Fortunate to Have You This Lifetime

His smiling eyes reflected the glow of dawn, warm and tender, handsome and beautiful, so wonderful that it made Purple Summers forget all his crudeness and vulgarity in that instant.

He really loves me!

This thought suddenly sprang up like a sapling breaking through the earth, growing impatiently into a towering tree which overshadowed everything in her heart, filling the entire chamber.

After all, there is someone in this world who loves me!

For some reason, Purple felt a strong urge to confide in Alexander, wanting to make longer-term plans with him rather than continuing like this, skulking in the shadows.

The most beautiful relationships also need careful nurturing, unable to withstand recklessly damaging liaisons time and again.

Purple thought that given Alexander’s personality, he must have his own plans for their future. She just wondered whether his plans matched her expectations? And if not, should she argue with him about it now?

With this in mind, Purple abandoned the idea of asking, unwilling to spoil the charm of the moment.

It is, after all, the first day of the lunar year, and one should be happy.

The two of them snuggled quietly on the slope for a while before Alexander drove Purple back home.

As they neared the house, they saw Atra Blanc coming out wrapped in a light knit long cardigan.

“Mom?” Purple’s head popped out of the car window and she called out, “Why are you up so early?”

It was just after five in the morning.

Atra looked anxious. “I thought I heard someone screaming just now, so I was about to go over there to check.”

Purple’s heart skipped a beat, and she turned to look at Alexander.

Didn’t we agree that nothing was supposed to happen during the New Year’s period? Does the backfire have to come this quickly!

Alexander looked calm and unperturbed, “Mom, the path over there is difficult to navigate. You go back, and Purple and I will go check it out.”

Purple chimed in, “Yes, yes, I was dragged out by my brother to watch the sunrise early in the morning, and now I’m so hungry my stomach is growling. Mom, what are we having for breakfast today?”

When Purple mentioned being hungry, Atra’s attention was somewhat diverted. “How about dumplings?”

“Sure.”

After distracting Atra, Purple rolled her eyes at Alexander.

You really can’t trust what a man says!

Alexander himself was baffled. Who could be so blind as to cause trouble on their doorstep on the first day of the lunar year? Besides, he had already instructed Zack Wallace to keep a close watch on those disobedient few.

The woods were dense. Alexander took a gun from the car and went ahead alone.

Purple hesitated whether to stay to protect Atra, but after weighing the pros and cons, she decided to go with Alexander.

—If Alexander died, she and Atra certainly wouldn’t survive either.

Purple also took a gun and followed him. Alexander heard footsteps behind him, glanced back, and said nothing except to caution her, “Be careful not to trip.”

The jungle was quiet and serene. Alexander checked the traps one by one and finally found a dead intruder in one of them.

The man was unfortunate; he had fallen in shoulder-first. The sharp jaws of the trap had sunk deep into his shoulder and chest. He must have tried to pry open the trap, only to tear the wound even more severely, causing blood to flow profusely.

The damp soil mixed with the scent of rust, solidifying with the blood into a deep black color.

Purple looked just once and then turned away.

“He didn’t bring a gun, only a dagger. He probably wasn’t here to assassinate you,” Purple said.

“He’s a thief,” Alexander said indifferently. “Around Pearlpoint City, there are many gamblers who have lost everything. Unwilling to leave, they stay and become thieves.”

The private island of the wealthy, uninhabited for years and with lax security, was the quickest and most convenient target for thieves.

But for this man to have stumbled onto Alexander’s island was truly bad luck.

“…What do we do now?” Purple asked Alexander, feeling rather helpless.