I Married the President

This thought put Faye Dean at ease. She smiled and said, "Morgan, you’ve been eating and drinking here for free for so long. Don’t you think you should show some appreciation?"

Frank Morgan countered, "What kind of appreciation do you want?"

"You should be asking yourself. Why ask me?" Faye Dean retorted.

Frank Morgan mulled it over for a moment before saying in a low voice, "I’ll pay you back after I return to my country."

"And?" Faye Dean pressed.

Frank Morgan frowned. "What else do you want?"

Faye Dean raised an eyebrow. "You’ll give me anything I want?"

Frank Morgan nodded. "As long as it’s within my power."

A roguish smile played on Faye Dean’s lips. "I haven’t decided what I want yet, so you can owe me for now. When I figure it out, I’ll tell my Claire and have her find you."

Frank Morgan said in a low voice, "You can contact me directly. You don’t need to go through her."

"I don’t have your contact info," Faye Dean muttered under her breath. "Besides, do you even have any?"

Frank Morgan glanced at her. In her lowered gaze, he seemed to catch a hint of something indecipherable, and it stirred a faint ripple in his heart.

’This woman... could she be reluctant to see me go?’

Dismissing it as wishful thinking, Frank Morgan said, "Once I leave this country, I might never step foot here again. You’d better decide what you want before I’m gone."

At his words, Faye Dean’s heart instantly plummeted into a strange, dark abyss.

’He said that after he leaves, he’ll never come back here.’

’That means... they’ll never have a chance to see each other again.’

"Fine, don’t come back! Who cares!" In a sudden fit of pique, Faye Dean stormed upstairs.

Frank Morgan frowned, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

’I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?’

-

Claire Sinclair slept until dark. By the time she woke up, dinnertime in Meridia had just passed. Luckily, Faye had thoughtfully saved some dinner for her.

Worried that she wouldn’t be used to Western food, Faye had gone out of her way to cook chicken and potato stew with rice, which tasted no different from what she ate back home.

She had just finished her meal, but before she could even catch up with her best friend, Frank Morgan pulled her into the living room.

"Claire Sinclair, did Young Master Quincy give you a message for me?"

This was the first time Claire Sinclair had formally stood face-to-face with this man, and also the first time she had met someone who didn’t conflate her with her sister.

He was different from her sister’s other old comrades-in-arms. His gaze was direct and pure, with nothing in it that made her uncomfortable.

’No wonder Faye was willing to take him in. He must be a very unique man.’

Claire Sinclair had a favorable impression of him and spoke politely, "Yes, there is. But Mr. Quincy’s instructions are for you to wait here for now. The plan will be set in motion after his speech. Until then, he says not to make any rash moves."

Frank Morgan’s brow furrowed slightly. "Nothing else?"

"That’s it." Claire Sinclair shook her head.

Disappointment flickered in Frank Morgan’s eyes, but he didn’t voice it. "I understand. Thank you."

Claire Sinclair looked a little abashed. "You’re welcome. You work for Mr. Quincy, and you were my sister’s comrade-in-arms. I’ll definitely help you escape!"

Frank Morgan said in a low voice, "I’m sorry that after all this time, I still haven’t found the mastermind who killed your sister."

Claire Sinclair froze. It was the first time anyone had apologized to her for what happened to her sister, and she was stunned by the gesture.

"You don’t need to apologize to me. I can’t thank you enough!" ’Her sister had been dead for almost three years, yet he was still investigating to find the true culprit. How many people would go to such lengths?’