to Montreux’s grave, where a beautiful woman stood quietly, gazing at the tombstone.

After a moment, Masashi broke the silence. “If you don’t want to go back, that’s fine. I’ll take care of the little one.”

The woman shook her head and, still facing the tombstone, said, “I promised Mr. Montreux I would take good care of Amy. Even though that promise began as a lie, I’ll treat it as a genuine commitment now.”

“Although I once suggested you return, I won’t force you if you truly don’t want to. After all, women are destined to marry someday.”

The woman paused before speaking softly. “Over the years, I’ve done many things for Murphy, whether I wanted to or not. Sometimes, I wonder if Murphy truly loves me or just sees me as someone to use. But I always stop myself from thinking further. I’ve sacrificed so much for him, and if the answer is no, I’m afraid I’ll fall apart.

“But after that night, I spent a long time thinking—about things I hadn’t dared to consider before. And I realized I couldn’t be certain whether Murphy ever truly loved me. To find out, I did something so foolish it makes me laugh just thinking about it.”

Ailin turned to look at Masashi. “This morning, I went to the law firm to transfer guardianship of Amy. But the person I transferred it to wasn’t Murphy—it was Mr. Rolando.”

Masashi, typically unflappable, was momentarily stunned.

“Why did you do that?” he asked.

“Because I wanted to see if, after I did something so foolish, Murphy would still accept me.

“Also, thank you for saving Bruno,” Ailin added with a serene smile.

Masashi gazed quietly at the mixed-race beauty in front of him. After a moment, he extended his right hand. “Take good care of the little one for me from now on.”

“Amy is a very obedient girl. She won’t be any trouble,” Ailin said, shaking his hand.

“Need a ride back? I can moonlight as your bodyguard. If that guy dares to hit you, I’ll make sure to castrate him,” Masashi said with a smile.

“No need. Although I’m unsure whether he loves me, I know him well enough. He’s a gentleman and would never lay hands on a woman. Besides, I’d like to stay and talk to Mr. Montreux for a while. I deceived him, and I want to ask for his forgiveness.” Ailin turned back to the tombstone as she spoke softly.

“Alright, call me anytime if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Lei Yin.”

When Masashi returned to the car, he told the little girl, “Don’t worry, Ailin will be back soon.”

Amy immediately beamed with happiness.

“Little one, if I ever lied to you, what would you do?” Masashi asked after buckling her seatbelt.

After thinking for a moment, Amy replied, “If it were Lei or Lin, I’d forgive you.”

“Really? I’m honored,” Masashi said, pinching her cheek playfully.

The little girl giggled and tried to hug him but couldn’t move due to the seatbelt.

“Alright, enough playing. Little one, have you thought about what I asked you last night?” he asked, holding her small hand.

Remembering the topic, Amy began trembling again, her fear evident.

Seeing this, Masashi immediately unbuckled her seatbelt and held her in his arms.

After what felt like an eternity, the little girl gradually stopped shaking. Then, after a long pause, she looked up at him hesitantly.

“Lei… you decide for me, okay? Mimi is too scared,” she said tearfully.

“I think it’s better if you forget the unhappy things,” Masashi said, looking into her eyes.

“Mimi will just listen to Lei,” Amy murmured, burying her face in his chest.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine,” he whispered reassuringly in her ear.

***

Meanwhile, at the Kendo Club, manager Mafang Junko turned to a nearby girl. “Rumi, are you okay? You’ve seemed out of it lately.”

“I’m fine, Senpai. Please don’t worry,” the girl replied.

“Are you sure? Maybe I’m overthinking it, but you seem a bit distracted.”

“Maybe I’m just tired lately,” Rumi said with a smile.

“As long as you’re alright. You’re the club’s ace, after all. Take care of yourself, or Coach Omura will kill me,” Junko joked, sticking out her tongue.

“You flatter me, Senpai. By the way, what day is it today?” Rumi asked.

“You silly girl, you don’t even know the day? It’s Thursday. You really must be exhausted—get some rest tonight.”

“I will. Thank you for your concern, Senpai.”

Thursday? So it’s been over two weeks, Rumi thought, lost in thought.

“Rumi! Rumi!”

“Yes, Senpai?” The girl snapped out of her daze.

“Didn’t you hear? Coach Omura is calling you.”

Looking over, Rumi saw Coach Omura beckoning.

“Oh, Senpai, I’ll head over now,” she said, standing and running off.

“Wait, you forgot your shinai!” Junko called after her.

But Rumi didn’t seem to hear and kept running.

Sure enough, after a brief exchange with Coach Omura, Rumi ran back to retrieve her shinai.

What’s going on with her? Junko thought worriedly.