Never Judge

On Kashmere Island.

Guan Ming had arrived the night before and he was happy to see his mother was safe. She wasn't under any distress and was relaxing in one of Ray's beachfront cabanas when he arrived.

Luckily this part of the island was sealed off from guests so no one could see that Lu Ning was well.

"Hey mom." Guan Ming greeted as he joined his mother on the beach.

"Ming!" His mother said as she happily waved him to sit next to her.

Guan Ming obliged and settled down with his feet in the sand.

He had left in such a rush that he didn't have the appropriate clothes packed for the beach. He would just have to ask Cedric if he had any at his place on the island.

"It's so sad that we don't have beaches like these back home." Lu Ning lamented as she watched the waves crash into the shore. "I would love to live near the beach."

Guan Ming smiled at his mother. It was quite interesting to see one of the most powerful matriarchs in China acting like a teenager as she enjoyed the sea.

"I'm sure that if we wanted to have a house here Ray would happily sell us one." Guan Ming said quite confidently.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose." Lu Ning told her son. "I mean they have this small community here for their friends and I would feel like an outsider."

"Mom, you got along so well with all of their parents, I'm sure they would love to have you around." Guan Ming told his mom.

"And what about your dad?" Lu Ning asked Guan Ming. "I love the man, but he can be so stiff, so traditional. I doubt he would get along with their parents, especially Mr. Reyes." She said with a frown.

Lu Ning very much wanted to spend more time in this country with her new friends. She felt that these people were genuine and that they weren't trying to get anything out of their friendship. All of the people she hung out with back at home seemed to be after something.

"I feel like dad would end up becoming more like them if he spent some time here." Guan Ming said with a grin. "They have some similarities, and dad wouldn't feel so pressured if he was away from Beijing."

"Really? You think so?" Lu Ning asked as she looked hopefully at her son. "It would be perfect if you dad and I could have some quality alone time." She said with a blush, making her son laugh at her.

Long ago, Lu Ning and Guan Ming's father had been madly in love. So in love were they that Guan Ming's father went against his own family just to be with Lu Ning.

Because he had chosen to go against the Guan Family's wishes, Guan Ming's father always felt like he had something to prove. It was due to this that he had placed more pressure on his son, it was because he wanted to show everyone that he made the right choice loving Lu Ning.

Whenever Lu Ning saw how much pressure her husband was under or how much pressure he was putting on their son, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

It was because she didn't come from the right kind of family or wasn't from the right background that her husband felt the need to work harder.

Over time, despite loving one another just as much, the couple grew distant. Guan Ming's father never cheated on her, nor did he stop loving her, they just didn't have the time to be the same couple that was once madly in love.

She often wished that they could go back in time so that she could tell her husband that he didn't need to pressure himself so much. She wanted to tell him that even if they were kicked out of the Guan family she would be happy.

"Mom, are you alright?" Guan Ming asked as he noticed that his mom had spaced out.

"Yeah, I'm fine Ming." She told her son as he reached out and held her hand.

"You seem distracted by something." Guan Ming said.

"I was just reminiscing, Ming. I was just thinking about how your dad and I got into this situation where we don't even talk when I'm away." Lu Ning said with a frown as she continued to stare at the distance.

"Mom, dad loves you." Guan Ming said as he tried to reassure his mother.

"Ming, I know he loves me." Lu Ning said with a laugh as she shook her head. She didn't want her son to misunderstand the situation.

"Then what do you mean?" Guan Ming asked.

"Sometimes, over time, couples grow distant despite loving each other." Lu Ning explained. "That's what happened with me and your dad, or at least I think that's what's happening. It's painful and I wish I could do something to stop it, but I am helpless at the moment."

"Mom.. ." Guan Ming called out. He didn't know what to say. His mother was never this vocal about her emotions, she often kept to herself, barely speaking to anyone.

"I'm fine, Ming." She said as she shook her head. "I have long accepted that something like this would happen. I'm actually quite lucky because your father never stopped loving me and he never cheated on me."

"Mom, I'm sure dad would also want things to be like they were before." Guan Ming said as he tried to encourage his mother.

Lu Ning took a deep breath as she continued to watch the waves as it pushed and pulled against the current.

She couldn't help but smile as it reminded her of how her relationship with Guan Ming's father had started, he would pull and she would push. She knew that the Guan family would never accept someone like her. She was too different from them.

"Mom, do you want some time alone?" Guan Ming asked as he decided to get up and ask Cedric for some clothes and if they could stay at his villa instead of Ray's.

"Yes please." Lu Ning said as she kept looking away from her son.

"If you aren't back in for dinner I'll come looking for you." He said as she hugged his mother and kissed her on the head. "I love you mom, and thank you for being there for me even when it was against dad."

Lu Ning simply smiled and nodded in response.

Guan Ming sighed as he walked away, he was worried about his mother. He knew nothing bad would happen to her since he had two bodyguards stationed around her at all times as well as Ray's staff.

Hearing his mom lament about her relationship with his father made him decide to set up some time alone for them.

Miguel had already informed him that Julia might take some time to recover, so he and his mother may have to stay on the island a bit longer.

It was the perfect opportunity for him to set something up for his parents.

He quickly called Cedric to see if his friend was willing to help. Cedric was more than happy to loan his villa to Guan Ming's parents for the time being.

When Guan Ming expressed his interest to purchase some property in Ray's area, Cedric was more than happy to help.

Guan Ming suspected that he was excited because it meant that should Guan Ming and Camilla choose to marry, there was still a way to keep Camilla in the country.

He couldn't help but frown at the thought, there were still many things about their future that he and Camilla had not discussed, the living arrangement was one.

Guan Ming knew that Camilla had just been reunited with her older brother, Benedict, and their grandfather. He didn't want to tear the family apart and was more than willing to bring them along to live in China.

He knew that it was a topic that they would need to discuss someday, especially since he had decided that he would marry Camilla and no one else.

When he was finally back at Ray's villa, he decided to give his father a call and invite him over.

It seemed that the old man was waiting for his call, because he picked up on the first ring.

"Dad." Guan Ming greeted in a formal tone.

"Guan Ming, you better tell me what's this rumor I'm hearing that your mom is hurt." His father shouted over the phone, he was clearly worried and angry at the same time. "If I find out that your mother was hurt on your watch, I swear-"

"You swear what dad? You'll beat me?" Guan Ming asked. "Dad, mom is fine, but she wants to spend time with you, somewhere far from Beijing, somewhere far from family and all those fake friends."

"And why are you the one telling me this?" His father asked. "Don't tell me you want me to go to that country you're in while you waste a partnership with this Lucius Ting person. I do not like him, you should have worked with the Reyes Group."

"Dad, I'm sending the plane over, it should be ready to pick you up by tomorrow morning. Just get on and I can explain everything later." Guan Ming said as he dropped the call, not wanting to hear his father's rants or scolding.

"Guan Ming!" Ray greeted as he entered the villa. "You might want to call Camilla, Cedric's been ranting non-stop about her putting herself in danger."

Hearing the news, Guan Ming turned pale, Camilla in danger was not the news he needed to hear right now.