As usual, Arthur would come to Liliana's hideout once a week. He would bring a reply letter to Liliana as well as a gift that seemed to be sent by Arthur Greens.
"How are you, ma'am?" asked Arthur to Liliana who had just finished gardening in her safe house.
The old woman smiled at Arthur, then took off her gardening gloves and hat.
"My news is good, Mr. Wang. How are you?" Liliana asked back.
"I'm fine too," Arthur replied.
"Let's sit down," Liliana invited as she sat on a bench in the garden.
Arthur said yes and sat down next to Liliana. He then took out an item that he carried with him every week. It was a reply to Liliana's letter and a gift.
"I brought you something from Arthur," Arthur said as he handed the item to Liliana.
Liliana accepted it with a happy look on her face. She also thanked Arthur.
"What did that boy give me this time?" muttered Liliana as she unwrapped Arthur's gift. Now she didn't even hesitate to open the gift or read the letter from Arthur in front of the man she knew as Mr. Wang. That was probably because she already felt comfortable and trusted Mr. Wang.
"Geez, he thinks I'm a teenage girl." Liliana chuckled when she discovered that the contents of the gift box from her son turned out to be a hairpin in the shape of a white rose. Along with the hairpin was a chocolate bar with a heart-shaped container.
"I think Arthur thinks you'll be very pretty when you wear that hairpin," Arthur said.
"My hair has even turned white. That kid really is." Liliana responded by shaking her head. But no doubt she wore the hairpin with a very happy expression on her face.
"Arthur didn't choose the wrong gift. Even a teenage girl is less beautiful than you, ma'am," Arthur complimented.
Liliana's laughter broke out. She found Arhur's over-the-top compliments amusing, but had no intention of denying them either. Her face still looked beautiful despite her age. The wrinkled and sagging skin on her face couldn't cover the traces of that beauty.
"Isn't my Arthur a really sweet boy, Mr. Wang? He can even be this sweet to his old mother," Liliana later told Arthur.
"He is very lucky to have been raised by such a great and good mother as you, Madam," Arthur replied. This time his words were sincere from the bottom of his heart, as Arthur Greens.
"No." Liliana shook her head. "It is I who am fortunate to have him as my son."
Arthur turned his head to Liliana for a glance. Liliana's face now turned sad for a moment, but then managed to smile again.
"Since getting married, my life has been bitter and difficult, Mr. Wang. I often don't know how to survive. Arthur's presence was my greatest strength back then. Because of him, I was able to go through even the most painful wounds. Because of him too, I never thought of finishing things the wrong way. I wanted to be a good human being so that he would be proud to be my son. Arthur is the only reason why I'm still standing tall today." Liliana explained wholeheartedly with a faint smile. She always wanted to smile whenever she thought of her son.
Arthur could only look down at Liliana's words. He meant so much to his mother. Then how come he had previously shunned his mother in favor of a woman who was none other than a female snake.
"As proud as you are to have a son like him, I'm sure Arthur is just as proud to have a mother like you, ma'am," Arthur said later.
"Yes, I hope I haven't disappointed him too much," Liliana said.
"It's impossible for you to disappoint Arthur. I have never met a better mother than you." Arthur responded.
Liliana laughed softly, then took a sip of the mineral water that she had been preparing since before she started gardening. After finishing her drink, the middle-aged woman sighed for a moment.
"There were times when Arthur didn't like me as his mother. There were also times when he kept his distance from me because maybe my attitude didn't make him comfortable. I always try to do my best for him, but I'm not perfect. I have so many flaws that it's only natural that Arthur can't accept them." Liliana murmured sadly. If she remembered how her relationship with Arthur had been strained back then, her heart still ached.
This time, Arthur turned to Liliana and looked at her guiltily. What he had done the other day to his mother must have broken her heart.
"She really is an ungrateful child to be grumbling about you." Arthur finally muttered.
This time, Liliana chuckled slightly. For some reason, she felt more and more comfortable talking to Arthur, whom she knew as Mr. Wang. Even at times she felt so close to that Mr. Wang, as if they still had a blood bond.
"Ah, never mind. Why am I grumbling incoherently like this. I didn't even entertain anything, but Mr. Wang has been visiting since earlier," Liliana said as she got up from her seat.
"It's alright, ma'am. I can't really stay here for too long. I have some more work to do." Arthur answered honestly. After this, he did have an appointment with Joe.
"But I haven't written a letter to Arthur yet. I also haven't made anything to give him," Liliana said.
"I'll come back tomorrow to get it. Don't worry." Arthur promised.
"Is that not inconvenient for you, Mr. Wang?" asked Liliana.
"No, I have free time tomorrow."
Liliana finally nodded.
"Oh, by the way, are you at home here, Madam?" Arthur asked. Don't let this mother of hers get bored living in a hideout like this.
"Yes, very much at home. It's cozy and beautiful here, not much different from my home environment. I can still garden, even grow strawberries because the air is suitable. I can't wait to see how the fruit tastes." Liliana said.
"It must be very sweet and fresh." Arthur replied.
"I hope so. Mr. Wang will be the first to taste them when they bear fruit." Liliana smiled at Arthur. More and more, she felt as if Arthur was her son.
"I can't wait to taste them." Arthur smiled.
Arthur then got up and prepared to leave.
"Is there anything else you want, ma'am? I'll bring it when I come back tomorrow." Arthur asked again.
Liliana was about to answer no, but she paused for a moment. Come to think of it, she couldn't get in touch with the servant currently guarding her house. How was that servant doing now?
"By the way, Mr. Wang, how can I communicate with the servant guarding my house? I haven't heard from there in a long time? Communicating using a cell phone will only make this place easy to track, right?" Liliana asked again.
"Yes, that's right. You can't contact someone using a cell phone from this place. If you want, you can write a letter just like you wrote to Arthur. I will deliver the letter to the servant who looks after your house. I will ask him to write a reply," Arthur said.
"Is that not inconvenient for Mr. Wang?" asked Liliana.
"Of course not." Arthur replied with a smile.
Actually, Arthur had been informed by the system that there had been a shocking incident at Liliana's house a few nights before, when Dave's men had been beaten up by the maid guarding Liliana's house. But of course Arthur wasn't going to tell Liliana about it because it would only make his mother feel shocked.
"Just write the letter after you write Arthur's reply, ma'am. I'll pick it up from here tomorrow," Arthur said later.
Liliana finally nodded with a faint smile.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Wang," she said softly.