A scene that he had never dared to think about and had never thought about before had just happened on this very day, and it impacted Twain deeply.

His heart that had been beating furiously came to a stop when Shania whispered the words ‘I love you’ by his ear.

He stood rooted at the spot like a statue, and did not even react when Shania waved him goodbye.

He was not a moron. He understood what ‘love’ is, and what ‘I love you’ meant. He could not lie to himself and say that those were just words of admiration that Shania had said to someone older than her. She might be able to say the words ‘I love you’ to her parents, but to say ‘I love you’ to a man without any blood relations with her could only mean one thing.

She had truly fallen for him.

Twain felt as though his head was about to explode.

Something like this… Something like this… How could it happen to him?

It felt like a story without build up or sex without foreplay. Everything happened too quickly and Twain’s heart really could not handle it all.

※※※

As he sat in the car that was given to him by Shania, Twain was still reminiscing about everything that had happened these two days. He wanted to connect the dots and find the clues hidden within. He then realized that what the journalist, Lisa Aria, said had been completely right. Shania was not angry as he had assumed she was. She was just being jealous.

A girl who was in love with him wanted to give him a surprise, only to find that he had brought a seductive woman home. What was she feeling when she saw that?

Twain had never been in love before, but he had watched soap operas so he knew.

The problem is, why would Shania harbor such feelings for him? He had deliberately avoided using the word ‘love’, because he felt that the word ‘love’ was heavy and embodied a sense of responsibility. It was a word that he was not fully prepared to accept just yet.

Is it because they are always together?

There is a Chinese saying that states that ‘familiarity breeds fondness’.

However, Twain did not think that there was anything about him that would make a girl fall in love with him after a long period of interaction. He liked to drink, smoke, was temperamental, never cared about trifles or hygiene, not good at sweet-talking, would never give expensive gifts, was a male chauvinist, was full of himself, selfish, possessive, rude, unreasonable, was someone who would rather betray the whole world than to let the whole world betray him… And, at times, he was also a little superficial.

Frankly, what the media had been reporting about me so far was not wrong. There is nothing positive that can be found on me. Twain mocked himself in his thoughts.

Twain fished out his hand phone and dialled for his cab driver Landy. “Is this Landy? Are you free right now? Yes? That’s good. Can you come over to Heathrow Airport to pick me up and send me home? No… No, you don’t need to drive your cab over. You just need to bring yourself over here and help me drive my car back. Yes. Thank you!”

After finishing the call, Twain continued to sit in his car’s interior to rack his brains over the problem that had already given him a terrible headache.

Could it be possible that the little girl simply mistook ‘like’ and ‘admiration’ for ‘love’ because she had been spending a lot of time with me?

Twain immediately shook his head and threw that thought out of the window. Shania was not a 13 year-old. Moreover, she was a Brazilian girl. Not knowing what ‘love’ was when she was already 18 was impossible.

Twain decided to stop thinking about things that he could not make sense of for now. He raised his head and looked at the blue sky beyond the car’s window, and watched as plane after plane took off and landed. This was a busy airport.

What was Shania feeling after saying those words?

※※※

Shania made use of the few minutes before take-off to call and notify her manager that she was on her way back.

“Has everything been sorted out, Shania?” Fasal asked over the phone with a laugh.

“Yes, all done.”

“What was his reply?”

“I left before hearing it. I think he might still be standing like a log there. Uncle Tony is not mentally tough…” said Shania as she pursed her lips.

“You are one to talk. You are just like him. What do you plan to do from here on out if you don’t even know his answer?”

“What else can I do? I can only wait. Maybe he’d call me, maybe he won’t… Mr. Fasal, am I being a little too stubborn?”

“A little stubborn, yes, but you can’t deal with people like Tony without being stubborn. I can only wish you good luck, Shania. It beats me what Tony will think about it all.”

Shania ended the phone call and followed the stewardess’s instructions to fasten her seatbelt as she sat on her seat. She began to recall the conversation that she had with Mr. Fasal when she decided to take time off to fly to Nottingham.

She came to the decision to tell everything that was on her mind to her manager. She told Fasal about how she has always liked Uncle Tony, and how those feelings slowly developed into love. She did not know how to explain what brought about the change in feelings, and how those feelings came about. All she could say was that she was truly in love with Uncle Tony.

She was already 18, and Uncle Tony was about to turn 40. She did not want to wait any longer and so she definitely had to fly back to Nottingham and make use of the birthday celebration to confess her feelings to him.

Fasal was not surprised in the slightest at everything Shania had said to him. He only asked Shania if she was confident in getting Twain to accept her feelings.

Shania’s response was that she was very confident that she would be able to do it. After years of spending time with Uncle Tony, she felt that he was someone who truly treated her well, and his kindness was not something that a stranger would be able to give. After all, Twain was not her father, and not a relative of hers. She believed in that kindness that she was shown.

However, her confidence wavered once she arrived in Nottingham and witnessed Twain bringing an unknown woman back home. It was only until the end of the trip that she was able to muster all her courage and tell him everything that she had kept within her heart. She did not dare to hear his reply, so she made use of her boarding the airplane as an excuse and fled from the scene.

Right now, she has no idea what will happen in the future.

However, she had thought it through. The words have already been said, and whatever was going to happen from now on was out of her control. There was no use thinking about it. All she could do was wait.

※※※

As Shania’s plane was flying through the skies above the Atlantic Ocean, Landy, who was here to drive Twain home, saw him standing in front of a jeep, with his brows furrowed and lost in thoughts.

“What a great car.” Landy patted the bonnet of the car gently and whistled. “How much did it cost?”

It was only then that Twain realized that he did not ask Shania about how much the car had cost. He shook his head in exasperation and said, “I don’t know. It was a birthday gift.”

Landy looked at Twain and asked, “Shania?”

Twain nodded.

“She’s so good to you, Tony.” As he made sense of everything, Landy went on to say with a smile, “Good for you, too.”

How could Twain possibly not understand what he was getting at?

He forced a smile as he pulled the car door open. “Get in the car. I need to trouble you to be my chauffeur, Landy.”

“But, I do recall that you can drive?”

“Not now, I’m afraid I’d get into an accident and die on the way home.”

“You look like you have a lot on your mind. Did something happen between the two of you?”

They may have met by chance, but Landy has always treated Twain as a very good friend. Hence, Shania, who would always sit in his car when the two of them went out together, was also naturally his friend. He was familiar with both of them and so he asked Twain out of concern.

“Did the two of you fight?”

“It’s more complicated than that… Forget it. It’s nothing. Just drive.”

Instead of driving, Landy pulled the keys out of the ignition. “Am I someone you can’t trust, Tony? I won’t go around telling tales. I’m just concerned about you.” Landy looked at Twain and said in a serious tone.

“All right, I’d talk. Just drive.” Twain shrugged and said, “Shania just told me she loves me.”

Landy missed as he tried to insert the keys into the ignition.

Twain watched him and Landy immediately explained himself, “I’m not surprised! I’m not surprised at all! I had already guessed that this was the case long ago. I just never thought she’d tell you today. Happy birthday, Tony! You just received the best birthday gift.”

Twain looked at Landy, who was starting to gesture around excitedly. “Why do you look so excited about this?”

“How did you think I’d act, Tony? Did you think I will cry and pull a long face? This is clearly great news!”

“Why?” Twain threw out his hands before him. “There is a huge age gap between us. I’m older than her by 22 years! People won’t find it odd if I was her dad, right?”

“Then how did you perceive her all these years? Did you see her as your daughter?”

Twain went quiet for moment before replying, “Sometimes… I do feel that way. She’s just like my own daughter. I want her to be happy, to have things go her way in life and be safe. I want to take of care of her, just like how I would take care of my own daughter. Did you know, her parents hardly care about what goes on with her. I am in charge of everything that has to do with her. I had to call and ask a friend to take care of her now that she’s in Hollywood. I don’t think of this as love at all… How can I possibly not feel like a dad taking care of a daughter?”

“Sometimes it’s hard for people to see things clearly when they stand too close.” Landy revved up the engine, and slowly drove out of the parking lot.

“You didn’t sleep yesterday right, Tony?”

“Hmm?”

Landy pointed at Landy’s eyes. “I noticed it earlier in the afternoon. They are terribly red. Go ahead and rest, I will wake you up when we reach your house.”

Twain felt a wave of exhaustion assault him right as Landy said that. It was true that he did not sleep. The events that had happened were so horrifying that he became overstimulated. Now that it has all come to an end, it was time to take a rest.

“All right, I’m tired… Wake me up when we reach my house, Landy.” His body slid down as he reclined against the front passenger seat. He cocked his head to a side and closed his eyes.

※※※

“I love you, Uncle Tony…”

Shania snuggled into Twain’s arms. They had just been engaged in a wet kiss. She looked up at Twain with eyes full of passion, her cheeks flushed and her lips looking breathtakingly beautiful.

“I object!” A man appeared before the two of them.

Color drained from Shania’s face as she pressed herself against Twain’s chest. “Dad!”

“Jordie, you have utterly broken my heart…” A grief-stricken woman appeared beside the man and gazed at Shania.

“Mum…”

“Mr. Twain! I may have left my daughter in your care, but it was not to make it easier for you to trick her into bed!” Shania’s father was extremely agitated. “Is this how you repay my trust?”

Shania’s mother reached out a hand and looked as though she wanted to pull Shania. Her face was streaked with tears that glistened under the light.

“Jordie. I don’t understand. Why would you fall in love with a man old enough to be your father… I’m so disappointed with you… So disappointed with you…”

“Mr. Twain, you are worse than an animal!”

“Jordie, come with me. Come with your mother…”

“Don’t say anything more!” Shania shrieked, and hugged Twain even more tightly. Her hug was so tight that Twain felt as though he could barely gasp for air. “I won’t accept anyone else other than Uncle Tony! I want to be with him. I want to be with him for the rest of my life!”

“Mr. Twain, what have you done to my daughter?”

“Jordie, please stop throwing a tantrum…”

“I’m not throwing a tantrum, Dad, Mum.” Shania glanced at Twain shyly and lowered her head a little. “Actually, I’m pregnant with…”

※※※

Twain was scared awake. However, that uncomfortable feeling that made him feel as though he could not breathe was still there, and it misled him into thinking that whatever just happened was not a dream in his daze.

“You are already awake?” Landy’s voice called out from the side. In this moment, Twain found his voice to be the most melodious voice in the whole world. He wanted to hug Landy and kiss his wrinkled face.

He realized that he was immobilized. He looked down and found that the seatbelt was still fastened. This was what made it difficult for him to breathe.

“We have yet to reach. You can sleep for a while longer.”

“No thanks, I can’t sleep…” Twain wiped beads of perspiration off his forehead.

“What’s wrong?”

“Had a dream about a boring, cheesy and obscene soap opera.”

“Look at how scared you are… What kind of soap opera can make you this scared?”

“A very horrifying soap opera. The kind that airs at 3am in the morning…” Twain rolled down the window, intending to let some fresh air in, only to find himself gasping for air as a gale of wind blew against him. He clumsily rolled the windows back up. It was then that he remembered that they were travelling at a speed of over 120km/h on the highway.

“This car is really great!” Landy patted the steering wheel and praised the car once again.

“If you like it I can…” Twain noticed that Landy was staring at him, and raised both hands. “… Not give it to you.”

Landy laughed.

※※※

Dunn did not probe about what happened between Twain and Shania during lunch when Twain returned home. Twain said nothing to him as well. His head was in a complete mess and he really was not in the mood to be sharing about his own personal life with others.

There was only one thing that would help him forget about his troubles momentarily.

Work.

The international games were about to end, and the players who had been scattered all over the globe will begin returning to their teams one after another. The Premier League that had been suspended for two weeks will begin once again. The UEFA Champions League would kick off soon as well. Things were going to get very busy.

Before things got busy, he typed an e-mail to Shania, who was far away in America.

“… Thank you for your birthday gift, Shania. Thank you for your goodbye kiss… I really like Shania as well, but I don’t know whether my feelings are ‘love’ or not. It’s very difficult for me to explain to you the kind of feelings that I have.

… As you know, I’m actually someone who’s really dumb. This problem is too complicated and I can’t come up with an answer in a short period of time. So please allow me to owe you for now. Remember that I owe you an answer…”

“Is this an indirect rejection, Mr. Fasal?” Shania showed the e-mail to the person beside her whom she felt the closest to.

Fasal shook his head and smiled. “No, Tony is swayed. The good thing is, he’s not averse to the fact that you love him. Keep at it, Shania. Let him see your heart clearly.”

Shania pouted. “I love him. Does he love me?”

“Why? Did you just lose confidence in yourself?”

“I don’t know, I just… Think about it occasionally. Maybe it’s possible that he does.”

Fasal smiled. “The British are different from you Brazilians. Most of them are conservative, reserved, reticent and shy. They are not too willing to show what they feel directly, and they always make people feel like they are hard to approach. But the truth is, once you make your way into their hearts, you will receive the warmest reciprocation you can ever get. The warmth will be beyond your imagination and tolerance. Isn’t it ironic? The French say that the British are naked pirates once they shed off their outer layers. I think this saying makes a lot of sense. Tony is actually quite different from most of the traditional British. But this part of his here…” Fasal pointed at his heart, “Is still as sturdy as a castle. In Britain we have a proverbial saying which goes, ‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’. What it means is that the British care a lot about their privacy, and you can interpret it as saying that the British guard their most private things as though they were a sturdy castle, and they will not let anyone snoop around easily.”

“Mr. Fasal, you know a lot about the British…”

“That’s because I’m a British myself.” Fasal lifted the teacup and took a sip. It was time for afternoon tea.

“Uh… I’ve been with Uncle Tony for too long. I almost think that every British acts like him. I forgot that there’s people like you.” Shania scratched her head in embarrassment.

“What he represents is the British after they’ve shed their outer layers.”

“What about you?

“As for me,” Fasal lowered his teacup elegantly, “I’m a gentleman.”

Seeing that Shania was still a little down on spirits, Fasal continued his attempt at enlightening her, “Don’t worry. Even if his heart is a sturdy castle, you have already made your way into it. It’s just that pirates tend to be a little careless, so they don’t really pay attention to the people and things around them. But once they notice them…” Fasal smiled. “I need to start racking my brains over what is the best thing to get the two of you for your marriage.”

Shania blushed.