novelraw Chapter 1101: The Most Terrifying Enemy, the Coldest Lover
Chapter 1101: The Most Terrifying Enemy, the Coldest Lover
The handsome, stern man was hit, yet remained expressionless. After the old lady vented her anger by hitting him with a feather duster a few times, he finally said, "It’s not really dangerous. It’s just that I’m familiar with the situation over there. I’m going to take command this time."
In matters involving military secrets, Richard Shaw couldn’t say more. Seeing the old lady accept this, he then looked at Crystal Landon.
Crystal, sitting next to the old lady, was a young woman of only twenty. While others her age might still be pampered and coquettish, she showed remarkable calmness in the face of being left without her husband during her pregnancy.
Richard Shaw had returned this time to say goodbye. Seeing that Crystal avoided his eyes, his heart sank. He reached out and held her slender, fair hand, and said in a deep voice, "Come with me, I have something to say."
Crystal frowned slightly, but she didn’t want to appear too indifferent in front of the old lady, so she stood up and followed him to the courtyard outside.
It was the season of flourishing grass and flying warblers; the old trees in the yard had sprouted new buds, a sign of vibrant life returning in the spring.
Richard Shaw looked at his shadow overlapping with her slender one, a faint smile formed on his thin lips. He held her hand, his voice deep and sensual as he said, "Think carefully about the child’s name. You choose it. I will definitely come back before you give birth."
Crystal’s gaze flickered slightly. She looked up and saw his tea-colored eyes filled with bloodshot lines, not knowing how long he had been enduring. He rarely smiled; his expression was somewhat indifferent even at the most relaxed times, a result perhaps of many years of military life. A mysterious aura always surrounded him, making him hard to read.
In his heart, he held his country, aspirations, and tenderness, but that tenderness never reached her. What she wanted he couldn’t give, and she wasn’t the type of partner he idealized.
Crystal lowered her eyes and said quietly, "You should go. I’ll take care of Grandma."
Richard Shaw restrained himself from reaching out to caress her fair cheek. What he worried about most was her. After receiving the orders, she was all he could think about—a fiery, bold, transparently passionate young woman. She was the one he was marrying, and she was also the one who was leaving him.
Their relationship was now at a freezing point. Rather than annoying her any further, it would be better to leave for peacekeeping, and after the child was born, maybe she would change her mind and not divorce him.
He restrained himself from looking back as he left the Shaw Mansion, headed for peacekeeping in the Middle East.
Richard Shaw left for six months.
During this half-year, with Richard Shaw absent from the Imperial City, Crystal’s days were quite peaceful. Luna Lawrence, aware that her support was no longer there, faded out of sight completely, not daring to stir up any more trouble.
The old lady’s entire focus was on the unborn great-grandchild, leaving no time to consider this woman.
In September, Richard Shaw sent a message saying he would return soon. Occasionally, he would text her, but Crystal seldom replied. Any update about home was reported to him by Eamon Turner, who occasionally mentioned Richard’s affairs on that side.
Crystal knew a bit more than the old lady, understanding that he was on a peacekeeping mission, dealing with a base terror organization there, extremely dangerous. However, Richard now held a high position, no longer at the front lines, just mainly preventing large-scale terrorist attacks and assassinations.
During these six months, Richard Shaw had been put on the base organization’s blacklist, for making some ruthless, brutal decisions, showing not a hint of emotional indifference, being targeted and deeply detested by various forces.
Over these many months, Crystal had grown familiar with Eamon Turner, and she would often take him along when she went out, fully acting as a bodyguard. Eamon also had a peculiar attitude toward her, not being too reserved about Richard’s matters, sometimes speaking even when unasked.
"Over the past six months, the Major General’s reputation has skyrocketed in the Middle East, with the bounty on his head in the black market rivaling that of the recently risen Shiva in the Golden Triangle," Eamon mentioned blandly.
Crystal glanced at him and asked, "Shiva?"
With roughly one month left until her due date, Crystal, with nothing much to do, would often walk around the gardens of the Shaw Mansion.
"The locals are superstitious and worship strength. Shiva is just a codename. This man, in half a year, annexed the top five warlord forces in the Golden Triangle, using an empty city ruse to lure the largest local warlord, General Zheji, into a trap, decisively breaking apart his troops, chasing him to the most barren north, becoming the local dominant warlord, gaining fame in one battle," Eamon nonchalantly explained, squinting.
Crystal often heard Uncle Hao talk about those matters, and now with Eamon mentioning it, she couldn’t help but frown slightly and asked, "Eamon, how many years have you been with Richard Shaw?"
"Been in the military for ten years. I started following the Major General when he joined the Southwest Military Zone, which counts to be about seven years now."
"Are you from the Southwest? You seldom mention your family," Crystal chatted casually, feeling a bit tired after the walk, so she sat down on a front chair to rest.
"Parents are deceased. I have a brother. I joined the military, and he went into banditry. Haven’t seen him in almost ten years." Eamon took a cushion, placing it at her back to make her feel more comfortable.
Crystal was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, giving him a look. Eamon had the robust looks of a tough man, tall and burly, generally appearing harmless with a simple mind and strong build. After half a year of interaction, Crystal understood that this man was almost perpetually in a high-alert state, like a leopard lurking on the prairie.
"Why didn’t your brother join the military? Banditry seems more dangerous," Crystal said lightly.
Eamon gave a fleeting smile and said, "To repay a favor. It’s a thrill for him. Both ways are living on the razor’s edge, no big difference between banditry and soldiering."
Crystal found nothing to say. Such peculiar brothers.
Watching the sun set, Crystal, since her pregnancy, stayed at the Shaw Mansion, occasionally visiting temples to pray or shopping at malls. Lana Shaw, Calliope Shaw, and Hawk Howard often visited her, yet she still felt her life was constrained. The things Eamon talked about were too distant from her. Now she couldn’t even go racing at Clear Creek Bay.
"In your minds, what kind of person is Richard Shaw?" she asked.
Eamon was taken aback by the question, and after a long while, he squinted and replied, "The most fearsome enemy, the coldest lover, the most trustworthy brother."
Without serving in the military, one wouldn’t understand the camaraderie there. Those like him, who followed the Major General through life and death situations, truly knew the terrifying and admirable aspects of this man. However, for his wife, the Major General wasn’t someone to hold onto for a lifetime.
The deadline was approaching. His brother would soon accompany that person to the Imperial City, tearing apart some false mask of kindness and beauty. At that point, even he didn’t know where he stood.
Having followed the Major General for seven years, having entrusted their lives to each other, there were debts on both sides, making it hard to choose.