Villain: The Play of Destiny

The day just turned gloomier for the two of them when Celine received a call from her sister-wife, Lin Meiyin, informing her about the news that was now circulating in the media.

For the members of the Lin Family, everyone was hoping that the DNA test of Mrs Feng's son would not match with Houtian, but the truth was harsh. Lin Houtian was now a father of three in the eyes of people and the law, and he would be called into the court for a trial, which will force him to accept the child by giving him his family name.

Meiyin was distraught, much more than Celine and Qingyue, and it was because her child was no longer going to be the sole heir to the Lin Group of Industries. The bastard was a few months older than her son, and what troubled her more was that he was also his good friend. She was extremely worried about the well-being of her child. What was more troubling was that Lin Houtian had always favored her son's good friend over him, always asking him to follow his lead.

"How's Haoran doing?" Keith asked as soon as Celine ended the call.

"He's devastated." She said and let the tears pool out of her eyes. "Meiyin said that he has shut himself in his room, and the servants heard him breaking everything inside."

Even though she was not his biological mother, Celine had always been good to her step-son. She considered him her child, and now finding him in such a state had hurt her.

"And Mrs Lin?" He sighed and asked.

"Father has been keeping her calm, and promised her that he would not let Haoran suffer. But..." She did not know what to say and coverd her face in her hands, sobbing quietly.

Qingyue clenched her fists when she saw her Mama crying, and then she pulled her mother in her arms, soothing her back.

Keith sighed and stayed quiet, eventually sinking back into the couch, watching the mother and daughter try to get a grip over their sorrow and rage.

A while later, Venessa arrived in the drawing room to greet Celine and Qingyue, and only then did the pair of mother and daughter manage to distract themselves.

"You are not returning to that despicable man, Celine!" His mother did not hold back and harshly said as soon as she hugged her friend. "He does not deserve you!"

She pretended to be angry, and both Celine and Qingyue fell for it.

"Good Afternoon, Venessa!" Celine tried to divert the topic by cheerfully smiling at her friend, but the lady of the Demiliore Family narrowed her eyes at her, squashing all her attempts to change the topic.

"Qingyue." Keith called out to her, and gestured her to go out of the room with him.

The two of them then excused themselves and left their mothers alone to talk freely.

"Would you ever sleep with another man's wife, Keith?" She suddenly asked out of nowhere when they were walking aimlessly down the hallways.

Keith frowned at her question and looked back in her eyes.

"No." He truthfully told her.

"Why not?"

"What kind of question is this?" He raised his brow and asked.

"Tell me, why would you not sleep with a woman who's married to another man?" She pressed.

He stopped walking and looked her right into her gorgeous eyes.

"I just won't. It's a matter of principles." He lightly, but firmly said.

"Even if you love that woman? And she loves you too?"

"A woman who's not faithful to her husband?" He smirked at her. "I can tell you that I don't think well of such people."

"Even if the man she is married to is a scum?" She asked another question, still not satisfied with his answer.

"Why is she still with him then?" He shrugged. "And even if she is forced to stay with him due to some reason, I would still never sleep with her. Like I said, it's a matter of principles."

"And if she is a victim of circumstances, and you love her?"

"Qingyue." He called her by her name and smiled. "I think our definitions of love is different. For me, I choose whom I fall in love with. And for you, I think it is something that just happens."

She frowned at his words and averted her eyes away.

"So, your love can be turned off whenever you want..."

He chuckled when he heard her words and shook his head.

"For someone to make me turn off my love for them, they would have to do something unforgiveable in my eyes."

His words caught her off-guard and then she raised her head to look at him again.

"What's is Love to you?" She seriously asked.

"It's a question that no one has a clear answer to, but for me, I think it is a feeling of utmost trust, sincerity, and care. But it comes with some negative traits too, such as obsession, possessiveness, and madness."

"Obessession and possessiveness are not love." She shook her head.

"They are when there is utmost trust, sincerity, and care."

"Trust is developed, and one is never sure about someone's sincerity." She argued, keeping in mind her mother's example.

"It's not love then. If you are not sure about someone's sincerity, you are not in love with them." He simply said and shrugged before chuckling to himself. "Love has its positives and negatives, and for me, they are inseparable. For me, love without obessession is not love, just like how love without sincerity is not love."

Hearing his words, she turned silent, contemplating on them as they resumed walking.

"I still believe that it is not under our control." She lightly said after a while.

"Everyone is entitled to have their own opinions." He chuckled. "It's a fancy dream, isn't it? The novelty of something that is not under our control?"

"It isn't a dream, but a reality, Keith. I really don't think anyone is capable of having full control over their feelings. One can not simply choose whom to love and whom to not."

"Is that so?" He smiled lightly. "Then if a woman falls in love with a man who's not her husband, she is innocent?"

"She is." Qingyue nodded her head.

"And if she does not part with her husband and starts an affair with the man she loves?"

The grey-eyed girl frowned at his words and then shook her head.

"She was not sincere, so it wasn't love."

"Even if she is forced to stay with her husband?" He grinned and asked, trapping her in her own web that she had hurled at him at the beginning of their conversation.

"If she is forced... I think it can be excused." She hesitantly said.

"Really?" He chuckled. "Is that what you would do? If you are married, would you fall in love with another man and have an affair with him?"

"No." She shook her head, and there was no hesitation in her voice.

"Why not?"

"I would never marry someone whom I don't love."

"Really?" He chuckled and smirked. "If love is something that just happens, than it is something that can simply vanish too. And what if you fall in love with another man whilst you are already in love with someone?"

"That's not possible. We talked about sincerity, remember?" She reminded him.

"Sincerity that is not under our control?" He smiled lightly.

"No, sincerity is under..." She stopped what she was about to say and then turned silent.

"Everything is under your control, Qingyue." He devilishly whispered in her ear. "We choose whom we trust, whom we care about, and whom we are sincere to."

"But some bonds are naturally formed..." She still argued.

"Familial bonds?" He smiled. "Yes, there is a push by the nature in that, but in the end, we still have to decide what to do. History is witness to siblings killing each other, children killing their parents, and parents killing their children. Even today, some children simply leave their parents when they become independent, forgetting about their well-being, and some parents too abandon their children to pursue their desires. And let's just not talk about siblings..." He sighed and shook his head disappointedly.

The more she listened to him, the more she felt uncomfortable in her heart as she found it hard to refute his words with a sound argument.

"I am just messing with you." He laughed when he found her drowning in her thoughts. "I told you, didn't I? That no one really has an answer to what love really is?"

Qingyue looked him in the eyes, knowing well that whatever he had just said to her, he wholeheartedly believed in it.

"Would you ever give up on someone whom you love?" She asked.

"I think one must never give up on someone who is sincere to them." He said and smiled.

"What about you?"

"Of course, I wouldn't." He shook his head.

"Even if she is not sincere to you?"

He stayed silent for a good few seconds before he stopped walking and turned to look her in the eyes.

"I am not a good man, Qingyue." He gently smiled at her. "I always make sure I get everything I find a liking to, and you are talking about love."

"You would destroy her happiness just to possess her?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yes." He unhesitatingly said.

"That's cruel."

"I never said that it isn't." He smiled and nudged her nose with his finger, bringing an end to the seriousness that was looming over them. "But like I said, I control whom I love and whom I don't."

Qingyue smiled when she heard his words, understanding what he was implying.

"You know, I had a fight with my father, last friday." She revealed to him.

"I know. I asked Aunt Celine about it." He smiled and said.

"She told you what is was about?" She frowned and asked.

"You think she would have told me?"

"Yes."

"Well, she didn't. And I didn't ask either. It's your private matter."

"It was about you."

Her honest admission took him off-guard and he surpisedly looked at her.

"My father wants me to stay away from you. He thinks you are a playboy, and you have no good intentions towards me." She said and brightly smiled.

"Well, he may not be wrong about it."

"Ahan?" She smirked at him.

"Mhmm" He teasingly smiled back at her and then they both burst out laughing. "Up for a game of Chess?"

"Yes!" Qingyue happily nodded her head.