《Help...My Wife is a Spy》


 Chapter 1 - Special Mission

    "Officer Feng, do you know why I have called you into my office so urgently?"


    "No sir, please enlighten me."


    "I''m sure everyone in the city has heard by now that we have a serial killer on the loose. We have had 6 deaths in 3 months, 1 in January, 2 in February, and now, 3 in March."


    "3? I''ve only heard about 2. When did the third one occur?"


    "10 minutes ago."


    Halia Feng looked at her superior in shock. The first 5 victims were discovered at least 24 hours after their time of death, how did they discover this one in 10 minutes?


    "It was one of our own. We sent a female detective undercover to find the killer, but he somehow found out and killed her. Just before she died, she managed to send out a signal for us to find her. But, we were 10 minutes too late. By the time our team arrived, the killer had already escaped - and our colleague was dead."


    "Why are you telling me this?" Halia began to feel a little uneasy.


    At that moment, there was a knock on the door.


    "Is that you, doctor?" the police chief called out.


    "Yes," a muffled voice sounded from behind the door.


    "Come in."


    As soon as the police chief spoke, the door creaked open and a man in a lab coat stepped in.


    "This is Dr. Li," the police chief introduced.


    Halia looked at the doctor. He was an old man in his fifties that looked like a mad scientist from a cult horror film. His hair was white, but he had a bald patch on his crown. Upon his nose bridge sat a pair of gold rimmed glasses and below his nose, as though he was trying to compensate for the lack of hair on his head, he had a thick white moustache.


    Halia shook the old man''s hand politely, but she didn''t know what to do next. Was she supposed to leave the room or stay?


    "Errrm, I''ll leave you guys to it, I''m just going to step outside and get some work done."


    "No, stay, the doctor''s here to see you."


    Halia looked at the two men curiously. She was just a newly transferred cadet that was currently in charge of miscellaneous jobs around the station, why did they want to see her? Did they want her to print something? Perhaps they wanted some coffee or tea?


    "Miss Feng, do you remember the test you did before you were transferred here?"


    "Yes, it was a memory test. How did I go?"


    "You did really well! That''s why I''m here to tell you that you''ve been selected for a special mission."


    "Special mission? What special mission?"


    "Please keep in mind that what I''m about to tell you is highly confidential. You must not let anyone outside of this room know of this, not even the other detectives."


    Halia nodded her head, even though she had no idea what she was about to get herself into.


    "I run a medical lab that''s funded in secret by the government to do some ''unconventional'' testing; tests that may cause an uproar if the public were to find out."


    "Many of them involve the human brain. Long story short, my team has recently discovered a way to transfer memories from one person to another and we want to transfer the victim''s memories to you."


    "We are hoping to get some clues about the killer and stop him from hurting another person. According to the pattern of his kills, we are predicting four more victims by the end of next month. We need to stop him!"


    Halia looked at the man in shock, "Can I have a few days to think about it?"


    "No, your dead colleague is being transported to our lab as we speak. We only have two hours from the time of death to retrieve her memories before they disappear forever. We don''t have time, you need to make a decision now. This is critical, every other victim was found at least 24 hours after their time of death, we may never get this chance again."


    At that moment, the police chief pulled out a case file and threw five photos on the desk. They were all beautiful young women, ranging from 20-30 years of age.


    "These women were all found half-n.a.k.e.d with their necks slashed. The cut was precise; the killer aimed straight for the carotid artery and bled his victims to death. Whoever did this is a psycho and we need to stop him."


    Halia looked at the photos of the victims and her heart ached. She was roughly the same age as these women. They were so young and still had so much ahead of them; did they have families, friends...partners? Halia took a deep breath and finally nodded her head as she came to a decision, "I''ll do it."

 Chapter 2 - Show Me Your Face, You Coward!

    Next thing she knew, a contract and a pen were sitting in front of her. Of course, something like this had never been done before, so the police had to cover their a*ses in case something went wrong.


    Halia hesitated for a second. Was she really such a selfless person that she would put her life on the line for strangers? What if something went wrong? She had watched sci-fi films before; experiments like this didn''t usually end well...


    "What happens after?" she suddenly asked.


    The doctor looked at her confusedly.


    "I mean, after we catch the killer (assuming that we do). Will these memories be stuck with me forever? Will I be stuck with someone else''s thoughts for the rest of my life?"


    "So far, our tests have shown that the memories will only remain in the recipient''s mind for 3 months. The memories will be transferred via electric impulses which will fade with time."


    "That''s why we chose you. You have the ability to access your memory better than the average person, so hopefully, you can unlock as much of your colleague''s memories as possible before the 3 months is over."


    At that time, the door to the office flew open and some men ran in pushing a body on a bed. "We got her here as soon as possible."


    The doctor immediately jumped up out of his seat and instructed, "Take her to the lab". He walked over to a bookcase and quickly pulled out three books. A moment later, the ground began to tremble and the bookcase opened up to reveal a long tunnel. As the men pushed the bed into the tunnel, the doctor turned and looked at Halia with urgency, "Are you going to sign that?"


    Halia took a deep breath. "It''s just 3 months, not forever," she told herself. She then picked up the pen in front of her and signed her name.


    "Follow me," the doctor called out after he saw that she was done signing.


    Halia took another deep breath and followed the doctor into the tunnel. After they both stepped in, the bookcase closed behind them and the tunnel lit up with a blue light.


    The tunnel was cold and smelled like hospital disinfectant. Halia could see the two men with the bed not too far ahead of them, the wheels of the bed rattling as it sped towards a door at the end of the tunnel.


    The doctor quickly caught up to the bed. As he overtook the men, he slid open an eye scanner beside the door and aligned his face to it. He then placed his fingers on a pad. A few seconds later, a green light started flashing and the door opened.


    "Hurry, take her to theater one!"


    After the doctor and the men with the bed rushed in through the door, five men and women in lab coats ran out and dragged Halia inside. Before she could even take in her surroundings, she felt a sharp pinch on the back of her hand.


    She had been injected with something.


    "Sorry, Miss Feng, this is urgent!"


    Halia panicked at first, but then her head quickly felt heavy and her body got weak. She stumbled a few steps backward, the world spinning around her. Finally, she felt herself land into a pair of strong and warm arms. Looking up, she slowly made out a face. A pair of soft, gentle eyes looked down at her reassuringly, "Everything will be OK."


    This voice was very convincing.


    Halia felt like all her energy had been drained from her body. As she looked up one last time at the pair of gentle eyes, she nodded her head and fell unconscious.


    Everything turned dark and silent.


    Halia couldn''t tell how much time had passed, but slowly a pair of eyes appeared in view again.


    "It''s those gentle eyes again," she thought to herself.


    But, as she stared into the dark brown pupils, there was something different about them. No, they weren''t the same gentle eyes that she saw before she fell unconscious. These eyes contained a sense of pity and pain.


    A moment later, the silence was broken by a man''s laughter. It came from the owner of the eyes and it carried a sense of ridicule, as though he was mocking himself for feeling pity and pain. Then, like a flip had been switched in his head, his eyes immediately turned cold.


    Halia felt her heart race and her palms sweat. She was frightened.


    Next thing she knew, she felt a sharp pain in her neck and the eyes in front of her suddenly turned red. Not just the pupils, but the entire eye, including the eyelashes were a blood red. Blood? That''s when Halia realized, the man''s eyes were actually covered in blood. She instinctively held her neck where a throbbing pain was growing and looked down at her hands...


    It was her blood!


    Halia collapsed sideways as her head began to spin. Just before she closed her eyes, she saw a pair of hands holding a cross...and red...everything was red.


    "No, this can''t be," she thought to herself.


    As she was plunged back into darkness and silence, Halia was in disbelief. Was she dead? What happened?


    Unwilling to accept this fate, Halia forced open her eyes and jumped back up screaming. She couldn''t die just like that. She didn''t even get a proper look at her killer.


    "Show me your face, you coward!"

 Chapter 3 - The Amygdalae

    A pair of strong arms quickly pinned Halia down. She kicked and flailed, trying to break free, but the person holding her down was too strong and she had no energy. There was so much adrenaline coursing through her veins that she didn''t even realize someone was talking to her.


    "Miss Feng, calm down..."


    "Miss Feng..."


    Finally, she recognized a familiar voice.


    "Miss Feng..."


    "Dr. Li?"


    Halia shook her head and blinked a few times to clear her vision. That''s when she realized, she was lying on a bed, while Dr. Li was staring worriedly at her from the door. On top of her, was a man in a white cloak, holding her down with his arms. He was much younger than Dr. Li, probably in his early 30''s. When he noticed that Halia had stopped struggling, he slowly let her go.


    "This is Dr. Ren, he is my assistant."


    Halia looked at the man called Dr. Ren, he was a handsome young man with perfect skin, perfect hair and a pair of super gentle eyes. His eyes! They were the eyes she saw before she fell unconscious the first time.


    But, what about the second time she fell unconscious?


    Halia quickly grabbed the front of her neck to check for a wound, but there was not a single scratch. She was confused and her mind began to throb, she was sure she got slashed across the neck. She could still remember the pain...


    ...and the blood...


    "Halia, did you see something when you were unconscious? You seemed really distressed when you woke up..."


    "I...I was slashed across the neck...There was blood everywhere...and so much pain..."


    Halia''s eyes grew teary as she remembered the traumatic experience.


    "Do you remember the culprit''s face?"


    Halia tried hard to remember, but she shook her head, "I only saw his eyes. They were the most evil eyes I had ever seen."


    "Do you remember anything else?"


    "His laugh. I never knew a laugh could send chills down a person''s spine."


    Dr. Li looked at Halia helplessly. These two features were of no use. Even if they got an artist to sketch out the eyes, it was almost impossible for Halia to describe the eyes in enough detail to be used as an identifying factor. Then there was the laugh, how was one to describe a laugh?


    Unable to get any useful information out of her. Dr. Li stopped questioning Halia and comforted her instead, "Halia, you''ve been asleep for 12 hours. During this time, I drilled a tiny hole into your head and fed a thin wire to your brain. Through this wire, I downloaded Sara''s memories into your head. The wound is tiny, so you won''t even notice it. But, we left the wire connected to your brain in case we need to use it again in the future. It will not affect your life in any way and you won''t even notice it''s there. The wire comes out of your head like a strand of hair in the middle of your head. The strand is red, but it''s so thin, that no one will notice it. Just make sure not to cut your hair at a salon, we can cut it for you instead. Next time, we won''t need to go through a 12 hour surgery. We simply need to connect our machine to the wire and we can download memories directly that way."


    "Memories? My head? Sara?"


    "The experience you had earlier...it was your colleague''s memory..."


    Halia was confused but amazed at the same time. The surgery actually worked...but how? And why did she remember that particular memory? Why couldn''t she remember something pleasant to ease her into the experience?


    "Scientists have been studying the human brain for as long as science has existed, trying to understand how it works and where information is stored - especially memories. We''ve known for years that different regions of the brain store different types of memories. For example, our frontal lobe stores short term memory and our hippocampus and cerebral cortex stores motor memory. But, there are a pair of small almond-shaped cl.u.s.ters in the brain called the Amygdalae that most people don''t know about."


    "The Amygdalae?" Halia asked, "What type of memory does that store?"


    Dr. Li adjusted the glasses on his nose and looked into Halia''s eyes with seriousness, "Emotional memory...most notably...fear..."

 Chapter 4 - Going Undercover

    "Fear?" Halia looked at the doctor with interest.


    "As we''re trying to track down a serial killer, I didn''t want to overload you with useless memories, so I specifically downloaded information from Sara''s amygdalae to your brain. I''m sure that she was terrified before she died, so I was certain that her memory of the serial killer was stored in her amygdalae," the doctor explained.


    "Well, that worked quickly," Halia said in amazement.


    "I didn''t expect it to work so quickly either. It''s a shame that you didn''t see the killer''s face properly though."


    Halia tapped herself on the head in frustration.


    "Take it slowly. These memories will eventually come to you, just like any other memory," Dr. Li comforted.


    At that moment, Halia''s superior, the police chief, entered the room.


    "Was the surgery a success?" he asked.


    "Yes," Dr. Li replied.


    The police chief glanced at Halia and walked over to her side. He then placed a file in front of her.


    "These are detailed examination reports from the forensics department. As you can see, we''ve been suspecting for a while that the killer is a doctor because of the precision of the cut on these victims'' necks. We actually sent 10 detectives undercover to 10 hospitals in the area where we found the victims. Unfortunately, Sara''s mission did not end well," the police chief explained as he shook his head.


    "We''ve already withdrawn all our undercover detectives and we''re planning to send you in to replace Sara. She was employed as a nurse at Peking University Hospital (PUH), one of the biggest hospitals in Beijing. There is a very big possibility that the killer is a doctor there. Hopefully, something will be able to trigger your memory."


    Halia nodded her head in understanding.


    ...


    Later that afternoon, Halia arrived at the entrance of PUH dressed in a casual white t-shirt and jeans. She glanced across the huge building in front of her and took a deep breath. She was just a new cadet and hadn''t even been sent out on the field before, yet, here she was, on a mission as an undercover!


    As she looked up, her gaze suddenly froze. Halia felt her heart race and her palms sweat. The hospital''s logo: it was a pair of hands holding a cross against a red background!


    This was the last thing that Sara saw before she died!


    The police chief was right, the killer was definitely linked to this hospital in some way. But, knowing this only made Halia more nervous. She could still remember how it felt to have her neck slashed and she never wanted to experience that pain again! Nor did she want anyone else to experience it either!


    "I must catch the killer," she told herself. That was the only way to guarantee everyone''s safety. Halia took another deep breath and finally walked into the hospital. She then headed to the ER department; the same department where Sara worked undercover.


    Halia had never been good at biology. In fact, she failed that subject in senior high school. So, it was a surprise that she ended up as a nurse (even though it was just an act).


    The ER was a chaotic place. People were running around, children were screaming and machines were beeping. Halia walked awkwardly across the ward to an older-looking lady in a dark aqua-colored uniform. Halia assumed she was the head nurse since she seemed to be supervising and her uniform was darker than the other nurses''.


    "Are you May?" Halia asked as she approached.


    The woman in her early 40''s turned and glanced at Halia. She then waved her hand, "Follow me."


    Halia was a little surprised by the woman''s indifferent attitude. She was neither welcoming nor cold; was she a robot?


    "This is the locker room," the woman said as she opened the door to a room. She then walked inside to a locker in the corner, "This is your locker. Your uniform is inside. You can change the locker combination after you''re done. The ER is a busy place, I need to get back to work. Come find me after you''ve changed into your uniform, I will find something for you to do."


    "Thank..." Before Halia could respond, the woman left.


    Halia picked up her uniform and sighed, "What am I doing here?"

 Chapter 5 - Dr. Yan

    Halia looked at herself in the mirror. Her long silky black hair was now tied into a bun, with the random strand of red wire hidden in the middle, and she was wearing a light aqua shirt and pants. She had a little retractable ID card, which she clipped to her pants and on her feet were a pair of white shoes.


    "Not bad," she whispered to herself.


    She looked surprisingly good in the uniform.


    After changing the combination on her locker and closing it, Halia stepped out of the room into the hospital corridor. Her heart began to race. It was nerve-racking to act as a nurse when she had absolutely no idea what she was doing. Perhaps, this was how actors felt when they stepped onto a stage.


    Luckily, she spotted the head nurse not too far away, so she began to walk quickly towards her, hoping she''d give her something easy to do. After all, the head nurse was the only person in the hospital, apart from the hospital director, that knew she was working undercover.


    But, just as she stepped out of the corridor into the open ER ward, she collided with someone. Halia lost her footing and felt herself fall backward. "Oh no!" she thought as she swung her arms around helplessly.


    As she closed her eyes, expecting the worst, she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her waist and she was pulled forward. Her body pressed against something firm; it was a man''s chest. She was so close she could hear his heartbeat and she could feel his warm breaths on the top of her head.


    Halia pulled away from the body and looked up to find a handsome young man smiling at her. The dimples on his cheeks were mesmerizing and the look in his eyes were ever so gentle.


    "Are you OK?" he asked.


    Halia quickly snapped out of her daze and nodded her head. She then stood up straight and apologized, "Sorry for running into you."


    The man chuckled as he moved his arms back to his sides.


    Halia smiled and stretched out her hand to introduce herself, but someone suddenly called the man''s name, "Dr. Yan, over here!"


    Dr. Yan bowed apologetically and quickly ran off. Halia couldn''t blame him. After all, they were in the emergency department; there was no time for small talk.


    She took a quick glance at the man. The scent of his aftershave still lingered in her nose and it made her blush a little. Halia took a deep breath and gathered her composure before she continued walking over to the head nurse.


    "You see that bed over there? The patient has just been moved into a ward, so we need to change the sheets. Alex will help you, he''s a student nurse from the university," the head nurse said as soon as she saw Halia. "I''ll give you a proper induction later, it''s crazy in here at the moment. Don''t accept any tasks from anyone except me."


    Halia glanced over at the bloody sheets on the other side of the ward and cringed a little, but she quickly got into character.


    "Alex, pull those sheets off and take them to the laundry room, I''ll fetch the clean sheets," Halia quickly ordered the young man around.


    She was, after all, in a more senior position, so it was her right to order around a junior.


    Fortunately, the student nurse was very obedient, even though he looked like he was a similar age to her.


    Halia quickly turned towards the corridor. She was sure she passed by the linen room when she came out of the locker room earlier. As she reached the corridor, she glanced back at the student nurse. He had put on a pair of gloves and was carefully rolling the sheets into a ball, keeping any contaminated parts in the middle.


    "So that''s how you do it..." she thought.


    The student nurse noticed her looking at him, so she quickly smiled and raised a thumb at him before she continued down the corridor.


    It wasn''t a very long corridor, so Halia quickly found the linen room. But, she also spotted the doctors'' on-call room right next door.


    The on-call room was a place where doctors could rest and take naps while on-call. Halia had seen it before in hospital TV dramas.


    "That''s right, our suspect is a doctor," she whispered to herself.


    Perhaps...there were clues in the on-call room. Sure, she could wait to talk to the head nurse first, but what was the fun in that?


    With that thought, Halia took a slight detour and went to the on-call room instead. Of course, she knocked on the door first to see if there was anyone inside. When she didn''t hear a response, she slowly opened the door and popped her head into the room. The blinds were up, so the room had a warm orange glow from the setting sun outside. There was definitely no one there.


    Halia checked behind her to make sure no one was around and snuck into the room, carefully closing the door behind her.


    As soon as she closed the door, she spotted a roster on the back of the door.


    "Sara was killed yesterday afternoon. She wasn''t working at the time and the location where she was found was on the other side of town. If it was a doctor, then he or she was definitely not working yesterday afternoon," Halia figured.


    She then looked at the roster. There were 3 doctors on duty, 2 surgeons, 2 on-call doctors and 3 interns working during the time of Sara''s death, so they were quickly ruled out. That left 5 doctors, 4 surgeons, and 7 interns: 16 suspects all up (assuming that the killer was actually a doctor from the ER). Out of these 16 suspects, 7 of them were women. Halia was sure she heard the laugh of a man in the flashback she experienced, so in theory, her suspect list was now cut down to 9.


    While Halia was doing the maths on her fingers, there was a sudden knock on the door. She froze, unsure of what to do. She quickly looked around, but there was nowhere to hide...


    Before she could respond, the door began to open...

 Chapter 6 - The Strange Patient

    Halia quickly took a photo of the roster so she could ask the head nurse about it later.


    Just as she put her phone away, the door opened and a man stood in the doorway. It was the same man from earlier; the one that she ran into.


    "Hi, Dr. Yan, right?" Halia smiled, trying to act casual.


    The man looked at her curiously and nodded his head.


    "What are you doing in here?" he asked.


    "Oh, sorry, I was looking for the linen room and stumbled into here. I was just about to leave."


    The doctor looked at her with doubt, but he moved aside to let her out.


    "You''re new here, aren''t you? I don''t think I''ve seen you before."


    "Yes, Dr. Yan, my name''s Halia. I''m a new ER nurse."


    "You can call me, Isaac. If you''re lost again or need some help, you can always ask me," the man offered.


    Halia quickly nodded her head and stepped out of the room.


    "The linen room''s next door," Isaac pointed.


    Halia looked at the direction he was pointing and pretended like she had no idea the linen room was there. "Oh, thank you," she said with a smile before she turned and scurried away.


    Isaac watched Halia walk into the linen room before he smirked and closed the door to the on-call room.


    As soon as she stepped into the linen room, Halia pulled out her phone to check that her photo was clear. Fortunately, she had captured everything she needed. "Isaac Yan," she muttered as she checked for the name of the young doctor she just met.


    "He didn''t work yesterday...I guess he''s one of the suspects then."


    Halia noted this finding on her phone. She then grabbed some linen and left the room. When she got back to the bed, the sheets had been all removed and Alex had just returned from the laundry room.


    "Good job," she praised. "Now help me put these fresh sheets on."


    The young nurse nodded his head and quickly got to work. Halia grabbed a pillow to change the pillowcase as she watched the student nurse fold the corners of the bedsheets meticulously. After putting down the pillow, she quickly folded the last corner in the same way she had observed, pretending that she knew how to do it all along.


    "So, you''re a student nurse, huh?" Halia began to chat with the young man, hoping she could get some information from him.


    Alex nodded. He didn''t seem like much of a talker. Probably not the best person to get information from.


    "How old are you? I''m 26," Halia said with a smile, trying her best to alleviate the awkwardness.


    "I''m 24, I''m graduating from Peking University this year."


    "That''s great, are you planning to work here after you graduate?"


    "Maybe."


    "Why maybe? Are the other nurses and doctors not good to work with?" Halia slowly led the conversation to where she wanted it to go. "You can be honest with me, is there anyone I should be extra careful around?"


    At that moment, a voice snapped behind her, "Move! Patient incoming!"


    Halia quickly jumped aside as two paramedics carried a young child straight onto the bed she had just finished making.


    It was a little girl with a broken foot from a car accident. The doctors wanted to double-check that her head was OK, so they brought her into the emergency ward.


    A middle-aged woman hurried over and began to test the young girl''s coordination and reactions. She also asked her a few simple questions, to which she all answered concisely. The middle-aged woman smiled and turned to Halia who was still standing to the side in a daze, "Call the radiographer and ask him to take an x-ray of this young girl''s right foot and also run a CAT scan on her head."


    Halia nodded and quickly waved at Alex, "Where do I find the radiographer?"


    "Follow me."


    Halia followed Alex over to a phone. On the wall was a list of numbers. "This is the radiographer''s number," he said as he pointed to an internal phone number on the wall.


    Halia nodded in understanding and quickly dialed the number. A radiology nurse picked up the phone, asked a few questions and recorded the details. "We have an empty slot in one hour. We will send someone to get her when it''s time."


    After Halia was done with the phone call, she felt quite proud of herself. She actually changed a bed and made a phone call today. Not bad for someone that was completely out of her element.


    At that moment, a voice suddenly called out, "Hey nurse, I want some water!"


    Halia looked towards the direction of the voice and noticed a patient glaring at her impatiently. His head was wrapped in a bandage and the name, ''Jackson Wu'' was written on a whiteboard at the foot of his bed.


    The weird thing was, he had 3 friends around him and the water dispenser was literally a few steps away from them. Why didn''t his friends get it for him?


    But, Halia did as requested anyway. After all, it could make her look busy for a little while and no one would ask her to do something that she wasn''t actually qualified to do.


    After filling up a cup of water, Halia walked towards the patient in the bed. That was when she started to sense that something wasn''t quite right; the man''s friends were all looking at her with perverted smiles. So, she tried to get away as soon as she put down the cup on the bedside drawer. But...the three friends quickly stood in her way.

 Chapter 7 - Jackson Wu

    "Hello there, gorgeous. I''ve never had a nurse girlfriend before, do you want to be the first?" one of the friends asked with a grin that revealed his awfully crooked teeth. It was a surprise that he ever even had a girlfriend at all.


    "Hey, Kev, I was the one that spotted her first," a second friend said as he pushed the crooked teeth guy away. This guy was on the heavier side of the scale and had a husky voice like he had smoked too many cigarettes.


    "Oh come on, I''m the best looking one here. If she''s going to choose someone, she''s definitely choosing me," the third friend winked at Halia as he ran his fingers through his greasy hair.


    Halia rolled her eyes in disgust. These guys didn''t know who they were dealing with. Who did they think she was? Some weak little nurse?


    "I need to get back to work," Halia said calmly as she walked around the three men and tried to get away.


    At that moment, one of the three men quickly grabbed onto her shoulder. But, to his surprise, Halia latched onto his arm, flipped him over and threw him on the floor with a thud.


    Everyone in the hospital looked over in shock. Did a nurse just attack a visitor?


    Halia quickly raised her hands innocently. She surprised herself too. She had learned some moves during her time in the police academy, but this was the first time she actually applied it in real life. Who knew her reaction speed was so quick?


    The man lay on the floor and looked up at Halia in surprise. This was the first friend that had spoken up earlier. "Wow, I think I like you even more now."


    Halia scoffed and looked around at all the curious eyes, "Sorry everyone, it was just a misunderstanding. You can go back to what you were doing."


    There was a bit of whispering and pointing, but everyone quickly went back to their own thing.


    Everyone except the patient that the three men had come to visit.


    He had been holding a magazine and ignoring everything up until that point. But, his eyes had now fallen on Halia with curiosity. "I see you''ve done some training," he commented.


    Halia looked up at the man awkwardly. This was the first time she had looked at him properly. People often said that pretty girls kept ugly friends around them to make themselves look better. Well, the same theory applied here, because this man was definitely good looking. But, his eyes were so cold that they felt like icicles piercing through her chest. Halia quickly avoided his gaze and cleared her throat, "Just a bit of self defence. Patients and visitors can get a little unruly sometimes."


    The man''s lips curved upwards into a slight smirk.


    "When can I leave?" he suddenly asked.


    Halia looked around awkwardly, "I''ll have to ask a doctor."


    "What about this bandage, how long should I keep it on for?"


    Halia stood there quietly. She didn''t know how to answer.


    At that moment a female voice resounded from behind her. "Let me check for you, Jackson. You should be asking me if you have any questions," a young doctor said as she approached.


    The young doctor walked over to Jackson''s bedside and leaned in to look at his bandages. She was a very pretty young woman, probably an intern in her late 20''s. An ID card dangled from her neck as she checked the man''s head thoroughly. Her name was ''Lily Lin''.


    Doctor''s had the benefit of not having to wear uniform, they simply had to put on a white coat when they were in the ward. As it was still a little cold in March, she was wearing a beige turtleneck paired with a set of fitted black pants. Her ash brown hair was long and wavy and it had been gathered into a high ponytail. She was tall, slim and she had all the right curves. If she wasn''t a doctor, she could probably be a model.


    At that moment, Halia noticed the three friends nudge each other as they pointed to Lily''s chest. Her chest was exactly at eye level for Jackson and she was leaning in so close that they were almost rubbing his face. But, Jackson looked away with disinterest and picked up his magazine again.


    "You can be discharged in an hour. I''ll get your papers organized and bring them to you. You will need to change your bandages every day for a week and the wound on your head should be fine," Lily smiled.


    Jackson nodded his head without looking up.


    "Come with me," Lily said as she walked past Halia. Halia nodded and quickly followed.


    After the two girls left, the three friends walked over to Jackson and started nudging him. "I think that doctor has the hots for you," one of them teased.


    "Good girls always like the bad boys," another one snickered.


    Jackson put down the magazine in his hands and glanced over at the two women. When his friends saw this, they looked at each other and smirked. "I think the boss is interested."


    However, they had no idea that Jackson''s gaze was actually focused on Halia.

 Chapter 8 - A Secret Admirer?

    Lily Lin led Halia to the emergency reception desk which faced a large waiting room. Now that they were away from all the drama of the emergency ward, it was a lot quieter. She sat down in front of a computer and gestured for Halia to sit next to her.


    "I''m Lily Lin, you can call me Lily in private, but around the patients I would prefer to be called Dr. Lin. I''m a final year intern here. I saw you flip that guy over earlier so I came to help you. You need to be careful, there are cameras everywhere, if they want to, they could sue you for what you did."


    Halia looked at Dr. Lin nervously, "Do you think they''d do that?"


    "Don''t worry, I don''t think those guys want any involvement with the police."


    Halia looked at Dr. Lin questioningly.


    "I can sense a bad boy from a mile away. Plus, Jackson Wu''s a regular at this hospital. I''ve seen him 3 times in the last 3 months and that''s only in emergency," Dr. Lin explained.


    "What does he do?" Halia asked.


    "I don''t know and I don''t want to ask."


    At that time, the head nurse approached, "Halia, I''ve been looking everywhere for you, come with me?"


    Halia thought she was in trouble, but when she looked up, the woman''s face was indifferent. She was certainly hard to read.


    The head nurse ended up leading Halia out to the garden and they sat down at a bench. The sky was already dark by this time, so the bench was lit up by a lamp. "I was told to give you some assistance with your investigation but I was busy earlier, so I couldn''t sit down and chat to you properly. Have you found anything so far?"


    "I found this roster and discovered these 9 male doctors weren''t working yesterday, is this correct?" Halia showed the suspect list she had compiled.


    The nurse had a quick look and nodded her head. "But, if this is a suspect list then Dr. Joe Zhu can be removed from this list," she said as she pointed to a name.


    "Why?" Halia asked.


    "Dr. Zhu is my husband, we were together all day yesterday."


    Halia nodded and quickly crossed out his name.


    "Dr. Alfred Li can be removed too, he came in for an emergency surgery. He was in the theater all afternoon."


    "OK," Halia replied as she looked down at the remaining 7 names.


    "I''ve already met Dr. Isaac Yan, can you quickly point out the remaining 6 doctors to me?"


    "Well, only Dr. Yan, Dr. Chow and Dr. Roberts is in today, so I''ll introduce you to Dr. Chow and Dr. Roberts. I''ll also show you around the ward properly and explain where everything is and the basic procedures you need to follow. I saw you made a phone call earlier, didn''t I tell you not to do anything unless I told you? If you made a mistake, do you know how serious that could be? Don''t do anything recklessly again. If you have nothing to do, just follow me around and pretend you''re assisting me."


    Halia nodded and stood up, "I''m sorry, May, I was getting too into character. I almost thought this was my actual job." The head nurse sighed and started walking back into the ward and Halia quickly followed behind. The nurse immediately walked over to an older man, roughly in his late 40''s. His hair was gray and he had fairly prominent frown lines, probably due to the stress of being a doctor.


    "Dr. Chow, I''d like you to meet Halia, she''s a new nurse here."


    The man turned and looked at Halia with a warm smile. "Welcome, I am a senior cardiothoracic surgeon. If you have any patients with complications in that area, let me know. Otherwise, ask May, she''s probably better than a lot of the doctors here," the old man laughed.


    Halia nodded before she followed the head nurse to another male doctor. This time, the doctor was a foreigner. "I should have figured that out from the name," Halia thought to herself.


    "Dr. Roberts, this is Halia, she''s a new nurse here."


    "Oh, Halia, beautiful name. You can call me Greg," the doctor greeted with a smile that showed off his perfect set of teeth.


    Greg looked like a charming gentleman from northern Europe. He was tall and slim with blonde hair and sparkly blue eyes. Judging by his appearance, he seemed quite well off.


    Halia looked into his eyes, they were so blue that it looked like the ocean. In fact, the longer she stared at them, the deeper they looked...


    At that moment, something really strange began to happen. She saw a fish swim across Dr. Roberts eyes! It was a shark! "A shark?" she thought as she rubbed her own eyes. Next to the shark other little fish began to appear and bits of seaweed and coral slowly materialized.


    Next thing she knew, she was at an aquarium! It was the famous one that she often saw on travel shows. She had always wanted to go there!


    She looked down at her hands and realized she was holding a bunch of roses. They were beautiful and fragrant but she felt overcome with guilt. Why did she feel guilty?


    Next thing she knew, she shoved the roses into a pair of hands in front of her. The hands trembled and dropped the roses on the floor. The petals fell everywhere. She lifted her head to look at the person in front of her, but...

 Chapter 9 - Poisoned?

    "Halia...Halia..."


    Halia snapped back to reality and looked at the confused head nurse. "Sorry, my mind just wandered off for a second," she explained.


    What was that vision? It felt so real. Was that Sara''s memory? Did Sara have an admirer? Did that happen recently?


    Halia had so many questions, but one thing was for sure, the killer wasn''t Dr. Roberts. She only had two things that she knew for certain about the killer: the laugh she heard belonged to a man and the eyes she saw were dark brown. Dr. Roberts eyes were far from brown!


    ...


    After a long day at work, Halia left work and drove to a restaurant about 20 minutes away. It was a busy restaurant, but it was far enough for her to not run into any familiar people (or so she thought). She then sat down at a booth which had its back against another booth. There was already a man sitting on the one behind her. She was here to give a report for the day.


    "Any findings today?" the man asked without turning around.


    "Yes," Halia replied as she took a quick glance at the man. It was Dr. Ren. Why was he here? Shouldn''t they have gotten her a proper handler or something?


    "What are you doing here?" Halia asked under her breath.


    "There are only 8 people that know about your mission at the moment: me, the police chief, Dr. Li and 5 assistants that helped with your surgery."


    "The police chief couldn''t come because he''s been appearing at press conferences regarding this case, so he thought it might blow your cover. As for Dr. Li, he''s in the middle of running a test, so he couldn''t step away," Dr. Ren explained.


    "In the end, I offered to come, since you don''t know the other assistants."


    "The chicken pesto pasta is really good here," Dr. Ren suggested.


    Halia sighed and ordered the chicken pesto pasta from the waiter. She then slipped a piece of paper to Dr. Ren.


    "I''ve compiled a list of suspects. There are 6 on there," she explained.


    "Did you experience any more memories?" Dr. Ren asked.


    "It appears as though someone confessed to Sara at an aquarium. Can you ask the police chief if he knows anything about it? I''m not sure if it''s related to the case, but my instincts tell me it is."


    Just as Halia finished talking, someone suddenly walked into the restaurant and sat opposite her.


    Halia quickly turned away from Dr. Ren and pretended like she didn''t know him. She then looked at the person that had sat down. But, her eyes suddenly grew wide. "What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.


    A familiarly cold and handsome man was sitting opposite her. It was Jackson Wu!


    "I''m having dinner," Jackson replied casually, as though it was normal for him to be sitting opposite her at a restaurant where she didn''t expect to see any familiar faces.


    "Look around, the restaurant''s full, I had no choice but to sit opposite you," he said as he picked up a menu.


    Halia looked around the busy restaurant and turned back to glare at the man opposite her. Was this pure coincidence?


    At that moment, Dr. Ren realized his conversation with Halia was over, so he got up and left.


    "Look, there''s an empty seat behind me. Go sit there," Halia quickly shooed.


    "Don''t you see the line outside? Even if I move, someone else is going to end up sitting here," the man replied as he waved for a waiter.


    Halia watched as Jackson ordered from the menu; she couldn''t help but glare at him. He was the last person she wanted to see. Not only did his friends cause trouble at the hospital earlier that day, from what Lily told her, it sounded like this man was involved in some kind of illegal work. As a representative of the law, she hated people like him.


    Eventually, their meals arrived and the two started to eat in silence. Halia took a couple bites of pasta and nodded her head in satisfaction. Dr. Ren made a good suggestion; it was delicious.


    But, after a few more bites, she looked down at the pasta and suddenly felt her heart pound and her throat tighten. She started to struggle for breath and her head felt dizzy.


    What was happening?


    Was she poisoned?


    "Nurse, what''s wrong?" she heard a voice ask. It was obviously Jackson since she never gave him her name and he was the only one that would call her ''nurse''.


    "Nurse...?" this time she felt a pat on her shoulder, Jackson was now next to her. How did he get there so quickly?


    Suddenly, a frightening thought came to her mind: was he the killer? Did he stalk her and poison her? Was he about to drag her into an alley and slash her throat? She took one last glance at the man that was now holding her in his arms. "How could you?" she thought, before she fainted.

 Chapter 10 - Do You Have A Boyfriend?

    "Look, Sara, look what auntie got you?" Halia was awoken by a gentle voice.


    "Did she just call me Sara? This must be one of Sara''s memories again," Halia thought to herself as she began to look around. She was starting to get used to these memories.


    This time, she was at an amus.e.m.e.nt park and there was a woman walking towards her with ice cream. This woman...she liked this woman, so she smiled happily and accepted the ice cream with her tiny hands.


    It was a memory from Sara''s childhood. "Yes, people often say that you remember your childhood before you die," Halia thought. "But why aren''t I having a memory of my own?"


    Halia licked the ice cream. "This is yummy, Auntie" she said. "I''ve never had this flavor before, what is it?"


    Sara had never tasted this flavor before, but Halia knew what it was straight away.


    "It''s peanut butter," the woman replied with a smile.


    Judging by her own voice and the size of her hands and feet, Halia guessed she was roughly 6-7-years old. Why was she suddenly having this memory?


    Just as Halia went in for a bite of the ice cream, she suddenly felt her throat tighten. It got tighter and tighter, to the point where she couldn''t breathe. She dropped the ice cream from her hands and fell to the floor. "Sara!!" her step mother cried.


    That''s when Halia knew what was happening - Sara was allergic to nuts!


    She then remembered that her pasta had pine nuts when she looked down at it. But, that didn''t make sense, how could an allergy be transferred through a memory?


    Just as she was plunged into darkness, she heard her name, "Halia...Halia..."


    Halia slowly opened her eyes again. The dimples that appeared in front of her were very familiar.


    It was Dr. Yan!


    "You didn''t want to leave this place, did you?" he laughed.


    Halia looked around and realized she was back at the emergency ward in PUH.


    "I was just about to finish my shift when a guy carried you in here and said you had fainted," Dr. Yan explained.


    "What happened?" Halia asked confusedly.


    "We''re not sure either. He said you stopped breathing and fainted. But after you fainted, you started breathing again. It sounds like you had a panic attack. Have you been really stressed lately?"


    "Maybe it''s the new job..." Halia quickly made an excuse, but she was beginning to understand what may have happened.


    If Sara knew she was allergic to nuts and had been avoiding it all her life, it would have shocked her when she saw the nuts in the pasta that Halia ordered. So...she had a panic attack.


    Which meant, Jackson didn''t stalk her or poison her.


    He saved her!


    "Where''s the guy that brought me in here?" Halia asked as she looked around.


    "He left after he made sure you were OK," Dr. Yan replied. The handsome young doctor then leaned forward and helped Halia sit up. Halia felt his warm hands on her shoulders and it sent tingles down her spine. "Are you feeling better? I''m finishing work now, do you want me to drive you home?" he offered gently.


    "My car''s still at the restaurant," Halia replied.


    "I''ll drive you there to fetch it then."


    Halia nodded.


    After Dr. Yan returned his coat to the locker room, he came back out to get Halia. He was wearing a navy blue shirt that showed a slight outline of his toned body, which was previously hidden beneath his doctor''s coat.


    "Ready?" he asked as he approached.


    Halia smiled and stepped out of the bed. She then followed Dr. Yan down to the parking lot to fetch his car.


    ...


    "Are you OK to drive?" Dr. Yan asked as they pulled up opposite Halia''s car.


    "Yes, I''m perfectly fine," Halia replied as she undid her seatbelt.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to call a friend...or a boyfriend to come get you?" Dr. Yan asked.


    Halia looked at the man sitting next to her, he was blushing a little. Was he trying to check if she had a boyfriend?


    "I don''t mean anything by that. I just want to make sure that you get home safely," Dr. Yan quickly explained.


    Halia blushed and took a deep breath, "I don''t have a boyfriend and my friends live too far away. I''ve only moved to Beijing a few weeks ago. I don''t really know anyone here."


    "So, you''re all on your own?" he asked.


    Halia suddenly panicked, did she just reveal that she was a single female living all on her own to a potential serial killer?


    "Well, not exactly! I have a dog. A really big and protective one. I also have the guy that brought me to the hospital earlier, he''s a friend I recently made," Halia quickly lied.


    "Oh really? I''ve seen that guy before. He''s come to the hospital a few times. I think Lily has a thing for him," Dr. Yan laughed. "But, I heard he''s a gangster, you should be careful around him."


    After he finished speaking, Dr. Yan got out of the car and walked around to open the door for Halia.


    "Give me your phone number, message me when you get home safely," he said casually as he handed her his phone.


    Halia quickly typed in her phone number and handed the phone back to the young doctor.


    "Thank you, Dr. Yan," Halia smiled.


    "I told you before. Please call me Isaac," Isaac Yan smiled, exposing his charming dimples again.


    "Are you working tomorrow?" he asked.


    Halia nodded.


    "I''ll see you tomorrow, then."


    Halia waved as she watched Isaac return to his car. She then got into her car and drove away.


    Only after she disappeared around the corner, did Isaac start his engine and drive off as well...

 Chapter 11 - The Mind Of A Killer

    Halia parked her car in the parking lot of her apartment block and headed upstairs.


    As soon as she opened the door, there was a bark to welcome her home. A little brown toy poodle ran up to her with its tail wagging happily. Halia picked it up and sighed. This was the big and protective dog that she told Isaac about; this little thing couldn''t even hurt a fly!


    Halia put the little dog back on the floor and it quickly ran to fetch a ball.


    "Not today," Halia said as she walked straight into the bathroom. She was completely exhausted.


    But, even when she was standing under the shower and she knew it was time for her to relax, she still couldn''t help thinking about everything that happened that day.


    It was just her first day and she had already experienced two episodes of paranoia. First, she thought Jackson Wu poisoned her. Second, she thought Isaac Yan was trying to stalk her. But, neither happened.


    After her shower, she walked into her bedroom and lay down in bed. 6 suspects. What was the motive? It was currently March 28th. According to the killer''s pattern, he wasn''t killing again until April, so she had 3 days to hone in on a final list of suspects.


    She turned on the television and the news was playing. The police chief was being interviewed; they were finally announcing the death of Sara. Obviously, he did not identify her as an undercover detective.


    "At 4pm yesterday afternoon, we were called to the scene of a horrendous crime. A young nurse lost her life to the same killer that has been terrifying our streets the last 3 months. The police urge anyone with information to contact us as soon as possible and, until we find the killer, please don''t wander around on your own at night."


    Sara''s photo showed up on the television screen and Halia felt a little emotional. Although they had never met before, she felt a deep connection to her. After all, she had been experiencing her memories.


    "Don''t worry, Sara, I''ll definitely get justice for you."


    Halia pulled out a box hidden under her bed and took out the case files that the police chief had given her earlier. 6 victims, 6 suspects.


    Halia looked at the pictures of the 6 victims. What did they have in common? It couldn''t have been a random killing.


    As she read the files, she understood why the police suspected a doctor. It was because of the precision of the cut on these women''s necks. It was one clean and deep cut from ear to ear (no jagged edges or hesitation). It went in just deep enough to sever the carotid artery on both sides of the neck. The pain would have been unbearable, but death would have occurred within a couple of minutes.


    The killer knew what he was doing. He wanted them to die quickly. As soon as his knife went in, there was no chance of survival. There was no mercy! His cut was fast, accurate and confident; almost arrogant in a way.


    Halia shook her head and closed the files. What would drive a person to such extremes? And why these particular women?


    The women were found half n.a.k.e.d, but there were no signs of s.e.x.u.a.l activity. Did the killer simply enjoy looking?


    ...


    Halia woke up early the next day. Unlike the day before, she was on the morning shift.


    Mornings were a lot quieter in the emergency ward. After all, people were still waking up and weren''t out and about getting themselves into trouble. As a result, most of the staff were gathered in the coffee room, fueling themselves with caffeine for the day.


    As soon as Halia walked in, she heard some nurses discussing the news of Sara''s death.


    "She was only here for 3 weeks so I didn''t even get a chance to really talk to her."


    "She was a bit of a snob, to be honest. She only ever talked to the doctors; it was like we didn''t exist."


    Halia walked over to the three nurses that were chatting and introduced herself, "Hi, I''m Halia, I''m new here. Was the nurse on the news from this hospital?"


    "Yes she was, in fact, I''m pretty sure you''re her replacement."


    Halia acted surprised, "Did she offend anyone? Why was she killed so brutally?"


    "It''s hard to say. We didn''t know much about her. She only ever stuck around the doctors, especially the male ones. I don''t mean to be disrespectful, but she seemed like quite a flirt," one of the nurses commented.


    "Do you know which doctor''s she spoke to the most?"


    The nurse lifted her head and pointed to four doctors in the corner with her nose. She then asked curiously, "Why are you asking so much?"


    "Just small talk. I''m new here, so I thought I''d join in the conversation."


    The three nurses giggled and walked out with their coffees, "You''re going to fit in fine. If you need any help, let us know."


    Halia nodded before she turned back to look at the four doctors. There were three men and one woman. She decided to walk over to see what was happening. As she got closer, she realized it was Lily Lin; she was crying and three young doctors were comforting her. One of these doctors was Isaac Yan...

 Chapter 12 - Rejected?

    "I can''t believe she died. She was new to Beijing. She didn''t have any friends nor family here and she didn''t seem to get along with the other nurses, so I offered to do some furniture shopping with her. We were supposed to meet at 3pm that day, but something came up and I couldn''t make it. I can''t believe she was murdered at 4pm that same day," Lily sobbed. "If I was there, would she have been fine?"


    "Don''t blame yourself. If you were there, maybe you would have died as well," one of the men said.


    "She was so sweet. I felt like she honestly cared about us. She often asked me about my life and how everyone else was doing. I can''t believe she left like that," Lily sighed.


    From Halia''s point of view, it seemed like Sara was interrogating them. But, obviously, the doctors had no idea.


    At that moment, Halia reached the four doctors. "What''s wrong Lily, why are you crying?" she asked.


    "A colleague passed away, so I''m just a little shocked," Lily replied as she wiped away her tears. "I''m fine now. As a doctor, I''ve seen my fair share of death."


    "I''m sorry, I don''t think we''ve met," one of the male doctors said at this time as he looked at Halia.


    "This is Halia," Isaac immediately introduced. "She''s a new nurse here."


    "Halia, this is Dr. Ivan Tang and Dr. Vincent Su," Isaac told Halia.


    Halia smiled, "Nice to meet the two of you."


    She recognized these two names. They were both on her suspect list. Dr. Tang was an intern like Lily and Dr. Su was a brain surgeon.


    "We are going out for a few drinks after work today since none of us are working or on-call tomorrow, would you like to join us Halia?" Isaac suddenly offered.


    "Yeh, come join us. It can be our way of welcoming you," Dr. Tang said.


    Halia realized it would be a good opportunity to ask more questions so she nodded her head.


    That entire day, Halia practically stuck to the head nurse like a shadow. Whenever she got the chance, she would ask the other nurses what they thought about the doctors. Especially the ones on her suspect list.


    "Dr. Yan''s really popular with the women. Even patients swoon over him. I mean, look how handsome and talented he is," a student nurse said with admiration.


    Halia watched as the young nurse blushed. She was right, Isaac was indeed handsome and talented. But, maybe that was how he lured his victims...Some of the most famous serial killers were known to be good looking and charming.


    Halia kept her guard up.


    ...


    Finally, the shift ended and Halia went to change out of her uniform. As she walked out of the locker room, she ran into Alex, the student nurse that she met the previous day. He had just finished as well.


    "Alex, I''m going out to have a few drinks with Dr. Lin, Dr. Tang, Dr. Su and Dr. Yan, would you like to join us?"


    "No, I don''t really get along with the doctors. You should be careful around them. They are very pretentious. They may have invited you, but they actually look down on us nurses," Alex replied.


    "Why would you say something like that?" Halia asked.


    "Well, you know the nurse that passed away? I heard she was rejected by a doctor because she was a nurse," Alex explained.


    Halia looked at Alex in surprise. Did Sara actually have a thing going on with one of the doctors? But, according to her memory, Sara rejected someone, not the other way around. Was that a different incident? Or was it somehow related?


    ...


    Halia soon met the doctors outside the entrance of the hospital. They were visiting a bar nearby, so there was no need for driving.


    As soon as they walked in, Lily headed straight for a booth in the back corner. "This booth unofficially belongs to the hospital staff. We always sit here when we visit this bar," she explained.


    "What do you want to drink?" Isaac asked Halia. "The first round is on me."


    Halia smiled and waved her hand, "It''s alright, I don''t want anything."


    "Oh come on, just one, we want to welcome you properly," Lily urged.


    "Fine, just a gin and tonic," Halia replied.


    Isaac nodded and headed over to the bar.


    As Halia watched Isaac walk to the bar, she caught a glimpse of one of the private room doors opening and a familiar figure caught her gaze. The man''s cold eyes quickly scanned across her. "Did he see me?" Halia wondered.


    It was Jackson Wu!


    As the door closed, Halia noticed there were two beautiful women next to him. He glanced at one of them and smirked as she fed him a shot of alcohol.


    "I wonder what he''s doing here," Halia thought.

 Chapter 13 - The Aquarium

    While Halia was deep in thought, Isaac returned with a tray of drinks.


    Lily cheered and quickly grabbed her Margarita. She then handed Halia her gin and tonic. "Welcome Halia," Lily cheered as she raised her glass.


    Halia smiled, "Thank you."


    The four doctors and Halia clinked glasses and each took a sip of their drinks. As it was still relatively early, the bar wasn''t full yet, so it was still possible to chat. Halia quickly took this opportunity to start her interrogation.


    "So, what do you guys normally do on your days off?" she asked, trying to see if the doctors had an alibi for the day of Sara''s death.


    "I do kickboxing," Dr. Tang quickly replied. "I actually came third in a tournament 2 days ago," he boasted as he pulled out his phone and showed some photos.


    "Wow, was that a whole day event?" Halia asked, pretending to be interested.


    "Yes, it started in the morning and went all the way into the evening, but it was all worth it in the end.''


    What a coincidence!


    If Dr. Tang was telling the truth, then he definitely had an alibi.


    "That must have been a long day," Lily said as she looked at the photos. Dr. Tang smiled and moved in closer to show her some of his videos from the day.


    Halia sighed when she saw this. Sometimes, an outsider could read a situation better than the people in it, so in this case, Halia was certain that Dr. Tang was interested in Lily. But Lily looked completely clueless.


    Isaac noticed Halia looking at the two, so he smiled at her and winked, gesturing for her not to expose Dr. Tang. Halia smiled back, but she felt her heart skip a beat because of the wink. Why was this man so charming?


    "What about you Dr. Su, do you have any hobbies?" Halia quickly changed her focus.


    "I like to read. I generally spend my days off, reading at home with a nice glass of wine," he smiled as he finished the glass of wine in his hand. "Let me go get the second round," he quickly offered as he headed for the bar.


    Halia finished her gin and tonic and sighed. Luckily, she was a good drinker. At the rate they were going, she had a feeling this was going to be a long night.


    "I like to read too," Lily chimed in while Dr. Su was gone. "But I also love shopping," she giggled.


    "Isaac, do you still volunteer at the orphanage on your days off?" Lily asked.


    Halia looked at Isaac in surprise. Volunteer at an orphanage? Could this man be any more perfect? He was good looking, he was talented, he was kind and he volunteered on his day off?


    Was he really one of her suspects?


    "I don''t go as often anymore. As you know, I moved homes a couple months ago and now I live further from the orphanage. It''s a bit harder to get there," Isaac shook his head.


    "Did you go recently?" Halia asked.


    "The most recent would have been two weeks ago," Isaac replied. "Are you interested?" he asked.


    "It sounds like a nice thing to do," Halia smiled.


    "Do you want to come with me next time?" Isaac quickly offered with a hopeful expression.


    "I''ll think about it," Halia replied politely.


    "Round two is here," Dr. Su said as he arrived with more drinks.


    ...


    By the time the fourth round of drinks came around, the bar was beginning to fill up and live music had started playing. Halia struggled to ask any more questions over the noise, but she had gathered a decent amount of information. At least, she knew that she could remove Dr. Tang from the suspect list and now only five names remained.


    At that moment, Halia''s phone suddenly rang.


    It was an unknown number.


    Suspecting that it could be Dr. Ren or the police chief, Halia quickly excused herself and went to pick up her phone.


    "Halia, I had a look at your suspect list. Because of Sara''s death, you definitely got a much smaller list of suspects than she did. If you don''t discover anything else, we will bring these 6 doctors in for questioning on the 1st of April. We need to catch the killer before he kills again," a familiar voice said over the phone.


    It was the police chief.


    "Well, you can cut the list to five. Dr. Tang has an alibi for the entire day. He was at a kickboxing tournament."


    "You''re doing great, Halia. By the way, Dr. Ren said you had a flashback of an aquarium, am I right? Sara didn''t visit any aquariums recently. She''s been working almost every single day. Maybe the memory you had was from a long time ago..."


    As the police chief spoke, Halia''s eyes suddenly fell on the wall behind her and she froze. She didn''t realize at first...but there was a projection that covered the entire wall behind her. It was amazing and looked almost real.


    "It''s just like an aquarium," Halia whispered to herself as she looked at the glistening water, the seaweed, the coral, the fish...and the shark swimming in the middle...


    "I think I found the aquarium," Halia said over the phone.

 Chapter 14 - Drunken Desire

    Lily said the hospital staff frequented the bar. Which meant, Sara could have visited with anyone from the hospital and someone could have confessed to her in the very spot where Halia was standing at that moment.


    "Halia? What are you talking about?" the chief asked.


    But, Halia didn''t answer. Instead, she stared at the fish and the water like she was in a trance. It was so tranquil and calming; so different from the hectic emergency ward and the busy bar around the corner. This long stretch of wall sat between the mens and ladies bathrooms and was in a corridor that was separated from the main part of the bar. The corridor had no lights and was completely lit up by this huge projection.


    Although, a bit of noise could still be heard from the bar, it was quite muffled, so there were a few other people around, also talking on their phones. It seemed to be the best place to take calls.


    As Halia stared at the projection on the wall, her head suddenly began to feel dizzy. She blinked her eyes and tried to focus her vision, but it didn''t help. However, she didn''t feel nauseous, nor did she have a headache. Instead, she felt quite relaxed. She leaned back on the wall and stared up at the projection with a smile. The light from the projection seemed to reflect off the wall like sparkling stars doing a dance across the corridor. It was so soothing and beautiful.


    "Wow," she admired. She had never seen anything this beautiful before.


    At that moment, she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was warm, soft and comforting.


    "Halia?" she heard. "Can you hear me?"


    "Huh?" Halia mumbled with a smile.


    "Do you know who I am?" the voice asked.


    Halia shook her head, her eyes still glued to the projection on the wall.


    "I think your drink has been spiked," the voice said. "Listen to me. I''m going to get you out of here. You''re going to be OK."


    Halia simply nodded her head.


    Next thing she knew, she felt a pair of strong arms sweep her off her feet. Her head leaned into a firm muscly chest and she realized she was being carried by a man. She could hear the thumping of his heart and she could smell the alcohol in his breath. Mixed with the smell of his cologne, Halia suddenly felt intoxicated by him. She leaned in closer, trying to breathe in his scent and to absorb his warmth. It had been a long time since she had been in the arms of a man. The last time she dated anyone was back in senior high and they simply hugged and held hands. After that, she put her love life aside, went to university and joined the police academy.


    The man glanced down at the woman in his arms. How could she be so careless? At that moment, Halia suddenly smiled at him and wrapped her arm around his neck. Her soft fingers touched the back of his neck and it sent tingles down his spine.


    He was a man, he was a little drunk and he had an attractive young woman in his arms that was staring at him with desire. His body was screaming for him to take her home, to kiss those soft lips of hers and run his hands across her body. But, he was sober enough to know that it wasn''t right.


    He carried her into the back seat of his car and sat down beside her. He then buckled her up with a seatbelt and told his driver to drive them to the nearest 5-star hotel.


    He didn''t know where she lived and he couldn''t take her back to his home either.


    After a short drive, they arrived at a hotel and booked a room.


    The man carried Halia all the way up to the room he booked, opened the door and placed her gently on the bed. He wiped her face with a bit of warm water and covered her with a blanket.


    "What was she spiked with?" he asked himself.


    Depending on what it was, there was a possibility that the effects could last all the way until the next morning. He couldn''t leave her in the room on her own, so he sat on a sofa and watched over her.


    At that moment, Halia suddenly threw away the blankets, stepped out of the bed and stumbled over towards him. With a giggle, she climbed onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.


    The man looked into her eyes with a dangerous desire. In his slightly drunken state, he held onto her thin waist and pulled her closer to his body, but he stopped himself from going any further.


    "I need to control myself," he thought as he took a deep breath.


    But...while he was trying to resist, a pair of lips suddenly pressed against his...

 Chapter 15 - Its Just A Kiss

    The man''s eyes opened wide in shock. Did she have a death wish?


    He was trying so hard to resist her, but she kept teasing him like a person dangling a carrot in front of a horse.


    Her soft lips pressed clumsily against his and everytime she took a breath, he felt shockwaves through his body.


    He wanted to push her away and do the right thing, but she only kissed him harder and more passionately whenever he resisted; she was very strong and persistent.


    Eventually, she even tried to pry open his lips with her tongue.


    As soon as the man felt Halia''s tongue on his lips, he knew she had broken through his defences; he had no choice but to surrender. He had been holding back the urge to kiss her all night. Now that it was happening, how could he resist?


    "Screw it! It''s just a kiss," he said before he forced his tongue into her mouth. When Halia felt his tongue against hers, she let out a satisfied m.o.a.n. He was finally reciprocating. Seeing that she was enjoying it, he cupped her cheeks and kissed her harder. She tasted sweet and her breath still had the floral scent of gin. How much did she drink?


    At that moment, just as the two were finally on the same page, there was a knock on the door.


    At first, the man ignored it. But, the knock got louder.


    He sighed and tried to get up, but just like before, Halia wouldn''t let go.


    "Open the door, sir. We know you''re in there! This is the police!"


    "If you don''t open at the count of three, we will force it open!"


    "One..."


    "Two..."


    "Three..."


    Just as the man freed himself from Halia, the hotel room door flew open and two policemen stood in the doorway holding guns.


    "Sir, you are under arrest for the suspected kidnapping and drugging of this young woman..."


    ...


    Soon, the man arrived at the police station and was brought into an interrogation room. Of course, he understood the law, so he did not speak until his lawyer arrived.


    "My client maintains his innocence. He noticed Miss Feng wasn''t feeling too well, so he helped her out of the bar and monitored her condition at the hotel."


    "You claim that he drugged Miss Feng, but you didn''t find any drugs on his body. Nor does he have a record of drug use."


    "You claim that he kidnapped Miss Feng, but I can assure you that they are friends and he was just helping."


    "My client took Miss Feng out of the bar an hour ago, but when you found her, all her clothes were still on her body and she was perfectly fine. I think this was all a misunderstanding."


    The officer knew he had no evidence to charge the man or hold him, so he asked the police chief for advice. The chief came down from his office and had a look at the man being detained. "It''s him," he said, recognizing the man straight away. "Don''t worry, he''ll be back in here for something much more serious soon, let him off for now."


    The officer nodded and returned to the interrogation room, "You''re free to go, Sir."


    As the man walked out of the interrogation office, he spotted Halia lying on a sofa. He walked over and covered her with his coat before he headed for the door.


    Just as he stepped out, a man ran anxiously past him. The station was a bit noisy, but even so, he was sure he heard the man say, "Where''s Halia Feng? I''m her boyfriend."


    ...


    By the time Halia woke up, it was already 11am the next day. Fortunately, she didn''t have to go to the hospital. Her original plan was to look into the victims a little more, but half the day was almost gone.


    "You''re finally awake," a voice said.


    Halia jumped up in surprise. She thought she was at home, but she lived on her own, how could someone be talking to her? Halia rubbed her eyes and looked around properly.


    That''s when she spotted Dr. Ren.


    "Dr. Ren, where am I? How did I end up here?"


    Dr. Ren sighed.


    "You''re at my place. Do you remember anything from last night?"


    Halia thought for a second. She remembered the bar, the doctors, her phone call with the chief and the aquarium.


    "You were talking on the phone with the chief when you suddenly stopped responding. We tried to call back, but you didn''t answer."


    "In the end, we tracked your phone and discovered you were at a hotel. We were really worried about you, so the chief quickly sent two policeman out to get you. Luckily, no one at the station recognized you since you were new and had only done a bit of admin for the chief."


    "Do you remember anything now?"


    Halia tried to think back on the previous night again. This time she remembered a strong pair of arms carrying her. She then remembered someone wiping her with a warm towel and wrapping her in a blanket.


    But, she suddenly gasped.


    "What is it?" Dr. Ren asked.


    Halia lifted her hand to her lips and blushed; she remembered kissing someone...

 Chapter 16 - BAE

    "Was it you?" Halia asked in horror as she pointed to Dr. Ren. He was good-looking, but she had never thought of him in that way.


    "Was I what?" Dr. Ren looked at Halia confusedly.


    "Did we kiss??!!!"


    "Kiss? No! I simply picked you up from the police station. Were you even listening? Someone took you from the bar and brought you to a hotel. Was it against your will? Did he take advantage of you?" Dr. Ren asked worriedly.


    Halia shook her head. No, she wasn''t taken advantage of. If anyone was taking advantage of anyone, it was definitely her. She remembered initiating a kiss and she remembered the man trying to push her off.


    How embarrassing!!


    Halia held her cheeks as they burned in embarrassment.


    "Are you OK, Halia?"


    "Wh-who was he?" Halia asked.


    "The police already let him off by the time I arrived, you''ll have to ask the chief, I think he saw him," Dr. Ren replied. "By the way...I...errr...Why is my phone number named ''BAE'' on your phone?"


    Halia looked at Dr. Ren and laughed, "Brain Assistant Eric."


    Dr. Eric Ren sighed, "Don''t you know that girls call their boyfriends bae?"


    Halia looked at Eric awkwardly and blushed. "I totally didn''t think of that," she cringed as she waved her hands.


    "Well...the police thought I was your boyfriend, so I played along. It gave me a good excuse to pick you up from the police station," Eric explained.


    "Boyfriend?" Halia blushed. "I''m so sorry for creating that misunderstanding."


    Eric shook his head, "Everyone''s just glad that you''re OK. How did you know my name was Eric anyway?"


    "I overheard Dr. Li calling you that."


    "Then...you can call me Eric from now on. Change my name on your phone, it''s awkward."


    "OK OK, I''ll do it later," Halia chuckled.


    "By the way, is this coat yours?" Halia asked as she lifted the coat that was covering her body.


    "No, it was already on you when I arrived."


    Halia looked at the coat curiously. Who did this belong to? Was it the man that took care of her? The one that she forcefully kissed? Halia blushed again.


    She could briefly remember the events of the previous night, but...she couldn''t quite remember any faces...


    Halia looked at the coat again. Whoever left it would eventually come back for it, right?


    ...


    After freshening up a little, Halia turned to Dr. Ren and asked, "So what exactly happened last night? Was I drugged?"


    "Highly likely. We are suspecting that someone put a drug called GHB in your drink. It''s very hard to detect, it acts quickly and 50% of it is usually eliminated from the body within the first hour even though the effects can be felt for many hours after."


    "The average person already has a bit of GHB in their body, but we detected a slightly higher level in your blood. It''s not conclusive, but that''s all we can go off for now."


    "Actually, I don''t want to scare you, but we''ve had a theory that the serial killer has been using this same drug to suppress his victims. It''s practically undetectable after 12 hours, so it was impossible to detect it in the first 5 victims since we discovered their bodies at least an entire day after their death. But, we did find a slightly higher level of GHB in Sara''s blood. The amount was not enough to be conclusive, but it makes sense. She was a black belt in karate!"


    Halia listened to Eric''s analysis and started to feel a little uneasy. What if the killer was after her. After all, 2 of her 5 suspects were at that bar last night and they were the ones that bought her drinks.


    "Are you busy today, Eric? I''m planning to do some research into the victims."


    Eric shook his head, "I''ll come with you."


    ...


    Eric and Halia soon arrived outside a cafe.


    "The 4th victim was a waitress here. She didn''t turn up to work on the day she was killed and they discovered her body in an alleyway around the corner the next day," Halia explained.


    "She was the reason why Sara was sent to PUH."


    Halia gestured to a red logo that peeked out between a few buildings.


    "PUH is only a few blocks from here."


    "According to her workmates, no one hated her and she didn''t have any enemies. In fact, the doctors from the nearby hospital used to order directly from her because she always gave them the best service."


    "So, are we here to ask more questions? Aren''t you afraid that someone from the hospital will see you?"


    "Oh, I''m not here to ask questions. I''m just here because I''m hungry. I heard they make great pancakes here..." Halia said as she walked in.


    Eric shook his head and followed behind.

 Chapter 17 - Looking In The Wrong Place

    A stack of pancakes arrived in front of Halia and she immediately started digging into it.


    "Victim number four''s body was found near PUH and she worked near PUH. Then, Sara died after working in the emergency ward of PUH and I saw the hospital''s logo in her memory. Because of these clues, we''ve been focusing on the emergency doctors in PUH. But, you know what, after working in the emergency ward for just two days, I''ve already noticed that none of the doctors leave the hospital for lunch. I spoke to the doctors and they said it''s impossible to leave because they are always on-call."


    "Look at the opening hours for this place. They are only open between 10am and 2pm. If none of the doctors leave for lunch, how could they come to this cafe and meet the victim?"


    "The killer definitely knew the victim. He knew what time she was heading to work, he knew the route she walked. If he drugged her with GHB like you said, he would have slipped it into something she drank on the way. He was meticulous and he planned everything out perfectly. He even knew that the cafe closed at 2pm, so he dumped the body in the alleyway around the corner after 2pm, knowing no one would walk past until the next day. It wasn''t a random killing," Halia explained.


    "Does that mean we''ve been looking in the wrong place?" Eric asked.


    "I''m not sure. All I know is, when we call the five doctors in for questioning in 2 days, the rest of the hospital will quickly find out. If the killer isn''t amongst these five, I don''t know how the real killer will react."


    Halia finished her pancake at that moment and got up to pay. As she stood at the counter, she started to chat to the waiter, "You guys get very busy here, don''t you?"


    "Oh yes, we get a lot of customers from the hospital," the waiter replied.


    "Do a lot of doctors come here?" she asked casually.


    "We get a few regulars, but you know, doctors are busy. We actually get more nurses," he winked. "A bit of eye candy for me," he laughed.


    Halia laughed along, "So what''s your verdict, which hospital ward has it the easiest?"


    The waiter chuckled, "The gastrointestinal ward has it quite easy, I see the doctors and nurses from there almost everyday. Even if it''s just for a coffee. On the other hand, I''ve never met any of the doctors from the emergency ward, those guys are so hardworking."


    Halia glanced at Eric. She had a bad feeling about this.


    "What should we do?" Eric asked.


    "I''m going to call the police chief and ask him to question victim number one''s mother again. We didn''t have any clues when we questioned her, but we know a lot more now. Perhaps, she''d be able to tell us something."


    ...


    Later that afternoon, a senior detective arrived outside an apartment.


    He had been following the recent killings from the beginning and he had spent many sleepless nights flipping through the files.


    The latest victim was a nurse that had been killed 3 days ago and tomorrow was the last day of March. He knew his time was running out, but he couldn''t piece the clues together.


    That morning, when he arrived at the police station, the police chief called him to his office and gave him a list of 5 suspects, "Do a background check on these 5 doctors. See if they are tied to the victims in any way."


    The detective looked at the list curiously. Where did the chief get these names from?


    But, even though he was curious, he did not question the chief and immediately started looking into the doctors. They were all from the emergency ward of PUH, the same place where the recent victim worked. "I guess it makes sense," he thought.


    However, just as things were beginning to make sense. The chief suddenly came out after lunch and told him to go question the mother of the first victim again.


    "Go check if the victim was linked to any of the doctors at the emergency ward of PUH. We need to double check that we are heading down the right track."


    So, that''s how he ended up standing outside the apartment of the first victim.


    He walked up to the door and started knocking.


    It took a while, but an old lady finally answered the door.


    As soon as she saw the detective, her eyes got teary. She recognized him. He had questioned her on the day of her daughter''s death. "What are you doing here? Haven''t you asked enough?" she m.o.a.ned.


    "I''m sorry, but can I have a bit of time to speak to you?"


    "I''ve already told you everything, but you still haven''t found my daughter''s killer. I don''t want to speak to you, I just want this to be over!"


    The old lady tried to close the door, but the detective quickly stopped her. "I just want to ask if your daughter knew a doctor from the emergency ward of Peking University Hospital."


    "That hospital''s far from here, neither my daughter nor I have ever gone near there. Now go!" the old lady cried.


    Just before the door closed, the detective slipped in a business card, "Think it over carefully. Call me if you remember anything else."

 Chapter 18 - Dinner With A Killer

    After hearing from the police chief that they didn''t get any information from the first victim''s mother, Halia was disappointed but she continued with her investigation.


    The next stop, was the nearby University. Peking University was famous for its medical degree and PUH was where they trained all their future doctors and nurses.


    The third victim was actually from Peking University, but they never tied it to PUH because she studied IT, not medicine, and the IT building was on the other end of the University.


    Suddenly, someone ran up behind Halia and cried out, "Oh my God, Halia, why did you leave without saying anything last night?"


    Halia turned around.


    It was Dr. Su.


    "I''m sorry, there was an emergency at home," Halia replied.


    "We were so worried about you, especially Isaac. When we realized you hadn''t returned for a while, he went to look for you?"


    "Isaac?"


    "Did you see him? We assumed you guys left together since he never came back."


    Halia paused for a second realizing what may have happened. Was Isaac the one that took her to the hotel?


    Was he the one she kissed?


    "What are you doing here?" Halia asked, changing the subject before she started to blush again.


    "I''m a guest lecturer. I come here a few times every semester," Dr. Su smiled. "What about you?"


    "I...uh..." Halia didn''t know how to respond. She couldn''t tell him she was investigating a murder.


    "She''s here with me, I used to study here, so I wanted to go for a walk down memory lane and show her around my old campus," Eric quickly stepped in and explained.


    "You are...?"


    "I am Halia''s boyfriend."


    Halia glared at Eric, but played along.


    "Yes, he''s a doctor as well."


    Dr. Su smiled and shook Eric''s hand, "Nice to meet you. Anyway, I''d love to stick around, but I have a lecture to get to. I''ll see you back at the hospital."


    As Dr. Su walked away, Halia noticed a bunch of girls looking at him and whispering to each other. Out of curiosity, she walked closer to see what they were talking about.


    "He''s so handsome. I never knew a brain surgeon could look like that."


    "It''s no wonder that Angel had a huge crush on him. It was a shame that she never got to confess to him."


    "I miss her, we used to run over here from the IT department just to get a glance of him together. Now, she''s no longer with us."


    "I hope her murderer gets caught soon. It''s already been over a month since she died."


    The girls got teary and started to comfort each other.


    Halia looked at Eric, "Angel was the name of the third victim...I guess she did have a connection with the emergency ward of PUH..."


    At that moment, Halia suddenly received a phone call. The name ''Isaac'' popped up on her screen and her heart immediately began to race.


    "Uh...Isaac...hi," she answered, trying to remain composed.


    "Are you feeling better?" he asked.


    Feeling better? Was he referring to last night? Did he see her in her ''drugged'' state so he carried her out of the bar? Was he the one that wiped her with a warm towel and wrapped her in a blanket?


    "Umm...yes, much better," Halia replied.


    "Errr...are you free tonight? Would you like to have dinner together?"


    Halia paused for a moment. Was he asking her on a date? A couple days before she was about to throw him into an interrogation room?


    "Sure," Halia replied, feeling a little guilty.


    Deep down, she wanted to believe that this man was innocent, but she still had no proof. If he was the one that took her to a hotel room last night, was he the one that drugged her? He did buy her a drink; it would have been easy for him to spike it if he wanted to.


    Suddenly, a frightening thought came to her mind: if the police hadn''t arrived, would he have killed her?


    After she hung up the phone, she looked at Eric, "I''m going to dinner with Isaac tonight. I think there''s a huge possibility that he might be the killer."


    "I''ll come with you," Eric quickly offered.


    "Just stay close and watch over me. If I look like I''m in trouble, immediately call the chief."


    Eric nodded.


    ...


    That evening, Halia met Isaac at a fancy steak restaurant in the middle of town. She had gone home to change before she came back out and was now wearing a short black dress that ended just above her knee. It hugged tightly to her body, accentuating her curves, but she covered it up with a coat; the coat that was left behind for her the night before.


    As she walked into the restaurant, Isaac stood up to pull out a chair for her. He then ordered two of the restaurant''s famous steak.


    "You look warm," he commented.


    Halia blushed. Was he hinting that his coat was keeping her warm?


    "I''m glad that you''re looking much better today. You seemed really drunk last night," Issac said with a worried expression.


    Halia looked at the man opposite her, "It was strange, I don''t remember drinking that much."


    "You had four drinks, that''s a lot for a girl," he replied.


    Halia was a strong drinker. On a good day, she could drink 10 shots and her head would only feel a little dizzy.


    So, she stared straight into the man''s eyes and said, "I think my drink was spiked, did you do it?"

 Chapter 19 - Lies And Deception

    Isaac looked at Halia in surprise, "Your drink was spiked?"


    "That explains it. I think my drink was spiked too!" he replied.


    Halia looked at the man in confusion. This was not the answer she expected to hear.


    "How did you carry me out of the bar, then?" she asked.


    "I didn''t, I actually blacked out inside a toilet cubicle and by the time I woke up, it was 4am the next day and the bar was cleaning up. But...I did see your friend carry you out," Isaac explained. "I was worried about you, that''s why I called you out for dinner today."


    "Did your friend get you home fine?"


    Halia continued to look at Isaac in confusion. What friend was he talking about?


    "He looked really worried about you. I guess he''s not that bad."


    At that moment, their steak arrived so Isaac stopped talking. Halia wanted to question Isaac a bit more, but a violinist suddenly came around and began playing.


    Halia sighed and started cutting into her steak.


    Soon, the meal was finished and the violinist stopped playing.


    But, just as Halia spotted an opportunity to speak again, Isaac beat her to it, "Halia, can you consider me as your friend?"


    "Of course," Halia replied.


    "I''m glad. I felt bad when you told me that you only had one friend in Beijing."


    "One friend?" Halia asked.


    "Yes, the guy that brought you to the hospital when you fainted. I was glad to see him carry you out of the bar last night. You must have called him to get you. Is that why you were on the phone?"


    Halia stared blankly at the man as she tried to decipher what he was talking about.


    All of a sudden, she remembered a recent conversation she had with Isaac. Last time, she panicked and told him that she only had one friend in Beijing.


    That friend was...Jackson Wu!


    That''s when Halia remembered Jackson''s voice in her ear, "Listen to me. I''m going to get you out of here. You''re going to be OK."


    For some reason, his voice sounded so trustworthy.


    Halia pinched her hand. "Snap out of it, he''s a gangster," she whispered to herself.


    "Are you OK, Halia?" Isaac asked.


    "Uh, yes...I''m lucky that my friend came to get me," she smiled. "I don''t know what would have happened if he didn''t."


    Halia looked at Isaac. Why were they both spiked? Was it the killer? Did this mean Isaac was innocent?


    ...


    The next day, Halia headed into the hospital for another morning shift. Even though she knew the 5 suspects were going to be questioned the next day, she still had to keep her cover until the killer was caught.


    As soon as she arrived, she ran into Alex.


    "Hey, Halia. How was the other night at the bar?" he asked.


    "Oh, it was good at first..." Halia replied, but she didn''t say anymore. She didn''t want the hospital to hear how she got spiked and was carried out of the bar by a gangster.


    "Did something bad happen?" he asked worriedly. "I asked around for you and I found out that the doctor that rejected the dead nurse was Isaac. He supposedly takes new nurses down to the bar, sleeps with them and throws them aside once he''s done."


    Halia looked at Alex in surprise. Was that what Isaac had planned for her? Maybe Jackson had interrupted his plan, so he lied about being spiked too.


    "The nurses are going to dinner and then heading down to that same bar after work today. Do you want to go with us?" Alex offered.


    Halia immediately nodded. She had to go back to the bar to check if Isaac had been lying to her...


    ...


    That evening, Halia went home to get changed and then headed to the restaurant to meet the nurses.


    But, when she arrived, only Alex was sitting inside. "Is everyone else late?" Halia asked.


    "Supposedly, 5 of the hospital''s doctors were suddenly told to report to the police station for questioning tomorrow. The hospital was notified of the inconvenience and the nurses were all worried, so some of them stayed back to see what was happening and some are helping to call other doctors in to fill in the shifts for tomorrow," Alex explained.


    "So you came here on your own?"


    "You left really quickly and missed the drama, so I knew you''d? have no idea. I didn''t want you to turn up here on your own. Plus, you know that I don''t get along with the doctors," Alex replied.


    Halia nodded and ordered some food.


    ...


    Meanwhile, down at the police station, the senior detective in charge of the case, quickly flipped through his files again. He had done a background check on the five suspects as per the police chief''s request, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Even so, he still called the five doctors and told them to report to the station the next morning. He also sent out some men to watch over them for the night to make sure they didn''t run away or do anything suspicious. It was already 7pm and time was ticking. These last few hours were critical, he had to find as much evidence as possible to hopefully reprimand one of the suspects the next day.


    At that moment, the detective''s phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number.


    "Hello, Detective Murray Yang speaking."


    "Detective, it''s me. I just remembered something about my daughter that might be of help," an old woman said on the other end of the phone.


    It was the first victim''s mother.


    "Mrs. Wong, thank you for calling."


    "My daughter''s ex-boyfriend...he was a doctor. I''m not sure what hospital he worked at, but they broke up about 6 months before she died. It didn''t cross my mind since it was a while ago and I was sure she hadn''t been in contact with him, but after you left, I thought about what you said and something didn''t feel right."


    "Do you remember his name?"


    "I...errrm...Isaac! That''s it, his name was Dr. Isaac Yan!"


    The detective glanced down at his list of suspects. "Can you send me a photo of this doctor, I have something to confirm..."

 Chapter 20 - Alex Li

    By the time Halia and Alex finished dinner, it was already 8pm. They decided to head over to the bar even though it was just the two of them because Halia insisted to go for a drink. After all, she wanted to see if she could find anything about what happened the other night.


    Because the bar wasn''t far away, Halia and Alex decided to walk. On the way, a little girl approached them to sell flowers.


    "Hi, sir, would you like to buy some flowers for your girlfriend? I am trying to make money for my mommy''s surgery. The doctors won''t cure her unless I have money."


    Alex looked at the little girl. There was an indescribable pity and pain in his eyes as he stood frozen in place. "All doctors care about is money. They think they''re so good that they can even refuse to save a life. How could they be so cold hearted?"


    Halia turned to look at her colleague. "Are you OK, Alex?" she asked.


    As she looked at him, their eyes met. Halia realized she had never actually stared into this man''s eyes...but they felt oddly familiar.


    "I''ll buy the biggest bunch you have," Alex offered the little girl.


    The girl cheered and handed a bunch of flowers to Alex, "Thank you, your girlfriend will be very happy."


    Alex gave the little girl some money and she skipped away in glee. He then held onto the flowers and looked at Halia.


    "I know you already have a boyfriend, but here, take these as a gift," he said as he handed her the flowers.


    Halia looked at the flowers. This scene felt very familiar. She slowly stretched out her hands to accept the flowers, but...Alex let go too early and the flowers dropped on the floor. The petals fell all over the floor.


    Halia froze.


    The memory of Sara rejecting a confession in front of the aquarium projection came to her mind. Last time she had this memory, she didn''t see the man''s face properly, but this time, as she looked up, she clearly saw who it was.


    It was Alex!


    ...


    Back at the police station, senior detective Murray Yang finally received a message from the first victim''s mother.


    It was a photo of her daughter''s boyfriend.


    The detective looked at the photo and frowned. He had done a background check on Dr. Isaac Yan and familiarized himself with him, but the man in the photo sent to him was not the same man. Was it just a coincidence that they had the same name? Or did someone steal Dr. Yan''s identity?


    There was only one way to find out. He immediately forwarded the photo to the colleague that was watching over Isaac Yan and told him, "Ask Dr. Yan if he knows the man in this photo."


    The colleague did as told. He stepped out of his car and walked up to Isaac''s apartment and knocked on the door.


    It didn''t take long for Isaac to open the door. As soon as he did, the detective introduced himself and Isaac quickly checked his credentials.


    "I am detective, Connor Lin. I have a photo here. Can you please tell me if you know this man?" the young detective asked as he showed Isaac the photo on his phone.


    Isaac looked at the photo and zoomed in closer. Finally, he replied, "Yes...that''s a student nurse from our hospital..."


    "I think his name is Alex...Yes, Alex Li."


    ...


    "Oh no!" Alex cried as he bent down to pick up the flowers on the floor. "I''m so sorry."


    Halia watched the man curiously.


    "Alex, did you know Sara well?" she suddenly asked.


    Alex stood up with the damaged flowers and looked at Halia, "She was just a colleague. We barely knew each other. Why do you ask?"


    Halia looked at the man curiously. Why was he lying?


    "Well, you said she confessed to Dr. Yan and got rejected by him, so I wanted to see if you knew anything else."


    The man walked over to some bins and carefully unwrapped the damaged flowers. He then placed the plastic and paper in the recycle bin and the flowers in the other one. He even picked up some trash on the floor and placed them into the corresponding bins.


    Halia began to get a weird vibe from the guy. Something wasn''t right.


    The man realized his actions were a little strange, so he turned and looked at Halia. "I''m sorry, I have slight OCD, I don''t like it when things aren''t tidy," he laughed.


    Halia stared at the man as his laugh rang through her ears and she froze again.


    This laugh. She had heard it before...

 Chapter 21 - The Killer

    Halia stared at the colleague opposite her and chills ran down her spine.


    She could never forget that laugh...


    The laugh of the killer...


    Was Alex the killer?


    Halia''s heart raced. "Let''s hurry and get to the bar, I''m getting cold out here," she said in the most casual tone she could pull off. She realized they had wandered into a park that was practically empty. If Alex was was really the killer, then she was in a very dangerous situation.


    "Haha, wait up. I wonder if the bar''s going to think that you''re an alcoholic for turning up so early so often..." Alex joked.


    That''s when Halia realized something that she didn''t think about earlier: how did Alex know which bar she went to and how did he know what time she went there? She simply told him she was going to a bar with the doctors, but she never gave him any details.


    "Alex, how do you know which bar I went to the other night?" Halia asked with suspicion.


    "Oh, you know, the doctors always go to the same one."


    "I thought you don''t get along with them and don''t care about them. How do you know so much about them?"


    Alex looked at Halia in a slightly irritated manner.


    "The other nurses gossip a lot. So I overheard."


    Although he gave a good answer, Halia knew he was lying.


    "What about my boyfriend? You said earlier that you knew I had a boyfriend. I never told you about him." Now that Halia thought about it, there were so many suspicious things about Alex.


    "I saw the two of you at the university yesterday. You were talking to Dr. Su, so I didn''t want to bother you. But I overheard you introducing him as your boyfriend. I heard he''s also a doctor, am I right?"


    Halia nodded and walked faster.


    "You know Halia, doctors aren''t that great. Why do girls always obsess over them?" Alex started to get a little angry.


    All of a sudden, he grabbed onto Halia''s arm. "Why are you walking so fast?" he asked.


    Halia looked down at her arm as Alex''s grip tightened. "You''re hurting me, Alex," she reminded gently.


    But, Alex simply glanced at his watch and did not let go. "I''m sorry, Halia."


    Halia looked at Alex confusedly. What was he sorry for? For holding onto her arm too tightly? If he was sorry, then why wasn''t he letting go?


    He looked at her with pity and glanced at his watch again.


    At that moment, Halia''s head began to spin. As soon as she felt this, her heart sunk.


    She recognized this feeling...


    She knew what was happening...


    "Did you spike my drink?" Halia asked in horror as she tried to stand up straight. That''s when she remembered she had gone to the toilet just before they left the restaurant. He must have slipped something into her drink at that time. That''s why, as soon as she returned, he told her to have some water before they went for their walk. At that time, she simply thought he was being thoughtful. She had been too careless around him.


    "Why are you doing this?" she asked.


    "I hate girls that obsess over doctors. When I first met you, I thought you were just being friendly, but you started getting oddly attached to the doctors. You even hung out with them after work. That''s why I followed you the other night. I wanted to teach you a lesson. I wanted to show you that doctor''s had a wild side too."


    "What do you mean, teach me a lesson?" Halia asked.


    "I didn''t just spike you tonight. I popped a little something into yours and Dr. Yan''s drinks a couple nights ago too; something that would make him reveal the monster inside," Alex explained.


    "But, you were lucky, someone saved you..."


    Halia held onto her head as she sat on the floor; she could no longer stand.


    "Then, when I found out your boyfriend was also a doctor, that was the final straw. I''ve been helping you so much at the hospital and I''ve been taking good care of you. Why did you never notice me? Why do women never notice me? Is it because I''m a nurse?" the man complained


    "You know what, Halia? I could have been a doctor. I actually made it to medical school and I studied there for two years. My dream was to become a surgeon. But...I was kicked out in the end because I kept failing to dissect a human cadaver."


    "They asked us to dissect a dead human body, but I couldn''t do it. The first time I saw the blue body bags on the table, I vomited. The second time, I managed to open the bag, but i fainted. The third time, my hands trembled uncontrollably as I lay my knife to the body."


    "At that time, one of the professor''s came up to me and told me I wasn''t made to be a doctor, especially not a surgeon. He told me that my hands were too shaky and my mind wasn''t focused enough. I told him I was confident I''d be able to cut up a live human being; that I was simply afraid of the dead, but he didn''t believe me. In the end, I failed that course."


    "Eventually, the headmaster advised me to try the nursing degree instead. He told me I could become a surgical nurse and assist a doctor in surgery, but never have to actually lay a knife myself."


    "I was disappointed at the time, but I took his advice. However, my hatred for doctors grew from that moment onward. Especially after I became a nurse and started working in the hospital. Haven''t you noticed the way they look down on us and treat us like we''re their slaves and cleaners?" Alex yelled.


    "But...you know what I hate even more than doctors?" he asked.


    Halia looked at the man in confusion.


    "I hate women, young women that swoon over them and treat them like Gods. Women like you..."

 Chapter 22 - Manhunt

    Halia felt herself fall into the man''s arms. As much as she wanted to run away, she had no strength to do so.


    She knew something didn''t feel right about their investigation, but a nurse wasn''t something that ever came to mind. Perhaps Alex was right...everyone did underestimate them.


    ...


    Back at the police station, senior detective Murray Yang had just reported his discovery to the police chief.


    "Our first victim had a ''doctor'' boyfriend who went by the name Isaac Yan, but it appears as though it was a case of stolen identity."


    "We''ve already identified the fraud to be a student nurse from the emergency department of PUH, by the name of Alex Li. I''ve run a quick background check on him, and discovered he is a medical school dropout," the detective explained.


    "Where is he now?" the police chief asked. "Call him in for questioning tomorrow and send someone to watch him like our other suspects."


    The detective quickly went to do as he was told. But, 20 minutes later, he returned with a worried expression, "Alex Li supposedly left work with one of the nurses. I tried to call both their phones, but both phones are switched off."


    "It''s 9pm, right now. What if..."


    Before the detective finished speaking, the police chief cut in, "What''s the name of the nurse he''s with."


    "Her name is Halia Feng."


    The police chief quickly picked up his phone and dialed a number. The phone was off.


    "Sh*t!" he yelled.


    "Get a warrant, we''re going on a manhunt!"


    ...


    By the time Halia woke up again, she was tied to a chair inside an abandoned warehouse, but her mind was still fuzzy.


    "Finally awake, I see," Alex said as he sat down opposite Halia.


    "You''re very special, you know? I had to mix a special concoction for you. Normally, we''d already be finished having fun and you''d be dead by now, but you see, we still have 2 hours until April and I just can''t get myself to break the pattern I''ve created. So, I had to put you to sleep for a little."


    "Now that you''re awake. Let''s start having some fun."


    Alex slowly untied the rope that was tied around Halia. The rope was just to keep her in place, but she didn''t actually have any strength to fight back, nor was she conscious enough to do so.


    She looked up at him and giggled, "Fun!"


    Alex smirked and sat back on his chair. He then turned on some music, "Halia, dance!"


    Halia listened to the beat of the music and felt her body naturally moving to the rhythm. It was like she was possessed. The vibration from the bass made her heart beat and the treble sent tingles down her spine.


    After a few songs, she started to get hot and sweaty, so she removed her coat.


    Alex smirked and continued watching. He liked feeling like he was in control and he liked seeing his victims ''perform'' in front of him. It was like he was a king on a throne and they were trying to please him. It was very different to the inferiority he felt as a nurse.


    "Halia, keep taking off your clothes if you''re hot. It''s just me, you don''t have to be afraid," he said.


    Halia smiled and began to unbutton her shirt...


    Alex had done this many times before: six times to be exact. He drugged his victims, made them perform in front of him, and when he was done, he''d make them sit down obediently while he proved to them that he was as skilled as a doctor. That he had the ability to cut open a live human with one clean cut and had the ability to sentence a person to death like a God.


    Actually, he never knew he was capable of killing until 3 months ago when he came across his ex-girlfriend at a restaurant. It had already been 6 months since they broke up.


    Back when they first met, he had just started his first placement at the hospital and he decided to visit the bar with his colleagues. As soon as he arrived, he realized some girls had specifically come to the bar to meet doctors from PUH because they knew they frequented the place.


    When he went to the bathroom, a beautiful young woman approached him and asked, "I saw you sitting at the doctor''s table, do you know Dr. Isaac Yan? I''ve heard a lot about him and always wanted to meet him."


    As soon as Alex saw the woman, he believed it was love at first sight. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Unwilling to give her away to someone else, he ended up lying "I''m Dr. Yan."


    Because of this lie, the woman went home with him and they quickly started a relationship. He thought she was truly in love with him, but he quickly realized she was a gold digger that was only with him because she thought he was a doctor.


    Of course, it didn''t take long before his lie was exposed. As soon as the woman found out, she immediately broke up with him, "You''re just a lousy nurse, how dare you pretend to be a doctor. You''re nothing but a disgusting liar!"


    At that time, he was completely heartbroken, but it wasn''t until he ran into her 6 months later at the restaurant, that he was triggered to kill.


    That day, she was on a blind date with a businessman and he overheard her talking, "Do you have proof that you''re really a manager at a bank? You see, my ex was a lousy liar that pretended to be a doctor when he was actually a nurse. I mean, even if he was on a similar level to a doctor, I would have settled for him, but a nurse is nothing. Nurses are no different to cleaners or maids. I never want to end up with someone like that again!"


    Her words made his blood boil.

 Chapter 23 - The Man In The Shadows

    He started stalking her at first, but the more he stalked her, the more he hated her. Eventually, he came up with an idea to drug her and disfigure her. He was going to slice her across the face and see how she planned to seduce rich men.


    But, when he finally got her into her drugged up state, he enjoyed the control and power he had over her. She said she was disgusted by him, but there she was, practically strip dancing in front of him, demanding for his attention.


    She was so high that she had absolutely no idea what she was doing.


    The woman eventually laughed and sat down on the floor. She then held onto his leg and looked up at him. As she looked up, he saw the clean, white, porcelain skin on her neck.


    He felt so powerful at that moment. Like he could do anything to her - even kill her.


    He looked at the knife in his hand, the one he was planning to slice her face with, and he realized that slicing her face would only make her ugly, it wouldn''t make her respect him. So, he had to do something more. He had to show her that he was better than a doctor - that he was a God.


    At that moment, he remembered the way his professors doubted him. How they kicked him out of medical school because he couldn''t cut up a dead body and how they didn''t believe him when he said he could cut up a living person.


    So, with one deep and confident slash, he cut the woman across the throat, ear-to-air, making sure to sever her carotid artery; he wanted to guarantee her death and show-off his accuracy and skills. Blood splattered everywhere and quickly drained out of her neck. Just before she took one last breath, he saw the fear and pain in her eyes. For him, fear was a sign of respect.


    He looked down at the masterpiece he created and it felt good.


    Alex remembered that day clearly. It was the most powerful and in-control he had ever felt in his life. That feeling was addictive. So addictive that when he met a patient''s daughter and saw the way she looked at the doctors, she quickly became his second victim. And, before he knew it, he came across his third victim at the university when he saw some girls swooning over Dr. Su who was a guest lecturer at the university.


    He quickly realized that killing was like a drug for him, so he limited himself to only increasing the body count by one every month. If he wasn''t caught that month, then it was a sign from God that he could continue.


    Since he wasn''t caught in February, he killed another 3 in March. The more he killed, the more addictive it got.


    This addiction was the reason why he was currently staring at Halia like a drug addict waiting for his next shot. As Alex watched Halia dance in front of him, he felt his heart beat with excitement. There was only an hour and a half left until April.


    It was almost time to kill again!


    But, just as he glanced down at his watch to check the time, he suddenly heard a voice behind him.


    "I would let her go if I were you."


    Alex lifted his head in surprise. This was an abandoned warehouse, was there another person here?


    He then saw a man appear in the shadows, he was barely visible, but he was definitely there.


    "Who are you?" Alex asked.


    "Just a nosy person that''s passing by," the man replied as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Are you the serial killer that everyone''s been looking for?" he asked straightforwardly.


    Alex looked at the man in surprise. How did he know? Was this man from the police?


    In a panic, he quickly pulled out his knife and pointed it towards Halia. "Don''t come any closer or I''ll kill her."


    Alex tried to find a way to escape, but two men suddenly appeared behind him and pinned him to the ground.


    "Who are you? Are you the police? I want to speak to my lawyer!" Alex yelled hysterically.


    At this time, the man from the shadows finally stepped into clear light. As soon as Alex saw him, he was shocked. He had seen this man at the hospital before. Everyone avoided him because...


    "We aren''t police. By the time we''re done with you, you''d probably wish we were," one of the men laughed as he pulled out a hammer. "Now, tell me, which finger do you like the least?"

 Chapter 24 - Hero

    "Ahhhhh...!" a blood curdling cry echoed through the warehouse. The two men holding down Alex had smashed one of his fingers with their hammer.


    "Let''s see how you hold a knife from now on!" the heavier guy on the left said with his husky voice.


    "We like beautiful women too, but we would never do something as disgusting as you!" the skinnier guy on the right said as he spat on Alex. He then proceeded to smash another finger.


    As the second scream echoed through the warehouse, the guy that stepped out from the shadows, walked over to turn off the music that was still playing. As soon as it stopped, Halia frowned. With her shirt unbuttoned and white lace bra showing, she ran over to the man and pouted her lips, "Turn it back on, I was dancing."


    The man looked down at her and furrowed his brows. "Look at you! Didn''t you learn your lesson the first time?" he asked as he quickly helped her button her shirt.


    Halia stood still, like a little girl being dressed by her mother.


    "From now on, you need to be more careful. I can''t save you every time."


    Halia stared at the man and hooked her arms around his neck. "It''s you again," she smiled.


    The man''s lips curved upwards slightly. "You''ll forget me again when you come to your senses," he said. He then checked his watch, "I called the police for you, they should be here any minute. Sit here and be good until they come. I can''t stay around. The police don''t like me."


    Halia sat down obediently on a chair and nodded.


    The man picked up Halia''s coat off the floor and covered her with it. "I hope we never meet in a situation like this again," he said before he glanced at his men and gestured it was time to leave.


    By this time, Alex had two broken fingers on each hand and had already fallen unconscious from the pain.


    Not long after the three men left, the police arrived. They had received an anonymous phone call about a suspicious car parked outside an abandoned warehouse. When they checked the number plate, they realized the car belonged to Alex Li! So, they immediately rushed to the scene.


    But...when they walked in, they were surprised to find Alex unconscious on the floor and Halia sitting safely on a chair facing him.


    ...


    A couple hours later, Alex finally awoke to find he was at the police station. His fingers were wrapped in bandages and they hurt like hell. He groaned in pain as the senior detective walked up to him and threw a wrapped up knife on the desk.


    "We''ve already run tests on this knife and confirmed it was the same knife used in 6 brutal killings. Your finger prints are all over it. Are you going to tell us why you did it?"


    Alex sucked up his pain and smirked, "I guess God wanted me to..."


    He looked up at the clock and it was just past midnight. He didn''t make it to April.


    "Did you catch the guys that broke my fingers. I want to sue them?" Alex asked, trying to change the subject.


    "There were no signs of anyone else in that warehouse. For all we know, you fell and broke them yourself," the detective smirked. He quite enjoyed this poetic justice. This man would never be able to pick up a knife again.


    "Well, I saw him clearly! Halia saw him too," Alex yelled.


    "I told you already. There were no signs of anyone else. You have no evidence. Plus, Halia isn''t sober enough to act as a witness. You''ll just have to accept that your killing spree is over," the detective said as he returned the conversation to the main point.


    "Now, tell me why and how you killed these 6 women," he said as he placed 6 photos on the desk.


    Alex leaned back on his chair. He wasn''t afraid of getting caught. If this was his fate, then he was going to accept it. Plus, he was proud of what he had done.


    So, he cleared his throat and began telling his story; about how he was kicked out of medical school and shunned by his ex-girlfriend; how he watched a daughter visit her mother dressed like she was going on a blind date, just so she could impress the doctors; how the girl from the IT department almost knocked him over as she ran to catch a glimpse of Dr. Su''s lecture. How they ignored him like he didn''t exist!


    He then told him about the waitress at the cafe near the hospital. He had visited that place often, but she only ever served the doctors and never once asked him where he worked or what he did. In fact, she didn''t even recognize him when he appeared at the bubble tea shop she visited every morning before work and poured something down her straw.


    "I had to teach her a lesson," he said as he stared at the woman''s photo coldly.

 Chapter 25 - Case Closed

    Meanwhile, outside the interrogation room, Halia was starting to sober up.


    "Here have a glass of water," the police chief offered.


    Halia held the glass in her hands and took a sip. "I hope you didn''t spike this," she joked.


    "I need to restrict you from eating and drinking next time you''re undercover," the police chief said.


    Halia shook her head, "I''m hoping there''s no next time."


    "What? You''re retiring already?" the chief asked.


    "No, I meant, I hope there won''t be another serial killer," Halia replied.


    "I''m glad you said that. There''s something I need to discuss with you later. But, I''ll let you go home and get some rest first."


    Halia looked at the police chief curiously but nodded her head.


    "I''ll get Dr. Ren to escort you home."


    Halia glanced at Dr. Ren who was standing near the door and smiled, "Thank you."


    ...


    Back inside the interrogation room, the detective pointed to the last photo. "What about your last victim, what happened to Sara Yu?"


    Alex smirked.


    "That woman arrived at the hospital with a clear motive. She walked straight up to the doctors and started talking to them the moment she arrived in the emergency ward."


    "But...there was something different about her. She did not seem like a flirt, instead, I could sense the doubt in her voice when she talked to them. I remember speaking to her one day and she told me to be careful around them. It made me feel like we were on the same page, so I began to develop feelings for her."


    "Then why did you kill her?" the detective asked.


    "Because I was wrong. I invited her to a bar one day and decided to confess to her, but do you know what she did? She dropped my flowers on the floor and rejected me!"


    "I asked her why and she told me I wasn''t her type."


    "I knew what that meant. She rejected me because I wasn''t a doctor! I was certain of it! After she rejected me, I heard her talking on the phone and she said ''I''ll see you tomorrow, doc'' with the most flirtatious giggle. I knew at that point that she wasn''t different, she was just like the 5 other women I already killed. So, I followed her the next day and killed her too."


    The detective shook his head and sighed. "Did you ever find out who she was supposed to meet?"


    "No, and I don''t want to know."


    "She was meeting with Dr. Lily Lin. Dr. Lin was meant to help her with her furniture shopping, but she couldn''t make it. I think you misunderstood," the detective sighed.


    Alex looked down at Sara''s photo and his hands began to tremble; he suddenly felt a rush of guilt. If the detective was telling truth, then what had he done?


    ...


    The senior detective reported to the police chief afterwards and told him how the killings took place and explained the motive. But, after he told him about Sara, the police chief sighed, "So her cover wasn''t actually blown...She was honestly a victim..."


    "What do you mean?" the detective asked.


    "Well, now that the case is closed, I can finally reveal the truth. Sara was one of our own..."


    The detective looked at the photo of the young woman and gave her a salute.


    "I assume Halia was her replacement?" the smart detective guessed."I saw how anxious you were earlier."


    The police chief nodded.


    "You know, Alex Li told me something really odd..." the detective suddenly added. "He said Jackson Wu saved Halia."


    "Isn''t he the suspected boss of a huge crime syndicate? Why did he save her? And what was he doing in the abandoned warehouse?"


    The police chief did not answer. He simply stared down at his desk in deep thought.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Halia sat in silence as Dr. Ren drove her home. She was happy that the killer was caught, but she was heartbroken that so many woman died.


    At that moment, she turned to Dr. Ren and asked, "Eric, do you need to be anywhere after you drop me home?"


    The man shook his head, "No, I was planning to go home and get some rest."


    It was already 1am in the morning and it had been a long day, so he was quite tired.


    "Do you mind dropping by the cemetery for a bit. I want to pay my respects to Sara and tell her that her killer has been caught," Halia said.


    Eric smiled comfortingly, "Sure."


    It didn''t take long before Eric''s car pulled up at the cemetery. It was dark, but there was a bit of lighting from street lamps that dotted the place.


    Halia got out of the car and started walking down the path towards Sara''s grave and Eric followed behind. But, as they got closer, they noticed that Sara already had a visitor: it was a man! Halia immediately pulled Dr. Ren behind a tree. Why was someone visiting so late at night? Halia peered out from behind the tree and spotted the man''s face.

 Chapter 26 - Three Times

    Halia''s heart ached when she saw the man. She had never seen him before, but Sara definitely knew him.


    The man placed a bunch of flowers on Sara''s grave and wiped a tear before he turned to leave. As he walked past the tree that Halia and Eric were hiding behind, his phone suddenly rang.


    A sweet melody echoed through the empty cemetery. The pleasant notes danced across the cold night air and entered Halia''s ears. Halia felt her eyes tear up and it quickly blurred her vision.


    As she wiped her eyes and looked back up, Halia discovered she was inside a beautiful ballroom. She could still hear the melody playing as a man approached. "May I have this dance?" his deep charming voice asked.


    Halia held the man''s hand and smiled, "Of course."


    The man pulled her close to his body with one hand and placed his other hand on her waist. He then led her across the dancefloor, as they moved to the rhythm of the music. Now that Halia looked at the man properly, she recognized him. He was the man that visited Sara''s grave and this was obviously Sara''s memory.


    Judging by the feelings she felt...


    ...Sara loved this man.


    "Hello," a deep charming voice ended the music and Halia snapped back to the reality of the dark cemetery.


    The man had picked up his phone.


    "Yes, I''m returning to the office right now," he said as he rushed off.


    After the man left, Halia broke down in tears.


    "What''s wrong, Halia?" Eric asked. "Do you know that man?"


    "No...but I think Sara did..."


    Eric pulled Halia into his arms and comforted her, "It''s OK, at least we caught her killer."


    Not too far away, in the shadows, a familiar figure watched as the two hugged.


    It was Jackson Wu...


    He was worried about Halia, so he followed her and Eric out of the police station to make sure she got home safe. But, now that he saw the two hug, he realized why Eric looked so familiar.


    He had seen him at the police station before. Eric was the one that picked up Halia and introduced himself as her boyfriend on the night that Jackson was suspected of kidnapping and drugging her.


    Yes, Isaac did not lie about the night that Halia''s drink was spiked at the bar. He did, indeed, black out in the toilet cubicle until 4am the next day. But, most importantly, he was telling the truth when he said that Halia''s ''friend'' carried her out of the bar. And, this ''friend'' was none other than Jackson Wu, the same man that had brought her to the hospital when she had a panic attack.


    Jackson shook his head and laughed at himself in ridicule, "You saved her three times, but she has no idea...oh Jackson...why can''t you mind your own business..."


    ...


    A few hours ago, Jackson was supposed to meet a client at an abandoned warehouse for an important deal, but when he arrived, he saw a car parked out the front. He was a bit early and did not expect the client to be earlier than him, so he walked in to check.


    That was when he saw Halia and Alex. Alex was sitting on a chair as Halia danced in front of him like she was in a trance.


    "Oh Halia, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" he frowned.


    He quickly walked back out of the warehouse and called his client, "The deal is canceled, something came up."


    "What do you mean it''s canceled, we need the goods tonight!" the man yelled.


    Jackson hung up without explaining. He then grabbed a burner phone from his glove box and called the police.


    After that, he headed back inside. His driver stayed in the car, but two of his men quickly jumped out to back him up.


    "What''s happening, Boss?"


    "I think we came across the serial killer that''s been on the news lately."


    One of his men quickly picked up a rusty hammer he found on the floor. It was probably left behind from when the warehouse was still functioning.


    "Are we teaching him a lesson? I hate men that target beautiful, defenseless women," the heavier man asked.


    Jackson did not answer. He simply glared at the scene in front of him as they reentered the warehouse. At that moment, Halia was unbuttoning her shirt and Alex was watching her with a perverted expression.


    Jackson felt his blood boil.


    "Isn''t that the pretty nurse from the hospital?" the skinnier man asked.


    The two men following Jackson, were the ones that visited him at the hospital when he was injured. The third one was his driver who was waiting in the car.


    Jackson touched the bandage on his head. It hadn''t even been a week since he met this woman, but so much had already happened.


    He sighed and stepped out of the shadows, "I would let her go if I were you..."

 Chapter 27 - Friends?

    After saving Halia, Jackson knew she''d be taken to the police station, so he waited outside for her and followed her. That''s how he ended up at the cemetery at 1am in the morning, watching her hug another guy.


    Jackson sighed. "Her boyfriend will take care of her. I think my work here is done," he said to himself before he left.


    ...


    The next day, Halia reported to the police chief after sleeping in a little. When she walked in, she noticed another officer sitting next to him.


    When the police chief saw her, he smirked, "I almost thought you had run away."


    "You told me to get some rest, so I thought I deserved to sleep in a little."


    The police chief laughed.


    "Halia, I would like you to meet someone. This is Captain Tang from the Beijing Special Police Unit (SPU). I''m sure you''ve heard of the SPU before; they are an elite tactical unit created to tackle matters of a larger scale, including anti-terrorism and riots."


    "The government heard about Dr. Li''s success with your surgery and memory transfer, so they have asked you to assist the SPU with an important case. Of course, only the Captain will know about your identity as well as a proper handler, but the entire unit will be there to back you up."


    Halia''s eyes opened wide. The SPU? They usually required years of training.


    "I don''t think I have the skills to assist," Halia said worriedly.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll let the Captain explain," the chief said as he gestured for the man next to him to talk.


    "Early last year, the famous arms dealer, Arvin Chen, was finally caught after a decade and a half of supplying weapons to criminals both domestically and internationally," the Captain began.


    "He was a huge concern to national security because he supplied to some of the biggest criminals and also had ties to international terrorist groups. After he was caught, the arms world fell silent for a bit. Everyone was scared of being caught, so they decided to lay low. But, that was until three months ago, when a new name finally appeared on our radar. Supposedly, this new kid has a broader supply of guns and weaponry and he claims he can make bombs! Of course, he created a lot of enemies as soon as he appeared on the scene, but he also attracted the attention of Arvin''s previous clients. Word has it, he is currently working on a deal with an international fugitive, Remy Durand. This man caused a lot of trouble back in France and we are worried he may be up to no good here."


    The Captain then paused for a second and suddenly asked, "Halia, we''ve received intel that you are familiar with Jackson Wu, is that correct?"


    Halia looked at the captain in confusion, "I met him at the hospital. Why do you ask?"


    The captain turned to the police chief, "Tell her what you told me."


    The chief took a deep breath and asked, "A few days ago, when he was brought to the station for kidnapping and spiking you, he claimed he was your friend. I wasn''t sure whether to believe him at that time. But, yesterday, Detective Yang told me something really interesting: he told me that Jackson Wu saved you at the abandoned warehouse...So, are you really friends?"


    Halia looked at the chief in surprise. If Jackson Wu was really the one that was brought to the station when she was spiked, then he was also the one who carried her out of the bar and took her to a hotel. In other words, this confirmed what Isaac had told her and what she guessed - Jackson Wu was the one she kissed!


    Halia blushed.


    She then tried to think about what happened at the abandoned warehouse the previous night. That''s when she remembered Jackson buttoning her shirt...


    Halia quickly covered her face in embarrassment.


    "I guess we''re acquaintances, but I wouldn''t consider him a friend..."


    Captain Tang sighed, "Well, I''m giving you a chance to get to know him better."


    Halia looked at the man questioningly.


    "Our new arms dealer is Jackson Wu! We are sending you undercover to catch him..."


    Halia froze. She didn''t know Jackson Wu well, but he had saved her three times, how could she catch him? Her heart felt a little heavy and uncomfortable.


    "But he knows I''m a nurse. How do you expect me to get close to him?" she said, trying to make an excuse.


    "This is where Dr. Li''s technology comes in handy. We are transferring you knowledge from one of our expert advisors."


    "Knowledge? What kind of knowledge?" Halia asked.


    "Knowledge of weapons and explosives, of course. Dr. Li has done extensive tests in transferring knowledge and he''s figured a way to do it on a live person without affecting the ''donor''. Your cover is that you actually hold a double degree in chemical and mechanical engineering, but you couldn''t find any jobs after you graduated, so you did another degree in nursing and recently became a nurse. We are hoping that the knowledge we transfer to you will help you convince Jackson that you can help him and become a part of his operations. Once you''re in, you can help us gather the information we need to catch him."


    Halia did the maths in her head. Say she started university when she was 18 and a double degree took 5 years, then she would have graduated when she was 23. After that, a nursing degree would have taken 3 years, so she would have graduated when she was 26. She was turning 27 in 2 weeks. These guys were certainly cutting it close with this cover.


    "I don''t think he''ll believe me..." she said with doubt.


    "He''s saved you three times! He''s an arms dealer, not a charity worker. He definitely sees you as a friend or has some interest in you. So, we can''t think of a better person to gain his trust in a short period of time. Plus, you''ll have the knowledge we''ve given you. If he needs proof, you can show him your skills. It''s not like he would ever guess that you had someone else''s knowledge transferred into you."

 Chapter 28 - Mission Accepted

    "So? Will you accept this mission?" the captain asked.


    Halia wanted to say no; she didn''t want to catch Jackson Wu. Even though they didn''t know each other well, it felt like a betrayal on her end. But, she was an officer of the law and he was a criminal. Plus, she was getting the opportunity to work with the SPU: a unit of the police that she had always dreamed of joining. If Jackson didn''t do anything wrong, then she had no reason to catch him, right?


    At that moment, a thought came to her mind: perhaps, she could convince him to give up on his life of crime...


    But, who was she kidding? Who did she think she was? Why would an arms dealer give up on a lucrative business because of her?


    Even though she knew this, she still felt like it was worth a try. Perhaps, it was the only way she could save him and repay him for what he had done.


    So, Halia stood up and gave the captain a salute, "Mission accepted."


    "Welcome to the SPU," the captain said as he saluted back.


    ...


    Just like Dr. Li explained last time, the surgery this time was a lot faster and easier because they didn''t have to do anything to Halia except put her to sleep. However, they still had to access the SPU advisor''s brain, so that was where most of the time was spent.


    The SPU advisor was a former professor of mechanical and chemical engineering. He wasn''t actually an officer, rather, he was a contractor that was called in during emergencies when the SPU lacked the skills to identify a weapon or diffuse a high tech bomb. With the advisor''s extensive knowledge, Halia definitely had the skills that Jackson desired. But, she still needed to get close to him and sell him her story.


    Just like Sara''s memories, the advisor''s knowledge would disappear in 3 months, but unlike memories, knowledge was immediate.


    So, as soon as Halia woke up, the captain walked over to her and handed her a gun. Halia looked down at the gun and smiled. If someone asked her what model this gun was yesterday, she wouldn''t of been able to tell them. But now, as though she had done it a million times before, she disassembled the gun with one hand. She then looked at the captain with a surprised smile.


    The captain was impressed.


    "Let''s go meet your handler..."


    The captain gave Halia an address and some instructions and told her to go there herself. After all, he couldn''t risk being seen with her. It was fine for her to be at the police station since she was a witness for the serial killer case, but it would be too suspicious for the Captain of the SPU to be seen with her.


    But, before she left, the captain explained to Halia that her handler didn''t know about Dr. Li and his lab, nor did he know that she was just someone with transferred knowledge. The lab was a top secret government-funded project that not many people knew about and they wanted to keep it that way.


    So, the handler was told that she was actually a newly graduated cadet from the SPU academy.


    Halia didn''t worry too much about this. Physically, she wasn''t as fit as the actual cadets, but mentally, she was stronger than any of them.


    Eventually, her car arrived at a side street, just opposite a neighborhood of hutongs. Beijing was famous for its hutongs: traditional alleyways lined with old courtyard residences. In some of the bigger neighborhoods, it was like a maze where one could easily get lost.


    It was a great place for secret meetings because it was quiet, hidden and one could easily lose a tail if they wanted to.


    Even Halia got lost trying to find the specific address she was after.


    Finally, she stopped outside a big traditional wooden door. She had actually walked past this door a few times, but she didn''t look at it properly. Next to the door, was a little leaf carved into the wall and the words "Little Leaf Guesthouse". This was what she had been looking for. She was expecting a big sign, but obviously, her handler didn''t pick a place that attracted too much attention. In fact, if one didn''t know, they would probably think this place was abandoned. But, Halia knew this was the place she was looking for, so she pushed open the door and walked inside.


    The inside was nothing as expected; it was far from abandoned. In fact, it felt like a little hidden paradise. In front of her, on the left, was a reception desk and on the right was an arched doorway which opened up into a beautiful courtyard surrounded by guest rooms


    "May I help you?" the receptionist asked.


    "Yes, I''m looking for Sean Qin," Halia replied.


    The receptionist scanned Halia up and down, "May I ask for your name?"


    "It''s Halia. Halia Feng."


    The receptionist smiled and opened a door, "This way please."

 Chapter 29 - What A Player!

    Halia followed the receptionist through the door into a secondary courtyard. This courtyard was smaller than the one she saw when she first entered, but it looked much more luxurious and private.


    Sitting in the middle of the courtyard was a man drinking some tea. He had his back to Halia, so she couldn''t see him properly, but he was the only person there, so she was sure he was her handler, Sean Qin.


    "Mr. Qin, Miss Feng has arrived," the receptionist said before she turned and walked back out the door.


    Halia stood awkwardly behind the man, unsure of whether to sit down or to start a conversation from where she stood.


    "Come, join me, this tea is good," the man said as he took a sip of tea.


    Halia was relieved that the man broke the silence first, so she quickly walked around and sat down opposite him at the round stone table. But...as she looked up, she felt her heart race.


    It was the man from the cemetery!


    Her handler...was Sara''s lover!


    Halia felt overcome with emotions, like she was meeting a long lost friend. As she stared at the man, her eyes began to get teary. That was right, she still had Sara''s memories.


    "Is everything OK?" the young man asked.


    Sean Qin was a refined-looking man who appeared to be in his early thirties. His hair was slicked back, he wore a suit and he had a set of perfectly straight and white teeth. He looked more like the heir of a rich conglomerate than a handler from the SPU.


    "Oh, I''m fine, something must have flown into my eyes," Halia said as she wiped her tears.


    The man quickly handed her a tissue and poured her a cup of tea. "This is top quality Longjing tea. The owner here knows me, so I come to this courtyard to gather my thoughts every now and then. From now on, if I send you an emoji of a leaf, it means we are meeting here. Always make sure you are not being tailed. Give me your phone, I''ll enter my phone number."


    Halia nodded as she handed over her phone.


    "Here is the complete background story we have created for you. I worked with the captain to write this out. Read through it and familiarize yourself with it. This will be you for the next few months," Sean said as he handed Halia a file.


    Halia opened the file and read through it.


    "I heard you already met Jackson before, that''s why they selected you for this mission," Sean confirmed.


    Halia nodded.


    "Well, every Friday night Jackson Wu frequents a particular club in the Houhai area. If I get you a job as a bartender there, will you be able to get his attention?"


    Halia smiled, "I''ll do my best."


    Halia had grown up drinking Baijiu (Chinese liquor) and other types of alcohol with her father. It was something he had always been interested in and it naturally brushed off onto his daughter. So, Halia had no issues being a bartender, she even had a few tricks up her sleeves.


    ...


    A few nights later, Halia arrived at the club dressed in a pair of short black ripped jeans and a white cropped top. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun with a few loose strands just hanging above her collarbone. Many of the bars and clubs in the Houhai area were upmarket and fancy, but this particular club was young, fresh and hip, so the staff did not have any uniform. Because of the casual vibe, a lot of foreigners visited this place.


    Jackson had actually just returned to China from France, where he studied for a few years, so he preferred places like this. Plus, this was where he met with some of his foreign clients.


    That particular night, Jackson was meeting with Remy Durand''s? henchman. Jackson had yet to meet the French fugitive in real life, but this was his second meeting with the henchman. Jackson had to impress the henchman to get to Remy, so he decided to take him to his favorite club.


    The two men arrived at the club around midnight and were seated in a VIP booth at the back. The music was pumping, the lights were flashing and people were dancing. As soon as they sat down, a bottle of Moutai Baijiu was placed in front of them. Moutai was the most expensive liquor in the world, so the henchman was immediately impressed.


    Of course, some women that were near the two men spotted the expensive bottle and it quickly drew their attention.


    "Hello handsome, is that Moutai, I''ve always wanted to try it?" one of the women asked Jackson seductively as she sat down beside him. The woman had thick makeup on and she was wearing a tight black dress with a low-cut front. Her b.r.e.a.s.ts were fairly big, but they definitely looked plastic.


    Jackson had seen his fair share of women like this, but they did not interest him; he preferred natural beauty. On the other hand, the henchman''s eyes immediately lit up, especially when he saw her b.r.e.a.s.ts.


    The woman realized Jackson wasn''t interested, so she moved to sit next to the henchman instead.


    The henchman was a young french man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He wrapped his muscly arm around the woman''s shoulder and handed her a shot of the Moutai, and she happily accepted.


    Jackson leaned back and shook his head with a smirk.


    At that moment, Jackson''s men arrived. The same three that had visited him at the hospital. They had brought along five women with them, hoping to interest the French man, but they were a bit too late, he was already occupied.


    The three men each grabbed onto one woman and pushed the remaining two towards Jackson. "Boss, I guess you get two tonight," the heavier man laughed. The two women immediately sat down and started pouring Jackson some Moutai. Jackson smiled and accepted the drink.


    Not too far away, at the bar, Halia had finally spotted Jackson. As she watched the two women pour him drinks, she felt slightly annoyed. One woman kept leaning into his ear and whispering to him, while the other had her hand on his knee and it was slowly making its way up his thigh.


    "What a player," Halia humphed. "I can''t believe I felt bad about catching him..."

 Chapter 30 - Attracting Attention

    Halia kept one eye on Jackson as she continued to serve at the bar. She watched as the woman on his right took her hand off his knee to laugh and placed it back down, slightly above his knee. A moment later, she repeated that action, but this time her hand landed further up his thigh. Meanwhile the woman on his left kept shuffling in closer and closer. Even though he didn''t seem interested, she seemed like she had a lot to tell him as she kept whispering in his ear.


    Halia frowned.


    Slightly distracted, she subconsciously spun the bottle in her hand as she served the next customer. The people at the bar quickly began to cheer.


    Halia turned her attention back to the bar and realized what she was doing. She had actually learned some bar tricks a few years ago to perform at her father''s birthday. Her family was in the alcohol trade, so it was an appropriate performance for the night.


    Seeing all the cheers around her, Halia suddenly felt determined to attract Jackson''s attention. That was her job, right? So, she grabbed a shaker and started pouring from the bottle she had just finished spinning. She then added a splash of juice and some ice and juggled it behind her back.


    A small crowd gathered around and started clapping.


    Over at the VIP booth, Jackson and the henchman noticed the crowd that was gathering around the bar. "What''s happening over there?" the French man asked.


    Jackson knew most of the bartenders at the bar and he knew some of them had some impressive tricks, so he said to the henchman, "Let''s go have a look."


    As Jackson walked across the dark club, he caught a glimpse of the woman behind the bar. She was not one of the regular bartenders, but...he quickly realized who she was.


    "Isn''t that the pretty nurse from the hospital?" one of his men pointed out.


    Jackson stared at the woman. The sweet, innocent nurse he had just seen a few days ago, was now standing behind the bar looking like a totally different person.


    The two women his men brought along, continued to cling to his arm as he approached the bar, but his eyes were completely focused on the familiar, yet mysterious woman ahead of him. What was she doing there?


    At that moment, a man held a drink to Halia''s face and asked her to drink with him. After what had happened with the two spiking incidences not too long ago, Halia was cautious, so she politely turned the man down, but the man wouldn''t take no for an answer.


    Jackson stood from a distance and furrowed his brows. He understood why she had turned the man down. After all, he was present both times she was spiked.


    "Come on, drink this and I''ll give you a big tip," the man said as he pulled out some money. The men next to him began to wolf whistle and cheer.


    "I''m sorry, I can''t drink on the job," Halia replied as she gently pushed the drink back to the man. But, the drink slipped and fell on the floor. Everyone gasped as Halia quickly ran out from behind the bar to clean up and apologize.


    "I''m so sorry," she said as she looked at the man.


    The man scanned Halia up and down and smirked. Her body was curvy, her legs were long and her slender waist peeked out from under her crop top. All her years of training in the police force had given her a perfectly toned figure that drove men crazy. With a perverted smile, the man grabbed her waist and pulled her towards his body, "Give me a kiss and I''ll forgive you."


    At that moment, a voice said calmly, "Let her go."


    Everyone turned towards the voice and froze. "It''s Jackson Wu," someone whispered.


    Anyone that was a regular at the club knew who Jackson was. He had been a huge name in the underworld over the last 3 months and he was often seen at the club with gangsters and famous criminals.


    The man quickly let go of Halia and raised his hands innocently, "Sorry, Brother Wu, I didn''t know this was your friend."


    Jackson glared at the man. He then stormed over, grabbed onto Halia''s wrist and dragged her out of the club.

 Chapter 31 - Fifth Meeting

    Jackson stormed out of the club, holding tightly to Halia''s wrist. The front of the club faced the beautiful Houhai lake, which was what the area was named after, and it looked stunning at night.


    "Jackson, let go," Halia cried as the man continued dragging her forward. But, he did not let go until they could no longer hear the noise from the club.


    Finally he stopped beside a willow tree next to the lake.


    The wispy branches of the willow tree moved with the early spring breeze and the clear night sky was lit by a crescent moon. The weather was still a little cold as spring had just started, so Halia began to shiver a little in her cropped top and short jeans.


    Jackson looked a little annoyed, but he still removed his coat and gave it to Halia. "What are you doing here?" he asked, trying his best to not sound angry. After all, what right did he have to be angry?


    Halia wrapped herself with the coat and was reminded of the one she still had at home. Just like the one at home, it smelled of Jackson''s cologne. She looked up at the man in front of her, this was the first time since they first met that she had seen him without a bandage around his head. Now that she looked at him properly, he was even more good looking than she remembered and it made her a little nervous. Finally, after a moment of silence, she replied, "I''m working."


    "Aren''t you a nurse? Shouldn''t you be at the hospital?" he asked.


    Halia looked down at the floor and replied, "I couldn''t go back there after what happened."


    "What do you plan to do then? You can''t continue working at the club, it''s too dangerous," Jackson warned.


    "If it''s dangerous, then why do you go there every Friday night?" Halia asked.


    Jackson looked at Halia with suspicion, "How did you know that I go there every Friday night?"


    Halia''s eyes quickly darted around awkwardly. Did she just slip up?


    "Miss Feng, why do I feel like you came to the club because of me?" Jackson asked.


    Halia held her breath; did he just figure out who she was and what she was doing?


    At that moment, Jackson suddenly grabbed onto her waist and pulled her towards him. "If you wanted to thank me for saving your life, you didn''t have to stalk me," he laughed.


    Halia quickly pushed him away. "Hey, I''m not one of those women that swoon over you," she said.


    Jackson''s lips curved upwards slightly. "What women are you referring to?"


    "The two that were all over you earlier. I''m sure they''re waiting for you to get back inside."


    Jackson laughed. Did that mean she had spotted him from the bar before he even saw her?


    Jackson looked down at Halia and brushed away a loose strand of hair from her face. The first time he saw her at the hospital, he thought she was good looking with a bit of attitude and sass, so she immediately caught his attention.


    The second time he saw her at the restaurant, she was cold and unapproachable, yet the more she tried to ignore him, the more he wanted to know her.


    The third time at the bar, she was innocent and vulnerable, but as soon as he had her in his arms, she was so seductive and alluring that he almost lost control.


    So, the fourth time he saw her, he was so charmed by her that he gave his all to save her even though it could have put him in danger.


    This was only their fifth meeting, but Jackson had to admit that he was already captivated by this woman.


    However, he was never one to fall in love easily. She simply interested him.


    "Is your boyfriend picking you up from work today?" Jackson asked all of a sudden.


    Halia looked at Jackson confusedly. She didn''t have a boyfriend. "Errr...no," she replied, unsure of who he was referring to.


    "I''ll treat you to some supper and take you home then. Wait for me here," Jackson said as he ran off into one of the side streets.


    Halia sat down at the edge of the lake. It was just high enough so that her feet could dangle without touching the water.


    She had successfully grabbed Jackson''s attention. It was a lot easier than expected. Now, she had to befriend him, make him trust her and subtly hint that she had the skills to help him. How was she to do that?


    At that moment, Jackson returned holding two paper bags. He handed one bag to Halia and sat down beside her.


    "The grilled c.u.min lamb sticks are really good at this place. Have you had them before?"


    "Not from this particular store." Halia pulled out one of the sticks of meat and started munching down on it.


    Jackson laughed as he handed her a tissue, "You look hungry."


    Halia held onto the tissue and glanced at the man next to her, "Jackson, thank you."


    "For what?"


    "You know what. You saved me three times. I don''t have many friends in Beijing, so I''m glad you were there," Halia replied sincerely.


    "Does that mean we''re friends?" Jackson asked as he shuffled a little closer.


    Halia looked at the man next to her and nodded her head.

 Chapter 32 - Sorry, Im Late...

    After they finished eating, Jackson drove Halia home. When they reached the front of her apartment block, Jackson stretched out his hand and said, "Give me your phone."


    Halia hesitated, but handed it to him anyway. Luckily, she didn''t have anything top secret stored on it.


    "Now that we''re friends, we should have each other''s phone numbers. I''ve already called the manager at the club and explained why you suddenly left today. I also told him to take extra good care of you. If you have any other issues, let me know. Make sure not to stay there for too long, the club is a dangerous place."


    Halia nodded as Jackson gave her back her phone.


    She then waved goodbye, got out of the car and headed up to her apartment.


    It was only after she walked in through the front door that she realized she still had Jackson''s coat on - she now had two of his coats!


    "I guess this is a good excuse to see him again," Halia smirked.


    So, after she had a shower, she pulled out her phone and gave Jackson a call.


    "I''m building quite a collection of your coats here, when can I give them back to you?"


    On the other end of the phone, Jackson laughed, "Are you working tomorrow?"


    "Uh huh."


    "I''ll pick you up after work tomorrow and you can give them back to me when I drop you off."


    Halia smiled as her heart skipped a beat, "OK."


    For some reason, she was excited to see him again.


    But, she quickly composed herself. She had to remember that he was her target and not really her friend.


    ...


    The next morning, before work, Halia arrived at the Little Leaf Guesthouse. Once again, she met her handler in the secondary courtyard.


    "How did things go yesterday?" the handler asked.


    "I''ve successfully befriended Jackson Wu," Halia replied. "I''ll be seeing him again tonight."


    The handler nodded his head and poured Halia a cup of tea. "Good, keep an eye on him and take note of the people around him. I want to know who he''s involved with and who he''s working with. Most importantly, let me know if you see this man, Remy Durand."


    The handler showed Halia a photo. The captain had previously shown her the same photo, so she understood he was a fugitive.


    ...


    That night, Halia arrived at work and started working behind the bar again. Just like the previous night, Jackson arrived just after midnight. But this time, he was accompanied by a tall, skinny Chinese man.


    "Hey, go take a bottle of Moutai over to the VIP booth over there. Mr. Wu opens one every time he''s here," the manager said.


    Halia nodded and grabbed a bottle from the storage. She then walked over and placed it on Jackson''s table. "Here''s your Moutai, Mr. Wu," she smiled.


    However, Jackson completely ignored her and continued talking to the man next to him. In fact, he didn''t even take a single glance at her.


    Halia felt a little disappointed as she returned to the bar. Didn''t they say they were friends last night? What had gotten into him?


    Halia watched as the two men conversed. They seemed to be discussing something serious. "That''s right, I''m supposed to take note of the people around him," Halia whispered to herself.


    So, she pulled out her phone and sneakily took a few snaps of the two men.


    Just as she looked down to check her photos, she received a message, "What are you doing on your phone, you should be working."


    It was from Jackson!


    Halia quickly looked up and glanced over at Jackson. He was holding his phone in his hand, but he continued to ignore her as he chatted to the man beside him.


    "Are you ignoring me?" she messaged back.


    Jackson looked down at his phone and his lips curved upwards slightly. He then typed something and put his phone down on the table.


    "Be good, I''m in the middle of serious business. I''ll give you all the attention you want after."


    Halia blushed a little. He made her sound like some kind of clingy girlfriend or something. She quickly shoved her phone back in her pocket and returned to work.


    But, an hour later, when she glanced back towards the VIP booth, she noticed Jackson was gone. Had something urgent come up?


    ...


    Halia soon finished work.


    As she stepped out of the club, she put on a light jacket she had brought along and quickly scanned her surroundings. It had already been two hours since she last saw Jackson in the club, was he still planning to meet with her?


    She stood outside for 20 minutes, glancing down at her phone every few minutes. Eventually, she assumed he wasn''t coming and decided to leave. As she started walking away, she suddenly heard a voice behind her, "Sorry, I''m late..."


    Halia recognized the voice. With an angry expression, she immediately turned around, but her anger quickly turned into concern. The man she saw had blood dripping down his left arm from 2 cuts on his arm and 1 on his shoulder.


    "What happened?" Halia gasped as she ran over to his side.

 Chapter 33 - Whos In More Pain?

    Halia immediately pulled off her jacket and wrapped it around Jackson''s arm and shoulder to stop the bleeding. "Let me get you to the hospital," she said.


    "No, not this time," Jackson said as he quickly held onto Halia''s wrist.


    Halia looked down at her wrist. "Why not?" she asked.


    "Please...just trust me," he pleaded.


    Halia looked into Jackson''s eyes. They were hopeful and gentle. She didn''t know why and how he got hurt, but she just wanted him to be OK. So, Halia ended up nodding her head.


    "My car keys are in my pocket," Jackson said weakly.


    Halia immediately stuck her hand in Jackson''s pocket and rummaged around for his keys. Jackson saw the worried expression on Halia''s face as she moved in closer. He had originally considered not meeting her, but he couldn''t bear to leave her all alone so late at night. The sky was dark and their only light source was a dim street lamp, but Jackson could clearly see Halia''s trembling hands and feel her shaky breaths. This was the reason why he ignored her earlier; he didn''t want her to be a part of this world.


    "Are you in a lot of pain?" she asked as she finally pulled out the car key. "Where did you park?"


    "I''m fine," Jackson reassured with a gentle smile as he started to lead the way. "Do you mind coming to my place?" he asked.


    Halia was too worried to think about anything else at that moment, so she simply replied, "Just show me the way."


    ...


    Eventually, the two arrived at an expensive luxury apartment block. Halia had driven past this place a few times before and admired the grand exterior, but she had never imagined stepping foot inside since it was way above what she could afford.


    "Do you live in Hopson Estate?" Halia asked.


    Jackson did not answer as he covered himself with a coat and walked in through the front door. The guards at the entrance seemed to recognize him as they bowed. "Welcome back, Mr. Wu," they said in unison.


    Halia scurried in behind him and tried to hold back her amazement. "He must be a very successful arms dealer," she thought to herself. No wonder the SPU were after him.


    Halia followed Jackson into an elevator and they soon arrived at his apartment on the 26th floor. As soon as they stepped in, Halia immediately noticed the floor-to-ceiling window that looked over the city. The view was stunning.


    But, she didn''t allow herself to be distracted for too long.


    "Where''s your first-aid kit," she asked.


    Jackson sat down on his black leather sofa and pointed to the bathroom, "It''s in the medicine cabinet."


    Halia rushed into the bathroom to find the kit, but froze in amazement again when she saw how luxurious the bathroom was. "Wow, your bathroom is bigger than my bedroom," Halia exclaimed as she walked back out holding the first-aid kit.


    Jackson did not respond as he stared at Halia. This was the first time he had invited anyone into his home since he moved in three months ago.


    "Errr, I''m going to remove your coat and untie my jacket. After that, I need you to take off your shirt, so I can clean your wound," Halia said.


    Although she had only spent a few days as a nurse, she did learn the basics of treating a wound and had watched the head nurse stitch up some cuts. She was nervous, but she knew what had to be done.


    Jackson stood up and did as told. As he removed his coat, Halia quickly walked closer to help him. By now, her jacket was already soaked in blood, but Jackson''s wounds appeared like they were no longer bleeding.


    Finally, Jackson started unbuttoning his white collared shirt. Halia remembered glancing over at him earlier at the club and thinking he looked quite smart in it. But, it was now dirty and torn. What did this guy get up to after he left the club? And why wouldn''t he go to the hospital?


    Halia dazed off a little in her own thoughts until Jackson''s voice brought her back to reality. "Can you help me with my left arm," his deep voice asked gently.


    Halia quickly returned her gaze to the man in front of her. With one arm out of his shirt already, his bare chest and right arm was now exposed. His body was muscly and toned and his skin was a healthy bronze. Halia felt her cheeks burn up as she leaned forward to help the man take off the rest of his shirt. She was so nervous, she almost forgot to breathe...


    Jackson looked down at Halia as she slowly and careful pulled off his sleeve, trying her best not to brush up against the cuts on his arm. She was so close he could smell the floral scent of her hair and he could hear her gentle breathing.


    She had her hair out today and he could see a pair of rose gold earrings just peering out between her dangling strands of hair. He gently helped her tuck some hair behind her ear and she jolted a little in surprise, but quickly returned her focus to the sleeve.


    Her skin was smooth, her nose was small and cute and her eyelashes fluttered like butterflies; everything about this woman was so alluring for Jackson that he forgot he was meant to be in pain.


    Soon, his eyes fell on her lips. They were a rosy shade of pink today, like candy. Less than a week ago, these lips were pressed up against his. He could still remember how soft they were and how sweet they tasted. Just the thought of it sent tingles down his spine.


    Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his arm. Some blood had dried and his shirt was stuck to it, so it hurt a little when Halia removed it. She looked up worriedly and her eyes met Jackson''s.


    Jackson was surprised to find that she looked like she was in more pain than he was...

 Chapter 34 - Soft Lips

    It had been a long time since someone cared about Jackson like this, so long that it often felt like he was all alone in the world.


    He had a big luxurious apartment, filled with expensive furniture, but it felt empty and cold. Today was the first time it actually felt like a home.


    Why did this woman make him feel this way?


    "Are you OK?" Halia asked gently.


    Her voice was so soothing.


    "I''m fine," Jackson replied.


    Halia removed the rest of his sleeve and put the shirt aside. She then opened up a sterilization kit and put on some gloves.


    "I''m going to clean your wounds a little. It''s going to sting, but we need to make sure they don''t get infected. After that, I''m going to stitch them up for you, I see you''ve already got the necessary tools in here, you must have done it before," she said as she scanned her eyes across the man in front of her. The apartment was dimly lit, so only now did she realize how many scars he had on his body.


    Jackson nodded.


    Halia picked up some cotton pads with a pair of tweezers, soaked them in some saline solution and started dabbing the two cuts on his arm and the one on his shoulder. She could see the man clench his fist in pain, but he kept his composure. Thinking that it would help ease the pain, Halia gently blew on the cuts as she cleaned them.


    Jackson felt Halia''s breaths on his skin and it was surprisingly soothing. As she kneeled down beside him to get to the cut just above his elbow, he was drawn to her lips again.


    Why did she have to kiss him that day? Now he couldn''t stop thinking about how soft her lips were. The worst thing was, he knew she had a boyfriend, so he had to control himself. Plus, she had only accepted him as a friend not long ago, he couldn''t ruin things.


    Halia was soon done with cleaning his wounds. She then opened up a new packet of needle and suturing thread. Her hands trembled a little as she went in for the first stitch.


    "Have you done this before?" Jackson chuckled, trying to ease her nervousness.


    "Of course," Halia lied.


    "Don''t be nervous, if it leaves a scar...I''ll have something to remember you by," he said gently.


    Halia felt her heart skip a beat.


    "How are you going to attract girls if I leave too many scars on your body?" she joked.


    Jackson laughed. "You''re still thinking about those two girls you saw at the club, aren''t you?" he teased.


    Halia blushed a little, "What girls? I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    Jackson''s lips curved upwards slightly. Why were her reactions so cute?


    "I''m not interested in girls. I''m only interested in work," he explained.


    Halia rolled her eyes.


    "I heard from my colleagues that you practically have a new girlfriend every month," Halia said as she tied off the stitches on Jackson''s shoulder and started on the first wound on his arm.


    "Those are just rumors...I started working at 18. I''ve never had time for girls," he said.


    "Unlike you, I bet you''ve had plenty of boyfriends."


    "Tch, I''m a hard worker too," Halia replied.


    "What''s your boyfriend doing today? Isn''t he worried that you''re inside a single man''s home so late at night? Or have you not told him yet?" Jackson asked as he watched Halia finish off the second set of stitches.


    Halia paused before she started on the last wound. She looked up and her eyes met with the man seated on the black leather sofa.


    "I don''t know where you got the idea that I have a boyfriend from...but I don''t have one," Halia replied.


    Jackson looked down at the woman that was knelt beside him and he felt his heart tighten.


    "You really don''t have a boyfriend? What about the man that picked you up from the police station the night you were spiked at the bar?" he asked.


    "He''s just a friend," Halia laughed as she started on the last wound.


    Jackson suddenly felt a mix of emotions; if she had no boyfriend...did that mean he could kiss her again? He lowered his eyes past her nose, down to her lips and held his breath.


    As she finished the last stitch on Jackson''s arm, Halia looked up and noticed the man staring at her. How long had he been looking at her like that? She felt her body heat up a little and her heart race. She noticed his gaze was focused on her lips and her gaze slowly fell on his too. Although she was spiked on the night they kissed, she could still remember bits of it: she remembered the smell of his cologne, his warm breaths...and his soft lips...

 Chapter 35 - Inside The Home Of A Criminal

    Halia looked at the man in front of her. He had saved her three times, he was caring, protective and he was very good looking. If he wasn''t a criminal, she would definitely fall for him.


    Meanwhile, Jackson looked at the woman in front of him. She was beautiful, tough, brave, caring and sweet. All these years, he had ignored women because his life was too dangerous and unpredictable. But, for some reason, Halia was like a drug that he wanted to get more of, even though he knew he shouldn''t.


    At that moment, a loud crack of thunder suddenly roared across the sky and a thunderstorm started. Halia quickly looked outside.


    "I''m going to pack this and get going before the storm gets any worse," she said.


    "Why don''t you stay here until the storm''s over?" Jackson offered, secretly not wanting her to leave. "Besides, I think I still need your help with a few things."


    Halia looked at Jackson. His shirt and coat was still lying on the floor and he had no shirt on. "Let me grab you a clean shirt, you''re going to catch a cold in this storm," Halia offered.


    "I need to have a shower first," Jackson said.


    "But you can''t get your wounds wet," Halia reminded.


    "I just need to wipe down my body. You were a nurse before...can you help me?" Jackson asked as he looked at her innocently.


    Halia looked at the man with an awkward expression; she couldn''t say no. As a nurse, cleaning a patient was second nature, so she couldn''t turn him down and blow her cover.


    "Come to the bathroom," Halia said casually.


    Jackson''s lips curved upwards as he followed behind. As he watched Halia walk into the bathroom, he couldn''t help but admire her body.


    Halia was wearing a black sleeveless top and a pair of skinny ankle jeans that hugged her s.e.xy hourglass figure. Her long black hair dangled just above her waist and it swayed from side to side, like a hypnotic pendulum. Jackson couldn''t take his eyes off her.


    As he approached, Halia grabbed his shoulders, making sure not to touch his wounds and seated him on the lid of the toilet. She then filled the sink with warm water and a bit of soap.


    "Do you have a face towel I could use?"


    Jackson pointed to his bedroom, "In my wardrobe, there are fresh towels."


    Halia took a deep breath and headed into the man''s bedroom. For some reason, she felt nervous walking into such a private space. As she stepped in, she felt the fluffy carpet under her feet. The room was big and cosy and smelled of Jackson''s cologne, his bed was made and everything was tidy, it wasn''t what Halia imagined a man''s bedroom to look like. Trying not to get distracted, she headed straight into the walk-in wardrobe.


    Jackson''s wardrobe was huge, but it was half empty. After all, he had only returned to Beijing in the last three months and didn''t have many belongings with him. Halia quickly grabbed a face towel and a bath towel and returned to the bathroom.


    Holding onto the face towel, she walked over to the sink and soaked it in the warm soapy water. She then wrung it out and turned to the man.


    "Thank you," he said with his deep charming voice.


    Halia looked down and began wiping his face, tracing the towel across his thick eyebrows, his cold eyes, his tall nose and his well-defined jawline. No wonder the girls in the club were throwing themselves at him; this man was oozing with masculinity and charm. She then washed out the towel and wiped his neck...his chest...his arms... and his back...


    Although there was a towel between Halia''s hand and Jackson, she could feel the firmness of his muscles and every curve on his body. This guy was very fit!


    As Halia finished wiping the man''s back, she looked down at his pants and paused. Her cheeks blushed a little. Did he expect her to clean him down there as well?


    Jackson chuckled as he looked at the woman''s embarrassed expression. With his right arm, he turned her around and gently pushed her out of the bathroom.


    He then leaned in beside her ear and whispered, "I can do the rest, wait for me outside."


    Halia heard the door gently shut behind her and she quickly took a deep breath. She had almost forgot to breathe.


    As she fanned herself a little with her hands, Halia looked around the empty living room. It felt a little cold and lonely. Was this how Jackson lived?


    That''s when she remembered, she was inside the home of a criminal; an arms dealer; her target!


    This was the perfect opportunity for her to gather some intel!


    So, while Jackson was cleaning himself in the bathroom, she quickly started looking around, opening every cupboard and drawer she could find.


    Eventually, she found her way to his study room. But...just as she grabbed the handle, a hand held onto hers and stopped her...

 Chapter 36 - Murder

    "What do you think you''re doing?" Jackson asked, his deep voice resounding just beside her ear.


    Halia realized Jackson was standing just behind her, his chest almost touching her back. She could feel his warm breaths on the back of her ear and panicked. How was she going to explain this?


    Halia quickly smiled and turned around, "I got bored, so I decided to look around. I''ve never been in a man''s apartment before."


    Jackson still had his right hand on the door handle, so there was only a slight gap between his body and Halia''s. All he had to do was take one step forward and they''d be touching, but he kept his distance.


    Halia glanced down and noticed the man had nothing but a towel wrapped around the bottom half of his body and blushed a little.


    "I think you should put some clothes on, you''re going to catch a cold."


    The man smirked. "I need your help," he said as he pointed to his left arm.


    "I''ll go get you some clothes then," Halia said as she scurried off to his wardrobe.


    Jackson watched as Halia disappeared into his bedroom and raised one eyebrow. He then checked the door on his study room; the door clicked but did not open. "Good, it''s still locked," he thought.


    He then headed into his bedroom to look for Halia.


    ...


    Meanwhile, back in the Houhai area, in one of the hutongs near the club, a dead body had been found. Police were called to the scene by an anonymous caller and were analyzing the crime scene.


    There were no weapons present, but it was obvious that the victim had been stabbed in the chest. In fact, there were multiple stab wounds. Due to the storm that had started, the police were trying to cover the scene with umbrellas, but blood was already being washed down the small alleyway, turning the floor red.


    As it involved a murder, senior detective Murray Yang was called to the scene. As he approached the dead body, it was like he was walking up a bloody red carpet.


    As he walked over to the dead body, he kneeled down and looked carefully at the man''s face. "It''s him," he said under his breath. He recognized the man.


    "Is there any CCTV footage in the area?" he quickly turned and asked his subordinates.


    "No sir, nothing," a young policeman replied.


    "What about witnesses? Do you know who reported the crime?"


    "The hutongs were empty at the time and none of the residents said they heard anything. Perhaps, they''re too scared to get involved. As for the phone call, it came from an untraceable source," the policeman explained.


    The detective shook his head. "This is going to be trouble," he sighed.


    ...


    Inside Jackson''s walk-in wardrobe, Halia was carefully picking out a set of pajamas for the injured man. She knew it would be easier for him to wear something with buttons on the front, and due to the storm, she was trying to find something that was a bit warmer.


    Jackson stood in the doorway of the wardrobe and looked at the concentration on the woman''s face. Her every move made his heart thump. It was such a simple gesture, yet it was nothing that anyone had ever done for him.


    "I''m getting cold, are you going to take all day?" he laughed.


    Halia jumped a little in surprise and quickly walked over to him holding a set of pajamas. But, she couldn''t leave the wardrobe because he was blocking the doorway.


    Suddenly, Jackson took a few steps forward and Halia instinctively backed up against one of the drawers. The man stared into her eyes and she felt a little nervous. How long had he been standing in the doorway? Had he been looking at her like that the entire time?


    Suddenly, the man began to lean forward. "What is he doing?" Halia thought as she stood frozen in place. Her heart tightened and her breathing stopped.


    Was he about to kiss her?!


    Jackson''s lips inched closer and closer. They were getting so close, she could feel his warm breaths on her lips and it sent tingles down her spine. Her mind was telling her to push him away, but her body stood still, like she had been paralyzed.


    At that moment, the man pulled open a drawer behind her and pulled something out. "You forgot to get me underwear," he laughed. He then stood up straight holding the little bundle in his hand with a cheeky smile.


    Halia blushed, "I''m not putting your underwear on for you!"


    "Come on, nurse, I''m sure you''ve done it a million times before," Jackson replied as he placed the clean underwear on top of the pajamas in Halia''s hands and walked out...

 Chapter 37 - Friday

    Halia walked out holding the folded pajamas like it was a cake with a cherry on top, except the thing that sat on top was no cherry.


    "Jackson! Take the underwear and put it on yourself," Halia shoved the pile in her hand towards Jackson, refusing to touch his underwear.


    Jackson laughed as he ran over and sat on the bed. "Come on, nurse, my arm is injured," he teased.


    "You managed to take it off, why can''t you put it back on?" she asked with an annoyed pout.


    Jackson looked at the adorable woman in front of him and felt his heart melt. "Fine, I was just teasing you. Leave it here and I''ll put it on myself. Just help me put on my top first," he chuckled.


    Halia dropped the pile on the bed beside the man and grabbed the pajama top.


    With an angry glare, she slowly inched the pajama sleeve up Jackson''s left arm, carefully avoiding his wounds.


    Jackson watched with a slight smile. She was annoyed, yet she couldn''t help but care about him. Women were never straightforward like men.


    As she finished with his left arm, she wrapped the top around his back.


    "Arm!" she ordered as she reached his right side.


    Jackson obediently slipped his right arm into the remaining sleeve and watched as Halia proceeded to button his top.


    "This seems familiar..." Jackson commented. "I think the roles have been reversed."


    Halia looked up and saw the man''s cheeky smile. Immediately, she realized what he was referring to. That time...in the warehouse...


    She had almost forgotten about it...


    "To be fair, you saw my underwear today too."


    "You pervert!" she yelled as she stormed out of the room.


    Jackson laughed.


    ...


    It took Jackson a while to put on his underwear and pants. After all, he only had one hand.


    By the time he walked out of his bedroom, Halia had already placed his blood-soaked coat in the laundry and disposed of his torn up shirt. She also packed away his first aid kit and cleaned up the blood stains on his floor.


    As he approached the sofa, he realized the woman had fallen asleep. Jackson looked up at his clock and realized it was already 5am. He then glanced out his window, the storm had stopped and the sun was already beginning to rise. She must have been exhausted.


    He looked back down at the woman and sighed. If both his arms were fine, he would carry her into his room and lay her on the bed, but that wasn''t possible. So, he went inside and fetched her a blanket and pillow.


    As he gently covered Halia with the blanket and propped her head up on the pillow, he brushed her hair out of her face and sighed. What was this woman doing in his home? If she knew how dangerous he was, would she still be lying there so carelessly?


    He had enjoyed spending the night with her and getting to know her better. But, he knew that tonight was an exception. There was a reason why he chose to live a life of solitude all these years and the injury on his arm was proof that he had made the right choice. If Halia was there when he got hurt, if she saw what happened, how would she feel about him? Would she be frightened? Would she have been injured too?


    Jackson looked down at Halia one last time. He had saved her three times, but she helped him stitch up three wounds tonight. Were they even now? Maybe it was time to keep his distance. Sure, he wanted to protect her from the club because it was dangerous, but now that he thought about it, the club was nothing compared to him - he was much more dangerous! He shouldn''t be keeping her away from the club, he should be keeping her away from him! Jackson sighed and returned to his room.


    After Jackson left, Halia slowly opened her eyes; she had been pretending to be asleep. She then sat up and pulled out a napkin she was hiding. A moment ago, when she threw Jackson''s torn shirt in the bin, she noticed a scrunched up napkin from her club sitting inside. As she glanced at it, she realized there was something written on it. But, before she looked at it properly, she heard Jackson getting ready to leave his room. In a panic, she quickly ran over to the sofa and pretended to have fallen asleep.


    Now that Jackson was gone, she could finally look at the napkin properly.


    On it, was the word, ''Vendredi'' - the French word for Friday.


    Halia stared at the word curiously. What was happening on Friday? And why was it written in French? Did it have something to do with Remy Durand?

 Chapter 38 - The Familiar Man

    When Jackson woke up the next morning and stepped out of his bedroom, he realized the sofa was already empty and his blanket was neatly folded.


    "Did she leave without a word," he wondered with disappointment.


    As he walked over to the coffee table, he noticed a little note: "Remember to come get your coats when you feel better."


    Jackson sighed. That was right! He was supposed to get his coats back last night. But, wasn''t he considering keeping his distance from her? Perhaps, he should just abandon the coats and never see her again.


    But then he sighed. If he never took them back, there would always be a connection between them.


    "I guess I''ll see her one last time. I''ll just get my coats and go," he decided.


    At that moment, there was a knock on his front door. He peeped through the peephole in his door and saw two policemen, "Mr. Jackson Wu, this is the police. We would like to invite you to the station for a chat."


    "It''s regarding the murder of Marcus Chin."


    ...


    After a long night, Halia did not wake up until midday.


    That day, she had arranged to meet her handler at Chaoyang Park, the biggest green space in Beijing.


    Many old people gathered in the park on Sundays to partake in all kinds of activities, including singing and dancing. There were also some old men fishing from the lake in the middle. Halia''s handler, Sean, was seated amongst these old people.


    Halia walked over and sat down next to him. The man quickly handed her a fishing rod. "Have you fished before?" he asked.


    Halia shook her head.


    Sean held up his own fishing rod and patiently showed Halia how to attach some bait and how to cast the line. The fishing line flew into the lake and made a light splash. Halia quickly followed. As they sat there waiting for something to bite, Sean turned to Halia and asked, "Any progress?"


    Halia pulled out the napkin she found from the previous night and showed it to Sean. "It means Friday in French," Halia explained. "I know basic French from high school."


    "Could he be meeting Remy Durand on Friday?" Sean asked.


    "I''m thinking that might be the case too. I''ll try and figure out where Jackson will be this Friday and that should give us some clues."


    At that moment, an old man approached the two with a trolley of newspapers. "Would you like a copy of today''s news for 1 yuan?" the old man offered.


    Halia glanced at the paper in the old man''s hands. In this day and age, it was rare to buy newspapers since news could be easily accessed online. So, she originally planned to reject the old man politely.


    But, suddenly a headline and photo caught her attention.


    [Gangster Boss Killed in Cold Blood]


    Halia grabbed the newspaper and looked at the victim''s photo closely. "I think I''ve seen this man before," she whispered under her breath.


    She quickly handed the old man 1 yuan and started reading the article. The man had been killed last night in an alleyway not too far from her club by multiple stab wounds.


    "What''s wrong?" Sean asked.


    Halia paused for a moment. She then pulled out her phone and opened her gallery. She quickly found a photo she had taken at the club the previous night. As she compared the photo on her phone to the photo on the newspaper, she froze.


    The man that was murdered - the gangster boss - was the man that Jackson was with at the club the previous night!


    The two men left the club together and she saw Jackson later that night with cuts across his arm and shoulder. He had been in a fight...


    ...or a struggle...


    Halia''s? hands began to tremble...


    Did Jackson kill someone? Was that why he didn''t want to go to the hospital?


    Halia didn''t know what to do. It was only a matter of time before the police figured that Jackson was with the murdered man before his death, but no one knew that he had been injured except for her. Would those injuries incriminate him? With his history, the police were bound to jump to conclusions.


    What if it was self defence? Or maybe it was an accident.


    "Was that photo from last night? Was Jackson with Marcus Chin?" Sean asked as he peered over Halia''s shoulder.


    Halia nodded her head.


    At that moment, Halia received a phone call.


    It was Jackson.


    "Hi Halia, I''m at the police station, can you come be my alibi?" he asked. Halia hesitated for a second and replied, "I''ll be right there."

 Chapter 39 - Its All Your Fault

    As soon as Sean heard that Jackson was suspected for the murder of Marcus Chin, he immediately shook his head, "That can''t be right. It doesn''t make sense."


    "What doesn''t make sense?" Halia asked.


    "Jackson is a mysterious character that suddenly appeared on the scene 3 months ago. Normally, it''s not easy for someone to climb up the underworld ladder so quickly, but the moment that Jackson arrived in Beijing, word got around that he had been a part of the French underworld and had been dealing weapons for one of France''s most notorious mobfathers for years. At the end of last year, his boss was shot dead during a failed bank heist, so he decided to return to Beijing and settle here. The person that told everyone this and vouched for his skills and reliability - was Marcus Chin!"


    "Marcus Chin is a good friend and important client for Jackson Wu. Marcus even gifted him a gang of men to help him get started in Beijing. It doesn''t make sense for him to kill him."


    Halia nodded her head in understanding. She then stood up to leave, "I guess I''ll see what they say at the station first."


    ...


    As Halia pulled up at the police station, she spotted Jackson''s three men standing outside. The skinny one with crooked teeth immediately ran over to Halia angrily. "This is all your fault!" he yelled.


    Halia stopped in her track.


    "My fault?" she asked. What was this man talking about.


    "The Boss went to see Marcus last night because of you and now he''s being blamed for murdering him," the skinny man complained.


    "I''ve never met Marcus Chin before, what does it have to do with me?" Halia was confused by the man''s accusations.


    "Do you remember the night he saved you from the serial killer at the warehouse? He had an important deal with Marcus that night, but he canceled it last minute to save you. Marcus was annoyed so the Boss went to apologize last night and make amends. Do you know how important trust is in the underworld? Marcus helped the Boss build his reputation here in Beijing. Without Marcus, the Boss has no one to vouch for him. It would be stupid for the Boss to kill him!"


    Halia looked at the man in surprise. She didn''t realize that Jackson had done that for her. Had she been wrong to suspect him?


    "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure to clear your Boss'' name if he''s innocent," Halia said as she walked into the station.


    ...


    Halia soon found herself seated inside one of the interrogation rooms. The room was a square with a window on one side and a table in the middle. The window could only be seen from the outside in, so Halia had no idea if anyone was watching her at that very moment. She simply sat and waited.


    A moment later, senior detective Murray Yang walked in. As soon as he closed the door, he immediately went to turn off all the recording devices in the room.


    "Don''t worry, no one''s watching. I know who you are," he said as he sat down opposite Halia.


    "What do you think? Is he the culprit?" Detective Yang asked.


    Halia thought for a moment and shook her head, "It doesn''t make sense."


    "We''ve checked the surveillance footage at the club. Jackson Wu and Marcus Chin arrived just past midnight. They sat in the VIP booth for roughly one hour. Afterwards, Marcus Chin left on his own and Jackson stayed in the club."


    Halia looked at the detective in surprise. She thought Jackson had left with Marcus. Was he in the club the whole time?


    "The weird thing is, we couldn''t find any footage of him leaving the club. It was very dark and crowded, so we may have missed him, but he definitely didn''t leave with Marcus. He claims he was waiting for you to finish work the entire time and after you finished work, he picked you up and you spent the entire night together," the detective looked at Halia questioningly. "Is that true?"


    Halia nodded. Even though she still had a lot of questions, she was going to leave them for Jackson to answer. If Jackson never left the club, then he couldn''t have killed Marcus. That was all that mattered at that moment.


    The detective nodded his head. "OK, I trust you. Let me know if you think of anything else. You and Mr. Wu can leave now. Be careful around him, he may not have killed Marcus, but he''s a very dangerous man," he warned.


    Halia nodded and left the interrogation room.


    A moment later, Jackson stepped out of the interrogation room next door. He was wearing a suit jacket that completely hid his wounds. He looked at Halia and immediately rushed over to her, "Are you OK?" he asked as he grabbed onto her shoulders.


    Halia looked at the worried expression on the man''s face and nodded her head, "I should be the one asking you that. Let''s go, we have some things to discuss."

 Chapter 40 - Two Could Play That Game...

    Jackson, Halia and Jackson''s three friends squeezed into Jackson''s car together. The greasy-haired friend took the driver''s seat since Jackson couldn''t drive with his injured arm, while Halia and Jackson sat in the backseat, their shoulders touching. Meanwhile, the crooked teeth friend also sat in the backseat, but he was on a slight angle to avoid pressing up against Jackson''s arm.


    "I don''t think you''ve been officially introduced to my three friends. They work for me and are my closest men. The one in the driver''s seat is Rowan," Jackson introduced.


    Rowan glanced in the rearview mirror and waved his hand.


    Jackson then pointed to the chubby man in the front passenger seat, "That''s Max."


    "And this is Kevin," he said as he looked at the man beside him.


    "We returned from France with the Boss. He took good care of us during some tough times, so we''ve sworn loyalty to him," Kevin explained.


    Halia smiled at the three men, but her mind was elsewhere.


    "Can we talk in private?" she whispered into Jackson''s ear.


    Jackson nodded his head and said to Rowan, "Drop Halia and I off at Halia''s place. I''ll call you to pick me up later."


    "Oooooo," the three men teased like school kids in a playground.


    "It''s not what you think. We have something to discuss," he said seriously.


    The three men looked at each other and rolled their eyes as they held in their laughter.


    "I''m sorry," Jackson apologized awkwardly as he glanced at Halia.


    "It''s OK," Halia blushed.


    Soon, the car pulled up outside Halia''s apartment block. It was a decent apartment with security and an elevator, but it was nowhere near as fancy as Jackson''s place.


    Jackson followed Halia up to her apartment in silence while a thousand scenarios played out in his mind. His plan was to give her a quick explanation, grab his coats and leave. The best outcome was for him to find an excuse to never see her again...or perhaps...there was a way to make her instinctively stay away from him herself. He did not want her to be drawn into his world; he should have kept his distance from the start. Not only was he dangerous for her, she was also a distraction for him. He couldn''t afford to have any distractions.


    As soon as they stepped foot into Halia''s apartment, Halia gestured for him to sit on the sofa. "Would you like some coffee or tea?" she asked.


    "Neither, I''m not staying for long," the man answered in a cold tone. "So, what did you want to talk about?"


    Halia was surprised by the tone of Jackson''s voice; it suddenly felt like they were strangers again.


    "I want to know what happened last night. How did you get the cuts on your arm if you never left the club? Why were you late? Why was Marcus Chin coincidentally found dead near the club?" Halia fired off all the questions she wanted answers to. She then paused and added, "Why did you cancel your deal to save me at the warehouse? You''re an arms dealer, not a charity worker!"


    Jackson looked at the woman in surprise. Why did she sound like she was interrogating him? And how did she know so much about him? This didn''t feel right.


    "I never told you I was an arms dealer," Jackson said in a slightly suspicious tone as he glared at the woman opposite.


    Halia held her breath; she had said too much. Luckily, she was quick on her feet. As she awkwardly poured herself some tea, she replied casually, "I heard people talking about it in the club."


    Jackson looked at the woman with suspicion. Sure, he was often seen in the club with criminals and gangsters, but the true nature of his business was tightly kept a secret. Did she really hear it from someone in the club?


    "Don''t go off track, answer my questions," Halia frowned.


    Jackson looked at the woman as she walked over and sat next to him, "Some drunk guys were having a fight in the men''s toilet and I was accidentally cut just before I saw you. I ended up leaving through an emergency exit at the back of the club. I was late because I was hesitating; I was deciding whether to still meet you. I didn''t want you to see me like that. But, in the end, I didn''t want to leave you on your own."


    Halia listened to the man''s story. Was that really what happened?


    "If that''s true, then why did you refuse to go to the hospital?"


    Jackson stared into Halia''s curious eyes. She was smarter than the average woman; it was going to be hard to lie to her.


    All of a sudden, he thought of an idea. With a smirk, he replied, "Hey, I had a hot nurse who was super concerned about me. I thought I could bring you to my place, impress you a little and get you into bed."


    Halia looked at the man with suspicion. He was a bit odd today.


    Jackson then hooked his right arm around Halia''s waist and drew her towards him. "Have you forgotten about our kiss?" he asked. "If the police didn''t arrive that day, we would have had some fun already."


    Halia looked into the man''s eyes. She was smart. She knew he was lying. Why was he acting this way?


    She clearly remembered that she kissed him the day she was spiked and he tried to push her off. She also remembered the way he buttoned her shirt at the warehouse without trying to take advantage of her. Lastly, she remembered how she had ''fallen asleep'' on his sofa the previous night and how he tucked her in with a blanket and pillow. He had plenty of chances to take advantage of her, but he didn''t.


    Was he trying to scare her away for some reason?


    Well...sorry, but her mission was to get close to him.


    With this thought, Halia did something that Jackson never expected: she leaned in towards him, her nose brushing against his. Halia saw the surprise in his eyes and she smiled. Her lips almost touched his, but he sat frozen in place.


    She had caught his bluff.


    Why was he sitting still if he just wanted to get her into bed?


    If he wanted to put on an act, two could play that game...

 Chapter 41 - Gotcha!

    "I know what you''re trying to do," Halia said as she stared into the man''s eyes. "It''s not working."


    Jackson looked at Halia with a trace of amus.e.m.e.nt. "You''re very different to other women," he said as he let go of her waist and moved away. She never reacted the way he expected and it fascinated him.


    "That''s why I don''t want to hurt you."


    "If you stay around me, I will only put you in danger."


    Halia looked at the man next to her. He had a good heart, but he had simply chosen the wrong path. "If I remember correctly, I''m pretty sure I''ve put you in more danger...If you''re so worried, why don''t you quit what you''re doing? You won''t be dangerous if you don''t do anything dangerous," she suggested.


    Jackson let out a slight laugh, "I wish it was that easy. I''ve been doing this since I was 18. I can''t just walk out now. This is already my life."


    "Well, I''m not afraid of danger," Halia said. "You''ve saved me three times, so I''ve sworn loyalty to you, just like your men. You can''t get rid of me now. Besides, I think I may be able to help you."


    "Help me? In what way?" Jackson asked with interest.


    "Before I went into nursing, I actually received a double degree in mechanical and chemical engineering. Do you know what I majored in?" Halia asked.


    Jackson shook his head.


    "Weaponry," Halia replied.


    Jackson looked at the woman and raised an eyebrow, "Really?"


    ...


    That evening, Jackson returned to his apartment building, holding the two coats that Halia returned to him.


    His conversation with Halia ran over and over again in his head.


    "Everything''s too coincidental," he whispered under his breath.


    The way he ran into Halia at the club, the way she befriended him, the way she found out he was an arms dealer and the way she just so happened to major in weaponry...everything seemed too coincidental. He had been doing this since he was 18, he could tell when something wasn''t right.


    At that moment, he remembered how Halia was trying to get into his study room the previous night. She said she was just looking around, but Jackson was beginning to doubt her words.


    "Could it be?" he asked himself.


    He quickly logged into his computer and opened some files.


    Jackson actually had pinhole cameras planted around his house for safety, so he decided to check the footage from the previous night.


    As he fast forwarded through the video, he suddenly stopped. He had found the moment when Halia left the bathroom.


    His suspicions were correct.


    As soon as he played the video again, he saw Halia searching through his drawers and cupboards...


    Jackson''s lips curved upwards into a slight smile.


    "Gotcha!"


    He then glanced at his study room. Lucky it was locked that night. If she had discovered what was inside, he would have been done for.


    Jackson slowly walked over to the study room and pulled out a key. He then opened the door...


    The lights were off, so the room was dark, but it was dimly lit by a blue glow from the three big screens sitting on his desk. They seemed to be surveillance cameras watching over something.


    On the wall hung a collection of guns and weapons.


    He walked over to the desk and pulled out a drawer. Inside sat a pile of burner phones and unopened SIM cards. He picked up a phone, placed a new SIM card inside and turned it on. He then dialed a number he knew by heart.


    As soon as the person on the other end picked up the phone, Jackson simply said, "Marcus est mort. Je suis en danger. Je vous recontacterai vendredi."


    (Marcus is dead. I am in danger. I will contact you again on Friday.)


    As soon as he was done talking, Jackson immediately turned off the phone and took out the SIM card. He then walked out of the study room, locked the door and left his apartment.


    He walked down to the underground parking lot and jumped into his new Bentley. He didn''t normally drive this car, but he wanted to show off today. His car eventually pulled up at a busy luxurious shopping mall where he secretly disposed of the SIM card and proceeded to do some shopping.


    Meanwhile, not too far away, a man was watching Jackson. He picked up his phone and called a number. "I''ve been following him all day, nothing seems out of the ordinary."

 Chapter 42 - Accidental Meeting

    Halia did not see Jackson for the next few days. Every time she tried to call him, his phone was either off or he didn''t pick up, but he never called back.


    The first couple of days, she simply brushed it off and assumed he was too busy, but by the third day, she knew she had to jump into action. It was already Wednesday and she still didn''t know what he was doing on Friday. Why did he have a napkin with the word ''Vendredi'' written on it?


    So, she decided to follow him and plan an accidental meeting.


    But, that day, she ended up following him to a strip club!!!


    Halia sighed as she stood in the doorway and looked at the sign.


    Suddenly, a voice resounded from behind her, "Are you going inside? You''re blocking the door."


    Halia turned around to find a lanky man standing behind her. He was tall and skinny with his face hidden behind a pair of sunglasses and a face mask.


    Halia assumed he was a perverted man that didn''t want to be recognized, so she didn''t think much of it.


    In the end, she took a deep breath, quickly apologized and walked inside. There was a bit of a corridor that lead to a doorway with a security scanner. Halia quickly stepped through with no problems, but the man behind her was strangely called back.


    Halia looked at the man curiously and realized he had a camera hidden in his backpack.


    What a pervert! Was he planning to record something?


    Halia shook her head and started wandering into the club.


    The place was dimly lit and it smelled strongly of alcohol and cigarettes. In the middle was a stage with a pole and a woman dancing seductively against it.


    Halia blushed a little.


    At that moment, she finally spotted Jackson sitting at a table near the stage. He was smoking a cigarette and drinking beer with some men.


    She quickly snuck over and sat at a table not too far from them. She then picked up a drinks menu and covered her face with it as she listened to their conversation. Perhaps she could gather some clues without having to actually meet Jackson.


    "Here''s to Brother Marcus," the men yelled as they each raised a beer.


    Jackson joined in and drank his beer in one go. He then called the waitress to fetch him another one.


    "I wonder how Marcus died and who would be so brave to kill him," one of the men said.


    "Was it Percy? He''s been eyeing the leader''s position for ages."


    "I''m not sure, but I saw Marcus arguing with Sam the other day. Maybe it was Sam."


    Jackson put out his cigarette in an ash tray and stood up. "I''m gonna go to the toilet.


    As Halia watched Jackson stand up, she immediately followed behind. She tried to keep a considerable distance so he wouldn''t notice her, but he was smarter than that, he had already noticed her the moment she stepped foot into the club.


    Suddenly, as he got closer to the bathroom, the lanky man from earlier stumbled past Jackson and bumped against his left arm. Halia cringed in pain, knowing that his arm was injured and still healing, but Jackson''s expression did not change.


    The lanky man looked at Jackson''s arm suspiciously and apologized. "Sorry, man, I''m really busting to go to the toilet."


    Jackson waved his hand, gesturing it was OK. As the lanky man walked off, Jackson''s eyes met with Halia. She was so worried, she had forgotten to hide.


    With a concerned expression she slowly approached him, "Jackson, are you..."


    Before she could ask if he was OK, Jackson suddenly pulled her towards him and trapped her against the wall. "Didn''t we have enough fun on the weekend?" he smirked.


    Halia looked up at the man confusedly. She spent all night stitching him up on Saturday and all day being interrogated on Sunday. How was that fun?


    The man chuckled and moved in closer.


    Suddenly, she felt his hip press up against hers. Next thing she knew, he grabbed her hands and pinned them against the wall.


    Halia''s heart began to race as the man leaned forward. She could smell cigarettes and alcohol in his breath as his nose brushed up against hers.


    Was he trying to bluff her again. Hadn''t he realized that this act was useless?


    Halia freed her hands from his grip and wrapped them around his neck. "Come on, I dare you to kiss me. Your act doesn''t work on me." she said.


    The man''s lips curved upwards slightly.


    A moment ago, he recognized the lanky man that had run into him. That man had been following him since he left Halia''s apartment on Sunday and it was obvious that he deliberately ran into him today to test if he had injuries on his arm. He had actually lied to Halia about his injuries. They weren''t caused by a drunk person.


    Sure, he never left the club with Marcus, nor did he leave through the front door. But, he did see Marcus again before he died and he was there when he was killed. Jackson''s injuries were sustained during that struggle and someone was obviously investigating it.


    Halia had almost exposed him. If she had asked him about his arm or checked if he was OK, they would have known about his injuries. That could have gotten him in a lot of trouble.


    Jackson checked to see if the lanky man was gone. He was nowhere to be seen, he seemed to be convinced by Jackson''s act.


    Jackson looked back at the woman in front of him. This woman didn''t know what was good for her?


    "If I kiss you, are you going to stop following me?" he asked.


    Halia rolled her eyes with doubt. But, before she could open her mouth to speak, a pair of lips pressed down against hers, blocking any noise that was about to come out...

 Chapter 43 - Smart And Manipulative

    Halia swallowed back the words she was about to say as the man''s lips pressed against hers.


    His kiss was soft and gentle, but his grip on her hands were tight. She wanted to retaliate, but he had her pinned firmly against the wall.


    Finally, he moved away and smirked as he freed her from his grip.


    "Why did you kiss me?" Halia asked as she wiped her lips.


    Jackson laughed and replied, "You dared me. I like a good challenge."


    Halia scoffed and glared at the man. Even though she looked angry, her heart was thumping so loud, she could hear it jumping out of her chest. But, she stayed calm. Whatever his reason was for kissing her, she had to remain focused.


    Meanwhile, Jackson looked down at the woman as he tried to contain his rapidly beating heart. Ever since the first time she kissed him, he had wanted to taste her lips again. He knew it wasn''t right, so he had been suppressing his feelings, but he acted out of impulse today. The kiss had nothing to do with it being a dare or challenge, he simply wanted to do it. It was almost Friday. He was expecting something to happen, and if it did, he wasn''t sure if he''d walk out alive. He''d been wanting Halia to stay away from him, but he realized why she kept coming back after he saw the surveillance footage in his home. He didn''t know who she worked for, but keeping his distance and trying to scare her away wasn''t going to work; all he could do was try his best to keep her out of danger, especially on Friday.


    "Didn''t you say you want to work for me?" Jackson suddenly changed the topic.


    Halia''s face immediately lit up, "Yes, I''m excited to see what weapons you have."


    Jackson smiled at the woman and handed her a piece of paper, "Come to this address on Friday."


    "Friday? OK," Halia took the paper and placed it in her pocket. Was he taking her along to whatever he had planned on Friday? Was he meeting with Remy Durand? "I told you I could help you," she cheered as she punched Jackson in the arm, forgetting that it was injured.


    Jackson quickly grabbed his arm in pain and Halia immediately apologized, "I forgot for a second! I''m so sorry."


    "It''s OK," Jackson said. "I''ll see you on Friday."


    As he held onto his arm, Jackson disappeared into the men''s bathroom.


    But, Halia watched him with suspicion. If it hurt so much, why did he act like it didn''t hurt when the man ran into him earlier? He had no reason to, right?


    Unless...he had something to hide from that man.


    Halia quickly looked around and found the strange lanky man standing in the corner talking on his phone. She quickly walked over and tried to listen to his conversation from a spot he couldn''t see.


    "I tested him. His arm''s not injured. His alibi also checked out, it seems like she might be a stripper at this club," the man said.


    Halia scowled when she heard this. "Do I look like stripper?" she thought.


    "I saw her today and he mentioned how they had some fun on the weekend. I don''t think he was anywhere near Marcus when he got killed. Like you said, someone ran out with a mask and baseball cap and one of your men slashed the guy in the arm and shoulder. Jackson looked perfectly fine, it wasn''t him. If it was him he couldn''t have spent all weekend having fun with a stripper, you know what I mean?" the man laughed in a perverted manner.


    Halia''s eyes grew wide in shock. Was that why Jackson said what he did earlier? Was it all an act to get rid of this guy?


    "Plus, he hasn''t met with anyone suspicious or done anything apart from shopping, drinking and partying. I''m sure it''s not him," the lanky man added. "Yes, Brother Sam, I''ll stop following him from now on," the man said before he hung up. He then picked up his bag and walked out of the club, grabbing his camera from the security guards as he left.


    Halia sat down and tried to process what she heard: judging by what the lanky man said, had Jackson lied to her? Was he actually there when Marcus was killed? And did that mean her initial suspicions were correct?


    Did Jackson kill Marcus?


    But, why?


    At that moment, she received a message on her phone. It was a leaf emoji with the number 9. In other words, 9am tomorrow at the Little Leaf Guesthouse. Halia put away her phone and noticed Jackson come out of the bathroom. She watched as he took a quick scan of the club. He then picked up his phone and walked out. He obviously knew the lanky guy had been following him, and because of her sudden appearance today, he used her to get rid of him. Jackson was smart and manipulative, he made the man think what he wanted him to think. She knew at that moment that he had been lying to her too. There was no drunken fight in the men''s bathroom at the club and he wasn''t late because he was hesitating to see her. He had used her as an alibi. What else had he lied to her about?


    Halia subconsciously touched her lips and sighed; she had a lot of things to discuss with Sean the next day...

 Chapter 44 - The Ultimate Client

    Early the next morning, Halia headed towards the hutongs again to meet with Sean. But, just as she reached the beginning of one of the alleyways, she smelled some chestnuts being roasted on the side of the street.


    The smell felt oddly nostalgic...even though she barely bought roasted chestnuts.


    As Halia closed her eyes to breathe in the warm fragrance, she suddenly felt a a shiver down her spine. It was meant to be Spring, but an icy breeze suddenly brushed past her nose.


    She opened her eyes in confusion.


    As she looked around, she was shocked to find that the floor was covered...in snow! One moment ago, it was still a warm spring day, where did this snow come from?


    She then realized that her t-shirt and jeans was now covered in a thick down jacket, she had a scarf around her neck and a beanie on her head. She rubbed her hands together, desperately trying to warm them up. "I forgot my gloves," she said.


    Halia was surprised by her own voice for a minute. It had been roughly a week since she last heard this voice. It was Sara''s. She had almost forgotten that she still had Sara''s memories in her mind since nothing had triggered them for a while.


    "Wait here, I''ll be right back," a man''s voice said beside her.


    She then watched as a man ran across the road and stood in front of a little stall with a huge wok of chestnuts being roasted on a fire. She couldn''t see the man''s face, but from the back, he looked oddly familiar.


    After a few minutes, the man handed some money to the stall owner and received a bag of roasted chestnuts. As he turned around, she saw a warm smile. The smile released a swarm of butterflies in her stomach and she suddenly felt a little hot.


    Halia recognized the man. It was her handler, Sean Qin. The smile on his face; Halia had yet to see him smile so happily. He always seemed so serious. Was it because he was still upset from Sara''s death?


    As the man walked towards her, she felt her heart race. She could tell from the look on Sean''s face that he loved Sara...a lot!


    Sean placed the bag of hot roasted chestnuts in her hands and said gently, "Here, this will keep you warm." Her heart melted. As she looked down at the roasted chestnuts, she suddenly felt the urge to kiss the man. Stretching her neck, she began to lean forward. The man realized what was happening, so he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist. Just as their lips were about to touch...


    "Beep!"


    A beep from a car brought Halia back to reality.


    Halia fanned herself a little. These memories were getting quite vivid.


    At that moment, she heard an old man call out, "Chestnuts! Roasted chestnuts! 10 yuan for 500g."


    Halia smiled and went to buy a bag.


    ...


    Meanwhile, not too far away, inside a luxurious apartment, Jackson was preparing himself for the next day.


    The other night, when he first saw Halia at the club, he had dragged her out without saying goodbye to Remy Durand''s henchman. Luckily, the man was so occupied with the fake goldigger he met, that he didn''t mind. But, he did slip Jackson a napkin as he walked past.


    The word ''Vendredi'' was written on it. "Friday," Jackson whispered to himself. Tomorrow was Friday...


    Was the man finally introducing him to Remy Durand tomorrow?


    Remy was like the ultimate client for Jackson. Like a Boss in a video game that he had been working hard to reach.


    Ever since he arrived in Beijing, Marcus was Jackson''s biggest client. They had first met in Marseille about 5 years ago, when Jackson was just a mere underling for one of France''s biggest criminals. At that time, Jackson simply helped the man manage his inventory of weapons. The first time he met Marcus, Marcus had flown all the way from Beijing to meet with Jackson''s boss and Jackson''s boss asked him to help interpret. Obviously, Marcus didn''t know French and Jackson''s boss didn''t know Chinese.


    In the end, Marcus developed a fondness of Jackson and they became good friends. Every time Marcus visited France, Jackson would meet with him and show him around when he wasn''t busy with business.


    So, when Jackson''s boss died at the end of last year and he decided to return to Beijing, Marcus immediately offered to help. He even helped him build his reputation when Jackson mentioned that he wanted to work with Remy Durand, a famous criminal from France.


    If not for Marcus, Jackson wouldn''t have gotten to Remy Durand so quickly.


    Yet, this friend died...right in front of his eyes...


    That night, he had indeed remained in the club after Marcus left. Afterwards, he sat in a quiet corner and watched as Halia worked, making sure she was safe. But, half and hour before she finished work, he suddenly received a phone call, "Jackson, are you still at the club? I''m heading back there now. I''ve got some important information in my hands, but I think I''m being followed..."

 Chapter 45 - The USB

    Marcus told Jackson his location and Jackson immediately rushed out the back door of the club, grabbing a hat from the lost and found box sitting at the back as he passed by it; he knew this would be the quickest way to get to Marcus. He ran through the alleyways, weaving left and right, trying to get to his friend as quickly as possible.


    As the air quality in Beijing was always unpredictable, Jackson had a face mask in his pocket, so he quickly pulled it out and put it on, just in case he had to conceal his identity.


    As he turned into the small alleyway where Marcus was located, he saw three men attacking him. Marcus was sitting on the floor, defenseless, trying his best to block the men''s attacks, but they were merciless. They weren''t holding back. They were there to kill him!


    One man even held a knife!


    Jackson saw some children''s toys sitting in front of a house. Amongst them, was a baseball bat. He quickly grabbed the bat and rushed towards the three men, swinging it desperately. In the end, he managed to scare them away, but he was cut on the arm and shoulder.


    He then turned to his friend, but everything was already too late for Marcus. He had already received multiple stab wounds and was coughing up blood. "They found out..." he said as he choked on his own blood. With his last bit of strength, he raised his right hand towards Jackson. Jackson quickly grabbed it and realized he was holding onto a USB stick. As soon as Jackson received it, Marcus'' eyes closed, his arm fell limp and he stopped breathing.


    Jackson''s friend was gone.


    Jackson quickly looked around. He was distraught, but he knew he couldn''t stay. Whoever was after Marcus, was after this USB stick. He couldn''t let anyone know that he was there and that it was in his possession.


    He quickly ran to his car, wiped away some of Marcus'' blood and hid the USB stick. He then pulled out a burner phone from his glove box, which he always had ready, and reported Marcus'' death. He couldn''t let his friend lie there undiscovered.


    Finally, he disposed of the phone and went to pick up Halia.


    That night, after Halia fell asleep, Jackson had already looked inside the USB stick.


    "No wonder they wanted to kill him so badly..." Jackson whispered to himself as he stared at the computer screen in shock.


    Inside the USB were a list of profiles; profiles of people. But, they weren''t ordinary people, they were police officers; corrupt officers that worked with the gangs! There were personal details that were obviously being used as leverage to control these officers and someone had compiled quite a list. Who did this list belong to?


    There were at least 30 officers, scattered throughout Beijing and a few surrounding cities.


    But, Marcus was a gangster boss that had been in the gangs for over a decade. Logically speaking, it didn''t matter that he knew this information and there was no reason to kill him, right?


    Wrong. Jackson had discovered, a long time ago, that Marcus had another identity...and it was likely that his cover was blown. Which meant, his association with Marcus put him in danger too.


    The 4 days following Marcus'' death, Jackson discovered he was being followed. He was even called into the police station where he saw one of the corrupt officers on Marcus'' list. He knew, if he didn''t act carefully, they would discover he was the one that tried to save Marcus and that there was a huge possibility that he had the USB stick in his hands, or worse, they may think he was working with Marcus. He couldn''t let that happen.


    In the end, thanks to Halia, he had an alibi and was freed from suspicion.


    But now, he had some time to prepare for his meeting the next day.


    ...


    At this time, over at the hutongs, Halia had just arrived at the guesthouse to meet her handler. As she walked into the usual courtyard, Sean already had a cup of tea prepared for her.


    Halia had the roasted chestnuts hidden behind her back. After she sat down, she placed them on the table and said, "Here''s a little treat for you."


    Sean looked at the bag of chestnuts. He used to eat them with Sara, but ever since her? death, he had not had any. He was actually thinking about her today, so the chestnuts were a pleasant surprise.


    Sean grabbed a piece and popped it in his mouth. It was still warm and the familiar flavor quickly covered his taste buds. It was a subtle but nostalgic flavor that immediately brought back memories he had long forgotten. For the first time since Sara''s death, he revealed a heartfelt smile...

 Chapter 46 - He May Kill You

    Halia placed a piece of paper on the table that was between her and Sean; it was the paper that Jackson had given her. Written on it, was an address.


    "Jackson told me to go here tomorrow," Halia explained.


    "It''s a karaoke bar," Sean said as he read the paper.


    Halia nodded.


    "I have a feeling that he might be meeting Remy Durand there. Should we raid the karaoke bar tomorrow?" Halia asked.


    "We need to make sure that he''s meeting Remy Durand and that they are actually doing something illegal. Otherwise, we can''t do anything," Sean explained.


    Halia frowned, she then suggested, "In that case, I''ll follow along and keep an eye on the situation. If it''s playing out the way that we expect. I''ll immediately contact you."


    "I will have a team parked outside. We will wait for your call," Sean agreed with a nod.


    Halia took a sip of her tea and sighed.


    "What''s wrong?" Sean asked.


    "I discovered something else when I was following Jackson yesterday."


    Sean sat back and listened patiently.


    "Even though it doesn''t seem like he has a motive, I still think Jackson is involved with Marcus'' death," Halia explained.


    She then recalled everything that happened at the strip club the previous day and revealed that Jackson was injured on the night of Marcus'' death.


    Sean shook his head and ate another chestnut. He then pulled out some doc.u.ments from his briefcase.


    "I actually called you today to share some information I was recently notified about."


    Halia looked down and saw a police profile. On the top right corner, there was a photo of a man in his late 20''s. The photo looked fairly old, but for some reason, the man looked familiar.


    She then scanned her eyes across the man''s details and her eyes froze when she saw his name. "Marcus Chin?" she queried.


    Sean nodded, "This is officer Marcus Chin; an undercover policeman from the anti-corruption bureau. As you can see from his worn profile, it''s been a long time since he last identified himself as an officer."


    "Marcus was actually placed into the gangs 12 years ago. As a part of the anti-corruption bureau, he''s had an ongoing mission to uncover any police that are colluding with the gangs."


    "We suspect his cover may have been compromised. According to what you''ve discovered, there is a big possibility that Jackson discovered his identity and killed him. That gives him a motive."


    Halia''s eyes opened wide in shock.


    "So, you need to be extra careful from now on. If he discovers who you are...he may kill you too..."


    Sean then pulled out a little hairpin, "This is a tracker. Take this with you tomorrow in case anything happens."


    ...


    As though he had heard Halia and Sean''s conversation, Jackson walked into his mysterious study room at that time and grabbed a gun off the shelf of his wall.


    He loaded it up and placed it on his desk.


    He then looked at the three screens on his desk and made a phone call, "I am going alone tomorrow. The three of you stay at the karaoke bar. I am bringing Halia there tomorrow. Make sure she doesn''t leave."


    ...


    The next day, Halia arrived at the karaoke bar that Jackson wrote down for her. It was only 5pm, so the place was pretty empty. As soon as she walked in, a woman in a white collared shirt and black pants asked, "Are you Miss Feng?"


    Halia nodded.


    The lady gestured for her to follow and Halia did as told.


    The karaoke bar was a lot bigger than it appeared from the outside. As it was underground, it was hard to tell how big it was from ground level.


    The place was dark and it was lit by dim lighting. Halia followed the woman down one corridor after another as muffled music echoed from the rooms that they walked past. Down here, the karaoke bar felt like a world of its own. Halia had no idea what was happening in the outside world, and the outside world had no idea what was happening in there. Finally, they stopped outside a room that was labeled ''VVIP''.


    "Mr. Wu''s waiting inside," the woman said.


    Halia nodded and walked into the room. Sitting inside, was Jackson and his three men.


    "Lock the door behind you," Jackson instructed.


    Halia immediately did as told.


    She then watched as Jackson picked up the remote for the karaoke machine and typed in a ten-digit number.


    As soon as he pressed enter, one of the walls grumbled and slid upwards, revealing a stairwell.


    "Follow me," Jackson said.


    Halia looked down at the stairwell; the karaoke bar was already underground, but they were going further down. What was down there? Was it safe? Halia took a deep breath and adjusted her hair clip. She then glanced down at her phone as she started walking down the stairs.


    There was no phone signal...

 Chapter 47 - Going Alone

    When Halia finally reached the bottom of the stairs, she found that she was standing in a long rectangular space with some dummies and targets.


    "This karaoke bar used to belong to the famous arms dealer, Arvin Chen," Jackson began to explain.


    "He built this secret shooting range underground so he could bring his clients to test his newest weapons and I decided to buy it off him after he was sent to jail."


    Halia looked around and realized what a criminal mastermind Arvin Chen was. There was no way the police could have discovered this place.


    "I brought you here to give you a test. You said you specialized in weaponry, right?" Jackson asked before he looked at his men.


    The three men quickly ran into a storage room and came out carrying three big steel tubs of bullets.


    "Arvin left behind some bits and pieces that the police never discovered. Amongst them, were these bullets."


    Halia looked at the three tubs and then glanced back at Jackson.


    "I want you to sort through these tubs and group the same bullets together. After that, I want you to label them and tell me the size, caliber and type of bullet. The boys will be here to monitor you," Jackson explained.


    Halia looked at the bullets questioningly. Wasn''t Jackson taking her to his meeting today? If she was staying here with the three boys to sort through bullets, did that mean he was going alone? Was he deliberately keeping her occupied?


    "Are you staying here too?" Halia asked.


    "I''ve got something to do, I''ll be back later," Jackson replied.


    Suddenly, Halia got a weird feeling at the pit of her stomach. How could he go by himself? Remy Durand was an international fugitive wanted for robbery, drug trafficking and even murder!


    "Where are you going?" she asked; her voice a little shaky.


    Jackson looked at the worried expression on Halia''s face and could tell that she knew something. He had a feeling this was the case, that''s why he brought her down here and asked his three friends to watch over her. Whatever Halia''s identity was, Remy Durand was too dangerous for her to get involved with. He had already lost Marcus...he couldn''t lose Halia as well.


    "Don''t worry, I promise I''ll be back," he said as he looked into the woman''s eyes.


    Suddenly, Halia wrapped her arms around Jackson and hugged him tightly. "Stay safe," she whispered.


    Jackson held onto Halia. He knew how dangerous Remy was; he had already heard about this man back in France, but this was something he had to do. "Don''t worry, I''m just going out for a walk," he laughed as he freed himself from Halia''s grip. He then turned and left.


    Halia watched as the man disappeared up the stairs. She then brushed her hair behind her ear and sighed.


    No one noticed at this time, but her hair clip was gone...


    She then turned around, looked at the three tubs of bullets and rubbed her hands together. "Let''s get started!" she said confidently.


    ...


    After Jackson exited the stairwell, he closed the secret wall and stepped out of the ''VVIP room''. He then left the karaoke bar through a back entrance. Judging by Halia''s reaction, he had a feeling that she knew what was happening and had brought along backup, so he took the back entrance to avoid being seen.


    He then headed out to a remote cabin in the mountains. The last time he met Remy Durand''s henchman, they had agreed to meet there, but they didn''t get the chance to agree on a date before they were interrupted by Halia, so the Frenchman left him a note for Friday.


    Jackson parked his car outside and walked towards the little cabin. He had actually been here a few times before. This was a place that Marcus liked to use when he was making illegal transactions. So, the last time Jackson was here, he had spoken to Marcus about using it to meet with Remy Durand and Marcus had allowed him to install some cameras in the place. Neither of them trusted the French man entirely, so the cameras were a safety net. These cameras were connected to one of the screens in Jackson''s study room, and it was the reason why he was brave enough to come to the meeting alone today.


    But, as soon as Jackson stepped inside the cabin, the door immediately shut behind him and he felt himself being pinned to the floor. Five men looked down at him and forcefully put a vest on his body. They then locked it securely to his body and backed away.


    Jackson looked down and his heart began to race. The vest was held together with three padlocks and in the middle was a timer. The number on it read ''120''.


    Jackson immediately realized what was happening. He had a bomb strapped to his body!

 Chapter 48 - Countdown

    Jackson panicked as he looked up.


    "Hello, Jackson," a familiar voice said in French.


    "What''s this?" Jackson asked as he glared curiously at the man that he thought he successfully befriended.


    It was Remy Durand''s henchman.


    "I''m sorry for surprising you, Mr. Wu," the French man said.


    "You see, Mr. Durand is very particular about the people he works with."


    The man then put down a case of tools in front of Jackson.


    "A few days ago, we were approached by one of your competitors. As expected, everyone wants to work with Mr. Durand. But, as you know, Mr. Durand only works with the best," the man smiled.


    He then continued, "So, to pick the best, Mr. Durand thought of a way to test the two of you. He asked your competitor to build a bomb..."


    "This bomb is currently strapped to your body!" the man pointed to Jackson''s vest.


    "If you can defuse it before it explodes, then it will prove your abilities. You have all the tools you need in front of you. As you can see, you have two hours," he explained.


    "Two hours? That''s not enough time!" Jackson complained.


    "I trust that if you''re as good as you say you are, you will be able to do it. I will be waiting for you at your favorite club. I hope to see you there," the man shrugged before he turned to leave.


    As he stepped out of the cabin, Remy Durand''s henchman pressed a button in his hand and the timer on Jackson''s chest began to count down.


    Jackson quickly searched his pockets, but of course, the men had already taken his phone when they were putting on his vest.


    He then looked down at the multitude of wires on his body and a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face.


    "F*ck!" he swore as he picked up a pair of pliers.


    ...


    Meanwhile, over at the karaoke bar, Halia had already sorted through 2 of the 3 tubs. This was child''s play for her. She could practically touch a bullet without looking at it and she knew immediately what it was.


    Jackson''s three men watched in amazement. This was something that Jackson often got them to do for him.


    But, Jackson had only left about 40 minutes ago and Halia was almost finished sorting through something that normally took them 2 hours to do...


    How were they going to hold out until Jackson got back? He had specifically told them to not let Halia leave.


    20 minutes later, Halia put down the last bullet and started labelling the piles that she had made.


    Max quickly walked over to double check. He then looked at the other two men and nodded his head. Halia was quick and accurate.


    Within 10 minutes, she finished labeling everything and smiled at the three men.


    "I''m going to go to the bathroom while you guys double check everything. Is that OK?" she asked casually.


    Rowan brushed his hand through his greasy hair and pointed to a door behind them, "The bathroom''s over there." He then kneeled down with the other two men and started looking through the piles of bullets on the floor.


    Halia looked at the three men and started walking towards the bathroom, but they were so focused on the bullets that they did not notice her straying off course and heading for the stairs instead.


    Halia carefully walked up the stairs. The top three stairs were out of sight, so as soon as she got up there, she breathed a sigh of relief.


    Jackson had closed the wall that opened up to the VVIP room when he left, but Halia remembered the 10-digit code he had typed in, so she quickly typed it into a pinpad on the side of the wall. If there was one thing she was good at, it was memory.


    Of course, Halia did not wait for the wall to fully open. As soon as it started sliding up a little, she immediately ducked under and ran out as fast as she could. The sounds from the karaoke bar quickly drifted into the underground shooting range and Jackson''s three men soon realized the wall had been opened. Max and Rowan quickly ran up the stairs while Kevin checked the bathroom.


    "She''s gone!" he yelled up the stairs.


    Max and Rowan ran out of the VVIP room just as they heard Kevin''s cry. They had to quickly get Halia back.


    "The Boss is going to kill us," Rowan said.


    "You take the back exit, I''ll take the front," Max instructed.


    Rowan immediately nodded and ran towards the back of the bar while Max ran towards the front. However, Halia was too fast (she was, after all, a young and fit police officer), so both men lost her.


    Halia kept running until she knew she was completely in the clear. She then picked up her phone and called Sean.


    Sean had been sitting in a van outside the karaoke bar and saw Halia run out, but he didn''t know what had happened.


    "Are you safe?" he immediately asked.


    "Yes, I''m fine. We''re at the wrong location. Jackson''s meeting is somewhere else. I''ve attached my hairpin to him. Can you track it?" Halia said with urgency.


    Earlier, when she hugged Jackson, she had managed to clip her hairpin to the back of his pants. Luckily, the pin was small and no one noticed it was gone from her hair.


    "I''ll give you the coordinates right away. You go there first and check what''s going on. We will be following behind on standby," Sean said. "It''s about 30 minutes away, in the mountains..."


    Halia immediately flagged down a taxi and headed towards the mountains.

 Chapter 49 - Trust Me

    Halia''s taxi soon pulled up next to a familiar car parked under a tree.


    It was Jackson''s.


    Halia had definitely arrived at the right place...


    Halia paid the taxi driver and quickly got out of the car. In front of her was a path that led to a little cabin. She slowly approached, hiding behind a tree to check that the coast was clear as she got closer.


    There was no one in sight.


    Halia walked over to the cabin and peeked in through the window.


    As she looked in, she quickly spotted Jackson sitting inside, surrounded by a bunch of tools. There was no one else with him.


    What was he doing?


    Halia wiped the window a little and tried to look carefully at what was happening inside the cabin. That was when she noticed the vest on Jackson''s body.


    Immediately, her heart began to pound and her palms got sweaty.


    "It''s a bomb," she whispered to herself.


    On Jackson''s chest, there was a timer. The number on it now read ''22''.


    Halia immediately called Sean, "Jackson has a bomb strapped to his chest. There''s no one else around. I''m going in to help him defuse it."


    "Don''t act recklessly. If you are unsure about something, immediately leave. I will call the SWAT team right now."


    "We don''t have time. There are only 22 minutes left! We are 30 minutes from downtown."


    Halia then hung up the phone and ran straight into the cabin without hesitation.


    As soon as the door flew open, Jackson looked up in shock.


    "Halia, what are you doing here?" he asked. She was the last person he wanted to see.


    Halia immediately knelt down beside the man and started looking at the wires on his body. He had already undone a few screws and cut 2 wires, but the timer was still ticking.


    "There''s one wire left," she said as she scanned her eyes across the bomb in front of her.


    Jackson nodded as she looked at the serious woman in front of him. Halia''s hair was tied up, but she was so close that he could still smell the shampoo from her hair. It was oddly comforting.


    Halia carefully ran her hand across the wires on Jackson''s body and tried to trace where each one was connected.


    The timer continued to tick. It had now reached ''17''.


    "You should get out of here," Jackson said.


    "I''ve looked at every single wire carefully. I can''t find the last one," he said calmly. "Please...leave before this goes off. You shouldn''t be here."


    Halia looked into the man''s eyes. "I''m not leaving you here," she said firmly. She then grabbed the man''s shoulder and turned him around.


    "What are you doing?" Jackson asked.


    Halia grabbed a pair of scissors and carefully cut a slit in the back of the man''s vest.


    "Bingo!" she cheered.


    Hidden inside the back of the vest were another bundle of wires.


    "That sneaky b*stard! Did he hide wires in the back of the vest?"Jackson asked.


    "Sit still!" Halia ordered as she carefully checked the wires.


    Jackson looked down at the timer. It now read ''12''.


    Jackson could sense the concentration from the woman behind him. Her breathing was loud, but it was at a steady, controlled pace. That''s when Jackson realized, from the moment Halia stepped foot into the cabin, she had been calm and confident. Did this woman actually know what she was doing?


    At that moment, he saw Halia grab a pair of pliers from the floor.


    "Are you sure?" he asked.


    "Trust me," Halia replied calmly.


    Jackson held his breath as he looked down at the timer once more. It was now down to single digits: ''5''.


    He knew he had no choice but to trust Halia. After all, he had pretty much given up hope on finding the last wire before she arrived.


    While he was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a snip behind him.


    Jackson''s heart almost jumped out of his chest.


    At that moment, everything fell silent. All he heard was his heartbeat and Halia''s gentle breathing.


    The timer had stopped ticking!


    Jackson breathed out and turned to look at Halia in surprise.


    Halia remained calm. "It''s been defused," she said.


    Jackson was shocked. Who was this woman? Sure, she said she studied mechanical and chemical engineering and that she majored in weaponry and explosives, but he struggled with this bomb even though he was an experienced arms dealer. How did she manage to defuse it so calmly?

 Chapter 50 - Sister-in-law

    Jackson didn''t have time to dwell on the question of how Halia defused his bomb - he had to go to the club to meet Remy''s henchman.


    "I''ll take you back to the karaoke bar. Stay there while I go meet with someone."


    "No, I''m going with you," Halia insisted. "If I didn''t find you this time, what would have happened?"


    Jackson looked at Halia. It had almost skipped his mind: how did this woman find him?


    Halia was smart, while she was cutting the wire on Jackson''s back, she had already retrieved her hair clip and it was back on her head. So, Jackson was clueless.


    He simply sighed.


    "Besides, how do you expect to walk around with that?" Halia added as she pointed to Jackson''s vest.


    Although the bomb was defused, Jackson still had the vest strapped to his body and needed Remy''s henchman to unlock it.


    So, he headed for his car and gestured Halia to follow.


    ...


    Halia and Jackson soon arrived at the club that Halia worked at.


    Jackson was wearing a coat on top of the bomb vest and was trying his best to remain discreet.


    "There is a French man inside. His name is Pierre Caron. Find him and tell him I''m waiting outside. I''ll be under that willow tree," Jackson said as he pointed to the tree by the river.


    Halia looked at the tree. That was where they first officially became friends. She really wanted to treat Jackson as a friend and help him. But, this man was now getting involved with bombs. This was a lot more serious.


    Halia nodded her head and headed inside the club.


    She had initially thought Jackson was taking her to a serious meeting today, so she was dressed a little less casual than usual. Today, she was wearing a short black dress, covered by a coat and she had knee-high boots on.


    As soon as she entered, a few men tried to talk to her and get her attention, but her target was quickly set. It wasn''t hard to pick out a foreigner in the club. Plus, she had seen Pierre Caron before.


    The man was in the middle of the dancefloor, surrounded by 6 women, who were practically throwing themselves at him. Foreigners were always a spectacle, plus, they usually symbolized money, so these women all had dollar signs in their eyes.


    Halia stood from a distance and tried to wave at the man, but obviously, he was too occupied. She then tried to get closer, but the women had the man tightly surrounded and they kept pushing her away.


    At that moment, Halia spotted a little crowd by the bar. One of the bartenders had lit some shots on fire.


    Halia smiled and walked over.


    "Tania, make me a tray of those," she said as she approached her colleague.


    The woman behind the bar was surprised to see Halia at the club on her day off, but quickly took her order.


    As she looked down at the tray of flaming shots, Halia removed her coat, revealing her s.e.xy figure and sauntered over to the French man. Normally, flaming shots weren''t allowed to leave the bar, but she worked there, so it was an exception. "Excuse me, fire! Move out of the way," Halia yelled as she made her way across the dancefloor. As it was still quite early in the night, there weren''t many people yet. Most of the crowd was gathered around the French man.


    Like Moses parting the Red Sea, everyone quickly cleared a path for Halia. She eventually reached Pierre and smiled. "This is a gift from Mr. Wu," she said.


    The French man looked at the shots and then scanned his eyes across Halia and smirked.


    Before the man could respond, Halia started handing out the drinks to the 6 women and Pierre''s acquaintances. He then passed one to Pierre.


    The French man happily accepted.


    He then looked down at the tray and smiled. There were still 5 shots left.


    "Oh, I can''t go out to meet Mr. Wu until we finish these shots. It''s too much of a waste," he said suggestively.


    Halia knew what the man was suggesting. He wanted her to have the remaining shots. In an unfazed manner she quickly downed 4 of the 5 shots like it was water. She then picked up the last one and raised it at the crowd.


    The French man smiled and raised his glass, signaling for everyone else to follow. Then, with one gulp, they finished their drinks.


    The man nodded his head in an impressed manner. "Sister-in-law (the Chinese call girlfriends/fiancees/wives of a friend, sister-in-law, even if they''re not blood related) is not bad, I can see why Jackson chose you," he laughed.


    Last time Pierre was at the club, he had seen the look on Jackson''s face when he looked at Halia and saw the way he dragged her out of the club when she was being harassed, so he assumed there was something between them.


    Halia looked at the man in confusion. Did he just call her sister-in-law?

 Chapter 51 - 4 Days

    "I think you''ve misunder..." Before Halia could explain herself, Pierre signaled to his men and started walking out of the club.


    Halia swallowed her words and quickly followed behind.


    After they stepped outside, Halia led the men straight over to the willow tree where Jackson was waiting.


    It was a warm spring night and there wasn''t much of a breeze, so Jackson looked quite comfortable standing under the tree.


    "I''m impressed Mr. Wu," the French man praised as he clapped his hands and approached Jackson.


    Jackson smirked and pointed to the vest that was still on his body, "If you''re impressed, then please remove this. It''s getting a little hot," he joked.


    Pierre immediately laughed and stretched out his hand towards one of his men. The man quickly pulled out a bunch of keys and placed it in his hand.


    Pierre then handed the keys to Halia, "I''ll let Sister-in-law unlock them for you."


    Halia held onto the keys and looked at Jackson awkwardly.


    She then walked up to him and started unlocking his vest.


    Jackson held back a smile and whispered beside Halia''s ear, "You don''t seem surprised by the way he called you Sister-in-law. Why didn''t you correct him? Are you...acknowledging that you''re my woman?"


    Halia blushed and avoided looking at Jackson''s face. "I didn''t get the chance to correct him yet. I''ll do it later," she replied as she concentrated on the locks.


    At that moment, Jackson suddenly leaned in towards Halia''s lips and took a sniff. Halia''s heart raced as she looked at the man in front of her. "Did you drink?" he asked worriedly.


    "Just a little, it was the only way to get him out here," Halia explained.


    Jackson straightened his body and looked down at the woman in front of him. She had done a lot for him today. If not for her, he would be dead already.


    How could he keep trying to push her away when all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms?


    Unfortunately, he still didn''t know what her true identity was.


    "I think the Boss will be impressed with your performance today, Mr. Wu," Pierre suddenly said as he watched Halia unlock the last lock on Jackson''s vest.


    Halia then handed the keys back to the French man while Jackson removed the vest from his body.


    "Lucky you succeeded today. It would have been a shame for you to abandon Sister-in-law," Pierre teased as he scanned his eyes across Halia.


    Halia left her coat in the club, so her curvy figure was still visible in her little black dress. Jackson quickly covered the woman with his coat.


    "When can I meet Mr. Durand?" Jackson asked in seriousness.


    "Let''s find a place to sit first," Pierre laughed as he started walking away.


    Jackson and Halia quickly followed the man.


    They eventually arrived at a 24-hour coffee shop which was relatively empty. After all, who drank coffee at that time of night? Didn''t they want to sleep?


    The French man told his men to wait outside while he found a table inside to sit down with Jackson and Halia. He then pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pants and unfolded it.


    "Mr. Durand needs a bomb that can break something like this."


    Opened up on the table was a diagram of a safe. But, it was no ordinary safe. It was obviously a strong high tech one with multiples layers of protection. Jackson was curious who the safe belonged to, but he did not ask. He simply glanced at Halia and Halia gently nodded her head.


    Jackson had witnessed Halia''s skills that day. If someone could create a bomb capable of breaking the safe in the diagram, he was confident that she could do it. And, she seemed pretty confident too.


    "When does Mr. Durand need it by?" he asked.


    "You have 4 days," the French man replied.


    "Tell Mr. Durand that I need to see him in person for the deal. Otherwise, it''s not going ahead. I''ve shown him enough respect, it''s time he shows me some too," Jackson demanded.


    "Don''t worry, Mr. Durand is excited to meet you."


    "In that case, I''ll see you in 4 days," Jackson said. He then grabbed Halia''s hand and dragged her out of the coffee shop without looking back...


    He didn''t want to implicate her before. But now, she was his only hope...

 Chapter 52 - The Real Sean

    "Can you do it in 4 days?" Jackson reconfirmed with Halia after they wandered a fair distance from the coffee shop.


    Halia nodded her head in confidence.


    Jackson looked at the woman opposite him with curiosity. "How do you know so much about bombs?" he asked. It was almost like Halia had decades of experience when she was simply a university graduate.


    "You could say it''s a bit of an obsession," Halia lied. "I''ve been fascinated by weaponry and explosives all my life."


    Jackson knew it was too much of a coincidence that someone with such skills had entered his life. Especially since he saw Halia searching through his things. But, no matter what the truth was, it was a good thing, because now he finally got the chance to meet with Remy Durand.


    "Call the club and tell them that you quit," Jackson said. "I am officially hiring you."


    ...


    The next morning, just before meeting with Jackson, Halia went to see Sean again.


    This time, they met in the park again.


    When Halia arrived, Sean had already cast her fishing line for her. "You left before you caught anything last time. Maybe you''ll be lucky today," he said.


    Halia smiled. Although they had only known each other for a couple of weeks, they were no longer strangers. Probably, because of Sara''s memories, Halia felt a close connection to this man.


    Halia sat down beside her handler. She had two cups of coffee in her hands and she handed one to Sean.


    "I wasn''t sure what you''d like, so I asked the barista for a recommendation," she said.


    Sean held the coffee in his hands. He recognized the label on the cup.


    It was Sara''s favorite coffee.


    People often said that opposites attract, and when it came to Sara and Sean, this was certainly the case. Sean loved his tea and Sara loved her coffee. But, it was differences like this that made their lives so much more interesting and fulfilling. After all, who wanted to date someone that was exactly the same as themselves?


    That would be boring.


    Because of Sara, Sean had visited a coffee plantation a few years back and learned about the process of creating coffee as well as how to differentiate between good and bad beans. For him, it was fascinating how similar, yet different it was to tea and it opened his mind to a different world.


    Sara liked the coffee shop that Halia visited because it imported their coffee beans straight from the coffee plantation that he and Sara visited. There were only a couple of stores in Beijing, so not many people knew about it. Sara drank one cup from that store every single day and she often smelled like coffee when Sean met her in the mornings.


    So, for Sean, the fragrance was familiar and heartwarming. What a coincidence that Halia bought this coffee from there! Sean took a sip and felt goosebumps all over his body. The coffee was exactly the way he liked it. A latte with one teaspoon of sugar. How did Halia know?


    Last time, she brought him roasted chestnuts, and this time she brought him coffee. It was odd, but she made him feel like Sara had never left.


    Actually, Halia had experienced a flashback when she walked into the coffee shop the previous night and she saw Sara and Sean visiting a coffee plantation, so she thought it would be a nice gesture to get Sean some coffee.


    But, was it really the right thing to do?


    At that moment, something started tugging on Halia''s fishing rod.


    "I think I caught something," Halia squealed excitedly as she grabbed onto the rod.


    Sean quickly put down his coffee and squatted down behind Halia. He then held onto the fishing rod, his hand overlapping Halia''s, and began to show her how to reel in the fish. For a moment, Sean forgot he was Halia''s handler. His actions were carefree and his smile was genuine. He hadn''t been like this since Sara''s death.


    Halia could feel the warmth of the man behind her. From the day she first met him, he was always serious and proper. Even the way he dressed was always so refined.


    But today, she finally felt like she saw the real Sean; the Sean that Sara knew.


    After the fish was finally reeled up, Halia quickly grabbed it with her bare hands. Sean was quite surprised. Not many girls did that because they hated the fishy smell and the slime from the fish''s body. He quickly pulled out the hook and marked a one on a piece of paper next to Halia''s name.


    The fish in the park weren''t bred for eating, it was just a past time for locals, so they were expected to throw the fish back in. Halia held onto the fish and released it back into the water. She then looked at Sean and smiled. "That was the first fish I''ve ever caught!"


    Sean looked at the excited smile on Halia''s face. Although she reminded him of Sara, he knew they were two very different people. For example...Sara hated fishing. It was something Sean used to do on his own when he needed some time to himself. But, it seemed, he had now found a fishing partner...

 Chapter 53 - Who Are You Working For

    At that moment, Sean remembered they were there for serious business.


    "Have you made progress?" he asked.


    Halia''s smiled disappeared and her expression turned serious as she replied, "Pierre Caron asked Jackson to build him a bomb for Remy Durand and Jackson asked me to assist."


    "If everything goes to plan, he should be making a deal with Mr. Durand in 4 days."


    Sean nodded his head in understanding, "Good job."


    "But, what do I do? Do I actually make a proper bomb?" Halia asked.


    "Well, you have to. Jackson might not have as much knowledge as you, but he still understands bombs. I''m sure he''ll be able to tell the power of what you create," Sean explained.


    "However, include a hidden way to remotely defuse the bomb. Find out where and when the deal with Remy is taking place and we will arrest everyone on the scene and defuse the bomb safely. You don''t have to be there, so stay out of it if you can," he instructed.


    Halia nodded her head, but her heart suddenly felt a little sad. Did that mean Jackson was getting arrested soon? Did she only have 4 days left with him?


    He trusted her so much, but she was betraying him by sending him into a trap.


    Yet, there was nothing else she could do. Originally, she had hoped to lead him down the correct path, but it was too late now, especially since she suspected him of killing Marcus. In her mind, there was no turning back for Jackson; he was a criminal and she was a police officer. They were never meant to be friends...


    ...


    After leaving the park, Halia arrived at the karaoke bar that Jackson owned. Jackson was waiting outside. As soon as he saw her, he led her inside and walked her straight over to a VVIP room that was down a different corridor to last time. Once again, he typed in a ten digit number and a secret door opened. But, this time, the stairs did not lead to the shooting range. This time, it was a lab!


    "This is where Arvin Chen used to experiment with making bombs. He only sold guns, but he was planning to start making bombs. Unfortunately, he was caught before he got the chance. Since the opportunity existed, I thought I''d fill the void here in Beijing."


    "So far, I''ve only sold guns to Marcus and a few other gangsters because I want my first bomb sale in Beijing to go to a big name. When I heard that Remy was looking to get a bomb made, I knew he was the client I had been waiting for. If we succeed with this deal, we are going to hit the jackpot!" Jackson said as his eyes twinkled.


    "Haven''t you ever considered making money the legal way? Especially after Marcus died, aren''t you afraid of your safety?" Halia asked.


    "Marcus was unlucky, but I won''t be," Jackson replied.


    Halia looked into Jackson''s eyes. She then asked a question she had been curious about for a long time, "Jackson, tell me the truth, did you kill Marcus?"


    Jackson looked a little hurt by Halia''s doubt, "Marcus was a good friend of mine. He was almost like my brother. I would never kill him," he said.


    Halia sensed the truth in his words. "Then, were you there when he died? Did you really get injured at the club? Do you know who did it?" she asked.


    Based on Halia''s questions?, Jackson could tell that she already discovered something about Marcus'' death, so he told her the truth.


    "Yes, I was there when he died. You may not believe me, but I was there to save him. I know who killed him and I don''t want to be their next target so I had to lie about my whereabouts. After we''re done with this bomb deal, I''m going to get revenge for him," Jackson replied honestly.


    Halia stared at the man in front of her, she could see the pain in his eyes; he was telling the truth, Marcus was a good friend of his. She began to feel a little guilty for doubting him. He had saved her in the past and treated her as a true friend, yet she thought so badly of him. So, she began to wonder, if Jackson never killed Marcus, was there still hope for this man? If she could stop him from going to the deal with Remy, could he still turn back?


    They were spending the next few days in this lab together. Could she make him change his mind?


    "Why are you asking me so much today?" Jackson suddenly asked.


    "I...I wanted to know who I''m working for," Halia replied.


    Jackson smirked at this response.


    At that moment, he grabbed onto Halia''s waist and pulled her towards him, "Then tell me...who ARE you working for?"


    Halia looked at the man curiously. Why did it seem like there was another meaning to his question?

 Chapter 54 - Illogical

    Halia thought she was simply being paranoid. There was no way this guy knew about her real identity, otherwise, he would not keep her by his side and let her know what he was doing.


    So, she began to think seriously about Jackson''s question.


    What had she learned about him so far?


    "I''m working for a brave man..." she began as she thought about the way he saved her from a serial killer.


    Jackson looked at the woman. She obviously had no idea that he knew she was hiding something from him. But, it was nice to hear her words of praise.


    Halia blushed as she remembered the way that Jackson took care of her when she was drugged and didn''t take advantage of her, so she added, "...he''s someone with integrity..."


    Jackson looked down at the blushing woman in front of him. What was she thinking about? And why did her actions send tingles down his spine?


    "...and he''s a true friend," Halia continued as the thought of Marcus came to mind.


    Jackson stared into Halia''s eyes. Although she was hiding her true identity from him, he could tell that she was being honest at that moment and it warmed his heart. He had been in and out of the gangs since he was 18, following different leaders and slowly working his way to where he was today. But, the Jackson that everyone thought they knew, was just a facade. He had survived so many years in the gangs by acting cold and ruthless, but deep down, that was not the real him. In fact, even he had almost forgotten the real him.


    But, Halia saw him for who he was.


    Halia stared back into Jackson''s eyes and remembered how he tried to push her away to keep her from danger and the multiple times he gave her his coat simply because he was afraid she''d get cold, so she finished off with, "His name is Jackson and he''s a great man with a caring and thoughtful soul."


    All these thoughts and memories were Halia''s own. They weren''t Sara''s, nor were they influenced by the weapons and explosives expert in her head and they weren''t based on what she heard from her handler.


    This was the Jackson she knew. She was told that he dealt with weapons, but she had never seen him with a weapon before. She was told that he was a cold and ruthless gangster, but he was one of the nicest guys she had ever met.


    Jackson was moved by Halia''s words. At that moment, he felt like the two of them were in their own world. Down there in the lab, it was dimly lit and quiet. There was no one else around and they couldn''t hear anything from the outside world. For that short moment, he was not a gangster and she was not a mysterious woman that was spying on him. He was just a man and she was just a woman and all he wanted to do...


    ...was kiss her.


    Jackson looked down at Halia''s lips and his breathing stopped. He had kissed her before, but this time, there was something different. The first time he kissed Halia, she was drugged. The second time he kissed her, he did it forcefully. But this time...


    Halia saw the man hesitate. She too had forgotten her identity. Because she misunderstood Jackson for killing Marcus, she had been holding back her feelings and stopping herself from feeling anything positive about this guy. Even when she was helping him defuse his bomb, she was actually worried, but she kept telling herself it was part of her job. However, deep down, she knew, she would never risk her life like that if she didn''t truly care about Jackson. In fact, she even questioned if she would have done that for a normal friend.


    Halia felt the man''s arms around her waist and it stirred up butterflies in her stomach. She had felt this feeling before in Sara''s memory...when she looked at Sean. Was she feeling the same way for Jackson that Sara felt for Sean?


    People often said that love was an illogical thing, and at that moment, Halia believed it. Even though she knew it was wrong, she began to lean forward. Screw everything! If she only had these next four days to spend with Jackson, even if she failed in the end to stop him from going to the bomb deal...she was going to follow her heart.


    Jackson felt his heart race. He brushed his nose gently against Halia''s nose, testing to see if he could really kiss her. To his surprise, she did not back away. In fact, she moved even closer.


    Her lips were almost touching his, but she wanted him to make the first move.


    Jackson quickly took the hint.


    With a slight smile, he pressed his lips against hers...

 Chapter 55 - Living Together

    Halia felt the man''s soft lips press firmly against hers. They were plump, smooth and warm.


    Even though she welcomed his kiss, she couldn''t help but stare into the man''s eyes with disbelief as he tightened his grip around her waist. She couldn''t believe they were actually crossing the line like this. It felt so wrong, yet so right.


    Jackson moved away a little and took a breath, breathing in the scent of coffee from Halia''s lips. She must have drunk coffee before she saw him. With his lips slightly parted, he tilted his head and kissed her again...and again...and again.


    Everytime his lips left hers, he was drawn back faster, forcing the woman in his arms to gasp for air. The sound of her breaths made his heart race and it made him want her even more.


    The smell of coffee was alluring, but it wasn''t enough for Jackson. He began to wonder how she''d taste. Unable to control himself, Jackson gently pressed Halia against the wall and forced his tongue into her mouth.


    Halia felt the man''s tongue against hers and it sent tingles down her spine. She gently intertwined her tongue with his and closed her eyes, enjoying the intimate moment she was sharing with this man.


    Jackson''s lips curved upwards slightly when he noticed Halia was finally enjoying herself, so he closed his eyes in satisfaction too.


    Slowly, Jackson began to move his hands up Halia''s back, his every touch sending sparks through her body, making her tremble with pleasure. She responded by hooking her arms around his neck. When Jackson felt this, he kissed her even harder. Her lips tasted sweet and the curves of her body were so enticing.


    Why was this woman so addictive?


    Jackson couldn''t tear himself away from Halia, but he knew that if he didn''t, he would lose control.


    Eventually, his kisses slowed down and he moved away from her lips.


    Halia blushed and looked at the man awkwardly. What just happened?


    "I think we should start working on that bomb," she said.


    Jackson took a deep breath and nodded.


    ...


    Meanwhile, over at the SPU, Sean reported what Halia was doing to the Captain. The Captain praised Sean for handling the matter well and quickly organized a backup team for him.


    They were officially counting down to one of the biggest arrests since Arvin Chen.


    Sean left the Captain''s office and returned to his desk. Since he wasn''t a huge coffee drinker, he still had the coffee that Halia bought him a couple of hours ago. It had already cooled down, but he smiled as he finished it.


    He then looked at a piece of paper that sat next to the cup. It was a tally of the fish that he and Halia had caught. So far, there was just a one next to Halia''s name.


    Just behind the coffee cup and the tally, there was a calendar on his desk. The next day was circled with a red pen; it was a special day.


    With a smile, Sean picked up his phone and sent a fish emoji to Halia with the number 9 next to it. "Let''s see how many fish you catch tomorrow morning," he thought. He then grabbed his things and left the headquarters. "I should reward you with a gift."


    ...


    At that moment, Halia just so happened to check her phone. But, she quickly remembered that there was no phone signal under the karaoke bar.


    What if Sean had important information to relay to her?


    "You should forget about using your phone for the next few days," Jackson said as he glanced at Halia.


    Halia looked at the man confusedly.


    "I forgot to tell you. We won''t be leaving this lab until the day of the deal," Jackson said. "It''s for your safety. I have a lot of competitors. They are going to do whatever they can to stop this deal from going ahead. They would even go as far as to kill you. This is the safest place."


    Halia looked at Jackson in surprise. "Why didn''t you tell me earlier?" she complained.


    "I didn''t think it would matter. Don''t you live in Beijing on your own?" Jackson asked.


    "Yes...but I still have a dog to feed," she replied.


    "Don''t worry, Max will drop by with lunch soon. You can give him your keys and tell him to feed your dog."


    Halia sighed. She understood why Jackson was doing this, but how was she going to communicate with Sean? How was she to tell him the time and location of the deal?


    However, this was the least of her problems at that moment, because Halia suddenly froze as she realized something, "Did you say that ''we'' are staying here for the next few days? Together?"


    Jackson nodded his head with an amused look in his eyes.


    Halia began to blush. If she had known that this was happening, she wouldn''t have kissed him earlier. A man and a woman were staying alone under the same roof. What if he expected more from her? What if he crawled into her bed in the middle of the night? Wait a minute...


    ...what if there was only one bed???


    "Where am I sleeping?" she asked in horror.

 Chapter 56 - One Bed

    Jackson smirked. "I prepared a bed for you," he replied as he grabbed Halia''s hand and dragged her towards a door. He knew what Halia was thinking, so he deliberately teased her.


    Behind the door was a room that was previously used as an office. Jackson had removed everything inside and replaced it with a bed.


    One big bed!


    "Is there only one bed?" Halia asked.


    Jackson nodded his head. "I didn''t know until yesterday that you would be helping me, so I didn''t have time to prepare another bed," he said with amus.e.m.e.nt in his eyes.


    Halia panicked. Sure, she had to admit that she was attracted to this man, but sharing a bed would be going too far! She had surrendered to her feelings earlier and kissed him, but nothing was official. Plus, she knew it wasn''t likely that anything serious would result between them.


    "I''m not that kind of woman," she said as she glanced at the man next to her.


    Jackson''s lips curved upwards slightly. "What kind of woman?" he asked.


    Halia blushed, "I''ve never shared a bed with a man before."


    Jackson covered his mouth and laughed. Why was this woman so cute?


    That''s when Halia realized, Jackson had been toying with her. With an angry glare, she raised her right fist to punch the man in the chest, but he quickly blocked it and grabbed hold of her wrist. Halia responded by throwing another punch with her left fist, but the man dodged to the side and grabbed onto that wrist as well. He swiftly pulled both her hands behind her back and held them tightly in place. Unable to use her hands, Halia tried to step on the man''s foot, but with one fluid motion, the man sweeped her off her feet and carried her in his arms.


    Halia looked up at the man in surprise as he smiled at her playfully. Sure, she wasn''t a black belt, but she had undergone martial arts training in the police academy, how did this man counter her moves so easily?


    Jackson laughed and gently placed Halia on the bed. He then leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. Halia was surprised by this sudden gentle action. She looked into his eyes and felt a warm, caring vibe. Even though she was lying vulnerably on a bed, she felt surprisingly safe. Jackson carefully brushed some hair away from her right ear and leaned forward again. Halia felt a million tingles course through her body like a ripple of electricity. What was this man doing?


    Suddenly, she heard a deep and charming voice beside her ear, "I''ve never shared a bed a with a woman either."


    Halia felt the man''s gentle breaths beside her ear and it made her heart race.


    At that moment, some footsteps could be heard coming from outside. It was Max. He had arrived with lunch.


    Max was a huge foodie and knew where all the best food in Beijing was (it kinda explained his figure). On that particular day, he had visited three restaurants to get takeaway, hoping that Jackson and Halia would find something that suited their pallet.


    He peeked into the room to look for the two and saw them in an ambiguous position on the bed. Quickly covering his eyes, he said, "Boss, I left the food on the table. I didn''t mean to disturb you. I''ll be leaving right away!"


    "Max, wait!" Halia quickly cried out as she sat up. She then stepped off the bed and ran over to her handbag.


    "Can you pop by my apartment to feed my dog?" she asked as she handed the man her keys.


    Max quickly grabbed the keys and nodded his head, "Yes, Sister-in-law!"


    He then glanced at Jackson awkwardly before he ran up the stairs and out of the lab.


    Halia blushed and turned to look at Jackson. The man was now sitting on the edge of the bed with a cheeky smile, swinging his legs like he was watching a show.


    "Why does everyone have such dirty thoughts?" he asked.


    He then pointed to a wardrobe beside Halia, gesturing for her to open it. Halia looked at Jackson with curiosity, but did as she was told. Inside the wardrobe was a pillow, a blanket and a sleeping bag.


    "I won''t tease you anymore. I''m sleeping in that for the next few days," the man explained as he pointed to the sleeping bag in Halia''s hand.


    Halia looked at the sleeping bag and a relieved smile appeared on her face.


    At that moment, Jackson stood up from the bed and started walking out of the room. "Let''s eat," he said as he brushed past.


    Halia nodded her head and followed the man out...

 Chapter 57 - Max

    Halia looked at the food sitting inside the lab and her mouth opened wide in surprise.


    There was a pizza, some dumplings and even a Peking duck!


    Jackson smiled. Max never failed to disappoint when it came to food.


    Jackson knew the strengths of his men. After all, they had followed him all the way from France to Beijing.


    Max''s passion for food started from a young age. Back then, his parents ran a little restaurant in the city center of Xi''an where many tour groups visited for the terracotta warriors. Because of the booming tourism industry, his parents worked hard and made enough money to send him to culinary school in Paris. But, to make ends meet, he had to find a part time job while he studied, and the only thing he found was a position in a small Chinese restaurant. Jackson used to eat there at least once a week.


    One day, Jackson was eating in the restaurant when a customer had a complaint. The head chef immediately threw the blame on Max, dragged him out of the kitchen and made him kneel and apologize in front of the customer.


    "I didn''t even touch that dish," Max cried innocently in Chinese. He had only been in France for 6 months and only knew basic French at that stage.


    But, the customer had no idea what he was saying and continued to scold him in French. All the while, the head chef hit Max in the back of the head and told him to shut up.


    Jackson realized Max was obviously being treated as a scapegoat. Eventually, he couldn''t watch anymore and decided to intervene.


    "This man didn''t cook your dish. If you have a complaint, you should take it out on the head chef," he explained to the customer in perfect French.


    The customer glared at the head chef and started swearing at him, "You f*cken dishonest b*stard!"


    Jackson took this opportunity to help Max up. "Are you OK?" he asked. Max nodded his head. He then tore off his apron and threw it on the floor. "I quit!"


    After that day, Jackson and Max became good friends. Jackson taught Max French and Max cooked for Jackson. At that time, Max didn''t know that Jackson was involved in the gangs.


    It wasn''t until another 6 months down the track, when he saw Jackson being chased by some gangsters, that he realized what his friend was involved with. On that particular day, he impulsively ran in to help Jackson and was subsequently stabbed in the stomach. Of course, he also got a few punches in before the police arrived. But after that, the gangsters remembered his face and started causing trouble wherever he went. They even went to his culinary school and trashed the place.


    Eventually, Max was kicked out of culinary school.


    Jackson felt guilty, so he took Max under his wing. He gave him a place to stay and let him follow him around.


    Finally, when Jackson moved to Marseille 5 years ago, he took Max with him and opened a restaurant for him to run. For those 5 years, Max felt like his dream had come true. Even though he dropped out of culinary school, he still got to do what he loved: cooking. He even made enough money to send back to his parents and make them proud. So, when Jackson said he was returning to Beijing, he was happy to leave everything behind and return with him.


    "I want a bit of everything!" Halia smiled as she ran straight over and grabbed a slice of pizza.


    Jackson looked at the woman and smiled.


    ...


    At this time, Max had just arrived outside Halia''s apartment.


    He took a deep breath, pulled out Halia''s keys from his pocket and stared at it with hesitation. While he was standing there in a daze, the next door neighbour returned home and looked at him with curiosity.


    "Who are you? I''ve never seen you before?" the young woman asked.


    The neighbour was a young woman in her late 20''s. She was dressed in activewear and looked like she had just returned from a jog with her dog that she had on a leash.


    "I''m Halia''s friend. Sh-She''s on a business trip and she asked me to feed her dog," Max stuttered.


    The woman was quite good looking and it made him nervous. But, she wasn''t the only thing that made him nervous.


    Max looked down at the woman''s dog. It was a little French bulldog and it was looking up at him with its tail wagging. Suddenly, without warning, it jumped up and started licking his hand. Max quickly screamed and jumped in fright.


    The young woman quickly grabbed the dog and covered her mouth in laughter. "Are you afraid of dogs?" she asked.


    Max looked at the woman awkwardly and nodded his head...

 Chapter 58 - Is This All Worth It?

    The young woman chuckled as she held onto her dog. "How are you supposed to feed your friend''s dog, when you''re afraid?" she asked.


    Max looked at the woman helplessly. When he walked into the lab earlier and saw Jackson on the bed with Halia, he was so fl.u.s.tered that he agreed to everything without even thinking. "I couldn''t turn her down," he blushed as he remembered the scene from earlier.


    "I can''t blame you, she''s honestly good looking," the woman winked. She saw Max blush so she thought he had a crush on Halia. In actual fact, he couldn''t turn Halia down because she was his Boss'' woman. But, of course, this woman had no idea about that.


    "Let me put Maximus away and I''ll come help you," she smiled.


    Max looked at the woman in surprise. Did her dog have a similar name to him. Max sighed. He felt a little offended, yet honored at the same time. With a laugh, he said, "What a coincidence, my name''s Max."


    The woman chuckled again, "I''m Cleo."


    She then opened her door, popped the dog inside and closed it back up again.


    "Let''s feed the hungry little monster," she smiled as she walked over to Halia''s door.


    Max took a deep breath and unlocked the door. As soon as the two strangers stepped into the apartment a little brown toy poodle started barking at them. Max froze in fear.


    Cleo quickly squatted down and offered her hand for the dog to smell. She then grabbed Max''s hand and stuck it towards the dog as well. It took a few minutes, but the dog quickly warmed up to the two strangers.


    Cleo looked at the dog''s name tag and realized it''s name was ''Coco''.


    "Come here, Coco," she said. The little dog quickly jumped into her lap.


    Max took this opportunity to search around the kitchen for dog food. He quickly found some cans in the pantry and showed them to Cleo. Cleo nodded her head and gestured for him to empty the can into the dog''s bowl. He quickly did as told and backed away as the dog went to eat.


    "Are you coming again tomorrow?" Cleo asked as she looked at Max.


    "I''ll have to come everyday for another 3 days," he replied.


    "What time? I can help you," she offered.


    Max looked at the woman. Apart from Jackson, he had never met someone that was so willing to help him.


    "2pm. Just a little after lunch time," he smiled. "Thank you."


    ...


    Meanwhile, over at the lab, Halia and Jackson had just finished lunch and were getting started on their bomb.


    Halia rolled out the diagram of the safe and looked through every little detail carefully. She then sketched out a rough plan as Jackson sat beside her and suggested adjustments. Finally, after 4 hours, they finalized a design.


    Halia stretched her back and sighed. "Jackson, is this all worth it?" she asked.


    Jackson looked at the woman.


    "Of course it is," he replied. "I''ve been waiting for this for a long time."


    At that moment, he looked down at his phone. It was almost 6pm.


    "I need to pop up and make a phone call," he said to Halia. "I''ll be right back."


    Halia nodded her head and watched as the man disappeared up the stairs. She then looked down at the plan. "Now, how will I defuse this thing?" she asked herself.


    At that moment, Jackson stepped out of the karaoke room and walked straight into an office. This office was his, but he barely used it. He quickly walked over to the desk and pulled out the top drawer. Sitting inside, was a burner phone. He quickly slipped in a new SIM card and dialed a familiar number.


    "Do, Re-my, fa, so..." he said as soon as someone picked up.


    "Line is secure, please speak," a voice said in French.


    "Target has taken the bait. A meeting will occur in 3 days. Location is yet to be confirmed. Currently working with foreign asset, Halia Feng. Did you get any information on asset?" Jackson asked.


    "We had to get through a lot of encryption, but we finally got access to the police database. Halia Feng. Chinese name: Feng Haili. Junior detective working for the SPU. Identification number: PC5201314. I will forward you her file after this call. Have a quick look and delete it. The SPU are unaware of our operations, so be careful that you do not clash. They seem to be after you, but we want you to place your focus on Remy Durand. We will handle the rest."


    Jackson hung up the phone and looked at the file that was sent to him. Everything about Halia was on there, including her training, her education and her history with the police. He knew it! From the first time he met her at the hospital, he had a feeling this woman was different. But, Jackson quickly noticed, there was nothing on her file about chemical and mechanical engineering and she had only solved one case: the recent serial killer case. Why did the SPU send her after him? And how did she know so much about weapons and bombs?


    Jackson quickly deleted the file and pulled out the SIM card. As he stepped out of his office, a staff member walked past with a bag of trash. It was rubbish day and the truck was arriving. Jackson snapped the SIM card in his hand and slipped it into the bag before he returned to the VVIP room. He had timed everything perfectly...

 Chapter 59 - In Love

    Jackson returned to the lab just as Max arrived with dinner. Unlike earlier, Max seemed to be quite cheerful and chirpy.


    As he laid out dinner on the table, he began to whistle and hum a tune.


    Jackson walked over to his friend and looked at him suspiciously. "Did something good happen this afternoon?" he asked.


    Max blushed like a little girl and replied, "I met Cleo and she helped me feed Coco. I think I''m in love..."


    Jackson looked at Max confusedly. Who was Cleo and who was Coco???


    Halia quickly laughed, "I see you met my neighbor."


    Jackson quickly turned to Halia for an explanation.


    "Cleo''s my neighbor and Coco''s my dog," she explained with a giggle.


    Jackson nodded his head before he turned back to his friend. "How can you be in love when you only just met?" he asked.


    "Love isn''t measured by time. It''s a feeling. When you find the right person, you will know they are the one. It cannot be explained by words nor logic," the man replied with a twinkle in his eye.


    "Where did you learn that from?" Jackson asked. He had never seen Max with a girlfriend before, when did he turn into a love expert?


    Max cleared his throat and answered, "I''ve been watching a lot of Korean dramas lately. I picked up a few things here and there."


    Jackson laughed at his inexperienced friend. However, he had no explanation for love either. The only love that Jackson felt, was the love he had for his parents and siblings, but ever since he left home at 18, he had not felt love again.


    At that moment, he subconsciously looked at Halia. Halia had already begun to eat the food that Max brought and she was shoving it into her mouth like she hadn''t eaten in days. Jackson felt his heart warm up. Even something as simple as eating with this woman seemed to put a smile on his face. He had never felt this way about a woman before.


    Max noticed this smile, so he quickly nudged Jackson. "How could you be questioning me, when you''re completely in love with sister-in-law?" he teased.


    Jackson looked at his friend in surprise. Sure, this woman fascinated him, he had been fascinated by her since the first day they met at the hospital. But...love?


    "It can''t be love," he thought to himself. It was just curiosity and attraction, right?


    The first day they met at the hospital, when Halia flipped Kevin in self defence, she already piqued Jackson''s interest. It was this interest that led him to follow her that night to the restaurant where she met with Eric. Jackson was actually outside when Halia walked into the restaurant and started talking to Eric in the booth behind her. It was no coincidence that Jackson ended up sitting opposite her, he deliberately did it to see how she''d react. Her movements were so odd and secretive that he knew his initial instincts were right, there was more to this woman. And when she acted like she didn''t know Eric, it confirmed his suspicions even more. In fact, he began to suspect that she was a detective or a spy of some sort, he just didn''t know who she worked for. Was she a private investigator, a journalist...or a police officer? Either way, he wanted to know more about her.


    Jackson had always been curious like that. That''s how he figured out Marcus was an undercover officer long before Marcus knew anything about who Jackson really was. In fact, Marcus would have never known who Jackson was if Jackson didn''t reveal himself to him.


    A few months before returning to Beijing, Jackson had actually contacted Marcus and told him who he was and what his plan was. He needed help to get set up in Beijing and Marcus was the perfect person to ask. That''s why Marcus trained up some men to help Jackson and began to spread rumors about how great he was. If not for Marcus, it would have taken Jackson a lot of effort to attract Remy Durand''s attention and gain a reputation in the Beijing underworld.


    Jackson thought he was treating Halia the same as Marcus at first. Until the night when he carried her out of the bar and she kissed him. That night, he realized, she was very different. The only way he could explain this difference was attraction. Halia was beautiful and he was attracted to her. It was as simple as that.


    But, a lot had happened since then and he grew a lot closer to Halia. They even shared a proper kiss that morning. So, Jackson began to wonder, had this simple attraction developed into something more? Now that he knew her true identity, could he let down his guard and open up his heart to her?

 Chapter 60 - In Bed Together

    Suddenly, Jackson walked over to Halia and sat down beside her.


    Halia jumped a little in surprise.


    There was so much space in the lab, why did he have to sit right next to her? And so close too?!


    Halia shuffled away a little and grabbed the fried chicken in front of her. "What were you talking about? You should start eating. The fried chicken won''t be crunchy if you leave it for too long," she said as she began to lift the fried chicken to her mouth.


    But, before she took a bite, Jackson suddenly hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. He seemed to be thinking something as he smiled at her.


    Halia held her breath in surprise as she looked at the man. He was so close that she could feel the warmth of his body. As she looked at the smile on his lips, she began to get nervous. Did he want to kiss her again?


    At that moment, Jackson began to slowly lean forward. Halia felt her heart pound almost out of her chest as her body fell weak in the man''s arms.


    But...


    ...she was wrong...


    ...instead of giving her a kiss, Jackson opened his mouth and took a bite of the chicken in her hand!


    "Crunch!!!" a loud crunch drew Halia back to reality.


    "You''re right, it is crunchy," Jackson said as he let go of her waist.


    Halia blushed. Why did this man suddenly do this?


    Jackson moved away a little and started eating. His lips curved upwards slightly as he placed his hand to his heart. It was beating faster than ever before. Maybe Max was right...


    ...


    After dinner, Jackson, Halia and Max sat down together and started writing down all the parts they needed for the bomb. They then searched through the storage together for whatever they could find.


    Of course, when the boys didn''t notice, Halia slipped a few extra parts into her pocket to build her defuse switch.


    Afterwards, Halia wrote down a list of parts they were missing and handed it to Max. "Bring these with breakfast tomorrow," she smiled.


    Max nodded his head. He then looked at the time. It was already 10pm.


    "It''s getting late, I won''t bother the two of you anymore. I''ll see you tomorrow morning," he said as he waved goodbye.


    He then winked at Jackson and left.


    As soon as Max left, there was an awkward silence in the lab.


    "Let''s get some sleep. We don''t have a bathtub here, but the bathroom works like a wet room with a shower head on the wall. I also brought fresh towels, soap and I got Max to bring you a few pieces of clothing from your wardrobe. You can wash yourself down, change into something clean and get some sleep," Jackson explained as he cleared his throat.


    Halia looked at Jackson thankfully and quickly went to check the clothes that Max had brought.


    But, Halia immediately blushed when she saw what Max had picked out. Max had brought 3 sets of pajamas and 3 sets of casual clothes - enough for the next few days - however, they were a bit inappropriate.


    Out of all the pajamas he could have chosen, he picked out 3 of her s.e.xiest nightgowns!


    And...her clothes weren''t any better.


    Men couldn''t be trusted to pick clothes for women...


    Halia sighed and walked into the bathroom with one of her nightgowns. Fortunately, she didn''t own anything see-through, or Max would have definitely picked it!


    "Forget it, I''ll tell him to bring something more appropriate when I see him tomorrow," she whispered to herself. "I''ll just get into bed as quickly as possible and wrap myself up tightly before Jackson sees anything."


    While Halia was in the bathroom, Jackson began to set up his sleeping bag on the floor. The lab was cold, so even though he didn''t share the bed with Halia, he still slept in the same room - but the room was very small.


    "I''ll need to remind Halia not to trip over me if she goes to the bathroom at night," he thought as he tested the walking space around the room.


    At that moment, Halia peeked her head out of the bathroom. She was finished.


    She glanced down at the silky beige nightgown on her body. Two thin spaghetti straps held the gown up and the laced hem ended halfway up her thigh, revealing her long slender legs. The v neckline met in the middle of her chest with a little bow, revealing a little bit of cleavage. Halia had a good body and this nightgown showed it off perfectly.


    Halia glanced around the lab. Jackson was nowhere to be seen. So, she covered the front of her body with her towel and quickly ran towards the bedroom/office.


    But, as soon as she opened the door, Jackson was standing right in front of her! In her fl.u.s.tered state, she didn''t notice the sleeping bag on the floor and tripped...pushing Jackson backwards...onto the bed and dropping her towel as she fell on top of him...

 Chapter 61 - Vivid Memories

    "Errr...I''m sorry," Halia apologized in a fl.u.s.tered state as she quickly tried to get up.


    But, just as she pushed herself off the man''s body, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her back down.


    Jackson looked at Halia. She was as beautiful as ever. Her long wispy black hair hung teasingly, the ends gently tickling his body as it emitted a gentle floral fragrance. She had no makeup on, but her dewy eyes and naturally rosy cheeks were so alluring that Jackson couldn''t take his eyes off her.


    He could feel the silkiness of her nightgown on his fingers as it clung to the outlines of her body. How could a man resist such a sight?


    "Why are you wearing that?" he asked in a slightly dangerous tone.


    Halia brushed back some of her hair and glanced away awkwardly, "Max brought it, I had no choice."


    "Oh, Max," the man sighed with his deep and charming voice.


    All of a sudden, Jackson pulled Halia closer to him. Halia looked down at the man. She could feel his firm chest beneath her body and it made her cheeks burn in embarrassment. She subconsciously glanced down at the muscles on his arms and the collared shirt that clung to his attractive body and it made her body heat up as well. Why was he holding her like that? What did he want? Slowly, her eyes fell back on the man''s face, but...


    Halia suddenly froze...


    Jackson''s face had changed.


    It wasn''t Jackson anymore!


    It was Sean!


    With a seductive smile, Sean flipped her on the bed and pressed his body firmly against hers. He then grabbed her hands and pinned them against the bed as his lips fell on her neck. His kisses were rough and passionate as they traced across her collarbone and down to her chest. Halia felt her breathing speed up.


    But, she quickly realized what was happening.


    "Sara, not now!!" she thought. This was the worst time to have a flashback.


    Halia had gotten used to Sara''s memories, so she recognized she was in one straight away, but even though she consciously knew what was happening, it was almost like she was possessed and could not control herself.


    Sara bit her lip and looked up at the man. She wanted more from him.


    At that moment, Sean let go of her hands and quickly cupped them around her b.r.e.a.s.ts. Sara stretched her neck back, closed her eyes and m.o.a.ned in pleasure as she felt the man''s mouth against her bare skin. Halia did not like the way that things were progressing. Sure, Sara loved Sean, but Sean was Halia''s handler...so this did not feel right.


    The memory was more vivid than any of the memories Halia had ever had before. She could feel the man''s every breath and smell his sweat in the air. Unlike his usual gentle and refined appearance, this man was rough and domineering when it came to the bed. But, Sara enjoyed it, even though Halia did not. Halia liked Sean, but only as a mentor, a friend...a brother - not like this!


    "Stop it, Sara!" Halia thought to herself as she tried desperately to snap out of the memory. This was not something she wanted to see nor experience.


    But, at that moment, to her surprise, a voice whispered back in her mind, "Just a little more..."


    It was Sara''s voice...


    What was happening?


    Was Sara responding to her???


    This had never happened before...


    Halia suddenly felt scared. She was stuck in someone else''s memory and she couldn''t get out.


    At that moment, a gentle voice drifted into her ear, "Halia?"


    The voice was familiar and comforting.


    "Halia?"


    Halia felt her body relax.


    Slowly, the man''s breaths faded and the air cleared. Halia blinked her eyes a few times and found herself staring into a face that quickly took her fears away. A man that always saved her from the most dangerous situations.


    "Is everything alright?" Jackson asked worriedly as he slowly released his grip on her body. "You suddenly froze and your face turned pale."


    Halia looked down at the man. She was still on top of his body. That was right, everything from the moment that she saw Sean''s face was just a flashback.


    "Did I make you uncomfortable?" Jackson asked apologetically as a flash of disappointment appeared on his face.


    Halia noticed this and she felt her heart ache a little. Did she hurt his feelings? Did he think she was acting that way because of him?


    "Sorry, I just wanted to hug you. You know...you''re so beautiful...and damn Max had to give you that nightgown...I just couldn''t resist...I won''t..."


    Before Jackson could say anymore, Halia leaned forward, closed her eyes and kissed him on the lips. No, she was not uncomfortable because of him. In fact, she was relieved to see him.

 Chapter 62 - Sleeping With A Gentleman

    Jackson was surprised by this sudden gesture, but he enjoyed it. As the woman''s lips pressed against his, a slight smile appeared on his face. He knew who she was now, so he felt a lot more comfortable around her. But, she didn''t know who he was yet. "Wait till you find out who I am," he thought to himself.


    Halia felt the man wrap his arms back around her body. As she moved away from his lips she leaned into his warmth and gently placed her head against his chest. She knew it was wrong, but this was exactly where she wanted to be: in his arms.


    If only he wasn''t a criminal and she wasn''t a police officer...


    "Jackson, can you give up on the deal with Remy? Let''s just run away and live a normal life together," Halia suddenly suggested.


    Jackson smiled as he ran his hand through Halia''s hair. He knew exactly why she was suggesting this. He was her target and her mission was to capture him in 3 days time. The silly woman had no idea what was actually going on.


    Jackson wanted to tell Halia the truth. That he knew who she was and she was not going to catch him. But, it was not the right time yet. In 3 days time, after his meeting with Remy, he was going to reveal everything to her.


    So, in the meantime, he simply replied, "Sorry, this deal is too important to me. I promise, after this deal, everything will be over."


    Halia felt her heart ache. She was becoming more and more attracted to this guy, yet she was supposed to arrest him in 3 days time. She knew he wasn''t giving up on the deal, but she couldn''t give up on him either. What was she to do?


    As she continued thinking, her eyes started to get heavy and she eventually fell asleep. Jackson glanced at the woman in his arms as she slept peacefully and his heart melted. He was becoming more and more certain that Max was right. Perhaps, he really was in love.


    ...


    The next morning, Sean arrived at the park where he was meant to meet with Halia. Once again, he set up a fishing rod for himself and one for Halia, but today, he had brought a couple of extra things with him: one small box and one big box.


    Sean looked at his watch. It was exactly 9:10am; Halia should have already arrived. She was never late.


    However, 20 minutes later, Sean glanced at his watch again, but Halia was still nowhere to be seen. Did something go wrong?


    He opened the small box and looked at the hairclip inside. This was a normal hairclip; there was no tracker or anything on it. It was just a simple reminder to Halia that she was still a normal person, regardless of what mission she was on. He then glanced at the big box. Inside sat a cake: a birthday cake.


    Today was Halia''s birthday. Even though she was undercover, Sean knew who she really was and he believed that she deserved to celebrate her birthday. That''s why he was planning to surprise her, but it didn''t seem like it was happening. As he glanced down at his watch again, he began to get worried. Something wasn''t right.


    Sean quickly packed up his things and returned to his car. He then picked up his phone, "Help me locate a number."


    Where the hell was Halia?


    ...


    Meanwhile, over at the lab, Halia had just woken up. As she rubbed her eyes, she felt some warm puffs of air on her face. When she finally opened her eyes properly, she looked up and froze. A handsome man was right in front of her, so close that their lips almost touched. Halia blushed and quickly remembered how she kissed Jackson the previous night and fell asleep in his arms. Feeling a little embarrassed, she slowly tried to shuffle out of the bed without him noticing. But suddenly, a pair of strong arms thrusted her forward as a deep charming voice asked, "Where do you think you''re going?"


    Halia tilted her head upwards to look at the man, just as he opened his eyes. "Weren''t you supposed to use the sleeping bag last night?" she asked shyly.


    "Someone wouldn''t let go of me, so I had no choice but to sleep on the bed," Jackson teased.


    Halia blushed.


    "You''re lucky I''m a gentleman," Jackson added as he looked at her with a slightly seductive look in his eyes.


    Halia stopped breathing as she stared at the man. At that moment, Jackson suddenly leaned forward and stole a kiss from her lips. "Breathe," he said.


    Halia quickly pushed him away and got out of bed.


    "Go get changed and freshen up, breakfast should be here soon," Jackson said in amus.e.m.e.nt as he watched Halia scurry off to the bathroom.

 Chapter 63 - Halias Wish

    Halia stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. She couldn''t believe that she had shared the bed with a man last night. Even though nothing happened between them, it was something she had never done before. She had only ever had a boyfriend in senior high and that relationship got as far as holding hands. Jackson wasn''t even her boyfriend yet and not only had they shared a bed, they even kissed!


    Halia blushed as she quickly got changed into a cropped top and a pair of ripped jeans that Max had brought the previous day.


    She then brushed her teeth and stepped back out into the lab. However, the lab was oddly quiet. Halia looked around and couldn''t find Jackson anywhere. But, the place wasn''t that big, where did he go?


    At that moment, some footsteps could be heard coming from the stairs. Halia quickly looked up and heard some singing, "Happy birthday to you..."


    Max, Kevin and Rowan had arrived with a cake and Jackson was leading them down the stairs. It was a scrumptious-looking chocolate cake with candles on top.


    Halia was surprised. How did they know?


    While Halia stared at the cake in surprise, Jackson suddenly grabbed her hand and placed a bracelet on her wrist.


    Actually, when he saw her profile the previous day, he had spotted her birthday. But, of course, he couldn''t let her know that.


    "Max noticed some birthday coupons had been slipped into your mail when he went to your place. We weren''t sure which day your birthday was, but we knew it was some time this week. I told him to buy a cake for you, I hope you like it," Jackson quickly lied.


    Halia smiled as tears formed in her eyes, "It''s today. Thank you." For the past month, everything in her life had been fake. But...this moment suddenly felt very real. This cake was real, her birthday was real and, as she stared at Jackson, she realized, her feelings for this man was also real.


    It was a frightening thing to admit to. Especially when she knew that he was a criminal and there was no future for them if he planned to remain that way.


    Halia looked down at the bracelet on her wrist. It was made of a silver metal and there was a little love heart pendant on it. On the heart, there was an odd dotted texture. It seemed, this bracelet was hand-made. "Did you make this?" Halia asked.


    Jackson nodded his head. They had not left the lab since yesterday, so, while Halia was asleep, he had secretly slipped out of bed and made this bracelet from some metal and chain he found. "I''ll get you a proper bracelet after we leave this place," he promised.


    Halia shook her head. "No, I like this a lot," she said.


    As she glanced down at the bracelet, Halia was both happy and sad. Of course, she loved this present. But, the person that gave it to her was heading down the wrong path and she was struggling to stop him.


    "Halia, make a wish," he said as he handed her the cake.


    Halia looked at Jackson and felt her heart ache. "Jackson, I have one wish, can you make it come true?" she asked.


    Jackson looked at the woman. What was her wish? How did he have the ability to make it come true?


    Halia took a deep breath and clasped her hands together, "I wish that Jackson won''t go to the deal with Remy. I wish for him to quit his job as an arms dealer and lead a normal life."


    Jackson looked at Halia in surprise. It was her birthday and there were so many things she could wish for, yet she was worried about him...


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside his car, Sean had just received a response to his request to track Halia''s phone, "Sorry, the phone seems to be switched off or in a location where there is no reception."


    "F*ck!" Sean swore.


    He then checked the tracker on the hairclip he previously gave Halia. The hairclip was at Halia''s home. Was she still home? Did she not see his message, perhaps?


    Sean quickly started his car and rushed over to Halia''s apartment.


    As soon as he got to her apartment, he started ringing the doorbell frantically. There was a bad feeling in his gut. The last time someone went missing like this, it was Sara, and he still remembered how it felt to discover that she was dead. He had already lost Sara, he couldn''t lose Halia as well.


    "Halia!" he started yelling. "Are you in there?"


    At that moment, the neighbour peeked out from behind her door. Another strange man had come looking for Halia.


    "Are you a friend of Halia''s?" she asked.


    "Yes, have you seen her?" Sean quickly asked.


    "Well, according to a friend of hers, she''s on a business trip for another 3 days."


    "Did you see this friend?" Sean questioned curiously.


    "Yes, she gave him her keys and told him to feed her dog. I saw him yesterday and he''ll be coming again today," the woman answered.


    Sean felt a little relieved. If something bad had happened to her, she wouldn''t have time to worry about feeding her dog. It didn''t make sense. But, who was this friend?


    "Do you know what time he''ll be here?" Sean asked as he looked at his watch.


    "2pm," the woman replied.

 Chapter 64 - Girlfriend

    Jackson glanced at Halia guiltily. He knew she cared about him, but he couldn''t possibly grant her her wish, "I''m sorry, I already told you that I can''t do that."


    Halia looked at the man as her heart sank. Last night, when she asked him the same question, he had easily brushed her off. But, he must have sensed how serious she was when she wished for it again, yet he stood firmly with his decision. Perhaps, she had been too simple-minded; did she really think that this man would give up on such a big deal because of her. Who was she to him? Women swarmed over him every day? In fact, there was a possibility that she was just a toy while he was locked down here...


    Halia furrowed her brows and picked up a knife.


    Jackson looked at the woman in surprise. The way she held the knife looked so threatening. It almost looked like she wanted to stab it into his chest.


    But, of course, it was for the cake. Halia quickly blew out the candles and sliced the cake into smaller pieces. She then handed a slice to everyone except Jackson.


    Jackson looked at the woman in surprise. Was she upset? Women were certainly unpredictable.


    He watched as Halia picked out a slice of cake for herself and went to sit on the other side of the lab. Max, Kevin and Rowan glanced awkwardly at their friend and gestured for him to do something. "Sister-in-law''s upset," Rowan whispered.


    Jackson sighed.


    He then walked over and sat down next to Halia. "Ahhh," he said as he opened his mouth, hinting for the woman to feed him. Halia shuffled over and ignored him.


    Jackson looked down at his fingers and frowned, "I accidentally hammered my finger last night while I was trying to make a bracelet for ''someone'', now I can''t even hold a spoon. How am I supposed to eat?"


    Halia subconsciously glanced at the man''s hands and saw that a couple of his fingers were indeed bruised.


    "Why don''t you ask the boys to bring another woman down here to take care of you. I''m sure there would be plenty of volunteers," she said.


    Jackson shuffled up to Halia again. "But I don''t want any other woman. I just want you," he said with sincerity.


    Halia felt her heart race and her body heat up, but she had to remain composed. She couldn''t fall for this man''s tricks again. "I''m not one of those women you can toy with, Jackson. If you just want to have fun because you''re feeling lonely down here, then I''m the wrong person."


    At that moment, Jackson suddenly wrapped his arms around Halia and whispered beside her ear, "I''m not toying with you." He then lifted Halia''s wrist so the heart pendant on her bracelet dangled at eye level, "I''ve already given you my heart. Don''t you understand how I feel?"


    Halia looked at the bracelet and felt a little moved.


    "Can you be my girlfriend, Halia? Let me prove to you that I''m serious," he said.


    Halia felt her heart almost pound out of her chest. In any other circ.u.mstance, she would have said yes without hesitation, but...


    "I can''t, Jackson. If you''re still planning to meet with Remy, then there''s no futu..."


    Before Halia could finish speaking, she felt a pair of soft lips against hers. It was a quick peck, just enough to stop her from talking.


    "There''s no futu..."


    Halia tried to finish her sentence, but another kiss fell on her lips.


    "I''m not going to stop until you agree," the man said in a domineering tone.


    His voice sent tingles down Halia''s spine, but she was persistent, "There''s no..."


    This time, Jackson''s kiss was much longer.


    "I warned you," he whispered as his lips left hers for a second. "You''re my girlfriend from now on, I''m not taking no for an answer," he said as he kissed Halia again.


    His kisses were gentle and loving as though Halia was a delicate gem that he didn''t want to destroy. He dotingly tucked some hair behind her ear with his right hand and carefully pushed her neck forward so he could kiss her a little harder.


    His every move made it difficult for Halia to retaliate. Logic told her to move away, but her body wanted more. In the end, another idea came to Halia''s mind as she slowly surrendered to the man''s charms. If she couldn''t stop him from going to the deal. Perhaps she could distract him from making the bomb. With that thought, Halia closed her eyes, put her cake aside and kissed the man back.


    "Ahem, we''re going to go first," Max said awkwardly near the stairs. "Boss, I left lunch in the fridge. I won''t be returning until dinnertime. Have fun!!" he yelled as he hurried the other two boys up the stairs.

 Chapter 65 - No Time For Bomb-Making

    After Max left the lab, he went to run a few errands; he was planning to open a branch of his restaurant in Beijing and had just purchased a place, so he was trying to get some doc.u.ments sorted for it. Afterwards, he ate some lunch, and then went to Halia''s apartment to feed her dog.


    However, when he reached Halia''s floor of her apartment block, he noticed Cleo talking to a man in the corridor. The man was tall, refined and classy, like a gentleman. Max watched as the man bent down and patted Maximus naturally. Maximus quickly jumped up and licked the man on the face and Cleo giggled.


    From a distance, these two looked like the perfect couple. Cleo was pretty and this man was handsome. Max subconsciously glanced down at his body. He''d have to lose at least 10kgs to look anywhere near as good as that man.


    Thus, he felt a bit self conscious as he approached the two good looking people.


    "Oh, hi Max, we''ve been waiting for you!" Cleo cheered.


    "Me?" Max asked as he pointed to himself.


    The man next to Cleo was Sean, he had returned to speak to Max.


    Maximus saw Max and started wagging his tail happily, but Max subconsciously retreated a few steps in fear. Cleo giggled and placed the dog back inside her apartment.


    While she was gone, Sean introduced himself.


    "Hi, I''m Sean, a good friend of Halia''s," he said as he stretched out his hand.


    Max quickly shook the man''s hand when he realized Sean was there for Halia, not Cleo.


    "I was looking for Halia, but I couldn''t find her anywhere. Cleo mentioned that she went on a business trip and you were feeding her dog, so I thought I''d speak to you. Do you have any way of contacting her? I can''t get through to her phone," Sean said.


    "Oh yes, she mentioned she broke her phone. She''s been very busy attending meetings and stuff, but I''ll be having a video call with her on her laptop this evening. Would you like to pass on a message?" Max pretended.


    Sean obviously knew that this was all a lie. But the fact that Max was coming to feed Halia''s dog showed that he meant no harm. Plus, he recognized this guy. He was a friend of Jackson''s, but he had never committed any crimes nor had he been on the police watch list, so Sean trusted him for now.


    "Yes, can you tell her that Sean said happy birthday and ask her if I can treat her to something when she gets back?"


    "Oh, yes of course!" Max replied.


    "I''ll come back at 2pm tomorrow and you can tell me her answer," Sean said.


    Max nodded his head.


    Sean then waved goodbye and left.


    Cleo blushed a little as she watched the man walk off and Max naturally felt his heart sink. He understood the look on her face; it was a look that no woman had ever given him.


    "He seems like a nice guy," Cleo said as she stretched her neck to catch one last glimpse of the man as he stepped into the elevator.


    "He''s not bad," Max agreed as he pulled out Halia''s keys, trying hard not to look disappointed.


    As soon as he opened the door, he walked straight into the apartment in a daze, forgetting about Halia''s dog. Coco immediately ran up to his feet and started wagging her tail.


    Max looked down in shock and screamed.


    Cleo quickly picked up the little dog and chuckled.


    "Go get the food, I''ll hold onto her."


    Max took a deep breath and calmed down. As he watched Cleo nurse the little dog in her arms like a baby, he sighed. He really needed to get over his fear if he wanted to be with her.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Sean was sitting in his car downstairs, watching over the apartment block. As soon as Max got down, he was planning to follow him. Max said he was talking to Halia that evening. That meant, he was going to see her. Sean had to make sure Halia was safe. After all, he was her handler...and friend.


    Sean subconsciously glanced at the gifts he got Halia and sighed, "I guess I''ll be eating an entire cake tonight."


    ...


    Back inside the lab, food and utensils lay strewn all over the floor without a person in sight. The place looked as though a bomb had gone off, but, just as Halia had planned, there had been no time for bomb-making.


    From the bathroom came the sound of running water and the giggles of a man and woman."This was all your fault," Jackson laughed as he wiped some cake off Halia''s cheek.


    Earlier, after the boys left the couple alone, Halia had picked up her slice of cake and thrown it into Jackson''s face. Jackson responded by rubbing his face all over Halia and Halia quickly struck back by throwing some bread at him. From there, a massive food fight ensued. Halia''s distraction worked...


    Finally, after the entire lab turned into a mess, Jackson lifted Halia in his arms and carried her into the bathroom...

 Chapter 66 - Hot And Bothered

    Underneath the shower, the couple was still fully dressed. After all, their clothes also got dirty during the food fight and they needed to wash it anyway. However, Halia''s white crop top was beginning to go see-through and Jackson could see the lace bra she was wearing underneath.


    He tried not to look down as he wiped some cake off the woman''s face. But, the droplets of water that were gliding down her cheek, mixed with the steam forming in the bathroom made the atmosphere extremely seductive.


    Meanwhile, Halia looked at the fit, chiseled body in front of her. Jackson''s wet shirt clung to his body, outlining each and every muscle he had on his sculpted body. How much did this guy work out?


    Halia couldn''t tell if it was the warm water that was making her hot, or whether her body was heating up, but she could feel herself turning red as she stretched out a finger and started tracing it across the man''s body.


    Jackson trembled a little at her touch as it sent shockwaves through his body.


    Her finger traced across his collarbone, down his chest, and past his abs, finally stopping just above his pants.


    Jackson grabbed Halia''s hand pulled it behind his back, thrusting the woman forward towards his body. "What are you trying to do?" he asked in a frustrated tone.


    Halia looked up innocently, water dripping off her long black hair.


    "If you keep doing that, it''s going to get dangerous," Jackson warned under his breath.


    Halia moved in closer to the man and rubbed her nose against his. "I laugh in the face of danger," she whispered before she kissed him with her watery lips.


    Jackson ran his fingers through Halia''s hair as he kissed her back. But he knew, if they continued like that, he would not be able to control himself and they''d get no work done, so he eventually moved away and turned off the tap. Of course, he had no idea that this was exactly Halia''s intention.


    "We should be clean by now, let''s go get changed," he laughed as he handed Halia a towel.


    Halia took the towel and wrapped it around her body. But, to Jackson''s surprise, after Halia covered herself in the towel, she pulled off her shirt and threw it at his head, covering his vision. "We can''t walk across the lab when we''re dripping wet like this," she giggled.


    Jackson removed the dripping wet shirt from his head and looked at it confusedly. That was when he noticed that Halia''s jeans were already on the ground. She was right, their clothes were completely soaked and it would make the entire lab wet if they walked out like this. But, when his eyes ran across the smooth skin on her legs and arms, the thought of her wearing only her lingerie underneath the towel, made him extremely hot and bothered.


    ...


    Meanwhile, over at Halia''s apartment, Max was beginning to realize that he had no excuse to see Cleo again after Halia was back. Unwilling to give up, he came up with a plan, "Hey Cleo, I remember you mentioned last time that you''re a dietitian, is that right?"


    Cleo nodded her head as she placed Coco on the ground. The little brown toy poodle ran over to her dish and started eating.


    "Would you like some contract work? I''m actually opening a restaurant and I could do with your help to check the menu," Max suggested.


    Cleo looked at the man happily, "I would love to help you out."


    Max smiled as he cheered on the inside. That was easier than he thought!


    "Are you free after this?" he immediately asked.


    "Sure," Cleo replied. "Do you want to come to my place for a cup of tea or coffee while I change into some proper clothes?"


    Max froze. Her place?


    Max scanned his eyes across the woman. Sure, she was attractive, but that wasn''t the only thing that Max liked about her, so he didn''t actually notice what she was wearing until now. She had just returned from her daily walk with Maximus, so she was in a pair of tight grey jogging pants, a pastel pink crop top and a loose hooded grey windbreaker. The pants hugged the woman''s body perfectly, outlining her fit body and the crop top revealed her nicely sculpted abs. Of course, she was a dietitian, so it was apparent that she took good care of her body.


    Max felt his heart race as he nodded his head. "Tea would be nice," he replied with a gulp.

 Chapter 67 - The Best Distraction

    Max sat inside Cleo''s home, holding onto a cup of tea nervously as Maximus lay nearby in his dog bed. Perhaps, the dog realized by now that this human was afraid of him, so he just ignored him and had a nap instead.


    While Cleo got changed in her room, Max glanced around the little apartment. Just like Halia''s apartment, it only had one bedroom, but it was more than enough space for one person.


    In the living room was a bookshelf filled with textbooks about food, as well as healthy recipe books. It seemed, Cleo really loved what she did.


    Roughly 10 minutes later, Cleo emerged from her bedroom wearing a buttoned shirt and black business pants; she took her job seriously.


    This was the first time Max had seen her in her business attire and it made her seem like a smart and professional young woman. It attracted him, but it made him even more self conscious. He only finished senior high school and never went to university. Worst of all, he was even kicked out of culinary school.


    Cleo noticed the man was in a daze, so she gently clicked her fingers and asked, "Are you ready to go?"


    Max quickly stood up and nodded his head. "My car''s downstairs, I''ll drive," he offered.


    ...


    At this time, over at the lab, Halia and Jackson were taking turns getting changed in the bedroom. Halia was inside, while Jackson waited patiently outside. A moment ago, he had almost lost control when he saw Halia wearing nothing but a towel, but luckily he had more self control than that.


    Just as everything seemed to be under control, however, a loud bang suddenly echoed from the bedroom. Jackson quickly knocked on the door, "Are you OK?" he asked.


    "I think I sprained my ankle," Halia called from inside. "Can you come help me?"


    Jackson quickly went to open the door.


    Halia was still wrapped in a towel as she sat on the floor holding her foot. With a pout, she looked at Jackson.


    Jackson quickly lifted the woman in his arms and placed her gently on the bed.


    He wasn''t wearing anything except a towel as well. But, unlike Halia, his towel was only wrapped around the bottom half of his body, so Halia could clearly see and feel his chest and arm muscles as he lifted her. She had never seen or felt a man''s body up close like this and it made her nervous.


    Of course, she knew the best way to distract a man would be to sleep with him and keep him in bed for the next few days. If she wanted to do that, then this was the perfect time. All she had to do was remove her towel and his towel and pull the man onto the bed with her; his eyes told her that he wouldn''t resist. But, she had never slept with a man before. Did she have to go that far? Did she like Jackson that much?


    Jackson looked down at Halia as she lay on the bed. She looked beautiful and delicate like a flower. Her skin was soft, her legs were long and her eyes were alluring; he had never been this attracted to a woman before. He was a man, so naturally, this scene made him heat up and want more. But, she had only been his girlfriend for a few hours! He wasn''t a teenager that couldn''t control his hormones, he was a grown man with maturity and logic, so he wanted to take things slow and properly cherish her.


    Jackson leaned over and slid his hands behind Halia''s back.


    Halia felt his fingers on her shoulder blades and it triggered butterflies in her stomach. What if he made the first move? Would she resist?


    Halia stopped breathing as the man pulled her up. Was he about to press her against that muscly body of his? Halia closed her eyes in nervousness.


    But, just as she was about to touch Jackson''s body, he took a step back and kneeled down beside her foot. Halia opened her eyes and realized the man had simply helped her sit up. As her feet dangled off the edge of the bed, Jackson grabbed her left foot to check how badly it had been sprained. "Ow!!" Halia screamed at the slightest touch. Jackson looked at the woman with pain in his eyes; it looked like he was the injured one.


    "Stay here, I''ll check the medicine cabinet for a heat rub or medicinal oil. It might help," he instructed as he walked out of the room. On the way, he grabbed some fresh clothes from the wardrobe so he could get changed in the bathroom.


    When Halia saw this, she breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed, Jackson was quite the gentleman.


    As soon as he disappeared back into the bathroom and Halia heard the door close, she jumped out of bed and got changed as well. In reality, her foot wasn''t actually injured, it was all a part of her distraction and it was working...

 Chapter 68 - I Dont Want To Be Alone

    Soon, Jackson returned from the bathroom. He had changed into a black t-shirt and jeans. In his left hand was a bandage and in his right hand was a hairdryer.


    By this time, Halia was seated back on the bed wearing a short black dress. She had forgotten? to ask Max to bring some more appropriate clothes, so she had no choice but to wear this dress.


    Without a word, Jackson walked over to the woman and kneeled down at her feet. He then unrolled some bandage and started wrapping it around her foot. This scene was slightly familiar. Not too long ago, Jackson was the one that was sitting while Halia was treating his injury.


    Halia subconsciously glanced at Jackson''s arm where the stitches she made could still be seen. "Don''t forget that your stitches need to be removed soon," she reminded as she looked at the man''s arm.


    Jackson glanced at his stitches and smiled, "After my deal with Remy."


    Halia''s heart sank when she heard these words. If he was still going to the deal with Remy, would she be removing his stitches in prison? She couldn''t let that happen!


    Jackson quickly finished wrapping Halia''s foot and stood up. He then plugged the hairdryer he brought into a socket and turned it on. Gently, he climbed onto the bed behind Halia and started drying her hair for her.


    Halia''s heart melted at this caring gesture. No one had ever been this thoughtful. The man was patient and gentle as his fingers ran through her hair, carefully making sure that her entire head was dry before he turned off the hairdryer and returned it to the bathroom.


    "Stay here, I''ll clean up the mess in the lab and we can have lunch after," Jackson said as he returned from the bathroom and peeked into the bedroom.


    Halia nodded her head as she checked her watch. They had been messing around for so long that it was already 2pm and they hadn''t even had lunch yet. Halia''s stomach grumbled at this realization.


    The lab was a total mess. It took Jackson roughly half an hour to quickly throw the bulk of the mess in the bin. He then returned to the bedroom.


    "Let''s have lunch, I''ll mop the floor later," he said as walked over to Halia and lifted her in his arms.


    Halia grabbed onto the man''s neck in surprise. "I can walk," she said.


    "No, you need to rest your foot so it recovers faster," Jackson replied dotingly as he carried her out and placed her in a chair.


    He then brought her a dish of pasta that Max had brought earlier. "I''ve heated it up for you, it should be ready to eat," he smiled.


    After the couple finished lunch, Jackson carried Halia back into the bedroom and lay her down in bed. "Have a nap, rest your foot and don''t do anything today. I''ll take care of the bomb," he said.


    At the mention of the bomb, Halia quickly wrapped her arms around the man and stopped him from leaving the room. "Come lay down with me. I don''t want to be alone..."


    ...


    Meanwhile, Max and Cleo had just arrived at the restaurant that Max bought and were sitting inside. The place was still getting renovated, so there were tools and random paint tins sitting around.


    Max pulled out a folder and showed her a few sheets of paper inside.


    "I''m planning to have a changing seasonal menu. This is what I''ll be serving for the first three months after opening. It should be summer by then, what do you think about these recipes?" he asked.


    Cleo looked through the recipes with seriousness and pulled out a pen, "Can I draw on this?"


    "Sure," Max replied.


    Cleo started scribbling on the papers. As Max watched, he realized she was calculating the calories. "You''re amazing," he subconsciously said.


    Cleo glanced up from the paper and saw the man staring at her and he quickly turned away nervously. "I''ll go get you some water," he said as he scurried away.


    Cleo smiled as she watched the man disappear into the kitchen.


    ...


    Outside the restaurant, Sean was watching over the doorway from his car. He saw Cleo and Max walk in, but they hadn''t come back out for a while so he began to wonder if Halia was inside. If that was the case, did that mean Cleo was involved?


    Eventually, he decided to get out of his car to confirm.


    As he approached the restaurant, he realized it wasn''t actually operating yet. It had recently been sold and the interior was undergoing some renovations. The windows were tinted, but as he got closer, he began to see what was happening inside. Cleo was seated alone at a table, focusing on some doc.u.ments. There was no one else around: no Max, no Jackson...and no Halia...


    At this time, Max walked out of the kitchen. Sean quickly hid in case Max saw him. Only after Max sat down opposite Cleo did Sean carefully peer in again. What were these two up to? Were they undergoing some kind of illegal deal?


    Sean kept watching the two for another hour, but nothing odd happened. They simply remained focused on the doc.u.ments in front of them. Worst of all, there was still no Halia in sight. Seeing that nothing seemed to be happening, Sean quickly popped into the convenience store nearby to borrow the bathroom.


    But...after he was done and stepped out of the convenience store, he came face-to-face with a familiar woman. "What are you doing here?" the woman asked.


    It was Cleo and next to her stood Max...

 Chapter 69 - What A Coincidence

    "Oh, what a coincidence!" Sean exclaimed as he raised his hands in an awkwardly comical way. He wasn''t much of an actor so he was a little stiff.


    Cleo smiled and pointed to the restaurant across the street. "Do you come here often? Max is opening a restaurant there soon. Make sure to check it out," she shamelessly advertised.


    Sean grinned at the woman awkwardly, "Oh yes, I work near here. I''ll definitely check it out."


    "Are you working right now? What time do you finish work? Max and I were planning to grab some dinner and visit a karaoke bar that his friend owns. Would you like to join us?" Cleo suddenly asked as she looked at the man with hope.


    Sean glanced at Max awkwardly. Max did not look pleased. But, the mention of a karaoke bar reminded Sean that Jackson owned one. Could Halia be there?


    Sean quickly realized it was a good opportunity to investigate Halia''s whereabouts and confirm her safety, so he agreed.


    "I''ve already finished work for the day. Dinner and karaoke sounds fun. I''d love to join you," he replied.


    ...


    Back at the lab, Halia and Jackson were lying awkwardly next to each other in bed.


    There was a slight gap between the couple. Even though they had been affectionate earlier, being in bed together still made the two of them extremely nervous.


    Initially, Jackson was simply planning to keep Halia company until she fell asleep, but since he stayed up all night to make a bracelet for her, his eyes began to feel heavy and he unexpectedly fell asleep.


    Halia glanced at the man beside her and noticed he had nodded off. With a smile she tucked him into the blanket and brushed some hair out of his face.


    All of a sudden, Jackson grabbed onto her hand and held it firmly against his chest.


    "Sorry, did I wake you up?" Halia whispered.


    The man smiled without responding as he continued to hold onto her hand with his eyes closed. He quickly fell back asleep.


    Halia looked down at the man and felt her heart warm up and her awkwardness fade. Slowly, she shuffled in closer to him and lay her head on his shoulder. She felt safe and comfortable around him. So, before she knew it, Halia completely let her guard down and fell asleep as well.


    ...


    At this time, Sean, Max and Cleo arrived at a restaurant near the karaoke bar.


    "They serve the best black bean noodles here," Max smiled. "Let''s get takeaway and eat it at the bar. We can use a private room there."


    Cleo and Sean nodded at the suggestion and Max quickly walked over to the counter. "5 black bean noodles for takeaway," he said.


    Cleo quickly looked at the man in surprise. "Are you planning to eat 3 servings on your own? That''s too many carbs, it''s not good for you," she said with concern.


    Max was happy that Cleo cared about him, but she was wrong, 2 of the servings were for Halia and Jackson. But, of course, he couldn''t let her know that.


    "I know the staff at the karaoke bar since my friend owns it, so I usually bring some food for them too," he explained.


    Sean looked at the man suspiciously. Was he telling the truth?


    After collecting the noodles, Max suddenly visited a coffee shop. Sean recognized the coffee shop: it was the one that Sara used to visit and it was also the one that Halia bought coffee from last time.


    "One of the staff members love the coffee here, so I''m just getting her one while I''m in the area," Max explained.


    Afterwards, he popped into a convenience store and bought a 1L bottle of green tea. "It''s hard working all night at the bar, so this is for the staff as well," he smiled awkwardly.


    By this stage, Sean was beginning to feel confident about his suspicions. He was certain that the noodles, the coffee and the tea were for Halia. He wasn''t sure about the noodles, but the coffee and tea were both the brands that Halia always drank.


    Soon, the trio arrived at the karaoke bar. Sean was right, it was the one owned by Jackson. But, when they got inside, there was a slight commotion in the public bar area. "Where''s your boss?" a young gangster-looking man asked as he latched onto one of the staff members. He wasn''t alone; there were 3 other men with him and they all looked threateningly at the other guests.


    The staff member waved his hands in fear, "I honestly don''t know, Calvin, I haven''t seen him in the last two days."


    The man named Calvin grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it on the bench. The other guests in the bar screamed as they watched him point the sharp end at the frightened man. "Your boss snatched business away from my boss, so I''ve been ordered to snatch business away from him. Now, everyone get out or I''ll slice this man''s neck," Calvin threatened.


    As he watched the drama unfold from the entrance, Max felt his blood boil. How dare this guy cause trouble in Jackson''s territory?


    He immediately handed the bags of food in his hands to Cleo and stormed over to the troublemakers.


    "Get out or you''re going to regret it!" he yelled as he rolled up his sleeves.

 Chapter 70 - Wheres Your Friend?

    Calvin released the staff member with a smirk. By this time, his goal had already been achieved, the bar was already empty.


    "Tell your Boss that this is the consequence of snatching my Boss'' business," the man said.


    "What are you talking about?" Max asked. "This has been free territory ever since Arvin was taken to prison, Jackson simply purchased a pre-existing karaoke bar."


    "I''m not talking about the karaoke bar! I''m talking about the deal in 2 days time," the man explained. "It''s not too late for him to hand the deal over to our Boss. Otherwise, we''re going to make his life hell!"


    Calvin and the other three men kicked over some tables as they walked out, ramming their way past Max and Sean while Cleo hid behind Sean.


    After they left, Cleo hesitated before she asked, "Max, were those gangsters?"


    Max looked at the frightened expression on the woman''s face and nodded his head. He then started picking up the knocked over tables and ordered the staff to sweep the floors and clean up the mess.


    "Is your friend also a gangster. I heard them call him your Boss. Does that mean you are one too?" she questioned further.


    "I don''t consider myself a gangster. I simply support and protect my friend. That''s what friends do," Max defended himself.


    Cleo nodded in understanding, but she was still a little fl.u.s.tered. She had never come across gangsters in real life and it scared her to be associated with them. Perhaps, it wasn''t such a good idea to get involved with Max.


    "Will your restaurant be affected by this?" Cleo suddenly asked.


    Max was silent as he contemplated the situation. Jackson actually had shares in his restaurant; if anyone found out, trouble was highly possible. But, he wasn''t opening for another 2 months. By then, would things be different?


    "It''s too early to say. I won''t be opening for another 2 months," he replied honestly.


    Cleo nodded her head.


    At that moment, Max approached to grab the bags of food out of her hands. His fingers gently brushed against hers and she jumped back in fright. This reaction broke Max''s heart. Was she that afraid of him now?


    Max sighed as he started walking down a corridor, "Follow me, let''s eat in here before the food gets cold..."


    ...


    While all the drama was happening upstairs, Halia and Jackson were still fast asleep in the lab, oblivious to the outside world.


    It had already been a couple of hours, so Jackson''s eyes slowly opened.


    As his vision cleared, he saw a beautiful woman lying in his arms. Their hands were clasped tightly together and her head was on his shoulder. At this distance, he could smell the floral scent of her shampoo and it felt warm and comforting. He gently pressed his lips against the woman''s forehead and she began to wake up.


    Halia lifted her head and looked up at Jackson with her dewy eyes. "Did you have a good nap?" she asked.


    Jackson looked down at the innocent-looking woman and couldn''t help but steal a quick kiss from her lips. "Uh huh," he replied.


    Halia felt her heart race at the sudden gesture.


    "I''m going to mop the floors before Max arrives with dinner. It''s still a mess in the lab. He''s going to get the wrong idea," Jackson laughed as he sat up.


    Halia nodded her head as she watched Jackson walk out.


    ...


    Back upstairs, Max had reheated the black bean noodles and returned to the karaoke room where Cleo and Sean was.


    "I''m sorry about what happened. I hope it didn''t scare you guys. My friend may be involved with the gangs, but I swear, things like what you saw earlier doesn''t happen often," Max comforted.


    Cleo remained silent as she grabbed her bowl of noodles and started eating.


    "Where''s your friend right now? Why wasn''t he here to handle that matter?" Sean asked.


    Max was surprised by Sean''s curiosity. He did not seem frightened at all.


    "He''s on a business trip for a few days," Max replied.


    He then picked up the remaining two bowls of black bean noodles, as well as the coffee and the tea and headed for the door.


    "I''ll be right back. I''m just taking this out for the staff," he said.


    Cleo and Sean nodded.


    But, a moment after Max stepped out, Sean stood up and followed him out. "I need to go to the bathroom, I''ll be right back as well," he explained to Cleo.


    Cleo was in too much of a daze to care as she nodded her head and continued eating.


    Of course, Sean wasn''t actually going to the bathroom. He was following to see if he''d get any clues on Halia''s whereabouts.


    Keeping a fair distance from Max, Sean carefully hid amongst the shadows of the dimly lit corridors as he kept an eye on the man. Finally, Max stopped outside a room marked with ''VVIP''. Sean remained hidden around the corner as Max quickly scanned his eyes around suspiciously. After he confirmed that the coast was clear, he stepped into the room.


    Why was he being so secretive?


    Sean quickly ran over before the door completely shut and peered into the room. That''s when he noticed the wall inside was beginning to move.

 Chapter 71 - Miracle

    Max''s mind was too busy thinking about Cleo''s reaction from earlier that he forgot to lock the door to the VVIP room before he opened the secret stairwell.


    So, just before the wall closed back down, Sean ran into the room and rolled under the remaining gap.


    After he got inside, he realized he was on the top of some stairs. Lucky he hadn''t rolled too far, or he would have rolled all the way down to the bottom.


    By this time, Max was already at the bottom of the stairs talking to someone.


    The top three stairs were hidden from view, so Sean did not wander down until he was certain that the coast was clear.


    "I''ll go get Halia," a familiar voice resounded from downstairs.


    "OK, I''ll heat up the noodles for you," Max replied.


    Sean took this opportunity to carefully sneak down the stairs. As he reached the bottom, he realized he was standing inside a lab. He quickly peered around and noticed a storage closet not too far from the stairs, so he quickly ran over and hid himself inside, leaving just enough gap in the door to see what was happening.


    A moment later, Jackson stepped out of a room with Halia and they sat down at the table in the middle of the lab. Halia was hopping a little and Sean noticed the bandage on her foot.


    He furrowed his brows with concern. Did Jackson hurt her?


    Sean clenched his fists angrily. Was Jackson keeping her detained and torturing her?


    But then, a moment later, Max returned with two bowls of reheated black bean noodles and placed one in front of Halia.


    Sean watched as she smiled thankfully and ate it. It seemed, she was in a good mood.


    He even watched as Jackson grabbed a tissue and wiped some sauce from her mouth. What was going on between these two?


    "After dinner, I''m going to work on the bomb. We really need to get started or it won''t be made in time," Jackson said with seriousness.


    "It''s lucky that you decided to hide down here, Boss," Max sighed. "Some of Percy''s men came by and caused some trouble upstairs a moment ago. I think they were trying to lure you out. I don''t think they''re planning to give up."


    "Tell Rowan and Kevin to keep an eye on them. How''s your restaurant going?" Jackson asked.


    The two men continued chatting while Sean listened. He quickly realized that Jackson and Halia were using this secret lab to build their bomb for Remy and that they were hiding from their competitors. Sean breathed a sigh of relief. At least Halia was safe.


    After a quick chat, Max started walking towards the stairs, "I need to get back upstairs. I have friends waiting. I''ll see you tomorrow morning."


    Sean panicked as Max left. He had impulsively followed this man down, but how was he getting out?


    Sean peeked out from the closet and noticed that Max was gone and Jackson was in the bathroom, so he quickly took the opportunity to reveal himself to Halia.


    "Psst!"


    Halia heard a sound and quickly looked around confusedly. All of a sudden, she noticed a hand waving at her from the storage closet.


    Her heart quickly skipped a beat. She was sure that it was only her and Jackson in the lab. Was she seeing things?


    She had watched horror movies before. Wasn''t there a movie about a clown waving at kids from the gutter? Was this something similar?


    Halia rubbed her eyes and opened them wide. The hand was still waving. Then, slowly, a person emerged from the shadows.


    But, Halia was even more shocked than seeing a ghost when she realized who it was.


    "Sean, what are you doing here?" she whispered, just enough for the man to hear.


    "I followed Max," he replied.


    "Are you OK?" he asked as he pointed to her foot.


    Halia quickly got up on her feet and ran over to her handler, "It''s fake. I''m trying to distract Jackson from building the bomb. He''s a good guy, I don''t want him to walk down the wrong path."


    "But, we need him to lure out Remy!" Sean said.


    "I don''t care. I promise I''ll help you find another way to lure Remy out, but I''m not sacrificing Jackson."


    At that moment, Halia heard the toilet flush and knew that Jackson was about to come back out.


    She quickly told the password for the secret entrance to Sean and ran back to her seat.


    Sean looked at Halia with concern. This wasn''t right? Had she gotten too personally involved with her target and forgotten her identity? Even if Jackson gave up on this one deal, he was still a criminal. They had plenty of things they could still charge him for. Did she really think he could just leave the past behind and lead a normal life?


    Not unless there was a miracle!

 Chapter 72 - Jealousy In The Air

    Halia held onto the coffee that Max brought her and sipped at it nervously as she tried to maintain her composure. She couldn''t believe that Sean was down there in the lab with them.


    "Are you OK?" Jackson asked as he approached, noticing that Halia was in a bit of a daze.


    He gently patted her on the head and smiled at her lovingly.


    Sean watched this interaction from the closet with suspicion. Why did these two seem so close?


    Halia jumped a little and looked up at the man awkwardly. She knew that Sean was watching. What would he think if he knew that she was officially dating her target? That was completely against the rules of being an undercover officer.


    At that moment, Jackson grabbed her chin and began to lean over. Halia looked into his eyes and knew what he was thinking: he wanted to kiss her.


    "I love it when you smell like coffee," he whispered seductively.


    The man''s voice sent tingles down her spine. But, she had to resist.


    Sean clenched his fists from inside the closet. He couldn''t hear what Jackson said, but there was something ambiguous about the atmosphere. Jackson was a man and Halia was a woman, and the two of them had already spent one night down here alone together. Did something happen between them? For some reason, he felt a complex mix of emotions. He wasn''t just merely concerned; he was also a little jealous. While he was running around worried about Halia all day, while he was preparing gifts for her birthday, was she down here doing something indecent with her target. If this continued, would she become emotionally invested and possibly even cover for him? Could he still trust her?


    At that moment, he noticed the little black dress on Halia''s body. Had she been walking around Jackson in revealing clothes like that, this whole entire time?


    While Sean''s anger grew inside the closet, Jackson had leaned in so close to Halia that she could feel his warm breaths on her lips. She wanted so much to kiss him, but she knew Sean was watching. So, in a panic, she dropped her coffee on the table and it rolled onto the ground.


    Halia screamed, pretending to be surprised.


    "Stay still, I''ll go get the mop," Jackson quickly said as he looked down at the mess. He then turned and headed for the closet.


    Halia''s eyes quickly opened wide as her heart raced. "No!" she yelled. That was where Sean was hiding! Had her plan backfired?


    Jackson looked at Halia curiously.


    "Errrm...get a tea towel first. I want to wipe the table," she instructed.


    Jackson nodded confusedly and walked over to the little kitchenette in the opposite direction to find a tea towel.


    "I''ll get the mop," she volunteered as she stood up and started hopping over to the closet.


    Jackson looked at her worriedly, "Be careful of your foot."


    "OK," she replied.


    Just as she reached the closet, she checked to see if Jackson was looking before she opened the door. But, while she was glancing back, she felt a tug on her hand. Sean had pulled her into the closet with him.


    It was a fairly big closet, enough to fit two people and shelves on three sides.


    Sean pinned Halia against one of the shelves and looked down at her. He was so close that she could feel his body against hers, but it was so dark that she couldn''t make out his expression.


    "Is there something going on between the two of you?" he asked with concern and a trace of jealousy in his voice.


    "What are you talking about?" Halia avoided answering. Lucky the closet was so dark or Sean would have definitely seen the guilt on her face.


    "Why does he seem so affectionate around you? Isn''t he meant to be your boss?" Sean asked as he copied Jackson''s actions and held onto Halia''s chin. "Don''t forget who you are!" he warned.


    Halia tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness and look into Sean''s eyes. She understood where he was coming from. As an undercover officer, she had completely crossed the line. But, she couldn''t help it.


    "Halia, are you OK?" Jackson''s voice suddenly resounded from outside. "There''s a light switch on the left and the mop should be on your right," he directed.


    "Oh OK, I''ll be right out," Halia responded as she lifted her hand to find the switch.


    But, a hand suddenly wrapped around her wrist and stopped her.


    Halia gasped. She could feel Sean breathing on her and could tell that he was a little upset.


    "I need to get back out before he comes to check on mmm..."


    Before Halia finished her sentence, something wet and soft covered her lips.


    It was dark in the closet, but she recognized this familiar feeling. She had felt this in Sara''s memories before...


    The rough grip on her wrists and the passion in the air...


    It was Sean''s kiss...


    Halia wanted to push the man away. She struggled a little at first, but to her surprise, she began to kiss him back. Sean liked this reaction, so he let go of her wrists and quickly grabbed her legs, lifting her off the floor and pressing his body firmly against hers. He then shoved his tongue into her mouth, tasting the nostalgic coffee flavor that lingered in her breath.


    Unlike Jackson, this man was rough and passionate.


    In the darkness, Halia felt like she was in a trance as she hooked her arms around the man''s neck and completely lost control of her reactions. What was happening? Was she actually enjoying this? This was her handler, she had no romantic feelings for him, but why couldn''t she stop?


    The man ran his fingers down her back, sending tingles down her spine and she let out a slight m.o.a.n of pleasure.


    Sean smiled.


    Her reactions were exactly the same as Sara''s.


    He couldn''t see the woman in front of him clearly, but he knew it was Halia, yet it felt like Sara had come back to life. Perhaps, it was the roasted chestnuts or the coffee she got him that brought back feelings he thought he had lost.


    He couldn''t resist it, he wanted to enjoy this feeling that he missed so much. He wanted more from her.


    Halia panicked. This wasn''t right...


    At that moment, a voice suddenly cut in, "Do you need help?" Jackson asked as he approached the closet.

 Chapter 73 - Flip Of A Switch

    As though a flip had been switched in her brain, Halia''s eyes suddenly flew open and she quickly pushed Sean away in shock. What just happened? How did she lose control like that?


    With no time to think, she immediately grabbed the mop from the closet and slipped out. She then smiled and handed the mop to Jackson just as he reached her.


    "Is everything OK? Did you hurt your foot? What took so long?" he asked worriedly.


    "I didn''t see it even though it was right in front of me," she laughed in a dopey manner.


    Jackson gently patted her on the head. He then put the broom aside and carried her in his arms.


    "What are you doing?" Halia asked in surprise.


    "I told you to rest your foot," he warned dotingly as he carried her into the bedroom and lay her on the bed.


    Halia lay down and looked up at the man in front of her. Just behind him, she could see the closet where Sean was hiding through the doorway. At this moment, she saw the closet door slowly open.


    Sean''s head poked out slowly and he looked at her. Their eyes met for a moment, before he ran for the stairs.


    "I''m going to go back out and mop the floor," Jackson said as he leaned over and placed a kiss on Halia''s forehead.


    Halia quickly panicked as she hooked her arms around the man''s neck. Jackson looked down at Halia. "What? Do you miss me already?" he teased.


    Halia looked into the man''s eyes with slight guilt. Just a moment ago, she was kissing another man in the closet. It was odd. Last time she had a flashback of Sara with Sean, she was completely disgusted by it. This time, it was just an initial disgust. But, she felt like she lost control both times, even though she had no romantic feelings for Sean. What was wrong with her? Had she been lonely for too long? Was her mind somehow getting confused? She had to speak to Dr. Li and Eric when she got out of the lab. Could it have something to do with Sara''s memories? She even began to question whether her feelings for Jackson were real.


    At that moment, Jackson gently brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Halia felt warm and bubbly inside. It was definitely different to how she felt around Sean. She looked at Jackson and he melted her heart. These last two days in the lab felt like a honeymoon. They lived together, they ate together, they even slept in the same bed together. It was a short amount of time, but she felt so comfortable with him. She knew at that moment that her feelings were definitely real. She was certain of it.


    Behind Jackson, Halia watched as Sean ran up the stairs. She quickly hugged Jackson tightly. "Thank you," she said.


    Jackson chuckled, "For what?"


    "For being so honest with me."


    Halia felt bad for hiding so many things from Jackson. She decided, if she successfully prevented him from going to the deal with Remy, she was going to reveal everything to him. But she had no idea that Jackson had his own secrets and already knew everything about her.


    He knew her real identity...


    ...he knew she had been trying to distract him from making the bomb...


    ...and he even knew that Sean was down in the lab with them...


    He was smart and meticulous, that''s how he survived in the underworld for so many years, so he noticed a while ago that the closet was slightly open and there appeared to be a person inside. He also heard Halia talking to someone when he was in the bathroom and he also heard some strange noises when she went to get the mop. But, who was this man?


    As Halia hugged him, he heard the faint sound of music drifting in from the karaoke bar above. Someone had opened the secret door. It was only for a slight moment before it closed back up again, but he heard it clearly even though Halia was trying to distract him.


    At that moment, Halia breathed a sigh of relief: Sean was gone...


    But, Jackson was beginning to wonder whether this woman truly liked him, or whether everything was just an act...


    ...


    Sean quickly returned to the room where Max and Cleo were waiting for him. When he entered the room, there was an awkward silence.


    Cleo''s expression immediately lit up as though she had seen her savior. "Are you OK? You were gone for a while," she asked.


    Sean quickly grabbed his stomach, "I was a little unwell, but I''m better now."


    Cleo immediately shuffled aside and made space for Sean. Max sighed when he saw this. He had noticed that Cleo was acting differently around him since earlier. Was it because of Sean? Or was it because of his involvement with the gangs?


    "I''ll go heat up your noodles again," Max offered as he stepped out of the room.


    As soon as Max left, Cleo turned to Sean and said, "Have you ever been involved with gangsters before, Sean?"


    Sean looked at the uncomfortable expression on the woman''s face, "Yes, I''ve met many gangsters before."


    Cleo looked at him in surprise, "Do you think I should keep my distance from Max?"


    Sean sighed. He didn''t know what to say...

 Chapter 74 - The Meeting Time

    "Do you think of him as a friend?" Sean asked.


    Cleo nodded without hesitation.


    "Then you''ve answered your own question. You must have seen something good in him to consider him as a friend. From what I''ve seen, he''s opening a restaurant soon and it''s a proper legitimate business. Plus, he''s a loyal friend that sticks by his friends and he''s a generous person that cares about his workmates. I don''t think there''s anything wrong with someone like that," Sean answered honestly.


    He had done a background check on Max before and his history was completely clear, so Sean was not concerned about this man. Otherwise, he would definitely tell Cleo to stay away from him.


    Cleo admired Sean for his clear observation. He was right.


    At that moment, she smiled at Sean and asked, "Can I be friends with you too?"


    Sean laughed, "I thought we already were."


    His smile was charming and he had a sophisticated presence that drew Cleo''s interest. As she looked at him, she noticed his hair was a little messy on the back of his head. It looked completely out of place on this refined man, so she subconsciously stretched out her hand to help him neaten it.


    "What happened to the back of your head," she laughed.


    Sean touched his hair and quickly tried to smooth it out. "I must have run into something when I was going to the bathroom," he replied. But?, he quickly realized it was caused by Halia. As he reminisced on the kiss from earlier, he felt tingles down his spine at the thought of Halia''s fingers running through his hair. That was something that Sara used to do when he kissed her too. He felt his heart race when he thought about it.


    At that moment, inside the staff kitchen of the karaoke bar, Max received a phone call while he was waiting for Sean''s noodles to reheat. He glanced down at the caller ID and quickly picked it up.


    "Tell your Boss..."


    It was Pierre Caron and he was finally setting a time and place for his meeting with Jackson.


    ...


    Downstairs, Jackson mopped up the floor and cleaned up the lab. He then returned to the bedroom to check on Halia. She had fallen asleep.


    Jackson checked the time, it was already 8pm.


    An entire day passed and they didn''t do anything they were supposed to do. It was obvious that he was right, Halia had been deliberately distracting him. Jackson looked at the woman and smirked. Now that she was asleep, it was time to start working...


    ...


    The next morning, Halia woke up to find Jackson asleep next to her. She quietly sneaked out of bed, trying her best not to wake him up. The longer he stayed asleep, the less time he would have to work on the bomb.


    After she brushed her teeth and freshened up, Max arrived with breakfast and lunch. Halia gestured for Max to remain quiet so Jackson could sleep and Max did as told.


    "When the Boss wakes up, tell him that Remy wants to meet him at 8pm tomorrow night in the cabin from last time," he whispered.


    Halia nodded her head. Even God was on her side. There was no way she was relaying this information to Jackson.


    "By the way, your friend came looking for you yesterday at your apartment. His name was Sean. He said happy birthday and asked when you''d be back so he could treat you to a meal. I''ll be seeing him again today. What should I tell him?"


    Halia smiled and quickly scribbled a little note. He then handed it to Max. "Give this to him," she said.


    Max nodded as he shoved the note in his pocket and left. "I''ll be back at dinner time," he said.


    A few hours later, Jackson finally woke up. It was already midday.


    He stepped out of the room to find Halia washing some dishes in the kitchenette, so he walked over and hugged her from behind.


    Halia enjoyed the hug and secretly wished that she could wake up to a hug like that every single day. As she smiled, Jackson leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips.


    "Go brush your teeth," Halia giggled as she tilted her head.


    Jackson laughed and wandered off to the bathroom obediently.


    While he was in the bathroom, Halia walked over and yelled through the door, "Max came by earlier and said that Remy wants to meet you at 11pm tomorrow at the cabin from last time," she lied.


    "OK," Jackson replied.


    "To be honest, I don''t think we can make the bomb in time," Halia said. "Why don''t you just cancel the deal?"


    At that time, Jackson stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to one of the storage closets. "Lucky I got started last night," he said as he opened it up.


    Halia''s heart sank as she looked at the man in surprise. Sitting inside the closet was a half completed bomb...


    ...


    That afternoon, Max went to feed Coco and met Sean outside Halia''s apartment.


    "This is from Halia," Max said as he handed Sean the note from Halia.


    "Thanks," Sean said as he received the note.


    He then opened it up and looked at it secretly. The note read, "8pm, where I got my hair clip last time." Halia was smart, she wrote down something that only Sean would understand, just in case Max looked at the note.


    Sean immediately remembered how he traced Halia''s hairclip to a cabin last time and smiled.


    "Tell her, I''ll see her there. I''m looking forward to seeing her," he replied.

 Chapter 75 - Living A Normal Life

    Back in the lab, Halia watched as Jackson carried the half completed bomb out of the closet. No wonder he woke up so late; he had been up all night working on this.


    Luckily, God was on Halia''s side and Max had told her the meeting details for the bomb meeting first so she could intercept it. Even if Jackson was to build the bomb now, it didn''t matter because he wasn''t going to make it to the meeting at the right time. Halia breathed a sigh of relief at this thought.


    In fact, she suddenly had a better idea. Why couldn''t she complete the bomb and sneak out to the deal herself? That way, she could guarantee the capture of Remy Durand. After all, they couldn''t arrest Remy Durand unless he committed a crime on Chinese soil, and if Jackson didn''t go to the deal, then what evidence could they hold against him. She couldn''t let go of this opportunity. She wanted to protect Jackson, but she couldn''t let Remy Durand go.


    Halia took a deep breath and walked over to look at the bomb. She then picked up a few pieces and started attaching them.


    Jackson smiled. Good, this woman was finally giving up.


    The couple worked laboriously on the bomb until dinner came around and Max arrived. While Max was keeping Halia company in the lab, Jackson quickly popped upstairs to make a phone call.


    "Meeting time and location has been set..." he reported over the phone.


    ...


    Meanwhile, at the SPU headquarters, Sean was gathering a troupe for the next day and briefing everyone on the operation.


    "Tomorrow, at 8pm, we will be raiding a cabin where international fugitive, Remy Durand, will be undergoing a deal with national arms dealer, Jackson Wu. Under national law, we can not charge Remy Durand for any offences that he hasn''t committed on Chinese soil, so we will have to wait until an exchange takes place before we run in an arrest them on the spot. Our aim is to catch two birds with one stone, but if we fail, our main priority is Remy Durand," Sean explained. Of course, he had no idea that Halia had given Jackson the wrong meeting details and was planning to go herself.


    Sean then showed a map of the meeting location and marked out all the spots to hide as well as the formations they had to follow to enter the cabin and guarantee no one escaped.


    Everyone nodded their heads in understanding. This was going to be a huge arrest and they were ready for it.


    ...


    That night, Jackson and Halia completed the bomb just after midnight.


    As they climbed into bed, Halia turned to Jackson and asked, "Regardless of how the deal goes tomorrow, can you promise me that you will retire from the arms trade after this?"


    Jackson looked into Halia''s eyes. He could tell how desperately she wanted to keep him out of trouble. "OK," he replied.


    If things went as planned tomorrow, he was originally planning to retire anyway. He had been in the gangs since he was 18; it was about time he enjoyed the normal life.


    Halia was surprised to hear Jackson''s simple response. She initially thought it would take more convincing. So, she subconsciously hugged him.


    Jackson was surprised by this sudden gesture as he hugged her back. "I can''t wait to live a normal life with you," he whispered as he watched Halia nod off to sleep.


    However, Jackson did not sleep that night. He had a lot of things on his mind and wanted to cherish every moment he had with Halia. He actually had a lot of secrets hidden from her, and amongst them, was the uncertainty of when he''d see her again. Halia thought it was as simple as preventing him from going to the deal and they''d be able to live a normal life together, but things were a lot more complicated than that. There were a lot of things he couldn''t reveal to her, including the fact that Max had returned to the lab after she fell asleep last night and already told him the correct meeting details...or the fact that he deliberately told Max to give her the wrong details.


    Of course, Halia didn''t realize this until she woke up the next morning and discovered Jackson was gone. At first, she thought he had gone upstairs to make a phone call like he did sometimes, but as time ticked by, she had a bad feeling.


    Eventually, her gut told her to check the storage closet. As soon as she opened it up, her heart sank. It was only 10am in the morning, but...


    Jackson was gone...


    And the bomb was gone too...

 Chapter 76 - Is This Goodbye?

    Halia rushed out of the lab, holding onto her phone in a panic. When she finally got reception, she realized she had 10 missed calls from Sean that morning as well as some unread messages.


    [Halia, are you OK?]


    [Halia, were you at the deal?]


    [Halia, what happened? Did you lie to me?]


    Halia looked at the messages as she felt her eyes tear up. The messages weren''t 100% clear, but she had a feeling she knew what happened.


    Jackson had somehow tricked her into believing the deal was at a later time and snuck off to meet Remy on his own.


    At that time, there was some commotion from the entrance of the karaoke bar as a team of police forced their way in, led by Sean. Since he couldn''t contact Halia, he had a feeling she was still at the karaoke bar, but he wasn''t sure if she was safe. When he saw her, he felt a sense of relief. He immediately rushed over and pulled the teary woman into his arms.


    "You didn''t know, did you?" he said.


    "Where''s Jackson?" Halia asked in shock.


    "We were notified at 9am this morning that he had met with Remy at the cabin and undergone the bomb exchange. But, unbeknownst to us, Interpol and the Ministry of State Security had actually been following Remy Durand in secret for some time. It turns out, the French authorities had been hunting down Remy Durand for years and finally asked Interpol to step in and help them. So, the deal was interrupted halfway by a team of intelligence officers," Sean explained.


    "What happened to Jackson?" Halia asked.


    Sean felt a little uncomfortable that Halia kept asking about Jackson, but he knew she deserved to know what happened to the target that she had lost, "Jackson Wu, Remy Durand and Pierre Caron were officially apprehended by Interpol at 9:30am local time and they are due to be extradited back to France for trial."


    "Back to France?" Halia asked in surprise.


    "It turns out, Jackson holds a French citizenship and he''s wanted for a few minor crimes in France. He wasn''t a fugitive like Remy Durand, but the French authorities asked for him to be extradited too. They will be catching a flight out of China this afternoon," Sean explained.


    Halia felt her heart break when she heard this. If he was being sent back to France for trial, was she going to ever see him again? She didn''t even get a chance to say goodbye...


    "I need to speak to him," she said as she stared into Sean''s eyes.


    "I''m sorry, Halia. He is with Interpol; it''s completely out of our jurisdiction."


    When Halia heard this, she collapsed on the floor and started crying.


    Sean looked at the woman and felt his heart break. Why was she so upset? She had simply lost a target. At most, she had lost a friend.


    Halia glanced at the bracelet on her wrist; the one that Jackson had made her. She should have tried harder to hold onto him. Did he lie to her because he had somehow seen through her? She then stood up. "Is my mission over now?" she asked between sobs.


    Sean nodded his head curiously.


    Halia then stood up and left without a word.


    ...


    Meanwhile, at Beijing Capital International Airport, a team of officers were heavily guarding Jackson, Remy and Pierre as they waited for their flight in the terminal. There were still 2 hours until boarding and Jackson was getting a little restless. He didn''t expect to be extradited back to France as a criminal; he didn''t even get the chance to speak to Halia yet.


    "Officer, I need to use the bathroom," Jackson grumbled as he leaned back lazily in his chair.


    The head officer, stood up and grabbed Jackson. "Hurry up," he said as he dragged him towards the bathroom.


    "Gently," Jackson complained.


    "Get used to it, the prisons in France are going to be tougher than this," the officer smirked.


    Jackson followed the officer into a disabled toilet that fit both of them. Obviously, the officer couldn''t take his eyes off such an important criminal.


    But...as soon as the door locked. The officer looked at Jackson, raised a hand to his head and saluted him with respect, "Sorry, Agent Wu, is something wrong?"


    ...


    Over the past few days, Halia had gotten to know Max quite well and knew that he was in the process of opening a restaurant.


    Filled with confusion and unable to contact Jackson, Halia decided to look for Max.


    As expected, he was busily signing papers and giving instructions in the new restaurant.


    "Max!" Halia cried when she saw the man, "Why did you lie to me? Jackson''s being extradited. What''s going to happen to him?"


    Max quickly hugged Halia to comfort her. "Jackson didn''t want you to get hurt or involved, so he asked me to lie to you," he answered. "Don''t worry, he''ll be fine. He always finds a way out of things," Max reassured.


    However, Halia did not believe him. They were dealing with Interpol, not a local police station. Things did not look good.


    At that moment, Max handed Halia a key, "Jackson said to give this to you if anything happened to him. It''s the keys to his apartment. He said to keep it clean until he got back."


    Halia looked down at the keys and frowned. Until he got back? When was he ever coming back?!

 Chapter 77 - Returning To France

    That evening, after much hesitation, Halia arrived at Jackson''s apartment. As she stood outside the door, she wished so much that everything was just a joke; that she would open the door and Jackson would be sitting inside to surprise her. But, all she was greeted by was a cold, dark, lifeless home.


    Not too long ago, she had been in this apartment with Jackson. They were sitting on the sofa while she was stitching him up. Now that she thought about it, it was about time to remove the stitches but she wasn''t by his side. Would someone in France remove them for him?


    Halia turned on the lights and scanned her eyes across the classy apartment. At that moment, she noticed a bunch of roses sitting on the dining table. They were fresh; did Jackson buy them that morning?


    She walked over and gently picked them up, admiring their beauty and enjoying their fragrance.


    She then looked down at the table and noticed a note. It read, "Dear Halia, be a good girlfriend and keep my home clean for me. I''m sorry for lying to you, but I will explain everything when I get back. You can be angry at me and hate me, but if you want to break up, you will have to tell me in person. Until then, you are mine. Don''t go around flirting with other guys. I will be jealous. Take care, Jackson."


    Halia laughed. This man...how could he joke around with something so serious? Of course, she had to admit that it made her feel better, but as she held the note up to her heart, she still couldn''t control the tears that rolled out from her eyes.


    ...


    It was a long flight between China and France, but after half a day of travel, Jackson finally arrived in the city of Lyon.


    As soon as they left the airport, Remy and Pierre got into a heavily armored police van while Jackson boarded a seperate one. From Remy and Pierre''s point of view, they thought Jackson was being detained separately to them since he wasn''t? as important. But unbeknownst to them, Jackson''s van headed straight over to a hotel where he was given time to take a nice shower and change into a clean suit.


    When he came back out of the hotel, a comfortable Audi was waiting for him at the entrance and he was driven directly to the entrance of a big building.


    Jackson looked up at the grand building. There were guards all around, as well as multiple security cameras. It had been many years since he last came here, but it felt good to finally return.


    Of course, the guards around the building were on high alert, so when they saw this unfamiliar face, they were a bit wary. But, the head officer that had escorted Jackson back to France stepped out beside him at that moment and gestured for the guards to stand down. The guards quickly relaxed and gave a salute as Jackson walked past.


    "This is as far as I''ll be taking you today, Agent Wu. I''m sure you know your way inside. President Kim is waiting for you on the 16th floor. The elevator has a biometric scanner which has your details and you have been granted all access to the building," the officer explained.


    Jackson nodded as he took a deep breath and walked inside. 8 years ago, he had just arrived in France from China. Much like today, he was escorted straight from the airport to this same building that day, but of course, he was much younger than he was now.


    As Jackson stepped into the familiar lobby, his heart raced a little as he looked around. That day, 8 years ago, he felt like he had put his real self into storage here. Was he finally retrieving it today?


    Jackson glanced down at his feet. He was standing right in the middle of the circular lobby and on the ground was a huge emblem. There was a globe to represent the world and it was wrapped by olive branches to symbolize peace. Scales hung from the globe to represent justice and through the middle of the globe was a sword symbolizing police action. On the top of the globe was a banner with the abbreviations ''OICP'' and ''ICPO'', and a banner under the globe read ''INTERPOL''.


    Jackson was standing inside the headquarters of The International Criminal Police Organization - better known as Interpol.


    Jackson stepped into the elevator and scanned his eyes and hand on the biometric scanner. He then pressed the number 16.


    The door closed and a computer-generated voice said, "Welcome, Agent Wu."

 Chapter 78 - Important Witness

    Jackson stood quietly inside the elevator as it rose to the 16th floor. The 16th floor was reserved for the President of Interpol. Just like the president of a country, the President of Interpol was elected every 4 years. However, the previous President resigned after 2 years and his role was recently overtaken by a South Korean man who would serve the rest of his term. Because of this, Jackson had never met the man before.


    As he stepped out of the elevator, a middle-aged gentleman sat behind a desk smiling at him. Jackson immediately walked over and shook the man''s hand, "It''s nice to meet you, President Kim."


    The man gestured for him to sit and Jackson quickly sat down.


    "I''ve heard all about you, Agent Wu," the man said as he looked at some papers on his desk.


    "It says here that you''ve been deep undercover for over 8 years! Wow, that''s a long time."


    "Yes, sir! I was originally sent from China to catch a fugitive here in France, but ended up going undercover in the local gangs in Paris for 3 years and then Marseille for 5 years."


    "I can see you''ve cracked many big cases, including the one this time. I heard how you''ve actually been pursuing Remy Durand ever since he was back here in France. We are extremely grateful for the work you''ve done in apprehending Remy Durand," President Kim praised.


    Jackson had actually been working his way up the gangs in the last couple of years to get to Remy Durand, but they had never met. So when Remy Durand suddenly fled to China, he was sent to follow him. However, due to the long time he spent in France, he had to apply for citizenship there. His family was actually from Hong Kong, and unlike China, Hong Kong allowed dual citizenship, so he was a citizen of both places.


    "I have discussed with the other delegates in the executive committee about the work you''ve done and your experience as a field agent. We would like for you to head the Chinese sub bureau of Interpol in Hong Kong. What do you say?" he offered.


    Jackson was surprised by this opportunity. After 8 years of hard work, this was like a dream come true. But, he had been undercover since he was 18 and never truly led a normal life. Maybe it was time to leave this world behind. Plus, what about Halia? She was still a Chinese citizen. How would their relationship work if he took on the role in Hong Kong?


    "Thank you for the offer President Kim, but to be honest, I just want to lead a normal life now. I think I''ve already contributed a lot to Interpol and it''s time I return to see my family," Jackson explained.


    President Kim nodded his head. "I can understand that. Because of your hard work over the last 8 years, you will receive many benefits for life, and a hefty bonus paycheck. You could probably live comfortably without working for the rest of your life. But, don''t reject me so quickly. You will be staying here in France and keeping your identity a secret until Remy Durand''s trial is officially over, so you can take this time to think it over. You are an important witness in this case since you''ve been following Remy Durand for so many years, so we will keep you in a safe house where you will be protected until he is sentenced. Someone will bring you food and supplies every day, but you will have no access to the outside world. Not even a phone," President Kim explained.


    Jackson frowned. How was he supposed to contact Halia? And when was he going to see her again?


    "How long will this trial last?" he asked uncomfortably.


    "At least a month," the man replied.


    Jackson sighed, but he still cooperated. After all, he had been working on this case for so long and he wanted to make sure that Remy Durand was sent to prison.


    ...


    Meanwhile, back in China, it was already the next day. Halia arrived at the SPU headquarters to hand in a detailed report of the entire mission and to receive a debriefing from Sean and the captain.


    "Halia, you''ve already done really well. Even though you didn''t catch Jackson personally, we received a lot of intel about the gangs and their operations. According to the information you gave us about Jackson''s competitors, we''ve managed to arrest Percy Shen who was the one that created the bomb that was strapped to Jackson last time. Also, this morning, the anti-corruption bureau received an anonymous package. Inside was a USB stick with a list of corrupt policeman. It appears, we still have an undercover comrade amongst the gangs and this person explained that Marcus Sim died because of this USB stick. The USB stick belongs to Sam Huang, so he has already been taken in for questioning. We are still very proud of what you have done," the captain praised.


    Halia smiled and nodded her head.


    "But, of course, all these arrests have stirred up the criminal world here in Beijing and we''re afraid someone might find the connection to you. So, we are planning to send you on a small mission to Hong Kong. We have no jurisdiction there, so no arrests will be taking place. We just want you to attend an event for a week and gather some intel. You can spend the rest of your time like a paid holiday. What do you say?" the captain asked.


    Halia thought for a second. She didn''t know when Jackson would be back, but sitting around waiting was a grueling thing. So, she eventually agreed.

 Chapter 79 - Director Halia Feng

    After Halia agreed to the mission, Sean led her out of the office to give her a briefing.


    "I know you''ve been through a lot, Halia. Let''s find a quiet place to talk," he said thoughtfully.


    Halia glanced at the prim and proper man in front of her. As usual, his hair was neatly styled and he was wearing a suit. Halia had only ever seen him during work situations, so she had never seen him in anything but a suit, but she knew underneath it all, there was a rough and passionate side to him. She had experienced it first hand. Halia quickly shook her head to brush away the awkward memory from the lab. She still didn''t know what happened that day, but she was hoping Sean would forget about it.


    Halia followed Sean quietly as he led her to the SPU gym. He then walked into one of the private training rooms. There were some gym mats on the floor as well as weights, skipping ropes and other exercise equipment along the wall.


    Sean sat down on the floor and gestured for Halia to sit opposite him.


    "Halia, this is a case we''ve been following for many years. It''s regarding money laundering," Sean explained as he opened up a file of doc.u.ments and spread them out on the floor.


    "As you know, gambling is illegal in China, but one of the best ways to launder money is through casinos. So, it''s very common for criminals to travel to Macau, the Philippines and even Australia to launder their money at one of their casinos. It''s an ongoing problem that may never be truly eliminated."


    "The Chinese government has tried multiple methods to prevent this from happening, including limiting the amount of money people can take out of the country and limiting how much money they can withdraw overseas. However, that hasn''t prevented people from finding other methods."


    "This is where you come in. There is a charity ball happening this week in Hong Kong and big names from China, Hong Kong and Macau are invited. This is a feeding ground for junket operators that lure high rollers to particular casinos for a commission. Junket operators are legitimate businesses, but some of these operators work like illegal banks, allowing their VIPs to deposit money in China and then giving them the option to withdraw money overseas that exceeds the limit set by the Chinese government. Whether intentional or not, this facilitates money laundering."


    "So, I need you to mingle at the ball and see if you can get any information about the operators that are offering this illegal activity. We need names, contact information, anything you can get."


    Halia sighed and nodded her head.


    "What''s my cover?" she asked.


    Sean hesitated for a moment as he looked at Halia.


    He then pulled out a long list of names and a photo.


    "Halia, this is the reason why the Captain selected you," he said as he pointed to a name on the list.


    Halia stopped breathing for a moment and sighed. It seemed she had been discovered.


    Sean was showing her a list of invited guests, and halfway down the list, was the name - Halia Feng, Director, Fengtai Corporation. Next to it, was a family photo from the chairman of Fengtai''s 50th birthday last year and standing next to the chairman - was Halia.


    There were a lot of things that Sean didn''t understand. It turned out, Halia''s? father was the chairman of Fengtai Corporation and Halia was a shareholder of her father''s business. But, why was she working as a police officer and why did she live in a shabby little apartment? How many people dreamed of a luxurious life like hers?


    In reality, Halia had always wanted to live her own life and make a living her own way without relying on her family. Plus, she was a huge advocate for justice. Because of this persistence, she never accepted financial support from her parents and avoided mentioning them whenever she could. Her father was very understanding of his daughter, so he respected her choices. But, he still put shares under her name and made her a director, hoping that she would change her mind one day and return to help the family business.


    Because of her persistence to live her own life, Halia moved out at 20 and spent her first few years living in the dorms of her University where she studied a double degree in criminal justice and business while working a part time job. After that, she joined the police academy and lived there for a year with minimal pay.


    When she finally joined the Beijing police force, all she could afford was the rent for a small apartment in the city, but she was proud of herself because she had earned it herself. After these 7 years of independence, she had lived so frugally that she almost forgot that she was the director of a huge corporation. In fact, she was still amazed by something as simple as visiting Jackson''s apartment. Even though her father could buy her an apartment in the same complex at the snap of a finger, she hoped to buy one with her own efforts someday.


    But...as fate had it, she was suddenly asked to reclaim her identity as the Director of Fengtai Corporation...


    Halia wanted to refuse, but Sean explained, "You are our only way of getting into the charity ball. It is an exclusive invite-only event. Plus, as a fresh face, we are sure you will be approached. You are our best bet."

 Chapter 80 - The Safe House

    Halia sighed, "So, I''ll be gone for a week and I''ll be attending a charity ball, is that right?"


    "The charity ball will be in 2 nights time. There will be some food, socializing and dancing before the night ends with an auction event. Tomorrow night, all the guests are invited to a viewing event where they can see all the items that will be available for auction," Sean explained.


    "After these two nights, we have arranged 5 extra nights in case you get any leads to follow. If not, then you can just use it as a holiday. I''ll be there to assist you if you need anything."


    "You''re coming too?" Halia asked in surprise.


    "Of course, I''m still your handler," the man replied with a warm smile.


    Halia looked at the man and her heart began to race. For some reason, she felt nervous and excited at the same time.


    "I guess I''ll have to give my father a call and tell him I''ll be attending the event," Halia said as she picked up her phone.


    Sean smiled and nodded.


    ...


    Over in France, Jackson had just arrived at his safe house. He had already been asked to hand over all communication devices and all he had were a few sets of clothes.


    The house was in the countryside of France among some wine vineyards. It was on a huge block of land and was quite secluded from its neighbors.


    As soon as he arrived, Jackson noticed a man and a woman working in the vineyards in front of the house. "These are the owners of this house. We''ve used this place as a safe house for many years and it has never been discovered. So, you will be living with them until the trial. They will provide you with food and a place to sleep, so just stay here and don''t go anywhere," the agent that drove Jackson to the house explained.


    The man and woman noticed them and waved. "Please make yourself at home," the woman yelled across the field.


    Jackson smiled and waved back as he walked into the house.


    Inside, there was a warm fragrance of coffee and some noise coming from the kitchen. The smell of coffee subconsciously reminded Jackson of Halia and the taste of their first proper kiss in the lab. How he wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her right at that moment.


    Unfortunately, they were in two completely different countries and he didn''t know when he''d be able to return to her side. Would she forgive him for lying to her? Did she have honest feelings for him? Was everything just an act for her mission? Jackson had so many questions running through his mind. But, he was helplessly stuck in France with no method of contacting her.


    Deep in thought, Jackson walked into the kitchen and sat down on a stool without glancing up at the people that were already in there. "Agent Wu, this is Agent Roux and Agent Dupont, they will be watching over you in case anything goes wrong," the driver introduced.


    At that moment, a woman''s voice said seductively, "Agent Wu, we meet again." Jackson snapped out of his daze. He recognized this voice. It was a voice he thought he''d never hear again and it gave him goosebumps.


    Jackson immediately lifted his head and looked up at the woman in surprise. "Amelie, you''re alive!!"Jackson exclaimed as he stood up and hugged the woman in front of him. Agent Dupont and the driver looked at each other in confusion. Did these two know each other?


    Amelie hugged Jackson back and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I''ve missed you," she whispered beside his ear.


    "I''ve missed you too," Jackson replied.


    ...


    At that moment, in the office of a building in Guiyang City, the Chairman of Fengtai Corporation received a phone call from a number he hadn''t seen for a while.


    His face immediately lit up as he picked it up, "My precious, you''re finally calling me. I haven''t seen you since my birthday last year."


    "Sorry, Daddy, you know I''ve been busy settling into my new job," Halia''s voice resounded from the other end of the phone.


    "Errr, Daddy, I need to ask for a huge favor. Don''t ask me why, but I want to attend the charity event that''s coming up in Hong Kong on behalf of Fengtai Corporation. I heard I was invited," Halia said.


    Halia''s father was ecstatic to hear this. "Of course, I''ve been waiting for you to get involved in your family business. This will be a good chance for you to meet everyone," he replied.


    "Do you want me to book you flights and accommodation? Do you have a dress to wear? Do you need a driver?" he asked excitedly.


    "It''s OK, Daddy. I''ve got everything under control, I just need someone to bring me the invitation letter," Halia replied.


    "OK, I''ll send someone to meet you in Hong Kong" Father Feng replied.


    After he got off the phone, he immediately called his assistant. "I need you to do a few things for me..." he said.

 Chapter 81 - Just Friends

    "My father will be getting someone to deliver my invitation to me," Halia explained to Sean.


    "Great!" Sean replied. "I''ll book your flights and accommodation tonight and we''ll fly out tomorrow morning."


    "By the way, how are your fighting skills?" Sean suddenly asked.


    Halia shrugged. She had passed all the tests in the police academy, but she had never gone through the SPU academy, so she didn''t know how she measured up.


    "Go grab your gym gear, I want to give you a test while we''re here," Sean instructed.


    Halia quickly nodded her head. Every member of the SPU was allocated a locker in the building to store their gym gear and they were encouraged to train at the facilities, but this was Halia''s first time using it.


    After a quick change in the change rooms, Halia stepped out in a set of grey and white workout clothes. The clothes wrapped tightly around her curves, highlighting her fit body.


    Sean felt himself blush a little when he saw her. Only a couple of days ago, he had his arms wrapped around this body, but they were inside a dark closet so he didn''t actually see what he was touching. Now that he actually saw her body properly, his heart subconsciously sped up.


    Sean had also gotten changed while Halia was in the change room, so he had changed into some workout clothes too.


    This was the first time Halia had seen Sean in anything but a suit, so it was a little odd. His suit always made him look so serious and proper, but for once, he looked quite casual.


    Halia and Sean walked back into the private training room and stood on opposite sides. Then, with a bow, they started fighting.


    Halia was quite quick and nimble on her feet, but she had only learned a few self defence moves in the police academy, so she continuously retreated and dodged, but never attacked. Sean was surprised. Normally, SPU agents were skilled in martial arts, especially ones that were selected for undercover work. Was she holding back?


    With a serious expression, Sean launched himself forward and grabbed hold of Halia. He then tripped her and pressed her against the gym mat on the floor. It was surprisingly easy. What would have happened if he was a bad guy?


    "Were you holding back?" he asked suspiciously. "Why didn''t you attack?"


    Halia looked at the man with panic. She had joined the SPU purely because of the wire that was attached to her head - the one that allowed her to access other people''s memories - she hadn''t actually gone through any SPU training. But, Sean did not know this, so how was she to explain herself?


    Halia stared into the man''s eyes and bit her lip nervously, "I...errr..."


    Sean noticed Halia bite her lip and subconsciously glanced down at her mouth. His body was on top of hers and he had her hands pinned firmly against the floor. He felt her soft fingers between his and he could smell the floral scent of her hair in the air. As though he had been charmed by a spell, Sean suddenly forgot the question he asked as his mind wandered off to the kiss they shared in the closet. So much had happened since that day that he hadn''t had the chance to clarify things with Halia, but he still remembered how passionate it was, and, most importantly, he remembered that Halia didn''t resist his advances. Did that mean she was attracted to him?


    "I didn''t want to hurt you," Halia finally lied.


    Sean stared at the woman that was lying underneath him. Her breaths were quick and her cheeks were a little rosy.


    "Do you care about me that much?" he asked.


    Halia smiled awkwardly and replied, "Of course."


    At that moment, Sean smiled back at her and leaned forward.


    Halia held her breath. She quickly realized that the man had misunderstood. Did he think that she liked him?


    "Sean, I think..."


    Halia wanted to talk herself out of the situation, but Sean kept her hands pinned to the floor and pressed his lips against hers before she managed to say a thing. Halia panicked. She wanted to resist, but just like the kiss in the closet, she once again kissed him back uncontrollably.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in France, Amelie poured Jackson a glass of wine as they sat in the living room.


    "Where have you been in the last year?" Jackson asked. "I thought you died."


    Amelie giggled as she took a sip of wine. "The Interpol faked my death because my cover had been blown," she explained.


    Jackson looked at the woman in surprise. Jackson had first met Amelie 5 years ago, not long after he moved to Marseille. At that time, she was the girlfriend of his boss. Jackson didn''t really interact with her in the first year, but as he climbed up the ranks, the boss asked him to protect her on certain occasions. That was when Jackson met Rowan; Rowan actually started off as Amelie''s driver.


    As they saw each other more and more, Jackson, Amelie and Rowan gradually became good friends.


    Jackson even saved Amelie''s life a few times.


    However, two years ago, Jackson discovered Amelie was actually an undercover Interpol agent, just like him. He confronted her, but discovered their missions were very different. She was investigating something related to the Russians while Jackson was investigating Remy Durand.


    Even though their missions were very different, Jackson began to watch out for Amelie even more than before. As a result, Amelie slowly fell for his charms. She confided in him about everything and often found excuses to see him, but Jackson simply treated her as a really good friend.


    One day, she gathered her courage and decided to confess her feelings to him. But, to her disappointment, Jackson rejected her and told her they were only friends. Amelie was distraught and left in tears.


    After a night of feeling guilty, Jackson decided to look for Amelie and comfort her the next day. But, to his surprise, he received news that she had died in a tragic accident after he saw her the previous night. The death hit Jackson pretty bad. He blamed himself for letting her run off on her own that night and wondered if she would have stayed alive if he didn''t reject her.


    So, he was really happy to see her again...

 Chapter 82 - Love Rival

    "Halia?" a voice called out from the doorway of the private gym room.


    Halia''s heart almost jumped out of her chest when she realized her and Sean were in a very ambiguous state and someone was at the door.


    She quickly pushed the man off her body and looked towards the doorway. It was Eric, it had been a long time since they saw each other.


    Eric looked at Halia awkwardly and said, "Dr. Li and I were asked to take you to the lab for a few checks before you fly to Hong Kong tomorrow. Am I interrupting something? Should I come back later?"


    "Errr, no, let''s go right away."


    Halia quickly shook her head and got up. Without saying goodbye to Sean, she hurried Eric out the door with her.


    Sean watched as the woman left. With a slight smile he touched his lips and tried to calm down his rapidly beating heart. She didn''t resist this time either. For him, this was a good sign. He was going to confirm their feelings in Hong Kong and he had a promising feeling about it.


    After leaving the SPU headquarters, Halia jumped into Eric''s car with furrowed brows. Something was definitely not right. Sean was her handler and friend; almost like an older brother. Why did she kiss him back? Especially when she already had a boyfriend? She had never been the promiscuous type.


    As Eric drove, he winked at Halia and teased, "I sense some romance in the air."


    "It''s not what you think," Halia quickly denied.


    "Come on, if I didn''t interrupt you earlier, who''s to say what you two would have done in that room," Eric laughed, while thinking some really dirty thoughts.


    "I don''t know what we would have done either," Halia began to feel worried. She was about to spend an entire week with Sean. If she lost control again, what else would she do with him? Every time he got close to her, it was like she became another person.


    "Eric, you said Sara''s memories will remain in my mind for 3 months. Have any of your previous test subjects experienced any odd effects during that time?" Halia suddenly asked.


    "What odd effects are you referring to?" Eric sensed something was off with Halia''s voice so he looked at her uncomfortably.


    Halia had thought of many possibilities for her loss of control, but it all boiled down to one highly likely conclusion: "Eric, I feel like I''m being possessed by Sara..." she said nervously with a slight tremble in her voice. Was that even possible?


    As soon as Eric heard this, he immediately stepped on the brakes. With a worried expression, he looked at Halia and said, "Why do you say that?"


    Halia sensed that Eric knew something, so she took a deep breath and simply said, "Sean and Sara were lovers..."


    Before she said anything else, Eric started driving again. This time, his expression was a lot more serious as he focused on the road, "We need to see Dr. Li immediately."


    ...


    Over in France, Amelie poured Jackson another glass of wine. "I know I shouldn''t be drinking on the job, but we really need to celebrate our reunion," she said as she took a sip.


    "After Interpol faked my death, I was sent here to watch over witnesses in this safe house. Since my target was never caught, it was too dangerous for me to walk around in the open. At the beginning, the Chief told me it would only be for a month. But, one month led to another...and another - it''s already been a year since I''ve been here!" Amelie complained as she emptied the wine into her mouth.


    "You don''t know how happy I am to see a familiar face. Especially you. We have no contact with the outside world here and it gets extremely lonely, even though we get new people to protect all the time," Amelie wrapped her arms around Jackson and hugged him again.


    Jackson hugged the woman back comfortingly, but after hearing what she said, he began to worry. Amelie was told that she''d be here for a month, but she had already been here for a year. What if he wasn''t staying here for just a month either? He began to miss Halia. What was that woman doing while he was gone?


    Meanwhile, not too far away, the tall and strong Agent Dupont glared at the two unhappily. He had been in this safe house with Amelie for almost 6 months and loneliness was their biggest enemy. Not knowing when they''d leave, they relied on each other to keep the other sane. This meant long chats about life, comforting hugs...and even some hot and steamy nights when they couldn''t contain their desires. They were both mature a.d.u.l.ts and understood the situation they were in, so Amelie treated their relationship like a counseling session or exchange. But, Alexander Dupont was different. He gradually developed real feelings for this woman. He even tried to express his feelings by treating her as more than a friend. However, just as he thought he was making progress and she was responding to his affections...along came Jackson.


    Alexander had heard many things about Jackson; Amelie often talked about him and he could tell that she was in love with him. But, he never expected to meet the man in real life.


    Now, he was forced to live under the same roof as his love rival for an indefinite time. Was he about to lose Amelie to this man?

 Chapter 83 - Lucid Dreaming

    Halia and Eric soon arrived at Dr. Li''s lab. As soon as Halia saw Dr. Li, she immediately hugged the man. During the month and a half that they knew each other, she had been through a lot, but it was nice to know that she wasn''t completely alone.


    "Halia, how have you been?" Dr. Li asked.


    Halia glanced at Eric, not knowing whether to jump into the bad news straight away.


    "Dr. Li, we have a situation..." Eric immediately cut in.


    After a bit of explaining, Halia recalled everything that happened between her and Sean to the doctor. In the end, the doctor sighed, "I was afraid this would happen."


    Halia stared at the doctor in curiosity, "You knew about this?"


    The doctor sat Halia down, hoping to calm her emotions, "When we were running tests on rats, we noticed an odd reaction in one of them. Normally, when we downloaded memories into the rats, they simply recognized mazes and sounds which they didn''t experience before. But, there was one particular rat that adopted the behavior of its memory-donor. It was normally quite a territorial and feisty rat, but it suddenly turned submissive. It only happened once and we couldn''t confirm if it was definitely because of the memory, so we dismissed it."


    "But, it appears as though you have been affected in the same way," the doctor shook his head.


    "To explain this, I need to show you a diagram of the human brain," the doctor gestured for Eric to bring him a picture on the wall.


    "As I told you before, we downloaded memories from Sara''s amygdala, which is the emotional center of the brain. It stores emotional memory and triggers your brain to react to certain emotions. For example, when you had a panic attack that one time, the amygdala remembered a frightening memory and threw your body into panic mode," the doctor said as he pointed to an area in the middle of the brain.


    "However, there is also a part of your brain that deals with logic and reasoning - your frontal lobe. It stops you from doing things that make no sense. Your frontal lobe is active all day, except for when you''re asleep," the doctor then pointed to the front section of the brain.


    "Scientists have proven that during a dream state, the frontal lobe is usually switched off and the amygdala goes into hyperdrive. This explains why our dreams make no sense and we feel like we aren''t in control. Our dreams are completely emotion driven and have no logic."


    "So, I fall into a dream state when I''m around Sean even though I''m awake?" Halia asked in confusion.


    "Not exactly. What''s happened in your case, is that you have an overload of emotional data from Sara in your amygdala that gets triggered whenever you see Sean and it suppresses your logic. Which means, you simply react the way that Sara would in that situation."


    "Basically, your frontal lobe isn''t switched off completely like in a normal dream state since you''re aware of what''s happening; it''s? just overpowered by your emotions. What you''re experiencing is more similar to lucid dreaming."


    Halia scratched her head. It was a lot of information to process. "Lucid dreaming?"


    "Yes, lucid dreaming. The first stage of lucid dreaming is realizing you''re in a dream. This is when your frontal lobe is a little active, but not enough to overpower your amygdala. That''s similar to the state you''re in when you see Sean."


    "What you need to do is reach the second stage of lucid dreaming. Some people realize they''re in a dream and they learn to take control of it. Sometimes, they can even force themselves to wake up. In that situation, their frontal lobe regains control. That''s your aim."


    "According to what you''ve said, you''ve woken up twice thanks to Jackson and once because of Eric. If not for them, I''d hate to imagine how long you would have stayed in that state," the doctor said worriedly. "What you can do for now is perhaps set up an alarm when you''re around Sean and program it to go off at certain intervals. But, of course, the best thing for you to do is to learn how to wake yourself up."

 Chapter 84 - Shes So Much Better Than You

    Halia furrowed her brows. "I remember when you first downloaded Sara''s memories into my brain, you told me it would only last 3 months. Are you 100% certain about that?" Halia began to suspect that the doctor was hiding other things from her. But, the white-haired man quickly nodded his head. "So far, every single experiment we''ve done has shown that result," he said with confidence.


    Halia breathed a sigh of relief. Now that she understood what was happening, all she had to do was be wary around Sean for the next month and a half.


    At that moment, she quickly picked up her phone and excused herself for a moment.


    "Daddy, about the accommodation you offered, I''ll take it," she said.


    Her father looked at his phone in shock. It was rare for his daughter to accept help from him. "I''ll immediately arrange it," he replied.


    Halia knew she had no choice but to go to Hong Kong with Sean. So, the least she could do, was stay as far away from him as possible.


    After she hung up, the doctor pulled out a file and presented it to Halia.


    "Now that we''ve discussed that matter, I need to talk to you about the reason why I called you here," Dr. Li said.


    "We know you''re flying to Hong Kong for a week, so we need to do a general health check. But, apart from that, the Captain has requested that we do something about your martial arts skills. This time, apart from your handler, you won''t have any backup in Hong Kong, so it''s important that you protect yourself. According to your records, you''ve only been trained in general self defence," the doctor confirmed.


    Halia nodded her head.


    "I was actually planning to speak to you about this. Sean tested me today and I think he was a bit confused by my skill level," Halia explained.


    "Well, you don''t have to worry about that anymore. We''ve found someone that''s willing to transfer his skills to you," Dr. Li replied.


    At that moment, the door to the lab opened and a man stood in the doorway. Halia quickly saluted, it was the Captain of the SPU.


    "Captain, what are you doing here?" Halia asked.


    "Here to offer you my skills," he replied.


    Halia looked at the man in shock...


    ...


    Over in France, night hit. Jackson had just spent his first day in the safe house and he was lying in bed thinking about everything that happened.


    It was nice to see an old friend again. To be honest, it made the whole situation a lot more bearable, but now that the house was silent and he was left with his own thoughts, he couldn''t help but think about Halia. He had only known this woman for a month and a half, but so much happened between them that it felt odd to not have her around. He thought about the smile on her face, the smell of coffee on her breath and the floral scent of her hair; he couldn''t believe how much he missed her.


    There was so much he wanted to say to her and so much he wanted to explain. He was worried whether her feelings for him were real, but he was certain of his own feelings and he really wanted to face her with his true identity.


    Just as he was deep in thought and about to fall asleep, he suddenly felt some shuffling next to him. Before he knew it, he felt a warm arm wrap around his body.


    "Do you know how happy I am to see you?" a seductive female voice whispered beside his ear.


    It was Amelie. She had climbed into his bed. What was this woman doing?


    Jackson quickly threw the woman''s arm away, "I''m happy to see you too, but this is highly inappropriate."


    The woman sat up in frustration as the moonlight shone in through the window, highlighting her healthy bronze skin. It seemed, this woman often sunbathed since there wasn''t much to do at the house.


    She flipped her curly blonde hair and pouted as she looked at Jackson with her crystal blue eyes.


    "What''s so inappropriate? You''re an unmarried man and I''m an unmarried woman. We''re not tied down, plus we''ve known each other for years. I''ve seen the way you look at me. I''m beautiful, aren''t I?" Amelie asked as she began to unbutton her shirt.


    Jackson quickly looked away, "Amelie, you''re a beautiful woman and you''re a great friend, but I''ve never seen you as anything more than that. I''m sure you''ll find a man that would cherish you someday, but I''m not that man. Besides, I already have a girlfriend waiting for me in Beijing."


    Amelie paused. A girlfriend? He was only in Beijing for about 5 months, she had known him 5 years. Who was this woman? How did she compare?


    "Come on, Jackson, I''m sure that was just a fling. How could she compare to me?" Amelie asked as she grabbed Jackson''s chin and forced him to look at her.


    Jackson swiped the woman''s hand away and sat up, "I don''t want to compare you to her."


    Amelie laughed, "Why? Because I''m so much better than her?"


    Jackson shook his head. He didn''t want to be so harsh to his friend, but she was leaving him with no choice. So, he cleared his throat and replied, "No, because she''s so much better than you..."

 Chapter 85 - The Alarm

    The next day, Halia arrived nice and early at the airport and caught a morning flight to Hong Kong with Sean.


    Sean was secretly excited during the entire flight because he knew he was about to spend an entire week with Halia...alone...


    He hadn''t felt this excited about a woman since Sara.


    Halia took a quick glance at the man next to her and a flash of memory suddenly came to her mind. Sara and Sean had caught a flight together before and they practically spent the entire flight kissing. Halia quickly turned away and looked out the window. She wasn''t about to let that happen.


    Remembering what the doctor said, she quickly put an alarm on her phone. The flight between Beijing and Hong Kong was just under 4 hours, so she set her alarm to go off every half hour and remained wary of Sean.


    Of course, Sean wasn''t stupid. After the first hour of their flight, he began to notice that Halia was ignoring him and she was quite cold towards him. What had happened? She was always friendly and warm; she had bought him chestnuts and coffee in the past and they even kissed twice. Was she mad that he wasn''t taking responsibility and making things official between them?


    Sean smiled to himself. This woman was adorable when she was mad. With this thought, he suddenly grabbed Halia''s hand.


    Halia turned her head, looked at the man in surprise and quickly tried to pull her hand away.


    "Halia, I know you''re upset. I think you know how I feel about you and I know you feel the same. I know we haven''t known each other for long, but for some reason, I feel a sense of familiarity from you, like I''ve known you for years. Everytime I see you, I feel myself being drawn to you and I can''t control it."


    Sean placed Halia''s hand on his chest so she could feel his heart; it was almost thumping right out of his chest. Unfortunately for him, Halia''s heart remained calm.


    "This might feel too soon, but I really want to clarify things between us. I''ve been thinking about you every night and I really want to make you mine," the man said seductively.


    Halia quickly pinched her leg in case she lost control again and freed her hand from his grip.


    "Sean, I already have a boyfriend," she said straightforwardly. "Please don''t do things like this again. It''s highly inappropriate and it makes me uncomfortable."


    Sean''s heart sank. A boyfriend? He had looked at Halia''s background and it never mentioned anything about a boyfriend. When did this happen? Moreover, he was sure Halia had feelings for him.


    "You''re lying, how come it wasn''t written in your portfolio?" he asked.


    "It''s a secret," Halia replied as the thought of Jackson came to her mind. Jackson had just been arrested recently and he was currently on trial in France. He was a criminal and she was an SPU agent; they were polar opposites. Star crossed lovers destined for tragedy. Yet, she couldn''t control her feelings for him. Perhaps, they were the modern day Romeo and Juliet. But, he was her secret and she was going to hold onto this secret for as long as she could. She didn''t know if she''d ever see him again, perhaps she would even forget him eventually, but for now, she remained hopeful.


    At that moment, she noticed the bracelet that Jackson gave her. It was dangling at the end of her wrist. It made her a little teary and Sean noticed. Why was her boyfriend a secret? And why was she getting teary at the thought of him? Was it because their relationship was unstable?


    "Did he give that to you?" Sean asked curiously.


    Halia nodded her head.


    "Then why did you kiss me?" the man asked in confusion. He was certain that she enjoyed kissing him. Wasn''t she obviously attracted to him? Or was he just a substitute for her loneliness?


    "It was a mistake," Halia said as she tried to look away.


    At that moment, Sean grabbed onto Halia''s chin and turned her to face him again. Halia looked into the man''s eyes. He looked angry, but there was also a trace of fiery passion.


    "Was it?" Sean asked as he forcefully pressed his lips against hers in a domineering manner.


    Halia felt her heart race and her breath fall short. As usual, her mind told her it wasn''t right, but her body fell into sync with the man''s actions. Her eyes closed and she grabbed the man''s cheeks, drawing him closer with every kiss.


    Sean smiled. This woman was lying to herself. She obviously had feelings for him.


    But, just as Halia began to respond, a beeping sound suddenly came from her pocket. Halia''s eyes immediately flew open. With one strong shove, she quickly pushed the man away. She then threw her hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone.


    The alarm worked.


    Sean glanced at the phone in curiosity. Why did she have an alarm?

 Chapter 86 - Natalie

    Sean and Halia remained awkwardly silent throughout the rest of the flight, but Sean did notice that Halia had set her alarm to go off every half an hour. The odd thing was, she simply switched it off each time. What was the alarm for? It wasn''t for medicine nor was it a reminder to do something in particular. Was she just a nervous flyer and needed a reminder as to how much longer until landing? That was the only explanation Sean could think of, even though Halia did not look nervous about flying at all. If anything, she looked more nervous around him...


    Soon, the plane landed right on time in Hong Kong International airport. As soon as they cleared immigration and grabbed their luggage, Halia and Sean walked out into the arrivals hall.


    "We are staying in a hotel in Mongkok," Sean explained as he began to lead Halia to a taxi.


    But, at that time, a woman suddenly approached Halia and squealed, "Haili (Halia''s Chinese name), over here."


    Halia''s face lit up for the first time that day. "Natalie, it''s so nice to see you," she cheered as she hugged a tall skinny woman happily. The woman hugged her back and gave her a cheeky pinch on the bum. "You''re looking hot, babe."


    Sean immediately glanced at the woman. Who was she? Why was she here and why did she call Halia by her Chinese name?


    "Sean, Natalie is my father''s secretary and a good friend of mine," Halia introduced.


    "What are you doing here?" Halia asked Natalie, pretending to be surprised.


    "Your father told me to pick you up from the airport. He''s already arranged a car, a dress, and accommodation for you," Natalie replied with slight confusion. Didn''t Halia already know this? After all, she was the one that called her father for help.


    "Oh, what a surprise!" Halia exclaimed with her best acting.


    She then looked at Sean awkwardly and walked over to him. In a quiet voice, she explained, "My father doesn''t know I''m undercover, so I have no choice but to go with his arrangements. I guess we''ll be living separately this week. If there''s nothing else to brief me on, I''ll just see you at the viewing event tonight."


    Sean had already explained everything the previous day, so there was nothing he could say to hold the woman back.


    Seeing that the man had no response, Halia quickly grabbed Natalie and pulled her away before she said anything that would expose her act. "Who was that guy?" Natalie whispered. "And weren''t you the one that asked for your father''s help? Why did you look so surprised to see me?"


    "He''s an old friend that I ran into on the plane. He was a bit clingy, so I wanted to get away as soon as possible," Halia laughed. "And I was surprised because I didn''t expect my father to send you. Don''t you have work to do?"


    Natalie wrapped her arm around Halia''s shoulder, "The Chairman didn''t feel comfortable with sending a man. After all, we''ll be staying together this week."


    "You''re here for the entire week?" Halia asked in surprise.


    "Hey, it''s not often that you ask for help. Your father wanted to make sure that you had the best possible time in Hong Kong. I have his credit card in my hand, just tell me what you want, and it''s yours," Natalie winked.


    ...


    That night, Halia changed into a beautiful silver ball gown that her father prepared for her. Her hair was tied into an elegant bun and Natalie had helped her apply some light makeup. The last time she got so dressed up, she was still a child. As she looked in the mirror, she was surprised by her own appearance; she looked like a totally different person.


    The viewing event was held inside one of the conference rooms of The Peninsula Hotel, one of the most expensive hotels in Hong Kong.


    Outside the hotel was a red carpet surrounded by reporters.


    Halia looked out the window of her suite and breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, she was actually staying inside The Peninsula or the media would have definitely captured photos of her. Sure, this was her real identity, but she was still an undercover detective; the more low key she remained, the better.


    While Natalie was getting changed, Halia quickly clipped a voice recording bug to her dress. It was actually a good thing that Natalie was around. She was a very social person and probably knew most of the people at the event since she was always around Halia''s father. With her around, it would be easier to pick out the junkets.


    Since the event was invite-only, the junkets were likely members of staff or someone that was accompanying a guest, like a secretary or an assistant. So, Halia''s focus was on these accompanying guests, while Sean was sneaking in as a member of the staff and getting information from them.


    Although Sean was still her handler, he was actually going out on the field this time.

 Chapter 87 - The Mysterious Daughter

    Finally, the time of the event arrived. By the time Halia stepped into the hall, half the guests were already mingling inside.


    Most of the guests had met before or, at least, knew of each other, but when Halia walked in, everyone looked at each other in confusion.


    She was stunning in her silver ball gown, a dress that obviously cost a lot, and next to her stood Natalie Shu, the famous secretary of Henry Feng, Chairman of Fengtai Corporation.


    "Who is that?"


    "I''ve never seen her before."


    "Why is she with Natalie Shu? Where''s Chairman Feng?" the guests all whispered amongst themselves as they looked at the beautiful woman. They were all fascinated by her, especially the men. The wives in the hall quickly grabbed onto their husbands.


    At that moment, the heir of the construction empire, Meng Corps, approached the two women and handed them each a glass of champagne.


    "It''s nice to see you again, Secretary Shu. Where''s Chairman Feng today?" the man asked as he stole a glance at Halia.


    "Chairman Feng couldn''t make it today, but he sent Director Feng in his stead," Natalie replied.


    "Director Feng?"


    People nearby overheard this conversation and word quickly spread around the hall. The woman next to Natalie Shu was Director Feng!


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you," the man said as he placed a polite kiss on Halia''s hand.


    So...she was the infamous Director Feng. The mysterious eldest daughter of Henry Feng, Chairman of Fengtai Corporation. Everyone had heard about her, but no one had seen her for almost a decade. There were even rumors that she never appeared in public because she was extremely ugly, but it appeared, those rumors were all wrong.


    At that moment, a tall, handsome man approached Halia with interest, "Miss Haili, it''s been a long time."


    Halia turned and looked at the man with confusion, "Do I know you?"


    The man''s lips curved slightly into a smile, "We met when we were kids, my father owns the Golden Dream Casino in Macau. Your father and my father are good friends."


    "Oh OK, sorry I don''t remember you at all. That was a long time ago," Halia replied.


    "That''s OK, my name is Emerson Wu, it''s nice to meet you again."


    The man stuck out his hand and Halia quickly shook it. He then turned to the man beside him, "This is my assistant, Thomas Sun."


    Natalie immediately eyed the assistant up and down. "Young Master Wu, when did you get a new assistant?" she asked.


    Halia heard what Natalie said and looked at the assistant with suspicion. This was exactly the kind of person she was looking for.


    "I hired him a couple of weeks ago," Emerson replied as he swirled the glass of red wine in his hand.


    Emerson ran a casino and Halia suspected his assistant of being a junket. Was it really such a coincidence?


    At this moment, a familiar voice said beside Halia''s ear, "Miss, would you like some hors d''oeuvres?"


    Halia turned towards the voice and her gaze fell upon a familiar pair of eyes. Sean was dressed in a waiter''s uniform holding onto a tray of appetizers. He had arrived an hour before her and had already begun to probe the staff, but he was yet to find anything suspicious. Halia gave him a gentle smile and grabbed one of the fancy little appetizers.


    She then stuffed the entire morsel straight into her mouth in a not-so-lady-like way.


    Emerson watched with amus.e.m.e.nt. This woman was a little different to the usual proper socialite ladies and it fascinated him.


    But, while Emerson was scanning his eyes across Halia, Sean had his eyes glued on Emerson. He understood the look in the man''s eyes and it made him a little uncomfortable. Halia was beautiful today and he couldn''t imagine that any man could resist.


    However, the thing that annoyed him the most, was the fact that Halia actually engaged in a conversation with the man and seemed genuinely interested.


    "I''ve never been to Macau before," Halia said, deliberately showing that she was interested. "I wonder how a casino is like."


    "You''ve never gambled before?" Emerson asked.


    Halia shook her head and Emerson nodded with a smirk, "I think you''ll like it," he said.


    He wasn''t completely surprised that Halia had never gambled before, since gambling was illegal in the mainland, but most rich people had at least visited a casino once in their life, right?

 Chapter 88 - A Very Special Person

    While Halia was chatting to Emerson, Natalie glared at Sean. Wasn''t he the clingy friend from the airport? What was he doing here? Was he a stalker?


    She noticed the way he was looking at Emerson and sensed a bit of jealousy.


    Sean realized Natalie was glaring at him and swiftly turned away, trying to avoid suspicion, but Natalie quickly followed him out to the corridor.


    "Didn''t we meet at the airport earlier?" she asked with suspicion.


    Sean turned and smiled at the woman, "Oh yes! Natalie, right?"


    Natalie nodded.


    "I just so happened to get this temporary gig. I was surprised to see you and Halia here," Sean chuckled.


    However, Natalie remained serious, "Is it really such a coincidence?"


    "Of course," Sean defended.


    At that moment, Sean''s manager called out, "Hey, hurry in and grab the next tray of food. The guests are getting impatient."


    "Sorry, I have to go," Sean apologized as he disappeared into the kitchen. But, Natalie remained wary.


    As Sean collected the next tray of food from the kitchen, one of his workmates nudged him and said cheekily, "Were you trying to pick up one of the guests?"


    "No, she was just asking for directions," Sean lied.


    "Well, you were talking to Natalie Shu. She''s the secretary of Henry Feng, Chairman of Fengtai Corporation. Rumor has it, she''s not into men," the workmate winked.


    Sean looked at the man in surprise, "Is there any proof?" He was a man of logic.


    "No one''s ever seen her with a man before," the workmate replied. "And between you and I, I saw her kissing a woman at a previous event," he whispered.


    Sean raised an eyebrow in surprise.


    ...


    Out in the hall, Halia had just finished talking to Emerson when Natalie returned to her side.


    As soon as she saw Natalie, Halia grabbed her hand and said, "Let''s go look at the auction items."


    Natalie smiled. Halia wasn''t just her Boss'' daughter, they had grown up together and were really good friends. In fact, Natalie got her job because Halia recommended her to her father.


    "Oh look at that!" Natalie exclaimed as she dragged Halia over to a glass cabinet. Sitting inside was an elegant ruby and diamond necklace. She grabbed the credit card that Father Feng had given her and waved it in front of Halia. "Let''s bid on it tomorrow," she said cheekily.


    Halia laughed, "You know I don''t spend my father''s money."


    "But it''s for charity. Plus, if you don''t like it...you could always give it to me..." Natalie laughed as she shook Halia''s arm affectionately.


    Halia poked Natalie on the nose playfully, "If you want it, then bid on it with your own money."


    "Come on, you know I could never afford that," Natalie pouted again.


    Halia looked at the necklace in detail. It was indeed beautiful. But...it was nothing compared to the bracelet on her wrist. Halia glanced down at the handmade bracelet. It had many imperfections, but that was what made it unique. Halia turned the little heart pendant in her hand and noticed the odd dotted texture on the back. She could imagine Jackson staying up all night, carefully knocking the metal into shape. It was the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever given her and was worth much more than some meaningless necklace in a glass cabinet.


    But, while she was thinking about Jackson, a few pairs of eyes fell on her: Natalie looked at her in confusion, Sean looked at her with suspicion, Emerson looked at her with curiosity, and...in a hidden corner, Thomas Sun looked at her with interest...


    "That bracelet looks interesting, where did you get it from?" Natalie asked.


    Halia smiled, "A very special person gave it to me."


    ...


    Over in France, the atmosphere was a little awkward in the quiet countryside home. The three Interpol agents were sitting around the dining table having lunch. Alexander Dupont was looking at Amelie lovingly, while Amelie looked at Jackson with frustration.


    Last night, after Jackson kicked Amelie out of bed, she subsequently climbed into Alexander''s and the two of them got quite intimate. Alexander naturally thought that she had no feelings for Jackson anymore and had chosen him, but he had no idea that he was just a consolation prize after Jackson rejected the woman harshly.


    "Agent Martin''s returned to the headquarters. He will return to pick you up as soon as you are needed for the trial. Once the trial is over, you don''t need to stay here anymore," Alexander explained, breaking the silence.


    Agent Martin was the man that drove Jackson to the safe house.


    Jackson ate a spoonful of the pie in front of him and sighed. He didn''t want to spend another day in this place, but he had no choice but to wait for Agent Martin''s return. So, after he finished eating, he walked out to the vineyard to see if he could help. He needed to do something to pass the time, or he was going crazy...

 Chapter 89 - Replacement

    The viewing event soon ended and the guests started to pile out of the hotel. Of course, the reporters that were waiting outside were desperate to get photos of the guests, so a couple of them had snuck in.


    Halia didn''t notice them, but Sean did. As one of them turned their camera towards Halia, he quickly ran over to her, grabbed her hand and dragged her into the elevator. Natalie tried to chase after the two in surprise, but the elevator closed before she got there.


    After the doors closed, Halia quickly shook Sean''s hand away.


    "There was a reporter," Sean explained.


    "Thanks," Halia said as she pressed the button for her floor.


    "Can we have a quick debrief?" Sean whispered.


    There were other people in the elevator, so they couldn''t discuss their case there.


    Soon, the elevator reached Halia''s floor and she stepped out. "Come in for a bit," she said as she opened the door.


    Sean followed Halia inside. The suite was huge and grand, decorated with expensive furniture and accessories. Sean had never stepped foot into such an expensive hotel suite before.


    Halia walked over to a luxurious Chesterfield sofa and sat down. Sean quickly followed over and sat down opposite her.


    "Did any junkets approach you tonight?" he asked.


    Halia shook her head.


    "I tried chatting to some of the service staff and I kept a close look on them, but I didn''t get any leads either," Sean explained.


    "We have one more chance tomorrow. I''ll debrief you again tomorrow," Sean said.


    Halia stood up and walked over to the window. The moon was shining brightly outside. "It''s a full moon," she whispered to herself as she ran her hand across her bracelet. Today was the day she was supposed to remove Jackson''s stitches. "I wonder if anyone''s removing them for him," she thought to herself.


    At that moment, she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind. Inside the dimly lit hotel suite, a man''s voice said gently beside her ear, "I''m sorry about what happened on the plane, I didn''t mean to upset you, but I know you have feelings for me and I have feelings for you too. Why do you keep denying it?"


    Halia quickly pulled the man''s arms away and turned to face him. She couldn''t blame him for misunderstanding since he didn''t know that she had Sara''s memories in her mind, but she had to set him straight.


    "I honestly have no feelings for you. You are my handler and I simply think of you as a friend or a brother. Besides, are you sure that you like me? I heard your girlfriend passed away not too long ago," Halia didn''t want to remind the man of the sad death, but she had no choice.


    "How do you know about Sara?" Sean asked.


    "I used to work in the same precinct as her and I took over the serial killer case she was working on," Halia explained.


    Sean looked at the woman in surprise. Her gentle eyes looked into his as she patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. "I know you still miss her," she said.


    "Perhaps, you were desperate to forget about her, or maybe I reminded you of her in some way. But, you need to calm down and think logically. We haven''t known each other for long. In fact, we''ve only met during our mission briefings. Why would you like me?" Halia asked.


    "You''re wrong," Sean said stubbornly. "Remember when you brought me chestnuts and coffee? I liked that you were thoughtful. And remember when you went fishing with me? I liked your willingness to try something new and I liked that you enjoyed it. You made me laugh and smile when I thought I''d never laugh and smile again. When you went missing, I was so worried about you. And when I found you again, I was so relieved."


    Sean leaned forward, pinning Halia against the glass window behind her. "Plus, you''re beautiful," he whispered beside Halia''s ear before he placed a sensual kiss on her neck.


    Halia froze as the kiss sent tingles down her spine. The man wrapped his arms around her h.i.p.s and pulled her closer as his lips trailed down to her collarbone. Halia stretched her neck and closed her eyes in pleasure.


    They were alone in her hotel suite and she was losing control again. Worst of all, she hadn''t set an alarm this time. Halia tried to focus, but Sara''s love for Sean was too strong. Her body felt like jelly in his arms. Gradually, the man''s lips made its way to her mouth. He violently kissed down on her, pressing her head against the window pane behind as she let out a gentle m.o.a.n of pleasure.


    The man was a little surprised. That was the same reaction that Sara used to have when he kissed her.


    Trying to ignore the thought, he shoved his tongue into Halia''s mouth, tasting the champagne that she had drunk earlier. But, as he did this, Halia grabbed the back of his head and started running her fingers through his hair - just like Sara.


    Sean finally paused and looked at the woman in front of him.


    Maybe she was right.


    Maybe he was using her as a replacement for Sara because their reactions were much too similar.


    At that moment, the doorbell rang.


    Halia snapped awake and quickly kneed Sean between his legs. Grabbing his reproductive organs painfully, Sean fell on the floor as Halia ran to open the door...

 Chapter 90 - Boyfriend = Girlfriend?

    Natalie glanced at the fl.u.s.tered look on Halia''s face and then looked at the man that was lying on the floor. "What happened?" she asked.


    "Sean saved me from a reporter, so I decided to make him some coffee, but he ran into the coffee table," Halia lied.


    Natalie walked over and helped Sean up with suspicion. This man was grabbing his male parts in pain, but he was obviously too tall to hurt that part on the coffee table. Why was Halia lying?


    "You go get changed, I''ll make Sean his coffee," Natalie offered.


    Halia nodded her head and quickly scurried into the bedroom.


    Natalie walked over to the coffee machine and made a double espresso for the man. She then placed it in front of Sean.


    Sean glanced down at the black liquid with hesitation. He wasn''t a big coffee drinker. In the past, he only drank it because of Sara, and recently, he only drank it because of Halia, so double expresso was a bit too strong for him.


    "What? You''re not man enough to drink a double espresso?" Natalie asked.


    Sean looked at the woman, she was tall, skinny and fairly good-looking, but her gaze was extremely cold. "You like Halia, don''t you?" she asked straightforwardly.


    Sean took a sip of the coffee and scrunched his nose as the bitterness spread through his mouth.


    "Don''t even think about it. Haven''t you seen the bracelet on her wrist? Her heart is already elsewhere," Natalie warned.


    "Have you ever met the guy?" Sean scoffed.


    "It doesn''t matter if I''ve met him. All I know is, Halia likes him. I can see it in her eyes," Natalie replied.


    "If he''s so good, why is her relationship so secretive?" Sean challenged.


    "That''s none of your business," Natalie replied as she grabbed the man''s coffee and drank it in one gulp. "Your coffee''s finished, I think you should leave," she said.


    At that moment, Halia stepped out of the bedroom in a casual pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Natalie immediately ran over to her friend protectively and grabbed her hand.


    "Aren''t you tired, babe. You should go to bed," she said, hinting that their guest should leave.


    Sean looked at their entwined hands and felt a pang of jealousy. That was right, Natalie was rumored to be a lesbian.


    "Sean needs an access card to use the elevator, can you show him out?" Halia asked.


    Natalie nodded before she spread her hand towards the door, "This way please."


    Sean glanced at Halia helplessly, but Halia gestured for him to go.


    "I''ll see you tomorrow," she waved.


    Sean sighed, "OK."


    As Sean stepped out the doorway, Halia headed back into the bedroom. "I''ll go to bed first," she yelled towards Natalie.


    "OK babe, I''ll see you in bed," Natalie replied.


    Sean''s eyes opened wide as soon as he heard this. Was he hearing things? Were they sharing a bed?


    Allowing Halia to share a bed with Natalie was just as bad as sharing a bed with a man!


    "Are you sharing a bed?" Sean asked.


    "It''s none of your business," Natalie replied.


    Natalie walked Sean over to the elevator and swiped her card for him.


    "Keep your distance buddy. Halia''s taken," she warned before she turned around and returned to the hotel suite.


    Sean watched as the door closed. Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. What if Halia''s relationship was a secret because she didn''t have a boyfriend...but a girlfriend? Maybe he was wrong all along. Maybe Halia didn''t actually enjoy kissing him, maybe she was just confused about her s.e.x.u.a.lity and wanted to use him as a test. After all, she pushed him away every single time.


    Sean''s? eyes opened wide in shock. Could it be?


    Inside the hotel suite, Natalie slipped out of her c.o.c.ktail dress and walked into the bedroom wearing only her lingerie. She had always been confident with her body and she had known Halia for years, so she felt completely comfortable around her.


    As she slipped into bed beside Halia, she wrapped her arm around her friend''s body. "Can I hear a bedtime story?" she asked.


    Halia giggled, "How old are you? What do you want to hear?"


    "I want to hear about the special person that gave you that bracelet," Natalie said as she pointed to the bracelet on Halia''s wrist.


    Halia held onto the bracelet and blushed a little as she began to tell her story about Jackson. Of course, she never mentioned anything about Sean being her handler or the fact that she was currently on another mission, nor did she mention anything about her memories, but she did tell her friend about how she went undercover and how she met Jackson.

 Chapter 91 - The Auction

    The girls chatted into the night and caught up on everything they had missed since they last saw each other. They then slept in late the next day and spent the entire afternoon preparing for the charity ball.


    This time, Halia was wearing a beautiful gradient ball gown that went from white at the top to blue at the bottom. The bottom of the dress was studded with little diamonds that twinkled like stars and it looked like a beautiful night sky. Half her hair was tied up and pinned with a stylish diamond hair clip, while the rest of her hair dr.a.p.ed down to her h.i.p.s in elegant curls.


    "Wow, you look gorgeous," Natalie praised.


    Halia looked in the mirror and felt a little awkward. She wasn''t used to getting this dressed up. She had barely gotten through last night, and now, she had to go through it again.


    Her friend grabbed her hand with encouragement. "Although I don''t know why you suddenly decided to attend this event, there''s no need to be nervous, I''m here," Natalie smiled.


    Halia nodded her head and headed out of the suite into the elevator. Today''s event was also held at The Peninsula, but this time, it was in the much bigger and grander ballroom.


    As Halia walked in with Natalie, people whispered amongst themselves again. The mysterious daughter of Henry Feng had arrived again and she looked even more beautiful than the previous night.


    "I wonder if she has a boyfriend," some of the men whispered.


    "Perhaps, we could introduce our son to her," an old couple discussed.


    Of course, there were some guests that didn''t attend the viewing event, so they were trying to catch up on the gossip as they eyed Halia up and down.


    "Do you know everyone here?" Halia asked Natalie.


    Natalie looked around, "Pretty much. There are a few secretaries and assistants that have changed, but that''s about it."


    "Apart from Thomas Sun, who else is new?" Halia asked.


    Natalie was smart, otherwise, she wouldn''t be the secretary to the Chairman of Fengtai Corporation. So, after hearing Halia''s story with Jackson and all her adventures going undercover, she suspected her friend was here for serious business and decided to answer everything that Halia asked.


    "You see the woman over there with the big eyes and pointy nose? I''ve never seen her before," Natalie said as she looked at a woman in the corner. "Oh, and those two guys, I don''t know them either."


    Halia looked at the three people that Natalie pointed out and made a mental note of them.


    Soon, all the guests arrived and Natalie pointed out another three unfamiliar faces.


    That night, two of the six people that Natalie pointed out actually approached Halia and tried to convince her to visit casinos that they were partnered with. It wasn''t illegal to be a junket, it was just a side hustle where they promoted casinos for a bit of extra commission, so Halia tried to probe them to see if they offered any illegal services. But, both these people were clear.


    Perhaps, none of the illegal junkets found a way to get into this particular event.


    Halia glanced at Sean who was on the other side of the ballroom and he shook his head, gesturing that he didn''t find anything either.


    Halia sighed and grabbed a glass of champagne. Did she come all the way here for nothing?


    At that moment, a voice whispered beside her ear, "You look a little upset."


    Halia quickly turned and came face-to-face with a man she had met the previous night: Emerson Wu.


    Halia smiled, "I''m just a little stressed. I don''t know anyone here."


    Emerson tilted his glass of wine and clinked it with Halia''s Champagne glass. "You know me," he said.


    Halia laughed and took a sip of her Champagne.


    "I saw you looking at the auction items last night. Anything strike your fancy? Are you planning to bid on anything?" he asked.


    Halia shook her head, "I don''t like fighting for things, so I might just write a donation cheque. It saves the headache."


    Emerson looked at Halia, "You''re very different to the other women here. They''ve all decided what they want and they''re willing to tear each other apart for it. They''ve completely forgotten that the entire purpose of this event is for charity."


    Halia laughed, "What about you? Are you planning to bid on anything?"


    "I have a few items in mind," the man replied with a charming smile.


    At that moment, the lights in the ballroom switched off and a spotlight focused on a chubby man on the stage.


    "That''s the auctioneer, things are about to get serious," Emerson chuckled.


    Halia turned towards the stage as the first item was presented for auction.


    Guests were throwing around millions of Yuan like it was nothing and the auctioneer could barely catch up with them. However, Emerson remained silent. Didn''t he say that he had his eyes on a few items? What were they?


    Soon, the necklace that Halia and Natalie were looking at the previous night was brought up onto the stage.


    "Finally, it''s here," Emerson whispered under his breath. As people started to raise their hands, Emerson suddenly cut in. "30 million yuan," he said without hesitation.


    Everyone in the ballroom gasped.


    It was Emerson Wu, no one could outbid the heir of Golden Dream Casino.

 Chapter 92 - Distance Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

    After he won the necklace, Emerson also bid on a pair of matching earrings and a bracelet.


    Halia looked at the man curiously as he smiled at her. What was a grown man doing with women''s jewelry? Was he giving it to his mother?


    After the auction ended, Emerson excused himself and went to the backstage to collect his winnings.


    But, while he was gone, a man that had been watching Halia the entire night, finally approached her - it was Thomas Sun.


    "Director Feng, I''m Thomas Sun, Director Wu''s assistant. We met yesterday," Thomas reintroduced himself.


    Halia immediately recognized the man, but she was surprised that the man was suddenly talking to her when he didn''t say a word the previous day.


    "I heard you mention yesterday that you would love to visit Macau, is that true?"


    Halia nodded her head cautiously.


    "Well, I work for a junket operator on the side and I have a special package I want to offer you. I can give you one week free accommodation at Golden Dream Casino in Macau, plus return flights to and from Beijing. What do you say? All you have to do is spend at least 100,000 yuan on ch.i.p.s and play inside our VIP room for at least 2 hours every day. As long as you stick to those rules, you are welcome to cash out whatever you don''t use or whatever you win at the end of the week," Thomas offered.


    "But, it''s illegal to take more than 20,000 yuan out of the country," Halia pointed out.


    "That''s fine, we have a representative in Beijing who you can give the cash to. After you arrive in Macau, we will give you the equivalent in ch.i.p.s. If you run out, we can lend you money in Macau. And if you win or have funds left over, we can give it to you in HK dollars or US dollars. All exchange of cash will be private, the government won''t know about it," Thomas winked.


    Halia smirked with interest. "When''s the next available date that I can take up this offer?" she asked.


    Thomas quickly checked his phone, "In 3 weeks time."


    "OK, well I''ll be in Hong Kong for the rest of this week, so ask your representative to contact me when I get back to Beijing and we''ll go from there," Halia said.


    Thomas immediately nodded his head.


    ...


    Meanwhile, over in France, Jackson and Amelie were sitting on the sofa next to each other. Jackson had his shirt off while Amelie was undoing the stitches on his shoulder and arm.


    "Which hospital did you go to? Whoever stitched you up should get fired," Amelie complained as she carefully undid the crooked stitches.


    Jackson glanced at the light scar left behind from the stitches and laughed to himself. "A beautiful nurse did it for me," he smiled.


    Amelie glared at the man. How could he be praising another woman in front of her, especially when she left a scar on his arm?


    "Look how bad this scar is. You should sue the hospital when you return to China," she exclaimed.


    Jackson took another glance at the scar, "I think it looks quite good. Besides, it''s not from a hospital. My girlfriend did it for me."


    "Your girlfriend''s a nurse?" Amelie asked nosily.


    "She''s a multitalented woman," Jackson replied with a secretive smile.


    He gave Halia a bracelet and Halia gave him a scar - they were even, right? Now, whenever he looked at the scar, he was reminded of Halia. It was like she had branded him and he belonged to her. Was Halia still wearing his bracelet and did it remind her of him? This thought made Jackson''s heart flutter. How could this woman make him feel this way even when she wasn''t around? Perhaps, like people often said, distance really did make the heart grow fonder.


    ...


    Back at the charity ball, the lights dimmed and a beautiful melody danced across the ballroom. Couples began to make their way onto the dancefloor as they moved elegantly in sync with the music.


    Halia watched quietly from the side as she admired the music. It had been a long time since she attended an event like this. The last time she went to a ball, she was 15. Back then, she remembered admiring the ball gowns and suits on the a.d.u.l.ts and watching her parents dance. As she thought back on her childhood, she suddenly remembered that a little boy had asked her to dance that night. Who was that little boy?


    While she was deep in thought, a hand suddenly appeared in front of her. "May I have this dance?" a familiar voice asked.


    Halia looked up in surprise...

 Chapter 93 - Do You Remember Me?

    Before Halia got a chance to respond, the man grabbed her hand and dragged her out onto the dancefloor. While this happened, some of the other socialite ladies watched on with jealousy from the side.


    "Did Emerson Wu just ask Haili Feng to dance with him? He''s never asked anyone to dance with him before?" one of the women complained.


    "Lucky Marissa''s gone to the bathroom. If she saw this, she would be furious," another woman said.


    Emerson smiled as he placed Halia''s hand on his shoulder while still holding onto her other hand. He then placed his hand on her waist.


    "I don''t know how to dance," Halia said under her breath.


    "Don''t you remember what I taught you before?" Emerson asked.


    Halia looked at the man with confusion. Before? When had he taught her how to dance?


    "Just follow me," he said as he glided to the right.


    Halia quickly followed and the man smiled. He then turned his body a little and glided to the left. Halia followed again.


    After stepping on the man''s foot a few times, Halia finally moved in sync with the man and the music. As she glanced up at the Emerson, she suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.


    "You''re a natural," the man smiled.


    Halia''s eyes widened. She had heard this before. Halia ran her eyes carefully across the man''s face. His eyebrows were thick, his eyes were small and charming, his nose was tall and defined, and finally, his lips were thick and soft.


    "Do you remember me now?" the man asked with an amused look in his eyes as he pulled Halia closer to his body.


    Halia gasped in surprise as she gripped tightly to the man''s shoulders.


    "You''re...that little boy?" Halia asked.


    "I''m hurt..." Emerson replied. "I shared my first dance with you, yet it took you so long to remember me."


    Emerson was only 12 when he first met Halia. Like any other little boy, he didn''t like girls at that age, so when he first met Halia, he didn''t really think much of her.


    His father and Halia''s father were friends, so, even though one lived in Hong Kong and the other lived in Guiyang City, they saw each other at events and special occasions a few times each year, but Halia and Emerson never had any proper conversations.


    It wasn''t until Halia and Emerson turned 14 that Emerson suddenly saw Halia in a different light. Perhaps, it was the peak of his puberty. Emerson noticed during one of his visits to Halia''s house, things that he had never noticed before: her smile sent tingles down his spine, her long wispy hair danced in the wind like an angel, her smooth skin glistened in the sun and her slender body was delicate and s.e.xy.


    That was the first time he felt his heart race because of a girl.


    Back then, Emerson was so shy that he used to hide and watch her in secret. But, because of this shyness, she barely saw him properly. It was no wonder that Halia didn''t recognize him.


    A few months after he turned 15, Emerson learned that he was attending a ball. When he heard that Halia would be there too, he immediately started taking dancing lessons. He assumed that she would be impressed if he knew how to dance and he wanted to give his first dance to her. So, on the night of the ball, he asked her to dance with him. But, to his surprise, she had never danced before, so he patiently taught her. He remembered the softness of her hands and how she trembled nervously as he told her to follow him. He remembered her soft voice as she apologized for stepping on his foot. And, he remembered her smile when she finally danced in sync. He would never forget that smile.


    He remembered that entire night vividly.


    However...his happiness ended as quickly as it started. Life continued after that ball, but...he never saw Halia again. He was told that Halia was sent to boarding school and only visited home every so often. But, the worst thing was, she never attended any events anymore. One year passed after another. Emerson eventually heard that Halia moved to Beijing to study and work. He had visited Beijing a few times for work and he deliberately drove past her university, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but he was never that lucky. After all, he didn''t even know what she was studying and what faculty she was in; it was a complete stab in the dark.


    Gradually, time passed and he continued on with his life, assuming that they would never met again.


    Until last night, when he saw her walk in through the doors. He recognized her immediately and felt his heart stop for a second.

 Chapter 94 - I Love You, Babe

    As Halia and Emerson moved across the dancefloor, a pair of envious eyes fell on them.


    "Marissa," her assistant said nervously.


    The 29-year-old Marissa Qian was the owner of a famous PR agency which she inherited from her dead husband. At just 22 she married a man that was 28 years her senior, but the man unfortunately died from a sudden aneurysm last year. As a result, she became a widow as well as a millionaire overnight.


    Even though she was married, it was no secret that she had her eye on Emerson Wu; almost everyone in the rich social circles knew about it. But, Marissa Qian was a manipulative woman who managed to keep her husband in the dark. If he had known, he would have never written her name on his will.


    Now that her husband had been gone for a year, she thought it was finally time to make a move on Emerson. She was even wearing a custom made designer dress that showed off her fake b.r.e.a.s.ts; no man could resist taking a second glance at her.


    A moment ago, she had popped into the bathroom to freshen up, hoping to get a dance with Emerson and seduce him.


    So, she was furious to find that when she returned from the bathroom, Emerson was already dancing with some unknown woman.


    She clenched her fists in anger.


    As the song ended and the two moved away from each other momentarily, Marissa quickly stormed over and nudged Halia away. She then grabbed Emerson''s hand as the next song began.


    Marissa managed the PR for Emerson''s casinos; he couldn''t afford to offend her. So, he took a quick glance at Halia apologetically and Halia gave him a gentle reassuring smile as she walked away. Who was that woman? Why was she so rude and abrupt?


    Halia was a little annoyed, but quickly brushed it aside.


    At that moment, she spotted Natalie getting a little drunk in the corner. Halia quickly hurried over and helped Natalie stand up.


    "Are you OK?" she asked.


    Natalie hugged Halia in her drunken state, "I love you, babe."


    Halia shook her head and sighed. Natalie always got really affectionate whenever she was drunk.


    "You should go back to the room first," Halia frowned as she helped Natalie out to the corridor. Natalie smiled and rested her head on her friend''s shoulder as they walked out.


    On the other side of the ballroom, Sean noticed the two women stumbling out and was immediately worried about Halia. Was Halia OK?


    He had seen her drink a few glasses of Champagne through the night. Was she drunk? Out of concern, he quickly ran after the two women. Of course, he had no idea that Halia held her alcohol well. After all, Fengtai Corporation was one of the biggest producers of Baijiu (Chinese wine) in China!


    But, just as he stepped out into the empty corridor, he saw Natalie pin Halia against the wall. It was like a classic scene from a romantic idol drama, except Natalie and Halia were two women. Natalie grabbed Halia''s chin and looked at her ambiguously.


    As Sean approached, he heard Natalie say clearly, "I''ve missed you, babe."


    He then watched as Natalie leaned forward and pressed her lips against Halia''s.


    Sean froze in shock.


    He knew it!


    Natalie was definitely Halia''s girlfriend!


    Overcome with complex emotions he quickly rushed over and separated the two women. "Is everything OK?" he asked with concern.


    Halia looked at Sean awkwardly as she wiped her lips. "Natalie''s drunk," she said.


    She then pulled out a room card. "Can you take her back to my room first? I have a lead to follow," she whispered.


    Sean quickly put the card in his pocket and nodded his head. He then lifted the drunk woman in his arms and headed for the elevator.


    Sean glared at the woman in his arms. When he reached Halia''s floor, he pulled out the room card and entered the suite. He then carried Natalie into the bedroom, threw her on the bed and turned to leave.


    "Ugh, why so rough, babe," the woman suddenly complained as she rolled around in the bed, kicking all the blankets onto the floor. While she did this, her dress slid up her leg, revealing her silky thighs.


    Sean glanced at the woman and noticed she didn''t look too appropriate. He quickly covered his eyes and picked up the blankets from the floor. He then threw it on top of the woman. But, he felt bad leaving her like that, so he wrapped her in the blanket and adjusted her into a comfortable position.


    She was his love rival, but she never did anything wrong, so he couldn''t act so petty. Hence, he walked into the bathroom and grabbed a wet towel. He then dabbed it on the woman''s face gently.


    Natalie opened her eyes slightly and saw the man. It had been a long time since a man treated her so gently. Sure, everyone rumored that she wasn''t interested in men, but that was all a misunderstanding. She was simply wary of men.

 Chapter 95 - The Peninsula Suite

    Halia returned to the ballroom just as Emerson finished his dance with Marissa. After they bowed politely at each other, Marissa tried to hold Emerson back for another song, but Emerson spotted Halia and quickly excused himself.


    Marissa glared at Halia and stormed over to a waiter to grab a glass of champagne. Who was that woman? She had never seen her before.


    As she held onto her glass of champagne, she turned to one of her friends and asked them about Halia. It didn''t take long for her to learn that Halia was the infamous daughter of the chairman of Fengtai Corporation. This discovery made her scowl. Sure, she was a millionaire with an inheritance that her husband left for her, but she was what people considered as ''new money''. On the other hand, Fengtai had been around for generations. They were one of the most influential families in the alcohol trade in China. Everyone that was anyone knew about them and even the rich tried to suck up to them. This made Marissa furious.


    As she glared at Halia, she strutted across the ballroom towards her like a model on a runway. She was very confident with her body and she loved any attention she could get. Just as she got close enough, she pretended to trip, pouring the champagne in her hand all over Halia''s long curly hair and the front of her chest. Everyone in the ballroom gasped. Marissa regretted for a moment that she wasn''t? holding a glass of red wine.


    "Oh, I''m so sorry," Marissa said as she began to pull Halia towards the door. "Let me take you to the bathroom to get cleaned up."


    Halia looked at the woman and noticed a slight smirk on her face. This woman obviously did it on purpose.


    With a gentle nudge, she pulled the woman away from her body. "That''s OK, I just live upstairs. It''s getting late, I should be leaving anyway," she said with an elegant smile. She was originally planning to ask Emerson a few questions about Thomas to see if he knew that his new assistant was a junket, but it seemed, she couldn''t do that now.


    At that moment, a man in a suit quickly ran in holding a towel and bowed to Halia. "Miss Feng, please let me assist you back up to the Peninsula Suite," he said courteously.


    A few people gasped when they heard this. The Peninsula Suite was the most expensive room in the hotel and it was reserved for the most prestigious of guests. On a night like this, with an event in their own ballroom, the price must have skyrocketed. Plus, how far in advance did she have to book for this coveted room?


    Actually, Halia''s father had originally planned to attend the event, so he had already booked the accommodation well in advance for himself. When Halia decided to attend on his behalf, it was such late notice that he couldn''t cancel in time, so he kept the reservation. Luckily, it was put to good use in the end when his daughter actually requested for help.


    Marissa glared at Halia.


    "I heard the Peninsula Suite comes with its own 24-hr butler," one of the guests squealed as she pointed to the man that had run in. "I never knew the butlers here were so handsome."


    "It''s OK, Victor. Thank you for the towel, I can make my own way up to the room," Halia replied to the young man that was standing in front of her.


    "Yes, Miss Feng. If you require a drycleaning service, you can call me on the phone and I''ll come to collect your dress for you. Would you like me to bring you a hot tea?" the butler offered.


    "No, that''s fine, Victor. I''ll call you if I need anything," Halia said as she dried her hair with the towel and continued walking out of the ballroom.


    Marissa wanted to embarrass Halia, but somehow, everyone was even more amazed by her.


    "She''s so polite and humble," one of the guests praised. "I always thought she didn''t attend events because she was a snob."


    Marissa was annoyed.


    But, at least, she managed to remove Halia from the ballroom and have Emerson to herself. With a smirk, she began to look around for the man. However, he was nowhere to be seen.


    At that moment, there was a bit of commotion near the door as a few young women peered into the corridor outside.


    Marissa glanced over curiously.


    "It''s Emerson," one of the girls squealed.


    As soon as Marissa heard this name, she ran over to see what was happening. But, when she looked out into the corridor, she clenched her fists in anger.


    Emerson had just covered Halia with his suit jacket and the two of them were walking into the elevator together.


    "Are they a couple? They look so good together!" a young woman exclaimed.


    "I saw them dancing earlier," another woman joined in.


    Marissa furrowed her brows as the elevator door closed.

 Chapter 96 - Logic Finally Takes Over

    "Are you OK?" Emerson asked inside the elevator.


    Halia gripped onto the jacket around her shoulder and looked up at the man.


    "Yes, I''m fine. Thank you for your jacket," she replied.


    Since they were already in the elevator together and Halia wanted to question the man she decided to invite him up to her suite.


    "Would you like to come up for some tea before you go? That way I can return your jacket after I get changed," she offered.


    The man''s heart skipped a beat as he looked at the gorgeous woman in front of him. A lot of things could happen between a man and a woman inside a hotel suite.


    Trying to maintain his composure, he gently nodded his head.


    Soon, the elevator arrived on the 26th floor - the very top of the building - and Halia went to open the big majestic double door to the Peninsula Suite.


    Inside, the lights were off in the living room, but a slight glow came from the bedroom. Halia assumed Sean had dropped Natalie off and left, but she had no idea he was still inside taking care of her friend.


    She quickly searched for a light switch and lit up the palatial style suite with a beautiful chandelier that hung from the double-heighted ceiling. In front of her was a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto the spectacular Victoria Harbour and the luxurious Chesterfield sofa in the living room, provided the best view of the city.


    "Nice place you have here," Emerson said with a slight smile as he walked in behind Halia.


    "Show yourself around, I''ll go get changed," Halia smiled back.


    Emerson looked at the woman with a desirous gaze.


    "The last time I saw you, we were 15. How old are you now?" he asked gently as he brushed a loose hair out of her face.


    "I just turned 27 a few days ago," Halia replied as she quickly neatened her hair so the man didn''t have to.


    "Do you know how happy I am to see you again?" Emerson asked.


    Halia looked into the man''s eyes and felt herself stop breathing. There was an odd familiarity to him. Perhaps, it was because they had met when they were kids.


    "I''m going to go get changed," she quickly said as she cleared her throat and rushed into her bedroom.


    The man smiled and went to look out the window.


    Inside the ensuite bathroom of the bedroom, Sean was standing shirtless beside the sink. A moment ago, just before Halia returned, Natalie had vomited all over his shirt. As he had the tap on when Halia opened the door, he did not hear her enter. Now that he had washed all the vomit off, he left his shirt to soak in some soap for a little while, hoping to make it smell a little nicer.


    As he dried his hands, he suddenly heard some shuffling in the bedroom.


    Had Natalie woken up?


    Worried that the drunk woman would end up vomiting all over the floor or the bedsheets, Sean quickly opened the bathroom door and rushed out with no shirt on.


    But, he quickly froze when he saw the bare back of a delicate woman he had been desiring for the last few days. His body immediately heated up with a rush of hormones as Halia glanced behind her in surprise. She had just undone the zipper of her dress and was about to take it off when she heard a noise.


    "Sean, what are you doing here?" she gasped as she held onto her dress.


    This scene was extremely seductive even though Halia didn''t mean it.


    Without a word, Sean rushed forward towards the woman and pulled her into his arms, pressing his fit police-trained body against Halia''s back. Her smooth skin rubbed against his chest as he brushed her hair aside and began to kiss her on the neck.


    Halia stretched her neck in pleasure as she took a deep breath. At that moment, memories of Sara and Sean flooded her mind. It was happening again; she was losing control. She took a quick glance at the bed and noticed Natalie was fast asleep. Her friend could not help her this time.


    Just as she closed her eyes, the man turned her around to face him and moved his lips from her neck to her lips. As he ran his fingers across her bare back passionately, he moved from her lips back down to her neck. Halia ran her fingers across the man''s back and gently opened her eyes again.


    As she bit her bottom lip, she suddenly froze.


    On the other side of the room was a standing mirror and the reflection inside was her and Sean.


    Yes, she was Halia and the man in her arms was Sean. This was not right!


    Just like Dr. Li said, to prevent Sara''s emotions from taking over, the first step was realization.


    The second step - was allowing logic to take over.


    Suddenly, a little sparkle caught Halia''s eyes. Halia looked at the mirror closely and noticed it was coming from her wrist. A little heart pendant swung from side to side.


    It was the bracelet that Jackson gave her!


    She felt her heart melt at the thought of this man.


    With one swift move, Halia quickly grabbed Sean''s arms and restrained it against his back. "I already told you - I have a boyfriend!" she said beside the man''s ear.


    Sean was a little surprised. It seemed, Halia really did hold back the other day when he was testing her fighting skills. She actually had a senior SPU detective restrained in a hold that he couldn''t get out of.


    All of a sudden, there was a knock on the bedroom door. "Halia, are you OK? I thought I heard some noise," a man''s voice asked worriedly.


    Sean''s eyes opened wide in shock. There was another man in the suite?


    Halia quickly pushed Sean away and gestured for him to stay quiet.


    "I''m OK. I just tripped a little. I''ll be right out," she called out towards the door.


    She then looked at Sean and warned, "Don''t ever do that again, or we can''t even be friends."


    Ignoring Halia''s warning, Sean immediately asked, "Who''s the man outside?"


    "My lead. Don''t forget what we''re here for," Halia replied coldly as she stormed into the bathroom to get changed.

 Chapter 97 - The Grieving Process

    Halia soon returned to the living room with Emerson''s jacket. After she handed it back to him, she went to make him a cup of tea as promised.


    But, while she was busy in the kitchen, Emerson placed his hand inside his jacket pocket and revealed a mischievous smile. He then got up from the sofa and started walking around.


    By the time Halia returned with his tea, he was seated back in the sofa like nothing had happened.


    "So...how''s work been?" Halia asked awkwardly.


    Emerson smiled. Was she attempting to start a conversation with him?


    "It''s been good. My father retired last year and handed the entire casino to me," Emerson replied. "It was tough at first, but I think I''ve settled in fine."


    "Is that why you got yourself a new assistant? You finally figured out the kind of help that you needed?" Halia asked.


    "Yes, Thomas is a very smart guy," Emerson replied.


    "Isn''t he supposed to stay by your side? Where is he now?" Halia questioned.


    Emerson laughed and replied, "He''s not a bodyguard; he doesn''t have to be with me all the time. Besides, I told him to socialize a little. He''s new so he should develop some relationsh.i.p.s on his own."


    Halia squinted her eyes and looked at the man in detail. If he was the one that told Thomas to socialize, was he also the one that told Thomas to speak to her?


    "Did you know that I spoke to him earlier?" Halia probed.


    "Oh really? What did you talk about?" Emerson asked.


    "He invited me to visit your casino," Halia replied.


    "Haha, that guy''s too passionate about his job. His meant to be an assistant, not a promoter. Anyway, why do we keep talking about Thomas?" Emerson asked.


    "Oh, I was going to check if he was waiting for you downstairs and if he was taking you home," Halia lied. She had a feeling that Emerson was involved with the entire junket operation and possible money laundering business, but she had to lay off on the questions to avoid suspicion.


    Emerson put down his tea cup and looked into the woman''s eyes. "Are you worried about me?" he asked.


    "We''re childhood friends, right? Of course I''m worried about you," Halia replied.


    "Then, I better get going," Emerson said with a satisfied smile. Even though he didn''t want to leave, he knew it would be inappropriate for him to stay any longer.


    But, just before he walked out the door, he quickly handed Halia his phone. "Can I get your number? I don''t want to lose contact with you for another 12 years," he laughed.


    Halia smiled and typed in her phone number, even though she knew she''d be seeing him again in Macau very soon.


    But, she had no idea that the man couldn''t wait that long...


    After Emerson left, Halia quickly reported everything she discovered that night to Sean and kicked him out as soon as she was done. She had to make it clear that it was strictly business between them.


    Sean was a little disappointed.


    With a frown, he left The Peninsula and returned to his lonely hotel room. As he sat down on his bed, he noticed that the room was quiet and all he heard was the sound of his own thoughts. He glanced at the empty bed beside him and his heart sunk. Only a few days ago, he was excited to share a room with Halia, but it was clear now that things weren''t going the way he expected. Halia already had a partner and she made it clear that she was not interested in him.


    He grabbed a can of beer from the bar fridge and poured it down his throat, suppressing the sadness he felt inside; the sadness he had been trying to contain and distract himself from for quite some time.


    It had almost been 2 months since Sara died. Everyone grieved differently. For Sean, he occupied himself with work every single day, and when he found that Halia was similar to Sara, he piled his emotions onto her and treated her as a substitute. He stubbornly convinced himself that he was OK and he was moving on. But now that his mission was over in Hong Kong with no lead to follow for the next 5 days and he was all alone in his hotel room, he could finally see everything clearly and reality hit him hard. He was a man, he wasn''t supposed to cry, but tears began to fall from his eyes. There was no mission nor Halia to distract him anymore. It was just him and his memories of Sara.


    "I''m sorry Sara. What have I been doing?" he cried.


    Perhaps, this was the real reason why the Captain sent him to Hong Kong with Halia. It wasn''t just so Halia could get some time off, but he realized that Sean also needed some time to properly grieve and accept that the love of his life was gone...


    ...


    While Sean was finally accepting the truth, over at The Peninsula Suite, Halia was staring up at the moon that was glowing brightly in the sky and thinking about the man that was in her heart. "Is it night time where you are?" she whispered as she held onto the heart pendant on her wrist.


    While she was deep in thought, her phone suddenly beeped.


    She had received a message.


    Halia quickly picked up her phone to check who it was from. It was Emerson: [I think I dropped an earring at your place. It''s probably wedged between your sofa. Can you return it to me tomorrow?]

 Chapter 98 - Hangover

    Halia walked over to the sofa and ran her hand through the gap at the back. As Emerson predicted, there really was an earring. In fact, it was the one he had won at the auction. How did this get wedged here so carelessly?


    Halia quickly wrapped it in some tissue and placed it in her handbag. She then messaged Emerson back to tell him she had found it and arranged to meet him the next day so she could return it.


    Thus, the next morning, Halia woke up, popped on a t-shirt and jeans and headed out of the hotel to meet Emerson at a popular Hong Kong style cafe just down the road for breakfast.


    The cafe was busy when she arrived and there was a long queue outside, but luckily, Emerson had arrived early and was already seated inside.


    Halia quickly squeezed in past the busy waiters and waitresses and seated herself on a tiny table opposite Emerson.


    Emerson revealed a huge grin. "Good morning," he said.


    Before Halia got the chance to even look at the menu, a waitress placed a glass of hot tea in front of her and asked impatiently, "What would you like?"


    Halia was a little taken aback.


    "Is there anything you don''t eat?" Emerson asked gently.


    "No," Halia replied.


    "I''ll order a few things and we can share," he offered.


    Halia quickly nodded her head.


    After the waitress took their order and left, Emerson looked at Halia apologetically and chuckled, "I''m sorry, Hong Kong service can be a bit rough, especially when they''re busy. But, their food is really good. I eat here almost every week."


    Halia was a little surprised, "Don''t you live in Macau?"


    "No, I just own a casino in Macau, but I''m still a Hong Kong citizen. However, I do go there every few days to check on the place," he explained.


    "Have you been to Hong Kong before?" he asked.


    "No, this is my first time," Halia replied.


    At that moment, a plate of French toast, a bowl of macaroni soup and a bowl of instant noodles arrived, followed by two cups of milk tea and two empty bowls so they could share.


    "How long are you in Hong Kong for? Do you have any plans?" Emerson asked as he handed Halia one of the empty bowls.


    "I''ll be here for another 5 days. Natalie was supposed to show me around today, but she had a major hangover from drinking too much at the ball," Halia said as she rolled her eyes.


    "Well, I''ve got the next few days off from work. Do you want me to show you around?" Emerson offered.


    Halia took a bite of French toast and smiled. The bread was soft, buttery and eggy; there was peanut butter in the middle, and drizzled lightly on top was some condensed milk. Halia froze for a second when she tasted the peanut butter. That was right, Sara was allergic to nuts! But, Halia quickly glanced at the bracelet hanging on her wrist and reminded herself that she was not Sara. She knew she was perfectly fine, so she quickly took another bite and suppressed the feelings of fear


    Ever since Halia rejected Sean the previous night, she felt like she had finally regained control of her body. She could now sense when Sara''s emotions were building and knew how to suppress it before she lost control. This trip was definitely much needed. For the first time in almost two months, she felt relaxed and free.


    "This is delicious!" she exclaimed.


    "Hong Kong has a lot of Western influence from when it was ruled by the British. Cafes like this are perfect examples of how they''ve taken those influences and made it their own. Let me, at least, show you around today since you have no plans. Nothing is better than exploring with a local," Emerson offered again.


    Halia smiled and tried some of the macaroni soup. She had to admit, she loved food and Emerson was making an extremely tempting offer. So, she nodded her head.


    Emerson took a bite of French toast and smiled.


    ...


    Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Natalie finally managed to climb out of bed with a groan. Her head was aching and she felt nauseous; the results of a hangover. She wandered into the bathroom, brushed her teeth and had a shower, hoping it would make her feel better, but she still felt awful. So, she decided to make some coffee.


    As she wandered out to the kitchen, she heard a phone ring. The ringtone didn''t sound like her own, but it was definitely coming from inside the suite. Natalie quickly followed the sound and realized Halia had left her phone on the coffee table. Probably, it was because she was just popping downstairs for a quick breakfast, so she didn''t take it with her.


    The caller ID showed that it was a call from Sean, so Natalie picked it up.


    "Hey Sean, Halia''s popped down for some breakfast and she left her phone here," Natalie said in a tired voice.


    "Oh, thanks for letting me know. You didn''t go with her?" he asked.


    "I have a major hangover," Natalie replied with a groan.


    Sean sighed.


    "I know a great hangover cure. Do you want to give it a try?" he asked.


    Natalie held her breath in surprise.


    "Sure," she replied.


    "I''ll come get you in half an hour, give me your phone number and I''ll call you directly," he said.


    Natalie quickly gave the man her number and hung up. She then placed her hand on her chest as she took some deep breaths to calm down. Why was her heart beating so fast?

 Chapter 99 - Fallen Into A Trap?

    Natalie had visited Hong Kong a few times and thought she knew a lot about Hong Kong, but every time she went there, it was always on business with Halia''s father. Naturally, Halia''s father only visited places where the rich frequented. It was far from a representation of the real Hong Kong.


    This day, for example, she hopped onto the MTR (the Hong Kong subway) for the very first time in her life. It was peak hour and everyone was rushing to work so the trains were packed to the brim.


    "I thought this would be quicker than getting stuck in a traffic jam," Sean said as he glanced down at the woman that was practically in his arms. Sean and Natalie were facing each other with just a small gap between them. Since the train was packed, Natalie obviously felt more comfortable to be facing someone she knew. Thus, they were left in a slightly awkward and ambiguous position.


    Everytime the train moved a little, or people adjusted their positions in the train, Natalie would be pushed against Sean''s firm chest. The man''s body sent tingles down her spine and the smell of his aftershave tempted her to run her nose across his neck and chin. They were only 3 stops from their destination, but Natalie wished it was 30 - or even 300.


    Sean felt Natalie''s gentle breaths as she glanced up at him awkwardly. As a police detective, he was a protective person, so when Natalie was pushed against him, he subconsciously wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her stable.


    "Are you alright?" he checked.


    Natalie nodded her head.


    Soon, the two of them squeezed out of the busy train into the packed streets of Mongkok. Sean quickly weaved through the streets. Many stores were just opening for the day, including market stalls. There were vans unloading stock everywhere and people rushing off to work, but Sean avoided everything on street level and headed straight up to the 3rd floor of a building. Inside, there was a no-frills food center where people were enjoying their breakfast. There were tables and plastic stools everywhere and random menus stuck all over the walls; it was nothing like the fancy Michelin-starred restaurants she had visited in the past.


    Natalie looked around with curiosity. Sure, she had been to Mongkok before, but now that she thought about it, she only ever walked on street level and most of that time was spent buying souvenirs in the Ladies? Market. She never knew about secret hidden spots like this.


    "I worked in Hong Kong a long time ago," Sean explained. "This was one of the places where I used to grab breakfast."


    Years ago, before Sean became a senior detective and handler for the SPU, he started as a field agent just like Halia. Back then, he had also been sent undercover and had a lot of dealings with the Hong Kong triad, so he often lived between Beijing and Hong Kong. During that time, Mongkok was like a second home for him.


    "The congee here is the best for tackling a hangover; major comfort food with plenty of liquid to hydrate your body," he said.


    Natalie glanced at the menu and felt her stomach grumble in hunger. "I''ll have the fish congee," she smiled.


    Sean smiled back at the woman. The almighty secretary of the Chairman of Fengtai Corporation was currently sitting in an old no-frills food center eating congee with him. He originally thought that she would be quite picky and precious. But, she was a lot more down-to-earth than he expected.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in a different part of Hong Kong, Halia and Emerson had just been picked up by a luxurious Rolls Royce.


    "Where are we going?" Halia asked.


    "To my place, I have one of the best views of the city," Emerson replied with a wink.


    Halia looked at the man in surprise. His place? Just the two of them? They didn''t even know each other that well. Had she just fallen into a trap?


    Halia quickly placed her hand in her pocket to look for her phone; she had to at least notify Natalie or Sean of her whereabouts. But, that was when she realized she had left it on the coffee table at the hotel suite.


    Pinching herself in frustration, she turned to Emerson and asked to borrow his phone. "I think I left my phone at the hotel. Can I borrow yours to give it a call and make sure I didn''t drop it somewhere else?" she asked.


    Emerson nodded and handed over his phone.


    Halia quickly phoned herself, hoping that Natalie would pick up, but the phone simply rang out. She then glanced at Emerson awkwardly and tried again. But, there was still no response.


    In the end, she handed the phone back to Emerson and glanced at the man with suspicion as the car began to drive up into a quiet mountainous road...

 Chapter 100 - The Pool

    Halia and Emerson soon pulled up outside a beautiful mansion situated in the exclusive Peak neighborhood of Hong Kong. This was the most expensive neighborhood in Hong Kong - and possibly the world.


    As the Rolls Royce pulled into the driveway, a butler and two maids stepped out to greet them. Halia breathed a sigh of relief, at least there were other people around. Afterwards, a man who appeared to be in his early 60''s stepped out of the mansion with two women by his side. One woman looked like she was in her early 50''s and the other looked like she was in her mid 40''s.


    Emerson walked Halia over to the man and quickly introduced her, "Father, this is Haili Feng, do you remember her? We haven''t seen her in over a decade."


    Father Wu scanned Halia from head to toe and smiled, "Oh, Henry''s daughter. You''re all grown up, dear. It''s been a long time."


    Halia looked at the old man and felt a slight sense of familiarity, but she had met so many of her father''s friends in the past that it was impossible to remember much about this man. She simply shook his hand out of politeness.


    Emerson then introduced the two women next to his father, "Haili, this is my Mom and this is Auntie Lily."


    Halia smiled at the two women politely.


    "So what are the two of you doing here?" Father Wu asked out of curiosity as he led everyone into the mansion.


    "I was planning to show Halia our view. She''s in Hong Kong for a holiday, so I thought I''d show her around," Emerson replied as he walked through the extravagant living room towards a set of glass doors.


    The butler quickly ran over to open the door and Emerson led Halia outside into the garden.


    As soon as Halia stepped out, she felt her breathing stop. The view in front of her was spectacular. They were high up on a hill; looking down on the high rises of Hong Kong.


    "Follow me this way, there''s a place you can sit and enjoy the view," Emerson guided.


    Halia quickly followed Emerson down a paved path through some beautiful magnolia trees, there was an odd sense of deja vu as she breathed in the scent of the blossoming flowers. Had she been here before? It wouldn''t be a surprise since her father and Father Wu were friends, but again, she had visited too many of her father''s friends to remember for certain. Finally, the path opened up to reveal a sparkling infinity pool that appeared to fall off the edge of the cliff and just beside it were some sun lounges.


    Halia sat down on one of the sun lounges and gasped in amazement as she looked at the view.


    "You''re really lucky today," Emerson said as he sat down beside her. "Hong Kong can get quite smoggy, but the view is clear today."


    Halia turned to Emerson with a smile, "Thank you for bringing me here."


    Emerson looked at the woman''s smile and felt his heart race. It had been 12 years since he last saw her, but she was as beautiful as he remembered, if not more.


    At that moment, Halia''s smile suddenly disappeared as she looked at something just above his head. Emerson looked up and noticed a branch from a tree.


    "Is that a plum blossom tree?" Halia asked. It was hard to tell since it wasn''t the season for the tree to bloom (it was just a bare tree with branches) but, Halia felt like she had seen it before.


    "Yes," Emerson replied. "Do you remember it? You tried to pick a blossom off it before and fell into the pool. I wasn''t allowed near the pool unsupervised after that incident."


    Halia looked at the man in confusion as she glanced back at the pool. There was obviously a fair distance between the pool and the tree, how did she fall in?


    "We rebuilt the pool a few years back and moved it closer to the edge of the cliff," Emerson explained. "The old pool use to sit right under this tree. I think you were 12 or 13 then."


    Halia looked up again. She then scanned her eyes around the garden and finally recognized the place. No wonder she felt a sense of deja vu. A lot had changed since she last came here. Not just the pool, but a lot of the landscaping had been redone.


    "That''s right, I came here before," she exclaimed. "This place has changed a lot."


    "I had a fear of water after I almost drowned that time," she laughed. "My father even forced me to take swimming lessons to overcome it. Gradually, I learned how to swim and put the incident behind me. But, every now and then, I still had nightmares about that day. I remember struggling to breathe and everything going dark but I couldn''t pinpoint the location of where it happened. So, it was here..." Halia said in amazement as memories started flooding back.


    At that moment, she suddenly paused and looked at Emerson, "Do you remember who saved me that day?"

 Chapter 101 - Cotton Candy

    Halia frowned as she tried to remember what happened the day that she drowned. She remembered falling into the water, she remembered everything falling quiet, she remembered kicking and flailing as she tried to grab a breath of air and she remembered the burning sensation as water entered her lungs. The fear and helplessness she felt made it one of the scariest moments of her life. After all, everything could have ended right there.


    But then, she remembered something soft on her lips and the taste of cotton candy as air was breathed back into her lungs, and she remembered glancing up into a pair of cold yet caring eyes as she coughed up the water in her lungs. She remembered looking around for her savior when she regained her consciousness but only seeing the back of the boy as he ran off to get help. Lastly...she remembered seeing a bag of cotton candy on the ground...and feeling embarrassed when she realized why she could taste cotton candy on her lips.


    Halia touched her lips as she reminisced on this memory. It happened so long ago that she had almost forgotten about it. But now, it felt like it had only happened yesterday.


    Halia glanced at the man beside her and hesitated before she asked again, "Who saved me? Was it you?"


    Emerson sighed and stared out at the view in front of him. "It was my brother," he replied.


    "Your brother?" Halia asked. She didn''t see Emerson''s brother at the ball yesterday, nor did she see him at the mansion today. Was he working?


    "Is there any chance that I could meet him? I would like to thank him," Halia requested.


    Emerson walked over to the pool and dipped his feet in the water. This topic seemed to bother him.


    "He doesn''t live here anymore. I haven''t seen him in years," Emerson replied with regret. "To be honest, I don''t even know if he''s still alive..."


    ...


    While Emerson and Halia were reminiscing on old times, Sean was also doing some reminiscing of his own.


    Ever since he became a senior detective and handler, he had not returned to Hong Kong for a while, but he still had friends that lived there.


    "I''ll be visiting some old friends today. If you''re not doing anything, do you want to come with me?" Sean asked Natalie.


    Natalie felt a lot better after the hearty breakfast, so she nodded her head. After all, she had nothing else planned for the day.


    Natalie quickly followed Sean onto a bus. What kind of friends did he have? How did they meet? Were they settled down with children or were they single? Natalie was filled with curiosity.


    Soon, the bus arrived in a quiet neighbourhood and Sean gestured to Natalie that they had arrived.


    As soon as they got out of the bus, Sean walked across the road towards a big fenced building.


    Natalie watched as Sean walked in through the gates and glanced at the big words written across the fence: Rainbow Nursing Home.


    "It''s been a while since I''ve visited," Sean smiled. "They''re going to be so excited."


    Sean weaved through the corridors and arrived at a common activity room where there were a group of old people dancing to some music.


    He peeked in through the window in the door and smiled, "I knew they''d be here."


    He then threw open the doors and yelled, "Surprise!"


    The old people immediately stopped and looked towards the man. Then, one of the old ladies squealed and screamed, "It''s Little Sean!"


    Four old ladies and one old man quickly ran over to Sean and hugged him.


    "You''ve lost weight."


    "You''ve gotten more handsome."


    "You need to cut your hair."


    Over the commotion, Sean chuckled and pulled Natalie over to his side. "This is my friend, Natalie. She had nothing to do today so I brought her along."


    One of the old ladies immediately grabbed Natalie''s hand. "You are so young and beautiful. Your skin is so supple and soft. Are you Little Sean''s girlfriend?" she winked.


    Natalie blushed a little.


    But, just as she was about to respond, Sean answered on her behalf, "She''s not interested in me. She already has a partner."


    Natalie looked at Sean in confusion. When did she have a partner?

 Chapter 102 - The Boxing Club

    That night, Halia and Natalie both sat inside the hotel suite in silence. Halia was thinking about the boy that had saved her life and Natalie was thinking about the man she had spent the day with.


    Natalie''s first impression of Sean was Halia''s clingy stalker-like friend, but now that she gotten? to know him better, she realized he was a really kind-hearted person. Not only did he take care of her when she was drunk, he also took care of the 5 old people she met at the nursing home.


    "My son died about 7 years ago and Sean took care of me like his own mother," one of the old ladies said to Natalie earlier that day while Sean was in the bathroom.


    "Our sons went to jail shortly after Mary''s son died and Sean also took us under his wing," another old lady said as she pointed to herself, the remaining two ladies and the old man.


    "What happened?" Natalie asked curiously.


    "They were all involved with the Hong Kong triads," the old man humphed. "I warned my rascal son that he would be sent to jail one day, but he was too greedy and didn''t listen to me..."


    As Natalie thought back on the conversations she had that day, she couldn''t help but feel a little curious about Sean. So, she turned to Halia and asked, "Haili, did you know that Sean worked in Hong Kong before?"


    Halia snapped out of her daze and looked at her friend, "No, I didn''t know that."


    "Then, did you know that his friends were a part of the triads?" Natalie probed further.


    Halia looked at Natalie in surprise and shook her head. "He never told me about that either, but I can assure you that he''s a just and righteous man."


    "Maybe that''s why he''s not in jail with his friends," Natalie said softly as she felt pity for Sean. How hard would it be to lose so many friends like that?


    Halia nodded and dazed off into her own thoughts again. Emerson seemed so strange when she mentioned his brother earlier. Where was his brother now and how could Emerson not know if he was dead or alive? What happened between them? Halia felt bad for her savior; he had saved her in the past but she never got the chance to thank him or repay him. What type of person did he grow up to be? How was he doing in this harsh world, all on his own?


    At that moment, Halia suddenly received a message on her phone: [You returned one earring, but I think the other one''s still at your place. Try searching under your sofa. I may have dropped it there.]


    Halia looked at the message. It was from Emerson. She then walked over to her sofa with suspicion and checked underneath it. Sure enough, another earring was there.


    How did he know it would be there?


    Halia held onto the earring and shook her head. Did Emerson plant it there on purpose?


    ...


    The next day, Halia met Emerson for a typical Hong Kong yum cha so she could return the second earring. But this time, she took Natalie and Sean with her as well.


    Emerson was a little surprised when he saw the two extra guests, but he forced a smile and welcomed them.


    The previous day, Emerson had taken Halia to a garden after visiting his home. He assumed Halia was a typical rich socialite woman who liked flowers, but she ended up staring unhappily at some rose bushes for quite some time. Of course, he had no idea that the roses reminded Halia of Jackson, he simply thought she was bored. So, he decided to do something a little more competitive and active today.


    "Halia, my friend owns a boxing club nearby. Would you like to go there after this and do some boxing? I can teach you. It will be fun. You can also meet some of my friends and we can go visit some local bars later," Emerson offered.


    Halia turned to Sean and Natalie. "Do we have anything planned for today?" she asked.


    The two friend shook their heads.


    "Let''s go together then," Halia said as she turned back to smile at Emerson.


    Emerson forced a smile. His intention was to invite Halia only, but somehow, Halia invited Natalie and Sean as well. How troublesome.


    After yum cha, Emerson brought the trio to a fancy boxing club inside an exclusive building. Obviously, this was not a boxing club for the average person. The facilities were top class, there were floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto the city, air conditioning, a spa and sauna room and plenty of towels and gloves to use.


    But, just as Halia looked around in awe, she spotted a familiar figure walking towards them. "Emerson!" the woman squealed as she strutted over in her bright pink sports bra and black shorts.


    It was Marissa Qian.


    The woman scoffed when she saw Halia in her loose t-shirt and jeans. "We meet again. Sorry about the accident at the ball," she smiled. She then waved for her assistant to hand over a pair of pink boxing gloves, "It''s nice to see Emerson bring a friend, let''s exchange a few moves," she smirked arrogantly as she pointed to the boxing ring.


    Emerson immediately stepped in protectively, "Don''t joke around, Marissa. We all know that you''re the Women''s champion in this club. Halia''s new to this. She''s not here to fight. I''m just teaching her some basics today."


    But, to his surprise, Halia suddenly said, "It''s fine Emerson. I''ve taken a few lessons before. We''re just exchanging a few moves. Nobody''s going to get hurt."


    Halia was smart. She knew this woman had a thing against her, so she knew she had to teach her a lesson or she''d never back down.


    As Emerson looked at Halia with concern, Sean and Natalie laughed to themselves. Halia was a highly trained SPU agent, both of them knew that. Sean had experienced her skills first hand and Natalie had heard about her adventures as an undercover.


    She could knock-out this woman within a second if she wanted to.

 Chapter 103 - One Punch Woman

    Halia grabbed a pair of boxing gloves that were lying around and casually put them on. She then tied her long black hair into a bun and climbed into the boxing ring. Even if the Captain''s skills hadn''t been transferred to her, she had done some boxing when she was in the police academy, so the ring was not an unfamiliar place for her.


    Marissa smirked and climbed into the other side of the ring as she glared arrogantly at Halia from the corner of her eyes.


    A crowd quickly gathered around to watch the fight. Some whispered and laughed at Halia, while others watched quietly.


    "She''s not even dressed properly, is she for real? Who is she?" one of the women sneered.


    "I saw her come in with Emerson. She must be some high-class socialite princess that thinks this is a game," another woman laughed.


    Halia ignored the comments and stretched her arms and legs calmly. This was far from a game.


    At that moment, Emerson climbed up beside her. "Are you sure about this?" he asked worriedly.


    "I''ll be fine," Halia replied confidently.


    Emerson glanced at Natalie and Sean, hoping they''d help him convince Halia out of the ring, but he realized they weren''t concerned at all. At that moment, Halia began to push him out of the ring. "Trust me, I got this," she reassured.


    As it wasn''t a proper match, there was no referee nor rules, so when Marissa saw Emerson showing concern for Halia, she stepped forward impatiently and asked, "Are you ready?"


    Halia smiled and stepped forward, "Ready when you are."


    As soon as Halia''s words left her mouth, Marissa immediately threw a punch forward without warning.


    Halia scoffed at the sneaky move thrown by the woman but dodged it easily. She then waved for her to try again.


    Marissa glared at Halia with frustration. "I see you''re quick on your feet," she said with ridicule before she rushed forward and threw a succession of punches instead. "Let''s see you dodge this," she whispered under her breath. But, Halia easily blocked her punches without breaking a sweat.


    The other club members watched with interest. This was not what they expected.


    "Is that all you''ve got?" Halia chuckled. "Come on, you''re not taking this seriously," she provoked.


    Marissa''s face turned red in anger. She was the Women''s Champion in this club. No other woman in the club had ever beaten her; it was something she was extremely proud of. So, she growled and swung her arm with all her might, aiming for Halia''s head.


    But, Halia saw it coming and ducked effortlessly, causing Marissa to punch thin air and lose her balance. As she fell on the floor, everyone gasped.


    "Stop dodging, you coward!" Marissa screamed as she stood back up. "Fight me properly!"


    On the side, Sean sighed as he watched the fight. It was like watching a cat play with a mouse before killing it.


    Emerson glanced curiously at the man. Why did he sigh? "Does Halia know how to box? Should I be worried about her?" he asked anxiously.


    Sean shook his head and smirked, "You should be worried about her opponent instead..."


    At that moment, a loud bang echoed across the room.


    Emerson quickly turned back to look at the boxing ring, just in time to see Halia''s glove impact against Marissa''s face. As blood sprayed from her mouth, Marissa dropped on the floor and immediately fell unconscious.


    Everyone fell silent in shock.


    This mysterious woman had just knocked Marissa Qian out with one punch!


    ...


    At this time, over in France, Jackson had just woken up to another beautiful spring day. When he first arrived at the country home, it was fairly hard to adjust to life there since he had been living in the city for many years, but now that several days had passed, he was beginning to get used to it.


    Every morning, the rooster crowed at dawn and the owners of the home would wake up to cook breakfast. After that, the smell of food and coffee would waft into his room and he''d hear Amelie and Alexander in the kitchen. He''d join them for breakfast and head out onto the field to help once he was done. Then they had lunch at 1pm, dinner at 7pm and bedtime would be at 10pm. It was the same - every single day.


    That day, as he headed out onto the field, he noticed Mr. Martin, the owner of the vineyard, was nowhere to be seen. "Where''s Mr. Martin," Jackson asked the man''s wife.


    "Today is Delivery Day. He''s delivering the gr.a.p.es to our winery so they can turn it into wine. My son runs the winery, so it gives us an excuse to visit every few days," the woman replied.


    "Is it far from here?" Jackson asked out of curiosity.


    "It''s back near the main road, about 20 minutes drive from here," Mrs. Martin replied. "Maybe you can visit it one day when this is all over."


    "I would like that very much," Jackson replied. "Perhaps, I''ll even bring my girlfriend if she doesn''t break up with me after this."


    "Why would she break up with a charming man like you?" the middle-aged woman chuckled.


    "Well, I kinda left without a word and she has no idea where I am or whether I''m ever returning," Jackson sighed as he thought about the note and flowers he left behind. Did Halia end up seeing them?


    "You left her there all on her own? What if your enemies decide to go after her?" the woman asked worriedly.


    "Don''t worry, she has a few moves up her sleeves. After all, my girlfriend is an SPU agent," he replied proudly.

 Chapter 104 - Big Misunderstanding

    Emerson spent the rest of the day in shock. He originally planned to bring Halia to the boxing club so he could teach her a few moves and impress her, but he ended up being the one that was impressed by her instead. Who was this woman? Wasn''t her family involved with alcohol? Why was she such a good boxer?


    "No one''s seen you in over a decade, not even at the office. Tell me the truth, are you secretly an underground boxer?" Emerson joked.


    "I''ve been studying," Halia replied. "I only graduated 2 years ago and I''ve been working from home, so no one''s seen me."


    Halia couldn''t reveal to Emerson that she was a police officer since she was technically still investigating him, so she lied a little.


    "I did a bit of boxing during my uni days, but it was nothing professional. It was just for fun," Halia explained.


    "Just for fun?" Emerson looked over at the other side of the club and saw Marissa sitting on the floor with blood dripping from her mouth. She had just woken up and was still a little dizzy as the club medic examined her. "You chipped a tooth, Marissa. Also, you may have a bruise for a few days," the medic explained as he held a piece of tooth in his hand.


    Marissa screamed in shock as she held onto her cheek. She didn''t expect Halia to be so good at boxing, so she didn''t even wear a mouth guard. As her vision cleared, she scanned her eyes across the club and spotted Halia on the other side of the room. She immediately jumped up and glared at her. "I''m going to kill you!" she roared at the top of her lungs. She then stormed across the room, burning with hatred.


    But, just as she got close, Sean suddenly grabbed her arms and restrained her. "I wouldn''t do that if I was you. You don''t want to lose another tooth, do you? Besides, you should find some milk for your chipped tooth and rush to a dentist as soon as possible. If you''re lucky, you''ll be able to reattach it," Sean suggested.


    Marissa glanced at the medic and the medic nodded his head in agreement. So, with a humph, Marissa immediately grabbed her jacket and left the boxing club to find a dentist. "I''ll get you back next time," she growled at Halia as she walked out the door.


    After she was gone, Natalie walked over to Sean and clapped her hands in amazement. "You looked so cool just then. Do you know how to fight?" she asked.


    "I know a little bit of self defence," the man replied with modesty. He didn''t just know a bit of self defence - he was actually a black belt in karate and taekwondo!


    "Can you teach me something?" Natalie pleaded.


    Sean smiled. This woman was definitely more down-to-earth than he expected. With a nod, he quickly? walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her body.


    Natalie jumped a little in surprise as she felt the man''s muscly arms wrap around her. She could smell his aftershave mixed with his cologne and it made her heart race.


    "Don''t stand there in a daze. What would you do if someone grabbed you like this?" Sean asked beside her ear.


    His voice sent tingles down her spine.


    "I-I don''t know," Natalie stuttered nervously as she blushed.


    Sean then showed her a few basic moves on how to free herself and Natalie watched with admiration. "You''re so cool," she praised.


    There were a few moments when Sean thought he saw Natalie blush a little, but he simply assumed she was tired. There was no way she was blushing because of him. After all, Natalie didn''t like men and her girlfriend, Halia, was sitting not too far away watching them.


    But, of course, he had no idea that he had gotten himself into one big misunderstanding...


    ...


    After spending their second day together, Halia returned home to find another message on her phone: [There''s a plant behind the sofa. Check in the dirt, there might be a bracelet there.]


    By now, it was obvious what this man had done. When he was in her suite the other day, he had hidden pieces of jewelry around the place so he''d have an excuse to see her again, and it was working.


    Halia walked around to the plant and sighed. Hidden just beneath the surface was a sparkling ruby and diamond bracelet. As she lifted it up to eye level, she whispered under her breath, "Don''t tell me this is the reason why Emerson bid on these items."


    At that moment, she suddenly realized something and started looking around the living room. She had already found a pair of earrings and a bracelet - but what about the necklace? Was it hidden somewhere in the suite as well?


    Halia wasn''t stupid, it was obvious that this guy was interested in her. Why else would he try so hard just to see her again? But, she had already asked him everything she wanted to know about his casino and its operations over the past two days. She couldn''t continue leading him on. So, she sent him back a message: [Is the necklace somewhere around here too? Let me return it all at once]


    But, to her surprise, he replied: [No, the necklace is here with me]

 Chapter 105 - Going For A Ride

    In the end, Halia had no choice but to meet with Emerson again. Over the past two days, she had already slipped in questions inconspicuously about his casino and its operations and she was fairly certain that he didn''t know about the illegal activities that were taking place there. In fact, it didn''t seem like he even knew that Thomas was a junket, let alone that he was a junket for his casino.


    In that case, who was giving Thomas permission? And did he have a boss?


    Halia didn''t want to expose Thomas yet, so she didn''t reveal the deal she made with him to Emerson nor did she mention that she would be going to Macau in a few weeks. She simply came to the conclusion that Emerson was clueless about the entire thing.


    That day, Emerson''s driver was waiting outside The Peninsula Hotel for Halia. As soon as she stepped out, the driver waved her into the car and started driving.


    "Where are we going?" Halia asked.


    "The Young Master is waiting for you at the wharf," the driver replied.


    "The wharf?" Halia said in confusion. "I simply have a bracelet that I need to return to him. Can I just give it to you?"


    "I''m sorry, Miss. I was told that the bracelet is worth almost a million Hong Kong dollars, if anything happens to it, I''m dead. I could never afford something like that. It''s best if you hold onto it and give it to him in person," the driver replied.


    Halia sighed and looked out the window. Emerson''s intentions were pretty obvious at that point, but Halia had run out of questions for him and she didn''t want to lead him on when she already had a partner, so she was determined to make things clear when she saw him.


    Soon, the Rolls Royce arrived at the wharf and Halia stepped out. "The Young Master is waiting for you at pier #22," the driver explained. Halia smiled and began walking towards pier #22 as instructed.


    It didn''t take long before she located a pole with the number 22 on it. But, when she arrived, she looked around and couldn''t see Emerson anywhere.


    At that moment, she heard a honk. Halia quickly looked in the direction of the noise and spotted Emerson on board a yacht. His voice wasn''t very clear, but Halia saw him wave as she walked towards him.


    "Come for a ride," he said as she got closer.


    "I''m just here to return your bracelet," Halia rejected politely.


    "Oh, come on. I''ve been called in for work tomorrow, just keep me company for one more day," Emerson pleaded. "I don''t know when I''ll get to see you again."


    Halia smiled. Even though she didn''t have any romantic feelings for this guy, he had been very kind to her. Plus, she could tell he was a gentleman that didn''t act recklessly, so she agreed in the end. After all, she considered him a friend.


    After stepping onto the yacht, Emerson grabbed her hand with a smile and led her to where the steering wheel was. The engine started and a man began reversing the yacht out of the wharf.


    "I own this yacht," Emerson explained. "This is Fred, he drives it for me."


    Halia looked at the man behind the wheel and smiled.


    After the yacht had fully reversed and began to drive straight, Fred moved aside and offered the wheel to Halia. Halia quickly shook her hands. "I don''t want to crash it," she laughed.


    But, Emerson suddenly grabbed her hands from behind and placed them onto the wheel. "The yacht''s already going straight, you don''t have to worry," he chuckled beside her ear.


    Halia felt the man''s chest pressed against her back. He wasn''t as muscly as Jackson or Sean, but there was something warm and comforting about this man.


    Emerson rubbed her hands reassuringly as the yacht moved deeper into the bay. "You''re doing great," he said.


    Halia smiled and stared out at the blue water in front of her. It was a beautiful spring day, so the sky was clear and the sun glistened between the waves. She took a deep breath and felt her body relax. She had been worrying about Jackson and stressing over work so much that she hadn''t felt this calm in a long time.


    "Thank you for bringing me on here. I really needed this," she said as she moved away from the wheel.


    Emerson looked into Halia''s eyes and smiled. He then grabbed her hand again and dragged her out of the captain''s room, "Come, I have something else to show you."

 Chapter 106 - Just Friends

    Emerson dragged Halia out to the deck and checked his watch. He then glanced around the water and finally pointed to an area in the distance where there was some splashing.


    "Can you see it?" he asked.


    Halia looked in the direction that Emerson was pointing and ran to the edge of the deck to get a better look.


    "What is it?" she asked with interest.


    Emerson walked over and stood next to her with a smile. At that moment, there was another splash a little closer to the yacht.


    Halia quickly turned her head and noticed a fin. She knew it couldn''t be a shark, since sharks were extremely rare in Hong Kong and she knew the fin was too small to be a whale. So, her eyes lit up with excitement. "Is it a dolphin?" she asked.


    Emerson nodded his head with a smile.


    Halia grinned and looked back out into the water with anticipation. She had never seen a dolphin in the wild.


    Soon a little head popped up, followed by another and another. There were 3 dolphins swimming near the yacht. As Halia looked at them in detail, she realized that they looked a little different to the usual dolphins. Halia stared at the them in amazement, "Are they pink dolphins?!"


    "They''re not always here, so you are really lucky today," Emerson said with a nod.


    Halia continued staring at the dolphins as they swam around. This was not what she expected when she woke up this morning. This man was full of surprises.


    At that moment, something suddenly dangled in front of Halia''s eyes. It sparkled in the sun and quickly caught her attention. Halia immediately recognized what it was. It was the necklace from the auction. Emerson was standing behind her and helping her put it around her neck.


    "This is a little gift from me to you," Emerson said as he secured the necklace to Halia''s neck.


    Halia quickly touched the necklace in surprise, "No, this is too expensive, I can''t have it."


    "But, I specifically bid on it for you. I saw you staring at it with Natalie on the viewing night and thought you''d like it," Emerson said.


    "You misunderstood, Natalie was the one that liked it. I don''t wear expensive jewelry like this," Halia explained as she tried to remove the necklace.


    A look of disappointment swept across Emerson''s face.


    "I know your birthday was like a week ago. Think of it as a present," Emerson said.


    Halia looked at the man in surprise, "How did you know?"


    "You forgot me, but I never forgot you. Our birthdays are 2 weeks apart," Emerson replied.


    Halia couldn''t believe it. How did this man have such a good memory?


    Eventually she couldn''t bear to reject him, so she nodded her head. "Fine, I''ll accept it, thank you," she said with a smile as she lowered her hands and left the necklace on her neck. To be honest, she was quite touched by the man''s gesture.


    Emerson grinned as he looked at the beautiful woman standing in front of him. The necklace made her even more beautiful.


    He had seen many beautiful women in his life. In fact, he was one of the most eligible bachelors in Hong Kong and women threw themselves at him all the time. He had even dated a few just to make his parents happy, but none of them ever made him feel the way that Halia did. Halia was special.


    As the wind blew against her long wispy hair, he felt his heart melt. To him, she was his first love. Someone that had a special place in his memory; someone he had always dreamed of seeing again.


    So, now that she was standing before him, he couldn''t bear to let her go again. "You don''t know how happy I am to see you again," he said as he brushed a strand of hair out of the woman''s face. He then gathered his courage and placed a kiss on Halia''s forehead, "Happy belated birthday," he said.


    He then grabbed her chin and looked into her eyes.


    Halia''s eyes opened wide in surprise. She understood the look in the man''s eyes, he was asking for permission to kiss her on the lips. But, Halia quickly backed away. She was meant to clarify things with him, how did she get herself into a situation like this instead?


    "I''m sorry, I''m accepting this gift because we are friends. Just friends," she said.


    She then held onto the bracelet around her wrist and stared into the horizon. "I already have a boyfriend," she said. This was the second time she had rejected a man because of Jackson, but where was he now and was he returning? Ever?


    ...


    At this time, in France, Jackson had just woken up. But, it wasn''t because of the crow of a rooster or the sounds of breakfast being made in the kitchen. He had been startled awake by the sound of shattered glass. Someone had broken into the house.

 Chapter 107 - Gogh

    Jackson immediately reached under his pillow and pulled out a hidden gun. Because of the situation he was in, he was always on high alert, so an abnormality like this was extremely serious. Sure, it could have been a normal robbery - robberies weren''t uncommon in remote areas like this - but, there was a huge possibility that someone was there for him.


    At that moment, he heard some tapping on the wall beside him. It was coming from Amelie''s room.


    Jackson listened carefully and quickly realized it was Morse code: "Stay. Alexander and I will check."


    Jackson quickly tapped back: "OK." He then heard Amelie''s room door open, followed by light footsteps across the corridor.


    A moment later, there was a loud scream from the kitchen followed by a gun shot. Jackson quickly recognized that the scream belonged to Mrs. Martin.


    "Jackson, where are you?" a man''s voice yelled in French.


    "I think you got the wrong place. We don''t know any Jackson," Mr. Martin''s voice replied.


    The old couple were the first to wake up and check the noise, so they were also the first to face the intruder.


    Jackson realized, at that moment, that Remy Durand must have figured something out by now and sent someone after him. Worst of all, he was rich enough to hire anyone.


    "Jackson! Come out or I am killing this lovely couple. You heard it, i have guns," the intruder warned.


    Jackson couldn''t let two innocent people die because of him, so he took a deep breath and stepped out of his room.


    As he walked down the corridor, he noticed Amelie and Alexander hiding on the two sides of the doorway. They hadn''t revealed themselves yet.


    Amelie looked at Jackson and shook her head. Their mission was to protect him, so she couldn''t risk him getting hurt.


    "I''m counting to 5, Jackson. If you don''t show yourself, Mr. and Mrs. Martin here are dead!" the intruder warned again.


    Jackson carefully approached Amelie to check the situation.


    "It''s Gogh," Amelie whispered.


    Jackson and Amelie were both familiar with this man that went by the name of ''Gogh''. He always had his face covered by a surgical mask, but he was easily identified by his missing ear. He was a famous hitman in the underworld, well-known for killing his targets so cleanly that it was almost like an artform. In fact, whoever he killed would disappear off the face of the earth, never to be seen again. Not even a body was ever found. Because of his unique features, he was given the name Gogh, after the famous painter, Vincent Van Gogh.


    "5!" Gogh counted.


    Amelie looked at Jackson. It was three Interpol agents against one hitman; they could easily rush in and apprehend the guy. Unfortunately, this hitman also had two hostages and they were currently tied together, with a gun pointed to each of their heads. Not only that, Gogh was currently using them as human shields. What were they to do? They were Interpol agents; they couldn''t risk civilian lives.


    "4," Gogh counted.


    Jackson knew he had to get the hostages away from the man first.


    Gogh was a clean and? meticulous man. Even if he was hired to kill Jackson, Jackson knew one thing for sure: Gogh would never do it on the spot. After all, no one knew how Gogh killed and disposed of his targets because he never did it in front of other people.


    So, the only thing Jackson could do at that moment was hand himself over. He could, at least, put up a fight if there were no hostages around.


    Jackson looked into Amelie''s eyes and Amelie shook her head. She knew what he was thinking, but if he stepped out, it would be suicide.


    However, Jackson was determined. So, he walked into the kitchen with his hands raised above his head. "Let them go, Gogh," he said.


    Gogh laughed. "Impressive, you know who I am," he said. "In that case, get in my car, let''s go for a drive."


    He then led Jackson out to his car while still using the couple as a shield. As soon as Jackson got in the car, Gogh threw him a pair of handcuffs and gestured for him to handcuff both his hands to the car. Jackson did as told.


    Gogh then started the car, jumped into the driver''s seat, threw the two hostages away and sped out of the property.


    Amelie and Alexander immediately ran out.


    "Where''s your car?" Amelie asked the couple anxiously.


    "In the barn, hurry take it. The keys are in my pocket," Mr. Martin said as Alexander untied him.


    Amelie immediately grabbed the keys and jumped into the car. As she drove past, she screamed out, "Activate Emergency Plan Charlie."


    Alexander nodded and quickly picked up his phone.

 Chapter 108 - Plan Charlie

    "Activate Plan Charlie," Alexander yelled over the phone anxiously.


    Mr. and Mrs. Martin''s vineyard was located deep inside a valley and there was only one road back out to the main highway. 20 minutes down the same road, their son ran the family winery and their daughter owned a small farm. Both of these properties were perched on hilly land and had to be passed to reach the highway.


    So, Plan Charlie was an emergency plan in case of a kidnapping like this or if someone was trying to escape.


    First, the car would be blocked off by a herd of cows owned by Mr. and Mrs. Martin''s daughter. Cows were big sturdy creatures, so the car would have no choice but to stop or plunge off the hill. While the cows bought time, Mr. and Mrs. Martin''s son and workers would build a barrier with wine barrels and hide behind them with rifles. By the time the kidnapper reached them, he would be forced to surrender.


    If worse came to worst, it would at least buy enough time before backup from Interpol arrived.


    It was a flawless plan.


    Or, so they thought...


    Amelie sped down the country road as fast as she could. The kidnapper had a huge lead on her, but she knew he would eventually be blocked by a herd of cows, so she was confident she''d be able to catch up. Even though they had a plan in place, she had to ensure that Jackson was safe. He wasn''t just a witness she had to protect, he was her friend. "Hold on, Jackson. I''m coming," she whispered under her breath.


    The road was rocky and it made the car bump as it went. However, Amelie had her crystal blue eyes focused ahead as her blond ponytail bounced in the air. Even though Jackson had rejected her, he was still her friend; she didn''t have many friends.


    Finally, after 20 minutes of driving, she saw a herd of cows in front of her as planned.


    But...something was wrong...


    There was no car!


    Amelie panicked. There was only one road out of the valley. Where did Gogh''s car go? Most of the road was lined with hedges, so the car couldn''t have turned off without being noticed. Moreover, the properties along the way were sealed off by locks. If he wanted to get in, the car would have had to smash through the gates or Gogh would have had to spend some time picking the locks. Amelie would have definitely seen something along the way - but she didn''t.


    At that moment, Amelie suddenly heard 3 gunshots echo from the valley. "Jackson..." she whispered as her heart sank.


    Amelie quickly got back in her car and drove back down the road looking for signs of suspicion. She had to find Jackson before he disappeared forever. But, nothing looked out of the ordinary.


    Just as she was falling into a panic, she suddenly received a phone call from Alexander, "Interpol intercepted a call for help from a nearby farmhouse. An old couple heard gunshots from their barn."


    "I''ll be right there," Amelie replied as she immediately drove to the farmhouse where the call was made. But...the driveway was sealed by a gate with padlocks and there was no car around.


    Were the gunshots definitely related to Gogh and Jackson? If so, how did Gogh get into the property?


    Amelie couldn''t waste time standing? around guessing, so she jumped the gate and started running down the driveway. Eventually, she spotted a little barn beside the main house. An old couple could be seen, peeking out of the window of their house curiously.


    Amelie pulled out her badge and gestured for them to hide. She then snuck up to the barn carefully. As she got closer, she spotted Gogh''s car parked nearby and her heart sank. This was not a good sign.


    She crept up to the door and tried to listen for noise, but all she heard was the neigh of a horse.


    Carefully, she peeked inside. Her heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it was jumping out of her chest.


    But...her heart quickly stopped when she saw the bloody scene inside.


    Her entire body froze as she held her breath.


    "Jackson!" she cried as she dropped her gun in shock and ran towards a body lying in a pool of blood.

 Chapter 109 - The Mysterious Room

    Halia spent another 2 days in Hong Kong relaxing and thinking to herself. So much had happened lately that she hadn''t had time to process everything. The Captain was right to give her some time off. By the time she returned to Beijing, she was refreshed and ready to take on her next mission.


    But, the first thing she did after getting of the plane was visit Jackson''s apartment. After all, she was supposed to keep it clean for him while he was away and she had been gone for a week.


    As soon as she entered the apartment, she could smell the familiar scent of Jackson''s cologne. It had only been just over a week since she saw him, but it felt so long.


    As she was cleaning the apartment, Halia gave Max a phone call to see if he had any news about Jackson, but Max simply replied that Jackson was awaiting trial in an unknown location and he couldn''t even get in contact with him.


    Halia sighed. Things did not look promising, but she wanted to at least wait and hear his sentence. She knew it was unrealistic to dream of a future with a criminal, but she didn''t want to give up just yet.


    While she was vacuuming the home, Halia stopped outside the one room in the apartment that was locked. She remembered trying to get into that room before but having no luck. Back then, Jackson obviously had something hidden inside the room that he didn''t want anyone to see, but he was now apprehended, plus he had already revealed his operations to her. Did that mean she was allowed in this room now? He did tell her to keep the entire apartment clean.


    Halia picked up the keys to the apartment. Obviously, one of the keys was for the front door. Apart from that, she had used some keys for the windows and the balcony door. But, there was one key which she hadn''t used yet. Did he leave the key to the locked room for her? Did he want her to see what was inside?


    Halia held onto the key and careful slotted it into the handle of the door.


    It fit!


    She then twisted the key and it clicked.


    Halia''s eyes opened wide in surprise. The door was unlocked.


    After taking a deep breath, she turned the handle and walked in...


    ...


    Meanwhile, over in a restaurant not too far away, Max was signing off some renovations while he waited for Cleo to arrive.


    While Sean was away in Hong Kong for a week, Max had taken advantage of the opportunity to try and win over Cleo''s heart.


    First, he used his menu as an excuse to meet with her everyday. Then, he took her to dinner afterwards to thank her for her help


    Cleo thought of Max as a friend, so she didn''t think much of it.


    But, she had no idea that whenever she wasn''t around, Max had been visiting the gym to lose weight. He had seen the way she looked at Sean and knew he couldn''t compare. He even cut down on the number of cigarettes he smoked because she told him it was unhealthy.


    That day, Cleo arrived at the restaurant around lunch time as usual. Even though the rest of the restaurant was still under renovation, the kitchen was ready to use. So, over the last few days, Max had been cooking a couple of dishes every day for Cleo to try and she watched the entire process as well as the ingredients that went into them. They''d then taste the dishes together and Cleo would give him her honest advice.


    "I haven''t seen you go out for a cigarette break lately," Cleo commented while Max was cooking. The first time she visited the restaurant with Max, he went out every hour for a quick puff, but over the last few days, he only smoked a cigarette before she arrived and once before dinner.


    "Oh, you noticed?" Max asked happily.


    Cleo nodded her head, "Are you trying to quit?"


    "Yes, you told me it was unhealthy and that you didn''t like it, so I decided to quit," Max replied.


    "You''re doing it because of me?" Cleo asked.


    "Yes, your opinion means a lot to me," Max smiled.


    Cleo looked at the man and felt the warmth from his smile. He was quite big and intimidating, but after getting to know him, she realized he was just a gentle giant.

 Chapter 110 - J&H

    Halia froze when she saw what was behind the door of the mysterious locked room. At first, the guns on the wall weren''t too shocking, since Jackson was an arms dealer, but the surveillance equipment was what confused her. There were three screens that were connected to cameras in different locations around the city. Why did he have these?


    After she regained her composure, Halia walked over to the desk to look at the screens in detail. That was when she noticed a USB stick sitting on top of the desk. Out of curiosity, she immediately slotted the USB stick into the computer to check what was inside. To her surprise, it was a list of corrupt officers that had worked with Sam Huang, the man that had been arrested over the death of Marcus Sim.


    "Wasn''t this the USB stick that was handed over to the anti-corruption bureau? Why does Jackson have a copy of it?" Halia asked herself.


    She then opened the drawers to check what was inside and found a whole heap of old phones as well as a stack of new SIM cards.


    Things were becoming more and more mysterious. Why did Jackson have these?


    As she flipped through the items in the drawer...Halia suddenly stopped.


    The bracelet around her wrist had caught her attention. It wasn''t the first time that she had noticed the heart pendant that hung from it, nor was it the first time she ran her fingers across the dotted texture on the back. But, after what she discovered today, she had a gut feeling there was something more to the it.


    As she ran her finger across the dots, she realized there were also some dashes.


    Halia held her breath and froze.


    It was Morse code.


    .--- .-... ....


    "J&H," Halia whispered as a tear fell from her eye.


    It seemed, there was more to this man than she thought...


    ...


    That night, Max invited Cleo to dinner like he usually did. But, for the first time that week, Cleo actually turned him down. "Sean''s back from Hong Kong, so I''m catching up with him tonight," she explained.


    Max felt his blood boil at the mention of Sean.


    "Can I come as well?" Max asked.


    Cleo looked at the man awkwardly and replied, "We booked a table for two already. It will be difficult to change the booking now."


    Max frowned and nodded his head. "Well, at least let me drive you there. It looks like it might rain outside," he offered.


    Cleo smiled. Why was this man such a gentleman? "OK," she replied as she started walking out of the restaurant.


    Soon, Max''s car arrived outside a fancy Italian restaurant in the middle of town. "No wonder you couldn''t change the booking. This place is always packed," Max sighed.


    "Yeh, I''ve always wanted to try it, so Sean offered to take me," Cleo smiled excitedly.


    Max felt his heart break a little when he saw that she was excited to see another man. "If it''s good, I''ll come back with you again next time," Max offered.


    Cleo glanced at the man and nodded her head as she stepped out of the car.


    It was a bit windy outside, so Cleo immediately ran into the restaurant.


    As soon as she stepped inside, she saw a hand waving at her. Sean was already seated and waiting for her.


    "It''s so nice to see you again. How was Hong Kong?" Cleo asked as she leaned in to hug the man.


    "It was great," Sean replied as he pulled out a chair for the woman to sit down.


    He then handed her a menu and they started chatting while picking what to eat.


    "So, what have you been up to while I was gone?" Sean asked.


    "I''ve been helping Max with the menu for his new restaurant," Cleo smiled.


    "I actually saw him just before this. He wanted to join us, but we had already made a booking for two, so he couldn''t come. It''s a shame because he would have loved this place," Cleo sighed.


    "We can always come back with him next time," Sean offered.


    Cleo nodded. She then looked at the menu and smiled, "There''s truffle pasta. Max loves truffle."


    Sean smiled. "They are famous for their pecorino pasta," he said as he pointed to the menu.


    "Oh, Max was planning to add pecorino to one of his dishes. I tried it for the first time on Monday. It was delicious," Cleo said.


    Sean looked at the woman with suspicion. Her every sentence mentioned Max.


    "It seems like you''ve put the whole gangster thing aside and decided to accept him as a friend?" Sean concluded.


    "Yes, I thought about what you said and decided not to judge him just because his friend was a gangster. Besides, I heard his friend was extradited back to France. I don''t think he will have any connections with the gangs from now on," Cleo said.


    Sean nodded as he looked at the woman.


    But, all of a sudden, something behind Cleo caught his eye. He was a senior agent of the SPU, so he was a very observant person. A familiar figure was standing outside the restaurant, trying to peek in through the window.


    It was Max!


    Sean tried to hold back his laughter when he realized who it was. As a man, he could sense the jealousy even through the glass.


    "What are you laughing at?" Cleo asked curiously.


    "Oh, it''s nothing," Sean replied with an amused smile.

 Chapter 111 - Wet Clothes

    After dinner, Sean and Cleo went their separate ways. Usually, Sean would offer to take a woman home so late at night, but he had spotted a familiar figure secretly waiting outside, so he decided to give the man an opportunity.


    After he left, Cleo started walking towards the bus stop. As she checked her watch, the roar of thunder suddenly startled her. A storm had been brewing all night and it seemed as though it had decided to finally pour down at that moment.


    A few drops of water hit Cleo''s head and she immediately started running. Just as the rain started getting heavier, she sensed something cover her.


    Cleo quickly glanced to the side in surprise.


    It was Max. He was using his jacket to cover both of them from the rain.


    Why was he there?


    "Max, what are you doing here?" Cleo asked.


    Max and Cleo quickly ran under the bus shelter and shook the water off their bodies.


    "I saw that a storm was coming, so I waited for you," Max replied. "I was worried that you''d get wet."


    Cleo looked at the soaked man and laughed. Why was he so pure-hearted?


    She then pulled out some tissues from her handbag and started wiping his head and face. "You should have come with an umbrella or something. You''re going to get sick like this."


    "My car is actually parked across the street. The rain just beat me," he said as he pointed to a car opposite the bus shelter.


    As he spoke, he noticed the woman had moved in fairly close to him and her top had turned slightly see through from the rain. So, his heart started racing as he quickly covered her with his jacket. "Be careful not to catch a cold," he said awkwardly as he looked away and blushed.


    Cleo glanced down and realized why the man was blushing. She then wrapped herself in the jacket and tried her best to hold back her laughter. What a shy man.


    "Come back to my place and dry off a bit," Cleo offered.


    Max looked at the woman. She looked so vulnerable with her wet hair and clothes. How could she invite a man into her home at a time like this? It was much too dangerous. Even he couldn''t trust himself.


    Suddenly, "Achoo!", Max sneezed.


    He had been so busy worrying about Cleo that he forgot he was wet too.


    Before he got the chance to reject the woman, Cleo grabbed his hand and dragged him across the street. "Come on, let''s get you dry," she said in a domineering tone.


    In the end, Max had no choice but to go to Cleo''s home.


    As soon as he entered the little apartment, Cleo grabbed a towel and started patting his shoulders dry. She then proceeded to wipe his head. She was so close to him that he could feel her warm breaths on his neck, each puff sending tingles down his spine.


    Cleo glanced at the man and noticed him staring at her. Only then did she realize how close she had gotten to him; there was only a few centimetres between their bodies.


    From this distance, she expected to smell cigarettes from the man''s breath and the offensive scent of sweat, but this man had an alluring smell of aftershave and cologne instead. It made him extra manly. Perhaps, this was how she had been subconsciously drawn to him.


    "How was dinner today?" Max''s deep manly voice asked beside her ear, breaking the awkward silence.


    His breath was minty and his voice was caring. It seemed, he hadn''t smoked for a while.


    "It was good. I think we should go together next time," Cleo replied as she looked the man in the eyes.


    An air of ambiguity surrounded the two as they stared at each other.


    Sure, Max wasn''t skinny, but he still had some defined arm and chest muscles that peeked through his wet shirt. If he lost a bit of weight, women would be throwing themselves onto him. But, Cleo found him oddly attractive even in his current state.


    Perhaps, it was his gentle caring nature or his determination to change for her. Just because she told him smoking was bad, he immediately cut down on his cigarettes; just because she told him he should eat healthier, he stopped ordering takeout; just because she told him exercise was good for him, he started going to the gym everyday. They were simple words of advice, but he took them to heart and she noticed; she had been noticing for the past week.


    Feeling slightly moved by the man''s actions, Cleo suddenly leaned forward.


    Max felt his heart almost jump out of his chest. Why was she leaning in? Was she about to do what he was thinking? He had been pursuing this woman for a while, but she always seemed out of his league. Yet, what was she doing right now? Was she about to take the initiative?


    No way! He couldn''t let that happen! He was a man, he should take the initiative!


    With that thought, Max gently cupped his soft hands around the woman''s cheeks. The woman''s lips parted slightly and her eyes closed.


    Max smiled.


    He was right. As he held his breath nervously, he gently pressed his lips against hers.


    Maximus circled the couple''s feet, but Max had no time to be frightened. All his hard work had paid off and he wasn''t letting anything get in the way.

 Chapter 112 - Macau

    At first, Halia thought waiting for Jackson wasn''t too realistic. In fact, she expected that logic would eventually take over and she''d give up. But, after what she discovered in his apartment that day, a million possibilities ran through her head and she suddenly felt hopeful.


    So...she waited...


    And waited...


    And waited...


    Two weeks soon passed. During this time, Halia cleaned Jackson''s home every few days, hoping to some day walk in and see him sitting on the sofa. Meanwhile, she spent the rest of her time working and training.


    After returning from Hong Kong, the captain obviously asked Halia to follow the lead in Macau. So, dressed from head to toe in branded clothing, Halia went to lunch with a representative from Thomas'' junket company and deposited 100,000 Yuan as required.


    They then arranged a date for her to visit Macau with all flights and accommodation paid for. Halia could see how this was such a tempting offer for some people. It was an all expenses paid holiday with a possibility of winning money at the end!


    The day before she was to fly to Macau, Halia met with Max. "I''ll need you to feed my dog again. Is that OK?" she asked. "I''ll be gone for a week."


    Max smiled and nodded his head. He had been seeing Cleo every day anyway, so popping next door to feed Halia''s dog was no issue at all.


    Halia then hesitated before she continued, "If you hear any news about Jackson, contact me straight away."


    It had almost been a month since Jackson left. If he was really going to attend a trial, it should have been done by now. Halia remained hopeful.


    The next day, Halia caught a morning flight to Macau and was greeted by a luxurious limousine that took her straight over to Golden Dream Casino.


    The casino was massive and it had a shiny golden tint on the outside that made the entire building glow in the sun like a block of gold. Halia had never been a to casino before, so this place was quite an eye-opener.


    The limousine stopped outside the hotel entrance and Thomas came out to greet her. "Director Feng, you made it. It''s nice to see you again," the young man said.


    Halia was a little surprised to see Thomas. Although he had arranged everything for her, she expected that he wouldn''t be able to leave Emerson''s side since he was his assistant. "I didn''t expect to see you today. Don''t you have to assist Emerson?" she asked.


    "The President had to urgently return home," Thomas replied.


    "So, he''s back in Hong Kong?" Halia questioned.


    "Yes, the Chairman called him back for an urgent family meeting, so I was left here to keep an eye on things," Thomas explained as he led Halia into the hotel.


    "Does Emerson know that I''m here?" Halia asked out of curiosity.


    Thomas looked at Halia awkwardly. He then said, "No, I never told him you were coming, but I''m sure you''ll run into him at some point."


    Halia looked at the man in confusion. Wasn''t Emerson the President of the casino. Shouldn''t he have an eye on the junket operations that were happening under his own roof?


    Soon, she arrived at her hotel suite. Although it wasn''t as grand as The Peninsula Suite in Hong Kong, it was still exquisitely designed and more expensive than where a normal person would stay.


    "I''ll let you settle down first and I''ll come back to get you in 2 hours for a tour around the casino," Thomas smiled.


    Halia nodded her head and walked the man out.


    After closing the door, she went to have a bath. The flight wasn''t very long, but it was still tiring, so it was nice to freshen up a little.


    2 hours later, Thomas returned and took Halia on a tour around the casino as promised.


    Halia was quite surprised by the place. Gambling was illegal in China, so this was her first time inside a casino and it shocked her a little. The amount of money that was being thrown around was crazy.


    But, Thomas had only shown her the public area so far. When they finally stepped foot into the VIP area, Halia had to consciously keep her mouth shut. Every chip was equivalent to an entire week''s pay for her. No wonder they were willing to fly these people over and offer them free accommodation!


    At that moment, a chubby older man approached Halia and shook her hand.


    "Director Feng, it''s nice to finally meet you. I''m Director Pang, Emerson''s uncle. I am in charge of junket relations here at the casino and I was just passing by to check that everything was running smoothly. Thomas mentioned you''d be coming," the old man smiled.


    Halia shook the man''s hand and looked at him suspiciously. If this man was in charge of junket relations, did he know everything the junkets were doing in his casino? Including all the illegal activities?


    ...


    At that moment, in Hong Kong International Airport, Emerson was standing in the arrivals hall with a couple of bodyguards. His father had called him back urgently and asked him to go to the airport to meet a person he hadn''t seen for a long time. A person that he couldn''t believe was still alive.


    Soon, a familiar face walked out. Although they hadn''t seen each other for over a decade, Emerson could recognize that face from anywhere. "Big Brother!" he yelled across the hall.

 Chapter 113 - No Brains

    Halia sat down at a baccarat table and began to observe how people played. The only time she had seen something like this was in the movies. Fortunately, it was a very easy game to start on and completely relied on luck; it required no skill whatsoever.


    No wonder it was one of the more popular tables.


    A part of Halia''s deal with Thomas'' junket company was to spend at least 2 hours a day on the tables, so she had no choice but to play along. But, it also gave her the opportunity to understand the clientele.


    Was anyone money laundering and did the junkets and casino know about it?


    Money laundering was the process of concealing the origins of money obtained by illegally passing it through a complex sequence of transactions. This was done to hide dirty money and make it ''clean'' again (like passing it through a laundry). But, one of the less complex ways, was to go through the casino. As there was no receipt for the amount that people exchanged for ch.i.p.s, many criminals took the proceeds of their crimes, turned them into ch.i.p.s, played for a while and cashed them in, pretending they were all ''winnings''. Since the cash received in the end was a cheque and no one knew how much money they started with, they could claim that they won everything from the casino; all of a sudden, all the dirty money turned into clean money.


    So, of course, for people that needed to launder a lot of money, casinos were a great option, especially if they had help from inside.


    For people in China, gambling was illegal, so they needed to visit casinos overseas. The closest was Macau, but the government also limited the amount of money they could take out of the country. So, they needed someone to help them access fund. Junkets and casinos saw this need and naturally took advantage of it.


    As Halia sat at the table, she nervously bet a chip on the ''dealer'' while everyone around her stuck in their hands and placed bets without hesitation. Some of the ch.i.p.s were even stacked up like mountains. Obviously, these people weren''t that concerned about losing. Were they trying to quickly cycle their money through the tables?


    At that moment, a sharp female voice laughed beside Halia''s ear. It was an annoying laugh; the type that one needed an ''off'' button for.


    Halia glanced beside her and spotted a familiar face. The woman had flawless skin and perfectly straight teeth. It seemed, she had recovered well since the last time they met. "Marissa, what a coincidence seeing you here," Halia smiled.


    Marissa scowled arrogantly and placed a stack of ch.i.p.s on ''player''. She was deliberately betting against Halia and it was extremely obvious.


    "It''s no coincidence," she said. "I always come to Macau and visit Emerson. After all, we''re really close friends."


    "Oh, OK," Halia replied with disinterest.


    "We''ve known each other for years," Marissa continued. "He loves it when I visit."


    Halia nodded her head and scanned her eyes across the other VIP''s in the room. She was here for an important mission; not to waste her time on this woman.


    Marissa realized she was being ignored and it frustrated her, so she removed her coat to reveal her voluptuous body and sat down beside Halia. All the men around the table naturally looked over.


    Marissa was a fairly good looking woman but she had done so much plastic surgery that some of her procedures looked very obvious. This included her abnormally round b.r.e.a.s.ts and particularly sharp chin.


    Halia, on the other hand, was a natural beauty.


    Some men had already snuck glances at Halia when she first arrived, but now that Marissa was demanding attention right next to her, they had an excuse to turn their heads in that direction.


    "It''s Marissa Qian again. But, who''s the gorgeous woman beside her? I''ve never seen her here before."


    "Is she Marissa''s friend?"


    "She couldn''t be. Marissa and her friends are like a bunch of Barbies. This woman is obviously a natural beauty."


    Marissa overheard these conversations and felt her blood boil. But, she noticed that Halia was simply looking around the casino like she was trying to find someone.


    Out of spite, she said to Halia, "Are you looking for Emerson? Forget it, he never comes into the VIP rooms."


    Halia finally glanced at Marissa with interest. Why didn''t Emerson ever come to the VIP rooms? Wasn''t he the CEO of this casino?


    "Why?" Halia asked with curiosity.


    Marissa looked at Halia and smirked. She had treated Halia as a love rival from the start, but she had no idea that Halia had no interest in him.


    "Were you hoping to see him here? Well, I''m sorry, you''re not going to get the chance," Marissa replied.


    Halia looked at the woman with frustration. That was not an answer to her question. What was this woman going on about?


    Marissa saw the frustration on Halia''s face and thought she had successfully provoked her. "I suggest you give up looking for him because I''m heading over to meet him for a date right now," Marissa smirked, trying to make Halia jealous.


    Halia stared at the woman and finally realized what she was doing. She then sighed and looked away. This woman was obviously lying. Thomas had clearly told her that Emerson was back in Hong Kong. How could he go on a date with Marissa? This woman had no brains. If she wanted to lie, she should have done her research first.

 Chapter 114 - Emersons Brother

    Halia spent the rest of the day alternating between tables and eavesdropping on conversations while avoiding Marissa.


    That night, she returned to her hotel room and wrote down everything she had discovered.


    As usual, her handler for this mission was Sean, but obviously, he was staying in a separate hotel since he wasn''t invited by a junket. So, she secretly snuck out to meet him at a restaurant.


    Macau was once a Portuguese colony, so Portuguese food was common in the city. Hence, Sean arranged to meet Halia at a Portuguese restaurant near the old town.


    As soon as Halia sat down, she showed Sean her notes.


    "Even though Emerson is the CEO of the casino, I discovered that all publicity, marketing and junket operations are managed by his uncle, Everett Pang."


    "I''m suspecting that Everett Pang is running illegal operations without Emerson knowing," Halia explained.


    Sean looked through Halia''s notes and nodded his head. "Keep following this direction and see what else you find," he instructed. "I think you may have something here."


    After talking about business, the two friends settled down and enjoyed a dinner together. It had almost been a month since Halia officially rejected Sean. At first, things were a little awkward between the two, but gradually, Sean reflected on his actions and began to act differently. He visited Sara''s grave often and confided in Halia about his grief and realized that he had acted out of line because he hadn''t properly accepted Sara''s death.


    As they got to know each other better, Sean began to treat Halia like a sister. He talked to her about everything and even cried in front of her. It took a while, but he finally found that he could let go and felt his mind was clear again.


    Soon, the two finished their main dishes and they decided to order dessert. But, just as Sean picked up the dessert menu, his phone suddenly rang. Sean glanced down and said, "I''m going to pop out and take this call."


    Halia looked at the man with suspicion and nodded her head. She had seen the caller ID on his phone: it was Natalie. Did those two keep in contact?


    Actually, apart from Halia, Sean had also been talking to Natalie on a regular basis. A few days after Sean returned to China, Natalie called because she had grown an interest in the man after meeting him in Hong Kong. Sean didn''t think anything of it since he still thought Natalie and Halia were a couple, but he found himself enjoying their phone calls and he even looked forward to it. So, they gradually developed a habit of chatting every day.


    "Guess where I am!" Natalie giggled over the phone.


    Sean stood outside the busy restaurant and smiled. This woman''s voice naturally made him light up.


    "I don''t know. Tell me," he replied.


    "I just arrived in Macau!" Natalie replied.


    Sean''s eyes opened wide in shock. "What are you doing in Macau?"


    "Well, you mentioned you would be in Macau for a week, so I decided to come join you. I haven''t seen you since Hong Kong, so I thought you''d like the company," Natalie explained. "Am I not welcome?"


    Sean immediately laughed. Of course she was welcome...but he was in the middle of a mission...with her girlfriend!


    "So, where are you right now? Can I come look for you?" Natalie asked.


    Sean assumed that Halia had never told Natalie she was in Macau, otherwise, Natalie would be there to see her, not him, so he decided to lie.


    "I''m with a client," Sean replied. "If you want, we can meet tomorrow."


    But, unbeknownst to Sean, Natalie was sitting in a car on the opposite side of the road watching him at that very moment. In fact, she had seen him enter the restaurant with Halia and saw them chatting happily inside. Why did he lie that he was with a client?


    As it turned out, Natalie was the one that recommended the restaurant to Sean, so she had a feeling he would be there for dinner. But, she couldn''t believe she was right, nor could she believe that Halia was there too. Was Sean still clinging to Halia?


    "Take me to the hotel," Natalie said to her driver in disappointment after she hung up her phone. As the car started, she frowned. She didn''t want to feel this way, but...she suddenly felt jealous of her best friend.


    ...


    The next day, Halia arrived at the casino nice and early, hoping to run into Emerson''s uncle. She had heard that he usually did morning checks to ensure the casino was running smoothly before it got busy, so it was the perfect opportunity for her to understand the man better.


    But, when she arrived, she spotted the man amongst the public tables with a familiar figure.


    It was Emerson.


    At first, Halia didn''t know whether to greet him or not. The last time they met on the cruise, she had rejected him but he had actually told her to reconsider and to contact him again if she changed her mind. If he was to see her at his casino, would he misunderstand that she was there to see him?


    Halia panicked. She quickly turned and decided it was best to avoid the man. If she was skillful enough, she could continue with her mission without running into him for the rest of the week. After all, the casino was huge and he never visited the VIP rooms.


    But, in her fl.u.s.tered state, she accidentally ran into someone that was standing behind her.


    With her head down, Halia quickly apologized. "I''m so sorry," she said while trying her best not to draw any attention.


    "That''s OK," a deep charming voice replied.


    Halia froze.


    The voice sounded very familiar!


    As she furrowed her brows, she slowly scanned her eyes upwards. The man had a pair of brown leather shoes on his feet, and on his body was a fitted dark blue suit that outlined his toned masculine body.


    His lips were soft.


    His nose was tall.


    And his eyes were alluring.


    Halia held her breath as she looked at a face she hadn''t seen for a month. What was he doing here?


    At that moment, she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. It was Emerson.


    "Haili! What are you doing here?" Emerson smiled as he pulled Halia into his embrace and hugged her.


    Halia remained motionless like a statue as she continued to stare at the man she had run into.


    "I see you''ve met my brother," Emerson chuckled as he pointed to the man in the dark blue suit.


    "This is Jackson, Jackson Wu. Jackson, this is Haili Feng, Director of Fengtai Corporation," Emerson introduced.

 Chapter 115 - Strangers Again

    Jackson stuck out his hand and smiled at Halia, "Nice to meet you, Miss Feng."


    Halia froze and stared at the man''s hand in confusion. They obviously knew each other, but why did he seem so foreign.


    At that moment, a blond-haired woman suddenly ran up to Jackson and started speaking in French as she ran her hands across his chest. Jackson quickly retrieved his hand and spoke back to the woman in French. The woman was tall, her body was curvy and she had sparkly blue eyes. Who was she?


    Emerson looked at the two and chuckled. He then whispered beside Halia''s ear, "That''s my brother''s girlfriend. They just returned from France together. I heard my brother was injured and she saved his life..."


    Halia''s eyes grew wide in shock as she felt her heart sink. Was this why she hadn''t heard from Jackson for an entire month? Did he find himself a hot French woman and forget about her? Was this why he was pretending not to know her?


    As Halia glared at the man, she watched his arm wrap affectionately around the woman''s slim waist. "I''m sorry, please excuse us, we need to return to our room. We are a little jet-lagged. It was nice meeting you, Miss Haili," he said as he walked off with the blond-haired woman.


    Halia clenched her fists. What was happening? Shouldn''t he, at least, give her an explanation?


    Halia wanted to chase after the couple, but just as she took a step forward, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her body. "It''s nice to see you again," Emerson whispered beside her ear. "Did you change your mind and come looking for me?"


    ...


    Meanwhile, Jackson entered the connected hotel and stepped into the elevator with the blond-haired woman in his arms.


    Emerson was right, this woman had saved Jackson''s life in France.


    That day, when she rushed into the barn and found Jackson lying in a pool of blood, he was already on the brink of death. He had received a bullet in the chest and he was losing blood fast. She immediately removed her jacket and applied tension to his wound while she called for the ambulance, but they were in a rural area that wasn''t easy to get to. While she waited, she noticed Jackson''s breathing weaken and his body turn cold. Eventually, his breathing even stopped. She was a highly trained Interpol agent, so she immediately applied the CPR methods she had learned. For an unfit person, 10 minutes of CPR was a person''s limit before they got tired and their efforts were no longer effective, but this woman was fit and determined. "Don''t die on me, Jackson," she cried as she pushed down on his chest. It took 30 whole minutes before the ambulance arrived, but this woman did not give up for a second, exerting all the energy she had to save her friend''s life. Even when the paramedics walked in, she still refused to give up. Finally, at the 31-minute mark, Jackson jumped back to life and the ambulance rushed him straight to the hospital.


    This woman was none other than Amelie Roux.


    The couple soon arrived outside their hotel room and Jackson went to open the door. As soon as the door flew open, Amelie leaned in for a kiss and the couple tumbled into the room in each other''s arms.


    ...


    Back at the casino, Halia and Emerson decided to sit down at the bar to catch up. It had been almost a month since they last saw each other, so Emerson almost thought he had scared Halia away with his confession.


    "Why are you here?" Emerson asked.


    "I told you, I''ve never been to a casino or Macau before, so I decided to visit," Halia replied with a forced smile even though her heart was breaking from the scene she witnessed earlier.


    "Well, you came at the right time. My entire family is in Macau this weekend and we are having a meal at the casino''s Michelin-starred restaurant tonight. Would you like to join?" Emerson offered.


    "Your entire family?" Halia hesitated. Originally, she wanted to reject Emerson so he wouldn''t get the wrong idea, but she was desperate to speak to Jackson again. After all, she needed to clarify things with him. So, she nodded her head, "Sure, I have nothing planned anyway."


    A smile immediately appeared on Emerson''s face. Did this mean she was giving him a chance?


    Emerson grabbed Halia''s hand excitedly and dragged her out to the connected shopping mall. Halia was a little surprised. She hadn''t wandered to this part of the building yet. "Wow, this place has everything. A casino, a hotel, and even a shopping mall," Halia commented.


    "Oh, there''s much more to discover," Emerson winked when he realized Halia hadn''t explored the entire complex yet. "But first, let''s get you an outfit for tonight. Do you have a preferred brand?"


    Halia looked at the branded stores and shook her head. "Just whatever''s comfortable," Halia replied.


    Emerson immediately dragged her into a store with some dresses and picked out a few for her to try. "Here, I think these would be suitable for tonight," he smiled.


    Halia glanced at the price tags and tried to contain her shock. One dress was equivalent to a quarter of her police salary! Sure, she was meant to be a director at her father''s company, but it was merely a title that she refused to get paid for. How was she supposed to afford this?


    At that moment, Emerson pushed her into the change room. "Just try them on. If you don''t like them, you don''t have to buy them," he said.


    Halia sighed and looked at the dresses. In the end, she decided to try them on and pretend that she didn''t like any of them. After all, she had to play the part of a rich heiress; she couldn''t let him know that she couldn''t afford them.

 Chapter 116 - Jealous Of The Same Person

    On the other side of Macau, Sean was meeting with Natalie for the day.


    Macau was a city with two very distinct sides: the Cotai Strip where all the majority of the casinos were located, and the Old City where all the historical sites could be found.


    Sean arrived at a beautiful open plaza in the middle of the UNESCO historic center. The plaza was called Senado Square. Although it was called a square, it was shaped more like a triangle with a big round fountain in the middle. Lining the two sides of the square were colorful colonial buildings that seemed to funnel everyone into a much tighter street filled with snacks and souvenir stores.


    Sean had arranged to meet Natalie in front of the fountain in the square. As he stood there on top of the wave-like pavement waiting for the woman to arrive, he suddenly felt a little excited. He had been talking to Natalie almost every day since they saw each other in Hong Kong, but he had only heard her voice and never seen her face. How had she been? Did she look any different?


    He began to walk around the edge of the fountain nervously.


    At that moment, his vision suddenly turned dark as a pair of soft hands covered his eyes. "Guess who?" a familiar voice giggled from behind.


    Sean grabbed onto the woman''s hands and laughed. "You''re late," he said.


    Natalie frowned and pointed to the traffic on the road that ran alongside the square. "I had to get out of the taxi and walk here because the traffic wasn''t moving."


    Sean looked at the woman and smiled. "I''m so happy to see you," he said with sincerity.


    Natalie looked into the man''s eyes and felt her heart race.


    After thinking it over for the last few weeks, she was certain that she had feelings for this man now, but had he realized yet. After all, she talked to him every single day on the phone and often slipped in words of praise. Wasn''t it obvious?


    But then again, she remembered seeing him having dinner with Halia the night before. Was he only talking to her because he wanted to get close to Halia?


    At that moment, Natalie realized Sean was still holding onto her hands, so she blushed a little as she pulled them away. Sean cleared his throat awkwardly and also blushed.


    Natalie looked beautiful today. Since the last time Sean had seen her, she had cut her hair into a feminine bob and she had lost a little bit of weight. It wasn''t too obvious, but she definitely had a healthy glow to her. On her feet were a pair of white Converse shoes and she paired them with a light pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Unlike last time, when she was at a professional event, she was a lot more casual and it made her even more attractive than before.


    Sean felt his heart race when he looked at the woman. If only she wasn''t Halia''s girlfriend. He would definitely pursue her. Too bad she wasn''t interested in men.


    The two friends looked around the square awkwardly. Although they talked every day, seeing each other in real life was a completely different experience. They suddenly felt a little shy, like two strangers on a blind date.


    "Have you eaten yet?" Natalie asked.


    Sean shook his head. "I haven''t had anything since dinner last night," he said.


    Natalie frowned. She didn''t want to think about his dinner the previous night. She remembered seeing him walk into the restaurant she recommended with Halia and seeing him laughing and smiling as he sat opposite her.


    "By the way, thank you for your recommendation. The food at that Portuguese restaurant was delicious," Sean smiled.


    Natalie furrowed her brows and started walking towards a Chinese restaurant that faced the square. "Well, I guarantee that the food today will be even better," she said competitively. She suddenly felt a little jealous of her best friend again. How could she let Halia have a better experience with the man she liked? Especially when she was the one that recommended the restaurant that they went to? Besides, Halia already had a boyfriend; she couldn''t have Sean too.


    Sean looked at the woman curiously and started following her. Why did she seem a little upset?


    "By the way, don''t you have work? Does Halia know you''re here?" Sean asked.


    "Halia''s father went to the Maldives for a holiday, so he also gave me some time off. I don''t think Halia knows I''m here, I haven''t spoken to her for a while," Natalie replied, feeling a little frustrated that Sean was suddenly mentioning Halia. "We often spend weeks and even months not talking to each other," Natalie added. If this man was only meeting with her because he wanted to know more about Halia, she was going to be really mad.


    Sean sensed the frustration in Natalie''s voice and began to wonder whether she and Halia had an argument. Was that why neither of them told the other that they were in Macau? Sean suddenly felt a little bad for Natalie. Halia never mentioned Natalie when she was around him and she never acknowledged that Natalie was her girlfriend. Worst of all, they were in a long distance relationship. Yet, Natalie was still so loyal to her and even worked for her father. Sean suddenly felt a pang of jealousy. If Natalie was his girlfriend, he would definitely treat her much better than that!


    At that moment, he poured her a cup of tea and handed her the menu. "What would you like to eat?" he asked thoughtfully. He suddenly felt the urge to comfort her...

 Chapter 117 - The Dress

    The dress shop in the casino complex was relatively empty with only a couple of people casually browsing. Since the dresses were so expensive, the shop didn''t get very many customers. Most people either checked the prices and decided to try their luck in the casino, or they had just won some money and wanted to find a place to splurge.


    Inside the change room, Halia was all alone with the three dresses that Emerson had picked out. One was a tight red dress with a mermaid cut, another was a black off-shoulder dress, and the last one was a short white lace dress with long sleeves. All three looked elegant in their own way.


    Halia picked up the red dress first and tried it on. Her slim figure slipped perfectly into the dress as it hugged the curves of her body. But, Halia felt slightly awkward in it. Even though the dress wasn''t very revealing, she felt as though it drew too much attention.


    "Are you done, Halia? Come out and show me," Emerson called from outside.


    Halia sighed and stepped out to show the man how she looked in the dress he had picked.


    As soon as Emerson saw Halia''s curvy figure, his mouth opened wide in surprise. He never expected her to be so fit. Didn''t she just work in front of a computer all day?


    Last time, when they went to the boxing club, Halia had her body hidden underneath a loose t-shirt, but now that Emerson saw her body properly, he couldn''t help but wonder why she didn''t just show it off all the time. It wasn''t easy to have such a fit body; she deserved to be proud of it.


    "You look amazing," he stuttered.


    Halia glanced down and frowned, "It''s not my style, I don''t feel comfortable in it. Plus, I think it''s a bit too fancy for dinner."


    Emerson nodded in understanding and pointed at the change room, "Go try on the other two first."


    Halia returned to the room and soon returned in the black dress. Perhaps, due to the color, it felt slightly less showy, so Halia immediately felt a little more comfortable. But, the off-shoulder collar was too revealing and it didn''t seem too appropriate for a family dinner. So, she ended up returning to the change room once again.


    Finally, she stepped out in the last dress. It was a white lace dress that sat just above her knees. Although it revealed her beautiful long legs, it was modest with its long lace sleeves. The dress was elegant and graceful; perfect for someone like Halia.


    As Emerson stared at the woman with admiration, he was sure this dress was a winner.


    To be honest, Halia also liked it too. But, there was no way she could afford it with her police salary, so she forced a frown on her face and said, "Actually, I think I have something better in my luggage to wear. Let''s not waste any more time here."


    But, just as she returned to the change room, Emerson turned to one of the shopkeepers and said, "We''ll take the last one. Put it on my tab and send it to room 808."


    ...


    Meanwhile, over at the old town, Sean and Natalie had just finished eating brunch at the Chinese restaurant and decided to go for a walk towards one of the most famous landmarks in Macau, The Ruins of St. Paul''s.


    "That restaurant had some of the best wontons I''ve ever tasted," Sean praised as he rubbed his stomach with satisfaction.


    "I told you the food would be better today," Natalie grinned proudly.


    She then grabbed Sean''s hand and started dragging him towards the street that led to the ruins. "I hope you''re not full. There''s much more this way," she giggled excitedly.


    Sean glanced down at his hand and felt a spark of electricity tingle up his arm. He was happy yet frustrated. He couldn''t control his feelings for this woman and realized he was definitely attracted to her, but, he also knew that she was someone he could never have. It was like dangling an unreachable carrot in front of a horse.


    The street was crowded with tourists and locals, so Natalie continued to hold onto Sean''s hand as they squeezed through the bustling street. Along the way, they were offered samples from various stores, including famous almond cookies and pork jerky. Every time something was offered to them, they happily accepted it all.


    By the time they got to the end of the street, it was like they had eaten another meal.


    "I''m so full now," Sean laughed as he naturally pulled Natalie''s hand to feel his stomach.


    Natalie touched the man''s stomach awkwardly and felt her cheeks blush. She could feel his abdominal muscles through his shirt and it was extremely attractive. How could this man still have a 6-pack after eating so much?


    "I think you can still eat more," she chuckled jokingly.


    She then pulled her arm away. But, just as she was about to back away from the man, a tour group brushed past and accidentally pushed her forward, forcing her into Sean''s embrace. Sean subconsciously reacted by wrapping his arms around the woman protectively as the group passed by. But, even after the group was gone, he did not want to let go.


    Upon realizing that she was sharing a hug with the man, Natalie''s breathing sped up, along with her heartbeat. As she leaned her head into Sean''s chest, she realized his heartbeat was abnormally quick too. Was she imagining things? Why was his heart beating so fast?


    Natalie lifted her head to look at the man and discovered that he was already glancing down at her. Their eyes met and Natalie held her breath.


    After grieving properly, Sean''s mind was clear now and he couldn''t deny what he was feeling for this woman. Sara was his first love, Halia was an unintended rebound, but Natalie...


    Natalie was just Natalie...


    She was a woman he chatted to every day, a woman that he was comfortable around, a woman that he cared about and a woman he was excited to see. She was perfect in every way, except...


    ...she wasn''t interested in men...


    With this thought, Sean sighed in disappointment. But, just as he was about to release Natalie from his arms...the woman slowly leaned forward with hesitation. What was she doing? Sean felt butterflies fill his stomach as he subconsciously tightened his embrace.


    Underneath the iconic facade of the Church of St. Paul, ambiguity filled the air as Sean and Natalie moved in closer with each breath,


    First, their noses touched...


    ...then their eyes closed...


    ...and finally, their lips met.

 Chapter 118 - What A Cliche?

    That night, Halia arrived at the Michelin-starred restaurant where she was having dinner with Emerson''s family.


    It was a quiet, dimly lit restaurant with only a few tables. In the middle of the restaurant, there was an open kitchen where the chef was cooking. The chef was a celebrity in his field and he often appeared on television shows, so Halia was a little excited to see him. Most days, his apprentices ran the restaurant and it was rare to catch a glimpse of the man, but since the owners of the casino were there, he had to ensure that they received the best quality food, straight from his hands. So, he decided to head the kitchen that day.


    As Halia watched the man cook, she suddenly felt an arm on her shoulder, "Daniel is one of the best chefs here in Macau. You''re in for a treat!"


    Halia quickly turned and noticed Emerson standing beside her.


    Emerson ran his eyes up and down her body and smiled. "You look beautiful," he said.


    A couple of hours ago, when Halia was still in her hotel room trying to pick out an outfit for dinner, there was a knock on her door.


    It was a staff from the dress shop she visited earlier.


    "This is a gift from President Wu," the young woman said as she handed Halia a box with a beautiful silver ribbon on it.


    Halia wanted to reject the gift, but it had already been paid for and the staff were instructed to burn it if she didn''t take it. So, she had no choice but to accept the gift. After taking it into her room, she opened the box with curiosity and discovered a dress sitting inside.


    It was the white lace dress she had tried on earlier.


    At first, she didn''t want to wear the dress in case Emerson misunderstood, but she had already spent an hour trying to find a suitable outfit with no luck, so she lifted the dress out of the box and looked at it with hesitation. In the end, she decided to wear it.


    Emerson grabbed Halia''s hand and placed a kiss on it before he hooked it around his arm and started leading her towards the table that his family had reserved.


    "Oh, Haili, it''s nice to see you again," Emerson''s father said as he stood up to greet her.


    Emerson''s mother also nodded politely.


    Sitting next to Emerson''s parents were another old couple. Halia recognized the chubby man: it was Emerson''s uncle, Everett Pang. "This is my uncle and auntie," Emerson introduced.


    The man looked at Halia in surprise as he shook her hand. He didn''t realize she was so close to Emerson.


    After finishing with the introductions, Emerson pulled out a chair next to his mother and gestured for Halia to sit down. He then walked around the long table and sat opposite her with a smile. "I''m really glad you''re here. Otherwise, I would have been the only single person surrounded by couples," he whispered.


    As soon as he finished speaking, the empty chair next to Halia suddenly slid out. At the same time, Emerson stood up and pulled out the chair beside him as well. "Let Sister-in-law sit next to me, I want to chat to her," Emerson smiled at the guests that arrived behind Halia.


    Halia quickly turned her head and realized that Jackson and his blond-haired ''girlfriend'' had arrived.


    Originally, Jackson planned to seat Amelie next to Halia, but Emerson''s actions suddenly made things very awkward.


    Amelie didn''t know that Halia was the girlfriend that Jackson had told her about in France, so she accepted Emerson''s request without any hesitation.


    As soon as she sat down, Jackson also sat himself down next to Halia.


    "Haili, this is my brother, you already met briefly the other day. As for this beautiful woman next to me, she is my brother''s girlfriend, her name is Amelie. She only speaks French and English," Emerson smiled.


    Halia stuck out her hand and greeted politely in French, "Bonjour, comment allez vouz? (Hello, how are you?)"


    The woman looked at Halia in surprise, "Bien (Good)," she replied.


    Emerson smiled at the woman and asked nosily in English, "So, I heard you saved my brother''s life. Do you mind sharing the story of how it happened?"


    Halia heard this and also looked at the woman in interest.


    The woman glanced at Jackson and smiled, "It''s a long story."


    At that moment, Father Wu suddenly grunted in dissatisfaction, "You rascal, I told you not to join the gangs. It''s no surprise you almost died! If you didn''t come back claiming that you lost your memory, I would have never taken you back in!"


    Mother Wu quickly patted the old man on the back comfortingly. "Old man, calm down. You should be happy that your son is back. Plus, watch your temper, we have guests."


    While everyone tried to comfort the old man, Halia glanced at Jackson in surprise. "How much of your memory did you lose?" she asked.


    "I couldn''t even remember my name at first," he replied calmly.


    Halia looked at the man in disbelief, was this some kind of a cliche scene in a soap drama?

 Chapter 119 - Jacksons Mother

    Emerson sensed the awkwardness at the table so he quickly tried to lighten the mood. "Bro, did you know that you''ve actually met Haili before?" he said.


    Halia and Jackson looked at Emerson with confusion.


    "Haili used to visit us in Hong Kong when she was a child," Emerson explained.


    Halia breathed a sigh of relief. She almost thought Emerson somehow knew that Jackson was meant to be her boyfriend. Technically, there was no problem in letting everyone know about their relationship, but the man seemed to have forgotten her. If she wanted him to remember, she would have to tell him the story of how they met and everything they had been through. She couldn''t discuss that in front of everyone; that would simply raise suspicions about her identity. So, she decided keep it to herself for the time being.


    "Haili, remember how you almost drowned in our pool?" Emerson suddenly asked.


    Halia thought about the conversation they shared a few weeks ago at the Wu Household and nodded her head, "Yes, your br..."


    Halia paused.


    Emerson had told her that his brother saved her that day.


    Suddenly, she realized something: was Jackson that brother?!


    "Emerson, do you only have one brother?" Halia asked.


    Emerson smiled and nodded his head. "You said you wanted to thank him in person," he said, as he gestured to the man beside her, "Here''s your chance."


    Halia immediately turned to look at Jackson. How could it be such a coincidence? Was fate playing a game on her?


    She suddenly felt a rush of emotions.


    "You were the one that saved me that day," she explained to Jackson with a shaky voice. "If not for you, I would have drowned in that pool."


    She wanted to tell him that the pool was the first time he saved her, but not the last time; that he had saved her four times in total. But, she didn''t want to go into detail at the dinner table.


    "Thank you," she whispered as she looked into the man''s eyes.


    Jackson stared back in silence.


    At that moment, the last two members of the family arrived and broke the silence. It was the auntie that Emerson introduced Halia to in Hong Kong and next to her was a young woman that appeared to be her daughter. "Sorry, the brat couldn''t decide which dress to wear, so we ended up a little late," the auntie explained.


    But, to Halia''s surprise, the young woman suddenly ran over to Emerson''s father and hugged him affectionately, "I''m sorry for being late, Daddy. I didn''t want to embarrass you."


    Father Wu laughed and gestured for the mother and daughter to sit next to him. "It''s worth it. My precious daughter looks beautiful," he praised.


    Emerson noticed the confusion on Halia''s face, so he leaned forward and explained quietly that the young woman was his and Jackson''s younger sister.


    He then stood up and introduced them, "Halia, you met Auntie Lily before. The young woman beside her is my sister Jaclyn Wu."


    "Ahem, please be precise. I am only your half sister!" Jaclyn said in a bratty manner.


    Halia stood up and nodded politely at the two women. She then sat back down as the two women also sat down at the other end of the table.


    The Chinese often greeted any older woman as an Auntie. So, Halia realized at that moment, that Auntie Lily wasn''t a blood-related aunt as she originally thought.


    It seemed, she was a mistress.


    Hong Kong was one of those places where polygamy was still practiced. Even though it had become illegal in 1971, it wasn''t uncommon for wealthy men to have a few unregistered ''wives'' and one legal one. Halia was a little surprised to witness it, but the the two wives seemed to get along, so she shrugged it off.


    She didn''t know what these women were thinking, but she would never be able to share her man with someone else. As she thought this, she subconsciously glanced at Amelie.


    Just as everyone settled down at the table, some waiters came around with the entrees and placed the beautifully plated morsel in front of each person on the table.


    This entree was more like a piece of art than food. There were so many complex ingredients on the small plate that Halia couldn''t help but gasp in awe.


    But, while she admired the plate, everyone around her began to eat indifferently. It seemed, this was just a normal meal for these guys.


    Halia began to wonder if her family often ate like this too. After all, it had been a long time since they shared a dinner together.


    After everyone finished their entrees, Auntie Lily suddenly pulled out a photo and passed it down the table. "This was our last family photo together," she smiled. "I found it while I was packing for this trip."


    Jackson received the photo and held it in his hand. He then looked at it in detail as everyone waited to see his reaction.


    Halia noticed the man''s arm begin to tremble. It wasn''t obvious, but she was sitting right next to him, so she sensed it. Out of curiosity, she took a peek to see what he was looking at.


    Everyone at the table was obviously in the photo, but they looked much younger since it was taken at least a decade ago. Jackson and Emerson were handsome even in their teens and Jaclyn was surprisingly chubby when she was young. Halia couldn''t help but chuckle at how cute they looked. However, her eyes eventually paused on one particular person. There was one beautiful woman standing beside Father Wu that Halia hadn''t seen before.


    "Who''s the woman next to Uncle Wu?" Halia asked curiously as she looked around the table.


    Father Wu cleared his throat and looked down awkwardly as the rest of the table avoided eye contact. For some reason, no one wanted to answer her question.


    Halia realized she may have asked something she shouldn''t, so she looked at Emerson for help.


    But, a voice suddenly said beside her, "That''s my mother."


    Halia glanced at Jackson and saw the pain in his eyes.


    "Where is she now?" Halia asked quietly.


    "She''s? dead," Jackson replied.


    At that moment, Emerson''s mother looked at Jackson in surprise."Do you remember something?" she asked.

 Chapter 120 - Macadamia

    Jackson quickly regained his composure and shook his head, "No. I recognize her picture from her grave. Emerson took me to visit it yesterday."


    Halia looked at Jackson and felt her heart break. Even though he was meant to be her boyfriend, there was so much she didn''t know about this man.


    How long ago did his mother die? How did she die? Halia had so many questions in her head.


    Jackson handed the photo back to Auntie Lily indifferently.


    At that moment, the main meals arrived. Emerson already showed Halia the menu earlier that day so she could pick her main meal and the chef could prepare the ingredients. All the main meals sounded delicious, but she ended up settling with a dish of wagyu beef rolls. The rolls resembled sushi, but thinly sliced wagyu was used in place of seaweed and instead of rice in the middle, there was a variety of high-quality fillings including truffle, caviar, and saffron.


    Halia glanced next to her and realized Jackson had ordered the same dish.


    Just like the entree, the dish was plated beautifully, so Halia couldn''t help but admire it for a little while before eating.


    Meanwhile, next to her, Jackson had already cut open one of the rolls and was eating it. As he bit down, he nodded his head in satisfaction. All the ingredients melded in his mouth with a burst of flavor and the beef was cooked perfectly, melting deliciously against his tongue like butter. But, when he went in for the second bite, something suddenly crunched between his teeth and he froze. The flavor was familiar, but he hadn''t eaten it for a while.


    It was Macadamia; a kind of nut.


    Jackson glanced next to him and noticed Halia take her first bite.


    All of a sudden, he turned to her and said, "Stop!"


    Halia looked at Jackson in surprise and swallowed. Why was he suddenly stopping her?


    Jackson''s eye opened wide in shock as he stared at the woman beside him.


    "What''s wrong?" Halia asked.


    Jackson continued staring at her as though he was waiting for something to happen. He then turned and looked curiously at her plate.


    What was wrong with this man?


    Jackson''s eyes darted suspiciously. He then picked up a napkin and handed it to Halia. "You have something on your face," he said.


    Halia took the napkin and wiped her face. "Thanks, is it gone?" she asked as she checked her napkin. It looked clean. What was on her face?


    Jackson quickly nodded and returned to his meal as Halia stared at him with confusion. Did he stop her just to tell her she had food on her face?


    Halia looked down at her plate and slowly cut into her wagyu beef roll again. But, just as she pressed down on her knife and fork, something round popped out onto her plate. At first glance, Halia thought it was a chickpea, but when she went to stab it with her fork, it was hard.


    Jackson noticed it and frowned. He almost thought she had requested for it to be left out of her meal. How was she so reckless?


    Halia picked up the slightly round ingredient between her fingers, stared at it curiously and decided to place it in her mouth.


    At that moment, she felt someone grab onto her wrist. She looked at her wrist in surprise. The heart pendant on her bracelet swung from side to side and clasped around her wrist were some warm and slender fingers. Her gaze followed the fingers up a muscly arm, across a broad shoulder and her eyes eventually fell on the familiar handsome face next to her.


    It was Jackson.


    Why did he stop her again?


    "It''s Macadamia," he whispered under his breath.


    Halia looked into the man''s eyes. So what if it was Macadamia? What was wrong with it?


    But then, a memory suddenly came to her mind and she realized what was happening. That was right, Jackson had previously saved her from what appeared to be a nut allergy!


    With a smirk, she whispered, "You remember me, don''t you?"


    ...


    Not too far away, inside a hotel room, Sean was staring at his phone in confusion. A lot had happened that day; a lot of things that he couldn''t explain.


    Sure, he had an amazing day with Natalie: they held hands, they hugged and they even kissed, but now that he was alone, he finally got the chance to process everything. What exactly happened? Wasn''t Natalie interested in women? And wasn''t she Halia''s girlfriend?


    He wanted to call Natalie to clarify things, but he didn''t know what to say. So, he continued to stare at the phone. Was he supposed to treat the day like a fling? What if he took things too serious and ruined their friendship?


    But, just as he was hesitating, his phone began to ring.


    It was Natalie.


    "Sean, what happened today?" the woman asked straightforwardly as soon as he picked up.


    Sean was surprised by the woman''s direct approach.


    "I-I''m sorry," Sean replied.


    "Sorry for what?" Natalie asked with disappointment. Did he regret kissing her?


    "I''m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I know you''re already in a relationship. I should have controlled myself," he replied.


    Natalie furrowed her brows in confusion. "Who told you I was in a relationship?" she asked.


    "You might not remember, but the night you got drunk at the ball in Hong Kong, I saw you and Halia kiss. I''m an open-minded person, so..."


    Before Sean finished his sentence, Natalie broke into laughter, "Do you think I like women?"


    She knew what people thought about her; she had overheard the rumors. But, she never cared.


    Sean froze. "Don''t you?" he asked.


    "Halia is my best friend, not my girlfriend. I am 100% straight!" the woman replied.


    Sean''s eyes lit up as his heart began to race, "Does that mean you like men?"


    "Of course," Natalie replied.


    There was a brief silence as the two remained on the phone.


    After a short pause, Sean took a deep breath and asked, "Does that mean you like me?"

 Chapter 121 - Future Girlfriend

    Emerson looked at his brother and Halia and noticed they were acting strange, so he leaned forward and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Jackson cleared his throat and let go of Halia''s wrist. "I was warning Haili about the Macadamia nuts in this dish. I almost choked on one," he explained.


    Halia stared at the man with suspicion. Was that really the reason?


    Halia rolled the Macadamia nut between her fingers with a sly expression and thought of a way to test the man.


    "Oh, really?" she asked with a smirk.


    Jackson sensed something strange about Halia''s voice, so he turned to look at her curiously. But, to his surprise, Halia popped the Macadamia straight into her mouth and swallowed it.


    "Thanks for the warning," she said.


    Jackson''s eyes opened wide in shock. Wasn''t she allergic? How could she eat it just like that?


    Halia looked at the man''s reaction and smirked again. If this man thought he could lie to her, he was dreaming...


    His reaction had already betrayed him...


    With a shake of her head, she returned to her meal in a calm manner, as though nothing had happened. Sure, she had reacted to nuts last time. But that was just a panic attack due to Sara''s memories; she wasn''t actually allergic. In fact, she could eat nuts by the spoonful if she wanted to.


    Meanwhile, Amelie watched the entire scene with curiosity. Although she didn''t understand what they were saying, she could roughly decipher what was going on based on their body language. She was certain that Jackson knew this woman. Otherwise, he would completely ignore her.


    But, he never mentioned anything about her. What was going on? Who was she?


    At that moment, Amelie spotted a heart pendant hanging from Halia''s wrist. It was an interesting bracelet that appeared to be handmade. But, the craftsmanship wasn''t the only thing that caught her eye. The seemingly random dots and dashes on the back were what attracted her interest the most.


    Was it a coincidence that it resembled Morse code? And was it a coincidence that it read ''J&H''?


    Soon, everyone on the table finished their main meals and the waiters brought out dessert. While everyone ate in silence, Amelie couldn''t help but look at Halia and Jackson. Women had good intuition, so she knew something had to be going on between the two. But, why didn''t Halia say anything? Was she just being paranoid?


    While she was deep in thought, a sharp female voice suddenly squealed beside her ear, "Emerson, what a coincidence!"


    Amelie turned around and saw a tall, skinny woman with an overly pointy chin and round b.r.e.a.s.ts. Where did this plastic Barbie doll come from?


    Suddenly, the woman glanced at Halia and frowned. "Emerson, what is she doing here?" she asked.


    Halia furrowed her brows. Not this again! She had already spent the whole of yesterday trying to avoid this woman.


    Emerson sighed and looked at the woman, "Hi Marissa. Halia''s joining my family for dinner because I invited her."


    Marissa frowned, "You need to be careful around this woman. I don''t know what her intentions are, but she was looking around for you yesterday and she seemed quite suspicious."


    Emerson glanced at Halia and smiled, "Were you looking for me?"


    Halia nodded her head. She was looking for him because she was on her mission and she was trying to avoid him while she investigated his casino.


    But obviously, the man took it the wrong way.


    "Did you come all the way to Macau to look for me?" he asked happily.


    Halia wanted to say no, but Emerson suddenly said to Marissa, "I don''t see why I should be careful around my future girlfriend."


    "Future girlfriend?" Marissa screamed in surprise, drawing the attention of the rest of the table.


    Halia looked at Emerson in shock as the rest of the table glanced over with curiosity.


    "Yes, I''m declaring it right here. I am pursuing Haili and no one will get in my way."


    Marissa stomped her feet in frustration. She had been pursuing Emerson for a long time but he never accepted her advances, yet this woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere and he was immediately obsessed with her. Marissa glared at Halia and stormed off angrily.


    "I know she''s annoying, but you didn''t have to lie like that," Halia said after the woman left.


    "I wasn''t lying," Emerson smiled.


    "Don''t you remember what I said to you in Hong Kong? I told you to look for me if you changed your mind. Isn''t that why you''re here?" Emerson said as he leaned forward.


    At that moment, Jackson finished his dessert and dropped his spoon loudly on the table.


    "Hey bro, didn''t you say that you had something to show me after dinner?" he interrupted.


    Emerson glanced over at his brother with slight frustration. Why was his timing so bad?


    But, he quickly stood up, walked around to Halia and grabbed her hand. "Come with us Halia, I want to show this to you too," he smiled as he dragged her towards the door.


    "Thanks for dinner, everyone. Please excuse us," Jackson said politely as he gestured for Amelie to leave with him. They then followed quickly behind Halia and Emerson.


    Amelie looked at Jackson with curiosity and noticed his eyes twitch a little as he glared at the couple in front. What was this? Was she imagining things? Did she sense jealousy?

 Chapter 122 - The Sunflower Garden

    Emerson led his three curious guests into an elevator and pressed the button for the rooftop.


    "Remember how you were amazed by what we had in this casino?" Emerson asked as he looked at Halia.


    Halia nodded her head.


    "Well, I''m about to show you a lot more," he smiled.


    Soon, the elevator arrived on the rooftop and the doors slid open. Halia glanced outside and her mouth opened wide in awe.


    Big yellow sunflowers danced in the night breeze as bright fairy lights strung across the rooftop, lighting it up magically. "A sunflower garden?" Halia gasped in surprise. "Who came up with this idea?" she asked with a laugh.


    "I visited the airport in Singapore a few years ago and was inspired by their sunflower garden, so I decided to grow one myself," Emerson explained. "Not all guests that come to the casino are here to gamble. Some are simply here on vacation. So, I decided to create a place for them to relax and take some photos. This place is quite popular during the day, but not many people come up here at night."


    Halia walked around and started sniffing the flowers.


    At that moment, Amelie dragged Jackson over to look at the flowers too.


    "These remind me of the countryside in France," she smiled as she held onto Jackson''s hand. Jackson nodded inattentively while his gaze focused elsewhere. Amelie noticed the man was distracted so she turned to the direction that he was looking and realized he was looking at Halia.


    Amelie had to admit, even as a woman, she found Halia attractive. The white lace dress on her body was elegant and her contrasting black hair swayed enticingly with her every move, like a hand hypnotically waving one closer. But, Jackson was her boyfriend, and he had to remember that.


    "Don''t forget, you were the one that asked me to be your girlfriend," she whispered beside the man''s ear, snapping him out of his daze.


    Jackson immediately drew his attention back to the woman and looked into her eyes. She was right, he couldn''t get distracted.


    After she confirmed that Jackson was back in the right state of mind, Amelie excused herself and went to the bathroom. It was her first time in Macau, so her stomach was still adjusting to the new environment and it didn''t feel too well.


    Being the gentleman that he was, Emerson decided to show Amelie where the bathroom was. After all, it was a fair walk from the sunflower garden.


    Amelie glanced at Jackson before she left, and Jackson reassured her that he would be OK.


    But, as soon as Emerson and Amelie disappeared from sight, Jackson felt a light tap on his shoulder.


    Jackson turned around and his eyes met Halia''s. She had been waiting all night to get him alone and her opportunity finally came.


    "You remember me, don''t you?" she asked the same question she asked earlier.


    "You haven''t given me an answer yet," she frowned.


    Jackson glanced at the woman''s lips as they pouted slightly. She was as adorable as ever.


    "Emerson said we met as kids, right?" Jackson smiled. "I think, even if I still had my memory, I wouldn''t be able to remember someone from so long ago."


    Halia glared at the man with frustration. She had to provoke a reaction that he couldn''t deny.


    At that moment, a shiny pendant swung in front of Jackson''s eyes. Halia had lifted her wrist to show him the bracelet she was wearing. "What do you think about this bracelet? Do you like it?" she suddenly asked.


    Jackson glanced at the bracelet indifferently and replied, "It doesn''t look like anything special."


    Halia laughed and tapped the heart pendant gently. "It may look simple, but there''s a secret to it," she whispered mysteriously.


    Jackson''s gaze softened. Was this woman telling a fairytale to a child?


    "What kind of secret?" he asked, playing along.


    Halia turned the heart pendant around to reveal the dots and dashes on the back.


    "Do you know what this is?" Halia asked.


    Jackson looked at the pattern and shook his head.


    "It''s Morse code," Halia said as she looked into the man''s eyes, trying to look for a reaction. But, the man did not react.


    "J&H," she said.


    Jackson stared at the woman for a moment and began to laugh. "That''s quite unique, why are you telling me this?"


    "J&H stands for ''Jackson & Halia''. You gave me this bracelet," she revealed.


    Jackson held back his smile as he looked at the bracelet. She finally discovered the code.


    Of course, he knew that Halia knew Morse code and would eventually figure out the message on the bracelet. After all, he deliberately made it for her to discover. But, for her safety, he needed to lie to her a little longer.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about, nor do I remember anything about you," Jackson replied.


    Halia sighed and took a step closer to the man. "Look at me closely. Do you remember me now?" she asked.


    Jackson shook his head stubbornly.


    But...Halia didn''t believe him for a second. She was certain this man was lying; the Macadamia nut already betrayed him.


    So, she hooked her arms around his neck and leaned in. "What about now?" she asked seductively.


    Jackson froze. If he said no, he didn''t know what Halia would do next. But, he couldn''t say yes either.


    "Is that a no?" Halia asked as she rubbed her nose against his nose.


    Jackson felt Halia''s warm breaths as she spoke and he smelled the strawberry on her lips from the dessert she ate earlier. She was teasing him, and it was working. If she moved in any closer, he would not be able to resist. Why was this woman so cheeky?


    Fortunately for him, he heard some footsteps approaching at that moment and the sound of two familiar voices.


    Emerson and Amelia were returning.


    Halia also heard the voices, so she quickly backed away as Emerson turned to welcome the two back. But, from the angle he was standing, Halia noticed his ears were slightly red. Halia felt butterflies in her stomach. Was he blushing?

 Chapter 123 - Haili...Halia...

    As soon as Emerson and Amelie returned, Jackson wrapped his arm around Amelie''s shoulder and asked with a doting smile, "What were you talking about?"


    Amelie was a little surprised by this sudden gesture but quickly replied, "I was telling him about how we met."


    Emerson looked at the couple and smiled. He then walked over to Halia and copied his older brother by wrapping his arm around her shoulder.


    Jackson''s eye subconsciously twitched when he saw this.


    "So, how did we meet? I forgot. Why don''t you tell me as well?" Jackson said as he looked at the woman beside him.


    Amelie smiled and started explaining, "We actually met 5 years ago. I was your Boss'' girlfriend at that time and you were asked to be my bodyguard. You ended up saving my life a few times and I secretly fell in love with you, but I was too afraid to leave your Boss. Then, we got separated for a bit when you went to China and your Boss died. But, as fate had it, we met again in France recently and I finally got the chance to repay the debt I owed you by saving your life in return."


    "Yes, when I woke up, you were the first person I saw. You were by my bedside the entire time and I was touched by the way you took care of me. That''s why I asked you to be my girlfriend and to return to Hong Kong to meet my family as well as keep me company while I rediscover my past," Jackson added.


    Halia stared at the couple and felt her heart sink. This was too difficult to watch. Was this man deliberately trying to make her jealous? Or was he trying to make her give up? Either way, he needed to explain things properly to her.


    After waiting for an entire month, she wasn''t giving up so easily.


    "Oh, by the way, while we were walking to the bathroom, I saw a really beautiful infinity pool. Let''s go there and relax for a bit," Amelie suggested.


    "Yes, we have a poolside bar that serves really good c.o.c.ktails too," Emerson agreed as he grabbed Halia''s hand and started leading the way.


    The pool was only a short walk away, but it was hidden behind the sunflower garden and some bushes, making it quite private.


    At this time of night, there were only a few couples sitting beside the pool, so it was really quiet and had a romantic vibe to it. Just like the pool at Emerson''s home in Hong Kong, this was an infinity pool, so it appeared as though it fell off the edge of the casino building. As they were on the rooftop, there was a beautiful view of the casino strip below. Macau was often nicknamed, ''Vegas of the East'', and from up there, it was obvious how it got its name.


    Halia walked over to the edge of the pool and glanced down at the reflection of the moon and stars that twinkled on the surface of the water. A sudden sense of nostalgia swept across her. This reflection reminded Halia of the beautiful Houhai Lake in Beijing where she and Jackson first became friends.


    It felt like so long ago...


    While Halia was deep in thought, she suddenly felt a jacket cover her shoulders. She subconsciously gripped the jacket close to her body and felt her hand brush up against another hand. This was exactly what Jackson used to do! He used to always cover her with his jacket!


    With a big smile, she immediately turned around.


    But, to her surprise, the man behind her was not Jackson, but his younger brother, Emerson.


    Yes, of course. She was so consumed in her memory that she forgot Jackson was now Amelie''s boyfriend. Why would he be giving her his jacket?


    As she lowered her head, Emerson suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his body.


    Halia looked up in surprise. The man''s face was so close to her that she could hear his nervous breathing.


    "Haili, I''ve been wanting to ask you something all night. I''m so happy that you came to look for me here in Macau. Does this mean you changed your mind? Will you be my girlfriend?" the man asked as he looked into her eyes.


    Halia stared at the man awkwardly. He had completely misunderstood her reason for being here and she didn''t know how to explain things without hurting him. He was a great guy. Unfortunately, he was Jackson''s brother and his timing was off. Perhaps, in another time and place, she may have accepted this guy, but not here and not now.


    "Emerson...I..." Halia stuttered a little.


    Not too far away, Amelie and Jackson watched as Emerson confessed to Halia. They couldn''t quite hear the conversation, but it was obvious what was happening.


    "Your brother really likes her," Amelie commented as she looked at the two.


    Jackson stared at Emerson and Halia and clenched his fists, trying to remain calm.


    Amelie observed Jackson carefully and sighed with a slight smile, "Haili...Halia...those two names sound very similar..."


    Jackson turned and looked at Amelie in surprise. How did she know the name Halia? He never mentioned Halia''s name to her before.


    "She''s the one, isn''t she?" Amelie asked.


    Jackson tilted his head questioningly.


    "The woman you said was much better than me..."


    "The one you were calling for when you were lying in a pool of blood..."


    "The person you called out when you first woke up..."


    "Halia..."


    "...your girlfriend..."

 Chapter 124 - What Happened In France

    Halia was right, Jackson didn''t lose his memory at all.


    But...what she didn''t know was...Amelie wasn''t actually his girlfriend either.


    A few weeks ago, when Jackson was kidnapped by Gogh and was handcuffed in his car, he was honestly worried that he''d never see Halia again. As an Interpol agent, he had heard of Gogh before, and he knew that no one ever escaped this man.


    The only thing he could hope for, was for the man to not know his true identity. Perhaps, Remy simply wanted him dead because he knew he was going to be a witness. After all, Gogh never searched his body and had no idea that he had a gun tied to the side of his leg.


    If Jackson found an opening to grab that gun, Gogh would not stand a chance.


    Soon, the car slowed down and turned into a driveway. Gogh quickly jumped out and pulled out a set of keys. He then opened the gate, drove the car in and locked it back up. How did he have the keys?


    Gogh was a professional. A few days before he came after Jackson, he already had everything carefully planned. He knew Jackson would be protected, so he knew there would be a hostage situation. He also knew that the police always had backup. The fact that there was only one road out of that place was too big of a risk for him to take. So, a couple of days prior, he had turned up at this particular property disguised as someone from the local council. He knew an old couple lived there, so when the old man came out to open the gate for him, he stole the keys right out of his pocket and quickly made a mold with some clay he had prepared. After he returned to the local motel that night, he made a copy of the keys.


    That was how he got onto the property so easily.


    After he drove in, he headed straight for the barn and parked the car in an inconspicuous spot. He had already scoped out this place and knew exactly how to carry out his plan without anyone knowing. If he killed Jackson in this barn, no one would discover a thing.


    Gogh was a professional at making his victims disappear without a trace. No one knew how he did it because no one ever lived to tell the story and no body was ever found.


    Gogh glanced at the pigsty next to the barn and smirked.


    Pigs were omnivores; they ate whatever they could find. In fact, they could easily digest human flesh and even the bones without excreting a noticeable trace.


    They were his murder weapon of choice.


    This was another reason why Gogh had selected this particular property. He knew the old couple had a huge pigsty just next to the barn, completely out of view from the house, the road and any neighbors. Even God was helping him, or so he thought...


    Unfortunately for Gogh, as soon as he undid the handcuffs around Jackson''s hands, pointed a gun to his head and dragged him into the barn, the man suddenly grabbed his arm and flipped him onto the ground, kicking his gun away. Then with one smooth move, Jackson pulled out a gun of his own and pointed it to Gogh''s head.


    "Surrender now, Gogh, you don''t know who you''re messing with," Jackson said.


    Gogh slowly raised his hands. He was told that Jackson was just a simple gangster. What just happened?


    Jackson quickly looked around for the handcuffs that the man had earlier and found them lying on the floor. But, just as he was about to reach for it, Gogh grabbed a bundle of hay and threw it in his face.


    Jackson quickly fired his gun, but missed.


    As he wiped his eyes clear, he spotted Gogh picking up the gun he had kicked away earlier. Gogh immediately pointed the gun at Jackson and pulled the trigger. Jackson felt a searing pain as the bullet traveled straight into his chest.


    But, just before he fell to the ground, Jackson calmly aimed his gun at the man and shot him straight in the head. He wasn''t sure if he would wake up from that ordeal, but Gogh was not going to walk out of that barn alive.


    Soon, Amelie arrived and found the two men in the barn. Gogh was dead, but Jackson was hanging by his last breath. As Amelie pulled Jackson into his arms, she heard him whisper, "Halia..."

 Chapter 125 - Who Hired Gogh?

    Jackson was unconscious in the hospital for 4 days before he finally woke up. He wasn''t lying when he said that Amelie was the first person he saw when he opened his eyes, nor was he lying about Amelie taking care of him the entire time. But, he never mentioned that Amelie wasn''t alone.


    Alexander was also there.


    "Halia..." Jackson called out with his raspy voice as he finally woke up after 4 days.


    Amelie had been in love with Jackson for a long time and she was honestly disappointed when he told her he already had a girlfriend. At first, she thought it was just a fling; that it wasn''t going to last. But when Jackson called out a woman''s name with what could have been his last dying breath, she realized how serious he was.


    Then, when he called the same name again when he woke up, she knew it was time for her to well and truly move on. Jackson was right, this woman named Halia was so much better than her. At least, to Jackson she was, and Amelie knew she couldn''t compete. She was simply glad that her friend was awake.


    Amelie and Alexander stayed by Jackson''s side as he slowly recovered. Fortunately, the bullet did not damage anything vital; he had simply lost a lot of blood. But, the scar was destined to forever remain with him.


    Gogh, on the other hand, was found dead when Amelie arrived, so the police were never given the opportunity to properly question him; they could only assume that he was sent by Remy Durand.


    But, a week later, on the day of Remy Durand''s trial, Jackson finally saw the man again and realized he had no idea that he was going to be a witness. Neither did Pierre Caron. Both men were completely oblivious. In fact, when they saw each other before entering the courthouse Pierre was shocked that Jackson was injured, "Who did this to you? Was it a competitor?"


    Jackson looked at the man suspiciously, "I''m not sure, but they sent Gogh after me."


    "Gogh? That guy''s ruthless! How did you escape?" Pierre asked in shock.


    "The police arrived just in time," Jackson lied.


    "Well, if it helps, I heard rumors that he owns a farm in Marseille. If I were you, I''d check there and see if there are any clues as to who hired him," Pierre suggested.


    Jackson wasn''t sure whether to trust the man, but he passed on the suggestion for Amelie and Alexander to follow.


    While Jackson was on trial, his two friends searched through the Interpol database for any information they could find. Eventually, they came across a suspicious farm that seemed to be connected to Gogh.


    They immediately sent a team to raid the place and discovered that Pierre was right, Gogh did own a farm.


    On that farm, they found some mobile phones. The team searched through the call records of every single phone and finally discovered a call that was received a few days ago from an unknown number in Hong Kong.


    When Jackson heard this, he was furious. Who in Hong Kong wanted him dead? He didn''t know that many people from Hong Kong. Was it an old friend? Or perhaps, was it someone from his family?


    After another week of recovery, Jackson finally decided what to do. He was going to go back to Hong Kong to find the person that hired Gogh and seek revenge. It would be completely off record. It was simply a private investigation unrelated to Interpol. After all, it did not affect national security. But, to do that, he needed the culprit to think that he posed no threat. So, he decided to pretend that he had lost his memory and he asked Amelie to assist him by pretending to be his girlfriend. Amelie needed to escape France anyway. The safe house had been compromised and her presence at the hospital for so many days probably exposed her to whoever tried to kill her a year ago, so her safest option was to leave.


    His intention was to get revenge and return to look for Halia in Beijing afterwards.


    But, to his surprise, he ended up meeting Halia again in Macau. What was she doing there? Was she simply there as the Director of Fengtai, or was she there because of another mission?


    Whatever the reason, he knew she was there for a different reason to him and he didn''t want to implicate her. The first day he arrived back in Hong Kong, he already sensed someone was following him, so he knew he had to be extra careful. Then, on the day he ran into Halia, he saw a suspicious figure lurking in the shadows. Whoever the instigator was, they were close. Worst of all, if the person that was after him was ruthless enough to send someone like Gogh, who knew what they would do to Halia if they knew how important she meant to him? He couldn''t bear to imagine.


    So, until he was certain who this person was, he was going to keep everything a secret from Halia.

 Chapter 126 - How Will You Repay Me?

    Halia wanted to reject Emerson. After all, she had never thought of him as anything more than a friend.


    But, just as she was about to get the words out of her mouth, Emerson suddenly leaned forward.


    In a panic, Halia immediately stepped back, forgetting that she was on the edge of a pool.


    Everyone gasped as a loud splash echoed through the night air.


    "Haili," Emerson yelled in surprise as he quickly bent down to remove his shoes.


    But, as soon as he kneeled down, he heard another loud splash.


    "Jackson," Amelie screamed.


    Jackson had dived in to save Halia without hesitation. He had been watching from a distance and saw the entire scene unfold.


    Jackson searched around in a panic. When he first met Halia in Beijing, he didn''t recognize that Halia was the little girl he once saved. But, when Halia mentioned it earlier at the dinner table, he was quickly reminded of the incident. So, as soon as Halia fell into the pool, his instincts jumped in; Halia couldn''t swim!


    However, to his surprise, when he popped his head up to take a breath, he noticed Halia treading water not too far away. He immediately swam over to check on her.


    "Are you OK?" he asked.


    Halia looked at the man and nodded her head. She could tell that he cared about her. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have jumped in so quickly. So why did he keep denying it?


    "After you saved me from the pool at your family home, my father made me take swimming lessons to tackle my fears. He''s always taught me to face things head-on. That''s why I''m not backing away until you tell me the truth. I know you remember me, so why are you pretending that you don''t" she whispered as the man got closer.


    "Is it because of Amelie," Halia stuttered.


    "If you''ve chosen her over me, then just let me know. I will respect your decision. I know she saved your life..." Halia continued.


    But, just before she finished speaking, Jackson cut in, "If I repay my savior by becoming her boyfriend, then how will you repay me?"


    The man''s voice was low but charming. "You owe me for saving you as well!"


    Halia felt her heart race as she looked at the man. What did he mean by these words? Underneath the starry night sky, this man looked like a mystical being that had arisen from the water.


    He was still wearing his suit and his originally styled hair was now sitting flat on his head from the pool water.


    Meanwhile, Halia''s long black hair was slicked back and slightly floating on the surface of the water. Her white dress and his black suit made them appear like a couple on their wedding day. The man was handsome and the woman was beautiful; they were a perfect match.


    Even Amelie thought this as she watched from the side.


    At that moment, a staff member arrived with some towels and handed them to Emerson.


    "Bro, hurry and help Halia out of the water. She''s going to catch a cold!" Emerson yelled.


    As soon as Emerson said this, Jackson launched forward and carried Halia in his arms.


    "What are you doing?" Halia asked in surprise.


    "You heard my brother. He said to help you out," Jackson said as he looked down at the woman.


    "Your girlfriend''s going to get jealous," Halia said as she glanced at Amelie.


    "It''s OK, she''s very understanding," Jackson replied.


    Jackson quickly carried Halia out of the water and over to Emerson. Emerson then wrapped Halia in a towel and asked worriedly, "Are you OK?"


    Halia gently nodded her head as she glanced at Jackson. She then watched as the man removed his jacket and shirt. They were soaking wet, so he was better off removing them.


    At that moment, Halia noticed the scars on his arm; the ones that she had left on his body. She knew her skills weren''t good enough to prevent scarring. But, she also noticed a scar on his chest. Last time, when she was stitching him up, she had snuck a few glances at his body and she was sure that the scar on his chest wasn''t there before. So, where did it come from? What happened while he was in France? Wasn''t he there for a trial? Why wasn''t he in jail?

 Chapter 127 - Suspicion Everywhere

    Even though Emerson didn''t want it to, the night had to end after the accident at the pool. After all, Halia was soaked from head to toe and she had to dry off as soon as possible before she got sick. So he took Halia back to her hotel room and left disappointedly. Why did Halia back away from him so quickly? Was he that frightening?


    Of course, it bothered him a little, but, that wasn''t the only thing that bothered him


    He was also curious about Jackson''s reaction.


    When he watched him attempt to save Halia earlier, there was an odd vibe to them. It was like they had known each other for a long time. He couldn''t hear their conversation, but the look in their eyes was ever so ambiguous. Was he imagining things? After all, Amelie was right there with him.


    Was there something wrong with Jackson? The fact that he suddenly returned was already strange enough.


    ...


    Meanwhile, over in Jackson and Amelie''s hotel room, Amelie finally sat down and got to ask Jackson what she had been wondering all night.


    "You didn''t answer me earlier," she smiled as she brewed a cup of coffee. "I saw her bracelet. She''s the one right?"


    Jackson went into the bathroom to change into some dry clothes. When he returned, he was drying his head with a towel.


    "She''s not bad, right?" Jackson asked with a smile.


    Amelie sighed, "What is she doing here? Will she compromise what we are doing?"


    "Don''t worry, I have a feeling she is here on a mission. She''s not going to compromise her own identity either," Jackson replied.


    "Mission? What do you mean?" Amelie asked in confusion.


    Jackson removed the towel from his head and laughed, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. She''s an SPU agent."


    Amelie looked at Jackson in surprise. No wonder Halia hadn''t mentioned anything yet.


    "Does that mean she knows your identity?" Amelie asked.


    "No, I haven''t told her anything yet. But, she''s already figured out the code on my bracelet, so I''m sure she''ll figure out roughly who I am soon," Jackson smiled.


    Amelie sighed and shook her head. Things had gotten a lot more complicated.


    "By the way, did you notice anyone following us today?" Jackson asked.


    "No, I didn''t see anyone suspicious today," Amelie replied.


    "Me neither," Jackson smirked.


    On the first day that Jackson and Amelie arrived in Macau, when they first ran into Halia, someone was watching their every move. Jackson had spotted the suspicious person as soon as they stepped foot in the casino, so he was extra careful not to blow his cover. When Halia showed up unexpectedly, he quickly made an excuse to return to his room as soon as possible. He even pretended to kiss Amelie, hoping to put on a convincing show for the mysterious person watching from the corridors. The fact that they weren''t followed today meant that their show was convincing enough.


    It seemed, they were right to follow the lead in Hong Kong; someone close to Jackson was definitely after him. Perhaps, they were paranoid that they had been discovered so they sent someone to follow Jackson and Amelie to make sure Jackson''s cover was true. If they were convinced now, would they attack again?


    Since no one followed them today, it was at least a good sign for now. Now that the enemy had their guard down, Jackson and Amelie could properly delve into their investigation. Who disliked Jackson so much that they tried to kill him? And for what reason? Most importantly, how did they know that he was back in France and in that safe house? Everything was highly confidential.


    No matter who it was, one thing was for sure: this person was definitely rich. Otherwise, how could they afford to hire a top killer like Gogh?


    Jackson didn''t want to believe it, but he was beginning to suspect his family members.


    ...


    The next day, Halia arrived at the VIP room as usual. After all, she had to spend at least two hours there every day. As she walked in, she noticed Thomas and Emerson''s uncle chatting secretly in the corner. Halia quietly snuck over to hear their conversation.


    "You didn''t tell me that Director Feng and Emerson were so close," the uncle complained. "Did you discuss anything illegal to her yet?"


    "No," Thomas replied.


    "Good. From now on, only mention legal dealings in front of her and keep a close eye on who she talks to. I don''t want word to get back to Emerson about what we''re doing here," the uncle whispered.


    Thomas nodded his head.


    Halia listened carefully and frowned as she snuck away. She had a feeling the uncle was involved from the start. But, after what she heard, it appeared as though he wasn''t just simply involved - he could well be the mastermind behind everything!


    So, Halia quickly sent Sean a message, "Investigate, Everett Pang. He might be our guy."


    But, just as she was messaging, someone suddenly snuck up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Why are you acting so secretive here?" a man''s voice asked.


    Halia quickly hid her phone behind her back and turned around in surprise.


    It was Emerson.


    Did he see anything?

 Chapter 128 - I Want To Breakup

    "It really is you," Emerson smiled.


    "I noticed you from outside. What are you doing in the VIP room?" Emerson asked.


    Halia glanced at Emerson. That was right, he didn''t know she was here on a junket package.


    "I was actually invited by one of your junkets, so I need to spend 2 hours here," Halia explained helplessly.


    Emerson looked at Halia in surprise. He thought she had specifically come to Macau for him. But, as it turned out, she was just there for a vacation.


    "Oh, I had no idea," Emerson sighed. He then lowered his head and said apologetically, "I honestly thought you were here for me, that''s why I acted the way I did last night. Halia, I''ve never been the type of man to force myself onto a woman. I''m honestly sorry for my actions last night, I truly misunderstood your intentions. I''m sorry if I frightened you. I hope we can still be friends."


    After Emerson finished talking, there was a moment of awkward silence.


    "If you accept my apology, can I treat you to a drink tonight? The bar at the casino is really nice."


    Halia smiled at the man. She could hear his sincerity, so, she nodded her head.


    "In that case, I''ll see you later tonight," the man smiled as he walked away.


    But, even though he had a smile on his face, his heart was filled with uncertainty. A moment ago, he had clearly seen the message on Halia''s phone: she had asked someone to investigate his uncle. Why? There was something suspicious about this woman.


    ...


    Later that day, Halia returned to her hotel room to get changed for dinner and the bar. She had no plans for dinner, so she decided to eat in one of the casino''s many restaurants.


    While she was alone in her room, she glanced down at her bracelet and felt her heart ache. She thought about the words that Jackson said to her in the pool the previous night and couldn''t understand what the man was trying to say. What did he mean by repaying him? And what did he mean by his girlfriend was very understanding?


    How did he expect her to repay?


    At that moment, Halia''s eyes opened wide with realization.


    Was he...


    ...taking inspiration from his father...


    ...and planning to have two girlfriends?!


    Halia shook her head. She could never accept that!


    If that was what he wanted, then he wasn''t the man she thought she knew.


    Halia began to have doubts. Perhaps, she had jumped into the relationship and got invested too quickly. After all, she didn''t even know him properly yet.


    "Stupid Jackson," she mumbled as she removed her bracelet. What kind of woman did he take her for?


    As she held onto the bracelet, she wanted to force herself to hate the man and move on. But, even though she called his name in vain, she couldn''t help but carefully place the bracelet in her room safe.


    Removing the bracelet was the first step to moving on.


    The next step was to speak to Jackson in person and draw the line. After all, the man had previously written her a note and told her to speak to him if she wanted to break up.


    "I''ll place you in this safe for now. But, as soon as I break up with that jerk, you''re going straight into the bin," she said to the bracelet as she locked it up.


    But, after she changed into a little black dress and left her room, she ended up running into the man sooner than she expected.


    Amelie and Jackson were standing hand in hand inside the elevator that arrived on Halia''s floor.


    "Haili, it''s nice to see you again," Amelie grinned.


    Haili smiled and stepped into the elevator. Why was this woman being so friendly to her? Was she OK with the idea of sharing a man? Was that what Jackson meant by understanding?


    As Halia stepped inside, there were already a few other people inside the elevator, so she had no choice but to stand beside Jackson.


    "Where are you going tonight? You look nice," Amelie smiled as she ran her eyes across the woman''s perfectly fit body.


    "I''m popping down to dinner and meeting Emerson at the bar after," Halia replied.


    "Oh, we''re going to dinner too. Do you want to go together?" Amelie asked excitedly.


    Halia glanced awkwardly at Jackson. The man had no reaction.


    At that moment, a big group of friends suddenly stepped into the elevator and Halia was forced to shuffle closer to Jackson. As she moved in, her hand accidentally brushed up against Jackson''s and she felt her heart melt at the familiar touch. But, her eyes quickly fell on his other hand which was entwined with Amelie''s and she frowned.


    "No, I don''t want to be a third wheel. The two of you should have some alone time. After all, two''s company, but three''s a crowd..." Halia replied.


    This time, Jackson''s eyes twitched a little. What was this woman saying? Didn''t she understand his hint yesterday?


    It seemed, he had overestimated this dopey woman.


    He turned his head to look down at Halia and noticed that she wasn''t wearing the bracelet he gave her.


    "Where''s your bracelet?" he whispered beside Halia''s ear.


    Halia grabbed her wrist and cleared her throat awkwardly.


    "I''ve decided not to wear it anymore," Halia replied. "The person that gave it to me has already moved on. So, I think I should move on too."


    Jackson looked at Halia confusedly. Sure, he hadn''t explained the entire situation to her yet, but he thought he had given her a clear hint the previous night.


    "Didn''t you get my hint last night?" Jackson asked.


    "Yes, I got it loud and clear," Halia whispered back.


    "But...I''m sorry...I''m not into threesomes," she continued with a hiss.


    "That''s why I want to breakup."


    Jackson stared at Halia dumbfounded. Breakup? Threesome? What was going through this woman''s head? How was she an agent with a brain like that? A moment later, his lips curved into a charming smile as he broke into laughter.


    People often said that jealousy could cloud a person''s judgment. From the looks of it, they were right.


    "Have you never wondered why I used Morse code on your bracelet?" Jackson asked.


    Halia looked away, ignoring the man.


    "The average person doesn''t know Morse code," Jackson whispered.


    He then shuffled over in the crowded elevator and secretly hooked his pinky around Halia''s playfully. Halia brushed his hand away, but the man quickly grabbed onto her hand.


    Halia felt butterflies in her stomach as she glared at the man. Didn''t she make herself clear? Why was he still teasing her?


    "We''re a couple of not so average people, SPU agent, Detective Feng..."


    Halia looked at the man with confusion.


    "We''re being watched. I don''t do threesomes, so I''ll explain everything when we have a ''twosome'' later," Jackson said with a wink.


    At that moment, the elevator arrived at the ground floor.


    Jackson quickly let go of Halia''s hand and walked out with Amelie as though nothing had happened.

 Chapter 129 - I M ICPO

    After having dinner alone, Halia headed over to the bar to meet Emerson. They were meeting in a classy whiskey bar where smooth jazz was playing and everyone was dressed in suits and c.o.c.ktail dresses. It was far from the kind of bar that Halia once worked at. But, of course, she wasn''t mentioning this to Emerson.


    As soon as she walked into the bar, she saw Emerson sitting on one of the barstools, talking to the bartender. Since he was the owner of the casino, the staff naturally knew who he was and was surprised to see him at the bar. Especially the girls.


    Emerson was actually quite a homebody. He often finished work and went straight home. So, it was rare to see him at the bar.


    In fact, many of the female night staff around the casino had never seen him before, even though they had heard how good looking and charming he was. So, they were really excited.


    "That''s the CEO of this casino? He looks younger than I imagined."


    "I heard he was good looking, but I thought everyone was just exaggerating, so I looked him up online and fell in love. I can''t believe he''s even better looking in real life!"


    Halia walked over to the man and sat down beside him.


    "I''m glad you came," Emerson smiled. "What would you like to drink?"


    Halia turned to the bartender and ordered a gin and tonic.


    "I''m honestly sorry for yesterday, I hope we can still be friends," Emerson apologized as he paid for Halia''s drink.


    "It''s fine. It was all a misunderstanding," Halia replied.


    At that moment, Emerson noticed Halia wasn''t wearing her bracelet. "Why aren''t you wearing your bracelet today? Did you get into an argument?" he asked.


    Halia shook her head, "It''s complicated."


    Emerson took a sip of his wine and looked at Halia with blushed cheeks.


    "Do you drink often?" Halia asked curiously.


    "No, I usually spend my time between work and home, and even when I''m at home, I''m usually working still, so I don''t really get the chance to drink," Emerson replied.


    "Don''t you ever go on dates or hang out with friends?" Halia questioned.


    "No, I don''t have time," Emerson smiled gently. "Perhaps, you could say that I love this casino so much that I haven''t found anything else that I''d much rather spend my time on."


    Emerson stared at Halia and tucked a loose hair behind her ear.


    "You are the only exception," he whispered under his breath as he took another sip of his wine.


    Halia didn''t hear this whisper over the noises in the bar, so she continued casually with the conversation, "If someone was to help you out with the casino and lighten your load, would it give you more time to socialize?"


    "My father placed the casino in my hands. There''s no one else out there that can do a better job," Emerson replied.


    "What about Jackson? He''s back now. I''m sure he has a share in the casino too," Halia suggested.


    Emerson slammed his glass down on the benchtop. Fortunately, it didn''t spill or shatter. "Jackson is just a gangster, who''s to say when he''ll disappear again," he frowned.


    Halia jumped a little from the sudden outburst. This man always seemed so calm. Who knew he could get this angry.


    "Ah, I think I''ve drunk too much. Sorry for losing my temper a little," he said with a smile.


    At that moment, a familiar voice called out, "Hi Haili. Hi Emerson."


    Halia turned towards the voice and saw Amelie entering the bar. Not too far behind her was Jackson.


    The girls that were commenting on Emerson earlier, suddenly looked at Jackson in awe.


    "It must be my lucky day to see two handsome men of this caliber on the same day."


    "I thought Emerson was already good looking, but this guy is on a different level. He''s completely my type."


    "I wonder who he is. He seems to know Emerson."


    Jackson walked up to Amelie and wrapped his arm around her hip.


    "Oh, it looks like he''s already taken."


    "All the best men are. Let''s stop dreaming and get back to work."


    Halia watched as the girls walked away. They were so loud that she heard their entire conversation and it annoyed her a little. But, when she glanced at Jackson, the man gave her a sneaky wink.


    Why was he winking at her?


    Until he explained himself properly to her, she still had her doubts about him. How did he know her real identity and why was he being followed? Most importantly, was Amelie really his girlfriend?


    All of a sudden, Amelie grabbed onto Halia''s arm and smiled, "Let''s go do some shopping while the brothers spend some precious time together."


    Before Halia got the chance to respond, Amelie dragged her out of the bar and straight into a lingerie store downstairs. She knew exactly where she wanted to go.


    "I saw this place earlier and really wanted to check it out," she cheered excitedly at the entrance to the store.


    As soon as they stepped foot inside, Amelie continued to drag Halia all the way until they reached the back of the store. "You see the man standing outside?" she asked inconspicuously as she pretended to browse through some bras.


    Halia was surprised by Amelie''s sudden seriousness but quickly took a glance outside.


    Just like Amelie said, there was a man standing awkwardly outside, talking on his phone and peering into the store like he was waiting for someone. Usually, it was common to see men waiting outside stores for their girlfriends. But, Halia and Amelie were the only ones inside. Who was this man waiting for?


    "He''s been following us since this afternoon when we saw you in the elevator."


    "What''s going on? Why are the two of you being followed?" Halia asked.


    At that moment, Amelie ran her hands across a display cabinet and tapped her long manicured nails on top.


    Halia followed behind the woman and wondered why she wasn''t responding.


    But, inside the silence of the lingerie store, she suddenly realized that Amelie was tapping out a deliberate rhythm.


    "Why aren''t you wearing your bracelet today?" Amelie asked as she continued to tap.


    Halia''s eyes opened wide as she listened carefully.


    Two quick taps...


    Two slow taps...


    Two quick taps...


    It was Morse code!


    ''I''


    ''M''


    ''ICPO''


    ICPO?


    International Criminal Police Organization.


    Was Amelie a part of Interpol?

 Chapter 130 - Spiked Again?

    Halia remembered at that moment that Jackson had been extradited by Interpol. Was he helping Interpol? Did they offer him a reduced sentence for his help?


    But, then again, how did he know that she was SPU?


    Halia thought about her bracelet and the secret room in Jackson''s apartment; she thought about the surveillance equipment, the burner phones, and the USB stick that contained information on corrupt police...


    Suddenly, a more likely answer came to her mind. How was she so stupid to not figure it out earlier?


    "Jackson''s not your boyfriend, is he?" she asked Amelie nervously. If this was true, then everything suddenly made sense; that''s why Jackson said Amelie would understand his actions the previous night.


    Amelie laughed and picked up a folded nightgown. "No, he''s not..."


    She then put the nightgown back down and said casually, "...he''s my colleague."


    Halia looked at the woman in surprise.


    Colleague?


    If she was Interpol, then...


    ...Jackson was Interpol too!


    "Does that mean the two of you are here for a mission?" Halia asked.


    Amelie smiled. This silly woman finally knew who her boyfriend really was.


    "No, we are holding a private investigation," Amelie replied.


    "What investigation?"


    "I saw you look at Jackson''s scar last night," Amelie raised an eyebrow. "I guess you must have seen his body before and noticed something was different."


    Halia quickly blushed, "It''s not what you think."


    Amelie stared into Halia''s eyes with seriousness, "Jackson was shot in the chest when we were in France. That''s why we are here."


    Halia looked at Amelie in surprise. Shot in the chest? Was it serious?


    "I know you have a lot of questions, but I''ll let him explain the rest to you when he gets the chance. I simply dragged you out here because I don''t want Jackson to be distracted anymore. What he did in the elevator today could have compromised all of us," Amelie sighed. "Now that you know what is going on, please be careful from now on."


    Halia nodded her head as she watched Amelie walk over to the counter.


    After saying what she wanted to say, Amelie purchased a set of lingerie. After all, someone was watching and their act needed to be convincing. The two women then left the store like normal customers.


    After a few seconds, the man waiting outside quickly started following them again without any suspicion.


    When the two women returned to the bar, the two men were clinking glasses and laughing. Emerson was on his third glass of wine while Jackson was already on his fourth glass of whiskey.


    "Come on, Bro, you need to train yourself. How will you impress the ladies with your alcohol tolerance?" Jackson joked as he laughed at his younger brother.


    Emerson''s face was red from the alcohol as his head spun. This was unfair, his brother had been in the gangs since he was 18, so alcohol was like water for him.


    At that moment, Amelie and Halia returned.


    When the two men saw them, they smiled warmly.


    Jackson didn''t know what Amelie discussed with Halia, but he was glad to get some alone time with his brother. While the girls were gone, he had asked Emerson a few questions about how everyone reacted when they heard he was coming back and Emerson mentioned that his uncle was oddly interested even though he didn''t know him well. Everett Pang and his wife were the only ones in the family that were completely unrelated to Jackson. In fact, Jackson had only met him a couple of times in his teens. This was because Everett was actually the brother of Emerson''s mother. Therefore, the uncle was actually on the top of Jackson''s suspect list from the beginning. But, he seemed too obvious for someone that hired a meticulous killer like Gogh. Was it really him?


    Either way, it was the only lead he had gotten so far.


    Halia felt her heart race as she looked at Jackson''s smile. Even though he was smiling at Amelie, his smile was ever so charming. Now that she knew who he really was, it suddenly felt like she was meeting a stranger all over again. How much of what she knew about him was real? And when did he discover her true identity? Did he think she lied to him about everything? Did he know that her feelings for him were real?


    Memories of everything they went through flashed through her mind. From their meeting at the hospital to the time they spent in the underground lab. At that moment, she also remembered the wound she saw on his chest the previous night. Was it completely healed?


    Halia suddenly had the urge to hug Jackson.


    Since he wasn''t actually a gangster, they should have reunited happily. But now, another hurdle stood in their way.


    "Haili, you''re back," Emerson chuckled affectionately as he immediately wrapped his arms around Halia. "Jackson said I can''t impress girls with my low alcohol tolerance. Is that why you don''t like me?"


    Halia glanced at Jackson and Amelie awkwardly as she tried to pull the man off her body.


    Jackson frowned but remained calm. Who knew if anyone was watching. Slowly, he pulled Emerson off Halia and sat him back down. Emerson grinned at Halia and ordered her another gin and tonic. "Come, drink with me, Haili," he said.


    Halia looked at the gin and tonic and sighed. She could drink 10 of them and still be fine; this man would not be able to keep up with her. After all, her family produced alcohol that was much stronger than this. The only time she was affected by alcohol was when she was spiked in Beijing; the time that Jackson saved her.


    With that thought, Halia suddenly had an idea. She glanced at the drink in her hand and inconspicuously drank it all in one go. She then checked her watch. Last time, it took about half an hour for the drugs to kick in. Didn''t the man say he was going to explain everything to her when they were alone (or having a ''twosome'' as he put it)? Well, she was going to give him the opportunity.


    Half an hour didn''t take long. Soon, Emerson finished his fourth glass of red wine and decided to surrender for the night.


    "I think I''ve had enough," he said as he held his head and stood up. "Let''s call it a night."


    Emerson took a couple of steps forward and stumbled.


    Seeing that the man couldn''t stand properly, Jackson tried to grab onto his brother.


    But, at that moment, Halia suddenly leaned onto Jackson''s shoulder and closed her eyes.


    "Haili, are you OK?" Amelie asked as she grabbed onto Emerson instead.


    "She''s usually a strong drinker," Jackson said as he wrapped an arm around Halia''s back to hold her up. He then looked around the bar suspiciously. "Maybe she was spiked!"


    Halia tried to hold back her smile when she heard this.


    Her plan worked!

 Chapter 131 - Lavender

    Jackson held onto Halia awkwardly and tried to stick his hand in her handbag to find a keycard for her room. Unlike last time she was spiked, he at least knew that she was staying in the casino''s hotel. Finally, he pulled out a little golden card and handed it to Amelie.


    "This must be the key to her room. Can you take her back? It might be better since you''re both girls," he said.


    But, Amelie''s hands were busy trying to keep Emerson standing up, while Halia had her arms wrapped tightly around Jackson''s waist. Neither of them could shake off the person they were helping.


    "I think you''ll have to take her, she doesn''t seem to be letting go of you. I can take Emerson back. His driver is waiting outside. I''ll make sure he gets home safely. I''m sure no one will suspect a thing in this situation..." Amelie sighed.


    Suddenly, Emerson started dry retching and Amelie quickly looked at him in a panic. "Oh God, I better take him out before he starts vomiting everywhere." Amelie frowned as she dragged the man towards the exit.


    Jackson glanced at Halia and shook his head in disappointment. "How did you get spiked again?" he asked dotingly.


    He then lifted her in his arms and carried her out of the bar; it was the quickest way to get her out of there. As he passed by the suspicious man that had been following him all day, he deliberately said, "If my brother didn''t like you, I would just leave you here."


    The suspicious man watched as Jackson walked out with Halia and quickly grabbed his phone. He then typed a message: [Nothing suspicious].


    A moment later, he received a reply: [You can go home. No need to follow from now on].


    Jackson carried Halia into the elevator and watched as the suspicious man walked in the opposite direction and disappeared out the exit of the casino complex.


    Finally, he wasn''t being followed.


    Originally, Amelie and Jackson thought they weren''t being followed the previous day because the culprit had let their guard down. But, after they realized they were being followed again that afternoon, they had a better theory: the culprit was at the dinner. Why would they hire someone if they could monitor them themself?


    Someone in the family definitely tried to kill him!


    As the elevator door closed, Halia and Jackson finally had some time alone; there was no one else in the elevator. Jackson checked the room number on Halia''s keycard and pressed the button for her floor. Soft elevator music started to play as soon as the elevator began to move.


    With a worried expression, Jackson stared at the floor number and waited for the elevator to rise to Halia''s level.


    But, just as the number ''2'' showed up on the screen, he suddenly felt the woman in his arms snuggle against his chest. He looked down and saw the woman furrow her brows uncomfortably in his arms and gently rubbed her arm dotingly. "It''s OK, I''m here," he said in a comforting tone. Lucky he was there both times she got spiked, he thought to himself. Even though he had drunk quite a bit of alcohol, at least, he had a certain amount of self-control. Other men may not have reacted the same with such a beautiful woman in their arms.


    As Jackson stared at Halia, the familiar floral fragrance of her shampoo wafted into his nose. He didn''t know what flower it was before, but now, he knew it was the light scent of lavender.


    Back in France, Mrs. Martin had planted some lavender outside the country home. Lavender was said to ward off bugs including moths and flies, so she planted them all around the house as a natural repellent. Every morning, when Jackson stepped outside, the light floral fragrance of lavender would dance across the air, reminding him of the woman that was waiting for him in Beijing. That was when he realized Halia''s shampoo smelled of lavender; the smell made him miss her more.


    Jackson smiled as he breathed in the familiar scent. After an entire month apart, this woman was finally in his arms.


    But, just as Jackson was savoring the nostalgic moment, Halia''s head suddenly started inching upwards from his chest to his neck, turning the peaceful atmosphere into a highly ambiguous one.


    Jackson''s eyes opened wide in surprise.


    He could feel her warm breaths on his jaw and her soft lips against his collarbone. It was ever so seductive, sending tingles down his spine.


    What was this woman doing? If he was someone else, he would have pinned her against the elevator wall and pressed those soft lips against his. But, he needed to restrain himself. He remembered the last time Halia was spiked and how he had lost control. He had already acted out of line that time; he couldn''t do it again.


    But, just as he was trying hard to resist temptation, Halia''s lips glided up his neck and to his ear. Then, in a soft and seductive voice, she whispered, "Interpol agent, Jackson Wu, is it time for our twosome yet?"


    Jackson turned his head to face the woman. How did she suddenly know his identity?


    The smell of gin lingered in Halia''s breath as her lips curved upwards slightly. Jackson looked into the woman''s eyes curiously and realized she was completely aware of what she was doing. Did this cheeky woman trick him?


    "Did Amelie tell you?" he asked.


    Halia nodded her head.


    With an evil look in his eyes, he leaned forward and asked, "You''re not spiked, are you?"


    Halia giggled and shook her head.


    As soon as she did this, the elevator door opened on her floor. Jackson glared at the woman in his arms and carried her out domineeringly.


    "You''re going to get punished," he said in an intimidating tone as he opened the hotel room door and stormed straight inside.

 Chapter 132 - Family Or Foe

    Jackson carried Halia straight into the bedroom and lay her gently on the bed.


    But, before the woman could say a word, he pressed his lips firmly against hers, preventing her from making a sound. He had been dreaming about these lips for an entire month and he wasn''t moving away from it any time soon. After all, they were even more soft and supple than he remembered.


    Halia''s lips curved upwards slightly as her heart filled with an indescribable joy.


    She hooked arms around the man''s neck and pulled him closer, savoring every touch. She then flipped him over on the bed and pressed her body against his.


    Jackson was pleased with the woman''s initiative as he gently slipped his tongue into her mouth. He then ran his hands down her fit slender body.


    The taste of her tongue was completely intoxicating and her body was irresistible; it made him want more, but he knew he had to reveal his real self to her first.


    Slowly, he flipped the woman back over and moved away with a satisfied smile.


    "Where''s your bracelet?" he asked.


    Halia quickly caught her breath and glanced at the wardrobe. "It''s in the safe."


    Jackson smiled happily. Even though she wasn''t wearing it, at least she valued it enough to put it in the safe.


    "Tell me the password, I''ll go get it for you," he said.


    "0321," Halia replied.


    Jackson laughed. That was the date of their anniversary. How could this woman ask to break up earlier when she still cared so much about him?


    Jackson walked over to the wardrobe, opened the safe and pulled out the bracelet. He had spent an entire night making this bracelet by hand.


    He then returned to Halia''s side and placed the bracelet on her wrist.


    "Don''t take this off again," he said dotingly.


    Halia glanced down at the bracelet and nodded her head.


    After a moment of silence, she decided it was time to ask what she wanted to know.


    "Did you already know that I was an SPU agent when you gave me this bracelet? Was that why you chose to use Morse code on it?" Halia asked.


    Jackson nodded his head, "I knew you''d eventually get my message."


    "So, you deliberately gave me the wrong time for the bomb deal and snuck out to meet Remy Durand on your own?" Halia confirmed.


    "He was an international fugitive that had committed multiple crimes in France. I had actually been following him for a long time, so I was deep undercover and couldn''t risk revealing myself to you. I knew you wanted to prevent me from going, but I assumed everything would be over as soon as I caught Remy. I didn''t expect to be taken back to France for an entire month. Nor did I expect all the drama that happened there."


    At that moment, Halia placed her hand up to Jackson''s chest, "Amelie told me about the bullet wound. What exactly happened?"


    Jackson sat down and started telling Halia everything that happened from the start, including his mission, when he discovered her identity, what happened at the farmhouse and how he met Gogh and almost died.


    Meanwhile, Halia sat quietly as she listened intently like a child hearing a bedtime story for the first time.


    "So, you''re suspecting someone from your family did it?" Halia asked.


    "But, why?"


    Jackson frowned and walked over to the window.


    "You probably don''t know this, but the casino actually belonged to my mother. She was an only child and when my grandparents passed away, she was given 50% ownership of the casino. Because she loved my father so much, she ended up giving him 20% of the casino''s shares and making him the chairman. After all, she was never interested in the casino anyway. Unfortunately, during the time that she was pregnant with me, she discovered that my father was having an affair. So, as soon as I was born, she took me to live in Shanghai with her. I only visited every so often. While my mother was in Shanghai with me, he ended up having Emerson with his mistress. He then found a second mistress and had my sister. After my mother died, she gave all her shares to me. Based on that fact alone, everyone in the family is a potential suspect. I''m sure Emerson''s family wants him to remain as the CEO and they don''t want me to complicate things. But, I''m sure Jaclyn and Auntie Lily would get a cut of my shares if I was to die. Greed can do a lot to people," Jackson sighed.


    Halia looked at Jackson in disbelief. How could his own family be so ruthless?


    After a short pause, she asked with slight suspicion, "If you don''t mind me asking, how did your mother die?"


    "A hit and run, they never caught the culprit," Jackson explained, with slight doubt in his voice. "To be honest, I think the case was rigged. It was the thing that triggered me to become a policeman."


    Halia stared into Jackson''s eyes with hesitation. If someone tried to kill Jackson, did that same person kill his mother?


    Jackson saw the discomfort in Halia''s eyes, "I know what you''re thinking. That''s another reason why I''m back. I''m not just looking for the person that tried to kill me, I''m also looking for my mother''s killer! I have a feeling they are the same person."

 Chapter 133 - A.d.u.l.tery Is A Crime Too

    (Warning R18+: this chapter contains s.e.x.u.a.l content that may make some people uncomfortable.)


    After Halia sent Sean a message to investigate Everett Pang earlier that day, Sean spent the entire day following the man. It wasn''t hard to follow him since he stayed at the casino all day and the place was busy enough for Sean to slip a bug onto the man without him noticing. But, every so often, he found his mind wandering off to the kiss he shared with Natalie and the conversation they had the previous day.


    Just last night, when he asked her whether she liked him, the woman told him straightforwardly that she did and it made him happy yet scared. Of course, he liked her too, otherwise, he wouldn''t have kissed her. But, unlike his impulsive actions with Halia, he was thinking logically this time. He had already loved and lost before. Would he ever be able to truly love again?


    Natalie knew all about Sara, so she knew what the man was thinking.


    "Sean, I know you are a logical man. That''s what I like about you. But, before you decide whether you like me too, there are still a lot of things you need to know about me. I don''t expect you to jump into a relationship with me straight away; it would only make me question whether you are using me as a rebound. So, don''t think too much, just let things happen naturally," Natalie said, hoping that her confession didn''t scare the man away.


    Sean was surprised by how understanding she was. Perhaps, this was the difference between a young woman and a more mature one.


    Sure, Sean had some great times with Sara when she was alive. But, Sara was much younger than him and they often argued over childish things like jealousy and who loved who the most.


    Natalie was different. She was patient, trusting and realistic.


    "I know how you feel. I''ve experienced a death in the past too, and I''ve done some stupid things because of it. So, don''t feel pressured. Let''s take things slow" Natalie reassured.


    Sean listened carefully to the woman''s voice and heard a slight tremble. He was in his early 30''s and Natalie was in her late 20''s. At their age, it wasn''t uncommon to have experienced a death or two. But, the tremble in her voice told him there was more to it. Was she referring to a family member? Or a friend?


    He realized, at that moment, that he had been so focused on his own grief that he never asked Natalie about her life. Even though they spoke every single day, she was always the one that comforted him.


    "Do you want to tell me your story? I just realized that I''ve never asked you about your life," Sean said.


    But, instead of answering him, the woman threw back a question, "Are you free tomorrow night?"


    Sean listened with curiosity to Natalie''s question. "Uh, sure," he replied.


    "Let''s chat about it over dinner. There''s someone that I would like you to meet," Natalie said mysteriously.


    Sean agreed and they quickly hung up. But, that conversation continued to replay in his mind and was replaying at that very moment while he was following Everett Pang.


    While Sean was deep in thought, he secretly watched the man and listened in on his conversations. This old man was a greasy old geezer that flirted with women and talked about perverted things with men. But, even though Sean didn''t like what he heard, he was a professional, so he didn''t give up.


    After an entire day of dirty talking, night time arrived and Everett Pang finally finished work for the day. Sean continued to watch the man. He was exhausted, but he still didn''t find anything suspicious. Was Halia right about Everett Pang? She wouldn''t have told him to investigate him if she wasn''t confident about it, right?


    However, just as Sean was about to finish for the day as well and head off to dinner with Natalie, he suddenly noticed one of the dealers acting suspiciously around Everett.


    Everett made eye contact with the woman and the two of them headed into an office down one of the corridors of the casino.


    Sean followed quietly behind and watched as the chubby man closed the office door with a sly look on his face. Was he finally doing something illegal? After the door closed, Sean listened carefully to the bug he planted, hoping to hear what was going on inside.


    But, as he listened, all he heard was a slight thumping noise and m.o.a.ns of pleasure. Sean blushed a little and swallowed when he realized what was happening. Even though it wasn''t the type of crime that he expected to catch the man committing, a.d.u.l.tery was considered a crime in some countries too, right?


    The sounds made Sean a little uncomfortable. What had Halia gotten him into?


    Sean took a deep breath and continued listening.


    He was a professional; he had to remain calm.


    Roughly ten minutes in, Sean began to feel a little hot and bothered. The a.d.u.l.terous pair was not stopping, and his body was beginning to naturally react.


    Sure, he was a professional, but he was still a man...


    Sean glanced down at his watch; it was almost time to meet Natalie. Should he just leave?


    At that moment, a loud tapping noise echoed from around the corner of the corridor. It was the sound of high-heeled shoes on the marble floors of the casino; someone was approaching. Sean immediately lifted his head in surprise and found a different hiding spot.


    As the tapping noise got louder, a woman appeared in Sean''s sight.


    Without hesitation, she walked straight up to the office that Everett was in and opened the door. Sean peered inside and caught a glimpse of the young n.a.k.e.d dealer straddling the n.a.k.e.d Everett on top of his office desk. It seemed, they had been interrupted just as they were reaching their climax.


    "Mrs. Pang," the n.a.k.e.d woman gasped as she quickly jumped off and tried to cover herself.


    Mrs. Pang turned around indifferently and closed the office door...

 Chapter 134 - Carol Pang

    Carol Pang stared at the n.a.k.e.d dealer. She was much younger than her; probably in her early 20''s. Carol was once young and fresh too. That was how she seduced Everett Pang who was 15 years older than her and forced him to marry her. After all, the stupid old man relied on her to get to where he was.


    Carol was a smart woman that had studied business and finance in university. Because of this, she practically acted as an advisor for the uneducated Everett. When she first met him, he was already 42 and hadn''t achieved anything in his life. He simply got money from his sister and spent it on partying and alcohol.


    That''s why she approached him.


    She knew she could use this man to her own advantage.


    "If you wanted to f*ck, you should have got a room," Carol sighed.


    Sean listened curiously over the bug that was attached to Everett''s jacket. So, this woman was Everett''s wife, Carol Pang...


    This woman did not seem simple.


    Carol sat down and threw the man his shirt. "Hurry and get dressed. I don''t want to see your dangling chunks of fat," she scowled.


    Everett quickly put his clothes back on while the young woman also slipped her dress over her head and headed for the door. "I''m sorry, Mrs. Pang, I''ll get going," the woman stuttered.


    But, just as she reached the door, Everett quickly stopped her, "Wait, Mina. Didn''t you say you had something to report to me?"


    The young woman turned around and reached into her handbag. She then pulled out a little machine. "This stopped working today," she said.


    Carol grabbed the machine and glared at the woman. "You can leave now," she said coldly.


    As the woman opened the door to leave, Sean quickly glanced into the office and spotted a mobile card machine in Carol''s hands; the kind used at shops for purchasing goods.


    Why was the dealer walking around with something like that? In fact, it looked like the type of machine that was issued in China.


    After the door closed, there was a loud slap. The slap was so loud that Sean didn''t even need a bug to hear it.


    Carol had slapped her husband square across the face.


    "There may be no love between us, but don''t forget who my godfather is and who got you to where you are today. If not for me, you would still be leeching off your sister. Did you think you would be the marketing manager of one of the biggest casinos in Macau and raking in millions a year? If you want to cheat, then go ahead, but don''t do it at your workplace where everyone knows us!" the woman yelled.


    Everett held onto his face and remained silent. Carol was right, he relied on her to teach him what to do. She was the one that taught him how to get the previous marketing manager fired by framing him of making a detrimental mistake. She then taught him how to vie for the position and introduced him to her godfather who taught him how to make even more money.


    "I''m sorry, I won''t do it again," the man apologized.


    He then pointed to the machine and asked, "What could be wrong with that machine? We''ve been using those machines for a month now and this has been the first issue."


    "It may have temporarily gone offline. It happens sometimes," Carol replied.


    "Are you sure the police didn''t discover what we were doing and disconnect the connection?" the cowardly man asked.


    "If they discovered it, they wouldn''t have simply disconnected it," the woman explained.


    Outside the office, Sean listened to the conversation and nodded his head with satisfaction. His day did not go to waste. Finally, he gained some useful information. It seemed, Halia may have been correct about Everett using the casino for money laundering. Sean had heard about people sneaking mobile card machines out of China so they could withdraw cash outside of China and make the transactions appear like they were still within the country. It was a loophole for moving large amounts of money out of China and laundering them. From what he heard, it appeared as though that was happening here.


    But, Halia was wrong about one thing: Everett Pang was not the mastermind.


    As it seemed, Carol Pang was!


    ...


    Meanwhile, over in a little Italian restaurant not too far from the casino, Natalie was waiting patiently for Sean. She had already been waiting for 20 minutes but the man was still nowhere to be seen. He didn''t even send a message to say he was going to be late. What happened? Did he back out?


    She glanced down at her watch again and poured out two glasses of water. She then handed one to the seat beside her.


    "Do you want me to order you a pizza first?" she asked in a sweet voice as she looked down.


    A little boy about the age of 5-6 frowned and shook his head. "Mommy said it''s bad manners to eat before everyone''s arrived..."


    Natalie patted the little boy on the head, "Good boy, that''s why you''re Mommy''s precious angel."

 Chapter 135 - I Miss You

    There were a few ways to get between Macau and Hong Kong. One could take a flight, a ferry or they could even drive across the recently opened bridge that connected the two cities.


    Back in the days, Emerson would return home via his own private boat every day or just sleep at the hotel when it was too late. But, thanks to the bridge, his driver could now drive him back and forth between the two places within an hour one way.


    Amelie sat inside Emerson''s car and covered the drunk man with a blanket. A moment ago, the man had vomited all over the front of the casino and caused quite a stir. If it was someone else, they may have been fined for disorderly conduct, but he was the CEO of the casino, so the staff simply watched helplessly as the man got into his car and drove off, leaving behind a mess for them to clean.


    "Haili, I''ve liked you for so long. Why won''t you accept my feelings?" the drunk man mumbled as he rolled around in the car.


    Amelie glanced at the man and was suddenly reminded of someone she knew: Alexander Dupont.


    Alexander had said the same words to her just before she left France.


    "Amelie, I''ve liked you for so long. Why won''t you accept my feelings?"


    Suddenly, memories of the man popped up in Amelie''s head. They had spent an entire year together in the farmhouse in France. Even though every day was practically the same, they often chatted and found activities to do together to keep each other sane. There were even occasions when they slept together.


    But, Amelie didn''t think much of their relationship until the time that Jackson was unconscious in the hospital for 4 days. During those 4 days, she stayed by Jackson''s side, but Alexander stayed by hers. He brought her food, water, he covered her when she slept and wiped her tears when she cried. And when Jackson woke up looking for Halia, Alexander comforted her and reassured her of how great she was. He even helped her accept the truth and move on.


    Maybe because he was always around, she didn''t notice how great he was and took him for granted. But, now that he wasn''t there, she suddenly missed him...


    She smiled as she thought about the man and picked up her phone. She then opened up a chat program and clicked on Alexander''s name. After a little bit of hesitation, she typed a short message to the man: [Tu Me Manques (I miss you)].


    ...


    Back at the restaurant in Macau, Natalie glanced at her watch once again. Another 20 minutes passed. The restaurant was only 10 minutes from the casino. Even if Sean was stuck in traffic, he would have arrived by then.


    Natalie glanced at the little boy beside her. He was quietly reading a book and waiting for their guest to arrive. Natalie had told him that they were meeting a really good friend and he had been excited all day. After all, Natalie worked so hard that it wasn''t common for her to make new friends, let alone introduce them to him. In fact, he only ever met Halia and Halia''s family.


    "Pumpkin, Mommy''s friend might not be able to make it today. Why don''t you start ordering before you starve," Natalie said.


    The little boy picked up a menu. He couldn''t read all the words on it yet, but luckily, there were pictures.


    "This one looks yummy," he said as he pointed to a pizza with pumpkin, spinach, and ricotta.


    This child loved his veggies and often preferred it over meat.


    "That''s a good choice," Natalie smiled as she turned to look for a waiter.


    But, just as she was about to wave down someone, she saw Sean walk in through the front door.


    "I''m sorry I''m late," he said apologetically as he ran over to the table. "I was caught up in traffic."


    He then sat down opposite Natalie and glanced curiously at the little boy between them. The little boy was super adorable in his blue checkered shirt, blue bowtie, and black pants. His hair was slicked back and he had a little picture book in his hands.


    Whose child was this? Was this Natalie''s nephew or son?


    Natalie patted the little boy on the head lovingly and said, "This is Mommy''s friend. Go ahead and introduce yourself."


    Sean looked at the little boy in surprise. Mommy?


    "Hello, my name is Nathan, I am five and a half! If you are Mommy''s friend, you can call me Pumpkin," he said as he spread one hand and curled one little finger on the other to signify five and a half.


    Sean''s expression softened as he hunched down to the little boy''s height. "Why Pumpkin?" he asked.


    "Because I love eating pumpkin," the little boy grinned.


    Sean then sat up straight and said, "Well, we gotta make sure we pick you something with pumpkin in it."


    Natalie was surprised by Sean''s indifferent attitude. Didn''t he mind that she already had a child? Didn''t he have any questions?


    Sean picked up the menu and pointed to a pizza on it. It was the exact same one that Nathan picked earlier. "How about this pizza?" he asked.


    The little boy quickly nodded his head, "I already picked it!"


    "That''s a good choice!" Sean smiled.

 Chapter 136 - Rawson Zhang

    Back at the hotel, Halia was still in disbelief from what Jackson told her about his family. As her heart ached, she leaned over and hugged him tightly in her arms. How could his family be so cruel?


    At that moment, she suddenly received a message on her phone.


    Halia glanced over and noticed it was a message from Sean.


    "Sorry, I need to check that," she said as she reached over for her phone.


    But, the man quickly grabbed the phone and hid it behind his back.


    "A kiss for your phone," he said cheekily.


    Halia looked at the man helplessly. How could he be taking advantage of her already?


    With no choice, she leaned over and pecked him shyly on the lips. But, the man quickly hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her in for a long passionate kiss. He had to make up for lost time.


    "You need to kiss me every day from now on," he said dotingly. "You don''t know how hard it''s been to live without it."


    Halia nodded her head and quickly grabbed her phone while the man didn''t notice.


    She then clicked into Sean''s message: [You were right, Everett Pang is involved. But, I think the mastermind is his wife].


    Halia''s eyes opened wide in surprise. She had never even seen Carol Pang visit the casino. The only time she met her was at dinner. How did she manage to keep such a low profile?


    At that moment, Halia realized something. She quickly turned to Jackson and said, "I''m actually here on a mission."


    Jackson nodded his head, "I thought that might be the case. Is there anything I can help you with?"


    "No, but I think I might be able to help you," Halia replied.


    "Emerson''s auntie and uncle, Carol Pang and Everett Pang are involved in a money-laundering scheme at your casino that may involve gangsters and junkets," she explained. "Could there be any reason that they''d target you so you wouldn''t discover what they''re doing?"


    Jackson leaned over and placed a kiss on Halia''s forehead. "Thank you for telling me. I''ll look into it further," he said.


    Halia felt her heart melt as she wrapped her arms around the man. "I missed you so much," she said.


    Jackson hugged the woman dotingly, "I missed you too."


    After spending another ten minutes together, Jackson left and returned to his own room. He wanted to stay, but he knew he couldn''t risk being discovered.


    A couple of hours later, Amelie returned from taking Emerson home. As soon as she saw Jackson, the man sat her down and explained everything that Halia told him.


    "So, she wasn''t actually spiked?" Amelie asked, ignoring serious business and jumping to the goss instead.


    Jackson sighed and nodded his head.


    Amelie then leaned in with a cheeky smile and teased the man, "Did you guys kiss?"


    Jackson cleared his throat and walked away with embarrassment. But, he was glad that Amelie was able to joke around and accept that Halia was his girlfriend. After all, he truly treated her as a friend.


    ...


    The next day, Jackson and Amelie arrived hand-in-hand at the casino to follow up on the lead that Halia gave them. Jackson was planning to get close to Everett and find a chance to steal his phone. Perhaps, he would be able to find some form of communication with France.


    But, to Jackson''s surprise, the uncle approached him happily as soon as he saw him.


    "Jackson, I''ve been wanting to chat with you," the uncle said.


    Jackson looked at the man confusedly. Why would he want to chat with him? They barely even knew each other.


    "Actually, I have a friend that really wants to meet you. Do you think you have time to join him for lunch?" the chubby old man asked.


    Jackson scanned his eyes across the man with curiosity. What did he have planned? Was he trying to get him alone so he could finish him off?


    "Who is this friend?" Jackson asked.


    The old man looked around suspiciously. He then cupped his hand and leaned towards Jackson''s ear. "Rawson Zhang," he whispered.


    Jackson''s eyes opened wide in surprise. Rawson Zhang?


    Before Jackson joined the gangs in France and before Beijing, Jackson actually lived with his mother in Shanghai. He loved his mother a lot. She was a brave, independent and smart woman that he looked up to. But...she was also very lonely. Since she had no family nor friends in Shanghai, she and her son only had each other. So, when she was suddenly hit by a car, the accident hit Jackson really hard. It took him a long time to recover from his grief, especially when he learned that his mother''s killer was never caught. So, after she passed away, her death motivated him to become a policeman in Shanghai.


    But, before he even completed his police training, he was scouted by his trainer and asked to go undercover. He was only 18 at that time, but he was all alone with no family nor friends in Shanghai, so he was the perfect candidate. For 4 years, he was deep undercover in the gangs there. But, because of his mission, he stopped visiting his family in Hong Kong and word quickly spread to his family that he had joined the gangs. When his father heard about it, he immediately disowned him and told him to never come home.


    Jackson didn''t mind anyway. After all, it was because of this man that his mother left all her friends and family in Hong Kong and went to live a lonely life in Shanghai.


    During the 4 years that he was undercover in Shanghai, Jackson''s boss...was Rawson Zhang; a ruthless character in the underworld. A man that ended up being thrown into prison for 7 years because of him. Did Rawson know that Jackson was the one that put him there? And, how did Everett know him?

 Chapter 137 - Pumpkin

    While Jackson was investigating Everett Pang, Halia went to meet with Sean for lunch. Sean had found a nice hidden little teahouse in the old town and sent the address to Halia. As usual, this man loved his tea.


    As he sat there waiting for Halia, he began to think about the events of the previous night inside the little Italian restaurant.


    Even though it was a weekday night, the restaurant was still buzzing with life. As Sean, Natalie, and Pumpkin waited patiently for their food, Natalie turned to Sean awkwardly and asked, "Aren''t you curious about anything?"


    The man looked at the little boy and shook his head. "We''re both a.d.u.l.ts. As long as you''re not doing anything wrong or unfaithful, I will understand," he smiled.


    Natalie relaxed and took a big breath.


    "Remember how I told you that I experienced a death?" Natalie asked.


    Sean looked up and stared into the woman''s eyes. Judging by the pain she exhibited, he had a feeling he knew what she was going to say and his heart suddenly ached for the woman.


    "It was my husband. He died 5 years ago," Natalie revealed with a shaky voice. "That''s why I told you that I could understand how you felt when you lost Sara."


    "We had only gotten married not long ago and I was still pregnant at the time, but I had to stay strong for Pumpkin''s sake. To be honest, I considered taking my own life or picking up a random man off the street to help me father the child, but they were all silly thoughts due to grief," she explained.


    "The first few months of being a single mother were difficult. I was young, inexperienced and I had only just graduated university so I had no job. I didn''t know how I was supposed to bring up a child on my own. It was all thanks to my parents and Haili''s family that I managed to pull through. Haili heard about my situation and got me a job with her father, and her father was trustful enough to make me his secretary," Natalie explained.


    She then looked lovingly at the little boy as she patted his head. "I''m really lucky that he left behind this precious angel for me to remember him by. But, he will forever remain as a beautiful memory. I hope we can both treasure our beautiful memories and open our hearts up to new ones together," the woman smiled.


    At that moment, their food arrived. They had ordered 2 pizzas to share. One was the pumpkin, spinach and ricotta pizza that Pumpkin picked, and the other was a Margherita.


    The little boy immediately put down his book and glanced at his mother. "Mommy, is it OK to eat now?"


    Natalie nodded her head. The poor little thing must have been starving. She was extremely lucky to have such a smart and understanding child. Perhaps, God knew she already had a tough life, so he gave her a little angel to make things easier.


    The little boy then turned to Sean. "Uncle Sean, is it OK for me to eat?" he asked.


    Sean nodded his head and grabbed a slice of the pumpkin pizza for the boy.


    The little boy placed the pizza up to his mouth and chomped down happily. "This is the best pizza ever!" he cheered.


    Sean and Natalie looked at each other and smiled.


    Inside the teahouse, Sean took a sip of his tea as he thought about the mother and child. Natalie warmed his heart and the child warmed his soul. He could definitely get used to a life with them.


    ...


    Not too far from the casino, Jackson and Amelie had just arrived outside a hot pot restaurant for lunch. This was where Everett Pang organized for them to meet with Rawson Zhang.


    That''s right, Rawson loved hot pot. Back in Shanghai, he used to eat it at least 3 times a week!


    It seemed, his tastes hadn''t changed.


    Jackson took a deep breath and held onto Amelie''s hand as they headed for a private room in the back. Jackson had already explained everything to her, so she had a gun ready in her handbag just in case things went downhill. "Don''t worry, if anything goes wrong, I''ll back you up," she said.


    Jackson nodded his head. If anyone had his back, he knew Amelie definitely did.


    With his guard up, Jackson slowly opened the door.


    But, as soon as he walked in a familiar face welcomed him with arms wide open.


    "Jackson, it''s been a long time," Rawson Zhang grinned.


    Jackson looked at the man. The man had lost a considerable amount of weight and his black hair had turned half white, but he still had the same sly grin.


    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Zhang," Jackson greeted.


    A sly look flashed across the man''s eyes. "Come sit, I have serious business to discuss with you," the man said as he pointed to the empty chairs around the table.


    The old man was the only one sitting at the table. Around him were a few bodyguards, but Everett and Carol were nowhere to be seen. Was Rawson involved with the illegal activity that was happening at the casino, or did he simply want to catch up with him? Maybe this man had learned his lesson after spending 7 years in prison.


    But, just as Jackson was beginning to relax around the old man, there was a knock on the door.


    One of the bodyguards opened it up and a familiar couple walked in.


    It was Everett Pang and his wife, Carol Pang.


    "Godfather," Carol smiled affectionately as she walked up to hug the old man.

 Chapter 138 - Biggest Shareholder

    Everett and Carol smiled at Jackson and sat down.


    "Jackson, Everett told me you lost your memory," Rawson said, pretending to sound worried. "Do you remember me, brother?"


    Jackson shook his head. He had a feeling this man had something sly planned. When did he ever speak to him so affectionately?


    "We met about 12 years ago in Shanghai. At that time, you told me you were homeless with no friends nor family. So, I took you in and treated you like my own brother. For four years, we were practically inseperable, until I was framed for a crime and was thrown into prison for 7 years. The entire time I was in there, I was so worried about you that when I was released, I tried to look for you. I ended up hearing that you joined the gangs in France and returned to Beijing as an arms dealer. I was so happy to hear that you were doing well, so I didn''t try to get in contact, but then I ended up seeing you here," Rawson explained.


    "Who would have thought that you were actually the son of casino tycoon, Jack Wu!" the man gasped.


    Jackson tried not to roll his eyes. This man made it sound like he had saved him off the streets and treated him like his brother. But, Jackson remembered clearly that the man had merely exploited him because of his situation. Just like he did with many other homeless teens.


    Above all, he was never ''framed for a crime''. Jackson was there when the man committed fraud and tried to print fake money. He was also the one that gathered critical evidence against him and put him in prison. He deserved to be there for 7 years. In fact, he should have been sentenced to more if the legal system wasn''t flawed.


    "Since fate brought us together again, I would like to discuss some business with you," the old man grinned.


    Jackson sighed on the inside. The look in the man''s eyes told him he was doing something illegal. This man didn''t know what was good for him. Didn''t 7 years teach him anything?


    "You must still have connections in France and Beijing. I run a junket business here in Macau. If you would like to work with me, we can get them to visit the casino and Everett will be able to set them up with a good deal. Once they''re here, we could assist them with any ''money issues'' they may have," the man said suggestively.


    In other words, he was referring to money laundering. Halia was right about Everett and Carol.


    Everett and Carol smiled slyly at Jackson, while Jackson glanced at Amelie.


    Amelie had no idea what was happening since she didn''t understand the language, but she could sense that something was wrong.


    It seemed, Everett wasn''t interested in Jackson''s return because he wanted to kill him. He was interested because he saw dollar signs and wanted to do business with him. These people were much too greedy.


    Did they know who they were talking to?


    Jackson wasn''t just the son of casino tycoon, Jack Wu. He was also the biggest shareholder in the casino!


    The casino actually belonged to the family of Jackson''s mother. Her parents owned the casino and they passed it down to her since she was the only child. But, they also gave some shares as gifts to a few other family members when they passed away. Jackson''s mother held 30% and gave Jackson''s father 20% when they got married. The remaining 50% was split between her parent''s 5 siblings. At that time, Jackson wasn''t born yet and Jackson''s father hadn''t cheated on his mother, so his mother completely trusted her husband. Who knew how wrong she was?


    A little while after their death, Jackson''s father bought 10% from an uncle who was terminally ill and 10% from an auntie who needed the money, boosting his share to 40%. He thought this would make him the majority shareholder, but he had no idea that two of Jackson''s grandaunts gave their combined 20% of shares to Jackson when he was born and Jackson''s mother put that amount into an offshore trust fund for Jackson. This trust fund was hard to trace; no one knew that it belonged to Jackson. Plus, the aunts agreed to keep it a secret for him. Thus, Jack Wu simply thought that Jackson inherited 30% from his mother, when in actual fact, he held 50%!


    So, even if Jackson wasn''t an Interpol agent, he wouldn''t sit idly by as these people ran illegal operations on his turf.


    But...for now...he was going to play along. One had to loosen their line to catch a big fish!


    In the end, Jackson turned to Amelie and discussed the situation to her in French and she pretended to be interested.


    He then turned back to the three greedy fools and said, "I think this may be something that will benefit all of us. Since I lost my memory, Amelie will have to assist me in contacting people. She just told me about a man in France who may be interested."


    Rawson took a sip of hot tea and smiled at the young couple. "That''s great," he said. "I''ll get one of our men to contact him. What''s his name and what does he do?"


    "His name is Alexander Dupont. He''s a drug trafficker," Jackson replied.


    Amelie heard Alexander''s name and her lips curved upwards slightly.

 Chapter 139 - Coincidental Encounter

    "What are you smiling about?" Halia asked as she arrived at the teahouse where Sean was waiting for her.


    Sean quickly snapped out of his daze and blushed shyly. Halia didn''t know that he kept in contact with Natalie, nor did she know that Natalie was in Macau, but he was too embarrassed to tell her about it.


    "It''s nothing. Come, sit. Let''s discuss everything we know so far," Sean said as he poured Halia a cup of tea.


    Halia sat down with suspicion but did not question the man further, even though he felt a little strange.


    Sean then proceeded to tell Halia everything he witnessed the day before while he was following Everett.


    "Is that why you said Carol was possibly the mastermind?" Halia asked after hearing about how Carol caught Everett cheating and the things she said to him.


    Sean nodded his head. "But, she did mention something about a godfather. I think she has support from someone in the gangs. Otherwise, she wouldn''t be so brave as to tread into the field of money laundering."


    Sean then paused for a second and continued. "By the way, I spotted a familiar face at the casino this morning, but I''m not sure if he is related to this case," Sean said mysteriously.


    Halia stared at the man and had a feeling she knew who he saw.


    "It was Jackson Wu!" Sean revealed.


    Halia tried to hold back a smile. Sean had no idea that Jackson was her boyfriend, nor did he know that Jackson was actually an Interpol agent. But, she couldn''t tell him either. At least, not for now. The more people that knew about Jackson''s identity, the more danger he would be in.


    So, with a surprised expression, she asked, "Really?"


    "Yes, he was actually speaking to Everett Pang at one point. I wonder how they are related," Sean said.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll look into it," Halia replied.


    But, just as she said this, Sean peered out the window of the teahouse and spotted a familiar figure stepping out of a hot pot restaurant across the road.


    "Speak of the devil," he said.


    Halia glanced in the direction that Sean was looking and saw Jackson with Amelie. What a coincidence. Next to them, stood Everett, Carol and a bunch of mean-looking men.


    "Something''s definitely going on over there," Sean said as he squinted his eyes to look carefully. "That''s Rawson Zhang, a famous gangster from Shanghai."


    Halia looked over in surprise. She had suggested that Jackson look into Everett and Carol as a possible link to the hit that was made on him, as well as his mother''s death. But, why was he with this man called Rawson Zhang?


    Halia and Sean watched as Jackson and Amelie waved goodbye to the people they were with and started crossing the road; they were headed for the teahouse that they were in. Halia immediately fell into a panic. If Jackson saw her with Sean, she couldn''t pretend not to know him. What was she to do? Jackson didn''t know that Sean was her handler and Sean didn''t know that Jackson was her boyfriend.


    But, Jackson needed a private space to call Alexander so he could discuss the situation with him before Rawson contacted him. So, when he saw the teahouse across the road, he immediately headed over.


    He did not expect to see Halia inside. Nor did he expect to see her with another man. Especially not a man that was so good looking. The man opposite her was dressed in a grey buttoned shirt and a pair of suit pants. Plus, his hair was neat and his build was fit.


    Jackson suddenly felt a pang of jealousy.


    He glanced at Halia questioningly but didn''t know how to react. Amelie also froze. They both knew that Halia was in Macau for a mission. So, was this man related?


    At that moment, Halia smiled and said, "Jackson? I didn''t expect to see you here. Aren''t you supposed to be in France?"


    Jackson immediately took the cue and played along, "My name was cleared in France, so I came back to China. It''s nice to see you here."


    "Oh, that''s great. I''m working here now," Halia said. "This is my colleague, Sean."


    Jackson looked at Sean. Working? Colleague? Was Halia hinting that this man was also an SPU agent?


    Jackson quickly shook the man''s hand, but couldn''t resist gripping it tightly.


    Halia sensed some jealousy coming from Jackson, so she quickly tried to clear the air.


    "Oh, there''s an empty spot over there. You should grab it before someone else does. We''ll see you around," she said as she pointed to an empty table.


    Jackson glanced over and unwillingly took the hint. This woman had a lot of explaining to do.


    So, after he sat down, he glanced at Halia and gestured for her to meet him at the bathroom.


    A short moment later, Halia excused herself and Jackson quickly followed.


    But, as soon as they turned the corner, Jackson wrapped his arm around Halia''s waist and pulled her into a toilet cubicle with him.

 Chapter 140 - Mission Swap

    "What are you doing?" Halia asked in surprise as Jackson closed the cubicle door. Fortunately, the bathroom was empty and no one saw them go in together.


    Jackson looked at Halia dotingly and gently ran his fingers through her hair, sending tingles down her spine.


    "I''ve missed you," he whispered seductively beside her ear.


    Halia stretched her neck and closed her eyes at the sound of the man''s voice. Why was he so charming?


    "I feel uneasy seeing you with another man and not being able to tell the whole world that you''re mine," Jackson frowned.


    Halia looked at Jackson and shook her head. "Do I sense jealousy, Mr. Wu?" she teased as she hooked her arms around the man''s neck.


    "Did you forget what you promised me last night?" Jackson asked.


    Halia looked at the man with confusion.


    "You promised to kiss me every day," he said. "So, where''s my kiss today?"


    Jackson looked into Halia''s eyes and saw the woman''s cheeks flush red. Hadn''t they already kissed before? Why did she look so shy? How could a woman be so adorable?


    Halia bit her lip nervously and leaned forward. She then pressed her soft lips against his obediently.


    Jackson loved the feeling of Halia''s lips. No matter how many times she kissed him, he could never get enough, especially when it tasted different each time. Every time he saw them, he just wanted to taste them.


    Today, her lips had the fragrant scent of high-quality Oolong tea from the teahouse outside.


    "Mmm, tea," he whispered satisfyingly as he gently moved away.


    Halia looked at the man. She couldn''t get enough of this man''s kisses either.


    How could he move away before she was done?


    "You came to the teahouse to taste some tea, didn''t you? Well, this is the best way to experience it," she said seductively as she leaned forward again to kiss the man.


    This time, she ran her tongue inside his mouth, sharing the fragrant flavor that she experienced earlier.


    Jackson subconsciously ran his fingers up the woman''s back, forcing her to let out a gasp of pleasure.


    Jackson enjoyed this reaction, so he moved away from her lips and began to kiss her on the neck, hoping to please her more.


    Halia leaned her head back, soaking in the intoxicating feeling that was being created by the man''s lips. She had never felt this way before and it drove her crazy. Why did it feel so good?


    Jackson observed Halia''s every reaction. Every time she breathed harder or twisted her neck a little, he would follow her guidance to a different spot on her neck. Eventually, he traced his way down to her collar bone and stopped. If he went any further down, he would be entering forbidden territory and he didn''t dare to go there until Halia allowed it. So, he moved back up to her lips and slowly moved away.


    The woman looked into his eyes lovingly with satisfaction.


    "If this is how it''ll be every day, then life''s pretty good," Jackson smiled.


    Halia glanced away shyly.


    She also thought the same.


    At that moment, some footsteps could suddenly be heard in the bathroom. Someone else had entered.


    Halia quickly looked at Jackson in a panic and Jackson gestured for her to remain calm.


    The footsteps entered the cubicle next door and they heard the door shut.


    But, just as they were about the sneak out before being discovered. They suddenly heard a tapping sound on the cubicle wall.


    It was Morse code: ''are you done yet?''


    They then heard a slight giggle.


    Jackson immediately recognized the voice. It was Amelie.


    "What are you doing in here?" he asked.


    "I just got connected to Alexander in France and he''s currently waiting on the phone for you," Amelie explained. "I didn''t mean to disturb, but I''m sure you know how important this is."


    Jackson quickly turned to Halia and told her briefly that Rawson was his old boss in Shanghai and was also the godfather of Carol Pang. He also revealed that Rawson had asked him to partake in some illegal money laundering.


    Halia was surprised by how direct the old man was.


    "Isn''t he worried that you''d cause trouble if you knew what he was doing?" she asked.


    "No, he knows I wouldn''t. The gangs deal with traitors in harsher ways? than you can imagine. If I was to leak a word, you would probably find my dead body floating down the Zhuhai River tomorrow."


    At that moment, Halia received a message from Emerson: [my parents would like to have dinner with you again tonight. Are you free?]


    Halia glanced at Jackson. He was providing her with so much useful information regarding the money laundering. The least she could do was interrogate his family a little too see if she could find the culprit that tried to kill him and his mother. So, she quickly replied to Emerson and agreed to meet him for dinner.


    If Everett and Carol didn''t want to kill Jackson, then there were only 5 people left on their suspect list: Jackson''s father, Emerson, Emerson''s mother, Auntie Lily and Jaclyn.


    It was funny how things turned out. The couple didn''t notice, but their aim to help each other somehow made them swap missions.

 Chapter 141 - Wrong Son

    That night, Halia arrived at a seafood restaurant near the wharf. From the restaurant, there was a beautiful view of the Pearl River Estuary and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge that connected Hong Kong to Macau and the mainland of China.


    At night, when the skies were clear, it was a beautiful sight to see.


    As soon as Halia walked into the restaurant, she spotted Emerson and his parents waiting for her. But, to her surprise, she also spotted another familiar person.


    "Dad?" Halia asked in surprise as she approached.


    Halia was shocked. She hadn''t seen her father for almost a year. What was he doing in Macau?


    Halia''s father walked over to his dear daughter and gave her a hug. "Auntie Emma and Uncle Jack told me about you and Emerson, so I came to see my future son-in-law. Why didn''t you tell me that you''re dating Emerson?" he asked.


    Halia looked at her father in confusion. Future son-in-law? Dating?


    At that moment, Mother Wu nudged her son. "Go and pull out a seat for your girlfriend," she said.


    Emerson immediately glanced at his mother awkwardly. "I heard what you said to Marissa the other day, so I decided to ask around. Supposedly, the two of you were already very intimate at the ball last month. No wonder you brought her back to our place. Why didn''t you tell us that you and Haili were a couple? Don''t you think that your parents deserve to know?"


    "That''s not it, Mom. I think..."


    Father Feng looked at the young man with disappointment, "Were you planning to avoid taking responsibility?"


    Halia shook her father''s arm, "Dad, Emerson''s not like that. I think there''s a misunderstanding."


    "Look at you, you''re already sticking up for him..." the old man groaned.


    At that moment, Father Wu stood up and said calmly, "Let''s all sit down and have a proper chat. Henry, you don''t have to worry, Emerson has always been very responsible. He will definitely take good care of your daughter."


    Halia''s father nodded his head and sat down. "Yes, I know that Emerson has always been the responsible one. Unlike your other son...what was his name again? Is he still involved with the gangs?"


    Father Wu sighed, "You must be talking about Jackson. That rascal''s actually here in Macau as well, but I don''t want to talk about him."


    Halia felt a little uncomfortable when she heard these people talk bad about Jackson. They had no idea who he really was and what he had been through.


    "Oh yes, Jackson. I remember now, he was named after you. But, I heard you disowned him after Laura died," Halia''s father said.


    "If that rascal didn''t lose his memory, I wouldn''t have taken him back!" Father Wu said stubbornly as his face turned red and a vein popped out from the side of his head. He then gripped his chest in pain.


    Emerson''s mother immediately handed the old man a glass of water and patted him on the back, "Calm down, Jack. Your heart''s not good. You can''t blame your son. He is still your flesh and blood. It must have been difficult for him to witness his mother''s death and be left with no friends nor family in Shanghai."


    Halia glanced at Emerson''s mother. Just like her son, she seemed like a very kind and understanding person. It was a shame that she started off as a mistress.


    "I don''t care what his reason was. He should have just come home instead of joining the gangs! Lucky you gave me Emerson," the old man smiled.


    He then relaxed and glanced at Halia, "Best of all, he''s found me a wonderful daughter-in-law too."


    "Yes! Who knew we''d go from being good friends to becoming family!" Halia''s father cheered excitedly.


    Halia immediately turned to correct her father, but Emerson glanced at Halia worriedly and pleaded her not to say a word. He was worried that his father wouldn''t be able to handle another shock for the day. So, she quickly swallowed back her words and decided she could explain everything to her father in private later.


    After all...the old man was technically right about the possibility of becoming a family; he simply had the wrong son...


    But, just as Halia took a sip of wine awkwardly, the old man suddenly pulled out a ring and said to his son, "Actually, this is the reason why I called everyone here today."


    "Henry, this is the first time I''ve seen my son with a girlfriend and I''m ecstatic that it''s your daughter," the old tycoon said.


    "I actually had a medical checkup last week and discovered that my heart isn''t doing too well. I really want to see my son get married and have children before I die. Since the two of you are mature a.d.u.l.ts, let''s just skip all the dating and jump straight to marriage. What do you say?"

 Chapter 142 - A Beautiful Family

    "Here, this is a ring I''ve been saving for my future daughter-in-law. Since everyone is here son, why don''t you grant me my wish before I die?" the old man said as he shoved the ring into his son''s hands. "It would make me so happy."


    Emerson looked at the ring in surprise. Even if he and Halia had really started dating since last month, marriage was much too soon.


    "Dad, this is too sudden," he said.


    "Don''t you like Halia?" his father asked.


    Emerson glanced at Halia and nodded his head. He couldn''t deny that he did like her. He had liked her since they were kids.


    "Then, you better make her your wife before someone else does," the old man said.


    Emerson held onto the ring and suddenly felt that his father was right. Perhaps, he had been too patient and careful. Maybe, it was time to be brave and direct.


    He glanced at Halia again and Halia looked at him with confusion. What was he thinking? Why wasn''t he rejecting his father''s request?


    Then, suddenly, Emerson got down on one knee and raised the ring towards Halia, "Halia, I know we haven''t had much time to get to know each other, but I''ve never felt this way about another woman...This may seem too sudden for you, but for me, this is something I''ve dreamed about for the last 12 years and I think my father''s right. If I don''t do this now, someone else might take you away from me and I don''t want that to happen."


    "Halia, you were my first love and I would like to make you the last. Could you do me the honor and..."


    At that moment, a familiar voice cut in, "How could you skip the queue and get married before your older brother does?"


    Halia''s eyes lit up as she quickly turned towards the charming voice. Even though his voice was cold, it somehow melted her heart.


    Father Wu glared at his older son as he approached. Why was his timing so bad?


    "What are you doing here?" the old man asked.


    "Having dinner, of course," Jackson replied.


    He then glanced at Halia''s father and stuck out his hand. "You must be Halia''s father. I am Jackson, Emerson''s older brother," he smiled.


    Father Feng looked at the smiling young man with curiosity. It had been over a decade since he last saw Jackson.


    He had certainly grown up to be quite a handsome man. Was this really the ''rascal'' son that associated with gangsters?


    Father Feng shook Jackson''s hand and glanced at Father Wu as his faced burned red. What an awkward situation.


    At that moment, Jackson grabbed Amelie''s hand and said, "If you''re after a wedding and grandchildren, I can do that for you."


    Everyone looked at Jackson in surprise including Halia. What was this man saying?


    ...


    Meanwhile, across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, Sean had decided to visit Disneyland with Natalie and Pumpkin.


    This was little Pumpkin''s first time visiting a theme park since Natalie was always busy with work, so he was extremely excited.


    As soon as he walked through the ticket gate, he hugged Sean in excitement, "Thank you for taking me here Uncle Sean."


    Sean hugged the little boy and picked him up. "Do you have a favorite character?" he asked.


    "I like Mickey," the little boy replied.


    "Let''s go look for him then," Sean smiled as he started running into the park with the little boy in his arms.


    Natalie watched the two as they left her behind and laughed to herself. Did she no longer exist to these two?


    But, she was glad to see how well Sean got along with Pumpkin and how easily they accepted each other.


    It didn''t take long before Sean and Pumpkin spotted a person dressed in a Mickey costume, accepting photos. There was a short queue, so the two boys quickly went to line up. When they finally reached the front of the line, Pumpkin waved at Natalie, "Mommy, let''s take a photo together!"


    The little boy hopped out of Sean''s arms and quickly grabbed Natalie''s hand. "Mommy, you hold Uncle Sean''s hand. I will hold Mickey''s hand," the little boy instructed.


    Natalie glanced at Sean and felt her heart race. Nothing was official between them yet, how could she grab this man''s hand? But, while she hesitated, Sean smiled at her and naturally linked his fingers with hers.


    As the three stood for a photo with Mickey, Natalie tried her best not to blush or feel awkward, but her heart was not cooperating.


    "Could everyone please squeeze in a little closer?" the photographer asked as she looked into her camera.


    Natalie took a deep breath in nervousness as she shuffled closer to her son.


    At that moment, she felt an arm wrap around her waist and a warm body move up against hers. Natalie quickly realized it was Sean.


    "What a beautiful family. Now look at the camera and smile," the photographer said.

 Chapter 143 - Close Your Eyes

    Emerson stood up awkwardly as he looked at his brother. "Are you getting married, Jackson?"


    Jackson smiled at his brother and nodded his head. "I think it''s time I settle down."


    "But, you haven''t recovered your memory yet and you don''t have a job," Emerson said worriedly. "Are you sure you''re ready?"


    "Why not? My mother supposedly left me some shares in the casino, so maybe it''s time I come help with the family business. After all, the casino originally belonged to my mother," Jackson said.


    Emerson looked at Jackson in surprise. No one ever told him that the casino belonged to Jackson''s mother.


    At that moment, Father Wu jumped forward and yelled, "I won''t allow it. I am the majority shareholder and I don''t want a gangster anywhere near my casino!"


    Mother Wu immediately patted her husband on the back, "Calm down, Jack. Your son''s right. The casino originally belonged to his mother. All the elders in the casino industry know about that. You will be criticized if you don''t give Jackson a role."


    The old man grumbled and rubbed his head. "When will those old fools acknowledge that the casino is now mine and not Laura''s? I will do what I want. Scram, you useless son, I don''t want to see you," he yelled at Jackson as he pointed to the door.


    Jackson smirked as he looked at his father. Didn''t this man have any shame? He practically stole the casino from his mother, yet he had the audacity to kick her son out. If he found out that he was actually the majority shareholder, what a face slap that would be!


    But, it wasn''t time to reveal that yet. So, Jackson grabbed Amelie''s hand and walked out of the restaurant.


    Halia''s heart broke as she watched Jackson leave. How could his own father treat him like that?


    Emerson felt the fire that was burning up in his father''s eyes and quickly put the ring in his hands away. The mood had been ruined. How could he possibly propose at a time like this? Besides, his brother was right. He couldn''t skip the queue and get married first. Otherwise, there would be no end to the gossip in the socialite circles if he did.


    As he lowered his head in disappointment, he noticed the bracelet on Halia''s wrist. That was right! Halia already had someone in her heart. How did he get so carried away in the moment and forget about that? Especially when he had just apologized to Halia for acting out of line the previous night.


    He glanced at Halia and noticed the discomfort in her eyes. Not only did his parents misunderstand that they were a couple, Halia''s father had also flown all the way to Macau because of the same misunderstanding. Yet, he spurred the misunderstanding further by proposing and not denying their relationship.


    As they walked out of the restaurant, Emerson approached Halia''s side and whispered, "I''m sorry."


    But, even though Halia was usually understanding towards him, she turned to him this time and said, "No, I''m the one that''s sorry; I don''t think we should see each other anymore. I thought we could just be friends, but I was too naive. I''m going to tell my father the truth after we get back to the hotel; that we never dated and that I already have someone else in my heart. I hope you can do the same with your parents," she said as she walked away.


    Emerson placed his hand in his pocket and felt the ring that was inside. What had he done? The love of his life was walking away...and there was nothing he could do.


    At that moment, someone was watching from the shadows. This person had witnessed the entire scene between Emerson and Halia and was furious. Her long manicured fingers curled into fists as she picked up her phone. "Help me investigate Haili Feng..." she said.


    ...


    Over at Disneyland, Natalie had just picked up the photo they took with Mickey and was walking out of the gift shop to look for Sean and Pumpkin. She couldn''t help but smile as she looked at the photo. It had been a long time since a man warmed her heart so much.


    While she was collecting the photo, Sean and Pumpkin had gone to get some cotton candy and they had just reached the front of the line as she walked out.


    Sean picked up the little boy so the cashier could hand him the cotton candy and he smiled from ear-to-ear.


    Natalie couldn''t believe how well they got along.


    As Natalie approached, Pumpkin raised the cotton candy in his hand and said, "Mommy take a bite!"


    Natalie smiled at the adorable child and leaned forward to taste some of the cotton candy. But, just as she went to get a mouthful, the little boy lowered it again, causing Natalie to bite into thin air and lose her footing. She tripped forward a little and fell into Sean''s arms with a giggle.


    "You cheeky monkey," she laughed as she subconsciously held onto Sean''s arms and scrunched her nose at her playful son.


    But, just as she was about to draw her arms away, she felt the man pull her forward.


    Natalie looked at Sean in surprise. What was he doing?


    As she stared into his eyes with confusion, there was a strong ambiguous vibe in the atmosphere.


    "Pumpkin, close your eyes for a bit," Sean instructed with his deep charming voice.


    Natalie''s heart raced when she heard this. Why was he telling her son to cover his eyes? And why wasn''t he letting go of her?


    The little boy closed his eyes excitedly. "Do you have a surprise?" he asked.


    As soon as Pumpkin wasn''t looking, Sean leaned forward and pressed his lips passionately against Natalie''s. "I''ve been wanting to kiss you all day," he whispered. He then took a deep breath and kissed down again.


    "Can I open my eyes now?" Pumpkin asked.

 Chapter 144 - Case File 1/25

    After arriving back at her hotel room, Halia poured a cup of tea for her father and calmly explained the misunderstanding between her and Emerson. "Dad, I have a boyfriend, but it''s not Emerson. Give me some time, I will introduce you to him later," Halia said.


    Father Feng looked at his daughter worriedly and sighed, "Ever since that one boyfriend in high school, I''ve never seen you with a man again."


    "Precious, can you be honest with me? I''ve heard rumors about you and Natalie. If they''re true, you can just tell me; I am very open-minded. After all, I''ve always treated Natalie as my own daughter and Pumpkin as my own grandson," the old man said.


    Halia shook her head and laughed, "No, I''m very much in love with a man. A very manly man, in fact. Someone that''s righteous, brave and heroic. I''m sure you will approve of him."


    Father Feng smiled excitedly, "I look forward to meeting him, then. Even though I''m a little disappointed that Jack and I can''t be in-laws."


    Halia smiled to herself. Her father had no idea that she was in love with Jack Wu''s other son.


    "But, I''m curious, why did Natalie take time off to come to Macau then? I thought she came to look for you," Father Feng said.


    "Natalie''s in Macau? I had no idea about that!" Halia exclaimed. "Maybe she didn''t know I was here either. Let me call her!"


    Father Feng watched in curiosity as Halia picked up her phone, "Nat! Dad and I are both in Macau and he told me that you''re here too! Where are you? Let''s meet up!"


    "What? You were in Hong Kong for the day? You went to Disneyland?"


    "Wait! Do I hear Pumpkin''s voice? Did you bring him too?"


    "Hey! Who is he talking to?"


    "Is that a man I hear?!!"


    When Father Feng heard this last question, he immediately grabbed Halia''s phone in excitement. "Have you found Pumpkin a father?" he asked straightforwardly.


    On the other end of the phone, Natalie glanced at Sean and Pumpkin awkwardly. How was she supposed to reply to so many embarrassing questions? Worst of all, they were inside a car together and she was sure they could hear her conversation.


    "Who are you talking to, Mommy?" Little Pumpkin asked.


    "It''s Grandpa Henry and Auntie Haili," Natalie replied.


    The little boy clapped his hands in excitement and quickly grabbed the phone from Natalie''s hands. Natalie looked at the boy in surprise but gave a sigh of relief. At least, her son had saved her from having to answer all those awkward questions.


    But, suddenly, the little boy said something that she didn''t expect. "Grandpa Henry, Auntie Haili...I think Mommy''s in love..." he whispered cheekily. "I peeked a little and saw them kiss..."


    Natalie glanced at Sean and covered her face in embarrassment.


    Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, the father and daughter looked at each other and rolled back in fits of laughter.


    ...


    At that time in France, Alexander Dupont was packing his luggage. He had received a phone call from Jackson and Amelie in the middle of the night asking for his assistance in Macau.


    "Alexander, we need you to take an undercover mission here in Macau. We''ve already given your name to the target and he will be contacting you soon," Jackson explained.


    "Undercover mission?" Alexander asked. "Is this an official mission with Interpol? I thought you guys were there for a private matter."


    "We came across an international case of money laundering. I''ve already spoken to SPU in China and the Hong Kong branch of Interpol, they have decided to combine forces for this case. This is an official order," Jackson said.


    "But, shouldn''t someone with authority contact me? You''re not lying to me, right?" Alexander asked with suspicion. What if this man was luring him for his own personal agenda?


    "Don''t be so wary, Alex. You ARE speaking to someone with authority..." Amelie said as she grabbed the phone from Jackson.


    Alexander listened with confusion.


    After a short pause, Amelie revealed with a sigh, "Jackson''s already accepted the role of Hong Kong''s head of Interpol!"


    ...


    Roughly a week ago, before Amelie and Jackson flew off from France to Hong Kong, Jackson had visited the Interpol headquarters.


    At that time, he had just discovered that someone in Hong Kong wanted to kill him and he wanted to take some time off to investigate it properly. But, when he walked into President Kim''s office, the middle-aged gentleman presented him with a confidential case file from the Hong Kong branch of Interpol. Inside, were photos of his mother''s car accident along with accidents of other rich and influential people.


    "I know you want to investigate the person that sent Gogh. I think these files may be of assistance to you. If you want to see all the case files, I suggest you take on the offer I gave you last time," the man said.


    Jackson stared at the file. It was marked, ''1/25''. He had always thought there was something suspicious about his mother''s death. It seemed, he wasn''t the only one...


    Jackson glanced back up at his superior and nodded his head firmly, "When can I start?"

 Chapter 145 - Start A Family

    That night, after everyone fell asleep, Halia snuck out of her hotel room and headed up to the sunflower garden on the rooftop.


    Just a couple of hours ago, she had received a message from Jackson to meet there after midnight.


    When she arrived, she took a quick glance around and hurried over to the man after she confirmed there was no one else there.


    "Why did you suddenly want to meet?" she asked.


    Jackson looked at the woman and smirked.


    "Don''t you want to see me?" he joked.


    Halia pinched the man on the nose. "When did you become so cheeky?"


    Jackson laughed as his expression turned serious, "Let''s be serious. After meeting with Rawson Zhang today, I realized how big your case was and decided to speak to your Captain at the SPU. We both agreed that this is an international crime and decided to combine forces for this case," Jackson explained. "So, from now on, the SPU and Interpol are teaming up and you are directly working under me, Agent Feng."


    Halia looked at Jackson with confusion.


    "Directly working under you? Who exactly are you? How did you speak to my Captain so easily? I thought you were just a field agent," Halia questioned.


    Jackson stood up straight, cleared his throat and stuck out his hand, "Agent Halia Feng, I am the head of Interpol in Hong Kong, Jackson Wu. Nice to officially meet you."


    Halia''s eyes opened wide in shock. Jackson was only a few years older than her. How was he in such a senior role at such a young age when she had just graduated from the police academy last year!


    She felt proud, yet confused as she thought about what this man''s role meant.


    At that moment, she suddenly realized something and frowned, "If you''re the head of Interpol in Hong Kong, are we going to have a long-distance relationship when I return to China?"


    Jackson couldn''t help but laugh.


    Was this all she could think about at a time like this?


    "I only took on this role to get access to their files. After this case, I am planning to retire from law enforcement and live a normal life. Perhaps, I''ll start a family. After all, I''ve been undercover since I was 18 and I have enough money saved up, as well as residual and passive income, to live comfortably for the rest of my life. Above all, don''t forget that I''m a shareholder in this casino."


    Halia looked at the man in confusion, "Why do you need access to their files?"


    "They have some confidential files involving my mother," Jackson said as he furrowed his brows.


    Halia nodded her head, but then she suddenly realized something. "Do you want to start a family? Who are you starting a family with?" she asked.


    The man wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered, "With you, of course. Did you forget that I told my father I was getting married and giving him grandchildren?"


    Halia blushed as she stared at the man in surprise. When did she agree to any of this?


    ...


    While Halia and Jackson chatted, the mysterious figure from earlier received a phone call from a private investigator she had hired. "I did a quick search on the name Haili Feng, but I couldn''t find much information on her. Apart from being the daughter of Henry Feng and the director of Fengtai Corporations, no one in the company has ever seen her or even worked with her. In fact, there''s no record that she even returned to help her father after she graduated from university."


    "It seemed like her father really missed her when he saw her earlier. Do a search in Beijing and see if there are any records on her. I sense something odd about this woman."


    After she hung up the phone, the woman headed into the kitchen to grab a cup of hot tea. The light in the study room was on and she knew her son was working late again.


    "Emerson, are you working late again?" she asked as she walked into the room.


    The young handsome man looked up from his doc.u.ments and smiled at his mother, "Yes, mom, just a little longer. I''m almost done."


    "Your father asked if we could invite Haili out for dinner again tomorrow night since tonight''s dinner was interrupted," the old woman said.


    Emerson hesitated for a second and said, "I don''t think she''ll ever have dinner with us again."


    "Why not?" the mother asked, even though she had already overheard their conversation earlier.


    "She''s actually not my girlfriend," Emerson sighed.


    "But, you like her right?" the woman asked.


    "Yes, but she rejected me," Emerson looked down with disappointment.


    "Why would she reject such a great man? My son is handsome, smart and successful, who could compare to you?" the old woman questioned.


    "I guess, she already found someone better," Emerson replied.


    Emma Wu looked at her son and tried to hide her frustration. Her son meant everything to her. How could she let someone hurt him?

 Chapter 146 - Call Me Daddy

    The next morning, Halia and her father woke up early to meet Natalie for yum cha in the old town. When they arrived, Natalie and Pumpkin were already sitting inside waiting for them.


    As soon as Little Pumpkin saw Halia, he ran up and pounced into her arms. It had been almost a year since he last saw her. "Auntie Haili, I''ve missed you," he said.


    Halia laughed and patted the little boy on the head. "I''ve missed you too," she said.


    She then carried him over to the table and sat him next to his mother.


    "Mommy, is Uncle Sean coming too?" Pumpkin asked as everyone sat down.


    Halia looked at Natalie with curiosity. Uncle Sean? Sean? Was it the Sean she knew? No way!!


    Natalie saw Halia''s gaze and blushed a little.


    Just as she was about to open her mouth to explain, a man''s voice suddenly said, "Sorry, I''m a little late."


    Halia quickly turned around and came face-to-face with her handler. She stared at the man in surprise and he looked back at her with a warm smile.


    "Sean? It''s really you?" Halia gasped in surprise. She never knew he was so close to Natalie. In fact, she didn''t know they kept in contact.


    "Sorry for not telling you earlier. Natalie and I kept in contact after Hong Kong and we gradually became good friends," Sean explained. "We realized we have a lot in common."


    Halia watched as Natalie glanced shyly at the man. It had been a long time since she saw her best friend act this way. Ever since her husband died almost 6 years ago, she had never been seen with a man again, let alone date.


    "Are you two dating?" Halia''s father suddenly asked nosily.


    Natalie quickly looked at the man in surprise before she glanced at her son. Nothing was official yet. Plus, her son still thought Sean was just a friend. Did the little boy understand what dating was?


    But, just as she was worried about what her son thought, Pumpkin grabbed Sean''s hand and said, "They''re not dating. Uncle Sean is my future Daddy."


    Halia and her father quickly covered their mouths and chuckled. The little boy obviously liked Sean. It seemed, children were much more straightforward.


    Natalie looked at Sean apologetically and said, "I''m sorry, I don''t think he completely understands what that means." She then said to Halia and her father, "Sean and I are just friends..."


    But, Sean suddenly grabbed her hand and cleared his throat. "Pumpkin''s a smart boy. He''s not misunderstanding anything."


    Natalie stared at the man in confusion. What was he trying to say?


    "Pumpkin and I had a good chat yesterday, didn''t we?" Sean said as he winked at the little boy.


    Pumpkin quickly nodded his head.


    The previous day, while Natalie was fetching the photo at the gift shop and the two boys were lining up for cotton candy, Pumpkin asked Sean something that he would never forget, "Uncle Sean, are you in love with Mommy?"


    Sean looked at Pumpkin with curiosity. Did this little boy understand what ''love'' was?


    "My friends at pre-school said that their Daddies love their Mommies, but I don''t have a Daddy. Does that mean no one loves my Mommy?" the little boy frowned.


    Sean looked down at the little boy and patted him on the head.


    "You love her, don''t you?" he asked.


    The little boy nodded his head, "But that''s a different kind of love."


    Sean smiled. This child was much too smart for his age.


    As he thought about what the little boy said, he noticed Natalie walk out of the gift shop smiling at the photo they took with Mickey. She was dressed in a short flowy floral dress, her hair was tied up in a ponytail and her smile was dazzling


    Sean felt his heart race as he looked at her. This woman brightened his world. How could he spend a day without her in his life?


    So, he knelt down and whispered to the little boy, "Yes, I love your Mommy, just like a Daddy does."


    Thus, he was right when he said the little boy did not misunderstand. Pumpkin knew exactly what was happening.


    At that moment, Sean pulled a little box out of his pocket and knelt down on one knee, "Time is an unpredictable thing. Most people live like they''ve got unlimited time in their hands when, in reality, their time could be up at any moment. Both of us have been tricked by time. We both lost loved ones unexpectedly and never truly got the chance to cherish the time we spent with them. That''s why, from now on, I want to cherish every second I have with you. Natalie, I don''t want to waste time playing mind games or being ambiguous. You''ve already told me how you feel, so I want you to know that I feel the same. Natalie Shu, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"


    Sean opened the box in his hand to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.


    This was so sudden, yet it felt so right.


    Natalie glanced at her son and the little boy nodded his head excitedly.


    She then looked at Halia and she also nodded her head. Halia knew that Sean was a great guy and was confident that he would take good care of her best friend.


    So, Natalie stretched out her hand and took a deep breath as the man placed the ring on her finger. "Yes, I will marry you," she said.


    After placing the ring on Natalie''s finger, Sean stood up and pulled the woman in for a kiss. He had always been a passionate person and Natalie responded just as passionately.


    Halia looked away shyly. This was a public space, weren''t they embarrassed?


    At that moment, Little Pumpkin ran over and tugged on Sean''s sleeve, "Uncle Sean, does that mean you''re my Daddy now?"


    Sean smiled at the little boy and replied, "Yes, call me Daddy from now on."

 Chapter 147 - Haili = Halia

    Back at the casino, Jackson was enjoying breakfast in his hotel suite when there was a knock on his room door. He immediately glanced at Amelie and Amelie went to open the door. The ''couple'' had already received all the room service they ordered so they had a feeling they knew who had arrived.


    As soon as Amelie opened the door a young woman dressed in the hotel''s uniform was standing in the doorway. In her arms was a huge wooden box that completely shrouded her slender frame. "Room service. Here''s a ''case'' of our finest wine," she said as she peeked around the side and smiled. Amelie nodded her head and immediately let the young woman in. The box looked heavy.


    As soon as the door closed, the woman placed the box on the floor, took a deep breath and saluted Amelie and Jackson. "Agent Roux, Captain Wu, here are the case files you ordered," she said with respect.


    Jackson nodded his head and walked over to the box to open it. Sitting inside was a stack of files.


    "Good job, Trisha," he said.


    The young woman blushed a little. Her new captain was much too charming. Who would have thought that the new head of Interpol in Hong Kong would be so handsome?


    The first time her and her colleagues were called into a meeting with this man, they were completely dumbfounded. Their previous captain was old and boring; nothing like the man in front of them! But, most surprising of all (especially for the women), they heard this new captain was still single!


    "Is there anything else I can do for you, Captain?" Trisha asked as she tucked a strand of hair shyly behind her ear.


    "No, that''s it for now," Jackson said as he gestured for Amelie to show the woman out.


    Trisha glanced at the man with disappointment, but Amelie immediately did as told and guided her back out the door. She had just arrived. Couldn''t she look at this handsome face a little longer?


    After the woman left, Amelie turned to Jackson and chuckled. "I think you got yourself a fan," she said. Amelie recognized the infatuation in the woman''s eyes. After all, she once looked at Jackson in the same way too. But now, she only thought of this man as a good friend.


    Jackson ignored his friend as he pulled out the files from the big wooden box. It was a fairly large and heavy box, so Jackson was quite surprised that a slender woman like Trisha managed to carry it all the way there on her own. But, then again, she was a highly trained Interpol agent; she probably lifted more weights than that at the gym every day.


    Jackson laughed to himself; this woman was quite capable. Perhaps, she would be a great asset in the future.


    Jackson turned his attention back to the files. The files were all marked clearly on the front: ''Case File 2/25'', Case File 3/25'', and so on...


    Including the file that President Kim gave him in France, all 25 files were now sitting in front of Jackson. These were the files that supposedly involved his mother!


    Jackson looked at them curiously.


    Why did Interpol have these files and what conspiracy was his mother''s death entangled in?


    Jackson had already read through the first file on the plane from France, so he grabbed ''Case File 2/25'' and walked over to the balcony. With a sigh, he opened it up and started reading...


    Today was going to be a long day...


    ...


    Meanwhile, over in Hong Kong, Emerson''s mother arrived at a secluded cafe. She had her hair tucked inside a baseball cap and sunglasses to hide her identity, and she specifically picked an inconspicuous seat in the back corner. She even dressed in simple clothes, removed all her jewelry and drove herself to the cafe so no one could recognize her. It seemed, she had done this many times before...


    Not long after she sat down, a skinny man approached with an envelope and sat down opposite her.


    "Hello, Mrs. Wu," the man whispered as he sat down.


    Without saying a word, Mother Wu immediately slid a small envelope with money to the man and the man exchanged it with the envelope in his hands.


    "I investigated the name Haili Feng in Beijing, but I discovered that she went by a different name while she was there. She was known as Halia Feng and she was a nurse at one of the hospitals," the man explained quietly.


    "A nurse?" Mother Wu asked confusedly. From what she had heard, Halia studied something along the lines of business; how did she become a nurse? Above all, wasn''t she working for her father?


    "I also discovered that she worked at a bar!" the man added.


    After hearing this, the middle-aged woman was even more confused. None of this information made sense. Was this private investigator a fraud?


    But, just as she began to doubt the man, she decided to look at the doc.u.ments in the envelope and froze when she saw what was inside. Inside the envelope were screenshots from surveillance footage taken from a strip club!


    The screenshots clearly showed a man and woman kissing passionately.


    Mother Wu immediately realized the woman in the screenshot was Halia. Otherwise, why would the private investigator give this to her? But, when she pulled the screenshots closer to her face and looked at them in detail, her eyes opened wide in shock.


    The person Halia was kissing, was none other than her stepson - Jackson Wu!

 Chapter 148 - Are You Leaving Already?

    Jackson and Amelie remained in their hotel room the entire day, reading through the files that Trisha had brought them. The files were highly confidential and they couldn''t leave them unattended in the room in case someone saw them, so they had to read through everything as soon as possible and return the files to the Interpol office.


    The only time either of them left the room was when Amelie popped out to buy lunch and dinner. Sure, room service would have been easier, but with the files scattered all over the room, even opening the door for too long put them at risk of being discovered.


    For dinner, Amelie decided to visit the French restaurant that was inside the casino complex. She was expecting a guest later that night and she assumed he would feel more comfortable if he was to be greeted with some familiar food.


    Yes, Alexander Dupont was on a flight bound for Macau and he was landing in the city around midnight that very night.


    People often said that ''distance makes the heart grow fonder''. In Amelie''s case, that was certainly true. She never knew how much Alexander meant to her until she was separated from him and, at that very moment, she couldn''t wait to see him again. In fact, she missed him more than she missed Jackson during the year that they were apart.


    The chef inside the French restaurant was excited to hear that a French customer was ordering from his restaurant, so he specifically prepared a special dessert as a treat. It had been a long time since he spoke to someone in his mother tongue and he was excited to hear the familiar language. Amelie didn''t realize it at first, but she too missed speaking French. Even though Jackson could speak the language, no one else understood, so he often chose to speak English when they were around other people, just to be inclusive. They only ever spoke French when it was just the two of them, but when it was just the two of them, it was always serious business. Thus, a proper conversation was hard to come by.


    Back in the house in France, her and Alexander were also on serious business, but they always found the chance to chat; whether it was about life or their past. She realized, at that moment, that she had taken those conversations for granted.


    Hence, she found herself chatting to the chef for a little longer than expected.


    While Amelie was gone, Jackson continued to read through the files in front of him. There were certainly a lot of questions surrounding his mother''s death and it seemed to be entangled in a huge web of conspiracy.


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the hotel room door. Jackson lifted his head in curiosity. He didn''t call for room service and Amelie had the keys. Who would be knocking on his door at this time of night?


    Jackson carefully stood up, approached the big wooden door and leaned forward to peek through the peephole.


    Standing on the other side of the door was a familiar-looking figure with long black hair, sunglasses, a surgical mask, and a baseball cap. This person was trying to conceal their identity, but Jackson immediately recognized who it was.


    With one swift move, he opened the door and pulled the woman inside.


    "What are you doing here?" he asked dotingly.


    The woman removed her sunglasses, cap and mask, and smiled cheekily at her boyfriend.


    It was Halia.


    "My handler wants to meet you," she said. "He was notified by our Captain that we will be working with Interpol on this case and he was told that there were already agents in the field. He asked me if I had noticed anyone suspicious and I honestly revealed to him that I had already come in contact with the said agents. I haven''t told him who you and Amelie are yet, and he understands if you want to keep your identities a secret, but he wanted to request for a meeting so he could assist you better. Is that possible?"


    Jackson was quite curious who Halia''s handler was. After all, his woman''s life was technically in this person''s hands. So, he nodded his head.


    "I have a third agent arriving tonight. After he is settled, we can meet at the teahouse where we saw each other last time. We will see you there at 8am. I am excited to meet this handler of yours too," Jackson smiled.


    Halia quickly popped her cap back on and picked up her sunglasses and mask. She had come to deliver a message and she was finished, so it was time to get out before she was discovered. But, before she covered herself back up again, Jackson grabbed her hands and held them behind her back. "Are you leaving already?" he asked with his deep and charming voice.


    Halia glanced up at the man and saw the mesmerizing look in his eyes. If she wasn''t leaving, what did he want to do?


    Halia bit her lip nervously and felt her breathing stop as the man moved in closer.


    His body rubbed up against hers and his warm breaths fell on her cheek. Slowly he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "You haven''t kissed me yet today."


    Halia felt her heart race when she heard this. Why did a kiss sound so seductive?


    At that moment, Jackson let go of her hands and pressed his palm gently against the back of her head. His touch sent tingles down her spine; an electrifying feeling that she couldn''t get enough of. So, she did not resist as she wrapped her arms around his waist and enjoyed the touch of his soft lips as they fell upon hers...

 Chapter 149 - Soundproof

    By the time Amelie left the restaurant with the food she ordered, she had already been gone from the room for almost 2 hours. Amelie glanced at her watch guiltily. It was already 9pm!


    "I hope Jackson''s not starving," she whispered to herself as she rushed back up to the hotel room.


    But, as soon as she opened the hotel room door, she heard a loud bang from inside. Amelie''s eyes opened wide with concern. Did Jackson faint from hunger?


    She immediately closed the door and rushed inside.


    However, the scene she saw was not what she expected.


    Jackson''s hair was messy and he had a bit of pink lipstick smeared across his mouth. But, even stranger, he was sitting on the sofa with some doc.u.ments in his hands as though nothing happened.


    Meanwhile, a woman with a baseball cap and surgical mask stood awkwardly beside him. What was happening in here?


    As soon as the woman saw Amelie, she put on her sunglasses and mumbled, "I think I should get going." She then scurried past Amelie and out the front door as quick as a bolt of lightning.


    Even though the woman was fully disguised, Amelie recognized her voice and the smell of lavender as she brushed past.


    "What was Halia doing here?" she asked Jackson with a slight smirk.


    Jackson cleared his throat, not removing his gaze from the doc.u.ments in front of him. "She was arranging a meeting between us and her handler," he replied, trying to sound serious.


    "Oh, really?"Amelie asked. "I thought you were getting hungry waiting for me, so she came to feed you," she giggled as she pointed to her mouth, gesturing to the man that there was something on his lips.


    Jackson quickly wiped his lips and looked at his fingers. There was pink lipstick on them!


    He smiled a little as he remembered the woman that was in his arms just a moment ago. The atmosphere was getting quite heated before Amelie returned. If she had come back any later, he may have lost control.


    He blushed a little and stood up. "I''m going to go have a shower," he said. He needed to cool off.


    Amelie watched as the man walked into the bathroom and shook her head with a laugh. It seemed, she had felt guilty for nothing.


    ...


    Not too far away, inside another suite in the hotel, Little Pumpkin had just fallen asleep. Natalie kissed her son on the forehead and stepped out into the living room to join the man that was waiting patiently for her.


    Sean walked up to Natalie and looked at her dotingly as he held onto her hands, "Is Pumpkin asleep?"


    Natalie nodded her head as she glanced down at the ring on her finger. Now that the day was over and they were on their own, she finally got the chance to process what happened.


    Everything still felt so surreal. Did this man really ask her to marry him today?


    Who knew, she would be leaving Macau with a fiance?


    But, while she was still in disbelief at the day''s events, the man''s voice suddenly whispered seductively beside her ear, "Good, I''ve been waiting all day to kiss you."


    Natalie held her breath when she heard this. Before she could respond, Sean pulled her into his arms and started kissing her passionately on the lips. Unlike his calm and serious exterior, this man was wild on the inside and it surprised Natalie a little, but she liked it. Every time he moved away to breathe, he would kiss back down harder than before.


    Natalie felt her body heat up with desire as she ran her fingers through the man''s neatly slicked back hair. Her every touch sent tingles down his spine, leaving him wanting more.


    Then, to his surprise, she gently weaved her tongue into his mouth, provoking him to take things further. They were both mature a.d.u.l.ts who had been in long term relationsh.i.p.s before, so the s.e.x.u.a.l tension was building as they anticipated what was to happen next.


    Sean bent down slightly and grabbed the woman behind the knees, lifting her up in his arms and she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. He then pressed her against the wall and slowly lifted her skirt. Natalie gasped as she felt the man''s warm palm on her thigh and her legs subconsciously wrapped around his h.i.p.s, drawing him in closer.


    Sean ran his hands up the woman''s body, tracing her curvy body up to her b.r.e.a.s.ts. Although she was already a mother, she visited the gym often and took care of her body, so she was still in great shape. In fact, she was oozing with femininity.


    As he cupped his hands around her b.r.e.a.s.ts, Natalie let out a gentle m.o.a.n of pleasure, but she quickly stopped him. "Pumpkin''s in the next room," she reminded as she tried to catch her breath.


    Sean moved away from her lips and looked at the woman in his arms. He respected her concern, but he could sense the frustration in her voice.


    "I''m sorry, this is the reality of having a child," she said as she glanced down sadly. "Perhaps, you should reconsider marrying me."


    It had been almost 6 years since Pumpkin''s father died. Natalie was a young widow with a young child, so of course, there were times when she wanted to date and be in a relationship like other women. But, it never seemed feasible and it made her lose confidence in herself. After all, who would want to marry a woman with a child? There was no such thing as privacy or romance with a child - let alone s.e.x.


    But, to her surprise, Sean kissed her on the lips and started carrying her somewhere.


    He was about to prove her wrong.


    Natalie looked at the man with confusion. What was he doing?


    Suddenly, she felt the cold night air brush against her exposed thighs and realized Sean had carried her out onto the balcony. As he closed the balcony door shut behind them he whispered seductively, "The glass here is soundproof. Pumpkin won''t hear a thing."

 Chapter 150 - Alexander Dupont

    Thomas stood at the arrivals hall of the airport and glanced down at his watch. He had been told to pick up a VIP that was flying all the way from France!


    This was the first time he was picking up a client from so far away. Usually, they only dealt with the Chinese because they were close by and it didn''t cost them much to fly them over, so he knew this man was definitely important.


    Of course, Thomas knew that the junket operations managed by Everett involved illegal dealings; he knew about the money laundering, the high-interest loans and the man''s connections to the gangs. But, he wasn''t afraid of being involved as long as he received money.


    He wasn''t a criminal mastermind or anyone with particular smarts. He was simply obedient and loyal, so Everett trusted him. But, it was because of this that he was being unknowingly set up as a scapegoat. Why else was he always the face of the operation?


    Unfortunately for Everett and Carol, they were being investigated by two of the top police units in China and Hong Kong, and their involvement had already been confirmed.


    Now, all the Interpol and the SPU had to do was get everyone into the same room with Alexander Dupont and catch them while they were in the middle of an illegal deal. Easy!


    Thomas glanced up at the arrivals board and saw that Alexander''s flight had landed 30 minutes ago. Dependent on how long it took to get through customs and collect his luggage, Thomas expected the man to be out at any second. So, he lifted a sign with the man''s name written on it and waited patiently.


    However, 10 minutes passed, then 20, then 30...


    Soon, an entire hour passed, but the man was still nowhere to be seen.


    Where was Alexander Dupont? Did he get detained at customs?


    Thomas immediately picked up his phone and called Everett. "I still haven''t seen Mr. Dupont yet. I''m worried he may have been detained in customs," the man panicked.


    But, on the other end of the phone, Everett Pang replied calmly, "He''s fine. Mr. Dupont is here with me..."


    Everett then put down his phone and stared at the man in front of him.


    A moment ago, he was about to leave the casino when he was suddenly approached by a tall blond-haired man.


    "Mr. Pang, am I right? My name is Alexander Dupont," the man said in English as he stuck out his hand.


    Alexander was here to catch the big fish; he wasn''t wasting time on an obvious scapegoat, so when he saw Thomas waiting for him at the airport, he walked right past him and came directly to look for Everett.


    "I''ve done my research, Mr. Pang. I have connections on this side of the world and I know you are the person I should be speaking to. If you want me to take you seriously, you better deal with me in person from now on instead of sending your little footman," the French man scoffed.


    Everett trembled a little. There was something about this man that was quite intimidating. Maybe it was the indifference in his voice or the coldness in his eyes, or perhaps, the fact that he was meant to be a ruthless drug trafficker.


    "Let''s find somewhere to talk serious business..." Alexander said impatiently.


    Everett glanced down at his watch. It was already midnight!


    He couldn''t call his wife or Rawson for help, so he took a deep breath and led the man to his office; he would have to deal with this on his own.


    ...


    The next morning, Halia arrived at the teahouse with Sean and they opted for a private room even though the teahouse was empty. After all, they were having a highly confidential meeting. A few minutes later, Jackson and Amelie arrived and they also entered the room.


    As soon as Sean saw Jackson, he was completely shocked. "Jackson Wu?" he yelled in disbelief.


    Jackson was also a little surprised, but realized it made sense why he always saw this man around Halia, so his reaction wasn''t as extreme.


    "No wonder you weren''t detained in France," Sean sighed. "Are you both Interpol agents?"


    Amelie looked at the awkward exchange between the two men. Had they met before?


    Of course, she wasn''t around when Halia and Sean were trying to catch Jackson so she didn''t understand why the man was so shocked.


    So, she stuck out her hand casually and said, "Amelie Roux, French Interpol Agent."


    She then pointed to Jackson and said, "I assume you''ve met already. This is Jackson Wu, my partner on this mission. He was a former French Interpol Agent but has recently been promoted to the head of Hong Kong Interpol."


    Sean''s mouth opened wide in shock.


    "You''ve certainly hidden your identity well," Sean praised as he shook the man''s hand.


    But, he had no idea that Jackson still had one other identity that he didn''t know about.


    Jackson glanced at Halia and snuck a wink at his girlfriend. They couldn''t overload this man with too many revelations at once. So, they were going to keep their relationship a secret until later...

 Chapter 151 - Game Over

    "I spoke to Everett Pang last night. I thought I''d catch him off guard before he contacted his little scapegoat and told him what to do. But, that guy is pretty useless and sloppy. I''m surprised he hasn''t been caught already. Why don''t we just swoop in and arrest him instead of putting on this entire act?" Alexander asked impatiently.


    "Because Everett Pang''s not the one we are after," Jackson explained.


    Sean looked at Jackson and nodded his head, "That''s right. During my investigation, I discovered that this entire operation is like an onion with multiple layers. Thomas may be the scapegoat for Everett, but Everett''s every move is actually being orchestrated by his wife, Carol Pang. Meanwhile, Carol Pang is taking orders from her godfather, Rawson Zhang, a gangster that was released from prison a year ago. And, it just so happens that Rawson was actually Jackson''s gangster boss in Shanghai..."


    Alexander looked at the two men in confusion. This case was a lot more complex than he originally thought. No wonder they had to fly him all the way from France.


    "So, my mission is to lure Rawson Zhang into a deal with me and capture him?" Alexander concluded.


    Sean began to nod his head, "Y--"


    But, before he got to say yes, Jackson suddenly cut in, "No."


    Everyone turned and looked at the man in confusion. Even Halia, who had been working on the case all along was puzzled by his response.


    "If it was that simple, don''t you think they would have been caught by now?" Jackson asked.


    He then pulled out his phone and showed the group some photos he had taken. They were photos of the case files he had been studying the day before. Before he returned the wooden box of files to Trisha that morning, he had taken photos of a few particular pages of interest.


    "This is a case that Hong Kong Interpol has been working on for the last 5 years," he explained. "It was actually stemmed off Marcus'' work in Beijing."


    "Marcus? Marcus Chin?" Halia questioned. She hadn''t heard this name for a while. How was this case related to Jackson''s dead undercover friend from the anti-corruption bureau?


    "Initially, Marcus was investigating an anti-corruption case in Beijing, but he didn''t realize that he had actually uncovered an entire ''triangle'' of corruption between China, Hong Kong and Macau. Of course, Marcus only had jurisdiction in China, so when he began to find leads to Hong Kong and Macau, the ACB (anti-corruption bureau) had to contact Interpol for help. After Marcus died, the entire case was handed over to Interpol," Jackson explained. "But, as they began to look further into the case, they dug up suspicious activity that traced as far back as 15 years ago! In fact, they found 25 incidences in total that could be related."


    "Which brings us to this money laundering case. We have reason to believe that Everett, Carol and Rawson haven''t been caught because someone in the police force is helping them," Jackson frowned. "And, we believe that this person is involved in an organization of corrupt police officers that are linked to a series of crimes around China, Hong Kong and Macau, including forgery, fraud...and even murder!"


    "It''s this organization that we are ultimately after!"


    Halia glanced at Jackson. She remembered him mentioning that there were some confidential files related to his mother''s death. Were these the files he was talking about? Did that mean, his mother was murdered and covered up by an organization of corrupt police officers? But why?


    Halia felt her heart break as she looked at the man with concern.


    "Don''t worry, we will definitely catch them," she said with determination.


    ...


    At this time, inside an office in Shanghai, a particular policeman received a message on his phone.


    [50 million has been wired to your account. Don''t fail this time]


    Attached to the message was a photo. The policeman opened up the photo and saw a beautiful young woman with long black hair. He recognized her. Many of the socialite families had been talking about her recently.


    She was the mysterious daughter of Henry Feng; the director of Fengtai Corporation, Haili Feng.


    With a smirk, he picked up his phone and made a call. "I want you to stage a kidnapping..." he instructed. He then forwarded the photo of Halia and said, "This is Haili Feng, director of the alcohol empire, Fengtai Corporation, and daughter of Henry Feng. She is currently in Macau, staying in the hotel at the Golden Dream Casino. Kidnap her, demand for ransom and kill her before the ransom arrives. Make it look like an accident. I''ll make sure to give you enough time to escape and I''ll get someone to cover all bases for you. Don''t make any mistakes. I''ve already wired you 5 million. Finish the job and I''ll send you another 5."


    On the other end of the phone, the man looked at the photo and smiled. The woman in the photo was young and beautiful; completely his type. If he didn''t have to kill her, he would have definitely pursued her. But, this was his job and 10 million at the end of the day was enough to buy him plenty of women of the same caliber. So, he snickered and replied, "OK."


    He then pushed some ch.i.p.s into the middle of a poker table in front of him and smirked, "I''m all in."


    The card dealer leaned forward and brushed all the ch.i.p.s into a pile. He then counted all the ch.i.p.s and announced the total to the other players. As he stood up straight and waited for a response, his golden uniform caught the man''s eye. Embroidered neatly across the dealer''s left pocket, were the words - Golden Dream Casino.


    The man laughed to himself.


    What a coincidence, he was already at the right place. It seemed, luck was on his side.


    He glanced at the photo of Halia one last time and deleted it from his phone. He had a good memory for faces, especially when it came to women, so there was no need to keep any potential evidence on his phone.


    After the other players followed his bet, the dealer flipped the last card in the river and asked for each player to reveal their hand.


    The man flipped over his cards and snickered as he whispered, "Game over."

 Chapter 152 - The Kidnapping

    After their meeting at the teahouse, Jackson, Amelie, and Alexander headed back to the hotel to map out a plan while Sean went to look for Natalie and Pumpkin. Left with no choice, Halia returned to the casino on her own. After all, she still had to spend 2 hours at the tables.


    But, just as she arrived at the entrance of the casino, she was stopped at the doorway by a man that looked a little older than her.


    "Miss Feng, Mrs. Wu wants to see you," he said as he pointed to a Rolls Royce parked outside.


    Halia glanced at the car, she recognized it. It did indeed belong to the Wu''s, she had seen Emerson''s parents riding it before. So, without any suspicion, she followed the man to the car. As soon as she approached, she saw the middle-aged woman sitting inside with a warm smile. "Come Halia, let''s have some lunch together," Mother Wu said.


    Halia looked at the woman with confusion. Why did she want to see her? Was it about the proposal? Hadn''t Emerson explained to his mother that they weren''t really in a relationship yet?


    Halia sighed. She hated disappointing elders, but she hated lying to them even more. If worse came to worst, she was ready to explain everything to the woman herself. At least, Mother Wu seemed like quite a reasonable and understanding person.


    But, not long after the car started driving, a black van suddenly sped past and blocked their path. The car came to a halt and the driver gasped in fear.


    "What happened?" Mother Wu asked in frustration. But, before the driver got the chance to answer, the van door slid open and three men in ski masks jumped out holding guns. They then ran up to the Rolls Royce and started yelling for the women to get out. Mother Wu screamed in fear. "Don''t hurt us!" she cried.


    Halia stared at the three men and tried her best to remain calm. She hadn''t offended anyone (or so she thought), so she assumed they had no reason to kill her. And, judging by the fact that they hadn''t shot yet, she knew what was about to happen.


    It was a kidnapping!


    Both Halia and Mother Wu came from wealthy backgrounds. If someone wanted to hold them for ransom, this was the perfect opportunity.


    As the men approached, Halia calmly slipped her hand into her handbag and pulled out a hair clip. This was the tracking clip that Sean had given her when she was investigating Jackson; the same clip that she had tracked to save Jackson''s life in Beijing.


    She knew she would eventually have a use for it, so she carried it around at all times. Just before the men opened the car door, she quickly clipped the clip to her hair and raised her hands. "Don''t worry, Mother Wu, they just want money. Listen to what they say and we will be fine," Halia comforted.


    Mother Wu glanced at the young woman. How could she remain so calm at a time like this?


    This woman was definitely not simple.


    A moment later, the men opened the door and dragged the two women out.


    "Slowly," Halia said. "If you want money, my father''s got plenty of it."


    Halia scanned her eyes across the three men. They were holding 9mm Hi-Point Carbine rifles, the typical gun of choice for criminals. One of the men seemed to be the leader as the remaining two men grabbed one woman each. But, the weird thing was, Halia could clearly see that the safety catches were still on for the guns. With it on, one could not actually fire the gun.


    Obviously, these guys didn''t want to accidentally shoot someone.


    Halia glanced at Mother Wu and saw the terrified expression on her face. If worse came to worst, she had to, at least, help this woman escape.


    So, when the kidnappers had their guard down, she quickly flipped the man that was holding onto her and hooked her arm around the neck of the man that had Mother Wu. The man subconsciously reached for his neck and let go of the middle-aged woman.


    "Run!" Halia screamed.


    At that moment, the sound of police sirens suddenly echoed from the distance. Halia listened in surprise, were the police there to save them? How did they know so quickly?


    Halia watched as the middle-aged woman hobbled away, but, just as she saw the flashing lights of a police car approach, someone hit her from behind and she fainted.


    By the time she woke up again, she was bound and gagged inside the back of a van. Somehow the kidnappers had managed to escape with her. Halia''s heart sank. But, she quickly realized it was just her and the 3 kidnappers in the van, plus a driver. If it was any consolation, at least, Mother Wu escaped.


    ...


    Inside a restaurant at the casino, Father Feng was having lunch with Father Wu and Emerson when he received a phone call from an unknown number. He looked at it and frowned. "It must be another marketing call," he grumbled as he shook his head.


    But, a few seconds after he placed the phone to his ear, his face began to turn pale.


    Father Wu glanced at his friend worriedly. "What''s wrong?" he asked.


    "It''s Haili," he said as he trembled and dropped his phone.


    After a short pause, he said, "She''s been kidnapped..."


    At that moment, Father Wu also received a phone call. It was from his wife. "Oh dear, I''m at the hospital," she cried.


    "At the hospital? Why are you there? Are you OK?" Father Wu asked worriedly.


    "I was with Haili today and some men tried to kidnap us! The police managed to save me, but Haili''s been taken. They had guns! I''m afraid something bad will happen to her," the middle-aged woman sobbed.


    "Don''t worry, I''m here with Henry. We''ll make sure she gets back safely," Father Wu comforted. His kind-hearted wife was always worrying about others.

 Chapter 153 - The Video Call

    Jackson, Amelie, and Alexander were discussing their next move inside Jackson and Amelie''s hotel suite when there was a frantic knock on the front door.


    Amelie went to the peephole and turned to the two men in shock, "It''s Sean."


    Jackson and Alexander looked at the woman with curiosity. Why was this man showing up at their front door? Wasn''t he afraid that someone would be suspicious?


    "Open the door and see what he wants," Jackson instructed.


    Amelie did as told and opened the door.


    But, as soon as she turned the handle, Sean pushed the door open and rushed inside.


    "We have an urgent situation," he said in a panic.


    The trio looked at the man in front of them. He looked so neat and refined without a single hair out of place. Who would have thought that he could be so fl.u.s.tered?


    "What''s wrong?" Jackson asked calmly.


    Sean took a deep breath, trying to control his trembling voice. "Halia''s been kidnapped..." he said.


    Jackson immediately jumped up with concern. Was he hearing things? Did Halia really get kidnapped? "When did this happen," he asked.


    "Not long after we left the teahouse she supposedly went to meet Mrs. Wu for lunch, but on the way there, their car was stopped by a black van. The kidnappers tried to take both women, but Halia put up a fight and managed to help Mrs. Wu escape. Mrs. Wu is now in the hospital, but Halia was taken away," Sean explained.


    "Have the kidnappers made contact yet?" Jackson questioned further.


    "Yes, they have demanded for ransom and asked for the police to not get involved. Father Feng had a brief video call with Halia and she seems fine," Sean replied.


    "How did you hear about all this? Is there any way we can get access to the video?" Amelie saw Jackson was getting a little upset, so she quickly tried to think of a way to help. Perhaps, if they saw the video, they would be able to gather some clues. Halia was an agent, she must have left clues when she got the chance.


    "My fiancee is the secretary of Halia''s father. He asked her to prepare the finances as soon as he was contacted by the kidnappers," Sean explained. "I can ask her for help."


    20 minutes later, there was another knock on the hotel suite door.


    While Jackson paced back and forth nervously, Sean went to open the door.


    It was Natalie and Pumpkin.


    "I have the video here," Natalie said as she rushed in.


    Ever since the day that Sean first kissed her and she realized he hadn''t come to Macau for Halia, she had begun to suspect the relationship between her best friend and this man. After all, she had clearly seen them having dinner together and it was odd that they had been in Macau and Hong Kong at the same time. So, as soon as her fiance asked her for a copy of Halia''s video call, she immediately grabbed it from Father Feng''s phone and went to find him - no questions asked.


    But, she was surprised to find three other people in the room that she had never met before.


    "These are my friends, Jackson Wu, Amelie Roux, and Alexander Dupont," Sean quickly introduced.


    Natalie stared at Jackson. Jackson Wu? The name sounded familiar. Wasn''t he...Halia''s boyfriend? The one that she had been longing for? What was he doing here?


    "I will explain everything to you later. Hurry and show us the video," Sean said.


    Natalie immediately selected the video on her phone and started playing it as the three men and one woman surrounded her.


    At first, the video was black. Then, slowly, Halia came into sight.


    "Hi, Dad," she said calmly.


    Jackson looked at the smile on Halia''s face and felt his heart break. Even at a time like this, she didn''t want her loved ones to feel worried.


    "I have not been hurt. We just arrived here 15 minutes ago and these guys have already given me some food and water. Don''t call the police. Just listen to their demands and I''m sure I will be fine," Halia said as she turned her head to the side.


    Suddenly, Sean reached out his hand and paused the video. Everyone looked at the man in confusion.


    "Bingo!" Sean yelled.


    "Did you discover something?" Jackson immediately asked.


    "That hair clip," Sean said as he pointed to the screen. "I gave it to her."


    Natalie looked at her fiance questioningly. It wasn''t the time to be jealous, but why did he give Halia a hair clip, and why was he pointing it out?


    Everyone continued to watch in confusion as Sean pulled out his phone and made a phone call to Beijing. "Help me track Halia''s hair clip," he instructed.


    He then put down his phone and opened his maps app. "She said she arrived 15 minutes ago. From the time she was taken to that video call, it was 30 minutes. That means, we are looking at a 15-minute radius from the scene of the kidnapping. They couldn''t have possibly crossed the bridge to the main island of Macau, they must still be hidden somewhere in Taipa, Cotai or Coloane Village."


    As Sean spoke, his phone rang. Beijing was calling him back. "Halia is located in Coloane Village, I''ll send you the location right now," the agent on the other end of the phone said.


    "Yes, I was right. She''s right here in Coloane Village," he said as he showed everyone the pinned location.


    Jackson breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the man. He was quite impressed by how well they worked together. His woman was definitely in the right hands.


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside an abandoned house in Coloane Village, Halia was tied up against a chair.


    Just like she said in her call to her father, she had not been hurt and she was planning to just listen to the kidnappers'' orders. But, that didn''t mean these guys were getting away with what they were doing.


    Her hairclip was securely fastened to her head and she knew Sean and Jackson were searching for her. She simply had to remain patient. When the timing was right, she was going to show these guys that they were messing with the wrong person.


    As she stared at the floor, deep in thought, a young man slowly approached and sat opposite her. "Hello, Miss Haili Feng...or do you prefer to be called Halia?" he asked.


    Halia looked up and her eyes opened wide in surprise.


    A pair of cold eyes and a sinister smile stared back at her. Halia had a bad feeling about this.


    Why didn''t this man have a mask on?


    Kidnappers never removed their masks...

 Chapter 154 - A True Friend

    "Why don''t you have a mask on?" Halia asked with curiosity as she stared at the sinister face in front of her. The man was young; roughly the same age as her. He had long hair that was tied into a bun, a toned body, and facial hair that made him look brawn and tough. If she was to give this description to the police, they would be able to pick him out easily in the crowd.


    So, why did he reveal himself? The only time kidnappers ever revealed themselves on purpose was if they had no intention of letting their hostage go. After all, being recognized was the worst outcome.


    "You seem oddly calm for someone who''s been kidnapped..." the man commented.


    "You haven''t answered my question yet," Halia said.


    This was not the first time she had been tied up to a chair like this. The last time this happened, she was drugged and sitting in front of a serial killer. Back then, she was inexperienced and sloppy. But, this time, she knew she had backup coming, so she had no reason to be worried. She simply had to buy as much time as possible. She had left enough clues in her call to her father. Even if Sean didn''t notice her hairclip, he would have noticed the time she mentioned. From the casino, she predicted it would take, at most, 25 minutes to get to her. She had to remain calm.


    "I wanted you to see the face of your handsome killer," the man finally chuckled.


    Halia scoffed. "Killer? Don''t you want your money? If you kill me, you won''t get anything," Halia threatened.


    The man shook his head.


    "I''ll get much more money..."


    "...if I kill you," he snickered.


    Halia looked at the man with realization as he twirled a knife in his hand. No wonder this man had no mask on, he didn''t expect her to leave this place alive!


    "So, this was never meant to be a kidnapping?" Halia asked. "Who ordered you to do this?"


    Halia was a little surprised.


    She had no enemies. Who would have reason to kill her?


    "You don''t need to know," the man replied as he began to approach.


    ...


    Jackson stared at the GPS nervously as they sped through the streets of Macau. They were just 10 minutes away from Halia''s tracker, but no one knew exactly what was happening inside the little abandoned house. Sure, the kidnappers hadn''t hurt Halia before, but did they hurt her now? His girlfriend was beautiful and he often found it hard to control himself around her, would these monsters take advantage of her? He couldn''t bear to imagine the possibilities.


    As he drove, Sean pulled out some surgical masks and handed them around. "We can''t risk revealing ourselves," he said. Jackson, Amelie and Alexander quickly put on the masks as instructed.


    The car soon pulled up a few houses down from the abandoned house they were after. This whole neighborhood had been emptied out for redevelopment and was due to be knocked down in a few weeks. It was the perfect place to hide.


    Amelie glanced out of the car and spotted a black van parked outside the house they were after. They were definitely at the right place. But, why were these guys so sloppy as to leave their van parked in such a visible spot? Sure, the area was abandoned, but cars still drove through these streets. "According to Mother Wu, a police car arrived just as the kidnappers drove off. Aren''t these guys afraid that the police would be looking for their license plate?" Amelie asked.


    Jackson stared at the van.


    That was a good point.


    The four agents quickly loaded their guns, stepped carefully out of the car and approached the house inconspicuously. There was no one in the van, but there were two men guarding the front door. Amelie and Alexander easily snuck up behind the two and knocked them out.


    The four then proceeded to enter the house. The front door was unlocked, so they easily got inside. Now, all they needed to do was find which room Halia was in. But, as soon as they stepped inside, a loud bang rang through the house. A gun had been shot...


    Why was there gunfire?


    Jackson looked at Sean in a panic as his face turned pale. Both of these men had been in law enforcement for years and they had both spent a fair time undercover, but this was one of the most bone-chilling moments of their life.


    They quickly ran towards the sound of the gun. What had happened? Who pulled the trigger? Halia was tied to a chair, wasn''t she?


    ...


    Over at Macau University Hospital, Natalie and Pumpkin had returned to look for Father Feng. Father Feng was visiting Mother Wu with Father Wu and Emerson, so they were all standing around the woman''s hospital bed at that moment. "Don''t worry," Mother Wu comforted Father Feng, "I''m sure Haili will be OK. The kidnappers had guns. If they wanted to hurt her, they would have done it already."


    "But, the police saved you and are after them now. Will Haili be in danger if the police turn up?" the old man asked.


    "You will just have to trust them," Mother Wu said.


    She then sighed and shook her head, "If only I managed to save your daughter."


    "What do you mean?" Father Feng asked curiously.


    Mother Wu glanced down for a second and replied, "I bit one of the kidnappers on the arm and managed to free myself from them, but I failed to free your daughter."


    "You see this cut I got on my arm? I actually tried to save Haili too, but they cut me! I''m so sorry, Henry, I couldn''t protect your daughter," she cried.


    Father Feng leaned over and grabbed the woman''s hands thankfully, "Don''t blame yourself, Emma. I know you tried your best. You are a true friend."


    Natalie watched quietly from the side as the three old friends comforted each other. But, something was strange. Halia had revealed to her in secret that she had been an undercover police officer in the past. Why would she be so helpless as to wait for an old lady to save her? And why would Mother Wu be so brave when the kidnappers had guns? The entire story didn''t make sense.


    Emerson approached his mother at that moment and hugged her. "Thank you for risking your life for Haili, Mom. You are the bravest woman I know," he said.


    "Oh, my dear son, I know how much you love her. How could I let her get hurt?" the woman sobbed.


    But, when no one was looking, her lips began to curve upwards ever so slightly. Any moment now, news was going to arrive that Halia was dead...and she would be known as a heroine, a true friend, and a brave mother...

 Chapter 155 - Is That All You Have To Say At A Time Like This?

    Jackson rushed ahead with his gun in his hands. Why was there gunfire? A normal kidnapping barely involved shooting a gun. After all, the ultimate goal was just money.


    Had Halia been discovered? Did she try to escape? Was there a fight?


    Countless questions ran through his head.


    If something happened to Halia, what would he do? He was planning to finish this mission, retire from the force and lead a normal life with her. There were so many things they hadn''t done together yet. Worst of all, he hadn''t told her how much she meant to him. He had been in the gangs since he was 18, taking on one mission after another. Never had he come across a woman that made him feel the way that Halia did; a woman that made him want to give up everything and just settle down. A woman that, while he was lying wounded in his hospital bed, gave him a reason to continue living. Was this a sign from God? Would he never be able to lead a normal life?


    At that moment, he reached the doorway of the room where the gunshot appeared to have come from. He stood against the wall, concealing himself and waited for the others to catch up. As soon as Sean, Amelie, and Alexander arrived, Jackson carefully peeked around the corner.


    What scene would he be met with?


    He held his breath as four figures came into view. Two of them were lying unconscious on the floor. Jackson quickly scanned his eyes across the two on the floor as his heart raced. Was Halia one of them?


    But, he quickly breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that both of them were men.


    He then scanned his eyes across to a man that was sitting on the floor holding his foot and glanced up to look at the one person that was standing holding a rifle. Her back was facing the doorway, but her long black hair and gorgeous figure immediately warmed his heart.


    He knew who it was straight away and every muscle on his body relaxed in relief.


    It was Halia. She was safe!


    Filled with emotions, Jackson rushed into the room and headed for the woman.


    He ignored everything that was happening inside the little abandoned house and dismissed the eyes that were watching him as he walked straight up to her without hesitation. His brave woman was standing tall and mighty, like a general amidst a war zone and he was extremely proud and relieved.


    It seemed, she had the entire situation under control...


    Roughly 10 minutes ago, while Jackson and the others were still rushing to the scene, Halia had just been told by the lead kidnapper that his real motive was to kill her. But, even as he approached with his knife, she remained calm.


    She had to make it out of there alive. If not for herself, she had to do it for her friends and family - especially Jackson. There were so many things she still wanted to do with the man and so many things she wanted to say. They had just been reunited long ago, she couldn''t bear to part with him again.


    Unbeknownst to the kidnapper, she had a small piece of shattered glass in her hands that she had grabbed when they first entered the abandoned house. Since it had been uninhabited for so long, kids had broken in to graffiti the place and entered through some smashed windows, so there was glass everywhere. Fortunately, she was quick on her feet and grabbed a piece of the glass while no one noticed.


    Thus, the man thought he was approaching a completely restrained and harmless woman, but in actual fact, she had already untied herself while he was talking and was simply waiting for the right moment to strike.


    So, as soon as the man got close enough, Halia jumped up, flipped the chair over her head and smashed it on top of the man''s head. Blood immediately started trickling down from his forehead.


    The man touched his head in surprise. Everything happened so quickly. What had just happened?


    But, before he could react, Halia swung her leg in one perfect swoop and knocked the man to the floor. All the man saw were a pair of Nikes collide with his cheek before everything turned black and he fell unconscious.


    The other two kidnappers in the house heard the noise and rushed in to see what was happening. But, by the time they arrived at the doorway, Halia was already waiting behind the door with the lead kidnapper''s knife, ready to ambush them. These two were amateurs. They simply saw their leader on the floor and rushed in swaying their rifles in their hands. Halia sighed. These guys had absolutely no idea who they were dealing with. As soon as they kneeled down to check on their leader, Halia rushed forward, knocked one man out and held her knife up to the other.


    "Drop your gun," she ordered as she kicked the knocked out man''s rifle away.


    In close combat, a knife always won against a gun. Especially when the man had his back to the woman and she had a knife held to his back.


    As soon as the man dropped the gun, Halia picked it up and backed away.


    Pointing it at the only conscious man, she demanded, "Tell me who sent you or I''ll shoot."


    The man snickered as he looked at the woman. "Do you even know how to use that gun? You better put it down before the two men outside realize what''s going on in here," he warned.


    Halia glanced down at the gun. The safety catch was still on from earlier. She held the weapon comfortably in her hands and ran her fingers over it nimbly, unlocking the catch and aiming it confidently at the man.


    "Do you want to test me?" she asked.


    She still had knowledge of a weapons expert in her head and the combat skills of her captain; a deadly combo that these men stood no chance against.


    "You wouldn''t dare to shoot. If you kill a man, you will be sent to jail!" the kidnapper threatened.


    Halia looked at the man and smirked. "Kill? Who said I was going to kill you?" she said.


    She then pointed the gun at the man''s feet. "Left or right?" she asked.


    The man looked at her with confusion, "What do you..."


    Before the man finished his sentence, Halia pointed the gun accurately at the man''s right foot and pulled the trigger, "Right! Because I''m always right!"


    "Now, tell me...who sent you?"


    Halia glared at the man as he screamed in pain.


    "Are you crazy?" he yelled.


    He then held onto his foot and whimpered as Halia continued to point the rifle at his face.


    But, as she focused on the man, she suddenly felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her body from behind.


    The kidnapper glanced up in surprise as four unfamiliar figures entered the room with surgical masks on. These weren''t his accomplices. What happened to the two men guarding the door?


    "That''s my girl," a voice whispered beside Halia''s ear.


    Halia jumped a little in surprise and quickly gripped the rifle in her hands. But, she felt a warm sense of familiarity when the man hugging her suddenly said, "You owe me a kiss today."


    Halia relaxed and gave a slight chuckle. This was the voice she wanted to hear.


    "Is that all you have to say at a time like this?" she asked.


    Her heart lit up. It was Jackson.


    Jackson loosened his grip and turned the woman around. "No, there''s one more thing I want to tell you," he said.


    Halia looked at the man curiously. He had a surgical mask on, so all she could see were his eyes. But, she could sense his sincerity as he said...


    "I love you."


    Halia''s eyes became teary as she heard these words. After everything that happened today, these words made everything immediately better. She then leaned forward and kissed the man through his mask.


    "I love you too," she replied.

 Chapter 156 - The Lure

    Sean watched as Halia kissed Jackson and his eyes opened wide with shock. What was happening? Didn''t Halia have a boyfriend? When did these two get so close?


    He remembered the two agents became good friends when Halia was trying to apprehend Jackson, but they had both met each other under false identities and were technically enemies at the time. Afterwards, Jackson was taken back to France for an entire month, during which they lost contact. Why were they suddenly kissing?


    But, just as he was about to interrupt and question the two, he noticed the bracelet hanging around Halia''s wrist and realization finally kicked in. He never saw it before, but now that he looked at it in detail, he noticed the dots and dashes on the heart pendant that swung hypnotically from left to right on the bracelet. They weren''t accidental; they were made on purpose. Only now did he realize, they were made in a precise pattern; a pattern that he recognized. It was Morse code, and the message read, J&H: Jackson and Halia.


    If Jackson was actually a gangster, he would have been deeply concerned for his friend. But, Jackson was also an agent. To be exact, he was the head of Hong Kong Interpol! Halia certainly scored herself a great man. Sean smiled and let the two share a moment together as he walked over to handcuff the three kidnappers.


    "My foot! It''s been shot!" the conscious one screamed as Sean approached. "Take me to the hospital," he demanded.


    Halia turned to the man and scoffed, "You''re not going anywhere. We still have some questions to ask."


    "But, I''m going to bleed to death! You did this to me, you b*tch!" the man yelled.


    Halia looked at the man and giggled.


    "Don''t worry...I was a nurse once," she smirked as she picked up the knife from earlier. "I''ll make sure to get the bullet out and stitch you up nicely..."


    Jackson subconsciously glanced at the scars on his own arm and shook his head with a sigh. He suddenly felt a little sympathetic for the guy.


    "Now, tell me. Who sent you?" Halia asked as she knelt down beside the man and lifted her knife.


    ...


    Over at the hospital, Father Feng was waiting for the kidnappers to call him back with further instructions. He already had his money ready, but he still didn''t know where to drop it off.


    Mother Wu glanced at her watch curiously. The kidnappers should have called by now. They were supposed to fake a struggle while on the phone and pretend to accidentally kill Halia. It was the perfect way to avoid suspicions of a planned assassination. Why weren''t they calling yet?


    Starting to feel a little anxious, Mother Wu secretly picked up her phone and sent a message: [What''s with the delay? We haven''t received a phone call yet? Are you going back on our deal? You already failed once, are you failing again?]


    On the other end, a police officer picked up his phone and saw the message. He furrowed his brows and checked his watch. Mother Wu was right, the killing should have happened by now. What went wrong?


    He was usually careful with stuff like this, but he had been experiencing a run of bad luck recently. First, one of the gangsters he was working with was arrested in Beijing, then the corrupt officers that worked with him were slowly arrested too. After that, a killer he hired was killed and his target survived. Nothing seemed to be going right.


    So, he picked up a burner phone and made a phone call to the lead kidnapper.


    However, the lead kidnapper was currently tied up and lying unconscious on the floor.


    Sean glanced at the ringing phone and noticed it was from an unknown number.


    "That might be his client. This wasn''t a normal kidnapping. These guys were hired to kill me," Halia revealed.


    Jackson looked at his girlfriend in surprise. No wonder there was a struggle in here.


    At that moment, the only conscious kidnapper yelled out in a panic, "Hurry and pick that up. If we don''t pick up, the police will be sent here right away and we will all be caught! I don''t want to go to jail!"


    Jackson and Sean looked at each other. Who would have the power to send the police straight away? Was it the corrupt officer they were after?


    Jackson nodded at Sean and Sean picked up the phone. "Hello," he mumbled briefly, hoping the man on the other end wouldn''t notice he was a different person.


    "What are you doing? Why isn''t the target dead yet? The client is waiting for your phone call!" the officer growled on the other end of the phone.


    Sean glanced at the conscious kidnapper and saw the panic on his face. He wasn''t just afraid of going to prison, he was obviously terrified of the man on the phone as well.


    At that moment, Sean had an idea.


    "We''ve decided to let her go," he said. "The target offered more money so we are letting her go."


    Jackson looked at Sean in surprise and quickly covered the kidnapper''s mouth to stop him from saying anything. What was he doing?


    "What did you say? How dare you betray me? Do you have a death wish?" the man threatened.


    "No, I just want money. If you want her dead, then you''ll have to offer me more," Sean said.


    The officer clenched his fists in frustration. His reputation had plummeted recently due to his run of bad luck and his number of clients had reduced dramatically. He had to succeed this time. Especially when Mother Wu was a treasured client that he had worked with for years.


    "Fine, I''ll give you another 10 million to kill her right away," he said. "And if you handle this smoothly, I will hire you for all future jobs as well. You will receive much more money from me in the long run."


    "That''s a very attractive offer," Sean smiled. "But, I need to see the money first."


    "I''ll wire it to you right now," the man agreed.


    "No, there''s processing time," Sean replied. "Bring it to me in cash right now and I''ll kill her in front of you."


    Jackson listened to what the man said and smiled in approval. What a great way to lure out the corrupt officer.


    "Fine, I''ll get the money to you in 20 minutes. Don''t let the target go," the man said.


    Sean hung up the phone and smiled at Jackson. "Case closed," he said confidently. It was time to settle everything here and go home to prepare for his wedding.


    But, would someone who hadn''t been caught in 15 years, be caught so easily?

 Chapter 157 - We Have To Kill You

    While the five waited for the corrupt officer to arrive, they continued questioning the kidnappers to get as much information out of them as possible.


    "Do you know who ordered the kill?"


    "What exactly were you asked to do?"


    "Was this the first time you worked with this man?"


    Halia asked one question after another as she removed the bullet from the injured kidnapper''s foot and began to stitch him up.


    "Ahhh! Can''t you be more gentle?" the man cried in pain. His lips were pale and his voice was weak from the wound he received.


    "I''ll be gentle if you answer me properly," Halia replied.


    The man sighed and finally surrendered; he could no longer endure the pain. "I don''t know who ordered the kill, but I do know that they wanted to avoid suspicion by making your death appear like an accident. We were asked to call your father and kill you ''accidentally'' through a fake struggle."


    Halia shivered at the thought. How would her father have felt if he heard her die on the phone? How could someone do something so cruel?


    "This was our first time working with this man. Someone recommended us to him and we were more than happy to take the job since he had a good reputation for paying well and on time. Plus, he is in the police force, so he is known for covering the tracks of his contractors well," the man explained.


    "Have you ever met him in person?" Halia asked as she threaded the needle through the man''s skin.


    The man gave a gentle hiss, but the pain was definitely a lot more bearable.


    "No, I don''t think any of his contractors have ever met him in person. But, I believe his clients would know who he is," the man replied cooperatively.


    Halia quickly finished stitching up the man and packed everything away while Sean and Jackson carried the two unconscious men into the bathroom and locked them inside. Meanwhile, Alexander and Amelie quickly fetched the two men that were guarding outside and threw them into the bathroom as well. Since the corrupt officer never met his contractors, Sean, Jackson, Amelie, and Alexander decided to pretend that they were the kidnappers. All they had to do was put on the kidnappers'' ski masks and there was no reason why the corrupt officer wouldn''t believe them.


    Just before the corrupt officer arrived, Sean knocked the injured man unconscious and threw him in with his accomplices. Now, it was time for them to put on their show and catch the corrupt officer.


    But, to their surprise, when a car finally pulled up outside and the driver''s door opened, they were met with a familiar face - and this familiar face was no police officer.


    "I was asked to deliver some cash here," the man said.


    Jackson stared at the familiar chubby man and tried to avoid eye contact. It was Emerson''s uncle, Everett Pang. What was he doing here?


    Of course, the corrupt officer didn''t have 10 million just lying around. So when he was asked to bring the amount in cash, there was only one person he could call for help: Mother Wu.


    "The kidnappers want more money," he revealed honestly. "I promised them 10 million, but they want it in cash right now and I don''t have that amount in my hands."


    "As long as they guarantee to kill her, I am happy to deliver them another 10," Mother Wu said as she hid in the hospital bathroom to take the call.


    "Yes, I guarantee it will happen this time. If not, I will go kill her myself," the man replied.


    Mother Wu sighed.


    After she hung up, she immediately called her brother and instructed him to take 10 million to the abandoned house. When Everett Pang received his sister''s phone call, he agreed without asking any questions.


    That was how Everett Pang ended up at the little abandoned house with 10 briefcases filled with money in the boot of his car.


    Jackson glanced at Sean and Sean gestured for him to play along.


    "Come check the money," Everett said as he opened the boot of his car.


    Alexander walked over and inspected each briefcase carefully. They were neatly packed in stacks of 1000 Hong Kong dollar notes and there was exactly 1 million in each one.


    He then turned to Sean and Jackson and nodded his head.


    "Now that I brought you the money, you better stick to the deal you made with my sister," the man said. He didn''t know what his sister was up to, but she knew about his money laundering business and never interfered. In fact, she was the one that introduced him to a police officer that had been protecting him. So, he was more than happy to help her back in return. However, he had no idea that his sister didn''t deal with the kidnappers directly and he had just revealed her identity to the enemy.


    After he unloaded the 10 briefcases, he got back in his car and immediately drove away, thinking that he had done a huge favor for his sister.


    But, Sean and Jackson looked at each other and frowned. Everett had just revealed the culprit to them.


    It turned out, the person that wanted to kill Halia was Everett''s sister - a.k.a. Emerson''s mother, Emma Wu!


    Why would she do such a thing?


    What were they to do now?


    After a quick discussion, Sean, Jackson, Amelie, and Alexander returned to the house and explained the situation to Halia.


    But, after they were done explaining, Jackson said something that shocked the woman in front of him, "I''m sorry, Halia, but I think we have to kill you..."


    Halia looked at her boyfriend in surprise. Less than an hour ago, he had just told her that he loved her. But now, he was telling her that he needed to kill her? What was going on?


    "We don''t have time. We will explain everything after this phone call," Sean said as he walked over and grabbed the kidnapper''s phone that they used earlier and opened his own phone to look for a number. He then began typing the number into the kidnapper''s phone. Halia glanced over and recognized the number - it was her father''s. Why were they calling her father?


    "Hello, Mr. Feng," Sean said. "Have you got the money ready?"


    Halia looked at her handler in confusion.


    Inside the hospital, Father Feng glanced at the people in the room with him and turned his phone on loudspeaker, "Yes, I''ve got your money ready, what do you want me to do?"


    As everyone in the hospital room listened intently to the phone, they suddenly heard someone yell in the background, "She''s trying to escape!"


    Father Feng looked at his friends in a panic. "What''s happening? Where do you want me to take the money? Please don''t hurt my daughter."


    But, a bone-chilling bang forced him to pause.


    It was a gun.


    Before Father Feng got the chance to respond, the phone cut out.


    "Hello? Hello?" he repeated.


    However, there was no response as he stared at his friends in horror. Did they just witness the death of his daughter?

 Chapter 158 - Trojan

    Father Feng spent the entire evening filing a police report at the hospital. Since the police were already there to speak to Mother Wu, he took the opportunity to report his daughter''s kidnapping and what he had heard on the phone to them while they were there. The simple kidnapping had took a sudden turn and he was no longer sure if his daughter was dead or alive.


    Finally, Father Feng reported everything he knew, and in his distraught state, he was allowed to go home with Natalie and Pumpkin.


    "My poor daughter," he cried as he turned towards the door.


    "Don''t worry, Henry. You may have misheard or the gun could have shot anywhere. The police will find her for you. She''s going to be fine," Mother Wu comforted, even though she knew the kidnappers were instructed to kill Halia with one shot.


    Father Feng nodded his head and wiped his tears as he walked out of the hospital room with Natalie and Pumpkin.


    Meanwhile, Father Wu sighed as he watched his friend leave. It was difficult to see a middle-aged man cry like that. Hopefully, his friend''s daughter was fine. If something like this happened to one of his children, he wouldn''t know how he''d handle it.


    But...as soon as Father Feng boarded his car and there was no one else around, his crying stopped and he stared straight ahead calmly. This man could win a best actor award for his performance.


    "Where is she now?" he asked.


    Natalie glanced at her boss through the rearview mirror and replied, "I''ll take you to see her right away."


    Roughly 10 minutes before Father Feng received a phone call from the ''kidnappers'' earlier, Natalie had actually received a phone call from Sean.


    "Halia''s safe and she''s with me. I will be calling Father Feng in a minute posing as one of the kidnappers. I want him to help me fake Halia''s death. I will explain everything later. Make sure he puts the call on loudspeaker so everyone in the hospital room can hear," he instructed.


    Natalie immediately agreed without questioning her fiance, especially when she heard that her best friend was safe.


    So, as soon as she returned to the room, she whispered the plan into Father Feng''s ear and the man kept a straight face as he agreed. As long as his daughter was safe, he was willing to do anything.


    In the end, everything ran as planned and Father Feng followed Natalie to find his daughter.


    Soon, Natalie, Pumpkin and Father Feng pulled up outside the casino. There was nothing suspicious about this since Father Feng was staying in the casino''s hotel. But, instead of returning to his room or even Halia''s room, Natalie led Father Feng to one of the VIP suites.


    As soon as she knocked on the door, Sean quickly opened it up and ushered the three inside. Even though the suite was quite big it was fairly crowded. After Father Feng, Natalie and Pumpkin entered, there was a total of 8 people inside.


    Father Feng scanned his eyes across the people in the room and finally lay his eyes upon his precious daughter. Tears immediately started streaming from his eyes; sincere tears, unlike the ones he had at the hospital earlier.


    "Oh Haili, you''re OK!" he cheered emotionally as he ran up and hugged the young woman.


    Halia hugged her father back and gently comforted him, "Everything''s alright..."


    ...


    Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Father Wu and Emerson had just gone home, and for the first time that day, Mother Wu was finally left on her own.


    With a smirk, she picked up her phone to call the officer she had been working with. This wasn''t the first time she had worked with this man. Over the years, he had assisted her on multiple occasions, so even though his reputation had gone downhill recently, she still had faith in him. After all, the fewer people involved with her schemes the better. Everyone knew her as the kindhearted wife of casino tycoon, Jack Wu, and she wanted it to stay that way.


    So, she called the corrupt officer as usual for a follow-up. After every deal they made, he always cleaned up nicely.


    But, this time, when she called, the officer did not pick up as quickly as he normally did. In fact, it took her a good few hours before she finally got through to him.


    "Why weren''t you answering my calls, Trojan? Did you clean up nicely? Did you find the body?" Mother Wu asked anxiously.


    Just like a Trojan horse, this man was named Trojan because he was not the man that everyone thought he was. Sure, he wore a police uniform on the outside, but underneath it all, he was a cruel and ruthless person that would do anything for money.


    "There''s been a small complication," the man replied in an obviously stressed tone.


    "What do you mean by a small complication?" Mother Wu roared.


    "Calm down first and listen to me," Trojan said. "Before I managed to send my men, Interpol somehow got involved and raided the scene first."


    "How did Interpol get involved?" Mother Wu asked.


    "I''m not sure. Supposedly, the kidnappers had committed some crimes overseas. They''ve been detained for questioning and it''s outside my jurisdiction," Trojan explained.


    "Will they expose us?" Mother Wu asked worriedly.


    "Don''t worry, they don''t know who we are," Trojan reassured.


    Mother Wu breathed a sigh of relief.


    "What about Haili? Is that little sl*t dead?" she asked.


    "Even though I never saw the body myself, Interpol have confirmed her death. They should have contacted her family by now, " the man said proudly. "I would say that this was a success."


    Mother Wu calmed down and smiled. As long as Halia was dead, then she didn''t care about anything else.


    But, of course, she had no idea that Jackson was the head of Interpol in that region and the news that Trojan received was all fake. Halia was very much alive and she knew Mother Wu was the one that wanted to kill her...

 Chapter 159 - The Losing Game

    "I don''t understand," Father Feng said.


    "You are obviously safe, but why are we faking your death?" he asked as he stared confusedly at his dear daughter.


    Halia took a deep breath. She didn''t know how to begin her explanation.


    "Dad, haven''t you wondered what I''ve been doing away from home all these years?" she finally asked.


    "I never wanted to pressure you or influence your decisions, so I never questioned what you did. Besides, I''ve always believed in you," Father Feng replied with confidence.


    Halia gave a slight chuckle. Her father had always been understanding and supportive. That was how she had the courage to pursue law enforcement to begin with and also the reason why she decided to keep it a secret from him until she achieved something great. She did not want to repay his understanding and support with news that would worry him. But, it worked out, because she was coincidentally thrown into undercover work which required her to keep her identity a secret anyway.


    Halia was moved by her father''s words so she leaned forward and hugged him again. "Dad...I''m a spy..." she whispered under her breath.


    Father Feng pulled away from his daughter''s arms and looked at her curiously.


    "What do you mean?" he asked.


    "I am an undercover agent for the SPU, a specialized tactical police unit that focuses on national security and organized crime," Halia explained. "Dad, we discovered that Mrs. Wu was trying to kill me..."


    Father Feng glanced around the room. "Does everyone in this room know this?"


    He was especially confused since Jackson and Sean were in the room. Firstly, he thought Sean was just Natalie''s fiance and Halia''s friends. Secondly, he knew Jackson as Jack Wu''s disobedient gangster son. What were these two doing there?


    At that moment, Sean stepped forward and explained, "I''m Halia''s handler, Senior SPU detective Sean Qin."


    Natalie quickly lifted her head in surprise. She knew Sean was hiding something, but this was not what she expected. No wonder he followed Halia everywhere she went.


    But, suddenly a thought came to her mind. If Mrs. Wu wanted to kill Halia, and Mrs. Wu was Jackson''s stepmother, did that mean Jackson was involved? Was that why he was there as well? Was he being detained and interrogated? Did this man trick her best friend''s feelings because he had ulterior motives? Was that why he disappeared for a while? Was he playing around with Halia?


    A thousand questions ran through her head as Natalie focused her gaze on Jackson and glared at him with murderous intent.


    But, all of a sudden, Jackson stood up and walked casually over to Halia''s side. "Hi, Mr. Feng, let me introduce myself properly. My name is..."


    Before Jackson finished his sentence, Natalie quickly ran over and pulled Halia behind her. "We know who you are..." she said with hostility. "You''re Jackson Wu, son of Jack Wu, big-time gangster. Why did you and your mother try to kill Haili?" she asked.


    There was an awkward silence in the room as Father Feng and Halia stared at Natalie in shock.


    Meanwhile, Sean walked over to Amelie and Alexander and explained to them what his silly fiancee had said.


    As soon as Amelie heard the translation, she burst into laughter.


    Natalie glanced at the woman in confusion.


    "Did you team up with Emma to kill my daughter?" Father Feng mumbled in disbelief. What had his daughter done to deserve this?


    When Halia heard this, she gently nudged Natalie away and walked back over to Jackson''s side with an amused smile. She then looked at the man lovingly as he wrapped an arm around her waist.


    Stretching out his other arm, he continued what he was saying earlier, "Mr. Feng, I am Jackson Wu, Head of Interpol for the Hong Kong region. I am the officer in command for this case."


    Father Feng and Natalie were dumbfounded.


    Head of Interpol? Officer in command?


    "Wh-What''s going on?" Natalie stuttered.


    Sean walked over to his fiancee and placed an arm around her shoulder, "Jackson was undercover when we first met him in Beijing. At that time, Halia and I were sent to investigate him. But, we recently discovered that he has actually been undercover in gangs all around China and France for the last 12 years! As a reward for his hard work, he was recently promoted to the head of Interpol for the Hong Kong region. He''s currently here in Macau because someone tried to kill him in France and he traced it back to a friend or family in Hong Kong. We suspect the instigator has connections to a corrupt police officer and the two of them may also be involved with the death of Jackson''s mother 12 years ago. We''re not sure if today''s incident has any connection to Jackson''s investigation, but when we went to save Halia today, we discovered Mrs. Wu planned a fake kidnapping to kill Halia without suspicion and an officer is involved in covering it up. So, we decided to play along and lure out the officer."


    "Why would Emma try to kill Halia, it doesn''t make sense," Father Feng shook his head. "I thought she really liked you. She even wanted you to marry her son..."


    Father Feng suddenly paused and looked at Jackson''s arm around his daughter''s waist. "Did you reject Emerson because of him?" he asked his daughter as he pointed to the man next to her.


    Halia glanced shyly at Jackson and nodded her head, "Dad, I want you to officially meet my boyfriend."


    Father Feng didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. She had rejected Emerson to be with his older brother. If the Wu Family were to find out...


    Suddenly, his eyes opened wide in realization as he looked at his daughter. When Halia saw the look in her father''s eyes, she realized what he was thinking. "Could it be?" he asked. "Do you think she found out?"


    "Would she really kill me over something like that?" Halia asked.


    Jackson furrowed his brows. "She would...if she hated me and my mother..."


    The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall together and everything began to make sense. If Mother Wu hated Jackson and his mother, then there was a huge possibility that she was the one that instigated for them to be killed. And when Jackson survived and returned to Hong Kong, she must have been furious to discover that the woman her precious son loved, was actually in love with the person she wanted to kill.


    It was like fate was playing a game with her; a game that Jackson was going to make sure that she''d lose...

 Chapter 160 - Can I Be A Spy Too?

    "So, what''s the plan now?" Father Feng asked with determination as he rolled up his sleeves. "Can I be a spy too?" the man''s eyes lit up excitedly.


    Sean quickly shook his head, "You should go home and ''grieve''. We will handle the rest. It''s too dangerous for you to stay here. You already know too much."


    Natalie looked at her fiance and agreed, "Yes, we still have a business meeting in a few days. I''ll head back with you."


    But, Father Feng wasn''t one to run away from a difficult situation. Besides, how could he let Mother Wu live in peace when he knew that she tried to kill his daughter? Even if he couldn''t help capture the woman, he could, at least, make her life a living hell.


    "The meeting is in a few days. That means I can still stick around for a bit," Father Feng said with a cheeky smile. "I''ve got some ideas...Plus, I''m a good actor. Natalie can attest to my acting skills."


    Halia sighed. Her father had always been a fan of spy movies so she could tell he was excited. But, this was not a movie; this was real life.


    "I won''t force you to leave if you don''t want to, but don''t do anything reckless," she warned.


    Her father did an ''OK'' gesture with his fingers and sat down comfortably on the sofa. Sometimes, it felt like Halia was the parent and her father was the child.


    "By the way, where are you going to hide if everyone thinks you''re dead? You can''t return to your hotel room or mine," Father Feng suddenly questioned.


    Jackson heard the old man''s question and replied casually, "She will be staying here."


    Father Feng looked at the young man. Although he was tall, handsome and successful, Father Feng had his doubts. After all, good-looking men were often untrustworthy. How could he let his precious daughter share a room with a man that he knew nothing about?


    "No, a man and a woman alone in a room? You''re both unmarried. It''s not safe! What if you take advantage of my precious daughter?" Father Feng objected.


    Jackson cleared his throat awkwardly.


    At that moment, Amelie stepped forward, "I am also sharing this suite. There are two bedrooms. Halia can share a bed with me."


    Even though she couldn''t understand Chinese, she could roughly guess what Father Feng was worried about.


    Father Feng glanced at the blond-haired, blue-eyed woman. He had seen her before. She was the woman that Jackson told his father he was marrying!


    "That''s right! I almost forgot! How can my daughter be your girlfriend when you told your father you were marrying this woman! I knew good-looking men couldn''t be trusted! Are you playing around with my daughter''s feelings?" Father Feng growled.


    Jackson chuckled. "There''s been a misunderstanding, Mr. Feng. This is Amelie, my colleague. She''s here to assist me and be my cover," he explained. "We are just friends. Besides, I told my father I was getting married, but I didn''t mention any names."


    He then glanced at Halia, "Perhaps, I meant I was marrying your daughter..."


    Halia opened her eyes wide in shock. What was this man saying? When did she agree to marry him?


    As she blushed, she turned to reassure her father. "Don''t worry, Dad. He didn''t take advantage of me last time, so I''ll be fine," she quickly blurted.


    "Last time?" Father Feng asked in shock. "What do you mean by last time?"


    Halia sighed and placed her hand to her mouth. She forgot that her father didn''t know about the time they spent in the underground lab.


    "You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady," Father Feng warned as he waited expectantly for his daughter to speak.


    Halia sighed as she looked at Jackson helplessly. It seemed, she had a lot of explaining to do...


    ...


    That night, after everyone left, only Jackson, Halia, Amelie and Alexander remained in the suite. Jackson showed Halia to her bedroom and helped her settle down while Amelie and Alexander sat quietly in the living room. Ever since Alexander arrived in Macau, there had been non-stop drama, so this was the first time they were alone together.


    Amelie glanced shyly at the man. Did he remember that she told him she missed him on the phone? Most importantly, did he understand what she meant by it?


    Of course, friends could also miss each other, but during the time that they were apart, she realized Alexander meant a lot more to her than she originally thought.


    "How have you been?" Amelie asked awkwardly, breaking the silence.


    Alexander peered sideways at the woman, "I''ve been well. I was given some time off after the whole incident with Jackson and Gogh, so I met with some old friends and relaxed a little. What about you? How have you been?"


    "I''ve been good too. It''s been nice to be away from France for a while. It''s helped me rediscover myself and the things that I''ve taken for granted," Amelie replied.


    "Oh? Like what?" Alexander asked as he stood up and walked towards the balcony.


    The night sky was clear and a full moon perched brightly among the stars. It was the middle of spring, so the wind was warm and it carried a slight fragrance of the night jasmine which dotted the gardens around the casino.


    Amelie stepped out onto the balcony to join the man as she replied shyly, "Like the food...and the people..."


    "People?" Alexander asked, hinting for the woman to elaborate on her answer.


    Amelie turned towards the man and found herself looking into his eyes. She had never noticed before, but she realized at that moment, how blue his eyes were. They were like two serene pools of water, shimmering under the moonlight, containing an odd sense of comfort. And the emotions contained within them were so gentle and caring that it made her heart melt. Had he always looked at her like that?


    "Yes, I realized how important the people around me were," Amelie replied. She then took a step forward and added, "Especially you..."


    Alexander felt his heart overflow with joy when he heard this. He had actually liked Amelie for a long time, but she had been so hung up on Jackson that she never returned his feelings. When he received her message a few days ago, he was ecstatic, but he was also worried that he had misinterpreted it.


    "What about Jackson? Am I as important as him?" Alexander tested.


    Amelie immediately shook her head, "No..."


    A trace of disappointment appeared in the man''s eyes. He knew it was too good to be true.


    But, after a short pause, Amelie whispered, "...you''re more important."


    Alexander felt his heart almost jump out of his chest at the sound of the woman''s voice. Just as he was about to respond, Amelie suddenly leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.


    Alexander''s eyes opened wide in surprise. This was not the first time they had kissed, but it felt different this time.


    Amelie noticed the man was frozen in place and not responding, so she slowly pulled away and looked at him in confusion. Did he not believe her? Or had his feelings changed during the time they were apart?


    With a slight frown, she retreated a few steps. Maybe it was too naive of her to think that this man would forever be waiting around for her.


    But, just as she thought this, she suddenly felt herself being pulled forward by a pair of strong arms. Before she realized what was happening, the man in front of her pressed his lips passionately against hers. Of course, his feelings never changed. In fact, their time apart made his feelings grow even stronger for her.


    "I meant it when I said I missed you," Amelie managed to whisper between kisses.


    Alexander smiled when he heard this. "I know," he replied.

 Chapter 161 - Fate

    Inside the bedroom of his hotel suite, Jackson was showing Halia where she would be sleeping.


    "You can share this bed with Amelie. She wakes up at 6am every day and has a shower...oh...and she likes to keep her bedside lamp on," Jackson explained.


    Halia looked at the man with curiosity, "How do you know that? Have you slept with her before!"


    Jackson quickly wrapped his arms around Halia and chuckled, "We lived under the same roof in France while I was there. She woke me up every day with her loud coffee-making."


    Halia frowned, pretending to be upset. "You lived together?" she asked with her mouth open.


    "Alexander was there too! Besides, I only had you on my mind the entire time," he said dotingly. "Thinking about you kept me sane."


    Of course, Halia trusted her man and wasn''t really upset, but it was fun to watch him being fl.u.s.tered.


    Halia smiled and pinched the man on the nose, "I better be the only one on your mind."


    Jackson grabbed hold of Halia''s hand and led her to the bathroom. "You will be sharing this bathroom with Amelie. I have my own bathroom. There are spare towels in the vanity and the hotel has provided all toiletries. We also have a television in the living room with cable TV and Netflix. I''m not sure how long you will have to stay here, but if you get bored, you can watch some TV. I''ve already requested for no housekeeping, so no one will enter this room without permission," Jackson explained.


    He then led her towards the living room.


    But...just as they opened the bedroom door and peered out, they saw Amelie and Alexander kissing passionately on the balcony. These two hadn''t seen each other for a couple of weeks and the s.e.x.u.a.l tension was building, so the scene on the balcony was getting quite heated.


    Halia quickly blushed and looked away. "Let''s give them some alone time," she whispered as she cleared her throat and scurried back into the bedroom. However, in her fl.u.s.tered state, she ended up tripping on her own foot and falling onto the bed, pushing Jackson down with her.


    This was a very familiar scene.


    Something very similar had happened when they were in the underground lab together. "I miss our time in the lab," Jackson suddenly said as he brushed the woman''s hair aside and looked into her eyes longingly. "Even though we were both on our own missions at that time, I felt like we had escaped reality and were in our own world down there. It made me imagine the possibilities of living a normal life with you. It was the first time in 12 years, that I wanted to leave this job and settle down."


    "Can we really do that?" Halia asked as she smiled at the thought of a future with Jackson. "Can we really settle down and lead normal lives?"


    "Why not?" Jackson replied as he pulled the woman towards him.


    As he stared into her eyes lovingly, he slowly and gently pressed his lips against hers.


    These lips...he could kiss them forever...


    Halia felt her body heat up at the touch of the man''s lips. Earlier that day, when Jackson told her he loved her, memories of them flashed through her mind. Memories of their time in the lab, of how he saved her from a serial killer, of him carrying her out of the bar when she was spiked, of the time he rushed her to the hospital when she had an anxiety attack...and...of his cotton candy lips when he saved her from drowning as a child.


    Was this what people called fate?


    "Do you remember our first kiss?" Halia suddenly asked.


    Jackson stared into the woman''s twinkling eyes and thought back on the day that he discovered her spiked and disorientated at the bar. They were only acquaintances at the time, but he felt a strong urge to protect her. That was how they ended up in a hotel room together.


    He still remembered the way that Halia looked that night: she was beautiful, her eyes were filled with desire and her breath smelled of gin. He remembered the way that she climbed onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck...and the way that she kissed down on his lips.


    "How could I forget? You were spiked that day and I was a little drunk, but I remember it clearly. I had never been forcefully kissed by a woman like that," Jackson teased.


    Halia blushed a little and flicked the man on the forehead. "Wrong! That wasn''t the first time," she said.


    Jackson looked at the woman with confusion.


    "I was roughly 12 at the time, and you were 15. We were beside the pool in your family''s home, there were plum blossoms swaying above our heads...and your lips tasted like cotton candy..."


    Jackson smiled and kissed Halia again. His woman was so cute and innocent.


    "I love you," he whispered for the second time that day.


    "I love you too," Halia replied.


    ...


    The next day, Alexander went about his day like normal. Unlike everyone that was involved with Halia, he had to pretend that he didn''t know a thing. After all, he was meant to be a drug trafficker from France who had absolutely no connection to her.


    So, he arrived at a private room inside a restaurant with a briefcase of money.


    "I want you to help me launder this," he said to the man that was sitting opposite him.


    Since it was their first time dealing with an international client, Alexander had successfully convinced Everett to let him meet Rawson in person. Rawson refused at first, but it felt like a shame to lose such a big client. Thus, everyone involved in the money laundering case ended up sitting in the room at that very moment. But, of course, the corrupt police officer that had been helping them get away with their crimes wasn''t there. If he didn''t know about the corrupt police officer, Alexander would have arrested everyone in the room, right there and then. Unfortunately, his ultimate target was yet to be found.


    "Have you heard about a famous killer called Gogh?" Alexander suddenly asked while Everett was counting the money in the briefcase.


    "No, I''m not familiar with killers. I only deal with money," Rawson smirked.


    "Gogh is a very famous killer in France. He was killed recently. I heard he was working with someone in Hong Kong and Macau. A man by the name of Trojan. Do you know how I can get in contact with this man?" Alexander asked.


    Halia''s kidnappers had been interrogated by Interpol all night. Although they couldn''t provide much information about the man they were working with, they did reveal a name: Trojan. So, this was the only lead that Alexander could go off.


    Rawson''s eyes twitched a little as he replied, "No, I''ve never heard of that name before."


    Alexander could tell that the man was obviously lying.


    "I want to discuss some business with him. If you can somehow get me in contact with him, I can offer you a hefty reward. Perhaps, something along the lines of 5 million Hong Kong dollars..." Alexander said, tempting the man.


    Rawson''s eyes lit up at the mention of money. "I''ve never heard of him, but I might know someone who has. I''ll ask around for you, but I can''t guarantee anything," he said with a greedy smile.

 Chapter 162 - Can Your Son Marry My Daughter?

    At this time, over at a temple, Father Wu and Mother Wu were accompanying Father Feng as he prepared for his daughter''s funeral. Since she passed away in Macau, he decided to hold two funerals. One in Macau and one in their hometown. After all, he was rich, he could hold as many funerals as he wanted for his daughter, right?


    At the temple, a strange old lady sat in the corner surrounded by joss sticks, candles, and strange talismans. This woman was a traditional Chinese fortune teller and she offered a special service for those that believed in it. This included picking auspicious times and dates for the funeral as well as searching for lost souls and even speaking to the dead. Father Feng glanced at the old woman and snuck a wink. He had actually made a visit early that morning and given this woman a hefty ''donation''. In return, the woman agreed to help him put on a little act.


    They were about to have some fun...


    "Oh ma''am, my daughter died in an accident and I want to make sure her soul returns to China with me. Can you check if she is here with us and if there is anything she needs in the afterlife?" Father Feng asked the old woman as he sat down opposite her.


    Mother Wu listened with amus.e.m.e.nt. She didn''t believe in fortune-tellers nor ghosts. If this woman could really speak to the dead, wouldn''t the police be working with her to crack all their cases. And, if that was the case, how did anyone ever get away with murder? Most importantly, how did she get away with murder? So, she was curious what this woman planned to say.


    "Can I get your daughter''s name and birth date?" the old woman said as she stretched out a wrinkly hand.


    Father Feng quickly wrote down his daughter''s name and birth date on a piece of paper and handed it to the woman.


    The old woman glanced at the details and started tapping on the table with her palms. "Calling forward, Haili Feng. Haili Feng, reveal yourself to me!!" she screamed as her body trembled.


    Mother Wu glanced at Father Feng and saw the hopeful look in his eyes.


    It seemed, this man actually believed the woman. She then looked at her husband and realized he also believed her too. Her husband had always been slightly superstitious with feng shui and fortune-telling, but she simply thought of it as a hobby that kept her husband busy. It was better than him spending his time on escorts and brothels...


    However, this time, they were talking about souls and ghosts. What a joke!


    "Reveal yourself!" the old woman screamed louder as she rolled her eyes to the back of her head. Her voice sent chills down a person''s spine.


    Mother Wu watched with discomfort as the candles beside the old woman distinguished all at once. She had to admit, this woman was quite creepy and convincing, but she still refused to believe in ghosts, if there was such a thing as ghosts, then why hadn''t she ever been haunted by one?


    Just as Mother Wu smirked in ridicule, the old woman slammed her hands on the table and stopped. Slowly, her eyes returned to normal and she looked at Father Feng with regret, "Your daughter''s soul seems to be lost..."


    "Lost?!" Father Feng exclaimed. "What do you mean?"


    "Was your daughter ever married?" the old woman asked.


    Father Feng shook his head.


    The old woman sighed, "That''s the problem."


    After a short pause, she continued, "Your daughter was already of marriageable age when she left this world, but she never got married. An unmarried woman cannot be worshipped or placed on the altar of her natal family and technically has no family to return to. That may explain why your daughter''s soul is lost. She doesn''t know where to go. If we don''t find her, she may be left to wander this earth forever..."


    "No! My dear daughter," Father Feng cried.


    At that moment, Father Wu stepped forward. He had been completely convinced by Father Feng and the woman''s act. "Is there anything we can do to find her?" he asked with concern.


    "In situations like this, I can only suggest one thing," the old woman said.


    Father Feng looked at the woman with hope, "I can do anything! I don''t want my daughter''s soul to be lost and roaming this earth forever!"


    "We need to hold a ghost wedding!" the old woman announced. "We need to give her a sense of belonging. Was she in a relationship or did she have a really close male friend before she died?"


    Father Feng wiped away a tear and glanced at Mother Wu.


    "I can think of one person..." he said.


    Mother Wu glanced at her husband with discomfort. Was this man thinking what she thought she was thinking?


    "Jack, we have been friends for many years. Even though we couldn''t become family when my daughter was alive, I would still like to be family after her death," Father Feng said.


    Mother Wu glared at the man. He better not be suggesting what she thought he was suggesting!


    "Since Emerson loved my daughter so much when she was alive, can he marry my daughter?" Father Feng asked with tears streaming down his face.


    Father Wu looked at his old friend. How could he refuse? Besides, it was just a simple ritual, it didn''t mean his son could never marry again.


    "We will go speak to Emerson right now. I have no objections, but we need to get his permission since he is the one involved," Father Wu replied.


    Mother Wu quickly tugged on her husband''s arm. How could he let their son marry a dead person? How embarrassing would that be if the other socialite families heard about it? And how would their son ever find a girlfriend if they knew he married a ghost?


    That was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard!


    Father Wu quickly patted his wife on the hand to comfort her. "Remember how much you told me you liked Haili? Now, she can be a part of our family forever..." he said.


    Mother Wu frowned.


    She quickly grabbed a glass of water and gulped it down to ease the fire that was building inside her.


    She couldn''t let this wedding go ahead! How could she let her precious son marry a dead person?!

 Chapter 163 - Dodging A Bullet

    "Even though we weren''t fated to be together while she was still alive, I would be more than willing to marry her in the afterlife," Emerson replied as soon as Father Feng and his parents went to look for him.


    Mother Wu stared at her son in shock. Did he know what he was saying? He was marrying a dead person! Her young, handsome and successful son was marrying a bloody corpse that was rotting away inside a coffin! Worst of all, this woman never loved him when she was alive. While he was investing his entire heart into her, she was flirting around with his older brother. According to Mother Wu''s research, Halia and Jackson had spent some time in a secret lab together - all alone! Who knew what they did down there and how far they had gone. Her son wasn''t playing around with a used toy, especially not a dead one!


    Finally, Mother Wu couldn''t stand where the conversation was going and spoke up, "I''m sorry, but I can''t allow this to go ahead."


    Father Wu glanced at his wife in surprise. She had always been a kind and open-minded woman. Why was she opposing this? It was just a simple ritual that wouldn''t affect their son in the long term. Instead, it would help his friend recover from his grief and strengthen the ties between the two families. In the socialite circles, nothing was more important than connections, especially connections to someone as wealthy and influential as Father Feng. This wedding seemed beneficial no matter how he looked at it.


    "If Emerson doesn''t marry my daughter she is going to be a lost soul, wandering this earth forever! Didn''t you hear what the fortune teller said?" Father Feng cried.


    Emerson quickly stretched out an arm to support the man. "Don''t worry, Father Feng, we will never allow Haili to wander this earth as a lost soul."


    Mother Wu glanced at her son with frustration. Why didn''t he understand what she was thinking?


    "There must be another way," Mother Wu said.


    Father Wu looked at his wife questioningly, "The fortune teller said there is only one way. Your son has already agreed to it. Why can''t you just support his decision?"


    Mother Wu was dumbfounded.


    "That''s because...because...didn''t we go over this before? Emerson can''t get married until Jackson does!" the old woman yelled stubbornly.


    Father Wu froze. She was right. He was traditional and superstitious; the older child had to get married first. Could he forget his values and make an exception?


    At that moment, Mother Wu thought of an idea, "Why don''t we get Jackson to marry Haili instead? The result will be the same."


    Father Feng held back a smile when he heard this. This woman thought she was dodging a bullet by suggesting this, but she had no idea that the real bullet was yet to come. Of course, it would have annoyed Mother Wu more if Halia married Emerson, but it didn''t matter which son was to marry her in the end. It was all fake since his daughter wasn''t actually dead. Plus, the ghost marriage was only the beginning of his plan...


    ...


    Meanwhile, not too far away, Rawson Zhang was making a phone call to a number he hadn''t contacted for a while. The last time he spoke to Trojan, was over a year ago when he first decided to set up his money-laundering operations in Macau.


    Rawson and this man actually had a relationship that went way back to the time when he was still in Shanghai. In fact, it was thanks to Trojan that Rawson''s jail sentence wasn''t longer than the 7 years that he received. After all, he was arrested for fraud related to counterfeiting money; he could have easily served double the time that he was sentenced to for a crime like that. But, Trojan had helped him destroy and hide some critical evidence, as well as bribe some members of the jury, resulting in a lighter sentence. Thus, Trojan was the first person he thought of contacting when he got out of jail.


    A year ago, the two men had made a verbal agreement: Rawson was going to build a money-laundering empire in Macau and Trojan was going to protect him for 30% of his profits. After that, they agreed not to contact each other again to avoid suspicion.


    But, Rawson was greedy. No amount of money ever seemed enough for him. So, Alexander''s temptation easily prompted him to contact Trojan again...and thus began his downfall...


    "Why are you calling me?" Trojan asked in an annoyed tone.


    "I have a client that wants to meet you. He is a French drug trafficker and he said he heard about you from a man named Gogh," Rawson explained.


    "Gogh?" Trojan questioned. Gogh was the killer he hired recently. The one that failed and died. That was the first time he had used this man so they weren''t really close. After all, he didn''t usually get orders to kill someone overseas. Especially not one that was being protected inside a safe house.


    Gogh was meant to be a professional, someone that could make his targets disappear without a trace. But, due to an unexpected turn of events, not only did he and up dying, his target also escaped and came back to Hong Kong. This one failure almost ruined Trojan''s reputation; he had lost a lot of clients because of it, so this name left a deep impression on him.


    "Why does he want to meet me?" Trojan asked.


    "He said he has business to discuss with you," Rawson replied.


    Trojan hesitated for a second. Normally, he would turn down new clients unless they were close acquaintances to someone he knew. But, because of Gogh, he had lost a lot of business. So, he decided to take this risk. He was desperate to make some money and rebuild his reputation.


    "Tell him to meet me tomorrow at 8pm by the wharf and tell him to come alone," Trojan agreed.


    Rawson quickly nodded his head and went to do as told.

 Chapter 164 - Come Home!

    "Jackson, we want you to help your Uncle Henry out. Will you marry his daughter, Haili?" Mother Wu asked.


    Jackson had thought it was weird when his parents suddenly decided to invite him to lunch. He wasn''t on good terms with his father and the man only ever ate with him when it was a family occasion. But, this was beyond what he expected.


    He quickly glanced at Father Feng with confusion. Sure, he agreed to let Halia''s father stay around and mess with Mother Wu a little, but what did this man have planned? What was all this talk about a ghost wedding?


    Jackson hesitated as he tried to grasp the situation.


    "Miss Amelie, I hope you understand that this is a part of our traditions. My daughter''s soul will have no home to return to if she doesn''t get married," Father Feng pleaded in English as he looked at Amelie.


    Amelie tried her best to hide her amus.e.m.e.nt. Father Feng obviously knew his daughter wasn''t dead. What game was he playing?


    "I don''t mind," she replied casually.


    Mother Wu was surprised by the woman''s indifference. She thought no woman would be OK with their boyfriend marrying a ghost, hence why she refused to let her son get involved, yet this woman accepted it so easily.


    But, then again, Amelie was an open-minded foreigner; not everyone was like that.


    "Jackson?" Father Feng checked.


    Jackson looked at the man and nodded his head. He didn''t know what he had planned, but his main priority was Trojan anyway, so it didn''t matter what Father Feng did with Mother Wu as long as he didn''t get in the way.


    As Mother Wu heard this, she cheered on the inside; her son was off the hook.


    Father Wu looked at his son. For once, he was proud of Jackson''s maturity and understanding. He walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you, son," he said.


    As a father, he understood how Father Feng felt. If a simple ritual could put his old friend''s mind at ease, then there was no harm in helping.


    ...


    That night, Jackson and Amelie invited Father Feng back to their hotel suite to ''discuss the ghost wedding''. Of course, the real reason was so Father Feng could see his daughter without attracting suspicion.


    As soon as they entered the suite, Halia looked at the trio in confusion. She didn''t know what had happened during the day, so she didn''t expect to see them together.


    Jackson looked at the confusion on Halia''s face and smiled. He then wrapped his arm around her waist and said, "Your father just married you off to me."


    Halia''s eyes opened wide in shock, "What do you mean?"


    Father Feng laughed and sat down. "The fun''s about to begin..." he smirked before he started to explain his plan to the three youngsters.


    Jackson, Halia, and Amelie looked at each other and laughed as they listened to Father Feng''s plan. This old man was certainly cheeky.


    ...


    The next evening, the Wu Family and Father Feng met at the temple. Unlike a normal wedding, a ghost wedding couldn''t take months to plan and prepare. After all, a dead body had to be buried as soon as possible. So, it was a quick ritual that involved paper effigies, offerings, and chants. In the end, they burned all the offerings and the ritual was over.


    "You are now officially family," the fortune-teller said with a slight smile. She then glanced at Father Feng and Jackon and said, "It''s time to summon the deceased''s soul."


    Mother Wu looked on with curiosity. Were these people for real? Summoning a soul?


    "Now that she is married, you can call for her to return home. She should be able to hear you and come back," the fortune-teller explained.


    Amelie watched on with interest; she had never seen anything like this before.


    The fortune-teller led Jackson out to the front of the temple. The temple was elevated so they were standing at the top of some stairs, almost like a balcony. The sun had set by this time and the sky had a dark eeriness to it. The fortune-teller threw some talismans in the air and started chanting, "Haili Feng, daughter of Henry Feng and Sally Feng, wife of Jackson Wu, daughter-in-law of Jack Wu, Laura Wu and Emma Wu, I call upon thee. Please return home. Your family is waiting for you," she yelled as she hit a bell in her hands.


    The bell echoed across the quiet temple as Mother Wu looked on with doubt.


    The fortune-teller then instructed the family to repeat after her, "Haili Feng, we miss you dearly. Please return to us. We are waiting for you with open arms. Come home!"


    Mother Wu followed the fortune-teller''s instruction and said what she was told. "Come home! Come home!" she called.


    "Come home, Haili. We know you died an innocent death. We will find everyone responsible and make sure justice is served," Father Feng added as he snuck a glance at Mother Wu.


    The fortune-teller rang the bell again and threw some more talismans in the air. The sound of the bell mixed with the chanting and the smoke from incense burning was quite hypnotic and slightly overwhelming.


    "Come home," the old fortune-tellers voice screamed. She then poured some alcohol into an open fire and the flames roared. "Come home," she screamed louder.


    Father Feng, Father Wu, Jackson, Emerson and the rest of the Wu Family quickly joined in. "Come home, come home, come home," they yelled.


    "She needs to hear the desperation and pain in your voices. More emotion," the fortune-teller instructed as she began to wail, "Come home..."


    Everyone quickly followed the instructions and started wailing. Father Feng even burst into tears.


    Amelie tried to hold back her laughter. This old man was right about being a good actor.


    Mother Wu glanced around. This entire ritual was getting extremely overwhelming as she felt her palms sweat and her heart rate increase. Perhaps, it was due to the underlying guilt that was deeply embedded inside her that she began to feel this way.


    But, in actual fact, this was a subtle form of brainwashing. Something that the fortune-teller had learned over her years in the job. How else did she make people believe her?


    Just like many faith healers or cult leaders, the fortune-teller knew how to play with a person''s mind and emotions. But, she had always done it as a way to help people move on from their grief; almost like a form of therapy. She never meant any harm. That''s why she agreed to help Father Feng when he explained to her that he was trying to catch his daughter''s killer.


    While everyone was focused on chanting, Mother Wu turned around to take a deep breath. But, suddenly, in the corner of her eye, she noticed a white figure standing inside the temple. Her long black hair swayed as she stood in the corner staring at Mother Wu with her pale complexion. Right where her heart was, there was a patch of blood from what appeared to be a gunshot wound.


    Mother Wu gasped and quickly rubbed her eyes. But, when she looked up again the figure was gone.


    "Come back..." the wailing voices behind her continued.


    Mother Wu held her breath as she trembled. She definitely saw something a moment ago; it was a woman in a white dress. And, even though she couldn''t see her face properly, she knew who it was.


    It was Halia!


    In disbelief, she pinched herself. "Don''t be stupid, Emma. There''s no such thing as ghosts," she whispered to herself as she trembled.


    Meanwhile, Father Feng smirked as he glanced at the woman and wiped a tear from his eye. "Come back..." he wailed.

 Chapter 165 - Things Never Go As Planned

    Over near the wharf, Sean stopped his car and watched as Alexander stepped out. He was posing as Alexander''s driver today, but they were actually working together for the first time. How was this combined effort between Interpol and SPU going to work out?


    Without looking back, Alexander headed towards the end of a pier. Waiting at the end of the pier was a tall, skinny, dark shadow. A few street lamps lined the pier to prevent anyone from falling off at night, but the light at the very end had stopped working and the man was only lit by the dim moonlight. Sean squinted his eyes from the car, but there was no way he could see who the man was.


    With a sigh, he took a quick glance at the hill nearby. Perched on top of the hill was a temple, and from where he was parked, Sean could see some smoke billowing out from the top. It seemed, Jackson and Halia''s ''ghost wedding'' was going underway. He smiled to himself and watched as Alexander continued down the pier. How he wished he could join in the fun at the temple instead.


    Not too far away, he saw a couple of inconspicuously parked cars. Jackson had already arranged for a small team to assist Sean and Alexander and some of the men were hiding in these cars.


    If everything went as planned, they would be able to arrest Trojan and interrogate him about the other corrupt police officers. The dream would be to take down their entire organization!


    Alexander reached Trojan''s side and stuck out his hand. "We finally meet," he said with a smirk.


    Trojan looked at the blond-haired, blue-eyed Frenchman. "Yes, I heard you wanted to do business with me. What kind of business were you referring to," the man asked.


    Trojan was built and intimidating, like an army general. The creases on his forehead were proof of his age and the scars on his arms were proof of his experience. This man definitely held an important position in the police, but who exactly was he?


    Alexander adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. Attached to his tie was a bug that would be recording their conversation, so he was a little nervous. However, he knew he was supposed to be a ruthless drug trafficker. So, he held back his nervousness and said, "I was thinking of shipping some treats over to Macau via your ports, but to do that, I need to ''get rid'' of my competition. I was wondering if you could help me with that."


    Trojan looked at the man with suspicion, "How did you hear about me and how much have you heard?"


    "I heard about you from Gogh. As I''m aware, you hired him to ''get rid'' of someone in France. I know it was not your fault that he died. After all, he was all the way in France and you couldn''t really help him. But, Macau and Hong Kong are different; this is your territory. I''ve heard that you are the person to talk to here," Alexander replied.


    "Was Gogh the only person you spoke to about me?" Trojan asked.


    Alexander looked at the man uncomfortably. Why was he asking this?


    "Of course, your identity is a huge secret," he replied.


    Trojan furrowed his brows, he did not believe this man.


    "I don''t know a person named Gogh and I don''t know what you mean by ''get rid'' of someone. I think you might have the wrong person," Trojan said as he began to walk away.


    Alexander panicked. Why was this man suddenly walking away? He needed a confession from the man, something that could be used as evidence to arrest him, but the man hadn''t revealed a thing.


    At that moment, he remembered Mother Wu had worked with him. "What about Emma Wu? I know you worked with her too. You successfully ''got rid'' of someone for her recently!"


    Trojan immediately turned around.


    The truth was, he had worked with Gogh, but he had never spoken to the man in person, nor had they ever met. Their communication had always been through a middle-man; a contact in France. So, there was no way that Alexander could have tracked him this far based on the words of Gogh alone. Perhaps, Gogh figured his client was from Macau or Hong Kong due to the target he was given, but he couldn''t have known his name or any other details about him.


    Mother Wu, on the other hand, was different. She was an old client of his; someone he had worked with for many years. Not many people knew his real identity, but she certainly did. It was a way of ensuring that they never ratted each other out.


    If this man found him through Mother Wu, then that was a different story.


    "How much do you know?" Trojan asked.


    "I know the entire kidnapping was fake..." Alexander replied.


    Trojan raised an eyebrow. No one knew the kidnapping was fake except for him, the kidnappers and Mother Wu. Perhaps, this man really was recommended to him. Mother Wu knew he was in desperate need for new clients; maybe that''s why she sent this man his way.


    "How much money are you willing to offer and when do you need it done by?" he asked.


    "I can give you 50 million Hong Kong dollars. His name is Herman Du, I want him dead within 2 days. Kill him without any suspicions; make it look like an accident. Perhaps, a car accident of some sort..." Alexander replied, finally sneaking in the words ''dead'' and ''kill''. If the man agreed to this, then he was done for.


    "I need you to pay me in full first. If I happen to fail, I will refund you 50%," Trojan said with caution.


    "Sure, I can do that. So, do we have a deal? Will you kill Herman Du for me?" Alexander confirmed.


    "Yes, it''s a deal,"  Trojan replied as he stuck out his hand. How could he say no to 50 million Hong Kong dollars?


    Alexander smirked. This was much easier than he expected. As soon as the two men shook hands, Alexander grabbed the man firmly, pulled out a pair of handcuffs and latched it straight onto his own wrist and Trojan''s, binding them to each other so the man couldn''t escape.


    Trojan''s eyes opened wide in shock. "What''s this?" he asked.


    "You are under arrest for murder, bribery, and corruption. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. But, I''m sure you already know this, officer," Alexander said as he watched Sean and the other officers rush out of their cars with their guns.


    But, just as he thought everything was going as planned, a gun suddenly fired out of nowhere straight into Trojan''s chest. The loud bang broke the silence on the wharf as Trojan tumbled back with the impact, falling into the water behind and dragging Alexander, who was handcuffed to him, down to the bottom of the Pearl River with him...


    Up at the temple, Amelie glanced at Jackson. Was she hearing things? Did she hear a gunshot?

 Chapter 166 - The Rescue

    Sean rushed to the end of the pier at full speed and looked down at the spot where Alexander and Trojan had fallen. All that remained were little bubbles where the two men had broken the water''s surface.


    As it was night time and there was no light, it was hard to see where Alexander and Trojan had gone.


    Sean immediately tore off his shirt, his bulletproof vest, and his pants. He needed to get rid of anything restricting his body as quickly as possible. He then dived straight into the water like a missile while the other officers shone flashlights to provide some light and to see if they could spot the two men.


    "Alexander Dupont," the officers yelled.


    Under the water, it was silent. As Sean looked around, all he saw were streams of light hitting pure darkness. There was no one in sight.


    Suddenly, he felt a ripple next to him; another officer had entered the water to help. Following on, another entered...and another. Everyone was trying their best to find and save the two men. Sean looked at them thankfully as he continued to scan the water around him.


    Finally, he noticed some movement a little further down from where he was. He immediately waved at the other officers and pointed downwards.


    They had found Alexander and Trojan!


    Alexander was still conscious and he was trying his best to swim back to the surface while tugging at the unconscious Trojan. Unfortunately, Trojan wasn''t the only thing weighing him down, the clothes and the bulletproof vest he wore were now soaked in water and it added extra weight to his body.


    Sean and the officers quickly swam towards the two men. Just as they reached them, Sean could see that Alexander had reached his limit and was running out of oxygen. Sean and the officers immediately dragged the two men to the surface and carried them back up onto the pier.


    Alexander took a big gasp of air as soon as he reached the surface and coughed a bit of water out. Any longer and he would have drowned. "Thank you," he said to Sean and the other officers. He then glanced to his side and saw Trojan, who was still handcuffed to him, lying unconscious on the ground. An officer was knelt down beside the man, trying his best to resuscitate him.


    Trojan had stopped breathing and blood was oozing from his chest where he had been shot. Everything had happened so quickly.


    Alexander looked around. Where did the bullet come from? Was it one of these officers? Or was someone watching them?


    Perhaps, the shooter was trying to shut Trojan up because they knew he had been compromised.


    Trojan was soon rushed to the hospital. The officers had managed to resuscitate the man, and the doctors at the hospital successfully removed the bullet from his chest; fortunately, it had missed his heart and vital organs. He had simply lost a lot of blood and needed a blood transfusion.


    But, due to drowning and losing oxygen to his brain for a while, the man remained unconscious. The local police somehow heard about the man''s admission to the hospital and immediately sent officers to guard his hospital room. Sure, Interpol and the Chinese SPU had special permission to hold an investigation in their city, but the man that was injured was an important figure from neighboring Hong Kong. So, they had no choice but to intervene.


    "We will have to step in here. If you have any complaints, speak to our boss. This man is innocent until proven guilty and it is our responsibility to protect him while he is on our land and in this vulnerable state," the head officer explained.


    After speaking to the head officer, Sean and his team finally discovered the true identity of Trojan. His name was Stanley Rong - he was the senior superintendent of the Hong Kong police!


    And, judging by Macau police''s refusal to cooperate as well as the speed at which they responded to the man''s accident, Stanley Rong seemed to have a huge influence in Macau as well.


    "We have proof that this man is involved with bribery, murder, and corruption, and we have reason to believe that someone tried to kill him so he wouldn''t divulge the identities of other corrupt officers," Sean explained. "We will take our evidence to your Chief Superintendent right now, but we request that we leave one of our men here to ensure that Mr. Rong remains safe while we''re gone."


    The officer nodded his head, "I understand. You can leave one of your men here."


    Sean immediately looked at Alexander, he was the only person he could trust at that moment.


    "Go, I''ll keep an eye on things here," Alexander said.


    Sean nodded his head and quickly left.


    ...


    Over at the temple, the ritual was over and everyone was leaving. Just as Jackson boarded his car, he received a phone call from Sean. After all, Jackson was in command of the entire mission, so Sean had to report to him about the incident.


    Jackson furrowed his brows in frustration.


    He thought they''d be able to apprehend Trojan without him revealing his identity, but things had become a lot more complicated.


    "I''ll come with you to meet the Chief Superintendent. I guess it''s time for me to reveal myself," Jackson said.


    At that moment, a figure peeked out from the shadows of the backseat. "What happened? Why are you meeting the Chief Superintendent?" the shadow whispered.


    Jackson hung up his phone and jumped in fright as he turned around and saw the pale-faced Halia. Her long black hair strung eerily across her face and the fake bullet wound on her chest looked gruesomely real.


    The phone call had distracted him for a moment and he forgot that Halia was hiding in the backseat of his car.


    "You almost scared me to death!" he yelled.


    Halia brushed back her hair and looked at the man worriedly, "Did something go wrong with Alexander''s meeting?"


    Jackson sighed and nodded his head. At that moment, Amelie arrived and got into the car. She had gone to the bathroom and asked Jackson to return to the car first.


    As she sat down, she noticed the stern look on the couple''s faces. "Is something wrong?" she asked.


    She suddenly had a bad feeling. She was sure she heard a gunshot earlier.


    "Did something happen to Alexander?" she asked nervously.

 Chapter 167 - Father Fengs Angels

    After Jackson explained everything that happened at the wharf, Amelie immediately pleaded for Jackson to take her to the hospital. But, he refused and said, "Alexander''s identity has been revealed now, and I am about to go speak to the Chief Superintendent with Sean. If you reveal yourself as well, then we will only have Halia. We still need someone to assist Halia tonight. Don''t forget, we agreed to go ahead with Father Feng''s plan. I think the old man came up with a great idea. If we go as planned, we should get a confession from Mother Wu. Alexander''s fine, the doctor already checked him and, apart from drinking a little bit of river water, he is perfectly fine."


    "He is watching over Trojan at the moment. As soon as we get permission from the Chief Superintendent to continue with this case and detain Trojan under our rules, Alexander will be able to leave the hospital and I''ll send in a team to replace him," Jackson explained.


    Amelie calmed down and nodded her head. Jackson was right. She had been too impulsive.


    In the end, Jackson drove Amelie and Halia back to the hotel and dropped them off in an inconspicuous corner of the carpark before he went to meet with Sean.


    "Because it''s late, Mother Wu and Father Wu are staying in the hotel penthouse for the night," Halia smiled cheekily. "Let''s have some fun while the boys aren''t around."


    Amelie smiled enthusiastically and nodded her head. It had been a long time since she teamed up with another female agent. She suddenly felt a little bit like Charlie''s Angels. No, to be exact, they were Father Feng''s Angels; all they needed was a third female agent to join them.


    At that moment, Halia received a phone call from Natalie, "Father Feng is putting Pumpkin to sleep but he handed me a room card before he headed into the bedroom. I''m not sure how he managed to do it, but he stole it from Father Wu when he wasn''t looking and told me to bring it to you girls..."


    Halia shook her head and sighed. Was her father a pickpocket in another life. Where did all these sneaky ideas come from?


    "We''ll meet you at Amelie and Jackson''s suite in 10 minutes. We are heading upstairs now," Halia instructed.


    "OK," Natalie agreed.


    After she hung up the phone, Halia looked at Amelie and explained that Natalie was bringing them a room card for the penthouse. Amelie cheered on the inside; Natalie wasn''t a qualified agent, but she would do as the third member of their team. Suddenly, she felt a little excited.


    While the boys were away, the girls were out to play!


    ...


    Later that evening, Mother Wu and Father Wu climbed into bed and got ready to go to sleep. It had been a long and rough couple of days, but now that the wedding ritual was over, it felt like Father Feng could finally move on and they no longer had to worry about him and Halia. All that was left was a simple funeral procession the next day and they could put everything behind them. Most importantly, Mother Wu could return to her normal life and get away with murder.


    While she was lying in bed, Mother Wu suddenly received a phone call from a number she had never contacted before. The number was stored in her phone, but she never expected to use it. She quickly glanced at Father Wu. He was fast asleep. So, she climbed out of bed with her phone in her hand and snuck out to the living room to take the call.


    "Why are you calling?" she asked.


    This was the number of Trojan''s assistant. Trojan had given the number to Mother Wu in case of an emergency, but she had never called the number and the number had never called her. Why was the assistant suddenly calling?


    "Trojan''s been compromised," a woman''s voice said over the phone. "I had to shoot him."


    Mother Wu''s eyes quickly opened wide in shock. "What do you mean? Is he dead?"


    "Just know that the organization will do everything they can to keep everyone''s identity a secret. Lay low and don''t try to contact Trojan. I will keep you updated," the woman replied before she hung up.


    This woman was a professional sniper that was hired to assist and follow Trojan. She had been ordered to kill Trojan if he was ever compromised; it was the rules of the organization. So, when she saw Trojan getting handcuffed and the team of agents running up the pier, she had no choice but to pull the trigger.


    Unfortunately, he had survived and was lying unconscious inside the hospital. She knew she had 12 hours to make sure the man was dead before the organization doubted her abilities and sent in someone else to take over. If someone else was sent in, she would be killed too!


    But, even though Trojan was heavily guarded, the sniper was confident that she could sneak into the hospital room without any suspicion. All she had to do was dress up like a doctor or a nurse and inject something lethal into the man.


    As she sat in the hospital waiting room, she watched as a doctor walked into her office. She had been observing the doctors and nurses for a while and she knew there was no one else in that particular office. So, she walked over, opened the door and quickly snuck inside.


    A moment later, she stepped back out in a doctor''s cloak and headed for Trojan''s hospital room...


    ...


    Back inside the hotel penthouse, Mother Wu''s hands trembled as she put down her phone. She had worked with Trojan for many years and never expected the man to get caught.


    At that moment, she remembered something that Father Feng said during the ghost wedding: "Come home, Haili. We know you died an innocent death. We will find everyone responsible and make sure justice is served."


    Mother Wu felt a cold chill down her spine as she remembered the white-dressed woman she saw at the temple earlier. She then glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 5 minutes to midnight.


    She shook her head and quickly went to fetch a glass of water. She had never been the superstitious type, but she had an ominous feeling at the pit of her stomach that she couldn''t explain.


    "Stop imagining things, Emma," she whispered to herself in frustration as she put the glass away and decided to return to bed.


    But, at that very moment, she suddenly saw something flicker from the corner of her eye.


    Something white! Like the hem of a dress...


    Mother Wu quickly turned her head as her heart raced. What was it? Was someone else in the penthouse? Was it Father Wu?


    Mother Wu quickly rubbed her eyes.


    Just as she was about to ask who it was, a familiar melody suddenly started echoing through the dark penthouse. It was Beethoven''s Fur Elise. Mother Wu looked towards the source of the music and realized it was coming from the clock!


    The music meant...it was midnight...

 Chapter 168 - Hospital ID

    Jackson demanded for an urgent meeting with the Chief Superintendent of Macau. As Jackson was the head of Interpol for the Hong Kong and Macau region, the Chief Superintendent couldn''t turn him down. So, even though it was roughly 11pm by the time that Jackson and Sean arrived at the man''s home, the old gentleman still rushed out to greet them.


    "You must have heard by now that the Senior Superintendent of Hong Kong was shot in Macau tonight and he is currently unconscious at the hospital," Jackson jumped straight to the main point.


    "Yes, I heard. I have already sent some men to guard him. As I''m aware, it happened during one of your operations," the man said. "Hong Kong is an important neighbor of ours. We''ve cooperated many times in the past and I know Stanley well. I don''t know how he is involved with you, but it is my responsibility to protect him unless you can prove that he has committed a crime which you have jurisdiction over."


    At that moment, Jackson pulled out his laptop and opened a voice recording. "This was recorded earlier today," he said.


    The Chief Superintendent listened carefully to the conversation that Trojan had with Alexander at the wharf. There was no denying it; Trojan had admitted to bribery, kidnapping, murder and he had even made a deal to kill someone again.


    "We also have proof that he is linked to a money-laundering operation that involves gangs and criminals from mainland China. My men are sweeping in on the operation as we speak," Jackson revealed. "I would like your men to step down and hand Stanley Rong over to us, he is involved in a much larger organization of corrupt officers that span across China and possibly into other countries. We need to interrogate him properly when he wakes up."


    The Chief Superintendent grabbed a tissue and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He didn''t expect this case to be so complicated. Corruption was a huge deal, especially if it involved an international organization. He didn''t want to be suspected of any involvement, so he finally nodded his head. "I''ll call my men right now and ask them to step down so you can take over."


    Jackson and Sean thanked the man and left. Fortunately, they had secured enough evidence. Now, it was time to wait for Stanley Rong to wake up.


    ...


    Meanwhile, over at the hospital, Stanley Rong was still unconscious. The doctors couldn''t predict when he''d wake up, but they had a feeling it wouldn''t be any time soon. Alexander sat beside the man''s bed and sighed. Would he and Amelie be allowed to return to France when the mission was practically on hold?


    Alexander glanced at his watch ad noticed that it was already 11:30pm. Since the hospital''s visiting hours were over and most of the patients were asleep, the hospital was relatively quiet. All he heard were the beeping of life support machines and monitors that were attached to the patient in front of him.


    Sitting on the other side of the bed was a senior officer from the local Macau police and just outside the door were a few of his colleagues. They were all assigned to guard the man until he woke up.


    "Do you know Stanley Rong in private?" Alexander asked the man opposite him.


    The senior officer looked as though he was in his late 30''s. He had saggy eye bags and a thin layer of hair. It seemed, his year''s in the police force had been very stressful on his body.


    "No, but we play a lot of Hong Kong channels on our televisions and Officer Rong often appears in the Hong Kong news. He''s the senior superintendent. Only recently, he was involved in a drug bust. From what I know, he''s a good man," the officer replied.


    Alexander frowned, "Do you know if anyone from the Macau police is well-acquainted with him?"


    "Well, Macau and Hong Kong often cooperate and the cases are always discussed between Officer Rong and the Chief Superintendent. I guess, apart from the Chief Superintendent, only the Captains of selected task forces have met him. Why are you asking?" the officer queried.


    "It''s nothing. I was just curious," Alexander replied. Someone in the Macau police was definitely connected to Stanley Rong. Otherwise, how was the local police alerted so quickly? The person that shot Stanley Rong, must have notified someone about it.


    Alexander knew he had to remain wary.


    As the room fell back into silence, Alexander began to analyze the possibilities in his head.


    But, all of a sudden, the silence was broken by a knock on the hospital room door.


    Alexander glanced at the officer opposite him and the officer shrugged his shoulders. Who could be visiting at this time of night? Was it one of the nurses doing her nightly rounds?


    However, the woman that appeared in the doorway wasn''t wearing a nurse''s uniform. She was dressed in a doctor''s cloak.


    Alexander looked at the woman with suspicion. This wasn''t right. It was almost midnight. Why would a doctor be visiting at this hour? It wasn''t like they were waiting on any other examinations or medication; the man was already getting antibiotics injected into him, so what could this doctor be here for?


    "Doctor, why are you here at this hour?" Alexander asked.


    The woman revealed a gentle smile and walked over to the bedside, "I need to inject some morphine for pain relief."


    Alexander raised an eyebrow. Did this woman think he was stupid? Why would someone in a coma need pain relief when he couldn''t even sense pain?


    But, while Alexander had his guard up, the other officer was obviously less experienced. So, he stood up and immediately made way for the ''doctor''.


    The woman smiled again and approached the unconscious Stanley Rong. However, just as she reached for a syringe, someone grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her away.


    It was Alexander.


    "Before you do anything, can I see your credentials? Do you have a hospital ID?" he asked.


    The woman''s gaze darted and she replied, "I left it in my office, but you can trust me. The nurses saw me walk in. Plus, I couldn''t have got access to these tools and medication if I wasn''t a doctor."


    "Well, I''m sorry, but you''ll have to return to your office and get your ID. I''m not letting you near the patient without it," Alexander insisted.


    The woman turned to the other officer and said, "I was told that you were in charge here. Why is he calling the shots?"


    The officer glanced at Alexander uncomfortably. The woman was right, he was supposed to be in charge. But, he also understood Alexander''s reasoning. To be honest, if Alexander wasn''t around, he wouldn''t have doubted the woman, but now that he brought it up, he thought it was quite a valid point. Where was this woman''s ID?


    "I''m sorry, but I agree with Agent Dupont. We need to see your ID first," he said.


    The woman gritted her teeth as her expression changed. The gentleness from earlier completely disappeared. She then pulled out a gun and pointed it at the officer. "This is my f*cken ID! Now, get out of my way!" she warned.

 Chapter 169 - Haunted

    Over at the hotel penthouse, the classical melody echoed across the living room. Mother Wu had only turned on a dim light in the kitchen when she went to get water, so the open-planned kitchen opened out to the dark living room.


    In the corner of the living room, there was a little doorway that led to a hallway where the bedrooms were. Since this was the biggest suite in the hotel, it had three bedrooms. Mother Wu and Father Wu were using the master bedroom right at the back. With the door closed, it was just far enough to not hear a single thing that was happening in the kitchen nor the music from the clock. Moreover, Father Wu had a habit of sleeping with earplugs in - it was something he often promoted to Father Feng - so the man was sleeping like a log at that moment.


    On the other hand, directly downstairs, Emerson was rolling around sleeplessly as he stared at the ceiling above. He was too old to share a suite with his parents, so he did not stay with them. But, the emptiness and silence only made his mind wander.


    Halia was gone and her ghost was married to his brother. Ever since her death was announced, he had not had a proper night''s sleep. After all, she was the love of his life. Even though she had never reciprocated his feelings, his love for her was genuine and he felt regretful that he never got the chance to properly cherish and love her. Even after her death, he failed to make her his wife. So, he was upset at himself...and upset at his mother...


    He understood his mother well. Even though she loved him and always wanted the best for him, she wasn''t as kind and mild-mannered as people thought she was. In fact, as a child, he clearly remembered the way his mother beat him with a feather duster when he strayed even a tiny bit off the path she had set. Of course, she did this behind closed doors and no one knew about it; not even his father.


    This time, she had prevented him from marrying the woman of his dreams. He couldn''t understand his mother''s decision. It was just a simple ritual. He just wanted to give Halia a place to belong. Why was his mother so narrow-minded? Halia was already gone, why couldn''t she be more understanding and think of someone else for once?


    But, at that moment, in the kitchen above, Mother Wu was about to realize that Halia wasn''t gone at all. In fact, she was in the penthouse with her at that very moment.


    As Mother Wu''s heart raced a million miles a second, she turned her attention back to where she had seen something white flicker past before she was distracted by the clock.


    "Who''s there?" she asked with a trembling voice.


    She didn''t believe in ghosts, but an intruder was just as frightening.


    However, her heart quickly calmed down when she noticed the balcony door was slightly open and the white curtains were blowing gently from the breeze outside. That must have been what she saw. Mother Wu breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head as she laughed at her silly imagination. The creepy fortune teller and the wedding ritual must have played with her mind a little.


    But, just as she thought that, she suddenly felt a puff of cold air on the back of her neck. The air immediately sent chills down her spine. If she was facing the balcony, then where did this puff of cold air behind her come from?


    She quickly grabbed her neck in a panic and turned around.


    Her face turned pale...


    A woman in a white dress, with long black hair covering her face, was standing right behind her! Mother Wu recognized the white dress and the long black hair. This was the same woman she saw at the temple earlier - the woman that looked like Halia!


    Mother Wu turned around at the speed of light and darted for the bedroom. This couldn''t be real! She had to wake Father Wu up so he could prove that she was being delusional.


    But, just as she stepped into the hallway that led to the bedrooms, she saw the woman again! She was standing at the end of the hallway - right outside the master bedroom''s door!


    Mother Wu let out a shrill scream. The first time she saw the woman at the temple, she disappeared, so she thought she was imagining things.


    When she saw her again in the kitchen a moment ago, she thought she was being delusional.


    But, this time, the woman was standing clearly in front of her. There was no denying it. And the speed at which she got from the kitchen to the hallway was not humanly possible.


    Even though the woman''s long black hair was covering her face, Mother Wu knew who the woman was and she began to panic. Especially when the woman began to walk towards her. Was she actually being haunted?


    Underneath the long black hair, Amelie tried her best not to giggle. This wig covered her face, but she could still see the terrified look on the woman''s face and it was hilarious.


    Mother Wu quickly turned around and ran back into the living room. But, she was shocked to find the woman was already waiting for her on the couch. This time, her beautiful pale face was staring right at her!


    There was no denying it.


    It was Halia.


    Mother Wu collapsed on the floor, it was obviously impossible to escape this woman.


    "You''re not real!" Mother Wu cried in fear. "Go away!"


    Halia stood up and stared straight into the woman''s eyes. The blood from her chest rolled down her white dress and dripped onto the floor.


    "Mother-in-law, you told me to come home..." Halia said as she began to walk towards the woman.


    Mother Wu quickly covered her eyes, "Go away! Leave me alone! You''re not real! You''re dead."


    Mother Wu huddled up into a ball as she tried to comprehend the situation. Ghosts weren''t real, but how could she explain that Halia was standing right in front of her? Halia was definitely dead, she had ordered for her to be killed and her death was already confirmed.


    A few minutes later, Mother Wu noticed the penthouse had fallen silent. Was the woman gone?


    Slowly, she unraveled herself and opened her eyes again. But, she froze when she realized she was staring straight into the face of the woman she had killed. Halia was squatting right in front of her and they were only 30cms apart.


    "You''re dead! I killed you myself! You can''t be real! Ghosts don''t exist!" the woman screamed. "If ghosts exist then why haven''t I been haunted before? Why have I never seen Laura or Francis? You can''t fool me! You are just a figment of my imagination!"


    Halia looked at the woman with curiosity, "Laura and Francis?"

 Chapter 170 - Confessions Of A Murderer

    Inside Trojan''s hospital room, Alexander and the other officer stared at the woman in front of them and slowly backed away. Alexander was confused: how did this woman even get past the officers outside? Were the officers so amateur that they didn''t check the woman''s ID?


    Impossible.


    Someone definitely helped her.


    The woman held onto her gun steadily with one hand and began approaching Trojan. She then pulled out a syringe and directed it towards the man''s neck. All she had to do was inject him and the police would have no leads.


    As she focused on Trojan, Alexander slowly reached his hand down to grab his own gun. But, the woman noticed some movement from the corner of her eyes and quickly glared at Alexander and the other officer, "Hands high above your head where I can see them!"


    Alexander and the officer quickly raised their arms to the sky.


    "You won''t get away with this," the officer warned.


    "I know. But, I''d still prefer to be alive..." the woman said.


    Alexander could tell by the woman''s tone that she had no choice. It seemed, if she didn''t kill Trojan then she would be dead.


    "If you want to live, I suggest you turn yourself in and become a witness. If you can provide us with useful information, not only will you live, but you will actually get to spend some of that time out of jail," Alexander said. "If you kill Officer Rong, you will live, but you may spend the rest of your life behind bars. What''s the point?"


    The woman''s eyes twitched a little as she held onto the syringe and hesitated. What Alexander said was true, but she knew there was a huge organization of corruption lurking in the shadows. If she betrayed them, then they would definitely find a way to make her life hell. She couldn''t take the risk.


    But, just as she was standing there hesitating, a loud bang suddenly echoed through her ears and a sharp pain in her hand caused her to drop the gun she was holding.


    She glanced down in shock and realized she had been shot as blood started dripping from her left hand. She looked up in a panic and saw that Alexander and the other officer still had their arms in the air. Where did the shot come from? Alexander was right, she had a man outside distracting the other officers, so she was confident that they had no idea what she was doing inside.


    That''s when she spotted a slight gap in the hospital room door. Someone shot her through the gap. There was someone outside. Disregarding the person and her injured hand, she focused on the syringe that was still in her left hand and charged towards Trojan. This was her last chance. But, another shot suddenly rang through the room. This time, the bullet pierced straight through the woman''s back and she fell to the ground in a lifeless manner.


    Alexander quickly dropped his arms and looked towards the door.


    Jackson and Sean stepped inside cautiously. While Sean went to check on the woman, Jackson turned to the other officer in the room and said, "The Chief Superintendent has handed this case to us. You and your men can step down."


    However, Alexander quickly stopped him, "No one''s going anywhere. This officer and his men are all under arrest. I suspect someone helped this woman get in here. We need to investigate further."


    The officer quickly nodded his head and agreed, "I think you''re right. Something was suspicious."


    ...


    Over at the hotel penthouse, Halia was still thinking about the names ''Laura'' and ''Francis''. She had never heard of anyone called Francis before...but Laura...


    Wasn''t Laura the name of Jackson''s mother?


    "Why would Laura and Francis haunt you? Did you kill them the same way you killed me?" Halia asked carefully.


    Mother Wu closed her eyes again, "Yes, that''s why I don''t believe you. You can''t be real. What''s so different about you? I killed them in the same way and I''ve been fine for over a decade! You are just my imagination!"


    "I don''t understand. Why did you kill us?" Halia whispered beside the woman''s ear.


    The eery sound of Halia''s voice made the woman tremble.


    "Because you all deserved it!" the woman yelled. "Laura the b*tch wouldn''t divorce Jack even though they no longer loved each other! She was deliberately holding onto my man and my son''s right to be known as Jack''s legitimate son. Did she expect my son to be known as a b*stard for life? How would he be able to hold his head high? She was much too selfish! So, I hired someone to fake her car accident."


    "Then there was Francis. She was the wife of Roy Zhu, Golden Dream Casino''s biggest competitor 5 years ago. Everyone thought Roy was the brains behind the business, but I knew it was Francis all along. She was a conniving little sl*t that was stealing our clients from right under our noses. So, I made sure she ''accidentally'' fell off a cliff while hiking. After her death, Golden Dream Casino thrived under my son''s lead and no one else could compare," Mother Wu smirked.


    "And you! You broke my son''s heart! Worst of all, you left him for his brother; Laura''s useless son! How could you choose a piece of trash like Jackson over my precious Emerson? Was it just because his mother left him some shares in the casino? Let me tell you, those shares will be mine sooner or later. I failed to kill the b*stard in France, but he will be joining you in the afterlife very soon and I''ll make sure all his shares end up in Emerson''s hands - where they belong!"


    Halia looked at the woman with disgust, "So, you were the one that also tried to kill Jackson?"


    At that moment, the front door of the penthouse flew open and Emerson stormed in. "What did you say Mother? Is this all true? Did you kill Auntie Laura, Auntie Francis and Halia? And did you plot Jackson''s death? Were you the one that caused him to lose his memory?" the young man asked in disbelief.


    Mother Wu glanced at her son in shock. Why was he here? Did he hear everything she said?

 Chapter 171 - Captain

    "She''s dead," Sean said as he kneeled down beside the fake doctor that was lying on the floor.


    Jackson glanced over and sighed. If Trojan was to never wake up, then that woman was possibly their last lead.


    Soon, a team of Interpol agents arrived to arrest the local officers that had been guarding the hospital room. Apart from the officer inside the room, there were 3 other officers outside.


    After the officers were taken away, a few of the Interpol agents remained to keep guard over Trojan. This time, no one would be allowed in or out without proper clearance.


    Jackson looked at the exhausted Alexander and said, "You did all you could today. Let''s head back to the hotel together. Amelie''s worried about you."


    Alexander nodded and followed Jackson and Sean out. "Hopefully, the girls managed to follow through with Father Feng''s plan even without us around," Alexander said.


    Jackson and Sean nodded in agreement as they boarded Jackson''s car worriedly.


    However, they had no idea that there was nothing to worry about. If anyone was to worry, it would be Mother Wu at that moment.


    "Emerson, when did you get here?" Mother Wu gasped in shock as she stared at her son.


    "I heard you scream, so I rushed upstairs to check on you. But when I reached the front door, I heard you talking to someone. What have you done, Mom? Did you really do everything you said?" Emerson questioned before he glanced over at the woman in the white dress; he was sure he heard his mother say the name ''Haili'' and he even heard Halia''s voice, but he was still in shock when he actually saw her standing in front of him, "Haili..." he whispered.


    Halia looked at Emerson apologetically. She didn''t mean for him to discover the truth in this way.


    Originally, Emerson should have been happy to see Halia again. Even if she was a ghost, he would have been glad to see her. But, after he heard his mother confess to killing her, he didn''t know how to react. Moreover, he heard his mother say that Halia was actually dating his brother. Was that true?


    As he stared at the woman in confusion, he suddenly heard some shuffling from the hallway. "Who''s there?" he called out.


    Halia glanced over at the hallway and said, "Come out, girls. We already got what we came for."


    Mother Wu and Emerson watched as two women stepped out from the shadows. The two women looked exactly the same as Halia: they had long black hair and they were wearing white dresses. In fact, they were wearing the exact same dress!


    "What''s happening here?" Mother Wu asked in frustration.


    As she asked this, the two women removed the wigs on their heads and revealed their true identities.


    "Natalie and Amelie, what are you girls doing here?" she frowned.


    Without giving the old woman any explanation, Amelie stepped forward and said, "Emma Wu, you are under arrest for the murder of Laura Wu and Francis Zhu, the attempted murder of Jackson Wu and Haili Feng, as well as colluding with corrupt officer, Stanley Rong. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can be used against you in court."


    She then pulled out a pair of handcuffs from under her dress and latched it onto the woman.


    "Attempted murder of Haili Feng? Haili Feng''s dead. The police confirmed it! Stop messing around, is this all some stupid dream?" Mother Wu scoffed.


    "This is no dream, Mrs. Wu, she is standing right here in front of you," Amelie laughed. "Did you really think you were seeing a ghost?"


    At that moment, Halia unclipped a bug that was attached to her dress, "We already recorded your confession, Mrs. Wu."


    A panicked expression appeared on Mother Wu''s face as she realized what was happening? She had been tricked!


    "I am senior Interpol agent, Amelie Roux, from French Interpol. I was sent here to investigate the attempted murder of Jackson Wu, but we happened to come across the attempted murder of Haili Feng and thought it was related. Thus, we decided to fake her death to lure you out," Amelie explained. "Judging by your confession, it seems you were involved in a lot more than we originally thought..."


    "Why would Interpol come all the way here for Jackson Wu?" Mother Wu asked in confusion.


    "A major serial killer was involved and the killer received orders from Hong Kong. That was enough reason for us to investigate further into the case. By the way, we already have Trojan under arrest. There''s no escape," Amelie smirked.


    Mother Wu''s eyes opened wide in fear. Trojan was caught? How was that possible?


    As Amelie started dragging the middle-aged woman towards the doorway, she quickly latched onto her son and cried pitifully, "Son, save me. They tricked me. I''m innocent!"


    Emerson looked at his mother with disappointment and brushed her away. "You already confessed everything earlier. I heard it all. How can you still deny it? I knew you were two-faced, but I never knew you were this cruel. How could you kill Auntie Laura and Auntie Francis? Worst of all, you wanted to kill Jackson and Haili as well! I don''t want to see you ever again!"


    Natalie opened the front door for Amelie and she continued to drag the middle-aged woman out.


    "I did this all for you!" Mother Wu yelled.


    "No, you did it for yourself! I never wanted any of this! The casino has always belonged to Auntie Laura and Jackson. I was simply minding it while they weren''t around!" Emerson growled. He had wanted to say these words to his mother for a long time.


    At that moment, a familiar figure appeared in the doorway.


    "Jackson...?" Emerson said as his older brother came into view.


    Jackson smiled at his younger brother and walked over to Mother Wu and Amelie, "Do you need a hand?"


    Amelie held onto the woman with one arm and saluted Jackson with the other. "Yes, Captain," she said.


    Mother Wu lifted her head in surprise and Emerson also glanced over in curiosity. Why did Amelie greet Jackson that way?


    But, a completely different voice yelled out in shock, "Captain?"


    Everyone looked towards the direction of the voice.


    There, standing in the hallway of the penthouse was Father Wu. He was finally awake. However, he wasn''t awoken by the noise and commotion that was going on in the living room, he was awoken by the realization that his lovely kind-hearted wife was missing from his side.


    But, he had stepped out just in time to hear Emerson summarize all the woman''s crimes and hear Amelie call Jackson her ''Captain''. What was happening? How could his dear wife be a murderer? And wasn''t his son a gangster? Why was his girlfriend calling him ''Captain''?

 Chapter 172 - Family Heirloom

    "Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Wu, I forgot that you don''t know yet. Let me introduce you to my superior - the officer in command of this mission - Captain Jackson Wu, the head of Interpol for the Hong Kong and Macau region," Amelie announced proudly.


    After acting as Jackson''s girlfriend for a while, she was getting a bit uncomfortable with the way that his family looked down on him. So, even as a friend, she was excited to reveal who he really was. After all, her friend risked his life for the safety of others, how dare these people look down on him?!


    Amelie glanced over at Halia and saw her smile. It seemed, she felt the same way too.


    At that moment, Mother Wu turned to her husband for help. Since her son was abandoning her, this was her last hope. "Hubby, don''t listen to these people. They''re all liars!" she screamed.


    However, the middle-aged man could only look at his wife in disbelief. They had been together for almost 30 years, but this woman suddenly felt like a stranger. How much had she been hiding from him? And how many lies had she made him believe? Because of her, he separated from his first love and disowned his first-born son. Jackson''s mother had given him everything; she even gave him shares to her casino, yet he was charmed away by this conniving woman who ended up plotting her death. How did he allow this snake into his family?


    Realizing this, Father Wu felt a wave of regret as he watched Jackson and Amelie drag Mother Wu away.


    He couldn''t stop them; he had no right to stop them.


    ...


    By the time Mother Wu was officially arrested, it was already 3am the next day.


    After a long day, Jackson returned to his hotel suite to find Halia asleep on the sofa waiting for him. She was still wearing the white dress from earlier and her hair was still a mess. She must have fallen asleep as soon as she got back.


    Jackson laughed to himself. How did Mother Wu get fooled by such an adorable ghost?


    "You''re finally back," Halia said as she opened her eyes and looked up at her handsome man. "Where''s Amelie?"


    "She went to spend the night with Alexander. My stepmother''s been officially apprehended for her involvement in the murder of my mother and Francis Zhu, as well as the attempted murder of me and you. I also sent in a team earlier today to arrest Everett Pang, Carol Pang, and Rowan Zhang for money laundering, and the Chief Superintendent of Macau has already approved for us to arrest Stanley Rong when he wakes up. It''s been a long day, but the case here is pretty much closed, so the two of them have officially completed their mission and they''ll be flying back to France in a few days," Jackson smiled as he went to sit down next to Halia.


    "Then, what about you? You''ve found the person you were looking for, so are you really planning to quit your position at Interpol?" Halia asked. To be honest, now that she had seen Jackson in action, she was quite proud of him.


    "Uh-huh, I have a wife to take care of now," Jackson said dotingly as he ran his fingers through Halia''s hair.


    The man''s touch sent tingles down Halia''s spine.


    "Hey, who''s your wife? That was a ghost wedding! I''m not a ghost!" Halia complained with a pout.


    Jackson smirked and grabbed Halia''s hand. "Does that mean you''re willing to be my wife if we have a real wedding?" he asked.


    Halia blushed a little and looked away. "You need to get past my father first..." she said jokingly.


    At that moment, Jackson smiled and got down on one knee, he then pulled out a little box from his pocket, "I already spoke to your father yesterday..."


    Halia glanced down at the box in surprise. When did he have time to prepare all this?


    Actually, the previous day, after Jackson met Father Feng for lunch and agreed to the ghost wedding, it got him thinking about his future with Halia. So, he ended up speaking to the man in private afterwards as well. "Mr. Feng, I want to marry your daughter for real," he decided confidently.


    Father Feng looked at the man in surprise. His daughter had only introduced him as her boyfriend not long ago, how could he jump straight to marriage?


    "It might seem really quick to you, but your daughter and I have been through a lot together. I''ve saved her a few times and she''s saved me back too. We''ve been through more than the average person can imagine..." Jackson chuckled as he thought back on the memories he shared with Halia.


    He remembered how he met Halia at the hospital when she was pretending to be a nurse...


    ...how he rushed her to the hospital after an allergic reaction...


    ...how he found her spiked at the bar and took her to the hotel where they shared their first kiss...


    ...how he saved her from a serial killer...


    ...how she stitched him up after he was stabbed...


    ...how she defused the bomb strapped to his body...


    ...how they lived together in the underground lab...


    ...how they were separated and reunited...


    ....and, how he saved her from drowning as a child...


    "After the kidnapping incident this time, I realized how much she meant to me. I thought I almost lost her. Mr. Feng, I love Halia and I don''t want to ever lose her. Please, may I have the honor of marrying your daughter?" Jackson asked again.


    Father Feng saw the sincerity in the young man''s eyes and finally nodded his head. "Do you have a ring?" he asked.


    Jackson jumped up in excitement and quickly nodded his head, "Thank you, Mr. Feng. Please excuse me, I need to go somewhere."


    With the approval of Halia''s father, he had no time to waste. Jackson immediately caught a taxi over to a bank in Hong Kong where his mother had left a safe deposit box for him. He had only opened it once after her death. Inside, were some paperwork for her shares as well as deeds to properties she owned. His mother was smart; she may have handed the casino over to his father, but she secretly held the majority of the shares and she invested her money into properties with a good yield. If one was to actually count all her assets, she was actually much wealthier than Jack Wu.


    However, Jackson wasn''t after the paperwork today, he was after a very particular box that sat hidden at the back of the safe.


    A family heirloom.


    A ring that his mother had shown him when he was a child, "One day, when you grow up, I want you to give this to your wife..."

 Chapter 173 - Will You Marry Me?

    Halia glanced down as Jackson opened the box in his hands. The little leather box looked vintage but it was kept in really good condition. In fact, the white satin fabric on the inside looked like it was still new. Sitting in the middle of the box was a sparkling diamond ring. Halia had never seen such a big sparkly diamond in her life.


    Halia''s mother passed away when she was still young and she had no female figures to look up to when she was growing up, so she was never interested in the things that other little girls liked, like clothes and jewelry. As a result, even though she had the money, a ring like the one that Jackson was holding was something she had never seen.


    "This ring...it''s beautiful..." Halia gasped in amazement as her heart melted.


    "This is an heirloom passed down from my mother. She wanted me to give it to my wife," Jackson explained.


    Halia''s eyes became a little teary. How could this man give something so precious to her?


    "An heirloom from your mother?" Halia said in disbelief. She knew how much Jackson''s mother meant to him.


    Jackson smiled and nodded his head, "My mother would have loved you."


    "That''s why, Miss Haili Feng...will you marry me?" the handsome man asked.


    Halia felt a lump in her throat as she blinked back her tears. After everything they had been through, she couldn''t imagine her life with anyone else. How could she say no? So, she stretched out her hand and nodded her head.


    A big smile appeared on Jackson''s face as he immediately grabbed the ring and placed it on Halia''s finger. It fit her perfectly as though it was meant to be.


    As soon as he did this, the front door to the apartment flew open and friends and family quickly rushed in. Even though it was almost 4am in the morning, they couldn''t possibly sleep when they knew Jackson was proposing.


    Of course, Father Feng was the most excited of all. He immediately ran over to the couple and started hugging them. "I''ve always wanted a son!" he cheered. Halia glanced at the childish excitement on her father''s face and shook her head with a laugh: was he the one getting married, or was she?


    At that moment, Little Pumpkin ran over to congratulate the couple. "Why aren''t you sleeping?" Halia asked in surprise as the sleepy little boy rubbed his eyes and looked up at her.


    "Auntie Haili, Mommy said you were getting married so I got really excited," Pumpkin replied innocently.


    Halia looked at the little boy with confusion. Did he even understand the concept of marriage?


    "When Mommy gets married, I will have a Daddy. So, when you get married, does that mean the two of you will become Mommy and Daddy? Does that mean I will have a baby to play with? Can you make lots of babies for me to play with?" Pumpkin asked.


    Halia blushed and glanced at Jackson. But, the man did not look embarrassed at all as he wrapped his arm around her waist and replied, "Sure, we will make lots of babies for you to play with."


    Halia pinched Jackson on the arm and Jackson smiled back at her cheekily. "We should start working on it soon," he whispered seductively beside her ear.


    Halia quickly buried her head in the man''s chest to hide her embarrassment. What was he saying? There was only one way to make babies. Was he suggesting that they have s.e.x?


    Halia''s cheeks burned up at the thought. Jackson was only her second boyfriend. Her first boyfriend was back in high school and they had only gone as far as holding hands


    S.e.x?


    She had never done it before...


    Suddenly...she felt a little nervous...


    Because of the conversation with Pumpkin, Halia spent the next half an hour holding onto Jackson''s hand nervously as the rest of their friends and family congratulated them.


    Amelie and Alexander told Halia about how Jackson spoke of her endlessly while they were in France, while Natalie told Jackson about how Halia couldn''t stop talking about him during the time they were separated.


    After they were done talking, an awkward Emerson approached and smiled at the couple. When his brother invited him to witness the proposal, he was quite shocked at first. After all, he didn''t know that the boyfriend Halia spoke so lovingly about, was his own brother! But, after he arrived, he overheard what the others said about the couple and realized they had actually known each other for a long time and had been through a lot together. So, even though he felt it was a shame that he couldn''t win Halia''s heart in the end, he was relieved that she was with his brother. He loved his brother dearly, and now that he knew he was actually the head of Interpol, he looked up to him even more and he had no choice but to accept defeat.


    "Congratulations," he said as he shook his brother''s hand. "You better treat Haili well, or I will steal her away from you," he joked.


    Jackson laughed and nodded his head, but he knew there was a slight truth to his brother''s joke.


    "Don''t worry, you will never get that chance," he replied.


    Emerson glanced at Halia and sighed before he turned and left.


    After the suite emptied out and everyone returned to get some sleep, Jackson finally pulled his fiancee into his arms and said, "You seemed really nervous tonight. Is something bothering you?"


    He noticed that Halia had become a little tense after they spoke to Pumpkin.


    Halia blushed a little and complained, "How could you agree to making babies so easily?"


    Jackson stared at his woman in confusion. "I was telling the truth. I really want to make lots of babies with you," he replied. He was handsome, righteous and smart, and Halia was beautiful, brave and kind-hearted - they could make perfect babies together!


    "I''ve never done it before..." Halia whispered shyly as she looked down at her feet.


    Jackson chuckled and kissed Halia on the forehead. "I''ve never had babies either, but I''m sure we''ll be good parents," he comforted.


    "I''m not talking about that..." Halia hesitated.


    Jackson hugged his fiancee dotingly. "Then what are you trying to say?" he asked patiently.


    "S.e.x. I''ve never done it before," Halia said as she buried her head into the man''s chest.


    Jackson felt his body heat up at the mention of s.e.x. Was this what the woman had been worrying about all night? Was she nervous about having s.e.x with him?


    He gently grabbed her chin and lifted her head up so he could look into her eyes. "I''ve never done it before, either," he said.


    Halia''s eyes opened wide in surprise. Jackson had been undercover as a gangster for many years and he spent a long time in France where people were generally more liberal, so she thought he would have a wealth of experience by now.


    But, in reality, Jackson had been so focused on jumping from one mission to another, he didn''t even have time for a proper relationship, let alone s.e.x.


    Jackson tucked a strand of hair behind Halia''s ear and gently ran his finger across her jawline, sending tingles down her spine. Halia looked at the man lovingly and hooked her arms around his neck. There was something about this man that was so charming that she couldn''t get enough.


    Jackson moved in closer pressing his body against Halia''s and Halia backed up against the wall as she breathed in the man''s scent. She looked at the man''s lips as they approached and felt butterflies stir in her stomach. Even though they had kissed many times before, she still anticipated the touch of his soft intoxicating lips.


    As the man''s lips pressed against hers, she ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer. The man''s tongue intertwined with hers passionately and she couldn''t help but sigh with satisfaction as her desire for the man grew. Normally, they would only go as far as kissing, but tonight, she wanted more from him and she could tell that he wanted more as well. Jackson''s lips slowly moved across Halia''s neck, his tongue teasing her along the way, and finally stopped beside her ear.


    "Since we''re both inexperienced. Let''s practice together," he whispered seductively.


    Halia''s heart raced when she heard this.


    But, before she could respond, the man kissed back down on her lips, lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist...

 Chapter 174 - Hot And Steamy

    (Warning R18+: Please skip this entire chapter if you are under 18 or uncomfortable with mature content. This chapter contains s.e.x.u.a.l content that does not affect the plot of the story. Sorry if it is too detailed or graphic. I know some people like it and some people don''t.)


    Halia was surprised by Jackson''s strength. How was he able to hold her up with just his arms?


    As she kissed him back her hands subconsciously brushed past his shoulders and floated gently across the muscles on his arms. As an Interpol agent, this man had kept himself in perfect shape and each muscle helped to hold her up with ease. Halia took a deep breath in pleasant surprise, these muscles were extremely s.e.xy.


    She traced her hands down his arm and brought them back up to his collarbone and then down to his chest. Every inch of his body was oozing with masculinity, throwing Halia''s desires into overdrive and forcing her to want more.


    As she bit her lip, the man surrendered to his own desires and gently ran his hand up her dress. His palms cupped around the curves of her perky bottom and he immediately felt his body burn up.


    Halia''s breathing sped up with pleasure at the man''s touch. As her legs wrapped tightly around Jackson''s waist, closing up every last gap between their bodies, she felt something hard rub up between her thighs. The man was getting excited and it made her equally excited.


    "Let''s go to the bedroom," she suggested bravely between kisses.


    Jackson''s eyes lit up when he heard the woman take initiative and obediently carried her into the bedroom.


    As he lay her down on the bed, Halia looked lovingly into his eyes and began to help him remove his shirt. She fumbled clumsily and he gently helped her. He knew she was nervous; he was nervous as well. But, he had to remain focused. This was their first time and he wanted her to enjoy it. So, he patiently observed her every reaction and submitted to her every request.


    Halia''s eyes burned with passion as the man threw away his shirt. The body she had been touching earlier, was now exposed in front of her eyes and it looked even better than she imagined. Unable to resist for another second, Halia hooked her arms around the man''s neck and pulled him towards her. Jackson smiled and kissed her again.


    Slowly, his lips moved away from her lips and made its way down her neck, her collarbone and down to her b.r.e.a.s.ts. Halia did not stop him, so he cupped his hands around her b.r.e.a.s.ts and gently kissed them through the fabric of her dress.


    Of course, this barrier between them didn''t last for long. Soon, the white dress on Halia''s body joined Jackson''s shirt on the floor. Then came his pants...his underwear...her bra....and her underwear...


    As the newly engaged couple faced each other in their most vulnerable state, Jackson continued to take things slowly and gently. He pressed his body against Halia''s and kissed her comfortingly on the lips as he moved one hand down between her thighs. Halia gasped as she felt the man''s fingers brush across the most intimate part of her body. However, she did not feel uncomfortable. Instead, his soft fingers made her subconsciously m.o.a.n in pleasure. Jackson enjoyed this reaction, so he continued slowly, observing every reaction.


    But, as he watched the woman''s reaction, she suddenly whispered between breaths, "I want you to feel good too."


    Her words drove the man crazy. She wanted to make him feel good, but he wanted to make her feel even better. Jackson had never touched a woman before, but he had seen videos; it was only normal for a grown man to indulge in such activities.


    So, he knew what to do next.


    However, Halia was one step ahead as she gathered her courage, spread her legs, and guided the man down to his final destination.


    Jackson glanced down with desire. She was ready and so was he.


    Slowly, he inched himself little-by-little inside of her. Halia gripped the bedsheets in pain but gestured for Jackson to continue. Even though it hurt, she wanted to become one with him.


    Jackson remained patient as he comforted the woman beneath her. If she wanted to stop at anytime, he was willing to. He respected her and she felt safe in his arms.


    "I love you so much," he said as he gave one final push and felt himself completely inside her.


    Halia looked at Jackson as the pain subsided and took a deep breath. "I love you too," she said as the man began to move slowly and rhythmically.


    The two bodies intertwined naturally and gradually moved in sync as the couple indulged in the pleasure of each other''s touch.


    The room became steamy as beads of sweat formed on the two n.a.k.e.d bodies.


    Outside, the sun began to rise and the rays of light that streamed in through the window lit up the two perfectly fit bodies. They had forgotten to close the curtains, but they didn''t care. They were so consumed in the moment that all they could focus on was their love for each other and how much they wanted to express it.


    Finally, with one last thrust, the couple reached their climax together and rolled over exhausted on the bed.


    Jackson wrapped his arm around Halia and kissed her lovingly on the forehead. "I belong to you now, don''t ever dream of leaving me," he said.


    Halia smiled and nodded shyly as she buried her head into the man''s chest. She then raised her arm and shook the pendant that dangled from her wrist. The heart pendant glistened in the morning sun along with the diamond ring on her finger. Slowly the heart pendant turned around and the Morse Code on the back came into vision. Halia tapped on it gently and said, "J&H forever..."

 Chapter 175 - Missing

    A few days passed in peace as Jackson and the others waited for Trojan to wake up. During these few days, Jackson''s team guarded the hospital room like a fortress and no unexpected incidences happened again. However, the man''s condition didn''t seem to improve. In fact, the doctors predicted he had permanent brain damage. Even if he did eventually wake up, it wasn''t likely that he would be able to provide any useful information.


    Knowing this, SPU concluded that the case had reached a dead end and decided to hand the entire case to Interpol. They then called for Sean and Halia to return to Beijing. After all, they had many more cases waiting for their two agents to crack.


    But, at this time, Auntie Lily suddenly came looking for Jackson. "Jaclyn''s gone missing!" she said.


    Halia looked at the woman in surprise. Jaclyn Wu? Jackson''s stepsister?


    "What do you mean?" Jackson asked.


    "I usually speak to her on the phone every night, but she hasn''t responded to my calls for two days!" Auntie Lily replied.


    "Have you spoken to her friends or her roommates?" Jackson questioned.


    "Yes, but no one''s seen her. They said she went out on a date with a boy, but never returned after that," the middle-aged woman said worriedly. "At first, they thought she must have stayed the night with the boy, but when she didn''t turn up to class, they began to get worried."


    Jaclyn had been studying in the UK for the last 15 years and currently lived in the dorms of her university campus. She only came back every so often to visit. So, the fact that she was missing in a foreign country was frightening.


    "Have they called the police?" Jackson asked.


    "Yes, but I want you to look into it. I know Emma did it..." the woman said with a trembling voice. The certainty in her eyes showed that she knew something.


    "Why would you say that?" Jackson looked at the woman with suspicion.


    "That woman is frightening. I''ve lived with her for the last 20 years, so I know her better than anyone. Jack''s been blinded by her lies but I''ve always seen completely through her. I even caught her beating up Emerson a few times when he was just a small child," Auntie Lily explained.


    "Why didn''t you tell anyone?" Halia asked in horror. Emerson was such a kind person; she couldn''t imagine how his mother could beat him up.


    Perhaps, this explained why he didn''t have many friends. With such a two-faced mother, how could he trust anyone?


    "You don''t think I tried? I spoke to Jack about it, but Emma claimed that I was slandering her so I could steal her husband and replace her. Then, when no one was around, she pulled me aside and threatened me. She told me if I went against her again, she would kill me and my daughter," Auntie Lily cried. "I could see from her eyes that she wasn''t lying. She wasn''t afraid of getting blood on her hands. That woman terrified me. I was so frightened, I immediately sent Jaclyn overseas to study. I didn''t want her to be around this cruel woman. But, as soon as Jaclyn went missing, my gut instinct told me that Emma was involved."


    "To confirm my suspicions, I went to visit her this morning and I confronted her about it. She didn''t admit to it directly, but she told me I was never seeing my daughter again and that I was never going to benefit from her misfortune," Auntie Lily explained. "I know it''s her. She definitely did something!"


    "If Jack divorces her and marries me, then Jaclyn would become the rightful heir to Jack''s fortune and Emerson would be left with nothing. She would never allow that..."


    Jackson furrowed his brows. Auntie Lily''s reasoning made sense. But, how would his stepmother have connections all the way in the UK that was capable of doing something like this?


    Jackson immediately went to visit his stepmother. If Auntie Lily was right, then Jaclyn was in serious danger. She could be dead, or even worse, be smuggled across the European borders without a trace. Human trafficking was a huge issue all around the world and it was often said that if a person wasn''t found within 72 hours, the chances of ever finding them again were practically impossible.


    "What happened to Jaclyn?" he asked straightforwardly as soon as he saw the woman.


    It had only been a few days, but the woman looked worn and frail like she hadn''t eaten and showered.


    The woman looked at Jackson and simply laughed, "Perhaps you could try asking Mr. Rong. Oh wait, you can''t, I heard he''s still in a coma!"


    "Did you get Trojan to coordinate another kidnapping for you?" Jackson asked with realization.


    The frail woman did not reply, she simply smirked, obviously proud that her plan had worked.


    "Where''s Jaclyn and what did you do with her?" Jackson demanded for an explanation.


    "I''m sorry, I simply pay money and my wish gets fulfilled, I don''t know what happens behind-the-scenes. Only Mr. Rong can give you that answer," the woman replied smugly. "If there''s nothing else, Captain Wu, I need to get back to my lunch. I''m starving..."


    Jackson slammed his hands on the table in frustration and walked out. Auntie Lily was right, Emma Wu was definitely involved. Unfortunately, his only lead was the comatose Stanley Rong; a complete dead end.


    As soon as he left the visiting room, Auntie Lily and Halia rushed over anxiously.


    "Did she tell you anything?" Auntie Lily asked.


    Jackson shook his head, "She paid Stanley Rong to do something, but Stanley Rong is currently in a coma. We have no idea what he''s done to Jaclyn."


    Auntie Lily collapsed on the floor in tears. "My precious daughter," she cried. Jaclyn was all she had.


    Halia watched as Auntie Lily cried and felt her heart break. Her mother died when she was young and she had never experienced the love of a mother, but she could tell how much Auntie Lily loved Jaclyn.


    Jackson saw the sympathy in his fiancee''s eyes and wrapped an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. He understood how difficult it was to watch a person in anguish and not be able to help, so his heart was breaking too.


    "Jackson, can you fly over to the UK and track Jaclyn down? You''re Interpol, you must have connections. There must be a way! Jaclyn''s your sister!" Auntie Lily kneeled in front of the couple and pleaded.


    Jackson quickly helped the middle-aged woman up from the floor. Sure, Jaclyn was his stepsister, but he had been away from the Wu household for so long that the young woman was no different than a stranger. Plus, he was supposed to quit and lead a normal life with Halia...


    Did he really need to get involved?


    Jackson glanced at Halia helplessly and Halia understood what he was thinking. Neither of them were selfish people. If they were, they would have never put their lives in danger as undercover agents, especially not Jackson who had done it for so many years. So, she held her man''s hand and nodded her head. "Jackson will go and I will help him," she said, "We will find Jaclyn for you."


    Jackson looked lovingly at his fiancee and smiled. This was why he loved her: her bravery, her kindness, and her selflessness.


    Auntie Lily immediately hugged the couple thankfully, "Thank you, thank you, thank you..."


    Jackson then led the woman outside.


    "Don''t worry, we will update you soon," Jackson said comfortingly as he helped the woman into her car where the driver was waiting. "You should go home and get some rest."


    The middle-aged woman nodded her head and waved goodbye as the driver started the car and drove off. All she could do now was trust in Jackson and Halia...


    After the car disappeared around the corner, Jackson pulled his fiancee into his arms. "How do you plan on investigating a dead-end case like this?" he asked worriedly.


    Halia pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "I have an idea," she said.


    Jackson took a curious glance at the caller ID. Who was she calling?


    That''s when he saw, written on her screen, was the word, ''BAE''...


    Jackson furrowed his brows and Halia smiled awkwardly when she saw her man''s expression; she had forgotten to change Eric''s name on her phone.

 Chapter 176 - Nightingale

    Jackson stared at the man opposite him. It had only been 12 hours since Halia called this man and told him that she needed help and the man immediately arrived in Macau on the next flight from Beijing. Jackson had seen this man before. Back when Halia was spiked and he was taken to the police station with her, this man was called to pick her up. At that time, he introduced himself as her boyfriend...


    Jackson''s gaze darkened when he remembered this memory. Who was this guy? Why did Halia call him and why did he fly over so quickly?


    Dr. Eric Ren also glared at Jackson. What was he doing here? Why was Halia with him? And most importantly, was that an engagement ring on Halia''s finger?


    Halia sensed the awkwardness and quickly introduced the two men to each other properly. "Jackson, this is Dr. Ren, he is a highly qualified brain surgeon that has been working with me for some time. Dr. Ren, this is Jackson Wu, Head of Interpol for the Hong Kong and Macau region...he is also my fiance."


    Eric looked at Halia in surprise. Wasn''t Jackson a gangster? And, hadn''t she only been in Macau for a few weeks? How did she end up getting engaged?


    "Does he know?" Eric looked at Halia hesitantly. Did Halia already tell Jackson about their research?


    Halia shook her head. "I was hoping you would explain it to him," she said.


    As the trio sat inside the private room of a restaurant, Eric pulled out his laptop and showed it to Jackson. He then proceeded to explain the research they had been doing and how it had worked effectively on Halia.


    Jackson looked at the man in surprise as he explained how Halia used Sara''s memory to catch the serial killer, how she used the knowledge of a weapon and bombs expert to get close to him, and how they gave her the combat skills of the SPU captain as backup for her mission in Macau.


    "So, not only did you download another person''s memories into her brain, you also transferred knowledge and skills?" Jackson asked with amazement. He had witnessed Halia''s skills; who knew they were transferred from someone else?


    Eric nodded his head.


    Jackson was speechless. Who knew something like this was possible? He had a lot of questions for the brain surgeon, most importantly, what would happen if the technology got into the wrong hands, but he had no time to delve into that; he needed to save his stepsister first and time was ticking.


    "So, you want to download Trojan''s memories to your head?" Jackson asked Halia.


    Halia nodded her head and patted her fiance on the shoulder reassuringly, "This is the fastest way to locate Jaclyn. If I can tap into the right memories, I could even find the names of the other corrupt policemen and take down the entire organization. We don''t need to sit around and wait for him to wake up anymore."


    Jackson looked at Halia worriedly. "Will it hurt?" he asked.


    Halia searched through her hair and found a red strand in the middle of her head. "It''s quick and simple. Dr. Ren will download the memories through this strand. We just need a couple of hours with Trojan and an operating theater."


    Jackson nodded his head, "I can arrange that for you."


    ...


    It didn''t take long before Jackson, Halia, Eric, and Trojan ended up inside an operating theater together.


    Halia sat comfortably on a chair beside Trojan''s bed as Eric drilled a small hole in the man''s skull. "We are aiming for the temporal lobe today," he explained. "The temporal lobe processes all sensory input and is responsible for visual memory, language retention, and emotion association. We are targeting a specific region that stores face and name recognition as well as emotional association. Hopefully, you will be able to identify some people for us."


    Jackson held onto Halia''s hand worriedly as Eric connected the red strand on Halia''s head to some wires. Meanwhile, Halia stared lovingly at Jackson. She had done this a few times already and she wanted to assure the man that she was going to be OK.


    As Jackson looked at Halia, her eyes began to slowly close.


    He immediately turned to Eric anxiously and Eric gestured that everything was normal. So, he continued to observe quietly. If Halia didn''t insist, he wouldn''t have let her go ahead with this.


    5 minutes later, Halia''s eyes flew open and she suddenly screamed out a name, "Officer Florence Brown!"


    Eric and Jackson looked at her curiously.


    "I''m not too sure how she is involved, but I have an instinctive feeling that she''s the one we''re looking for," Halia said.


    Jackson was shocked by how quickly Halia retrieved this name, but he did not waste any time. He immediately nodded his head and made a phone call to one of his agents, Trisha. "Help me search through the police database in London. Is there an officer by the name of Florence Brown?"


    Jaclyn studied in London, so logically, that was the best place to look first.


    Trisha quickly tapped away at the computer in front of her and replied, "Yes, there is one. I''ll forward you her details right away."


    A moment later, Jackson received an encrypted email with the officer''s photo and database record and Jackson immediately showed the photo to Halia, "Is this her?"


    As soon as Halia saw the woman''s face, everything around her suddenly disappeared and she found herself sitting by the river looking at a big Ferris wheel. It was the iconic London Eye!


    It had been a long time since something like this happened, but Halia realized what was happening.


    She was inside a memory.


    Halia glanced down and noticed that she was no longer holding onto Jackson''s hand. Instead, there was a cup of coffee warming her palms as a cold autumn breeze swept past. She glanced next to her and saw a woman with long brown hair and wine red lipstick smiling at her. "I will hold onto this deposit," the woman said as she slipped an envelope into her handbag.


    "The codeword is ''Sparrow''. If you receive a message with this word, then take action," Halia said.


    Halia held her throat in surprise. Her voice was deep and husky - like a man! That''s right, she was in Trojan''s memory.


    "It''s my pleasure doing business with you, Trojan," the woman smiled as she stuck out a hand.


    "Likewise, Nightingale," Halia replied.


    Nightingale?


    Halia recognized Nightingale. Nightingale was Florence Brown!


    How did Trojan know this woman''s real name even though it seemed like they were just client and contractor?


    Halia quickly shook her head and found herself back at the hospital. She gripped tightly onto Jackson''s hand and stared at the photo in front of her, "Yes, that''s her, that''s Florence Brown. Trojan paid her to do something! I''m sure it has to do with Jaclyn!"


    Jackson furrowed his brows and helped Halia out of her chair.


    "I guess it''s time to meet this woman in person," he said.

 Chapter 177 - Wu Girl

    Jackson and Halia had no time to waste, so they immediately drove over to Hong Kong to catch a flight bound for London that very evening. Of course, Halia was supposed to return to Hong Kong with Sean in a few days, so Sean contacted the SPU captain and explained the situation to him. "Halia''s sister-in-law has been kidnapped by someone linked to Trojan, so she is flying to London to investigate it," Sean told the captain with urgency.


    "Sister-in-law?" the captain was a little confused. When did Halia have a sister-in-law? She had no siblings, and from what he knew, she wasn''t in a relationship. That was why she was a perfect candidate for going undercover.


    But, even though he wanted to question the situation, he understood the urgency of the matter, so he approved for her to take some time off and decided to ask about the details later.


    By the time Jackson and Halia arrived at the airport, Trisha was already waiting for them with their plane tickets in the departures hall of the international airport. Jackson smiled at the woman thankfully as they walked up to her. But, as they got closer, he noticed the slender young woman was holding onto a suitcase and an extra ticket. Was she going somewhere too? He never approved for her to take any leave, nor had he arranged any overseas missions for her. Where was she going?


    "Captain," the young woman saluted. "Here are the tickets that you asked me to book. I know you are off to London to investigate a private matter; rumor has it, your sister was kidnapped. As you know, I was undercover in London for a few years. I still have connections there. Please, let me help."


    Jackson saw the motivation in the woman''s eyes. Even though he had just started in his role not long ago and only worked with the woman a few times, he knew she was a highly capable agent. Since he was on a tight timeline and this woman seemed to be a good asset, he welcomed all the help he could get, so he nodded his head. After all, neither he nor Halia had ever been to London before; it would be good to have someone that knew their way around.


    Trisha glanced at Halia. She knew that Jackson asked her to book two tickets to London, but she had never met Halia before nor did she know what their relationship was. When she delivered the box of case files to Jackson the other day, she had met Amelie who was an Interpol agent from France, so when she saw Halia, she simply thought she was another Interpol agent from France that was assisting Jackson.


    In her mind, Jackson was like James Bond: cool, handsome and always surrounded by beautiful women. For James Bond, these women were known as Bond Girls, but in Jackson''s case, Trisha referred to them as ''Wu Girls'' (a term that she and a few other female agents coined themselves). But, she had no idea that Halia was no ''Wu Girl''; she was Jackson''s ONLY girl! His future wife - Mrs. Wu.


    "Captain, thank you for giving me the chance to work with you. I will be a good Wu Girl," the young woman pumped her fist with determination.


    "Wu Girl?" Jackson asked.


    The young woman blushed a little and cleared her throat. "Oh, it''s nothing," she chuckled as she dragged her luggage through the departure gates.


    Halia looked at the confused expression on her fiance''s face and chuckled. It seemed, Jackson had a fan.


    The non-stop flight from Hong Kong to London took just over 13 hours. By the time Jackson, Halia, and Trisha landed in London, it had already been 24 hours since Jaclyn was reported missing. But, due to an 8-hour time difference, it was midnight when they landed. Jackson and Halia were aware of this, but they were walking onto foreign territory, so there wasn''t much they could prepare. Trisha, on the other hand, had already arranged for a friend to pick them up from the airport. This friend was a local reporter that Trisha met when she was undercover in London.


    Reporters usually got a bad wrap for being nosy and immoral, but this particular reporter actually helped Trisha when she was in London and Trisha saved his life in return. The reporter believed in justice and only ever reported the truth, so when he discovered Trisha''s real identity, he respected her even more. The two of them became good friends after that.


    Jackson and Halia were both impressed by Trisha''s initiative, especially when the reporter gave them a phone number that was supposedly used by ''Nightingale''. "Jackson and Halia, this is Oliver Williams, a reporter from the London Times. We worked together when I was based here for a few years investigating a case in Chinatown. I contacted Oliver before we left Hong Kong because I knew we''d be on the plane for 13 hours, so I tried to get a headstart," Trisha explained.


    "It''s been a long time, Trish," the young British gentleman smiled. "I looked into the name ''Nightingale'' for you. According to my sources, she''s a relatively new name that started spreading through the gangs of London roughly 3 years ago. She refers to herself as a ''problem solver''. This is supposedly a number to contact Nightingale by, however, she doesn''t respond to just anyone, you need to be recommended by someone, otherwise, you won''t get any response," the righteous young man explained.


    "I also followed Officer Florence Brown all afternoon, but I didn''t discover anything. Is there something wrong with that officer? Is she related to Nightingale? I mean, Florence Nightingale 1 ...isn''t that too obvious?" Oliver asked.


    "We''re not sure yet. Maybe that''s what she wants us to think...or maybe she''s too arrogant to think that we would ever find her," Jackson replied.


    "Why don''t we call her out and see for ourselves..." Halia said as she looked at the phone number in Oliver''s hand. "Do you have a burner phone?" she asked as she looked at the young reporter.


    Oliver quickly pulled an old phone out of his handbag. As a reporter, he never knew what situations he could get into, so he was well-prepared.


    Halia picked up the phone and typed, "I am sent by Trojan to discuss Sparrow. It is urgent, we need to meet."


    Oliver looked at Halia with curiosity. What did this woman type? Didn''t she hear him say that Nightingale didn''t respond to just anyone?


    But, a moment later, the phone beeped. It was a message from Nightingale. Halia glanced down. It read, "Sparrow has left the nest, there is nothing to discuss..."


    Halia frowned and quickly replied, "If you want the rest of your pay, meet me at the cafe under the London Eye where you met Trojan last time. Be there within an hour or I''m leaving."


    From her memory, she remembered that the woman only took a deposit. Since Trojan was in a coma, he couldn''t possibly forward her the rest of her pay, so Halia assumed the woman was still waiting.


    She was right. 5 minutes later, the woman responded with a simple, "Fine." A famous nurse that helped wounded soldiers during the Crimean War and founded modern-day nursing.

 Chapter 178 - The Meeting

    Oliver immediately drove the trio to the location that Halia described. She remembered it clearly, she was on the east side of the River Thames looking up at the iconic London Eye from a cafe with an outdoor setting. The iconic Ferris wheel was on the same side of the river and was really close by.


    When she gave Oliver this description, he immediately knew where it was.


    It was a famous cafe where the locals often hung out. Unfortunately, as it was almost 1am, the place was already closed.


    But...it didn''t mean Halia couldn''t meet Nightingale outside.


    Halia stepped out of the car on her own and walked towards the location that Oliver pointed out for her, while Oliver, Jackson, and Trisha walked towards the London Eye, pretending to be tourists.


    At this time of night, there weren''t many people around, especially since it was a weekday, but there was still the odd tourist, wandering around, trying to get some night time photos. After all, the river was beautiful with the London Eye, the Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, and the Palace of Westminster, all lit up along it.


    Halia stood outside the cafe calmly as she waited for Nightingale to arrive. She gave the woman one hour and it had only been 20 minutes since her phone call, so there were still 40 minutes of uncertainty. Would the woman arrive?


    Fortunately, she didn''t have to wait too long. 15 minutes later, a tall brown-haired woman hurried to her side and looked around awkwardly. Halia glanced at the woman. She was dressed in a black coat, her face was covered by a surgical mask and underneath her coat, Halia could see she was wearing a vest and a black and white cravat. It was an odd choice in clothing, but she was obviously Florence Brown, the woman that the underworld knew as Nightingale.


    "Why did you call me so urgently?" the woman asked in English with a beautiful British accent.


    Halia glanced at the woman in surprise.


    Her voice was a lot more high-pitched and chirpy than she remembered.


    "Where is the Sparrow now?" Halia asked straightforwardly.


    "The Sparrow is being migrated as planned. Where''s my money?" the woman asked.


    Halia held back a smile. Jaclyn was still alive.


    "Your money is on its way, but the client wants to cancel the plan. Can you bring the Sparrow back?" Halia asked.


    "Cancel?" the woman questioned with confusion. "Did the client change her mind? She already paid. Why would she cancel?"


    "I don''t know the details, but Trojan agreed to cancel. You will still be paid the same amount. Don''t worry," Halia replied.


    The woman looked at Halia with frustration and picked up her phone with a sigh, "The contractors won''t be happy. It was hard enough to smuggle her out, it''s going to be harder to get her back..."


    Halia watched as Nightingale furrowed her brows and searched through her phone for a number. Judging by their conversation so far, it seemed like Jackson''s guess was right about human traffickers being involved. But, at least, from the sounds of it, Jaclyn was still alive and hadn''t been sold off yet.


    Halia took a deep breath as she maintained her composure. As long as Nightingale believed she was working for Trojan, Jaclyn could be safe in their arms again, very soon.


    But, just as things seemed to be going smoothly, the phone in Nightingale''s hand suddenly beeped.


    She received a message.


    The woman looked at her phone and her eyes opened wide in surprise.


    Halia noticed the woman''s expression and sensed that something wasn''t right. Especially when she began to put her phone away.


    "What''s wrong?" Halia asked worriedly. Wasn''t she calling to get Jaclyn returned?


    The woman scanned Halia with suspicion.


    "Why did you come all the way to London when you could have contacted me via the organization? Wouldn''t that have been quicker and easier?" she suddenly questioned with skepticism in her voice.


    Halia looked at the woman uncomfortably. Where did this doubt suddenly come from?


    "Trojan wanted me to see the Sparrow with my own eyes. He wanted to make sure that she was safely returned," Halia quickly thought on her feet and replied.


    Halia saw the woman''s eyes dart and instinctively knew she didn''t believe her. "If you want her back, tell the organization to contact me," Nightingale quickly said as she started backing away. "I''ve just been told that Trojan is in a coma and his assistant is dead. I don''t know if you are really working for Trojan, but your appearance here is highly suspicious."


    At that moment, Halia saw the barrel of the woman''s gun as she retrieved it inconspicuously from her belt and hid it underneath her coat. She also noticed the flicker of a badge.


    It was a police badge!


    That''s when Halia realized why the woman was dressed so oddly. She was wearing her police uniform underneath the coat!


    Oliver had been following Florence Brown all afternoon and, according to him, she had already finished work for the day, why was she still in her uniform?


    Halia raised her hands and said, "There are people around, Officer. Put that gun away, you don''t want to accidentally pull the trigger and kill an innocent civilian."


    Not too far away, Jackson saw his fiancee raise her hands and knew something wasn''t right. Since they were pretending to be tourists and Oliver was a reporter, he had a camera in his hands. So, Jackson quickly thought on his feet, grabbed Trisha''s hand and dragged her towards Halia''s direction.


    Trisha glanced down at her hand and then up at Jackson with curiosity as she blushed.


    "This cafe looks really cute, let''s take a photo here," he yelled out as he approached the two tense women.


    Unlike Trisha who was still fl.u.s.tered by Jackson''s actions, Oliver noticed something was odd between Halia and Nightingale so he quickly pointed his camera and took some photos.


    The flash from his camera surprised Nightingale. She immediately put her gun away and wrapped her coat tightly around her body. Halia was right, there were people around; she couldn''t be discovered. So, she subconsciously adjusted the mask on her face and started running away.


    But, Halia couldn''t let this woman leave. She needed her to get Jaclyn back. So, she started chasing after the woman. "No! Don''t go, come back here!" she yelled.


    However, she was in a foreign city and Nightingale was obviously a local, so the woman effortlessly weaved through the streets and lost her tail.


    Halia brushed back her long black hair and tried to catch her breath as Jackson and the others caught up.


    "I lost her," Halia said with disappointment. "I think she saw through me."


    "I''m sorry, we may have lost our only way to find your sister. She''s being smuggled out of London right now," Halia frowned as she looked at Jackson.


    Jackson wrapped an arm around his fiancee and said comfortingly, "It''s OK, since that method didn''t work, we will have to be more direct."


    He then turned to Oliver and asked, "Do you know where Florence Brown lives?"


    Oliver immediately nodded his head, "Yes, follow me."

 Chapter 179 - Florence Brown

    Florence Brown lived in the up-and-coming h.i.p.ster neighborhood of Peckham, a suburb that was just south of the City of London that was lined with trendy cafes, rooftop bars, and an eclectic mix of shops. From the city center, it was about a half-hour drive.


    By the time the four reached Florence Brown''s home, it was already 2am and the streets were beginning to die down for the night. As they looked up at the two-story townhouse, Halia crossed her fingers. Hopefully, they were right about the woman returning straight home. She felt it was her fault that she had lost her.


    Oliver and Trisha went up to knock on the front door while Halia watched from the car and Jackson guarded the back, just in case the woman tried to escape again.


    At first, no one responded. Trisha looked at Halia and shook her head. But, just as Oliver and Trisha were about to conclude that no one was home, the front door slowly creaked open and a woman with brown hair stood in the doorway. Oliver recognized the woman straight away; this was the woman he had been following all day! From the car, Halia also confirmed the woman''s identity: it was Florence Brown.


    She was home.


    But, there was something strange about the woman. She was dressed in a set of pajamas, her hair was messy and she looked like she had just gotten out of bed. How could that be? She was, at most, only 10-15 minutes ahead of them.


    With a yawn, the woman asked, "Is something the matter?"


    Oliver glanced at Trisha, unsure of what to do. "Well...you see..." Oliver began.


    But, before he finished his sentence, Trisha barged into the house and knocked the woman back against a wall; they had no time for small talk. Oliver panicked and quickly helped her pin down the woman as Halia and Jackson ran in and closed the front door.


    "What are you doing? This is illegal. You are breaking and entering the home of a police officer. If you leave now, I will not lay charges," the woman warned.


    "Where''s Sparrow?" Halia asked as she stared into the woman''s emerald green eyes.


    The woman looked at Halia in confusion, "Who are you? I don''t know what you''re talking about?"


    Halia scanned her eyes across the confused expression on the woman''s face. Didn''t they just meet less than an hour ago? Why was this woman acting like she didn''t know her? Most importantly, why did her voice suddenly sound much deeper?


    "We know you''re Nightingale," Halia threatened, even though there was slight uncertainty in her voice.


    The woman''s eyes opened wide in shock as she stopped struggling.


    "What do you want?" she asked cautiously.


    Trisha and Oliver released the woman and backed away as Halia stared at her with frustration. Her voice was a lot deeper and mature than earlier. How could a person''s voice change so much? And why was she asking this question like she didn''t already know what they wanted?


    "You know what we want. We just spoke less than an hour ago. Stop pretending. Where''s Sparrow? Call the smugglers and tell them to return her right now!" Halia demanded.


    "Sparrow? Smugglers? Who exactly are you? Have I done something wrong?" the woman questioned with genuine curiosity.


    At that moment, Jackson stepped forward and showed his badge, "Let''s stop messing around. I am Captain Wu, Head of Interpol - Hong and Macau region. Your gig''s over Nightingale, tell us where Sparrow is!"


    The woman''s face immediately turned pale. "I''m not Nightingale..." she said.


    The four looked at Florence Brown with confusion. "You were clearly the one that met with Trojan a few years ago!" Halia blurted. "Stop lying! A young woman''s life is in your hands!"


    The woman raised her hands innocently.


    "A few years ago, my sister told me she was on an important case and asked me to act as her. I met with a man named Trojan and he called me Nightingale. He mentioned something about ''Sparrow'', but that was the last and only time I heard any of those words being used together. Not long after that, my sister thanked me and told me she cracked the case and it was closed," she explained. "That''s honestly all I know."


    Halia looked at Jackson as her heart sunk, she realized at that moment why the woman''s voice was so different when she met her earlier. Florence Brown was not Nightingale! Her sister had used her as a cover!


    "Where is your sister now?" Jackson asked.


    "She''s on night patrol. I always work during the day and she always works during the night. Perhaps, that''s why she calls herself Nightingale. She should be around the Covent Garden area tonight," Florence revealed with a slightly worried expression. "Is she in trouble?"


    "Big trouble!" Jackson said as he grabbed Halia''s hand and turned to leave. "Trisha, stay here and see if you can get any more information on Nightingale. Oliver, drive us to Covent Garden!"


    Trisha glanced at Jackson and Halia''s intertwined fingers. Earlier on, when Jackson held her hand, their fingers never intertwined in the same way. Trisha frowned. She had to work harder to be his favorite Wu Girl.


    With that thought, she pumped her fist with self-encouragement and turned towards the confused woman, "So...what''s your sister''s name and do you have a photo?"


    Normally, Florence would ask for a warrant; she was a police officer, so she understood the law and her rights, but she was a righteous officer and she could tell that this was serious. "I have the right to refuse and ask for a warrant, but I can tell that this is a serious matter. Can you tell me what my sister''s done first?" the woman asked.


    Trisha sat down and quickly explained the situation.


    ...


    Covent Garden was a famous shopping and entertainment district in the West End of London. During the day, shoppers strolled the luxury fashion and beauty stores, and at night, it came to life with award-winning restaurants, bars, and clubs.


    Just as Halia, Jackson, and Oliver arrived in the busy district, Jackson received a message from Trisha:  "Her name is Freya Brown, I''ve attached a photo of her."


    Jackson looked at the photo and showed it to Halia. Freya and Florence were sisters, so they looked very similar. They both had brown hair, green eyes, and a similar frame. It was no surprise that they didn''t pick up on it earlier. But, as Halia looked at the photo in more detail, her eyes opened wide in shock. She saw that woman earlier!


    When she was chasing Nightingale and thought she lost her, she saw a policewoman questioning some drunk teenagers. It turned out, Halia didn''t actually lose her! She was so focused on looking for Florence Brown, that she didn''t even suspect Freya Brown who was standing right in front of her!


    Halia squinted her eyes and scanned the streets with determination. This time, she wasn''t letting that woman get away...

 Chapter 180 - Freya Brown

    The area known as Covent Garden spanned roughly 4-6 blocks each way. It wasn''t too big, especially since most places were closed and it was obvious where the police would be more likely to patrol. But, it was still impossible to predict Freya Brown''s exact location.


    Oliver pulled up a map on his phone and searched for all the bars and clubs that were still open at that time of night. Since it was almost 3am, the choices were limited, so Oliver believed it was their best option to visit each of the places he had found.


    However, Jackson had a better plan.


    "Sorry bro," he said as he swung his arm back and threw a punch across his new friend''s face without warning.


    Oliver held his cheek in surprise. Jackson''s swing looked intimidating, but the actual impact was only enough to knock him back a little in shock.


    Halia also gasped in surprise.


    "Rather than searching everywhere for Nightingale, let''s bring Nightingale to us," Jackson whispered under his breath as he launched towards Oliver and wrapped his arm around the man''s neck.


    Oliver immediately played along and cried out in pain, "F*ck, let me go!!"


    It didn''t take long before a small handful of people gathered around. "Woo! Beat him up!" a drunk man cheered from the side; obviously, he was not in the right state of mind. In fact, he could barely even stand up straight. "Let me join in," he laughed as he stumbled towards the two men.


    Halia looked at the burly British man. He was wearing a suit and tie, but his hair was messy and his face was tomato-red. It seemed, someone had a rough day at work.


    He continued to waddle forward towards Jackson and Oliver who had no idea the man was approaching. Halia saw what was happening and quickly jumped in front of the man to stop him. But, she knew he was too strong for her to hold back, so she ended up kicking him straight in the abdomen to stop him. The man lost his balance and fell back against a young blond-haired woman, who then tripped on her high-heeled shoes and fell into the arms of a tall blond-haired man. It was like a domino effect. The drunk man immediately leaned over and started vomiting everything he had drunk...and ate...that night, while the blond woman''s friends started calling the man that caught their friend a pervert as they hit him with their handbags.


    It was a complete mess!


    A security guard from a nearby bar saw the commotion and hurried over to see what was going on.


    "That bloke was groping our girlfriend!!" one of the women snarled.


    The blond man immediately raised his arms in innocence, "Woah, she fell into my arms, I was simply saving her from falling..."


    "By grabbing her b.o.o.b.s? I saw where your hands went! You can''t fool me!" the woman yelled as she comforted her frightened friend.


    "Is that what happened, Miss?" the security asked the young blond woman.


    "I''m not sure, all I know was, I was suddenly knocked over by that man," the woman replied as she pointed to the man that was vomiting all over the street. The security guard screwed up his nose and shook his head as he looked at the drunk man, "What''s your story?" he asked. "Why did you knock that woman over?"


    Obviously, the man was too drunk to reply, so a witness quickly explained, "It was her! She kicked him!"


    The security guard looked at Halia in surprise and furrowed his brows. How did this delicate woman kick a grown man so hard that he was vomiting all over the streets?


    "He tried to hit my friends," Halia shrugged as she pointed to Oliver and Jackson.


    The two men were huddled up and tugging at each other''s hair like girls.


    "You b*st*rd!" Oliver screamed.


    "You *ssh*le!" Jackson retorted.


    "But your friends seem to be hitting each other already..." the security guard said with confusion.


    "I want to lay charges!" one of the women screamed.


    "I''m innocent!" the blond-haired man yelled.


    "Taxi!" the drunk man mumbled as he raised a hand, completely oblivious to what was happening.


    The security guard covered his ears with frustration. How did he end up with this job?


    At that moment, a whistle echoed from the head of the street and two police officers started running towards the crowd. One was a man and one was a woman. They were wearing black vests on top of a white shirt, paired with black pants and a hat. The man had a black tie on, while the woman had a black and white cravat.


    Halia recognized the woman straight away. It was Freya Brown!


    Their plan worked.


    "What''s happening here?" Freya asked as she approached the security guard with a serious expression.


    The security guard shook his head and sighed as he began to explain everything that he had been told, "...and that woman kicked that guy because he tried to hit her friends..."


    As the security guard pointed to Halia, Freya looked at the woman in surprise. What was she doing here? Was it just a coincidence?


    Freya remained calm. She had hidden her identity well over the years and no one knew who she really was - not even the organization - so she was confident that Halia didn''t know that she was Nightingale. But, how wrong she was...


    On the surface, Freya Brown appeared to be a normal night patrol officer who came from a family of police officers. Her brother was in the police, her sister was in the police and so was her father and grandfather before they retired. But, in reality, she simply used this identity to facilitate night-time criminal activities. Her clients had no idea how she did it, but whenever they wanted to transport something or smuggle something, especially at night, she could help them do it right under the police''s noses without them knowing a thing. Because of this, she had gotten quite famous in the London underworld and was invited to join a secret international organization a few years back. The organization consisted of corrupt officers, lawyers, judges, prosecutors...etc, from all around the world. It was like LinkedIn for the corrupt world.


    That was how she met Trojan. Trojan needed someone in London that was ready at all times; someone that could strike with a simple message or phone call; someone with the experience and contacts to make a person disappear without a trace. So, when he contacted the organization, they recommended the name Nightingale to him.


    Nightingale never killed anyone directly, but she was a master of smuggling. She could smuggle anything around the world: drugs, weapons, money...and even people. Whether it be over land, through the air, or across the water...she had the contacts to do it and she could do it with ease.


    She was smart, she never allowed anyone to know her identity. And, whenever she was asked to meet someone, she would either refuse or send someone else as a cover. That was how Trojan ended up thinking that Nightingale was her sister.


    But, never in a million lifetimes, would she have imagined that Trojan''s memories would end up with Halia, and that Halia''s pursuit of her sister, would lead Halia to her - the real Nightingale!

 Chapter 181 - Cops And Robbers

    Florence led Trisha into her living room with a sigh and showed her a childhood photo that was sitting on the window ledge, "This was us when we were kids, Freya, Fred and I."


    In the photo, Trisha could see two little girls and a boy, all with brown hair and green eyes standing in a row. One of the little girls stood in the middle holding a toy gun, while the other two kids stood beside her with frowns. It was an extremely adorable photo.


    "My father and grandfather were both police officers, so when we were little, we loved playing cops and robbers. Little Freya was always the cop, while Fred and I were always the robbers. Who would have thought that the roles would end up being reversed..." Florence sighed.


    "My sister must have a reason for what she''s doing. I want to help you catch her and locate your missing friend. May I join you? Perhaps I could talk some sense into her," Florence offered.


    Trisha saw the sincerity in the woman''s eyes and felt sympathetic for her. As an older sister herself, Trisha understood how it felt to see one''s younger sibling head down the wrong path. Trisha''s younger sister went through a rebellious stage at one point, but she was back on the right path now and studying to be a fashion designer. How difficult was it for Florence to see her sister so far down a deep and dangerous path?


    "I''m not in charge of the mission, you''ll have to speak to the captain," Trisha replied.


    "In that case, let me drive you to him," the woman offered as she hurried upstairs to change into a proper set of clothes.


    Trisha agreed. After all, she had been left behind without a car and she didn''t know how long it would take before Oliver came back for her.


    ...


    Over at Covent Garden, Freya''s partner phoned in the disturbance and decided to take everyone down to the police station for further questioning.


    "Officer Brown, we can''t fit everyone in one car. You take those three and I''ll take the rest. See you back at the station," Freya''s partner said as he pointed to Halia, Jackson, and Oliver.


    Freya furrowed her brows and sighed. She was still unclear about Halia''s identity, but at least, the woman didn''t seem to recognize her, so she nodded her head and gestured for the three to follow her.


    "This way," she said as she started walking.


    Jackson, Halia, and Oliver glanced at each other; it seemed God was on their side. They now had the woman alone...


    As they turned the corner into a quiet street, Halia saw the opportunity and quickly threw a karate chop onto the woman''s neck, knocking her unconscious. Jackson and Oliver then covered her in a coat and carried her to Oliver''s car.


    "Do you have anywhere quiet and secluded that we can take her?" Jackson asked Oliver.


    Oliver immediately nodded his head, "I have just the place."


    A little while later, Oliver''s car stopped outside a cemetery. "At this time of night, there''s no one here," he smiled. "Follow me."


    The trio quickly got out of the car and carried the woman inside.


    "You seem really familiar with this place," Halia said with suspicion as they weaved their way into the labyrinth of graves.


    Oliver chuckled, "Let''s just say, I do some interrogating of my own every now and then."


    He then pulled out some rope and handed it to Jackson, "You may want to tie her up."


    Jackson shook his head, "She won''t be able to get past us." After all, he and Halia were both highly trained in martial arts.


    He then grabbed a bottle of water and splashed it on the woman''s face, "It''s time to wake up, Nightingale."


    The woman spluttered a little and opened her eyes. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she quickly sat up and looked around. "Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" she asked.


    "You don''t need to know who we are. We just want to know where Jaclyn Wu is. Tell us or one of these graves will end up belonging to you," Jackson warned.


    Freya looked at the trio and spotted Halia. "I guess you don''t really work for Trojan," she said.


    "I''m not telling you anything. Miss Wu is on her way to a happy place. She''s going to be worshipped by dozens...no...hundreds of men," Freya laughed.


    "Where did you take her?" Jackson asked in disgust as he grabbed the woman''s collar. Human trafficking always led to the same results, men were forced to deal drugs, while women were forced into prostitution.


    "By now...probably somewhere in France...or perhaps...Belgium...maybe Spain..." the woman replied with a smirk. "Judging by your reaction, you must know Miss Wu."


    "Call the smugglers and tell them to bring her back right now!" Jackson demanded.


    The woman smirked, "Why should I listen to you? What do I get out of it?"


    "Trojan''s in a coma and he will be arrested when he wakes up. You will never get the money he promised you. Nor will you get away with what you''ve done. If you cooperate with us, we may be able to get you a lighter sentence. From what I know, you''ve never killed anyone. At most, you will only be charged for your involvement in smuggling," Jackson negotiated.


    Freya''s eyes opened in surprise, "Lighter sentence? Who exactly are you? I''ve never seen you before."


    "I am Interpol," Jackson revealed. "Help us bring Jaclyn Wu back. Show some remorse. It''s never too late to turn back."


    Freya looked at the man with amus.e.m.e.nt, "You haven''t got approval to arrest me yet, have you? That''s why we''re here at a cemetery and not inside some interrogation room. If I don''t answer you, there''s nothing you can do about it."


    "It''s only a matter of time before we get the proper paperwork to arrest you, but we need to urgently bring back this innocent woman first. You know as well as we do how quickly a person can be made to disappear. You''re a woman too, how could you do this?" Halia asked.


    Freya looked at Halia. "Nothing is more important than money..." she said coldheartedly.


    At that moment, another two figures approached from the shadows. It was Trisha and Florence. "What about your conscience?" Florence asked as she looked at her sister with disappointment. "Don''t you remember what Dad said to us on his death bed?"

 Chapter 182 - Good People

    A moment ago, Trisha had called Oliver to check where they were and he had sent her a pin of their exact location. It took her and Florence a little while to locate the four, but when they finally approached, they heard Freya say something that made Florence''s heart drop: "Nothing is more important than money..."


    These words felt like they were coming from the mouth of a stranger. This was not the younger sister that she knew.


    "What about your conscience?" Florence asked as she looked at her sister with disappointment. "Don''t you remember what Dad said to us on his death bed?"


    Father Brown died on the job, roughly 6 years ago while chasing down a bank robber. He was shot in the chest and never recovered. As he lay in the hospital, his three children gathered around his bed to say their goodbyes. "Don''t blame the man that shot me. He had simply gone down the wrong path and there was no one there to guide him back the right way. We are all placed on this earth for a pre-determined amount of time. I have served my purpose here on earth and it is my time to go join your mother in heaven. I have been a good person and I do not regret anything I''ve done. I hope the three of you can continue being good people and I look forward to hearing about your accomplishments when you visit me at my grave. I will be watching and listening, and I will continue to be proud of you," the old man said in a weak voice.


    The three siblings had always treated their father as a role model, that was how they all ended up in the police force. Every year, they would gather and share their accomplishments to their father and he always praised them for doing a good job. But, unlike Florence and Fred who was satisfied with this praise and enjoyed the feeling of helping others, Freya did not.


    Why did she catch so many thieves and not get paid more? Why did she try so hard and not get promoted? Why did her father die when he was a good person?!


    Questions like this often circled Freya''s mind.


    Then, one night, when she was out at the club with some friends, she ended up getting spiked. When she woke up the next day, she didn''t remember much, but she knew she had been r.a.p.ed. She had no idea who did it, and she was too embarrassed to report it. After all, how could her superiors trust her if she couldn''t even protect herself?


    So, she decided to investigate the incident on her own. She retraced her steps and ended up discovering that a local gangster had paid her friend to spike her drink so he could r.a.p.e her; he was ticking off a list of women he had slept with, and he had never been with a policewoman. For him, it was just a challenge; a game. But somehow, she became the victim.


    She hated being the victim. Her father died as a victim and now she was r.a.p.ed as a victim...


    She couldn''t accept it.


    Thus began her pursuit for revenge.


    She found the name of the gangster that r.a.p.ed her and worked with his competitor to get him arrested.


    At first, it was a good thing; she arrested a criminal.


    But then, she started delving deeper into the underworld. She hid her identity and started networking with drug dealers, weapons dealers...and human traffickers. No one knew her identity, but she used her connection with the police to help them avoid being discovered and detected. Especially during her own shift at night, she would specifically patrol areas where she knew nothing was happening and kept certain areas clear for criminal activity. Gradually, she became known as ''Nightingale''. It was a very lucrative business and she made more money than she ever could as an average police officer.


    However, the real turning point came when she didn''t just assist these criminals but turned into one of their clients. She could never forget the fact that her friend had spiked her the night that she was r.a.p.ed, so when she saved up enough money, she hired some traffickers and got her kidnapped. After that, the woman was smuggled out of the country and never seen again. Freya''s assumption was that she would end up in some rundown brothel somewhere where she would be forced to serve men for the rest of her life. For her, this was justice.


    Finally, Freya was no longer the victim and it felt good.


    Soon, she became quite famous in the underworld and many of the gangsters became regular clients of hers. However, she began to crave for more: more money, more power...it never seemed enough.


    So, when she was contacted by someone from an organization that claimed to connect corrupt officials from all around the world, she was immediately interested. It meant, she would be able to get international clients as well!


    This organization was highly secretive and was simply known as the ''United Order'', the ''UO'' for short. If this was still the ancient times, they would be considered a secret society since they had strict requirements for membership. This organization was also a mockery of the UN which aimed to maintain international peace and security. The UO didn''t care about peace and security, they just wanted money and power.


    With her new-found international connections, Freya began to specialize in smuggling. All she had to do was get the product or people across her own borders and someone else would take over from there. It was like a relay, except no one truly knew who all the members of the relay were. This was especially effective for human trafficking. Once someone was taken, they could find themselves on the other side of the world within 48 hours!


    "My conscience is fine," Freya finally replied to her sister after a moment of silence. "I have treated myself well and I wake up proud every single day."


    "Haven''t you thought about the lives you''ve destroyed? How could you live like that?" Florence questioned further. She needed to talk some sense into this younger sister.


    "I don''t care about their lives, just like they don''t care about mine..." Freya responded stubbornly.


    "What about Felix? You must care about his life. How will he live the rest of his life...with his mother in jail?" Florence suddenly asked.


    Freya''s expression immediately changed and her arrogance was replaced by an indescribable softness.


    "If you surrender and tell these people where their friend is, you may be able to redeem yourself a little. Listen to me Sis, I know you''ve been through a lot. I know you''ve always told me that Felix''s father abandoned you. But, I''ve heard you cry late at night and I''ve seen the sadness in your eyes. There''s more to the story, isn''t there? Something happened to you 6 years ago. Am I right?" Florence asked. "I''m sorry for noticing but not asking you about it. Perhaps, if you had someone to speak to back then, you wouldn''t have ended up like this."


    A tear rolled down Freya''s face. She had never told anyone that she was r.a.p.ed, nor did she tell anyone that her son''s father was the disgusting rapist that was currently locked behind bars. It haunted her and she still had nightmares about it.


    "Yes, you''re right. I was r.a.p.ed 6 years ago..." Freya revealed as she wiped away her tears. "But, you know what? It made me stronger. After that incident, I told myself that I would never be a victim again!"


    Jackson and the others looked at Freya with sympathy. It must have been tough for her to hide this secret for so many years. But...ultimately, it wasn''t an excuse for all the crimes she committed as a result.


    At that moment, Halia knelt down in front of the woman and held her hand, "Please, you know how it feels to be a victim. Jaclyn Wu is my sister, please don''t let my sister become a victim as well..."


    Trisha looked at Halia with confusion. Sister? Wasn''t Jaclyn Jackson''s sister?


    Freya swallowed back her tears and looked at the people around her. She then saw the look in her sister''s eyes as she pointed to something a few rows back. Freya looked at the direction that her sister was pointing and froze.


    She was pointing to a gravestone.


    Her father''s gravestone!


    Freya had woken up in the middle of the cemetery and it was so dark that she didn''t recognize the place. But, she realized at that moment, that a few rows back from where they were standing, her father''s body lay 6 feet underground. "Dad told us to be good people. Please, Freya, do the right thing," Florence said between sobs.


    Freya looked up at the sky in disbelief. Perhaps, this was a sign from her father; he was trying to guide her back onto the right path. So, with a deep breath, she finally revealed, "Jaclyn Wu was smuggled across the English Channel to France where my men handed her over to a Frenchman named Jean Louis, but I''m not sure where she''s gone from there..."

 Chapter 183 - Jaclyn Wu

    "Jean Louis?" Jackson said.


    He had heard this name before.


    After all, he had been a part of the gangs in France for almost 8 years: first in Paris and then in Marseille.


    There were a few ways to get between England and France. Back in the days, the ferry used to be the popular option, but after the introduction of the Eurostar train and the Channel Tunnel, people began to opt for these faster and more convenient options. After all, ferries couldn''t take a person inland to places like Paris.


    As ferries began to drop in popularity, border control also became less strict. Thus, smugglers like the one that Freya worked with, preferred to use the ferry to move people.


    The ferries were big enough to transport vehicles, so it was common for smugglers to drive onto the ferries with their trucks. All they had to do was give a small bribe and no one questioned what they were transporting. Unfortunately, it was a long and arduous journey that some people did not survive.


    Of course, most smugglers took the opposite direction, from France to the UK as many illegal immigrants from Asia and the Middle East believed they could live a better life there. But, Freya''s smugglers were moving in the opposite direction. After all, they weren''t just normal smugglers, they were human traffickers. The difference between smugglers and traffickers were the fact that traffickers kidnapped people and moved them without their consent. They were much more dangerous and coldhearted because they weren''t helping the people they were moving, they were selling them off into the drug and s.e.x trade.


    After Jackson heard the name, Jean Louis, he immediately gave Amelie and Alexander a phone call. They were likely back in France. Perhaps, they could lend a hand.


    "Amelie, do you know anything about the smuggler, Jean Louis. I''m pretty sure Jacques worked with him in the past," Jackson queried.


    Amelie thought about the gangster boss that she dated while she was undercover. She never liked the man, but she had to do it as a part of her cover. 2 years ago, Jacques had discovered her identity and tried to kill her, so Interpol faked her death. But, after that, they struggled to put her on other missions for a year because Jacques was so well-connected in France that everyone knew about his ''Interpol girlfriend''. In the end, they made her watch over the safe house where she eventually met Alexander and reunited with Jackson.


    Even though Jacques ended up dying late last year, the thought of the man still disgusted her.


    "Yes, I remember Jean well. Apparently, his operations have grown bigger and he recently started working with a group of Italians," Amelie replied. "Why? Is he somehow involved with your sister''s disappearance?"


    "Nightingale passed her onto him," Jackson replied. "We''re going to take the Channel Tunnel over to the Port of Calais right now. Hopefully, we can get some information on what he''s done to Jaclyn."


    "OK, I''ll help you check the ferry records and see if any mysterious trucks passed through our borders today. Call me again when you get to France," Amelie offered.


    ...


    Jaclyn Wu had lived separate to her family since she was 8 years old and spent the last 15 years in London. Because of this, she was quite independent, but at the same time, she was used to doing whatever she wanted and had become quite spoilt. This was further spurred by her mother sending her money every single week as well as the latest designer clothes and handbags. In a way, Auntie Lily felt guilty for leaving her daughter on her own, and Jaclyn knew this, but she didn''t understand why her mother did it.


    Of course, her mother had never told her how evil Emma Wu was. Sometimes, Jaclyn Wu was so oblivious that she was even jealous of the way that Mother Wu treated Emerson.


    Jaclyn Wu had never worked a day in her life. She had nice clothes, she ate nice food, she went to a top university and she drove a nice car. The only thing that was a little normal about her was the fact that she lived in the dorms with other average students. This was something that she specifically requested. After all, life was lonely in London on her own, and having roommates was the only thing that kept her sane. It was because of this decision that anyone even noticed that she was missing. If she had lived on her own, she may have already disappeared without a trace.


    Jaclyn was heading out to meet a boy on the day that she was taken. He was a student that went to the same university as her but he was from another faculty. The first time they met, she almost hit him with her car when he was crossing the road without looking. The young man was handsome. He had brown hair, hazel eyes, and a dazzling smile, and Jaclyn was immediately drawn to him. Above all, he was charismatic, smart, and charming. So, when he asked her out on a date, she agreed without hesitation.


    But, on the night that she went to meet him, she never arrived at her destination. Before she even left the university campus, she was knocked out, dragged into the bushes and injected with drugs. Then, she was thrown into the back of a truck and taken to a warehouse where her captors waited for the right time to smuggle her out of the country.


    Her captors treated her like an animal, apart from feeding her and allowing her to go to the bathroom, she was chained up the rest of the time. But, she was never truly in her right mind to know what was happening because they continuously injected her with something that threw her into a continuous state of euphoria. The first time they injected her, she vomited, her head spun and she thought she was going to die, but the second injection made her feel calm and relaxed. By the third injection, she actually felt a sense of warmth and safety, something that she lacked while living on her own all these years. She didn''t like the injections at first, but it didn''t take long before she started to look forward to it...


    What was this magical concoction that they were injecting into her?


    She didn''t know how much time passed, but her captors soon unchained her and forced her into the back of a truck with a few other women. They were in the truck for half a day, rolling around as it moved them to some unknown place. She didn''t know where they were going and she didn''t care. All she knew was she wanted another shot of whatever they injected her with.


    She was eventually led out of the truck and forced onto another truck. Along the way, she begged for another injection and they gave it to her. It made the next leg of her travels much more bearable and she was grateful for it.


    She had no idea that she had already left her luxurious and comfortable life in London and was traveling through France in the back of a truck en route to Italy where she was about to be given a fake identity so she could be sold off as a s.e.x slave. Worst of all, if she wasn''t rescued soon, she was about to do it willingly like many women before her, because the concoction that was being injected into her...was heroin. A highly addictive opioid that addicts were willing to do anything for...

 Chapter 184 - Breakfast In Lille

    The trip between London and Calais took roughly 3 hours. By the time that Jackson, Halia, Trisha, and Oliver drove out of the Channel Tunnel, the sun had risen. Factoring in the time difference between France and the UK, it was already 7am in the French port town of Calais.


    Amelie and Alexander had stayed up all night, checking border crossings and tracing the location of Jean Louis. So, as soon as Jackson got the chance, he immediately gave Amelie a phone call to see if she had discovered anything.


    "A truck arrived from Folkestone at roughly 5am yesterday morning. The strange thing was, it spent less than half an hour on French soil before it turned back around and returned to the UK. The goods it delivered must have been really light and they must have had a lot of manpower...or the goods must have walked out of the truck themselves..." Amelie revealed. "Usually, activity like this is flagged as suspicious. But, in this particular case, nothing was marked in the system. It is highly likely that your sister was in that truck..."


    "Uh huh," Jackson agreed. Human trafficking was like a relay. The faster they passed on their goods, the better.


    Jackson furrowed his brows. If Amelie was right, then his sister would have arrived in France over 24 hours ago. If that was the case, then they had a lot of catching up to do. In 24 hours, Jaclyn could be anywhere, especially now that they were in the EU and they had open borders between many of the neighboring countries.


    "I''ve spoken to Captain Berger and Captain Berger has spoken to President Kim at Interpol headquarters. Freya Brown surrendered herself to London police a couple of hours ago and revealed that Jaclyn had been taken by a ring of international human traffickers. Now that it''s been confirmed that this case involves an international human trafficking ring, it is no longer just a domestic kidnapping case. The case has been passed on to Interpol and Alexander and I have been given the authority to investigate this as an official mission. You don''t need to investigate in private anymore. With the resources and connections at Interpol, I''m sure we will be able to catch up to your sister and her captors very soon," Amelie comforted.


    Jackson smiled. This was a slight bit of consolation.


    At that moment, Alexander who was standing next to Amelie, received a phone call, "Bonjour...oui...Lille?"


    Amelie watched with anticipation as Alexander''s eyes grew bigger. She could tell that he had received some useful information.


    A moment later, Alexander hung up his phone and quickly grabbed Amelie''s phone. "An undercover agent based in Lille just called. Jean Louis has been spotted eating breakfast in Lille. He is there right now!" he told Jackson urgently. The distance between Calais and Lille was just over an hour. If Jackson and the others rushed there now, they could probably catch Jean Louis before he left.


    Jackson immediately hung up the phone and ordered Oliver to stop the car. They had just exited the tunnel and were heading towards the town, but Jackson shooed Oliver out of the driver''s seat and took over. They were now in France, his territory, he had been undercover here for 8 years and knew these roads better than anyone.


    With a quick turn of the steering wheel, he directed the car onto the highway and sped down it at full speed.


    "Where are we going?" Oliver asked.


    "Having breakfast in Lille," Jackson replied.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in the back of a truck somewhere, Jaclyn Wu had just woken up. She had been ushered off the truck and onto another one multiple times during the night, but her mind was such a blur that she had no idea how many trucks she had moved between and where she was at that very moment.


    Finally, after what felt like forever, a man grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into a building. The man was tall and built and he had an extremely sharp jawline. In fact, his jaw was so sharp, it felt like he could cut through something with it. The building smelled of fresh alcohol and cigarettes, but it was completely empty. It seemed, only a few hours ago, this place would have been quite busy.


    The man sat Jaclyn down on a sofa and smiled at her. They were inside a club that was closed for the day.


    "Sit here and I give you needle later," the man said in broken English.


    Jaclyn nodded her head obediently as she leaned back on the sofa. She didn''t know where she was, but she was not frightened. The opioid inside of her was making her feel relaxed, warm and safe - it felt good. As she watched the man disappear down a corridor, she had no urge to hide nor escape, all she wanted was for him to return and give her another shot of the magical drug.


    As she sat there staring at the ceiling, she suddenly felt a light tap on her shoulder.


    "Wie hei?t du?" a voice whispered beside her.


    Jaclyn sat up straight and turned to the direction of the voice. A beautiful woman was sitting next to her. Her dark blue eyes staring straight at her with confusion.


    "What are you saying?" Jaclyn tilted her head, unable to understand the woman.


    "What is your name?" the woman asked in English when she realized Jaclyn didn''t understand her.


    "Jaclyn," Jaclyn replied.


    The woman looked into Jaclyn''s glassy eyes and sighed, "Do you know where you are?"


    Jaclyn shook her head and closed her eyes for a second, "Am I at the Ministry of Sound?"


    The Ministry of Sound was a famous club in London.


    The woman shook her head in surprise. "Do you even know what city or country you''re in?" she asked.


    "Of course I do! I''m in London, Eng...land..." the young woman said, slurring her speech at the end.


    The blue-eyed woman held a hand to her head in a panic, "You''re in Germany! Munich, Germany! I need to get you out of here right now!"


    The woman quickly slipped an arm behind Jaclyn''s back and tried to help her onto her feet, but Jaclyn pushed her away. "I have to wait here," she said.


    "No, you need to get out of here. I think you''re in danger," the woman insisted as she tried to help Jaclyn up again.


    However, she suddenly heard some footsteps approaching. With a sigh, the woman quickly let go of Jaclyn and ran to hide. This was not the first time she had seen a strange woman in this club after hours. But, every time she did, the woman would be gone the next day...never to be seen again...


    She never knew what happened to them, but her instincts told her something wasn''t right...

 Chapter 185 - Munich

    It took just over an hour to get to Lille, a town near the border of Belgium. Due to its central location between Paris, London, and Brussels, many viewed it as a ''stopover'' destination.


    As Jackson and the others pulled up outside an address that Amelie had given them, Jackson glanced out the car window and saw some people sitting outside a cafe. The French enjoyed people-watching, so all the seats outside the cafe were turned to face the street. Jackson quickly pulled out his phone and made a video call to Amelie.


    Even though Jackson had heard of the name Jean Louis before, he had never met the man in person. After all, Jackson''s gang operated from the South of France and Jean Louis was based in the North of France. However, Jackson''s boss, Jacques, did have some interaction with the man. On the odd occasion when he needed to smuggle goods across the northern borders, he would usually contact Jean Louis and Jean Louis would contact Jacques for anything related to the south. Both men were criminals, but they were both honorable in the sense that they respected each other''s territory


    So, even though Jackson had never seen the man, Amelie had accompanied Jacques to meet him a few times and knew how he looked.


    "Is Jean Louis here?" Jackson asked as he put Amelie on video call and scanned his phone across the outside of the cafe.


    Amelie looked carefully at the faces that appeared on her phone. She had only seen the man 3 times, but she was confident she would be able to recognize him.


    As Jackson pointed his phone towards a brown-haired man, Amelie suddenly screamed out, "Stop! That''s him! The one with the beard! That''s Jean Louis!"


    Jackson peered out at the brown-haired Frenchman. He was sitting by himself but he looked comfortable and confident like he owned the place.


    "Stay here," Jackson said to Halia, Trisha, and Oliver as he stepped out of the car. "I''ll be right back."


    He then walked over to the man and sat down next to him.


    "Hello, Mr. Louis," he said straightforwardly in French.


    The man turned his head and looked in surprise at the handsome oriental man beside him.


    Firstly, he was surprised that this oriental man knew his name. Secondly, he was surprised that he spoke French. And lastly, he was surprised that he approached him so confidently.


    "Who are you?" the man asked.


    "Jackson from Marseille. I used to work with Jacques," Jackson introduced himself. "We''ve spoken on the phone before, but we''ve never met in person."


    The man nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Oh yes, what a surprise to see you here. I thought you returned to China after Jacques died. Why are you here and how did you know it was me?"


    "I''ll be honest with you. My sister was kidnapped and I was told that she passed through your hands, so I probed around to find you" Jackson said.


    The man looked at Jackson in surprise. "Your sister?" he queried.


    Jean Louis had worked with Jacques before and respected him. Even though they were criminals, there was always an unspoken rule of honor in the underworld - they could target anyone but each other. Jean Louis and Jacques were both old-school and understood that without these rules, there would be too much fighting and nothing would ever be done. Since there was plenty of money to go around, why did they have to step on each other''s toes? With this understanding, he and Jacques operated harmoniously for many years; Jean Louis in the north and Jacques in the south.


    However, after Jacques died, the person that took over did not respect these rules. The young man was greedy and ruthless and it caused quite a bit of tension. As a result, Jean Louis could no longer smuggle goods to Italy via the Southern borders and it caused quite a bit of frustration for him. He hated dishonorable people like that.


    So, knowing that Jackson was Jacques''right-hand man and discovering that he was involved with his sister''s disappearance, Jean Louis was appalled. If he had known, he would have never agreed to the deal; it was such a dishonorable thing to do.


    "She arrived yesterday from the UK through the port of Calais. A woman known as Nightingale organized it. She would have been known by the name ''Sparrow''," Jackson said, hoping that the man would consider their past working relationship and help him.


    Jean Louis furrowed his brows and replied, "She definitely passed through here yesterday morning, but it was a quick transfer through Lille. My men picked her up from Calais and immediately passed her through the border to Belgium. A truck came and took her; I believe they were headed for Brussels."


    He then picked up his phone and made a phone call. "Where did ''Sparrow'' go?" he growled. "We need to get her back. She''s one of our own."


    Jackson watched as the man made one phone call after another. Finally, he stopped and said to Jackson, "You''re lucky, ever since Jacques passed away, I lost my route to Italy via the South so I''ve had to divert all my smuggling through the North and made some new contacts along the way. I made some calls for you, your sister went to Brussels, where she was placed on another truck to Cologne and then finally transferred to Munich. Supposedly, a man named Elias Muller took her to Munich. I''ve never worked with him before so there''s nothing I can do for you. But, you can try to find him and see what you can do. I know a man named Trojan mapped out the entire route, but I have no idea where the final destination is, if you''re quick enough, you may be able to catch up. She would have arrived in Munich a few hours ago. I think your best bet is to go there and see if you can track her down. "


    Jackson immediately stood up and ran back to his car. "We need to get to Munich as soon as possible," he said as he started the car.


    Their fastest option was to drive to Brussels, which was roughly 1.5 hours away, and then catch a 1-hour flight to Munich. Factoring in delays, it would at least take them 3-4 hours. What would happen in these 3-4 hours? Would Jaclyn still be in Munich by the time they got there?

 Chapter 186 - Muller

    Inside the dark after-hours club, Jaclyn smiled as the sharp-jawed man returned. In his hand, he was holding a syringe and she knew what was inside.


    The drive between Cologne and Munich took 6 hours, so she had not received an injection since they left Cologne and the effects had already died down. Thus, she was craving more. She never knew something could make her feel so good and the effects were addictive. So addictive that she couldn''t stop thinking about it.


    It was no surprise that she felt this way. After all, heroin was one of the most addictive drugs available on the market. It made a person feel good by influencing the production of feel-good chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine and endorphins, and nearly one in four people that tried it for the first time became addicted to it.


    Human traffickers knew this, and they knew that once addicted, addicts would do anything for another shot, so they often used it on their victims. Initially, it was a good way to keep them quiet. But, ultimately, it was an effective way to turn them into obedient slaves.


    The man stabbed the syringe into Jaclyn''s arm and her eyes rolled back in pleasure as she felt the drug rush to her brain. Yes, this was the feeling she had been waiting for.


    "Stay here. Truck come for you in 2 hours. You go to Italy. Be good and they give you another shot," the man said in broken English.


    Jaclyn smiled and nodded her head. Italy? She had never been to Italy before. If there was a shot waiting for her at the other end, she couldn''t wait to go to Italy.


    Meanwhile, hidden behind some crates of alcohol, the beautiful blue-eyed woman from earlier, shook her head. She knew that Italy was likely the final destination for Jaclyn because there was no other reason to enter Italy. After all, from Munich, all of Italy''s neighboring countries could be easily accessed without passing through the Italian border. But, why was she being taken to Italy?


    Jaclyn''s hair was messy and she was a little smelly from over 24 hours of travel, but the blue-eyed woman could clearly see that her nails were neatly manicured and her clothes were branded. Plus, she did not show signs of long-term drug use. She wasn''t some drug addict that had been randomly picked up off the streets; she was obviously kidnapped and she looked quite well-off.


    So, as soon as the man left again, the woman immediately ran back over to Jaclyn and tried to knock some sense into her, "Jaclyn, I think you''ve been kidnapped and they are taking you to Italy. I have a bad feeling about this. You need to get out of here before my brother returns."


    "Your brother?" Jaclyn mumbled with confusion.


    "My name is Mia Muller. The man you just met was my brother. I think you are about to be sold off to someone in Italy..." the woman said worriedly.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Brussels, Jackson and the others had just reached the airport. Fortunately, they managed to get tickets for the next direct flight to Munich, but there were only two seats left at the front and two seats left at the back.


    Of course, Jackson seated Halia next to himself and placed Trisha next to Oliver, but Trisha did not understand this arrangement. In fact, she didn''t quite understand why Halia was there at all. It wasn''t like she was from Interpol.


    "I don''t understand why that woman is here," Trisha complained as she sat down next to Oliver.


    "What do you mean?" Oliver asked. "Weren''t you the one that practically invited yourself on this mission?"


    Trisha glared at the man, "That''s because the captain needed my help. I don''t see how she''s of any help. She''s obviously clinging to the captain like a useless sidekick. She even tried to sound close to the captain by calling Jaclyn Wu her sister!"


    "How shameless..." Trisha scowled as she stood up and tried to take a look at the couple.


    Trisha and Oliver were sitting pretty far back in the plane, so Halia and Jackson''s heads were like two little marbles at the front of the plane.


    "I think you''re the shameless one..." Oliver sighed as an air stewardess walked past, gesturing for Trisha to sit back down and put on her seatbelt.


    Trisha frowned and sighed as she did as told.


    "That''s it! I need to find an opportunity to show off my skills. I can''t let that woman outshine me..." Trisha said with determination.


    Oliver looked at the woman and held back a smile. This woman was so clueless. Wasn''t it obvious that Halia and Jackson were a couple? Did she not see the ring on Halia''s finger and the bracelet that read J&H in Morse Code? Even he figured it out by now...


    But, he decided not to reveal it to her just yet. After all, it was fun to watch the woman''s comical reactions. It was one of the many things that were unique about her.


    ...


    Down at the front of the plane, Halia grabbed onto Jackson''s hand comfortingly and said, "Don''t worry, we will definitely find her. Tell me what you know so far."


    Jackson wrapped an arm around Halia''s shoulder and pulled her into his embrace. Lucky this woman was there to keep him sane. Even though he didn''t know his stepsister well and they barely saw each other, he did feel bad for Auntie Lily. After all, Auntie Lily had always been nice to him, and as a mother, she tolerated Emma Wu and tried her best to protect her daughter. But, even if it wasn''t Jaclyn that had been taken and it was a complete stranger, Jackson would have still been frustrated and disgusted by this case. To him, Human trafficking was one of the worst crimes in existence.


    "Jean Louis said that Trojan mapped out a route for Jaclyn. She went from France, up to Brussels, then to Cologne and finally ended up in Munich this morning. She is now in the hands of a man named, Elias Muller, but we aren''t sure if that is Jaclyn''s final destination," Jackson explained.


    Halia closed her eyes and thought for a second. Elias Muller. The name sounded familiar.


    "Elias Muller..." she repeated the name to herself.


    Jackson glanced at his fiancee as she repeated the man''s name over and over again like she was trying to hypnotize herself.


    Suddenly, as the plane began to lift off, Halia fell silent.


    Jackson looked worriedly at the woman as her eyes remained closed. "Halia?" he checked as he gently shook her.


    There was no response.


    "Halia?" he asked again.


    Suddenly, Halia raised a hand as her eyelids twitched, "Shhh! I see something...It''s a club...Muller...Elias Muller owns a club in Munich called ''Muller''!"


    Jackson looked at his fiancee in surprise, "Is that Trojan''s memory?"


    Halia looked back at Jackson with an equally surprised expression as she nodded her head. This was the first time she had accessed another person''s memory like that. Normally, the memories randomly came to her...


    Had she found a way to control it?

 Chapter 187 - The Escape

    Trisha leaned forward in her seat as the plane took off and tried to look at Jackson and Halia. "What are they doing?" she asked.


    Oliver looked at the woman and chuckled. "Probably discussing what to do when we land."


    Trisha furrowed her brows. "Hurry, help me map out a good plan. I need to think of a better plan than that woman! Have you ever been to Munich?" she asked.


    Oliver shook his head. Surprisingly, he had never been.


    Trisha frowned. "Then why are you still here? You serve no purpose!" she complained.


    Oliver laughed. This woman had always been competitive and straightforward, but he knew she meant no harm. "What about you? Have you been to Munich?" he questioned back.


    Trisha shut up her mouth and shook her head. She knew what he was trying to say: he was trying to say that she served no purpose either.


    "I''m following along to doc.u.ment this case. I want to write an article about this issue," Oliver said.


    Trisha looked at the man''s serious expression. She still remembered a conversation they once had when she was an undercover agent in London. He had told her about his dream to help people through his articles and how he wanted to encourage change by bringing the problems of the world to light.


    Oliver noticed Trisha staring at him and suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Why was she staring at him like that?


    ...


    Meanwhile, over in Munich, Jaclyn glanced up at the blue-eyed woman in front of her. Just like her brother, the young German woman had a sharp jawline and prominent features. But, unlike the harsh vibe that her brother gave off, these features paired with her tall slender figure, made her look stunning like a model.


    As she helped Jaclyn stand up, Jaclyn realized she was only up to the woman''s shoulder.


    "How old are you?" Jaclyn couldn''t help but ask. Had this woman finished growing?


    "I''m 20," the young woman replied.


    Jaclyn''s eyes opened wide in shock. She was already 23, but she felt like a child next to this woman. "I''m older than you," Jaclyn commented with a sigh. Growing up in a Western country, Jaclyn had always been a little self-conscious of her height. But, it wasn''t just her height that she was unhappy with. Her ideals of beauty had been skewed by the media around her, and she had always hoped for lighter hair, lighter eyes, lighter skin...pretty much everything that Mia had.


    Jaclyn scanned her eyes across the young woman again. She had never seen someone so beautiful.


    It was like an angel was standing before her.


    "You''re gorgeous," Jaclyn admired as the woman grabbed her hand and started leading the way.


    Mia blushed a little. This woman was probably rambling because she was still high from the drugs in her system, but it felt good to be praised.


    Just like Jaclyn, Mia had her own problems with body image. Her height made her feel like a giant and she always felt like she wasn''t skinny enough. Because of this, she had struggled with anorexia and depression for many years and experimented with drugs in the past. Even though she had quit drugs a few years back, she found she had simply substituted it with alcohol and it was turning into a problem. There were incidences when she would blackout from drinking and wake up not knowing what she had done. Of course, her doctor told her she was too young to be addicted to alcohol and suggested that she get help, but she refused. As a result, her brother got rid of everything alcoholic at home and warned all the local bars and bottle shops not to serve her; no one dared defy him. This explained why she was in her brother''s club after hours. She had snuck in to steal alcohol...


    "This way," Mia said as she dragged Jaclyn towards the women''s bathroom.


    Jaclyn giggled, "Do you need to go to the toilet?"


    "No," Mia replied as she pulled the woman through the door with her.


    She then climbed up onto the sink and moved a panel in the ceiling aside. "This is how we''re getting out of this place."


    ...


    Soon, Jackson, Halia and the others arrived in Munich. As it was heading into summer, the weather was slightly warm.


    By now, the city had woken up and everyone was heading to work. Halia checked the map on her phone and located the club she had seen in Trojan''s memory.


    "How did you find out that Elias Muller has a club?" Trisha asked with doubt. Where did this information suddenly come from? "Are you simply making an assumption because the bar uses his surname? You do know that Muller is one of the most popular surnames in Germany, right?"


    "You don''t need to worry about that. Just know that the information is reliable," Jackson answered on behalf of Halia.


    Trisha frowned. Jackson was already siding with Halia. If this continued, she would lose her position as a Wu Girl. She couldn''t let that happen.


    At that moment, she pulled out a laptop from her bag. It was her time to shine.


    "What are you doing?" Jackson asked.


    "Hacking into the cameras to confirm that we have the right information," Trisha replied as she started tapping away at the keys. The club was in a busy part of town; there were bound to be surveillance cameras nearby.


    Jackson looked impressed. He had always known that Trisha was a capable Interpol agent. He had looked through her file and seen her history. Not only did she have a black belt in karate, she also had a driving license, a flying license, a boat license, and even a submarine license. But, most impressive of all, the reason why she was scouted for Interpol, was the fact that she was a professional hacker!


    So, it didn''t take long before some live surveillance footage started showing up on Trisha''s laptop.


    "Bingo!" Trisha said as she zoomed in on one of the cameras.


    There was one camera that pointed directly at the entrance of ''Muller''.


    As the group boarded a taxi towards the club, Trisha scanned through footage from a few hours ago and concentrated on every little detail.


    Oliver glanced over at the woman beside him and smiled.


    This was how they became friends. He admired her seriousness when she was focused on a case.


    As he watched her furrow her brows, he felt the urge to lend her a hand.


    Slowly, Oliver leaned over and peered into Trisha''s screen. As he leaned in, he could smell the soft scent of her perfume and it brought back memories of when they first met. After not seeing her for so long, she still smelled the same.


    Trisha felt the man''s warm body move in closer to her, but even though her heart skipped a beat, she remained focused on the screen in front.


    When she left London to return to China, they both thought they''d never see each other again. Who knew they''d reunite and end up sitting this close in a taxi in the middle of Germany...

 Chapter 188 - The Topless Man

    "Stop!" Oliver screamed out as he pointed to Trisha''s laptop screen.


    The taxi driver quickly stepped on the brakes in shock and everyone in the car jolted forward. Fortunately, seatbelts in Germany were compulsory, otherwise, they would have been thrown straight out the front window. "Do you want to get off here?" the taxi driver asked in surprise. They were in the middle of a highway!


    Oliver quickly glanced up apologetically and shook his hand, "No no, sorry, I wasn''t talking to you. Please continue."


    The driver shook his head and grumbled something under his breath before he continued.


    Jackson turned around curiously in the front passenger seat and asked, "Did you discover something?"


    Oliver and Trisha stared at the screen as Halia leaned over to have a look as well.


    On the screen, footage from a camera that was facing the entrance of Muller was playing.


    Oliver pointed to the screen and yelled, "There! There! Stop."


    Trisha quickly paused the footage and looked at the man with confusion. All she could see was an empty street and the front of the club.


    "Zoom in," Oliver said.


    Trisha did as told.


    As the footage zoomed in, Halia began to notice something on the glass doors of the club. It was a reflection!


    "It''s a truck," Oliver explained.


    The two girls looked at Oliver and didn''t quite understand the fuss. There were plenty of trucks in Germany, what made this one so special? Sure, Jaclyn was likely being smuggled in the back of a truck, but they couldn''t be suspicious of every single truck, especially not one that was just passing by on the streets.


    Oliver furrowed his brows in frustration. "Look at the time and the date," he said.


    "7:15am, Saturday 1st June. And?" Trisha queried.


    At that moment, Jackson realized what Oliver was trying to say. "Trucks are banned from the roads on Saturdays during the German Summer between the hours of 7am and 8pm. Most drivers try to get their trucks back to their companies before 7am. Why is a truck driving around the downtown at this time of the day? Unless...the truck is about to park somewhere..." Jackson said.


    "Do we have any cameras that point to the loading dock of Muller?" Oliver asked.


    Trisha immediately started searching and finally hacked into the security camera of a convenience store on the other side of the road. The camera pointed out onto the street and showed the driveway to Muller''s loading dock.


    Trisha quickly set the footage to 7:15am and clapped her hands in surprise. At exactly 7:16am, the same truck was seen turning the corner and driving into Muller''s loading dock. Oliver and Jackson were right, the truck had parked inside the loading dock of Muller!


    "I''m sure Jaclyn was in there!" Halia said.


    ...


    It was 12pm, lunchtime.


    Elias Muller returned to his club with two lunch boxes. He was holding a woman captive, but he still needed to feed her; he couldn''t hand over a dead body to the Italians.


    Roughly 20 minutes ago, he had asked his men to guard the entrance and back exit of the club while he popped out to buy some food, but as he walked back in and headed to the spot where he had left the little ''Sparrow'', he realized she was gone.


    At first, he remained calm; she probably went to the bathroom. After all, he had men guarding the place; she couldn''t have possibly gotten out. Besides, he could tell that she was already addicted to the heroin shots that she had been receiving over the last few days, so he did not believe that she would leave.


    But, after he practically flipped the entire club upside down and still didn''t find any trace of the woman, he began to panic. He was supposed to lock her back in the truck in 2 hours time so the club could prepare to reopen in the evening and then deliver her to the Italian border at 8pm when trucks were allowed back on the road. Where did she go?


    At that moment, as he stood helplessly in the women''s bathroom, he glanced up and noticed a panel in the ceiling had been knocked slightly out of place. He quickly climbed up on the sink and moved the panel aside. The ceiling of the club was connected to the hotel next door. He had forgotten that it was one big building.


    "No way..." he grumbled in disbelief as he realized what may have happened. Did she escape through the ceiling?


    ...


    Mia dragged Jaclyn through the lobby of the luxurious hotel. She had discovered the secret passage when her brother was renovating the club a few years back; no one knew about it except for her (and probably the men who did the renovations).


    "Where are we going?" Jaclyn asked.


    "Somewhere safe," Mia replied as they walked out the front door of the hotel and flagged down a taxi.


    Soon, the two girls arrived outside an apartment block and Mia led Jaclyn to a condo on the 5th floor. "My friend lives here," she said as she rang the doorbell. "You can stay here until we figure out what to do."


    "Shouldn''t we go to the police?" Jaclyn asked. The initial rush of the drugs was gone, and even though she still felt quite calm and relaxed, her logic was beginning to kick in.


    "No, my brother has connections in the police. I don''t know who we can trust," Mia said as the door to the condo opened.


    "Hey there, beautiful," a seductive male voice resounded from the doorway.


    Jaclyn glanced over and saw a topless man staring at them with his chocolate brown eyes. It was only the first day of summer, plus summer wasn''t even that hot in Germany, did this man have to walk around with no shirt on?


    But, then again, this was his home, he could do whatever he wanted. Jaclyn had no right to complain.


    Mia leaned over and kissed the man on the cheek and the man reciprocated. Jaclyn looked at the two; they both looked gorgeous like models. Was this Mia''s boyfriend?


    "Jaclyn, this is John. John, this is Jaclyn. Jaclyn needs help," Mia said to the man.


    John immediately hooked an arm around Jaclyn affectionately and led her inside, "Come, let''s see what I can do for you..."


    Jaclyn didn''t know what it was, but she felt there was something odd about this man.


    Just as she was thinking this, she heard a loud bang behind her. Mia had closed the front door. Jaclyn glanced around the condo, it was quite big and she could see it had a few rooms. But, there was something eerie about the place. It was midday, but the curtains were drawn shut and there were handcuffs and rope lying around. Did this guy have some kind of fetish?


    Jaclyn subconsciously glanced back at the angelic-looking Mia for reassurance but noticed that her expression had changed.


    Her gaze suddenly felt cold as she stared straight into Jaclyn''s eyes and said, "Tie her up!"

 Chapter 189 - The Sparrows Missing

    It didn''t take long before Jackson and the others pulled up outside Muller. The taxi driver glanced at the group confusedly. "This club is very famous, but don''t you think you''re a bit early?" he asked as he looked at the time: it was only 12:30pm.


    Who went to the club in the middle of the day? The club wasn''t even open yet...


    "Oh, foreigners," he mumbled under his breath as he dropped them off and drove away.


    Jackson immediately led the group to the loading dock of the club.


    Big roller doors sealed the driveway, but there was just enough gap to peek inside. Jackson leaned against the roller doors and glanced around. Just as they expected, the truck from the security footage was parked inside.


    "The truck''s still here," Jackson said.


    Halia and the others immediately leaned against the door as well to have a look.


    "Does that mean they''re still inside?" Trisha asked.


    Jackson did not reply as he continued to scan every inch of the dock.


    At that moment, the back door of the club suddenly flew open and a tall German man walked out.


    Jackson and the others continued to peek in with confusion. What was happening? The man''s face looked quite panicked.


    He stormed over to the truck and started yelling angrily in German. Two men then jumped out of the truck and immediately ran inside the club.


    "What''s happening?" Halia asked.


    She couldn''t understand German, but something did not feel right.


    "He said..."


    "...the Sparrow''s missing..." Jackson replied.


    Jackson was fluent in many languages, and German was one of them...


    The four moved away from the roller doors and looked at each other with understanding.


    The Sparrow was missing...


    Jaclyn was missing...


    "Did she escape?" Trisha asked.


    Jackson quickly glanced around the streets with hope. "Trisha, I want you to check the security cameras in this entire vicinity for the last hour. We need to find her before they do!"


    ...


    Jaclyn opened her eyes and blinked a few times. A moment ago, she had been knocked out inside the home of a man she had just met.


    As she looked at her tied up wrists, she sighed in frustration.


    All the signs were there.


    Why did she follow a stranger that she just met to the home of a man that she didn''t know? When Mia said not to contact the police, she should have known that something was wrong...


    Jaclyn yawned a few times. She was feeling oddly tired.


    "Jaclyn..." a female voice approached.


    Jaclyn looked up and saw Mia walking towards her with some food.


    "What are you trying to do to me?" Jaclyn cried as she tried to break free from the restraints.


    "It''s normal to feel a little tired. In a few more hours, you are going to feel worse. Have some food and drink, you still have a long journey ahead of you," the young woman smirked.


    Jaclyn looked at the woman in a panic. What did she mean? What was she planning to do to her?


    "No! I''d rather die!" Jaclyn said as she spat at the woman.


    Mia wiped away the spit and placed some rice up to Jaclyn''s mouth. "Are you sure you don''t want to eat? You haven''t eaten all morning," she said.


    Jaclyn kept her mouth shut and turned away.


    Just as she did this, she suddenly heard a scream coming from one of the bedrooms. It was a woman''s voice and her scream was blood-curdling.


    "Is there someone else in here?" Jaclyn asked as her eyes enlarged.


    Mia glanced towards the bedroom door where the scream came from. "She arrived a couple of days before you..." she said.


    As she spoke, the bedroom door opened and the topless man from earlier walked out. Through the gap in the door, Jaclyn could see a distraught young woman lying on the floor with her hands cuffed to the leg of a bed. Her hair and clothes were all in a mess.


    "Let me go..." she cried weakly.


    John closed the door and glanced at Jaclyn. Jaclyn noticed he had a few fresh scratches on his arm. The woman must have put up quite a fight.


    Jaclyn swallowed in fear. What had she gotten herself into?


    ...


    While Trisha hacked into the local security cameras again, Jackson and Halia walked around to the neighboring stores with a photo of Jaclyn.


    "Have you seen this woman?" Jackson asked the man in the convenience store opposite.


    The man looked at the photo and shook his head.


    After asking a few stores, they finally ended up outside the hotel that was connected to the club.


    Halia walked up to the bellboy that was standing at the entrance and showed him the photo in her hands. "Have you seen this woman?" she asked.


    The bellboy looked at the photo and picked it up to take a closer look. "Yes, I saw her about 40 minutes ago!" he said.


    "She was running out with a German woman and they boarded a taxi. They looked to be in quite a hurry. I noticed her because her hair was messy and her clothes were really dirty. Our guests aren''t usually like that," the bellboy scowled with disgust.


    "Did you recognize the German woman by any chance?" Jackson asked.


    "I''ve seen her a few times. She seems to be a regular at the hotel, but she always seems to be in a rush," the young man replied.


    At that moment, Jackson received a phone call from Oliver. He and Trisha had discovered something. "She ran out of the hotel next to the club and boarded a taxi with a woman," Oliver said.


    "Yes, that''s what we''ve discovered as well," Jackson said, confirming that their information matched.


    "I''ll send you a screenshot," Oliver said. "Maybe you can investigate further. We will try to trace the taxi they caught."


    As soon as Jackson hung up the phone, he received a screenshot from Oliver. He immediately showed the screenshot to the bellboy, "Is this the woman you saw?"


    "Yes! That''s her!" the man replied.


    As he looked at the screenshot, a colleague leaned over nosily to have a look.


    "Hey! Isn''t that the sister of the boss from next door?" the older man asked.


    Jackson immediately looked at the man in surprise, "Do you know her?"


    "Yes, she comes here often. Her name is Mia Muller. Her brother owns the club next door."

 Chapter 190 - Finally Caught Up

    Oliver watched as Trisha''s fingers danced across the keyboard.


    "What are you doing now?" he asked curiously.


    "Finding the number plate of the taxi. That way, I can try to trace it," Trisha replied.


    Oliver watched as one camera footage popped up after another. Shop cameras, security cameras, CCTV cameras, road cameras...Trisha could get access to all of them.


    "There he is! The same taxi is driving down this street...it turned right here...oh, there it is again..." Trisha said as she focused on the taxi''s every move. This was her forte and she was going to show everyone what she was capable of.


    Oliver snuck a glance at Trisha. As much as he wanted to focus on the screen, he couldn''t help but find that his gaze was drawn to this woman. She wasn''t beautiful in traditional standards, but there was something extremely attractive about her. Her hair was short - just up to her chin - she had a beautiful smile and she had an air of sass.


    "There! That''s where they got out of the taxi!" Trisha yelled in excitement as she turned to look at Oliver.


    Trisha''s eyes met Oliver''s and she realized he was already staring at her.


    Trisha turned away awkwardly. Had he been staring at her the entire time? Or did he just so happen to look at her a moment before she turned her head?


    Trisha cleared her throat and pointed to the laptop screen. "The taxi dropped them off outside this apartment block, we should go there and investigate," she said.


    Oliver nodded his head in agreement as he adjusted the glasses that framed his bluish-grey eyes and called Jackson to tell him what they had discovered.


    "We found the location where the taxi dropped off Jaclyn and the woman she was with. It was outside an apartment block," Oliver explained. "We saw them walk inside and haven''t seen them come back out. I think we may have located your sister."


    Jackson sighed in relief. After chasing his sister halfway around the world, it seemed, they had finally caught up to her.


    "Great, we''ve discovered that the woman with Jaclyn is Elias Muller''s sister, Mia Muller. Halia searched for the woman''s Facebook account and found a clear picture of her. We are walking back to you guys right now," Jackson replied.


    The four reunited and swapped information before they boarded a taxi towards the apartment block that Trisha located.


    As soon as they got out of the taxi, Trisha took the photo of Mia to the security guard that was watching the building and presented her Interpol badge. "We are looking for someone. Have you seen this woman?" she asked.


    The security guard looked at the woman''s badge nervously. He then glanced at the photo in her hands and nodded his head. "Yes, she came in not too long ago with another guest," the man replied. "Is something wrong?"


    Jackson approached and immediately asked the man which apartment Mia went to.


    The man flipped open his logbook and replied, "She''s in apartment 504..."


    Before the man could say anything else, Jackson and the others rushed into the elevator and headed straight for the 5th floor.


    "Oliver, keep a safe distance. We will handle this," Trisha warned as they reached the door of apartment 504.


    Oliver frowned. He wanted to help, but he understood that he wasn''t trained and could get hurt or even get in the way, so he regretfully stepped back.


    Jackson then knocked on the door.


    At first, no one answered, so he tried again.


    A moment later, a topless young man opened the door. "Hi, how can I help you?" the man asked in German.


    3 Chinese people were standing at his door: were they trying to sell him something?


    Jackson stared confidently at the man and replied, "I''m looking for Mia Muller."


    Halia and Trisha peered nosily into the apartment and saw that there was a knocked over coffee table and a tipped vase on the floor.


    The man noticed the two women trying to look into his apartment, so he quickly stepped in front of them and cleared his throat. Did these people understand privacy?


    The topless man squinted his eye with suspicion and called towards a bedroom, "Mia, someone''s looking for you."


    "OK," a voice replied.


    The sound of a bedroom door opening and closing could be heard coming from inside as the trio looked at each other with anticipation.


    A moment later, a tall, brown-haired woman approached the doorway, her dark blue eyes staring at the trio with confusion. "I don''t think I know these people," she said. "Who are you?"


    "We are looking for Jaclyn Wu," Jackson said straightforwardly as soon as he recognized that the woman matched the photo they had. They definitely had the right person.


    "Jaclyn?" the woman asked. Her eyes darted awkwardly and she replied, "I don''t know any Jaclyn."


    Jackson knew the woman was lying. "We saw you running out of the hotel next to your brother''s club just an hour ago. Where is she?"


    Mia looked at the intimidating man. He had a cold vibe that reminded her of a gangster boss. Did this man know her brother? Was he sent by her brother to retrieve Jaclyn?


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. Go away or I will call the police," she threatened as she tried to close the door. She couldn''t hand Jaclyn back to her brother.


    Jackson quickly held onto the door and reached for his badge. But before he identified himself, he heard a scream coming from inside. "Let me go!" a weak voice wailed.


    Halia''s eyes opened wide. Even though she had only met Jaclyn once, she recognized her voice. Jaclyn had a squeaky high-pitched voice, almost like a chipmunk. "It''s Jaclyn," Halia said as she rushed in through the doorway. Why did she sound like she was in anguish? What did these people do to her? Were they too late?


    Mia and John immediately tried to grab onto Halia to stop her, but Halia easily avoided them with a flip. She then spun Mia around, kicked John away, restrained their arms behind their backs and pinned them to the floor.


    Trisha looked at Halia in surprise. She thought her black belt in karate was already impressive, but it seemed Halia was not only a higher level than her, but she was also skilled in other forms of martial arts.


    "Go look for your sister. I''ll hold onto these guys," Halia said as she looked at her fiance.


    Jackson smiled proudly at Halia and rushed inside to search the bedrooms...


    At that moment, Mia realized what Halia said. "Sister? Is Jaclyn that man''s sister?" she asked.


    "Yes!" Halia replied. "He''s also an Interpol agent. The two of you are under arrest..."

 Chapter 191 - Misunderstanding

    Jackson opened one of the bedroom doors and found a young woman lying on the floor handcuffed to the leg of a bed. Her hair and clothes were messy, she looked pale and her eyes were red from crying. "Please, let me go!" she screamed. "I''ve been here for a week!"


    Jackson looked at the woman''s face with pity; it wasn''t his sister, but it was still shocking to see. What were these people doing in this apartment? Was this some kind of sick fetish?


    "Trisha, help this woman," he said to Trisha before he rushed to the next room. Trisha quickly ran inside with discomfort. It was hard for a woman to see another woman in this state. What had happened to her? Why did she look so pale and frail?


    Jackson immediately ran over to the door of another bedroom. This time, when he opened the door, he found Jaclyn lying unconscious in a bed with her hands and legs tied. He felt his blood boil; how could they do this to his sister? He ran over and shook his sister awake. "Jaclyn, wake up. Are you OK?" he asked.


    Jaclyn gently opened her eyes in confusion and saw her brother. "Jackson, what are you doing here?" she asked as tears began to stream from her eyes. "Tell them you''re a big gangster boss and make them let me go!"


    "Don''t worry, I will get you out of here. Did they hurt you or do anything to you?" Jackson asked as he untied the young woman.


    Jaclyn slowly shook her head and trembled a little. "No, I only arrived not long ago. But, there''s a woman next door that arrived before me. Did you see her?"


    Jackson nodded his head. "My friend is helping her at the moment," he said as he led his sister back out to the living room where her captors were lying face down on the floor.


    "You can''t let her go!" Mia yelled when she saw Jaclyn.


    Jaclyn rubbed her wrists and clenched her fists anxiously as Jackson stormed over to the man and woman. He then pulled out his badge and said, "You are under arrest for the kidnapping of Jaclyn Wu and suspected involvement with an international human smuggling ring. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."


    Mia turned her head anxiously, "What? No, you can''t arrest us! You''ve misunderstood! We didn''t kidnap her and we aren''t involved in human smuggling. We saved her!"


    Halia kneeled down beside the woman. "How have we misunderstood? We found another woman in here and she said she''s been locked for a week now!"


    At that moment, the topless young man said, "I was helping her!"


    "Helping? You are one sick man," Trisha scowled.


    "No, I am serious. Check my drawers, all my certification is inside. I am an addiction specialist. These women are addicted to heroin!" the man explained.


    Halia and Jackson looked at the two Germans with doubt as Oliver walked over to one of the drawers.


    "I saw my brother injecting Jaclyn with heroin and noticed she was developing an addiction to it, so I brought her here. I was addicted a few years ago and John helped me overcome it. Recently, he''s been working with me on my alcohol addiction as well. He doesn''t work for a fancy hospital or rehabilitation clinic, but he is really good and I trust him," Mia explained. "He''s helped many people  in the past."


    "If you''re a specialist, why aren''t you wearing any clothes?" Trisha asked the young man.


    "Marie vomited all over me earlier," the man explained just as the woman that Trisha helped began to dry retch in the corner.


    Oliver flipped through the certificates in the drawers and furrowed his brows. "He''s telling the truth. These are legitimate doc.u.ments!"


    At that moment, Jackson turned his head and looked around. "Where did Jaclyn go?" he asked.


    "She stepped out to get some fresh air," Trisha replied.


    Jackson immediately jumped up and looked outside the door.


    The corridors on both sides were completely empty...


    "She''s gone!" he said in a panic.


    ...


    Jaclyn sat inside a taxi as she looked out the window and dug her nails into her arms anxiously. She had no idea that her brother was Interpol, nor did she know that Mia and John were trying to help her.


    All she knew was, she had to get back to the club to get another shot from Elias Muller. The drugs in her system were almost completely gone and she was beginning to feel restless and uncomfortable like bugs were crawling under her skin. It was unbearable...


    "Please hurry," Jaclyn said to the taxi driver as she bit her nails.


    The taxi driver glanced at the woman through his rearview mirror and sighed. "Junkie..." he whispered under his breath. He had seen many women like this in the past.


    Soon, the taxi stopped outside Muller. As soon as Jaclyn saw the place, she ran straight out of the taxi up to the front door and started banging on it.


    "You haven''t paid yet!" the taxi driver complained.


    However, Jaclyn ignored the man as she continued to pound on the big glass doors. She was smuggled into Germany, of course she had no money on her.


    Finally, a man opened the doors with confusion and the woman ran straight inside. The man that opened the door quickly paid the taxi driver and followed behind. He was the truck driver so he recognized Jaclyn. They had been searching everywhere for her. Who would have thought that she''d run back through the front door on her own?


    Jaclyn scurried through the club, searching frantically for the man that she met earlier. Where was he? She couldn''t even ask for him since she didn''t know his name, and even if she did, she couldn''t speak German. A few cleaner ladies glanced at the young woman as she ran past; the club was reopening in a few hours and they were getting the place ready for another night.


    Eventually, Jaclyn found her way to an office at the back of the club and saw Elias Muller screaming at someone on the phone. Without knocking on the door, she rushed inside and knelt on the floor.


    "Please, give me more..." she said weakly as she pulled up her sleeves.


    Elias turned around in surprise and looked at the woman. "My Little Sparrow...you''re back..." he smiled as he hung up his phone. "I''ve been looking everywhere for you...Where did you go?" he asked.


    "Please...another shot..." Jaclyn pleaded without answering.


    Elias smirked and pulled out a syringe from his drawers.


    "The Italians are going to like you..." he said as he walked towards the young woman.

 Chapter 192 - Not My Type

    Elias inserted the syringe into the young woman''s arm and she tilted her head back with satisfaction. The initial rush was the best. She couldn''t imagine living another day without it. How did she live through so many years without experiencing this?


    "Come to truck," Elias said as he opened the office door and grabbed Jaclyn''s arm. "You stay until 8pm tonight. I bring you food later."


    Jaclyn nodded her head obediently and followed the man out to the loading dock where the truck she had gotten out of earlier was still waiting. The truck driver that opened the club door for Jaclyn, immediately ran over and opened the back of the truck. Inside, there were three other women. Jaclyn looked at the three women with confusion. She remembered leaving Cologne with 5 other women, but they were dropped off at different locations along the way and she was the only one left in the truck when it pulled up at Muller that morning. Where did these three women come from?


    The three women had their hands and legs tied and they were m.o.a.ning and groaning in discomfort as they rolled around on the floor. As light flowed in, they squinted their eyes in pain and looked at Jaclyn. Jaclyn could see the fear in their eyes. Only a few days ago, this was how she felt as well. She had almost forgotten what had happened to her.


    That was right, she was heading out for a date when she was kidnapped and now she was all the way in Germany, heading for Italy. What were these people planning to do to her? What had they been injecting into her? Why did she feel like she had lost all logic? This wasn''t her, she wasn''t like this. Why did she return when she had already escaped?


    As the truck door closed and she fell into darkness, she suddenly realized that she had done the wrong thing.


    Just as she thought this, she suddenly heard a loud bang from outside.


    "Open the door," a voice yelled.


    Jaclyn lifted her head in surprise; she recognized the voice. It was her brother, Jackson.


    How did he find her so quickly? Actually, now that she thought about it, how did he find her at John''s place?


    Jaclyn sat in the darkness and heard the other girls in the truck cry, "Help! Help!"


    A moment later, the truck door opened and the light from outside quickly dispersed the darkness.


    A dark male figure stood at the end of the truck as the light glowed from behind him like an angel. He then walked slowly over to Jaclyn, gently kneeled down in front of her and patted her on the head.


    "Let me get you home. You need help," he said softly.


    Jaclyn felt tears stream from her eyes as she leaned forward and hugged her brother. He was right, she needed help. Otherwise, why did she run away from safety straight into the arms of danger again? There was something very wrong with her. She had never been close to Jackson - they barely even saw each other - but in this foreign environment and in this confusing situation, she suddenly felt glad to see him. After all, he had flown halfway around the world to look for her and saved her twice: once from Mia and now from Mia''s brother.


    Of course, she had no idea that Mia was only trying to help her.


    As Jaclyn stood up and stepped out of the truck, she glanced around and noticed that Elias and his men were all being arrested.


    Jaclyn glanced worriedly at her brother. He was a gangster, were they going to arrest him too?


    At that moment, one of the officers approached Jackson and saluted him, "Captain Wu, these men will be all taken back to the German branch of Interpol for questioning. Agent Roux and Agent Dupont from French Interpol have already arrested Jean Louis as well as the other traffickers that brought Miss Wu to Munich. Miss Wu will need to stay around to write a report and identify the traffickers. This is a huge case involving a few countries so it may take a while."


    Jaclyn looked at her brother as the officer handed him some doc.u.ments and he began to flip through them with seriousness. Captain? Wasn''t her brother a gangster?


    Jackson saw the confusion in his sister''s eyes and realized that she was kidnapped before Auntie Lily got the chance to update her on everything that had been happening back in Hong Kong and Macau.


    "I guess we''ll be staying in Munich for a bit," he replied to the officer. He then turned to his sister and said, "Let me take you back to the hotel and I''ll explain everything to you."


    Just as he said this, Jaclyn felt a warm jacket wrap around her shoulders. She subconsciously glanced back and saw a familiar face looking at her. She had only met this woman once, but she left quite an impression, "Haili? What are you doing here?"


    The last time she saw Halia, Emerson had declared that she was his future girlfriend and that he was pursuing her. Had he succeeded? If he did, why was his girlfriend in Munich with Jackson?


    Jackson wrapped his arm around Halia''s shoulder and smiled at his sister. "This is your future sister-in-law," he announced.


    Jaclyn glanced down at Halia''s hand and saw the diamond ring on her finger. "Did Emerson propose already?" she asked in shock.


    Jackson sighed. "Aren''t you a university student?" he asked. "Why are you so dopey?"


    He then intertwined his fingers with Halia''s and placed a kiss on her forehead, "Halia is my fiancee."


    Jaclyn looked at the two in shock as Halia giggled, "We''ll explain everything to you later."


    Meanwhile, not too far away, Trisha was also staring at the couple in shock. "Did you hear that?" she asked as she looked at Oliver. "The Captain said Halia''s his fiancee..."


    Oliver looked at Trisha indifferently, "I knew that ages ago."


    Trisha frowned and threw a punch at the man''s arm, "How did you know? Why didn''t you tell me earlier?"


    Oliver held onto his arm in pain. Trisha was a black belt in karate so her every punch was solid. "It was so obvious! Can''t you see the ring on her finger and the bracelet around her wrist?" he asked.


    Trisha stopped punching the man and glanced over at Halia again. That was when she saw the sparkling diamond ring and the little heart pendant dangling from her wrist. "J&H," she whispered as she read the Morse Code on the back.


    She gasped in surprise and held her hand to her mouth. Why hadn''t she noticed earlier? She must have looked like an idiot in front of Jackson.


    Oliver saw the woman''s cute reaction and felt his heart melt. But, at the same time, he felt slightly jealous. "Are you disappointed that your man''s been taken?" he asked.


    "No. I''m just disappointed that I can''t be my idol''s sidekick..." the woman sighed as she shook her head and looked at the couple. She then revealed a smile. "Now that I look at it, they look quite good together," she said with admiration.


    Oliver glanced at Trisha and felt his heart light up with hope. "Idol? I thought you liked Captain Wu."


    Trisha burst into laughter, "What are you talking about? He''s not my type..."

 Chapter 193 - Withdrawal

    Jackson walked over to Trisha and Oliver and explained that he would be staying in Munich until his sister helped identify the people that trafficked her and requested that Oliver not write anything until the case was finalized. Oliver nodded in understanding. "I wasn''t planning to write anything until I got the complete story anyway," he explained. "Will I be able to interview Miss Wu after she feels a little better?"


    Jackson glanced at his sister as she looked around awkwardly. "You can ask her when she''s recovered. I will be taking her back to see John and Mia. Hopefully, they can help her," he replied.


    Oliver looked at Trisha. "I guess I''ll be staying in Munich to gather a bit more information. What about you?" he asked, secretly hoping that she would stay.


    "I think I''ll be returning to Hong Kong. I have no reason to stay," she said gently with regret.


    "Well...I just called a nearby hotel to book a room for 2 weeks and they only had a twin room left. I can''t sleep in 2 beds at once. If you want, you can stay with me for free. You''ve already traveled halfway around the world, you might as well experience a bit of Germany while you''re here. Didn''t you say that you had never been here before?" Oliver tried to convince Trisha to stay without sounding too pushy.


    Trisha listened to the man''s reasoning and agreed that it was a rare opportunity. So, she turned to Jackson and asked, "May I take some time off to experience Germany while I''m here?"


    Jackson smiled and nodded his head, "You''ve worked hard. You deserve some time off."


    "Thank you, Captain," Trisha quickly saluted as she hooked her arm around Oliver''s in a friendly manner. "So, which hotel did you book?"


    Oliver glanced down at his and Trisha''s arms and smiled, "It''s not too far from here. Let me take you there."


    After Oliver and Trisha left, Jackson turned back around to look at his fiancee and his sister, "Jaclyn, we will need to take you back to see Mia and John."


    Jaclyn looked at her brother in shock. She didn''t know that John was an addiction specialist and that Mia was trying to help her so Jackson quickly explained everything to her.


    "The injections you''ve been receiving over the past few days was heroin. Some people can get addicted after one use, so it''s no surprise that you are showing early signs of addiction. If John and Mia can help you before your addiction grows any stronger, you should be able to quit without any relapse."


    Jaclyn nodded her head. She couldn''t believe that her captors had been injecting her with heroin. No wonder it made her feel so good that she kept pleading for more.


    Jaclyn had never tried drugs before and had only had alcohol for the first time recently. Who knew she''d end up being addicted to heroin?


    Jackson and Halia soon brought Jaclyn back to the apartment that she had run away from earlier. When John opened the door and saw the three, he quickly welcomed them into his home. Even though Halia had kicked him earlier and pinned him to the floor, he understood her actions and did not hold any grudges. Most importantly, he had observed Jaclyn earlier and noticed that she showed obvious signs of addiction, so he really wanted to help her.


    "I''m glad you''re back," he said. "It''s easier to quit during the early stages of addiction."


    "I was about to explain everything to you earlier before your brother arrived and you ran away," John explained to Jaclyn. "You are addicted to heroin, a potent opiate that has an intense effect on the brain. The reason why it makes you feel so good is because it triggers the production of feel-good chemicals in your brain like dopamine and endorphins."


    "Heroin makes people feel good and it does not produce a hangover like alcohol so it is attractive to new users. But, the problem occurs when the user''s brain stops developing normal levels of dopamine on its own. As a result, users find it hard to function without continued use. Slowly, tolerance builds and many users end up overdosing."


    Jaclyn nodded her head in understanding. "Please help me quit before I get to that stage," she said. What would happen to her mother if she died from an overdose? Her mother was all on her own and she wasn''t even officially married to her father, so she had no rights to any of his assets. Who would take care of her mother if she died?


    "I''m glad that you have the determination to quit. But, I need to warn you, as soon as the withdrawal symptoms kick in, your determination is going to go right out the window," John said. "You had your last shot less than an hour ago, so you are still feeling good, but in another 5-12 hours time, the symptoms will be unpleasant and it could last up to 5 days. In those 5 days, you are bound to give up and plead for another shot. You may even try to escape. It''s normal, I''ve seen it many times. That''s why we need to tie you up and monitor you at all times."


    Jaclyn looked at the man nervously. 5 days? That was a long time.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve been through it before and I successfully quit. You will be fine. Since you haven''t been using it for long, the symptoms shouldn''t be so harsh. I will be here to support you through the entire process," Mia stepped forward and offered.


    Jaclyn glanced at the beautiful blue-eyed woman. She suddenly looked like an angel again. "Thank you," she said. She didn''t even know this woman well, yet she chose to go against her brother and help a stranger; this wasn''t something that everyone could do.


    Jaclyn then followed Mia back into the bedroom that she had escaped from earlier.


    "Don''t worry. Your sister is in good hands. You are welcome to visit at any time, but it is not necessary for you to stay all the time. Mia will be keeping her company and helping me," John reassured.


    Jackson nodded his head, "I''ll entrust my sister to you, then."


    He then held onto Halia''s hand and left.


    After he was gone, John joined Mia and Jaclyn in the bedroom. "Are you ready to be tied back up?" he asked.


    Jaclyn stared at the man with determination, nodded her head and stretched out her hands, "Yes."

 Chapter 194 - Helping Each Other

    That night, Halia, Jackson, Trisha, and Oliver all slept soundly. It had been a tough day of pursuit; they had landed in London that morning, stopped over in France, and had now fallen asleep in Germany!


    It was springtime in Germany and the weather was pleasant. As the warm sun shined in through the hotel room window, Halia glanced at the man sleeping beside her and smiled with satisfaction. It had been a long time since she slept that well; she must have been exhausted.


    Now that they had found Jaclyn and she was with Mia and John, and the human trafficking ring that took Jaclyn was now being investigated by the European branches of Interpol, for the first time in a long time, the couple had no cases in their hands. It was like they were on vacation and it felt good. Was this the life that Jackson wanted? Was this what he meant when he said he wanted to retire from the force and lead a normal life with her? If it was, then she was certainly looking forward to it.


    Halia ran her fingers gently through Jackson''s hair. She couldn''t believe that this man was her fiance. How could such a handsome, kind and brave man be hers?


    Jackson gently opened his eyes when he felt Halia''s touch and Halia quickly blushed as their eyes met.


    "Sorry, did I wake you up?" she asked.


    Jackson shook his head and smiled. "I was already awake. I was simply resting my eyes."


    He then leaned over and placed a kiss on Halia''s forehead, "Good morning."


    Halia buried her head into the man''s chest and replied, "Good morning."


    Jackson smiled. It was so good to wake up with this woman beside him. He couldn''t wait to make her his wife and wake up to her every single day.


    "I want to take you somewhere today," Jackson said as he wrapped his arms around his fiancee''s waist. He had been to Germany a few times in the past and roughly knew about the things that Munich had to offer, but he had never been before.


    "Where are we going?" Halia asked with excitement.


    "You''ll know when we get there," Jackson said with a mysterious smile.


    ...


    Meanwhile, over in John''s apartment, sleep was a very foreign concept. Throughout the night, John and Mia took turns watching over Jaclyn while she began to show signs of withdrawal.


    Withdrawal symptoms normally occur within 6-24 hours of last use and last about 5-7 days with


    a peak at 48-72 hours. It is a very unpleasant experience that has the potential to be life-threatening if not monitored carefully; dehydration being the biggest concern.


    Common withdrawal symptoms include insomnia, headaches, runny nose, watery eyes, yawning, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, sweating, goosebumps, hot and cold flushes, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, anxiety, agitation, restlessness, tachycardia, elevated blood pressure, cravings, and muscle and joint pain.


    Because of these unpleasant symptoms, many people end up relapsing and using the drug again. Especially since sleep disturbance and mood changes could last for weeks and cravings persist for much longer.


    For Jaclyn, the symptoms started showing at around 2am. She started off feeling chills, then her head started to ache so much that she felt nauseous. Eventually, she began to sweat and vomit.


    Mia and John sat by her side and comforted her as she went through this tough experience. Under normal circ.u.mstances, John tried not to get family involved if possible. Sometimes, it was difficult for a family member to watch their loved one go through so much pain that there were incidences when family members surrendered and let their loved ones shoot up again. So, John had Jackson on speed dial, but he tried his best to control the situation without worrying him. He was a professional at his job and had saved many people in the past; Mia being one of them.


    This was the first time that Mia was helping John and it was oddly satisfying. She had always been the one that was receiving help; this was the first time she was helping someone else instead.


    2 years ago, John had saved Mia from heroin addiction. Since then, she never relapsed again. At that time, she was only 18 - John''s youngest client ever - and she was seriously addicted. Usually, young people couldn''t afford the amount of heroin that Mia used, but her brother had plenty lying around. She started off stealing a little out of curiosity, but as her tolerance grew, she began to steal more and more, until her brother caught her one day and realized she had a problem. He couldn''t take her to a hospital or somewhere too public in case they discovered the drugs came from him, so he brought her to see John. It was probably the only good thing her brother had ever done in his life.


    Unfortunately, after a year of being clean, Jaclyn slowly found that she had developed an alcohol addiction instead. At first, it helped her sleep, so she drank a little before bed every night. But then she slowly discovered that it eased her cravings during the day, so she began to drink during the day as well. For someone that was only 20 years old, this was a huge problem. That''s how she ended up consulting John again.


    But, alcohol was even harder to quit because it was simply too accessible and quitting wasn''t as simple as abstaining for a few days. John had suggested multiple methods during this time, including medicine, meditation, sports, and even hypnotherapy, but none of them seemed to work.


    However, at that very moment, as John stood in the doorway, he realized something.


    John glanced at Jaclyn as she began to cry and watched as Mia comforted her. He didn''t mention it to Mia, but it had been almost an entire day since she last had any alcohol. Even with all the methods they had tried in the past, she never got past 5 hours.


    John smiled to himself.


    Mia thought she was helping Jaclyn, but in reality, they were helping each other...

 Chapter 195 - The Happiest Bride

    Halia followed Jackson out of the hotel and stepped out into the warmth of Munich''s spring. It was still early in the morning and most of the shops in the city center were just beginning to open. The couple walked past a few bakeries and breathed in the fragrant scent of bread as it wafted across the air. This wasn''t a common smell in China, so Halia enjoyed this unique aroma. "I heard bread is really good in Germany," she smiled as she sniffed the air.


    Jackson glanced at his fiancee and nodded his head, "Let''s have some for breakfast." After spending 8 years in France, he had gotten used to eating bread but he knew how special it was for Halia, so he decided to share this typical experience with her.


    Jackson led Halia into one of the bakeries and Halia looked around with amazement at the various types of bread. There were big loaves, round rolls, long rolls, short rolls...and even pretzels!


    Halia had never had a pretzel before and was fascinated by the shape. "Why does this bread have such a funny shape?" she giggled.


    The shop owner saw the curiosity in Halia''s eyes and walked over to the couple with a friendly smile, "That is a pretzel," he said in English. "It was invented by a monk in 610 AD. He created it as a reward for children that successfully learned their prayers. Back then, the strips of baked dough that were folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, were called ''pretiola'' (''little rewards'')."


    Halia picked up the pretzel. It was the size of her head. "Let''s share one," she said to Jackson.


    Jackson nodded his head and paid the shop owner. He then held onto the pretzel as Halia bit into it like a little kid. The slightly hard exterior, the thick doughy interior and the sprinkles of salt made for a perfect breakfast. Jackson smiled as he watched the satisfaction on Halia''s face.


    He had traveled to Germany before, but it was for work and he was always on his own. This time, he was finished with his case and he was with Halia; the experience was definitely a lot different. Something he thought he had gotten bored of, was suddenly so much fun. He could see why people enjoyed traveling so much - especially with a partner. Who knew that something as simple as a pretzel could bring so much joy? Seeing her reaction to something so simple, he couldn''t wait to see how she''d react when she saw what he had organized for her.


    Just as Halia finished the pretzel, Jackson suddenly stopped in his tracks and said, "We''re here."


    Halia looked around curiously and noticed that they had stopped outside a shop. She glanced through the shop window as she wiped her mouth clean and gasped in surprise. A beautiful white dress was displayed in the window. The long lacy train dr.a.p.ed elegantly across the width of the window and beautiful white orchids hung from the roof.


    They weren''t outside any ordinary shop...


    It was a bridal shop!


    "What are we doing here?" Halia asked. Were they here for this shop?


    Jackson smiled as he grabbed Halia''s hand and dragged her inside.


    "Trying on some wedding dresses," he chuckled dotingly. "The designs here are different from what we have in China and Hong Kong; perhaps you''ll find something you like."


    Halia held onto Jackson''s hand nervously, "I don''t normally wear dresses so I don''t know what I want. I don''t want to waste everyone''s time. I can just wear anything."


    "You are only getting married once. I want you to be the happiest bride in the world. I want you to feel special and loved on your wedding day and I want you to remember it for the rest of your life," Jackson said softly as he leaned over and placed a kiss on Halia''s forehead.


    Halia felt her heart melt as she nodded in agreement. Now that she thought about it, she wanted to look beautiful for Jackson on their wedding day as well. She wasn''t the most feminine woman and rarely wore dresses, so it was only right for her to put in some effort and make the wedding memorable for him too. "I''m not good with stuff like this so you''ll have to help me," she said.


    Jackson patted his fiancee on the head dotingly.


    "That''s why we''re here. Don''t feel pressured or nervous, just have fun and try whatever you want. This place was highly recommended by Amelie. She said they''ve got beautiful designs and they''re famous for having really good customer service," Jackson comforted as a sales representative approached them.


    The sales representative smiled at Halia and said politely, "Congratulations on your engagement. I love your ring. Mr. Wu called yesterday and asked me to assist you."


    Halia thanked the woman and glanced around awkwardly at all the dresses on design.


    The options were quite overwhelming. Where was she supposed to start?


    "Do you have any preferences?" the woman asked.


    Halia looked at Jackson and shook her head. "I''m not sure," she replied honestly, hoping that she didn''t sound too amateur.


    The woman nodded with understanding and scanned her eyes across Halia''s body, "You have a beautiful figure, why don''t I give you a few suggestions?"


    Halia relaxed a little and nodded her head. The woman''s calm and friendly demeanor made her feel less anxious. Halia could see why Amelie recommended this place.


    The woman walked over to the racks and immediately pulled out 5 dresses of varying designs; some that Halia never imagined she''d be able to pull off. The woman then stretched out her hand and gestured for Halia to follow her. "This way," she said as she walked behind some curtains.


    Jackson sat down on a luxurious Chesterfield sofa and smiled at his fiancee reassuringly, "Go ahead. Just think of this as an experience. If you like something, let me know. If not, we can always look elsewhere."


    Halia bit her lip as she headed behind the curtain. She was both nervous and excited. She was never the type of girl that dreamed about her wedding day nor her ideal wedding dress, so now that she was in this shop, everything felt so surreal.


    The shop assistant handed her the first dress and briefly explained how to slip it on. "When you''re ready, give me a call and I''ll help you zip up the back."


    Halia nodded as the woman stepped back to the other side of the curtains and waited patiently.


    The first dress was an elegant strapless mermaid dress with a slight train. The hem of the dress was layered beautifully with ruffles and lace, and the top half of the dress was made to hug the curves of the bride''s body. It was simple from afar but delicately detailed up close.


    This dress was quite easy to put on, even though the lace and ruffles made it a little heavy. "Eve, I''m ready, could you please help me zip up?" Halia called out to the sales assistant.


    The woman returned from behind the curtains and quickly helped Halia zip up. The dress was a little big so she quickly pinned it on the back to make it fit. "We will alter it to fit you perfectly if you decide to go with this dress," she explained.


    Halia nodded in understanding. She then lifted her head and looked at herself in the mirror.


    But, as soon as she saw herself, she froze.


    "Wow."


    It was like she was looking at a stranger. The way that the dress highlighted the curves on her body was simple yet elegant. She never imagined that a dress like this would look so good on her.


    "I saw your beautiful figure and thought this dress would look great on you. I was right," the shop assistant smiled proudly.


    Halia nodded in agreement, unable to say another word.


    "Come on, let''s show your fiance and see what he thinks," the woman said as she began to lift open the curtains.


    Halia turned and nervously stepped out. What would Jackson think? Would he like it?


    Jackson stood up from the sofa and looked at Halia in surprise.


    "What do you think?" she asked.


    Jackson ran his eyes up and down Halia''s body before he sat back down without a response.


    Halia looked at the man with confusion. What did this response mean?

 Chapter 196 - Favorite Dress

    Jackson took a deep breath and slowly processed what he had seen while Halia waited patiently for a response.


    "Does it look bad?" she asked. She had never worn a dress like this before and wasn''t sure if Jackson liked it.


    Jackson shook his head. "You look beautiful," he said.


    He still remembered the first time he saw Halia in her nurse''s uniform at the hospital and when he saw her again in casual clothing at the bar. Every time he saw her, he never mentioned it or showed it on his face, but he felt his heart skip a beat.


    He had seen mermaid dresses in magazines and on television before, but it always looked a little strange and uncomfortable. Who knew that Halia would be able to make it look so good.


    Jackson tried to remain seated, even though he really wanted to wrap his arms around his fiancee''s slender waist. The dress made her body look so s.e.xy that he wanted to carry her back to the hotel straight away and have his way with her.


    He gripped the sofa to contain the temptation and waited for Halia to try on her next dress.


    The next dress was a short strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. A beautiful champagne bow wrapped around the waist and the bottom half of the dress had ruffles that resembled a bouquet of flowers. Unlike the first dress that looked elegant and s.e.xy, this dress was cute and sweet while highlighting Halia''s long, toned legs.


    Jackson felt his heart flutter when he saw Halia like this. She looked so beautiful and sweet that he wanted to shower her with kisses and hugs and protect her (even though Halia was more than capable of protecting herself).


    Personally, he preferred this dress since it was less revealing than the first one.


    Halia felt more comfortable in it too.


    The third dress took inspiration from the traditional Chinese qipao. Like the first dress, it outlined the curves of Halia''s body, but this dress ended just below her knee and the collar ran up her neck. Little delicate diamonds and floral embroidery decorated the body of the dress. The shop assistant picked this dress just in case Halia and Jackson were after something a little more traditional, but even though it looked great on Halia''s body, it was not the look that she wanted.


    By the time that Halia walked out in her fourth dress, she realized she had developed a slight preference for what she wanted. The fourth dress had an off-shoulder sleeve, a lace-up back, and a beautiful long organza train. She liked the lace-up back, but didn''t like the plain organza. She preferred the ruffles in the first two dresses, especially when it looked like a bouquet in the short dress.


    Jackson smiled when he saw his fiancee growing more confident. Her uncertainty at the beginning had now disappeared and she was beginning to point out things that she liked and didn''t like.


    When Halia returned to the dressing room for the last time, she looked at the last dress and smiled. She already liked it before she even put it on her body and she felt excited to try it on.


    This dress had a sweetheart neckline, an A-line body, and a soft swirling dr.a.p.ed skirt that looked romantic and elegant. As soon as Halia put it on her body, she felt like a princess, without feeling uncomfortable and heavy. Best of all, thanks to the lace-up back, the dress fit her body perfectly without any need for alteration. It was like this dress was made for her.


    Jackson could tell by the expression on Halia''s face that this was her favorite dress of the day. He walked over to her side and held her hand as they looked in the mirror.


    "You look amazing," he said.


    Halia nodded and smiled. She had never seen herself like this before.


    "I really like this," she said.


    Jackson smiled and snuck a glance outside the shop. "The timing''s just right," he suddenly said.


    He had been waiting for something to arrive and was glad that Halia found a dress just as he saw it pull up outside.


    Halia looked at her fiance with confusion as he tightened his grip on her hand. What timing was he referring to? At that moment, he suddenly started dragging her towards the doorway.


    "Where are we going?" she squealed in surprise. She was still wearing the wedding dress and her belongings were still in the dressing room.


    Outside the shop, a classic white Mercedes was waiting on the side of the road. Jackson immediately dragged Halia on board and helped her gather her dress inside. As soon as she was seated, Jackson walked around the car and sat next to her as the shop assistant chased them out and handed Halia her belongings.


    Halia looked at the woman in surprise. Why didn''t the shop assistant look surprised and why wasn''t she asking her to pay for the dress?


    But, before she got to ask any questions, the driver in the front tipped his hat politely and started the car.


    The shop assistant waved her hand and bowed as the car drove off.


    Halia was speechless as she looked at Jackson with confusion.


    "What''s happening?" she asked.


    Jackson smiled at Halia cheekily, "You''ll see when we get there."


    "What about this dress?" Halia asked as she looked down at the dress on her body.


    "I bought it already," Jackson replied.


    Halia looked at her fiance in surprise. From the moment they first met, this man had been full of surprises. From being a gangster to the son of a casino tycoon to being an Interpol agent, he was completely unpredictable. But, he had never done anything to hurt her. In fact, he had protected her and saved her multiple times.


    Halia relaxed and breathed in the fresh spring air through the wound down window.


    She didn''t know what the man had planned, but she decided to trust Jackson, leave everything in his hands and go with the flow. With all the stress they had been experiencing lately, it was time to do something spontaneous.


    As the car turned onto the autobahn, the driver asked them to close the windows and smiled, "Hold on tight!"


    The Mercedes engine growled and the car sped up. The autobahn was famous for having a high speed limit and it was definitely something that Halia had never experienced before. The high population and dense cities in China meant that cars couldn''t really go very fast.


    Jackson saw the anxious expression on Halia''s face and wrapped his arm around her shoulder with a giggle, "Don''t worry, Ernst drives this route every single day."


    Halia took a deep breath and tried to remain calm, but the car changed lanes unexpectedly and she subconsciously let out a scream. Jackson looked at his adorable fiancee and quickly comforted her the only way he could think of.


    He gently pulled Halia towards him and drowned out her screams by pressing his lip against her gaping mouth...

 Chapter 197 - The Luckiest Person On Earth

    Halia had kissed this man quite a few times by now, but every time they kissed, she still felt sparks between them and butterflies in her stomach. It was the most exhilarating feeling and she couldn''t get enough.


    The driver peeked at the couple through the rearview mirror and smiled. "It''s good to be young," he sighed. He still remembered when he first started dating his wife and how beautiful she was on their wedding day. Even though they had been married for many years now and their children were already grown up, they were still as loving as ever. For him, marriage was the most beautiful thing. This was why he decided to enter the wedding business; he loved witnessing the love between two people and being a part of their love story.


    The couple continued to kiss as though they were the only ones in the car until they ran out of breath and could kiss no more. As Halia moved away from Jackson''s lips she smiled lovingly at the man. "I wouldn''t want to be in Germany with anyone else," she said. "I''m so glad that I''m marrying you."


    Jackson ran his fingers through Halia''s hair affectionately. He felt the same way too. There was a sense of warmth in his heart that he couldn''t explain. He had been acting as a cold gangster for so many years that he thought he had become emotionless and heartless, but Halia somehow planted a seed of love into his heart and it was now blooming uncontrollably. After his mom''s death, he thought he would never love again, but this woman proved him wrong.


    After roughly 1.5 hours on the road, the white Mercedes finally stopped beside a paved walking trail in the mountains.


    The spring weather was beautiful: the sky was blue, the sun was warm and the air was fresh. It was the perfect day to be outside.


    Halia stepped out of the car carefully as Jackson helped her hold the train of her dress. She still didn''t know what was going on, but she saw a few hikers starting on the trail and could tell it was quite a popular place. It was still very early in the morning and she could still smell the dewdrops in the air from the lush canopy above her. She closed her eyes and soaked in her surroundings. It was amazing to be amongst nature.


    She then looked at Jackson with curiosity.


    "Don''t tell me you''re taking me hiking in this?" Halia giggled as she glanced down at the beautiful white dress on her body. "It''s going to turn brown by the end," she joked.


    Both her and Jackson were extremely fit. After all, they were specially trained agents; a simple bit of hiking was no challenge for them. But, wearing a wedding dress while hiking was a different story.


    "It''s just a short walk to where I want to take you. We aren''t doing the entire hike," Jackson smiled reassuringly as he held onto Halia''s hand.


    "Ernst will take you up first. I need to go to the bathroom so I''ll meet you there," he said as he handed his fiancee to the middle-aged gentleman.


    Ernst hooked Halia''s arm around his and slowly led her onto the paved trail as she glanced back worriedly at her fiance. She didn''t mind waiting for him, but she knew she would be walking at a really slow pace in her dress, so it made sense for her to get a headstart. The path sloped up slightly, but it wasn''t difficult to walk on. Especially since Halia was still wearing her sneakers underneath the elegant dress.


    A few hikers walked past and gave their congratulations when they saw the beautiful bride, but they did not seem surprised to see her there. This only made Halia more curious. Where were they and what were they doing?


    After a short walk, Halia and Ernst arrived at a metal footbridge. Even though it was still early in the morning, there were already a few people on it.


    Halia glanced down at the treetops below as Ernst led her onto the bridge. It was very high up and she didn''t want to trip.


    "This is the Marienbrucke or Queen Mary''s Bridge. It is very popular among tourists. In a couple of hours, this entire bridge will be filled with people and there will be a long queue to cross it," Ernst explained.


    Halia kept her eyes focused on her feet as she took one careful step at a time. The bridge wasn''t very long, so they soon reached the middle. As soon as they reached the middle, Ernst smiled and stretched out his hand to the left, gesturing for Halia to look up.


    The entire time, Halia had been so focused on looking down that she didn''t even notice the view that this bridge had.


    As she lifted her head, her eyes opened wide in surprise.


    The Marienbrucke was one of the most famous bridges in the world!


    This was the place where people got the world-famous postcard view of one of the most beautiful castles in the world - Neuschwanstein Castle.


    The castle that inspired Disney''s Sleeping Beauty castle...


    ...the iconic castle in the middle of Disneyland...


    ...the one seen in the opening title of every Disney film!


    "Wow," Halia gasped.


    The elegant white castle with the blue roof looked magical as it stood perched above the lush green treetops. This was the first castle that Halia had ever seen in real life and it was so beautiful that she wanted to cry. It was like she was in a fairytale, and in her beautiful white dress, she felt like a princess. All she needed was her prince.


    Just as she thought this, she felt a warm body press up against her back and a pair of strong arms wrap around her body. The familiar scent of Jackson''s cologne wafted into her nose and she smiled.


    "Thank you for bringing me here. This is amazing," Halia said in a gentle voice as she slowly turned around to face her fiance.


    But, as soon as the man came into view, Halia gasped in surprise.


    Jackson had gotten changed!


    He was dressed in a classy white suit, looking stylish and refined, just like a prince. His hair was also neat and he had a dark blue bow tie attached to his collar that matched the rooftop of the magical castle.


    Halia was speechless.


    This man was normally handsome to begin with, but this suit gave him an extra layer of charm. Halia couldn''t believe she was marrying this man.


    "I feel like the luckiest person on Earth," Halia smiled as her eyes grew teary.


    Jackson held onto Halia''s hands and placed a loving kiss on the back of them.


    "No, you''re only the second luckiest," he corrected.


    Halia looked at Jackson with confusion.


    "Because I''m the luckiest," he explained.

 Chapter 198 - Matchmaker Kevin

    Halia looked into the eyes of the man before her and felt her heart melt. She didn''t know why he brought her to this bridge and why they were dressed in wedding outfits, but even if he was to marry her right there and then, with no friends nor family around, she was more than willing.


    "What are we doing here?" she asked nervously.


    Jackson glanced over at the entry to the bridge and waved at a few people that had arrived.


    "We are getting some pre-wedding photos taken," he finally revealed with a smile.


    "Pre-wedding photos?" Halia said with excitement. She had forgotten that this was the trend these days.


    "What a beautiful place to take pre-wedding photos!" she exclaimed.


    Jackson nodded and led Halia back off the bridge to a woman that was waiting with a fold-out chair.


    "Miss Feng, please sit and I will do your makeup," the woman said professionally as she opened up a suitcase of makeup products.


    Halia looked at Jackson in surprise. "How did you arrange all this so quickly?" she asked.


    "I''ve never wanted to flaunt my wealth, but for once, money really did come in handy," Jackson replied.


    Halia laughed. Her fiance was, after all, the biggest shareholder in one of the biggest casinos in Macau, and she was the heiress to one of the biggest baijiu producers in China. When it came to money, both of them had plenty of it. And even though they were modest people, there were times when money definitely came in handy.


    Halia sat down patiently as the makeup artist began to apply some makeup to her face. At that moment, a man also approached and started doing her hair.


    Halia felt like an actress on the set of a film as people walked past and looked at her curiously.


    The last time she had something like this done was when she was a child and her father wanted to take her with him to a ball. Since then, she had never had her hair and makeup done by professionals.


    After all, her line of work did not permit her to look too fancy. Thus, she only ever had light make up on and her hair was usually left out or tied into a ponytail. But, even so, Halia was a natural beauty that was capable of turning heads. Otherwise, how did she attract the cold and aloof Jackson?


    Jackson watched as his fiancee was transformed into a beautiful bride and smiled proudly as hikers walked past with admiration on their faces.


    "She''s so beautiful," a German couple whispered.


    "Are they models?" a woman discussed with her friend.


    As the makeup artist and hairstylist moved away to admire their creation, Halia looked into a mirror in her hands with amazement. When she hopped on the plane from China to Europe a couple of days ago, she did not expect that she''d end up here, in a wedding dress, looking like a princess.


    Life was certainly unexpected.


    Jackson walked over to Halia and grabbed her hand, "Let''s get some photos taken before more hikers and tourists arrive."


    Halia nodded her head and walked back to the middle of the bridge with Jackson.


    It was a beautiful spring day: the sky was blue, the trees were green, and there was a light breeze. The conditions were perfect for photos.


    As the couple stood in place, two men with cameras approached them with a smile. They were obviously the photographers that Jackson hired. "What a beautiful couple," one of the men commented.


    "Come, relax. Groom, wrap one arm around the bride''s waist and look into her eyes. Think about how you first met and how you fell in love with her," the other photographer instructed.


    Jackson looked into Halia''s eyes and suddenly chuckled. "What''s so funny?" Halia asked.


    "I was thinking about how you flipped Kevin the first time we met. You completely forgot that you were a nurse. If it was someone else, you may have been sued," Jackson laughed.


    Halia pinched Jackson on the arm, "It''s not funny. Your boys were teasing me, it was self-defense. Kevin was acting so sleazy!"


    Jackson pulled Halia towards him lovingly, "If not for that flip, you wouldn''t have caught my attention. Now that I think about it, I should really thank Kevin for being so sleazy. He deserves a red pocket on our wedding day for being a good matchmaker."


    "You need to teach him some manners. How will he ever find a girl if he continues like that?" Halia sighed as she shook her head.


    "He''s actually not that bad. He''s just a bit of a jokester, but he''s not really that disrespectful towards women. That''s why he let you off without suing you. You might not believe it, but he was actually brought up in a household of women. His family was originally from Vietnam. They were refugees that fled the country after the war. At that time, France opened its gates to many refugees and Kevin''s family was amongst them. His mother was pregnant with him when she snuck onto a fishing boat with his father and three older sisters. Unfortunately, his father died at sea from hunger and dehydration when he selflessly left all the food and clean water for his wife and children," Jackson explained.


    "Kevin never got to meet his father, but his mother and three older sisters loved him dearly. When he became an a.d.u.l.t, he felt the need to repay them and become the man of the house by supporting them financially and providing them with luxuries that they never had. But, his mother and three sisters had always gotten by with just enough and never complained about wanting more. He was the one that gave himself invisible pressure."


    "It was this pressure that caused him to turn towards gambling. I first met Kevin in Marseille. He was being beaten up in an alley for not paying his gambling debts and the gangsters were threatening to take one of his sisters for payment. Seeing that he was also Asian in a foreign country, I felt bad for him, so I helped him pay off the debt. He was beaten up so badly that his nose was broken and he lost a few teeth. Even though I didn''t know him at the time, I couldn''t just leave him there," Jackson said.


    "No wonder Kevin has such bad teeth," Halia scrunched up her nose when she remembered Kevin''s teeth. Not only were they crooked, they were also very dirty. But, she sympathized with him a little after hearing his story.


    At that moment, the two photographers looked at their cameras and yelled, "That''s perfect! We captured some great shots. The two of you are naturals."


    Halia glanced at the photographers in surprise. When did they even start shooting? She didn''t even look at the camera and smile...

 Chapter 199 - Groomsmen And Bridesmaids

    Halia and Jackson left the bridge and got back in the white Mercedes. The driver passed them each a bottle of water and drove up the road a little before he reached a dead end.


    As Halia glanced out the window, she realized they had reached the castle complex.


    Up close, the castle looked even more amazing than from the bridge. Especially from the side that couldn''t be seen earlier.


    The crew got special permission to fly a drone above the castle, so as the couple stood on the top of some stairs in the castle, the drone circled their heads to take some photos from above. It was the best way to capture the magnificence of the castle as a whole.


    As the couple stood there, Halia decided to ask Jackson more about his friends, "So how did you meet Rowan and Max? Do the three boys know your real identity?"


    Jackson shook his head, "I''ve never told them who I really am, but they''ve stayed by my side and supported me with no questions asked and I''ve made sure to never implicate them with any crimes. They followed me from France to China, but apart from getting in a few fights to protect me, they haven''t done anything illegal."


    "I''m sure they must have suspected something by now."


    Jackson then proceeded to tell Halia about how he met Max in Paris and how they ended up opening a restaurant together. After that, he explained how Rowan was originally Amelie''s driver when she was undercover in Marseille and how he followed him after his boss died.


    Now that he thought back on these memories, he realized that these three guys were like family to him.


    "On our wedding day, I''m planning to ask the three boys to be my groomsmen. What do you think?" Jackson asked.


    Halia quickly nodded, "Of course. No one else deserves that honor."


    "What about you? Who will you get to be your bridesmaids?" Jackson questioned.


    From what he knew, Halia didn''t have many friends.


    "I was thinking Natalie, Amelie, and Lily," Halia replied.


    Jackson was a little surprised. Natalie was a no-brainer since she was Halia''s best friend. But, what about Amelie and Lily?


    Halia saw the confusion on Jackson''s face. "Amelie and I bonded when she was pretending to be your girlfriend and when we were acting as ghosts," Halia giggled. "Besides, I know she is a really good friend of yours. I don''t think she should miss out on being a part of the bridal party just because she''s a girl."


    "But, you do know that she liked me for a long time, right?" Jackson asked. "Aren''t you jealous?"


    "She''s with Alexander now. Plus, I trust that nothing ever happened between the two of you," Halia replied open-mindedly.


    Jackson smiled and patted his fiancee on the head. He had definitely chosen the right person.


    "What about Lily, I didn''t know that the two of you still kept in touch," Jackson said in surprise.


    There was a period of time when Jackson visited the hospital quite often and was treated by Lily each time he went there, but ever since meeting Halia, he had remained relatively injury-free (except for the one time when Halia stitched him up), so he had almost forgotten about the doctors at Peking University Hospital.


    "I actually speak to her on the phone at least once a week," Halia replied.


    "At first, she was concerned that I left the hospital, so she kept trying to convince me to return. Later, when she discovered that I was working at the bar, she bugged me about seeing a psychiatrist because she thought I was acting strange due to post-traumatic stress. Then, when she realized I was working with you, she started scolding me like crazy. She is honestly a good friend," Halia explained.


    Jackson nodded in agreement. "Did you eventually tell her your true identity?" Jackson asked.


    "Yes, just before I left for Macau, I explained everything to her," Halia revealed. "She was so happy she even thanked me for risking my life for the sake of others."


    "I never felt so proud of my job before."


    At that moment, one of the photographers yelled out, "Groom, lift your bride in your arms and look up at the drone."


    Jackson looked at Halia and laughed, "Have you gained any weight?"


    Halia frowned and shook her head, "No, I''m as light as a feather!"


    Jackson laughed and quickly lifted his fiancee in his arms. "You''re right...I think I can carry you like this for the rest of my life."


    Halia pinched the cheeky man on the nose, "You''re such a sweet talker! I better be the only one that you talk to like this!"


    "Of course! I''m only sweet to you!"


    The couple then looked up and waved at the drone with a smile.


    Halia watched as the fluffy white clouds floated across the blue sky. She hadn''t been this happy and relaxed for a long time.


    "You know, you don''t have to necessarily quit your job at Interpol to be able to enjoy your life with me. As long as we take holidays like this every once in a while, I''m more than satisfied," Halia suddenly said. During this trip to Europe, she had finally witnessed Jackson at work properly. It felt like a bit of a waste for him to retire at such a young age. Who would take his place? And would that person be able to do a better job?


    "No, I''ve already decided to quit. I''ve already invested enough of my life to this job. Plus, I can''t bear to be separated from you again. You don''t know how much I missed you when I was in France. You can continue with your role in the SPU, I will come to Beijing to be your house husband," Jackson winked.


    Halia wrapped her arms around Jackson''s neck and placed a kiss on his lips.


    "By the way, I was thinking of passing my role onto Trisha. Do you think she can handle it?" Jackson asked.


    Halia thought about the young woman that had been idolizing her fiance and how she had pretty much taken care of all the logistics behind their mission in Europe. She even contacted Oliver ahead of time and got him to do research for them. If not for her, they may not have solved the case so quickly.


    "I think she is worth recommending. She will be ecstatic when she finds out her idol thinks so highly of her," Halia commented.


    "Idol?" Jackson asked.


    Halia shook her head and laughed.


    Jackson was completely oblivious towards the feelings of other women. All he cared about was Halia...

 Chapter 200 - The Castle

    After the photos were completed, the photographers, the hairstylist, and the makeup artist all turned to leave. "We will send you the edited photos in a few days," one of the photographers said as he waved goodbye.


    Halia nodded with excitement, "Thank you."


    After they left, Ernst smiled at the couple and handed them each a ticket. "Since we''re here, here''s a little gift from my company. They are tickets for a guided tour inside the castle. Photos aren''t allowed inside. It''s something that you need to see with your own eyes," he said.


    Halia and Jackson smiled at the middle-aged man in surprise. This was such a thoughtful gift.


    As they held onto the tickets, they quickly thanked the man and rushed off to get changed. After all, they couldn''t walk into the castle with their wedding outfits. What if Halia''s dress knocked over something?


    As tour groups began to arrive, Halia and Jackson finally changed back into their normal clothes and blended in with the crowd. Neuschwanstein Castle was definitely a popular place to visit. Luckily, they had arrived early, or it would have been impossible to get good photos.


    Tickets to the castle were timed and limited to a certain capacity every day, so it was important to pre-book tickets. Once they had tickets, entry was only available through guided tours provided by the castle in English and German. Of course, one could always hire an audio guide if they didn''t speak either, but fortunately for the couple, both of them could speak English fluently, so the English tour was no problem at all.


    Ernst had been driving couples up to the castle for years, so he was well experienced and came prepared. He had contacted the photographers last night, confirmed the time it took for them to get their photos done and pre-booked tickets for a suitable time slot. This was the type of service that made him a professional in his field.


    As Halia and Jackson entered the castle with a small group of other tourists, a woman greeted them in English.


    She briefly explained the history of the castle before she passed them on to a colleague who led them to the next room and started explaining the design concept of the place.


    It was like they were inside a video game and there were NPCs waiting in each room. It was extremely well-organized and ran efficiently.


    Even though the castle looked clean and slick on the outside, the inside was completely different. Neuschwanstein Castle was built by the eccentric King Ludwig II from Bavaria and this man had some of the craziest, over-the-top ideas. These were th ideas that made Neuschwanstein so enchanting and magical. Unfortunately, he died before the castle was even completed.


    Since the castle was barely used, the interiors were kept in pristine condition and one could stand in each room for hours admiring all the fine details (of course, the timing of the tour did not allow for this), especially the floor-to-ceiling murals that were painted across the walls of each room and the indoor cave that the king built as a quiet retreat.


    "This place is so interesting," Halia exclaimed as she looked around in awe. Jackson smiled and nodded his head in agreement.


    There were many mysteries surrounding the castle, including how the king mysteriously died and his purpose for building the castle. It was no secret that the king was a great admirer and supporter of the composer Richard Wagner and he made it clear that the castle was made in honor of his dear friend. In fact, the murals inside the castle were all depictions of operas that Richard Wagner had written. But, why was he so infatuated with this composer?


    Some people speculated...that he was secretly in love with the man, especially when diaries were discovered with homos.e.x.u.a.l desires written inside.


    Perhaps, this man wasn''t crazy and eccentric, he was simply different and ahead of his time.


    If this was true, then Neuschwanstein Castle was one of the most opulent symbols of love in the world.


    "If I built a castle for you, how would you feel?" Jackson suddenly asked as he grabbed Halia''s hand.


    Halia giggled, "I''m not a composer, what would you paint on the walls?"


    Jackson smiled, "There are plenty of things that I can think of."


    Halia laughed, "If you built me something like this for me, I would have to spend the next hundred lifetimes repaying you with my love."


    Jackson pulled Halia into his arms and placed a kiss on her forehead, this was exactly the type of answer that he wanted to hear, "That sounds like a pretty good deal."


    Halia chuckled as she buried her head into the man''s embrace, but she had no idea that the man was seriously considering it. After all, who built castles these days?


    ...


    While Halia and Jackson were out enjoying themselves, Mia was sitting with Jaclyn and watching a movie. Every few hours, she would send Jackson a message to update him on his sister''s progress. And so far, Jaclyn had been handling the withdrawals pretty well. Perhaps, this was due to the fact that they had intervened early and Jaclyn was quite determined to quit as well.


    Jaclyn did not sleep well all night; the headaches were excruciating and she kept getting the chills, but the symptoms of withdrawal were beginning to ease a little. But, of course, as time ticked by, her cravings increased. She could still imagine the euphoric feeling of the drug coursing through her veins and she wanted so badly to experience it again, but Mia had reassured her that the cravings would disappear soon and she would return to normal, so she tried her best to resist it.


    As they sat on the bed together watching the television that was mounted to the wall, there was suddenly a knock on the door. It was John.


    "Go get some rest, Mia. I''ll take over from here," he said as he helped Mia up. Mia had spent the entire night accompanying Jaclyn and was exhausted.


    Due to the fact that she had been sitting on the bed for so long, her legs were numb and she stumbled a little as she stood up, falling into John''s arms. The man''s chocolate brown eyes twinkled a little as he helped the woman up, but Mia simply thanked him indifferently.


    Jaclyn watched the scene in front of her and squealed quietly in excitement. These two looked like a perfect match! And, judging by the look in John''s eyes, he was obviously in love with Mia already. Who wouldn''t be? She was like an angel.


    But, for some reason, Mia did not look interested.


    Perhaps...they needed some help from a matchmaker...


    With this thought, Jaclyn felt a rush of excitement. She was so excited that she forgot about her cravings for a second.


    That was right, she was going to repay these two by matching them with each other!

 Chapter 201 - Tricks To Winning A Womans Heart

    After Mia left, Jaclyn looked at John and revealed a cheeky smile. "You like her, don''t you?" she asked nosily.


    Women generally liked the idea of romance and love, hence why so many books, movies, and TV shows were based on that genre. So, the scene in front of Jaclyn was like a real-life romance for her. John was like a hero, saving his damsel without asking anything back in return; secretly watching over her and admiring her. This was the type of male lead that everyone woman wanted. Most importantly, he was technically a doctor...and a CEO of his own clinic...


    Was he cold and dominating as well?


    The man smiled at Jaclyn warmly and replied, "We''re just friends."


    Jaclyn shook her head and sighed. Nope, he wasn''t cold and dominating. He was the type of guy that friend-zoned himself. What a shame.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll help you get out of the friend zone," Jaclyn offered.


    John looked at Jaclyn and sighed. What was she thinking? He honestly treated Mia as a friend - nothing else. But, if trying to matchmake him with Mia took Jaclyn''s mind off her addiction, then he didn''t mind playing along.


    "How do you plan on doing that?" he asked.


    "I need to teach you a few tricks that always work on women." Jaclyn stood up, placed her hands behind her back and started pacing the room like an expert. She had watched her fair share of Korean dramas; she knew what she was talking about, right?


    Wrong! Jaclyn actually had no real-life experience with relationsh.i.p.s. After all, real-life never compared to the dramas that she watched. She had gone on many dates, but she had yet to find the perfect man. However, she didn''t realize that the perfect man did not exist because she had set unrealistic standards.


    "Trick #1: the back-hug!" Jaclyn started. "It''s when a man approaches a woman from behind and hugs her. It feels safe and domineering at the same time. You need to try it on Mia, even if it''s an indirect hug like reaching for something from behind her, it''s going to get those butterflies going..."


    John nodded his head with amus.e.m.e.nt. How was that romantic? It sounded completely creepy to him. Like something that a stalker would do.


    "Trick #2: kabedon!" Jaclyn smiled excitedly.


    John looked at the woman with confusion. "Kabedon?" he asked. It sounded like some weird fetish or kinky s.e.x position. Was she about to suggest he commit a crime?


    "Yes, kabedon. It''s a Japanese term that literally means hitting a wall," Jaclyn explained.


    John raised an eyebrow as he imagined himself randomly hitting a wall in front of Mia and Mia cheering for him. Was this a show of strength in Asia? He didn''t get it.


    Jaclyn saw the confusion on John''s face and further explained, "In the world of romance, it''s when a man pins a woman to the wall. It''s both impulsive and s.e.xy!"


    John nodded even though he didn''t actually agree. If he did something like that, Mia would probably file a restraining order against him!


    "Trick #3!" Jaclyn announced proudly when she noticed the man was seriously listening to her.


    John stared into Jaclyn''s eyes. The first two tricks were already enough to throw him in jail, what other suggestions did she have?


    "The forced kiss!"


    John sighed on the inside. This did not sound good.


    "While she is talking or not expecting it, suddenly lean over and kiss her on the lips. If she tries to push you away, wrap your arms around her and pull her closer until she gives up," Jaclyn said with a dreamy look in her eyes.


    John''s eyes opened wide in shock. Was this woman''s dream guy a pervert?


    "If those three don''t work, I have some optional tricks," Jaclyn continued.


    "You have optional tricks too?" John asked in surprise.


    Jaclyn nodded. "For example, you could tie her shoelace when it''s undone, grab her hand when she''s crossing the road, wipe away her tears when she cries, lean her head on your shoulder when she''s tired, buy her medicine when she''s sick..."


    John shook her head. This woman was living in a fantasy...


    ...


    After an amazing morning at Neuschwanstein Castle, Halia and Jackson returned to the city center of Munich, just in time for lunch.


    Ernst dropped the couple at a famous garden and ended his services there.


    "Thank you for taking good care of us this morning," Halia said as she shook the middle-aged man''s hand.


    "It was my pleasure," the man said as he tipped his hat and returned to his white Mercedes. "I wish you a long and loving marriage," he smiled before he left.


    After the white Mercedes disappeared around a corner, Jackson held onto Halia''s hand and started leading her into the garden.


    "I specifically asked Ernst to drop us off here because I heard these gardens are beautiful in spring," he said.


    They were at the English Garden in Munich, one of the largest urban parks in the world and it was free to the public.


    As Halia and Jackson strolled through the garden, they admired the lush green trees and the colorful blooming flowers. For a public park, it was extremely well maintained. Every hedge was pruned and manicured, and every flower received the perfect amount of water to flourish. There were even ducks and swans in the pond in the middle.


    "I really like it here," Halia said as she took in a deep breath of fresh spring air.


    "I really like you," Jackson replied dotingly.


    Halia pinched the man on the nose and placed a kiss on his lips. From the moment they had first met, this was pretty much their first official date.


    "Are you hungry?" he suddenly asked as they reached the middle of the garden.


    Halia nodded her head as she checked the time. She had been having so much fun that she didn''t even realize it was already 1pm.


    But, they were in the middle of a huge park, where were they to find food? Did they have to walk all the way back out again?


    Jackson smiled as he looked at a sign that said Chinese Tower and started following in the direction that it was pointing.


    Halia furrowed her brows in confusion, why were they going to a Chinese Tower? Weren''t they from China? Why did they go halfway around the world to look at something that they had plenty of at home? Most importantly, weren''t they getting food?


    But, just as Halia thought this, the tower came into view and she realized what was happening.


    Around the tower were rows and rows of tables and right under the tower was a live traditional German band. Next to the tables were a few stores selling beer and food including pork knuckle and all different kinds of German sausages.


    Halia smiled with excitement as her stomach grumbled.


    It was a traditional beer garden!

 Chapter 202 - The Beer Garden

    The lively music from the band danced across the open space as beer steins clinked and families chatted. It was the perfect weather to be sitting outdoors in a beer garden like this.


    Halia had never been to a place like this. In fact, she was brought up on baijiu, but had never been much of a beer drinker. After all, China didn''t really produce great beers.


    Jackson held onto Halia''s hand and dragged her over to the food and beer stores. "Is there anything you want to eat in particular?" Jackson asked.


    Halia looked around with confusion. Since their trip happened spontaneously, she did not do any prior research. What were some must-try foods in Germany?


    Jackson saw the curiosity and confusion in Halia''s eyes, "Do you want me to pick a few for us to share?"


    Halia quickly nodded her head.


    Jackson laughed and wrapped an arm around his fiancee''s shoulder. He then led her to a store with big chunks of freshly roasted pork knuckle. The skin looked brown and crispy and it smelled heavenly. Fortunately, neither Jackson nor Halia were vegetarians. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult for them to find food.


    "I assume you aren''t allergic to anything?" Jackson asked before he ordered anything.


    Halia shook her head.


    "No nut allergies?" Jackson laughed as he thought about the first meal they unintentionally shared together. Back then, he remembered how stupid he thought she was for ordering a dish with pine nuts when she knew she was allergic. Then, he remembered how shocked he was when they met again and he saw her eating macadamia with no problems.


    "No," Halia replied, realizing what the man was referring to. "I had a colleague''s memories at that time and she was severely allergic to nuts, so it triggered a panic attack when I saw it, but I''m not actually allergic to anything," she explained with a laugh.


    Jackson smiled and quickly ordered a pork knuckle with his fluent German and got some potatoes on the side.


    As the waitress handed the huge dish over the counter, Halia''s eyes opened wide in surprise.


    "Is that meant to be for one person?" Halia asked in shock. The pork knuckle looked like it was the size of her head, how was a person supposed to eat that on their own?


    Jackson nodded, "Don''t worry, most of it is bone, and once you start eating, you won''t be able to stop! Last time I visited Berlin with Max, he ate two in one sitting!"


    Halia gasped as she stuck out her thumb in an impressed manner. "Max is a true foodie," she said before she licked her lips with excitement. She had a small frame, but she definitely enjoyed her food. "If Max was here, he would be having the time of his life."


    Jackson then led Halia to another store where they were selling a variety of sausages and ordered a bratwurst with a side of sauerkraut.


    "What''s that?" Halia asked as she pointed to the finely shredded cabbage sitting on the side.


    "It''s called sauerkraut, it''s German-style pickled cabbage. It tastes great with oily and fatty food. I find it helps cut the grease. It also contains good bacteria and aids in digestion," Jackson explained.


    Halia clapped her hands like a child. "I love pickled food," she cheered.


    However, Jackson looked at the woman with amus.e.m.e.nt. Sauerkraut was very different from the pickled food that they normally had in China; it was a flavor that some people did not like. He couldn''t wait to see Halia''s reaction when she tried it. Would she really like it?


    As they took their two plates of food to one of the tables, Halia found herself salivating as she lifted a fork. But, Jackson told her to watch the food as he quickly ran off somewhere.


    Halia placed the fork back down on the table with regret.


    It was already 1:30pm and her stomach was grumbling. To stare at such delicious food and not eat it was a crime. But, she had to resist.


    To temporarily satiate her hunger, she leaned over and fanned the scent from the two dishes into her nose. It smelled delicious!


    "Smells good, doesn''t it?" a chubby man sitting next to her asked with a German accent.


    Halia glanced at the man shyly and nodded her head with a giggle.


    The tables in the beer garden were long communal ones with benches for seats and it was normal to end up sitting next to a stranger. It was a part of the atmosphere.


    The German man chuckled as his rosy cheekbones jutted out. "This is true hearty German food. You are going to love it," he said.


    At that moment, Jackson returned holding two big glasses of beer, one in each hand. The glasses were huge!


    "You haven''t been to Germany until you''ve had one of these," he said.


    The beers in the garden only came in one size: 1 liter (33.8 US fl oz).


    "Is everything in Germany so big?" Halia asked the man beside her.


    The German man laughed. "As big as our hearts," he said in a friendly manner as he raised a custom stoneware mug in his hand towards Jackson.


    Jackson quickly clinked his glass with the man and they both took a drink of their beer.


    Halia looked at the stoneware mug in the man''s hand with amazement. It had an interesting colorful raised design around it and it had a lid. But, most impressive of all, it was even bigger than the glasses that Jackson had brought back.


    "I like your stein," Jackson said as he pointed to the man''s mug.


    "Stein?" Halia asked.


    "Yes, this is a traditional beer stein. I got my one custom made. What you have are the modern glass ones, which are also called steins, but the serious drinkers have one of these," the German man explained.


    He then placed his beer stein in front of Halia so she could see it properly, "Doesn''t this handsome man look like someone?" he asked as he pointed to a chubby man that was on the design of his mug.


    Halia looked at it carefully and giggled, "Is that you?"


    The man nodded proudly, just as a few of his friends arrived and sat down, each holding their own custom beer stein.


    The man then pointed to Halia''s beer and food. "Hurry and enjoy your meal before the food gets cold and the beer gets warm. It was nice meeting you," he said.


    Halia looked at Jackson and smiled. She was so happy that he had brought her here. The people were friendly, the atmosphere was great, the food smelled good, and most importantly, she was sharing this experience with the person she loved.


    Jackson leaned over, cut a slice off the pork knuckle and placed it up to Halia''s mouth. "Try some," he said.


    Halia opened her mouth and took a bite as Jackson looked at her reaction with anticipation.


    As her teeth cut into the tender meat and the juices spread across her mouth, Halia smiled with satisfaction.


    "Wow," she exclaimed.

 Chapter 203 - First Encounter

    After an enjoyable lunch at the beer garden, Jackson and Halia finally went to check on Jaclyn. Mia and John had been giving Jackson regular updates on his sister and told him she was doing fine, so Jackson left his sister in their hands. Normally, John would wait at least 3 days, after the peak of the withdrawal symptoms passed, before he allowed family members to visit. But, he knew that Jackson was from Interpol and Jaclyn seemed to be doing well, so he told Jackson that he could visit if he wanted to.


    Halia had heard that one of the possible complications of heroin withdrawal was dehydration and a deficiency in nutrition due to poor appetite, nausea, and vomiting. So, just before they left the beer garden, she specifically ordered some food for Jaclyn.


    "Jaclyn has to try this food. It''s so good," she smiled as she carried a couple of bags of takeaway in her hands and handed them to Jackson. "The pork knuckle was crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, the bratwurst was fragrant and addictive, and the pretzel from this morning had the perfect chewy texture. It''s a shame to come to Germany without trying it."


    Jackson watched as his fiancee closed her eyes, savoring the taste from earlier. He was glad that she had enjoyed herself.


    "You''ve never bought me takeaway like this before," he frowned, pretending to be jealous.


    Halia looked at her man in surprise. Was he jealous of his own sister?


    "Don''t be jealous. I need to get on your sister''s good side so your family will like me," Halia explained.


    Jackson raised an eyebrow, but he didn''t seem to be convinced by her explanation.


    "How about this? I''ll buy you dessert later," Halia coaxed.


    Jackson looked at his fiancee''s adorable face. Slowly, a cheeky smile appeared on his face as he wrapped an arm around her waist and winked, "What kind of dessert?"


    Halia looked into the man''s eyes and realized he was having some indecent thoughts. She quickly nudged him away and sped up her footsteps. "What are you thinking?" she asked as she blushed.


    Jackson smiled and quickly followed behind his fiancee. Why was she acting so shy? It wasn''t like they hadn''t done it before. "I''ll be anticipating my dessert tonight," he called out.


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside the central square of Munich, a place called Marienplatz, Trisha and Oliver were seated outside a cafe, enjoying the beautiful spring weather.


    Oliver sipped on a cup of coffee while Trisha ordered a slice of black forest cake. The chocolate sponge layers coupled with whipped creams, cherry filling, and kirsch was a delicious little afternoon treat. Trisha had eaten black forest cake in the past. Back when she was in London, she would have it with a cup of tea sometimes, but never had she had a traditional German one made with kirsch. Kirsch was a kind of brandy made from cherries, and unlike cherry liqueur, it wasn''t sweet.


    Oliver watched as Trisha scooped one bite of cake after another into her mouth. Women were interesting creatures; why did they always enjoy desserts so much? Didn''t they find it too sweet?


    Oliver didn''t have a sweet tooth. In fact, the coffee in front of him had no sugar at all, and that was the way he liked it; the more bitter, the better.


    Trisha noticed Oliver looking at her and paused. "Do you want some?" she asked.


    Oliver quickly shook his head, "Isn''t that too sweet?"


    Trisha shook her head and took another bite. "Life is bitter enough. We need sweetness like this to balance things or we''d go crazy."


    Oliver glanced at Trisha and smiled. Her reason made sense. After all, she was an Interpol agent that had seen the bad side of human nature.


    Now that he thought about it, perhaps he needed some sweetness in his life too. He brushed back his curly brown hair and opened his mouth, "Ah."


    Trisha glanced at the man opposite her and laughed as she scooped up the last remaining spoonful of cake and directed it towards her own mouth. "You missed your chance. It''s all mine now," she teased.


    But, just before the spoon reached her mouth, Oliver suddenly grabbed onto her hand, leaned forward and tried to take a bite. Trisha giggled and leaned forward as well, beating the man to the cake and accidentally smearing some cream across the side of her lip.


    Oliver looked down at the woman''s lips. "That''s not fair," he said in a deep charming voice that sent tingles down Trisha''s spine.


    Trisha looked up and found herself staring into the man''s blue eyes. Like diamonds, they twinkled in the sun.


    She still remembered the first time she looked into these eyes. At that time, she was undercover in London''s Chinatown and Oliver was trying to write an article about the Chinatown Underworld. She saw him sneaking around one day and thought he was spying on her, so she dragged him into an alleyway to question him.


    "Who sent you?" Trisha said in a threatening manner as she lifted a hand to hit the man on the head.


    Oliver quickly covered his head and said, "Don''t hit me. No one sent me. I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    Trisha did not believe the man for a second as she grabbed his backpack and tipped it upside down.


    Out of the backpack came a camera, a notebook, a voice recorder, and an ID card. The ID card was from the London Times; one of the biggest newspapers in London.


    "Are you a reporter?" Trisha asked as she looked at the man''s ID card.


    "I''m just writing an article about Chinatown," Oliver quickly replied.


    Trisha picked up the man''s camera and started looking through his photos. They were all photos of gangsters from Chinatown; many that she knew. This man was obviously chasing a story about the underworld. Trisha couldn''t let him get in the way. What if he discovered who she was? Or worse, what if he got himself injured or killed?


    "I suggest you give up on this story. You don''t know how much danger you''re getting yourself into," Trisha said as she deleted the photos and handed the camera back to the man. "I''ll be keeping an eye on you. If I see you around here again, you''re dead!"


    Oliver finally lifted his head and looked into Trisha''s eyes for the first time. His blue eyes and curly brown hair were an oddly attractive combo, but his gaze was cold as ice.


    "You can''t scare me. I am going to uncover what you guys are doing here and bring justice to all your victims!" Oliver said as he kneeled down to pick up his things.


    But, when he stood up again, Trisha was already gone.


    That was their first encounter and certainly not their last...

 Chapter 204 - Just One Taste

    Trisha looked into the man''s eyes and felt her heart race, but she tried to keep a straight face like she always did around him.


    Previously, when Oliver asked her if she liked Jackson, she had told him that Jackson wasn''t her type. But, deep down, there was actually more to her answer that she didn''t dare to say.


    She wanted to tell him that the type of man she liked was slightly nerdy yet cool, good-looking yet shy, serious about his work yet playful during everyday life, and smart yet modest. A man that believed in justice and would use whatever legally non-violent methods he could to achieve it.


    A man...like him...


    But, she had already used Jaclyn''s case as an excuse to see him again and she had already dragged him across the continent to Germany. Seeing him again was already enough, she didn''t want to take things too far and lose this friend forever.


    So, Trisha quickly glanced away awkwardly and leaned back down to sit in her chair.


    However, to her surprise, Oliver suddenly grabbed onto her arm again and stopped her.


    "I want some sweetness too," he said as he pulled her closer to him.


    Trisha looked at the man with confusion, "Do you want me to order you another slice of..."


    Before she finished her sentence, Oliver suddenly leaned over and gently licked off the cream that was on the side of her lip...


    Trisha held her breath and opened her eyes wide in surprise as she felt her heart explode like fireworks. What did this man just do?


    "Mmm, you''re right. A bit of sweetness isn''t too bad," the man commented as he sat back down with a satisfied smile.


    Trisha frowned and punched the man on the arm. "What was that?" she asked as she grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth.


    Oliver held onto his arm and laughed. "I wanted a taste but you ate all the cake, so I had no other choice," he said.


    Trisha looked away as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. Even if he wanted a taste, didn''t he overstep his boundaries? They were just friends, right?


    Meanwhile, Oliver lifted his hand to his heart and smiled. It may have been selfish of him to do what he did, but he just wanted to share one kiss with the woman - even if it was slightly indirect, even if she didn''t like him - he just wanted one taste.


    ...


    At that time, in another part of Munich, Halia and Jackson had just arrived outside John''s apartment and the man had just opened the door for them.


    When he saw the bags of food in Jackson''s hands, he was quite surprised. "Is that all for Jaclyn?" he asked.


    "I got a little excited. I''m sure there''s enough for you and Mia too," Halia replied.


    John peered into the bags and smiled, "Pork knuckle, bratwurst, and pretzel! Good choice!"


    "I''ll prepare the pork knuckle while it''s still warm, otherwise the skin won''t be crunchy later. Jaclyn is in the second room on the left. The door is locked just in case she tries to escape. Here''s the key," he said as he handed Jackson a key.


    Jackson took the key and headed for Jaclyn''s room.


    But, as soon as he opened the door, a body rammed against him with a scream. Jackson subconsciously grabbed onto the person.


    It was Jaclyn. She was trying to escape.


    "I need to go back to Muller," she mumbled as she looked at the floor. "I forgot something there."


    Jackson held onto his sister worriedly and said, "Jaclyn, it''s me."


    Jaclyn lifted her head and saw her brother.


    Her pupils were dilated, her eyes were red and her face was pale.


    All of a sudden, tears began to stream down her face.


    "Jackson! Just one shot! Can you get me one shot? I promise I''ll quit after one last shot," she pleaded.


    At that moment, John approached after hearing Jaclyn''s scream.


    "I thought you said she was doing fine," Jackson said.


    With a sigh, John replied, "Let''s take her back into the room first."


    With Jackson''s help, John carried Jaclyn back into the room and lay her down on the bed. He then tied her down to the bedposts.


    This was exactly the reason why he tried to keep family away during the first 3-5 days. This was the toughest stage to witness.


    "I''m sorry that you had to witness this. She was perfectly fine a couple of hours ago and she was pretty decent all night, but I guess the cravings must have suddenly kicked in," John apologized as Jaclyn screamed and flailed behind him.


    "I suggest you visit again tomorrow. This may be difficult to watch, but I promise she will pull through and be fine. We just need to keep her away from any more heroin."


    As he spoke, John quickly ran out to grab a warm towel. He then leaned over and started wiping Jaclyn with it. This seemed to ease her discomfort and she stopped screaming.


    "Just one shot," Jaclyn pleaded as she looked into John''s eyes.


    John held onto Jaclyn''s hand and shook his head, "You can do this. You are strong enough to resist."


    Jackson saw the gentleness in John''s eyes and trusted the man. He could tell that he was genuinely concerned about Jaclyn. So, he grabbed Halia''s hand and left the room.


    "She''s in good hands. We should leave. Jaclyn wouldn''t want us to see her in this state," he said.


    Halia nodded her head in agreement.


    Just as they reached the front door, the door opened and Mia walked in. Her dark blue eyes stared at Jackson in surprise. "Did you come to visit Jaclyn?" she asked.


    "Yes, but she''s not doing too well. John might need some help in the room. We''ll come back tomorrow," Jackson replied.


    As soon as Mia heard this, her eyes immediately lit up with concern and she rushed for the room.


    But, as soon as she opened the door, she saw Jaclyn looking at John with a strangely seductive look in her eyes. "I''ll give you a kiss if you just give me one shot," she said. "I''ve never kissed a man before. You can be my first."


    Mia frowned and quickly cut in, "Let me take over from here!"


    John turned to look at Mia in surprise and quickly stood up. "I''ll go prepare dinner. Jaclyn''s brother and sister-in-law brought some food," he said awkwardly as he walked out.


    It wasn''t the first time he had been bribed by his patients. In fact, there were times when he was offered more than a kiss. But, he usually worked on his own or with a nurse that he had been working with for years; no outsider had ever witnessed a scene like this.


    He never accepted these bribes nor took advantage of his patients. For him, it was like white noise. But, did Mia trust him? Why did he sense a bit of disappointment on her face? Did she think he was actually considering it?

 Chapter 205 - Did You Bring That Thing?

    "I''m disappointed in you," Mia said as she closed the door and looked at the woman that was tied to the bed. "I thought you were stronger than this."


    Jaclyn turned towards the familiar voice. As she watched the tall, angelic woman walk towards her, she began to cry, "My head hurts and I feel so sick that I want to die. Please, Mia, Just give me one shot. I promise I''ll quit after that. You''ve been through this before, you know how tough it is. I''m not as strong as you, I can''t handle it. But now that I know what to expect, it will be easier on my second attempt. Please, I swear this will be the last time."


    Mia sat down beside the pitiful woman and shook her head.


    "You''re right, I''ve been through what you''re experiencing now. But, that''s exactly why I know the second attempt won''t be easier. What''s truly easier for you, is for you to get over this hurdle now. If you pull through these next few days, it will be easier for you to quit for good. I''m not as strong as you think. I''ve simply drowned out my cravings with alcohol," Mia replied with a sigh.


    Seeing Jaclyn like this, reminded her of herself, so deep down, she wasn''t just disappointed in Jaclyn, she was also disappointed in herself.


    Sure, she had quit heroin for good, but she had simply replaced it with another addiction. An addiction that she was so reluctant to quit that she even snuck into her brother''s bar to satiate her cravings.


    Mia looked at Jaclyn, placed her thumb against her cheek and gently wiped away her tears. "You will be fine," she said as her hands trembled a little.


    It had almost been two days since she last had a drop of alcohol and she was struggling with her own cravings.


    Jaclyn noticed Mia''s shaky hands and her pale face. Now that she thought about it, Mia had stayed up all night with her and she never saw her drink any alcohol. Was she still addicted to alcohol? If she was, then was she also experiencing withdrawal symptoms?


    Were they both going through a similar situation?


    Jaclyn looked into Mia''s eyes and felt her heart break as the woman''s soft, caring hands brushed against her cheek. There were so many people concerned about her: Jackson, Halia, John, and Mia. But, who was showing concern towards Mia? Was she receiving help?


    Jaclyn was there when Mia snuck into her brother''s bar, but she never asked her why she had snuck in. Now that she thought about it, everything suddenly made sense. "Was that why you were at Muller that day? Did you sneak into Muller to steal alcohol?" Jaclyn asked.


    There was a trace of pain in Mia''s eyes as she nodded her head in shame. She was embarrassed by her addiction, but she had become so reliant on the alcohol that she didn''t feel like she could function without it.


    "Does John and your brother know about your addiction?" Jaclyn continued to ask.


    Mia nodded again as she tried to stop her trembling hands.


    Jaclyn wanted to reach out her hands to comfort Mia, but they were tied to the bed. So, all she could do was stare into the woman''s eyes, "Don''t worry, you will be fine too. Both of us will be fine."


    At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Dinner''s ready!" John''s voice called out as he stepped in with a tray of food.


    Mia''s eyes lit up as she saw the food, "Wow, there''s pork knuckle, bratwurst, and even pretzel. Your brother and sister-in-law sure know how to spoil you."


    Jaclyn glanced at the food and felt slightly moved. So many people cared about her, how could she disappoint them and give up so easily.


    "Untie me," she suddenly said.


    Mia turned to the woman in surprise. Was she still trying to leave?


    Jaclyn saw the frustration in Mia''s eyes and laughed, "If you don''t untie me, how will I eat?"


    Mia glanced at John and John nodded his head as he locked the door behind him, "Don''t worry, she can''t escape."


    ...


    After leaving John''s place, Halia and Jackson took a quick walk around the city center and returned to their hotel after dinner. They had woken up really early that morning and were exhausted, so they decided to call it a night.


    But...just because they were returning to the hotel early...it didn''t mean that Jackson had forgotten about dessert...


    As soon as they walked in through their hotel room door, Jackson immediately approached Halia from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. "When are we having dessert?" he asked seductively beside her ear. "You still owe me."


    Halia gasped in surprise as her entire body tingled at the sound of the man''s voice. When she first made the offer to buy him dessert, she was referring to a cake or some gelato, but...this man was obviously referring to something else.


    "We ate so much today. Aren''t you full?" she asked, pretending to be oblivious.


    Jackson knew his fiancee was deliberately messing with him. She was much too smart to not get his hint, so he wasn''t letting her off easy.


    He quickly spun her around to face him and said with a smirk, "There''s always room for dessert." He then pressed his lips against hers passionately before she could refuse.


    Ever since that morning when she tried on her first wedding dress at the shop, he had been holding back his desires. After all, the curves on her body were s.e.xy, her legs were long and slender, her bum was round and perky, and her chest...


    Jackson gently ran his hands up Halia''s body and cupped them around her b.r.e.a.s.ts. They were as soft as he remembered from their last encounter. He couldn''t wait to remove her clothes and become one with her.


    But, Halia suddenly grabbed onto his hand and said, "Did you bring that thing?"


    Jackson looked at his fiancee with confusion. "What thing?" he asked.


    "You know...that thing? You can''t have dessert without it..." Halia said shyly.


    Jackson placed a hand to his forehead. "No, I didn''t bring any," he said with disappointment.

 Chapter 206 - Jealousy?

    Halia and Jackson had left Macau on a whim, plus they had left on serious business, so they had no time to think about preparing for the possibility of an intimate moment like this.


    Jackson stared at his fiancee with heated desire. He had waited all day for this moment. It was like spending all day preparing a dessert, only to drop it on the floor in the end. What a shame.


    Jackson gently wrapped his arms around Halia and placed a kiss on her forehead. As much as he wanted her, he also respected her. Sure, he was planning to give up his role with Interpol, but Halia was different. She had just joined the SPU not long ago. If he wasn''t careful and made her pregnant, then she would have to put her career on hold. He couldn''t bear to do something like that to her. At least, not until he officially married her and she was ready to move onto the next stage with him.


    "I''ll have my dessert another time," he said gently as he resisted his desires.


    Halia buried her head into the man''s chest. "You can go down and buy that thing. I''ll wait for you," she mumbled shyly as her body tensed up.


    Jackson smiled and shook his head, "It''s been a long day. Let''s just get some rest."


    Halia relaxed her body as her nervousness faded, but she suddenly felt a little disappointed.


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside one of the most popular beer halls in Munich, Trisha and Oliver were enjoying a lavish dinner with a local German family.


    Earlier that day, after Oliver gave Trisha an indirect kiss at the cafe, Trisha glanced away awkwardly and just so happened to spot a pickpocket stealing a wallet from an old woman''s handbag. It was like fate had stepped in to help her avoid the awkwardness.


    Trisha was an Interpol agent. As an officer of the law, she instinctively jumped out of her seat and started chasing after the thief.


    Of course, the man did not stand a chance against Trisha as he was knocked to the ground and pinned to the floor.


    After returning the wallet to the old lady, the old lady and her family ended up inviting Trisha and Oliver to dinner.


    That was how they ended up sharing a traditional dinner inside a beer hall with a local German family.


    Neither Trisha nor Oliver spoke German, so they required the help of the old woman''s granddaughter to act as a translator.


    The old woman''s granddaughter was in her mid-twenties. As soon as she saw Oliver, her eyes immediately lit up. "My grandmother told me the two of you are here for work. What job do you do, Mr. Williams?" the woman asked Oliver with interest as she ignored Trisha.


    "I''m a reporter," Oliver replied.


    "Wow, have you met any celebrities?" the young woman asked in excitement.


    "I''m not an entertainment reporter. I report on serious issues that affect humanity, including government corruption, illegal organizations, human trafficking, environmental issues, etc."


    The young woman rested her chin on her hand and looked at Oliver with amazement. "That''s amazing!" she exclaimed as she fluttered her eyelids. "I assume Miss Hua is your assistant?"


    Oliver wanted to say no, but Trisha didn''t want to recklessly reveal her true identity, so she quickly answered, "Yes, I''m Mr. Williams'' assistant. We were following a story when we spotted a pickpocket target your grandmother."


    The woman nodded in understanding. "What about photos? You must be good at taking photos, right?" the woman asked as she pulled out her phone. She then handed it to Oliver and smiled, "I want a photo with you."


    Oliver took the camera and raised it up at arms-length. At that moment, the woman leaned in close to him and smiled as they took a photo together.


    Trisha looked at the two and frowned. Even she had never taken a photo with Oliver before.


    The young woman looked at the photo and cheered, "Wow, that looks great!"


    Oliver chuckled. "That''s because you''re photogenic," he praised politely.


    Next to Oliver, Trisha couldn''t help but scoff. What a sweet talker.


    The young woman smiled and suddenly started waving at a passing waitress. "Beth, bring me three steins of beer," she ordered.


    The waitress nodded and quickly went to fetch three glass steins filled with beer. She then placed them in front of Oliver, Trisha, and the old woman''s granddaughter. "Are these your friends, Mila?" the waitress asked.


    The young woman nodded her head, "Yes, these are my new friends from overseas."


    She then handed one stein to Oliver and one to Trisha and said, "My family''s been coming to this beer hall since I was a child. They serve the best beer here. You need to give it a try."


    Oliver smiled and politely took a sip of the beer. "You''re right, this is great," he commented. But, the men on the table suddenly started laughing and saying something in German.


    Mila laughed and raised her stein, "My uncles said that a man should finish their drink in one go!"


    Oliver glanced around the table as everyone watched with anticipation. Unable to refuse, he raised the stein and emptied it down his throat as everyone cheered.


    Trisha watched in surprise. "Are you sure you can handle that?" she whispered beside the man''s ear.


    Oliver lifted a hand, gesturing that he was OK. He was a man, he could handle a bit of beer.


    As soon as he finished, Mila wrapped her arm around Oliver''s arm and squealed, "You''re so cool! Are all British men like this? Women must throw themselves all over you. You must have a girlfriend, right?"


    Oliver wiped his mouth with a napkin and chuckled as he took a quick glance at Trisha.


    But, Trisha sipped on her beer and looked away with disinterest as she started eating the food on her plate.


    "No, I''m single," he replied awkwardly.


    Mila tightened her grip around the man''s arm and smiled, "What a coincidence. I don''t have a boyfriend either."


    She then waved down the waitress for another stein of beer.


    Trisha watched as the woman moved in closer and closer to Oliver and felt a pang of jealousy. How could a woman be so straightforward? Especially when her family was right there on the same table?


    At that moment, Mila''s grandmother pointed at Oliver with a grin and said a few words in German.


    Mila immediately blushed and looked at Oliver with a smile.


    "What did your grandmother say?" Oliver asked.


    "My grandmother asked if you''re willing to be my boyfriend," Mila said shyly.


    Trisha coughed, almost choking on her food.


    Oliver immediately brushed away Mila''s arm and turned to check on Trisha. "Are you OK?" he asked as he patted her on the back.


    Trisha raised her hand and stood up, "Please excuse me. I''m going to go to the bathroom."


    Oliver watched as the woman scurried away and felt his lips curve upwards slightly. Was he imagining things? Or was he sensing some jealousy?

 Chapter 207 - A Reporter With A Good Sense

    Jaclyn stared at all the food in front of her and rubbed her hands in excitement. Even though her cravings were strong and her hands had been untied, she knew the door was firmly locked and she had no way of escape. Plus, after her talk with Mia, she knew she had to stay strong and resist.


    Jaclyn had not had much of an appetite all day due to feelings of nausea, but the food in front of her was so good that she suddenly felt her mouth salivate. "Just eat a little bit of each dish," John said. "Your stomach will need some time to adjust to the food so don''t push yourself."


    He then placed an empty plate in front of Jaclyn and started cutting a bit of pork knuckle and bratwurst for her. After that, he ripped off a piece of pretzel and placed it on her plate as well. "Try it," he smiled.


    Jaclyn picked up her fork and gently took a bite of the pork knuckle. The fat and juicy meat melted in her mouth and warmed her stomach. It was like eating a hamburger after a hangover; for some reason, it felt so right. Jaclyn quickly took a bite of the bratwurst as well; she didn''t realize how hungry she was. Now that she thought about it, she hadn''t eaten much over the past few days.


    At that moment, memories of dirty water and stale bread came to her mind. That''s right, that was all her kidnappers had been feeding her over the last few days. She had almost forgotten.


    Jaclyn paused for a moment. The drugs had kept her in such a euphoric state that the entire experience was a blur, but now that she was off the drugs, memories slowly flooded back. Memories of being thrown into the back of one truck after another, memories of being yelled and spat on, memories of men laughing as she begged for another shot of heroin...memories of other women that she had met along the way.


    "Did my brother mention anything about when I''m going in to file a report?" Jaclyn asked.


    "I will take you down to the Interpol office tomorrow. Your brother and sister-in-law will meet us there," Mia replied.


    Jaclyn took another bite of the pork knuckle and nodded her head.


    At that moment, Mia suddenly leaned over with a napkin and wiped some oil off the corner of Jaclyn''s lips. "They may have some questions for you tomorrow. Some of them may be tough. But, take your time and answer them with everything you know. We will be there to support you," she said gently.


    Jaclyn looked into the woman''s dark blue eyes. How could such a kind person still be single?


    All of a sudden, Jaclyn remembered that John was interested in Mia. With a cheeky smile, she glanced at the man and gave him a wink. "Mia, you have something on your mouth too," she giggled as she gestured for John to wipe it.


    But, John stared back at her blankly.


    "Where?" Mia asked as she picked up a clean napkin and started dabbing around randomly.


    Jaclyn looked at John with frustration. Didn''t he learn anything from her? How was he supposed to win her heart when he was so clueless?


    "John, help her," Jaclyn said straightforwardly as she stared at the man.


    John had a piece of pork knuckle in his hand at that moment and was shoving it into his mouth. He couldn''t help Mia in that state. If anything, he would only make her dirtier.


    In the end, Jaclyn sighed and leaned over towards Mia. She then grabbed the napkin out of her hand and gently wiped the corner of her lips for her. "You always care about other people. It''s time you find someone to take care of you in return," Jaclyn whispered as she took another quick glance at John.


    Mia looked at Jaclyn and smiled. "Don''t worry, I''m sure the right person will come at the right time," she said.


    Jaclyn nodded her head, "Who knows, perhaps the right person is already beside you but you haven''t noticed."


    ...


    Back at the beer hall, Trisha was splashing some water on her face inside the bathroom.


    "Control yourself, Trish," she whispered as she looked at her own reflection. If she didn''t keep herself composed, Oliver was going to find out that she liked him and it would ruin their friendship.


    He was a reporter - a very good reporter with a good sense.


    In fact, back when they first met in Chinatown, it only took him two weeks to follow and investigate her, for him to discover that she wasn''t who she said she was.


    Of course, Interpol files were highly confidential so he couldn''t exactly pinpoint what her true identity was, but he knew she wasn''t just a simple gangster.


    By the time Trisha caught him again and dragged him into an alleyway for the second time, he was confident that she was a good person that would do him no harm.


    "Didn''t I warn you not to follow this story anymore? Do you want to die?" Trisha threatened as she held the man by his collar.


    "I know you won''t kill me," the man smirked.


    Trisha pulled out a knife and placed it up to the man''s neck, "Do you want to test me?"


    "I saw what you did last week," Oliver said without flinching.


    Trisha stared at the man without saying a word.


    "I saw you sneak out for a phone call," he said.


    "What''s wrong with a phone call? Everyone makes phone calls," Trisha replied.


    "I saw you pull out the SIM card and smash the phone afterwards. Not long after that, some police raided the place you were at and made a huge drug bust..." Oliver said.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Trisha frowned.


    "Are you an informant? A spy? An officer?" Oliver whispered as he leaned towards the woman.


    Trisha flinched a little and accidentally made a small cut on Oliver''s neck. She immediately put the knife away and grabbed some tissues from her pocket to cover the wound.


    Oliver looked at the woman and laughed, "I take that as a yes."


    Trisha glared at the man without a word. How was she supposed to talk her way out of this?


    At that moment, a sinister voice suddenly interrupted the two, "I see you found a rat in the alley, Trish."


    Trisha and Oliver looked towards the head of the alleyway. A man with a scar across his cheek approached the two. From his angle, it looked like Trisha was strangling the man.


    "I recognize you, you''re that nosy reporter from the London Times," the man sneered.


    "Let''s take him back to the boss and teach him a lesson, Trish."


    Trisha glanced at the man and sighed. "I told you not to come back," she whispered under her breath.

 Chapter 208 - Trisha Hua

    Trisha glared at the bleeding man in front of her and quickly scanned her eyes up and down the alleyway. If she took him back to her boss, he was dead meat - for sure!


    The man that had run into them was her boss'' right-hand man, Tyson Li. He was known to be a ruthless character in the Underworld that never showed any mercy, so Trisha knew there was nothing she could say to convince him to let Oliver go.


    Thus, she had two options: either beat the man up and expose her identity or distract him long enough for Oliver to escape.


    Trisha glanced at Oliver and whispered in a voice that only they could hear, "Run when you get the chance."


    Oliver looked at the woman curiously. What was she planning to do?


    Trisha took a deep breath and let go of Oliver''s neck. She then bit her lip and batted her eyelids seductively towards the muscly man opposite her, "Brother Ty-Ty, now that we are alone, there''s something I''ve always wanted to tell you."


    Tyson glanced at Oliver as he held onto his neck and stood blankly in place. The man looked too weak to escape, so Tyson looked into Trisha''s eyes with interest. There was no rush to get the wimpy reporter back to his boss. He wanted to hear what Trisha had to say first.


    ''Brother Ty-Ty'', she had never called him that before. For some reason, it made him feel excited. Was she trying to seduce him? He stretched out an arm and wrapped it around the woman''s waist as she approached. "What is it?" he asked.


    Trisha gasped a little at the man''s sudden movement, but she maintained her composure as she hooked her arms around his neck and turned him around so his back faced Oliver. "Has anyone told you that the scar on your face is so masculine and s.e.xy?" Trisha asked with a wink.


    Tyson smiled and pulled the woman closer, "No, you are the first."


    "Oh, Brother Ty-Ty, your voice is so s.e.xy that it makes my little heart skip a beat. When you have some free time, I would like to invite you to share a meal together," Trisha said as she waved her hand behind the man''s head, gesturing for Oliver to run.


    Oliver took the hint and began to back away.


    But, at that moment, Tyson suddenly leaned forward and whispered beside Trisha''s ear, "I''m free right now and I''m hungry."


    Tyson had noticed Trisha from the time she first joined the gangs. There weren''t many women in the gangs and certainly none that were as sassy and attractive as her, so he actually had his eyes on her for a long time. Who knew she''d be interested in him as well.


    He took a deep breath, savoring the woman''s scent; she smelled sweet like marshmallows. Unable to resist, he licked Trisha on the cheek and began to kiss her on the neck.


    Trisha gently pushed the man away and said, "There are people around. Let''s find somewhere quiet."


    But, the man had already been provoked and could not resist his desires, "Everyone in Chinatown knows who I am, they wouldn''t dare to look!"


    He then started kissing Trisha on the neck again as he pushed her against the wall of the alleyway and began to unbutton his pants.


    This man was desperate! Ever since he received the scar on his face, no woman had willingly approached him, let alone a young woman like Trisha. How could he let this opportunity go?


    Trisha immediately grabbed the man''s hand to stop him. "I have my period..." she frowned, pretending to look disappointed, "...let''s do it another time."


    By this time, Oliver was already at the other end of the alleyway and about to turn the corner back onto the main street. Trisha felt relieved. He escaped and her identity wasn''t exposed; it was a win-win situation.


    But, Tyson suddenly began to lift up her skirt with a sick perverted look in his eyes, "I''m not afraid of blood. It just means you are extra wet!"


    Trisha looked at the man in surprise. How disgusting and dirty! Most men were turned off by blood.


    Trisha pushed the man''s chest desperately as she tried to think of a way to get out of the situation, but Tyson continued to move forward.


    "Tyson, no!" Trisha screamed. "I''m not in the mood today!"


    "But, I am!" Tyson laughed as he grabbed Trisha''s bum cheeks and lifted her up off the floor.


    "You can''t!" Trisha squealed.


    Trisha panicked. She had to get herself out of the situation without exposing herself. What could she do? At that moment, she thought of something.


    "I''m a v.i.r.g.i.n! I''m saving myself for the Boss!" she quickly lied in a panic as she closed her eyes.


    But, just as she said this she heard a loud bang, followed by the sound of shattered glass on the floor. She then landed back on the floor and felt the man move away from her body.


    Trisha slowly opened her eyes and saw blood trickling down the man''s head. He had been hit by a glass bottle and shards of glass were lying on the floor around him.


    Tyson turned around furiously to see who had hit him. As his body turned, Trisha saw a blue-eyed man with curly brown hair staring at them.


    "Oliver?" she whispered in surprise.


    Didn''t he already escape?


    Why did he return?


    "Let her go!" the skinny reporter warned.


    Tyson wiped some blood from his eyes and growled in rage, "You f*cken b*stard! I am chopping you into a million pieces and feeding you to the sharks!"


    He then raised an arm to deal a deadly punch at the man opposite him.


    But, all of a sudden, he suddenly felt an arm wrap tightly around his neck from behind. Who was behind him? He then felt a hand on the back of his head, pushing his head forward. He subconsciously tried to pull the arm away, but the person that was restraining him was fast and accurate. They were applying a sleeper hold on him; a technique often used in martial arts to restrain one''s opponent. This person knew the exact technique and form and had sealed the arteries on his neck, cutting off blood circulation to his brain. Within 5 seconds, he lost consciousness and blacked out.


    Oliver watched as the muscly man dropped limply to the ground. He then looked up at Trisha in surprise.


    He had witnessed the entire scene: Trisha was the one that put this man in a sleeper hold! This man was almost double her size! It was like a battle between David and Goliath!


    "How did you do that?" he asked in surprise.


    "I''m a black belt in karate," Trisha replied briefly as a bunch of men suddenly rushed out of a door that faced the alleyway and grabbed Tyson off the floor.


    "Hurry before someone sees," Trisha said to the men.


    "Are you OK?" one of the men asked.


    "Yes," Trisha replied.


    "Then we''ll take over from here," the man said before he and the other men quickly covered Tyson and dragged him in through the door they had come out of.


    That was when Oliver realized, they had come out of the backdoor of a laundromat.


    Oliver watched the entire scene with confusion, "What just happened? Who were those men? Why did they drag him into a laundromat? How do you have a black belt in karate? Who are you?"


    Trisha quickly scanned her eyes around and walked in through the back door of the laundromat as well. "Follow me," she said.

 Chapter 209 - Mutual Attraction

    Oliver looked around the laundromat. It was a proper fully functioning one with a row of washing machines and a row of dryers. A short old Chinese man and woman were folding and ironing clothes indifferently as the group of men, Tyson, Trisha, and Oliver walked past.


    Oliver glanced at the old woman curiously. Wasn''t she phased by this scene? After all, everyone in Chinatown knew who Tyson was.


    But, the old woman simply smiled at him and continued what she was doing.


    Soon, the group of men stopped in front of a wall. Oliver caught up and tugged Trisha on the sleeve. "What are we doing in here?" he asked.


    At that moment, one of the men placed his palm against the wall and a hidden door suddenly opened.


    Oliver looked at Trisha in surprise as she stepped through without even batting an eyelid.


    As soon as Oliver followed Trisha through the door, the door sealed shut again and Oliver realized he was standing inside an elevator. The elevator lowered beneath ground level, roughly equivalent to 1-2 floors and stopped. The doors then opened again and everyone stepped out.


    Oliver''s eyes opened wide in shock as he looked around him.


    They were standing in an underground office of some sort. There were screens and computers everywhere and a couple of men seemed to be monitoring some cameras. What was this place and what were these people doing?


    The men dragged Tyson to a room, while Trisha led Oliver to another room.


    Inside the room, there was a sofa, a water dispenser, and some snacks. "Do you want some water?" Trisha offered.


    Oliver shook his head. "What is this place?" he asked.


    "Interpol monitoring station," Trisha replied straightforwardly.


    Oliver felt his mind almost explode when he heard the woman''s response.


    "I-I-Interpol?!" he exclaimed.


    "I told you to leave. Why did you come back?" Trisha frowned.


    "That punk was taking advantage of you! I couldn''t abandon a woman and leave on my own," Oliver replied. "What if something happened to you?"


    As Oliver spoke, he looked around the office and realized how ridiculous he sounded. This woman was never in danger - she had a whole team watching over her. Suddenly, he felt a little guilty. He was trying to be a hero, but did he accidentally compromise her identity?


    Trisha glared at the man, but she felt slightly moved by his actions. He was no agent or skilled martial artist; he was just an average man. Yet, he threw himself into danger for her.


    "Then why did you continue with your story when I specifically told you not to?" she asked.


    "If every reporter stopped reporting on things because they were told not to, then the truth would never be revealed. I believe in truth and justice. I think bad people should be exposed and good people acknowledged," Oliver replied.


    Trisha looked into the man''s diamond blue eyes and felt her heart skip a beat. There was something oddly attractive about him.


    "By the way, thank you for saving my life. I know I would have been dead meat if Tyson brought me back to your boss," Oliver said with slight guilt in his voice. "You''re an undercover agent, aren''t you? Did I compromise your identity?"


    Trisha sighed, "I''m not sure if Tyson realized I knocked him out, but my colleagues will be detaining him for a while anyway. I am going after the boss tomorrow. If everything goes to plan, my mission will be completed and everyone will be thrown behind bars. They will naturally know my identity then."


    "Tomorrow?" Oliver gasped in surprise. "You''re actually taking down Benjamin Yuan? He is the very definition of evil!"


    Trisha simply nodded her head and walked towards the door, "That''s why I need you to cooperate and stay here until the mission is over. We can''t afford to make any mistakes. Can you do that?"


    As she asked this question, Trisha turned around and looked at Oliver, "You can either do it willingly and relax in this room until it''s over, or I can handcuff you and lock you up. It''s your choice."


    Oliver looked at the woman. She was different from any woman he had ever met. She was sassy, cool, mysterious and righteous. He knew she wanted to protect him and he didn''t want to get in her way, so he nodded his head. "Stay safe," he said.


    Trisha smiled. It was the first time she had smiled at him and it made his heart flutter.


    As she turned to leave, Oliver suddenly remembered something. "Wait, I almost forgot, I have some information that may be of help to you," he said as he grabbed a USB stick from his bag. "This is all my research. Make sure you take that evil son of a b*tch down tomorrow. I''ll wait down here for the good news."


    Trisha held onto the USB stick and nodded her head.


    As soon as she left the room, she plugged the USB stick into one of the computers to see what Oliver had found. "Wow, he''s good," she exclaimed as she scrolled through pages and pages of evidence and photos. She then handed the USB stick to her colleague, "Look through this and see if we can use any of it. I want that b*stard to rot in jail."


    As she headed back into the elevator, she smiled. That man was impressive and different from any reporter she had ever met before.


    ...


    The next day, everything went as planned and Trisha successfully led a raid on Benjamin Yuan.


    From the underground office, there were cameras monitoring the area and a few of her colleagues watched with anticipation, including her handler who was screaming orders through an earpiece.


    Oliver had befriended the men in the office and they allowed him to roam freely as long as he didn''t interfere with their work, so when he heard the handler screaming anxiously, he stepped out of the room to see what was happening.


    "2 at 8 o''clock!" he yelled."


    Oliver peeked over the handler''s shoulder and saw Trisha holding two guns and hiding behind a pillar. With one swift movement, she ran out from behind the pillar and shot two clean shots at two gangsters that were aiming at her.


    "I''m out of bullets," she said as she ducked behind a barrel. "I am switching to physical combat. Guide me."


    Oliver watched nervously as Trisha kicked and punched her way through what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Of course, she wasn''t completely alone, she had some backup, but the way she moved across that warehouse was like an indestructible terminator.


    "She''s so cool," Oliver whispered under his breath as he watched the woman with admiration. The more he looked at her, the more attractive she became.


    In the end, Trisha and her team successfully arrested Benjamin Yuan and had him apprehended for multiple crimes, including some that Oliver had discovered.


    Oliver was ecstatic!


    Following the arrest, Trisha met up with Oliver a few times to write up a story about the dark side of Chinatown. It was the proudest article Oliver had ever written and it helped him establish a name in the industry.


    During this time, they became good friends, but deep down, their mutual attraction grew stronger. However, before either of them got the chance to confess, Trisha was transferred back to Hong Kong and the two of them were separated.


    Trisha and Oliver kept in contact over the internet and often thought about each other, but they both thought their feelings were one-sided and did not attempt to take things further; they were good friends and they didn''t want to ruin it. Especially since they were on opposite ends of the world and a relationship did not seem feasible.


    So, as Trisha looked at herself in the bathroom of the beer hall, she had to remind herself to stay in control. She was just a friend, she had no right to feel jealous. In fact, she should be happy that a beautiful young woman was interested in Oliver.


    That way...when she returned to Hong Kong again...she would know that he wasn''t lonely...


    But...somehow...this thought broke her heart...

 Chapter 210 - Not Friends

    Trisha dried her face with a paper towel and stepped out of the bathroom with a sigh. Maybe it was a bad idea for her to stay in Munich. How could a single man and woman stay in a hotel all alone for such a long period of time? How was she supposed to control her feelings when she had to face this man night and day?


    At that moment, Trisha spotted Oliver walking towards her. It seemed, he needed to go to the bathroom as well.


    Trisha forced a smile on her face and suddenly said to the man, "I''m going to return to Hong Kong tomorrow."


    Oliver looked at the woman in surprise. Jackson had clearly given her an extra week off to stay in Munich, why was she leaving so suddenly?


    He looked into the woman''s eyes and noticed they were slightly red. Was she upset about something?


    All of a sudden, a voice called out behind him, "Oliver..."


    Oliver and Trisha looked towards the direction of the voice.


    It was Mila.


    The woman walked straight up to Oliver and hooked her arm with his. "Why did you suddenly get up without a word? Are you not feeling well?" she asked with concern.


    Oliver had actually gotten up because he was worried about Trisha. Also, he was curious whether his suspicions were correct. Trisha had been acting strange and his instincts told him it was due to jealousy. Was he imagining things?


    Trisha scanned her eyes across the two and felt them burn with jealousy as she furrowed her brows. She quickly glanced away; she had to control herself.


    With a forced smile, she looked towards the exit and said, "Please excuse me, I need to go back to the hotel to pack. I have a flight to catch tomorrow. Oliver, you can stay here with Mila if you want. I can go to the airport on my own in the morning."


    She then brushed past the two and headed for the door.


    But, a hand suddenly gripped firmly around her wrist and held her back.


    Trisha turned her head in surprise.


    It was Oliver.


    Trisha glanced down at the man''s hand. Why was he stopping her? Shouldn''t he be thankful that she was giving him a chance to spend some time alone with Mila? Mila was young, beautiful, s.e.xy...the type of woman that every man liked.


    But, Oliver''s hand slid down her wrist and he intertwined his fingers with hers. "Let''s leave together," he said as he held onto her hand tightly. "Sorry Mila, we have something urgent to deal with. Can you please help us thank your family for a lovely dinner. If you are ever in London or Hong Kong, feel free to contact us, we will be happy to show you around."


    After Oliver finished speaking, he dragged Trisha out the front door and onto the main street.


    "What are you doing?" Trisha yelled out. "Let go of me. I can walk on my own."


    But, Oliver ignored her as he continued to pull her down the street without saying a word.


    Trisha glanced down at their intertwined fingers and felt her heart beat out of rhythm. Why did this man always stir up her feelings like this? If he continued to do stuff like this, it would make her misunderstand.


    "I can honestly return to the hotel on my own. Don''t forget, I have a black belt in karate," Trisha said as she tried to free her hand.


    At that moment, Oliver turned into a quiet alleyway and gently pressed Trisha against the wall.


    "Why are you suddenly leaving?" he finally asked.


    Trisha glanced up at the man. The night was dark, but his diamond blue eyes somehow managed to sparkle under the moonlight. They were completely mesmerizing and Trisha felt herself get lost in his eyes for a moment.


    "Don''t look at me like that," she whispered as her heart broke. If he kept looking at her like that, she wouldn''t be able to leave him.


    "Why?" Oliver asked as he moved in closer to the woman and trapped her between his arms.


    "Friends don''t look at each other like that," Trisha said. "You should leave that look for women like Mila."


    A trace of amus.e.m.e.nt appeared in Oliver''s eyes as he continued to stare at the woman. From where he stood, he could feel the woman''s warm breaths against his lips and they tickled his heart. Earlier that day, he had snuck a kiss from the corner of her lips, but at that moment, he wanted so badly to match his lips with hers and kiss her properly.


    "Do I sense jealousy?" he teased while looking hopeful. He always thought his feelings were one-sided, but today, he noticed something that he never did before. Trisha always maintained a poker face, but he saw underneath the surface today and sensed something from her heart. Was he imagining things?


    At that moment, Trisha''s breathing sped up and her face turned slightly red.


    "N-N-No..." Trisha replied.


    Oliver felt his heart almost explode when he heard this response. The usually composed Trisha was stuttering. She was nervous. She was lying!


    Trisha felt her cheeks heat up and quickly tried to add to her lie, "I was simply..."


    But, before she managed to tell her lie, a pair of lips covered her mouth, preventing any sound from escaping.


    Trisha tried to gasp in surprise, but when she opened her mouth to take a breath, she felt the man slip his tongue into her mouth.


    Trisha opened her eyes wide and looked at the face that was in front of her. Oliver had his eyes closed as he continued to kiss her.


    That''s right, he was kissing her and she was subconsciously kissing him back. Trisha felt like she was in a dream as she closed her eyes and savored the softness of the man''s lips. This kiss was different from the questionable kiss from earlier. This was a real kiss. A passionate kiss. A kiss between lovers...not friends...


    Trisha gently nudged the man away. As she caught her breath, she asked, "Why are you kissing me?"


    Oliver smirked slightly and wrapped his arms around Trisha''s waist. He then pulled her close to his body and whispered beside her ear. "Isn''t it obvious that I like you?" he asked.


    He then pressed his lips firmly against hers again and kissed her with all his might. She wasn''t leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow. He wasn''t letting her leave...

 Chapter 211 - Witness Interview

    The next day, Mia and Jaclyn arrived nice and early at the Munich branch of Interpol. Jackson and Halia were waiting for them in the lobby, and as soon as they arrived, they led them to a quiet room in the back.


    "How are you feeling today, Jaclyn?" Halia asked thoughtfully.


    "I''ve been feeling a lot better today thanks to the food you brought last night. The pork knuckle was particularly delicious," Jaclyn replied in a weak but thankful voice.


    Jackson scanned his eyes across his sister. Only yesterday, she was trying to escape; he had witnessed it first-hand. So, he was a bit worried that she wasn''t completely in her right mind yet.


    "You will be going into that room on your own in a moment. Will you be OK?" Jackson asked.


    Jaclyn nodded her head. "Yes, I want to make sure that those guys are put behind bars forever."


    Up to that point, no one knew exactly what Jaclyn had experienced and encountered during her transfer from London to Munich. Even Jaclyn herself had bits of memory that were still missing. But, she remembered the faces, voices, and names of the people that had taken her, and she was certain it was enough.


    At that moment, Mia handed Jaclyn a bottle of water, "Have a sip before you go in. I will be out here waiting for you. If the questions are too tough, just take a deep breath and answer slowly."


    Jaclyn did as told and slowly entered the room.


    The room looked like the interrogation rooms seen in movies. Four walls surrounded a table with four chairs and a camera watched over the table. But, she was not a criminal, so this was not an interrogation but an interview. Thus, when the questioning officer stepped into the room, he was friendly and welcoming.


    "Hi, Miss Wu, thank you for coming today. This interview will last roughly 1-2 hours. After we are done here, you will be asked to identify the criminals from a lineup of suspects," he explained before he pulled out a stack of doc.u.ments.


    "I''ve already read through the case files, but we are still unclear about what exactly happened to you, so I will be asking a few questions that I hope you can answer," the officer added.


    Jaclyn nodded her head nervously.


    "Let''s start from the beginning. Can you explain how you were taken?"


    Jaclyn took a deep breath like Mia taught her and began to recall her story. She explained how she was heading out for a date, how she was ambushed at the university and how she was injected with heroin.


    "They pushed me onto the back of a truck with 5 other women. I was nauseous during this first leg of the trip and I slept through most of it, but whenever I opened my eyes, I ended up vomiting into a bucket that the men had given me. The other women seemed to be in the same state. At one point, one of them accidentally tipped their bucket and vomit spread all over the floor. By the time the truck doors opened, the truck stunk of vomit, but the men didn''t care. They mustered us out like animals and distributed us onto different trucks. I did not see those 5 women again," Jaclyn recalled.


    "Do you remember the faces of the men that took you from the university?" the officer asked as he recorded what he had heard.


    Jaclyn thought carefully and nodded her head as she began to describe the men she saw.


    "Were you aware at any point that these men were human traffickers? Did you know that they were planning to sell you off into the s.e.x trade? Did they do anything to you apart from injecting you and transporting you?" the officer asked carefully.


    Jaclyn quickly shook her head; she knew what the officer was referring to, "No! I was locked in that truck the entire time. They didn''t even open the door to feed me!"


    The officer quickly raised his hands to calm the woman down. "Please calm down, Miss Wu. It''s just a question that I have to ask."


    "What about the people that took you to the border of Belgium? Do you remember anything about them?"


    Jaclyn described these men as well, but she began to feel discomfort at the pit of her stomach as the memories flooded back. The drugs had been suppressing these memories, but now that she was recalling it in chronological order, she began to remember things that she didn''t want to, "That trip was quick, so I only saw them briefly, but they had strong accents and I recall them calling each other Louis and Manon. They also injected me with heroin before the start of the trip."


    She then explained how she went from the border to Brussels and stopped there for a little while before being transferred to Cologne. "I was locked inside a warehouse with three other women. One woman was from Paris, one was from Moscow, and one was from Bosnia." That was when Jaclyn suddenly froze and began to tremble. She had almost forgotten about these three women.


    The officer lifted his head and looked at Jaclyn. Something didn''t seem right.


    He passed her a glass of water and said gently, "Take your time. Can you tell me what happened in that warehouse?"


    "The woman from Moscow tried to escape..." Jaclyn suddenly recalled.


    "Did she get caught?" the officer guessed.


    Jaclyn nodded her head as her eyes opened wide in fear.


    "There were 5 men guarding the warehouse. After they caught her escaping...they made us watch...as they took turns raping her," Jaclyn said as she began to cry. The officer handed her a tissue and she took it thankfully.


    "Afterwards, they dragged her limp body out and we never saw her again. They told us that if we tried to escape, the same thing would happen to us. I remember feeling terrified and paranoid."


    "When they finally packed us into the next truck, they injected us with heroin again and gave us each a loaf of stale bread for the journey. The heroin made me relax and forget about the scene I had witnessed, but when it wore off, the memories returned again."


    "By the time we arrived in Cologne, I found myself begging and pleading for more. I was desperate and the men took advantage of it. I had become addicted without knowing it. They waved a syringe above my head and forced me to dance for them. I remember those particular faces the most. They were the most disgusting faces I had ever seen in my life!" Jaclyn sobbed.


    "Did anyone r.a.p.e you at any point?" the officer asked after a moment of hesitation. He knew it was a sensitive question, but he needed the details.


    When Jaclyn heard this question, her heart began to race and her mind became fuzzy. She remembered sleazy faces looking at her, she remembered hands running across her body, she remembered her clothes being torn from her body...


    At that moment, Jaclyn jumped out of her seat and ran for the door. It was too overwhelming, she didn''t want to answer this question, she didn''t want to think about what happened.


    As she opened the door and rushed out, she ran into a pair of familiar arms. "What''s wrong, Jaclyn?" a sweet voice asked.


    Jaclyn looked up and found herself face-to-face with Mia. "I don''t want to stay here," Jaclyn cried as she threw the woman''s arms away and tried to run.


    But, Mia quickly grabbed onto her and pinned her against the wall. "You can''t run away from your problems like this..." she whispered. "Tell me, why are you so upset?"

 Chapter 212 - Almost R.a.p.ed

    The sun shone in through the hotel room window as Trisha slowly opened her eyes. As her eyes adjusted to the light, a handsome British man with curly brown hair came into view.


    It was Oliver.


    There was a big gap between their two single beds; they did not sleep together. But, there was still an ambiguous vibe in the air.


    Trisha placed a finger to her mouth, brushed it across her lips gently, and blushed. That was right, they had kissed last night. Most importantly, it wasn''t a simple touching of lips or an innocent peck, it was a steamy passionate kiss. A kiss that made her body feel hot just by thinking about it.


    Trisha fanned her cheeks and sat up. Oliver kissed her yesterday. He told her he kissed her because he liked her. But, she was so fl.u.s.tered that she ended up pushing him away and scurrying back to the hotel.


    All the way home, Oliver followed cheekily behind her. "You were jealous, weren''t you?" he asked.


    Trisha shook her head in embarrassment.


    "You like me, don''t you?"


    Trisha shook her head again and sped up her footsteps.


    "Oh, really? Then I guess I''ll go back and kiss Mila instead," Oliver tested.


    His test worked.


    "How can you be so fickle?" Trisha blurted as she watched Oliver turn around. "I thought you said you liked me a moment ago."


    Oliver''s lips curved upwards slightly. He then turned around and faced the woman with a frown, "Yes, I like you. That''s why I can''t return to the hotel and watch you pack and leave."


    Trisha furrowed her brows and sighed.


    "I''m not packing tonight," she revealed.


    "Aren''t you flying tomorrow morning?" Oliver asked.


    "Tickets were sold out. I''m not leaving anymore," Trisha lied as she continued walking again. In reality, she hadn''t even logged online to check tickets yet.


    Oliver smiled and quickly followed after the woman. He then grabbed onto her hand. Even though the woman wouldn''t admit to it, he knew how she felt.


    "Since you''re not leaving, let me take you on a date tomorrow," he said.


    Trisha glanced down at their hands and blushed. She then looked away and held back her smile, "What do you want to do?"


    "You''ll see tomorrow," the man chuckled as they walked hand-in-hand back to the hotel.


    As Trisha thought back on the night before, her heart began to race. All this time, she thought they were just friends, but in just one night, everything changed. What was happening between them? Were they still friends? Or were they something more? She jumped out of bed in nervousness and rushed towards the bathroom; she needed to splash some water on her face to wake herself up.


    But, before she reached the bathroom door, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her waist from behind. "Where are you going?" a familiar voice said beside her ear.


    A million butterflies fluttered inside Trisha''s stomach.


    "To the bathroom," Trisha replied. As she turned her head slightly to answer the man, her cheek rubbed against his cheek and it lit up sparks in her heart.


    "You''re not sneaking off back to Hong Kong, right? You promised me a date today," the man said.


    "I already told you, tickets are sold out. I''m not going anywhere," Trisha replied as she freed herself from the man''s arms.


    She then continued towards the bathroom.


    But, the man suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her back to face him. He then leaned forward with a desirous gaze.


    Trisha held her breath. Did he want to kiss her?


    She couldn''t kiss him at that moment. Trisha quickly covered her mouth with her hand and Oliver looked at the woman with confusion.


    "I haven''t brushed my teeth yet," Trisha said shyly.


    Oliver chuckled. "I just wanted to tell you that we are heading out in an hour. What did you think I wanted to do?" he said as he tapped her on the nose.


    Trisha moved her hand away with embarrassment. Had she misunderstood?


    But, as soon as she let her guard down, the man quickly leaned forward and stole a kiss from her lips.


    Trisha looked at the man in surprise.


    "Hmmm, you''re right. I think you do need to brush your teeth," he teased as he let her go.


    ...


    Meanwhile, over at Interpol, Mia had Jaclyn pinned firmly against the wall.


    Mia was younger than Jaclyn, but she was taller and stronger, so it was impossible for Jaclyn to escape.


    "Tell me, why are you so upset?" Mia asked the crying young woman.


    Jaclyn looked into Mia''s eyes and felt herself calm down. She then said, "In Cologne..."


    "...I was almost r.a.p.ed..."


    Mia''s eyes filled with pain. As a woman, she could relate to how frightening that experience must have been. She couldn''t even begin to imagine how Jaclyn was feeling.


    At that moment, the officer in the room stepped out and said to Jackson, "I''m sorry for upsetting your sister, Captain Wu. There were certain questions that I had to ask."


    Jackson nodded, gesturing that he understood.


    He then walked over to his sister and patted her on the shoulder. He had never been close to his stepsister, but in the last week, he had developed the urge to protect her like an older brother. So, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her.


    "Everything will be OK," he whispered. "The best thing you can do now is tell us exactly what happened and identify the people that did it to you so they can never do it again to anyone else."


    Jaclyn took a deep breath and nodded her head. She could feel the love and support around her and it took away her fears.


    She then grabbed onto Mia''s arm and said, "Can Mia sit next to me for the rest of the interview? I want her to know what happened."


    Mia looked at Jaclyn in surprise. What did this have to do with her?


    The officer nodded his head and gestured for the two women to enter the room.


    Jaclyn looked at Mia and dragged her in with her.


    After everyone was seated at the table again, Jaclyn took a deep breath and continued her story.


    "The men in Cologne took advantage of me. They waved a syringe on top of my head and made me dance while they watched with their sleazy smiles. At first, it was just normal dancing, but then their demands became crude and disgusting. They told me to lift up my skirt...and touch myself..." Jaclyn recalled uncomfortably.


    Mia patted Jaclyn on the shoulder comfortingly and Jaclyn continued, "I did as told."


    "But, it wasn''t enough. They wanted more..."


    "They began to touch me and kiss me and tug at my clothes...and I tried to retaliate but I wasn''t strong enough. It was 3 men against 1 woman, so I stood no chance. In the end, I ran out of energy to fight back and I gave up..."


    "I thought it was all over. I thought I was going to be r.a.p.ed by the 3 men. But, as I lay there lifelessly, a voice suddenly roared across the abandoned warehouse in German and the men stopped. Before I knew it, the 3 men were pulled away from my body and thrown to the side..."


    Jaclyn then paused, looked at Mia, and said thankfully, "Mia, it was your brother. Your brother saved me..."

 Chapter 213 - Conscience

    Guiyang City, the capital city of the Guizhou Province in Southwest China. A province surrounded by mountains and forests, with a subtropical humid climate. A climate that was perfect for the production of a very particular liquor - baijiu.


    It was here that the office of Fengtai Corporation was located.


    As Natalie walked through the building to get to the chairman''s office, everyone bowed at her politely. She was the chairman''s secretary; apart from the chairman, she was the most authoritative person in the building at that moment, and they respected her.


    Of course, the company had three directors that were above Natalie, but two of them mainly slacked off and barely came into the office, while the third was a mystery that no one had ever seen. This mysterious director was Natalie''s best friend, Haili Feng, the chairman''s daughter and only child.


    The other two directors were the chairman''s younger brother and sister, who practically leeched off the family business all their lives and contributed nothing.


    Natalie walked into the office and smiled at Halia''s father, "Uncle, here''s the report from the factory."


    Ever since her husband died about 5 and a half years ago, Father Feng had taken good care of her. He gave her a job, he trusted her, and he loved her like his own daughter. So, whenever it was just the two of them, she would greet him as ''Uncle'' rather than ''Chairman''.


    It had almost been a week since they returned from Macau, but Natalie had spent this entire time just outside of the city in a place called Maotai Town, where Fengtai''s plantation and refinery were located. Every month, the company would do a quality check to ensure that everything was running properly, and this had somehow turned into her responsibility.


    Back when the chairman was young, he did these checks with his brother and his brother followed along reluctantly. His brother''s official title was actually the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of the company; a role that their father had given him. But, even though it was a part of his role to maintain quality assurance, the man was lazy. If it was someone else, Father Feng would have already fired him long ago. But, because it was his own brother, he turned a blind eye.


    As Father Feng aged, the task became more and more tedious and he eventually couldn''t handle it any longer. The long trips to the plantation and the refinery were tough on his body and he didn''t have the concentration to check everything in detail, so he handed the task solely to his brother. But, his brother simply said that he was growing old as well and handed the task to his son.


    Unlike his father, Patrick Feng was ambitious. Unfortunately, he was sly and liked to take shortcuts as well, so after 3 months, he began to skim through the checks and fixed issues by either sweeping them under the rug or finding cheap solutions. Eventually, there was a big mechanical failure and the company made a huge loss. After that, Father Feng handed the responsibility to the only person he could trust - Natalie.


    "Natalie, are you and Pumpkin planning to move to Beijing after you get married?" Father Feng suddenly asked worriedly. His brother was lazy, his sister only cared about her lavish lifestyle, his daughter wanted to live independently, and his nephew was useless. If Natalie left, then who would help him with his company?


    Natalie looked at Father Feng and understood what he was thinking. "I haven''t discussed it with Sean yet. In fact, I haven''t even had the chance to tell my parents about him yet," Natalie replied awkwardly.


    "Tell us about what?" a voice suddenly sounded from behind.


    Natalie quickly turned around and saw her mother standing in the doorway with Pumpkin. Pumpkin had been staying with his grandparents for the last few days, so now that Natalie was back, Mother Shu naturally returned him to his mother.


    Natalie looked at her mother awkwardly. How much of their conversation did she hear?


    "Who''s Sean?" Mother Shu asked curiously.


    An awkward silence filled the room.


    Natalie didn''t know where to begin.


    At that moment, little Pumpkin suddenly tugged his grandmother''s sleeve and said, "Sean is my new daddy!"


    Natalie looked at her son in shock, while Mother Shu looked at her daughter in horror. New daddy? When was Natalie even dating? Where did she meet this man? How dare he propose to their daughter without consulting her parents first?


    "Is this true?" Mother Shu asked.


    Natalie slowly lifted her head and looked at her mother. She then nodded her head.


    "Yes, Mom, I''m getting married," she replied.


    ...


    Over in Munich, another difficult conversation was taking place.


    "My brother?" Mia asked in surprise.


    A moment ago, Jaclyn had just told her that she was saved by her brother.


    Mia despised her brother.


    Mia''s parents passed away when she was 8 and she grew up with just her brother. Her brother was 10 years older than her, so at the time that their parents died, he was considered an a.d.u.l.t and was given custody of his sister. At first, Mia respected her brother for staying strong after their parents were gone. He comforted her and told her everything would be alright and she felt safe with him.


    She didn''t know what he did for a living at first; she was too young to understand. All she knew was, he eventually opened up his own club and the club became one of the most popular nightlife spots in the city.


    Then, one day during her first year of university, she overheard some classmates talking about Club Muller, "I heard it''s the best place to get high. We should go there tonight and give it a try."


    Mia was having problems with body image at the time and she was experiencing a mild case of depression that no one knew about. So when she heard everyone talk about getting high at Club Muller, she became curious. She eventually snuck into her brother''s office at the club one day and found drugs in his drawer.


    She stole a little to try at first, but then she found herself returning for more and more. Eventually, she even snuck in after hours to satisfy her cravings.


    That was when she discovered what her brother was actually doing with the bar. It was a front for a much darker operation.


    He wasn''t just dealing drugs to his clientele...he was smuggling things through the borders: drugs, weapons, money...and people...


    Human trafficking was the most disgusting thing a person could do and Mia hated her brother for it. Where were his morals? Where was his conscience?


    So, she was surprised when Jaclyn told her that her brother saved her. "Your brother gave me a fresh set of clothes, he fed me proper food and he let me relax inside the club instead of locking me in the truck."


    Mia listened in surprise. It almost sounded like her brother actually had a conscience...

 Chapter 214 - Time For Happiness

    "What kind of man would marry a woman with a child?" Mother Shu shouted in surprise. "Don''t be fooled, Nat. That man must want something more from you!"


    "Does he know that you''re the secretary of Fengtai Corporation? Is that why? You worked hard to pick yourself back up and get to this position. Is he after your money?"


    Natalie shook her head, "When did you turn into such a snob, Mom? Don''t you remember that we were poor in the past too? Did I marry Jeremy for his money? And did I befriend Haili for her money? No!"


    Mother Shu took a deep breath, "What will people say? What will Jeremy''s parents say? They''ve treated you so well and they love Pumpkin dearly, how will they handle this news?"


    "No one will dare to say anything about my dear Natalie," Father Feng suddenly interrupted.


    "Besides, I''ve met the man and his honestly a good person, so you don''t need to worry."


    Mother Shu sighed. "I don''t know, but you better explain this situation to Jeremy''s parents, Nat. You married their son and gave birth to their grandson. Jeremy may be dead, but they''ve treated you like their own daughter for the last 7 years. Don''t you feel like you''re betraying them?"


    Natalie laughed and shook her head. "You don''t need to worry about that. I have a feeling they will be fine with this..."


    Mother Shu had no idea, but Jeremy''s parents had actually been organizing blind dates for Natalie over the past year. Mother Shu was right, they treated her like their own daughter, but, it was because of this, that they didn''t want to see her end up alone. They understood their son was gone and they could tell that Natalie truly loved him, but they didn''t want her to give up the rest of her life for someone that was no longer around. If Jeremy was watching from heaven, he wouldn''t want Natalie to be all alone either.


    So, Mother Shu had nothing to worry about.


    Natalie and Jeremy were high school sweethearts. They met in the first year of senior high and Jeremy fell in love with Natalie at first sight. He had a crush on her for an entire year before he gathered the courage to confess to her.


    Natalie still remembered it clearly, it was Valentine''s Day and all the girls at school were either bragging about their boyfriends or hopeful that they''d receive something.


    She thought she wouldn''t receive anything at first, but when she stepped out of her first class of the day, there was a small crowd gathered outside her classroom. As she peeked through the crowd, she noticed some candy on the floor. It was her favorite strawberry candy that was wrapped in a red polka dot wrapping and it lay in a big heart shape on the floor. And there, standing in the middle, was Jeremy holding a bunch of red roses.


    Natalie was amazed and envious. "Wow, I wonder who this is all for..." she gasped.


    But, as she thought this, she noticed the young man smiling at her.


    "Natalie," he said.


    Natalie felt her heart almost jump out of her chest. Was he calling her?


    "I-I''ve had a c-crush on you for an entire year. I fell in l-love with you at first sight. Can you be my g-girlfriend?" the innocent young man stuttered as the other students around him cheered.


    Natalie''s heart melted at his bravery. No one had ever confessed to her like that before.


    She had actually noticed him before. He was good-looking, rich, smart, and sporty, so a lot of the girls had crushes on him. Who knew he''d be interested in her...


    In the end, Natalie agreed and the two of them started dating. They ended up staying together throughout the entire time they were in senior high. Everyone envied them and thought of them as the perfect couple. Their relationship was like a fairytale. And to top it off, Jeremy proposed as soon as they turned 18 and the two of them quickly became a young married couple.


    Jeremy''s family loved Natalie, and Natalie''s family loved Jeremy. Everything just seemed to fall into place.


    2 years after they got married, the couple even announced that they were becoming parents.


    But...that was where the happiness ended...


    Before their child entered the world, Jeremy was taken away.


    Jeremy always dreamed of being a pilot. But, during one of his flying lessons, there was a malfunction and his plane came crashing down.


    After that, Natalie''s world flipped upside down.


    At just 20-years-old, she had become a widow and a single mother.


    Over these past 5 years, everyone around her had witnessed how tough life had been for her. She had to work, study and take care of her child...all on her own.


    She had suffered enough.


    It was time she experienced some happiness; she deserved it.


    ...


    Meanwhile, after hearing what Jaclyn said, Mia began to wonder about her brother. Was he not as bad as she thought?


    Had she misunderstood?


    After Jaclyn finished with her interview, the officer led her into another room where there was a line of suspects behind a window.


    She quickly picked out the men she recognized. Amongst them, was Elias Muller, Mia''s brother.


    After Jaclyn was finished, Mia requested to have a quick chat with her brother and the officers allowed it.


    "Jaclyn told me you saved her from almost being r.a.p.ed. Why did you do that? Weren''t you selling her into the s.e.x trade anyway?" Mia asked straightforwardly in German.


    "My Mia, you need to understand that there are a lot of things that I have no choice in. I originally joined the gangs to make a bit of money for us, but I was too young to understand how dangerous the underworld was. As soon as I entered, I couldn''t turn back, and I had to do whatever I was told," Elias replied.


    "I didn''t want to be a human trafficker, but if I didn''t do as told, they would have killed me, or worse, gone after you. So, the least I could do was treat the women well while they were in my hands. I know I was wrong, Mia, but there was nothing I could do. I hope you can forgive me."


    Mia looked at her brother and her eyes got teary. If not for her brother, she would have ended up in an orphanage with no one to love and care for her. Even though he had chosen the wrong way to make money and support her, she knew he loved her and she knew he was still a good person deep down.


    That afternoon, Mia walked out of Interpol with Jaclyn, feeling light as a feather. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. All the hatred she felt for her brother was gone and she was ready to lead a normal life again, free from drugs and alcohol...


    Jaclyn also felt free. The people involved with her kidnapping had all been caught and were being locked behind bars, never to hurt another woman again...

 Chapter 215 - All Over

    Natalie walked up to a beautiful villa with Pumpkin by her side and knocked on the door.


    "Grandmama, Grandpapa, open the door!" little Pumpkin cried in excitement.


    Jeremy''s parents hadn''t seen their grandchild since he returned from Macau, so they were also excited to see him.


    As soon as they opened the door, they wrapped their arms lovingly around the little child and kissed him all over.


    The little boy giggled, "Your beard tickles, Grandpapa!"


    The roughly 40-year-old man chuckled and carried the little boy into the house.


    Meanwhile, Jeremy''s mother looked at Natalie with curiosity, "So...how was Macau?"


    Natalie smiled, "It was good. We had a lot of fun."


    Her eyes then darted awkwardly as she tried to think of how she''d announce her sudden engagement.


    Sheree Du was roughly in her 40''s but she was beautiful for her age and maintained a strict skincare routine, so when she stood next to Natalie, she looked more like her sister than her mother-in-law. When she was young, she was actually a famous runway model and she had walked for many big fashion shows all around the world. Thus, she was very stylish, modern and open-minded.


    "Now that you''re back, how about attending the blind date I arranged for you? Don''t lie to me, I know you ran away to Macau to avoid it..." Mother Du said with suspicion.


    Natalie sighed and shook her head, "I don''t..."


    But, before she finished her sentence, Mother Du cut in, "He''s the son of one of my model girlfriend''s. He''s super hot and he''s half-Brazilian! Like, come on! How could you say no?"


    Natalie rolled her eyes and placed her hand to her forehead.


    Every time Mother Du met with Mother Shu, she was always proper and polite. Even after all these years, she had never revealed her true self to her in-laws. So, Mother Shu had no idea that Mother Du was so carefree and open-minded.


    As Natalie lifted her hand, a sparkly diamond ring twinkled in the afternoon sun and caught Mother Du''s eyes. She immediately looked at it and squealed, "What''s this ring??!!"


    Natalie blushed a little as Mother Du grabbed her hand to examine the ring that Sean had given her.


    She then cleared her throat and said, "I met someone. He''s a good man with a kind heart that I really like. Pumpkin likes him too..."


    "Babe, is this an engagement ring?" Mother Du cut in without listening to the back story. She was impatient and just wanted to get straight to the point.


    Natalie laughed awkwardly and nodded her head. This mother-in-law was always so unpredictable.


    Mother Du''s eyes immediately lit up as she held onto Natalie''s hand and dragged her into the house, "Old man, our daughter-in-law''s engaged!!"


    Natalie laughed at how awkward those words sounded.


    Inside the house, Father Du heard his wife screaming in excitement and quickly ran over to the two women. "Is that true?" Father Du asked. "I need to meet him. He needs to get past me first! What does he do? Is he hardworking? Does he exercise?"


    Father Du was a personal trainer. Back when Mother Du was a model, he used to be the one that helped her stay fit. So, health and fitness were very important to him. He did not like people that lazed around all day doing nothing.


    "Don''t worry, I have a feeling you will like him," Natalie replied with a meaningful smile. After all, her fiance was a senior SPU agent. But, she was going to wait to surprise them. Sean would be arriving in a few days to officially meet her family and all their queries would be answered then.


    ...


    "Where are we going?" Trisha asked in confusion as she stared out of the German train. They had already been sitting in the train for one and a half hours.


    At first, Trisha thought Oliver was taking her somewhere close-by, but as the train sped through little country towns, fields of grass, lakes, and mountains, she began to feel a little intrigued. The man had bought the train tickets and kept hold of them secretively, and she didn''t understand the German announcements. All she knew was, they were getting further and further away from Munich.


    "We will be getting off the train in 15 minutes. You will find out where we are then," Oliver chuckled.


    Trisha looked out with curiosity as the country towns became more residential and gradually it appeared as though they had arrived at another city. Were they visiting another German city?


    Trisha wasn''t very good with her geography, so she wasn''t too sure which German cities were near Munich. But, from what she saw out the window, this place didn''t have high-rises and modern buildings like Munich. The Baroque buildings, church domes, and beautiful mountain backdrop were totally different from Munich.


    After 15 minutes, Oliver grabbed Trisha''s hand and dragged her off the train as soon as it stopped. Trisha looked around with curiosity and noticed a sign that read: ''Salzburg Hauptbahnhof''.


    "Salzburg?" Trisha gasped. "Isn''t Salzburg in Austria?!"


    Oliver smirked and nodded his head, "Yes, welcome to Austria."


    ...


    Meanwhile, back in Munich, John arrived to take Mia and Jaclyn back to his home. They still had a lot of work to do with Jaclyn until she was fully rehabilitated, but they had already gotten past the first few days smoothly and her recovery looked promising.


    "Jackson, you and Halia don''t have to stay around any longer. I don''t know how much longer my rehabilitation will take, but I trust that Mia and John will take good care of me. Plus, I''ve already filed my report and identified the criminals, so everything''s over now. I will go back to London once I''m recovered and I will come back to Hong Kong to visit soon. You don''t need to worry about me," Jaclyn said as she walked towards John''s car.


    Jackson looked at his sister and nodded his head. He saw how close Mia and Jaclyn had gotten, and he also saw how well John took care of her, so he realized his presence was actually unnecessary.


    Thus, he and Halia booked their flights home for the next day. However, one flight was to Hong Kong, while the other was to Beijing...

 Chapter 216 - The Best Day Of His Life

    During the entire train ride, Trisha had thought that they were still in Germany. Who knew they had already arrived in Austria?!


    Trisha gasped in amazement as they stepped out of the train station. Even when she lived in London for a few years, she never got the chance to explore Europe, who knew she''d end up crossing so many borders on this mission: France, Belgium, Germany, and now, Austria.


    Oliver quickly flagged down a taxi and asked the driver to take them into the old town. "Don''t be too amazed yet. Wait until you see the old town," he said to Trisha as she looked out the window of the taxi.


    The old town wasn''t too far from the main train station. In less than 10 minutes, the taxi dropped them off in front of an archway and pointed inside. Oliver had done his research and knew roughly what to expect, but he had never been to Salzburg either, so this trip was quite exciting for him too.


    He grabbed onto Trisha''s hand and they started walking in the direction that the taxi driver had pointed.


    As they stepped in, it felt like they were transported back in time. It was amazing. Baroque buildings lined the two sides and seemed to lead into a labyrinth of streets.


    But, one particular building caught their eyes. Right in front of them, at a T-junction was a bright golden building that stood out from the other buildings around it. Just below the building, people were standing around taking photos of it.


    "What''s that place?" Trisha asked in curiosity.


    Oliver smiled.


    Back when Trisha was helping him write his story about Chinatown, they often met at one particular place: a cafe in Trafalgar Square, right outside the National Gallery.


    Every time they met up, there would be one particular street performer that played a piano in the square. Whenever he started playing, Trisha would fall silent and listen in awe to one particular song. "My mother was a pianist and this used to be my favorite piece: ''Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major'' by Mozart. Her dream was to master all of Mozart''s piano sonatas, but I always made her play this particular one for me. It''s amazing, isn''t it? I don''t follow modern music or any k-pop idols. My idol is Mozart. If he was still alive today, it would be a dream to see him perform," Trisha said with a twinkle in her eye.


    Trisha had always been tough, sassy, and brave in front of Oliver, but that was the first time he saw a soft and sensitive side to her and it made him like her even more.


    He remembered how important that song meant to her, so when he heard about Salzburg in a doc.u.mentary one day, he kept it in the back of his mind to take her there one day.


    Why Salzburg?


    As Oliver looked up at the golden building in front of them, he let go of Trisha''s hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. "This is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus...Mozart."


    Trisha looked up at the building and opened her mouth in amazement. She then looked at Oliver with a slightly moved expression. She had merely mentioned it to him once that she idolized Mozart and he actually brought her to his birthplace. How long had this man been taking her words into so much consideration?


    "You remembered..." Trisha said.


    Oliver nodded his head, "I remember everything you say."


    At that moment, he spotted a street performer with a keyboard who was just setting up.


    "Let me prove it to you," he said as he dragged Trisha towards the performer.


    "Hello, can I borrow your keyboard for a short moment? I want to play a little song for my girlfriend," Oliver said.


    The street performer smiled and nodded his head.


    Oliver then sat down on the ground and turned on the keyboard as Trisha watched on with curiosity. What was this man doing? "I can''t play the entire thing," he said as he looked up at Trisha, "but I hope you like what I''ve managed to learn."


    He then started pressing the keys. He fumbled a little and played much slower than the original, but Trisha immediately recognized the melody. It was Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major!


    It was a difficult piece to play. Even though Oliver only played the first 20 seconds of the melody, Trisha could tell that it took him a long time to learn it.


    "How long have you been learning this?" Trisha asked in amazement.


    "I started learning after the first time we heard it in London..." Oliver replied.


    "Why?" Trisha felt her heart race.


    "I missed you and I wanted to play it for you when I saw you again."


    Trisha felt deeply moved. Did that mean Oliver already liked her back then, just like she liked him?


    "Wow, your girlfriend must be impressed. Mozart isn''t easy," the street performer patted Oliver on the back with encouragement.


    "Thank you, my girlfriend is a fan of Mozart and I really wanted to play her favorite song for her," Oliver smiled as he stood back up.


    Trisha looked at Oliver and blushed. Girlfriend? When did she agree to be his girlfriend?


    Nearby, a woman whined to her boyfriend, "Why don''t I see you playing Mozart for me?"


    "I don''t know how to play the piano," the man replied.


    "That guy obviously doesn''t know how to play either. You have no excuse!" the woman frowned as she stomped off.


    Oliver scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "Was it that obvious that I don''t normally play the piano? Was it that bad? I can practice..."


    Before the man finished speaking, Trisha leaned forward and pressed her lips firmly against Oliver''s. No one had ever done something like this for her.


    As she moved away, she smiled, "Thank you, no one''s ever done something like that for me. I loved it. You''re the best...boyfriend..."


    Oliver grinned from ear-to-ear. This woman was acknowledging him as her boyfriend. This was the best day of his life!

 Chapter 217 - Separated Again

    Jackson and Halia stood in the departure hall and looked up at the timetable. They were catching separate planes home: one was headed for Beijing, while the other was headed for Hong Kong.


    Halia didn''t want to be separated again. The last time they were separated, Jackson returned to France for a month and it felt like forever. How long would they be separated this time?


    "Don''t worry. As soon as I hand in my resignation and hand over everything, I will fly straight over to Beijing to join you. After that, we won''t be separated again. I promise," Jackson comforted as he patted Halia on the head.


    Halia frowned, "Don''t take too long."


    "I won''t," Jackson replied as he arrived at his gate.


    Jackson''s flight was leaving two hours before Halia''s, so the couple had no choice but to say goodbye in Munich.


    As Halia watched Jackson walk through the gate, he turned around one last time and gave her a wave and she waved back reluctantly as emptiness filled her heart. Goodbyes were always tough, especially when it came to a person that one loved dearly.


    Halia then walked over to the window and watched as everyone boarded and the luggage got packed into the plane. Eventually, it was time to lift off.


    The plane left the gate and drove down to the start of the runway. Then, in less than no time, it sped up and lifted off the ground into the sky and disappeared amongst the clouds.


    It was an odd feeling to watch someone disappear into the unknown. "Please, don''t make me wait too long," Halia whispered as she glanced at her ring.


    Jackson had only just left, but she missed him already...


    ...


    After an intense day of interviews, Jaclyn actually slept soundly for the first time since her rehabilitation began. As she opened her eyes, she noticed she was still sitting upright.


    She glanced next to her and realized she had fallen asleep on someone''s shoulder.


    It was Mia.


    That was right, they were chatting all night about their lives when Jaclyn fell asleep on Mia''s shoulder. Mia must have seen her getting proper sleep for the first time in a few days so she didn''t interrupt her.


    Jaclyn looked at her new friend. The kidnapping incident was a frightening experience, but at least, she walked out of there with a friend for life.


    At that moment, there was a knock on the door and John walked in. The noise woke Mia up. She stretched her arms and looked around with confusion. "Oh, it''s morning already," she exclaimed. "Did you sleep well?" she asked as she subconsciously massaged her shoulder.


    Jaclyn laughed, "Yes, thank you. But, your shoulder must be sore."


    "It''s alright," Mia replied. She then looked at John and waved at him, "John, you''ve studied massage techniques before. Come help me with my shoulder."


    Jaclyn moved away awkwardly and let John sit next to Mia. As she stood next to the bed and watched the two, it felt slightly strange. Every time John pressed on Mia''s shoulder, Mia would m.o.a.n in pleasure. It almost felt like Jaclyn was intruding on a couple.


    Last night, during their conversation, Mia had told Jaclyn that she had 3 boyfriends in the past and they all cheated on her. Because of that, she had lost trust in men. But, judging by the scene in front of Jaclyn, it seemed like Mia trusted John.


    Jaclyn was older than Mia by three years, but in contrast to Mia, she had never had a boyfriend. No man had ever given her butterflies or made her feel the excitement that she had seen in dramas.


    But, as she watched Mia and John, she suddenly felt something that she had never experienced before. She had wanted to pair Mia and John together before, but now that she saw them making physical contact and there was an ambiguous atmosphere in the room, she suddenly felt uncomfortable.


    Her heart hurt a little.


    Jaclyn placed her hand to her chest with confusion. Why was it hurting?


    At that moment, Mia noticed the awkwardness on Jaclyn''s face and realized the scene was slightly inappropriate. With a slight blush, she stood up and excused herself, "Ahem, I should be getting home. Jaclyn ate and slept fine last night, you can probably check on her a bit less today, John."


    John nodded his head and stood back up as Mia left.


    After Mia left the room, Jaclyn breathed out and suddenly felt her body relax again. Why did she feel relieved to see Mia leave?


    She then looked at John and smiled, "The two of you looked like a couple just then." As she said this, Jaclyn felt herself cringe on the inside. She felt fine teasing John in the past, but why did it feel so uncomfortable now?


    John laughed awkwardly and turned towards the door. "I''ll go get you breakfast," he said as he scurried out.


    After he left, Jaclyn sat on the bed and held her heart. She had never felt this way before, but she had watched similar reactions in dramas and had a slight suspicion about what was going on.


    She walked over to the window and peered outside, just in time to see Mia walk out of the apartment building and cross the road. Again, she felt relieved to see that Mia was gone.


    Her eyes opened wide in realization as she turned and sat back down on the bed. "Am I jealous?" she asked herself in surprise.


    At that moment, John returned with a bowl of porridge and some fresh fruit. "I prepared this for you. It should keep you going for the day," he smiled charmingly.


    Jaclyn smiled back at the man and accepted the food thankfully. But, as she ate and the man watched her eat, she swallowed the food with confusion.


    If she was jealous, then why didn''t she feel anything now that she was alone with John? In dramas, the main characters often got butterflies in their stomachs or felt tingles down their spines. Why didn''t she feel that way?


    Had she been lied to all these years?

 Chapter 218 - Welcome Home

    It was a long flight back to China and Hong Kong, but Jackson and Halia did not spend a second not thinking about the other person.


    As soon as the plane landed, Jackson rushed over to the Interpol office without dropping off his luggage at home first and reported to the headquarters.


    "Jackson Wu, head of Hong Kong Interpol reporting. I am back in Hong Kong now and the human trafficking case is now in the hands of the French and German branches. Thank you for sending backup and assistance. My sister is now safe and the criminals have been caught," Jackson said.


    "Good Job, Captain Wu. I knew you were a great asset. The guys from France and Germany have already sent in their reports too. Glad to hear that you are back in Hong Kong. How are you settling into your new role?" President Kim said on the other end of the phone.


    Jackson cleared his throat awkwardly and replied, "I''m sorry, President Kim, but I''m actually planning to step down from my role."


    "Already?" President Kim said with disappointment. "But, we need someone like you to lead our operations over there. No one else fits the bill. May I ask the reason for your decision?"


    "I''m getting married," Jackson replied simply.


    "I''m married too. The two things don''t have to clash," President Kim said.


    "I know, but I think it''s time I settle down and live a simple life. Plus, I don''t want to be separated from my wife," Jackson explained.


    "Can''t your wife move to Hong Kong?" President Kim asked.


    "No, her role is only available in Beijing."


    President Kim thought for a second. What job was only available in Beijing?


    He had no idea that Halia was an SPU agent.


    "Well, if you must leave, there''s nothing I can do. But, before we find a replacement, I hope you can stay for as long as possible to make the transition process smooth," President Kim sighed.


    "Actually, I have someone I would like to recommend," Jackson replied.


    "Oh?" President Kim said with interest.


    "Trisha Hua, one of the senior agents here. I think she has what it takes to fill the shoes," Jackson suggested.


    President Kim nodded his head, "I''ll take her into consideration."


    ...


    A few hours after Jackson landed, Halia also arrived back in Beijing.


    It felt like a while since she last stepped foot in the city.


    As she walked out of the departure gate, Sean was there to pick her up.


    "How did things go in Europe?" Sean asked. "I heard from Natalie that you found Jaclyn."


    Even though she was all the way in Europe, Halia did not forget to contact her best friend, and of course, Natalie shared the good news with Sean.


    "Yes, we found her and we arrested the criminals involved with her kidnapping and trafficking," Halia replied. "I guess it went smoothly."


    Sean nodded and led Halia to his car.


    As soon as she arrived back at her apartment, Coco ran up to greet her. The little brown poodle hadn''t seen its owner for a few weeks and it missed her dearly. Fortunately, Max fed her every single day and Cleo took her for walks with Maximus.


    "I should treat Cleo and Max to dinner for taking care of Coco for me," Halia smiled. "It seems like they''ve taken good care of her."


    Halia didn''t close the front door yet, so a figure suddenly appeared in the doorway and gave a gentle knock. "I think I should be thanking you instead, Sister-in-law," a familiar husky voice said.


    Halia turned around and saw Max standing in the doorway, "Max!"


    "If you didn''t tell me to feed Coco for you, I would have never met Cleo," the man chuckled.


    Halia scanned her eyes up and down Max. It had only been a few weeks, but he looked like he had lost a bit of weight. It seemed, there was a decent-looking man hidden underneath all the layers of fat.


    "You''re looking good," Halia praised.


    "Cleo''s been managing my food intake and we''ve been exercising together. We''ve also been walking the dogs every day. I feel good," Max said with a big smile.


    "By the way, Jackson told me to come help you move," Max said as he looked around the apartment.


    "Move?" Halia asked with curiosity.


    "You''re getting married. It''s only right for you to move in together. Besides, you don''t expect me to continue cleaning Jackson''s apartment every week, right?" Max said as he pulled out a key and waved it in front of Halia.


    Apart from feeding Coco, Halia had also told Max to clean Jackson''s apartment while she was gone.


    But, it was time to hand the place back to its rightful owner.


    Halia looked at Max in surprise. Jackson sure knew how to surprise her.


    "Since I''m here, I might as well help too," Sean chuckled as he looked around. "Where do you want us to start?"


    Halia sighed helplessly and walked over to her wardrobe. "I guess we''ll start with my clothes," she surrendered. Luckily, she had only moved into the apartment not long ago and didn''t have many things, so this was a much easier task than expected.


    But, another thing that she didn''t expect was the scene she was faced with when she opened the door to Jackson''s apartment.


    As soon as she stepped in through the front door, there were fresh flowers sitting in a vase on the dining table. The fragrant scent of lavender filled the apartment - her favorite scent. And, sitting next to the door were two pairs of slippers: a pink pair and a blue pair. Halia looked at Max in surprise. "Jackson called me yesterday and told me to prepare all this. He owes me big time," Max said. "Wait ''til you see the rest of the place."


    Halia put down the box in her hands and looked around in curiosity. She then headed into the bathroom. Sitting by the sink were two cups and two toothbrushes. On the towel rack were two fresh towels and behind the door hung two bathrobes.


    Halia smiled. This man sure knew how to make her feel welcome.


    She then walked into the bedroom. But, as soon as she stepped foot inside, she froze.


    Behind the headboard hung a beautiful portrait.


    It was a portrait of her and Jackson at Neuschwanstein Castle!


    Halia smiled...


    She was home...

 Chapter 219 - Watermelon

    "How did you get that portrait so quickly?" Halia asked Max as she returned to the living room.


    Max shook his head and sighed, "Your man emailed me a file yesterday and said I had to get it printed and framed before you got back. You don''t know how difficult that was."


    Halia laughed and patted Max on the back, "You are an honestly good friend."


    "I hope Jackson realizes that," Max laughed jokingly.


    "Trust me, he knows," Halia replied.


    At that moment, Halia''s phone began to ring.


    It was Jackson. Speak of the devil.


    Halia smiled and picked up the phone, "Mr. Wu, when did you sneak behind my back and organize all this?"


    "Do you like it?" Jackson asked without answering.


    "I''d like it more if you were here with me," Halia replied.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve already requested my resignation and recommended Trisha for the role. It shouldn''t take too long," Jackson explained. "Treat Max to a meal for me. He''s been a lot of help."


    "You should treat him yourself," Halia complained.


    "A wife should represent her husband when he''s not around," Jackson replied.


    Halia blushed. She wanted to say that she wasn''t his wife yet, but the sound of it was so sweet that she didn''t want to complain. In the end, she simply glanced at Max awkwardly as she hung up the phone.


    All of a sudden, as though he heard their conversation, Max said, "I''m hungry, Sister-in-law."


    Sister-in-law? Halia didn''t notice it earlier, but Max had actually been calling her Sister-in-law all day. This realization put her in a good mood. "What would you like to eat? It''s my treat," she said.


    ...


    Halia properly moved into Jackson''s apartment, returned to work, and before she knew it, life returned to how it once was. One week passed after another. It was almost like Jackson was just one beautiful dream, but the portrait in their bedroom and their regular phone calls reminded her that he was real and their relationship was real.


    "I can''t even remember how it feels to hug you," Halia laughed on the phone.


    "I''m sorry," Jackson replied. "Trisha turned down the role and requested for a transfer to London instead, so the handover''s been delayed a little."


    "She requested for a transfer to London?" Halia asked in surprise.


    "Supposedly, she and Oliver are dating," Jackson explained.


    "Oh wow, good for them. I thought I sensed something between them," Halia replied.


    "Yes, but it means it might take longer before we see each other again," Jackson sighed.


    Halia frowned, "I guess it can''t be helped."


    Even though she was disappointed, she understood the importance of Jackson''s role in Interpol and knew that he couldn''t just get up and leave.


    "How''s your case been going?" Jackson asked, changing the subject.


    Over the last couple of weeks, Halia had been assigned to a new mission but Sean had just taken leave to see Natalie in Guiyang City and Halia was left temporarily on her own. It wasn''t an overly dangerous mission, but it was the first time Halia was working on her own.


    "The boss is beginning to trust me," Halia replied.


    Her mission this time was to go undercover in a law firm that was suspected of embezzling client funds. Lawyers from this particular law firm supposedly created false mortgage doc.u.ments, fake receipts, and forged clients'' signatures. They then witnessed the doc.u.ments in their own names and used it to siphon money from their clients. Especially the old and mentally incompetent.


    Halia had been undercover as a legal assistant at the law firm for the last two weeks and one of the suspected senior lawyers was finally beginning to trust her.


    "I did what you said and it worked. He asked me to accompany him to a client meeting tomorrow," Halia replied.


    Of course, Halia had been transferred legal knowledge from a trusted prosecutor that worked with the SPU so her cover was very convincing.


    "I helped him with some research and filing yesterday while he went to ''a meeting''. When he returned, I saw a lipstick stain on his shirt and he smelled of women''s perfume, but I saw him bill the client for 8 hours of work at a senior rate when I obviously did the work, not him. He was pleased with my work and he asked me to go meet a client with him tomorrow," Halia explained.


    "Good, you need to catch him doing something more serious. Be careful and stay safe," Jackson said.


    Even though Halia wasn''t in contact with gangsters and serial killers this time, one could never be too safe when money was involved.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine," Halia replied.


    ...


    Of course, Halia was left on her own for a few days because Sean was due to meet Natalie''s parents in Guiyang City.


    Natalie''s mother was particularly displeased with the mystery man. He had proposed to their daughter and stole her heart from her without asking for their permission first, so he didn''t leave a very good first impression. She even wondered whether he was a con-artist at one point.


    As Natalie returned from the airport with her fiance, the tall, handsome and refined man finally came into view for the first time.


    As soon as Mother Shu saw him, she was quite surprised by how gentlemanly he looked.


    He had just got off a plane, but he looked fresh. His eyes were bright, his hair was neat and his teeth were white. He looked like a spoilt heir that had never worked a day in his life.


    "What do your parents do?" Mother Shu asked straightforwardly.


    If this man came from a rich background, then she wouldn''t have to worry that he was after her daughter''s money.


    "My mother is a painter and my father is an author," Sean replied calmly.


    Mother Shu frowned. Were those even proper jobs? Who paid their salaries? Or were they struggling artists that lived paycheck to paycheck?


    "Where do you live? Do you have your own home and car? What do you do for a living?" Mother Shu asked.


    At that moment, Natalie cleared her throat and cut in, "Mom, can you stop interrogating him like he''s a criminal? You need to have trust in your daughter. Sean is a good man, that''s all you need to know."


    Mother Shu glared at the man and tugged on her husband''s sleeve, "Old man, say something."


    Father Shu ran his eyes across the man and smiled. "Do you like watermelon? Pumpkin and I were chopping watermelon all afternoon. Come and have some," he said welcomingly as he walked towards the dining room.


    Mother Shu opened her mouth in shock as she watched Sean follow behind her husband. Why was he being so friendly? This man stole their daughter, the least he could do was test him a little...

 Chapter 220 - Yummy!

    Mother Shu didn''t understand her husband. Why was he so relaxed? Their precious daughter was the secretary of one of the richest men in China and also the daughter-in-law of a retired international supermodel. Even though their family was initially poor, their daughter was now a respected person in high society. She often represented Chairman Feng at big events, accompanied Mother Du to social gatherings, and most people in the wealthy circles knew who she was. If she was to remarry, there were plenty of suitable candidates for her to choose from. Why this man?


    Mother Shu and Father Shu worked tirelessly when they were young to send their daughter to the best schools in the city. If not for their efforts, Natalie would not have become best friends with Halia in primary school, nor would she have met Jeremy in high school and fallen in love with him. Mother Shu didn''t want her daughter to waste their efforts and go backwards by choosing a commoner.


    But, Father Shu thought very differently. Sure, they worked hard to send their daughter to the best schools, but if Natalie wasn''t a friendly and kindhearted person, she would have never become best friends with Halia. After all, Halia was sent to boarding school after primary school and the two girls could have easily lost touch after that. But, Natalie continued to write letters to Halia every single week.


    Then, there was Jeremy. Out of all the girls at school, why did he specifically pick their daughter and pursue her? She never seduced him nor did she do anything insincere to attract him; he was naturally drawn to her because of her personality and they loved each other wholeheartedly.


    So, he did not judge his daughter''s progress based on money nor status, nor did he think she was wasting their efforts. In his eyes, every time his daughter found someone that treated her genuinely, he felt she was progressing.


    In fact, from the moment that he saw Sean, he knew she had made a good choice.


    The man was neat and tidy: a sign that he took good care of himself and was responsible.


    His teeth were white, which meant he didn''t smoke nor drink coffee; a healthy sign.


    His body was fit, he stood upright and he had good manners. All signs that he was a person with good discipline.


    Father Shu watched the way that Sean opened the car door for Natalie, the way he held her hand gently, the way he let her lead the way, and the way he only spoke up when asked. He was respectful, polite, and composed.


    Most importantly, he was thoughtful and observant. He noticed that Mother Shu was left-handed and shook her hand accordingly without her even realizing it. He even shuffled to the side a little so everyone would subconsciously move into the shade. His moves were subtle, but Father Shu noticed it.


    How could he complain about someone that was this genuine?


    Suddenly, a little voice interrupted his thoughts.


    "Daddy!!"


    As soon as the four a.d.u.l.ts stepped into the dining room, little Pumpkin ran up to Sean and wrapped his arms around his leg.


    Mother Shu looked at the child in shock. "Pumpkin, how can you call a stranger that?"


    "Daddy''s not a stranger. Daddy is my Daddy!" Pumpkin replied as he hugged the man tighter, squishing his cheeks against the man''s leg. "Daddy promised he would take care of Pumpkin and Mommy and love us forever. Isn''t that right, Daddy?"


    Sean glanced down at the little boy and laughed. How could a child be so pure and adorable?


    He then lifted the child in his arms and nodded his head, "Yes, that''s right."


    "Daddy! Pumpkin and Grandpapa spent all afternoon cutting watermelon, you need to have some. I picked the watermelon myself. It''s a HUGE green one," the little boy said as he stretched out his arms and drew a big circle. He then pointed to a mushed up watermelon in a bowl. "I cut that one especially for you," he said.


    Father Shu looked at the bowl and held back his laughter. Obviously, when they were cutting the watermelon earlier, he couldn''t give the child a real knife to use, so he simply gave him a blunt butter knife and a few pieces of watermelon meat in a bowl. Earlier on, he watched as the child squished the watermelon between his tiny hands and tried to cut through it clumsily. The concentration in his eyes was super adorable, but the watermelon in the bowl turned into a pile of unappetizing red mush. Initially, he thought the child would end up eating the watermelon in the bowl himself, so he just let him continue. Who knew it was for Sean.


    Sean glanced at the bowl calmly and picked it up with a smile. "Wow, you cut it really well!" he praised as he scooped a spoonful and placed it up to his mouth.


    Everyone watched with horror. Cut really well? Did the child even cut it? It was obviously mushed up between his little fingers.


    Mother Shu, Father Shu, and Natalie all wanted to stop Sean, but before anyone managed to say a word, the red mush already entered the man''s mouth and he swallowed it with a smile. "Yummy!" he said with a straight face.


    Little Pumpkin clapped his hands happily, "Yay! Daddy likes it!"


    Meanwhile, Mother Shu looked at Father Shu in disbelief. Even she couldn''t stomach something like that. How did this man eat it with a straight face?


    "Grandmama, Grandpapa, do you want Pumpkin to cut you some watermelon too?" the little boy offered.


    Mother Shu and Father Shu quickly shook their heads, "Grandpapa already cut a lot. We will eat those."


    They then watched as Sean scooped another spoonful of the red mush and placed it into his mouth.


    But, all of a sudden, he froze.


    He then placed his hand to his mouth and spat something out when the child wasn''t looking, "Pumpkin, did you add something to the watermelon?"


    Pumpkin looked at the man proudly and nodded his head. "I added sugar to make it extra yummy," he said as he pointed to a jar on the table.


    Mother Shu and Father Shu looked at the jar and finally burst into laughter.


    The child had grabbed salt by mistake...

 Chapter 221 - Meeting The Parents

    While the family was laughing at the child''s honest mistake, the doorbell suddenly rang. The housekeeper opened the door and let the guests in. It was Halia''s father and Jeremy''s parents. Everyone was there to see Natalie''s fiance.


    "It''s nice to see you again, Sean," Father Feng smiled as he shook the man''s hand.


    "It''s nice to see you too," Sean responded politely. "Halia, told me to bring something for you. I''ll give it to you later."


    Father Feng nodded but suddenly realized something, "If you''re here, Sean, does that mean my daughter is working on her own?"


    Mother Shu heard this conversation and looked at Father Feng with curiosity. "Are you talking about Haili? Do they know each other?"


    "Sorry Auntie, I didn''t get a chance to answer you earlier. I actually work with Halia," Sean explained.


    At that moment, Father Du interrupted, "What work do you do?"


    Mother Du eyed the man up and down, "You''re quite good-looking. Are you an actor or a model?"


    "If you are an actor or a model, you mustn''t be a famous one. I''ve never seen you before. Do you even make money?" Mother Shu suddenly joined in.


    Sean laughed awkwardly and looked to Natalie for help. But, Natalie simply shrugged her shoulders as she watched him getting swamped with questions from all sides.


    Poor Sean.


    While other men stressed about meeting one set of parents, he was practically meeting three!


    "OK, everyone, let me answer one question at a time," Sean said as he took a deep breath.


    He then looked at Father Feng, "Uncle, Halia is doing fine on her own and I trust her 100%. She will still be reporting to me every day and I have contact with backup if she needs it, so you have nothing to worry about."


    After that, he looked at Mother Du and Mother Shu, "Aunties, I am not an actor nor a model. In fact, my job is not in the limelight at all. But, I do get a decent salary."


    Finally, he turned to Father Du, "I work for the government in the national security sector."


    "National security?" Father Du said with skepticism. "Old Feng, when did your daughter work in national security?"


    Father Feng looked at the man proudly, but he knew it was best to keep his daughter''s identity vague, "There are a lot of things about my daughter that you don''t know about."


    "National security..." Father Du scoffed. "Do you just sit at a computer all day taking tax-payers'' money? National security...What about my daughter-in-law''s security? Do you have what it takes to keep Natalie safe?"


    At that moment, Mother Du grabbed onto her husband, "Our daughter-in-law can protect herself, old man. As long as he remains handsome and doesn''t embarrass Natalie, that''s all that matters."


    She then walked over to the young man and ran her fingers across his face. "Such perfect skin, it''s a shame that you''re not a model..." she smiled approvingly.


    "Well, money matters too!" Mother Shu suddenly cut in. "A government job is stable and well-paying. How long have you been doing that job for?" she asked with interest.


    "It will be 10 years this year," Sean replied calmly.


    Mother Shu''s eyes lit up. 10 years in a government job. This man must have a lot of savings.


    For the first time that day, she finally looked at Sean with approval.


    "I don''t care about looks and money. I care about safety," Father Du groaned. He then launched forward towards Sean and tried to grab his neck.


    But, as soon as he was an arms-length from Sean, Sean automatically grabbed his wrists, turned him around, tripped him over, and pinned him against the floor.


    Sean gasped in shock and quickly let go in surprise when he realized what he had done, "I''m sorry, Uncle, that was an instinctive response."


    Father Du brushed his clothes clean and stood up. A smile then appeared on his face, "Nice moves! Are you a black belt?"


    Sean laughed in embarrassment and nodded his head.


    At that moment, Mother Shu stood next to her husband and whispered, "He''s pretty good, isn''t he?"


    Father Shu laughed and nodded his head, "Did you only realize that now? I knew he was a good guy from the moment I saw him..."


    ...


    On the other side of the world, another person was having a parent meeting for the first time.


    "So, you''re Trisha?" an elegant British woman said as she sat down and adjusted the floral dress on her body.


    "I''m sorry, Oliver''s father couldn''t make it today. You see, we''re divorced and he''s not a very involved person. Men can be very selfish and irresponsible..." the woman added indifferently.


    Trisha smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. This woman was obviously taking the opportunity to vent her frustration with her ex-husband, but Trisha had never met the man, so she couldn''t agree nor disagree.


    "Mom, Dad''s in Edinburgh attending a seminar. There was no way he could have made it. You simply told him to come so you could complain that he couldn''t make it," Oliver exposed his mother''s intentions.


    He knew his parents well. From a young age, he had gotten used to their ridiculous arguments.


    Margaret Williams had a very narrow view of the world. She was born in London and spent her entire life there with the same friends and family that she had known all her life. This made her very bias in her judgment and beliefs. Oliver understood why his father had to divorce his mother. At times, he also struggled to be around her. But, Oliver couldn''t leave like his father did. No matter how frustrating she was, she was his mother; a fact that would never change. So, over the years, he had learned to accept her and deal with her.


    "Where are you from, Trisha? You don''t look British. Are you from China? Or Korea? Or Japan?" Margaret said as she took a sip of tea.


    Oliver scrunched up his nose at his mother''s question. He knew she meant no harm, but she honestly had no idea how racist and patronizing she sounded.


    England was a multicultural country with millions of immigrants. What defined the ''British look'' that his mother was referring to? What if Trisha was born in England? What if she had lived there all her life? What if she identified herself as British?


    But, Trisha was not offended, "I was actually born in London, but my family was originally from Hong Kong. My father worked for the Hong Kong consulate during the time of British Hong Kong and both of us hold dual citizenship."


    "What about your mother?" the woman asked insensitively when she realized there was no mention of her mother.


    Trisha cleared her throat and replied, "She passed away several years ago."


    "How did she die?" Margaret asked in a straightforward manner.


    "Mom..." Oliver cut in. First, she was being racist, now she was being insensitive...


    But, Trisha grabbed his arm and gestured that it was OK. From her perspective, his mother was simply curious.


    "She had cancer," Trisha replied.


    Margaret''s face screwed up with disgust, "Have you checked your body recently? I heard that stuff runs in the family..."


    "Mom! That''s enough!" Oliver yelled.

 Chapter 222 - Contrasting Lives

    Trisha held onto Oliver''s hand and stopped him. Oliver''s mother was a bit direct and rude, but judging by her expression, it wasn''t a personal attack. It was just her honest opinion and concern.


    "I''ve seen a specialist and taken a risk assessment. My mother was one of nine children and she was the only one that''s ever contracted cancer. My father''s side has no history of it either. So, the doctor concluded that it isn''t in my genetics and I am not at a higher risk than the average person. My mother was just unlucky," Trisha replied.


    "I get regular body checks due to my job and I maintain a strict exercise regime and diet. I am healthier and fitter than the average person, so you don''t have to worry about me."


    Margaret nodded her head and placed a scone to her mouth. They were having afternoon tea inside a cute boutique hotel and a platter of cakes and scones were in front of them.


    "What about your job? I heard Oliver say you were in law enforcement. Does that put you at high risk?" the woman asked.


    Trisha glanced at Oliver and hesitated. "Yes, my job is very high risk," she replied with honesty. "But, life is a risk in general. I could walk across the road today and get hit by a bus."


    "You can avoid that by looking properly before you cross the road, or even better, not cross the road at all. If you want to be with my son, I want you to avoid the risk at work by finding a new job. I don''t want him to be left alone and brokenhearted one day when you''re gunned down by some random criminal," Margaret instructed calmly.


    It appeared, this woman always got her way. She wasn''t giving a suggestion nor a request, it was a firm order and she expected it to be fulfilled.


    "Mom, Trisha''s really good at what she does. If not for people like her that take risks on everyone''s behalf, you wouldn''t be able to enjoy the safety that you do. I cherish every day that I have with her like it''s our last and I am satisfied with that. Even if she leaves this earth before I do, I will not be brokenhearted. I will remember what a brave and selfless person she was and I will be proud of her," Oliver said.


    "You may say that now, but wait ''til you''re old and alone like me. You will realize how stupid you''re being right now. Trust me, I''ve lived longer than you have. Take my advice and stop acting like a child. This is real life, not a superhero comic. Let''s talk again when Trisha''s quit and found a safe and proper job," Margaret said as she stood up and turned to leave.


    "You''re lonely because you made yourself lonely!" Oliver yelled. "If you continue like this, you will end up losing me as well..."


    Margaret stopped in her tracks and paused for a second. "You''re my son and I will always be your mother, there''s nothing you can do about it."


    Trisha looked at the mother and son and sighed. How did things turn out like this? Did she just drive a wedge between them?


    "Don''t be like this..." Trisha said guiltily as she held back Oliver. "Don''t argue with your mother. She gave birth to you and she is only doing this because she loves you."


    Although Trisha was born in London, she was brought up with traditional Chinese values and she had always been taught to be filial to her parents.


    Trisha didn''t have her mother anymore, so she didn''t want Oliver to lose his mother as well. But, what was she to do? Originally, she was planning to transfer to the UK branch of Interpol and surprise Oliver once it was confirmed, but it didn''t seem like such a good idea anymore. She would still be an agent and still taking risks every day.


    Margaret was a stubborn person with old values, she would never accept her if she remained in Interpol. Oliver would just be put in a difficult position.


    "Don''t worry, Trish, I will speak to her. If she can''t accept you for who you are, then I will break all ties with her," Oliver said.


    Trisha looked at Oliver and sighed. Although she loved him, she didn''t want him to do that for her. They were only in the early stages of their relationship. How could she tear him away from his mother who had been there for him his whole life?


    That night, she thought long and hard about her options. She could either quit her job completely and start afresh in London, or she could retreat before she fell any deeper in love with the man and return to Hong Kong on her own...


    Which option should she choose?


    At that moment, her phone rang.


    It was from Interpol headquarters...


    "Agent Hua, we would like you to reconsider our offer. Are you sure you don''t want to head the Hong Kong and Macau branch of Interpol? We can''t think of anyone that''s more suited to the role..."


    ...


    The contrast was dramatic. While Trisha was struggling to please one parent in London, Sean was effortlessly impressing 5 parents!


    Apart from Natalie''s biological parents, Jeremy''s parents had only one child, so when Jeremy passed away, they practically adopted Natalie as their own. Then, there was Halia''s father. Because Halia barely returned to Guiyang City, he saw Natalie more than he saw his own daughter, so he practically treated her like his own as well.


    "So when''s the wedding?" Mother Shu asked as everyone sat down at the dining table and began to eat dinner. She had been completely charmed by the man. He was good-looking, smart, and most importantly, he had a stable and well-paying job in the government. What more could she ask for in a son-in-law?


    Natalie blushed a little and looked down. She then held Sean''s hand and glanced at him nervously. "I guess, it would be ideal to get married before my stomach starts showing..." she said quietly.


    Sean''s eyes opened wide in surprise, "Before...your stomach starts showing?"


    Natalie nodded. She didn''t just gather everyone to meet Sean today; she had something she wanted to announce, "Pumpkin''s about to be an older brother...and you are about to become a father..."


    The entire table fell silent.


    Natalie looked around nervously. What was everyone thinking?

 Chapter 223 - Wedding Plans

    "Does that mean I''ll get someone to play with?!" Pumpkin cheered, breaking the silence as he jumped out of his seat and ran over to Natalie.


    Natalie looked at the little boy and nodded her head. She then glanced up at Sean again and noticed an expression of disbelief on his face.


    Was he happy with the news? Was it too soon? Was he ready?


    Who knew she''d fall pregnant so easily? They had only slept together once!


    After a brief moment of silence, a smile appeared on Sean''s face. "1 month," he said.


    He then turned his head and looked at the parents around the table. "We will have our wedding in 1 month," he announced.


    Mother Du immediately jumped up in excitement and ran to Natalie''s side, "I know some wedding dress designers, let me give them a call for you! It can be my gift!"


    "I''ll contact some chefs, I have some connections in the food industry," Father Du offered as he joined his wife.


    "I will provide the alcohol and venue for the night. Leave that with me," Father Feng chimed in beside Natalie.


    "Oh, Sally works in floristry! I''ll ask her to do the bouquets and floral arrangements!" Mother Shu added as she hugged her daughter.


    While the other parents were jumping around in excitement and surrounding Natalie, Father Shu leaned over calmly and whispered to Sean, "I''ll come with you to find a suit. Welcome to the family."


    Sean smiled and nodded his head.


    ...


    It didn''t take long before Halia received a phone call from Natalie to notify her of everything that was happening.


    "What? You''re pregnant and you''re getting married in one month?!" Halia exclaimed.


    "Sean sure knows how to stake his claim!" she laughed. As Halia said this, she felt relieved that she and Jackson didn''t act impulsively in Munich without any contraception. Natalie proved how easy it could be to fall pregnant and Halia was definitely not ready for a child.


    "Don''t tease me. Everything just fell into place and it feels so right," Natalie said with a smile.


    "Do you need help organizing anything?" Halia asked.


    "No, I''m fine. The parents are already helping, so you don''t need to worry."


    "Parents? Even Sean''s parents are helping?"


    "Yes, they are helping us with the invites and finding a wedding photographer."


    "Wow, you''re so lucky that everyone is so accepting..." Halia admired. "If only every relationship ran that smoothly." She was engaged too, but she and Jackson were struggling to even be in the same city, let alone plan a wedding. On top of that, his family was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she was Jackson''s girlfriend, not Emerson''s, and Jackson was never with Amelie, she was with Alexander...it was a complete mess...


    Natalie knew what her best friend was referring to, so she quickly comforted her, "Don''t worry. After you guys get over this hurdle, you have a whole lifetime ahead of you to spend together."


    Halia nodded in agreement, "Yes, you''re right."


    "By the way, Haili...can you be my bridesmaid/maid of honor?" Natalie suddenly asked in seriousness. "You have always been my best friend, I can''t think of anyone else that''s more suited to the role."


    Halia smiled and replied, "Of course, I would love to."


    ...


    2 weeks wasn''t a long time, but when it came to missing something, it could feel like forever.


    For Halia, it was Jackson, but for Jaclyn it was heroin.


    "How does it feel to finally leave this place and return to normal life?" Mia asked as she watched Jaclyn pack her belongings.


    Jaclyn had successfully completed her rehabilitation program with John and she was finally being reintroduced into society, but she was staying in Munich for another 2 weeks under observation in case she relapsed.


    "It feels good, I couldn''t have done it without you guys," Jaclyn replied. "How about you? How''s your alcohol addiction?"


    "I haven''t had a drop since I met you," Mia replied.


    Jaclyn smiled. Even though John never followed her instructions in pursuing Mia, she had watched the two bond and grow closer over the past few weeks. Perhaps, that was how Mia managed to quit alcohol; maybe she was in love. After all, love could change a person and give them the strength to do things they never imagined.


    Watching the two grow closer made Jaclyn question a lot of things. It made her question her ideas on love and what she expected from a partner. Perhaps, she had been too unrealistic. But, most importantly, it made her question her present feelings. Every time she saw the two together, she would feel a sting in her heart that she couldn''t explain. John had never been her idea of an ideal partner: he wasn''t cold and dominant, he had never given her a back hug, he had never pinned her against the wall, and he had never forcefully kissed her. In fact, he hadn''t done anything that she had seen in dramas. But, she couldn''t help her feelings of jealousy when she saw him with Mia.


    Just as she was deep in thought, John walked into the room and helped her grab her suitcase. "Ready to go?" he asked with a charming smile. Jaclyn looked around the room one last time and nodded her head.


    Since Mia''s brother was thrown into jail, Mia had a spare room in her house, so she invited Jaclyn to stay with her for the next two weeks.


    "My car''s just across the road, let me drive you girls there," John offered as he began to cross the road with Jaclyn''s suitcase. Jaclyn smiled, he was quite the gentleman. Perhaps, this was the reason why Mia liked him and why she felt jealous seeing them together; she must like him for the same reason too.


    As she looked at the man with curiosity, Jaclyn began to cross the road as well. But suddenly, Mia screamed behind her, "Car!!!!"


    Jaclyn gasped as she looked to her left and saw a car speeding towards her.


    Before she knew it, Jaclyn felt Mia grab her hand and pull her back, just as the car beeped and zoomed past.


    "Why didn''t you look properly before crossing?" Mia yelled worriedly.


    Jaclyn looked at the woman in shock as her heart raced. She had almost been run over by a car because she was too busy thinking about John and Mia.


    "S-Sorry, I''m used to cars driving on the other side of the road so I didn''t look properly," Jaclyn explained.


    Mia sighed and held onto Jaclyn''s hand. She then looked left and right and led her across the road carefully while Jaclyn tried to calm her beating heart. If not for Mia, she could have died.

 Chapter 224 - Back Hug

    Jaclyn, Mia, and John soon arrived at Mia''s home. It was a simple apartment just outside of the city center. "I''m sorry, the place is old and rundown, but there is enough space for both of us," Mia apologized.


    Elias Muller always wanted to give his sister a luxurious and comfortable life, and he succeeded for several years, but the means by which he did it were all wrong. So, as soon as he was arrested, the police seized all assets that they suspected were purchased via the proceeds of crime. This included his house, his club, his boat, his car, and his savings, leaving Mia with nothing. Fortunately, Mia had some savings of her own and managed to rent a little apartment in the suburbs, otherwise, she would have been thrown out on the streets.


    "You don''t have to be sorry," Jaclyn replied. "Thank you for letting me stay here."


    It wasn''t like Jaclyn couldn''t afford 2 weeks in a hotel. In fact, she had enough money to stay 2 weeks in a 5-star hotel if she wanted to, but, she chose to stay with Mia because of the company. She liked being around Mia and she enjoyed every moment they spent together. As long as they were together, the location at which they stayed didn''t matter.


    John walked in behind the two women and casually walked into one of the bedrooms, "Jaclyn, I''ll put your stuff in your room, OK?"


    Jaclyn looked at the man and nodded her head, but quickly realized something: why did he seem so familiar with the layout of the apartment? And how did he know that that was her room? Had he been in Mia''s apartment before?


    Her heart stung a little again.


    A man and a woman, all alone in an apartment. Many things could happen...


    Did they hug near the front door, kiss on the sofa, fondle each other in the kitchen...and make love in bed...?


    Multiple possibilities flashed through Jaclyn''s mind. How far had these two gotten?


    Mia noticed the curiosity in Jaclyn''s eyes and explained, "John helped me move some furniture and he also set up your room for you. He actually donated the bed that''s in your room because I was running low on cash."


    "Oh?" Jaclyn said with interest. Was that really all he did?


    After John left, Jaclyn and Mia sat down to dinner. Mia cooked a delicious hearty stew and Jaclyn quickly devoured it. "This stew is amazing! Do you make it often?" Jaclyn asked with an impressed smile.


    Mia smiled and replied, "No, I only make it on special occasions, so I thought I''d make it to welcome you."


    Jaclyn looked at the young woman gratefully and felt slightly moved. It had been a long time since someone specifically cooked for her. "Have you ever made this stew for John?" she tested.


    Mia shook her head, "Only for you and my brother."


    Jaclyn smiled to herself. It seemed, Mia and John weren''t as close as she thought.


    "Since you prepared dinner, I''ll do the dishes," Jaclyn offered as she grabbed the plates and stood up.


    Mia immediately chased after her, "No, you''re a guest. You don''t need to do anything."


    "I need to contribute something. I can''t just live and eat here for free," Jaclyn replied.


    She then walked into the kitchen, turned on the tap and started filling the sink.


    The kitchen was small and could barely fit two people, so Mia stood outside the doorway and watched as Jaclyn placed the dishes beside the sink.


    As the sink filled up with water, Jaclyn looked around the small kitchen for detergent and cleaning tools. "Hey Mia, what do I clean the dishes with? Where''s your detergent and scrubber?" she asked.


    As soon as Jaclyn said this, an arm stretched out beside her and opened a closet above her head.


    "Everything you need is up here," Mia''s gentle voice sounded beside her ear.


    Jaclyn suddenly felt herself blush a little. The kitchen was small, so Mia''s body was slightly pressed up against her back. From this close proximity, she could smell the perfume on her body and feel the warmth of her breath. For some reason, this closeness sent a slight tingle down Jaclyn''s spine.


    This wasn''t the first time they had been this close. After all, they had fallen asleep on the same bed and even on each other''s shoulders in the past, but something felt different today. There was an ambiguous vibe to the atmosphere that Jaclyn couldn''t explain.


    Was this an extension of her jealousy?


    Jaclyn stretched up to grab the detergent bottle but found that she was too short. The closets were built for standard European height, so her tiny stature was a bit of a disadvantage.


    Mia giggled behind her and grabbed the detergent for her. She then grabbed a scrubbing brush and a pair of gloves.


    "You''re older than me, but you''re like a child," the woman teased as she leaned forward and started rolling up Jaclyn''s sleeves. She then helped her put on the gloves. "I bet you''ve never worked a day in your life. You don''t want to damage those silky hands of yours," Mia commented casually.


    Jaclyn felt the woman''s body press up closer behind her. Her soft b.r.e.a.s.ts rubbed against her back and her warm breaths fell against the back of her neck as her arms enveloped Jaclyn from two sides.


    Jaclyn found herself subconsciously thinking about the woman''s body. Mia had an amazing figure. She was tall, slender and curvy. Plus, she was young and beautiful. If Jaclyn was a man, Mia would be the ideal woman.


    "Did you know that John likes you?" Jaclyn suddenly blurted. The atmosphere was getting a little awkward and Jaclyn was feeling a little fl.u.s.tered so she decided to change the focus to John. But, why was she suddenly feeling so nervous?


    Mia giggled behind Jaclyn and slowly backed away.


    "Did he tell you that?" Mia asked.


    "Well...not exactly...but he never denied it," Jaclyn replied. "Besides, don''t you think he treats you really well?"


    "He treats me the same as everyone else. He''s just a genuinely nice guy," Mia responded as she went to grab a glass of ice-cold water from the fridge.


    "Hasn''t he made any special moves on you...?" Jaclyn said suggestively.


    Did John really not take any of her advice?


    "Special moves?" Mia asked with a laugh. "Like what?"


    "OK, let''s start off with something more subtle. Has he ever fed you or wiped food off your mouth?" Jaclyn asked.


    Mia burst into laughter, "I''m not sick or disabled. Why would he do that? That''s something I did for you when you were going through rehab..."


    "Has he ever wiped your tears or offered you a shoulder to lean on?" Jaclyn continued seriously.


    "I''ve never cried in front of him. Plus, he''s pretty much the same height as me, it would be really uncomfortable for me to lean on his shoulder..." Mia replied with amus.e.m.e.nt.


    Jaclyn still had her back to the woman, but she remembered the way Mia demonstrated her height a moment ago and nodded her head. That was right, Mia was much too tall to lean on John''s shoulder. The last time Jaclyn fell asleep on Mia''s shoulder, Mia had a sore neck for days...


    "Then, has he held your hand when you crossed the road?" Jaclyn continued.


    "I can cross the road on my own. The only time I''ve ever held a hand while crossing the road was when you almost got hit by a car earlier," Mia teased.


    Jaclyn remembered the scene from earlier and suddenly felt her heart race. Feeling fl.u.s.tered again, she blurted out, "Then what about a back hug? That''s one of the ultimate moves. He must have pulled that one on you, right?"


    "A back hug?" Mia asked.


    She then paused for a moment. The kitchen fell silent and all that could be heard was water streaming from the tap.


    "Like what I just gave you...?"

 Chapter 225 - Tick All The Boxes

    Jaclyn cleared her throat nervously as she finished washing the dishes. "No, that was different..." she said awkwardly as she lowered her head and began to walk out the door.


    But, just as she reached the doorway, she suddenly felt a hand clasp around her arm. Then, with one strong tug, she was pulled back into the kitchen and pinned against the wall. Was this a kabedon? Mia stood in front of Jaclyn with a painful look in her beautiful deep blue eyes. "How is it different?" she asked with a slight whisper.


    Jaclyn looked down at the woman''s lips. They were pink, plump and soft like marshmallows. Why did the voice that came from those lips sound so sweet? Her gentle voice floated in through Jaclyn''s ears and tickled her heart, creating a sense of confusion. Jaclyn had never felt this way about someone before.


    What was this feeling?


    Why did it feel so good?


    Whatever this feeling was, she wanted more.


    "A back hug is usually between lovers. We aren''t lovers..." Jaclyn replied hesitantly. As she said this, her heart began to sting. No, this wasn''t the feeling that she was after.


    At that moment, Mia suddenly brushed her hand across Jaclyn''s cheek and tucked a loose hair behind her ear. Her touch sent tingles down Jaclyn''s spine like an electric current coursing through her body. It was an addictive and intoxicating feeling; even better than heroin. But, after taking a deep breath, Mia slowly moved her hand away with a sense of regret and the feelings disappeared again. "You''re right..." she whispered as she looked away and forced a smile on her face.


    She then stepped back and started to walk out of the kitchen as though nothing had happened.


    Jaclyn''s heart ached as she saw this. "No, don''t go," she said subconsciously as she grabbed onto the woman''s hand. She then pulled her back to the same position and returned Mia''s hand to her face. The tingling feeling returned and she liked it.


    Mia looked at Jaclyn in surprise. "What are you doing?" she asked with a threatening look in her eyes. "If you do this, you''re asking for trouble..."


    Jaclyn''s heart almost thumped out of her chest when she heard this. This was something that the domineering CEO''s in Korean dramas often said.


    Jaclyn tilted her head upwards and looked into the eyes of the tall angelic woman. Mia was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, but she did not feel jealous. Instead, she admired her. Her deep blue eyes, her plump lips, her sharp jawline...everything about her just fit together perfectly like pieces of a puzzle. "What kind of trouble?" Jaclyn subconsciously asked.


    Mia''s lush pink lips curved upwards slightly and her soft fingers slowly moved down to Jaclyn''s neck.


    Jaclyn stopped breathing and arched her back against the wall behind her in pleasure.


    Mia then moved in closer and gently caressed the back of Jaclyn''s neck seductively as she watched her reaction. She was enjoying it.


    Jaclyn breathed out and bit her lip. This was what she wanted: more of this intoxicating feeling. It was magical like she had been carried up to the clouds to watch over the world with this angel.


    Mia slowly moved her hand from the back of Jaclyn''s neck to the front of her face. She then gripped onto her chin and lifted it gently. Mia was taller than Jaclyn, but this angle was perfect; she could see the woman''s lips perfectly from this angle.


    Mia glanced at Jaclyn''s eyes; she was not resisting. Was she imagining things? Did this woman know what she was getting herself into? After a moment of hesitation, Mia replied, "This kind of trouble..." Jaclyn felt her heart almost jump out of her chest when she heard this response. Before she knew it, Mia surrendered to her feelings, lowered her lips onto Jaclyn''s and closed her eyes.


    Jaclyn''s eyes opened wide in shock. What was happening? Why were Mia''s soft lips pressing against hers? And why did it feel so good?


    Women understood how women felt, so Mia knew exactly how to make Jaclyn feel good. Her kiss was slow and gentle, luring the woman in like bait. And it worked.


    Jaclyn began to close her eyes and move her lips with Mia''s. Every time Mia pulled away a little, Jaclyn would move forward and demand for more. She even grabbed onto Mia''s slender waist and pulled her in closer.


    This was Jaclyn''s first proper kiss; she couldn''t believe it was with a girl. But, it felt so right...and so good.


    Perhaps, this was why no guy ever caught her eye.


    The back hug, the kabedon, and the forced kiss; Mia ticked all the boxes. It seemed, Jaclyn was never interested in Sean, it was Mia that she had developed feelings for. It made sense. After all, Mia had been looking out for her since she arrived in Munich; she saved her from her brother, stuck by her through her rehabilitation, supported her when she recalled her experience to the police, and offered her a place to stay when she had nowhere to go. Love was love, regardless of gender.


    At that moment, Jaclyn suddenly felt something slippery weave its way between her lips and into her mouth. She subconsciously gasped in pleasure when she realized what it was. It was Mia''s tongue. She gripped Mia''s waist tighter as her body heated up. Just when she thought the feelings couldn''t get any more intense, Mia stepped it up a notch.


    Mia was younger than Jaclyn, but she clearly had more experience. She had been with both men and women in the past, but she decided a long time ago that she preferred women. In fact, she was attracted to Jaclyn from the moment she first saw her. But, she never expected Jaclyn to reciprocate her feelings. She was simply satisfied with staying by her side as a friend. After all, homos.e.x.u.a.lity wasn''t something that everyone could accept.


    So, she was over the moon to see Jaclyn''s response.


    She moved away from the woman''s lips for a moment and said, "Let me show you how much trouble you''ve gotten yourself into."


    She then dragged Jaclyn towards the bedroom.


    They were living in the same apartment for the next two weeks.


    Mia couldn''t wait to teach Jaclyn everything she had learned over the years.

 Chapter 226 - A Familiar Face

    Halia looked up at the fancy, modern office building. For the last two weeks, she had been going to work in that office, Monday to Friday, like a real employee. It was a tough experience for a restless person like her; she couldn''t believe that people could sit in front of the same computer all day. Fortunately, this was just a temporary experience. If she was forced to do this job until she retired, she would go crazy.


    Her mission this time was to investigate a few lawyers in the firm that were suspected of embezzling client funds. At first, it was hard to get noticed and all she was asked to do were small errands around the office. But finally, after two weeks of hard work, she gained the trust of one of her suspects and he even asked her to join him at a client meeting that day. She felt one step closer to cracking her case.


    "Good morning," she greeted in a deep voice as she entered the building in a neat grey suit. As she looked around, she subconsciously ran her fingers across the mustache above her lip.


    Mustache?! Yes, that''s right, she had a mustache and it had become a habit of hers to check if it was still there.


    After all, the mustache was a part of her disguise. If it came off, she would be exposed.


    The legal profession was a dirty and corrupt place, so before Halia was sent out on the field, she and Sean came to an agreement that it would be safer for her to act as a man, especially when many of the lawyers in her law firm were rumored playboys and perverts. As a result, the technicians at SPU helped her design a disguise and back story, and she became a male legal assistant at Morton & Partners Law Firm.


    Initially, Halia assumed no one would fall for the disguise. She was clearly a girl. But after she stuck on a mustache, bandaged her chest to flatten it, and cut her long luscious black hair, no one doubted her. After all, it was trendy for young men to look metros.e.x.u.a.l and/or androgynous these days. She simply looked like a pretty boy.


    "Hey, pretty boy, go fetch Morton a coffee," senior lawyer Roy Chen instructed as soon as he saw Halia walk in.


    Halia nodded her head and walked over to the kitchen. Morton was the boss of the law firm and he liked to have his coffee dark with no milk or sugar. On the surface, it sounded easy to prepare for most people. But, the tough part was that he liked his coffee iced. Many legal assistants before Halia had failed to take into account that the first few ice cubes were bound to melt and they always ended up diluting the coffee too much. Many were fired because of this.


    Fortunately, Halia had the thoughtfulness of a girl and considered this when preparing the coffee the first time she was asked to do it. If she screwed it up, she could have been fired on her first day. Morton was impressed with her coffee skills and specifically asked for Halia to prepare his coffee every morning after that, and everyone in the office was grateful.


    Morton took a sip of his coffee and smiled, "I heard Roy''s taking you to a meeting today. You''re doing well. Keep up the good work."


    Halia nodded her head, "Yes, apparently, one of his clients passed away and he''s sorting out the will with the client''s family members."


    "Oh, wills are no fun..." Morton sighed as he put down his cup and started typing on his keyboard.


    Halia glanced nervously at the man. Her boss was known to have a bad temper; one wrong move could result in weeks of scolding. But, there was a certain charm to him. He was confident, good-looking, and very smart.


    "Roy has been at this firm for many years. Follow him well and learn what you can. You have a bright future ahead of you," Morton encouraged. This man was cold, domineering, strict, and serious, but he knew how to recognize true talent, and he saw potential in Halia. After all, she possessed the knowledge of a senior prosecutor from the SPU; an old man with much more experience than the 37-year-old Morton. Armed with this man''s knowledge, Halia could technically be Morton''s boss. But, of course, he didn''t know this.


    "Now, get back to work," Morton said gently with a slight smile in his eyes.


    Halia was surprised by the man''s gentleness. Everyone in the office was terrified of Morton, but why didn''t he seem that scary at all?


    As Morton watched Halia leave his office, a slight smile appeared on his lips.


    "Interesting," he whispered to himself.


    ...


    That afternoon, Halia went with Roy to meet his client''s family.


    "My client passed away last year, but it took a while to sort out his funds and pay off his creditors. The man had outstanding fees, taxes, and funeral expenses that had to be paid off first. Now that it''s all sorted, we can finally distribute the remaining money to the beneficiaries in his will. I''ve asked them all to meet us at Dynasty Restaurant," Roy explained as they arrived outside the famous seafood restaurant.


    As soon as they entered, Roy led Halia to a private room in the back. There was a round table inside the room, and six people were already seated inside. The room was silent and there was a cold vibe in the air. It seemed, these people weren''t on good terms with each other.


    "Lawyer Chen, thank you for sorting everything and meeting with us," an old man greeted as he stood up.


    Halia closed the door behind them and turned to look at the people in the room for the first time. As she scanned her eyes across the six family members, her eyes suddenly froze on one person and she subconsciously touched her mustache to check it was still there.


    The woman noticed Halia''s odd gaze and asked Roy, "Who''s this?"


    Roy quickly pulled Halia beside him and replied, "This is my new legal assistant, Mars Wu. He''ll be helping me with this case."


    "Mars, this is the widow of the deceased, Marissa Qian..."


    Halia lowered her head and nodded.


    Marissa Qian...


    She knew this woman well...

 Chapter 227 - Mars Wu

    "Mars Wu?" Marissa looked Halia up and down.


    But, Halia continued to look down, hoping that Marissa didn''t recognize her. After all, they had only met a couple of times and Halia looked very different from when they last saw each other. In fact, she was a completely different gender.


    Last time they met, they were inside a boxing ring and Halia had given this woman a black eye. Would she remember her?


    There was an awkward silence in the room as everyone waited for Marissa to continue speaking. Judging by her expression, she clearly had something to say about this young legal assistant.


    Finally, she stuck out her hand towards Halia and smiled. "Mars Wu, interesting name...It''s nice to meet you," she said with a slight sparkle in her eye.


    Halia cringed a little on the inside and quickly shook the woman''s hand. ''Mars Wu'', that was the name that Sean had made up for her; a cheesy name that was one letter away from ''Mrs. Wu''. Sean had deliberately chosen it to tease her.


    "Stupid Sean, I''m going to strangle you when you get back," she hissed quietly to herself.


    His teasing had put her in quite an awkward situation. If Marissa was smart enough, she would pick up on it and Halia''s identity would be exposed.


    But, of course, Sean never expected that Marissa would coincidentally show up and be one of the law firm''s clients.


    ...


    Over in Guiyang City at that moment, Sean suddenly sneezed, "Achoo!"


    Father Shu jumped in surprise and looked at the man.


    "Are you getting sick?" he asked his future son-in-law worriedly. "It must be from all the traveling and change in weather."


    Sean shook his head politely. "No, I''m fine. But, I feel like someone''s talking about me behind my back," the man replied with a shiver as he started walking into the change room.


    He was in the middle of trying on suits with Father Shu.


    "Your Auntie made me wear a pink suit when we got married in the 80''s. Back then, it was quite popular to wear colorful suits," Father Shu reminisced from outside the change room as he waited for Sean. "I wonder if they have anything like that in this store."


    He then turned to look at the shop assistant, but the shop assistant quickly shook her head. "Anything apart from black, grey, white and, sometimes, blue, isn''t very popular. But, the groom can choose whatever color he wants for his collared shirt inside, or his bow tie, or even his pocket square. Otherwise, color can be incorporated through flowers," she replied politely, trying not to offend the older gentleman.


    Father Shu laughed. He was just joking, but clearly, his serious expression did not appear that way.


    Father Shu always had a stern and serious look on his face, like the typical head of a family. He appeared sensible, smart, and reliable, but in reality, he was quite the jokester. It was just hard to tell when he was joking. Plus, his jokes were dry. If he was a woman, people would say he had a ''resting b*tch face''.


    Sean looked at himself in the mirror and laughed. He couldn''t imagine himself in a pink suit. He would probably become a laughing stock on social media if he wore something like that. But, unlike everyone else, he could tell that Father Shu was joking. So, he replied, "I''ll wear a pink suit if you wear one too. We can match. I''m sure the ladies will be happy with that."


    Father Shu laughed and yelled, "Hell no! I did it once. I ain''t doin'' it EVER again!"


    Sean smiled. During his years in law enforcement, he had met all kinds of people, many of whom were sly, conniving criminals. As a result, he had subconsciously developed a knack for differentiating between true and false. Perhaps, that was how he could tell that Father Shu was joking when no one else could. Or perhaps, a man''s humor had always been different from a woman''s.


    At that moment, Sean stepped out in a white suit.


    Usually, mothers and daughters went wedding gown shopping and it always turned into a soppy, emotional event. But for some reason, Father Shu felt a little emotional as he looked at Sean. His daughter had suffered a lot over the years. Even though he didn''t know Sean that well, he felt relieved to see that his daughter had found a second chance at love. Especially with a great man like Sean.


    He often argued with Mother Shu because they had clashing personalities, but he couldn''t imagine ever losing her, let alone having to raise a child on his own.


    "I will leave my daughter in your hands from now on. Take good care of her and never break her heart," he instructed as he walked over to help the man straighten his bow tie.


    Sean nodded his head. Father Shu didn''t know, but Sean had also experienced the loss of a partner, so he was determined to love and cherish Natalie, "I will love her with all my heart and never let anything bad happen to her."


    ...


    Over in London, things weren''t going so well for another couple.


    After much convincing from Trisha, Oliver finally agreed to contact his mother again and he tried to reason with her calmly. He brought a copy of his award-winning article that he wrote with Trisha''s help and showed it to his mother.


    "Do you remember this article I wrote about Chinatown? I mentioned a brave woman in the article that I never named. That woman was Trisha," he said. "I hope you can learn to accept what she does. Even though her true identity has never been revealed, she received a lot of praise all over London for her bravery. If not for her, I wouldn''t have had such a great story to write about and I wouldn''t have received an award."


    Margaret Williams looked at the article and cringed, "She sounds like a manipulative woman. How did she get the gangsters to trust her? Did she sleep with them? This is why I never go into Chinatown. Her kind have no dignity and can be so uncivilized and corrupt."


    Trisha looked at the woman in surprise. How could she generalize like that when she had never even ventured beyond her own hometown?


    It was true that she had flirted a bit with the gangsters to gain their trust, but she would never betray her own body by sleeping with them.


    Oliver noticed Trisha''s discomfort. This was the last straw. His mother had gone too far.


    "Forget it, Mom, I tried to reason with you calmly, but you are clearly not that open-minded. Since we can''t come to an agreement, let''s just stay out of each other''s way. You can live your own life, and I will live my own life with Trisha," Oliver yelled angrily. He then grabbed Trisha''s hand and left.


    Trisha was upset by what Margaret said, but this was not the result she wanted to see.


    So, that night, she rolled around in bed and could not sleep. She glanced at Oliver who was fast asleep beside her and gently ran her fingers across his cheek. She loved the man, but she didn''t want to see him at odds with his mother. She had been contemplating her options for the past couple of days and today was the deciding factor.


    Oliver sensed the woman''s touch and slowly opened his eyes. "Why aren''t you sleeping?" he whispered gently as he reached up and held her hand.


    Trisha looked at him with slight pain in her eyes, but she did not reply. She had done a lot of thinking and there was only one solution she could think of.


    "Are you thinking about my mother? You don''t have to worry about her, she''s..."


    Before the man finished speaking, Trisha leaned forward and covered his lips with hers. If he said anything else, she would probably give up and change her mind. She couldn''t let that happen.


    Oliver was surprised by the woman''s kiss, but he enjoyed it.


    He quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.


    Trisha felt her heart ache. She ran her fingers through his curly hair and across his firm chest. She didn''t want to ever let go of this man.


    Oliver''s breathing grew heavy from her touch. Her soft fingers sent sparks through his body and he felt his desires stir. So far, they had only kissed. Was it time to take things to the next level?

 Chapter 228 - Goodbye Forever

    (Warning: This chapter is R18+ at the beginning. If you are under 18 or uncomfortable with mature content, please skip the first part of the chapter. I will put ''**'' to signal where the mature content ends. It does not affect the plot of the novel.)


    "I want to make love to you?" Oliver whispered seductively between kisses as he sat up and leaned in towards Trisha''s ear.


    Trisha bit her lips when she heard this.


    "I want to make love to you all night long and get you screaming for more," he said as he nibbled on her ear lobe and started kissing her neck.


    Trisha subconsciously gasped in pleasure as she gripped onto the man''s arms. Before she knew it, his hands had traveled down to her thighs. He gently forced her legs apart and ran his hands across her inner thighs. Trisha arched her back and tugged at the man, directing his kisses back to her lips. He was teasing her and she couldn''t resist.


    The man snuck a smile as his tongue dived into her mouth. He then ran one of his hands up her thigh towards the most sensual part of her body.


    Trisha gasped again in pleasure and returned the favor by touching the man between his thighs as well.


    She had made a decision and she was not changing her mind, but before tomorrow morning, she was going to let go of everything and indulge in this moment with Oliver.


    Oliver pulled her towards him and removed the clothes from her body, and Trisha quickly responded by pulling off his clothes as well.


    As he looked at her n.a.k.e.d body, he ran his hands across her smooth skin and soft b.r.e.a.s.ts, then, with one gentle thrust, he entered her body, forcing the woman to scream in pleasure.


    It felt even better than he imagined.


    As he moved rhythmically, he admired the woman''s s.e.xy figure. Since she was an Interpol agent, she was extremely fit and her body drove him crazy.


    He couldn''t get enough of it.


    As he watched Trisha m.o.a.n in pleasure, he smiled wickedly and looked into her eyes. "You won''t be getting any sleep tonight," he warned.


    The couple moved from the bed, to the bathroom, to the kitchen, then to the balcony. They couldn''t get enough of each other''s body.


    ** (R18+ content ends here)


    Finally, after they exhausted all their energy, Oliver collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.


    Trisha glanced out the window. He told her he wasn''t sleeping that night and he was right. The sun was already rising and the night was over. But, like a princess in a fairytale, it was time to wake up from her dream.


    Trisha quietly slipped on some clothes and pulled out a suitcase she had already packed and hidden away. She was too afraid to say it to Oliver''s face, but she was leaving. She was going back to Hong Kong and accepting the promotion she had been offered. It was the best outcome for both of them. Oliver could be on good terms with his mother again and continue with his career in London, and she could return to her dangerous, risky life in Hong Kong.


    They shared an amazing night together, and she would remember it forever, but that memory was a parting gift; a reminder that they were once a part of each other''s lives.


    She knew her decision would hurt Oliver. But, they hadn''t been together for long and their relationship wasn''t deep, so she knew the pain would not stay for long. She didn''t mind if he hated her for this decision. In fact, she preferred it, it was easier that way.


    As she thought this, she regretted not sticking to her initial intentions of remaining friends. At least, they could have remained a part of each other''s lives. But now, as she quietly dragged her suitcase towards the door, she glanced at the man one last time and knew that this was goodbye forever. It was impossible to remain friends after this.


    The tears she had been holding back finally rolled out from the corner of her eyes. In a trembling whisper, she said, "I love you," before she walked out the door and walked out of the man''s life...


    ...


    Halia sat awkwardly beside Roy and snuck a glance at Marissa again.


    Did this woman really not recognize her?


    Halia simply had a mustache and shorter hair. Was it that hard to tell who she was?


    But, as unbelievable as it was, it was true, Marissa really had no idea it was Halia.


    After all, she had only met Halia a couple of times, and every time she saw her, her eyes were focused on the handsome Emerson Wu.


    Marissa noticed Halia secretly glancing at her and she smiled to herself. She sat upright, stuck out her chest and brushed her hair back confidently. This young man seemed to be attracted to her. Otherwise, why did he keep glancing at her in such a shy way?


    She had failed with Emerson, but perhaps she could date a little lawyer instead.


    Marissa winked at Halia and Halia quickly looked away. Why did Marissa wink at her? Was she telling her that she recognized her? But if she did, why didn''t she just expose her?


    Halia''s heart raced in a panic and she subconsciously held her hand against her chest to calm it down.


    Marissa saw this and smiled. Was this man already so in love with her that he couldn''t control his beating heart?


    Marissa turned to Roy and said in a soft and saddened tone, "Thank you for meeting with us, Lawyer Chen. I know it''s been a tiring 5 months. Let''s finalize the will that my dead husband left behind and get on with our lives..."


    As she spoke, she deliberately emphasized the words, ''dead husband'', and glanced at Halia to see her reaction. She wanted to make it clear that she was single and ready to mingle...


    But, Halia simply helped Roy pull out the doc.u.ments from his briefcase and arranged them into neat piles for him to go through.


    Roy picked up the first pile and cleared his throat, "Here are all the receipts from outstanding fees and debts that your husband owed, including mortgages, loans, phone bills, utility bills, bank fees...etc. I''ve already paid them with the money he left behind."


    Roy handed the pile to Halia and she passed them on to Marissa. But, as she did so, her hand accidentally brushed against the woman''s hand.


    Marissa blushed a little and winked at Halia again. As soon as Halia saw this, she quickly retracted her hand and sat down nervously as Marissa flipped through the receipts casually. Marissa didn''t really care about her dead husband''s matters, she just wanted to know what her share of his assets were. But, she still had to put on a little show in front of the relatives.


    Roy looked at his nervous little assistant and smirked. It seemed, the rumors were right. Marissa Qian never loved her husband, she simply married him for his money. Otherwise, why would she be eyeing another man when her husband''s body had just been laid to rest not long ago?


    He had chosen the right target. This was exactly the reason why she was suitable for his intentions.

 Chapter 229 - The Briefcase

    Roy had been a lawyer for over a decade, but the longer he was in the industry, the more corrupt he became. After all, he knew how the law worked and he knew how to work his way around it.


    He learned bad habits from his seniors in the early years of his career, including tax fraud and evasion. But, it slowly developed into embezzling client funds. At first, he simply overcharged his clients and slipped in a few extra little receipts here and there. However, it wasn''t enough for the greedy man. Especially when he began to find wealthier and wealthier clients.


    They were millionaires and billionaires, so in Roy''s mind, losing 1000 yuan for them was like dropping a 1 yuan note for the average person. Thus, he did not feel guilty stealing from them.


    But, 1000 yuan quickly turned into 10,000 yuan; 10,000 yuan quickly turned into 100,000 yuan. Soon, he found himself embezzling millions each year. After all, each time Roy succeeded in tricking his clients, he would up the ante and embezzle more. It was too easy.


    Some of his more honest colleagues questioned how he drove around in a Lamborghini and lived in a luxurious villa, but they simply thought he was good at saving. After all, he was single and had no major financial responsibilities. But, in reality, he spent money faster than water from a tap.


    His favorite place to spend money on was women. In fact, he indulged in women in an extremely perverted manner; often paying them for threesomes and orgys.


    Halia and Sean had certainly made the right choice to enter this mission with a disguise. Otherwise, this man would have eaten Halia alive.


    Roy wasn''t a very good looking man. If Halia had met him a few years ago, she would have seen a partially balding man with a droopy face, a fat nose and buck teeth. She would have met someone that looked, at least, 10 years older than they really were. But, after some plastic surgery, Roy was now a questionable age. Questionable because he looked so fake that no one knew where to begin guessing. He underwent a few hair transplants that didn''t look much better than a wig; he had excessive botox that caused his cheeks to barely move when he talked; he got a new nose that looked out of proportion on his face; only his teeth remained the same.


    When compared to Marissa, who already looked very fake, this man was on a whole new level.


    But, it didn''t matter how he looked. When he waved his money around, women naturally flocked to him like bees to honey and he loved it.


    For him, money could really buy happiness.


    This time, Marissa''s dead husband, Donald Qian, had left Roy with just over 500 million yuan. If he didn''t already change the ownership of his PR company to Marissa before he died, Roy would have had even more funds to play with.


    "As you can see, there were a lot of expenses after Mr. Donald Qian''s death. After I helped him pay off everything, we were left with just over 450 million yuan. Mr. Donald Qian has allocated 50% of his remaining funds to his wife, Marissa Qian; 20% will go to his brother, Douglas Qian; 20% will go to his son, Danson Qian; and 10% will go to his ex-wife, Marcia Zhe," Roy said as he picked up the will.


    Halia listened with surprise. Where did 50 million yuan go? Did the man really have that many expenses?


    However, Marissa didn''t even budge as she handed the large stack of receipts back to Halia. She had no idea what her husband owed, so she accepted the receipts without questioning it.


    Meanwhile, the other people seated around the table had no interest in the receipts either. They just wanted to know why Marissa was allocated a whopping 50%!


    "Was Don in his right mind when he signed the will? Why did he leave this gold digger with 50%?" Douglas Qian complained.


    "She must have drugged him!" Douglas'' wife chimed in beside him. She couldn''t believe that her husband only got 20%.


    "That''s right! He already gave his entire company to her. Shouldn''t he have left a little more money for my son?" Donald Qian''s ex-wife frowned.


    However, these people had their focus on the wrong thing. Why didn''t anyone question the 50 million yuan that was missing? How much of it did Roy pocket himself?


    As Halia neatened the stack of receipts, she placed them back into the briefcase. This briefcase - she had to find a way to steal it.


    All she needed was one night to take photos of the receipts.


    She needed a distraction.


    Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly felt a hand brush against the side of her thigh.


    Halia jumped a little in surprise and looked beside her.


    It was Marissa!


    For the third time that day, the woman winked at her. This time, she had a seductive smile on her face that clearly showed her intentions.


    While everyone else on the table was arguing, this woman was flirting with her!


    It seemed, Marissa had no idea who she was.


    Halia subconsciously touched the mustache on top of her lips and cleared her throat. How could this woman act like this when they were in the middle of discussing her dead husband''s will?


    Marissa leaned over slightly, deliberately displaying her cleavage to Halia and asked, "Are you free later tonight, Lawyer Wu? I didn''t quite understand some of the doc.u.ments today. Could you go over them with me?"


    Halia looked at the woman and knew what she was thinking. She wasn''t interested in the doc.u.ments at all, she was interested in her. To be exact, she was interested in the young man she was pretending to be, Mars Wu.


    But, just as she was about to reject the woman, Roy suddenly nudged her and whispered with a sleazy smile, "She wants you bad. Take the briefcase with you to ''discuss'' the doc.u.ments with her tonight and thank me tomorrow."


    Halia looked at the briefcase in her hands and revealed a dashing smile. "I have all the time in the world..." she replied charmingly to the promiscuous woman.

 Chapter 230 - The Direct Woman

    Halia held onto the briefcase and walked out of the restaurant with Marissa by her side.


    Meanwhile, behind them, the rest of the family rolled their eyes.


    "I knew she was a gold digger from the start. Look at her! My brother hasn''t even been gone for half a year and she''s already throwing herself all over another man," Douglas Qian complained.


    "I heard she was already having an affair with Emerson Wu when father was still alive," Danson Qian said indifferently as he stepped out of the restaurant and watched Marissa get into her car with Halia. He then lit a cigarette and leaned back against the wall, "She''s always liked Emerson Wu. Everyone else is just a means for her to get to him..."


    "Do you have any proof?" Douglas'' wife quickly asked. "Perhaps, if we can prove it, there may be a way to disqualify her from receiving any inheritance."


    "I''m not sure if that''s possible. Besides...I have no proof..." Danson said as he took a puff of his cigarette.


    After he watched Marissa''s car disappear around the corner, he turned and left.


    As he boarded his own car, Danson signaled for the driver to start moving. He then pulled out his phone, clicked on his gallery and opened a particular folder labeled, ''Sasa''.


    Inside the folder were old photos of Danson and a girl. The photos were from high school and the two looked very affectionate in them. There were photos of them holding hands, hugging, and even kissing. It seemed, this was his girlfriend in high school. Danson looked at the girl and revealed a bitter smile. The girl wasn''t very good looking, but he loved her with all his heart.


    "I miss you," he whispered under his breath as he looked through the gallery with a softness in his eyes.


    However, this softness quickly disappeared.


    After he closed the gallery, he searched through his phone for a video and narrowed his eyes in a slightly evil manner. When he finally found it, he took a puff of his cigarette and pressed play. The video was dimly lit, but the faces in the video were clear.


    The sounds of a woman m.o.a.ning with pleasure soon sounded from his phone and filled the quiet car.


    Danson took another puff of his cigarette indifferently and continued watching.


    The driver heard the sounds and glanced curiously at the young man through his rearview mirror.


    Was he...streaming p.o.r.n?!


    Seeing the immersed look on Danson''s face, the driver sighed quietly and shook his head. Young people these days had no shame. How could he be watching something like that in the car?


    Danson noticed the driver''s gaze and revealed a smirk. "Do you want to watch as well?" he offered as he held up his phone.


    The driver quickly shook his head and placed his eyes back on the road with fear. Danson was known for being a rude, ruthless, and arrogant troublemaker. In fact, he practically fired a driver every month. If he wasn''t careful, he would lose his job.


    Danson saw the driver tremble a little with fear and smirked again. He then pressed the side of his phone and turned the volume up...


    ...


    Marissa and Halia soon arrived outside a fancy 5-star hotel. "Let''s chat inside. The rooms here are really comfortable," the woman said suggestively.


    Halia held onto Roy''s briefcase and nodded her head. She was planning to go over the doc.u.ments briefly and hurry home to take some photos of it. All the receipts were in her hands; there was bound to be something of use.


    But, to her surprise, Marissa was a lot more direct around men than she expected.


    As soon as they stepped into the hotel suite that Marissa hired, the woman hooked her arms around Halia''s neck and said seductively, "I saw the way you looked at me earlier. Do you think I''m beautiful?"


    Halia swallowed awkwardly. This woman was obviously seducing her. What did men usually say in these situations? She had to reject her and direct her back to the business at hand without offending her. "Yes, Miss Qian, you''re...you''re like an angel. I''m sure your husband loved you very much."


    "An angel?" Marissa smirked as she stepped in closer. "That''s the first time I''ve heard anyone say that about me."


    "My husband said I was a bad girl...especially in bed..."


    Marissa then grabbed the briefcase out of Halia''s hand and started walking away with a flirtatious giggle.


    Halia stretched out her hand to grab the briefcase back but missed.


    "Miss Qian, let''s quickly go over the doc.u.ments and leave. I know you''re a busy person. I still have some things to do after this as well," Halia said with a slight plea as she chased after the woman.


    She followed Marissa into one of the bedrooms and found the woman seated seductively on the bed.


    Halia furrowed her brows. Did this woman have no shame?


    "Come on, Miss Qian, this isn''t appropriate. Can I please have my briefcase back?" Halia said as she stretched out her hand.


    Marissa laughed with amus.e.m.e.nt. "Come and get it," she said as she placed the briefcase on her lap.


    Halia sighed and stepped forward to grab the briefcase, but Marissa suddenly tugged on her tie, causing her to stumble and fall on top of her.


    If Halia was a real man, this would be a highly ambiguous position.


    Marissa bit her lip and brushed the briefcase onto the floor. "Stop acting innocent. You know why I brought you here. I don''t care about those doc.u.ments..."


    After saying this, she hooked her arms around Halia''s neck and started pulling her down. As Halia got closer, the woman closed her eyes and pouted her lips.


    Halia panicked. What was she to do?


    Left with no choice, Halia raised her hand, looked at the woman''s neck, and threw a quick accurate punch to her jaw. She knew exactly where to aim to knock the woman out without applying too much force and injuring her.


    As expected, the woman fell temporarily unconscious.


    Halia immediately jumped off the bed, grabbed the briefcase and made a phone call, "Hello, ambulance, someone suddenly fainted..."

 Chapter 231 - Knocked Out

    Morton Meng frowned as he walked coldly into the hospital. A moment ago, he had received a phone call from Halia. An important client suddenly fainted during a meeting and was sent to the hospital.


    "What happened, Mars?" he asked as he approached Halia.


    "We were going through some doc.u.ments regarding her husband''s will and she suddenly fainted," Halia replied.


    Morton looked at Halia with suspicion and turned to the doctor who just arrived, "Why did Mrs. Qian suddenly faint?"


    "We ran some tests on Mrs. Qian. There''s nothing wrong with her. It may be due to exhaustion," the doctor replied as he scanned his eyes across the two men.


    But, his gaze suddenly paused on Halia. Why did this young man look so familiar?


    Halia looked at the doctor in surprise and subconsciously touched her mustache nervously as she turned away; she recognized this man.


    She had been so fl.u.s.tered in the hotel that she didn''t think things through thoroughly. The closest hospital to the hotel was PUH (Peking University Hospital), and the emergency ward of this hospital was where she was working just a few months ago!


    When she walked in through the doors of the hospital earlier, she realized what a mistake she had made. But, all she could do was hope that she didn''t run into someone that she knew.


    However, according to Murphy''s Law, ''anything that can go wrong will go wrong''. Halia understood this well as she tried her best to avoid Dr. Isaac Yan''s eyes.


    He was the doctor assigned to Marissa...


    Even though they hadn''t seen each other since Halia worked at the hospital, they had spoken on the phone a few times and he had been hoping to catch up.


    Isaac looked Halia up and down and sensed something suspicious. But, just as he was about to question the young man, a weak voice suddenly captured everyone''s attention, "Where am I? What am I doing here?"


    Marissa had woken up.


    Morton walked over to the woman with furrowed brows and helped her sit up, "You fainted, Mrs. Qian."


    Marissa touched her jaw with suspicion and looked at Halia, "Fainted?"


    "Yes, the doctor said it was due to exhaustion."


    At that moment, Danson Qian arrived. He was the only family member that was willing to pick up Marissa from the hospital. "Oh, Mother, what were you doing to get so exhausted? Didn''t you go to the hotel with this pretty boy? Did things get too wild in there that you fainted?" he smirked.


    "What are you talking about?" Marissa quickly rebutted.


    "You''ve misunderstood Mr. Qian. Your stepmother was so distraught about losing your father, she fainted. Isn''t that right, Mrs. Qian?" Halia said as she looked into the woman''s eyes.


    Marissa quickly got the hint. She could roughly remember what happened in the hotel room, but she couldn''t tell everyone that Mars Wu knocked her out because she was practically trying to r.a.p.e him. How embarrassing would that be?


    So, she quickly replied, "Yes, that''s right. Lawyer Wu was going through the receipts with me and it broke my heart to think about the pressures your father had when he was alive. He was such a hardworking man."


    Danson smirked. He knew this woman well. She was definitely lying because there were too many outsiders around, but he didn''t expose her. "Well, are you OK now? Can we go home?" he asked.


    Isaac quickly stepped forward and said, "Mrs. Qian is OK to go home, but I''ll need you to sign her dispatch papers and pay the hospital bill."


    Danson nodded his head and followed Isaac to the reception desk. As Isaac walked away, he took one last glance at Halia and his eyes opened wide like he realized something. But, he did not say anything.


    After Danson and Isaac left, Morton walked over to Marissa''s side and said apologetically, "I''m sorry if my new legal assistant triggered some bad memories and feelings. If you want to go over the doc.u.ments again, I can personally discuss them with you next time."


    Marissa glanced at Halia and shook her head, "It''s OK, we don''t need to go over it again. Just process the inheritance as is. I want it over and done with as soon as possible."


    Morton nodded and grabbed onto Halia''s arm. "In that case, we will get going." He then dragged her out of the hospital.


    Halia looked at her arm. Why did this man seem a little annoyed?


    "Get in my car, I''ll drive you home," Morton said as they walked out of the hospital towards his car.


    "That''s OK, I can get home myself," Halia replied as she tried to loosen herself from the man''s grip.


    But, Morton did not take no for an answer as he pushed the little legal assistant into his car.


    After he started the engine and began to drive, he asked in seriousness, "Can you tell me what exactly happened today?"


    Halia looked at the man nervously, "What do you mean?"


    "Everyone knows how Mrs. Qian is like. There''s no way she would have fainted because of her husband''s death," Morton said as he stared ahead.


    Halia lowered her head. After a moment of hesitation, she replied, "I...knocked her out..."


    Morton stepped on the brakes and looked at Halia in surprise, "You knocked her out?! How? Do you know how serious it will be if she decides to sue you? You won''t be able to afford the legal bills with your legal assistant salary! Do you want me to contact her and settle it in private?"


    Halia shook her head and laughed, "She would never do that."


    Besides, Halia had plenty of money to fight back.


    "Why wouldn''t she?" Morton asked with suspicion.


    "If she reveals that I knocked her out, then I will tell everyone she tried to seduce me and r.a.p.e me! I had a voice recorder on," Halia replied as she shook her phone. She originally turned it on in case Marissa said something that could aid with her mission.


    Morton stared straight ahead and bit his lip to hold back a smile.


    He then started the car again.


    Halia looked at the man with curiosity. Why did it look like he was amused?


    "What''s so funny?" she subconsciously pouted.


    Morton looked at the little legal assistant and burst into laughter, "I can''t believe she''s attracted to you."


    Halia looked down at herself and touched her mustache, "What''s so bad about me? I think I''m pretty handsome."


    Morton shook his head, "It''s nothing. Nothing''s wrong with you."


    He continued to shake his head in disbelief.


    Actually, from the moment that human resources first introduced Halia to Morton Meng, he already noticed she was a woman disguised as a man. He didn''t understand why she was disguised, but since she passed through human resources, he didn''t want to turn down a potentially good talent. So, he decided to monitor her and see how she progressed in the firm. To his surprise, she was very smart, and she was also great at making coffee.


    But, why couldn''t anyone else tell that she was a woman?


    To him, it was extremely obvious...

 Chapter 232 - The Receipts

    That night, Halia opened up the briefcase, that she had so desperately tried to get her hands on, and started spreading out the receipts on her bed. There was a shocking amount of receipts.


    She slowly sifted through the large number of receipts and tried to find anything that looked suspicious.


    As she was doing so, her phone suddenly rang.


    Halia picked it up excitedly. It was Jackson.


    "How did your day go?" the man asked.


    Halia smiled when she heard the man''s voice.


    "You wouldn''t believe who my client was today," Halia replied straight away.


    Jackson listened with curiosity and guessed, "Is it someone we know?"


    "Do you remember Marissa Qian? The woman that''s obsessed with your brother?" Halia asked.


    "Ugh, the one that looks fake from top to bottom? Was she your client? Did she recognize you?"


    Halia shook her head, "No, she was completely convinced by my cover. In fact...she invited me to a hotel and..."


    Halia paused.


    "And what?" Jackson asked as he furrowed his brows.


    "...she tried to seduce me and sleep with me..."


    After Halia said this, there was a short silence on the phone.


    Suddenly, out of the blue, Jackson burst into laughter.


    Halia blushed a little, "Why are you laughing?"


    This was the same reaction that Morton had earlier. Was it so funny to hear about someone getting seduced and almost r.a.p.ed?


    "I can''t believe she actually believed my beautiful fiancee is a man," Jackson replied.


    "Hey, my disguise is very convincing. You would be shocked if you saw me. Besides aren''t you worried that she may have taken advantage of me?" Halia humphed.


    "You have the SPU captain''s skills in your brain. You could kill her with one finger if you wanted to. I trust you can protect yourself," Jackson replied. "By the way, turn on your video call and show me how you look. I want to see how convincing your disguise is," Jackson teased.


    But, Halia quickly rejected the suggestion, "If you see me like this, you will never be able to unsee it. I don''t want to traumatize you for life."


    Jackson laughed, "I will love you no matter how you look."


    Halia blushed again. Why was this man such a sweet talker?


    "If you want to see me, you''ll have to come see me in person," Halia replied, refusing to turn on the video call.


    Jackson smirked and changed the subject, "So how did you escape Marissa''s seduction in the end?"


    Halia cleared her throat and replied awkwardly, "I...I knocked her out..."


    "You what?!" Jackson burst into laughter again.


    "Stop laughing..." Halia frowned.


    The couple continued to chat into the night about the events of their day and Jackson ended up helping Halia analyze the receipts she had gathered.


    "Right off the bat, I can see some problems with the legal fees that Roy charged. He charged all the hours under the rate of a senior lawyer, but I''m sure he got his previous legal assistant to do a lot of the work because I definitely did some of the more recent work that he billed for. Besides, there''s no way he would have spent 10 hours just on ''compiling doc.u.mentation''." Halia said as she pointed to a particular receipt from the law firm.


    "Also, there are about 10 receipts for ''legal consultation''. All within one month before the client''s death and all lasting about 4 hours. I don''t know what kind of consultation he provided, but that seems really excessive. Even our will-reading meeting today was only a couple of hours long," Halia added.


    "Then, there are some questionable mortgage repayments and loans that don''t quite make sense. All these suspicious ones are relatively small numbers and slipped in inconspicuously amongst the large number of receipts, but when we add them all up, it''s almost 8 million yuan."


    "Take photos of everything and send them to Sean," Jackson instructed. "Have you spoken to him lately?"


    "No. I spoke to Natalie and she told me they are getting married in a month, so I assume they are preparing everything at the moment. I don''t want to disturb him unless necessary. But, I will definitely contact him about these receipts," Halia replied.


    "By the way, are there any updates on when you are coming back to Beijing?" Halia asked, hoping that her fiance would return soon.


    Jackson shook his head, "No. At this rate, I don''t think we''ll see each other until Natalie and Sean''s wedding."


    "What?" Halia asked in shock. "That''s an entire month! I can''t wait that long..."


    She had already waited 2 weeks. Another month would be unbearable.


    "I''m sorry, you know how it''s like..." Jackson replied regretfully.


    Halia sighed and said with understanding, "Yes, I understand..."


    ...


    The next day, Halia returned the briefcase to Roy as though nothing had happened.


    "How did you go?" the man winked suggestively as he held onto the briefcase. Obviously, he did not hear about Marissa going to the hospital.


    "Did you even open this briefcase last night? Or did Marissa open up to you instead?" he asked with a dirty smile.


    Halia cringed at this sleazy talk, but reminded herself she was a man and replied calmly, "No, we were going through the receipts in detail and she fainted."


    "She fainted? You actually went over the receipts in detail? How thoroughly did you look through them? Why did she faint?" Roy asked with slight angst.


    Halia noticed the man''s discomfort and knew he definitely had something to hide.


    "She was shocked by the large number of receipts and she found a few of them quite questionable," Halia said, testing for the man''s reaction.


    "You idiot! Didn''t you get my hint? That wasn''t what you were supposed to do. You were supposed to please the client and make her happy, specifically in bed...if you know what I mean. How could you make her faint? That''s it! You''re off this case!" Roy yelled angrily as he shooed Halia out and twiddled his thumbs nervously.


    As Halia walked out of the office, she heard Roy pick up the phone and call Marissa. "Mrs. Qian, I''m sorry that Mars upset you last night and made you faint. He''s new and doesn''t understand a lot of things and he may have made some of the receipts sound confusing. But, I can assure you that they are all correct and normal. There''s nothing to be concerned about."


    "That''s alright," Marissa replied on the other end. "I already spoke to Morton. Just go ahead with everything. I don''t want to deal with this anymore. I trust you."


    Roy smirked. The little legal assistant almost ruined everything! Fortunately, Marissa didn''t notice a thing.


    "But, I have one request," Marissa suddenly said.


    Roy listened with curiosity.


    "I want you to send Mars to me one more time. I have an event to attend this evening and I need a partner. I''m giving him a chance to make up for what he did last night. Let him know that if he doesn''t come, the consequences will be dire," Marissa threatened.


    Roy listened to the request questioningly. Didn''t Marissa faint after looking at the receipts? Why did it sound like the legal assistant had done something more serious than that?


    Regardless of what actually happened, it wasn''t his problem. So, Roy agreed and went to speak to Halia again.

 Chapter 233 - Future Brother-In-Law

    That evening, Halia arrived at a fancy hotel dressed in a handsome black suit. Since Marissa invited her unexpectedly, she randomly grabbed a suit from Jackson''s wardrobe and put it on. Of course, the suit was a little big, but she still looked quite good in it.


    At first, Halia planned to reject the invite, but Roy told her that if she attended and apologized to Marissa, he would put her back on the case. So, she agreed in the end.


    Halia buttoned up the suit jacket on her body and smiled. This was Jackson''s suit and it made her feel warm and fuzzy. It was almost like Jackson was there hugging her and it made her blush like a schoolgirl.


    Back during the early days, when they were still friends, Jackson had lent her his coats a few times. In fact, there was one stage when she had a few of them at her place. As Halia thought about this, she couldn''t help but laugh. Maybe, at that time, she had already fallen for him without noticing it.


    As she reminisced, her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a voice from behind, "You''re here."


    Halia turned around and came face-to-face with the familiar Marissa Qian.


    However, the woman did not look as friendly as she did the day before.


    "You''re lucky that you showed up today," she said with slight arrogance. "I may have fainted yesterday, but I remember everything that happened. You sure had the guts to hit me. If I report you to the police, I wonder what they''d say," she threatened quietly as other guests walked past.


    Halia smiled, "I''m sorry about what happened, but if I were you, I wouldn''t mention anything to the police. I''m afraid you may be the one to suffer in the end."


    Marissa frowned and looked at the legal assistant with confusion. "What are you trying to say?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes.


    "Well...I have a habit of recording all my meetings and..."


    Halia shook her phone in her hand, gesturing that she had recorded something.


    Marissa''s eyes opened wide as she realized what Halia was trying to say. There were rumors that she was a gold digger that cheated on her husband and acted promiscuously while he was still alive, but she never cared about those rumors because there was no proof. Besides, it kept her in the spotlight and made her sound popular amongst men. But, if word got out that she practically tried to r.a.p.e a man and got rejected, how embarrassing would that be? She quickly cleared her throat, "I can forgive you for what you did yesterday. After all, we''re a.d.u.l.ts and it was all just a misunderstanding. But, you should definitely be held liable for giving off the wrong signals..."


    Halia smiled and put away her phone, "I apologize for the misunderstanding."


    "If you''re truly sorry, then stay by my side tonight and be a good accompanying guest," Marissa instructed. "If you don''t embarrass me, then I will consider forgiving you."


    All the women at the event were bound to be jealous if they saw her with this young and handsome legal assistant, and all the men would want her even more.


    At least...that''s what Marissa thought.


    Halia smiled and nodded her head. It didn''t sound like a difficult task so she agreed.


    As a result, Marissa quickly hooked her arm around Halia''s arm and gestured for her to lead the way.


    As soon as the two stepped into the ballroom where the event was held, everyone subconsciously looked their way.


    "It''s Marissa!"


    "Who''s the man that she brought?"


    "Isn''t she married?"


    "Her husband died last year. The poor thing. She''s still so young and beautiful. I guess it''s time for her to move on."


    "I heard she was having an affair with Emerson Wu."


    "No, nothing happened between them. I heard he rejected her for another woman..."


    "But, the guy she''s with is pretty good-looking too. I''ve never seen him before..."


    Marissa smiled proudly as she walked over to a group of women, "Ladies, let me introduce my partner for the night. This is Mars Wu."


    All the girls squealed and stuck out their hands to greet the handsome young man.


    "Your suit looks expensive. What do you do for a living, Mr. Wu?" one of the women asked as she grabbed onto Halia''s arm.


    "Your skin is so smooth. What''s your skincare routine?" another woman asked as she ran her finger across Halia''s cheek.


    "I like the smell of your cologne. What is it?" a third woman asked as she moved in closer and started sniffing around Halia''s neck.


    Halia looked at the group of desperate women. It was like they had never seen a man in their life.


    Meanwhile, Marissa watched proudly as the women swamped around her guest. She had made the right choice to bring him. These women were going to be jealous of her for, at least, a few months.


    But, they weren''t the only ones that she wanted to make jealous.


    At that moment, she spotted her true target for the night. A man that she tried so desperately to forget about, but couldn''t help clinging to for the last 15 years.


    "Emerson!" she called out as soon as she saw the man walk through the door.


    Halia heard Marissa call out this familiar name and quickly froze.


    Emerson Wu...


    A man that had previously pursued her...


    A man that was now her future brother-in-law...


    What was he doing here?


    If anyone was to recognize her, she was certain it would be him.


    Halia quickly turned away and tried to hide her face from the man, but Marissa suddenly grabbed onto her arm and pulled her over towards him.


    "Emerson, long time no see," Marissa said, trying to act casual. "Did you bring a partner tonight?"


    Emerson shook his head and glanced at Halia as she looked down and pretended to blow her nose with a tissue.


    "Is this your friend? Is he sick?" Emerson asked.


    Marissa quickly glared at Halia and pulled the tissue away from her hands, "No, he''s perfectly fine. He''s healthy, strong, manly...and so handsome..."


    Marissa sounded slightly awkward as she tried to make the man jealous.


    But, Emerson nodded with disinterest. This wasn''t the first time Marissa had tried to make him jealous. It had already been 15 years since this woman was obsessed with him. When was she going to get the hint that he wasn''t interested? "Cool, well I''ll see you around," he said before he turned to leave without looking at Halia in detail.


    Halia quickly breathed a sigh of relief.


    However, Marissa couldn''t let the man go just like that.


    "Emerson, did you know that Mars has the same last name as you? I wonder if you are distant relatives?" she said.


    Emerson heard this and turned back around with slight interest. His surname was very common in China, but it was always interesting to meet another Wu. So, he glanced curiously at the young man who still had his head down. But, as he did so, he noticed something suspicious about this person. Why did it feel like he was avoiding him?


    And his suit...


    Emerson ran his eyes across the man''s slightly big suit.


    It looked expensive and custom-designed, but why didn''t it fit him?


    What a strange young man...


    Emerson walked over to Halia and furrowed his brows.


    He then hooked his hand under her chin and gently lifted her head to face his.


    Halia stopped breathing as she looked into Emerson''s eyes.


    This was it, she was about to be exposed. She was certain of it.


    Emerson''s lips twitched a little with amus.e.m.e.nt, "Mars Wu..."


    "You look familiar..."


    "I think Marissa''s right...we may be related..."

 Chapter 234 - Your Wife Is Getting Stolen

    Halia realized she wasn''t breathing and quickly took a deep breath.


    "Who are you kidding? I''m just a little legal assistant. There''s no way I would be related to the almighty casino empire that is the Wu Family," Halia said as she took a couple of steps back.


    "Oh?" Emerson questioned with suspicion in his eyes. "I guess I must have been mistaken," he said casually with a shrug.


    Then, with a slight smirk, he said, "Either way, it was nice meeting you...Mr. Mars Wu..."


    He then walked away to greet some other guests.


    After he was gone, Marissa turned to Halia and asked, "What do you think? Was he fascinated by you? Was he jealous?"


    Halia kept her eyes on Emerson and shook her head, "No...he wasn''t jealous."


    She had seen him jealous before, and he was not jealous right now.


    Marissa frowned, "What must I do to get his attention? Stupid Emerson Wu!"


    "Perhaps, you should stop trying so hard..." Halia replied.


    She then excused herself and went to the bathroom. She needed to have a proper look at herself in the mirror. Did Emerson really not recognize her?


    As soon as Halia walked into the bathroom, she quickly checked that there was no one else in there and ran over to the mirror.


    Her mustache was glued firmly in place, her hair was neatly slicked back, and her chest was wrapped tightly. Her disguise was intact.


    Halia shook her head and laughed. She had been too paranoid.


    As if anyone could tell she was a girl. Even she barely recognized herself.


    At that moment, she suddenly heard some noises from outside the bathroom. Someone was coming!


    In a panic, she ran into one of the toilet cubicles. But then she quickly realized she didn''t have to. She was a man inside the men''s toilet, what was wrong with that?


    However, just as she was about to step back out, she overheard a conversation between three men, "Roy is having an afterparty at his place. Let''s go."


    "Really? Who else is going?"


    "He invited most of the young people that are here today. You know him, he''s always trying to show off."


    "That guy is such a try-hard. He hangs around with the rich and flaunts his money, but he will never truly be one of us."


    "But, you gotta admit, he does throw great parties..."


    Halia smirked when she heard this. Roy was having a party at his place. This sounded like the perfect opportunity to search for more evidence.


    She just needed to be invited.


    After the three men left, she also left the bathroom deep in thought. How was she going to get an invite to Roy''s party? She wasn''t someone he wanted to impress.


    But, as soon as she stepped out, someone grabbed her hand and pulled her out onto a quiet balcony.


    "Tell me, what exactly happened yesterday?" a familiar man asked.


    Halia looked at the man. She had only met him twice yesterday, but she recognized who he was. It was Danson Qian, Marissa''s stepson.


    It was odd to call this man Marissa''s stepson. After all, he looked the same age as Marissa, if not older. But, that was the result of marrying someone 28 years her senior.


    "I know Marissa would never faint because of my father. She was never genuine towards him. Only the old man didn''t see it," Danson said. "So why did she faint?"


    Halia pulled her arm away from the man''s grip and gently massaged her wrist.


    "I don''t know about your family matters, but she honestly fainted while we were going through your father''s receipts," Halia replied.


    Danson looked at Halia with suspicion, "Why did she invite you here today? Are the two of you together? Did she seduce you last night and convince you to come here with her?"


    "No, there''s nothing going on between us," Halia answered honestly.


    But, Danson did not believe her, "That woman is a snake. There is only one motive for everything she does...Emerson Wu. Everything she does is for him. She probably invited you today to make him jealous. She must have tried everything to get you to come. Did the two of you sleep together last night?"


    Halia remembered how desperate the woman was the previous night. Was this the reason why she was trying so hard to seduce her?


    Halia furrowed her brows, "How do you know this? What about your father? She married him. Wasn''t she genuine with him?"


    "She only married my father because she wanted his PR company. My father''s PR company manages all the marketing for Golden Dream Casino - and we all know who the CEO is..."


    "If you don''t want to be used anymore, I suggest you leave," Danson said as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it up.


    Halia couldn''t leave. She had to find a way to get into Roy''s party.


    "Well...like I said already, there''s nothing going on between us, so I''m not leaving, but thanks for the word of warning..." Halia said as she turned to leave the balcony.


    But, as soon as she turned around, she felt a tight grip on her wrist again.


    Halia quickly looked at Danson in surprise. As her gaze met his, she noticed something odd about the look in his eyes. He looked slightly sad...and even jealous...


    "Let go of me," Halia warned. She was a highly trained SPU agent. If this man didn''t let go on the count of ten, she was going to free herself by force.


    But, just as she said this, she suddenly felt an arm around her shoulder and saw an arm stretch out to pull Danson''s hand away. "I''m sorry if Mars offended you, Mr. Qian, but please keep your hands to yourself," a familiar voice said.


    Halia looked beside her and realized she was in the arms of her boss, Morton Meng.


    He was also attending the event and happened to pass by. When he noticed Halia being bullied on the balcony he immediately came to her rescue.


    "This little legal assistant of yours is trying to seduce my stepmother. I was just giving him a warning. It won''t be good for your reputation or ours if someone was to find out," Danson said as he glared at Morton.


    Morton smirked, "Mars would never seduce your stepmother. He is here on official business. I approved for him to accompany Miss Qian here because I was worried she would faint again. After all, she is an important client of ours."


    "Well...I''m here now. I can accompany my stepmother. This little legal assistant has no business being here anymore," Danson said.


    Morton turned to Halia and smiled gently, "Since Miss Qian has someone to accompany her now. You can go home, Mars."


    "But..." Halia tried to think of an excuse to stay.


    "No buts," Morton quickly cut in. "If you stay any longer, you might get hurt. I don''t want to see you getting hurt..." he said as he patted her on the head.


    Not too far away, someone watched the entire scene unravel on the balcony and took some photos on his phone. He then sent an MMS: "Hurry back before your wife gets stolen." Attached to the MMS was one photo of Danson holding onto Halia''s wrist and one photo of Morton patting Halia on the head.


    Emerson watched as the message sent and sighed, "Haili, what are you getting up to this time?"


    He then put his phone away and started walking towards the balcony...

 Chapter 235 - A Broken Friendship

    "Hey, is everything alright out here?" Emerson asked nosily as he poked his head between the ''three'' men.


    "This is meant to be a charity event. I hope you''re not getting into a fight like you always do, Danson..." Emerson reminded.


    Danson looked at Emerson and frowned, "It''s none of your business..."


    He then walked off to the other end of the balcony and continued to puff on his cigarette in frustration. Emerson was the last person he wanted to see.


    Morton glanced at Emerson and smiled, "There''s no argument at all. We were just discussing something, but we''re done now. Mars, you can go home, I will see you tomorrow."


    Halia looked at the man reluctantly. She didn''t want to leave, but she had no choice. So, she turned and walked away. But, just as she brushed past Emerson, she suddenly sensed a weird vibe from him. "Wait for me by the fountain outside," he whispered between gritted teeth in a volume that could only be heard between the two of them.


    Halia opened her eyes in surprise but remain composed.


    She knew it! She wasn''t being paranoid. Emerson knew who she was...


    But, at least, he didn''t expose her in front of everyone.


    "I''m quite surprised to see you here today, Danson. It''s been a long time since I''ve seen you at a charity event," Emerson said after Halia left.


    "Tch, don''t act like you know me," Danson replied coldly as he leaned over the balcony and took a puff of his cigarette.


    Emerson sensed the coldness, but remained professional, "Either way, I''m sure your father would be happy to know that you came today. He always wanted you to attend these events with him."


    Danson looked away without responding.


    Meanwhile, Morton watched quietly on the side with interest. He had heard rumors about Danson Qian and Emerson Wu. Supposedly, these two were best friends in high school and they used to do everything together. But, out of the blue, their friendship fell apart just before graduation and they were never seen together again. That had already happened about a decade ago, but no one ever found out the real reason why their friendship fell apart.


    It seemed, the rumors were true. There was obvious tension between the two.


    Unable to converse with the man, Emerson excused himself and left Morton to finalize his matters with Danson on his own. After all, he had to go speak to Halia.


    "Now that Mars is gone, I hope everything''s fine with you, Mr. Qian. If you have any other concerns in the future, I hope you can contact me instead of threatening my employee," Morton said as soon as Emerson left.


    Danson rolled his eyes with disdain. Morton was stern and cold, but he was not phased by him.


    "Everything will be fine as long as your legal assistant stays away from my stepmother," Danson warned again.


    Morton looked at the man with slight amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "You don''t have to worry about that. Mars would never be interested in your stepmother..." he laughed. After all, he knew she was a woman.


    But, Danson didn''t, so he immediately glared at Morton. What did this man mean?


    Sensing that the Danson was slightly offended, Morton quickly added, "After all, she''s a client and Mars is a professional."


    Danson''s gaze softened and he took a puff of his cigarette, "That better be the case."


    Morton looked at Danson with curiosity. Everyone said he hated his stepmother; he certainly acted that way in front of everyone. But, why was he so offended when Marissa was insulted even the tiniest bit?


    "You seem to care about your stepmother a lot," Morton said carefully. "If I didn''t know she was your stepmother, I would think that Mrs. Qian was your wife instead of your father''s..." Morton said with slight suspicion. He appeared to be joking when he said this, but there was a sense of seriousness to his words.


    Danson took another puff of his cigarette and frowned, "I simply don''t want her to ruin my family''s image."


    He then put out the cigarette in his hand and stormed back inside.


    Morton smirked and went back inside as well.


    ...


    Outside the hotel, Halia sat anxiously beside a large fountain and twiddled her thumbs.


    Emerson knew who she was, she was sure of it, but why did he tell her to wait for him by the fountain? What did he want to talk about?


    Soon, the familiar man walked out of the hotel and went to sit down beside her.


    "What are you doing here, Haili? Are you on a mission?" he asked straightforwardly.


    Halia looked at Emerson nervously. She was right, he recognized her.


    "Yes", she nodded her head. She couldn''t lie to him.


    Emerson sighed as he glanced down at the woman''s wrist. It was slightly red from Danson''s rough grip earlier. He subconsciously pulled her hand over for a closer look, "You need to be careful. Why did Danson grip onto you so hard?"


    Halia flinched a little in pain and laughed, "He thought I was seducing Marissa..."


    Emerson furrowed his brows and noticed a few other scars on Halia''s arm. "Do you always get hurt like this?" he asked.


    Halia smiled and shrugged, "It''s a part of the job. Someone has to do it."


    She then pulled her arm away.


    "Do me a favor. Don''t reveal my identity to anyone," she said.


    Emerson looked at her with slight pain in his eyes and nodded his head. He didn''t understand why Jackson allowed Halia to do such a dangerous job. If Halia was his fiancee, he would make sure she never worked a day in her life again; he would treasure her, dote on her, and pamper her. But, Halia was obviously not his fiancee - she was his future sister-in-law.


    It was hard to accept at first, but he had come to terms with it.


    "Is there anything I can do to help?" Emerson offered as he looked at the woman again.


    Halia began to shake her head, she couldn''t get Emerson involved, but then she suddenly remembered something, "Are you invited to Roy''s party later?"


    Emerson lifted an eyebrow and nodded his head, "I''m invited, but I''m not going. I don''t like that guy."


    Halia hesitated for a second. As much as she didn''t want to get Emerson involved, she couldn''t think of any other way, "If you want to help, can you take me to that party with you?"


    Emerson looked at Halia questioningly.


    "I am investigating him and this is a good opportunity to search his house for evidence," Halia replied. "I''ll be careful. You just have to get me inside."


    Emerson sighed and looked into the woman''s determined eyes. "OK," he nodded his head. "But, won''t it be strange for me to take you there?"


    Halia shook her head and smiled.


    "That''s why I''m not asking you to take Mars Wu. I''m asking you to take Haili Feng..." Halia replied with a sly smirk.


    Emerson nodded his head slowly with understanding, "If that''s what I need to do to get you off this mission sooner, then I''ll do it. But, you really need to be careful. Roy is well-known for being a player and a pervert. How will I explain things to my brother if something happens to you?"


    Halia smiled reassuringly, "Don''t worry, I got it all under control."


    Emerson relaxed a little.


    "In that case, Miss Feng, would you like to go to a party with me?" he asked as he stretched out his hand.


    Halia placed her hand in Emerson''s and nodded her head, "I would love to, Mr. Wu."

 Chapter 236 - No Response From Jackson

    Inside a room at the hotel.


    "Are you almost done?" Emerson asked from the living room as he checked the time on his watch. The charity event was almost over and the party at Roy''s was about to start.


    Halia curled her long thick eyelashes, applied a cherry red shade of lipstick and adjusted the bangs from the wavy brown wig on her head.


    She didn''t usually have bangs, but she needed to look as different to her boy disguise as possible so Emerson specifically picked out this wig for her. The wig was a beautiful ash brown color and it formed soft waves down to her waist.


    Through her hair, a long pair of rose gold earrings sparkled under the hotel lights. It had been a while since she dressed up for the party scene. The last time she looked like this, she was working at the bar and Jackson was still undercover as a gangster.


    This memory made her miss her fiance again.


    Deep in thought, Halia stepped out of the room and walked up to the waiting Emerson.


    "Do you think anyone will notice I''m Mars Wu?" she asked casually as she bent down to put on a pair of red high-heeled shoes.


    As Emerson lifted his head, his mouth gaped open in surprise. This was the first time he saw Halia looking so s.e.xy and provocative. While he was picking the wig earlier, she had run into a nearby dress store and picked a dress out herself, but he didn''t expect her to look completely different to how she normally did.


    He cleared his throat and quickly regained his composure.


    "No, you don''t even look like Mrs. Wu..." he teased. He had picked up on her name earlier and found it quite amusing. "Did you pick the name Mars Wu yourself?"


    Halia curled her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Stupid Sean picked it. I''m going to beat him up when I see him," she said as she clenched her fists angrily.


    The Halia in Emerson''s eyes had always been innocent, cute, and elegant. But, the Halia in front of him, at that moment, was feminine, seductive, and slightly evil-looking. She was heading to that party with a goal and she was determined to achieve it.


    A black backless halter dress clung tightly to her body, stopping just above her knees, highlighting her healthy curves and long, slender legs. It was a simple dress, but it was very different to the ball gowns he had previously seen Halia in.


    As she turned around and headed for the door, her wavy brown hair swayed from side-to-side like a curtain that hid her exposed back. It was hypnotic to look at and tempted one to brush her hair aside and run their hand across her smooth skin.


    Emerson quickly shook his head to eliminate any indecent thoughts and hurried behind the woman. This was his future sister-in-law, he had to remember that.


    As he followed behind the woman, he pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of her from behind. He then sent another message with the photo attached to his brother, "Your wife is being too brave..." If he was having trouble staying composed around her, wait until the other men at the party saw her. She was like a sheep walking into a wolf''s den.


    He then checked the previous two messages he sent and saw that they had been read.


    He furrowed his brows.


    If his brother read them, why didn''t he reply? What was Jackson doing? Was he in a meeting or busy with something? Or did he not care?


    How could he not care?


    Emerson could never understand his brother. His woman was walking around in such revealing clothes and putting herself in danger, yet he had no response. Wasn''t he worried?


    Jackson was sitting in a car at that moment, looking out at the dazzling night sky.


    His phone beeped and he looked down to check the message he received.


    It was another message from his brother.


    Jackson smirked and opened it up. Just like the previous two messages, there was a photo attached to this one. But, he simply looked at the photo and smiled, "Nice disguise..."


    He then put the phone away and closed his eyes to get some rest.


    Emerson stared down at his phone in shock. Again, the message was read, but there was no response.


    He looked at Halia in front of him and narrowed his eyes with determination, "Fine, if you''re not protecting your wife, then I''m protecting her for you."


    As he thought this, he quickly ran up to Halia''s side and opened the car door for her. Halia smiled and stepped inside.


    ...


    After a couple of days of wedding planning, Sean crawled into bed beside Natalie and finally relaxed. The average couple was engaged for 13 months and they usually spent this entire time planning out their wedding, but Sean and Natalie had only been engaged for a couple of weeks and they were trying to plan a wedding in one month! It was a lot more work than Sean expected.


    "I''m sorry for putting you through so much stress," Natalie said softly beside her fiance''s ear.


    Sean smiled as the woman''s breaths sent tingles down his spine. He shook his head reassuringly and gently ran a finger across Natalie''s cheek as he looked into her eyes. "It''s all worth it," he replied. His eyes then traveled down her face, across her lips, down to her cheek and finally stopped on her body. Her body; he had almost forgotten how it felt in his arms.


    With this thought, he wrapped his arm around Natalie''s waist and pulled her towards him. The feeling of her body against his immediately lit his body on fire. "After we get married, you''re all mine," he said seductively.


    Natalie bit her lip with desire. Judging by the look in the man''s eyes, she knew what he wanted.


    "I''ve been thinking about Macau every night," he whispered beside her ear.


    Natalie immediately thought back on Macau and felt her body heat up.


    "I''ve been thinking about the cool night breeze, the glittering lights from the casinos...and your s.e.xy voice as I made love to you on that balcony..."


    "...I want to experience it again..."


    Natalie felt her heart race as she took a deep breath. "I''ve been thinking about it too," she replied.


    Sean smiled.


    Everything had happened so quickly between them. They started dating, they got engaged, and they were now planning their wedding. All of this happened in less than a month!


    In fact, they had only had s.e.x once before Natalie fell pregnant!


    "Is it OK to do it while you''re pregnant?" Sean asked cautiously.


    Natalie bit her lip again and nodded her head, "Yes, but be gentle..."


    Sean''s eyes lit up with a burning desire, "OK, let''s take it slow...and gentle..."


    He then leaned over and kissed Natalie lightly on the lips.

 Chapter 237 - Enemies Meet Again

    Sean kissed Natalie gently. On the surface, he was calm and reserved, but in bed, he was wild and passionate. However, today was different. Natalie was carrying their child and he had to be careful. So, he had to restrain himself.


    As he slowly kissed his fiancee, he ran his hand across her stomach and felt his heart melt. He couldn''t believe he was actually becoming a father. He was going to make love to her to show her how grateful he was.


    But, just as the couple was getting fully immersed in the intimate moment, Sean''s phone suddenly beeped.


    He had received a voice message.


    Normally, he would ignore it at a time like this; he couldn''t ruin the mood. But, he noticed that the message was from Halia. Could it be something important? Was she in trouble? Did she need help?


    He looked at Natalie apologetically and went to pick up the phone. "It''s Halia," he said, "I have to check it."


    Natalie nodded her head and waited anxiously for Sean to pick it up. She knew Sean was Halia''s handler, so she was worried about her best friend too.


    But, when Sean pressed the play button on the voice message, all they heard was, "You''re dead Sean!"


    Sean glanced at Natalie with slight embarrassment. He had grown so close to Halia that they were now friends rather than simple colleagues, so it was apparent that he had lost some authority around her.


    Natalie covered her mouth and held back her laughter as another voice message popped up.


    "I told you not to call me Mars Wu! Emerson''s teasing me right now and I almost slipped up around Marissa Qian! Lucky she didn''t recognize me," Halia complained.


    Natalie burst into laughter and asked, "When did you become so cheeky? Mars Wu! Mrs. Wu! That''s genius!"


    Sean laughed as well, "It must be your influence."


    Judging by Halia''s voice, she was just complaining and not in actual danger, so he breathed a sigh of relief.


    He then picked up his phone and sent back a message, "Has your identity been compromised? Is everything going fine?"


    On the other end, Halia was sitting next to Emerson in the back seat of his car. A privacy screen was up to block the driver from hearing and seeing them so she decided it was the best time to update Sean on what she was doing, "I''m fine, apart from Emerson, no one''s noticed yet. He is taking me to a party at Roy''s place. I am going as Haili Feng. Hopefully, I''ll get the chance to search his place for some evidence. I will update you again later."


    "Stay safe," Sean replied.


    After hearing Halia''s update, Sean put down his phone and turned back to his fiancee. He estimated that Halia would get back to him in 1-2 hours, so he said with desire still burning in his eyes, "I guess I gotta speed things up before we get rudely interrupted again." He then pulled Natalie into his arms and did what he had been dreaming about since Macau.


    ...


    Outside Roy''s apartment building, Marissa adjusted her dress nervously. She had overheard that Emerson was coming to Roy''s afterparty - a rare occasion - so she decided to go as well. As she waited for his arrival excitedly, she planned out what she was going to say to him and the conversations they would have that night. He never attended private parties, especially not ones that were hosted by try-hards and wannabes, but he actually agreed to come today, so she had to take advantage of it. But, she couldn''t help but wonder, what was the exception?


    Either way, this was an opportunity she was not going to pass by. She was stopping him at the entrance and staking claim on him as soon as he arrived. This wasn''t a charity event or work banquet, this was a private party where only the young and influential were invited. These parties usually got quite wild and hook-ups were normal, so she couldn''t let any other woman get close to him; he belonged to her.


    But, while Marissa was standing there, a voice suddenly said behind her, "My father''s only been dead for less than 6 months and you''re already out partying..."


    Marissa recognized the voice without turning around.


    It was Danson Qian.


    "What are you doing here?" she asked.


    "I was invited, just like you, so I came to see how my stepmother parties," Danson replied.


    "You don''t normally attend events and parties like this. Did you come to spy on me?" Marissa accused as she turned around.


    A slight smirk appeared on Danson''s face but he did not respond as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it up.


    Marissa sighed with frustration, "Why aren''t you going inside?"


    She was waiting for Emerson and this guy was getting in the way.


    "Can''t you see that I just lit a cigarette? I need to finish this first," Danson replied indifferently.


    "Then smoke over there," Marissa pointed around the corner, "I don''t like the smell of smoke."


    Danson moved closer to Marissa and pointed to a sign, "Can''t you see that this is the designated smoking area? If you don''t like the smell of smoke, then you should go in first. Why are you standing around here?"


    Marissa rolled her eyes in frustration.


    At that moment, she spotted Emerson''s car arriving from the distance.


    Her eyes immediately lit up with excitement, ignoring the man beside her like he didn''t exist.


    She quickly stood upright and puffed her hair a little to give it a bit of volume. This was the moment she was waiting for: Emerson was here. Tonight, she was grabbing onto the man and not letting him go.


    But, as the car pulled up, she suddenly noticed another shadow in the back seat.


    Marissa frowned as she tried her best to identify the person through the dark tinted windows. Did Emerson bring a friend?


    After the car came to a stop, the driver got out and went to open the back door. Marissa stepped closer to make sure she was the first person Emerson saw when he got out.


    But, to her surprise, as soon as the door opened, a long slender leg wearing a red high-heeled shoe stepped out. It was a woman; her black halter dress looked s.e.xy on her healthy body and her long wavy brown hair swayed softly from side-to-side.


    The woman looked at Marissa and smiled. "Hi, it''s nice to see you again."


    Marissa looked at the woman with confusion. She had met a Halia a few times, but she never really looked at her in detail. She only identified her by her long black hair and her presence around Emerson, so it was hard to recognize her in this new look even though there was a sense of familiarity.


    Emerson stepped out behind Halia and quickly reminded Marissa, "Have you forgotten Haili already?"


    Marissa''s eyes opened wide with realization, "Haili Feng from Fengtai Corporation?"


    The last time she saw this woman, Emerson had declared that she was his future girlfriend...

 Chapter 238 - Its Not Like We Havent Kissed Before

    Danson took a puff of his cigarette and glanced at Halia. Haili Feng: a name he had heard before, but a face that he was seeing for the first time; she was definitely nothing like what he expected. Judging by the fact that this woman never attended events and people barely saw her, he always imagined her as an introvert that didn''t like to be social. But, the woman in front of him was beautiful, s.e.xy and confident. Even a strong character like Marissa was immediately overshadowed by her presence. Where had she been hiding all this time and what was she doing here?


    Danson looked at Marissa and noticed the frustration on her face. Obviously, she had met this woman before, but why did she look so displeased to see her? Most importantly, what was she doing with Emerson?


    Emerson was one of the most eligible bachelors. A man that many women swooned over but no one ever managed to date. Had someone finally succeeded at taking him off the market?


    For a while, he had suspected that Marissa was having an affair with Emerson behind his father''s back. But, judging by the scene in front of him today, that did not seem to be the case.


    "I don''t believe we''ve met before," Danson said as he stretched out a hand towards Halia.


    Halia smiled and shook the man''s hand, "Haili Feng."


    Actually, they had already met a couple of times before. In fact, Danson was just threatening Halia on the balcony earlier that day and he was the reason why Mars Wu had to go home. If not for him, Haili Feng wouldn''t have had to make an appearance instead. But, of course, Danson had no idea and Halia had no intention of revealing it to him either.


    Danson smirked and scanned his eyes across the two, "Are you...good friends? Why are you here together?"


    He then glanced at Marissa. He knew this was a question that his stepmother also wanted to ask. After all, he knew better than anyone that her world revolved around Emerson Wu. And, he was right. As soon as he asked this question, Marissa focused her eyes on the two and waited with anticipation for Emerson''s response.


    Emerson remembered seeing the showdown between Danson and Halia on the balcony earlier and also seeing Marissa walk into the charity event with her, so he had to keep his answer short. If these two stared at her in detail any longer, there was a chance they would expose her; he had to get Halia away from them as quickly as possible. After all, he had vowed to protect her.


    Thus, to Marissa and Danson''s surprise, Emerson directly wrapped an arm around Halia''s shoulder and said, "We''re more than good friends." His response was short and ambiguous, but it suggested things that Marissa did not want to hear and he hoped it was enough to keep her away. He then nudged Halia forward, prompting for her to start walking, and they quickly headed into the building together.


    He wasn''t lying. They were indeed more than good friends. Halia was Emerson''s future sister-in-law; they were practically family already.


    Marissa''s face turned red in anger as she watched the two walk away. She was supposed to enter the party with Emerson. After 15 years of persistence, she thought she was finally at a level to match him. Why did Haili Feng appear out of nowhere?


    15 years ago, when Marissa and Emerson first met in high school, Marissa was very different to the Marissa Qian today. Before she married millionaire Donald Qian, she was once a poor, quiet, innocent schoolgirl that often went unnoticed. Back then, the popular kids at school used to bully her and put her life through hell. She was poor, she needed glasses, she had a lot of acne, and she wore braces - everything that kids liked to tease - so she was the perfect target.


    But, even though school was tough, there was one person that motivated her to go to school every single day and just the thought of seeing his handsome face made everything worth it.


    This person was Emerson Wu. The most handsome boy at school; everyone''s Prince Charming.


    "They must be dating," Danson commented, interrupting Marissa''s thoughts, as the two disappeared into an elevator.


    Marissa frowned and clenched her fists. This couldn''t be happening.


    Danson glanced at Marissa''s clenched fists and smirked. He was glad that he had decided to come to this party, otherwise, he could have missed out on a good show.


    Marissa stared at the elevator in anger. Was Danson right? Were they really dating? Did Emerson actually make Haili Feng into his girlfriend like he said he would?


    Just as she narrowed her eyes deep in thought, the man next to her interrupted again by stepping into her line of sight. Marissa snapped out of her daze and subconsciously took a few steps back. But, every time she stepped back, the man would take a step forward. Eventually, she backed into something and couldn''t step back any further.


    However, Danson continued to move forward, closing the gap between their bodies.


    Marissa took a deep breath and glared at the man as he began to lean forward.


    "What are you doing?" Marissa asked as the man got closer and closer.


    Danson glanced down at the woman and smirked. Without responding, he lifted one arm and stretched forward, brushing his strong biceps across her ear. Danson wasn''t as good looking as Emerson, but he was still very popular among the girls because of his masculinity. If Emerson was the number one bachelor, Danson easily came in second.


    Marissa bit her lip and looked at the man. Was he planning to kiss her? Out here in the open?


    She was his stepmother!


    If anyone saw, they would be condemned forever.


    "Not here," Marissa said as she covered her mouth.


    Danson''s smirk grew bigger as he leaned in a little bit more. He then pressed the cigarette in his hand into the standing ashtray behind Marissa and said, "But, you''re standing in front of the only ashtray. If not here, where else can I go?"


    Marissa quickly turned her head around to check what she was leaning against. But, she was so fl.u.s.tered, her lips accidentally brushed against Danson''s lips as she turned.


    Marissa immediately stepped aside and looked around to see if anyone saw.


    Fortunately, there was no one else around.


    But, Danson gently touched his lips and smiled, "Why are you so fl.u.s.tered? It''s not like we haven''t kissed before..."

 Chapter 239 - The Ugly Girl

    Marissa stretched out her arms to push the man away, "Didn''t you promise not to mention that ever again! If someone hears, both of us will be ruined. Even your father''s PR company won''t be able to save us."


    Danson smirked and grabbed onto the woman''s wrist. "In that case, you better behave. Otherwise, I don''t know what else I''d reveal," Danson warned as he dragged her towards the building. "Come on, we have a party to attend."


    Marissa stared down at her wrist and furrowed her brows. It was true, they had kissed before. In fact, they had done much more than that, but that was a secret between the two of them that no one knew about.


    A secret that had lasted 11 years.


    Danson and Marissa first met 15 years ago back in high school. They actually knew each other before she met his father and got married to him - and before she became his stepmother. At that time, Danson and Emerson were best friends and they were practically inseparable. Girls at school swooned over the two of them because they were the best-looking boys in school, but the two of them responded very differently to the attention.


    Danson was open to the attention and was often caught kissing girls behind school buildings during lunch and recess. But, Emerson hated it. The girls didn''t know him, they only liked him because of his looks, and it was much too superficial for him to accept so he often avoided them.


    Marissa was one of these girls. She was drawn to his looks as soon as she saw him in the first year of high school, but she kept her feelings to herself.


    One day, while Danson was kissing his latest girlfriend behind the science building, he noticed a bunch of girls dragging a helpless innocent girl over to a tree and tugging at her hair for fun. "I wonder if you''ll look like a boy if I cut all your hair off," one of the girls said as she grabbed a pair of scissors from her backpack.


    The scene immediately caught his attention.


    Danson continued to kiss the girl in his arms but found his gaze drawn to the scene under the tree. He recognized the girl that was being bullied. Her name was Marissa. She had been in a few of his classes since the first year of high school. She was quiet, reserved, and she always sat at the back of the classroom. They had never talked before but he often found his gaze drawn to her because she was so different. Why were these girls picking on her? She couldn''t have offended them, right?


    "Danson, what are you looking at?" the girl in front of him whined when she realized his mind was elsewhere.


    Danson quickly returned his gaze to the girl in front of him, moved away from her lips and looked into her eyes without any emotion. "It''s time," he said.


    The girl shook her head. Danson had a rule: he never dated a girl for more than a week, and this girl''s time was up. "No, give me another week. I''m sure I can make you fall in love with me," she pleaded.


    Danson shook his head, "Don''t be silly. We are much too young to understand love. Just remember this as a good memory. I had fun, you had fun...now it''s time to move on..."


    The girl looked at Danson with admiration. Even though they were breaking up, there was something about his cold response that made this bad boy even more attractive. Perhaps, she wanted him more because she knew she couldn''t have him.


    "You''re bound to settle down one day. Why can''t it be with me?" the girl asked.


    Danson sighed, "I am like a bird with no feet. There''s still so much to see in this world and so many girls to meet, I''m not ready to settle down. You''re a good girl and I''m a bad boy, you deserve better than me."


    The girl shook her head helplessly. She wanted to hold him back, but there was nothing she could do nor say. A bird was born with wings to fly, and there was nothing she could do to make him willingly stay. So, she turned around with regret and left.


    After she was gone, Danson smirked. Those lines always worked with the girls. He didn''t understand how girls thought, but they were always drawn to the bad boys and he played that to his advantage. It was fun.


    While he was thinking this, a voice suddenly interrupted his train of thought, "Let me go or I swear I''ll get revenge on you someday!"


    Danson glanced back over at the tree with fascination. The quiet and reserved girl wasn''t so quiet and reserved after all.


    The girl holding the scissors placed one of the blades up to Marissa''s cheek and said out loud, "How will you get revenge? You''re poor and you don''t have any influential background. What can you do? I can''t believe we''re even going to the same school. You disgust me."


    "Why do you keep picking on me?" Marissa asked. This wasn''t the first time the girl had targeted her. Ever since they started the 9th grade, this girl had been pestering her non-stop.


    The girl smirked, "I''ve noticed you since the first year of high school. You like Danson, don''t you? I''ve seen you sneaking glances at him."


    Marissa shook her head, she had actually been sneaking glances at Emerson, but Danson always happened to be nearby. However, the girl did not believe her.


    "Let me warn you, Danson''s mine. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You''re so ugly, who would like someone like you? Stay away from him. Girls, hold her down. Let me give her a haircut," the girl yelled to her friends.


    The other girls quickly did as instructed and pinned Marissa against the tree.


    But, just as the girl lifted her scissors, someone grabbed onto her wrist and stopped her, "That''s enough, Tanya."


    Tanya turned around with frustration. Who was getting in her way?


    However, she quickly froze when her eyes met with Danson''s.


    "If you think she''s ugly and disgusting, then why are you threatened by her?" Danson asked coldly.

 Chapter 240 - The Transformation Of An Innocent Girl

    "I-I''m not threatened by her!" Tanya replied as she backed away.


    She didn''t expect Danson to see her like this.


    "I was simply scaring her so she would stop bothering you."


    Danson smirked as he stretched out a hand to help Marissa up, "She hasn''t bothered me at all...but you have! Don''t let me see you ever again!"


    Tanya looked at her friends nervously. There was nothing she could do. So, she waved her hand and they all quickly left.


    After they were gone, Danson glanced at Marissa. "Are you alright?" he asked.


    Marissa nodded her head as she looked at Danson. She recognized him. He was Emerson''s best friend. She had been spying on Emerson since the first year of high school and this guy was always next to him so she naturally knew him well.


    "Don''t worry, they won''t bother you again," Danson said.


    Even though Marissa wasn''t very good looking, there was an innocence to her that made him want to protect her.


    "It''s OK. I''m used to it," Marissa quickly replied as she began to walk away.


    Danson watched as the girl walked away and felt the urge to chase after her, "I feel like I should make up for the bullying since they did it because of me. Can I treat you to some ice cream after school?"


    "I don''t like ice cream," Marissa replied.


    "What about cake? All girls like cake," Danson persisted.


    "No, I don''t like sweet stuff."


    "How about BBQ? I''ll treat you to BBQ!" Danson said.


    Marissa stopped and looked at Danson, "You don''t have to apologize for what they did. You had no control over it. You''ve already done enough by saving me."


    She then sped up and disappeared around the corner.


    However, Danson did not give up. For some reason, the more that Marissa tried to avoid him, the more he wanted to get to know her.


    "How about hotpot?"


    "Oh...you must like Malatang!"


    "What about pasta?"


    He hassled her for weeks, trying to think of different dishes that she would agree to. But, he was rejected every single time.


    Eventually, the other students at school began to notice this weird phenomenon. One of the best looking boys was following a not so good looking girl around school! Most importantly, he hadn''t dated anyone for 3 weeks! That was unheard of.


    Then, one day, as Danson and Emerson were leaving school, Danson spotted Marissa again. He ran over to her and said, "Emerson and I are having sesame noodles this afternoon. Would you like to join us?"


    For the first time in 3 weeks, Marissa did not reject him straight away. Instead, she turned and glanced at Emerson. Then, after a bit of hesitation, she looked into Danson''s eyes and nodded her head.


    Danson looked at the girl in surprise as his heart lit up. He had never felt so excited to eat with a girl before. It was like winning the jackpot!


    He immediately grabbed onto her wrist and dragged her over to Emerson, "Emerson, this is Marissa, she''s joining us for sesame noodles this afternoon."


    Emerson looked at Marissa and smiled. It was the first time he had ever looked Marissa in the eyes and smiled at her and she felt her heart race a million miles an hour. "It''s nice to meet you," his charming voice echoed through her ear.


    His voice melted her heart like butter.


    After that day, Marissa began to realize that her only way to Emerson was through Danson, so she began to talk to Danson more and hang around with him more. And she was right. The more she saw Danson, the closer she grew to Emerson. Slowly, the three of them became good friends.


    Danson had no idea that Marissa liked Emerson, so he genuinely treated her like a friend. He even invited her to the amus.e.m.e.nt park for her birthday because she mentioned her family was too poor to afford tickets. There was something sweet and innocent about her that he couldn''t explain, and every time he saw her, he just wanted to make her smile.


    That day, at the amus.e.m.e.nt park, Danson couldn''t take his eyes off Marissa. Her smile was pure and when she screamed, it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. The other kids at school said she was ugly, but he didn''t think so at all. Underneath the braces and acne, she wasn''t the most beautiful girl in the world, but she wasn''t ugly either. She was just right.


    Danson felt his heart race when he thought about this. He had never felt this way about a girl before. Sure, he had many girlfriends in the past. But, none of them lasted for more than a week because none of them gave him the urge to hold onto them. They were just for fun; there were no emotions involved. But, Marissa was different. She wasn''t his girlfriend, but he had kept her by his side for 6 months at this point and he didn''t want her to ever leave his side.


    He had fallen in love with her.


    However, he had no idea that Marissa only got close to him because of Emerson.


    At first, Marissa was happy with just sharing a meal or sitting with Emerson. He was never interested in any girls, and she was the closest girl to him, so she was satisfied with that. But then, one day, Emerson arrived at school with a huge grin on his face.


    "We danced," he said to Danson excitedly.


    Danson gave Emerson a pat on the back. "You finally did it!" he cheered.


    Marissa didn''t know what they were talking about at first, but she quickly figured out that they were talking about a girl. A girl that Emerson had had a crush on for a long time.


    That was when jealousy struck and she knew she had to do something. Emerson belonged to her. Who was this girl?


    "How''s she like? What do you like about her?" Marissa asked one day as she sat down with Emerson.


    "She''s kind, innocent, and the most beautiful girl I''ve ever seen. Plus, our parents are really good friends," Emerson replied.


    Marissa frowned. In other words, this girl was rich and beautiful; two attributes that she didn''t have.


    So, she began to wonder: if she became rich and beautiful, would Emerson like her too?


    With this thought, she began to set out a plan, a plan for the person she wanted to become. She started to do research on cosmetic surgery and makeup and she started to save money.


    But, the costs were obviously too high for a high school student from a poor background like her to afford.


    So, she had to find another way. How could she make money fast?


    That was when Danson decided to invite her to dinner. And it was at that dinner that she made a decision that changed their lives forever.

 Chapter 241 - First Kiss

    Danson, Emerson, and Marissa had just finished 10th grade and they were in the middle of their winter vacation. Danson spent this time thinking about his feelings towards Marissa. He had never felt this way about a girl before and it confused him. Had he really fallen in love with her? He didn''t even know how love was supposed to feel like. Did he only feel this way because he couldn''t have her?


    The winter vacation came at the worst time. Separation only made his feelings grow stronger. He couldn''t see the girl that he saw at school every single day and it was like torture.


    In the end, he was determined to resolve his feelings as soon as possible. So, he decided to do what he always did. He would date her for a week. After a week, he would break up with her. That was what he did with all his past girlfriends and he moved on easily.


    However, the way he felt towards Marissa was different to the feelings he got from all his previous girlfriends. Would this really work?


    Either way, he had to give it a try. So, he invited Marissa to dinner.


    Marissa agreed without a second thought. After all, they had been friends for quite some time by that point and she had gotten used to eating with him. There was nothing out of the ordinary with his invite.


    But, when she arrived, she realized he had booked a table at a fancy restaurant on the top floor of one of the fanciest hotels in Hong Kong. He even bought her a dress and some flowers.


    That was the first time she ever stepped foot into such an expensive restaurant and the first time she wore such an expensive dress.


    The entire time, all she could think about was how much the meal and dress cost. If she saved the money, how much closer would she be to the procedures that she wanted?


    She admired Danson. If only she had as much money as he did.


    However, her mind was so focused on money, not for a second did she suspect why Danson had brought her there.


    So, she was shocked when Danson suddenly turned to her towards the end of their meal and asked, "Do you still remember the day I saved you from Tanya?"


    Marissa nodded her head.


    "She said you liked me. Was that true?" Danson added.


    Marissa froze, "Why are you asking me this?"


    Danson stretched out his arm and grabbed onto Marissa''s hand, "Because, I''m hoping it''s true."


    Marissa quickly pulled her hand away, "Don''t joke around, Danson. It''s not funny."


    "I''m not joking," Danson said with seriousness. "I''ve found myself subconsciously thinking about you all the time and I''ve never felt this way about another girl before. I don''t understand these feelings and I need to confirm it or it will drive me crazy. Just date me for one week. I''ve never dated anyone for more than a week. After one week, we can return to being friends and pretend nothing happened."


    Marissa only had Emerson on her mind, so this suggestion sounded ridiculous to her.


    "I can''t accept your feelings," Marissa replied.


    "Why?" Danson asked with disappointment.


    Marissa paused. She couldn''t tell him that she liked his best friend, so she replied, "I take relationsh.i.p.s seriously. I can''t accept your one week rule."


    Danson frowned.


    At that moment, he pulled out a necklace, "I bought this with the pocket money that my father gave me. Think of it as compensation for your time. Just give me one week. Let me release these vented up feelings and move on. It''s not like I''m asking for you to be with me forever."


    Marissa looked at the necklace and her eyes twinkled. How much was this necklace worth? If she sold it, she would be one step closer to her ideal look, and one step closer to winning Emerson''s heart.


    Danson stood up and walked around behind Marissa while she was deep in thought. As he put the necklace around her neck, Marissa did not resist, all she saw was the twinkling of the diamonds on the necklace. She would have to work months to afford something like this, yet it was just Danson''s pocket money. One week of time in exchange for months worth of hard work - it was too good to turn down.


    While Marissa was still thinking, Danson secured the necklace around her neck and smiled. Since she didn''t resist, he assumed she accepted him, so he whispered beside her ear, "I''ll take that as a yes."


    Marissa ran her hand across the necklace and gasped in surprise. Since it was already around her neck, she couldn''t bear to remove it. That would be stupid, right? So, she made a decision.


    With a nod...she agreed.


    After all, one week wasn''t a long time, it wasn''t like something was actually going to happen between them. She had no feelings for him and he wasn''t certain about his feelings. The furthest they would get would be holding hands, right? Furthermore, they were in the midst of their winter vacation, it wasn''t like they were dating at school. No one would ever find out about them if they didn''t want them to.


    Marissa touched the necklace again and smiled. That was right, just like Danson said, it was just one week, not forever.


    "Can you promise me one thing?" she suddenly said.


    Danson nodded his head cautiously as the scent of the girl''s hair wafted into his nose, sending tingles down his spine, "If it''s within my capabilities, I will do it for you."


    "Can you keep our relationship a secret?" Marissa said quietly. "Since it''s just for a week, there''s no point announcing it to the world. Let''s just keep it between you and me. That way, we can still be friends when we break up and things won''t be awkward."


    Most importantly, she didn''t want Emerson to know that she dated his best friend. Even if it was just one week, no boy ever wanted to date their best friend''s ex.


    Danson pulled Marissa out of her chair and turned her to face him. Her eyes twinkled under the romantic lighting and her lips trembled nervously as she looked at him. He subconsciously took a step forward, forcing her to lean back on the table behind her. "What happens during the winter vacation, stays during the winter vacation. No one will ever find out about it," he said with a smirk as he nodded and leaned forward a little.


    Marissa looked at the boy in surprise as he moved in closer and closer. She had never dated a boy before, but Danson had dated many girls and she had heard that he loved kissing. In fact, he was supposedly a good kisser. Marissa panicked when she thought about this. Did he want to kiss her? Already?


    She quickly covered her mouth with her hand and said, "I''ve never kissed a boy before."


    She wanted to save her first kiss for Emerson.


    Danson chuckled. The girl was so cute, it only made him want to kiss her more. She was his girlfriend and they only had one week; there was no time for taking things slow. So, he grabbed her hand and moved it away from her lips, then before she could react, he dived forward and pressed his lips firmly against hers.


    Marissa''s eyes flew wide open with shock. She wanted to push him away, but he pinned her hands firmly to the table and continued to kiss her. Danson enjoyed kissing girls; their lips were soft and sweet like marshmallows. It was the best dessert after a meal. But, there was something more to this kiss with Marissa. There was electricity in the air that kept drawing him in for more. Marissa felt this electricity too and found herself subconsciously closing her eyes.


    As she relaxed her body she convinced herself that it wasn''t a real kiss...that it was merely payment for the expensive necklace around her neck...that she was just practicing for Emerson. But, she only thought this so she wouldn''t feel guilty...


    Guilty for actually enjoying it.


    After all, Danson was very handsome too. If Emerson didn''t exist, she would have probably been attracted to Danson instead.


    Marissa thought back on this memory as she stepped into the elevator with Danson. It was a little over 11 years ago, but she still remembered it clearly. That was their first kiss...but it wasn''t their last...

 Chapter 242 - Trickier Than He Thought

    Halia and Emerson stepped out of the elevator and was immediately met with a large pair of wooden doors. They could hear a light thumping from the bass inside the apartment and knew they were at the right place; there was definitely a party inside.


    Roy owned the penthouse apartment, so the entire top floor belonged to him and it provided the privacy needed for hosting exclusive parties. After all, he made quite a lot of money from all his embezzling.


    "Is my wig in place?" Halia checked nervously as Emerson knocked on the door. She had been working with Roy every single day for almost three weeks so she was worried that he would be able to recognize her. But, Emerson ran his eyes up and down the woman and smiled, "You look perfectly fine."


    At that moment, the door flew open and Roy stood in the doorway. Music suddenly blared from inside the apartment. The lights were off and only a few dim lamps dotted the apartment, but Halia could see some people dancing inside. They had arrived a little late, so most of the guests were already inside and there appeared to be roughly 30-40 people. Emerson recognized most of them, but Halia never attended social events so she didn''t know who they were.


    "Welcome," Roy smiled as soon as he saw Emerson. This was the first time Emerson had ever attended one of his parties so he was really excited. Successfully inviting Emerson was like leveling up in the socialite world. He then looked at the woman beside him. "May I ask who this is?" he said as he stared at Halia with interest. He knew all the rich socialites that frequented Beijing but he had never seen this woman before, who was she? Was she not rich? Or was she not from Beijing?


    "This is my friend, Haili Feng," Emerson replied.


    Roy thought for a second before his eyes opened wide in shock. "Haili Feng? The heiress of Fengtai Corporation?" he asked.


    Halia nodded and shook the man''s hand. It was surprising that so many people knew who she was.


    Roy smiled proudly. The mysterious heiress of Fengtai Corporation was in his home! It was his lucky day! Not only did he get Emerson to come, Haili Feng was also there!


    He ran his eyes up and down Halia and smiled. She was absolutely beautiful. He couldn''t help but wonder if she had a partner. Was Emerson her partner?


    "Why are you here with Emerson, Miss Feng?" Roy asked with curiosity. He never invited her so it was weird that she was there.


    "I missed the charity event today and Emerson told me there was an after-party, so I decided to come. I haven''t caught up with him for a long time and it''s rare for him to be in Beijing. Plus, I love parties," Halia replied trying to sound convincing.


    Roy smiled proudly, "Well you made the right choice. I host the best parties in town."


    He then pointed to a bar that he got specifically designed for his apartment, "Miss Feng, since I''m the host, can I have a drink with you?"


    Judging by Halia''s response, it sounded like she and Emerson were just friends, so Roy saw a little window of hope.


    Halia looked at the sleazy face opposite her and knew exactly what Roy was thinking. She had heard enough dirty stories from his mouth to know how he thought. So, she immediately grabbed onto Emerson''s arm and asked, "Would you like to have a drink, Emerson?"


    Emerson looked at Halia with confusion. Why was she suddenly acting so affectionate? Was this a part of her plan? Unsure of how to respond, he simply nodded his head.


    Roy sighed and led them to his personal bar. It seemed, she was already interested in Emerson. It explained why she was at this party when she normally kept such a low profile. Of course, it made sense, which girl would choose him over Emerson. Emerson was one of the most eligible bachelors.


    While all this was happening, Marissa and Danson stepped out of the elevator behind them. As soon as the doors opened, Marissa caught the moment when Halia wrapped her arm around Emerson''s and it made her pause for a second. They looked so close.


    She clenched her fists in frustration again while Danson looked at her with amus.e.m.e.nt.


    "They make a great couple," he teased beside her ear.


    Marissa scoffed and stormed into the apartment before the door closed. "I need a drink," she said as she followed Halia, Emerson, and Roy to the bar.


    She then squeezed her way between Halia and Emerson and revealed a huge smile, "One gin and tonic, please. That''s your favorite, isn''t it, Emerson?"


    Halia looked at Emerson in surprise, "You drink gin and tonic too? Here, pass me the bottle Roy, I make the best G&T''s!"


    Marissa furrowed her brows as Halia picked up a bottle of gin. Then, to her surprise, Halia spread out a line of glasses, tossed the bottle up, spun it around her wrist and started pouring drinks.


    Marissa wasn''t the only one that was surprised.


    A small crowd quickly gathered around and cheered as Halia finished and put down the bottle


    Emerson looked at Halia with amazement. "I never knew you could do that!" he whispered beside her.


    "There''s a lot about me that you don''t know," the woman replied.


    Unlike his brother, Emerson had no idea that Halia had once worked at a bar. In fact, even though he knew she was an SPU agent, in his eyes, she was still a sweet innocent woman that needed protecting. But, Halia was much more than that!


    Danson picked up one of the glasses of gin and tonic and took a sip. "Tastes good," he complimented as he raised the glass. "I''m sure Emerson would be pleased with this."


    Marissa immediately frowned and stepped on the man''s foot. She was already annoyed; he didn''t have to rub salt in her wounds.


    Danson flinched in pain and accidentally bumped against Halia. But somehow, this caused the drink in her hand to tip all over her dress.


    Danson quickly turned in surprise. "I''m so sorry," he said.


    Halia lightly brushed her dress and said it was OK, she then excused herself and went to the bathroom.


    Marissa immediately held back her smile. She didn''t plan that accident, but it happened perfectly like someone in heaven was watching over her.


    Meanwhile, Danson looked at Halia with confusion. He was sure he only brushed against her lightly, how did an entire drink fall out of her hands.


    On the side, Emerson smirked.


    He witnessed the entire scene...


    Halia had tipped the drink on herself deliberately...


    This sister-in-law was trickier than he thought...

 Chapter 243 - Awkward Encounter

    Halia hurried down the corridor to where the bedrooms and bathrooms were.


    Roy''s apartment was quite big, so there was plenty of space in the main entertaining areas for everyone to fit. This included the kitchen, the living room, the balcony, and even an indoor pool area. Thus, the area around the bedrooms was relatively quiet.


    As Halia walked down the corridor, she saw four closed doors. Obviously, three of them were bedrooms and one was a bathroom. Since there was only one bathroom, there was a small line outside.


    However, Halia''s real aim wasn''t the bathroom. She had deliberately spilled the drink on herself so she had an excuse to come down this corridor and enter the bedrooms.


    In this modern age of technology, everyone waiting outside the bathroom was naturally focused on the phones in their hands. No one noticed as Halia walked past them and suspiciously tried to open one of the bedroom doors instead of joining the back of the queue. Unfortunately, the first door she tried was locked.


    With a frown, she quickly tried to open the next one. Still, no one noticed her.


    This time, as she turned the handle, it clicked and opened.


    Halia''s heart sped up with excitement as she quickly checked that the coast was clear. She had to find something before she was discovered.


    As soon as she stepped inside, Halia turned on the flashlight on her phone and realized she was standing inside Roy''s study room. "Yes!" she cheered on the inside. This was exactly the room she was after. If any evidence was to be found, it was bound to be in here, right?


    She quickly scurried over to the desk and started searching through the man''s drawers.


    Blank paper, blank envelopes, letters, pens...


    ...nothing seemed suspicious.


    This man was careful. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have gotten away with his fraudulent activities for so many years. Even in his own home, he didn''t leave evidence lying around because he often had guests. Halia sighed with frustration.


    At that moment, she received a message from Sean, "The fraud department checked the photos you sent of the receipts. Although they look suspicious, all the transactions were properly signed and dated by Donald Qian or they were purchased using his credit cards. We need evidence that the money actually ended up in Roy''s hands or that he spent it in some way. Even if we want to charge him for overbilling, we need evidence that he was doing something else during the time that he billed Mr. Qian for his services."


    Halia looked around the study room helplessly. There was nothing in this room that could prove any of that. Perhaps, Roy kept this important information somewhere else.


    "I''ll see what I can find," she replied to Sean.


    Eventually, Halia stepped out of the study room with disappointment and went to try the last room. The line outside the bathroom had moved a little, but a few new faces had joined the queue. As like before, everyone still had their eyes focused on their phones, so no one noticed her step out of the study room at all.


    Halia let her guard down and walked right up to the last room without double-checking her surroundings. This time, as soon as she grabbed onto the handle, a familiar voice asked, "Are you looking for something?"


    Halia jumped a little in surprise. The voice sounded familiar.


    She slowly turned around awkwardly and a tall, handsome man came into view.


    It was her boss: Morton Meng!


    Halia quickly lowered her head, pointed to her wet dress and said, "I spilled a drink on my dress and I''m trying to find another bathroom because the line''s too long."


    Morton looked at the woman in front of him. Who was she? He had never seen her before.


    "The bedroom doors are locked," he said as he leaned over to turn the handle, demonstrating that it couldn''t be opened.


    Morton looked the woman up and down. Normally, he would just ignore someone like this. He only came to these parties to show Roy some face but he didn''t care about socializing or networking. But, the woman looked so vulnerable in her wet dress, he couldn''t just leave her there like that. So, he sighed and decided to help her even though he didn''t know her. He quickly took off his jacket and covered her shoulders. "You must be cold," he said.


    Halia held onto the jacket and nodded her head awkwardly, "Yes, thank you."


    She then shuffled towards the line outside the bathroom. "Since the rooms are locked, I guess I have no choice but to line up," she said, hoping the man would leave after she said that.


    But, to her surprise, Morton pressed down on her shoulders and said, "Wait for me here. I''ll go ask Roy for the keys. Both these bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms you can use."


    Halia kept her head down and nodded in surprise. Just as she thought she was going home empty-handed, an opportunity suddenly presented itself to her. If she could get into the bedrooms, perhaps she''d find something in there.


    Morton quickly found Roy mingling amongst his guests and tapped on his shoulder. "Give me the keys to your bedroom," he demanded straightforwardly.


    Roy looked at his boss with a sleazy smile. He usually kept his bedrooms locked in case his guests needed some ''privacy''. "I have protection in the drawers, make sure to clean up after yourself," he laughed as he handed the keys over. "By the way, don''t..."


    Morton thought Roy had more dirty things to say, so he turned around before the man finished his sentence and hurried back to look for Halia.


    "...don''t use the guest bedroom..."  Roy screamed out across the room, hoping that Morton heard him.


    Unfortunately, the music was too loud and Morton had already wandered too far.


    Soon, Morton returned to Halia''s side with the keys and quickly went to open one of the rooms.


    "Thank you," Halia said quietly as the door unlocked.


    Morton simply smiled without a word.


    But, as soon as the two of them stepped into the dark room, there was a loud scream. Someone quickly turned on a bedside lamp and looked at Halia and Morton in horror. It was a n.a.k.e.d man and woman trying desperately to cover themselves with the sheets of a bed.


    "We took this room already. Didn''t Roy tell you? Go next door," the woman squealed.


    Halia opened her eyes wide in shock and immediately turned away. "I''m sorry," she apologized as she walked back out. Morton quickly followed behind her.


    "Lock the door behind you," the man yelled.


    As soon as Morton locked the door back up, he looked into Halia''s eyes properly for the first time. There was a sense of familiarity to her. Suddenly, the coldness on his face melted away and he began to laugh.


    Halia also found herself laughing. What an awkward and unexpected encounter.

 Chapter 244 - The Room

    Morton stared at Halia''s face in detail as she laughed and suddenly felt his heart race. He had just met this woman for the first time and he didn''t even know her name, but she felt so familiar.


    "Have we met before?" he asked with slight confusion on his face.


    Halia quickly stopped laughing and looked away, "No...we''ve never met before."


    Morton scanned his eyes up and down the woman. He was certain that he had seen her before, but he couldn''t quite pinpoint it at that moment. After all, the apartment was dimly lit, so he couldn''t see her properly.


    Halia cleared her throat awkwardly as the man continued to stare at her. "Let''s go to the other room," she reminded as she started to lead the way.


    "Oh, yes!" Morton immediately snapped out of his daze.


    He then went to unlock the door of the other bedroom.


    As soon as they stepped inside, Morton closed the door and Halia went to switch on the lights.


    When Halia saw the room for the first time, her eyes immediately lit up. She had a good feeling about this.


    This was the main bedroom and it was much bigger than the other room. The other room was only big enough for one king-size bed and there was nothing else inside, but this room had a bed, a dresser, and even a walk-in wardrobe.


    So, she turned to Morton and said, "You don''t have to wait for me. After I''m done here, I''ll leave and lock the door behind me."


    Morton shook his head, "It''s no trouble at all. I can''t leave you alone. What if you need help with something? I''ll be honest with you, I''m Roy''s boss and I know where everything is in this apartment. If you need anything, just let me know and I can help you. I''ll be right here."


    Morton lay down on the bed and looked at the ceiling, "Besides, it''s nice to get some peace and quiet."


    Halia looked at the man helplessly. She couldn''t pull him off the bed and kick him out forcefully, so she walked into the bathroom to think of a plan. She simply needed a little bit of time to search the room. What could she do to distract him for a bit?


    Halia paced back and forth inside the bathroom as she tried to think of a plan.


    Should she just take really long and wait until the man fell asleep? He did look tired.


    Halia made a little gap in the bathroom door and peeked at the man. He was still lying on the bed, but his eyes were wide open.


    No, that wouldn''t work. The man didn''t look like he was falling asleep any time soon.


    In that case, should she just walk up to him and knock him out like what she did to Marissa?


    But then again, after what happened with Marissa last time and all the complications that followed, it didn''t seem like such a good idea.


    At that moment, Halia''s eyes fell upon a cup sitting on the sink and an idea came to mind. It was a glass cup!


    As Morton lay in bed staring at the ceiling, he was suddenly startled by the sound of smashing glass coming from the bathroom.


    He immediately sat up and ran over to the door, "Miss, are you OK?"


    The door gently opened and Halia stepped out with her hand wrapped in a towel. "I accidentally knocked over a glass cup and cut myself."


    Morton''s eyes opened wide with concern. "Let me have a look," he said as he grabbed her arm.


    But, Halia quickly pulled her arm back. "I''m OK, it''s not that deep of a cut. Can you go get me some bandaids and a broom to sweep up the glass?"


    The man said he knew where everything was, didn''t he?


    Morton quickly nodded his head and walked towards the door, "I''ll be right back." He then rushed outside.


    As soon as the door shut, Halia threw the towel aside and praised herself for thinking of such a great idea. Her hand was perfectly fine. With a slight smirk, she quickly started searching through the room.


    First of all, she ran straight into the walk-in wardrobe and started digging through every nook and cranny for something suspicious. Unfortunately, apart from clothes and accessories, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.


    She then scurried over to the bedside drawers and opened the one on the right. The top two drawers were filled with bank statements. So, Halia quickly pulled them out to have a look.


    To her surprise, none of the statements were for Roy. They were all for his clients. Why were they in the bedroom and not in the study room?


    Apart from statements, there were even welcome letters and invitations to increase credit limits, and they were all addressed to the law firm. Initially, this wasn''t too strange because some people liked to have their lawyers look over everything legal, but a wallet that sat beside the letters was what caught Halia''s eyes. Inside the wallet were various credit cards...and the credit cards all had different names on it. Amongst these names, was Donald Qian.


    Halia quickly realized something: this was how Roy embezzled money. He didn''t just overbill and type up fake receipts, it seemed he was also involved in identity theft and had used his client''s details to get credit cards! If things were purchased on authorized credit cards, then they wouldn''t seem suspicious. And if the client died soon after, there would be no one to prove that the transactions were fake. After that, he could just pay the bills using the trust funds that he was guarding...


    Halia quickly threw a few of the statements and credit cards into her handbag and flipped over to the bedside table on the left to see if there was anything else.


    But, just as she opened the top drawer and pulled out a box sitting on top, the door opened and Morton returned.


    Halia held onto the box and quickly turned around in surprise.


    "What are you doing?" Morton asked with suspicion. Why did this woman look like she was stealing something?


    "I-I-I..." Halia stuttered, "I''m looking for bandaids!"


    Morton walked over and grabbed the box out of Halia''s hands and noticed they weren''t bandaids. Halia gasped and looked up at the man as she realized what the box she had found was.


    It was a box of condoms!


    Morton looked at the box and smirked, "What''s this?"


    Halia shook her head, "I didn''t know that that was there. I was honestly looking for bandaids."


    Morton glanced at Halia''s hand and raised an eyebrow, "But, you don''t look injured."


    He noticed at that moment that her finger wasn''t bleeding.


    "I stopped the bleeding already," Halia lied as she grabbed the towel on the bed and quickly wrapped her finger again.


    Morton looked at the woman with doubt. But, now that she was standing under the bright lights of the bedroom and he was looking down at her, he suddenly realized why she looked so familiar. He put down the box and hooked his hand under the woman''s chin so he could look at her properly. "Mars?" he asked.


    Halia quickly shook her head away from his hand and replied, "My name is Haili Feng, Director of Fengtai Corporation. I think you''ve mistaken me for someone else."


    Morton opened his eyes wide in surprise and backed away, "Haili Feng?"


    He had heard this name before. Everyone knew about the mysterious heiress of Fengtai Corporation. She wasn''t someone he could afford to offend.


    But, then again, no one had seen her before and he was sure the woman in front of him was Mars Wu. Was this woman lying?

 Chapter 245 - Mortons Stalker?

    "Why are you here, Miss Feng? I thought Haili Feng never attends social events, let alone private parties. Besides, isn''t Fengtai based in Guiyang City, what are you doing in Beijing?" Morton asked with doubt.


    Halia darted her eyes, "I live in Beijing," she said. "My friend invited me to join him, so I decided to make an exception and come."


    Morton smirked. This woman didn''t sound too convincing. But, why was she lying?


    She dressed up as a man to work at his law firm; she happened to make coffee that was perfect for his tastes; she appeared at a party that she knew he would be at; she asked him to take her to one of the bedrooms; he even caught her holding a box of condoms.


    Did this woman like him? Was she stalking him and trying to seduce him?


    This wasn''t the first time a woman had tried to get his attention. But, her method was certainly creative.


    Morton looked down at Halia as she blinked at him innocently. Even when she was dressed as a man, he had noticed her beautiful eyes. Now that she was a woman, her eyes were even more alluring.


    Halia was seated on the edge of the bed and the man was standing right in front of her. She couldn''t move back, but she couldn''t stand up either, so she gently cleared her throat, "Did you bring the bandaids and broom?"


    Morton snapped out of his daze, pointed to a broom by the door and nodded his head. He then pulled out a small box of bandaids from his pocket. "Show me your finger. I''ll put it on for you."


    Halia quickly shook her head and grabbed the box. "No, that''s fine. I can do it myself. Can you please move aside so I can get back to the bathroom?" she waved her hand awkwardly.


    Morton smirked as he stepped aside and watched as Halia quickly rushed past, grabbed the broom and returned to the bathroom.


    ...


    Back in the living room, Emerson was beginning to worry about Halia. What was taking her so long?


    He glanced at his watch and looked over towards the corridor.


    "There''s always a queue for the bathroom," Roy explained when he saw the anxious look on Emerson''s face.


    Emerson looked at the man and quickly realized something as he nodded his head. As long as he kept an eye on Roy and prevented him from going near the bedrooms, then Halia wouldn''t be caught and she could take as much time as she wanted. So, he raised his glass towards Roy, "Thanks for hosting a great party."


    "No, thank you for coming, and thanks for bringing Miss Feng as well. It''s such an honor," Roy replied as he raised his glass as well. "The two of you make a great couple."


    Emerson blushed a little but didn''t correct the man. After all, it didn''t matter what this man thought.


    But, next to them, Marissa overheard and frowned. Was Emerson admitting that they were a couple?


    She grabbed another glass of alcohol and emptied it into her stomach as Danson continued to watch with amus.e.m.e.nt. "It seems, your 15 years of effort have gone to waste. This woman appeared out of nowhere and she''s already won his heart," he teased.


    Marissa clenched her fists angrily and grabbed onto Emerson''s arm. "Emerson, do you want to dance?" she asked as she ignored Danson.


    But, Emerson shook her arm away, "I''m waiting for Haili."


    Danson chuckled on the side.


    Overcome with humiliation, Marissa couldn''t contain her anger anymore, so she finally yelled, "Haili, Haili, Haili, what''s so good about her? You only met her a couple of months ago. Does that not compare to the 15 years that we''ve known each other? You obviously know I''ve liked you all these years, why haven''t you given me a single chance?"


    Emerson smiled and shook his head, "I''ve known Haili for much longer than a couple of months. She was the first girl I ever liked..."


    Marissa froze and stared at the man with confusion.


    At that moment, Danson spoke up, "The girl you danced with...your first love...was that Haili?"


    Emerson looked at Danson. He had almost forgotten that they were once best friends.


    Emerson nodded, "Yes...she is."


    Marissa put down the glass in her hand in a defeated manner. All this time, she thought Haili had come out of nowhere. But, it turned out, Haili had always been there standing between them.


    11 years ago, Marissa started her obsession with money and beauty after Emerson briefly mentioned that the girl he liked was beautiful and came from a good background. Who knew that this girl was Haili Feng?


    Danson was also surprised. All these years, he thought there was an ambiguous relationship between Marissa and Emerson. He knew how much Marissa like Emerson and there were constant rumors about them, so he thought some of the rumors had to be true. He even ended their friendship because of this misunderstanding...


    11 years ago, when Danson asked Marissa to be his girlfriend, he honestly intended for it to only last a week. But, as he got to know her better, he only felt his attraction grow stronger and he didn''t want to let go. So, when the one week was up and Marissa thought she was meeting him for the last time as his girlfriend, he demanded for an extension.


    "I thought my feelings would fade after one week, but it''s only gotten stronger, so I changed my mind. Let''s stay together for another month," he said.


    Marissa looked at Danson in surprise. This wasn''t what she had agreed to. If they stayed together for another month, then they would be dating at school. She didn''t want anyone to know about them. Especially not Emerson.


    "I can''t..."


    But, just as she opened her mouth to reject him, Danson suddenly pulled out a pair of gold earrings. "As like last time, this is compensation for your time," he said. He called it compensation, but it was a sincere gift that he wanted to give to the girl he liked.


    Marissa looked at the earrings and hesitated. She had already sold the necklace that Danson gave her and used it to pay for a package of dermatology sessions. If she sold these earrings, what else could she do with the money?


    She held onto the earrings and subconsciously nodded her head as her eyes lit up, "Since it''s only one month, there''s no point telling anyone about it. Let''s continue to keep it a secret."


    Danson smirked and nodded his head.


    However, one month led to another...and another...and another...

 Chapter 246 - Goodbye Kiss

    In the blink of an eye, Danson and Marissa''s one-week relationship ended up lasting almost 2 years. The two secretly dated on the weekends, made out behind school buildings and chatted on the phone at night. During these chats, Marissa would share her insecurities about her looks and Danson would support his girlfriend by offering to pay for various procedures to boost her confidence.


    After she sold the necklace and earrings that Danson initially gave her, she managed to visit a dermatologist and clear up her skin. She then convinced Danson to help her get braces to straighten her teeth and made him gift her eyelid surgery for their one year anniversary.


    She even made him pay for her gym membership so she could ''stay healthy''.


    But in the end...everything she did was for Emerson...


    ...and Danson had no idea.


    One week before high school graduation, Marissa finally decided it was time to end things with Danson and confess to Emerson. Never once did she take her relationship with Danson seriously, nor did she consider his feelings. She simply treated their relationship like a business deal: her time for his money. It was fair, right?


    But, Danson fell sick and could not come to school on that particular day. So, after school, Marissa went to visit him at his home with some food and decided to break the news to him lightly. When she arrived, Danson''s parents were at work and Danson was home alone. It took him a while to get out of bed and open the door for her, but when he saw her, his usually cold eyes lit up.


    Was she worried about him?


    Marissa looked at the weak and pale young man and felt her heart ache a little. Even though she didn''t take their relationship seriously, he was still a good friend of hers and he had done a lot for her, so she pushed the man into the house and headed straight for the kitchen.


    "Go back to bed and get some rest. I''ll make some food and bring it to you," Marissa said.


    Danson shook his head and sat down on a stool.


    He then rested his chin in his palms and watched as the young woman prepared food for him. Even though they had been together for almost 2 years, he constantly found new things to love about her. Perhaps, that was the reason why he broke his one week rule and continued to be with her for so long. Every time he discovered something new, it was like he was dating a new person. Plus, her constantly changing looks also contributed to this.


    He could definitely imagine spending the rest of his life with her and not feel bored.


    Soon, Marissa finished making him a pot of congee and scooped out a bowl for him.


    He sat there happily and scooped one spoonful after another into his mouth. Congee never tasted so good.


    "You need to take care of yourself. I can''t always be there to take care of you," Marissa said suggestively.


    However, Danson didn''t get the hint as he continued to enjoy his congee.


    After he finished, Marissa shooed him back to his bedroom. "Go rest, I''ll wash the dishes."


    This time, Danson returned to his bedroom obediently and climbed back into bed.


    While she was washing the dishes, Marissa gathered her courage to break the news to Danson. She knew it wasn''t the best time to break up with a person, but time was ticking and she needed to confess to Emerson. If she didn''t grab onto him before they graduated, who knew if they''d ever see each other again after high school?


    So, she walked into the bedroom and walked straight up to Danson.


    "Danson, there''s something I really want to tell you," Marissa said quietly.


    Danson looked up at the young woman. This was the first time he had seen her from this angle.


    She had certainly changed a lot in the last 2 years. Her skin was smooth, her teeth were straight and her eyes were mesmerizing. He subconsciously lifted his hand and ran a finger across the woman''s jawline. "You''re beautiful,"  he suddenly said.


    Marissa paused and looked at the young man. She never imagined anyone would ever call her beautiful. Would Emerson think she was beautiful too? Marissa blushed a little and smiled at Danson. He looked so vulnerable in his sick state. It was the first time she actually found him slightly adorable.


    "Thank you, but I have something serious to say," Marissa hesitated. She then bit her lip nervously.


    But, this action was unconsciously seductive.


    "We are graduating next week and moving onto the next stage of our lives..." Marissa started. She wanted to use this as an excuse to go their separate ways and ''discover themselves'', but Danson suddenly sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist.


    His weak eyes looked into hers and she felt her mouth freeze and heart melt. Did she feel this way because he was sick? Was it like staring into the eyes of a helpless stray puppy and feeling the urge to rescue it?


    "We may be graduating and our lives may change...but you will forever be mine..." Danson suddenly said as he stared into Marissa''s eyes. His voice was soft, but there was a sense of dominance to it.


    Marissa took a deep breath and felt her heart skip a beat. Why was her heart beating so fast? Was she intimidated by this man? She had to remain focused. Her aim was Emerson.


    "No, I..."


    But, just as Marissa opened her mouth to refute, Emerson suddenly kissed down on her lips. From the moment he opened the door and saw her, he had wanted to kiss her.


    He was domineering and cold, but his kiss was soft and gentle. Marissa wanted to push him away, but her body subconsciously fell limp, like all the energy had been sucked out of her body. His hands ran up her neck to the back of her head, sending tingles down her spine, "I think I''m in lo..."


    This time, Danson wanted to speak. But, before he managed to finish his sentence, Marissa shoved her tongue into his mouth and stopped him. His kiss was always so intoxicating that she couldn''t control herself. So, she convinced herself that it was the last kiss: a goodbye kiss.

 Chapter 247 - Everything For Emerson

    After what felt like forever, Marissa finally moved away from Danson''s lips. She didn''t know why, but her eyes stung a little and she could feel tears welling up inside. "Danson, I want to..." she tried to tell Danson that they were breaking up, but he suddenly pressed a finger to her lips and gestured for her to hush.


    "Lie down with me. I want to get some rest," he said gently as he lay back down.


    Marissa did not move, but Danson tugged on her shirt and pulled her down to join him.


    "I want to..." Marissa tried to say what she was thinking again but paused when the man rolled over and wrapped his arms around her.


    "Quiet, I''m trying to sleep," he said as he closed his eyes.


    Marissa looked at the peaceful young man in front of her and sighed. If Emerson didn''t exist, she would definitely be in love with him. But, reality did not allow that.


    "Danson, I...I  want to break up..." she finally said. "This was meant to last one week, but it''s almost been 2 years. I don''t see us continuing like this in the long term. Especially after we grow up and move into the a.d.u.l.t world. After we graduate, you will return to help your father at his company, but I am aiming to go to university. Our lives will be completely different."


    Marissa waited for a response but Danson''s eyes remained closed.


    Marissa shook the man gently to see if he heard her, but he didn''t move. It seemed, he was asleep.


    She frowned.


    Left with no choice, she climbed out of bed and wrote a little note, "There is more congee in the kitchen. Eat it all and get better. After you''ve recovered, come to look for me. I have something to tell you."


    She would have to break up with him another time.


    But, after she left the room and closed the door, Danson''s eyes gently fluttered open. Did he hear correctly? Was she breaking up with him? He thought things were going fine between them. Why would she suddenly come to this decision?


    One week later, on the day of their graduation, Danson finally returned to school. When he saw Marissa, he pretended like he didn''t know a thing and jumped straight into preparing for their graduation ceremony. She was his and he wasn''t letting her break up with him.


    Marissa tried to speak to him, but he continued to avoid her until the ceremony was over.


    After the ceremony, everyone went to a nearby bar to celebrate. They were all 18 and had officially finished high school, so they decided to celebrate like a.d.u.l.ts.


    As soon as Marissa entered the bar, she immediately went to sit next to Emerson and Danson went to sit next to Marissa. There was nothing suspicious about this since the three of them were good friends and were always seen together, but there was an indescribable awkwardness.


    One of their classmates soon carried over a round of drinks to celebrate their graduation and everyone cheered. This was Marissa''s first encounter with alcohol so she screwed up her nose when she drank it.


    "Are you OK?" Danson asked as he handed her a tissue.


    Marissa nodded her head and wiped her mouth. "Danson, there''s something I''ve been wanting to tell you all day."


    Danson frowned. He knew what she wanted to say but he didn''t want to hear it. So, he raised his hand and ordered another drink to distract her, "Here have another drink with me first."


    Marissa agreed and drank the second drink.


    But, just as she was about to speak to Danson again, Emerson suddenly got up to go to the bathroom. Marissa noticed a chance to speak to him on his own, so she put her conversation with Danson aside first and decided to follow Emerson.


    "I''m going to the bathroom too. I''ll speak to you when I get back," Marissa said to Danson.


    Danson nodded, but as he watched Marissa walk away, he noticed she began to sway a little.


    It was her first time drinking alcohol and didn''t know her tolerance yet. So, out of concern, he quickly chased after her.


    But, just as he turned the corner, he noticed Marissa grab onto Emerson''s sleeve.


    Emerson turned around in surprise and looked at Marissa.


    She stumbled a little and he subconsciously grabbed her shoulders to support her. "Are you OK?" he asked.


    Marissa giggled and nodded her head, "I''m just a little dizzy."


    Emerson smiled and shook his head, "You should stop drinking. It''s your first time so you don''t know your tolerance yet."


    Marissa hooked her arms around Emerson''s neck. "Are you worried about me?" she asked seductively as she leaned in.


    Emerson quickly tried to pull the woman off him, "Of course, we''re friends."


    Danson watched this scene and clenched his fists. His woman was acting affectionate with another man. But, she was clearly drunk and this man was his best friend so he tried to remain calm.


    However, just as he thought this, Marissa leaned forward and placed a kiss on Emerson''s cheek, "Can we be more than friends?"


    When Danson heard this, he felt his heart shatter. Did he hear incorrectly?


    Emerson pushed Marissa away and said, "Marissa, I think you''re drunk. Let''s get you home."


    But, Marissa pounced back onto him, "I''m not drunk. Emerson, I''ve liked you since the first year of high school. I''ve always liked you. Haven''t you noticed?"


    Emerson looked at the woman in surprise, "What are you talking about? We''re just friends."


    "But I don''t want to be friends. Everything I''ve done was to get close to you and make you mine. I befriended Danson so I could get close to you, I made myself beautiful to attract you, I even studied hard so I could get a scholarship into Hong Kong university with you. Aren''t you moved by what I''ve done?"


    "We can go to university together and continue seeing each other every single day."


    Danson listened from around the corner and gritted his teeth in anger. Was this the reason they became friends? Did she date him because she needed his money to make herself beautiful for Emerson? Was she breaking up with him now that she was done with him?


    2 years. He had spent almost 2 years with this woman. But, while his feelings for her were sincere and growing day-by-day, she had used him all along!


    Everything she did was for Emerson!


    Emerson shook his head and pushed Marissa over to a chair. "Sit here and sober up. I''ll go get Danson to take you home. You''ve drunk too much."


    As soon as Emerson stepped away, Danson walked up to the woman and glared down fiercely at her. "You need to pay for using me," he frowned. He then lifted her in his arms and carried her out of the bar.

 Chapter 248 - The Top Drawer

    A lot happened between Danson and Marissa that night. Most of which Marissa forgot. All she knew was, when she woke up the next morning, she was lying n.a.k.e.d next to Danson inside a hotel and her body was sore.


    "You pervert!" she screamed as she kicked Danson out of bed.


    Danson woke up and rubbed his eyes, "What''s wrong, we''ve been together for almost 2 years, isn''t it about time we slept together? Besides, you consented to it."


    Marissa shook her head, "I would never consent to it!"


    "Why not?" Danson asked with a smirk even though he already knew the answer.


    "I-I-I...I was simply not ready for it..." Marissa lied as she grabbed her clothes.


    Danson walked up behind Marissa and whispered beside her ear, "Were you not ready, or did you never intend on doing it with me? After all, you only dated me for my money..."


    "What are you talking about?" Marissa asked awkwardly.


    "I''m not stupid, Marissa. You used me so you could look good for Emerson, and now, you want to break up," Danson said.


    Marissa looked at Danson in surprise. When did he find out?


    Danson quickly put his clothes back on and walked towards the door. Without taking a glance at Marissa, he said, "Let''s never meet again." He then left the hotel room with no intention to ever see her again.


    After that, he also broke all ties with Emerson. He couldn''t face his best friend when he knew that the woman he loved had used him to get close to this person. Plus, he believed they would eventually end up together and he didn''t want to be around to witness it. But, Emerson had no idea what he did wrong and Danson refused to tell him.


    Danson then transformed back into the person he once was, flirting with women and changing girlfriends often. But, no matter how hard he tried, Marissa left a scar in his heart that took a long time to heal and he hated her for it.


    Then, 6 years later, just as he thought he was beginning to forget her, he returned home one day to find her sitting on the sofa in his living room. When he first saw her, he was shocked. She looked a little different: her nose was a little thinner, her lips were a little thicker and her b.r.e.a.s.ts were obviously fake, but he still recognized her. He could never forget her.


    "What are you doing here?" he asked with frustration.


    When Marissa saw him, she was also shocked.


    At that moment, Danson''s father walked in and wrapped his arm around the woman, "Danson, I would like you to meet your new stepmother."


    "Stepmother?!" Danson exclaimed.


    When Marissa first met Donald Qian, she had noticed that he shared the same surname as Danson, but it was a common surname and she didn''t think it would be such a coincidence that they were related, let alone father and son.


    Moreover, Danson was always out partying and flirting with girls and barely turned up to work, so his father wasn''t particularly proud of him and only ever referred to him as ''the rascal''.


    Who knew that this rascal was Danson Qian. A man that she never wanted to see again.


    This unexpected turn of events threw Danson and Marissa back into each other''s lives. And for 4 years, Danson put up with the fact that this woman was his stepmother.


    Even though...he knew better than anyone that she was simply using his father to get to Emerson, he enjoyed seeing her struggle. It somehow eased his pain to see her like this.


    Danson watched as Marissa stormed out of Roy''s party. Even after 15 years, she still lost to the same girl. Danson smirked and followed her out. Was this woman finally giving up?


    ...


    Not too far away, inside one of the bedrooms, Halia was frantically sweeping up the shattered glass on the floor and applying a bandaid to her fake injured finger.


    "This should be it," she whispered to herself as she finished.


    She then washed her dress lightly with water to get rid of the spilled gin from earlier and walked out of the bathroom.


    But, just as she stepped out, she felt a tug on her arm. Before she knew it, she was wrapped tightly in Morton''s embrace.


    "It''s you, isn''t it Mars? You did all this to get close to me, didn''t you?" he whispered beside her ear.


    Halia quickly lifted her shoulders, twisted the man''s arms and threw him onto the bed. How dare he hug her out of nowhere. Only Jackson was allowed to do that.


    "Excuse me, Mr. Meng, please mind your actions. I don''t know you and I don''t know who this Mars person is. If you act inappropriately again, I will call the police," Halia warned.


    Morton looked at the woman in surprise. How did she slip out of his embrace and throw him away so easily? And, did he really misunderstand? But...all the signs were there.


    At that moment, there was a loud knock on the bedroom door. "Haili, are you in there?" a voice called anxiously.


    Halia immediately recognized the voice and went to open the door. "There you are. What''s taking you so long? I was getting worried about you," the man at the door said.


    Morton looked over and saw the man. It was Emerson Wu.


    "Are you OK?" he asked worriedly as he looked Halia up and down. He then noticed Morton lying on the bed and frowned, "What are you doing here?"


    Morton quickly stood up and neatened his suit, "Miss Feng needed to use the bathroom, so I got her the keys. I was just resting here for a bit while I waited for her."


    Roy appeared behind Emerson at that moment and said, "Oh, Morton, you should have told me you were with Miss Feng. She''s a special guest. You''ve heard of her before, right? She''s the heiress of Fengtai Corporation!"


    Morton opened his eyes wide in surprise. Had he really made a mistake? Was this woman Haili Feng and not Mars Wu?


    Roy noticed an awkward vibe and peered into the bedroom. That was when he noticed the top drawer of his bedside table was slightly open. A sly smile suddenly appeared on his face, "Morton, did you open the top drawer?"


    Morton turned around and looked a the slightly open drawer. From where he was standing, he could clearly see the box of condoms sitting inside.


    Of course, Emerson didn''t know what was inside the drawer and was worried that Halia had left it open while she was searching around the room. So, he quickly looked at Halia in panic.


    But, Halia looked at him reassuringly as Morton slammed the drawer shut. "No," he said with embarrassment as he gestured for everyone to leave the room.


    Roy smirked and winked at his boss as Emerson looked at Halia in confusion. What was in that drawer? Why was there an odd vibe in that room?

 Chapter 249 - Intruder

    "Did you find what you were looking for?" Emerson asked Halia quietly as they walked out of the room.


    Halia pointed to her handbag and nodded her head. She was certain that she had everything she needed now.


    Emerson looked at Halia in surprise. How did she manage to get evidence when Morton was sitting right there in the room with her? She was a lot more impressive than he thought.


    Not too far behind them, Morton looked at Roy awkwardly, "Is that really Haili Feng from Fengtai Corporation?"


    Roy nodded his head, "She came in with Emerson. Also, you should have seen Marissa''s face when she saw her. She looked like she was ready to strangle her at any moment."


    Morton furrowed his brows with discomfort. It seemed, he had really made a mistake. After all, there was no reason for Haili Feng, the director and heiress of Fengtai Corporation, to dress up as a man and work at his law firm as a law assistant. That made absolutely no sense. Especially since they had never met before.


    But, this misunderstanding got him thinking: why was he so excited when he thought Halia was Mars? Was it because he liked Mars?


    That night, Halia returned home after a long day of costume changes. As she walked into the bedroom and threw off her wig, she looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. Her hair had been cut into a pixie cut, the shortest her hair had ever been. "How long will this take to grow back?" she sighed to herself. She then grabbed some makeup remover and started removing the makeup on her face.


    As she moved in closer to the mirror and gently wiped off her mascara, she suddenly noticed a dark shadow from the corner of her eye. "Who''s there?" she gasped. Halia turned her head quickly and noticed the curtains fluttering in the window. She quickly patted her chest in relief. She must have left the window open. She scurried over to close the window and laughed at her own paranoia.


    This was one of the disadvantages of living on her own. Sometimes, when she was on her own, her imagination would get the better of her.


    Halia looked at the time, it was almost midnight. She really needed some rest before another day at work, so she quickly unzipped her dress and headed towards the bathroom. But, just as she stepped foot into the bathroom, all the lights in the house suddenly switched off.


    Halia quickly looked around in surprise. Did something short circuit? That didn''t make sense, she only had the lights on. Was there a blackout?


    Halia rubbed her eyes and tried to adjust them to the darkness. She had to remain calm.


    But, just as she removed her hands and looked around again, she suddenly felt something blowing lightly on the back of her neck.


    She definitely closed the window earlier.


    Where was this wind coming from?


    Her mind began to wander again. Last time, she had frightened Emma Wu by pretending to be a ghost. What if she somehow upset the spirits and they decided to give her a taste of her own medicine? But, she was a good person. Did ghosts target good people?


    Halia squealed and felt chills down her spine.


    "I''m sorry, I won''t pretend to be a ghost ever again!" she exclaimed.


    Behind her, she suddenly heard an evil chuckle.


    Halia froze as she felt her hairs stand on end. Why was this suddenly happening? Was this a dream? Had she been working too hard? Or...was this a memory of someone in her mind? But, memories didn''t usually feel like this.


    Just as Halia was trying to figure out what was happening, she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her body.


    The touch was warm and solid.


    The arms were real!


    This was no ghost - this was a person!


    Was it an intruder?


    Halia let out a scream and immediately grabbed the arms of the mysterious person.


    But, when she tried to throw the person over her shoulder, the person did a perfect flip and landed on their feet. They then spun her around and wrapped their arm around her neck, restraining her in their arms.


    She quickly responded by stepping back and trying to stomp on the person''s foot, but this person was fast and nimble and quickly dodged.


    Next thing she knew, the person bent over and lifted her horizontally in their arms. They then placed her gently on the bed and pinned her arms above her head.


    Only then did Halia realize she was only wearing her lingerie.


    "Let me go! I''m married! My husband will be back at any moment and he''s going to kill you!" Halia bluffed as she blinked her eyes to try and look at the person.


    At that moment, she felt a pair of soft lips press up against hers.


    "We''re not even married yet and you''re already calling me your husband. Aren''t you embarrassed," a familiar voice whispered beside her ear.


    Halia''s vision finally adjusted at that moment and a handsome face came into view.


    The man looked at Halia and smirked, "Can''t you recognize me anymore?"


    Halia''s eyes opened wide. "Jackson?" she squealed in surprise. "Why are you here?"


    "Don''t you want to see me?" Jackson asked.


    "I thought you predicted that you wouldn''t be back for a month," Halia said.


    Jackson smiled and brushed a loose hair out of his fiancee''s face. "Trisha suddenly returned from London and accepted the role..."


    "I am officially unemployed now, Mrs. Wu. You''ll have to work hard to support your husband from now on. I heard from Emerson that you were flirting with some men earlier. How did that go?"


    Halia looked at her fiance in surprise. "Flirting with men?"


    Halia scrunched up her nose. Damn, Emerson? How was she flirting with men? And why did he tell Jackson?


    "I wasn''t flirting. I was working..."


    Jackson sat up and helped his fiancee sit up too. He then went to fix the power and turn the lights back on.


    "I know you were working...That''s why I asked you how you went..."

 Chapter 250 - A Grandson

    Jackson listened proudly as his fiancee explained everything that happened that day, including how she attended the charity event as Mars, then attended Roy''s party as Haili Feng, and how she snuck into Roy''s bedroom and found crucial evidence.


    "I knew you''d be able to do it," he said dotingly as he patted the woman on the head.


    "You knew?" Halia asked confusedly.


    "Emerson messaged and told me to help you, but I knew you''d be able to handle it on your own," Jackson explained.


    Emerson again? Someone seemed like a bit of a snitch.


    Halia smiled, "Thank you for believing in me."


    Fortunately, Jackson had faith in her abilities.


    "Of course. My fiancee is a highly capable SPU agent. That''s how you stood out from the crowd and grabbed my attention. You''re beautiful, you''re smart, you''re meticulous. I don''t think I need to work another day in my life," he said proudly.


    "If you''re not working again, then what are you doing?" Halia frowned. It sounded like she was getting the shorter end of the stick.


    "I will be a good house husband. I will take care of our kids and teach them well," Jackson replied.


    Halia blushed a little and quickly changed the subject, "Ahem, I''m sure I got Roy this time with this evidence. But, I have one last thing to do before the case is closed so I will have to return to the office again tomorrow."


    "What is it?" Jackson smiled dotingly when he saw his fiancee blush.


    "I need to check if Morton is aware of what Roy''s been doing and whether he''s involved," Halia explained.


    "How do you plan on doing that?"


    "After Roy is arrested, Morton is bound to destroy evidence if there is any. Or, he may act strange around his clients. He seems to trust me a lot, so I''m sure I''ll be able to find something if he''s actually done something wrong."


    Jackson nodded. "Since you have work tomorrow, I guess you should go to bed then."


    After saying this, Jackson wrapped his arms around his fiancee and pulled her into bed with him.


    "I haven''t showered yet," Halia complained as she tried to get back up.


    "You can shower after we do some pre-bed training," Jackson smirked.


    "Training?" Halia blushed.


    "How are we going to make kids without some training?" Jackson chuckled as he kissed down on her lips.


    After 3 weeks, his woman was finally back in his arms. How could he let go of this opportunity?


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside a hotel suite on the other side of town, two other people were getting ready to go to sleep.


    "You know he''ll never choose you, right?" Danson said with ridicule as he grabbed a glass of water and took a sip.


    Marissa glared at the man with her slightly drunken gaze and headed straight for the refrigerator. "It''s none of your business," she murmured.


    As she brushed past Danson, she could smell the familiar scent of his cologne mixed with cigarettes and alcohol. "Hurry and have a shower. You smell disgusting," she said as she held her nose.


    Danson smirked and took a sniff of himself. Then, with one smooth movement, he lifted his shirt over his head and threw it aside.


    Just as Marissa turned around from the refrigerator, she found herself almost running into the man''s firm, muscular chest. They were so close, she could practically smell the testosterone seeping from his body. It wasn''t the first time the man had flaunted his fit body in front of her. After all, they had lived under the same roof as stepmother and stepson for the last 4 years. But, in her slightly drunken state, he looked extra attractive.


    She had spent the last 4 years with an old man. He treated her well and entrusted her with his company, but there was no passion nor attraction between them. In fact, they never even slept together. He was merely a stepping stone for her to move up in status so she could be on the same level as Emerson. She wanted to attend the events he went to and hang around the same social circles as him. Most importantly, by managing his PR, she had a reason to keep an eye on him and meet with him alone.


    So, this young and handsome man definitely made her feel a little hot and bothered. But, she had to remind herself that she hated him; she had hated him for the last 10 years.


    Back when she first decided to be with Donald Qian, she knew he didn''t have long to live. His only son was partying all day long and not taking the family business seriously, and he was a divorcee with no one to take care of him, so she offered him what he needed: someone to care for him when he was ill and someone to manage his business.


    But...as fate had it...she also gave him an heir...


    An heir in the form of...


    ...a grandson.


    A grandson she had hidden from the world for the last 10 years...


    When Marissa first discovered that Donald Qian''s son was Danson, she also thought it was ridiculously coincidental. But, she quickly saw it as an opportunity for her to secure her future after the old man''s death. So, she brought her son to see Donald in secret.


    When Donald first found out he was a grandfather, he had his doubts, of course. To confirm that Marissa was telling him the truth, he immediately did a DNA test to confirm it. And when the results came back positive, he was ecstatic. He never expected to have a grandson before he died. As a lonely divorcee with a useless son, this was the happiest news he could receive.


    But, Marissa did not want to reunite with Danson nor did she want him to know that she had a son. In fact, she threatened the old man and told him she would report his son for r.a.p.e if he ever found out. Instead, she suggested that they continue with the marriage and told him to let her inherit the Qian Family''s company and money after he died. That way, she could pass it onto her son; his grandson.


    After much consideration, Donald ended up agreeing. That was how she managed to get so much of his inheritance.


    At that time, Marissa thought it was a flawless plan. She would have status and money after the old man died and she would be single again and free to pursue a relationship with whomever she wanted.


    Unfortunately...the one person she wanted the most...was the person she couldn''t have...


    ...Emerson Wu...

 Chapter 251 - Jacksons Back

    Danson took a step forward.


    The night from 10 years ago lingered in his mind as though it had just happened the day before and the vibe in the room felt exactly as it did back then.


    10 years ago, Marissa was standing at the refrigerator in the same way.


    She was much more drunk back then and she could barely even open the fridge, but she had turned around in the same way and almost run into his chest in the same way.


    Danson looked down at Marissa. She had double eyelids, her nose had been thinned, her lips had been filled, her teeth were straight, and her skin was smooth, but underneath it all, he could still see the Marissa he first met. The Marissa that was bullied for being ugly, the Marissa that was sweet and innocent, the Marissa that he could chat with comfortably...


    ...the Marissa that he loved...


    Marissa struggled for the last 10 years to piece back memories from the night she slept with Danson. It was the first time she ever slept with a man, but she couldn''t remember any of it. It was like the memories had been buried at the bottom of an ocean, impossible to recover without the right equipment. Equipment that she thought she''d never have.


    But, as she stood there, looking at the man, breathing his scent, and feeling the warmth of his breaths on her, a sense of Deja Vu hit and a memory suddenly came to mind.


    10 years ago, they were standing in a similar position. She was completely drunk, but Danson was sober.


    Although his face was blurry, she remembered the helplessness in his eyes and the pain in his voice. That night, as they stood in the same position as they were in now, he had revealed to her something that she had completely forgotten.


    "Marissa, I love you..." the man''s charming voice echoed in her ear. A voice that was drenched in pain as it tugged at her heart.


    Even though she was drunk that night, she was moved by his words. No one had ever told her that they loved her, not even her parents. She didn''t think anyone would ever love her. The man''s words sent a surge of emotions through her body like a wave and swept her off her feet. Before she knew it, she had leaned forward and kissed Danson on the lips.


    She remembered him trying to push her away, but she gripped onto him and wouldn''t let go. There was no Emerson in her mind at that moment. All she wanted to do was kiss Danson.


    That was right, she was the one that made the first move that night...


    Marissa gasped when she remembered the scene from 10 years ago. It was the first time she remembered anything from that night.


    All these years, she thought she had been r.a.p.ed, but now she began to wonder...was it because she seduced Danson and he couldn''t resist? Even so, he shouldn''t have taken advantage of a drunk person, right?


    She looked up at Danson and stumbled backwards a little. The man quickly stretched out his arm and caught her. "You''re not drunk, right?" he asked


    Marissa gently shook her head. If she was drunk, would he take advantage of her again?


    Before she married Donald Qian, Marissa had spent a fair amount of time on the party scene flaunting her looks, seducing men, and even having one-night stands. She enjoyed the attention and confidence that it brought her.


    But, for some reason, in front of Danson, she was actually fl.u.s.tered and nervous. Was it trauma from 10 years ago?


    "Drink some water and go to bed," Danson instructed as he furrowed his brows. "You should know by now that you''re a light drinker. I wouldn''t want you to embarrass my dead father..."


    After saying this, Danson let go and stepped away. He then turned and walked into the bathroom.


    Marissa took a deep breath and held her hand to her chest. Her heart was racing so fast, she could barely concentrate. Did this man terrify her so much?


    Inside the bathroom, Danson stood under the shower and blasted the cold water. He almost lost control around Marissa again. "She''s not the same Marissa," he reminded himself. He couldn''t be fooled by his feelings from the past. He had to remember that she was a sly, conniving woman that only wanted Emerson and he only stuck around to watch her get her heart torn out; the same way that she had torn his heart out all those years ago.


    ...


    The next morning, Halia got out of bed nice and early to prepare for work.


    By the time Jackson woke up, his beautiful wife had disappeared, and in her place was Mars Wu. This was the first time he had seen Halia in her disguise and it was surprisingly cute.


    As she looked at him she ran her fingers awkwardly across the mustache on top of her lip. "Will this scar you for life?" Halia asked.


    Jackson chuckled and walked over to his fiancee. He gently ran his hand through her short hair and placed a kiss on her lips. "I think you look really cute like this. I can''t believe none of your colleagues have noticed that you''re a girl."


    Halia blushed a little. "Cute? Hey, you better not go around liking guys now!"


    Jackson shook his head, "I won''t go around liking any guys...or girls. My heart is only for you."


    Halia held back a smile and grabbed her briefcase. "Be a good house husband, I''ll be back soon," she teased as she left.


    Jackson lifted his hand and waved goodbye. But, as soon as Halia left, he turned around and got changed.


    After he changed into a casual-looking suit, he went downstairs where a car was waiting for him. "Jackson, you''re finally back," an excited voice called from the back seat.


    Jackson looked at the three men in the car and got into the front passenger seat. By now, he had already revealed his real identity to Max and Max had already shared the information with his other two friends. They were shocked but it did not change the way they felt about Jackson. They were good friends and it would always remain that way. So, they were super excited to hear that he had returned to Beijing.


    "Morton and Partners Law Firm, right?" Rowan confirmed as he punched in the address on his GPS.


    Jackson strapped on his seatbelt and nodded his head, "Yes."

 Chapter 252 - Staking Claim On His Woman

    At the time that Halia arrived at the law firm, detectives were already arresting Roy and walking him out in handcuffs.


    "What''s happening?" Halia asked, pretending not to know a thing when she was the one that had forwarded the evidence to the fraud department overnight. Halia looked confusedly at her SPU colleagues, but they didn''t know who she was, so they walked straight past her without any response. That was exactly the reaction she wanted.


    At that moment, she spotted Morton standing in the doorway, looking at her with a frown. Halia held her breath for a second. Could he have realized that she was an undercover agent? After all, it seemed as though he already knew that she was a woman.


    Suddenly, a man stepped in front of her and blocked her view of Morton. "Are you Mars Wu?" the man asked.


    Halia gently nodded her head.


    "You''re Roy Chen''s legal assistant, aren''t you? We have a few questions to ask you. Could you please come with us?" The man was one of the senior detectives from the fraud department.


    Halia scrunched her nose with frustration. This was the problem with not having a handler around to help. She was supposed to investigate Morton. If they took her away like this, it would waste half the day. But, she couldn''t blow her cover, so she nodded cooperatively, "Of course."


    The detective looked at Halia with suspicion. Why did he sense some resistance? Was this legal assistant involved?


    "This way, please," the man gestured with his hand as he narrowed his eyes and began to lead the way.


    But, just as Halia turned to follow, someone suddenly grabbed her hand.


    Halia looked at her hand and traced her eyes up the arm of the person that was holding onto her.


    It was Morton Meng.


    "Do you want me to come with you?" he offered worriedly.


    Halia shook her head in surprise, "No, I can handle it on my own."


    Judging by this man''s reaction, it seemed she had been paranoid. This man had no idea what her real identity was, he was frowning at her earlier because he was worried about her.


    "Call me if you need anything," he said as he let go.


    Halia nodded and walked off.


    Not long after Halia was gone and Morton was settled back in his office, his secretary suddenly knocked on the door.


    "Lawyer Meng, we have a new client that''s looking to open a trust fund but we don''t have any senior lawyers in at the moment and Roy''s been taken away," she said awkwardly.


    Morton nodded his head, "Send him to me. I''ll handle it."


    The secretary quickly stepped out and soon returned with four men.


    Morton glanced up at the four men. A handsome man walked in front, leading three misfits behind him. He had never seen any of these men before, so he stood up and stuck out his hand, "Hello, I am Morton Meng, one of the owners of this law firm."


    The man in front shook his hand and replied, "Jackson Wu, owner of Golden Dream Casino in Macau."


    Morton''s eyes opened wide in surprise. Everyone knew about the CEO, Emerson Wu, and his father, Jack Wu, but he had never heard of the name Jackson Wu. Was this man a scammer?


    "I''ve met Emerson Wu before, but I''m afraid he''s never mentioned you," Morton said with slight doubt as he snuck a glance at the three men behind Jackson.


    The three men were scruffy, rough on the edges, and slightly intimidating. They looked more like gangsters than legitimate business people.


    Jackson smirked, "My brother and father are the faces of the family business. I like to keep a low profile."


    He then pulled out some doc.u.ments, "Let''s get down to business. I want to set up a trust fund and will."


    Morton still had his doubts, but he couldn''t offend the man until he was sure, so he flipped through the doc.u.ments and asked, "Who is the beneficiary?"


    "My fiancee and these three men here," Jackson replied.


    Rowan, Kevin, and Max were shocked. They thought they were only there to accompany Jackson.


    "I have a restaurant in Beijing and Marseille. If anything is to happen to me, I want them to both go to Max. I have 5 cars: 2 in Beijing, 2 in Hong Kong, and 1 in Macau, I want them to go to Rowan. As for my bar in Beijing, I want that to go to Kevin. I am in the process of building another casino in Macau. I want that casino, as well as my shares in Golden Dream Casino and all my money and property to go to my fiancee, Haili Feng," Jackson explained.


    Morton''s eyes opened wide in surprise. Haili Feng? He had just met her last night and almost mistook her for Mars.


    Jackson saw the realization in the man''s eyes and smiled proudly. That''s right, his fiancee was Haili Feng. He had heard how this man tried to make a move on his woman the previous night and he was here to stake his claim.


    "Haili Feng from Fengtai Corporation?" Morton checked.


    Jackson looked into the man''s eyes and nodded his head.


    ...


    Meanwhile, over in the fraud department of SPU, Halia was being questioned by one of the officers, "Were you aware of what your superior was doing? I''m sure you would have seen all the receipts and doc.u.ments. Wasn''t anything suspicious to you?"


    Halia shook her head.


    "Don''t lie to me. I''m sure you would have, at least, noticed that the client was overbilled."


    Halia kept her mouth shut and simply shook her head. Of course, she knew what was going on, but she couldn''t reveal her identity without the approval of her superiors.


    "I want to speak to the head of SPU, Captain Tang," she said.


    The officer was surprised that this little legal assistant knew who Captain Tang was, but then again, he was the face of the organization and often appeared on television. But, who did this young man think he was? Why would the head of SPU come see him?


    The officer looked at Halia with frustration. This man was obviously hiding something and trying to waste time, "If you refuse to talk, we have the right to detain you," the officer warned.


    "Bring me Captain Tang and I will tell him everything," Halia replied.


    The officer stood up from his chair and walked towards the door, "Captain Tang is a busy man. I''ll give you some time to think it over. Maybe you might know something later." He then left the room.


    But, just as he stepped out, a familiar face arrived. "Let go of Mars Wu."


    The officer quickly stood up straight and saluted at the man. "Captain Tang," he greeted.


    What was the captain doing here and why was he telling him to let Mars Wu go?

 Chapter 253 - The Will

    "But, I suspect that Mars Wu is an accomplice," the officer said.


    "I can guarantee that he is not an accomplice, now let him go," the Captain replied firmly.


    The officer nodded his head with respect and went to open the door even though he didn''t want to. Who was this little legal assistant? Why would the Captain personally come down to get him released? Did he have another identity? Were they working together?


    "You can go," he said as he looked at Halia uncomfortably.


    Halia looked towards the door and noticed Captain Tang standing outside. The man gave her a wink and she quickly got up.


    "I told you to get Captain Tang ages ago. We wouldn''t have wasted so much time if you listened to me from the start," Halia frowned as she walked out.


    The officer lowered his head and stepped back. But, he snuck a glance at Halia as she walked out. Mars Wu: was he a snitch or a spy?


    ...


    By the time Halia returned to the office, Jackson had already left.


    "Mars, you''re finally back. We received a huge client while you were gone. Morton needs your help, hurry inside," Morton''s secretary said in a panic as soon as she saw Halia.


    A big client had arrived unexpectedly and there was a lot of paperwork involved, but there was no one available to help Morton, so he was swamped with work.


    Halia was like a savior at that moment, so the secretary immediately pushed her into Morton''s office.


    Morton''s office was eerily quiet because no one dared to enter and disturb him. When Halia entered, the sudden noise caused Morton to subconsciously lift his head in annoyance. "Didn''t I say not to disturb me?" he growled.


    Halia immediately stopped in her tracks and looked at the man nervously. "I just got back and I was told that you needed help. If you don''t want to be disturbed, I can leave," she said softly as she began to turn back around.


    Hearing the familiar voice, Morton realized it was Mars and his gaze immediately softened. "Oh, it''s you, come here. I didn''t realize it was you. We received a big client and there are a lot of doc.u.ments to prepare, I''ve been waiting for you to help me. We may need to do some overtime tonight."


    Halia approached the man with curiosity. What client did they receive? Judging by the stack of doc.u.ments in front of Morton, there was a lot of work to do. She was hoping to receive a new client so she could see how Morton dealt with them, but she didn''t expect to do overtime.


    After all, her fiance was finally back in Beijing and she wanted to go home to see him. She didn''t want to spend the evening with another man.


    "Isn''t anyone else helping with this case? Are we staying back on our own? Just you and me?" Halia asked.


    Morton noticed the discomfort on Halia''s face and smiled to himself. Why was she so adorable?


    "Everyone else is busy with their own cases. You don''t need to worry. We are both men. It''s not like I''m going to eat you up," Morton teased.


    Halia smiled awkwardly and nodded her head. This man obviously knew she was a woman. Last night, he almost made a move on her when he thought she was Mars.


    "So how can I help?" she asked as she quickly changed the subject.


    Morton handed Halia a stack of doc.u.ments. "These are the details of our client and the will he would like drafted. Our client owns property and assets in France, Hong Kong, Macau, and China. I need you to research the laws in France, Hong Kong and Macau to ensure that our client''s will has no problems. I will start drafting one with the information I have and we can go over it together later," he instructed.


    Halia received the doc.u.ments and walked over to the sofa. She then lay the doc.u.ments on the coffee table and turned on a laptop. While the laptop was loading, she flipped open the doc.u.ments and looked at them for the first time.


    As she scanned her eyes across them briefly, a name suddenly caught her eye and she froze.


    Haili Feng!


    Her name!


    Why was her name on these doc.u.ments?


    She quickly grabbed another doc.u.ment with curiosity and stopped when she saw the name of the client.


    Their client was none other than her fiance, Jackson Wu, and he was listing her as his main beneficiary.


    Halia felt her hands tremble a little. Why did Jackson put her name for almost everything he owned? They weren''t even married yet. Did he trust her that much? Why didn''t he discuss this with her first?


    Moreover, why did he come to have his will written at this particular law firm when he knew she was working undercover here? Did he deliberately do it so she could see it?


    Halia felt her eyes tear up a little.


    Both her and Jackson were from rich backgrounds and were roughly on the same level in terms of status, so the content of the will didn''t really matter; money and status meant nothing to her. What really mattered was the priority that he placed on her.


    Halia swallowed and stood up.


    "What''s wrong?" Morton asked when he saw Halia stand up all of a sudden.


    Halia quickly turned away so Morton wouldn''t see her slightly teary eyes. She then walked towards the door. "I need to go to the bathroom," she said as she scurried out.


    Morton looked at her with concern. She seemed unwell. Was she sick?


    As soon as Halia left Morton''s office, she rushed out to a quiet corridor. After looking left and right and making sure no one else was around, she sent Jackson a message, "Why didn''t you tell me you were coming here to write a will?"


    Almost instantly, Jackson replied, "Surprise!"


    He then continued to type, "I thought you wanted to investigate Morton, so I gave him a big client. If he''s a good guy, he''ll help me properly. If he''s a bad guy, he will definitely take advantage of this opportunity."


    Halia read the response and furrowed her brows, "Aren''t you afraid that he''d steal your money and scam you?"


    "You''re there. There''s nothing to be afraid of," Jackson replied.


    He then added, "After all, Wifey, the inheritance is yours. If he steals anything, he''s technically stealing from you."


    Halia blushed a little. Did he just call her Wifey?

 Chapter 254 - Overtime

    Officer Huang waited until work was over and pretended to stay back.


    "You guys leave first, I still have some reports to type," he said as he waved goodbye to his colleagues.


    Officer Huang was a senior detective from the frauds department of the SPU. A well-respected senior with years of experience.


    He was also the detective that had released Halia earlier that day, under the instructions of Captain Tang. But, he didn''t trust the little legal assistant; something seemed off. So, he decided to do some investigating while no one else was around.


    Soon, the office emptied out. No one suspected that Officer Huang was holding his own investigation since they had just arrested a lawyer that morning for years of embezzlement and fraud. It was a big case with many influential victims, so there were definitely a lot of reports to write; it made sense that he was staying back.


    As soon as he saw the opportunity, Officer Huang logged into the SPU database and started snooping around for the name, Mars Wu. If this person was a snitch, was he involved in any other cases?


    But, after searching the entire night, he found nothing. There was absolutely no information on this man. Nothing good, nothing bad...nothing. It was like this person didn''t exist.


    But, the more he couldn''t find anything, the more he began to suspect that Mars Wu was the other identity he guessed. Mars Wu...was a spy...


    He was sure of it.


    He picked up his phone and dialed a number, "Keep your eye on Mars Wu, I think he''s a spy..."


    ...


    When Halia returned to Morton''s office, he was in the middle of a phone call, so she quietly returned to where she was working before and sat back down. But, that was when she noticed a mug of hot lemon tea on the coffee table and a packet of painkillers.


    Halia looked at them curiously.


    "Are you OK?" a voice suddenly asked behind her.


    Halia turned around in surprise. Morton had finished his phone call and was now standing behind her.


    "You rushed out all of a sudden. Do you have a stomach ache?" Morton asked. "The lemon tea will help you replenish any lost electrolytes. If you are still in pain, take some painkillers."


    Morton sat down next to Halia, picked up the mug of hot lemon tea, and placed it in Halia''s hand.


    Halia smiled awkwardly, "Thank you, but I''m fine."


    Halia wrapped her fingers politely around the mug that Morton handed her, but her fingers accidentally brushed against Morton''s.


    She quickly tried to pull the mug away, but Morton grabbed onto her hand, holding it firmly in place.


    "Why have you been lying to me?" he asked as he looked into her eyes.


    Halia looked down awkwardly. She knew it. This man knew she was a woman. How was she going to explain herself?


    "I didn''t mean to..." Halia didn''t know how to respond. This was real life, not a drama. It wasn''t like she was going to war on behalf of her father, attending an all-boys high school to meet an idol, or joining a boy band on behalf of her twin brother. 1


    "Have you been spying on me?" Morton asked all of a sudden.


    Halia lifted her head cautiously. What did he mean? Did he discover what she was doing there?


    "I..." Halia stuttered a little.


    "I''ve seen the way you''ve looked at me and the way you''ve tried to get my attention," Morton said.


    Halia took a deep breath. Of course, she was looking at him, he was a suspect. And, of course, she was trying to get his attention, she was trying to gain his trust and get access to confidential information. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have caught Roy so easily. Had he noticed?


    "I think you''ve misunderstood," Halia replied awkwardly.


    "I know you''re a woman," Morton suddenly said as he looked into Halia''s eyes. "When did you start noticing me? Did you join this law firm to meet me? What''s your motive?"


    Halia quickly pulled the mug of lemon tea away and placed it down on the coffee table. She had to remain calm and think of something.


    "It''s not what you think," she replied.


    Morton smirked. At that moment, he shuffled closer to Halia and wrapped an arm around her waist, "How do you know what I''m thinking?"


    Halia shuffled back in surprise. It seemed, he really wasn''t thinking what she thought he was thinking. She thought he had discovered that she was a spy, but that did not seem like the case.


    "How long have you liked me? Did you join the law firm to meet me?" Morton asked.


    Halia''s eyes opened wide. Her? Like him? Where did this man get this idea?


    "I..." but just as she was about to deny it, she suddenly thought of something: a perfect cover story.


    "I noticed you back in university. We studied some of your previous cases and my dream was to work for you. But, I also heard about Roy and I was afraid of being harassed by him, so I decided to dress up as a man," Halia explained. "You''re my idol. A senior in the field that I respect and look up to."


    "Idol? Senior?" Morton said with slight disappointment.


    Halia laughed innocently, "Yes, you''re like an older brother to me. You''ve taught me so much and I''m so grateful. I hope you can forgive me for lying to you."


    Morton frowned, "Older brother?"


    "Yes, I don''t have a brother. I''ve always dreamed of having a brother like you," she smiled.


    Morton leaned forward with frustration and grabbed hold of Halia''s chin. "I don''t want to be your brother," he said domineeringly. All this time, he suspected she liked him so he had begun to develop feelings for her. How could she treat him like a brother?


    "Brothers don''t do this," he said seductively.


    Halia gasped in surprise as the man moved closer and closer. Not this again! Only last night, he was doing something similar to her when she was Haili Feng.


    Halia tried to shuffle away, but Morton trapped her between his body and the sofa and there was nowhere she could go. Any closer and she would have no choice but to knock him out.


    But, just as Halia closed her eyes and clenched her fist, there was a knock on the door.


    Halia and Morton immediately looked towards the door.


    It was Morton''s secretary.


    "Ahem, Lawyer Meng, I''ve finished what you''ve asked me to do. May I go home?" the secretary asked awkwardly as she looked at the two men sprawled on top of the sofa. No wonder she had never seen Morton with a woman. Judging by the scene in front of her, it seemed as though Morton liked men!


    Morton quickly sat upright and waved his hand, "Go."


    The secretary blushed and quickly left.


    Morton cleared his throat after the secretary left and said, "Roy''s gone now. Come to work as a woman tomorrow. I don''t want any weird rumors to spread about me."


    Halia sat upright as well and nodded her head. Anyone get these references? Leave your comments. =p

 Chapter 255 - A Silly Thought

    That evening, Halia read through all the doc.u.ments and analyzed the way that Morton dealt with Jackson''s case. But, she did so while trying to keep a distance. Whenever Morton started walking near her, she would quickly stand up and pretend she needed to go to the toilet. Morton smirked when she did this. He liked shy women.


    In the end, Halia concluded that Morton followed all the proper procedures down to the T and nothing seemed suspicious. He even stored Jackson''s information in a confidential folder and locked it in a safe instead of taking it home like Roy used to do.


    "Did you ever suspect that Roy did what he''s accused of?" Halia asked carefully as they began to leave the office.


    Morton looked at Halia and shook his head, "I trusted he was doing the right thing."


    "But, weren''t you ever curious how he made so much money?" Halia continued to question.


    "I just thought he was good at saving money and investing," Morton replied. "I''m sure a lot of people thought that too. Didn''t you?"


    Halia paused for a second and nodded her head.


    As they walked past Roy''s office, Morton sighed. The police had raided the office and it was a complete mess. "I guess this is what happens when a person is too greedy."


    Halia sighed as well.


    At that moment, Morton glanced down and noticed a bandaid around Halia''s finger. He looked at it in confusion. It was coincidentally on the same finger that Haili Feng cut the previous night.


    "Did you hurt your finger?" Morton asked as he pointed to the bandaid with suspicion.


    Halia glanced down and almost slapped herself for forgetting about the bandaid. Jackson had distracted her last night and she forgot to remove it.


    Thinking quickly on her feet, she immediately tore the bandaid off to reveal a perfectly fine finger. "I have a habit of using bandaids when I sew things. I had to reattach a loose button this morning," she laughed.


    Morton looked at the finger and laughed to himself. He had almost thought Mars was Haili Feng again. What a silly thought.


    ...


    When Halia returned home that night, Jackson was up waiting for her. He had prepared dinner and it was laid out deliciously on the dining table. It had been a while since she had returned to a home-cooked meal.


    "You''re certainly a good house husband," she praised as she walked up to the table and clapped her hands excitedly.


    Jackson walked around behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Don''t I deserve a reward?" he asked.


    Halia chuckled and turned around to face her fiance. "You''ve given me so much. I don''t know how I can ever make up for it."


    Jackson smiled and looked into Halia''s eyes dotingly, "Let''s start with a kiss."


    He then leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. But, that was when he noticed, Halia still had her fake mustache on, and it tickled the top of his lips. He moved away and laughed, "I can''t believe Sean made you dress up as a man."


    Halia tore off the mustache and punched Jackson playfully on the chest, "You should thank him. He was trying to protect me."


    "I will definitely give him a generous wedding gift. After all, I''m really happy with the name he gave you as well, Mars...I mean, Mrs. Wu..." Jackson laughed.


    Halia blushed, "We''re not married yet...You even called me Wifey earlier."


    Jackson pinched Halia gently on the nose, "I''ve already put your name on my will, don''t you know what you mean to me?"


    Halia looked lovingly at Jackson. She was a little moved by his actions.


    "While we''re on this topic, I''ve kept a close eye on Morton. So far, it doesn''t look like he''s doing anything wrong. But, he''s discovered I''m a woman and he asked me to go to work as a woman tomorrow," Halia explained.


    "Didn''t he question why you were disguised?" Jackson asked.


    "Yes, but he thought it was because I was interested in him. He made me almost sound like a stalker..." Halia replied awkwardly.


    "So what did you tell him?" Jackson frowned.


    "I told him he misunderstood and that I treat him like a brother," Halia replied.


    Jackson furrowed his brows. If he was right, Morton wasn''t about to give up so easily.


    ...


    The next day, Halia turned up at the office in a skirt instead of pants and she no longer had her mustache on. As she walked in, she noticed her colleagues gathered around the coffee machine gossiping.  They were so focused on the conversation that they didn''t even notice her walk in.


    "Guess what I saw last night," Morton''s secretary giggled.


    "What?" one of the junior lawyers asked nosily.


    "I saw Morton trying to kiss Mars!!!" the secretary squealed.


    "Are you serious?" the HR manager exclaimed. "Nooo, my dream guy''s been stolen! No wonder he''s always turned me down when I asked him to go to dinner..."


    Halia scrunched her nose at what she heard as she quickly crept past them and headed straight for Morton''s office.


    As she walked in, Morton looked at her in surprise. He had only met Haili Feng once, and the lighting was dim that day, but he had almost mistaken her for Mars because they looked very similar. But, now that he saw Mars as a woman, he was even more surprised by how similar they looked. Her hair was short and her makeup was light, but they could easily be mistaken for sisters. However, Morton had only met Haili Feng once, so he thought his memory was playing tricks with him.


    "Have you ever met someone called Haili Feng?" Morton asked with curiosity.


    Halia shook her head, "I saw the name on the will you showed me yesterday, but I''ve never met her before. Who is she?"


    Morton lowered his head and laughed at himself for asking such a stupid question. How could a little legal assistant know the almighty heiress of Fengtai Corporation?


    "Don''t worry," he replied.


    He then walked over to her and grabbed her arm, "Come, let me introduce you properly to your colleagues."


    As Halia stepped back out into the open office, everyone looked at her curiously.


    "Who''s that? Do we have a new colleague?" Morton''s secretary asked the HR manager.


    The HR manager shook her head, "No, we haven''t hired anyone. Unless Morton privately found someone to replace Roy."


    "Everyone!" Morton announced. "I would like you to officially meet Mars Wu!"


    "Mars Wu?" the HR manager exclaimed with confusion.


    Morton''s secretary scanned Halia up and down and gasped in surprise, "Oh my god, is that really you, Mars?"


    Halia smiled and nodded her head.


    The secretary covered her mouth in shock, "I can''t believe it. Mars...did Morton force you to dress up like a girl because he was afraid of rumors? Don''t worry, we are very open-minded in this office. It''s OK for a man to love another man..."


    Halia and Morton looked at the secretary helplessly.


    Meanwhile, the HR manager looked at Halia and nudged the secretary, "Idiot...Mars is a woman..."

 Chapter 256 - Father And Daughter

    "A woman?" the secretary exclaimed in confusion as her eyes paused on Halia''s body.


    Morton followed his secretary''s gaze and quickly looked away awkwardly when he realized she was looking directly at Halia''s chest., "Ahem, Mars was dressed as a man because she was working closely with Roy. We all know how inappropriate Roy can be around beautiful women, so I allowed it."


    A junior lawyer quickly said, "Oh yes, back when I was his assistant he used to make me drink with him every night. Luckily, my boyfriend eventually stepped in and pulled me away."


    The HR manager immediately chimed in, "I haven''t worn a skirt since I started working here because he kept staring at my legs. I can finally relax now."


    Meanwhile, Morton''s secretary continued to look at Halia in disbelief, "I must admit, Roy was a bit sleazy, but he never actually harrassed or inappropriately touched anyone. Was it necessary to dress up as a man?"


    "You know he''s harmless because you worked with him for a long time, but for someone that''s new to the office, he could be quite intimidating. One can never be too safe," Morton explained.


    Everyone quickly nodded their heads and agreed.


    But, the secretary was not convinced as she gripped onto the phone in her hand.


    Yesterday, she had received a message from a number she trusted: ''Keep your eye on Mars Wu, I think he''s a spy...''


    When she first received the message, she was cautious so she deliberately stayed back to keep an eye on the legal assistant. But, when she saw Morton almost kissing him in his office, she quickly brushed away her suspicions. Mars wasn''t a spy, he was obviously there to seduce Morton.


    But now that Mars was standing in front of her as a girl, her suspicions arose again. She had let her guard down too easily. The entire thing was much too farfetched and coincidental. What normal person would dress up as the opposite s.e.x just for a job? And how did she get past HR? Most importantly, Mars was working closely with Roy when he was caught.


    Morton bought the woman''s story, but she didn''t.


    As soon as everyone returned to their desks, she pulled out a file from her bottom drawer and looked at it nervously with guilt.


    She had actually started working with Roy recently. She didn''t agree at first, but the man blackmailed her and she was forced to secretly slip doc.u.ments for Morton to sign. When she failed, he even forced her to forge the signatures. But, Morton was so busy, he never noticed.


    The file in her hands had evidence that proved her involvement. She had snuck it out of Roy''s office before the police raided it. If anyone saw it, she would be ruined. So, while no one was looking, she slipped the file under her jacket and headed for the rooftop. She had to burn it.


    The rooftop was windy so it was hard to get a fire started at first, but the secretary quickly found a corner with a metal trash can. This was perfect.


    She pulled the file out from under her jacket and threw it into the trash can. She then grabbed her lighter.


    But...just as she ignited her lighter, she felt a hand grab onto her arm. "What are you doing?" a familiar voice asked.


    The secretary quickly turned around nervously and looked into the eyes of the last person she wanted to see. "Mars," she gasped in surprise.


    A moment ago, Halia had seen the secretary sneak into the stairwell suspiciously, so she decided to follow her.


    "Are you trying to burn something?" Halia asked as she glanced down at the file in the trash can.


    The secretary saw Halia''s gaze and immediately tried to pull her arm free. All she had to do was burn the file and there would be no evidence left. It would her word against Halia''s.


    But, Halia held onto the woman firmly.


    At that moment, another person appeared on the rooftop. "What''s happening up here?" a cold voice yelled.


    The secretary looked towards the voice and froze.


    "Morton," she gasped again in surprise.


    Morton saw Halia heading for the rooftop and thought it was a good chance to get some alone time with her, but he didn''t expect to see her fighting with the secretary. What were these two women doing?


    As Morton approached the two women, the secretary tried to struggle free again, but Halia quickly twisted her arm and pinned her against the floor.


    Morton looked at Halia in surprise. That move seemed like second nature to her. But, his attention was quickly drawn away by a doc.u.ment that fluttered inside the trash can.


    "My signature..." he said in confusion as he picked up the doc.u.ment and looked at it.


    "What''s this? I don''t remember signing this!" he yelled angrily as he waved the paper in front of his secretary.


    The secretary bit her lip nervously.


    Morton then retrieved the other papers from the trash can and flipped through them. His eyes immediately fired up with rage, "Did you forge my signature? What''s all this? Were you working with Roy? How could you get involved with something so immoral? I trusted you!"


    The secretary broke down in tears, "I had no choice..."


    Morton held his hand to his head in disbelief. As he regained his composure, he gathered the papers neatly and said to Halia, "Come on, let''s report her to the police."


    But, just as he started walking away, the secretary said, "There''s no need. I''m already under arrest."


    Before Morton could question the secretary, Halia pulled out a pair of handcuffs hidden inside her pocket and latched it around the secretary''s wrists, "Miss Cindy Huang, you are under arrest for your involvement in fraudulent activity and the embezzlement of client funds. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."


    Morton looked at Halia in surprise.


    "Mr. Morton Meng, can you please come with me to file a report?" Halia said professionally.


    Morton nodded his head speechlessly.


    Her disguise suddenly made a lot more sense...


    ...


    A car soon arrived to collect the trio and they were taken to the fraud department of the SPU.


    But, to Halia''s surprise, as soon as they stepped into the building, Officer Huang rushed over anxiously and grabbed the secretary''s hands. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he looked at the handcuffs.


    The young woman burst into tears, "I''m sorry, Dad!"


    Halia''s eyes grew big. Dad?


    The secretary was Officer Huang''s daughter?


    After she calmed down a little, the secretary turned to Halia and said, "My father is a good officer. He had no idea what I was doing at the law firm. Let''s go inside, I''ll tell you everything."


    As Halia nodded her head and led the woman away, she glanced at the expression on Officer Huang''s face and frowned. He looked more frustrated than surprised and concerned. Did he really have no idea what his daughter was doing?

 Chapter 257 - An Honest Lawyer

    Officer Huang took a deep breath and quickly jumped in front of the two women.


    The secretary looked at her father in surprise. "What are you doing, Dad?"


    "You''re still young, you shouldn''t have to take responsibility for my mistakes," the man said.


    Halia looked at the middle-aged man. His mistakes? She knew things weren''t as simple as they appeared. Judging by Officer Huang''s reaction, it seemed, she was right.


    At that moment, Captain Tang walked in through the doorway and suddenly latched a pair of handcuffs on Officer Huang''s wrists, "Clinton Huang, you are under arrest for corruption and facilitation of fraud."


    Halia looked at the Captain in surprise.


    "Dad!" Cindy Huang gasped. "Let my Dad go, he''s innocent!"


    The secretary tried to run over to her father, but Halia held onto her tightly.


    "You did all this to catch me, didn''t you?" Officer Huang asked as he glanced at Captain Tang.


    Captain Tang looked at the middle-aged officer and nodded his head. He had suspected corruption for a long time, but he couldn''t determine who it was, so he sent Halia undercover to catch the fraudsters at the law firm, while he kept a close eye on the officers in the fraud department. Sure enough, he caught Officer Huang staying up last night to investigate Halia.


    A normal officer wouldn''t question their superior''s orders nor would they try so hard to uncover a potential undercover officer; it was too dangerous for their colleague and there was no benefit in knowing. So, as soon as he noticed the man was acting weird, Captain Tang started investigating him.


    That was when he discovered that Officer Huang''s daughter was Morton Meng''s secretary.


    He also discovered that the officer''s daughter, Cindy Huang, had suffered from heart disease since she was a child and had to undergo a heart transplant the previous year. Although the salary of an SPU detective was decent, all the years of hospital visits and the exorbitant costs of a heart transplant, wasn''t something that he could afford. His family even had enough money left over for a car and a house, and his daughter was sent to law school.


    Of course, the man was smart; he had been working in the fraud department for years and found some loopholes to explain his family''s wealth. His wife was an artist, not a very famous one, but for some reason, her paintings always sold for an unbelievable amount. And her buyers were all lawyers and businessmen. A couple of which had coincidentally been caught for fraud and/or embezzlement. There were too many coincidences for Captain Tang. As soon as he started investigating the man, he knew he had caught the right person and his plan had worked.


    On the surface, everything made sense. But once someone focused on the officer and dug deeper, they would discover a lot of suspicious activity.


    For example, a few of his wife''s paintings sold around the time that suspects were brought into the fraud department and unexpectedly released. And, even weirder, the people that bought her paintings weren''t even people that appreciated art. They had never been seen around the art community and it didn''t seem like they bought any other paintings in the past. Why did they pay so much money for an unknown artist''s painting?


    "Let my daughter go, she''s innocent. Roy Chen blackmailed her into helping him, so she had no choice. I, on the other hand, have intentionally worked with him for years..." Officer Huang revealed. "Not just him. I''ve worked with many others. I can reveal them all if you can guarantee my wife and daughter''s safety."


    Cindy Huang opened her eyes wide in shock, "Dad, why are you confessing? This is all my fault. If my heart wasn''t bad, you wouldn''t have had to do that. Captain, please let my father go. He only did it to save my life."


    Captain Tang looked at the secretary with pity. As a father himself, he understood that a parent would do anything for their child. But, it didn''t change the fact that Officer Huang had broken the law. Worst of all, he had broken it for years and worked with multiple criminals to hide their crimes.


    "I have ten names I can give you and I have enough evidence for you to arrest them. I''ll give you those names if you can relocate my wife and daughter overseas with a new identity and ensure their safety," Officer Huang offered.


    He had been working with the SPU for long enough to know how it worked. The information he had was invaluable and he knew they wanted it. Since he was already caught, there was no point in denying anything. He might as well make a deal to ensure his wife and daughter''s safety.


    Captain Tang thought for a moment and nodded his head, "Sure, I can arrange that. Let''s go into the room and chat."


    He then led Officer Huang into one of the interrogation rooms.


    As soon as the two men disappeared into the room, Halia took Cindy Huang into another room to file a report.


    "Can you tell me what happened? How did you end up working for Roy?" Halia asked.


    "About half a year ago, he approached me and told me he had evidence against my father. He said that if I didn''t help him, he would get my father thrown into jail. At that time, he simply asked for a signature from Morton, so I agreed," Cindy began to explain, "But, he started to get more and more demanding and he eventually forced me to forge Morton''s signature for him. I was frightened and didn''t know how to refuse, so I did it."


    "From what I know, you''ve been working at the law firm for 3 years now. Why did he suddenly approach you half a year ago?" Halia asked with doubt.


    "Everything my father''s done has been to keep me alive. After I received my heart transplant last year and I started to recover, he no longer had a reason to participate in corrupt activity, so he tried to pull out and break ties with the people he had been working with. He was also about to apply for retirement. But when Roy found out, he was furious. That''s why he came to blackmail me," Cindy explained.


    Halia wrote everything down and nodded her head, "So, was Morton Meng completely unaware?"


    Cindy nodded, "He is probably the most honest lawyer I have ever met..."

 Chapter 258 - Something Special

    After questioning the father and daughter, Halia walked out of the interrogation room feeling slightly emotional. After hearing what Officer Huang did for his daughter, she couldn''t help but miss her father a little. It was sad that Officer Huang had chosen the wrong path, but parents sometimes did silly things for their children. Her father had also done many things for her growing up. Especially when he was a single parent. Fortunately, he never did anything illegal.


    Halia suddenly felt a little proud of her father. It mustn''t have been easy.


    While she was deep in thought, she turned the corner and almost ran into a person that was leaning against the wall.


    Halia jumped back in surprise and patted herself on the chest. "Ahhh!" she screamed subconsciously.


    She then scanned her eyes up to the person''s face and realized it was Morton.


    "Sorry for scaring you," Morton said as he looked at Halia.


    Halia smiled and shook her hands, "It''s not your fault. I was just thinking about something and got distracted."


    After Halia finished speaking, there was an awkward silence. That was when she realized, this was the first time she was officially speaking to him as Halia and not as Mars. What was she supposed to say?


    "Have you finished giving your statement?" Halia asked awkwardly.


    Morton nodded his head. "What about you? Have you finished?" he asked back.


    Halia also nodded.


    But, she was a little confused. If he was finished with his statement, why didn''t he go home? Why was he still here?


    Was he...waiting for her?


    "I assume you won''t be returning to the law firm again...?" Morton asked with slight disappointment in his voice.


    Halia smiled and shook her head, "I''ve completed my mission."


    Morton looked down. "Does that mean I''ll never see you again?" he questioned further.


    Halia patted the man on the shoulder, "We are still friends. If you need anything, you can always contact me on my phone."


    As soon as Morton heard this, he saw a glimpse of hope. He quickly pulled out his phone and showed Halia a phone number, "Will you still be using this number?"


    Halia quickly glanced at Morton''s phone and smiled, "Yes, you can contact me anytime."


    Morton held onto his phone and a slight smile appeared on his face, "Should I still call you Mars? Or do you have another name...?"


    Halia hesitated for a second. If Morton had never met Haili Feng, she would have told him her name straight away, but after everything that happened between them, she didn''t know how to explain that the heiress of Fengtai Corporation was actually an SPU agent...


    "Promise that you won''t tell anyone else about my identity," Halia said as she raised her pinky finger.


    Morton looked at the woman''s finger and chuckled. "You can trust me," he said as he hooked his finger around hers.


    "My name isn''t Mars Wu...Your suspicions were correct when you saw me at Roy''s party...I am Haili Feng."


    Morton''s eyes opened wide in surprise, but a smile quickly appeared on his face as he grabbed hold of Halia''s hands, "That''s great! I think we would make a good match."


    Halia immediately tried to pull her hands away, but Morton held onto them tightly, "Since you don''t have to hide your identity around me anymore and you''ve completed your mission. Would you consider being my girlfriend?"


    Halia sighed. Just as she was about to reject the man, a deep and charming voice said from behind, "I see you''ve met my fiancee, Lawyer Meng."


    Morton''s eyes looked towards the doorway in confusion as Halia turned around with a grin. She recognized the voice. "Jackson, what are you doing here?" she smiled.


    Jackson saw Morton holding onto Halia''s hands and frowned. He then walked up to Halia, wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her away, and kissed her on the lips.


    Halia blushed a little. This was the first time they had been so affectionate in public.


    "I heard you completed your mission, so I came to celebrate it with you," Jackson replied lovingly.


    Morton looked at the two and finally realized what was going on. He had almost forgotten that Haili Feng was Jackson Wu''s fiancee. Morton felt his heart sink as he looked at Jackson. He had to admit that this man was handsome, rich, and successful.


    But...he wasn''t too bad himself. He couldn''t just give up. As long as Halia wasn''t married, he still stood a chance, right?


    "Haili..." he suddenly said.


    Halia looked at Morton with confusion. What else did this man want? Wasn''t Jackson''s appearance already an answer to his question? How could she be his girlfriend when she was already engaged to Jackson?


    But, Morton was so confident in himself that he actually thought he stood a chance, "I know you are already engaged, but as long as you aren''t married, I won''t give up. During these past three weeks, I could feel something special between us, don''t tell me that you didn''t feel it too. To be honest, Mr. Wu may seem like a great catch, but I have doubts about his identity. I''ve never even heard of him before he came to the law firm. From what I know, the owners of Golden Dream Casino are Emerson and Jack Wu. Are you sure he''s not a swindler? Now that I think about it, did he deliberately come to our law firm so he could make you think he was writing a will with you as the main beneficiary? You need to be careful around him."


    Halia looked at the man and burst into laughter. She knew better than anyone who Jackson was. "You''re overthinking it. Jackson came to the law firm to help me."


    At that moment, Jackson pulled Halia into his arms again. "Stop wasting your breath on this delusional fool. We have an appointment to get to," he said coldly. Who was he calling a swindler and how dare he try to get between him and Halia?


    Halia glanced at her fiancee with a puzzled expression, "Appointment?"


    "Didn''t I tell you we were having a celebration? People are waiting for us," Jackson said.


    He then started dragging Halia out. But, just before he left, he said one last thing to Morton, "You can send me the bill for your services so far, Lawyer Meng, but Mrs. Wu and I won''t be needing your help anymore, I''ve decided to use my own legal advisor instead."


    Morton looked at the couple in surprise as they left. Mrs. Wu? They weren''t even married yet.


    But, as he thought this, Morton suddenly realized something, "Mrs. Wu...Mars Wu?"


    Morton sighed. It seemed, Halia''s heart was with Jackson the entire time.

 Chapter 259 - The Surprise Marriage

    Jackson dragged Halia out to the parking lot where a Limousine was waiting.


    "A Limousine?" Halia asked with confusion as Jackson opened the door. She had simply completed a mission, was a Limousine necessary?


    But, when Halia peered in through the door, she noticed some familiar faces smiling at her from inside. Her eyes immediately enlarged in shock.


    "Dad!" Halia exclaimed as she looked into her father''s warm eyes. Halia''s father was seated inside and next to him sat Father Wu, Emerson, Aunt Lily, and Jaclyn. On the opposite side of the limousine were Max, Natalie, Amelie and a friend that Halia hadn''t seen for a while, Lily. Meanwhile, in the front, Rowan was driving, as usual, while Kevin sat next to him.


    As soon as they saw Halia and Jackson, everyone quickly shuffled over to make space.


    Halia looked at the familiar people with surprise. What were they all doing here? Apart from Jackson''s three boys and Lily, everyone else was from out of town. Why were they all in Beijing?


    Halia ran her eyes up and down her father. He was wearing a black tuxedo, a champagne-colored tie, and there was a pastel pink rose in his pocket. His hair was neatly done, and he had a proud look in his eyes as he gazed at his daughter.


    "Jackson gathered us all here today to finalize something," Father Feng said with a grin.


    Halia looked around, the men were all in tuxedos and the women were all in beautiful gowns. In fact, when she looked carefully now, she noticed that Max, Rowan, and Kevin were matching, while Natalie, Amelie, and Lily were matching. The men had on white shirts with grey vests and pants, a champagne-colored tie, and a pastel pink rose in their pocket, while the women were in cute, lacey champagne-colored knee-high dresses with pink rose flower crowns on their heads.


    That''s when Halia realized what was happening.


    As the car moved, Jackson suddenly got down on one knee and held onto her hand.


    "We''ve been separated and reunited multiple times, and we''ve had many people try to come between us during this time. I must admit, I found myself getting jealous on occasions. I''ve already made up my mind that you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with and I want the world to know that you are mine. In our line of work, every day is unpredictable. If there''s one thing I''ve learned over the years, it''s to appreciate every day as if it''s my last. If today was my last day on Earth, I would want to die knowing that you are my wife and that I did all I could to be your husband. I don''t want to waste any time. If you are willing, then from this day forward, I vow to support you, push you, inspire you, and, above all, love you, for better or worse, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, as long as we both shall live. Haili Feng, may I ask if you are still willing to marry me? And, if you are...will you marry me today?"


    Halia was caught by surprise as she looked around the Limousine. All their closest friends and family were there. Jackson''s three groomsmen were ready and the three bridesmaids that she briefly mentioned to Jackson when they were in Germany, was also there. For her, this was a surprise, but it was obvious that Jackson had been planning it for a long time.


    Halia was touched. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the man she wanted to marry.


    So, without hesitation, she nodded her head. "Of course, I will."


    Her timing was perfect. As soon as she said this, the Limousine stopped outside the Civil Affairs Office, and with a smile, Jackson opened the door, dragged Halia out excitedly and ran straight up the stairs of the building.


    Halia laughed as she followed the man into the main lobby. He was like a child running into a toy store. After they entered, Halia spotted another familiar figure waving at them.


    Cleo was seated inside with some boxes, clothes bags, and bouquets. She looked relieved as though she was worried she''d be abandoned there on her own.


    Jackson quickly ran over to the woman, grabbed one of the clothes bags, and handed it to Halia.


    Halia looked at the bag and undid a bit of the zipper at the front to see what was inside.


    As soon as she opened it, she immediately recognized what it was. It was her dress from Germany! The one she had selected with Jackson. When did he get it shipped all the way here?


    Halia smiled as she remembered the amazing day they spent taking wedding photos at the castle. It was a day she would never forget. If it was possible, she would have already married Jackson then and there.


    Natalie, Amelie, and Lily quickly caught up to Halia and dragged her towards a change room. "See you boys again soon," Natalie giggled as they disappeared around the corner.


    As soon as the girls entered the room, Natalie began to help Halia put on her dress, while Amelie did her hair, and Lily did her makeup. Natalie and Amelie had never met Lily before, but they worked perfectly in sync like a professional team of stylists. In less than half an hour, Halia had transformed from an SPU agent into a beautiful bride.


    Halia couldn''t believe her eyes when she looked in the mirror. She did not wake up expecting this today, but she wouldn''t change it for the world.


    When Halia came out, Jackson and the rest of the bridal party were already waiting for her inside one of the private rooms with a marriage celebrant.


    Just like her dress, Jackson had his suit shipped from Germany, and he looked like a prince as he watched her walk in.


    The marriage was small and intimate with their closest friends and family by their side, but it wasn''t any less beautiful than an extravagant one.


    As the couple exchanged wedding rings and Jackson kissed his bride, he whispered beside her ear, "Sorry I was in such a rush to make you my wife. I promise I''ll give you a grand and luxurious wedding ceremony later."


    Halia chuckled, "I don''t need a grand and luxurious wedding. I just need you..."


    She meant it.


    She then pulled her husband over to sign their marriage certificate. She had been dragged around all day; it was about time she dragged him back.


    As their pens lifted off the papers, the couple looked lovingly at each other. "I love you, Mrs. Wu," Jackson said.


    "I love you too, Mr. Wu," Halia replied. She then leaned over and kissed her husband on the lips.

 Chapter 260 - Wingwoman

    That night, the newlywed couple and their friends and family gathered at one of the finest restaurants in Beijing to have dinner. Jackson couldn''t take his eyes off his beautiful wife and Halia couldn''t stop smiling from ear-to-ear. This was the happiest day of her life.


    "I can''t believe that you got married before me," Natalie complained jokingly, "And here I was, thinking my man was doing a good job planning a wedding within one month..."


    Halia laughed. She was also surprised that Jackson managed to plan so much without her knowing. Especially when he was in Hong Kong, she was in Beijing, and their friends and family were from all around the world.


    "I was shocked when he called me," Lily said. "Even though you told me he was actually Interpol, I subconsciously forgot and treated him like a gangster. I had my guard up at first, but when he explained everything to me, my heart melted. I wish I could find a man like your husband. You''re so lucky."


    Halia blushed a little. She had to agree that she was quite lucky.


    But, she wasn''t used to the attention, so she turned to Natalie and changed the subject, "Why didn''t Sean come back with you?"


    Natalie smiled and replied, "Pumpkin wouldn''t let him go..."


    Halia''s expression softened, "Awww, that''s so cute!"


    "He wasn''t even sad when I said I was going away for a few days. But as soon as I asked Sean if he wanted to come with me, the brat immediately grabbed onto his legs and said he couldn''t go," Natalie said helplessly.


    Halia laughed. "Kids are so entertaining."


    Natalie glared at her friend, "If you think they are so entertaining, you should have one of your own."


    Lily quickly chimed in, "You are at the perfect age to get pregnant. In a few years, your fertility will decline and it will get harder. Plus, you will have a higher risk of complications such as miscarriage and birth defects. You better begin working on it tonight..."


    As she spoke, Lily nudged Halia with a wink. She was deliberately teasing her.


    But, Halia quickly threw an attack back at her friend, "What about you? We''re the same age but you haven''t even got a boyfriend yet. If someone needs to put in some work, I think it should be you..."


    Lily blushed, "I''m still waiting for the right guy."


    "Maybe you need to be more realistic with your expectations. What about Isaac, he''s a great guy. Have you ever considered him?" Halia suddenly asked seriously.


    Lily scrunched up her nose, "Now that you mention Isaac, I think you should speak to him."


    Halia looked at her friend with curiosity, "I''ve spoken to him a few times since I left the hospital."


    "Well, I think he still likes you. He''s been asking about you a lot lately," Lily replied uncomfortably. "I think you should clarify things with him."


    Halia quickly held back a laugh. Was her friend jealous?


    The truth was, she had already told Isaac that she was in a relationship a long time ago and had even announced that she was getting married in a recent conversation. In response, Isaac had actually revealed that he was developing feelings for Lily and he had asked her to be his wingwoman and matchmake them. That''s why she mentioned Isaac in front of Lily. But, it seemed, her friend was oblivious to the man''s feelings.


    "What has he been asking?" Halia wondered. She had suggested that Isaac find a common topic to talk to Lily about, but she never expected him to use her as this common topic. How sloppy of him.


    "He asked me what you''ve been doing lately and where you''re working now. He also asked if you had a brother or a twin..." Lily replied.


    Halia thought for a second and quickly laughed. That was right, Isaac saw her dressed as Mars at the hospital recently.


    "I forgot. I haven''t revealed my identity to him yet. He ran into me last time while I was dressed as a man and it must have confused him. Do me a favor. When you get the chance, sit down with him and help me reveal everything to him," Halia said, trying to make a chance for the two to interact.


    "Why don''t you tell him yourself?" Lily asked suspiciously.


    At that moment, Natalie suddenly cut in, "Mrs. Wu is going to be busy making babies, remember? Plus, she should start planning her honeymoon soon. As her bridesmaids, we should help out wherever we can..."


    Natalie had known Halia since they were kids and understood her well. Halia could move a finger and Natalie would already know what she was thinking. So, she had already gathered from their conversation that Halia was trying to set up Lily with this Isaac guy.


    Lily laughed at Natalie''s comment and nodded her head, "Yes, I almost forgot that Mrs. Wu has a lot of work on her hands."


    Lily thought she was teaming up with Natalie to tease Halia. But, unbeknownst to her, the two best friends were actually teaming up against her.


    Halia pretended to be embarrassed and quickly turned to look for her third bridesmaid. She had to leave before Lily found a reason to reject her again.


    At that moment, she spotted Amelie having a conversation with Jaclyn. "I''m going to go speak to Amelie instead," Halia said as she went to sit next to Amelie and her new sister-in-law.


    As she walked past Natalie, she gave her a slight wink. Her best friend had just wingwomanned a wingwoman.


    Natalie quickly held back a laugh.


    ...


    Meanwhile, not too far away, inside a hotel suite, a phone rang.


    A pair of long slender fingers slowly picked up the phone and answered it, "Hello."


    "Marissa, you wouldn''t believe what I just saw!" a high pitched voice squealed.


    Marissa placed the phone on loudspeaker, sat down at her dressing table, and started brushing her hair.


    "What?" she asked indifferently. Her friends often contacted her with gossip, but unless it was related to Emerson, she never really cared.


    The woman on the other end took a deep breath and controlled her excitement as she said, "Haili Feng just got married!"


    Marissa quickly paused and stared at the phone with disbelief, "Married? Who did she marry?"

 Chapter 261 - Emersons Married?

    "I''m at the Royal Palace Restaurant right now. I just saw her with Emerson''s family and she''s wearing a wedding gown!" Marissa''s friend exclaimed.


    Marissa paused in disbelief. Was this the reason why Emerson was in Beijing and why he was seen with Haili Feng. Did he come to Beijing to marry her?!


    Marissa looked at herself in the mirror. She had done so much to make herself beautiful. Wasn''t she beautiful enough for him? Had she truly lost this time?


    She immediately stood up and stormed into Danson''s bedroom next door. "Tell me. Do you think I''m beautiful?" she asked abruptly in frustration.


    Danson was in the middle of getting changed at that moment and his shirt was off. So, he frowned as he slowly turned around to face the woman. "Don''t you know how to knock?" he complained.


    "I asked you a question. Do you think I''m beautiful?" Marissa repeated herself.


    Danson scanned his eyes up and down the woman. She was wearing a soft white robe on top of a silky black nightgown. Her long, lightly tanned legs were exposed inside the dimly lit room and her cheeks were slightly pink from the hot bath she had just come out of. Even though she had no makeup on, it appeared as though she had a healthy blush on her face, and it made her look slightly seductive.


    The woman brushed back her damp hair impatiently and stormed up closer to the man. "Am I beautiful?" she asked again.


    Of course, Danson thought she was beautiful. He had always thought she was beautiful, even before all her plastic surgery, but he didn''t want her to know that. So, he controlled his emotions and shook his head. "You''re just an ugly stepmother," he replied as he turned towards the wardrobe to grab a shirt.


    Marissa''s heart shattered. She held onto her chest and felt her eyes well up a little. These words hurt...they hurt a lot. For some reason, this response was even more painful than hearing that Emerson was married.


    Unwilling to accept her fate, Marissa tore off her robe and grabbed the man''s arm, turning him back around to face her.


    Danson was a little surprised as he looked at the woman again. Marissa was standing so close, his chest almost rubbed against her body.


    Marissa''s nightgown hugged the curves of her body, the low neckline highlighted her fake b.r.e.a.s.ts and he could tell that she wasn''t wearing anything underneath.


    Danson swallowed. It had been 10 years since he saw her body, but he could still remember how it felt.


    "Do you still think I''m ugly?" Marissa asked in a slight whisper.


    Danson looked at the woman. What had gotten into her? Why did she care so much about how he thought about her? Didn''t she only care about Emerson?


    "You have an ugly heart, so this fake facade of yours won''t work on me. No matter what you do, you will always be ugly," Danson said as he lightly pushed the woman away.


    The rejection drove Marissa crazy. Emerson, the love of her life, had gotten married today. And now, the father of her child was telling her that she was ugly. Anyone could call her ugly, but he had no right. If he thought she was ugly, then why did he date her all those years ago? Why did he cling to her and not let her go? Why did he sleep with her? He had to be lying.


    She couldn''t accept it.


    So, as soon as the man turned back to the wardrobe again, she quickly slipped out of her nightgown. Her self-esteem had already been damaged by Emerson, she couldn''t let Danson hurt her as well.


    "Are you sure?" she asked.


    "Yes, I''m..." Danson turned around in frustration, but before he could finish his sentence, he saw the n.a.k.e.d woman in front of him and froze. "What are you doing?" he asked.


    Marissa wrapped her arms around Danson''s neck and looked into his eyes. "Come on! Tell me I''m ugly," she said, determined to make him surrender.


    Danson could see a trace of pain in the woman''s eyes, but he couldn''t understand what was happening. "What''s gotten over you?" he asked as his eyes softened. As much as he forced himself to hate this woman, seeing her in this vulnerable state made him want to protect her. If he was Superman, she was his Kryptonite. He was weak against her and he couldn''t help it.


    Marissa saw the concern in Danson''s eyes and finally felt her pain disappear. Simply knowing that this man cared about her made all her problems fade away.


    Marissa was confused. Why did she feel this way? Why did she care how he felt and thought?


    With a complex mix of emotions, she found herself hugging the man''s neck tighter like she didn''t want to let go. Before she knew it, her eyes fell on the man''s lips. Back in high school, she had kissed these lips multiple times. She could still remember how warm and soft they felt. Without realizing it, Marissa subconsciously started leaning forward. After all these years, did his lips still feel the same? With this thought, Marissa closed her eyes and pressed her lips against Danson''s. Danson stood still in surprise. The last time this woman did something like this to him, she was drunk. Was she also drunk today?


    Danson subconsciously pushed his tongue into her mouth to see if he could taste any alcohol. But, Marissa thought he was kissing her back and gasped in pleasure when she felt his tongue; her gasp immediately stirred up his desires. She then twirled her tongue with his and pressed her body against him.


    Danson leaned back against the wardrobe in surprise. He couldn''t taste any alcohol. This woman knew exactly what she was doing.


    Realizing this, Danson immediately kissed the woman back. He thought he had put up a strong wall against her; that he would never lose himself around her and allow her to hurt him again. But, one kiss was all it took to make his wall come crashing down. Unable to contain his desires, he lifted the woman in his arms and carried her to the bed.


    Marissa smiled. She knew he couldn''t resist her...

 Chapter 262 - I Want More Than Three...

    Initially, Marissa just wanted to prove a point. She wanted to prove to herself that she was attractive and irresistible, and that it was Emerson''s loss for not reciprocating her feelings, but somehow things got out of hand and she ended up sleeping with Danson. She was so lost in the moment that everything just happened naturally.


    But the thing that surprised her the most, was the memories that slowly materialized in her mind. Memories from 10 years ago.


    For 10 years, she thought Danson r.a.p.ed her while she was drunk and took advantage of her, but while she was immersed in the pleasure of the man''s touch last night, she began to remember how she felt during that drunken night 10 years ago. Not only did she kiss him first and seduce him, she enjoyed sleeping with him that night too. In fact, she remembered climbing on top of him, clinging to him and not letting him leave her body even when he tried to resist.


    If anything, it was more like she r.a.p.ed him!


    Danson woke up next to Marissa and sat up casually. They had an amazing night together, making love multiple times, just like they did 10 years ago. He didn''t know what had gotten into Marissa, but he was once again defeated by her. Even after the way she used him and threw him aside all those years ago, he still couldn''t resist her.


    He wanted to ask her what happened, but he was afraid of her answer. He was afraid that it had something to do with Emerson. So, in order to protect himself, he said something that he would forever regret. "Were you using me to practice for Emerson? If you want to practice again in the future, I''m always available," he said with a sleazy smile. "After all, we live under the same roof..."


    Marissa looked at the man in disbelief. For some reason, these words really hurt her. Sure, it was because of Emerson that she tried to make Danson acknowledge her beauty, but when they took things to the next level, Emerson had completely left her mind. All she was thinking about was the night from 10 years ago and the happy moments she shared with Danson when they were dating each other. She had almost forgotten about that time, like it was from another life. But, as the man kissed her and held her in his arms, she realized how much she missed it - how much she missed him. But, it seemed, Danson had long forgotten about her, and she was just another one of his flings.


    Feeling a little offended, Marissa climbed out of bed and shook her head. "No, it wasn''t because of Emerson. Things are over with Emerson, he''s married to Haili Feng now...But, last night was a mistake, just like 10 years ago. I will never make that mistake again. When we get back to Hong Kong, I am going to take myself out of your life. I will sell the Qian Family Home and business. If you want, you can buy them off me. I will take the money and move overseas and you will never see me again," Marissa said decisively. She then grabbed her clothes and returned to her bedroom to pack her luggage.


    Meanwhile, Danson punched the bed with regret. Why did he say something like that? They obviously shared a great night together. Now...he had forced her to leave his life forever...


    ...


    Over in an apartment not too far away, a newlywed couple were still entangled in each other''s arms.


    From the moment they returned from their dinner the previous night, they had not been able to take their hands off each other. In fact, the sun was already up and they still hadn''t had any sleep.


    "Are you ready for another round?" Jackson asked seductively in Halia''s ear.


    Halia nodded with desire and reached her hand over to the bedside table. But, while she kissed her husband and fumbled around with her hand, she suddenly opened her eyes and froze. "We ran out..." she said as she looked at the bedside table.


    Jackson paused and looked at his wife''s hand. She was reaching for a condom, but there were none left. He mentally slapped himself. He prepared so much for the wedding and the dinner, but he forgot to prepare for the activities afterwards. Then again, he didn''t expect to use so many in one night.


    Jackson quickly sat up and said, "Wait for me, I''ll go buy more."


    But, to his surprise, his wife suddenly pulled him back. "Lily said something interesting last night..." Halia whispered shyly.


    Jackson looked at his wife with curiosity.


    "She said that fertility declines with age and the risk of complications will increase," she continued suggestively. "I''ve always wanted, at least, three children..."


    Jackson narrowed his eyes and smiled. He knew what his wife was trying to say. "I want more than three," he said as he pulled his wife close to his body and made love to her again.


    ...


    That night, Danson and Marissa arrived at the airport for their flight back to Hong Kong. From the moment they left the hotel to the moment that they arrived at the waiting lounge, they did not say a word to each other.


    Danson was still wallowing in regret and Marissa was still upset about what he had said to her.


    She was so upset that she didn''t even notice a familiar figure approach her.


    "Marissa, Danson, are you both flying back to Hong Kong today?" the man asked.


    Marissa and Danson recognized the voice and quickly lifted their heads.


    "Emerson? What are you doing here?" Marissa asked.


    "I''m heading home too," Emerson replied indifferently as he sat down.


    Marissa furrowed her brows with confusion and looked around. Emerson appeared to be by himself, "Are you flying back on your own? Where''s Haili Feng?"


    Emerson raised an eyebrow, "Haili lives in Beijing, why would she be flying to Hong Kong with me?"


    Danson lifted his head with interest. "Aren''t the two of you married?"

 Chapter 263 - Perhaps...

    Emerson looked at the man with amus.e.m.e.nt, "Married? I''m not married. Where did you hear that from?"


    Danson raised his eyebrows with interest, "Marissa told me..."


    Danson glanced at Marissa but realized she wasn''t paying attention; her mind seemed to be elsewhere.


    With a slight nudge, he asked, "Did you hear that? He said he''s not married."


    Marissa snapped out of her daze and looked at Emerson with surprise, "You''re not married to Haili? Anna said she saw her in a wedding dress last night and she was with your family..."


    "You''ve made a mistake," Emerson laughed, "Haili married my brother..."


    "Your brother?!" Marissa asked in surprise. This was all very confusing. Emerson''s brother suddenly turned up in Macau one day with a beautiful French woman, claiming that she was his girlfriend. How did he end up marrying Haili Feng instead?


    At this time, Danson smirked and said suggestively, "I guess last night really was a mistake..."


    Marissa looked at Danson. On the surface, he seemed to be commenting on the wedding, but deep down, she knew there was a deeper meaning to his words.


    Obviously...he wasn''t referring to Emerson and Haili, but to him and her.


    For some reason, these words made her heart hurt a little.


    "I guess you still have a chance. I won''t be a third wheel," Danson whispered beside Marissa''s ear. He then stood up and began to walk away, "I''m going to go grab a coffee. You two chat."


    Marissa watched as Danson disappeared around the corner as though nothing had happened between them the night before. "I still can''t believe he''s your stepson," Emerson said after Danson was gone.


    Marissa continued to stare at the direction that Danson left without responding to Emerson. She felt troubled and frustrated by Danson''s response. All of a sudden, she stood up and said, "I need to get a coffee too." She then started chasing after Danson.


    Emerson watched the woman with confusion. In 15 years, this was the first time Marissa had completely ignored him when he was talking to her. Did something happen?


    Meanwhile, Marissa turned the corner, caught up to Danson and grabbed his arm, "I told you...I didn''t sleep with you last night because of Emerson."


    Danson smirked and brushed the woman''s hand away, "That doesn''t change the fact that it was a mistake. Just like 10 years ago..."


    Marissa was caught off guard by this comment. He was repeating what she had said that morning. But, she had said that out of anger, she didn''t mean it.


    "I didn''t..." Marissa wanted to explain herself, but she didn''t know what to say. If it wasn''t a mistake, did that mean it was right? Did she actually enjoy it? Was she allowed to enjoy it? Did that mean she had feelings for Danson? That couldn''t be...What about Emerson?


    A million questions ran through Marissa''s mind.


    But...Danson was technically her stepson. Even though her marriage to his father was practically fake, it was an agreement that only she and the dead man knew about.


    There were too many complications.


    Danson didn''t care what the woman had to say. This woman had played around with his feelings enough and he didn''t want to get hurt. So, before she figured out what she wanted to say, he stormed off impatiently. "After we return to Hong Kong, do what you want, take all the money you need, and leave. Let''s never meet again," he said between gritted teeth.


    Let''s never meet again...


    10 years ago, these were the same words he said to her...


    As Marissa watched Danson walk away, she once again remembered the night from 10 years ago.  She remembered the pain in his voice and the helplessness in his eyes as he told her he loved her. Ever since she began to piece back memories from that night, her heart ached whenever she was around Danson. And as he repeated the same line from 10 years ago, her heart completely shattered. Because she knew, just like 10 years ago, he meant it when he said to never meet again. If she hadn''t forced her way back into his life and become his stepmother, they would have really never met again.


    Marissa held her hand to her chest as a tear rolled out from the corner of her eye. All this time, she thought she was uncomfortable around Danson because she disliked him; she thought her heart raced because she was afraid of him; she thought she stuck around solely for the inheritance and for Emerson...but only now did she realize...perhaps, she didn''t understand her own feelings...


    Perhaps, 11 years ago, when he asked her to be his girlfriend, she was already moved by his actions. Perhaps, 10 years ago, when he told her he loved her, she had already fallen in love with him. Perhaps, she gave birth to his child because she wanted to remember him. Perhaps, when she discovered he was the son of Donald, she actually wanted to reunite with him.


    Perhaps...she had been too young and stubborn to realize all this until now.


    But...it was too late...


    She had already made things too complicated and forced him to hate her. After everything she had done, he would never love her again like he once did...


    He couldn''t...


    Danson received his coffee at that moment and sipped on it quietly as he stared out the window at the planes on the tarmac. His heart hurt. Even though he put on a front around people, even though he tried to hurt her back and push her away...he was the one that was hurting the most.


    At that moment, Emerson appeared next to him and asked, "Did something happen between you and Marissa?"


    Danson glanced at the man. Emerson was once his best friend, but after what happened with Marissa all those years ago, they had barely spoken to each other again.


    "Didn''t you already hear what she said earlier? She misunderstood and thought you were married..." Danson replied in a slightly annoyed tone.


    Emerson laughed and shook his head, "I''m not talking about yesterday. I''m talking about 10 years ago..."


    Emerson paused for a second as he waited for Danson to realize what he was trying to say.


    "What happened back then?" Emerson asked carefully. "Did our friendship fall apart because of Marissa...?"


    Danson looked at his old friend in surprise, "How long have you known?"

 Chapter 264 - Honeymoon

    "I''m not stupid," Emerson said with a slight chuckle. "When our friendship suddenly fell apart all those years ago, I knew something must have happened between you and Marissa. I could sense it."


    Danson looked out the window and laughed. He thought he hid it well


    "At first, I planned to give you some space and I thought you''d eventually talk to me about what happened. Who knew you''d end up avoiding me for 10 years!" Emerson sighed.


    He then hesitated for a second before asking something that he always wanted to know, "The two of you dated, didn''t you...?"


    "Did you...break up because of me?"


    Danson almost choked on his drink when he heard this. How did Emerson know so much?


    "I can tell from your reaction that it''s a yes," Emerson said as he looked out the window. "I can also tell that you''re not over her..."


    Danson did not respond. He couldn''t deny that Emerson was right, but he wasn''t a good liar, so he pretended to ignore the man instead.


    "You can probably tell by now that I''m a very observant person..." Emerson continued the conversation on his own.


    If Danson was over her, there was no reason why Danson still avoided him and ignored him.


    At that moment, Marissa spotted the two men and began to approach them.


    Just as she got close enough to hear their conversation, she heard Emerson say, "Would you believe me if I told you that Marissa likes you too?"


    Marissa stopped in her tracks. When did Emerson notice this?


    "She''s been pursuing me all these years because of her stubbornness, not because she truly likes me. She''s never liked me. If she liked me, she would have taken the time to properly understand me. All these years, we''ve never even sat down and had a proper meaningful conversation. But, I can tell that things are different between the two of you. Even in high school, you talked to her more than I did. That''s why I could never be with her - and I never will."


    Finally, Danson scoffed and replied, "What are you talking about? She has never liked me and I have long stopped liking her. In fact, I hate her. The only reason why I''m still sticking around her is to see you reject her. Seeing her in pain makes me happy. It soothes my soul."


    Marissa heard this and dropped the coffee in her hands in shock. She knew he would never love her again, but she didn''t expect him to hate her this much.


    Danson and Emerson heard the coffee drop and turned to face Marissa in surprise. How long had she been standing there? Did she hear what they had said?


    Marissa awkwardly picked up the coffee cup and forced a smile on her face, "I''m glad to see that the two of you are talking again. I''m sure you have a lot to catch up on. I won''t bother you." As soon as she was done talking, Marissa immediately turned and scurried away.


    Just as she turned, Danson noticed a tear roll down from the corner of Marissa''s eyes. She was upset. Why was she upset? Was it because Emerson said he would never be with her? But, why didn''t he feel as happy as he expected to witness this?


    ...


    Back in the city center, the mood was a lot happier as Halia and her new husband shared dinner with their remaining family. Emerson had to return to Hong Kong since he had already been in Beijing for almost a week, but the rest of the family had just arrived so they weren''t leaving so quickly.


    "So, where are you planning to go for your honeymoon?" Jaclyn asked excitedly, "Why don''t you come to Europe again and drop by to visit me. I''ll be graduating in a few months and I''ve already secured an internship in Munich."


    "Munich?" Aunt Lily asked curiously. "Why didn''t you find something in London? Or even better, why didn''t you just return to Hong Kong?"


    Jaclyn blushed a little, "I have friends in Munich..."


    "Friends?" Aunt Lily probed nosily. "Are you talking about that handsome German man that helped with your rehabilitation? What was his name again? Oh yes, John?"


    John happened to appear in the background of Jaclyn''s video call with her mother once and the handsome German man immediately caught her eye.


    Jaclyn smiled awkwardly, "Yes, John''s a good friend of mine, but I also made other friends while I was in Munich..."


    Jaclyn didn''t know how to tell her mother about Mia. After all, she was very conservative.


    Noticing a slight awkwardness in Jaclyn''s voice, Halia quickly jumped in to save her, "We won''t be returning to Europe for our honeymoon. We''ve discussed our options and decided to visit somewhere more tropical like the Philippines, Malaysia or Indonesia."


    Jaclyn looked at Halia thankfully and said, "Those are great choices!"


    "Yes, since I just completed my mission and Natalie''s wedding is coming up, I''ve already spoken to Captain Tang and he''s agreed to give me leave after I finish writing up a detailed report on the law firm. Sean will also get leave for his honeymoon for the same period of time so neither of us will have to work alone again. It all worked out. We might even meet up during our honeymoons and double-date for a few days," Halia smiled.


    At that moment, Father Feng cut into the conversation, "What about Pumpkin? Will Sean and Natalie take him with them on their honeymoon?"


    He had long treated Pumpkin like his own grandson, so he was naturally concerned.


    "I don''t think they''ll be taking him because he has school," Halia replied.


    Father Feng grinned, "I shall chat to Old Man Shu and see if little Pumpkin can stay with me for a few days."


    Halia saw the excitement in her father''s eyes and glanced at Jackson. They really needed to give him a legitimate grandchild soon.


    Jackson understood and whispered seductively in his wife''s ears, "It doesn''t matter where we are going on our honeymoon...you won''t be getting out of bed..."

 Chapter 265 - How Much Do You Charge?

    The flight back to Hong Kong was quiet. Marissa asked to swap seats with Emerson as soon as they boarded and chose to sit by herself rather than next to Danson. As a gentleman, Emerson agreed. But, he was even more certain of his suspicions. Marissa definitely liked Danson, and it seemed like she finally realized this. If this was Marissa in the past, she would have forced Danson to swap with Emerson so she could sit next to him, but she did not do this today.


    "You should apologize to her, she''s upset with what you said earlier," Emerson said to Danson.


    Danson frowned, "She''s upset because you said you would never be with her. It has nothing to do with me."


    Emerson sighed and shook his head. This man was so clueless.


    "Don''t say I didn''t warn you. If you don''t do something soon, you may lose her forever," Emerson said. An outsider always saw a situation clearer than the people involved and he could tell that the two had reached a turning point.


    Danson scoffed, "Don''t try to give me advice when you just watched the girl of your dreams marry your own brother last night..."


    Emerson''s eyebrow twitched a little at the harsh and defensive comment and sighed again. If this man didn''t want his help, then so be it...


    The flight between Beijing and Hong Kong was roughly 3 hours. By the time the trio landed back in Hong Kong, it was already 10pm.


    The Qian Family''s driver was waiting for Danson and Marissa in the arrivals hall. As soon as he saw the stepmother and stepson, he grabbed their luggage and helped them to the car. "This way please, Madam and Young Master..." he smiled.


    Emerson watched as the two boarded the Mercedes together.


    Even though his relationship with Danson had fallen apart and his relationship with Marissa was awkward, he still thought of them as friends. After all, they shared some great memories from high school.


    "I hope they figure things out..." he whispered to himself.


    He then turned to look for his driver.


    That was when he realized, he forgot to tell his driver that he was returning today. Originally, he was due to return the day before, but because of Halia and Jackson''s marriage, he rescheduled his flight and forgot to mention it to his driver.


    Emerson looked down at his small suitcase and sighed. If he had known earlier, he would have asked Danson and Marissa for a lift, but it was too late now, they had already left. At least, he didn''t have much luggage.


    Analyzing his situation, he knew it was better for him to catch the MTR (Hong Kong metro) than to call his driver and sit around waiting for him, so he pulled out the handle of his suitcase and started dragging it towards the underground station.


    Emerson liked using public transport like a normal person, but his mother had always been protective of him and ensured a driver was always around. Now that she was in prison, he finally had the freedom to do whatever he wanted, even though it was all very foreign for him.


    Emerson looked around. Everyone was walking through the gates of the MTR casually with their octopus cards. He had purchased one once, but he barely used it and it was sitting somewhere at home.


    With slight confusion, he approached the ticket window, "Can I please purchase an octopus card?"


    The service staff looked at the handsome young man and smiled, "Sure. Where are you from? Is this your first time in Hong Kong?"


    Since it was the airport station, it was common to encounter tourists, so the old woman liked to start small talk with them.


    A little embarrassed, Emerson looked at her speechlessly. He was no tourist. He was born and raised in Hong Kong, but he didn''t want to get into the details of his rich and luxurious life, so he decided not to respond.


    "Oh sorry, you don''t speak Cantonese?" the woman asked in English.


    Emerson smiled and simply nodded his head. He then paid for the octopus card and headed for his platform.


    As he reached the gates, he fumbled a little with his wallet and dropped it on the ground.


    Just as he leaned over to pick it up, a long slender hand reached out and picked it up for him.


    "You need to be careful. There are many pickpockets on the metro. You should put your wallet away carefully before boarding," a sweet voice warned in English as she handed him back his wallet.


    Emerson heard the perfectly spoken English and expected to see a foreigner of some sort, but was surprised when he lifted his head and looked into a pair of oriental eyes. The woman that picked up his wallet had a surgical mask and a cap on her head, so only her eyes were exposed, but he could tell that she was of Asian descent.


    "Thank you," he replied thankfully in English as he quickly put his wallet away.


    "You''re welcome," the young woman replied with a smile in her eyes.


    She then pointed to the platforms, "Do you know where you''re going?"


    Emerson nodded, "I am going to The Peak."


    The young woman smiled after confirming that he knew what he was doing and began to walk away. At that moment, her phone rang and she quickly picked it up, "Hello?"


    "I decided to take the metro...Yes, I''m fine...I''ll be back soon. OK, I''ll be careful..." she said on the phone in Cantonese.


    Emerson gathered from what he heard that she was a local. He wasn''t actually a tourist, but he was glad to see a well-spoken and friendly local helping someone that they thought was a tourist. Running his casino, he often heard his guests complain that Hong Kong people were rude and not very friendly. So, he felt fascinated by this woman. If someone like her could work for him, that would be great.


    With this thought, he quickly chased after her but realized she was running for a train.


    In a panic, he tapped on her shoulder just as the doors of the train opened and said when she looked at him, "Miss, can I hire you?"


    The woman looked at him with confusion as she stepped onto the train. What did he mean?


    Emerson knew he didn''t have much time to explain everything, so he blurted, "Can I have your number? How much do you charge?"


    The woman furrowed her brows and slight anger appeared in her eyes. How much did she charge?


    Some of the other passengers looked her up and down and snickered.


    That was when Emerson realized his words sounded a little inappropriate...


    In a panic to explain himself, he quickly jumped onto the train just as the doors closed. But, his suitcase got caught and he stumbled forward, pushing the woman against the other side of the train. Before he knew it, he felt his lips press firmly against hers.


    Even though she was wearing a surgical mask, he could feel the softness of her lips underneath and his heart raced a little...

 Chapter 266 - The Strange Encounter

    The woman opened her eyes wide in shock. This man was so straightforward. Was it because he was from overseas?


    She quickly lifted her hand and slapped Emerson across the face. "You pervert!" she cried out in English.


    Emerson held his cheek in surprise and quickly apologized, "It was an accident, I''m sorry."


    He then turned to the other passengers in the train and said in Cantonese, "It''s all a misunderstanding..."


    The woman looked at Emerson with suspicion, "You speak Cantonese? Are you a local?"


    Emerson forced a smile awkwardly and nodded his head.


    "Why did you lie to me earlier. Were you trying to scam me? Let me warn you, you better get off at the next station or I''m calling the police!" the young woman warned as she pulled out her phone.


    Emerson quickly raised his hands innocently, "I swear, this was all a misunderstanding."


    "I never told you I wasn''t a local. You somehow assumed it," Emerson said.


    "Then why did you speak English to me?" the woman said accusingly.


    "I was only responding to you. I actually thought you weren''t local because you spoke English to me first," Emerson replied.


    The young woman thought back on their initial encounter and realized he was right. "You told the station staff that you speak English and not Cantonese...That''s why I misunderstood..."


    "I was simply embarrassed to tell her I didn''t have an octopus card..."


    The woman furrowed her brows and shook her head, "But that doesn''t explain what you''re doing here and the inappropriate words you said to me."


    She then glanced down at her clothes. She was wearing a black short-sleeved top with a v-neck collar and drawstring center that created a ruched, cropped look. And, on the bottom, she wore a pair of high-waisted dad jeans with a pair of sneakers. The black cap on her head had an iconic tick on it and sat on top of her long wavy milk-tea-colored hair. Even though she had a surgical mask covering her face, the fake eyelashes and eye makeup on her eyes were dazzling.


    "I may be a little revealing, but it''s almost summer and this is what you call fashion. Don''t get any dirty ideas, you pervert!" the young woman frowned as she glared at him.


    Emerson laughed awkwardly, "You''ve really misunderstood. I was in a rush to catch you before you left so I didn''t word my sentences properly."


    He then took a deep breath and stepped back, "Let me start again..."


    "I was impressed by your English and friendliness earlier. You see, I work in the service industry and I''ve been looking for people like you to work for me for a long time. So, I honestly had a legitimate job offer for you. It just came out sounding a little inappropriate. That was completely my fault," Emerson said as he raised his hands, admitting he was wrong.


    The woman eyed the man in front of her from head to toe. He was neatly shaven, his hair was tidy, and he was wearing a white collared shirt with a pair of grey business pants and black loafers. He did look like a young businessman.


    Choosing to believe him, she cleared her throat and said, "Well...I already have a job so I''ll have to reject your offer. Also, I don''t work for money, I work for passion, so don''t try to ask me how much I charge again."


    Emerson laughed awkwardly and breathed a sigh of relief. "That''s a shame, but I''m glad we cleared our misunderstanding."


    Just as he finished talking, the train came to a stop and everyone stood up to leave.


    Emerson looked around in confusion. They had only been on the train for less than 5 minutes but it had already reached a terminating station.


    "Where are we?" he asked.


    "AsiaWorld Expo," the woman replied.


    The AsiaWorld Expo was one of the major convention and exhibition centers in Hong Kong and it was located close to the airport.


    Emerson followed the woman off the train. "Are you here for an event?" he asked curiously.


    The young woman nodded her head. "Yes, I''m originally from Hong Kong, but I''ve been working and studying overseas for a few years. This time, I''m only visiting briefly for an event."


    She then pointed toward some stairs. "You will have to catch a train in the other direction to get back to where you need to be," she explained.


    Emerson nodded his head thankfully as he glanced at the stairs. But, just as he turned back to thank the woman, he looked around in confusion and realized she was already gone.


    Was she a ghost? How did she come and go so quickly?


    He quickly glanced towards the gate, hoping to find her. As luck had it, he spotted her long wavy hair in the distance and tried to call out to her, but that was when he realized he didn''t even know her name.


    As he stood there with his mouth open, no words came out.


    Before he knew it, the woman exited the station and disappeared right in front of him. Somehow, he felt a little disappointed.


    Emerson subconsciously touched his lips and furrowed his brows. What a strange encounter...


    ...


    Over on the other side of Hong Kong, Danson and Marissa sat quietly inside their luxurious Mercedes as the driver peered at them through the rearview mirror. The stepmother and stepson had always been at odds and he often witnessed them arguing or insulting each other, but today, the car was oddly quiet.


    Did something happen while they were in Beijing?


    "I''ve already called an auctioneer to come place a value on the house tomorrow. My offer still stands. If you want to buy it, I will give you first dibs," Marissa finally said, breaking the silence.


    "Where will you live if you sell the house? And what about the company? My father entrusted you with it. You''re not really selling it as well, are you?" Danson asked.


    "If you want, you can buy it as well. If not, I will keep the ownership and lease it out to someone. Either way, I don''t want to stay around here anymore," Marissa said.


    She had promised Donald that she would keep the company in the Qian Family''s hands, so she realized she couldn''t sell it to an outsider. She could either sell it to Danson or lease it until her son grew old enough to take over.


    "Emerson''s not even married. Why are you doing this?" Danson said with frustration.


    Marissa glared at the man and turned to look out the window, "Do you really not know...?"

 Chapter 267 - The Child

    "Is it because of what happened between us?" Danson asked secretively as he glanced at the driver to make sure he wasn''t listening.


    The driver quickly cleared his throat and focused on the road.


    "We''re both a.d.u.l.ts. Why are you making such a big fuss?" Danson asked in a quiet voice.


    Marissa continued to look out the window and laughed at herself in ridicule, "Yes, we''re both a.d.u.l.ts. I guess it was too childish of me to think that there was actually something between us."


    "Something between us? You''re the one that''s been obsessed with Emerson all these years..."


    The car fell silent again. The tension between the two could not be resolved.


    Just before the car pulled up at the Qian Family Home, Danson said one last thing, "Fine, I''ll buy the company off you. You can sell the house, I don''t want it...Do what you want. I don''t care."


    Marissa smiled helplessly as she stepped out of the car. It was clear that this man wanted nothing to do with her. Since he wasn''t holding her back, she had no reason to stick around shamelessly.


    The best thing for her to do now was to sell everything and start a new life with her son.


    So, even though it was already 11pm at night, she packed her things and decided she couldn''t live under the same roof as Danson for another night. As she walked out the door, she said, "My lawyer will contact you tomorrow about the company. As for the house, the auctioneer will come by tomorrow to put a value on the place and arrange an auction date. I will give you one month to move out. Since everything in the house belonged to your father, I won''t be taking any of it with me, you can keep it, sell it, throw it out...whatever..."


    Danson frowned but he did not say a word. There was no reason to hold onto someone that only brought him endless pain...


    ...


    Everything progressed quickly. The lawyers met with Danson the next day and went over the paperwork for his father''s PR company, and within a few days, the company was officially returned into his hands.


    At this time, Danson''s mother received news of what was happening and began to investigate Marissa. It was suspicious for this woman to sell everything within a week after her ex-husband''s will was finalized. And even stranger, she left the country in a hurry.


    Of course, she had no idea about Marissa''s relationship with Danson so she came to look for her son. "Why did you buy the company from her. It was originally yours anyway. She never deserved it. She scammed your father," Marcia Zhe complained.


    "Mom, it doesn''t matter if she was genuine or not. If you look at the company''s growth over the past few years, it''s clear that we would have gone bankrupt already without her," Danson explained. "Just let her go..."


    "But, Danson! She''s such a liar!" At that moment, Danson''s mother pulled out a folder. "I hired a private investigator to follow her and look what I discovered."


    As she placed the folder on the desk a photo slipped out.


    Danson picked it up and saw a picture of Marissa walking down the street, holding hands with a little boy.


    "Marissa''s parents migrated to Singapore not long after she got married to your father. At that time, no one thought anything strange about it. But, after my investigation, I realized why they did it: they''ve been hiding this child," Marcia frowned as she tapped her finger on the photo.


    "Who''s this child? Why are they hiding him?" Danson asked.


    "That child is Marissa''s son! She scammed your father so she could use the money to support that child!" Marcia accused. "She''s been sending her parents money every month to pay for the child''s expenses and now she''s run off to Singapore to join him."


    "Marissa''s son?" Danson questioned. He looked at the photo again. Judging by the height of the child, he looked roughly 9-10 years old.


    At that moment, there was knock on Danson''s door. "I called Lawyer Meng here for advice," Marcia said. "What do you think Lawyer Meng? I sent you what we discovered. Can we sue her?"


    Morton approached the mother and son and shook his head, "Mr. Qian knew about the child..."


    Marcia looked at the lawyer in shock, "He knew about the child?!"


    Morton nodded, "He said that if anyone questioned the existence of the child, I should just tell them that he knew and for them to leave it. It will not affect Mrs. Qian''s inheritance and she cannot be sued for it. He knew about the child before he married her."


    His father knew about the child and kept it a secret for Marissa. Why? Danson continued to stare at the photo and had an odd feeling in his heart. Then without a word, he rushed out and jumped into his car. There was one person that definitely knew the answer.


    After a short drive, Danson stopped across the road from a small public park.


    Sitting in the middle were a bunch of old people playing chess.


    He walked straight up to the old people and spotted the person he was looking for sitting in the middle. "Uncle Wei!" he called.


    An old man looked at him with a friendly smile. "Young Master," he said.


    He then excused himself from his chess game and walked calmly over to Danson. "I heard you''ve taken over your father''s company. He would be proud if he knew."


    Uncle Wei had been the personal assistant of Danson''s father for over 40 years and he only retired after his father''s death. These days, he spent most of his time playing chess in the park, so Danson had a feeling he would be here.


    "Uncle Wei, there''s something I want to ask you," Danson said straightforwardly.


    Uncle Wei looked at the young man with curiosity. "What is it?" he asked.


    Danson pulled out the photo from earlier and showed it to the old man, "Who is this child?"


    Uncle Wei glanced at the photo of Marissa and her son and looked into Danson''s eyes. The anxiousness in his eyes showed that he already suspected something. "I think...you already know..." the old man said slowly.


    Danson''s eyes opened wide with disbelief. He originally dismissed his suspicions because they seemed too farfetched to be true, but the old man''s response suddenly made anything seem possible. So, he took a deep breath and hesitated for a second before he asked with a slightly trembling voice, "Is this my son?"

 Chapter 268 - Old Friend

    Emerson was in the middle of inspecting the casino when he suddenly received a phone call from a number he hadn''t seen for a long time. He was a little surprised when he saw the name, ''Danson'', pop up on his screen. "I can''t believe he''s still using the same number," Emerson whispered to himself.


    All these years, even though he had lost touch with Danson, he never deleted his phone number from his phone; he even copied it over to every new phone he got.


    Perhaps...he was secretly hoping that his old friend would contact him again one day. Who knew this day would actually come...


    Emerson picked up the phone with curiosity and asked, "Why are you calling Mr. Qian?"


    On the other end of the phone, Danson hesitated for a moment before he said, "I need your help."


    Emerson was surprised by how straightforward this man was. He usually looked cold and arrogant, but he actually put his pride aside today and directly asked for help.


    "What do you need?" Emerson asked. He wasn''t agreeing nor rejecting the man until he knew the situation.


    "I need to step away from the country for a bit. I''m not sure how long it will take. Can you help me run my company while I''m gone? I will compensate you for it," Danson asked.


    Emerson laughed, "Mr. Qian, I have an entire casino to run. How will I have time to help you? Besides, don''t you have anyone else to ask?"


    "You won''t have to do much. You simply need to be there for a few meetings and just to make sure the employees aren''t slacking off. My personal assistant will be sending me important doc.u.ments to sign and keeping me updated on most things. I just need your help with anything I can''t attend in person. To be honest...you''re the only person I can trust," Danson said.


    "Me? We''ve barely talked in 10 years..." Emerson scoffed.


    "I know..." Danson said. "But, I also know that you haven''t changed in these 10 years."


    Emerson heard the seriousness in Danson''s voice, "Why are you suddenly leaving the country? Is it an emergency?"


    Danson fell silent for a short moment. He was planning to fly to Singapore to look for Marissa and his son, but he didn''t want anyone to know about it. After all, what would people say if they knew he had a child with his stepmother?


    Ever since he found out about his son that morning, his mind had been a mess. Why didn''t Marissa tell him earlier? Why didn''t his father tell him? Was this why his father married Marissa? A million questions ran through his mind.


    He sat in the park for a long time trying to gather his thoughts, but it was hard to deal with the news all on his own. He was desperate to talk to someone; to find someone to confide in. But, he had no trustworthy friends. Everyone he knew, simply hung around him because of his status and money.


    "I heard Marissa left the country. Are you going to find her?" Emerson guessed.


    Danson could sense that Emerson was genuinely concerned about him and felt slightly emotional. All of a sudden, he felt like they were back in high school; like nothing had changed and they were still best friends.


    "Ems..." Danson said.


    This was a nickname that Danson used to use for his best friend. Ever since 10 years ago, no one had called him that again. It sounded affectionate and nostalgic. "What is it old friend?" Emerson replied caringly.


    Danson felt a lump in his throat, he finally felt like he had someone to talk to. He had missed this friend, "I messed up this time. I really messed up..." he said.


    "What happened?" Emerson asked patiently.


    "Marissa has a son..." Danson said.


    "A son?" Emerson repeated.


    "Yes," Danson confirmed before he paused for a moment.


    He then swallowed and said, "That son is mine..."


    ...


    At this time, over in Guiyang City, guests were gathering and decorations were beginning to go up for one of the biggest weddings of the year.


    The wedding of Sean and Natalie was happening the next day and everyone was both relieved and excited.


    "We did it!" Natalie said to Sean as she checked the venue of their wedding one last time. "We actually organized everything in one month. I can''t believe it!"


    Sean hugged his fiancee. "A lot of it was thanks to family and friends. We really need to treat them properly after the wedding."


    Natalie nodded in agreement before she checked her watch, "Haili and Jackson should be arriving at any time now. Let''s hurry back to Haili''s home for dinner."


    Sean nodded and walked out holding tightly to his fiancee''s hand.


    When they arrived at the Feng Family Home, Pumpkin came running up to them. He had been spending the day with Father Feng and he was excited to show off what he had helped cook for dinner. "Daddy! Come, look what I made!" the little boy chuckled excitedly as he grabbed Sean away from Natalie.


    Natalie sighed. Ever since the little brat accepted this new Daddy, he had practically forgotten about his Mommy.


    Sean saw the look on Natalie''s face and laughed helplessly.


    But, Natalie was not upset. She was glad that her son finally had a father.


    "This is steamed egg with tofu," Pumpkin said as he pointed to a dish. "I cracked the eggs and whisked it!! Grandpa Feng said I did really well. It''s SUPER DUPER smooth!"


    Sean looked at the eggs and smiled, "You could be a chef when you grow up!"


    Pumpkin quickly shook his head, "Food is just my hobby. My real passion is to help people! I want to be a doctor when I grow up!"


    Sean smiled proudly at the child, "If that''s what you want, you can do anything you put your mind to." The little boy was only 5-years-old and children were ever-changing; who knew what his ''passion'' would be next week. But, Sean supported him nonetheless. "You can speak to your Auntie Haili later. She was a nurse at the hospital once..." Sean chuckled a little as he thought about Halia''s first mission at the hospital.


    Just as he was thinking about Halia, the front door to the Feng Family Home opened and she walked in with her husband. Sean couldn''t make it back to Beijing to see them sign their marriage papers, so this was the first time seeing them as husband and wife and he was really happy for them.


    "Sean," Halia smiled as soon as she saw her handler. She immediately ran over and gave him a hug. There was a warmth to their hug, like a brother and sister reuniting after a month.

 Chapter 269 - I Do Too!

    The next day, everyone woke up nice and early for Sean and Natalie''s wedding. It was a grand, but intimate wedding, and because it was so rushed, they decided not to have any bridesmaids and groomsmen. Only Little Pumpkin served as a page boy, and he held onto the wedding rings proudly as he stood beside the couple.


    The wedding ceremony was held in the garden of the same hotel where their reception was to be held afterwards. Beautiful palm trees lined the sides of the garden and fresh spring flowers were blooming. The couple stood in front of a floral arch, decorated with soft pink roses and held each other''s hands nervously as the wedding celebrant began to talk.


    "We are gathered here today, to witness the wedding of a beautiful couple that fate has brought together..."


    Halia watched as her best friend stood beautifully in her wedding gown and couldn''t help but feel a little emotional. She finally understood why Natalie got a little teary when she and Jackson were signing their marriage papers. "I''m so proud of her," Halia whispered to Jackson as she held tightly to his hand. "She''s gone through so many struggles to get to where she is today. I''m so happy. Sean will definitely treat her well and she will finally have the loving family that she deserves."


    Jackson smiled, "But she''s always had a loving family..."


    He then pointed to Natalie''s parents, Jeremy''s parents, and Halia''s father, who were all sitting in the front row, dabbing their eyes with tissues. Halia laughed. That was true, after all, who had 5 loving parents? She then glanced at Sean''s parents who were also dabbing their eyes. To be exact, she was about to have 7!


    Halia felt happy for her friend, "That''s true, after all, she has 7 parents."


    "7?" Jackson asked.


    Halia pointed to Sean''s parents and Jackson laughed.


    Soon, Natalie and Sean exchanged their vows and Little Pumpkin handed them their rings.


    "I do," Sean smiled.


    "I do," Natalie also smiled.


    Everyone felt emotional and quite a few tears of joy were shed.


    As the couple helped each other put on their wedding rings, Pumpkin jumped up and said, "I do too!"


    Everyone quickly wiped away their tears and erupted in laughter. Children always had a way to lighten the mood.


    "Now kiss already!" the little boy added before the marriage celebrant announced that the groom could kiss his bride.


    Natalie looked at her son in surprise. Where did he learn this from? But, before she got to question the little boy, Sean pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips firmly against hers.


    Pumpkin quickly covered his eyes and smiled.


    Soon after the ceremony, everyone piled into the hotel for the wedding reception. The reception was just as intimate and beautiful as the ceremony. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, pink roses decorated each table, and dried ice created a smoky effect on the dancefloor.


    Halia looked around in amazement, "This is beautiful."


    Jackson smiled and felt a little bad that he hadn''t given Halia a wedding yet. Sure, they had signed their papers and shared a dinner with family, but he knew every woman dreamed about a fairytale wedding and he still intended on giving it to Halia, he just needed some time to organize it. "Don''t worry, your wedding will be just as beautiful," he whispered.


    Halia smiled and shook her head, "I''m already happy to have married you. I don''t need a wedding."


    Jackson patted his wife dotingly on the head, "But, I want one. I don''t want you to miss out on anything that other women get."


    At that moment, a beautiful melody echoed across the intimate banquet hall and the lights turned off. A spotlight turned on and Natalie and Sean were seen standing in the middle of the dancefloor, gliding gracefully to the music. It was their first dance.


    Natalie was like a princess and Sean was like her prince. The scene was very romantic and Halia couldn''t help but admire the two.


    Just as the dance came to an end, the next song started playing, and the couple invited everyone else to the dancefloor.


    At that moment, Jackson stretched out his hand and said, "May I have this dance?"


    Halia looked at her handsome husband and nodded her head, "Of course."


    As she and Jackson danced beside Natalie and Sean, Halia glanced at her best friend and smiled. It felt like only yesterday that they were still in primary school playing with dolls and dreaming about being princesses. Now, they had both grown up, found their Prince Charming and were married.


    ...


    Back in Hong Kong, Emerson was scratching his head as he looked at a file in front of him.


    Danson had left for Singapore that morning and left his PR company in his hands.


    Originally, he wanted to reject Danson''s request to help him. But, when he heard that Marissa gave birth to Danson''s son, his heart softened and he decided to help out his old friend. After all, who else could help him while keeping such a big secret under wraps?


    Danson had assured him that he wouldn''t need to do much apart from attending a few meetings and turning up at the company every few days. But, right off the bat, he told him that there was an urgent meeting with an idol girl group member from Korea the next day. Supposedly, the girl group was holding a series of concerts in Hong Kong and Danson''s company was managing their publicity while they were there, but one of the members was caught in a scandal.


    Idols? Girl groups? Scandals? These were all foreign concepts to the low-key and aloof Emerson.


    He glanced at the girl group name: Macaron. There were 7 members in the group and the one he was meeting tomorrow was called, Avaleigh Song; a 24-year-old woman that was originally from Hong Kong.


    "Well, at least I don''t need an interpreter," Emerson said to himself as he glanced at a photo of the woman.


    But, as he stared at her, he felt a sense of familiarity like he had seen her before.


    Especially her eyes...


    Had they met before?

 Chapter 270 - I Am Your Father

    By the time Danson arrived in Singapore, it was already 7pm in the evening. He never told his mother what was going on, but he did get the contact details of her private investigator and managed to get Marissa''s Singapore address from him.


    Of course, he arrived unannounced and Marissa had no idea he had come to look for her, so when there was a knock on the door, she walked over to open it unassumingly. When she saw the familiar man standing in the doorway, she froze in shock.


    "What are you doing here?" she asked.


    Danson stared at the woman in front of him. She was his first love; the first woman he had opened his heart to. Even though she took his heart and shattered it, he tried to hate her, but it only made it harder for him to forget her. When they met again, he convinced himself he was only interested in seeing her humiliate herself and fail, but he unknowingly ended up watching over her and protecting her. He went with her to events to make sure she didn''t get too drunk, he kept quiet when she did things to get close to Emerson, and he returned to the PR agency to help out when he previously didn''t care.


    Even though he didn''t want to admit it, there was no denying that he still loved her. He had always loved her.


    So, without saying a word, he stepped forward, pulled the woman into his arms and kissed her deeply on the lips. He had already made the decision to fly here so he wasn''t denying his feelings anymore. If worse came to worst, he would only have his heart broken again. It was no big deal; he survived it once and he could survive it again.


    Marissa''s heart almost exploded with emotions when the man suddenly kissed her. She didn''t expect him to show up, and she didn''t know why he showed up, but his kiss felt so right. Ever since she realized her feelings for this man, she had hated herself for not realizing earlier. She blamed herself for being immature and clueless; for letting the love of her life slip away when he was standing right in front of her all this time. In fact, for the past week, she had been reminiscing on her days with Danson and found herself missing him. People often said that ''you don''t know what you''ve got until it''s gone,'' and in Marissa''s case, it was true.


    So, before she knew it, she began to kiss him back. She had almost lost him twice. The first time she lost him, she was too immature to understand her feelings. She thought she was sad because Danson had ''r.a.p.ed'' her, but she was actually sad because she thought he slept with her for revenge. If she truly hated him, she wouldn''t have given birth to his son. Even back then, her heart had already given her the answer, but she refused to listen. When they reunited again, she thought she was happy because she could finally get back at him. She could claim all his inheritance for herself and make him watch as she ended up with Emerson. But, when she lost him for the second time, everything was clear as day. She never loved Emerson, she only wanted to prove that she could get what everyone said she couldn''t get. But, deep down, her heart had unknowingly gone to Danson. So, this time, she knew she couldn''t lose him again.


    "I didn''t sleep with you because I was drunk or because of Emerson. I slept with you because I loved you. I''ve always loved you," Marissa whispered between kisses.


    Danson smiled and continued to kiss the woman, "I know..."


    Just as Marissa began to wonder what Danson meant by this response, a voice yelled behind the two, "Ewww! Mom, what are you doing?"


    Marissa immediately stopped and turned around to look at the young boy standing in the hallway behind them. She quickly nudged Danson away and cleared her throat awkwardly, "Get back inside, dinner''s about to start."


    The boy glared at Danson and obediently returned inside the apartment.


    At that moment, Marissa realized Danson had heard the boy call her ''Mom''. Her heart raced as she looked at him. How was she supposed to explain this?


    But, before she said a word, Danson began to walk into the apartment uninvited, "Just in time, I haven''t had dinner either, Mom..."


    Marissa cringed at this word. That was right, she was technically still his stepmother. She then looked at him in confusion as he walked over to the dining table and made himself at home. Wasn''t he going to ask her about the little boy?


    Marissa''s parents were also in the apartment and they were in the middle of laying dishes on the dining table when Danson walked in. They immediately recognized him. They had met at Marissa and Donald''s wedding. He was Donald''s son. What was he doing here?


    "Danson..." Marissa''s mother gasped.


    "Sorry to turn up unannounced. I assume I''m welcome here, right? We''re ''family'', after all," Danson said.


    Marissa''s father glanced at Danson and then glanced at the little boy that was sitting opposite him. No one was supposed to find out about Marissa''s biological son. Was Danson here to blackmail them?


    He immediately forced a smile on his face, "Of course, you''re welcome, I''ll go grab you a bowl and chopsticks."


    As everyone sat at the table and began to eat, there was an extremely awkward silence. The only sound that could be heard was an intermittent shooting sound coming from a phone in the little boy''s hands.


    "Daniel, put the phone away and eat first," Marissa demanded.


    The boy glanced at his mother with an attitude and continued to play. In fact, he even turned the volume up in an annoyed manner. After all, he had just witnessed his mother kissing a stranger and that stranger was now joining them for dinner. He was young, but he had begun to understand what his mother was doing in Hong Kong. She had supposedly married an old man for money and she only reunited with him in Singapore now because the old man died. Was this stranger her new financial support?


    Danson glared at the little boy as he ignored his mother. What an attitude!


    The next second, he reached his hand across the table and grabbed the phone out of the child''s hand.


    Daniel looked up in surprise and his eyes met with the intimidatingly cold Danson.


    "You heard your mother. Eat first," Danson said calmly.


    The little boy was frightened, but still said, "Who do you think you are? Now give me back my phone."


    This time, Danson did not hold back. His gaze turned dark and his voice was powerful, "I am your father...now eat!"


    Everyone looked at Danson in shock.

 Chapter 271 - The Accident On The Metro

    The little boy trembled as he picked up his chopsticks. The stranger opposite him was authoritative and intimidating. He had never met anyone this scary in his life.


    In his early years, Daniel lived with his mother and she had tried her best to teach him manners and etiquette, but ever since she left him with her parents and they migrated to Singapore together, the grandparents spoiled their grandson and he had developed quite an attitude.


    The little boy picked at the dishes on the table, brushing aside the vegetables and only grabbing the meat. Danson watched this and furrowed his brows. Stretching his chopsticks across the table, he grabbed a bunch of water spinach and placed it in the boy''s bowl. He then grabbed a few pieces of carrot and broccoli and added it on top. "Eat it!" he demanded.


    The boy screwed up his nose with disgust but did as told. He did not dare to argue with this scary man.


    Meanwhile, Marissa and her parents watched in shock. Firstly, they were shocked that he claimed to be the child''s father. Secondly, they were shocked that the child listened to him.


    Marissa had never told her parents who the father of her son was, so the two elders were extremely confused. Father? If anything, Danson was technically Daniel''s stepbrother, right?


    Marissa''s mother looked at her and gently kicked her foot, "What''s going on?"


    Marissa took a deep breath awkwardly. She didn''t know what was going on either. Why did Danson suddenly show up? And why did it seem like he knew something?


    At that moment, Danson wrapped an arm around Marissa''s shoulder and said, "Marissa and I dated back in high school and...she gave birth to my son. I''m here to take responsibility for both of them."


    He then pointed at the little boy that was sitting across from him.


    Marissa glanced at Danson in surprise. How did he find out?


    Marissa''s father immediately slammed his hands on the table and stood up, "That''s ridiculous! What nonsense are you spouting? Lucy, take the Young Master to his room. We have something to discuss!"


    Lucy was Daniel''s nanny as well as the family''s domestic helper. Seeing the drama that was unfolding, she immediately grabbed Daniel''s hand and led him into his bedroom.


    "You''re her stepson! What are you talking about? What will people say?" Marissa''s father growled after the child was gone.


    "I don''t care what people say. I am telling the truth. I met her first. It wasn''t like we cheated. Besides, my father''s already dead," Danson replied.


    "What kind of messed up relationship have you created, Marissa?" Marissa''s mother exclaimed in disgust. "Did you knowingly sleep with your son''s grandfather and marry him as well? What kind of sick joke is this?"


    She then stood up and threw a slap across her daughter''s face, "I can''t believe you did something so immoral and disgusting! I know you always hated growing up poor and I know we weren''t always the best parents, but this is too much!"


    Marissa held onto her cheek and glanced helplessly at Danson. Did he also think she was disgusting?


    But, to he surprise, Danson hugged her tighter and gently brushed his finger across her reddened cheek, "Marissa never slept with my father. My father married her so he could legally give her inheritance to pass down to his grandchild without anyone knowing. He knew Daniel was my son and he wanted to protect me. It was my fault for not realizing earlier."


    Marissa looked at Danson emotionally again. How did he know so much?


    Danson noticed the confusion in Marissa''s eyes and smiled reassuringly.


    "Uncle Wei told me everything," he explained as he brushed his hand lovingly through her hair.


    Marissa''s parents looked at the couple in surprise. "Is that true?" Marissa''s father asked.


    A tear creeped out from the corner of Marissa''s eye as she stared at Danson. She then nodded her head, "Yes...it''s all true."


    ...


    While Marissa''s family was coming to terms with a decade of misunderstandings, someone else was dealing with a misunderstanding in Hong Kong.


    Inside the hotel next to the AsiaWorld Expo, a young woman was sitting inside a hotel room as her manager paced back and forth with her phone in her hands.


    "How did this happen, Avaleigh?" the manager asked as she showed a photo to the woman.


    It was a photo taken on the train of Avaleigh kissing a man! From the angle of the camera, the man''s face couldn''t be seen, but Avaleigh''s milk-tea-colored hair and her unique airport fashion easily made her identifiable. The person that posted the photo even attached a photo of her leaving Korea in the exact same clothes for comparison.


    Avaleigh sat casually on the hotel bed and brushed back her hair, "It was an accident. I don''t know that guy. He tripped on the door and fell on me."


    The manager furrowed her brows. "Macaron''s first concert will be in 2 days. You have a stage rehearsal tomorrow, but I want you to speak to our Hong Kong PR agency in the morning first and see what they can do. I''ve already booked an urgent meeting with them. You girls are supposed to be untouchable. Someone that every girl aspires to be and someone that every man wants but can''t get. This photo was only released this morning and your fans are already threatening to refund their concert tickets."


    Avaleigh scoffed, "I''m a human, not a robot. If that''s how they''re like, then they''re not my real fans."


    "You can''t think like that, Ava. You need to think on behalf of all your members. You are the leader. If you get involved with a scandal like this, you can take the entire group down with you. That''s 6 lives, apart from your own, that are in your hands, as well as all the staff and crew that work with you. You know better than anyone how hard you''ve all worked to get here. You can''t afford to make mistakes like this," the manager nagged. "You should have just gone with the car that came to pick you up from the airport. Why did you catch the metro instead?"


    "I''m from Hong Kong, Sue. This is my hometown. I knew the fans would be gathered at the gate and around the car, so I avoided them all by taking the metro. No one even noticed me sneaking past. It was meant to be a flawless plan. The metro only took less than 5 minutes. I didn''t expect an accident to happen, and I especially didn''t expect someone to get a photo," Avaleigh sighed.


    "Did you, at least, get the name of that man? Perhaps, we can find him and get him to explain everything..." Sue said hopefully.


    Avaleigh thought back on the neat and handsome man he met in the metro and shook her head, "No, he was a complete stranger..."

 Chapter 272 - The Photo

    Early in the morning, Emerson arrived at the Qian Family''s PR agency, Magnolia PR. Emerson couldn''t help but laugh at the name as he walked in through the front door. It was a name that Danson''s father and Marissa was often teased about. Danson''s father originally named the place after his first wife''s favorite flower, but as fate had it, they ended up separating and he was stuck with the name. He was often asked about the inspiration behind the name and he always answered awkwardly that it was the favorite flower of his ex-wife; a very awkward topic that, ironically, the boss of a PR agency couldn''t avoid. Fortunately, the agency ended up back in the hands of his ex-wife''s son. Now, when someone asked Danson the inspiration behind the name, he could simply say it was his mother''s favorite flower, saving the agency from more years of ridicule.


    Emerson walked past the guards and front desk and gave them a gentle wave. Danson had already told everyone that Emerson would be the Acting CEO while he wasn''t around, so they weren''t completely surprised to see him when he walked in, but they were still very fl.u.s.tered. After all, Emerson had been a client of the agency for many years and they had seen him before, so they all knew who he was. He was the CEO of Golden Dream Casino, one of the most eligible bachelors in the city. Everyone knew how handsome and charming he was, especially the women.


    As a result, the women in the office were dressed particularly nice that day.


    "Good morning, President Wu," the women greeted. They had always called him that, so even though he was just the Acting CEO of their agency, they still greeted him in the same way. Emerson revealed a charming smile. "Good morning, ladies," he said casually as he headed for Danson''s office.


    The women almost fainted from his charms.


    Emerson was only there for a quick meeting that morning. After that, he would have to drive over to Macau to check on his casino. It was an extremely busy day for him. "Danson better return soon," he complained to himself as he sat down.


    He quickly flipped through the file that Danson gave him again. He only had a brief look the previous night and knew who he was meeting with, but he never followed entertainment news, so he didn''t know how famous his client was and what she was there to see him about. To be honest, he wasn''t really interested.


    He was simply acting as the face of the company.


    Soon, the young woman arrived with her manager and the secretary quickly notified him that they were waiting in the meeting room.


    Emerson nodded his head and stood up. He then walked towards the meeting room.


    Inside the meeting room, Avaleigh was reassuring her manager that everything was going to be OK. She told her to leave the talking to her since she was from Hong Kong and she could converse in Cantonese and her manager unwillingly agreed. After all, they didn''t have time to get an interpreter and her English wasn''t too good.


    Avaleigh and her members had worked with Magnolia PR before, but that was when Donald Qian was still alive. He was always on top of everything and managed to stop rumors and scandals as soon as they started, so they had a lot of faith in their company. But, they had heard that his son had recently taken over, and he didn''t have the best reputation, so they wanted to make sure that something was being done about Avaleigh''s scandal.


    Avaleigh and her manager did not hear the moment when Emerson walked in. All they saw was a tall, handsome figure suddenly pull out a seat opposite them and sit down. The man was calm, dignified, and a little indifferent. "Hello ladies, I know you''ve come because of something urgent. What can I do for you today?"


    Avaleigh was surprised by this greeting. Normally, Donald would already know what was going on and would be explaining a plan to tackle the scandal. Why did this man sound like he had no idea what was happening? Avaleigh lifted her head to look at the man. But...she suddenly froze.


    Emerson stared at the woman. She felt oddly familiar, but he couldn''t quite figure out why.


    Avaleigh, on the other hand, recognized him straight away. She was the man she met on the metro! The man that accidentally kissed her and caused her to be thrown into her current scandal!


    Avaleigh''s manager noticed the two just staring each other and no one was saying a word, so she gave Avaleigh a nudge. Didn''t she say she was doing the talking?


    Avaleigh frowned, "Haven''t you seen the scandal yet?"


    Emerson looked at the woman with confusion. How could he know about the scandal when neither she nor Danson had told him about it yet. But, just as he was about to respond, Danson''s secretary said, "The PR team is already working on it, Miss Song. The President just wants to know if there was anything else he could do to help."


    Danson had asked the secretary to help Emerson and the secretary knew Emerson had been thrown into the deep end without any information so she quickly spoke up. He was simply sitting there as a representative and as a sign of respect to their client. The poor thing had no idea what was going on.


    Emerson quickly got the gist and said, "Yes, we are already working on it."


    At that moment, Avaleigh pulled out her phone, leaned forward, and showed a photo to Emerson. "In that case, how are you planning to explain our kiss?" she asked quietly.


    Emerson glanced down at the phone in confusion. Our kiss? What did she mean?


    Avaleigh''s manager did not understand Cantonese and the secretary did not hear what they said. All they saw was Emerson''s eyes open wide in surprise as he glanced down at the young woman''s phone...


    It was a photo of him kissing the girl he met on the metro...Why was there a photo of it?

 Chapter 273 - Fanboy Emerson

    Emerson looked at the woman in the photo and glanced at the woman in front of him again. That''s when he realized what was happening.


    Emerson''s lips curved upwards slightly, "It''s you..."


    Avaleigh was the woman from the train!


    The scandal she was talking about, was the accidental kiss they shared on the metro.


    He didn''t recognize her at first because she had a mask on the other day, but now that he looked at her properly, he realized why her eyes looked so familiar.


    Avaleigh frowned. Emerson hadn''t introduced himself properly yet and the secretary greeted him as ''President'', so she naturally assumed that he was the infamous playboy, Danson Qian. She had heard about Danson''s flirtatious scandals; he didn''t have a very good image. Thus, she began to wonder whether the kiss really an accident...or did this pervert do it on purpose? If someone was to discover he was the man in the photo, the scandal would be even worse: she would be linked to a playboy with a bad reputation. Worst of all, he was the boss of the PR company she was working with. She couldn''t even argue that he was a stranger. How was she so unlucky?


    "How are you planning to explain the mess you created?" she whispered under her breath.


    Emerson smirked with amus.e.m.e.nt. She almost made it sound like it was all his fault. But then again, the accident wouldn''t have occurred if he didn''t chase her into the train that day so he did feel a little responsible. Now that he thought about it, he actually felt a little happy to see her again. After all, he never caught her name that day and they didn''t exchange contact details. He honestly wanted to hire her that day, but now he understood why she turned down his job offer. The funny thing was, they still ended up working together in the end. How interesting...


    "Have you tried explaining everything in a statement yet?" Danson''s secretary asked.


    Avaleigh furrowed her brows and shook her head, "The entertainment industry is complex. The more you deny something, the more it seems like you''re trying to hide something. I wanted to wait and see if you had any better ideas."


    She then said with disappointment, "Donald and Marissa would have already come up with a foolproof plan by now..."


    At that moment, Emerson spoke up. "If you want, I can find this man for you and get him to release a statement explaining that everything was an accident," Emerson offered.


    Emerson had a good reputation in Hong Kong. He never dated anyone, he was never involved in scandals, and he was a young and successful businessman. If he was to vouch for her, people would believe him.


    But, Avaleigh thought he was Danson, so she immediately refused, "No! I don''t want to be linked to someone like that!"


    Linked to someone like that? Linked to someone like what? Emerson was confused by this comment.


    At that moment, Avaleigh''s manager checked her watch and tugged on her shirt, "We need to get going. Your stage rehearsal is about to start. We can''t be late. You have a press conference after that too."


    Avaleigh sighed, "I hope you can resolve this matter before the afternoon. I don''t want to be defending myself at my press conference later. We need to get going so I''ll leave it with you."


    "Don''t worry, Miss Song, our staff are already chasing up the MTR head office for access to their CCTV footage and we have asked for witnesses to step forward. I''m sure it will be resolved soon," Danson''s secretary reassured.


    Avaleigh furrowed her brows with frustration and glanced at Emerson one last time before she walked out of the meeting room. She didn''t have much faith in this newly appointed CEO.


    After she was gone, Emerson couldn''t help but smile. "So her name''s Avaleigh..." he thought to himself.


    "I''m sorry that you were thrown into the deep end without any information, President Wu," Danson''s secretary apologized as soon as it was just the two of them.


    "That''s alright. I learned something new today," Emerson smiled with a deeper meaning to his words.


    He then looked at the secretary with seriousness, "With your experience, are you sure this matter will be resolved by this afternoon?"


    The secretary smiled, "Trust us, we''re professionals."


    Emerson saw the secretary''s confidence and nodded, but he wasn''t entirely convinced.


    So, during his drive to Macau, he suddenly turned to his driver and asked, "If I want to keep up to date with a celebrity, what''s the best way to do it?"


    The driver looked at Emerson with confusion. Was Emerson sick? He had never been interested in celebrities or the entertainment circle.


    "Errr...most young people these days use Weibo to follow their favorite celebrities..." the driver explained awkwardly.


    Emerson immediately unlocked his phone and opened his app store, "That''s right, I''ve heard of Weibo before."


    He then downloaded the app onto his phone and showed it to his driver, "So, how do I find a celebrity to follow?"


    The driver swerved a little in shock, "Well...first you need to make an account..."


    "Then you search up the celebrity''s name and click the follow button..."


    Emerson quickly concentrated on his phone and did as instructed.


    The driver looked at his boss with curiosity and noticed him create an account and search up the name, ''Avaleigh Song''.


    Avaleigh Song was the leader of a popular Korean girl group called, Macaron. Their debut song was a huge hit and topped the charts on its first day of release. After that, they consistently stayed as a trending topic and had been one of the most popular girl groups in the last 8 months. Their popularity was so widespread that they had developed an international fanbase all over the world, including Hong Kong and China. That''s why they were holding a concert there.


    The driver watched as his boss found Avaleigh Song''s official account. He then watched as he revealed an excited smile and clicked on the follow button.


    After that, he scrolled through Avaleigh''s newsfeed and looked at each post with interest.


    But, he suddenly paused on a photo, clicked on the comments, and frowned.


    "Avaleigh''s a fraud! She always acts innocent, but she''s been hiding a lover in Hong Kong!"


    "I heard she''s married already! With children!"


    "I heard she plays around with men and has a boyfriend in every country..."


    "I demand to refund my concert tickets!"


    Emerson shook his head and typed up a reply to these comments, "You are a bunch of morons!"


    The driver opened his eyes wide in shock. What had gotten into his boss? Had he become a fanboy?

 Chapter 274 - The Family Business

    Danson woke up after a really awkward and intense night with Marissa''s parents. Although the two elders let Danson sleep on the sofa in the living room, they did not approve of his controversial relationship with their daughter.


    "No one can find out that Daniel is your child. From now on, you can visit your son and provide child support if you want, but you can''t call him your son in public. It will raise too many questions..." Marissa''s mother said.


    "But, we can''t hide the truth for the rest of his life..." Marissa said.


    "You should have considered that before you decided to marry his grandfather. You were the one that made things so complicated. Now you need to face the consequences for your actions. As a parent, you need to take your child''s welfare into consideration," Marissa''s father lectured. "The two of you are too simple-minded. Did you think that by showing up here, you could just claim your son and live happily ever after as a couple, Danson? You will never be able to live as a normal couple."


    He then pointed to the sofa, "Danson, you can sleep on the sofa tonight, but starting from tomorrow, you will be Daniel''s stepbrother again. We will never mention that you are his father ever again! Even if Marissa decides to move back to Hong Kong with you, she will continue to be your stepmother in public. We will all take this secret to the grave..."


    Danson sat up and thought about what Marissa''s father said the previous night. The old man was right. He had been too simple-minded. This was real life...not a fairytale...


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Guiyang City, Halia decided to show her husband around her family business.


    "I''ve seen your family''s casino. Now, let me show you where I grew up."


    As Halia said this, their car pulled up at a beautiful field up on the mountains. As soon as they stepped out, the strong smell of fermentation lingered in the air.


    "We own this field of red sorghum. It is the basic ingredient of our baijiu and we have farmers that maintain it and harvest it for us. Not too far away is our distillery, I will take you there in a minute," Halia smiled as she ran her hands through some tall stalks of sorghum. "I used to run through these fields when I was small. Life was a lot simpler back then."


    Jackson looked out on the vast field of red. Although he lived in a safe house that worked as a functioning vineyard when he was in France, baijiu was very different, and it fascinated him.


    "This entire region is famous for producing baijiu, so there are many distilleries and fields around here. You may have noticed the fermenting smell in the air. That''s from all the distilleries. It''s a bit strong at first, but you will slowly get used to it," Halia explained.


    She then led Jackson back into the car and the driver drove them up the road to the distillery.


    The distillery was old but well maintained. Its ancient architecture made it nostalgic and charming to look at.


    "My family has been doing this for over a century and everything has always remained the same," Halia said as they began to walk inside.


    Inside the distillery, steamed sorghum lay in huge mounds on the floor and workers were spreading them out to cool down.


    "This sorghum will be mixed with yeast and left to ferment," Halia explained.


    She then pointed to some containers, "They will then be distilled seven times over the span of a year. If you look at those containers, you will see a number that shows how many times the contents have been distilled."


    "After that, we store them in earthenware jars for four years," Halia said as she led Jackson into their storage room. The room was huge and there were rows and rows of jars inside. It was amazing to see.


    Jackson was used to seeing barrels of red and white wine in France, but he had never seen how baijiu was stored.


    "Do you want to taste some baijiu that''s ready?" Halia smiled as they reached the other end of the distillery.


    Jackson looked at his wife and nodded his head.


    Halia grabbed two tulip-shaped glasses and handed one to Jackson. Jackson was familiar with these glasses. Back when he was undercover as a gangster, he often had baijiu with his clients and was taught the best way to appreciate it. The shape of these glasses helped to gather the aroma of the alcohol, and the base, when held properly, prevented the transfer of heat from one''s hands to the contents of the glass.


    Jackson took a sip and smiled. He had never had fresh baijiu straight from a distillery. "This is good!" he exclaimed.


    Halia smiled.


    Jackson looked at his wife and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I''m impressed," he said.


    Halia felt proud to hear this. Sure, she had displayed a lot of skills and knowledge in front of Jackson, but most of those had been transferred to her from other people, so she never felt like she had the right to feel proud about them. But, this was different. She grew up at the distillery and knew the entire process from start to finish. This was her family business; it was in her blood. The skills and knowledge she gained from this place were developed after many years of watching and learning from her father. She felt like she was revealing her true self to Jackson.


    At that moment, Jackson asked a question that he had been curious about, "Will you come back and take over this place someday?"


    Halia furrowed her brows and put the glasses away. This was a question that she had been asking herself as well. "I haven''t decided yet. To be honest, this is just a family business to me. I grew up with it and it''s a normal part of life for me. I like it and I find it interesting, but I''ve never had a passion for it. Unlike my father, he knew, the first time he took a sip of baijiu, that his dream in life was to produce the best baijiu in China. I''ve never felt that passion and excitement for baijiu before. All I want to do is help people."


    Jackson patted his wife comfortingly on the shoulder. He understood how she felt. Both of them had a family business that they were rightful heirs to, but neither of them were passionate about it. At least, Jackson had a younger brother who was willing to run his casino for him, but Halia was an only child. What would happen when Father Feng was no longer around?

 Chapter 275 - Life Of An Idol

    After visiting Magnolia PR, Avaleigh returned to the exhibition center for her stage rehearsal.


    The other members of her group were waiting for her to return and they all had mixed reactions to her scandal.


    "Ava, what have you done? You''re the leader of this group. You''re the most iconic representative of our group. How could you get yourself into a scandal like this?" one of the members complained. "You know better than anyone how hard we''ve worked to get here. It took me 5 years of working as a trainee before I even got the chance to debut! This could ruin us all!"


    One of the other members quickly tried to calm the young woman down, "Mimi, it''s not Ava''s fault. We all know she''s not in a relationship and she''s never been a flirt. This must be a misunderstanding."


    "This is Hong Kong. Who knows what history she has here..." Mimi replied with doubt.


    Sue quickly rushed over to calm the girls down, "That''s enough. You are meant to be a team. You''ve already worked together for 3 years and you live under the same roof. You should understand each other."


    Avaleigh frowned, "Yes, others can doubt me, but you girls can''t. After all that we''ve been through, how could you believe those reports? Besides, we''re only human. Even if I was to have a boyfriend, you girls should be helping me cover it up, not turning on me."


    She then took a quick glance at one of the members and the member quickly agreed, "Ava''s right. We''ve only got each other."


    The other members quickly nodded while Mimi frowned. Mimi had always been the feisty one in the group and the other members were often scared of her, but when they teamed up against her, there was nothing she could do.


    So, she stormed off towards the stage, "Let''s start practicing for the concert. The show must go on."


    The girls quickly gathered on the stage and stood in their usual starting formation. There were 7 members in the group and their names corresponded to each letter of the word ''Macaron''. Thus, the name of their group.


    Avaleigh was the leader and she always stood in the center, representing the ''A'' in the middle of the word. On her right, stood Mimi, Ara, and Chu; on her left, stood Ray, Olivia, and Nana.


    Soon, music started playing and the girls started dancing perfectly to their practiced choreography. It was fun and addictive to watch and each girl played up to the image they had created for themselves, whether it be s.e.xy, feisty, feminine, or cute.


    After their stage rehearsal, the girls moved to the backstage to try on their costumes. While Avaleigh was trying on a dress, Chu crept up next to her and asked, "Was that really your boyfriend?"


    Avaleigh looked at herself in the mirror, unphased by the question, and shook her head, "I don''t have time for a boyfriend."


    "Who was that guy then? How did you end up kissing on the metro?" Chu asked curiously.


    "He was just a stranger I met. It was an accident. He tripped and fell on me," Avaleigh replied.


    Chu giggled, "I''m kinda disappointed. I thought I wouldn''t be the only one hiding a secret from now on."


    Chu was the youngest member of the group, but she was also the bravest and most reckless. Even though all the members had signed a contract stating that they couldn''t date, she secretly had a boyfriend that no one except Avaleigh knew about. Avaleigh had accidentally run into them kissing in the agency''s stairwell one day. He was also an idol...


    Fortunately, for both of them, Avaleigh was understanding and agreed to help them keep it a secret. Otherwise, they would have both been kicked out of their respective groups and banned from the agency. If that was to happen, what would they do then? Both of them had already dedicated their entire youth to becoming idols. They had no other skills to help them survive in society.


    "Did you accept the variety show I recommended you for?" Avaleigh asked. As the leader of the group, she wasn''t the oldest, but she often felt like she had the responsibility to watch out for her other members, so she tried to find them opportunities outside of music wherever she can. Not only was that a good way to promote the group, it also helped them boost their profits. Whenever any member appeared on a variety show or commercial, the profits were split evenly amongst the other members and they could then use that money to pay off any debts.


    However, some members did not see it that way, especially not Mimi. She was often jealous that the other members were more popular than her and got more exposure than her. She was especially jealous of Avaleigh who had received a few commercials in Hong Kong and China as an individual and not as part of the group. Since she didn''t use the group''s name, Avaleigh got to keep all the profits to herself and didn''t have to split them. Thus, she was the first one to pay off all her debts to the agency and was financially better off than her other members.


    But, never did Mimi consider that Avaleigh could have just left them to fend for themselves and continued accepting jobs overseas if she didn''t care about the rest of the group. Why did she recommend them for shows and opportunities?


    "Yes, I saw the producers and they asked me to go on their show after we return from these concerts. It will be a good chance for me to promote how popular we are overseas. Our fans in Korea will be proud of us," Chu replied.


    At that moment, Sue walked in and interrupted the conversation between the two, "Your pre-concert press conference will be starting in an hour. Get changed quickly and come out. Avaleigh, come here for a second, there''s something I want to show you."


    Chu nodded and rushed off to get changed while Avaleigh approached Sue. "Any update on the scandal?" she asked.


    Sue pulled out her phone and showed Avaleigh a video, "Magnolia just released a statement on your behalf, explaining that it was all an accident, and they attached this video to it as proof. It''s CCTV footage from the metro."


    Avaleigh played the video and saw the man running into the train just as the doors closed. His suitcase was caught on the door and he stumbled forward, pushing her against the other side of the train and accidentally kissing her.


    The man''s face couldn''t be seen in the video, but it was obvious that the incident was just an accident.


    Avaleigh watched it and couldn''t help but laugh. It was almost like slapstick comedy.


    She then scrolled down to the comments:


    "Poor Ava, that was obviously an accident. She''s lucky she had a mask on, or she would have really kissed him."


    "People really need to stop rushing for trains like that. Lucky no one was hurt."


    "I knew Ava was innocent. No one can steal my wifey."


    Sue smiled, "It seems like Danson Qian did not disappoint, he really did manage to resolve this matter before the press conference..."


    Avaleigh smiled as well.

 Chapter 276 - Gold Digger

    Emerson was in the middle of a meeting when the video was released. Danson''s secretary notified him about the video before it was posted up, so he subconsciously checked Avaleigh''s account to see how the public responded.


    One of the managers was explaining something serious when Emerson sneakily glanced down at his phone and scrolled through the comments.


    At first, the comments were quite positive so he couldn''t help but smile.


    The casino managers saw this and looked at each other with confusion. Had they said something funny?


    But, Emerson''s smile quickly disappeared and he furrowed his brows with frustration. As he scrolled further down, the comments began to change:


    "I was on the train that day. I clearly heard the man ask her for a price. It sounded like she was selling ''other services''."


    "The man was wearing a Burberry suit and his suitcase was Gucci! He looks rich!"


    "Is she a gold digger?"


    "Disgusting!!"


    Emerson quickly checked his watch. 40 minutes until Avaleigh''s press conference.


    Annoyed by the comments, he slammed his hands on the table and stood up.


    Everyone jumped in fright. Had they done something wrong? Wasn''t the CEO smiling just a moment ago? Were they about to get fired?


    "The meeting is dismissed," Emerson announced all of a sudden. He then grabbed his stuff and rushed straight out of the casino.


    ...


    Avaleigh and her manager were focused on preparing for the press conference so they did not get the chance to follow-up on the comments. They simply assumed that the scandal was over after seeing the initial positive response. But, they had no idea that the situation had changed.


    Magnolia PR tried to contact Sue about the urgent turn of events, but the changeroom was noisy, and with 7 members to manage, she did not hear her phone.


    However, one member happened to notice what was going on.


    Whether it was due to jealousy or hatred, Mimi had been keeping an eye on Avaleigh''s scandal from the start. So, she saw the video as soon as it was posted and saw the initial positive comments. But, she continued to check on it to see how popular the post got. Sometimes, the more something annoyed someone, the more they wanted to look at it.


    As the view count increased, Mimi clenched her fists in anger. Did Avaleigh deliberately create this scandal to drive up her popularity?


    But, when she began to see the comments turn negative, she smiled. "Let''s see how Avaleigh maintains her popularity after this," she thought to herself.


    Mimi had always been jealous of Avaleigh''s popularity and exposure. She also hated that she was the leader, that she made the most money and always stood in the center. So, these negative comments seemed like her opportunity to throw Avaleigh under the bus and shine. Thus, she decided to remain quiet and wait for Avaleigh to be criticized on stage.


    Soon, the press conference started and the media were gathered inside a conference hall. Just outside the hall were fans waiting to see their idols.


    As the 7 girls walked onto the stage, the fans outside peered in through the doorway and screamed with excitement. Of course, there were a minority of people that glared at Avaleigh with disgust.


    "There she is. She actually made an appearance. Hasn''t she seen the comments online?" a young woman whispered to her friends.


    "She must be shameless."


    As the girls sat down, the security guards gestured for the fans to hush and they all quietened down.


    Like always, Avaleigh sat in the middle and her members sat in their usual positions beside her.


    Mimi hated sitting at the very edge where people barely noticed her, but she had no choice.


    Soon, the first reporter stood up and started asking some questions. This reporter was from the local newspaper, so she was professional and stuck to questions related to the concert and the group in general.


    "How was your rehearsal this morning? Are you ready for your first show tomorrow?" the reporter asked.


    "Our rehearsal ran perfectly. There were no mistakes and the stage and lighting crew here in Hong Kong have been really helpful," Avaleigh replied in Cantonese.


    Of course, due to their language barrier, Avaleigh answered most of the questions on behalf of her group.


    This annoyed Mimi even more.


    But, after this reporter was done, the reporter from a popular gossip magazine stood up with a smirk, adjusted his glasses and started questioning them in English. He wanted to make sure everyone understood his questions because he wanted them to hear what he wanted to say and he wanted to see their reactions.


    "Ava, do you feel like you''ve disappointed your fans with your recent scandal?" the reporter asked straightforwardly.


    Avaleigh looked at the reporter with confusion. Didn''t Magnolia already prove it was an accident? How was it a disappointment?


    "It was already proven to be an accident this morning..." Avaleigh replied carefully.


    "Judging by your confused expression, I''m assuming you haven''t seen the recent comments to your video..." the reporter smirked as he waved his phone.


    Avaleigh quickly checked her phone and scrolled through the comments, while everyone else did the same thing. Of course, some people hadn''t seen it either.


    Avaleigh saw the negative comments and frowned.


    "It seems like you found yourself a rich man here in Hong Kong. Is this how you''ve managed to receive so many jobs outside of Korea?" the reported sneered.


    Avaleigh cleared her throat and kept her calm, "I maintain that this was an accident. I didn''t know that man."


    At that moment, Mimi jumped in and said, "Ava works hard on negotiating jobs outside of Korea. She''s serious about her work and is often flying around. She''s even flown to Hong Kong personally to discuss some of her jobs and to attend auditions."


    "Oh really? How often does she fly?" the reporter asked.


    "Once every couple of weeks. She barely gets any sleep and always returns looking really tired," Mimi frowned with concern.


    But, this response made the reporter laugh, "Are you sure she''s been flying for work? Or to have fun with her wealthy lover?"


    The entire conference hall broke out in whispers.


    "I''m curious, Miss Song, I heard the man asked you how much you charge. So, how much did you charge him for your visits?"


    Avaleigh looked around with embarrassment as everyone looked at her with disgust. How did things turn out like this?


    Meanwhile, Mimi leaned back in her chair and held back her smile. Since Avaleigh liked being the center of attention, she could have all the attention she wanted.

 Chapter 277 - What Are You Doing Here?

    Avaleigh looked at everyone awkwardly. She didn''t know what to say. If she wanted to deny their accusations, she needed evidence or they wouldn''t believe her. But, what evidence did she have?


    At that moment, the fans outside the door began to complain:


    "How shameless! I can''t believe I idolized her for so long."


    "She should be kicked out of the group!"


    "I refuse to watch the concert if she''s appearing on stage!"


    Mimi held back a laugh and looked helplessly at Sue, "What do we do? Should Avaleigh go on temporary leave until she is proven innocent? We don''t have time, the concert is tomorrow."


    Sue raised her hands, gesturing for everyone to hush, "I can guarantee that my artist is innocent. As you know, it is tough for one manager to look after 7 people. That''s why Avaleigh manages her own jobs overseas. She doesn''t have any secret lovers nor has she been accepting money for other services, she has honestly been traveling back and forth for work. Please don''t speak recklessly or we can sue you for defamation."


    At that moment, the reporter laughed, "I knew you would deny this."


    He then pulled out a stack of photos, "But look what I have here."


    The reporter quickly handed the photos around and everyone started discussing what they saw.


    "How do you explain that Avaleigh and this man boarded the same plane in Beijing, got off in Hong Kong together, boarded the same train together, and got off at the same stop? There are even photos of them talking in the station and in the train. It obviously looks like they know each other," the reporter said.


    "I was in Beijing for a charity event before I came to Hong Kong. It was just a coincidence that this man was on the same plane. Also, the train that we caught only had one stop, so we had no choice but to get off together. That was the first time I ever met that man. I honestly didn''t know him," Avaleigh finally tried to explain.


    "Are you sure?" the reporter asked.


    He then pulled out his last weapon: a photo of Avaleigh at a charity event in Beijing, and standing right next to her - was Emerson!


    Of course, Halia was dressed up as Mars next to him and Marissa was next to Halia, but this only looked like they were on a double date, rather than one man standing amongst three women. Worst of all, Emerson''s suit and Avaleigh''s dress was actually matching!


    Avaleigh couldn''t believe what she saw. She didn''t even speak to Emerson that night, they just so happened to stand next to each other at that moment. They didn''t even know of each other''s existence at that point.


    Avaleigh was speechless.


    Meanwhile, some of the other reporters started whispering. "Doesn''t that man look familiar?"


    "Isn''t that..."


    Avaleigh covered her face from all the camera flashes that were trying to capture her reaction. She had never been in a situation like this. Was God playing a game on her? Some people even sounded like they recognized the man. Had they discovered that the man was the infamous playboy, Danson Qian; the newly appointed CEO of Macaron''s PR agency in Hong Kong? Could things get any worse?


    But, while she had her face covered vulnerably, she suddenly heard everyone fall silent and felt an arm on her shoulder. "Don''t worry, I''m here now," a reassuring voice said beside her ear.


    Avaleigh looked up in surprise and saw a handsome man staring down at her.


    It was Emerson. But, of course, she still thought he was Danson, so she panicked. What was he doing here?


    Emerson looked at everyone sternly, "I am honestly disappointed in the Hong Kong media..."


    A few reporters looked at Emerson and quickly gasped. "That''s Emerson Wu. What is he doing here?" they whispered.


    "If you managed to find all these photos, why didn''t you just speak to me and ask me for the truth?" Emerson asked as he stared at the reporter with the photos.


    The reporter with the photos looked at Emerson with confusion. He was an entertainment reporter that only cared about gossip and never paid attention to finance and business news so he didn''t recognize Emerson immediately, but as he listened to the whispers around him, he finally realized who he was. He quickly looked at the photos again and realized he was also the man in the photos.


    Emerson had a good reputation in Hong Kong. He was young, talented, honest, and was never involved with scandals, so these claims were completely out of character for him.


    "Let me explain everything in detail for you all..." Emerson offered as he removed his arm from Avaleigh''s shoulder.


    "It''s true that I was at the same charity event as Miss Song in Beijing, but I didn''t know her at that time. In fact, no one even introduced us to each other. As you can see, there are two other people in that photo. I was talking to them at that time and I just so happened to be standing next to Miss Song. I''m sure, if you zoomed out of that photo, you would realize that Miss Song was there with other people too."


    "As for the flight we took. If you did a little bit of research, you would know that I was originally booked for a different flight. I only changed my flight at the last minute because my brother got married. We did not catch the same flight deliberately."


    "Lastly, the train we caught from the airport only had one stop, so we had no choice but to get off together. Miss Song was kind enough to speak to me because I looked lost. I had actually caught the wrong train and she directed me to the right train after I got off. If you check the CCTV footage at the station, you would see that we didn''t leave the station together. Instead, I jumped straight back onto a train headed for the opposite direction."


    The reporter trembled a little in fear. Emerson was serious, authoritative, and he had an extremely cold vibe. "Th-Then why did you ask her how much she charged?" he asked with a slight stutter.


    "As most of you know, I am completely clueless when it comes to the entertainment circle. Apart from work, I don''t do much. Some of your peers have tried to follow me in the past and they were so bored they never followed me again. So, I''m sure it comes as no surprise that I had no idea who Miss Song was. I was simply impressed by her fluent English and friendly vibe so I wanted to hire her. I must say, I''m a little embarrassed now that I know who she is," Emerson laughed.


    Some of the reporters laughed along when they heard this, especially the women. They were completely charmed by this man. After all, he was one of the most eligible bachelors in Hong Kong.


    However, the reporter with the photos was still unconvinced, "Since you don''t pay attention to the entertainment circle and your meeting with Ava was just an accident, what are you doing here?"

 Chapter 278 - Plans For The Future

    Avaleigh panicked and quickly answered on Emerson''s behalf, "This is the boss of our PR agency, Danson Qian. We were officially introduced to each other this morning. It was purely a coincidence."


    The reporters all looked at each other with confusion. Even the ones that weren''t sure who Emerson was, was sure that this man wasn''t Danson Qian. Danson Qian was often caught in scandals and appeared in the newspapers almost every second week. This man was definitely not Danson Qian.


    Emerson smirked when he realized the young woman had misunderstood. "You must be all familiar with Magnolia PR," he said to the reporters.


    "Yes, they manage the PR for Macaron here in Hong Kong," one of the reporters quickly replied.


    "As most of you know, Magnolia PR was recently handed over to the son of the late Donald Qian, Danson Qian," Emerson started explaining.


    Avaleigh looked at Emerson in confusion. Why was he talking about himself in the third person?


    "Miss Song must have heard about this too," he smiled slowly.


    "But, I think there''s been a misunderstanding...I''m not Danson Qian...Danson is a friend of mine. Danson had an urgent matter to deal with overseas and I am temporarily acting as the CEO of Magnolia while he isn''t around. As everyone can see, Miss Song and I aren''t very familiar with each other. If Miss Song knew who I was and that we were working together, she would have simply said that I went to escort her from the airport and accidentally tripped; she didn''t have to try so hard to say that we didn''t know each other," Emerson explained.


    He then turned to Avaleigh and stuck out his hand, "It''s a pleasure to officially meet you, Miss Song. My name is Emerson Wu and I am the acting CEO of Magnolia PR. We ended up working together in the end."


    Emerson Wu? Avaleigh was a little surprised. Who was this man?


    Avaleigh shook Emerson''s hand with confusion and everyone below the stage began to whisper:


    "It must have really been an accident, they don''t look like they know each other at all."


    "Emerson Wu''s never been involved with scandals. Plus, he''s one of the most eligible bachelors in Hong Kong. He wouldn''t have to stoop so low as to pay for a woman."


    Mimi watched as the situation began to change and frowned. Who was this Emerson Wu and why did everyone trust him so much?


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Guiyang City, two newlywed couples were having dinner at the Feng Family Home.


    "We are flying out for our honeymoon tomorrow morning, what about you? Did you manage to book flights for tomorrow?" Halia asked Natalie. While Natalie was in Beijing, the two women had agreed to meet up during their honeymoons for a few days.


    "Because it was so last minute, we couldn''t get a flight for tomorrow, but we will be arriving one day after you," Natalie replied.


    "What about Pumpkin? Did you find someone to take care of him?" Halia asked as she patted the little boy on the head.


    "I will be staying with Grandpa Feng for 2 weeks," Little Pumpkin replied on his mother''s behalf. "He said he will take me to the amus.e.m.e.nt park!"


    Father Feng laughed and nodded his head. "Pumpkin and I will have so much fun! But, when you get back, don''t forget you have an important meeting to attend," Father Feng reminded Natalie.


    Father Feng was getting old and was practically in a half-retired state, so he barely went to the factory and the office. Most of the time, Natalie represented him whenever she could.


    At that moment, Jackson became a little interested in the relationship between Father Feng and Natalie, so he leaned over and asked his father-in-law, "Does Natalie handle most of the important matters at Fengtai these days?"


    Father Feng nodded his head, "She''s a really quick learner. I''ve pretty much taught her everything about the company and she runs it for me. If not for her, I wouldn''t be so relaxed."


    Jackson glanced at Natalie and smiled.


    "Are you planning to continue working at Fengtai after you give birth?" he asked.


    Natalie nodded her head, "If Uncle Feng is willing to take me back, I would like to work there until I retire."


    "Of course I''d take you back!" Father Feng quickly responded.


    Jackson smiled with satisfaction and looked at his wife. Sure, she didn''t have any siblings to run the family business for her, but she had Natalie. Natalie was practically like a sister and she was running the place smoothly.


    Halia smiled. She understood what her husband was thinking.


    But, if Natalie was to stay with Fengtai in Guiyang City, what would happen to Sean?


    "What about you, Sean? If Natalie continues working for Fengtai, what will you do?" Halia asked.


    Sean wrapped an arm around his wife and replied, "It isn''t confirmed yet, but I''ve already applied for a transfer to Guiyang City. I will no longer be with the SPU, but the police headquarters here is looking for a captain, and I am currently being considered for the position."


    Halia opened her mouth wide in surprise, "That''s amazing news!"


    Sean nodded, "We should know the results when we come back from our honeymoon."


    Hearing this, Halia picked up a glass of wine and raised it in the air. "I wish the two of you all the best for the future," she said as she looked at the newlywed couple.


    Sean responded by raising a glass of wine as well and handing Natalie a glass of water. After all, she was pregnant.


    But, he was curious what Jackson had planned for his future, "What about you, Jackson? I heard you retired from Interpol. Now that you''re married and you''ve moved to Beijing, what''s your plan for the future?"


    Jackson wrapped an arm around his wife and replied proudly, "I am going to stay at home and watch the kids."


    "Kids?!" Natalie and Sean asked in unison as Father Feng glanced over with interest.


    Halia quickly blushed and nudged her husband, "Watch what you say. You make it sound like I''m pregnant!"


    Jackson laughed and replied confidently, "It''s only a matter of time..."

 Chapter 279 - The Handsome Face Behind Macaus Casino Empire

    After the press conference, Emerson went to check on Avaleigh in her dressing room. "The matter should settle after this," he reassured.


    Avaleigh sat in front of the dressing table and began to untie her hair. It had been tied up in a tight bun, so it felt nice to let her hair loose. Her milk-tea-colored hair spread across her shoulders, releasing a fragrance of rose with hints of lychee. It was a pleasant smell that traveled into Emerson''s nose and slightly tickled his heart.


    Emerson stood patiently behind the woman, waiting for a response, but was met with silence as Avaleigh tried to think of what to say. She didn''t quite understand what had happened at the press conference and she felt a little bad for getting Emerson involved, but she was a little unsure of this man as well.


    As she sat there, a slight grumble broke the silence.


    Avaleigh immediately blushed and glanced down at her stomach. That was right, she hadn''t eaten yet.


    So, she cleared her throat awkwardly and tried to escape before her stomach embarrassed her again. "Thank you for turning up to clarify everything," she said as she quickly put on a mask and cap to leave the room and return to her hotel.


    Emerson looked at the embarrassed young woman and held back a smile. Why were their encounters always so awkward? Trying not to embarrass her further, he stepped out of the way, pretending not to notice the grumble of her stomach and let her leave.


    But, just as Avaleigh reached the door, she suddenly turned around and asked, "By the way, why did everyone believe what you said so easily?"


    She was desperately defending herself at the press conference before Emerson arrived, but no one believed a word she said, yet Emerson simply turned up, said a few words, and the entire incident was deemed an accident. Was he some kind of saint?


    Emerson smirked and replied, "I guess...I have a good reputation."


    Avaleigh looked at the man with curiosity. If he was a friend of Danson''s, how could he have a good reputation? Birds of a feather flocked together, right?


    At that moment, a possibility came to mind: could this man be someone frightening? Did everyone believe him because they were afraid of offending him? Was he not a saint, but actually a devil!!


    Avaleigh immediately felt a little worried and decided to distance herself from the man. With a quick nod, she turned and headed for the back door where her manager''s van was waiting.


    But, not too far away, Mimi was staring at Emerson and holding onto her phone with an article open on the screen. The headline read, "The Handsome Face Behind Macau''s Casino Empire," and below the headline - was a photo of Emerson. A slight smile appeared on the corner of her lips.


    Mimi watched as Avaleigh left the man on his own and suddenly got an idea. She quickly walked over to Emerson and stumbled a little, causing the man to subconsciously catch her with his arms. "Are you OK?" he asked in English.


    Mimi''s English wasn''t perfect, but she knew enough to hold a casual conversation, so she replied thankfully, "Yes." She then held her head and sighed, "I''m just a little light-headed."


    Emerson furrowed his brows. Since Magnolia was managing the PR for Macaron, he had to make sure that the concert ran smoothly, so he was a little concerned by this, "Will you be OK for the concert tomorrow? You should take care of yourself."


    Mimi felt her heart warm up when she heard the man''s concern. She grabbed onto his arms, regained her footing and said weakly, "You don''t know how tough it is to be an idol. We practice day and night and barely get any sleep. On top of that, we are on strict diets and are limited to a certain amount of calories per day. I can''t even remember the last time I actually felt full."


    Emerson frowned. These young women had an image to uphold, but they were still human, how could they be treated this way?


    "When was the last time you girls ate?" he asked, suddenly remembering Avaleigh''s grumbling stomach. She was probably hungry too.


    Mimi felt her heart light up a little. Was Emerson planning to invite her to dinner? If he was, she would totally abandon her calorie count to go with him. Even if she had to break her contract, it was worth it. After all, he was the CEO of a casino and already a billionaire. If she could win his heart, she wouldn''t have to worry about her contract ever again.


    "We only had breakfast at the hotel this morning," Mimi replied with a pout.


    Emerson glanced at the woman as she pouted prettily and fluttered her eyelashes. Mimi was a little older than Avaleigh, 26-years-old, but she wasn''t as mature as her. That was why Avaleigh was selected as the leader of Macaron and not her. From the moment the group was formed, she already disliked Avaleigh because of this reason. She had black shoulder-length hair, dark eye makeup, and feisty red lips - a look that should have made her stand out from her innocent and feminine members - but her popularity never compared to Avaleigh and Chu: the two most loved members with the most exposure.


    Mimi felt her heart skip a beat as the handsome Emerson looked into her eyes. Was she finally being noticed? If Emerson noticed her, then she could forget all the years that she had been overshadowed.


    But, to her surprise, Emerson simply nodded his head and said, "Then you better get going. Good luck with the concert tomorrow."


    He then turned around and left.


    Emerson sighed as he walked away. He recognized the look in Mimi''s eyes. He had seen that look from countless women over the years; the look of wanting to possess him. This was the same look that Marissa had given him for 15 years...


    He was well-experienced at dealing with women like this...

 Chapter 280 - Dinner Is Served

    Mimi boarded the van that her other members were already seated inside and smiled proudly as they looked at her with curiosity. She could tell by the look in their eyes that there was slight jealousy. But, she didn''t realize that the jealousy wasn''t towards her; they were actually jealous of Avaleigh. They saw Avaleigh''s scandal photos and recognized the man. Plus, they saw how he talked to her gently, the way he looked at her, and how he placed his arm on her shoulder domineeringly. They didn''t understand everything the man said at the press conference, but they could tell that he was an influential person who easily settled Avaleigh''s scandal and it seemed like the media trusted him. Plus, he was really handsome.


    "Who exactly was that man and what did he say at the press conference, Ava?" Chu asked with admiration in her eyes.


    "He''s temporarily filling in for Danson Qian as the CEO of Magnolia PR. We met on the metro the other day and he tripped and fell on me. I didn''t know who he was at that time. In fact, I thought he was Danson Qian until he explained who he was at the press conference just now. Thanks to him, everything was clarified," Avaleigh replied.


    "What does he normally do then? Why did everyone believe him so easily?" Chu continued to ask.


    Avaleigh shrugged her shoulders.


    Mimi scoffed, "Didn''t you hear what Avaleigh said? They met by accident. She didn''t even know his name until the press conference just now."


    Chu glared at Mimi, "You make it sound like you know who he is..."


    "I know him better than you think," Mimi smirked.


    Ray immediately shuffled up to Mimi and asked, "I saw you talking to him just now. The two of you looked close. What''s his real identity?"


    Mimi pointed her nose in a snooty manner and whispered, "You will find out when he becomes my boyfriend."


    Ray covered her mouth in surprise, "Boyfriend? You better not let Sue hear you or you''re dead!"


    Avaleigh overheard the conversation between the two girls and glanced at Mimi in surprise. What a shameless thing to say. But, then again, if Mimi threw herself onto the man, he wouldn''t reject her, would he?


    Mimi saw Avaleigh''s reaction and simply laughed.


    Soon, the van arrived back at the hotel and the girls got out.


    "Return to your rooms and get some rest. The big day is tomorrow. I will be here to pick you all up at 6am for one final rehearsal before the concert at 8pm. Make sure not to leave your rooms. The hotel will deliver you your dinner soon. Don''t let me catch you sneaking any food," Sue instructed as she shooed the girls inside.


    Avaleigh quickly stepped into the elevator and caught it up to the 10th floor. She then headed straight to her room and stepped inside to rest.


    But, just as she walked inside, there was a knock on the door. "Miss Song, I have a delivery for you," a voice called from outside.


    Avaleigh raised her brows in surprise and went to open the door. As soon as the door opened, she saw a man standing outside with a bag of food. "This is for you," he said.


    Avaleigh received the bags thankfully and returned to the room. "That was quick," she thought to herself. Sue said dinner was coming soon, but she didn''t expect it to arrive as soon as she stepped into the room.


    She quickly opened up the food and rubbed her stomach. The food looked good. What had gotten into Sue? She didn''t usually prepare good food for them. She simply cared about nutrition and never cared about taste, but the food today didn''t just look good, it smelled delicious.


    Perhaps, it was because she was too hungry. After all, she hadn''t eaten since breakfast.


    Or perhaps, it was because this was food from her hometown. She hadn''t eaten Hong Kong style food for a long time.


    Inside the bag were three boxes: hand-pulled chicken with cuc.u.mber salad, steamed fish, and poached pears in osmanthus and ginger. Three dishes that she hadn''t had for a long time.


    She immediately grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started digging into the food.


    "Oh Sue, you are an angel," she exclaimed as she ate. After all these years of working with Sue, this was the first time Sue got her such delicious food. Was she finally starting to understand her tastes?


    Best of all, this food was highly nutritious and under her calorie count.


    In the blink of an eye, Avaleigh finished all three boxes of food and smiled with satisfaction.


    But, just as she finished, there was another knock on the door. "Room service," a voice called from outside.


    Avaleigh walked over in confusion. Room service? What else did Sue order for her? She was already full; the most full she had been in months.


    Avaleigh opened the door and a hotel staff stood in the doorway with a trolley. On top of the trolley was a plate covered by a lid. "Miss Song, this is your dinner for today," the young man said as he lifted the lid to reveal a caesar salad underneath.


    "Dinner?" Avaleigh asked in surprise.


    Didn''t she already have dinner?


    Even though she was confused, she accepted the plate and took it back into her room. She then messaged Sue, "I think you ordered too much food for me today."


    Within a couple of minutes, Sue replied, "I''m glad the caesar salad made you full. It''s rare to not hear you complain. Now, hurry and get some sleep."


    Avaleigh stared at the caesar salad, then looked at the three empty boxes of food from earlier and frowned. It seemed, Sue had only ordered the caesar salad. So, where did the other food come from?


    At that moment, her phone rang.


    It was an unknown number.


    At first, she wanted to ignore it, but she suddenly had a feeling that she should pick it up, so she did.


    "Hi, Miss Song, is your stomach still grumbling?" a familiar voice asked on the other end.


    Avaleigh''s eyes opened wide in surprise. She recognized this voice, she had just been speaking to this man earlier. "President Wu?" she asked.

 Chapter 281 - Climb Out The Balcony!

    "The food...was that from you?!" Avaleigh asked in surprise.


    The man on the other end remained calm as he answered, "I heard you hadn''t eaten since this morning, so I ordered you some dinner. After all, you need energy to go on stage tomorrow."


    Avaleigh stared at the empty boxes and frowned. No wonder this man was friends with Danson Qian. This was totally something that a player would do. How many times had he tried this trick on women?


    "Mr. Wu, I would appreciate it if you notify my manager first before doing something like this next time. You could get me in trouble if Sue finds out. Especially if the food contains something that I shouldn''t eat," Avaleigh warned.


    "Something that you shouldn''t eat?" Emerson asked. "Like an allergy? Don''t worry, I already checked your fan page. Apart from shellfish, you aren''t allergic to anything, right? Plus, I spoke to a dietitian friend and made sure I delivered you the most suitable food. The chicken and cuc.u.mber salad has plenty of protein, so does the steamed fish, and both are low in calories. The poached pears in osmanthus and ginger is good for your immune system and throat. It will help you perform well on stage tomorrow."


    Avaleigh was rendered speechless by the man''s reasoning. "Well...what do you expect me to do with my actual dinner? My manager is going to be suspicious if I don''t eat any of it, but I''m too full to eat anything else now!" she complained.


    Emerson smiled. This meant the woman actually ate everything he ordered for her. He didn''t know why, but he was happy to hear this. He was a bit of a foodie, so he was shocked when he heard about the strict diet that the girls were on. That''s why, as soon as he returned to his car after talking to Mimi, he called Cleo who he had met on the day that Jackson and Halia got married and asked her for some recommendations. And, after he spoke to Cleo, he immediately phoned a food delivery service, ordered the dishes from some restaurants near Avaleigh''s hotel and got them delivered directly to her room.


    Emerson stepped out of his car and looked up at the hotel in front of him. "I''ll come up and eat it for you," he replied as he walked in. "Are you outside?" Avaleigh asked in surprise. Why was he outside?


    Perhaps, it was because this was the first time he worked with an idol group, or perhaps, this was the first concert he was involved in, the workaholic Emerson felt it was necessary to come to the hotel to make sure everything was in order for tomorrow. He just didn''t expect that he''d end up eating a bland caesar salad inside Avaleigh''s hotel room.


    As Emerson munched on the salad unenthusiastically, Avaleigh stared at him awkwardly. This was the strangest situation she had ever been in. She was watching the CEO of her PR agency force-feeding himself salad so she wouldn''t get in trouble from her manager.


    Clearing her throat, she said, "You brought this upon yourself. Why did you suddenly order me food?"


    Emerson took another bite of the salad and replied innocently, "I heard that you hadn''t eaten since breakfast and I felt bad that you were thrown into a scandal because of my clumsiness. Besides, I was thankful for your help on the metro."


    Avaleigh held back a smile. This man sounded so pure and free from any ulterior motive, but she remained cautious. He couldn''t possibly be as innocent as he appeared. So, as soon as she saw him finish the salad, she began to drag him towards the door, "You should get going, I need to sleep so I have enough energy for tomorrow. Thank you for the food."


    But, as soon as she opened the door, she noticed a suspicious person standing at the end of the corridor, pointing a camera her way. Avaleigh had been in the entertainment industry for long enough to tell that this person was a paparazzi. They often spied on her, especially before concerts and events.


    With her lightning-fast reflexes, she immediately turned around and pushed Emerson back inside. But, this time, it was her turn to trip and fall on the man. She stumbled a little, pushing Emerson backwards onto the floor and her lips, once again, brushed up against his.


    But, unlike last time, there was no mask between them. In fact, their lips pressed so firmly together that when Avaleigh jumped away in surprise, some of her lipstick was left on the man''s lips.


    Feeling embarrassed, Avaleigh quickly pulled the man up and started pushing him towards the balcony. "There''s paparazzi outside, you can''t leave through the front door. Climb out the balcony," she instructed.


    Emerson''s eyes opened wide in shock, "Out the balcony? But...you''re on the 10th floor!"


    Avaleigh paused. That was right, she was on the 10th floor...


    Emerson freed himself from the woman and turned around to look at her. The panic on her face was extremely adorable.


    Not wanting to make her worry, Emerson offered a solution, "I''m not sure whether the paparazzi saw me come in here, but to avoid another scandal, I have to walk back out. Are any of your other members staying on this floor?"


    Avaleigh looked at Emerson questioningly, "Another member? Yes...Mimi is next door..."


    "Then...as a representative of your PR agency...I shall go next door and visit another member..."


    After saying this, Emerson walked out, waved goodbye to Avaleigh like normal and knocked on the door next to hers.


    Of course, Mimi did not expect to see Emerson at her door. So when she did, she was ecstatic. Did she successfully attract this man earlier? Had he fallen for her charms? Without a word, she quickly welcomed the man inside and closed the door.


    As Avaleigh heard the door close next to hers, she touched her lips and felt slight discomfort in her heart.


    Mimi said she was going to make Emerson her boyfriend earlier.


    Had she just helped to matchmake them?

 Chapter 282 - Pink Lipstick

    Mimi smirked as the man followed her into her room.


    "Why are you here, President Wu?" she asked in a seductive voice as she sat down on the sofa and crossed her legs.


    As she was staying in the room herself, she was wearing a bathrobe with only her lingerie underneath. So when she lifted her leg, the bathrobe slipped open a little, revealing her toned thighs.


    Emerson immediately glanced away and cleared his throat.


    "I was just checking on all the members of the group to make sure you''re ready and you know how the Hong Kong media works," Emerson said without looking at the woman.


    Mimi saw his darting gaze. No wonder this man never had any rumors even though he was one of the most eligible bachelors in Hong Kong. He was too shy to even look at her.


    "Are you checking on the group or checking on me? If you care about me, you don''t have to be shy..." Mimi smiled, revealing a pair of dimples on her cheeks as she stood up and walked over to him. It seemed, she had to be direct with this man or he would never make a move.


    Emerson wanted to roll his eyes. This woman was practically a younger version of Marissa, except, her plastic surgery was a lot more natural. After all, plastic surgery in South Korea was very common and the doctors that worked with celebrities were of the highest quality.


    Emerson found himself scanning his eyes across the woman''s face; double eyelid, a nose job, and jawline surgery. From this close, he could see it all. Why couldn''t this woman just be natural?


    Mimi pouted her lips when she saw the man looking at her. It seemed, this approach worked. "If you keep looking at me like that, I''m going to be embarrassed," she said as she raised her arms to hook them around Emerson''s neck.


    But, to her surprise, Emerson saw what she was trying to do and quickly brushed her arms away.


    "Judging by your relaxed attitude, I guess you have everything under control," the man said coldly as he began to walk towards the door. "In that case, I will get going now."


    Mimi was a little disappointed by this response, but the man''s restrained and professional manner made her want him even more. It was like he was playing hard-to-get.


    As Emerson stepped back out into the corridor, he took a quick glance around to see if the reporter was still around and confirmed he was gone. There was no reporter in sight; his plan had worked.


    So, with a casual wave he began to walk away. "Good luck with the concert tomorrow," he said.


    Mimi was surprised by the man''s abrupt visit but smiled and closed the door. She would still be in Hong Kong for another 2 weeks so there was plenty of time to seduce this man.


    Next door, Avaleigh heard Mimi''s door open and close. That was quick, Emerson had only entered Mimi''s room less than 10 minutes ago. Had he left already? She quickly ran over to her door and peeped through the peephole with curiosity, but she didn''t see anything.


    Unable to contain her curiosity, she carefully pushed down on her door handle and poked her head out to have a look.


    Not too far away, she saw the back of a man as he walked away. She recognized the smart grey suit on his body. It was indeed Emerson. "I guess he''s not that much of a player," Avaleigh thought to herself as a smile subconsciously appeared on her face. For some reason, she felt relieved that he did not stay with Mimi for long.


    After confirming that Emerson had left, she retreated back into her room and closed the door.


    Just as she did so, Emerson heard some noises from behind him and turned around to have a look. However, all he saw was Avaleigh''s door as it shut.


    But, Emerson''s lips curved upwards slightly when he saw this. Did she peek out to confirm that he was leaving? "That woman is indeed interesting," he thought to himself as he pressed the button for the elevator.


    As he stretched out his arm, he noticed a pink stain on his sleeve, looked at it curiously, and felt himself blush a little when he realized what it was. This stain...it was Avaleigh''s lipstick...


    That was right, they had kissed earlier and he wiped his lips on his sleeve before leaving her room. Emerson subconsciously touched his lips. This was their second unofficial kiss, but this time, their lips actually touched.


    Emerson laughed to himself as the elevator arrived. He then shook his head and stepped inside. Lucky there was no one in the room to capture this kiss, or they''d be all over the news again tomorrow...


    ...


    The next day, at the airport in Guiyang City, Jackson held onto his wife''s hand and smiled. This was their first proper holiday away together.


    Although they had been to Europe together, he was looking for his sister at that time; it wasn''t a proper holiday. So, he was really looking forward to their honeymoon together.


    Jackson glanced at his wife and couldn''t help but place a kiss on her forehead. She looked extremely cute that day in her short floral dress and straw hat. They hadn''t even boarded the plane yet and she already looked ready for the beach.


    Halia also thought her husband was extremely adorable that day. He was usually dressed in jeans and t-shirts with a coat or leather jacket, looking like an intimidating gangster, but today, he was wearing a pair of grey shorts and a white collared linen shirt. He looked completely like a tourist.


    Who knew he could pull a look like this off so naturally? This man never ceased to surprise her.


    "Are you excited?" Jackson asked lovingly as he wrapped an arm around Halia''s shoulder.


    Halia nodded her head. From the moment she first met Jackson, they had been following one mission after another and barely got any rest. Finally, they could just drop everything and enjoy each other''s company. So, of course, she was excited.


    "Natalie and Sean will arrive tomorrow and we will be spending 3 days with them. After that, we will fly to our next destination and they will stay in the same location for another week. As you know, Natalie''s pregnant, so they decided to just relax at the same resort the whole time," Halia explained.


    Jackson nodded his head. It was understandable. If Halia was pregnant, he wouldn''t want her to go anywhere either.


    Soon, the couple checked in their luggage, crossed through security, and arrived at their departure gate. As they sat down, Halia looked up to double-check that their flight was on time and smiled when she saw the words, ''Boracay: on time''. She immediately squeezed her husband''s hand with excitement and squealed, "I can''t wait!"

 Chapter 283 - Archangel

    It took roughly 4 hours to fly to Boracay, a small island in the central Philippines. This was the first time that Halia and Jackson visited this island and they were both excited by the articles and photos they had seen. In fact, this was their first visit to the Philippines altogether.


    As they left the airport to head to their hotel, they were immediately swamped by taxi drivers wanting to get their business.


    "Hello, sir, where are you going?"


    "Do you need help with your luggage, let me help you."


    However, Jackson had booked a room at a 5-star resort and they had arranged a driver to pick them up, so he politely declined their offers.


    The weather was hot and humid on the island. When the couple left China, it had just started heading into summer but the temperatures never got this hot. It was so hot that, even though they had just stepped out of the air-conditioned airport, they could already feel their bodies getting sticky.


    "Let''s hurry and find our driver," Jackson said as he pulled their luggage away from the crowd of taxi drivers and began to look around.


    There were a lot of cars and vans parked everywhere as well as people holding signs with names on them.


    Halia scanned her eyes across each sign. There were certainly a lot of visitors. After all, Boracay was the top tourist destination in the Philippines, famous for its white sandy beaches that seemed like an escape from the concrete jungles of everyday life. But, the number of visitors was already a lot less than a few years ago before the government scaled down the number of visitors allowed on the island. A couple of years back, the island had been so overrun with tourists that the environment deteriorated and the government had no choice but to shut it for 6 months to rehabilitate it.


    Back then, Halia had actually planned to go on a short holiday with Natalie to Boracay, but due to the closure, they did not go ahead and ended up making a short trip to Shanghai instead.


    Who knew, a year and a half later, they would actually end up here together...with their husbands...on their honeymoon!


    Halia looked around and her eyes suddenly paused on one particular sign. It wasn''t her and Jackson''s name, but for some reason, the name sent chills down her spine: Joel Gabriel Santos. It was quite a typical name, but for some reason, Halia couldn''t tear her eyes away from it. Joel Gabriel Santos; where had she heard this name before. Why did it feel so familiar?


    Just as she was deep in thought, she suddenly felt a tug on her arm and she snapped out of her daze. "Halia, I found our driver," Jackson said as he pointed to a man with a big smile, holding a sign that read, ''Mr. Jackson Wu & Mrs. Halia Wu''.


    Halia blushed a little. They were married, but this was the first time someone referred to her as Mrs. Wu and she felt a little embarrassed.


    Jackson saw his wife blush and led her towards the man with a smile. "Come on, Mars Wu," he teased with the name that Sean made up for her.


    Halia punched her husband playfully and subconsciously ran her hand through her hair. She had cut it short for her mission and it had now grown to just above her shoulder. She missed her long hair, but this haircut actually made the hot island weather a lot more bearable and she enjoyed it.


    As she touched her hair, she suddenly remembered the one red wire attached to her head. Back when she cut her hair, Eric had carefully snipped it and transferred legal knowledge into her brain. Now that she thought about it, it had already been 4 months since she had this thing attached to her. By now, Sara''s memories were long gone and so was her weapons knowledge, but she still had the Captain''s fighting skills, legal knowledge, and also...Trojan''s memories!


    That was right, she had totally forgotten about that corrupt officer''s memories.


    As the driver from their resort welcomed the couple into his car, Halia sat inside and a thought suddenly came to her mind - Joel Gabriel Santos - was this someone that Trojan knew? Was that why the name seemed so familiar? Because, no matter how she thought about it, she didn''t personally know anyone by that name.


    Halia leaned back against the comfortable leather seats of the car and gently closed her eyes as the refreshing air-conditioner cooled her body. Last time, she had managed to tap into her memories and search through them like a database. If she concentrated, would she be able to do it again?


    Joel Gabriel Santos....Joel Gabriel Santos...


    Halia chanted the name in her mind, hoping that something would come to her. For some reason, she had a gut feeling there was something important about this person and she couldn''t just let it pass; she had to find out what it was.


    But, no matter how hard she tried, it didn''t seem to work.


    Finally, she opened her eyes with disappointment and turned to look at Jackson.


    However, her heart almost stopped when she realized that the person sitting next to her wasn''t her husband.


    Instead, a fierce-looking man with a big mole on his nose stared back at her. "We will be rich together, brother. Don''t worry, I will make sure the regulations go through."


    Halia felt her lips curve upwards into a smile. She then replied in a deep manly voice, "Everyone in the organization is depending on you. Let''s hope you are as good as you say you are...''Archangel''."


    Halia''s eyes opened wide in surprise.


    Her voice!


    It was a man''s voice; a voice that she hadn''t heard in a long time.


    She was Trojan!


    And if she was right...the man in this memory...''Archangel''....he was Joel Gabriel Santos...

 Chapter 284 - The Salad

    The girls in Macaron shared an apartment in Seoul that was arranged by their management agency. Even though the apartment had 3 bedrooms, it wasn''t hard to imagine how crammed the place felt with 7 women living under the same roof, so they loved it when they went overseas for business trips and concerts; it was the only time they got some space to themselves.


    As the leader of the group, Avaleigh had the habit of waking up the earliest and checking on her members to make sure they were on time.


    That day, the girls had a final rehearsal in the morning before their concert that evening, so Avaleigh woke up early and went to gather her members.


    Mimi was next door to her, so she knocked on her door first. Usually, Mimi had a bit of an attitude and would deliberately make Avaleigh wait outside for a while, but today, she opened the door right away and was ready to go. She had a bright smile on her face as she stepped out, but she did not say a word to Avaleigh. Not even a good morning.


    Avaleigh was used to this. From the time the group was first formed and she was named the leader, this woman had held a grudge against her. Avaleigh understood why she acted this way. After all, Mimi was older than her and had been a trainee for much longer than her as well. But, the way she acted was much too childish. All Avaleigh could do was sigh and not let her upset her.


    The two women then walked further down the corridor and knocked on another two rooms. Avaleigh knocked on Chu''s room and Mimi knocked on Ray''s. Out of all the members, Mimi was the closest to Ray, so when she saw her, she immediately hooked arms with her and started a conversation.


    Ever since Emerson left her room the previous night, a question lingered on her mind and it excited her so much, she couldn''t wait to speak to Ray about it. Emerson had told her he was speaking to all the members of Macaron last night, but when he left her room, she clearly saw him walking in the opposite direction to the rooms that the other members were in. Unless he visited them before he went to see her, it seemed like he had lied and only went to her room.


    "Hey, did President Wu visit you last night?" Mimi asked with a nosy smile.


    Ray glanced at Mimi with confusion and shook her head. Apart from seeing the man at the press conference, they had never exchanged a single word. After all, she couldn''t speak Cantonese and her English wasn''t too good. "No, why do you ask? Was he supposed to?" Ray asked.


    Mimi flicked her hair back and giggled to herself. "I knew it!" she exclaimed.


    Ray continued to look at Mimi with confusion, "What do you know?"


    "When I become the wife of a billionaire, I will let you know," Mimi smiled proudly without providing a proper explanation.


    Ray was originally from Japan and her Korean had only improved over the past few years, so she thought she was confused because she hadn''t understood Mimi properly. She didn''t realize that Mimi was speaking cryptically in a way that only she understood.


    However, Avaleigh overheard their conversation and knew exactly what Mimi was thinking. After all, she watched as Emerson went into the room next door to hers. But, Mimi had no idea that Emerson only used her to get rid of the paparazzi that was outside.


    Avaleigh subconsciously touched her lips and thought about the man that had visited her the previous night. He told her that he delivered her dinner because he heard she hadn''t eaten all day and he wanted her to perform well on stage, but...why did he only deliver food to her and not to all the members of Macaron. They had all been on the exact same schedule and the other girls were equally hungry as her. From a business standpoint, didn''t he want the other girls to perform well too?


    Avaleigh licked her lips and remembered the taste of the dishes that Emerson ordered her. She hadn''t tasted flavors like that for a long time and wanted so badly to taste them again. As she thought about the man and the dishes, a smile subconsciously appeared on her face.


    Chu glanced at her leader with curiosity and gave her a nudge, "What''s with that look on your face? If I didn''t know better, I would think that you''re in love..."


    Avaleigh immediately snapped out of her daze and cleared her throat awkwardly as she felt her cheeks heat up a little, "What are you talking about. I was just thinking about how tasty dinner was last night."


    Avaleigh had always been a foodie and her members all knew this. She often followed food bloggers online and watched food videos in her spare time. Even though she had a strict diet, she knew about all the latest trending foods and popular restaurants.


    But...dinner last night? Tasty?


    The caesar salad was disgusting!


    Was something wrong with her tastebuds?


    "Did we eat the same thing for dinner? That caesar salad was the worst caesar salad I''ve ever had! If I wasn''t starving, I would have thrown it straight in the trash!" Chu replied.


    "Yes, I even wondered if the mayonnaise was expired at one point. I had to call Sue to check and she said it was normal..." Ray frowned when she heard the girls talking about the salad. "Did you actually enjoy it, Ava?"


    The girls all looked at Avaleigh in surprise.


    Avaleigh immediately shook her head and waved her hands, "I was being sarcastic...Couldn''t you tell? I almost vomited eating that salad."


    The girls laughed and agreed.


    Avaleigh quickly breathed a sigh of relief. As she did so, she couldn''t help but imagine Emerson''s face as he ate the salad the previous night. No wonder he chewed on it so unenthusiastically.


    She even forced him to eat the whole thing!


    Avaleigh found herself laughing as well. But, the other girls had no idea that she was laughing at something completely different to them.

 Chapter 285 - Pina Colada

    Halia didn''t tell Jackson about Trojan''s memory nor Joel Gabriel Santos. After all, this was a rare opportunity for them to be on holidays without the interference of work and she wanted her husband to enjoy it. But, after they checked into the resort and went to sit by the pool, she sneakily pulled her phone out and searched up the name Joel Gabriel Santos.


    Immediately, a photo of the man she saw in her memory popped up on the screen along with several news articles. Joel Gabriel Santos was a minister that worked in the Department of Tourism and was a huge supporter of Chinese investment in the Philippines. Most notably, he was a huge advocate for Chinese casinos to be developed on the resort island of Boracay.


    Halia frowned when she saw this.


    If this man was connected to Trojan and The Organization, he was obviously a corrupt official. This was a huge deal on an international scale and something that she couldn''t ignore.


    While she was deep in thought, Jackson approached with two c.o.c.ktails in his hands and sat down beside her.


    Halia was so focused on her phone, she almost threw it out of her hands in surprise when her husband suddenly appeared.


    Jackson looked at her with suspicion. "Are you doing something behind my back?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes.


    Halia gulped guiltily and quickly put her phone away. Did this man discover something?


    "Do you have another husband that I don''t know about?" Jackson teased as he leaned into his wife''s ear.


    Halia chuckled and grabbed one of the c.o.c.ktails from the man''s hands. "Don''t you know how popular your wife is?" she played along. She then took a sip of the Pina Colada that her husband got her. The pineapple juice and coconut aftertaste was especially refreshing in the hot weather.


    Jackson looked at Halia as she licked her lips with satisfaction. From where he sat, he could smell the pineapple and coconut in her breath and it was extremely alluring. Especially when his spy wife was dressed in a bikini that flaunted her perfect body.


    Unable to resist the woman beside him, Jackson wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her domineeringly towards him. "They don''t stand a chance against me," he said seductively as he pressed his lips against hers. Halia smiled and kissed the man back as he twirled his tongue into her mouth to taste the sweet pineapple and coconut flavors that lingered inside.


    No matter how many times they kissed, he could never get enough of her soft lips.


    While the man was immersed in their kiss, Halia sneakily grabbed Jackson''s c.o.c.ktail out of his hand and pushed him into the pool with a splash. Caught by surprise, Jackson quickly jumped up and flicked the water off his hair with a laugh. Halia watched and smiled, even when he was soaking in water, this man still looked so handsome.


    Jackson looked at his wife and stared at her with an evil grin. This cheeky woman was asking to be punished. Halia saw her husband''s expression and knew what he was thinking, but before she managed to escape, Jackson dragged her into the water with him and pressed her body against the edge of the pool.


    The water in the pool was cold, but the man''s body was hot against her skin. Jackson was only wearing a pair of board shorts, so the top half of his muscly body was exposed and Halia could feel each muscle tense up as he lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. He then pressed his watery lips against hers again. The slipperiness from the pool water made Halia gasp subconsciously in pleasure. This kiss reminded her of the time they kissed under the shower in the underground lab when they first agreed to become a couple, but there was much more s.e.x.u.a.l tension this time.


    As Halia kissed the man, she began to feel something hard between her legs and it stirred up her desires. She slowly moved her lips away and whispered beside Jackson''s ear, "Let''s go back to our room."


    Jackson smiled and immediately agreed as he lifted her out of the pool, wrapped her lovingly in a towel and dragged her excitedly back inside...


    ...


    Over in Hong Kong, the girls in Macaron had just started their rehearsal and were familiarizing themselves with the stage and position of the lights. The lights were so bright that the girls could barely see the faces of the people below the stage, including their manager, Sue, who was cheering them on.


    While they were focused on the lights, three figures approached Sue and greeted her with a friendly smile.


    "Is everything running to schedule?" Danson''s secretary asked as she looked at Sue.


    The interpreter beside her quickly translated what she said in Korean and Sue nodded her head. She then said something and the interpreter translated back, "She said the girls are working hard to please their fans and she wants to thank the two of you for coming."


    Danson''s secretary glanced at the man beside her. She was surprised this morning when Emerson Wu offered to accompany her to check on the girls. Danson had specifically instructed her not to bother Emerson when it wasn''t necessary so she didn''t ask him to come this morning, but he appeared nice and early at the office and said he was coming along.


    Emerson stared at the stage and said, "I never knew rehearsals were so tiring. I can''t believe these girls are rehearsing all morning and then performing all night as well."


    Danson''s secretary nodded, "That''s why we are here. I am going to capture some behind-the-scenes photos and videos to share online. It will help with publicity."


    Emerson nodded.


    At that moment, the lights on stage suddenly switched off, and the lights in the auditorium lit up.


    The girls quickly adjusted their eyes to the change in lighting and smiled as the stage director told them to have a 20-minute break.


    They then looked down towards their manager subconsciously and spotted the people beside her.


    Mimi immediately gasped with excitement when she noticed Emerson. Was he there to watch her and show his support?


    "President Wu," she squealed.


    Mimi quickly ran towards the stairs and started running off the stage towards the man. But, Emerson turned his head upwards and focused his gaze on one particular person.


    Avaleigh looked down at the handsome man and their eyes met. All of a sudden, she felt her heart begin to race...

 Chapter 286 - Rock Paper Scissors

    Mimi pounced towards Emerson like a frog spotting a lily pad. However, Emerson sensed her approaching from his peripheral vision and quickly stepped aside, avoiding the woman and causing her to lose her balance.


    The girls on top of the stage saw this and couldn''t help but laugh. Especially, Avaleigh, who had to cover her mouth modestly.


    Mimi heard the giggles and glared towards the stage with annoyance.


    When she saw Avaleigh covering her mouth, she was even more annoyed. "Wait until I become the wife of a billionaire. Let''s see who gets the last laugh," she thought to herself.


    She then swallowed her pride and forced a smile on her face as she looked at Emerson. He probably didn''t see her coming and had coincidentally moved aside. Since he came to her room last night, he must like her, right?


    "President Wu, it''s so nice to see you again. Did you come to watch us rehearse?" Mimi asked affectionately.


    Sue glanced at her artist. When did she become so close to Emerson?


    At that moment, the other girls stepped off the stage and approached.


    Without responding to Mimi, Emerson looked at the girl group and asked, "Did you have breakfast this morning?"


    Although it seemed like he was talking to everyone, his eyes were focused on Avaleigh.


    Avaleigh looked down shyly and shook her head. But, before she managed to reply on behalf of the group, Mimi spoke up with a pout, "No, we haven''t eaten yet. My stomach is grumbling."


    Emerson furrowed his brows a little as he continued to look at Avaleigh. He had a feeling that this would be the case, but it still frustrated him a little to hear it. So, he turned to Sue and complained, "Why haven''t they had breakfast? How are they expected to perform when they don''t have enough energy? What if one of them faint on stage? How will our team explain that to the public?"


    Sue was quite surprised by the man''s reaction. She didn''t understand what he was saying, but he seemed really angry. Wasn''t he just filling in for President Qian? Why did this man seem so worked up?


    She turned to the interpreter for an explanation and the interpreter quickly explained what Emerson said. After she heard the translation, she glanced down guiltily. She cared about her artists sincerely, but she had no choice but to follow her agency''s rules. They were only allowed one light meal before the concert in case they had a cramp on stage or they accidentally vomited from the excessive movement. Most importantly, no one wanted to see an idol dancing on stage with a visibly bloated stomach.


    Danson''s secretary quickly tugged on Emerson''s sleeve to calm him down. This was their client; even if he disagreed with what they did, he still had to remain polite.


    Emerson cleared his throat when he realized he had overreacted. He didn''t understand why he was so upset either. Danson had only told him to attend occasional meetings and visit the office every now and then. Why did he wake up so early to come here? It wasn''t like he didn''t have other work to do; he had an entire casino waiting for him to run.


    As soon as Emerson calmed down, Danson''s secretary stepped forward and smiled politely, "One of the sponsors for the concert is a famous Hong Kong cafe chain. President Wu spoke to them this morning and they''ve offered to deliver breakfast for the entire crew, they should be arriving at any moment. In order not to offend the sponsors, the girls should eat a little. I''m sure it won''t affect their performance since there''s still 10 hours until the concert."


    Sue hesitated for a moment and eventually nodded her head. A little bit of food wasn''t a big deal. If the boss blamed her later, she could just say that they couldn''t offend their sponsors. After all, she had heard about the rules at other agencies and knew that they were a lot more lenient with their diets. If eating more food had never been an issue for other agencies, why did it pose a problem for them?


    The girls quickly cheered with excitement. Ever since the bland caesar salad from the previous night, they had not had any food and they were starving.


    Mimi looked at Emerson thankfully and felt her heart melt. Was this man worried about her? Was that why he had found an excuse to bring her breakfast?


    "President Wu is so thoughtful. He found a way to please the sponsors and reward us as well. I wonder what type of food they''re going to bring," Ray smiled as she spoke to the other girls.


    "I heard Hong Kong is famous for good food. I can''t wait to eat something tasty!" Chu jumped up and down with excitement. "I wonder if President Wu has a wife or girlfriend. She must be so lucky."


    Mimi smiled to herself. She had already done her research on the man; he was one of the most eligible bachelors in Hong Kong. Which meant, he was obviously still single.


    "Let''s play a game," Chu suddenly whispered as she leaned in towards the group. "Whoever loses will have to drag President Wu aside and ask him whether he''s got a wife or girlfriend."


    Before anyone could object, Chu pulled the girls into a circle and initiated a game of Rock Paper Scissors. The other girls naturally joined in.


    After a couple of rounds, a few of the girls were eliminated and it eventually boiled down to just Avaleigh and Mimi.


    Mimi glared at Avaleigh. She wanted to lose so she''d have an excuse to speak to Emerson on her own. Moreover, she wanted to see how he''d react to her question. Would he tell her that he was single and ask her whether she wanted to be his girlfriend? Or would he take it a step further and propose to her on the spot like a domineering CEO in a television drama? Just the thought of it made Mimi blush.


    But, when she played rock and Avaleigh played scissors, she looked down at their hands and frowned. Avaleigh had lost!

 Chapter 287 - Single

    "The food is here!" Danson''s secretary announced as 2 vans arrived in the loading dock.


    As soon as the people in the auditorium heard this, everyone, from the lighting director to the set designer headed towards the loading dock to grab their breakfast and the place quickly emptied out.


    Everyone was hungry and overworked, so this food was a welcome arrival.


    Sue waved at her artists and gestured for them to follow her. They were allowed to eat too, but she had to monitor them in case they overindulged.


    As they started walking out, Emerson was left standing alone inside the auditorium. He was a diligent person, so he had already had breakfast. Plus, he had two dinners last night because he had to eat Avaleigh''s salad for her, so he was really full. Chu glanced at the lonely man and gave Avaleigh a nudge and a wink, "Hurry, go ask while no one is around."


    Mimi frowned when she heard this. It frustrated her to imagine her man being all alone with another woman. "If you''re not asking, then I''ll ask!" she quickly intercepted as she started walking towards Emerson.


    But, Chu immediately grabbed onto Mimi''s arm to stop her, "Ava lost, fair and square. She has to do it!"


    Chu was the youngest in the group, but everyone always spoiled her and supported her, so Ray quickly agreed, "Hurry, Ava, we all want to know the answer."


    Before Avaleigh or Mimi got the chance to refute, Chu began to hurry all the girls out, leaving Avaleigh behind, "We''ll wait for you outside!"


    Avaleigh glanced at Emerson awkwardly and Emerson looked back at her with curiosity as her members left her in the empty auditorium with him. She looked like she had something to say to him, so he revealed a welcoming smile.


    Avaleigh felt her heart flutter when she saw the man''s smile. Why did he suddenly make her feel this way? Trying to ignore these feelings, she took a deep breath and approached him.


    Avaleigh was in one of her stage outfits: a white crop top with pastel pink shorts, a feathery vest, and white knee-high boots. It was something that no one in their right mind would ever wear in public but looked really cute and stylish onstage.


    Emerson looked at her outfit and was reminded of the first time they met and the clothes she wore that day. "No wonder you''re a fashion icon," he couldn''t help but comment.


    Over the last couple of days, not only did he create a Weibo account to follow Avaleigh on social media, he also found himself searching her name online to learn a little more about her. Ever since he fell in love with Halia, he had never been fascinated by another woman like this. Was it simply because of work?


    Avaleigh glanced at her own clothes and laughed, "This was designed by our stylist. She''s the genius behind-the-scenes, I can''t take credit for it."


    Avaleigh felt a little embarrassed, but to her surprise, the man replied, "The clothes may be well-designed, but not everyone has the body to pull it off..."


    He then added, "You should take care of your body and eat properly." He was still annoyed by the fact that she hadn''t had breakfast.


    Avaleigh was slightly moved by the man''s concern.


    At that moment, Emerson''s eyes scanned upwards and paused on Avaleigh''s face just as she reached him. Her smile was sweet and her eyes were gentle. Unlike Mimi and Marissa, this woman appeared to be a natural beauty and he found himself holding his breath as he looked at her. He had seen rumors online about her going under the knife, but as he looked at her in detail, he did not see any signs of surgery. In fact, she was more beautiful up close.


    "Have you ever had any surgery done?" he asked straightforwardly, not realizing his question was a bit abrupt.


    But, Avaleigh was unfazed as she shook her head. After all, she had nothing to hide or be ashamed of. "No, but I do have a lot of makeup on," she laughed shyly. "You should be careful asking that question in the future. Other women might be offended."


    Emerson curved his lips upwards slightly, "I''m only asking you this because I''m fascinated by you...I have no reason to ask anyone else."


    Avaleigh glanced away nervously and cleared her throat. What did he mean by this? This man was definitely a player. As mysterious as he was, this was one thing that she was still certain of. For all she knew, he probably said the same thing to Mimi in her room last night. Otherwise, why was she so obsessed with him.


    Putting this thought aside, Avaleigh remembered what she had approached the man for, so she quickly regained her composure and changed the subject.


    "President Wu, can I ask you something?" she said with seriousness.


    Emerson nodded, "What''s wrong?"


    Avaleigh''s eyes darted a little, but she eventually gathered the courage to ask what she had been assigned to ask, "Do you have a girlfriend or wife?"


    Emerson was a little taken aback by this question. Why did she suddenly ask this?


    He was the CEO of a casino empire with thousands of employees under him. Moreover, he dealt with millions of dollars every single day and often made difficult decisions on the spot. Yet, never had he felt as nervous as he did now over a simple question.


    His eyes softened as he looked at the woman in front of him and he noticed her cheeks were slightly pink. Was it her makeup? Was she hot? Or...was she equally nervous around him?


    "Why are you suddenly asking this?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes, trying to understand what she was thinking.


    Avaleigh retreated a couple of steps and choked on her words a little. She knew how weird it was for her to suddenly ask this question and she didn''t want the man to misunderstand. But, as soon as she stepped back, Emerson stepped forward as though he was being drawn towards her like a magnet.


    Emerson''s heart fluttered. As he looked at the nervous woman in front of him, he realized why he had been so fascinated by her...


    He was attracted to her...


    From the moment that she picked up his wallet at the metro station, his attraction had been subconsciously growing stronger and stronger.


    "No...I am single..." he replied as he looked into her eyes.

 Chapter 288 - Do You Still Have Feelings For Her?

    Probably due to the s.e.x.u.a.l tension that was reaching its limit in the pool, Jackson did not mess around. As soon as he and his wife entered their hotel suite, he pulled her straight into his embrace, pressed her against the wall, and made love to her right there.


    After their previous conversation back in Guiyang City, Jackson did not bring any protection on this trip. Halia wanted three kids - and he wanted more - so he was going to do all he could to increase their chances.


    "I love you," Jackson whispered beside Halia''s ear as the woman m.o.a.ned in pleasure.


    Halia gripped onto her husband tighter and replied, "I love you too."


    As the room warmed up and the air grew steamy, Jackson gave one last thrust and kissed his wife passionately to finish their intense activity.


    He then carried her to the bed and lay her down gently. Halia flopped down on the bed like jelly and sighed with satisfaction as Jackson lay down beside her. It was only 3pm in the afternoon, but the two of them were already in bed. This was the feeling of being on vacation; having no worries and not being restrained by time.


    Jackson wrapped his arm around his wife and placed her head on his chest so she could use it as a pillow. Tomorrow, Sean and Natalie were arriving and he expected that they would be spending the entire day out, exploring the island. So, he had to cherish this time alone as much as possible.


    With a seductive look in his eyes, he glanced at his wife and asked, "One more time?"


    Without hesitation, Halia climbed on top of his body with a cheeky smile, "Sure, but I''m in charge this time..."


    ...


    Over in Hong Kong, another couple was just realizing their feelings for each other.


    Emerson looked into Avaleigh''s eyes and Avaleigh looked back at him.


    Just a moment ago, he had told her that he was single, but the woman simply fell silent after she heard his response.


    Why did she ask him that question and what was the meaning of this silence?


    Avaleigh twirled her thumbs awkwardly. She was done, she had asked the question that she was told to ask, it was time to join the girls for breakfast. But, she suddenly had the urge to ask a bit more.


    "When was your last girlfriend? Why are you single?" she asked.


    Emerson glanced down shyly, "I''m embarrassed to say this, but...I''ve never had a girlfriend..."


    Avaleigh''s eyes opened wide in disbelief, "Liar!"


    "I''m serious..." Emerson said with sincerity. "I had a crush on the same woman for over a decade, but..."


    Avaleigh saw the man hesitate a little. "But what?" she asked curiously. She wasn''t normally this nosy, but she couldn''t contain her curiosity towards this man.


    Emerson rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and replied with self-ridicule, "My crush ended up marrying my brother..."


    "Your brother?!" Avaleigh exclaimed. "Then...do you still have feelings for her...?"


    For some reason, the thought of Emerson loving the same woman for over a decade was both sweet and bitter. She admired the man for being so devoted and serious, but her heart couldn''t help but hurt a little.


    Emerson looked into the woman''s eyes again and noticed her expression had changed. He wasn''t sure if he was imagining things, but...he sensed jealousy in her gaze...


    He had seen this gaze in Marissa''s eyes before. But, unlike Marissa, Avaleigh''s gaze made his heart flutter a little.


    Trying to hold back his smile, he opened his mouth to reply to the woman''s question. But, just as his lips separated, a voice called from the exit, "What are you two still doing here? Come and have breakfast before it goes cold!"


    It was Sue.


    She had noticed that Avaleigh wasn''t with the rest of the girls, so she came back to look for her.


    Avaleigh glared at Sue with frustration. If she had arrived 5 minutes later, then she would have heard Emerson''s answer. But, this interruption came at the worst time.


    Avaleigh looked back at Emerson, hoping he would still answer her, but to her disappointment, he nudged her towards the door, "Eat first. We''ll talk later."


    He had almost forgotten the entire reason why he was there this early in the morning. He came to check on the group, but deep down, he was there to make sure Avaleigh had breakfast.


    ...


    The sun shone in through the steamy hotel room and fell on Jackson''s perfectly sculpted face. Halia ran her eyes across her husband and felt herself falling more and more in love with him. Why was he so handsome?


    Probably due to the fatigue from traveling or the exhaustion from two rounds of intense activity, Jackson had fallen asleep beside her and he looked peaceful like a newborn baby that had not a care in the world.


    Halia didn''t want to worry her husband and ruin his peaceful mood, so she carefully climbed out of bed and tucked the man in. She then walked out to the balcony and made a phone call; there was something that still bothered her and she couldn''t ignore it.


    The phone soon connected and a familiar woman''s voice asked over the phone, "Hello? Halia? Why are you suddenly calling me?"


    "Trisha, I have something important to discuss with you...Have you heard of the name Joel Gabriel Santos?" Halia asked.


    Trisha raised an eyebrow, "No, why?"


    "He is a minister that works in the Filipino Department of Tourism. I think he is involved with Trojan and The Organization," Halia replied.


    Trisha remembered her trip to Europe with Halia and the way she seemed to pull information out of nowhere but was always right. So, without questioning the wife of her former captain, she asked, "What do you know?"


    Trisha had now fully stepped into Jackson''s former role as Captain of Interpol in the Hong Kong and Macau region so Halia couldn''t think of anyone better to contact than her. So, she began to explain her suspicions, "Look it up. I bet Trojan visited Boracay a few years back and he met with Joel Gabriel Santos. If my suspicions are correct, I believe they invested in some business together."

 Chapter 289 - Every Womans Dream

    Emerson had already had breakfast. Plus, he was still full from having both dinner and Avaleigh''s salad last night, so he couldn''t fit anything else in his stomach, but he still found himself wandering into the loading dock to make sure Avaleigh ate.


    As he scanned his eyes across the loading dock, he spotted the girls of Macaron seated around a fold-out table, each with a box in their hands, chatting and eating happily.


    Sue approached Emerson and smiled at him, "Thank you for arranging breakfast. The girls and the crew really needed it. As their manager, I do feel bad for them sometimes, but I have no choice but to follow the rules. I noticed that you specifically arranged different meals for the girls compared to the rest of the crew. You are very thoughtful. Even the late Mr. Qian never did anything like this."


    Emerson glanced towards the girls indifferently, "I understand that your agency has a lot of things to consider. But, these girls are humans, not just a money-making product. How much longer are they bound by their contracts?"


    "Another two years," Sue replied.


    "After their contract is over, I suggest you help them find a new agency," Emerson said coldly as he watched the girls shovel the food into their mouths like they hadn''t eaten for a long time.


    His heart ached a little.


    Over at the table, Chu leaned in nosily and smiled at Avaleigh, "So? What did he say? Is he taken?"


    Avaleigh scooped a mouthful of the food in front of her. Inside her box was a macaroni soup with pieces of shredded chicken b.r.e.a.s.t and accompanying it was a side of scrambled eggs with spinach and a Hong Kong style milk tea with no sugar. She had not had a breakfast like this ever since she left Hong Kong a decade ago to pursue her career.


    Trying to remain indifferent, she gently shook her head and replied, "No, he''s single."


    The girls immediately squealed and started discussing this discovery, "Why do you think he''s single? Is there something wrong with him?"


    Avaleigh did not join in the conversation. Instead, she looked down and thought about what Emerson told her earlier. He had never had a girlfriend before and he had been in love with the same woman for over a decade. She originally thought he was a player like Danson, but the more she got to know him, the more she realized he was completely opposite. The thought of Emerson made her feel a little nervous and her mouth feel dry. So, she picked up her milk tea, lifted her head, and took a sip.


    As she did so, she suddenly noticed a pair of eyes looking at her and her heart began to race like crazy. It raced so fast, she felt a little dizzy and her body heated up like she was sitting in a sauna.


    Why was Emerson looking at her? How long had he been looking at her?


    Avaleigh choked on her drink a little and quickly put it down. That was right, the drink was hot, she was probably hot because of the milk tea in her hands. She quickly cleared her throat, looked away from the man and took a deep breath.


    She then turned her focus back to the conversation on the table.


    "Could he be gay?"


    "Or maybe he''s a real jerk."


    Avaleigh felt a little annoyed by these comments. This man was so thoughtful that he ordered her dinner last night and woke up early to arrange breakfast for them, how could they gossip about him like this?


    But, just as she was about to stop them, Mimi suddenly jumped in before her, "You girls have no idea who he really is." It seemed, she was getting just as annoyed by the girls'' comments as Avaleigh and felt it was time to stick up for him


    Chu turned to Mimi, "You sound like you know a lot."


    Mimi smirked proudly, "Emerson Wu, son of casino tycoon, Jack Wu; CEO of Golden Dreams Casino in Macau; one of the most eligible bachelors in Hong Kong; and my future husband. If you do a simple search online, you would find thousands of articles about him."


    Avaleigh''s eyes opened wide in surprise as she heard this and immediately pulled out her phone. Since he wasn''t a celebrity, she didn''t expect there to be any information about him online. But, as soon as she typed in his name, and clicked on the news section - 162,000 results popped up!


    Some of the headlines were really cheesy and only focused on the man''s good looks, but there were a few particular articles that caught Avaleigh''s eyes:


    As she was scrolling through the articles, a voice suddenly asked behind her, "Do I have more news results than you?"


    Avaleigh''s heart almost jumped out of her chest when she heard the man''s voice. She lifted her head and saw the other girls staring behind her with their mouths open in surprise.


    "President Wu, we didn''t know you were so impressive," Chu said in an impressed manner. "Can we visit your casino someday?"


    Emerson''s lips curved upwards slightly as he subtly placed his hands on the back of Avaleigh''s chair, "You''re always welcome."


    Even though the man''s hands weren''t directly on her skin, Avaleigh could feel his warmth and it sent tingles down her spine.


    At that moment, Sue approached as well to remind the girls that they had to get back to their rehearsal, "Have you all finished your food? We need to get back to our rehearsal."


    A little fl.u.s.tered, Avaleigh immediately stood up and said, "Yes!"


    Without realizing, the chair behind her moved back a little and knocked against the man standing behind her. She quickly turned around, grabbed his arms and checked him from head to toe, "Sorry, President Wu, did I hurt you?"


    Emerson grabbed Avaleigh''s arms to calm her down and chuckled, "I''m fine."


    Avaleigh paused when she realized what she was doing and quickly pulled her arms away. She was normally a calm person, why was she so clumsy today?


    Emerson glanced down at the woman and then looked at the other girls in the group, "You girls go back to your rehearsal. I have to go to the casino now. I hope you enjoyed your breakfast."


    The girls nodded thankfully and quickly started leaving.


    Avaleigh looked at the floor, suddenly too nervous to look the man in his eyes. With a smile, she said, "Thank you for breakfast, it was really delicious."


    She then began to turn around. But, Emerson suddenly leaned forward and whispered beside her ear, "Good luck with your concert tonight."

 Chapter 290 - An Unexpected Message

    Avaleigh felt her heart race at a hundred miles per hour. As her face began to heat up, she quickly turned her head and started chasing after her members before the man saw her blush. His words warmed her heart and his voice made her nervous.


    Watching her run away, a slight smile appeared on the corner of Emerson''s lips. After the love of his life married his brother, his heart felt a little lost; like it had been plucked out of his chest, never to return again. But, at that moment, as it raced rapidly, he could hear it thumping in his ears and he knew that this woman had helped him find it again. It made him excited and nervous, but most importantly, it made him feel alive.


    The loading dock was busy as the staff quickly packed up and returned to work, but Emerson stood in the middle like they didn''t exist as his eyes remained focused on the woman that was running away from him. Only after she disappeared from his line of sight, did he turn around calmly and leave.


    Meanwhile, not too far away, a pair of eyes were glaring at him with frustration. It was Mimi. No one else noticed, but she saw the way he looked at Avaleigh and it bothered her. Why was he looking at Avaleigh in that way? Shouldn''t that gaze be left for her instead?


    The man had visited her room last night and brought her breakfast this morning. He obviously liked her. Did Avaleigh steal him away?


    "That little b*tch steals everything from me," she whispered to herself between gritted teeth.


    Avaleigh stole her position as leader, she stole the limelight, and she stole numerous opportunities from her, but this was the last straw. She was not letting her steal Emerson as well!


    She stormed into the backstage and pulled out a little bottle of medicine from her handbag. She had a habit of taking laxatives to help her lose weight and always carried it around with her. With a smirk, she slipped the bottle into her pocket and ran over to join her group members.


    That little b*tch needed to be taught a lesson.


    ...


    Meanwhile, not too far away in the Hong Kong/Macau branch of Interpol, Trisha was investigating Joel Gabriel Santos and his possible connection with Trojan.


    She was working with Jackson when Trojan was arrested and she was even there on the wharf the day that the man was shot. Since that day, the man fell into a coma and had not woken up. He was being detained inside a cell and was being watched over by police 24 hours a day with daily visits from doctors, but it didn''t seem like he was waking up any time soon and the doctors predicted he would have brain damage even if he woke up.


    Unable to question the man himself, Trisha had no choice but to trace the man''s travel records. Halia said he had traveled to Boracay to discuss business with Joel Gabriel Santos. If she was right, then there would definitely be records at the immigration office, so she immediately gave immigration a phone call to check.


    Sure enough, Trisha discovered that Trojan, Officer Stanley Rong, had indeed traveled to Boracay 3 years ago. She then did some research to see if Joel Gabriel Santos was involved in any projects in Boracay during that time and discovered he was a huge advocate for the development of a casino on the island. Most importantly, the investor was an unknown partner from Hong Kong!


    Was this what Halia was talking about? Was Trojan planning to work with Joel Gabriel Santos to build a casino on Boracay? Did he discover how lucrative the casino business was and how easy it was to launder money after cooperating with Emma Wu?


    Trisha checked the time and realized it was dinner time. Unwilling to leave her work, she walked into the kitchen to prepare a cup of coffee; that would be her dinner for the night. She then returned to her computer and continued to follow the lead she found.


    As she took a sip of her coffee and scrolled through an article on Joel Gabriel Santos, she suddenly paused on one particular article. Boracay was shut for rehabilitation and after it was reopened, the government decided to place a ban on the development of casinos on the island; tourism was having a negative impact on the environment and they needed to control it to protect the island''s natural beauty and ecosystem. So, what happened to the cooperation between the two men?


    Filled with curiosity, Trisha continued to click through one article after another. Finally, her eyes opened wide when she saw an article from last year - Joel Gabriel Santos had opened a resort on the island! Since he couldn''t open a casino with Trojan, did they opt for the next best thing? If these two men were connected to the organization, was the resort a cover for something much darker?


    With this thought, she decided to pick up her phone and speak to Halia about what she discovered. But, just as she picked up her phone, she noticed she had received a message. Her phone was on silent and she had not checked it for a while, so she didn''t realize someone had tried to contact her.


    She clicked on the message, opened it up, and froze.


    It was a message from Oliver...


    It had almost been a month since she left London and returned to Hong Kong on her own. But, as much as she tried, she struggled to forget this man. Why was he suddenly contacting her?


    [Hi Trish, have you been well? I miss you] the message read.


    Trisha felt her eyes tear up a little. When she left the man, she told herself it was goodbye forever, but why was this man messaging her all of a sudden. Didn''t he get the hint when she left without a word?


    Trisha stared at the message and her hands trembled a little as she glanced at the delete button. She wanted to reply to his message, she wanted to tell him that she missed him too, but she knew things would never end between them if she did, so she closed her eyes, pressed delete, and pretended she never saw the message...

 Chapter 291 - Send A Message

    The girls of Macaron spent all day rehearsing for their concert. The concert was designed to have 7 distinct parts: a 30-minute introduction where all 7 girls appeared on stage; a 15-minute performance featuring Mimi, Ara, and Chu; a 15-minute solo performance by the leader, Avaleigh; a 15-minute performance featuring Ray, Olivia, and Nana; another 30-minute performance by the entire group for the finale; and a 30-minute encore.


    It was designed this way so the girls all had adequate rest between performances and got the chance to stand out a little more without having to fight for the limelight.


    While Ray, Olivia, and Nana were rehearsing on stage, Chu greeted Avaleigh excitedly as soon as she stepped into the change room and followed her over to her chair.


    Avaleigh was covered in a layer of sweat so Chu quickly handed her a towel and gently leaned against the dressing table in front of her. There was a 15-minute intermission after Ray, Olivia, and Nana got off the stage, so Avaleigh had 30 minutes to prepare for the group performance.


    Chu decided to take this opportunity to gossip a little.


    "So, did President Wu explain why he''s still single by chance? How is such an impressive man still single?" she asked nosily.


    Avaleigh wiped her face and neck with the towel and thought about the man she had seen earlier that day. That morning, when they were standing inside the empty auditorium, he had explained to her that he had never dated before because he was in love with the same person for over a decade and that person ended up marrying his brother.


    That was when she remembered that he never answered her question. Did he still have feelings for that woman?


    Respecting the man''s privacy, Avaleigh shook her head and replied, "I guess he just hasn''t found the right person."


    At that moment, Mimi approached the two and handed Avaleigh a bottle of water with electrolytes. "You must be dehydrated," she said as she handed it to her group leader casually. She then walked back over to sit with Ara.


    Avaleigh accepted the bottle thankfully and drank it. This was the drink they always had during their concerts because it was a good way to rehydrate and boost their energy.


    When Chu saw Mimi, she leaned over and whispered in Avaleigh''s ear, "Do you think Mimi might be the right person?"


    Mimi had made it pretty clear that she wanted to make Emerson hers.


    Avaleigh almost choked on her water when she heard this question. Acting like she didn''t care, she shrugged her shoulder and leaned forward to retouch her makeup. "I don''t know him that well," she replied. But, deep down, the thought of Mimi and Emerson being together made her a little uncomfortable.


    Seeing that Avaleigh wasn''t very interested in the conversation, Chu scrunched up her nose and walked back over to join Mimi and Ara.


    But, as soon as Chu was gone, Avaleigh glanced down at her phone and scrolled to a new number she had added recently. She hesitated for a second before she clicked on the name, ''President Wu'', and sent a message: "You didn''t answer my question earlier. I thought we were supposed to talk after I ate."


    Had he gotten over the woman he had loved all these years? And could Mimi possibly be the right person for him?


    Avaleigh held onto her phone nervously and waited for a reply.


    ...


    Emerson was a hard worker that often stayed at the casino for 12-15 hours a day, 7 days a week. Recently, after the mess that his mother and uncle made, it was even common to see him sleeping in his office overnight. Ever since they were arrested for money laundering, Emerson had been monitoring the place carefully to ensure that criminal activity no longer took place in his casino and all junket operations ceased. He believed gambling was a form of entertainment and he wanted it to remain that way. He did not want it to be always associated with crime and addiction so he was determined to clean up the industry. But, it wasn''t something that could be achieved overnight. Thus, he worked tirelessly to make it happen.


    But, that particular day, he actually left at 6pm!


    Everyone was shocked when they saw the man walking out the front door. What happened? Was there an emergency at home?


    Emerson walked straight over to his car and jumped into the passenger seat. The driver was just as surprised as everyone else when he heard the door open. He usually took a nap in the car around this time. Slightly fl.u.s.tered, he quickly propped his seat up and turned to his boss. "Home, President Wu?" the young man asked. This driver had been working with Emerson for the past 5 years, but he had never seen his boss finish work earlier than 8pm, at the very least.


    Emerson glanced down at his phone with a slight smile and shook his head, "Take me to AsiaWorld-Expo."


    The driver quickly nodded his head and remembered that Macaron''s concert was on that night. "Did President Qian ask you to do something at the concert?" he guessed.


    But, to his surprise, Emerson shook his head and answered, "No, I''m going there to send a message."


    Send a message? The driver was confused. Why couldn''t he just send an SMS or a WeChat message instead of going all the way there in person? But, even though he didn''t understand, he did not dare to question his boss.


    As the driver started the car and started heading over the bridge back to Hong Kong, Emerson picked up his phone and looked at the message he received a couple of hours ago. His heart began to race. Just before he received this message earlier, he was in a bit of a bad mood, but all his frustrations disappeared the moment this message arrived.


    Of course, he could have easily messaged Avaleigh back and told her that he had no feelings for Halia anymore. That she was his brother''s wife and he had accepted it. But, he suddenly had the urge to tell it to her in person. He wanted to say it to her face and see her reaction. Why was she so curious about a matter that didn''t seem to be related to her? Did she...


    ...like him?

 Chapter 292 - Emersons First Concert

    In less than no time, Emerson''s car pulled up outside the large AsiaWorld-Expo building. At the front of the building, a line of excited ticketholders were already forming and there were also some ticket scalpers. Macaron was very popular in Hong Kong so they were holding 3 shows in total this time and each show was almost sold out, so it was a good opportunity for scalpers even though it was illegal.


    Emerson scanned his eyes across the busy entrance and realized he couldn''t enter through the front door. So, he instructed the driver to drive around to the back where security guards were watching the backdoor. Outside the backdoor, some fans were gathered with flashing signs and handmade banners but it wasn''t as busy as the entrance.


    After their rehearsal earlier, the girls had returned to their hotel for a little bit of rest and were due to return again soon, so their fans were hoping to catch a glance of them before they entered the venue.


    Sure enough, just as Emerson stepped out of his luxurious Mercedes, a black van pulled up and the fans began to scream and cheer.


    "Macaron! Macaron!" they chanted.


    The security guards quickly ran forward and cleared a path between the van and the door.


    Emerson continued to watch from afar. He had never been interested in the entertainment industry, so a scene like this was quite surprising to him. Did so many people like Macaron? He had never even heard of them before this.


    Soon, the van door slid open and a professional-looking woman with glasses stepped out. Emerson immediately recognized her. It was Sue.


    Sue smiled at the fans and gestured for them to calm down a little and the fans quickly quietened down a little.


    A moment later, a pair of long legs poked out from the van and a beautiful young woman wearing black jean shorts and a white off-shoulder top stepped out. Her long milk-tea colored hair was tied into a high ponytail and her pretty pink eye makeup made her eyes glow as she looked around at the excited fans.


    "Avaleigh, you look beautiful!" her fans screamed.


    From a distance, Emerson smiled. Avaleigh looked strong and confident as she placed one hand on her hip and waved with her other hand, allowing for her fans to take some photos.


    Behind her, the other girls stepped out and also paused for a photo.


    "Mimi, look over here."


    "Chu, show us your signature wink!"


    "Ray, smile!"


    After a brief 5 minutes, Sue clapped her hands together thankfully and led the 7 women into the venue.


    "We love you," a fan screamed.


    "Wishing you a good show!" another called out sincerely.


    Emerson didn''t know why, but he felt a sense of proudness. Avaleigh had achieved so much and it made him feel impressed. When they first met on the metro, he honestly thought she was just a normal person because she was so kind and down-to-earth. Who knew she was such a big celebrity?


    As soon as the girls disappeared through the backdoor, the fans slowly left and walked around to join the queue at the front. Quickly, the area fell into silence like the fans were never there.


    Emerson glanced at his driver and said, "I''ll be back out when the concert is over."


    The driver was a little surprised. Wasn''t he just here to give a message? Why was he staying for the entire concert?


    Seeing the confused look on his driver''s face, Emerson smirked and said, "I''ve never been to a concert before. Why not take advantage of this opportunity, right?"


    The young man scratched his head and nodded. "I guess..." he said with slight doubt in his voice.


    Ignoring the man''s doubt, Emerson walked towards the backdoor and presented a backstage pass to the security guards. The guard immediately opened the door and let him in.


    As soon as Emerson stepped inside, he was surprised by how busy and chaotic the backstage was. It was nothing like what he saw earlier that day; this was the real thing and there was no time for mistakes. So, people were running around screaming instructions and pushing props and equipment around.


    "One hour until showtime!" a woman screamed down the corridor.


    Emerson quickly looked around for Avaleigh when he heard this. Would he be able to speak to her before she headed on stage?


    Soon, he located the change room and knocked on the door. At first, the people inside ignored him. After all, it was quite noisy in the backstage. So, when Emerson realized no one was answering the door, he knocked again. This time he knocked a bit louder.


    A moment later, the door finally opened and Sue looked at him in surprise. "President Wu," she gasped. She didn''t know he would be there for the concert, especially not in the backstage. Danson''s secretary was already in the auditorium greeting the invited press and media.


    Unsure of what to say, she immediately stepped aside and welcomed the man into the room.


    Inside the room, the girls had already changed into their opening costumes and were seated in front of a row of dressing tables.


    Some of the girls were getting their hair styled, while others were getting their makeup done.


    Avaleigh had her eyes closed at that moment as one of the makeup artists applied powder to her face.


    Emerson glanced at her and felt his heart rate increase. He had finally found her. She looked beautiful underneath the lighting of the change room.


    With a smile, he slowly approached her from behind.


    But, just before he reached her, he felt an arm suddenly wrap around his.


    "President Wu, did you come to watch the concert?" Mimi asked with a huge smile. The red lipstick on her lips made her smile look bigger than it was.


    Emerson furrowed his brows and looked at the woman. He then glanced back at Avaleigh and noticed her eyes were open now and she was looking at him and Mimi through the reflection in the mirror. She also furrowed her brows when she saw that their arms were linked together.


    "Close your eyes, Ava. I''m going to apply your eye makeup now," the makeup artist beside her said.


    Avaleigh bit her lip with frustration and closed her eyes. She had been waiting 3 hours for the man to reply to her message earlier. But not only did he not reply, he even turned up and was being affectionate with Mimi.


    Emerson saw Avaleigh close her eyes again and could sense that she was upset, so he quickly tried to brush Mimi aside and explain himself, but the woman held onto him with all her might. She saw the way he looked at Avaleigh earlier and she was not letting Avaleigh steal this man away from her.


    Emerson Wu belonged to her!

 Chapter 293 - Fluttering Pain

    Soon, Mimi and Emerson caught everyone else''s attention and the other girls began to gather around as they finished their makeup.


    "President Wu, you no girlfriend?" Chu asked cheekily with her broken English.


    Emerson looked at the young woman curiously. How did she know?


    Understanding what Emerson was thinking, Mimi turned to Emerson and explained, "Avaleigh lost a bet earlier and she was told to ask you if you were single. I hope you don''t mind."


    Emerson smiled awkwardly and shook his head as he glanced at Avaleigh. "A bet?" he whispered to himself. The woman still had her eyes closed and appeared as though she was ignoring him.


    All of a sudden, Emerson began to wonder...was she ignoring him? Or did she just not care?


    He originally thought she asked him about his relationship status because she was developing feelings for him, but it seemed like that was not the case now - she simply asked him because she had lost a bet.


    Was that why she messaged him? Was it also a part of her bet?


    Emerson felt his heart break a little. He had finished work early and rushed all the way to see her because of the message she sent, but it appeared as though he had misunderstood.


    Why did he always misunderstand women? Previously, he had thought Halia went all the way to Macau to look for him, but it turned out she was there for a case. Why didn''t he learn from his past mistake? Just because a lot of girls pursued him and called him one of the most eligible bachelors, did that mean every girl liked him? Had he overestimated himself?


    The girls continued to surround him and question him, but Emerson was so deep in thought, he no longer listened to them.


    Before long, the stage director walked into the room and announced that there were 10 minutes until the girls had to be on stage. So, the girls quickly waved at Emerson and began to leave the room. Avaleigh stood up at this moment and avoided Emerson''s gaze as she walked out the door. But, as soon as she stepped through the doorway, she suddenly felt her stomach cramp a little.


    She subconsciously gripped her stomach in pain and it quickly disappeared. But, Emerson saw this and couldn''t help but grab her arm with concern. "Are you OK?" he asked.


    Avaleigh looked at the man and nodded her head, "I''m fine."


    "Did you have lunch?" Emerson asked with seriousness. Was her stomach hurting because she wasn''t being fed properly again?


    Avaleigh nodded again, "We had a salad. It was very filling and nutritious."


    Emerson frowned. Salad again? "I''ll prepare dinner for you again tonight so you can have some proper food after the concert," he said domineeringly.


    Avaleigh looked in confusion at the man. She didn''t understand the motive behind his actions. One moment, he had his arm hooked with Mimi''s, the next minute he was offering to prepare dinner for her.


    Avaleigh gently pulled her arm away and shook her head, "It''s OK. I am honestly full. Plus, I''m sure Sue prepared something for me to eat. I don''t feel comfortable having you eat it for me again."


    Before Emerson could insist, a voice called across the corridor, "Hurry up, Ava, everyone''s waiting for you!"


    Avaleigh immediately nodded and ran to join her members.


    Emerson sighed. He felt it was obvious that this woman did not have feelings for him, so he wanted to leave before he embarrassed himself more, but his legs refused to move. He was certain that Avaleigh looked a little unwell a moment ago. Should he stay around and make sure she was fine?


    Clicking his tongue, he walked out to the front of the stage where Danson''s secretary was seated with the press and media. "You can''t be saved, Emerson. I guess I''ll stick around for the introduction," he told himself as he approached the woman.


    The secretary was surprised to see him. "What are you doing here, President Wu?"


    Emerson sat down in an empty seat and replied, "I''ve never been to a concert so I thought I''d pop by. I''m only staying for the introduction..."


    The secretary looked at Emerson in surprise and wanted to question him further, but the lights in the auditorium suddenly turned off and the audience began to cheer loudly.


    The concert was starting.


    The press and media immediately ran up to the stage and focused their cameras for the perfect photo. A moment later, music began to play and 7 spotlights lit up the stage. Standing under each spotlight was one of the members of Macaron. And, as usual, Avaleigh stood in the middle.


    "Hello, Hong Kong!" she screamed, signaling her members to begin their dance routine.


    As the audience jumped up and down with excitement, the girls began to dance and sing on the stage. Their songs were lively and addictive, and there were pastel colors all over the stage. But, even with everything happening on stage, Emerson found his eyes focused on one person, and he couldn''t tear his eyes away.


    Avaleigh was a really good singer and dancer. Her movements were fluid, her body was flexible and her facial expressions were extremely attractive. Every time she sang, Emerson felt goosebumps all over his body, and every time she moved, he wanted to jump on stage and join her.


    "Emerson, why are you always involved in a one-sided love?" he sighed to himself.


    Meanwhile, on stage, Avaleigh was enjoying the adrenaline from performing in front of a live audience. Everyone was so passionate and excited, it made her want to give her all. The lights were off in the auditorium, so she couldn''t quite see the faces below the stage, but after the first song ended, the lights turned on and the girls were given some time to say a few words. That was when she spotted a familiar face amongst the press and media and suddenly felt a little nervous.


    Emerson was watching the concert and he had his eyes on her.


    When the girls performed their second song, the lights stayed on. Avaleigh couldn''t stop thinking about the man that was watching her below the stage, so she subconsciously glanced in his direction every now and then to check his reaction.


    His eyes were glued on her and it made her stomach flutter.


    It fluttered so much that she felt herself heat up and her face blush a little. Even when she looked away, it was still fluttering.


    But...the fluttering grew more and more intense. So intense that it began to cramp and hurt.


    No...this wasn''t right...why was her stomach beginning to cramp?


    Avaleigh desperately endured the pain as it grew stronger and stronger.


    Emerson looked at the woman and noticed her eyes twitch a little and her eyebrows furrow slightly. Something wasn''t right...

 Chapter 294 - Dinner On The Beach

    After waking up from a long nap, Halia and Jackson went to have their first dinner in Boracay.


    Tonight, they were eating at the restaurant in the resort and Halia was extremely excited.


    But...when they arrived at the entrance of the restaurant, the waitress that greeted them did not seat them inside, instead, she pointed outside and led them down some stairs towards the beach.


    Halia glanced at Jackson in confusion. Weren''t they eating inside this restaurant? Did they go to the wrong place?


    But, she quickly noticed that Jackson did not look confused at all. Realizing what may be going on, she tugged on her husband''s hand asked with a slight smile, "Did you plan this?"


    Jackson held back a smile and tightened his grip on his wife''s hand. "It''s our honeymoon, after all."


    Halia smiled sweetly. She had definitely married the right man.


    Soon, the couple arrived at the beach and Halia spotted a white cabana decorated with flowers and a white table underneath it. Candles lit up a path to the cabana and there were some candles on the table as well. It looked extremely romantic against the purply-pink evening sky.


    The weather was still warm at this time of night and a light breeze brushed past Halia''s nose, carrying with it the smell of the ocean. They had been spending so much time in the resort that this was their first experience of the island''s nature. At that moment, everything felt so surreal.


    All of a sudden, Jackson kneeled down on the floor, lifted one of his wife''s feet onto his knee and gently helped her remove her shoe. He then did the same with her other foot and removed his own shoes as well.


    Carrying the shoes in one hand, he offered his other hand to Halia and led her across the sand towards the cabana.


    Halia could feel the warm sand between her feet and it warmed her heart.


    Soon, they reached the table and Jackson pulled out a chair for his wife. "Please, Milady," he smiled charmingly.


    Halia adjusted her dress a little and sat down with a pleased smile, "Thank you, Sir."


    Jackson then walked around to sit opposite Halia.


    "Would you like some Champagne or wine?" the waitress offered after she saw that the couple was seated.


    Jackson looked at Halia, gesturing for her to make the choice and Halia quickly answered, "Yes, Champagne please."


    After the waitress left to fetch their order, Halia took a deep breath and looked out at the vast ocean before them. "So beautiful..." she said as she rested her chin in her hand. She hadn''t felt this relaxed in a long time.


    Jackson glanced at his wife. She was dressed in an off-shoulder white dress today, her short hair was slightly curled, and her cheeks and lips were light pink in color. As she admired the ocean, the warm light from the candle on the table flickered on her face and made her eyes sparkle.


    "Yes, I''ve never seen someone so beautiful..." Jackson said lovingly.


    "Someone?" Halia asked as she turned back to look at her husband.


    That''s when she realized he was staring at her. While she was staring at the ocean, he was staring at her.


    At that moment, even though they were already married, his gaze still made her heart flutter...


    ...


    Over in Hong Kong, a man stood outside the Interpol office and glanced up at the only floor that still had its lights on. The building was already closed to visitors but someone was definitely still inside. Who was it? Was it the person he was after?


    He had done some research on Trisha Hua. After returning to Hong Kong from London, she was promoted to the Head of the Hong Kong/Macau branch of Interpol and, apart from home and work, she never really went anywhere else.


    She was a complete workaholic.


    He glanced up at the building again. If anyone was to stay back, it would have to be her, right?


    He had suffered a lot because of this woman and it took him a lot of effort to track her down. Had he finally found her?


    At that moment, he received a message on his phone. He quickly glanced down and clicked on the message, "Did you find her yet? Make sure to grab onto her and not let her get away."


    The man frowned and replied, "I haven''t found her yet, but I have a feeling I''m getting close."


    ...


    Not too far away, at the AsiaWorld-Expo building, the crowd was cheering.


    Meanwhile, onstage, Avaleigh was not cheering at all as she endured the cramps in her stomach with all her might. She didn''t want to disappoint her fans, but the cramping was becoming unbearable. She hadn''t felt this kind of pain for a long time. Did she eat something wrong? But, all the girls ate the same thing today, why was she the only one that was feeling this way?


    She glanced at her members and they all looked perfectly fine, especially Mimi who had a huge smile on her face.


    Avaleigh continued to sing and dance the best she could. She knew she only had one more song before her break, so she continued to hold on. But, her legs began to feel wobbly and her voice started getting shaky.


    A few people noticed this small detail, but they simply thought she was getting tired. However, Emerson knew there was more to it. Avaleigh was serious and hardworking, she would have definitely prepared herself for this concert and made sure she was in the best condition. She couldn''t possibly be tired after just 30 minutes on the stage, especially not when the other girls looked perfectly fine.


    Just before the last song in their introduction came to an end, Emerson immediately ran into the backstage to check on Avaleigh.


    Sure enough, as soon as she left the stage, her legs gave up and she fell to the ground.


    "What''s wrong?" Ray asked worriedly as she bent down to help Avaleigh up.


    But, a person suddenly rushed over and gently nudged her aside. "Let me help," the man said.


    Ray looked at the man in surprise and walked around to check his face. When she saw who it was, she was shocked.


    "President Wu?!" she exclaimed. Ray had also noticed Emerson in the audience with the press and media earlier so she was surprised to see him in the backstage.


    Why was he here?


    But, the thing that surprised her the most, was the man''s next move. Emerson suddenly bent down and swept Avaleigh into his arms effortlessly as though that was where she belonged. Avaleigh bit her lip in pain and gripped onto her stomach.


    As Emerson carried her towards the change room, he asked dotingly, "Are you OK?"


    Ray, Olivia, and Nana watched as the man carried their leader away and looked at each other.


    "When did President Wu and Avaleigh become so close?" Nana asked.


    Ray subconsciously glanced at a screen above their heads that was broadcasting live footage from the stage and saw Mimi, Ara, and Chu performing at that moment. With a sigh of relief, she replied, "I don''t know, but I''m glad that Mimi''s not here to see this..."


    The other girls nodded in agreement. Everyone in the group knew that there was an unspoken grudge between Mimi and Avaleigh. If Mimi saw how close Avaleigh and Emerson was, she was bound to throw a fit.

 Chapter 295 - An Ambiguous Moment

    Emerson looked down at the woman in his arms, her face had turned pale even though she had blush on and sweat was dripping down the side of her face and neck. He leaned over worriedly and asked again, "Are you OK?"


    Avaleigh gripped onto her stomach and whispered with embarrassment, "The bathroom...carry me to the bathroom please..."


    Emerson immediately nodded his head and ran straight for the private bathroom inside Macaron''s change room. There was no one inside at that moment, so he gently placed Avaleigh down, made sure she could stand on her own, and quickly stepped back outside.


    "Call me if you need anything," he said as he closed the door to the bathroom.


    He then ran over to lock the door on the change room as well, in case anyone walked in. He knew this may be a little embarrassing for Avaleigh and he didn''t want her to feel uncomfortable.


    A short while later, there was a knock on the door.


    "President Wu, Ava, are you guys inside? Is everything OK?" Ray''s voice sounded from outside.


    Emerson leaned against the door and replied, "Give us some time, Ava just needs a little bit of rest."


    Ray looked at Olivia and Nana in confusion. If Avaleigh needed some rest, why was President Wu in the room with her and why was the door locked? But, they did not question too much. After all, they did not have ulterior motives like Mimi.


    "Don''t forget that she needs to head back on stage in about 10 minutes!" Ray reminded before she and the other girls went to fetch some water and rehydrate.


    Emerson looked at his watch and furrowed his brows. Would Avaleigh be OK to perform in 10 minutes?


    Filled with concern, he walked over to the bathroom door and tapped on it gently, "Ava, are you OK? Will you be able to head back on stage?"


    Just as he leaned against the door to hear the woman''s response, the door opened and Avaleigh stepped out.


    She didn''t know what had gotten into her, but everything just emptied out of her stomach. The cramps were now gone, but her body was still a little weak.


    Avaleigh looked at the man with slight embarrassment, "I''m OK now. I should be fine to return to the stage."


    Emerson furrowed his brows. This woman looked so weak and frail, yet she was pretending to be strong. Color was finally returning to her face, but her hair was slightly messy and a few strands were stuck to the sweat on her neck and jaw. Emerson grabbed onto Avaleigh''s arm and dragged her over to a seat in front of the dressing table. He then pulled another seat over, sat down next to her and gently dabbed her face and neck with a tissue.


    Avaleigh looked at the man''s reflection in the mirror. He was really close at that moment. So close, she could feel his breaths against her cheek and they tickled her heart like a feather.


    "I was really worried about you," Emerson said sincerely beside her ear. As he spoke, he gently spun her chair so she could face him and he continued to dab gently at the beads of sweat on her neck.


    Avaleigh stopped breathing for a second. They were face to face now and she could clearly smell the man''s cologne. His scent was so intoxicating, she completely forgot about the pain she was in just a moment ago.


    Emerson noticed the woman looking at him and he paused what he was doing to look into her eyes.


    There was something about this woman that made him want to protect her.


    "I don''t have feelings for her anymore," he suddenly said with his deep, charming voice.


    Avaleigh felt her heart race uncontrollably when she heard these words. Was this the answer she had been waiting for all afternoon? Why was he suddenly telling her this now?


    Avaleigh bit her lip nervously, not knowing how to respond.


    The man''s hand had stopped on her neck and she could feel his fingers through the tissue he was holding. Even though it was an indirect touch, she felt tingles down her spine and it seemed to paralyze her.


    As she sat frozen in place, Emerson suddenly dropped the tissue in his hand and hooked his fingers under her chin.


    Avaleigh finally snapped out of her daze and jumped back a little in surprise, but Emerson did not let go. In fact, he pulled her chin towards him and leaned forward towards her.


    Avaleigh froze again.


    Next thing she knew, Emerson leaned forward even more and brushed his nose against hers.


    Avaleigh took a deep breath. Every brush of his nose teased at her heart and stirred up her desires. This man was extremely handsome, he was caring, and he was very smart. It was impossible not to be attracted to him. Avaleigh stared into the man''s eyes and could not control her desirous gaze. His teasing was driving her crazy and she could not control her feelings even though she still had doubts about him.


    An ambiguous vibe filled the room as Emerson''s lips curved upwards slightly. He did not make a mistake this time. He was sure this woman liked him back. Otherwise, she would have pushed him away or hit him by now.


    So, he closed his eyes and lifted the woman''s chin gently. They had accidentally kissed twice, but he was going to give her a proper kiss this time.


    Avaleigh also closed her eyes subconsciously.


    However, just as their lips were about to touch, there was some knocking on the door again. This time, it was Sue, "Ava, are you OK? Have you changed into your next outfit yet?"


    Avaleigh''s eyes quickly opened wide in a panic. She looked at Emerson awkwardly, backed away, and ran to unlock the door. Sue walked in and shook her head when she realized Avaleigh wasn''t ready at all. In a hurry, she pushed her behind some curtains and started helping her change. She was in such a hurry, she didn''t even notice Emerson sitting at the dressing table trying to calm himself down.


    As Avaleigh got changed, she couldn''t help but think about Emerson. They were definitely about to kiss before Sue interrupted, but there were still some questions on her mind. Did he want to kiss her because he liked her? Or simply because he wanted a free pash? She quickly changed into her outfit and hoped she would have a little bit of time to ask the man for an explanation before heading back on stage. But, by the time she stepped back out...Emerson was gone...

 Chapter 296 - Alleyway

    Trisha stretched her arms and glanced at the time. It was almost 9pm; time to call it a night. She had tried to call Halia a few times to update her and discuss how they should proceed, but she couldn''t get through, so it was time to go home and get some rest.


    There was no time difference between Hong Kong and the Philippines, so Trisha assumed Halia was having dinner. After all, she was on her honeymoon. Not wanting to disturb the woman, she typed up a brief message explaining what she had discovered and sent it to Halia''s phone so she could look at it later. She then packed her things, turned off all the lights and began to head out of the building.


    Trisha didn''t live far from the building so she usually just walked home. Even at this time of night, Hong Kong was still lively and vibrant, so walking home was relatively safe. With the added fact that Trisha was a highly trained Interpol agent, there was never anything to worry about.


    But, that particular day, a dark figure stepped out of the shadows as soon as Trisha left the building and started following her. He maintained a fair distance so the woman wouldn''t notice him and watched her every move from afar.


    She hadn''t changed much since he last saw her. Her hair was a little longer and she didn''t look as cheerful as he remembered, but she was still the same person.


    The woman walked confidently through the streets, appearing oblivious to the stalker that was behind her, but just as he followed her around a corner and into a quiet alleyway, he felt a tight grip on his arm. Before he knew it, he was flipped over the woman''s shoulder and lying on the floor.


    The man blinked a few times as a street lamp shone down on his face and grunted in pain, "Ow..."


    A moment later, a familiar face stepped into view and looked down at him with frustration. "What are you doing here, Oliver?" Trisha asked.


    Oliver looked at the beautiful woman he hadn''t seen in a month and felt his heart almost jump out of his chest. What was he doing here? He had contacted some reporter friends in Hong Kong and tracked her down, of course. He couldn''t let this woman leave after he worked so hard to win her heart.


    With a smirk he stood up and looked at the woman, "Hi Trish, have you been well?"


    As Trisha looked at the man with curly brown hair and diamond blue eyes, she felt her breathing stop. He was repeating the message he had sent earlier; the message that she had deleted.


    She thought she could avoid him if she didn''t answer, but she never expected him to appear in Hong Kong and ask her in person. Without answering his question, she frowned and asked back, "Why are you in Hong Kong?"


    Oliver smiled. This woman was the same. Always so sassy and aggressive. But, he was here to break down her barriers. "Why do we always meet in alleyways?" he smirked charmingly as he stepped forward.


    Trisha felt her heart race when she heard this question. The man was right. The first time they met, she had dragged him into an alleyway in London''s Chinatown. The second time they met, he discovered her identity in the same alleyway. Even their first proper kiss was shared in an alleyway in Munich. Trisha subconsciously bit her lip, it had been a month since she kissed this man, and she was beginning to forget how it felt. But, there were a few things that she couldn''t forget. She couldn''t forget the way his mother insulted and humiliated her; she couldn''t forget the way she unintentionally drove a wedge between the mother and son; and she couldn''t forget the way that Oliver was left in an awkward position between them.


    So, in a firm voice, she decided to clarify things with the man, "I thought I made it clear when I left that we were not meant to be. Oliver, you and I are from two different worlds. I don''t want to hurt anymore and I don''t want to see you being hurt either. Please, go back to London and continue with your life there. Don''t try to contact me again."


    As soon as these words left her mouth, Trisha began to walk away.


    But, all of a sudden, she heard the man grunt again in pain. This time, he was much louder than before, "Arrrgh..."


    Trisha subconsciously ran back to check on him.


    "My foot..." Oliver frowned. "I think you sprained it when you flipped me..."


    Trisha furrowed her brows. Was this man made of jelly? How did he sprain his foot so easily?


    "I only arrived in Hong Kong today and I''ve never been here before. It took me all afternoon just to find your office. Can you, at least, help me find a doctor?" Oliver asked.


    Trisha took a deep breath in frustration. She wanted to leave, but she couldn''t abandon this man in a foreign place.


    Seeing the hesitation on Trisha''s face, Oliver held back a smile. His trick was working. He didn''t actually sprain his foot, but he had to do whatever he could to hold onto her.


    "Even if we''re not in a relationship anymore, we''re still friends, right? You''re not going to abandon me, are you?" Oliver asked, deliberately trying to make the woman feel guilty.


    Trisha sighed, "No doctors are open at this time of night."


    She then added, "But...I don''t live too far from here. I can give you an ice pack to apply. Come with me."


    She then turned back onto the main road and started walking. But, Oliver grunted again. "Ow, I think I might need some help. This hurts a lot," he exclaimed.


    He then stretched out one arm, gesturing for her to give him a shoulder to lean on.


    With no choice, Trisha returned to the man''s side and helped him.

 Chapter 297 - A Familiar Laugh

    After Halia and Jackson finished their delicious dinner, they sat quietly listening to the waves lap against the shore. "Do you still remember the first meal we shared together?" Halia asked. "We were sitting underneath a willow tree beside Houhai Lake and you went to buy me lamb skewers. Now, we''re sitting underneath a cabana in the Philippines and we just finished our honeymoon dinner. We''ve certainly shared a lot of experiences together."


    "You''re wrong," Jackson suddenly said.


    Halia looked at Jackson in confusion. What was she wrong about?


    "Our first meal wasn''t at Houhai Lake. It was at the Italian restaurant..." he corrected.


    Halia laughed when she remembered the Italian restaurant and how she had an anxiety attack because of the pine nuts.


    "Hey, we weren''t technically sharing a meal then. We just coincidentally sat at the same table," Halia replied.


    Jackson patted his wife dotingly on the head. She was right, they had shared a lot together.


    At that moment, some music could be heard coming from behind them. The couple turned around and saw some dancers walking their way. A group of beautiful women in traditional clothing lined up in front of them, accompanied by a small band. Their smiles were dazzling as they began to move to the music. Some of them were holding sticks and tapping them together to create a beat and Jackson and Halia began to clap along. It was lively and cheerful. Some of the women then held the sticks parallel to the floor and continued to tap them together while the others danced across them.


    As Halia watched and cheered, one of the women waved at her and got her to join them. Halia laughed and joined in while Jackson watched lovingly from the side. Her smile was so bright and dazzling, he felt his heart melt. Even amongst all these beautiful women, he only had eyes for her.


    After the dance was over, Halia sat back down and smiled at her husband. "I am going to remember this day forever," she said.


    Jackson held his wife''s hands lovingly and said, "I hope every day that we spend together will be just as memorable."


    He had made the right decision to marry this woman and quit his job at Interpol. He had never grown up with a proper family, but he finally felt like he belonged and he couldn''t wait to start a family with her.


    At that moment, Halia suddenly remembered something. With an apologetic glance, she reached into her handbag to look for her phone, "I just remembered, Natalie and Sean will be arriving tomorrow morning and we''ve hired a driver to take us around to some of the quieter spots around the island. The driver is supposed to confirm the pickup time and location with me. Let me check my phone to see if I have any messages."


    Jackson smiled. He and his wife made a good team. He booked the flights and dinner, while she booked the hotel and transportation. Some women were very dependent and expected everything to be planned out for them. Worst of all, they complained when things didn''t suit their taste. But, Halia was not like that. Even though they got married on a whim and their honeymoon was very last minute, they worked together to arrange everything and researched everything together.


    Halia flipped her handbag upside down and only a wallet, a lipstick, and some candy fell out. With a frown, she said, "I think I left my phone in the hotel room."


    Jackson laughed and grabbed her hand. With a seductive smile, he said, "Let''s get back to the room then. I''m ready for dessert..."


    Halia blushed slightly. Didn''t he have enough in the afternoon?


    But, as they hurried through the lobby to get back to their room, Halia suddenly heard a familiar laugh that sent chills down her spine. The laugh was loud and hollow as it echoed across the luxurious lobby, causing Halia to look around with curiosity.


    Who did this laugh belong to? Why did it sound so familiar?


    But, before she managed to find the owner of the laugh, Jackson dragged her into an available elevator and the doors shut.


    ...


    Over in Hong Kong, another couple was inside an elevator.


    "Do you live on your own?" Oliver asked as he leaned on Trisha''s shoulder.


    Without looking at the man, Trisha pulled out her keys and nodded her head.


    "Where are you staying in Hong Kong? After your foot feels a little better, I''ll drive you back," she said as she led him out of the elevator and over to a door.


    Trisha''s parents passed away and she had no siblings, so she was used to living on her own. Even her neighbors barely saw her have any guests. But, because of this, she had the habit of leaving things lying around.


    As soon as Trisha helped Oliver into her apartment, she awkwardly cleared her throat and cleaned up some empty beer cans and wine bottles that were sitting on her coffee table.


    "Take a seat on the sofa, I''ll get you an ice pack," she said.


    Oliver sat down and looked around. Trisha lived in a relatively modern apartment, close to government buildings, and she had a decent view of the city. Even though it was very small, an apartment like this was expensive in Hong Kong. How hard did Trisha work to afford a place like this? If only his mother understood that the world was very different outside of her little bubble. Trisha was smart, independent, successful, and he didn''t want to change a thing about her. Why couldn''t his mother accept her for who she was?


    With a sigh, he leaned back against the sofa and watched as the woman threw all the beer cans and wine bottles into the bin. Why did she drink so much? Was she upset about something?


    Was she...upset because of him?


    Even though his heart broke, he secretly wanted it to be true. If she was still upset because of him, it meant she still had feelings for him. It meant, he still had hope. He had flown halfway around the world because of her. Had he done the right thing?


    At that moment, Trisha approached and broke his train of thought, "You didn''t answer me earlier. Where are you staying, I''ll drive you back later."


    Oliver looked into the woman''s eyes and smiled. "I''m staying here," he said shamelessly.

 Chapter 298 - No One On Her Side

    Avaleigh was the leader of Macaron and the most famous member in the group. An imbalance in popularity was common in idol groups, and the bigger the group, the harder it was to stand out. But, Avaleigh had stood out from the beginning because of her angelic voice and friendly personality. She had even released a couple of solo singles. So, the concert producers decided to give her a solo performance during their Hong Kong tour.


    As Avaleigh stepped on stage and Mimi, Ara, and Chu stepped off, she waved at the crowd weakly and they all cheered. Normally, she was more enthusiastic than this. Even in her rehearsals, she was jumping around and interacting with the imaginary audience a lot more than she was now. This was because she still hadn''t recovered from her stomach ache earlier and did not have the energy, so she greeted the audience briefly and started her performance.


    Backstage, Mimi glanced at the live broadcast and smirked. At this rate, no one was going to remember Avaleigh''s performance and that was what she wanted.


    The other girls around her looked up at the screen with confusion. "Ava was jumping around and full of energy during the rehearsals, why does she look so stiff and unenthusiastic on the stage now?" Chu frowned.


    "You didn''t see it earlier, but Ava collapsed on the floor when we finished our introduction. She looked unwell," Olivia explained.


    At that moment, Sue approached and heard the girls talking about Avaleigh, "Is Ava unwell? Why hasn''t anyone told me? What''s wrong with her?"


    Trying to hide her smile, Mimi said, "She must have eaten something wrong earlier and got a stomach ache. Perhaps, she snuck in some food during our break."


    Sue furrowed her brows and glared up at the live broadcast. Was that true? Was that what happened?


    Meanwhile, not too far away, Emerson heard the conversation between the girls and their manager. He had quickly gone to buy some water for Avaleigh and was just returning when he saw them watching her performance and talking about her.


    But, Mimi''s words made him a little suspicious. Mimi was on stage when Avaleigh was sick in the backstage, how did she know she had a stomach ache? In fact, he carried her to the bathroom before anyone even found out what was wrong with her.


    "How did you know she had a stomach ache?" Nana asked with confusion. "I simply thought she collapsed from exhaustion. President Wu even carried her into the change room to get some rest."


    Mimi frowned and cleared her throat, "I saw her gripping her stomach so I assumed it was a stomach ache."


    She then pointed to the live broadcast and exclaimed, "Look! She''s holding her stomach again!"


    Everyone looked at the screen with concern and saw Avaleigh gripping her stomach and looking a little pale. Mimi was right, it looked like her stomach was unwell. But, this wasn''t enough to dismiss Emerson''s suspicions. Something didn''t seem right.


    His gut told him Mimi did something. She was just like a young version of Marissa and he had experienced enough of Marissa''s tricks over the years to understand what this woman was thinking.


    So, while everyone was focused on the screen, he snuck back into the change room and had a quick look around. Sure enough, as he looked around Mimi''s dressing table, he spotted an empty bottle in her bin. It was hidden under some other trash, but he spotted the label and recognized it straight away. A few years back, Marissa had used this same medicine on a woman that was attending a weekend business seminar with him. At that time, he caught Marissa red-handed and she confessed she was jealous and promised she would never use it again.


    This particular medicine was a liquid laxative!


    Why was there an empty bottle in Mimi''s bin. She couldn''t have taken it before a concert herself. That would be self-detrimental.


    The answer was pretty obvious.


    Mimi must have used it on Avaleigh; it explained why her stomach was unwell.


    At that moment, Avaleigh finished her performance and returned to the change room with Sue, Mimi, Ara, and Chu. The other girls were on stage performing. "Did you sneakily eat something during your break? Why is your stomach suddenly unwell? Haven''t I always warned you about watching what you eat before a performance? This is exactly why I''m so strict with your diet!" Sue said angrily.


    Avaleigh was resting on Chu and Ara''s shoulders as she shook her head, "I only ate what you gave me. I have no idea why my stomach is suddenly so sore."


    "Liar!" Mimi yelled. "We all ate the same thing. Why aren''t we ill?"


    Sue looked at Avaleigh and waited for an answer. She wanted to believe her, but Mimi made a valid point. If everyone ate the same thing, why was she the only one that was unwell?


    Avaleigh didn''t know what to say. She was telling the truth but she couldn''t explain why she was the only one that was feeling ill either.


    Seeing that the situation seemed to be going her way, Mimi tried to hold back a smile, "You''re the leader, you should know better..."


    Sue looked at Avaleigh with disappointment. "I think I''ll have to reconsider your position as leader after this. I can''t believe how irresponsible you were."


    Avaleigh looked at Sue with slightly teary eyes. She was wronged and feeling unwell, yet no one was on her side.


    At that moment, Emerson cleared his throat to draw everyone''s attention to his presence. The girls quickly looked his way and saw him standing in front of Mimi''s dressing table. They had been so focused on Avaleigh, they didn''t even notice him there.


    Mimi''s eyes immediately lit up when she saw the man standing at her table. Was Emerson waiting for her?


    Avaleigh''s eyes also lit up. Didn''t this man leave? Why was he here?


    The next second, the man suddenly lifted a bottle in his hand and asked, "Miss Mimi, may I ask why you have a bottle of laxatives in your bin?"

 Chapter 299 - White Pearl Resort

    The resort elevator was relatively quiet compared to the loud laughter that Halia heard outside, but some gentle piano music played over the speakers to prevent any awkwardness. The resort had a total of 3 floors, with each room either facing the pool or the beach, and the restaurant was on the ground floor. When Halia and Jackson stepped in, there was already a man inside, so the couple stood to the side and scanned their room card on a scanner on the wall. The scanner automatically recognized the floor they needed to go to and took them to the third floor. The other man got off on the second floor. Jackson and Halia''s room was one of the most expensive suites in the resort and it faced the beach they had just shared dinner on. This beach was the most famous beach in Boracay, White Beach, and it often appeared on postcards.


    As soon as Jackson and Halia returned to their room, Halia headed straight into the bedroom to check her phone.


    Sure enough, there was a message from their driver confirming the details for the next day.


    But...there was also one other message waiting to be read...a message from Trisha.


    "Did the driver message you?" Jackson called out from the kitchen as he tipped two glasses of red wine.


    Halia had a quick look at the driver''s message and proceeded to open Trisha''s message inconspicuously as she answered, "Yes. He said he''ll meet us in the lobby at 11am tomorrow. Natalie and Sean will be arriving at the resort at 9am. So they can have a little bit of time to settle down before we head out."


    Halia didn''t want to trouble Jackson on their honeymoon, so she quickly read Trisha''s message, deleted it and put her phone away. Trisha''s message was brief and straight to the point: "Joel Gabriel Santos opened a resort in Boracay last year with an anonymous investor from Hong Kong. The resort is called, White Pearl Resort. I will continue to investigate. Leave it with me and enjoy your honeymoon."


    Halia wanted to listen to Trisha and leave the entire investigation in her hands, but she couldn''t help but furrow her brows at the name of the resort.


    White Pearl Resort?


    That was the resort she was staying in!


    How could she ignore it when she was right there? If this place belonged to Joel Gabriel Santos, then the anonymous investor had to be Trojan. If that was the case, then there was definitely something wrong with this resort.


    Halia closed her eyes and repeated the name, ''White Pearl Resort'', in her mind, hoping to trigger some memories. She had tapped into her memories at will before and she was certain she could do it again.


    At that moment, the phone in her hand suddenly vibrated.


    Halia quickly opened her eyes in surprise. Who was calling her at a time like this?


    But...as soon as she opened her eyes, she looked around and realized she was no longer in her hotel room. She was sitting in front of a computer inside a study room and the phone in her hand wasn''t hers. Halia glanced around the room and quickly recognized where she was; she was in Trojan''s study room. The police had searched this room after Trojan was caught.


    It seemed, she had successfully tapped into Trojan''s memory!


    At that moment, the phone in her hand vibrated again. Trojan was secretive; he didn''t even have a ringtone.


    Halia slowly picked up the phone and placed it to her ear. "What do you think of the plans, Brother?" a familiar voice asked from the other end. It was Joel Gabriel Santos!


    Halia enlarged a file on the computer and looked at it with a greedy smile, "It''s perfect. The Organization will be happy with this."


    As Halia stared at the file on the computer, she realized it was the plan for White Pearl Resort! This must have been before the resort was constructed.


    Trisha was right to be suspicious of this resort. It seemed, it was linked to Trojan and The Organization.


    Most importantly, as Halia scanned her eyes across the plan, she noticed something strange about the plan. White Pearl Resort was clearly a 3-level resort with a ground floor for the lobby and restaurant, she was staying in it right at that moment and she was certain about this. So, why did the plan show 5 floors in total? Halia raised her eyebrows in curiosity as she tried to figure out the plan. She was no architect, but there was clearly an empty floor below the ground floor. There was something suspicious about this.


    At that moment, the man on the other end of the phone replied, "They will be happy when they see how much money we make." He then let out a loud, hollow laugh that echoed through the phone.


    The laugh pierced through Halia''s bones and sent shivers down her spine.


    This laugh...


    ...she heard it earlier.


    This was the laugh she heard in the lobby!


    ...


    Over in Hong Kong, Mimi was also laughing. But, her laugh was extremely awkward as she stared at the bottle in Emerson''s hand. She wanted to deny that the bottle was hers, but Emerson spoke up before she did and pointed to a security camera above their heads, "I wonder if the camera captured what you did with the contents of this bottle..."


    Mimi froze. She didn''t expect to be caught. After all, stomach aches were always related to food, why would anyone suspect otherwise? How did Emerson discover this?


    Sue immediately stared at the bottle and realized what Emerson was suggesting. "Mimi, what did you do?" she asked in shock.


    Mimi did not respond.


    Avaleigh held onto her stomach and looked at Mimi, "D-Did you spike my drink with laxatives?"


    Ara and Chu gasped in surprise. Even though Mimi always disliked Avaleigh, why would she put their concert at risk by making her sick? If she did, then she had gone too far.


    At that moment, Avaleigh''s stomach started to cramp again and she hunched forward in pain. Emerson subconsciously rushed forward to support her. "Are you OK?" he asked worriedly. He then handed her the bottle of water he had specifically gone to buy for her, "Have some water, it will help wash out the laxatives and give you some relief."


    Avaleigh held onto the bottle thankfully. She thought this man had left, but it seemed, he had gone to get her some water. The cramps in her stomach were immediately replaced with butterflies.


    Mimi glared at the two. "I was just sticking up for the rest of us!" she said. "Macaron has 7 members, but why does Ava always get the attention? Sometimes, I feel like I''m just a background dancer! Ava''s always in the center, she gets her own solo performance, she gets the most exposure, and even President Wu treats her differently! Don''t you think this is unfair?"


    Just as Mimi finished her sentence, a loud slap echoed across the room.


    Mimi held onto her cheek and looked at her manager in surprise. Sue had thrown a slap across her face, "I can''t believe you''re trying to justify your actions! You could have ruined this concert! Do you know how serious that is?"

 Chapter 300 - Friends Can Sleep Together

    Ever since Trisha joined the Hong Kong/Macau branch of Interpol, she had been living on her own in Hong Kong. Her mother passed away from cancer when she was young and her father passed away roughly 10 years ago during a terrorist attack on the Hong Kong consulate in London where he worked. So, when she returned to Hong Kong, she was all on her own. She still had relatives in Hong Kong but she wasn''t familiar with them and she didn''t want to rely on them either. Fortunately, she had the inheritance and insurance payout from her father''s death and it was enough for her to purchase an apartment where she could settle down.


    Her father was a huge influence on her life. He was the one that inspired her to pursue law enforcement, and his death pushed her to join Interpol. So, her career was very important to her. It wasn''t something she could just give up on. If she got herself involved with Oliver again, his mother would not be pleased.


    As she stared at the shameless man opposite her, she frowned, "Get out! You''re not staying here!"


    Oliver remained seated on the sofa and refused to move as a slight smile appeared on his lips. He tried so hard to trick her into letting him into her apartment, he wasn''t leaving so easily.


    "Come on, we''re friends. I came to see you as soon as I landed. I haven''t even found a place to stay yet. Plus, I''m injured because of you. I can''t go anywhere like this. Just let me stay for one night," Oliver frowned.


    "I''m not stupid," Trisha replied. "Where''s your luggage? You must have dropped it off somewhere. I only have one bed. There''s nowhere for you to sleep!"


    Oliver''s smile turned slightly evil when he heard this response. "I can sleep with you," he said straightforwardly. "It''s not like we haven''t slept together before."


    Trisha frowned and kneeled down beside the man''s foot. She then pressed the ice pack in her hand hard against his ankle. "Ouch," Oliver yelped. "Gently, it hurts."


    "I thought I made it clear that we are just friends," Trisha said as she held the ice pack against Oliver''s foot.


    At that moment, Oliver shuffled forward a little and leaned towards Trisha. "Friends can still sleep together," he said suggestively.


    Trisha cleared her throat and blushed a little. What was this man saying? Were they interpreting the activity of ''sleeping together'' differently?


    Memories of the night they spent in London suddenly came to her mind. That was the first and only time they slept together but she could remember it clearly in her mind as though it just happened yesterday. She still remembered the way he kissed her, the way he nibbled on her ear lobe and teased her neck, the way he ran his hands across her thighs, and the way he left her begging for more. It was the most passionate night she had ever experienced.


    That night was the first thing that came to mind when she thought of sleeping together. How could friends do that?


    Trisha moved back a little as she felt her body heat up. She wanted to remove the ice pack from Oliver''s foot and use it on herself instead to cool herself down, but of course, she couldn''t do that. So, she tried her best to maintain her composure as she grabbed some bandages and started wrapping Oliver''s foot.


    "Stop messing around. Where are you staying? You''re here on vacation, you must have booked a hotel before you arrived," she said with seriousness.


    Oliver chuckled and suddenly grabbed onto Trisha''s chin. Lifting her head so she could look into his eyes, he said in an equally serious tone, "I''m not here on vacation. I''ve accepted a job here in Hong Kong and I''m moving here."


    Trisha looked at Oliver with confusion, "You''re moving to Hong Kong? What about your mother?"


    Oliver laughed at the thought of his stubborn mother. The last month had been tough. When Trisha left, she thought she had removed the strain between the mother and son and they would return to normal, but she was wrong. All she did was make him more certain about what he really wanted.


    He remembered calling his father for advice after Trisha left and the words he had said to him, "Your mother will never change unless you force her to realize that her way of living isn''t the only way to live. She''s lived her entire life in the same place with the same people and has never found a reason to change. If you don''t fight for what you want and just give up, you will be trapped in her bubble forever. I''ve lived with her and I understand how she is like. When we had our divorce and I left, I failed to change her. But, you are different - you are her son. She would do anything for you. Trust me, if you stick to your decision, she will learn to accept it. Stop compromising for her and she will start compromising instead. You''re not put on this earth to live the life that she wants. She may not support you, but I will always back you up! Trisha sounds like a great woman, don''t let her get away!"


    After talking to his father, he received the extra push that he really needed and spent the next month packing up the life he had created in London and planning out his life in Hong Kong.


    The first thing he did was contact an old friend in Hong Kong who worked in journalism and that friend quickly helped him land a job with one of Hong Kong''s leading expat newspapers. Even though Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997, it was still a huge finance hub with a large expat community, so there was still a demand for English sources of information. When they saw Oliver''s resume, they hired him on the spot. After all, who wouldn''t want an award-winning journalist from the London Times?


    In the end, his father was right about his mother. As soon as he told her his decision to move to Hong Kong, she was completely against it, but when he ignored her unreasonable response, she realized she had no control over the situation and began to compromise. After all, she didn''t want to lose her son completely. So, on the day that he left, she called out behind him as he walked out the door, "Fine, you can go if you really want to, but make sure you Skype me every single day and visit often!"


    Oliver smiled as he thought back on the month he had been through. He won his battle with his mother in the end. Now, it was time to win back the love of his life.

 Chapter 301 - See You Later

    From a young age, Mimi''s dream had always been to become famous. Because of this dream, she spent 10 long years as a trainee, living in cheap accommodation, and eating cheap meals just to survive. Then, 5 years ago, her agency finally approached her and asked her to debut as a member of Macaron. At that time, she was ecstatic. She was one step closer to achieving her dream. But, after their debut, the imbalance in popularity quickly became apparent and she discovered she was the least noticeable member of the group.


    During this time, she made a lot of mistakes and often whined and complained about unfairness, but never had she done something as serious as hurting the other members of the group for her own benefit like she did that day. It was no surprise that Sue couldn''t help but throw a slap across her face.


    Mimi held onto her cheek in shock.


    "This is a serious breach of your contract. You have put the entire group and the agency''s interests at risk. I will have to report this incident to the agency and they will decide what will happen to you," Sue explained.


    When Mimi heard this, she immediately grabbed onto Sue''s arm in fear, "Please don''t tell the agency. What if they kick me out of the group? I will have nothing left."


    Sue sneered, "You should have thought about that before you decided to place laxatives in Avaleigh''s drink."


    Mimi immediately glared at Avaleigh. This was all her fault. If she didn''t steal the limelight and she didn''t seduce Emerson, she wouldn''t have taken such measures and got caught.


    At that moment, Ray, Olivia, and Nana finished their performance and joined the others in the backstage for a short intermission. As soon as they approached, Chu whispered all the details to them and they looked at Mimi in shock.


    Ray was the closest to Mimi so she immediately walked over to Sue and tried to soothe her anger, "I know Mimi made a huge mistake this time, but if you report this to the agency, there''s a possibility they may kick her out. Losing a member won''t be beneficial to any of us."


    Sue glared at Mimi. Even though she was furious, she agreed with Ray''s analysis; losing a member was never good. It usually resulted in scandals and the eventual breakdown of a group. Macaron were at the peak of their career, they couldn''t afford something like that. So, she grunted with disappointment and said, "You''re lucky that Ray is speaking up for you. I''ll give you one chance, you better act appropriately from now on. If I catch you stepping out of line again, I will tell the agency what you''ve done. If worse comes to worst, I will hold auditions to find you a replacement. I''m sure plenty of people would want the opportunity you''ve got!" She then stormed out of the room to calm herself down.


    Mimi frowned as she watched Sue leave and stared at the empty laxative bottle that had been left behind. She clenched her fists in anger and glared at Avaleigh and Emerson. She had been too careless this time. She didn''t expect anyone to realize what she had done. How did Emerson know?


    Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Emerson patted Avaleigh on the back as she finished the bottle of water that he bought for her. "Do you feel better?" he asked gently.


    Avaleigh looked at the man and nodded her head.


    "Thank you for exposing Mimi. If you weren''t here, I would have been framed for sneaking in food. How did you know that she put laxatives in my drink?" she asked.


    "I''ve met a woman like her before and I''ve seen the same trick in the past. Jealousy can drive a person crazy," Emerson replied.


    "Jealousy? We''ve always been at odds, but she''s never done something like this before. What could have triggered her this time?" Avaleigh furrowed her brows as she tried to think of the answer.


    Emerson looked at the woman apologetically and said, "It may have been because of me."


    "You?" Avaleigh looked at the man with a puzzled expression.


    "She likes me..." Emerson said.


    Avaleigh nodded her head, "Yes, she''s made that pretty clear. But, what does that have to do with me?"


    Emerson glanced around to check that no one was looking and slowly leaned in towards Avaleigh''s ear, "I think she noticed that I like you..."


    Avaleigh felt the man''s breath brush against her ear and heart began to race. At that moment, she remembered the question she wanted to ask earlier. She had wanted to know why he tried to kiss her. Was this the answer? Did he like her?


    "Did she misunderstand?" Avaleigh checked nervously.


    Emerson moved away and stared dotingly into Avaleigh''s eyes. Without answering her question right away, he said, "Don''t worry, I won''t let her touch a single hair on your body from now on."


    "From now on?" Avaleigh asked in confusion.


    "Yes...because no one can touch my woman..." Emerson replied domineeringly.


    Avaleigh felt her entire body turn to jelly when she heard this. She even dropped the empty water bottle in her hand onto the floor. His woman?


    Filled with nervousness, she quickly stood up to grab the bottle and said awkwardly, "I need to return to the stage for the rest of the concert...I''ll...I''ll see you later..."


    Even though she had plenty of fans and admirers, this was the first time a man confessed to her like this, and she didn''t know how to respond.


    With a shy smile, she turned around and scurried behind a curtain to get changed.


    As she walked off, Emerson smiled to himself. Avaleigh had subconsciously accepted his feelings. Rather than rejecting him or denying that she was his woman, she said she would see him later. His heart lit up when he realized what this meant. With a smile, he left the backstage and made a phone call, "What''s good for replenishing the body after a stomach ache?"

 Chapter 302 - Forcefully Moving In

    Oliver looked lovingly at the woman opposite him. He wanted to tell her the good news - that his father approved of them and his mother could no longer stand in their way - but Trisha''s phone suddenly rang and she immediately rushed out to the balcony to answer it.


    While he watched her pace back and forth on the balcony, he could tell she was discussing something serious, so he also took this opportunity to make a phone call.


    "Did you find her?" an excited voice asked on the other end as soon as his call connected.


    Oliver glanced at Trisha and smiled, "Yes, thanks for helping me find her. I''m at her place right now. Can you do me one more favor, though?"


    The voice on the other end chuckled enthusiastically, "What can I do?"


    "Can you get someone to deliver my luggage?" Oliver smirked.


    "Woah! You''re quick! I thought you were staying with me. Did you already convince her to let you move in?" the voice on the other end asked in an impressed tone.


    "Not yet..." Oliver replied. "But, I''m not taking no for an answer..."


    The voice on the other end burst into laughter. "I love stuff like this. If you were a celebrity, this would be a huge scandal!"


    Oliver shook his head helplessly. The voice on the other end was a friend that he had met during university. He was an international student from Hong Kong that had a passion for journalism just like him. However, this friend was passionate about a different type of journalism. He loved following celebrities and uncovering deep, dark secrets in the entertainment industry.


    In other words, he was a member of the paparazzi.


    "I''ll get your luggage there right away!" the man said before he hung up.


    Oliver smiled and stood up; his foot wasn''t actually injured. He then glanced around the apartment and started walking somewhere.


    Meanwhile, Trisha was on the balcony discussing something serious. Halia had called with some new information. She was staying at Joel Gabriel Santos'' resort at that very moment and she had a feeling he was at the resort as well. She also mentioned something about an extra level in the bas.e.m.e.nt.


    Trisha didn''t want to disturb her idol''s honeymoon, especially when she knew he had already retired from Interpol. But, they didn''t have solid evidence to open an official case yet - for all she knew, this was all just Halia''s hunch - so she had no choice but to ask Halia to follow up on her suspicions.


    "I trust your information, Halia, but I need solid evidence to convince my superiors. If you can find proof that the secret bas.e.m.e.nt exists, or at least get a photo of Joel Gabriel Santos with someone suspicious, I''ll speak to the big boss and we can launch an official investigation. I''ll continue to investigate Trojan on my end and see what I can find," Trisha replied.


    Halia nodded her head in understanding, "I understand. I''ll see what I can find."


    Trisha hung up the phone after she was done speaking to Halia and returned to the apartment.


    But, when she stepped back into the living room, the man that was originally on the sofa was gone. She glanced at the kitchen and there was no one there either. Where did he go?


    "Oliver?" she called out as she wandered towards the bathroom. Perhaps, nature called and he was using the toilet?


    But, the bathroom door was wide open and there was no one inside. Had he suddenly decided to leave?


    With a shrug, Trisha removed her coat, lay down on her bed, and closed her eyes. It had been a long day at work and she was exhausted. However, a voice suddenly whispered beside her ear, "Don''t you shower before going to bed?"


    Trisha''s eyes immediately flew open and she looked next to her in surprise. Oliver was tucked under the blankets of her bed and his lips were right beside her ear. She immediately kicked him out of bed with a scream, "What are you doing here?!"


    Oliver rolled on the ground in pain, "Sleeping, of course."


    "I thought I already told you to leave," Trisha frowned.


    "But, I already told you, I have nowhere to go," Oliver replied before he climbed back on the bed.


    Trisha furrowed her brows, "Why are you here in Hong Kong, Oliver? Are you really working here from now on?"


    Oliver smiled at the woman and replied simply, "I''m here because of you."


    Trisha felt her heart almost explode when she heard this. Why did he have to tempt her like this?


    She had lost her parents and could no longer be filial towards them, but Oliver''s parents were still alive. She had come to the difficult decision of leaving him because she couldn''t bear to tear him away from his parents. It was something she felt strongly about. Why couldn''t he understand this?


    But, just as she was about to question him, Oliver suddenly received a Skype call on his phone.


    "Oh, perfect timing," he smiled as he shuffled up to Trisha and picked up the call.


    Trisha looked at the man in surprise as he pointed his phone towards both of them.


    "Hi, Mom," Oliver grinned as the call connected.


    Trisha eyes opened wide in shock. Mom? Was he trying to give his mother a heart attack? If she was to see that he was here in Hong Kong with her, she would be furious!


    Trisha quickly tried to roll away, but Oliver grabbed onto her shoulder and held her in place. Trisha glanced at the phone awkwardly and saw a familiar face glaring at her. Margaret Williams had a frown on her face as she asked, "Have you settled in well over there?"


    Oliver smiled and nodded his head, "I''m staying at Trisha''s place. It''s nice, modern, and close to work."


    Trisha almost choked when she heard this. Was he deliberately trying to anger his mother?


    But, to her surprise, Margaret looked into Trisha''s eyes and said, "Thanks for giving my son a place to stay. Since he is in a foreign place, I hope you can take good care of him, don''t let him get into trouble."


    Trisha stared at the woman blankly and nodded her head. What was happening? Didn''t she disapprove of them?


    Just as she glanced at Oliver questioningly, the doorbell rang. Trisha snapped out of her daze and started to get up. "I''ll go get the door," she said awkwardly. But, Oliver grabbed onto her hand and waved goodbye to his mother, "I''ll come with you. I think it''s for me."


    "For you?" Trisha asked with confusion.


    This was her home. Why would someone be at the door for him?

 Chapter 303 - Whats For Dinner Tonight?

    Trisha opened the door and found two suitcases sitting outside, still with luggage tags attached to them. Some big bold letters stood out on the tags: LHR and HKG. Trisha recognized the airport codes: these two suitcases belonged to someone that had arrived from London.


    Trisha turned and looked at Oliver as he stepped in front of her, grabbed the suitcases and started rolling them into the apartment.


    "Are these yours?" she asked in surprise. What were they doing here?


    Oliver smiled proudly and nodded his head, "Since I''m staying here, of course, I need my things."


    There was no end to this man''s shamelessness.


    "My father approves of us and my mother isn''t against us being together," he said. He then wrapped an arm around Trisha''s waist and stared lovingly into her eyes. "You have no reason to run away from me anymore."


    Trisha thought about the phone call with Oliver''s mother and suddenly felt her heart light up. Was she dreaming? Were they really allowed to be together? But, just as she was thinking this, she suddenly noticed something else on the luggage tags. A date!


    Trisha pouted her lips and pushed the man away, "You''re so sneaky! Where did your luggage come from? You obviously have a place to stay! Look at your luggage tags, you landed yesterday, you liar!!!"


    Oliver chuckled and pulled the feisty woman against his body.


    "I was staying with my classmate last night. ''Her'' place is even smaller than yours. I had to share ''her'' bedroom last night. If you want, I can go back to stay with ''her''," Oliver replied.


    Her? Trisha furrowed her brows at the thought of Oliver sharing a bedroom with another woman. Who was this woman? Did she have any ulterior motives?


    Finally, she closed the door and said, "You''re paying half the bills..."


    She then headed into the bathroom to have a shower.


    Outside, in the corridor, a young man watched the two argue and chuckled. "Her? When did I turn into a woman?" he asked as he shook his head at his friend''s cheekiness. He then turned around and left.


    Just as he stepped into the elevator, he received a message on his phone, "Thanks for bringing me my luggage. I owe you one."


    He then checked his watch and smiled. "The concert should be finished soon," he whispered to himself as he grabbed the camera around his neck excitedly.


    ...


    After being caught earlier, Mimi did not attempt any other tricks. The entire group knew she had always held a grudge against Avaleigh, but they didn''t expect her to actually do something so despicable. So, now that they had witnessed her methods, their image of her completely changed and they no longer looked at her in the same way.


    With all eyes on her, she couldn''t even get within 3 meters of Avaleigh, let alone harm her again.


    The rest of the concert ended up running smoothly with no issues. Even though Avaleigh was not in the best state and some of her movements were lacking in power and energy, she still pushed herself to perform the best she could and barely anyone noticed a thing. After all, the atmosphere was lively, the stage was vibrant, and she wasn''t the only one performing. Only those that focused on just her for the entire night noticed the slight abnormalities.


    After the concert ended, Sue quickly rushed over to Avaleigh to check if she was OK. "Sorry for almost blaming you for something you didn''t do. I will make sure to keep an eye on Mimi from now on. Are you feeling better?" Sue asked.


    Avaleigh glared at Mimi and nodded her head. "I just want to go back to the hotel to get some rest."


    Sue immediately clapped her hands to gather the group''s attention and said, "Hurry and grab your things. We are heading back to the hotel right away. Ava needs to recover for tomorrow''s concert!"


    The other girls quickly grabbed their things. A few of them even helped Avaleigh grab her things. "I''ve got your handbag, Ava!" Chu called out. "I''ve got your coat," Ray chimed in.


    Mimi looked at the girls and scoffed. As she walked past Avaleigh''s dressing table, she scratched her nail across the name tag stuck to the back of Avaleigh''s chair, leaving a huge gash across her name. It was the only thing she could do at that moment to ease the anger she felt inside.


    As the girls left the building, fans were gathered outside, waiting to see them up-close and hoping to get some autographs.


    "Ava, can you sign my shirt?"


    "Chu, we love you!"


    "Ray, can we get a photo with you?"


    "Ava, marry me!"


    Each member was immediately called out by their own respective fans as the security guards tried their best to maintain order. Of course, Mimi had some fans too, but her numbers were nothing compared to Avaleigh.


    Soon, the girls boarded their van and headed back to the hotel.


    "When we get back, I have arranged for dinner to be brought to you as usual. Eat it and get some rest. You will have some free time tomorrow to do what you want. Whether it be catching up on sleep, doing some training, or even exploring the town. Whatever you choose to do, remember to notify me, and make sure you arrive back at the exhibition center at 7pm to prepare for the concert. If you decide to leave the hotel, make sure to disguise yourself well. We don''t want any scandals..." Sue instructed.


    The girls nodded obediently and returned to their rooms as soon as the van arrived back at the hotel.


    Avaleigh was completely exhausted. She had performed an entire concert on a practically empty stomach and was feeling a little light-headed. After changing into some comfortable clothes, she heard a knock on her door. "Room service!" a voice called.


    Avaleigh''s stomach naturally reacted with a grumble. Dinner had arrived. She didn''t care what Sue had prepared for her at that moment. All she knew was, she was so hungry, she could eat anything. So, the moment the door opened, she quickly hurried the hotel staff inside. "What''s for dinner tonight?" she asked excitedly.


    The staff pushed a trolley into the room and closed the door behind him. Sitting on top of the trolley was a plate covered by a lid. Avaleigh was so focused on what was under the lid, she didn''t even notice that the staff member was acting a little strange. He had a hat on his head and he was looking down like he was trying to conceal his face. When he heard Avaleigh''s question, he smirked and slowly lifted the lid off the plate. As soon as Avaleigh saw what was hidden underneath, she gasped.


    "What''s that?" she shrieked in shock.

 Chapter 304 - Eat And Leave

    Avaleigh stared at the bundle of clothes that sat on the plate in front of her. "What''s that?" she shrieked. She was expecting food, but this did not look edible at all.


    The man in front of her laughed and carefully removed his hat to reveal his identity. "Get changed, let me take you somewhere with good food," he said mysteriously.


    Avaleigh''s eyes opened wide in surprise when she realized who the man was. He was dressed in the hotel''s uniform, but he was not a member of the staff. The man in front of her was Emerson!


    Her heart immediately began to race. This man had called her his woman earlier, so the sight of him made her nervous. What was he doing here?


    Avaleigh picked up the pile of clothes and unfolded them curiously.


    It was a cleaner''s uniform!


    "There are reporters outside. If you want to leave this room without them noticing, get changed into this. There''s also a dust mask for you to cover your nose and mouth," Emerson explained. "Trust me. I have something good prepared for you."


    Avaleigh usually followed the rules and didn''t do things like sneaking out in the middle of the night, but the man''s suggestion suddenly made her feel a little excited. Slightly hesitant, she picked up the clothes and walked into the bathroom.


    Before long, she stepped back out dressed as a cleaner.


    "You''re not abducting me, are you?" Avaleigh laughed as she looked at herself in the mirror.


    "Do I look like someone who would abduct you?" Emerson laughed as he spread his arms for her to analyze him.


    Avaleigh looked at the hotel uniform on the man''s body and nodded her head with a giggle. The uniform did not suit him at all. But, of course, she was just joking. After the way he took care of her over the past few days, she knew he was not a bad person.


    With a smirk, Emerson put his hat back on, "Follow me and don''t say a thing."


    Avaleigh quickly pulled up her mask and followed beside Emerson as he covered up the plate and started pushing the trolley back out of the room.


    The room door closed behind them with a ''bang'' and they started walking down the corridor towards the elevator.


    After many years of experience, Avaleigh had developed a keen sense of paparazzi. So, she immediately spotted one hiding at the end of the corridor.


    As she and Emerson got closer to the reporter, she began to feel nervous. Would he notice it''s her? Would he find it strange that Emerson walked in alone and came back out with an extra person?


    But, just as she was thinking this, Emerson suddenly said, "What were you still doing in there? You were supposed to vacate the room before the guest returned. If Miss Song decides to file a complaint against you, you''re going to be fired. You may be new here, but you need to learn how to work faster!"


    Avaleigh almost burst into laughter when she heard this. She had done a few cameo roles in television dramas, so she quickly channeled the actress inside her and bowed apologetically.


    At that moment, the elevator arrived and the two stepped inside. As the doors closed, Avaleigh took a quick peek at the paparazzi that was hiding and noticed his eyes were still glued to the room door. From the looks of it, he had no idea he was watching over an empty room.


    With a giggle, she looked at Emerson and said, "I''ve never done something like this before. Where are you taking me?"


    Without answering, Emerson grabbed hold of Avaleigh''s hand. A moment later, the doors of the elevator opened to the underground parking lot and he quickly dragged her out to his car.


    After they were both seated inside, he started the car and smiled. "I''m taking you to my place," he finally replied.


    Avaleigh''s eyes widened. To his place? In the middle of the night? She had never been to a man''s place before.


    The last time she dated a guy was just before she became an idol and they broke up because he had tried to rush things with her. At that time, she was only 19 and he invited her to his place for dinner. He had tricked her by telling her that his mother wanted to meet her, but when she arrived, she realized he was home alone and he had other plans on his mind.


    Was history about to repeat itself? She thought Emerson was a good person, but that didn''t mean good people didn''t have desires. Although he called her his woman earlier, she had never agreed to anything...


    Emerson glanced at the woman and saw her twiddling her thumbs nervously. "Are you nervous about coming to my place?" he asked.


    Avaleigh froze. How did he know what she was thinking?


    "Don''t worry, it''s very comfortable there. You are going to like what I''ve prepared, you might even beg me for more tomorrow. If it''s too late and you''re tired, you can even sleep there. I''ll make sure to return you to the hotel before your concert tomorrow," Emerson reassured.


    However, these words only made Avaleigh even more nervous.


    She glanced out the window and noticed they were driving up a mountain road. She grew up in Hong Kong and was familiar with the direction they were headed. Although she could never afford a place in this part of Hong Kong, she knew they were headed up The Peak. That was right, the first time she met Emerson, he had said he was headed for The Peak.


    As the car continued to drive further and further away from the high-rises of the downtown, Avaleigh began to panic. It was like she was headed up a pathway of no return.


    She subconsciously reached into her pocket to look for her phone. Perhaps, if she demanded to get out of the car now, she could call a taxi back to the hotel and pretend nothing happened. This man wouldn''t force her beyond her will, right?


    But, as she dug around, she furrowed her brows and sighed. She had left her phone in the hotel!


    Emerson didn''t know what the woman was thinking, but he did sense a bit of discomfort. "You must be starving. Don''t worry, we''re almost there. We can eat as soon as we arrive," he said.


    Avaleigh''s stomach grumbled at the mention of food and she sighed again. She wanted to leave, but her stomach was betraying her.


    In the end, she decided to quickly eat and leave. She couldn''t waste the food...

 Chapter 305 - Begging For More

    Emerson''s car soon pulled up outside a beautiful mansion that overlooked the city. As a local, Avaleigh had traveled up to The Peak multiple times, but she had always caught the tram to the tourist lookout point, never had she been to the residential area. Although she had mingled with the rich and famous over the past few years, she still felt a little out of place here.


    Avaleigh stepped out of the car and a middle-aged woman suddenly rushed over. "You must be Ava! Emerson told us you were coming. Come inside," she smiled.


    Avaleigh looked at Emerson curiously as the woman started dragging her inside and Emerson smiled. "This is Aunt Lily," he said.


    Aunt? Avaleigh realized, at that moment, that she may have misunderstood the man. When he said he was taking her home, she was imagining the two of them, all alone, under one roof, but as she walked in through the big double redwood doors, she noticed the sheer size of the place and realized how silly she had been. This was obviously his family home, and judging by the size, quite a few people lived inside. As soon as she walked through the door, she already saw a butler and four maids, and as Aunt Lily led her into the dining room, she also saw an old man sitting inside.


    She had her guard up because of an experience she had in the past, but she realized she couldn''t judge the present based on things that had happened in the past. Emerson was not her ex-boyfriend; he was a known gentleman. But, she couldn''t help wonder what he meant when he said he would leave her ''begging for more''.


    Avaleigh subconsciously glanced at her watch. It was already 11pm. Was it rude of her to intrude so late at night?


    "I''m sorry to bother you so late at night," she said as Aunt Lily gestured for her to sit down.


    Aunt Lily smiled, "No bother at all. Emerson doesn''t bring guests often. Plus, he told us you were working late. Emerson often works late and comes home at this time too."


    She then glanced at one of the maids and nodded her head.


    Emerson soon joined them at the dining table. He had changed out of his hotel uniform and was wearing a collared shirt with black pants. As he sat down next to Avaleigh, he introduced the old man that was sitting at the table, "Ava, this is my father."


    Father Wu eyed the woman up and down. Unlike Emerson, she was still dressed in a hotel cleaner''s uniform so he wasn''t too impressed. But, there was something familiar about her that he couldn''t pinpoint. "What do you do, Miss Ava? Why were you still at work so late at night?"


    Father Wu had been quite surprised when his son suddenly called home and said he was bringing a guest. Emerson barely brought guests home, and apart from Halia, this was the first woman, so he he was naturally curious about her.


    Avaleigh noticed the old man looking at the uniform on her body and realized he may have mistaken her for a cleaner. But, just as she was about to explain, Emerson cut in, "She is the woman I like. Why does it matter what she does?"


    Avaleigh was quite surprised by this response. Many men had pursued her in the past because she was a celebrity and they wanted to show her off to their friends and family, but this man didn''t seem to care.


    Father Wu narrowed his eyes and stared at Avaleigh, "I know my son is a great catch, plenty of women have been interested in him, but don''t you think you''re aiming too high?"


    Emerson looked comfortingly at Avaleigh and said, "You''ve misunderstood. Ava isn''t aiming for anything. I''m the one that''s interested in her and I''m the one that''s pursuing her. I don''t even know if she likes me."


    Father Wu almost fell out of his seat when he heard this. "Ridiculous! How could someone not like my son? Especially someone like her?" he yelled. His son was one of the most eligible bachelor''s in Hong Kong. How could he not be good enough for a mere cleaner?


    Avaleigh glanced down awkwardly as her heart raced.


    Aunt Lily sensed the awkwardness and quickly tugged on Father Wu''s sleeve. "Come on, it''s getting late. Now that you''ve met your son''s guest, let''s go to bed," she whispered.


    "But..." Father Wu still had more things to say, but Aunt Lily gestured for him to hush and started dragging him out.


    After Father Wu and Aunt Lily left, Emerson looked at Avaleigh dotingly and spread a napkin on her lap. He then poured a glass of water and handed it to her. "You need to rehydrate as much as possible," he said thoughtfully.


    Avaleigh accepted the glass and blushed a little.


    A moment later, a few of the maids walked out with dishes of food and placed them on the dining table. Avaleigh scanned her eyes across the table. There was a nutritious abalone congee, a plate of ginger chicken, steamed vegetable dumplings, braised potato and a hot tofu pudding for dessert.


    Avaleigh watched as Emerson filled a bowl of congee and placed it in front of her. "I specifically asked the kitchen to prepare this for you. I spoke to my nutritionist friend and she said these are light on your stomach and will help you recover faster," he said.


    Avaleigh looked at all the food and felt her heart melt as she took a sip of the congee. This was the third meal that this man had prepared for her. No one had ever cared about her so much.


    Suddenly, as the congee entered Avaleigh''s mouth, her eyes lit up and her tastebuds tingled with satisfaction. She had never tasted congee as good as this before. Forgetting her table manners, she immediately finished the entire bowl and licked her lips with a smile. Her stomach had been emptied out today and it felt so good to fill it with something warm and fragrant. With a shy look on her face, she handed the bowl back to Emerson and asked, "Can I please have more?"


    Emerson chuckled and nodded his head. As he refilled the bowl, he said quietly, "I told you you would be begging for more..."


    Avaleigh heard this and almost burst into laughter. So this was what he meant by ''begging for more''. While she was having dirty and evil thoughts, this man was innocent and pure. Father Wu was right, how could any woman not like his son?

 Chapter 306 - Crime Scene

    Avaleigh slowly enjoyed the food on the table in front of her. Every single dish was just as delicious as the last and she didn''t want to stop, but she knew she had to control herself. She still had a concert tomorrow and she couldn''t overindulge. As she scooped one last mouthful of tofu pudding into her mouth, she glanced at the man beside her and noticed he had fallen asleep.


    He was still in a seated position, but his eyes were closed and he looked peaceful.


    Avaleigh felt her heart hurt a little when she saw this. That was right, he had been working non-stop since this morning. At least she got a little break between her rehearsals and her performance. Emerson hadn''t even stopped to take a breath. He even had to worry about her and prepare food for her.


    Avaleigh glanced at her watch. It was midnight.


    She gently waved one of the maids over and said, "Can I borrow a phone to call a taxi and a bit of money to pay for it? I don''t want to trouble the President to drive me back." She had left her phone and her wallet at the hotel.


    The maid glanced at her Young Master and nodded her head. Emerson had prepared an entire dinner for this woman, so obviously, a bit of money for a taxi wasn''t an issue. She would ask him back for it tomorrow. She then handed the phone to Avaleigh and called a few male helpers over, "The Young Master fell asleep again. Can you guys carry him to his room?"


    Avaleigh watched as three men lifted Emerson up meticulously, like they had done it many times before, and carried him upstairs.


    "Does he fall asleep like this all the time?" Avaleigh asked.


    The maid nodded her head. Ever since his mother, uncle, and auntie were all thrown into prison, Emerson had lost three authoritative figures in the casino and was left with triple the amount of work. He needed to desperately hire more people, but it was hard to find people he could trust, especially in the corrupt casino industry, so he was often overworked and tired by the time he got home. But, of course, the maid did not explain all this and Avaleigh had no idea. There were a lot of things about Emerson that she didn''t know.


    Avaleigh glanced upstairs and caught one last look of Emerson''s handsome face as he was carried down a corridor towards his room. He had done so much for her that she wished there was something she could do for him in return, but all she could do at that moment was not disturb his sleep and find her own way back to the hotel.


    Soon, a taxi arrived outside the huge mansion and Avaleigh got inside. By now, all the owners of the household were asleep and only the workers were awake, so the maid saw her out. Before the taxi drove away, the maid approached and handed Avaleigh an envelope of money so she could pay for the ride home. Avaleigh accepted the money thankfully and said, "Tell your Young Master to rest properly. I will make sure I eat all my meals tomorrow, he doesn''t have to come check on me in the morning or the afternoon. But, I hope he can finish work on time tomorrow and let me treat him to a thank you dinner after work."


    In other words, she was telling him to sleep in, finish work on time, and not to worry about her and the concert.


    The maid nodded and waved politely, "Don''t worry, I will make sure to pass on your message."


    With that, the taxi began driving away.


    It took roughly 45 minutes to drive back to the AsiaWorld-Expo from The Peak so Avaleigh took this time to enjoy the night view of Hong Kong. It had been a long time since she returned to this city, but she still had many nostalgic memories of the place.


    The driver glanced at the weird woman sitting in the back of his taxi. She had walked out of one of the richest mansions in The Peak, but she was dressed in a hotel cleaner''s uniform and she had a mask on her face. The maid even handed her an envelope of money as she left. He couldn''t help but wonder who she was. Did she work a double shift at the mansion and the hotel? Or did the rich owners of the mansion have some kind of weird fetish and hire someone in costume?


    Even though he couldn''t see her face properly, her nails were manicured with pastel colors and gems, she had piercings all over her ear, she appeared young, and her hair was curled and dyed. She looked nothing like a typical cleaner. His latter guess definitely seemed more feasible.


    But, he did not ask any questions. He had worked the night shift for many years and often met weird people at this time of night. In fact, it was one of the things that kept his job interesting. So, he simply smirked at his own over-imaginative mind and kept driving. If he wasn''t a taxi driver, he could perhaps become a writer someday.


    Soon, the taxi pulled up outside the hotel that Avaleigh was staying in and Avaleigh quickly paid the driver with the money in her envelope. There was more than enough so she told the driver to keep the rest as a tip. After all, she understood how hard it was to work at night. The driver accepted the money thankfully and left.


    After that, Avaleigh carefully returned to her room. She wasn''t sure if any paparazzi were still around and if they had noticed that she had left her room, so she kept her disguise and returned to her room as a cleaner. As she stepped out of the elevator, she took a quick glance to both sides of her. The corridors seemed empty. There was no one around.


    She checked her watch again. It was almost 1am. The paparazzi must have gone home by now, so she breathed a sigh of relief.


    But, just as she approached her room door, she noticed the room next to hers was slightly open.


    The room next door was Mimi''s. Did she accidentally leave her door open?


    Avaleigh furrowed her brows and approached her group member''s room. "Mimi, are you there?" she called out quietly. It was 1am so she didn''t want to disturb the neighbors.


    There was no answer.


    Avaleigh gently pushed open the door and stepped inside. "Mimi, you left your door open. Do you want me to close it for you?"


    The lights were on, so Avaleigh assumed Mimi was awake and in the room.


    But, there was still no response.


    Avaleigh looked around. The living room and kitchen were empty so she headed for the bedroom.


    "Mimi..."


    Avaleigh gently pushed open the door and noticed a body lying face down on the bed. It was Mimi. Was she so tired from the concert that she had dropped asleep in this weird position? But, why didn''t she respond? Avaleigh''s gut told her something wasn''t right.


    "Mimi..." she called again.


    The body on the bed remained still.


    Avaleigh approached and gently nudged her group member. That was when she noticed something red seeping out from underneath the woman.


    Was she seeing things?


    Avaleigh felt her body go numb and her breathing stop.


    Her voice trembled as she called the woman again, "Mimi..."


    Still, there was no response.


    Gathering her courage, she flipped the woman over.


    But...


    ...she almost fainted at the scene before her.


    The red stuff seeping out from under the woman...was blood...and it was all over her lifeless body...


    Avaleigh''s knees fell weak and she dropped on the floor. Staring at her hands in shock, she let out a blood-curdling scream.


    Mimi had been murdered...and she was sitting in the middle of a crime scene with the woman''s blood all over hands...

 Chapter 307 - Level B

    9am. Boracay, White Pearl Resort.


    Natalie and Sean arrived right on time. Sean was a meticulous SPU senior agent and Natalie was the secretary/personal assistant of one of the most successful men in China, so they were both well-organized and always on time.


    Halia ran over excitedly to hug her two friends and Jackson followed behind to shake their hands.


    "The driver will be here at 11, so we can help you move everything to your room first," Halia said.


    Jackson immediately stepped forward to help, not allowing the pregnant woman to carry a single bag.


    Natalie smiled thankfully. Although she didn''t know Jackson well, she could tell he was a great man and she was looking forward to learning more about him on this trip.


    "How was your flight?" Halia asked as she hooked her arm with Natalie''s.


    Natalie grinned, "It was so smooth that I fell asleep through the whole thing. What about you? How was the first night of your honeymoon?"


    As Natalie spoke, she gave a cheeky wink, obviously hinting other things.


    But, Halia blushed a little and ignored her by answering seriously, "Jackson prepared a romantic dinner on the beach with a live dance performance. It was amazing."


    Natalie chuckled, "Boring..."


    The four friends soon stepped into the elevator and joined a man that was already inside. Halia glanced at the man as he shuffled to the side to make space. He looked familiar.


    The resort only had four levels, so it didn''t take long before the elevator stopped on the second floor and the man stepped out. Halia got a major sense of Deja Vu and realized why the man looked familiar. He was in the elevator when she and Jackson were returning to their room after dinner last night.


    At that moment, she realized something else that she didn''t before.


    If they boarded the elevator on the ground floor...why was there already a person in the elevator???


    Unless...


    ...there was another floor below them...


    Halia watched as the man walked away. Who was he? Did he really come from the bas.e.m.e.nt level?


    Halia looked around the elevator curiously. Was there a secret button somewhere? At that moment, her eyes paused on the card scanner on the wall. That was the only way to access the levels. Could that be the answer? Perhaps, she needed a special card to get to the bas.e.m.e.nt. But, what could be down there?


    A moment later, the elevator stopped on the third floor and the two couples stepped out. They had specifically requested two rooms next to each other and were lucky that their request was met.


    As Halia passed by her and Jackson''s room, she noticed a cleaner enter their room to clean it for the day. All of a sudden, a thought came to her mind. Did the cleaner have access to the bas.e.m.e.nt level?


    She quickly paused in front of her room and said, "You guys go ahead, I need to grab something from our room."


    Her husband and two friends nodded their heads without any suspicion and continued to Sean and Natalie''s room next door.


    Halia immediately turned and entered her room. The cleaner was a little startled, but she bowed politely when she realized it was Halia, "Good morning, Ma''am, would you like me to vacate the room?"


    As the woman had her head down, Halia noticed a bunch of silver tags attached to a keyring that was sitting in the woman''s fresh laundry basket. Some of the tags were round and some of them were rectangular, and it looked like some numbers and letters were imprinted on them. Halia quickly figured out that the round tags were for floors and the rectangular tags were for rooms. G, 1, 2, 3 - there were 4 round tags in total. Halia frowned. What about B? She remembered that on the plan, the bas.e.m.e.nt level was named level B.


    The cleaner noticed at that moment that Halia hadn''t responded, so she slowly lifted her head to check if she had heard her. Perhaps...she didn''t know English. The cleaner pointed to the bed and said, "I clean...OK?"


    Halia quickly snapped out of her daze and said, "Oh sorry, I was thinking about something."


    The cleaner smiled, "That''s OK, Ma''am. Is it OK for me to continue cleaning?"


    Halia nodded her head. "Yes, but I think I lost my key for level B. Have you seen it?" she tested.


    The cleaner looked at Halia with confusion, "Do you mean level G? We don''t have a level B..."


    Halia could tell that the cleaner was genuinely confused and it confirmed that she had no idea about the secret level either. It made sense, though. If the level was such a secret, how could a mere cleaner know about it?


    Halia dug her hands in her pocket and laughed, "Oh yes, level G, but silly me, here it is. It was in my pocket all along."


    The cleaner laughed awkwardly. Sometimes, when people were on vacation, they seemed to leave their brains at home and make silly mistakes, so this did not surprise her too much.


    Halia smiled at the cleaner and walked back out of the room, "Don''t mind me. Continue with what you were doing..."


    ...


    Back in Hong Kong, Emerson sat up in bed and looked around in confusion. The sun was up and it was already the next day. The last thing he remembered from the previous night, was watching Avaleigh take one bite after another of the food he had prepared and thinking how mesmerizing she looked. He must have fallen asleep while Avaleigh was eating. How embarrassing...


    He glanced down at his clothes and realized someone had helped him change into a T-shirt and sweatpants. This was not the first time this had happened. All he could do was blame himself for working too hard and tiring himself out.


    But, where was Avaleigh now? Did she leave? Or did she take the suggestion he made and stay the night? They had plenty of empty rooms in the mansion for a guest.


    At that moment, one of his maids knocked on the door.


    "Come in," Emerson said.


    The young woman walked in and greeted politely, "Good morning, Young Master, did you sleep well?"


    Emerson nodded his head and asked with hope, "Where''s Miss Song? Is she still here?"


    The maid smiled and shook her head, "Miss Song saw you fall asleep and she didn''t want to disturb you so she borrowed some money and caught a taxi back to the hotel."


    Emerson frowned. She didn''t take his suggestion in the end. He was hoping to see her before work.


    The maid saw Emerson frown and continued, "Miss Song told you to rest properly. She said she will make sure to eat all her meals today and she told you not to check on her in the morning or the afternoon. But..."


    The maid paused for a bit, as though she was deliberately trying to create suspense. In reality, she was trying to remember the exact words that Avaleigh had said.


    "But, what?" Emerson asked impatiently.


    "But...she was hoping you could finish work on time today and let her treat you to a thank you dinner after work," the maid recalled.


    A huge smile appeared on Emerson''s face and he threw a punch in the air, "YES! She''s inviting me to dinner!"


    The maid smiled as well. It was rare to see their Young Master in such a good mood. Especially after everything that had happened to him lately.

 Chapter 308 - Number One Suspect

    Emerson quickly jumped up to look for his phone. He had to send the woman a reply and let her know that he was looking forward to dinner with her before she changed her mind and backed out. After all, women were unpredictable.


    But, just as he picked up his phone, he noticed he had 5 missed calls. It was from an unknown number and they had been trying to contact him since 3am that morning. It wasn''t often that he received calls at such an odd hour of the day. Who was it? Why were they calling so early in the morning? Was it something urgent?


    With a puzzled expression, Emerson pressed on the number and returned the call. He had a feeling it was important.


    Soon, a female voice answered, "Hello, Officer Liang speaking."


    Emerson''s eyes opened wide when he heard this greeting. Officer? Why was an officer calling him? "Hi, Officer Liang. My name is Emerson Wu, I received 5 missed calls from you this morning."


    The woman on the other end quickly glanced at the number on her phone and grabbed a piece of paper in front of her that had the same number scribbled on it.


    "Mr. Wu! I''m glad you called. I am a detective from the homicide department of the Hong Kong Police Force. We need you to come down to the police headquarters right away," the woman said with urgency.


    Emerson furrowed his brows. Why were the Hong Kong police looking for him? Was it something to do with his mother? But, she was already behind bars, what was so urgent that they called him at 3am in the morning? Most importantly, why was the homicide department calling him?


    Wasn''t the homicide department in charge of murders...?


    "May I ask what happened?" Emerson asked with confusion.


    "I can''t explain everything on the phone. Just come down here and you will understand," Officer Liang replied.


    Emerson didn''t know what was going on, but he agreed and quickly hung up the phone. He was an upstanding citizen so he was naturally happy to cooperate. But, he had a bad feeling about this.


    He immediately changed into a pair of dark blue business pants and a white collared shirt and hurried out to his car where his driver was waiting.


    "Good morning, President, would you like to go to the AsiaWorld-Expo or the casino first today?" the young driver asked.


    Emerson shook his head, "To the police headquarters."


    The young driver looked at his boss in surprise and quickly jumped into the driver''s seat. Why was Emerson going there?


    Soon, the car pulled up outside the police headquarters and Emerson stepped out.


    He then walked up to the reception desk and told them he was there to see Officer Liang from the homicide department.


    The women at the reception desk glanced at each other like they knew something and quickly called Officer Liang.


    A short moment later, a young woman in a gray suit walked out to greet him, "Mr. Wu, I''m glad you''re here. Follow me."


    Without questioning the woman, Emerson quickly followed.


    As the woman hurried down a corridor, she began to explain, "We were called into the Royal Sunset Hotel this morning just after 1am."


    Emerson listened curiously. Royal Sunset Hotel? That was where Macaron and their manager was staying. Did this have something to do with them?


    "A young woman was unfortunately found murdered in her hotel room..." Officer Liang said softly.


    Emerson felt his steps slow down a little when he heard this. A murder? A young woman? What did this have to do with him? Did he...know the victim?


    At that moment, his heart sank as a thought crossed his mind. 1am. was Avaleigh back at the hotel at that time? Did something happen to her?


    With a slightly trembling voice, he asked, "Why am I here?"


    Officer Liang calmly continued, "There was another person at the scene of the crime...When we arrived, she was sitting on the floor with blood all over her hands...so she naturally became the number one suspect..."


    "We brought her in and sat her inside one of our interrogation rooms. But, she hasn''t said a thing except...your name..."


    "My name?" Emerson asked in surprise as Officer Liang stopped outside a door.


    The woman then turned the handle and stepped inside. Emerson hesitated for a second before he followed her. A moment later, a familiar face came into view.


    Inside a sealed room, behind a one-way mirror, Avaleigh sat quietly with her head down staring at her hands. Her hands were still stained by blood, but it had now dried.


    Even though there had been a murder and the situation was serious, Emerson couldn''t help but feel a sense of relief.


    "She''s been sitting like that since we brought her in. Her manager and other group members have already filed police reports, but she has refused to speak. Supposedly, she and the victim were on bad terms with each other," Officer Liang said.


    Emerson looked at the officer and asked, "What''s the victim''s name?"


    Officer Liang stared into Emerson''s eyes and replied, "Mimi Chen..."


    Emerson''s eyes opened wide in shock. He then glanced at Avaleigh again, "Can I speak to her?"


    "Please..." Officer Liang said as she led him to another door.


    She then entered the interrogation room with Emerson.


    Emerson slowly approached the woman with a worried expression on his face. What had happened? There was no way he would believe that this woman was a murderer.


    "Ava?" he called out gently as he sat down opposite her.


    When she heard the man''s familiar voice, Avaleigh lifted her eyes for the first time since she arrived at the police headquarters and her lips began to quiver, "Emerson..."


    Officer Liang stepped closer, but kept a fair distance to not frighten the woman.


    "Ava, everything will be alright. Can you tell me what happened?" Emerson asked in a comforting voice.


    Avaleigh stared into Emerson''s eyes like she had finally found someone she could trust and started speaking.


    "Mi...Mimi''s dead..." she replied as tears began to seep out of her eyes. "The police think I killed her..."


    Earlier on, a couple of officers had tried to force her to speak and their interrogation methods were a bit intimidating.


    "Don''t worry, I''m here now. Tell me what happened," Emerson said comfortingly.


    Avaleigh nodded her head and slowly started talking, "Mimi''s door was open when I got back to the hotel, so I went in to check on her...I called her name a few times but she didn''t respond so I went to look for her in her bedroom. That was when I saw her lying face down on the bed. But, something didn''t seem right, so I flipped her over..."


    Avaleigh then paused and looked down at her hands. "There was blood everywhere..."


    At that moment, Officer Liang stepped forward and asked, "So, you''re saying she was dead when you arrived?"


    Avaleigh glanced at the woman with tears in her eyes and nodded her head.

 Chapter 309 - Alibi

    Seeing that the woman finally responded to her, Officer Liang carefully approached and sat down next to Emerson. "But, why were you disguised as a hotel cleaner?" she asked.


    One of the most suspicious things about this woman was the way she was dressed. It looked like she was trying to sneak in and out of the room undetected.


    Emerson quickly answered on behalf of the woman, "I gave her the disguise because I snuck her out of the hotel earlier that night."


    Officer Liang looked at Emerson in surprise, "At what time did you sneak her out?"


    "Just before 10:30pm. We were having a late dinner together," Emerson replied.


    "And what time did she return?" the woman continued to ask.


    Emerson paused for a second. He had fallen asleep before Avaleigh left, so he wasn''t completely sure...


    "I left Emerson''s place around midnight and got back to the hotel just before 1am," Avaleigh answered.


    Officer Liang looked at Emerson, "Can you confirm that?"


    Emerson bit his lip and shook his head. He wanted to help Avaleigh, but he had to be honest, "I fell asleep before Miss Song left."


    Officer Liang sighed, "The coroner has confirmed that Miss Chen died some time between 10:30pm last night and 12:30am this morning. If we can''t confirm that Miss Song was away from the hotel during that entire period, she will still be our number one suspect."


    Emerson frowned, "Can''t you check the hotel cameras? One of them must have caught her returning...Or even better, someone else must have been seen entering Miss Chen''s room."


    Officer Liang shook her head, "The cameras were down for routine maintenance last night and no one remembers seeing her return. Since she was dressed as a cleaner, the staff didn''t realize who she was so they didn''t take notice of her."


    Avaleigh looked at Emerson helplessly.


    Emerson picked up his phone at that moment and dialed a number, "You can speak to my maid. She showed Miss Song out."


    Emerson placed the phone on the table and switched it to handsfree. Soon, a young woman answered, "Hi, Young Master."


    Without wasting any time, Emerson immediately asked, "June, do you know what time Miss Song left last night?"


    The maid thought for a second and replied, "Around midnight..."


    At that moment, Officer Liang cut in, "Hi June, this is Officer Liang from the Hong Kong Police, we are investigating a serious case. We need to confirm the exact time that Miss Song left your residence. When you say around midnight, was it before midnight or after? Can you be more exact?"


    The maid immediately gasped when she realized how serious the situation was. After a short pause, she replied, "I''m sorry, but I didn''t look at the clock. There is no way for me to confirm the ''exact'' time."


    "Did anyone else show Miss Song out with you?" Officer Liang asked.


    "No..." the maid replied regretfully. Everyone else was asleep and the other staff were helping Emerson into bed.


    Officer Liang sighed as Emerson hung up.


    "Miss Song...things aren''t looking good for you. Is there anyone else that can prove you returned to the hotel after 12:30am?" Officer Liang asked patiently.


    For some reason, she had a feeling this woman was innocent, but she was currently the only suspect. She was found at the scene of the crime, she was suspiciously disguised, she was on bad terms with the victim, and her fingerprints were found on the victim''s body.


    But, all of a sudden, a glimmer of hope appeared in Avaleigh''s eyes, "The taxi driver. I caught a taxi back to the hotel. Maybe you can try to find him..."


    Officer Liang nodded. Although the chances were slim, she quickly stepped out to investigate.


    Emerson smiled comfortingly as he followed the woman out, "Don''t worry, we will find him. Even if I have to flip the entire Hong Kong upside down, I will prove your innocence."


    Avaleigh looked at the man and nodded her head.


    As soon as Emerson stepped out of the building, he walked straight up to his driver. "Jimmy, you mentioned before that you have friends in the taxi industry. Can you help me find a driver?"


    Jimmy looked at his boss and immediately picked up his phone, "Do you have any details?"


    "I''m looking for a driver that picked up a woman at my place around midnight last night and dropped her off at Royal Sunset Hotel," Emerson explained.


    Jimmy nodded his head and began to make calls while Emerson waited inside the car.


    He understood that Officer Liang was also following this lead, but knowing how slowly the police could work at times, he did not have the patience to wait. His woman was sitting inside an interrogation room and she was being treated as a murderer. He needed to get her out of there as soon as possible. After all, they still had a dinner date that night...


    Meanwhile, online, fans of Macaron were going crazy. The rest of the girl group''s concert tour was suddenly canceled due to ''unforeseen circ.u.mstances'' and there was no explanation as to what these circ.u.mstances were.


    At the same time, rumors started going around that there had been a murder at the Royal Sunset Hotel where the girl group was staying and that the victim may have been one of the members.


    Fans started logging onto the group''s fan site, demanding for an explanation. In particular, Fans in South Korea were distraught that their idol may have lost their life in a foreign country.


    "What were security doing at that time? If this is true, what will happen to the murderer? Will they be trialed in Hong Kong or Korea?"


    "Please tell us this isn''t true! My heart won''t be able to handle it!"


    "Who was murdered? We demand an explanation!"


    "The murderer should be hanged!"


    This was a sticky situation. A South Korean celebrity had been murdered in Hong Kong and the murderer had not been confirmed yet. Worst of all, the two countries had very different legal systems. For a high profile murder like this, the murderer would be sentenced to death by hanging in South Korea, but in Hong Kong, capital punishment had long been abolished. How would this case be handled?

 Chapter 310 - Evidence

    A taxi soon pulled up behind Emerson''s car and a middle-aged man stepped out. Emerson and his driver walked up to greet the man. "You must be Albert Yang, I''m Jimmy Lai, Nina from dispatch said you took a client from The Peak to Royal Sunset Hotel around midnight last night. Is that correct?" Emerson''s driver asked.


    The man rubbed his eyes. He was sleeping when he received an urgent phone call, telling him that he was needed as a witness for a crime. At first, he brushed it off and said he couldn''t remember a thing; he just wanted to sleep. After all, he worked the night shift and his clients were often entangled in random crimes that he had no idea about. He simply drove them; he had no idea who they were and what they were doing. Why did they always have to bother him?


    But, when he heard Avaleigh''s description, he suddenly sat up. Last night, when Avaleigh handed him an envelope of money and said to keep the rest as a tip, he thought she was simply rounding up her bill a little. Who knew, when he opened it up at the end of his shift, there was almost double the amount that she was supposed to pay. So...he felt like he owed it to her to at least see what the situation was about.


    Albert nodded his head, "Yes, I remember her."


    Emerson''s eyes lit up with hope, "Do you have a camera in your car?"


    Albert nodded again. Of course, he did. He worked at night; it was too dangerous not to have one.


    "Can you find footage of that particular client?" Emerson asked.


    Albert walked over to his car and removed the memory card from his camera. He then plugged it into his phone and started browsing through it. After a short while, he passed his phone to Emerson, "Here. That''s her. She boarded my taxi at 12:01am and got out at 12:47am."


    Emerson looked at the footage. It was definitely Avaleigh, he could recognize her from the cleaner''s uniform on her body. But...she was wearing a mask and the footage was quite dark. Was it enough to serve as evidence?


    "Can you come in and file a report? You may be the only alibi for this woman," Emerson said.


    Albert looked at Emerson in confusion. He still didn''t know what was going on. What crime was the woman involved in? "Can I ask what kind of crime she''s involved with?" he asked.


    Emerson hesitated for a moment and replied, "She''s suspected of murder."


    Albert''s eyes opened wide in shock. He was still a bit sleepy before, but he was completely awoken at that moment. A murder? That was more serious than he ever imagined. With a nod of his head, he followed Emerson inside.


    When Officer Liang saw Emerson, she was a little surprised. Emerson had only left about an hour ago, why was he back so soon?


    "Mr. Wu, is something wrong? Why are you back?" she asked.


    Emerson pointed to the man next to him and replied, "I found the taxi driver."


    Officer Liang looked at the tired man beside Emerson and immediately gestured for him to sit down at a desk. She was quite impressed. She had only just got through to the taxi dispatch and was waiting for them to go through their calls from last night. How did they find the taxi driver so quickly?


    Before Officer Liang got to ask any questions, Emerson handed the man''s phone to her, "This is footage from Mr. Yang''s taxi last night. It''s time-stamped. You can clearly see that Ava boarded at 12:01am and got out at 12:47am. This is her alibi."


    Officer Liang looked carefully at the footage and bit her lip, "This might not be enough. We can''t see her face in this footage. How do we know it''s not someone else?"


    Emerson frowned as Officer Liang played the video again, "Mr. Yang, do you have anything else that may assist us in identifying this woman? Did she, perhaps, order the taxi with her phone and pay using an online app...or did she pay with her card...?"


    Emerson sighed as the driver shook his head. He knew better than anyone that Avaleigh had left her phone and wallet at the hotel and that she had paid with cash that she borrowed from his maid.


    But, right at that moment, Emerson glanced at the video in Officer Liang''s hands and noticed something. "The envelope! Did she pay you with that envelope?" Emerson asked as he watched Avaleigh hand over an envelope to the taxi driver.


    Officer Liang''s eyes opened wide when she heard this question. She, of course, realized what Emerson was thinking. "Do you still have that envelope?" she asked Albert.


    Albert nodded his head. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the envelope from the video, "Are you talking about this?"


    Officer Liang immediately put on a pair of gloves and placed the envelope into a plastic evidence bag. "Are you certain that this is the envelope that the woman in this video gave you at 12:47am this morning?" she asked Albert one last time.


    Albert nodded his head with certainty, "No other client gave me money in an envelope during this shift. Plus, I clearly remember her because she tipped me almost double what she was supposed to pay and she was very strange. She was dressed like a cleaner, yet her nails were decorated with gems and pastel colors, she had multiple piercings in her ear, and her hair was curly and dyed. To be honest, I thought she was a p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e at one point. Especially when she received this envelope from the maid at the mansion I picked her up from. But, when she gave me the entire envelope and told me to keep the rest, it didn''t make sense, so she left quite an impression."


    Officer Liang recorded everything that the taxi driver said before she passed the wrapped up envelope straight onto her subordinate, "Hurry and get forensics to check the fingerprints on this."


    Albert watched as the envelope was carried away and suddenly realized something. In an awkward manner, he twiddled his thumbs and said, "Errr...my money is still in that envelope. When can I get it back?"


    Officer Liang looked at the man and laughed, "Don''t worry, as soon as we get the fingerprints from it, we will give it back to you."


    Albert sat back in his chair and sighed. How long would that take? He still needed to get some sleep before his next shift.


    Next to him, someone else was equally impatient. Emerson glanced at his watch and frowned; it was already 10am.


    Avaleigh had been sitting in that interrogation room for almost 9 hours...

 Chapter 311 - She Owes Me Dinner

    Halia, Jackson, Natalie, and Sean stayed at a resort on the Northern end of the famous White Beach. This area was known as Station 1. White beach ran for almost the entire stretch of Boracay and was a length of 4km, divided into 3 areas known as, Station 1, 2, and 3. The area around Station 1 had the finest stretch of white sand on the entire island, it was quieter than the other 2 stations and most of the luxurious resorts were situated around this area.


    As Natalie was pregnant, the group decided it would be more convenient to hire a driver to drive them up and down between the three stations, as well as to other popular tourist spots and quieter beaches on the island.


    There were many activities along the beach, including, snorkeling, paddle boarding, parasailing, and even mermaid swimming! And just off the beach, there were popular spots for cliff diving, kayaking, and snorkeling.


    Of course, Natalie couldn''t do most of those activities, but the group didn''t mind. China and Hong Kong did not have beaches as beautiful as Boracay, nor did they have the beautiful blue skies and fresh tropical air, so it was already enough for them to relax on the beach, drink some c.o.c.ktails/mocktails, and soak in some sun.


    For lunch, the driver took them to a famous Filipino restaurant where they were served a huge lunch spread of classic meats, seafood, and vegetable on top of a bed of garlic rice. It was laid out beautifully on banana leaves and there were bowls of fresh lemon water.


    "This is what we call a boodle fight. It originated from the military where food was traditionally laid out in the middle of a mess hall and all the soldiers helped themselves to the food with their hands. You can wash your hands in the lemon water before you start to eat."


    The two couples looked at each other as they sat down at the table. They never ate with their hands in China nor Hong Kong. Even when Jackson was in France, he always used utensils. So, they didn''t know where to start but they were excited to give it a try.


    Halia was the first to dunk her hands into the bowl of lemon water in front of her. With a smile, she dried her hands, grabbed a piece of charcoal-grilled pork, and popped it into her mouth.


    Her eyes immediately lit up. The meat was juicy and tender, and the fragrance from the charcoal was addictive. She grabbed a piece of pineapple to balance the flavors before aiming for the garlic rice. She was a bit clumsy, so the rice fell between her fingers onto her lap. Luckily, Jackson saw it coming and placed a napkin on her nap before she started eating.


    The driver looked at them and smiled. "You should mold the rice between your fingers a little, so it''s not so scattered. You then cup it slightly on top of your fingers and brush it into your mouth with your thumb. Give it another try."


    Halia chuckled and tried again. This time, she got a good mouthful of rice and smiled with satisfaction. "I could eat like this every day!" she said as she stretched out her hand to get more food.


    When the others saw this, they quickly joined in.


    It didn''t take long before all the food was cleared off the table.


    After lunch, the driver took them to a popular shopping mall. Because of the good exchange rate, shopping was very affordable, and they ended up buying a bit more than they expected. Especially Natalie, who bought a whole heap of clothes for Pumpkin and her unborn baby.


    "You don''t even know what gender our child is yet," Sean chuckled dotingly as he looked at the bags of baby clothes.


    "But the clothes are so cute and cheap. Even if our child doesn''t use them, I''m sure Halia and Jackson could use them some day..." Natalie smirked as she glanced at Halia.


    Halia blushed a little. Her friend always found an opportunity to tease her.


    Jackson smiled with approval and grabbed the bags from Natalie''s hands, "Since you''re thinking on behalf of our future children too, I shall help you carry these bags."


    Halia looked at her husband helplessly as Natalie laughed.


    After they returned to the car with the shopping they had done, the driver helped them lock everything inside and smiled, "I see you did a lot of shopping. Is it time for dessert?"


    Natalie immediately nodded her head. She had been craving dessert since lunch.


    The driver laughed and gestured for the four friends to follow him. After a short walk through the streets of Boracay, they stopped outside a busy restaurant. "This place serves the best Halo Halo on the island," the driver said.


    "Halo Halo?" Natalie asked.


    "It is a shaved ice dessert with beans, fruit, evaporated milk, and a scoop of ice cream. Here, they serve it with ube ice cream. It is delicious and makes for a great photo," the driver explained.


    Natalie clapped her hands in excitement and started running into the restaurant before anyone could react.


    Sean quickly followed after his wife and Halia and Jackson followed behind as well.


    By the time they caught up to Natalie, she was already ordering from a waiter, "2 Halo Halo, please."


    "Oh, we don''t need two. I''ll just have a little bit of yours," Sean said as he sat down beside the woman.


    "Who said it''s for you? One is for me, and one is for your child," Natalie smiled as she rubbed her belly. She then waited eagerly for the dessert to arrive, "I can''t wait!"


    ...


    Over in Hong Kong, another person was waiting eagerly.


    "I''m curious, Mr. Wu, who is that woman to you? You seem to care about her a lot," Albert asked as he looked at Emerson


    The taxi driver was waiting to get his money back, but why was this man waiting here as well?


    From what he gathered, the mansion that he picked the woman up at the previous night, belonged to this man. Why did such a wealthy man care so much about a mere cleaner?


    His imagination began to run wild again.


    Emerson lifted his head and answered calmly, "She''s someone that owes me dinner..."


    Albert looked at the man with confusion.


    That was not the answer he expected.

 Chapter 312 - Stalker

    A couple of hours later, Officer Liang approached Emerson, Albert, and Jimmy with a folder. "We compared the prints from the envelope with Miss Song''s fingerprints and they were a perfect match," she said with a smile.


    She then handed the bag containing the envelope back to Albert and looked at Emerson.


    "Thank you for your help today."


    Emerson nodded. He wasn''t helping her, he was simply helping Avaleigh. "Is Miss Song free to go?" he asked.


    Officer Liang smiled and nodded her head just as another officer walked Avaleigh into the room.


    Avaleigh looked completely exhausted, but she was still as beautiful as ever. As soon as the taxi driver saw her, he was shocked. Even though he was her alibi, this was the first time he had seen her without her mask and he recognized her straight away.


    "Aren''t you Avaleigh Song from Macaron?" he exclaimed.


    Avaleigh glanced at the taxi driver. He looked slightly familiar but she had no idea who he was.


    Albert tugged on Emerson''s arm, "Am I seeing things?"


    Emerson shook his head, "No, you''re right. The person that was in your taxi last night was Avaleigh Song from Macaron."


    Albert''s eyes lit up, "I can''t believe it! I''m a huge fan. I wanted to go to your concert but I had to work at night so I couldn''t go. Can I get your autograph?"


    Avaleigh looked at Emerson with confusion.


    "This is Albert Yang, he was your taxi driver last night. Thanks to Mr. Wu, we found him and he served as your alibi. You are now free to go," Officer Liang explained.


    Avaleigh looked at Emerson thankfully. He had helped her again. After she saw him that morning, she thought he had already left since he was a busy man with an entire casino to look after. Who knew he had spent this time helping her clear her name. Without another thought, she ran up to the man and hugged him.


    Emerson was a little taken aback by this.


    "Thank you," Avaleigh whispered beside his ear.


    Albert watched the two and smiled. The man was handsome and the woman was beautiful; they looked like the perfect match. He knew there was more to these two than just a simple dinner. But, he respected their privacy.


    Clearing his throat awkwardly, he turned towards the doorway, "I guess I''ll get going."


    But, Avaleigh suddenly looked at him and said, "Do you have a paper and pen?"


    Albert looked at the woman and quickly understood what she was thinking. She was giving him the autograph he asked for.


    He quickly borrowed a pen from one of the officers, handed Avaleigh the envelope that she had previously given him and watched with anticipation as she signed her autograph on it.


    Albert was ecstatic. He never expected that the woman he thought was a p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e was actually one of his idols. Even though he had an overactive imagination, this wasn''t something he had ever considered. The disguise suddenly made sense.


    Holding onto the autograph, he left the building with a huge smile on his face. Wait ''til his wife saw this, she would be so jealous.


    Unlike Albert, Emerson and Avaleigh couldn''t leave through the front door. Even though the police tried their best to contain the case, word had gotten out about the murder at Royal Sunset Hotel and everyone was speculating what had happened so reporters were waiting outside the police headquarters to see what information they could get. So, Emerson and Avaleigh left through the underground carpark.


    Of course, the reporters had no idea that Albert was involved in the case, so they did not question him when he walked out. But, one particular reporter had a sharp eye and spotted the autograph in Albert''s hands.


    As soon as Albert turned a corner, the reporter dragged him behind a tree and covered his mouth. Gesturing for him to be quiet, he slowly pulled out his ID and said, "I am a reporter from Entertainment Daily. My name is, Steven Zhe. I noticed the autograph in your hand and I just wanted to confirm that Avaleigh Song is OK."


    The man then slowly removed his hand so Albert could talk.


    Albert was wary as he looked at the man''s ID. He knew how immoral reporters could be and he didn''t want to cause trouble for Avaleigh, so he simply said, "I don''t know what you''re talking about," and walked off.


    But, the man grabbed onto his arm and held him back, "I heard someone was murdered at the Royal Sunset Hotel. I just want to make sure Avaleigh Song is still alive. Was she the victim?"


    Albert looked at the man like he was crazy. What made this guy think Avaleigh was dead? She was alive and well. But, he respected Avaleigh''s privacy and insisted on not saying a word, so he brushed the man away and walked off.


    Steven held onto his camera nervously. This morning, while he was looking through some photos he took of Macaron, he had noticed something strange. At first, he dismissed it and thought he was being paranoid. But, when he heard someone was murdered at Royal Sunset Hotel and that it had something to do with Macaron, he had a bad gut feeling about it and rushed to the police headquarters to see what information he could get.


    He wasn''t just a nosy reporter that wanted the next big story. He was genuinely concerned. Because, in the photos he saw that morning...it appeared as though...Avaleigh Song had a stalker...


    He even searched through old photos in his database and saw the same man standing in the background of her photos from the past.


    If someone was murdered at Royal Sunset Hotel, was it Avaleigh? And if so, was she murdered by this stalker? But, he didn''t want to jump to conclusions, nor did he want the police to suspect him. If they looked at his photos, they would discover that he was outside Avaleigh''s room for most of the night and he didn''t leave until midnight. Would that somehow incriminate him? What if he got blamed for the murder?


    Feeling a little fl.u.s.tered, Steven picked up his phone and made a phone call, "Oliver...your girlfriend is from Interpol, right? I need some help with something."

 Chapter 313 - Fashion Icon

    Avaleigh sat quietly in the car and looked out the window. As she watched cars drive by, she looked inside and saw people going about their normal daily lives. It felt so surreal. She had just been suspected of murder this morning and her group member was the victim. Although she didn''t get along with Mimi and Mimi even tried to hurt her, death wasn''t something she ever wished upon the young woman. She was only 26, she still had many years ahead of her. Who would kill her? Was it someone she knew?


    Avaleigh was so deep in thought, she didn''t even pay attention to where the car was going. Before she knew it, the car drove into an underground carpark of an apartment building and Emerson got out to open the door for her.


    "I''ve spoken to Sue, you can''t return to the hotel just yet. They are still investigating the crime scene. So, you can stay here for now," Emerson explained.


    Avaleigh followed Emerson inside the building with curiosity. "Where are we?" she asked.


    Emerson walked into an elevator and replied, "I have an apartment here. I stay here when I want to get away from the family and have some time to myself."


    Normally, Avaleigh would be wary of going to man''s place like this, just like last night when Emerson took her to his family home. But, after everything that happened, this man was currently the person that she trusted the most.


    It didn''t take long before the two of them arrived at the apartment entrance. As soon as they walked inside, Avaleigh was amazed by the size of the apartment. She had lived in Hong Kong before and she was familiar with the cost and average size of real estate in the city. "I never knew an apartment of this size existed in Hong Kong!" she exclaimed.


    Emerson smiled. He was one of the richest men in the city. If his family could afford a mansion in The Peak, an apartment like this was nothing. But, he remained modest, "Yes, I''m very fortunate."


    Fortunate? Avaleigh looked into Emerson''s eyes. This man wasn''t just fortunate; he was serious and hardworking. She had witnessed it for herself and she admired him for it.


    As she thought this, she suddenly noticed a pile of shopping bags on Emerson''s sofa. They covered 2 seats on his 3-seater sofa and they looked like they had been freshly purchased. She recognized the labels on the bags, they were popular clothing stores in Hong Kong. Avaleigh glanced at the man with curiosity. Was he a shopaholic?


    Emerson noticed her gaze and smiled as he scanned his eyes across her body, "You''re not planning to wear that all day, are you?"


    Avaleigh looked down and frowned. She had completely forgotten that she was still wearing the cleaner''s uniform from last night.


    She quickly glanced back up at the man thankfully.


    "I got June to buy some stuff for you to change into." June was Emerson''s maid. She was the one that called a taxi for Avaleigh last night and gave her money for the ride. Technically, it was also thanks to her that Avaleigh had an alibi so Emerson told her to do some shopping for Avaleigh and buy some stuff for herself as well as a reward. These bags were the result of the young woman''s shopping spree.


    Avaleigh walked over to one of the bags and pulled out a pair of jeans. She then pulled out an oversized T-shirt from another, and some other mismatched pieces of clothing. Obviously, style was not June''s forte.


    Emerson looked at the young woman with embarrassment. He wasn''t a woman, but even he could tell that these clothes weren''t very stylish.


    But, Avaleigh did not mind. She held onto the clothes and smiled properly for the first time that day. "Where can I get changed?" she asked.


    Emerson felt bad but he had no other clothes for her to wear, so he pointed to the bathroom.


    "There is a fresh towel inside as well. You can wash yourself down," he offered.


    Without a second thought, Avaleigh walked inside to get changed.


    But, as soon as she closed the door, she froze. Ever since Avaleigh was arrested that morning, she had not taken a look at herself in the mirror. Only then, as she stood in the bathroom, did she realize she had blood smeared on the side of her dress and across her neck, as well as dried blood on her hair.


    Avaleigh trembled a little as she looked at herself. Her eyeliner was smudged, her hair was messy, and her nose was red from all the crying she had done. She looked practically unrecognizable. No wonder she was suspected of murder, she looked like a psycho serial killer; like something that people would dress up as for Halloween.


    Avaleigh looked at the bloodstains on her clothes and body and felt her heart race in fear. This was Mimi''s blood. She had been walking around all day with her murdered group member''s blood on her. In horror, she quickly removed the cleaner''s uniform from her body and threw it aside. She then stepped into the shower, turned it on full blast and washed herself clean. While she was in the interrogation room earlier, she had closed her eyes a few times and hoped that everything was just a dream, but now that she was washing Mimi''s blood off her body, she realized everything was very real.


    Emerson waited patiently outside, hoping that the woman was OK. Of course, he had seen the blood on her body and the mess she was in, but he didn''t want to point it out because he wanted to give her a chance to gather her thoughts and accept what had happened on her own. She was a strong woman and he was sure she would be able to handle it. But, the longer she took in the bathroom, the more he couldn''t help but feel worried.


    Fortunately, Avaleigh soon stepped out of the bathroom with a calm look on her face. All the blood on her body and hair had been washed off. Her hair was tied neatly into a bun above her head, the makeup on her face had been removed, and she was dressed in the clothes that June bought her. Even though she had no makeup on her face, Avaleigh was a natural beauty and Emerson found his heart uncontrollably race as he looked at her.


    Emerson glanced at the clothes on her body. They clearly looked lame and unstylish when she pulled them out of the bags earlier, but now that they were on her body, Avaleigh somehow made them look fashionable. If the paparazzi caught her in these clothes, it would probably become the next trending look. No wonder she was a fashion icon.

 Chapter 314 - Naughty Girl

    After a long day exploring the island, Halia, Jackson, Natalie, and Sean, returned to their resort to have dinner. Right next door was a popular pasta restaurant with a fusion of flavors. As well as the popularly adapted Filipino-style spaghetti bolognese that had a distinctively sweet sauce, there was also a chicken adobo pasta, and a longganisa pizza.


    After dinner, the two couples decided to have a few c.o.c.ktails at the resort''s bar. Even though Natalie couldn''t have any alcohol, there was an extensive list of mocktails. Missing her little boy in China, she picked an interesting pumpkin spice mocktail and made a video call to her son.


    "Hello Pumpkin," she smiled as she waved at the little boy on her phone screen.


    Pumpkin saw his mother through the phone and smiled back. Next to him was Halia''s father.


    "Are you having fun?" Pumpkin asked.


    Natalie immediately nodded her head and raised the mocktail in her hand. "Guess what mommy is drinking," she said.


    Pumpkin''s eyes opened wide, "Wow! Is that a magic elixir?"


    Natalie giggled, "It is a pumpkin spice mocktail. I ordered it because I miss my little Pumpkin."


    Pumpkin clapped his hands, pleased with this response.


    At that moment, Natalie turned the phone to face Halia and Halia quickly waved at Pumpkin and her father.


    Caught by surprise, she quickly looked at herself and adjusted her hair. But, just as she was doing so, she noticed a familiar figure walk past behind her. It was only for a short moment, but she immediately recognized the man and it made her heart almost jump out of her chest.


    It was Joel Gabriel Santos!


    Finally, she saw the man in person.


    She had heard his voice last night and suspected it was him, but she was certain now that her suspicions were correct.


    She immediately turned her head and watched as the chubby man entered the elevator. A man next to him, who appeared to be a bodyguard, stretched out his hand to stop others from sharing the elevator with the man. Joel Gabriel Santos then scanned a card on the scanner.


    "That guy looks like quite a big shot," Sean commented as he followed Halia''s gaze.


    Halia nodded her head. "You''d think that he owns the place..." she said with deep meaning.


    Of course, Sean had no idea that she was being serious. This man really did own the place. He owned it with Trojan and the place was somehow linked to The Organization.


    Halia furrowed her brows. She needed to find a way to follow the man. She was certain he was going down to the bas.e.m.e.nt, but she had no access to that level. What could she do? If she couldn''t find evidence, then Trisha could not launch an investigation. This was a huge lead that she didn''t want to let go of...


    At that moment, she spotted another familiar figure sitting on the other end of the bar.


    A man laughed sleazily as he hugged two women in his arms.


    Halia''s eyes lit up. This was the man they had seen in the elevator twice. The one that she suspected had access to the bas.e.m.e.nt!


    Halia stared at the man and their eyes suddenly met. While her friends and husband were busily talking, the corner of her lips lifted slightly into an attractive smirk. This man was her key to the bas.e.m.e.nt...


    The man immediately looked at her with interest and lifted his glass towards her. His hands were covered in gold rings and he had a thick gold chain necklace around his neck; he was obviously very wealthy. He looked to be roughly in his early 30''s, but his slicked-back hair made him look like he was stuck in the 80''s. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be of Chinese descent, but his style made him look like someone from either Malaysia, Indonesia, or Singapore. There were some rich tycoons in those parts of the world and they loved to flaunt their wealth.


    To avoid being noticed by her husband and friends, Halia did not lift her glass back at the man. Instead, she smiled slightly and took a sip of her c.o.c.ktail.


    The man was hooked. He immediately let go of the two women beside him, winked at Halia and stood up to go somewhere. Halia took the hint and stood up as well, "I need to go to the bathroom. I''ll be right back."


    She then walked in the direction that the man went.


    The bar was dimly lit and there was a live jazz band playing on stage. Most of the guests were seated at the bar or on tables around the venue, but there were a few groups of people that were standing. Halia weaved herself through the people until she reached the other end of the bar. From there, she could no longer see her husband and friends, and they could no longer see her.


    At that moment, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her waist and turned her around. Halia found herself looking into the face of the man from earlier. He had a huge smile on his face and a sleazy look in his eyes. "You''re a naughty girl," he said in English.


    Halia felt disgusted by the man''s voice, but she played along. "And you''re a naughty boy," she said as she ran a finger down the man''s back and tried to reach for the wallet in his back pocket.


    The man was excited by this and quickly hooked his hand under Halia''s chin. "Aren''t you afraid of your husband?" he asked.


    Halia laughed, "Not if he doesn''t find out."


    The man obviously liked this answer, so he quickly pressed Halia against the wall and tried to kiss her. He was not saying no to such an attractive woman, even though she was married.


    Of course, Halia tried to avoid the man as she continued to reach for his wallet. If she was quick, she could grab his key card and leave without the man noticing. "Not here. Let''s find a quiet place," she whispered. But, the man was too excited to stop.


    Halia sighed. This scene reminded her of Marissa. Did she have to knock this man out like she did to the woman when she was disguised as Mars?


    But, just as she thought this, a loud punch landed on the man''s cheek and he fell to the ground.


    Halia gasped in surprise. Someone else was a step ahead of her.


    "How dare you touch my wife!" a domineering voice growled.

 Chapter 315 - Someone To Come Home To

    Emerson looked at the woman in front of him. He was completely entranced by her look.


    "...Emerson..." Avaleigh called out when she realized the man was in a daze. She was speaking to him but he wasn''t responding.


    Emerson quickly snapped back to reality and blushed a little. "You look great," he commented. Perhaps, June wasn''t as unstylish as he thought.


    Avaleigh smiled shyly when she heard the man''s praise. She cleared her throat nervously and said, "Can I borrow your phone to call Sue?"


    Her phone and wallet were still at the hotel, so she could only rely on Emerson now.


    Emerson pulled out his phone without hesitation and handed it to the woman.


    Avaleigh accepted the phone thankfully. She then dialed Sue''s number and started talking to her, "Sue, how are things going? What do we do now?"


    On the other end of the phone, Sue was anxiously trying to get things back in order. This was the first time in her entire career that something so serious happened. In fact, it was the first time that the agency experienced something so serious.


    Sue sighed, she was exhausted, "I heard from Officer Liang and President Wu that your name was finally cleared. I''m sorry that you had to go through this ordeal. The rest of the concert''s obviously been canceled and all of Macaron''s upcoming events and activities have been temporarily put on hold while we figure out how to handle this matter. We will hold a press conference this evening to address the public and confirm Mimi''s death. Unfortunately, word has already gotten out and we need to provide an explanation. You and the other girls won''t have to attend. I have arranged to fly Mimi''s family over to see her one last time before we cremate her and bring her ashes back to Korea with us. They will be arriving in 2 days. Until then, you and the other girls will be staying temporarily in Hong Kong. I have already scattered the girls around to undisclosed locations so the press don''t bother them. I would like you girls to take some time to grieve properly. This is a tough time for all of us. I know you are currently with President Wu. He has offered for you to stay at an apartment that he lives in occasionally. Are you there at the moment? Do you mind continuing to stay there for the next few days? I''ll get your belongings to you tomorrow. The entire floor where you were staying has been sealed and I haven''t been able to get access it."


    Avaleigh listened quietly and agreed. She could tell how exhausted Sue was and she didn''t want to create trouble by making her find another accommodation for her. Besides, Emerson''s apartment was more comfortable than any hotel. "Yes, I will stay here until you tell me what to do next."


    "OK, I will contact you later," Sue said with relief before she hung up.


    After she hung up the phone with Sue, Avaleigh turned to Emerson and asked, "Can I make another quick overseas call?"


    Emerson nodded.


    Just as Avaleigh held the phone up to her ear again, there was a knock on the front door. While Emerson went to answer it, he heard Avaleigh say on the phone, "Mom..."


    Her voice was shaky and she began to cry.


    Emerson''s heart broke when he heard this, but he didn''t want to embarrass the woman. She had remained composed up until that point because she obviously didn''t want him to see her cry. So he walked over to the door and let her have some privacy.


    When he returned, Avaleigh had finished her conversation with her mother and she was wiping her tears dry.


    "Are you OK?" Emerson asked gently.


    Avaleigh nodded and looked at the man with her watery eyes.


    She looked so innocent and vulnerable that he wanted to pull her into his arms and absorb all her sadness. But, even though he had made it clear that he liked her, they weren''t official yet, and it was not the time to take things to the next step. He didn''t want to take advantage of her while her emotions were unstable.


    So, he quickly looked away and walked over to the dining table.


    A moment ago, a food delivery service had arrived with two bags of food that Emerson had ordered while Avaleigh was in the bathroom and he was holding them in his hands.


    "Here, have some food," he said as he took the food out of the bags and placed them on the table. He knew the woman hadn''t eaten all day.


    Avaleigh looked at the food and felt bad. She was supposed to treat him to food today, not the other way around...


    As she sat down to eat, she noticed Emerson glancing at his watch.


    Feeling guilty, Avaleigh asked, "Sorry, have I been occupying too much of your time? Don''t you have work today?"


    Emerson shook his head and smiled, "I only have a meeting to attend this evening. After lunch, I''ll head out for a bit. Will you be OK on your own?"


    Of course, he had work, but he had pushed everything that wasn''t urgent aside to keep this woman company. However, he couldn''t let her know.


    Avaleigh nodded her head. "Please, go do what you need to do. Don''t worry about me."


    Emerson smiled. Even though there was nothing official between them, it warmed his heart to know that he had someone to return home to.


    After lunch, he walked into his room and grabbed a spare phone and SIM card that he had lying around, as well as a spare key that he had locked in his safe, "Take this phone to use for now, just in case you need to call someone or I need to call you. Here is a spare key. You can go for a walk if you get bored, just remember to disguise yourself well. You can grab anything from my wardrobe if you need it and I have some face masks in the medicine cabinet."


    He then pulled out his wallet, "Take my credit card. You can use it however you need."


    Avaleigh held onto the items that Emerson gave her and felt a wave of emotions. No man had ever treated her so nice before. Completely moved by the man''s actions, she suddenly pounced forward and wrapped her arms around him. This was the least she could do after everything he had done for her. "Don''t work too hard and take care of yourself. I will be waiting for you at home," she said.


    Emerson glanced down at the woman in surprise as his heart raced. With a smile, he hugged her back.

 Chapter 316 - The Key Card

    The sleazy man lay unconscious on the floor as Halia glanced to her side in surprise. She recognized the voice of the man that had knocked this guy out, but what was he doing there? She was sure Jackson couldn''t see her from the table where he was sitting. When did he approach and how much did he see?


    But, she had no time to ask any questions or provide any explanations. The man was unconscious and she only had a short window of time before someone discovered him or he woke up. So, she quickly knelt beside the man, flipped him over, and stuck her hand in his back pocket.


    Jackson looked at his wife with curiosity just as Sean and Natalie approached.


    Halia thought her husband couldn''t see her from the table, but Jackson''s instincts were too strong. Ever since yesterday, he had sensed something strange about his wife, so he secretly kept an eye on her to make sure she wasn''t in danger.


    Halia grabbed hold of the man''s wallet and threw it at Jackson. "Search for a key card," she instructed with urgency.


    Jackson looked down at the wallet and did as his wife instructed. He had been an Interpol agent for many years, and he even headed one of their branches, but he suddenly felt like a rookie following the orders of his captain again. His wife was definitely a lot different to the clumsy little rookie that he first met.


    While Jackson was searching through the wallet, Halia waved at Sean and said, "Come, help me check his other pockets."


    Sean had worked with Halia before, so he could tell by the expression on her face that this was serious. Without questioning the woman, he quickly leaned over and started helping.


    Meanwhile, Natalie stood on the side looking puzzled. "What''s happening?" she asked.


    "It''s best for you to pretend that you didn''t see a thing, Nat," Halia said. If the organization was involved, this was something that she didn''t want Natalie to be entangled with. "If you want to help, then warn us if someone approaches."


    Natalie quickly peeped around the corner and sighed with relief when she saw that no one was around. What was Halia doing in this hidden corner with a stranger?


    Was her best friend...having an affair?!!!


    Natalie''s eyes opened wide with shock, but she quickly dismissed the thought. If her best friend was cheating, Jackson and Sean would not be helping her at the moment. But, an even scarier thought came to her mind. She had almost forgotten that her best friend, her husband, and even her best friend''s husband were all spies! Was something illegal happening here? Was there a conspiracy? Were they in danger?


    A short moment later, Jackson pulled out a card from the man''s wallet and waved it around. "I found it," he said.


    Halia glanced at the card, but she did not stop searching the man''s body. She was even searching the inside pockets of his coat jacket. This man certainly had a lot of pockets.


    "Is there another one?" Halia asked.


    Jackson furrowed his brows, "Another one?"


    Without waiting for an answer, he continued to search the wallet, but he did not find another key card inside.


    Suddenly, Natalie turned around and said with an anxious look on her face, "Someone''s coming!"


    Jackson quickly returned the man''s wallet to his pocket and Sean neatened the man''s clothes, but Halia continued searching.


    "Quick!" Natalie squealed between gritted teeth as she tried to remain composed. A man and a woman were approaching with desire in their eyes. Obviously, this was a popular makeout spot.


    Natalie bit her lip nervously. Apart from the time that she acted as a ghost to scare Mother Wu, she had never done something so secretive.


    "Halia, they''re almost here," she said anxiously, but Halia was focused on what she was doing and had no intention of stopping.


    Natalie closed her eyes in a panic and quickly stepped out in front of the two people just as they were about to turn the corner.


    She quickly covered her mouth and shrieked. "Oh my, you gave me quite a fright," she said as she blocked the way.


    The couple looked at the woman with confusion. Was this corner already taken? They tried to peek behind her to see, but Natalie quickly stood on her tiptoes and stretched her arms. "Oh, it''s getting late, isn''t it? Do you have the time?" she asked as she yawned.


    The couple furrowed their brows, but the man still checked his watch and answered, "It''s only 9pm."


    Natalie''s eyes darted awkwardly. 9pm couldn''t be considered as late. Many of the parties on the island hadn''t even started yet!


    She giggled awkwardly and said, "Oh, it must be the jet lag..."


    The woman looked at the man and whispered, "I thought there''s no time difference between China and the Philippines."


    The man looked at the woman and whispered back, "Perhaps...she''s not from China..."


    The woman nodded understandingly.


    The man then looked at Natalie and said, "You should hurry to bed then. It was nice meeting you. Can we please get through?"


    Natalie panicked, "N-N-N...."


    She tried to hold the couple back, but they easily walked around her to face the scene in the corner.


    Natalie closed her eyes nervously and heard the woman gasp in surprise.


    What was going to happen now? Would they be taken to the police station in a foreign country? Even though her three travel companions were officers of the law, they couldn''t knock out a person and search them like this. Nowhere in the world was this forgivable.


    But, just as she was thinking this, she heard her husband''s voice, "Oh John, I told you not to drink so much..."


    She then heard the couple chuckle.


    With confusion, she quickly opened her eyes and turned around.


    Jackson and Sean were dragging the unconscious man out while Halia followed behind. "It was all your fault for buying him so many drinks," Jackson said as he played along.


    Even though Natalie knew the real situation, these men were putting on a convincing act. It simply looked like they were dragging their drunk friend out of the bar.


    Without any suspicions, the couple simply watched as the group left with the unconscious man.


    But, as soon as the trio stepped back into the main part of the bar, they dumped the man on a sofa and left inconspicuously while Natalie followed nervously behind.


    Jackson glanced at his wife to check that she was OK and saw her gripping tightly to another key card in her hand. He was a little surprised.


    She was right, there really was another one!


    But, there was something different about the one in his wife''s hand. It looked like it was plated with gold!


    How did she know about this key card and what was it used for?

 Chapter 317 - Photo Of A Murderer

    Halia walked over to the elevator. As it opened up and the people inside walked out, she said calmly, "You guys catch the next elevator, I need to go check something. I''ll explain everything later."


    Jackson and Sean found it strange that Halia wanted to catch the elevator on her own. They had so many questions regarding the woman''s strange actions. What was the golden keycard that she got from the unconscious man in the bar? What was it used for? Was she on a mission? Wasn''t she on leave? Why was she working during her honeymoon? A little uncomfortable with leaving her on her own, they immediately protested against her suggestion, "No, we will come with you."


    They had no idea what Halia was up to. But, one thing was for sure, it was dangerous. So, as soon as she stepped into the elevator, they both ran in as well. "Natalie, go back to our room first," Sean said as the elevator door closed.


    Of course, Natalie couldn''t go along as well. Not only was she inexperienced with stuff like this, she was also pregnant, so she agreed to not get involved. After all, the act she put on inside the bar was already her limit. Any more suspense and anxiety, and her heart would probably explode.


    After the elevator door closed, Jackson and Sean looked at Halia with curiosity.


    Halia pulled out the golden key card she stole and showed it properly to the two men, "I discovered there''s a secret level to this resort that''s linked to Trojan and The Organization..."


    Jackson and Sean''s eyes opened wide. Trojan and The Organization? Those were two names they hadn''t heard for a while. It was a serious matter.


    "What..."


    Before either man got to ask for more details, Halia scanned the card on the card scanner.


    "I''m not sure what''s down there, so stay alert," Halia said.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Avaleigh sat inside Emerson''s unfamiliar apartment and twiddled her thumbs awkwardly.


    It was rare for her to have a completely empty schedule and it felt a little strange to be doing nothing.


    She glanced at her pile of dirty clothes. Since they were bloodstained, she decided to throw them away. They were just a one-time disguise anyway so she had no intention of ever wearing them again.


    But, before she threw it away, she double-checked the pockets to see if there was anything inside.


    Sure enough, she pulled out two business cards. She had almost forgotten that before she left the police headquarters earlier, both Officer Liang and Albert had given these to her. It was lucky that she decided to check her pockets.


    As she looked at Albert''s business card, a thought suddenly came to her mind.


    She picked up the phone that Emerson gave her and dialed the number on the card.


    "Hi Albert, it''s Avaleigh."


    On the other end of the phone, Albert answered excitedly, "Miss Song, I didn''t expect you to call. Is there something I can help you with?"


    "Could you drive me somewhere?" Avaleigh asked.


    Albert jumped up and grabbed his keys. He hadn''t started his shift yet so after he returned home, he had a short nap and had just woken up with nothing else planned for the day.


    "Of course," he answered.


    Avaleigh gave Albert her address and explained where she wanted to go, and the man immediately headed out to pick her up.


    After she hung up the phone, Avaleigh thought about what Emerson told her before he left earlier. He had told her that he had masks in the medicine cabinet. So, she went and grabbed one. But, even after she put on the mask, she found that her hair stood out a little too much.


    She glanced at the man''s bedroom. Emerson had also told her that she could use anything in his wardrobe. She hesitated for a moment and walked inside to see if there was anything she could use.


    As Emerson didn''t stay at the apartment all the time, the wardrobe only contained a small selection of clothing. But, she did spot a hat hanging on the wall.


    With a smile, she grabbed the hat, put it on her head, and tucked her hair inside. Perfect!


    For some reason, wearing the man''s hat gave a sense of warmth, like he was inadvertently protecting her like he always did.


    Soon enough, Albert arrived downstairs and Avaleigh went down to meet him.


    As soon as she sat inside, the man began driving. She had already told him where she wanted to go, so he did not waste any time.


    Hong Kong was a small but extremely busy city so traffic jams were often, but Albert knew all the shortcuts and fastest routes, so they quickly arrived at their intended location.


    "Miss Song, I''ll wait for you nearby. Give me a call when you''re finished and I''ll come back to meet you."


    Avaleigh nodded and stepped out of the car.


    They had stopped at a market.


    As it was the afternoon, some of the stalls were already beginning to close, but there were still a lot of things to buy.


    Avaleigh smiled and started walking inside. It had been many years since she came here. She used to visit this market with her mother when they still lived in Hong Kong, but ever since she moved to Korea with her mother to pursue her career, she had not stepped foot in this market again.


    Avaleigh took a sniff of the air. Even with her mask on, she could smell the familiar scent of the market. It still smelled the same.


    She walked in and headed straight for a meat stall.


    "What would you like, young lady," the stallholder asked.


    Avaleigh smiled and replied, "Can I get some boneless rib-eye steak?"


    She had promised Emerson a dinner, so she was going to make him one...


    ...


    Not too far away, at Trisha''s home, there was a knock on the door. Trisha was at work, so Oliver was there on his own, but he knew exactly who was at the door.


    The moment the door opened, his good friend, Steven, walked straight in with an anxious look on his face. "I need to show you something," he said as he pulled out a stack of photos.


    "I think I may have captured the photo of a murderer... What should I do?"

 Chapter 318 - The Press Conference

    Oliver looked at the photos as Steven lay them out on his coffee table. "See here? This man has been following Avaleigh for a while and he was at her hotel last night as well! I heard someone was murdered at Royal Sunset Hotel last night and it has something to do with Macaron. I couldn''t find any information on who was murdered, but I''m worried it may have been Avaleigh. If it was, then this man might be her murderer!" Steven said as he pointed to a mysterious man that appeared in the background of several photos and finally pointed to a photo he took at the hotel the previous night. It was a photo of Avaleigh returning to the hotel and the man was seen sitting suspiciously in the lobby.


    "You do realize that you''re equally suspicious since you were there too, right? What if this man is just an obsessive fan?" Oliver asked.


    Steven nodded. "That''s why I need your advice. Am I being overly paranoid? Am I getting myself involved for nothing?"


    Oliver looked carefully at the photos again and picked one up. "Were some of these taken in Korea?" he asked. The photo in his hand had signage in the background that was clearly written in Korean.


    "Yes, these photos date as far back as 8 months. This is Macaron''s first visit to Hong Kong, so most of these photos are from Korea. That''s what makes this man even more suspicious. Why did he follow her to Hong Kong when he already has plenty of opportunities to see her in Korea?"


    "And, look at this particular photo, this was taken in the backstage of the concert yesterday! How did he get back there?" Steven said as he pointed to one photo.


    He then picked up another two and said, "He''s even appeared outside Macaron''s apartment in Seoul a few times."


    Oliver nodded. The man did seem suspicious, but they had another issue: if the man had been following Avaleigh for 8 months and the majority of that time was in Korea, then was he Korean?


    "I think your suspicions are reasonable and I think you should take them straight to the police station. If you didn''t do anything wrong, then you don''t have to worry about getting involved. The most important thing is to bring him in for questioning as soon as possible. Judging by the location of most of your photos, I''m worried he may be Korean. If the police don''t arrest him in time, he may escape back to Korea, or worse, if they don''t arrest him quickly, he may murder again..."


    Steven immediately opened his eyes wide in shock and nodded his head in agreement as he picked up the photos, "I''ll go right away."


    But, just as he left, Oliver picked up one particular photo and asked, "Can I keep this one photo and show it to Trisha?"


    Steven looked at the photo. It was a photo of Avaleigh at the press conference a couple of days ago with Emerson and the suspicious man was seen standing at the front of the stage with a cap and a camera pretending to be a reporter.


    Steven nodded his head. If Oliver was right about the man being Korean, then there was a possibility that Interpol would have to get involved.


    After leaving behind the photo, Steven immediately ran out of the apartment and headed back to the police headquarters.


    Meanwhile, Oliver gave Trisha a phone call. "An acquaintance of your idol''s brother may have been murdered and the murderer might be a foreign national. Do you want to take a look into it?"


    With the mention of her idol, Trisha immediately sat up straight in her seat, "My idol''s brother? Are you talking about Emerson?"


    "Yes, I''ll forward you a photo of him with the suspected victim and murderer. You can confirm this information and see if you can help and decide whether Jackson should be contacted."


    Trisha immediately agreed.


    Soon, Steven arrived back at the police headquarters. Bypassing the paparazzi standing outside, he walked straight up to the entrance.


    There were security guards standing outside and they recognized him from earlier so they did not let him in at first, but when he said he had important information that could help with the murder case, they decided to let him in.


    Of course, they did not let him wander around on his own. Instead, they called Officer Liang to speak to meet him.


    "Follow me," Officer Liang said to Steven as she looked at him with suspicion. Did this man really have something useful or was he lying to get into the building? The paparazzi could be quite ruthless and immoral in Hong Kong, so she was cautious.


    As they walked towards her office, they passed by a television in the corridor that was playing a live broadcast. Steven subconsciously glanced at it as they walked past and saw a familiar man and woman appear on the screen. It was Emerson and Sue!


    He immediately stopped in his tracks and looked at the screen with curiosity.


    There was writing across the bottom of the screen that read, ''Breaking News: Macaron member found dead in her hotel room''. It seemed, they were finally holding a press conference to publicly announce the incident, but only a few news sources were invited to be at the scene so Steven did not know about it.


    Sue leaned over nervously, took a deep breath and said with a shaky voice in Korean, "It is with great sadness that I am standing in front of you today to announce the loss of one of our beloved members."


    Emerson then leaned over and repeated the same words in Cantonese and English.


    "This morning, at approximately 1am, Macaron member, Mimi Chan, was discovered dead in her hotel room. Her death is currently being investigated and the details surrounding her death will not be publicly disclosed until the case is closed."


    Steven listened to this announcement and opened his eyes wide in shock, "Mimi Chan?"


    All along, he thought Avaleigh was the victim...


    In that case, was his evidence still useful?

 Chapter 319 - The Golden Door

    Jackson and Sean looked at each other as the elevator began to move.


    "What''s your wife gotten us into?" Sean whispered.


    Jackson sighed helplessly. He loved his wife, but when she was working, she got carried away sometimes.


    "Don''t worry, I have everything under control," Halia said.


    "Under control? You don''t even have weapons or backup. If we didn''t insist on coming with you, what would have happened?" Sean asked.


    "But...I do have backup..." Halia replied.


    Jackson glanced at his wife curiously but he did not question her.


    "I''ve spoken to Trisha already. If I don''t call her in 2 hours, she will send someone to look for me."


    Jackson smiled at Halia. He was impressed. She actually contacted Trisha without him knowing.


    "Plus, I''ve been watching the elevator for a while. A lot of suspicious people have been using it. Some even had kids with them. They either pulled out a golden key card like this one, or the elevator arrived on the ground level but they didn''t get out."


    "From my observation, I don''t think weapons are necessary as long as we remain cautious. I simply need to get a few photos for Trisha and we can get out of there. Also, if we can get a photo of a man called Joel Gabriel Santos, then that would be a bonus."


    "Joel Gabriel Santos?" Jackson asked.


    "Yes, he''s the one that built this place with Trojan," Halia replied.


    Sean furrowed his brows. He had always been a well-prepared person that didn''t take action until he had all bases covered. That was probably why he became a handler rather than staying as an undercover agent who had to constantly deal with the unknown. But, ever since he met Halia, she had gotten him involved in a lot of unexpected situations.


    As the elevator came to a stop, Sean gestured for the couple to stand against the wall. They had no idea what was in the bas.e.m.e.nt level, so they had to be careful. If things did not seem right, Sean was ready to press the close button and return to the ground level.


    But, as the door slid open, they were surprised to hear the laughter of children.


    Sean poked his head out first to check that the coast was clear but was met by two guards blocking his view.


    "Keycard," one of the men said with no emotion on his face.


    Halia tried to peek behind the two men, but they blocked the opening of the elevator perfectly.


    Every now and then, uninvited guests accidentally ended up on this level, so these guards had to make sure that they weren''t in the wrong place.


    Halia quickly pulled out the golden keycard that she had stolen and flashed it in front of the two men.


    The guard looked at it carefully. "Are the three of you together?" he asked. Halia nodded her head confidently.


    But, the guard suddenly frowned as he glanced at his colleague. It appeared as though she had said something wrong.


    At that moment, Jackson stepped forward and shook the man''s hand, "Brother, that card is for my wife and I, but I was planning to introduce my friend to Mr. Santos today. I hope you can make this exception."


    The guard glanced down at his hand and noticed that Jackson had slipped him a small stack of 1000 peso notes.


    The guard looked at his colleague again and his colleague nodded his head. Jackson had given them enough for a week''s pay, how could they say no to money. Plus, they knew who Mr. Santos was. Not many of their guests actually had direct contact with Mr. Santos. They were usually invited by someone else. So, they eventually stepped aside and let the trio through.


    Halia glanced at her husband in surprise. How did he know that that would work?


    Jackson saw the surprise on his wife''s face and gave her a wink. If this floor was as exclusive and secretive as they thought it was, then there was definitely a limit to the number of people allowed to enter with each card. Jackson was observant and logical, otherwise, he wouldn''t have survived undercover for so long. Besides, he had been to exclusive places like this before and knew roughly how they functioned. How could mere guards like this say no to money and the mention of their boss?


    As the floor opened up in front of them, Halia tried to contain her amazement.


    When she saw the map in her memory, all she saw was a big empty floor. But, the scene in front of her was far from empty.


    Right in front of her was a circular room with mirrors all along the side, and at the other end was a big golden door. Inside this room, were children running around playing with toys and diving into a ball pit, while a few women in uniform supervised over them. Even if someone accidentally wandered onto this floor and saw past the guards, this place would have just looked like a childcare center.


    But, the trio knew better. There was definitely a darker secret hidden behind the golden door.


    Remaining calm, they walked straight over to the golden door and a woman opened it politely for them.


    What they saw on the other side of the door was beyond their imagination...


    ...


    At that moment, in Hong Kong, someone else was shocked by what they saw.


    Avaleigh was standing inside a supermarket. After buying some fresh meat and vegetables from the local market, she was inside the supermarket buying some processed ingredients. But, just as she lined up at the cashier, a television on the wall began to broadcast a live press conference.


    It was the press conference that Sue had told her about earlier and she was in the process of announcing Mimi''s death. But, what surprised Avaleigh was not the press conference nor what Sue said. She was surprised by the man that was standing next to Sue.


    So, this was the meeting that he said he was casually popping out for...


    That was right, she wasn''t the only one affected by Mimi''s death. As the representative from their PR agency, Emerson had been swamped with calls all day.


    Poor Emerson.


    Avaleigh glanced down at the ingredients in her hands. "No, this isn''t enough, I need to make something more..." she said to herself.

 Chapter 320 - The Man With The Dragon Tattoo

    Over at Interpol, Trisha was also watching the live broadcast on television. At that moment, practically everyone in Hong Kong was watching it. After all, a huge international celebrity had been murdered while visiting their country. Even if they didn''t follow entertainment and didn''t care about celebrities, this was an extremely damaging incident for the image of their country. Who would visit Hong Kong when security was this bad? Were murderers just wandering freely on the streets?


    She held onto her phone and glanced down at it. She had just received the photo that Oliver sent her with Avaleigh, Emerson, and a mysterious stalker in it. At first, both she and Oliver thought the victim was Avaleigh, mainly because of misinformation from Steven, but now that she saw the press conference on the television, she realized the victim was actually someone else. But, for the sake of her idol, she still decided to look into the matter and speak to Emerson, just in case he and his friend was in danger.


    Emerson was speaking live on television, so Trisha knew she couldn''t give him a phone call at that moment. Thus, she picked up her phone and sent a message instead: "Call me when you''re free. I have something urgent to show you. It is related to your friend, Avaleigh."


    ...


    Over at the supermarket, Avaleigh had finally finished all her shopping. By this time, it was already 5pm and it was peak hour so there were a lot of people walking around. Originally, she didn''t have many bags of shopping; just enough to cook a small dinner for two. But, after she saw Emerson on television, she wanted to thank him with a big feast and ended up with much more than she could hold.


    Fortunately, Albert was waiting nearby to pick her up, so she gave him a call and told him she was walking out of the supermarket.


    As Avaleigh scrambled through the peak-hour crowd to get to the curb where Albert was planning to meet her, one of the bags in her hands began to stretch beyond its limit.


    A moment later, an office worker brushed past hurriedly, causing Avaleigh to lose balance a little, and the bag that was stretching snapped, emptying the contents all over the sidewalk.


    "I''m sorry," Avaleigh apologized as she bent over to pick up the items.


    People that were hurrying past looked at her and shook their heads. What a clumsy young woman. Everyone was trying to get home and she was getting in the way.


    In a busy concrete jungle like Hong Kong, no one had the time to stop and help.


    At that moment, Albert''s car pulled up at the curb. As soon as he stopped the car, he noticed Avaleigh kneeling on the floor trying to pick up the things she had dropped while avoiding the feet around her.


    He sighed, "People these days... They have no heart."


    He quickly turned off his engine and undid his seatbelt to get out of the car.


    But, just as he began to walk towards Avaleigh, a man with a cap and a face mask bent over to pick up some lemons that had rolled a fair distance away and handed them to her. From where Albert stood, he noticed the man''s sleeve roll up a little as he stretched out his hand, and saw a bit of a tattoo. It looked like a dragon''s tail that wrapped around his wrist. Obviously, the rest of the dragon was hidden along the rest of his arm.


    "Thank you," Avaleigh said.


    Albert glanced at the man with an impressed expression on his face, "That''s more like it!" He felt a regained faith in humanity.


    With a smile, he quickly ran over to thank the man as well.


    But, as he approached, the man turned away without a word and disappeared into the crowd like nothing had happened.


    Avaleigh held onto the lemons with confusion. The man didn''t say a word or even look into her eyes. He simply handed her the lemons and walked off. What a strange person.


    Before long, Albert helped Avaleigh carry all her shopping into his car and they began to drive back to Emerson''s apartment.


    "Wow, Miss Song, you bought so much," Albert chuckled as he drove, trying his best to lighten the mood as he tried to hurry through the peak-hour traffic.


    Avaleigh glanced at her watch. She had gotten too carried away shopping that she didn''t even notice the time. Would she be able to prepare the feast that she had in mind before Emerson got home?


    She then looked at the traffic outside the window and sighed. At this rate, would she even make it home before Emerson?


    Albert noticed the stressed expression on Avaleigh''s face and thought about the scene from earlier. Was she upset because she dropped her things and no one helped her? Of course, he couldn''t read Avaleigh''s mind, so he had no idea what she was actually thinking.


    As his mind wandered off onto its own tangent, he remembered the strange man that disappeared into the crowd earlier and his imagination began to run wild again. Who was that man? Why did he come and go without a word? Was he a masked neighborhood hero that voluntarily helped people without asking anything in return?


    If he was a hero, what would his name be? He had a blue cap, a black mask, a black leather coat, blue jeans...and a dragon tattoo on his arm...


    As Albert thought about the tattoo, his eyes suddenly opened wide and he remembered something else. Last night, one of his customers had a tattoo like that as well! He couldn''t remember if the two tattoos were exactly the same, but he was sure they were both dragons and they were both on the man''s arm. He also remembered that the man from last night was also wearing a blue cap and a black mask. What a coincidence.


    Most interesting of all, he had picked up that man from Royal Sunset Hotel after he dropped Avaleigh off...


    Was he a guest at the hotel?

 Chapter 321 - A.d.u.l.ts Paradise

    The big golden door swung open and loud music filled the room momentarily as the staff quickly covered the children''s eyes or distracted them with toys. Of course, a few children still peered curiously through the door, but they knew they weren''t allowed outside. The woman that opened the door, quickly hurried them out and closed the door shut behind them, minimizing the exposure of the children to what was happening beyond the door.


    Halia, Jackson, and Sean looked around. There were more people down there than expected. It seemed, apart from hotel guests, some of these people had come from other places just to visit this secret bas.e.m.e.nt.


    Halia looked around and tried to contain her shock. She finally saw what the empty map in her memory used for.


    In front of them, against the back wall was a stage with strippers. In front of the stage, was a pool. To the right, was a dancefloor. On the left was an illegal underground casino. And, to the far left, there were private rooms. Some had their curtains drawn, some were open, and all kinds of activities were taking place inside.


    The air smelled of cigarettes mixed with the earthy, herbal scent of marijuana and the strong fragrance of alcohol. Smoking indoors was banned in the Philippines, so this, alone, was a huge sign of how lawless this place was. It was like an alternative reality where no rules existed.


    Halia turned around to look at the round room they had walked out of and realized that the wall was made out of one-way mirrors. Inside, the children could not see out, but from this side, the a.d.u.l.ts could clearly see in. Parents could party at ease, as they kept a close eye on their children. It was the perfect a.d.u.l.t paradise.


    Sean and Jackson had worked undercover in gangs in the past and visited their fair share of underground casinos, nightclubs, strip joints, and brothels, but never had they seen something this elaborate that combined everything into one. How did Trojan and Joel Gabriel Santos get away with this?


    At that moment, a young woman approached the two men. With a wink, she said, "Sir, would you like a massage?"


    She was dressed in a bikini and her hair was wet. Obviously, she had just stepped out of the pool. Her body was skinny, her b.r.e.a.s.ts were plump, and her legs were slender. But, she looked really young, like she had only just turned 18. The massage she was referring to, was obviously not the typical massage.


    "How old are you?" Sean asked as he forced a smile on his face, trying to look interested.


    The young woman leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I just turned 18 yesterday and I''m still a v.i.r.g.i.n."


    Sean almost choked when he heard this. Did this young girl know what she was doing? Prostitution was already disgusting and illegal, but this was too much.


    He quickly shook his head and said, "Maybe next time."


    The woman shrugged her shoulders indifferently and walked off to find another target. After all, she didn''t have to try hard down here. Within 5 minutes, she was seen leading a man across the floor to one of the rooms on the far left and closing the curtains as soon as she got inside.


    Jackson shook his head. This scene slightly reminded him of his sister. Only about a month ago, she had been trafficked across Europe and was almost sold off into the s.e.x trade. What was the story behind this young girl?


    Halia sighed and carefully slid her hand into her pocket to pull out her phone. "Let''s get a few videos and photos, and get out of here..." she whispered. This place was disgusting and she did not want to spend another moment down there.


    Jackson and Sean nodded as they stood on her two sides to shield her from being noticed.


    As they walked past the casino section, they noticed people betting in all different currencies. Clearly, criminals and wealthy people from all over the world flocked here and they could spend their funds (whether legal or illegal) in whatever way they wanted.


    As they reached the private rooms on the far left, they peered into a few of the rooms that had their curtains open. Clearly, some people enjoyed being watched as they undertook activities that were normally done behind closed doors and there was a small crowd outside a few of the more ''entertaining'' ones.


    Then, there were rooms with the curtains closed, including the one that the young woman had entered earlier. As they walked past her room, the curtains shook a little and they could hear m.o.a.ns coming from inside, "Yes, Sir, keep going!"


    The trio ignored the room and kept walking.


    Just as they walked past one of the other rooms with the curtains closed, the door opened and a man walked out. "I will get Shinobu to contact you, Mr. Fuijiwara. It''s a pleasure doing business with you," a familiar voice said as he walked out.


    Halia''s eyes immediately opened wide as a chubby man came into view. She quickly hid her phone away and continued to walk past like nothing had happened. It was Joel Gabriel Santos.


    "If this goes well, I will recommend my associates to you," Mr. Fujiwara replied.


    "Yes, The Organization has men all around the world. As long as you have money, we can fulfill any of your wishes," Joel Gabriel Santos smirked.


    Mr. Fujiwara smiled and walked off with his bodyguards following behind him.


    The trio glanced at each other. Did he just mention The Organization?


    At that moment, they peered into another room and saw some men exchanging money for guns and they quickly realized what was going on down here. It wasn''t just an a.d.u.l.t''s paradise fueled by, drugs, s.e.x, gambling, and money. It was also an international black market where one could purchase illegal products and negotiate with The Organization. These negotiations could include anything from trafficking to trading to extortion, and even terrorism! Who knew what kind of negotiations successfully took place down here?

 Chapter 322 - Emersons Message

    By the time Avaleigh arrived back at Emerson''s apartment, it was already 6pm. She quickly dropped all her shopping and went about preparing dinner. The average person had dinner around 7pm, so she only had 1 hour to make everything that she wanted to. She knew it wasn''t enough time, but she hoped to at least have some appetizers ready by the time Emerson got back.


    It had been a long time since she cooked such an elaborate meal. Back when she was in Hong Kong, she used to cook with her mother often. They were poor and could not afford to eat out, so buying their own ingredients and preparing their own meals was the best way to save money. Later on in life, it became a memory that she treasured. Even though she managed to bring her mother to Korea with her and she got her mother a place to stay, Avaleigh was required to stay in the dorms with the other girls, so she barely got to see her mother, let alone cook and eat with her.


    But, she did continue to cook for herself whenever she did, even though she was limited to a strict diet. And, she was quite good at it! One of her healthy recipes were even trending on social media for a while after she shared it on her account. Probably, due to her love for food and cooking, Emerson''s actions happened to hit the right spot and leave a lasting impression on her.


    To help herself focus and work faster, Avaleigh decided to turn on some fast and lively music. While she cooked she danced around the kitchen and sang along to the songs. For that short moment in the kitchen, she completely forgot about the terrifying scene she had witnessed that morning, and the fact that someone close to her was dead. Perhaps, this was her way of coping with trauma.


    While she was tossing some ingredients in the wok and they were sizzling away, the front door opened and Emerson finally arrived home.


    As soon as he stepped inside, he was surprised by the sight, the smell, and the sounds. Normally, when he returned to this apartment, it was cold, quiet, and empty, but the place felt completely different today. He removed his shoes and walked over to the kitchen where Avaleigh was cooking with her back to him. She was listening to some music and shaking her h.i.p.s as she tossed the food in the wok. It was both cute and slightly seductive.


    It reminded him of the night before, when he saw her dancing on stage. Although her stomach was unwell, she was still mesmerizing.


    He slowly approached the woman from behind and leaned over her shoulder to see what she was cooking. When Avaleigh sensed his presence, she jumped a little in fright and turned her head subconsciously, accidentally brushing her lips against the man''s cheek.


    Emerson felt the woman''s soft lips and it sent electricity coursing through his body but he remained composed. He didn''t want to make the situation awkward.


    Avaleigh gasped when she realized what had happened and she quickly turned her head back to the wok and blushed. "I promised you dinner, so I''m following through with my promise. Go have a shower and settle down a bit. You must be tired. Dinner will be ready soon," she said, almost sounding like a housewife talking to her husband.


    Emerson glanced at the woman and his lips curved upwards slightly. He was still leaning over her shoulder, but no part of his body was touching hers, yet electricity was jumping endlessly between them. He was so tempted to just wrap her in his arms and kiss her. But, he had told himself earlier that he wasn''t going to take advantage of her while her emotions were vulnerable, so he held back and moved away.


    "It smells delicious. I''m looking forward to it," his voice was deep and charming as he pulled off his tie and headed into the bathroom.


    Avaleigh took a deep breath. The man''s presence made her so nervous, she had almost forgotten to breathe. She gently lifted her hand to her lips and felt her heart race. She had given him another indirect kiss...


    If her heart was beating so fast now, would she have a heart attack when they shared a real kiss?


    Avaleigh quickly shook her head and blushed. What was she thinking? How could a girl be so shameless as to imagine something like that?


    Ding! The oven went off, snapping her out of her daze and she quickly ran over to grab the contents inside.


    Inside the bathroom, Emerson was standing under the shower thinking about something. After the press conference earlier that day, he had checked his phone and saw a message from Trisha. He didn''t know Trisha well. All he knew was, she had helped him find his sister and she had taken over her brother''s role at Interpol, but the mention of Avaleigh spurred him to call her as soon as he boarded his car on the way home.


    When he heard what Trisha had discovered through a paparazzi friend, he was shocked. Could Avaleigh be in danger? "Send me the photo. I''m just arriving home now. I''ll have a look at it later and speak to Avaleigh about it. Thank you for letting me know," Emerson replied as he got out of his car.


    He was originally planning to speak to Avaleigh about it as soon as he returned to his apartment, but when he stepped inside, he was momentarily distracted. Besides, she looked like she was feeling better and he didn''t want to destroy her mood, so he decided to talk to her about it after dinner.


    But, as he finished his shower and stepped out of the bathroom, he noticed Avaleigh standing frozen beside the kitchen bench staring down at something. As he approached...he realized it was his phone.


    "Emerson...you received a message..." Avaleigh said as she stared at the message preview on his screen.


    Emerson walked over and glanced down at his screen. Words rolled across the message preview, "Here''s the photo of Avaleigh''s stalker."


    Emerson''s eyes opened wide and he quickly glanced at Avaleigh worriedly. She was still staring at the screen with a slight tremble. "Can I see it?" she asked softly.

 Chapter 323 - Useful Evidence

    "So, you''re saying that you thought Avaleigh was the victim and this man was the murderer?" Officer Liang asked as she looked at the photos that Steven brought.


    Steven nodded his head nervously.


    "And...this photo was taken at the hotel last night?" Officer Liang confirmed as she pointed to a photo in the lobby.


    Avaleigh did indeed seem like she had a stalker. But, it was unclear whether there was any link to Mimi''s death.


    "Did you take any other photos at the hotel?" Officer Liang asked.


    Steven scratched the back of his neck and hesitated before he pulled out his camera from his backpack and handed it to the police officer.


    "Yes...I followed Avaleigh up to her room and watched her door from the end of the corridor..." he sighed.


    He didn''t want to mention this at first, but now that the officer was asking, he had no choice but to cooperate.


    Officer Liang turned on the camera and scrolled through the photos on Steven''s memory card.


    "You do realize that these photos put you at the scene of the crime, right?" Officer Liang asked as she raised an eyebrow and continued scrolling. The timestamp at the bottom showed that Steven was there until, at least, midnight. After that, there were no more photos, but it didn''t prove that he had left either. Could he have walked into Mimi''s room and killed her?


    "Did you know that Mimi''s room was next to Avaleigh''s?" Officer Liang asked as she scrolled past a photo of Mimi entering her room.


    "No," Steven replied. "It was just a lucky coincidence. "My assignment was to focus on Avaleigh. She''s one of my long-term artists. There are 5 of us in the Kpop department and we are each assigned 10 artists to follow on a long-term basis. So, obviously, we don''t have enough resources to focus on every single artist; we only focus on the most popular ones. When I saw Mimi enter next door, I was quite surprised. Since it was a lucky coincidence, I took a few photos for extra content."


    Officer Liang nodded her head and continued clicking through the photos. The paparazzi had a habit of taking burst shots and just snapping photos of every little movement, so there were a few thousand photos on the camera. By the time she clicked through the first 200, her finger was already feeling a little tired, but she wanted to look at every single photo in detail. The hotel''s cameras were under maintenance, so this was probably the only footage of the corridor from last night.


    As she clicked through a few more photos, she suddenly stopped. The timestamp was 10:09pm. A man with a trolley entered Avaleigh''s room with what appeared to be dinner.


    Officer Liang had questioned the staff in the hotel to see if anyone entered Mimi''s room between the estimated time of death, and supposedly, someone attempted to deliver dinner at 10:45pm but no one answered Mimi''s or Avaleigh''s door. The staff member assumed that the guests were asleep, so he slipped a note under the door telling them to call when they awoke and he would redeliver the food. But, he never got a call. The note was found under Mimi''s door when they checked the crime scene so the hotel staff seemed to be telling the truth. But, why did this photo clearly show that someone delivered food to Avaleigh at 10:09pm and actually went inside her room?


    Officer Liang continued to click through the photos with curiosity. Then, at 10:24pm, the man with the trolley was seen leaving Avaleigh''s room. But, not only did he not go to Mimi''s room at all, there was suddenly a woman in a cleaner''s uniform next to him. Officer Liang zoomed into the photo and her lips curved slightly.


    "I thought you were an experienced paparazzi. Didn''t you even notice that your target had left her room?" Officer Liang laughed.


    Steven looked at the policewoman with confusion. "Didn''t she fall asleep in her room? Someone tried to deliver dinner at 10:45pm and she didn''t answer the door, so I left at about midnight when I realized I wasn''t going to get anything."


    Officer Liang leaned over and showed Steven the photo she had stopped on. "Avaleigh left her room at 10:24pm, that''s why no one answered the door."


    Steven looked at the photo carefully and gasped. He had been tricked. Avaleigh was dressed as a cleaner and she had snuck out with Emerson Wu.


    Officer Liang smiled. This was exactly what Emerson and Avaleigh had told her earlier.


    But, just as she looked at the photo in the man''s hands, she noticed something in the background. She quickly sat down next to Steven and zoomed in. A man that appeared to be a maintenance worker was at Mimi''s room. She anxiously clicked forward on the photos. The man knocked on the door, said something, and Mimi welcomed him inside. This man was wearing the same uniform as the men that were fixing the cameras in the hotel. But, Officer Liang had clearly questioned the maintenance workers and none of them had left the control room.


    Since her fingers were getting tired, she quickly urged Steven to keep clicking through the photos. Steven understood and pressed on the next button. After Emerson and Avaleigh left, the timestamp jumped to 10:45pm, when a hotel staff knocked on Mimi''s door to deliver dinner. Just as the man had said, he knocked but no one answered, so he left a note under her door. He then knocked on Avaleigh''s door and no one answered either so he did the same thing.


    Officer Liang frowned, "Did you see the maintenance worker leave Mimi''s room before this?"


    Steven quickly realized why she was asking and shook his head with slight fear in his eyes. He had been so focused on Avaleigh the entire time that he didn''t even notice the maintenance worker enter Mimi''s room, let alone leave it.


    He quickly clicked through the rest of his photos for the night. Between 10:45pm and midnight when he left, he only snapped a few random photos of other guests walking past, but there were no photos of the maintenance worker leaving and he had no memory of ever seeing the man.


    "Go back to the photos of the maintenance worker entering. I want to see if we can find a relatively clear photo of his face..." Officer Liang instructed.


    Steven immediately nodded his head and did as told. The man had a hat on his head and he had his head down most of the time, so there were no photos of his face. But, one thing was clear. He had his sleeves rolled up and peeking out from underneath was a dragon tattoo - a dragon tattoo that Steven quickly recognized.


    Steven glanced at the photos of Avaleigh''s stalker that were laid out on the table and felt a shiver down his spine. "It''s him," he said as he pointed to one of the photos where the man was wearing a sleeveless top.


    The tattoo matched the one that Avaleigh''s stalker had...


    It turned out...he did indeed have useful evidence...

 Chapter 324 - Harmless?

    Halia, Jackson, and Sean looked at each other. They all realized what was going on. No explanation was needed. This was a place that needed to be shut down as soon as possible. Every minute it remained open, another illegal deal was being made.


    So, Halia quickly took a few more photos and the three of them scurried out of there.


    As soon as they returned to their hotel room, Halia forwarded the photos to Trisha and explained everything to Jackson. Including how Trojan''s memory was triggered as soon as she saw Joel Gabriel Santos'' name at the airport and how she saw the two men working together to open this resort.


    Jackson sighed. He thought they had escaped work, but he forgot about the memories that were still inside his wife''s head. With them lingering in the back of her mind, they could never truly escape. But, he understood. He had been a spy too, and there were some things that couldn''t be ignored. If he was in her position, he would have done the same thing too.


    "Don''t worry," Halia comforted as she noticed the slight frustration in her husband''s eyes, "Now that I''ve sent these photos to Trisha, she will handle the rest. We can return to enjoying our honeymoon..."


    However, just as she said this, there was a knock on their room door. Halia thought it was Sean and Natalie so she went to open it without hesitation, but as soon as she opened it, two guns pointed directly at her head...


    A moment later, Joel Gabriel Santos and the man from the bar appeared from behind the two men. "Who are you and why did you steal my keycard?" the man growled.


    Joel Gabriel Santos puffed on a cigar and looked at the man and woman. "Who sent you?" he asked sternly.


    ...


    Back in Hong Kong, Avaleigh was staring at Emerson''s phone screen with a tremble as Emerson picked it up and opened the image that Trisha had sent him. He was planning to discuss this matter with Avaleigh after dinner, but since she came across it, he couldn''t brush it aside, so he went ahead and showed the image to Avaleigh.


    It was a photo of the two of them at the press conference a couple of days ago; the day that they explained their scandal on the metro. But, in the background of the photo, Trisha had circled one particular person using the editor on her phone.


    Avaleigh quickly zoomed in on the man and gasped.


    "Do you know him?" Emerson asked when he saw her reaction.


    Avaleigh slowly nodded her head.


    The man in the photo looked to be in his 50''s. He had a blue hat on his head and a black coat. His face wasn''t completely clear, but it was enough for someone that knew him to recognize who he was, and it clearly looked like Avaleigh did.


    "This man''s supposedly been stalking you for a while. He was even captured in photos back in Korea..." Emerson explained.


    Avaleigh put the phone down and took a deep breath...


    "You don''t have to worry about him. I know this man well," she replied, "This man..."


    Just as Avaleigh was about to answer, her phone rang.


    It was Officer Liang.


    Avaleigh picked up with curiosity.


    "Miss Song, can you drop by to help us with something again. We''ve received an important lead to the case and we need your assistance."


    Emerson''s apartment was quiet and Officer Liang''s voice was particularly loud, so Emerson unintentionally overheard and nodded his head, gesturing he would drive the woman there right away.


    "OK, I''ll be right there," Avaleigh replied as she hung up the phone.


    As soon as she did, she glanced at the dishes of food she had just finished preparing and frowned. She then covered them and quickly ran out of the apartment with Emerson. Meanwhile, Emerson looked at the food and his stomach grumbled. Avaleigh wanted to see Emerson eat her food and Emerson wanted to try the woman''s food, but they both understood the urgency of the matter as they left the food behind with regret.


    It didn''t take long before they arrived back at the police headquarters and were seated inside Officer Liang''s office. Next to her was a man that Emerson wasn''t familiar with, but Avaleigh was. She had never spoken to Steven before, but she knew he was one of the paparazzi that followed her often, so she was a bit surprised to see him in the office as well.


    "Steven brought some photos to my attention today of a potential stalker," Officer Liang said as she started laying out some photos.


    Both Emerson and Avaleigh were quite surprised. What a coincidence. This was the second time they had been warned about a stalker today.


    That was when Emerson remembered that Avaleigh was distracted earlier. She clearly knew who the man was, but she never got the chance to tell him.


    Avaleigh sighed but breathed a sigh of relief as well. She thought she had been called down urgently because they discovered something related to Mimi, but it seemed they were just worried that she had a stalker. "Don''t worry about him. He''s harmless..." Avaleigh replied.


    "You sound like you know him..." Officer Liang said.


    "Yes...I know him well..." Avaleigh frowned.


    "Who is he?" Steven jumped in with curiosity.


    Avaleigh pointed to the man in the photos and answered confidently, "That man...is my father!"


    "That''s why you don''t have to worry. He will never hurt me," Avaleigh replied.


    But, even after Avaleigh reassured them, Steven and Officer Liang continued to look stressed and troubled. Avaleigh looked at the two with confusion and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    After a moment of hesitation, Officer Liang gestured for Steven to show the photo on his camera to Avaleigh. "Your father was caught entering Mimi''s room at 10:24 pm last night, and we are unsure when he left..."


    "Do you happen to know where he is right now? He is currently our number one suspect..."

 Chapter 325 - Godbrother

    "Hey, hey, hey, brother, put the guns down and let''s talk," Jackson said as he raised his arms.


    Joel Gabriel Santos smirked and gestured for his men to put the guns down as he entered the room and closed the door.


    "I''ll give you one chance to provide a proper explanation. If I''m not satisfied, then I''ll put a bullet through your head and drag your pretty wife downstairs to work for me. I''m sure our clients will like her," Joel Gabriel Santos laughed.


    His laugh echoed through Halia''s ears. It was a laugh that Trojan was extremely familiar with, so it gave her a mix of emotions.


    Halia furrowed her brows and tried to think. She didn''t personally know Joel Gabriel Santos, but Trojan knew him well. If anyone was to help them out of this situation, Trojan was their only hope.


    At that moment, one of Trojan''s memories popped up in her head. "It''s in here, brother," Joel Gabriel Santos said as he led Trojan into one of the rooms in the bas.e.m.e.nt. He then gestured for his men to wait outside, shut the door, and closed the curtains. Trojan looked around with curiosity. "Where?" he asked.


    Joel Gabriel Santos laughed and pointed to the ceiling.


    Trojan looked up with confusion as he saw his own reflection looking back at him. The ceiling was covered by a mirror; a special feature available in a few of the rooms.


    "Stop fooling around. Where did you store my money?" Trojan asked.


    Halia gasped a little when she heard this. Did Trojan store his money in the bas.e.m.e.nt of this resort? How much money did he store?


    Joel walked Trojan over to a painting and removed it from the wall. Behind it, was a pin pad. "My birthday is on the 23rd, your birthday is on the 25th, if you type 2325 into the pin pad, you will be able to see your money," Joel explained.


    Trojan furrowed his brows, but walked over and pressed the pin pad as instructed. A moment later, the mirror above their heads suddenly turned see-through, exposing an empty cavity in the ceiling where stacks of money were being stored. Trojan''s expression finally relaxed when he saw this money.


    "No one will ever know your money is here," Joel guaranteed. "You can check on it whenever you want."


    "As for withdrawing the money, come this way..."


    Halia snapped back to reality. That was all she needed. She stared calmly at the man in front of her, slowly stepped forward, and said, "Trojan sent us."


    Jackson was a little surprised to hear this, but he trusted his wife, so he simply remained quiet and kept watch.


    Joel''s laugh disappeared as he looked the couple up and down. "He never told me he was sending anyone," he said suspiciously


    "Trojan is my godbrother. He said that if anything happened to him, I should come here in secret to check that this place was functioning fine...and that his money was safe..." Halia said without batting an eyelid. "It seems, your security isn''t that great..."


    As Halia spoke, she pulled out the golden key card she had stolen and flicked it back to the man from the bar. "I''ll be sure to report this back to my brother when he wakes up. He''s going to be disappointed..."


    Joel cleared his throat awkwardly; he was beginning to believe the woman. "How do I know you''re who you say you are?"


    Halia sat down and crossed her legs, "Your birthday''s still on the 23rd, isn''t it? Also, I don''t think my brother will be the only one that''s disappointed in your security; The Organization won''t be very happy either..."


    Joel immediately turned to his men and growled, "Increase security from now on!"


    His men quickly nodded.


    "I''m sorry that you had to witness something so embarrassing. Please reassure your godbrother that it will never happen again. Besides, I''m sure you already checked on the money and you know it''s fine. That''s the most important thing, isn''t it?" Joel said.


    Halia rolled her eyes, "I guess..."


    Joel then pulled out a golden card from his pocket and handed it to Halia, "Here is your own personal card. Next time you come down, ask for me and I''ll buy you a drink as an apology. I hope your brother wakes up soon..."


    Halia accepted the card and slipped it in her pocket. She then led the men out of her room.


    As soon as the door closed, she turned around and held her hand to her heart. It was racing at a million miles per hour.


    "You should quit your day job and become an actress," Jackson joked as he walked over to his wife.


    Halia wrapped her arms around her husband. That was a close call.


    ...


    Over in Hong Kong, Avaleigh''s heart was also racing at a million miles per hour. She had just discovered that her estranged father had been stalking her all the way from Korea and was suspected of killing her group member!


    Avaleigh didn''t know her father well.


    He and her mother had a divorce when she was 10, but she remembered that he loved her very much. However, after they got divorced, the man practically disappeared from her life like he was dead. She didn''t understand why her parents divorced and her mother never explained why, she simply said they didn''t get along, and Avaleigh never brought it up again. But, deep down, she was a child and she missed her father.


    So, every now and then, Avaleigh pulled out old photos of the man and tried to imagine how life would have been if he was still around. Especially when kids teased her at school for not having a father, she thought about him even more.


    Who knew, after all these years, he would reappear in her life in this way...


    If this was how he was planning to reappear, she would have rather he never appeared at all...


    "No, I have no idea where he is. I haven''t seen him in over a decade," Avaleigh finally replied to Officer Liang''s question.

 Chapter 326 - Progress Or Standstill?

    Officer Liang sat quietly in her office and looked at the information she had in front of her. A moment ago, she had seen Steven, Avaleigh, and Emerson out of the building. Of course, they left through the back door since there were too many paparazzi outside, but just because they left, it didn''t mean her work was done. She was only just getting started...


    Officer Ceci Liang had been in the Hong Kong police for many years, but this was the first time she encountered a case that involved an international celebrity so she wasn''t used to all the media coverage. With all paparazzi outside, she was expecting to sleep at the office that night.


    With a sigh, she looked at the photos of Avaleigh''s father and scratched her head. Since the man followed Avaleigh all the way from Korea, the first thing she could do was check his travel records. So, she called the immigration office for help.


    "Can you run a check on a suspect for me. When did he arrive in Hong Kong and what was the address that he said he was staying in?" she said over the phone.


    The man on the other end did a quick check through their database and replied, "Mr. Song arrived 3 days ago from Seoul, Korea and his address in Hong Kong is listed as a hostel in Temple St. But..."


    The man paused.


    "But, what?" Officer Liang asked.


    "But, it says here that he already caught a flight back to Seoul at 6:45pm this evening and it seems as though he booked it last minute because his originally intended length of stay was 1 week. The flight should be landing in Seoul at any moment now," the man replied.


    "Seoul?" Officer Liang exclaimed.


    The man was definitely suspicious! Why was he returning all of a sudden? There was only one reason: if he crossed the borders back into Korea, he would be on Korean soil and she would have no jurisdiction there.


    Officer Liang furrowed her brows and hung up the phone. All she could do at that moment was gather more evidence to prove that the man was the murderer and hopefully request for extradition back to Hong Kong.


    But first, she knew that Avaleigh was stressed by the information she had learned that day, so she gave the woman a phone call to notify her that her father had returned to Seoul and that she was safe in Hong Kong. "I suggest you stay in Hong Kong until we can prove whether your father is innocent or not. He is currently our main suspect and we don''t know what his motive is. Who''s to say that you''re not his next target. If you return to Korea now, you will be walking into a lion''s den and we won''t be able to protect you."


    Avaleigh nodded her head even though she still believed her father would never hurt her. If he had the intention to hurt her, he wouldn''t have stalked her for so long without doing anything. However, if he really killed Mimi, then he wasn''t as harmless as she thought.


    Emerson saw the frown on Avaleigh''s face and knew she was upset. "You can stay here for as long as you want," he offered. "My apartment is practically empty most of the time. You can sleep in my bed and I will go back to The Peak to sleep."


    Avaleigh shook her head, "I can''t do that...What do you get out of it?"


    She didn''t want to take advantage of Emerson''s kindness.


    Emerson looked at the huge feast on the dining table. They had just finished reheating everything and his stomach was grumbling. He picked up a piece of grilled pork belly and placed it in his mouth with satisfaction. Even though the chef that worked at his home was a professional, it did not compare to eating something cooked by the person he liked.


    "Cook dinner for me," Emerson replied after he took a few more bites of food.


    "Huh?" Avaleigh looked at the man in confusion. What did he mean? Didn''t she already cook this dinner for him?


    "Cook dinner for me every night and that can be your rent," Emerson smiled as he scooped some rice into his mouth.


    Avaleigh watched as the man devoured the food she cooked and quickly nodded her head. If she was going to accept his help, this was the least she could do in return.


    ...


    The next few days past with a lot of questions up in the air. Forensics swept the entire scene of Mimi''s murder and found a whole heap of fingerprints around the suite. But, nothing was out of the ordinary; apart from Mimi and Avaleigh, there were only prints from the cleaners and hotel staff who all had alibis. They also examined the blood in the room and there was nothing strange there either. They had no other suspects, but they didn''t have conclusive evidence to extradite a person from Korea either, so the case was at a standstill.


    Meanwhile, in Boracay, Halia and the others continued to relax at the resort and on the beach like nothing had happened. But, in the back of their heads, they waited for the place to be raided at any time. Halia had provided sufficient evidence to Trisha and she expected them to take action quickly, but only 3 days later did she receive a response from the woman: "Interpol in the Philippines contacted the authorities in Boracay and they have decided to raid the place at 7pm tonight. Leave your key card in an envelope for Jon Mercado and drop it off at the lobby so they have access. Someone will be there to pick it up. After that, I suggest you leave the Philippines just to be safe."


    Halia showed the message to the others and they all agreed to book a flight out as soon as possible.


    "But, where do we go? I don''t want to return to Hong Kong so soon. We''re supposed to be on our honeymoon," Natalie frowned.


    Just as she said this, Jackson suddenly received a phone call from Emerson, "Bro, I need your help! It''s urgent! Do you want to continue your honeymoon in Korea?"

 Chapter 327 - The Raid

    "Korea?" Jackson asked with confusion. Why was his brother suddenly asking him to go to Korea?


    Emerson immediately started explaining the incident with Avaleigh, including how her group member was murdered and how her father was the main suspect.


    "The last few days, the police have been investigating the case non-stop, trying to find solid evidence to request for extradition, but they didn''t have any luck until today..."


    A few hours ago, Avaleigh had decided to go buy some groceries again and called Albert to drive her. Over the past few days, he had unofficially become her private driver because she trusted in him.


    As she sat in the front passenger seat, she began to think of her father and decided to look through some of the photos that Steven had captured of the man. It had been over a decade since she last saw him and he looked a lot more tired and frail than she remembered.


    Just as the car stopped at a red light, Albert glanced over and saw the photo in Avaleigh''s hand. The first thing he noticed straight away was the dragon tattoo on the man''s arm.


    "That tattoo!" he exclaimed. "I''ve seen it before!"


    Avaleigh immediately lifted her head and looked at Albert with curiosity.


    "That day, after I dropped you off at the hotel, he boarded the taxi after you," Albert said with confidence. "He had exactly the same tattoo. Even his hat was the same as the one in this photo and he had the same build."


    "A-Are you sure?" Avaleigh asked with a slight stutter. That would mean her father didn''t leave until just after she got back to the hotel. Was he really in Mimi''s room that entire time? If he was, then he was definitely the killer.


    "I''m pretty sure. I saw him again the other day when you dropped your shopping outside the supermarket. He helped you pick up your lemons and was acting strange," Albert said.


    He then furrowed his brows with confusion, "Why do you have a photo of him?"


    Avaleigh took a deep breath and replied, "This is my father and he is the lead suspect in Mimi''s murder. Turn around, we need to go see Officer Liang right away."


    Emerson recalled how Avaleigh discovered a connection between her father and Albert and continued to explain what happened next, "After Avaleigh met with Officer Liang, she looked through Albert''s camera footage again and asked forensics to sweep his car. On the floor of the backseat, they discovered a small drop of blood that matched Mimi''s, and when they compared the man''s tattoo to the maintenance worker and the photos of Avaleigh''s father, they were a 95% match even though the images weren''t clear. Officer Liang is currently working on doc.u.mentation to send to Interpol, and Interpol will send a request to Korea to have him arrested and extradited. But, Officer Liang said there is a chance the extradition will be rejected. After all, he killed a Korean citizen, and a high profile one too. If that happens, he may be arrested and tried in Korea instead."


    Emerson paused for a moment. "We are almost certain he is the killer, but he is still Avaleigh''s father. If he gets tried in Korea, he will likely get the death sentence. I know how she feels. I hate my mother for what she did to you and your mother, but I would rather she rot in prison than to have her sentenced to death."


    "With your connections at Interpol, can you ask them to hold off on the arrest and attempt to bring him back to Hong Kong yourself?" Emerson asked.


    All these years, this was the only thing he had ever asked of his brother.


    "Who is this woman to you? I don''t even know her. Why should I help?" Jackson couldn''t help but ask.


    Emerson glanced at Avaleigh who was sitting in the living room with her head down and his heart broke. She had no idea he was on the phone with his brother. Moreover, she had no idea that Emerson''s brother was ex-Interpol. All she could think about was her father. Did he really kill Mimi? Why did he kill her? What would happen to him now?


    "She is very special to me... My heart breaks when she is sad..." Emerson replied.


    Jackson smirked. His brother obviously liked this girl, but why was he being so cryptic with his answer? Was he still unsure? Or was he holding back?


    "Do you love her?" Jackson asked straightforwardly.


    Emerson glanced at Avaleigh again and his heart began to race. The last few days, she had been cooking dinner for him every night and he had been finishing work on time so he could spend those few hours with her. Although nothing was official between them, there was an ambiguous vibe whenever they were together. It felt almost like a husband returning home to his wife. Even the security guard downstairs greeted Avaleigh as Mrs. Wu. The only time when reality hit was when it got late and he had to return to his other home. But, he respected her and did not take advantage of her; he wanted to protect her, care for her...and love her.


    With a slight quiver in his voice, Emerson replied, "I want to love her."


    "OK, I''ll go," Jackson responded straightforwardly. This answer was enough for him. As an older brother, he was going to support his brother. Besides, he wanted to make sure that Emerson had 100% moved on from Halia.


    After he hung up the phone, he turned to the three people in the room and said, "Let''s go to Korea. While we''re there, I need to look for someone..."


    Halia, Natalie, and Sean were a bit curious, but they had no objections, so they immediately booked a flight out that night.


    Just as they checked out and stepped out of the resort to flag down a taxi, a SWAT team surrounded the building and carefully made their way inside. The captain collected the key card that Halia had left for him and headed into one elevator with a team of men. After he scanned it, he threw the key card out so more men could catch another elevator.


    Halia, Jackson, Sean, and Natalie glanced behind them as the taxi drove off. "Something big must be happening at that resort. Lucky you left in time," the taxi driver commented. The four looked at each other and smiled. Jose Gabriel Santos was going down!


    But, unbeknownst to them, when the elevators reached the bas.e.m.e.nt floor of the resort and the doors opened, all the SWAT team saw was a round room filled with storage and cleaning equipment, from floor to ceiling...


    There were no men guarding the floor...


    ...no children playing...


    ...and no golden door...

 Chapter 328 - Boginya

    Inside a bar on the opposite end of Boracay, Joel Gabriel Santos was sitting in a hidden corner, talking to someone on Bluetooth.


    "How did you slip up so badly?" a woman''s voice asked in his ear.


    The woman sounded stern and she had a thick Russian accent.


    "If Zeus didn''t warn you, you would be in prison and The Organization would be implicated. How did a spy get in so easily? She even had a key card to give to the SWAT team!" the woman growled.


    "A key card?" Joel Gabriel Santos stuttered.


    The woman on the other end of the phone was known as Boginya, the Russian word for goddess. She was supposedly an ex-KGB agent that went rogue after the committee disbanded in 1991. But, of course, these were just rumors. No one knew who she really was. In fact, no one knew if she really was a woman because her voice was always different on the phone. Only one thing was clear, her Russian accent. She was one of the three founders of The Organization and she held a lot of power in her hands. As a founder, she and the other three founders were the only ones that knew all the real identities of their members. If someone did something wrong, betrayed The Organization, or simply got on her nerves enough, she could get them assassinated within 24 hours. No matter where they went in the world, she had someone ready to do her bidding.


    So, Joel Gabriel Santos was losing his mind at that moment. He almost compromised everyone.


    "She was a guest in your resort and she was from Hong Kong. How did she get a key card? I thought you had a strict screening process?" the woman asked.


    Joel Gabriel Santos thought for a moment. The only current guest with a key card that had any link to Hong Kong was Trojan''s godsister. But, it couldn''t be her, right? "I can only think of one person. But...it doesn''t make sense... She was Trojan''s godsister. I confirmed it. She knew everything about him. Even the password to his safe... She even looked like she knew me when we had never met before."


    The woman grunted in frustration, "Send me her details and I''ll look into it. You''re lucky you weren''t caught this time. Otherwise, I would have no use for you."


    After the woman hung up, Joel Gabriel Santos breathed a sigh of relief.


    Three days ago, he suddenly received a phone call from a man named Zeus, an agent from the Manila branch of Interpol. Zeus had received news about illegal operations and possible links to The Organization in White Pearl Resort so he immediately called to warn him. Everyone in The Organization knew about the resort in Boracay. After all, it was partially funded by The Organization. It was an idea that Archangel (Joel Gabriel Santos) and Trojan had come up with; a secret underground paradise where criminals could spend their money at ease, where The Organization could recruit clients, and where the members could store their money if they chose to. All profits made by the resort were naturally split based on one''s percentage of shares in the resort. It was also a good way to launder money. This resort was the first of its kind. If it worked out, it would become a blueprint for future resorts around the world and The Organization would continue to thrive. As long as the person in charge of the resort had enough influence in the local authorities and government, the place would never be discovered.


    This was the reason why The Organization trusted in Joel. He worked for the board of tourism, so he approved the building and had a secret level built without anyone else in the government knowing. On top of that, he also had connections with the local police and SWAT, so they turned a blind eye to all things suspicious. This time, even Interpol gave him a heads up, three days in advance.


    With three days warning, Joel ceased business in the bas.e.m.e.nt, immobilized the card scanner so no guests could enter and only mobilized it again when he saw the SWAT team arrive. He knew they were coming and he was prepared for them.


    As it turned out, there were multiple reasons why the room straight out of the elevator was circular. Not only did it provide parents with a clear view of their children and create a safe area for children to run around...the entire room could be rotated and replaced by a storage room at any time!


    ...


    Over in Russia, Boginya looked at the resort check-in details that Halia had completed, "Haili Feng..."


    She then picked up her phone and made a call to someone in China, "Help me look up a name, Haili Feng. Her passport number is..."


    In less than half an hour, she received a response, "Haili Feng is an agent from the Special Police Unit in Beijing... She was involved with Trojan''s arrest..."


    Boginya frowned. She knew Trojan had fallen into a coma in Hong Kong. She had tried to send someone to assassinate him, but the assassin was killed and he was moved into increased security with Interpol watching him around the clock. Even though she had no idea whether he was still in a coma at that very point in time, she was sure his injuries were enough to leave him with permanent brain damage. How did this woman know so much about him? She even knew the password to his safe! That was impossible!


    "I want you to investigate everyone she''s ever worked with and come in contact with. I want to know how she could have possibly known so much about Trojan," Boginya ordered.


    She then tracked Halia''s whereabouts and discovered she was on a flight to Korea.


    She picked up her phone again and made another call, "You have a new target: Haili Feng, Chinese Special Police. She is landing in Seoul at 9am tomorrow morning. I want you to capture her alive. I have some questions for her..."

 Chapter 329 - Mrs. Song

    On the plane to Seoul, Jackson briefly explained what was happening with his brother and Avaleigh. "It shouldn''t take me too long to track him down. After I get him on a plane back to Hong Kong, we can continue with our honeymoon like nothing happened."


    Halia laughed to herself on the inside. She had just said something similar to Jackson not too long ago. Even though he had retired from Interpol, it seemed, neither of them could escape their fate. They were both selfless people that couldn''t possibly turn a blind eye to those that needed help, especially when it was family.


    "Oh, I''ve heard of Macaron before. They''re really famous with the young people!" Natalie exclaimed as she started doing some weird dance move with her hands. The other three looked at her with confusion. They had been so busy fighting crime, they had no time for entertainment and celebrities.


    Natalie looked at them in disbelief, "Don''t tell me you don''t know this dance? It was trending for ages!"


    "You look like you''re constipated," Halia said straightforwardly.


    Natalie pouted and pinched her friend on the arm, "I''m not very coordinated, OK? The girls look super cute when they do it."


    At that moment, Sean wrapped his arms around his wife and said, "I don''t know what Halia''s going on about, but I think you''re super cute." He then planted his lips on top of hers and they started kissing affectionately.


    Halia held her hand to her mouth with disgust, "Bleurp! I think I''m going to vomit."


    Natalie looked at her friend and frowned. At first, she thought her friend was simply joking, but, all of a sudden, Halia stood up and actually walked off to the bathroom.


    She frowned and looked at Jackson in disbelief, "Was it really that disgusting?"


    Jackson laughed. Although he and Halia were a bit more conservative than Natalie and Sean, they weren''t that prude.


    "It might be motion sickness from the plane..." Jackson explained as he looked at the bathroom, hoping his wife didn''t eat something wrong. She didn''t usually get motion sickness, but she had been a bit rundown investigating the resort and Joel Gabriel Santos, so it was no surprise that she was a little unwell.


    The flight to Seoul was an overnight flight with one transfer in Manila. After a quick transfer in Manila, Jackson leaned Halia''s head on his shoulder, covered her with a blanket, and told her to get some sleep. "You''ve been working hard lately. This is supposed to be a holiday. Relax and get some sleep. When you wake up, we will be in Seoul. Don''t think about anything else," he said softly as he placed a kiss on her forehead. His heart broke seeing his wife like this.


    Halia buried her head into the man''s neck and nodded slightly, "Yes, hubby, good night."


    Jackson smiled and watched as Halia''s eyes closed. He then closed his eyes as well.


    By the time they woke up again, the plane was already on its descent into Seoul.


    "After we land, go with Natalie and Sean to rest at the hotel first. Give me one day to deal with Emerson''s matter. I will go find Avaleigh''s father and get everything sorted," Jackson instructed.


    Halia pouted, "Can''t I come with you? I want to help."


    Jackson shook his head, "You''ve been working too hard already. You need to rest or you''ll fall ill. You don''t want to ruin the honeymoon, do you?"


    Halia quickly shook her head guiltily. No, that was the last thing she wanted to do. She had already caused them to change their itinerary at the last minute, the least she could do was make sure the rest of the honeymoon was enjoyable.


    So, after the plane landed in Seoul, Halia went with Natalie and Sean to the hotel while Jackson headed to a cafe in Myeongdong to meet with someone.


    "Hi, Mrs. Song, have you been waiting long?" he asked as he approached a middle-aged woman sitting beside the window.


    The woman looked at Jackson and shook her head with a smile. "You must be Jackson. Emerson told me you needed help looking for my ex-husband," she said in Cantonese before she called for a waitress in Korean. "Order a drink first," she said as she handed Jackson a menu.


    Jackson looked at the woman. If he didn''t know that she was originally from Hong Kong, he would have thought she was just a typical Korean housewife. She was well-dressed, her hair was nicely set, and her Korean was perfect. It seemed, she had settled well in Korea.


    "I met my ex-husband at a business event back when we were living in Hong Kong and we fell in love at first sight. I was young and naive at the time. I agreed to marry him before I even knew about his background and past, so it was bound for disaster. All I knew, at the time, was that he ran an import business between Hong Kong and Korea. After we got married, I fell pregnant with Avaleigh and stayed at home as a housewife while he continued to work. But, every now and then, he would fly back to Korea for business trips. Sometimes, he would be gone for months at a time. One time, while he was gone, I was waiting to pick Avaleigh up from school when a van pulled up and dragged me inside..." Mrs. Song took a sip of her coffee calmly like she was telling someone else''s story.


    "They kidnapped me...and did some unspeakable things to me..."


    "While I was tied up, I heard them talking to my husband in Korean on the phone. I had been taking lessons because I wanted to help my husband with his business someday so I understood what they said. They told him to let their boss go and return to Hong Kong or they were going to have some fun with his daughter as well..."


    On the day that my husband returned from overseas, they dumped me at the exit of the airport terminal as a warning.


    "I realized at that moment how stupid I had been. I knew nothing about that man yet I married him and gave birth to a daughter for him. Soon after that, I filed for a divorce, changed my name, and took my daughter as far away from him as possible. It was too dangerous to continue being with him."

 Chapter 330 - A Woman In Emersons Apartment?

    While Jackson was busy talking to Mrs. Song, Halia and the others were checking into their hotel not too far away. Even though they had slept on the plane, traveling was tiring, so they couldn''t wait to relax in their rooms.


    Fortunately, they managed to book a room next to each other.


    After they reached their rooms, Halia separated from Natalie and Sean and agreed to meet again for lunch after they had a little nap. Halia was particularly lethargic. Perhaps, Jackson was right, she had been working too hard. So, as soon as she entered her room, she dropped her luggage and went straight to bed.


    Outside, a mysterious figure lit a cigarette and stared at the doorway of the 5-star hotel. He then picked up his phone and sent a message, "Target acquired. I should have her in my arms soon."


    He put his phone away and walked over to a bench where an old lady was sitting and sat down beside her. The old lady frowned with disgust. "Stop smoking so much, your nails are all black," she said with a cough. Out of all the places this man could have seated himself, he chose to sit next to her. As she glared at the man''s fingers, his sleeve slid down a little revealing the end of a tattoo. She sighed. For someone at his age to have a tattoo, he was definitely involved with the gangs. Not wanting to stay around any longer, the old lady stood up and hobbled away with her walking stick.


    Meanwhile, the man was unaffected by the old lady''s reaction as he continued to smoke and watch the entrance of the hotel. "What goes in, must come out eventually. When you leave that door...you''re mine..." he whispered to himself as he narrowed his eyes. "And if you refuse to leave, I''ll come in to get you. It''s not like I haven''t snuck into a hotel room before..."


    ...


    At that time, in Hong Kong, someone else had just alighted from a plane.


    Accompanying him was a woman and a child.


    Originally, Danson wanted to hide in Singapore for a while and forget everything that was happening in Hong Kong. In Singapore, no one knew who he and Marissa were and no one cast any judgmental gazes upon them. He could walk around with Marissa and Daniel and no one questioned their relationship. In fact, some thought they looked like a lovely young family.


    But, all good things had to come to an end and it came sooner than he expected when a member of Macaron was suddenly murdered. This was huge news that even spread to Singapore. When Marissa saw the news, she immediately offered to return with Danson. After all, she had run the PR agency for many years before he stepped in; she had much more experience than him.


    However, she also made the decision to bring Daniel back with them.


    Her parents were right, no one could ever find out that Daniel was Danson''s son, but that didn''t mean her son had to continue living without his father. He deserved a complete family, even if it was a secret family.


    "Remember, Daniel. In public, your father is your stepbrother. You can only call him Dad at home," Marissa reminded.


    Daniel crossed his arms and did not say a word. Although he acted like he didn''t care, he knew it was something he had to do if he wanted to live with his parents. Like any other child, he did not want to be separated from his parents. He had already lived with his grandparents for too many years; he did not want to live that life again.


    Daniel was young, but he understood a lot more than people thought. For many years, he was upset that his mother abandoned him with his grandparents while she went to marry an old man for money. But, during this week that she spent with Danson, he had overheard a lot of things and started to understand his mother even though she had made things extremely complicated...


    So, when he met Emerson for the first time that afternoon, he greeted obediently, "Hi, my name is Daniel. I am Danson''s stepbrother."


    Emerson looked at the little boy and raised an eyebrow. Stepbrother? He knew better than anyone whose child this was. Danson had confided in him before he left and said he was going to Singapore to find Marissa and his son.


    "It''s OK, Daniel," Danson quickly corrected as he stood outside the door of Emerson''s apartment. "Uncle Emerson knows you''re my son. He''s the only person we can trust with this secret."


    Danson had mentioned he was rushing back to Hong Kong, but when he got back, he couldn''t get a hold of Emerson so he called his assistant and his assistant told him he was at his apartment sorting out a plumbing issue. Thus, Danson arrived at his doorstep unexpectedly.


    Daniel looked at Emerson and slowly nodded his head in understanding as Marissa watched Danson give Emerson a brotherly hug. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. Was she seeing things? When did their relationship improve so much? Before she left Hong Kong, they were still like strangers.


    When she first learned about Mimi''s death, it was through a rerun of the press conference on television. She remembered seeing Emerson represent Magnolia PR and thinking it was a bit strange. At that time, she simply thought he was doing it as an urgent favor. After all, they were in such a rush to get back, she didn''t get the chance to ask about the details. Who knew these two best friends had suddenly reconciled.


    "Ems, I''m sorry you had to deal with this," Danson frowned. He knew how busy Emerson was and he felt bad for troubling him with such a huge incident. Before he left Hong Kong, he had promised him that he didn''t need to do much apart from attending a few meetings. But, as it turned out, the low key Emerson ended up appearing at two important press conferences and was all over the news, television, and internet.


    Marissa punched Danson on the arm, "Why did you trouble Emerson with this? Don''t you know how busy he is? How are you ever going to make it up to him?"


    Even though Marissa and Danson were a secret couple, she had a habit of sticking up for Emerson.


    But, just as she said this, a woman''s scream could be heard coming from Emerson''s bathroom. Marissa and Danson immediately looked at each other in surprise as Emerson ran back into the apartment. A woman? They had known Emerson for over a decade but they had never seen him with a woman...


    They quickly followed Emerson into the apartment to see what was happening.


    When they saw the woman standing in his bathroom, they both froze in surprise...

 Chapter 331 - Herman Song

    It was just the beginning of summer in Korea and the weather was warm so Jackson ordered an iced latte. As he took a sip of his drink, he listened intently to Mrs. Song''s story. It seemed, she had lived quite a tough life because of Avaleigh''s father.


    "So, how long have you been divorced?" Jackson asked.


    Mrs. Song thought for a moment. It felt almost like a lifetime ago. "About 14 years ago," she replied.


    Jackson sighed. 14 years was a long time. By now, she was practically strangers with her ex-husband. Why did Emerson tell him to look for Avaleigh''s mother when she had already divorced the man 14 years ago?


    "Then, have you seen him since?" Jackson asked. "Do you know where he might be?"


    Mrs. Song shook her head, "I don''t even know if he''s dead or alive."


    Jackson furrowed his brows. This was why his brother was a businessman and not a spy like him. It seemed, he had to do things his own way and contact his own sources.


    As he finished his drink, he asked the woman one last question, "Did you ever find out his real identity and what he did in Korea?"


    Mrs. Song frowned, "Based on what my kidnappers said, it sounded like he was involved with some kind of extortion business. It seemed like he was linked to the gangs in Korea and he helped them kidnap people for ransom. I always thought it was strange that his work was so inconsistent yet he had so much money. After I thought about it, it seemed like Hong Kong was a hideout between jobs for him. I mean, what better way to hide from your enemies than in a foreign country, right?"


    Jackson nodded his head. He had come across many people like that in the past. Especially when he was still in the gangs, there were often ''contractors'' that they hired for specific jobs. After all, if one wanted to mess with another without them knowing, they couldn''t possibly send their own men. They would recognize them and seek revenge at a later date. So, a neutral contractor was the best choice. Especially one from overseas that was difficult to trace. From the sounds of it, Avaleigh''s father seemed like he was one of these contractors.


    But, why did he disappear for almost 14 years, suddenly reappear in Avaleigh''s life, and kill someone close to her? Why now?


    "Will Avaleigh be OK?" Mrs. Song asked as they stood up to bid farewell.


    "Don''t worry, my brother will take good care of her," Jackson replied with deep meaning.


    Mrs. Song nodded her head. She knew her daughter was staying in an apartment offered by the acting CEO of her PR agency in Hong Kong, but she had no idea about the ambiguous relationship between the two. In fact, she had no idea Jackson was ex-Interpol. She simply thought Emerson was trying to find her ex-husband because of PR purposes and Jackson was there to help him.


    Oh, how innocent this woman was. No wonder she was tricked by her ex-husband...


    As soon as Jackson left the cafe, he headed towards a bar in Itaewon, an area known for its nightlife and expat community. Jackson had been to Seoul in the past. Back when he was a part of the gangs in Shanghai, he had often done some dealings with the gangs in Seoul. But, that was over a decade ago and the people he once dealt with were either in prison, left the gangs, or had already been released from prison and had started a new life.


    It was here that one of his old friends had opened a bar. As it was still the afternoon, the bar wasn''t open yet, but there were people inside preparing for the night. Jackson walked up to the door and knocked on it.


    "We''re not open yet!" a voice called from inside.


    Jackson ignored this voice and knocked again.


    A moment later, a young man with blue hair opened the door and looked at him with frustration. He then pointed at the opening times on the door and said in broken English, "No open until 8pm!"


    Jackson shook his head and replied, "I''m looking for Kwon."


    The young man raised an eyebrow in surprise. Kwon? Kwon was his boss but only his old associates knew him by that name. These days, he was known as Ken. So, he gestured for Jackson to wait and quickly walked back inside.


    A moment later, a man in his mid-thirties walked out to see Jackson. As soon as he saw him, he furrowed his brows and threw a punch at him. Jackson quickly blocked it, grabbed the man by the wrist, and restrained him behind his back.


    "I see you haven''t improved..." Jackson laughed as the man struggled.


    "Ah, that hurts!" Kwon whined.


    Jackson immediately let him go and the two men gave each other a brotherly hug. "How have you been?" Kwon asked warmly. "I haven''t seen you since you left Shanghai for Paris. Have you returned to this side of the world? What are you doing in Korea?"


    Jackson nodded his head, "Yes, I''m back in China. I''m actually in Korea to look for someone. I was wondering if you could help me."


    Kwon furrowed his brows, "I don''t know how I could help. If it''s someone from ''that'' world, you know I''ve left that life a long time ago..."


    "I''m looking for someone that''s been around for a long time," Jackson replied. "A foreign contractor that specializes in kidnapping and extortion. His name is Herman Song. He''s someone that''s been around for 15 years or more..."


    Kwon cleared his throat and looked around. He then leaned forward and replied, "About 5-6 years ago, a contractor from Hong Kong was arrested and thrown into prison. If I remember correctly, I think his name was Herman Song and he should have been released about a year ago... I heard he''s back up for hire..."

 Chapter 332 - The Naive And Harmless Woman

    As agreed, Halia eventually left the hotel to have lunch with Natalie and Sean. They ended up arriving at Gwangjang market, one of the oldest and largest traditional markets in South Korea.


    There were many street food stalls in this market with a variety of popular dishes that the trio wanted to try.


    Halia looked around and felt her stomach grumble. "I could try one of everything!" she exclaimed greedily.


    "Me too!" Natalie said with a similarly greedy look on her face.


    "Tteokbokki?" a middle-aged woman asked as she stirred a pot of rice cake in a spicy red sauce.


    "Bindaetteok?" another woman asked as she poured some mung bean pancake batter onto a hot plate.


    Meanwhile, a man tried to pull Sean over to show him a little fish tank at the front of his stall. "San-nakji?" he asked as he pointed to the wriggling creatures inside the tank.


    Sean bent over and looked inside with surprise. There were a few baby octopus swimming inside the tank. "Pet?" he asked in English.


    He then turned to the two girls, "How fascinating, they keep octopus as pets here."


    Halia and Natalie looked at the tank and tried to hold back their laughter.


    Men often complained that women watched too many brainless romance dramas, but reality proved at that moment that they were actually quite educational. Because, the two women both knew the octopus were not pets... They had seen these octopus in dramas.


    Natalie immediately pulled Sean away. "Honey, that''s food," she whispered.


    Sean looked at her with curiosity, "It doesn''t look very filling. They''re so small. How do they serve it? Stir-fried?"


    Halia broke into laughter, "They are chopped live and served raw!"


    She then pointed to a plate that someone was eating. The tentacles were still wriggling as the man grabbed a piece and put it into his mouth! A bit of the tentacle even clung to his lip like it was refusing to be eaten. It was a local delicacy!


    Sean''s eyes opened wide in shock. He had eaten sashimi before, but nothing that was still moving!


    With a laugh, the two women dragged him to another stall, "Let''s eat this instead."


    They then started pointing to a few different things. The woman behind the stall quickly nodded her head happily and started preparing the dishes.


    Soon, a bowl of fish cake soup, a plate of kimbap, a serving of tteokbokki, a bowl of bibimbap, and a bowl of kalguksu were placed in front of the trio, covering the bench in front of them.


    Sean looked at the dishes in surprise. Wow! These two girls sure ordered a lot! Could they even eat it all?


    But, while he was thinking this, the two girls already began to shovel the food into their mouths.


    "This is so good! Honey, you need to learn how to make this! Your child really likes it," Natalie mumbled with a mouth full of food as she rubbed her stomach.


    Sean laughed, her stomach wasn''t even showing yet, how could their child eat this much?


    But, as Sean started eating, he nodded his head with satisfaction. He had to agree that the food was really good. They had a few random Korean restaurants in the big cities back home, but none of them served good, authentic street food like this. The textures and flavors were completely addictive.


    Not too far away, a man took a bite of sundae, a type of Korean blood sausage, and stared at Halia. No matter how he looked at it, this woman just looked like a naive, harmless woman. Why did his client offer so much money to capture her? Was she someone important with a lot of money and influence? The amount of money offered was enough to pay for a killing job. But, he was glad. He''d rather eat blood sausage than to have blood on his hands. After all, this was his last job before retiring. It was nice to end on something easy.


    He glanced at the woman and man next to Halia and smirked. The woman looked just as harmless as Halia and the man looked smart and neat like a gentleman that had never been in a fight in his life. Even if he took all three of them on at the same time, he was confident he would be able to capture Halia easily. He simply had to wait for an opportunity.


    Soon enough, his opportunity arrived. After the trio finished eating, they went to look for the bathroom. Naturally, Sean separated from the two women.


    The man that had been following the two women continued to follow them as they entered the women''s bathroom. He carefully crept inside behind them, making sure that no one saw him and there was no one else inside. Carefully, he pulled out a knife from his pocket and smirked. He was going to rush straight up to Halia, push the other woman away, and threaten her to follow him with the knife. He had done this many times in the past. It was the most direct and easy method.


    He pulled down his cap and placed a face mask on to hide his identity. He then turned the corner and charged...


    But, just as he stepped out, a foot met the side of his mouth, followed by another foot against his chest. Before he could react, he dropped his knife in surprise and groaned in pain and surprise. He tried to strike back, but a leg swiped across his feet, tripping him, and causing him to fall on the floor.


    "Halia!" Natalie gasped.


    A moment ago, when they entered the bathroom, Halia had suddenly told her to step back to a safe distance before she focused her eyes on the entrance with a fighting stance. Natalie didn''t understand what was happening, but before she managed to ask, a man rushed around the corner with a knife!


    Halia launched off her feet, spun her body smoothly, and threw a roundhouse kick at the man, knocking his mouth and chest. She then followed it with a swipe across the man''s feet, tripping him before he even knew what had happened.


    "Why have you been following us?!" Halia asked threateningly as she picked up the man''s knife and pointed it at him.


    The man gripped his chest in pain and looked at Halia in shock. What just happened?

 Chapter 333 - A Little Push

    It was awkwardly quiet around the dining table as Marissa looked at Emerson, Emerson looked at Danson, Danson looked at Avaleigh, and Avaleigh looked at Marissa. Meanwhile, Daniel scanned his eyes across the a.d.u.l.ts with curiosity. What was this strange vibe?


    Finally, after what felt like forever, Danson cleared his throat and asked, "Miss Song, what are you doing here?"


    Avaleigh was dressed in a set of daggy clothes that looked oddly stylish on her, but she was soaked in water from head to toe and she was trying to dry herself with a towel. The tap in the bathroom was leaking earlier and was spraying water everywhere. That was why she suddenly screamed.


    Avaleigh looked at Danson. Clearly, Danson knew who she was, but Avaleigh had never met Danson before, she had only met Marissa during her previous visits to Hong Kong, so she looked at him blankly for a while, unsure of how to respond.


    Seeing her confusion, Marissa smiled and explained, "This is President Qian, the CEO of Magnolia PR."


    A look of understanding flashed across Avaleigh''s face. Back when she first met Emerson, she had thought he was Danson for a while. It turned out, this was the real Danson - the infamous playboy.


    "Ava is staying here temporarily until it''s safe for her to return to Korea," Emerson explained.


    "She''s staying here...with you?" Danson asked as he looked at Emerson suspiciously.


    These two looked surprisingly close. They were even on a first-name basis.


    Emerson blushed a little. He knew what his friend was thinking but he did not want to make Avaleigh uncomfortable so he quickly explained, "She stays here by herself. I only visit to check on her."


    Danson smiled knowingly. He knew there was more to it than that. Even though their friendship had been a little rocky over the years, everyone in the business/socialite world knew about Emerson and his ''lack of'' relationsh.i.p.s. He was one of the most eligible bachelors in Hong Kong, but he was barely even seen with a woman, let alone allow a woman into his home.


    If there wasn''t anything going on, why was she the only one allowed to stay in his apartment? Didn''t Macaron have other members?


    Marissa could tell there was something going on as well. Her womanly instincts saw straight through the two. But, not only was she sure Emerson felt something for Avaleigh, she could tell by the look in Avaleigh''s eyes that she liked Emerson as well. It seemed, Danson didn''t need to pay Emerson back anything for his help. Avaleigh was already the best reward. All they had to do was give them a little push.


    Marissa glanced at Danson cheekily and Danson immediately knew what she was thinking.


    So, he smiled at Emerson and replied, "That''s good. I almost thought I had lost the chance to be your stepson..."


    Avaleigh immediately looked at Danson in confusion. Stepson?


    She then looked at Marissa who suddenly leaned forward to grab Emerson''s hand. As she did this, her cleavage was highlighted by her plunging top.


    "We should catch up over dinner tonight, Emerson. Danson agreed to babysit. We can go have your favorite sushi," Marissa said as she fluttered her lashes.


    Emerson looked at the woman in surprise. Wasn''t she and Danson together now? Did he misunderstand? Did they merely come to a compromise and decide to live in harmony as a family?


    Emerson glanced at Avaleigh awkwardly.


    "Oh, Miss Song, you mustn''t know since you haven''t lived in Hong Kong for a while. The three of us have known each other since high school and Marissa''s always been in love with Emerson. Although she married my father for a while, her heart never forgot about Emerson. Perhaps, now is the right time for them to finally be together..." Danson whispered as he leaned forward towards Avaleigh.


    Avaleigh looked at Emerson and Marissa. They were both successful business people, they were both rich, and they were both good-looking. Although Marissa relied on a lot of surgery to get her current look, she looked like the perfect trophy wife that rich men had. Most importantly, she knew Emerson well. She even knew his favorite food.


    But, just as she was thinking this, Emerson replied to Marissa, "I already have plans for dinner. Maybe next time."


    Avaleigh looked worriedly at Emerson. Did he have a dinner meeting? He already worked so hard, yet even his dinner was occupied by work.


    Marissa pulled her hand away and chuckled. She then said with a wink, "Well, now that you don''t have to worry about the PR agency anymore, I''m sure we''ll have plenty of time to catch up. Once Daniel''s at school, I''ll probably be alone at home a lot. You can come over at any time."


    She then twirled some hair around her finger and bit her lip s.e.xily.


    Danson peered at her and subconsciously narrowed his eyes. Her actions had no effect on Emerson, but it drove him crazy.


    It also drove her son crazy...in a different kind of way. What was his mother doing when his father was sitting right there? He was old enough to realize her actions were a little inappropriate.


    Meanwhile, Avaleigh almost choked when she saw how direct the woman was. If she thought Mimi was a seductive vixen, she was nothing compared to Marissa...


    How was she supposed to compete against someone like this?


    "Mom, are you done here? Let''s go home. I''m tired," Daniel complained.


    Marissa pouted, pretending to be upset, "OK, then, let''s go."


    Danson almost laughed out loud when he saw this. Actions like this normally made him jealous, but knowing why she was doing it, only made him love her more.


    Just as they reached the door, Marissa threw one last killer move. She suddenly turned around, hooked her arms around Emerson''s neck and placed a kiss on his cheek.


    Emerson froze in shock and so did Avaleigh.


    Just before she moved away, Marissa whispered beside Emerson''s ear, "Good luck, don''t forget to invite us to the wedding..."


    She then grabbed Daniel''s hand and walked out with Danson following behind.


    Emerson closed the door and chuckled to himself as he realized what the woman meant. It seemed, she was just messing with him and had actually moved on.


    But, as he turned around, Avaleigh saw the smile on his face and subconsciously frowned. It looked like he enjoyed the woman''s intimate actions.

 Chapter 334 - Halias Korean Oppa

    Jackson followed the information that Kwon gave him and headed to Daerim-dong, an area in Seoul that was unofficially known as Chinatown. This was an area where many Chinese immigrants settled and also a place where one could look for the help of a ''foreign contractor''.


    Before Herman Song was thrown into prison, one could contact him through a dim sum restaurant in this area, so this was the only lead that Jackson had.


    As he walked down the main street, he checked the address that Kwon gave him and confirmed that it was just up ahead. However, when he reached the spot where the dim sum restaurant was supposed to be, he discovered that it had been replaced by a fancy hot pot restaurant. It seemed, Kwon hadn''t visited this area for a while and his information wasn''t very up to date. He couldn''t be blamed. After all, he had already left the gangs 4 years ago. A lot could happen in 4 years.


    Not giving up just yet, Jackson walked up to the restaurant manager and asked, "I''m looking for a dim sum restaurant that used to be here. Have they moved? Or do you know a way that I can contact the previous owner?"


    The manager saw that Jackson was Chinese and smiled, "You must be here on vacation. That dim sum restaurant used to be very famous, but the owner was involved with some under-the-table business and was thrown into jail last year so the restaurant closed down. If you are looking for good, authentic Chinese food, you can give us a try instead."


    Jackson furrowed his brows. It seemed, he had hit a dead end. With a polite shake of the head, he turned to leave.


    But, just as he did so, a waiter suddenly approached and asked secretively, "Why are you looking for the previous owner? I used to work for the dim sum restaurant. Perhaps, I can help." He then spread his palm in secret, gesturing for some money.


    Jackson sighed and placed a few notes in the man''s hands. "I''m looking for a man called, Herman Song. He was supposedly released from prison about a year ago. Do you know anything about him or how I could find him?"


    The waiter paused for a second and quickly shoved the notes in his pocket. "If I were you, I would not involve myself with him."


    Jackson looked at the man curiously. It seemed as though he knew something. "Why?"


    "Herman ran quite a successful ''business'' before he was thrown into prison. I''m sure you know what business I''m talking about. But, as you and I both know, in this rapidly advancing world, a lot can change in 5 years. While he was gone, others naturally took his place and found better ways to do things. With the anonymity of the internet, no one needed to take the risk and come down to Chinatown anymore, so when Herman was released from prison, he discovered all his clients and acquaintances, including the dim sum restaurant owner, were no longer around. But, he still tried to restart his ''business'' on his own. He couldn''t compete with the youngsters at first. However, he began to contact some of his old clients and he undercut his competitors with lower prices. From what I heard, he successfully stole a few jobs from them," the waiter continued.


    "Needless to say, I''m sure you can imagine how dangerous that could be. Although he lurks amongst the shadows and no one ever knows where he is, he has created quite a few enemies for himself. Supposedly, a few of them are even after his life!"


    "If you get involved with someone like that, you will only put yourself in danger..."


    Jackson frowned, "So, no one knows where he is?"


    The waiter shook his head. "He''s a sneaky b*st*rd. There''s no way of contacting him. If he knows you need help, he will come looking for you instead. There have been several times where he''s stolen a job from right under his competitor''s nose."


    Jackson thanked the man for his information and turned to leave. It seemed, there was more to this man than he originally thought. No wonder he managed to stalk his daughter for so long and kill someone so ruthlessly without anyone knowing.


    As Jackson returned to the hotel to meet with his wife, he shook his head and sighed. He originally promised her he would sort everything out within a day. But, the day was almost over and he had no leads. Judging by what he knew about the man, it seemed, it would take him, at least, 3 more days before he could find him and send him back to Hong Kong...


    How was he supposed to explain this to Halia?


    Soon, he arrived downstairs at the hotel and gave his wife a phone call. He didn''t check-in with her so he didn''t have the keys to the hotel suite. However, the phone rang for a while, but no one answered. That was when he remembered, she was unwell earlier. Was she feeling better now? Was she resting?


    Not wanting to disturb her, he walked up to the front desk and showed them his ID. "My wife has the key but I think she''s asleep. Can I please get another key?" he asked.


    The staff quickly checked his details and confirmed that he was indeed a guest so they politely organized another key for him.


    Jackson took the key and headed straight up to his suite. Along the way, he mentally reminded himself to be quiet. He would let Halia sleep tonight and explain the situation to her tomorrow.


    But, just as he opened the door to his suite, he heard a light thump coming from inside.


    "Gently," he heard Halia say.


    He then heard some huffing and puffing, followed by the groan of a man.


    Jackson slowly closed the door with curiosity in his eyes. Why was there a man in their suite? What was Halia doing with this man?


    A moment later, he heard Halia say, "Stop resisting."


    And a man responded with muffled m.o.a.ns.


    Jackson''s eyes fired up as some indecent thoughts came to mind. Women these days were obsessed with Korean men because of all the dramas they watched. Did his wife find herself a Korean ''oppa'' while he was gone?!


    He quickly rushed inside and yelled, "What''s going on in here?!"


    As soon as they heard Jackson''s voice, Halia, Sean, and Natalie jumped in fright and looked at him in surprise. Natalie was seated in an armchair, while Sean and Halia were holding down something. As Halia stepped away and smiled, Jackson saw a strange man tied up to a chair with tape across his mouth.


    "Mhmm, mhmm, mhmm..." the man m.o.a.ned.

 Chapter 335 - Too Distracting...

    Avaleigh turned away from Emerson awkwardly. Over the last few days, her feelings for Emerson had gradually grown stronger and stronger as she got to know him better. After all, he was handsome, charming, and he treated her well. But, ever since the death of Mimi, he had not made any romantic gestures nor confessed any feelings for her again, so she was beginning to worry that he had changed his mind about her.


    With the sudden appearance of Marissa, these doubts grew stronger. Emerson had mentioned that he liked a woman for a long time. Was that woman, Marissa?


    "Thank you for coming to fix the tap. If you''re busy for dinner tonight, I''ll find another way to make up for the rent. Please let me know what I can do," Avaleigh suddenly said with a slight frown.


    "Busy for dinner?" Emerson asked questioningly.


    "Yes, you told Marissa you had plans for dinner. If you rejected her for dinner, then you must have something important you need to do," Avaleigh reminded. That was clearly what she had heard a moment ago.


    Emerson smirked. He then stepped forward, moved around to the front of the woman, and looked into her eyes. "Are you trying to get out of cooking for me?" he asked.


    Avaleigh immediately took a step back nervously. Suddenly looking into Emerson''s eyes made her heart almost jump out of her chest!


    Emerson saw the expression on her face. Her cheeks were a little red, she had a slight pout on her lips and there was a trace of disappointment in her eyes.


    A little embarrassed, she quickly tried to scurry to the kitchen. "If you''re not eating it, I don''t want to waste food," she mumbled. "Besides, even if you still make it back in time to eat, you should save that time for Marissa. I''m sure you want to spend some time with her..."


    Emerson smirked. Was he imagining things? Or was he sensing jealousy?


    For some reason, seeing her like this made Emerson''s heart light up. He had been patient with her the past few days, trying to not take advantage of her while her emotions were vulnerable, but this reaction from Avaleigh pushed him beyond the limits of his self-control.


    He subconsciously reached out his hand and grabbed onto her wrist. Then, with one gentle tug, he pulled her towards him.


    The woman''s body was so warm and soft that he couldn''t resist wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to his body. Even if he wasn''t taking things to the next stage, he still needed to reassure her of his feelings. "Don''t you understand how I feel? Haven''t I made it clear enough to you?" he asked gently, "I don''t want to have dinner with anyone else but you."


    Avaleigh felt her entire body tingle as the man''s voice traveled into her ears. For a long time, she had been so tied down by her career that she never got the chance to be in a relationship. While she sang songs about love, appeared in dramas about love, and watched other women her age being in love, she herself had absolutely no experience with it. She had only ever had one boyfriend, and that was when she was young and clueless; it was not love.


    Love was patient, love was understanding, love was selfless...like Emerson...


    Avaleigh buried her head in Emerson''s chest with embarrassment as she blushed. This man made her weak like jelly and she didn''t know how to respond.


    Emerson continued to hug her like he was trying to make up for all the days he had been resisting. He didn''t care about anything else at that moment, he just wanted to hold her in his arms and not let go. He wanted to be selfish for just a little while. Even if he liked her more than she liked him, he didn''t mind. He was used to going after women that didn''t like him back. As long as she didn''t get married to another man, or in the case of Halia, his brother, then he was going to be patient and not give up.


    But, to his surprise, Avaleigh suddenly lifted her trembling arms, wrapped them around his body, and said, "I don''t want to just have dinner with you..."


    Emerson''s heart sank for a moment before she continued, "I want to have breakfast and lunch as well..."


    Emerson chuckled and hugged the woman tighter. Her words were like a resuscitator that brought his heart back to life.


    Did this mean what he thought it meant? Was she reciprocating his feelings? But, he didn''t want to pressure her and rush things, so he simply enjoyed this hug for now.


    After hugging for a while, Emerson checked his watch and slowly moved away. He had rushed over to fix Avaleigh''s tap but he still had work to return to. Avaleigh understood and immediately went to grab his jacket. As she gently helped him slip into his jacket, Emerson couldn''t tear his eyes away from her. Her every movement made his heart flutter. If he could, he would skip work and hold her in his arms all day, but he knew that was impossible. "I''ll see you at dinner time," he said softly as she finished.


    Avaleigh smiled shyly and nodded her head before she walked him to the door without saying a word. She appeared composed on the outside, but she was actually losing her mind on the inside.


    After the man left, Avaleigh took a deep breath and fanned herself. A moment ago, when she was putting on his jacket for him, she had run her hands across his strong arm muscles and felt her body heat up. For a second, she was tempted to tear his jacket back off his body and keep him in that apartment with her. In fact, she wanted to tear off all his clothes and see what other muscles he had hidden underneath, but she resisted. Now that she thought about it, she was a little embarrassed by her wild thoughts. She had never been this attracted to a man before, especially not in a s.e.x.u.a.l way.


    She quickly shook her head to clear her mind and walked into the kitchen. "Dinner...dinner...what should I make for dinner..." she whispered to herself as she tried to change her focus. But, the mention of dinner simply reminded her of the words that Emerson had said to her and she fell back into a daze. Her body was still warm from his hug earlier and she could still smell remnants of his cologne in the air. At this rate, she was not going to get anything done...


    No wonder idols weren''t allowed to date. It was much too distracting...

 Chapter 336 - Decoding The Tattoo

    "Errr...what''s going on in here?" Jackson asked again as he looked around the room.


    Natalie was seated on the sofa eating a stick of tanghulu, candied fruit that originated from China, while Sean was holding down a middle-aged man in a chair, and Halia was tying some rope around him. Did these guys kidnap someone? Why?


    Jackson analyzed the man in the chair. He had a mask hanging from one ear, which originally covered his mouth and nose, but had been replaced by a strip of tape. He had a cap on and he was wearing all-black. If anything, he seemed more like a kidnapper. How did the kidnapper get kidnapped instead?


    "We were having lunch when I noticed this guy had followed us all the way from the hotel," Halia explained. "I don''t know why people dress in black when they don''t want to be noticed. It stands out so much!" she shrugged.


    Jackson furrowed his brows, "He followed you all the way from the hotel?"


    Apart from Jackson and Sean, the two girls had never been to Korea before. In theory, there was no reason why someone would be after either of them. Unless...it was completely random.


    If so, this guy was really unlucky.


    Jackson walked up to the man and removed his cap to take a better look. His face was swollen on one side from what appeared to be a punch.


    "Did you hit him?" he asked Sean.


    Sean laughed and shook his head. "I heard some screams coming from the ladies'' bathroom, but by the time I got there, he was already lying on the floor in pain..."


    Jackson looked at his wife with an impressed expression. She was getting better at protecting herself.


    Halia tightened the rope around the man and explained, "I had no choice. He had a knife..."


    "Your wife threw a kick in his face! I never knew a person could move like that!" Natalie exclaimed as she took a bite of her tanghulu like a child.


    Jackson touched the man''s swollen face and he flinched a little as he growled threateningly. "I am going to remove this tape on your mouth. If you make too much noise, I''ll make sure the other side of your face matches this side before I throw you out in the streets for everyone to see. Do you understand?" he said in English.


    The man glared at him and fell silent. His English wasn''t good, but he understood the gist of what Jackson was saying. He was usually on the other side of situations like this, so he knew this man was being serious. If he was thrown out on the streets and word spread in the underworld about this, he was never receiving any jobs again. So, he nodded his head. For now, all he could do was cooperate.


    As Jackson removed the tape from the man''s mouth, he narrowed his eyes and looked at him carefully. There was something familiar about him.


    "You can speak to me in Mandarin or Cantonese," the man said. He had been listening to their conversations and realized they were from China. When he received this job, he wasn''t given much information: just a picture and a flight number, so when the flight flew in from the Philippines, he didn''t expect his target to be Chinese.


    Jackson looked at the man in surprise. He didn''t expect him to be Chinese either.


    "Why were you following me?" Halia asked straightforwardly as soon as the man began to talk. Earlier on, she had asked him a few questions but he refused to say anything.


    The man sneered, "Cos you''re a good-looking young woman..."


    Of course, he was not going to expose his client. That would be completely unprofessional.


    "Are you sure someone didn''t send you?" Halia asked with suspicion. It seemed too coincidental that something like this happened as soon as she landed in Korea.


    Jackson observed quietly from behind Halia as the man wiggled in his seat. With a laugh, the man replied, "Why would someone send me after you? Are you someone important?"


    As the man spoke, Jackson noticed he was trying to untie himself. It was only natural to make this attempt, but Jackson knew his wife had tied him securely. But, as he walked around to look at the man''s tied hands, he spotted a tattoo around the man''s wrist.


    It was a dragon''s tail!


    In recent years, tattoos had become more mainstream all around the world and it was no longer just associated with gangs and crime. But, in Korea, tattooing was still illegal and frowned upon. So, a tattoo like this had a unique meaning...


    Jackson was familiar with it. The way the dragon''s tail wrapped around his wrist like a handcuff, meant that he had been to jail before...


    Jackson immediately bent down and rolled up the man''s sleeve. If this was the type of dragon tattoo he thought it was, then the rest of the dragon would also symbolize something.


    Gang tattoos around the world often conveyed special meanings and code that only they understood. Here in Korea, the dragon tattoo was one of them.


    "What are you doing?" the man asked as Jackson twisted his arm to take a closer look.


    Jackson was never a part of the Korean gangs, but he had worked with them enough in the past to know a few basics regarding their tattoos.


    The dragon had its mouth closed: a sign that the man was not an active member of any particular gang. In other words, he had connections to the gangs, but he worked on his own.


    Both its eyes were open, which meant he was active and available for hire.


    And, one claw could be seen clutching a pearl.


    The claw part was the difficult part. There were hundreds of possible combinations ranging from how many claws were showing to what the dragon was clutching, and each combination meant something different.


    He quickly took a photo and sent it to his friend Kwon as Halia continued to question the man...

 Chapter 337 - Mistaken Identity

    It didn''t take long before Jackson received a message back from Kwon: "Tattooing is illegal in Korea, so all tattoos like this one are done by the same man. He does them exclusively for gang members and contractors. A dragon clutching a white pearl means that that person can be hired for extortion and kidnapping. A red pearl means they can be hired for extortion, kidnapping, and trafficking. If you ever come across someone with a black pearl, you should be careful. It means they can be hired for anything, including trafficking, r.a.p.e, and even murder!"


    A contractor for extortion and kidnapping? These words struck a chord with Jackson. He immediately circled to the front of the man again and looked him up and down. His face was swollen but he suddenly realized why he sensed some familiarity. Pulling out his phone, he began to compare a photo that Emerson had gotten from Avaleigh of her father. Although it was an old photo and the man in front of him had lost a lot of weight and aged a fair bit, it was clear that they were the same person.


    Halia looked over Jackson''s shoulder curiously and gasped, "Isn''t that him? But younger?"


    Jackson put down his phone and nodded his head, "Herman Song..."


    Herman lifted his head in surprise when he heard his name. How did these people know his name all of a sudden? It couldn''t have been because of his tattoo...he wasn''t the only person with a tattoo like that...


    "How do you know my name?" he grumbled as he narrowed his eyes.


    "Someone actually sent me to look for you. What a coincidence!" Jackson replied as he showed Herman the photo he had.


    Fear immediately appeared on the man''s face, "Why do you have a photo of me and my daughter?"


    "Your daughter''s been worried about you..." Jackson said.


    Before he finished what he wanted to say, Herman suddenly blurted, "Are you still following my daughter? Leave her alone! I already told your boss that this was my last job. After this, I''ll get out of his way."


    Jackson furrowed his brows with confusion. What was this man talking about? "Has someone been threatening you?" he asked.


    Herman saw the confusion on the man''s face, "Didn''t Ewan send you?"


    "A friend of your daughter''s sent me..." Jackson replied with slight curiosity in his eyes. Who was this Ewan? Why did Herman look so scared?


    "Ava?" the man''s eyes softened. "Why did my daughter''s friend send you?"


    "An extradition request is currently being processed for you. You are wanted for a murder in Hong Kong. Your daughter''s been worried about you. The victim was Korean so your extradition may be refused and you will be eventually arrested and tried here in Korea. Murder in Korea could give you the death sentence..." Jackson explained. "I suggest you hand yourself over to the Hong Kong authorities before Korea gets involved."


    Everyone in the room fell silent as they listened to the conversation between Jackson and Herman. "Is he the man that you came to Korea to look for?" Sean asked in surprise.


    Jackson nodded. Even he was a little surprised. What a small world.


    "Murder?!" Herman suddenly exclaimed. "What murder? I''ve never killed a person in my life!"


    Herman looked at Jackson innocently and shook his head.


    "Mimi Chan," Jackson replied as he raised an eyebrow. "You were at the hotel on the day that she died and you were caught entering her room..."


    Herman quickly shook his head, "I was there at the hotel, but I never entered that b*tches room. I was simply there to see my daughter and make sure she was safe."


    Jackson analyzed the way that the man was speaking and his movements. He was either a really good liar, or he was telling the truth. At that moment, Jackson glanced at the man''s tattoo again. Someone that managed to murder a high-profile person, escape from the authorities, and trigger a manhunt across two countries sounded like an experienced killer. But, from what Kwon said, someone like that would have a black pearl tattooed to them, not a white one...


    "Do you have any proof?" Jackson asked.


    "I was in the hotel lobby all night. I saw her return but leave not long after with the CEO of her PR agency. I was worried that something urgent had happened, so I sat in the lobby and waited for her to return. While I was there, I chatted with a young pregnant woman. I was never a good father, but I do remember when Avaleigh''s mother was pregnant and the sleepless nights we endured after she was born, so I shared my experience with the woman. After I saw Avaleigh return around 1am, I was relieved and left," Herman explained.


    The man seemed to be telling the truth, but there was something that Jackson still didn''t understand.


    "Why have you been watching over your daughter so closely. From what I know, you''ve been stalking her for a while. You even followed her to Hong Kong this time. From my experience, obsessive behavior like this could lead to murder," Jackson said.


    Herman quickly shook his head, "8 months ago, I was walking past a promotional event when I saw the girls from Macaron performing on stage. At that time, I didn''t know Avaleigh was my daughter. I was in prison for 6 years, and before that, I had absolutely no contact with her and her mother, so I didn''t recognize her at all. But, that day, I noticed Avaleigh''s mother cheering for her below the stage and realized who she was. After that, I attended a few more of her events to see her. I just wanted to see how she was doing and what kind of life she now led. Unfortunately, one of my enemies noticed my interest in her and began to look into it. I had already been receiving death threats for a while at that point, but a man named Ewan suddenly contacted me a month ago and said he was going after my daughter. So, I had no choice but to follow her to Hong Kong, just in case. If anything, I suspect Ewan killed Miss Chan."


    "Why would he kill her?" Jackson asked.


    "I received a message the day after she was killed. You can check my phone," Herman said.


    Jackson immediately went to find the message that the man was referring to. At 2am, the day after Mimi was killed, Herman did indeed receive a message from an anonymous number, "I warned you. Your ex-wife''s next."


    "I was confused by the message, but I immediately rushed back to Korea to check on Avaleigh''s mother. Avaleigh was under the protection of the Hong Kong police because of Mimi''s murder so I knew I didn''t have to worry about her. Now that I think about it...there could be a possibility that Ewan mistook Mimi for my daughter..."

 Chapter 338 - My Favorite

    Jackson''s eyes opened wide in surprise. He then picked up his phone and dialed a number.


    "Emerson, you said you guys identified Avaleigh''s father via the tattoo on his arm, but you never actually got a clear photo of his face when he was entering Mimi''s room and when he was in the taxi. Can you take a look at the dragon tattoo that the murderer had and tell me if the dragon is holding a pearl?" he asked over the phone.


    Emerson was confused by this sudden request but quickly looked through his phone at the photos he had collated.


    A moment later, he replied, "Yes, you''re right the dragon is holding a pearl."


    "What color is the pearl?" Jackson asked urgently.


    "Errr..." Emerson looked carefully, "It''s black."


    Jackson held onto his phone and glanced at Herman Song. He was telling the truth. He was not the murderer. Even if he was to tattoo over the black pearl with white ink as soon as he got back to Korea, the tattoo would not have healed so quickly. In that case...


    The murderer was still out there and Mrs. Song was in danger!


    "Avaleigh''s father isn''t the murderer. His dragon is holding a white pearl... Tell the authorities in Hong Kong to put everything on hold. I think I know where the real murderer might be," Jackson said hurriedly before he hung up and turned back to the restrained man.


    "Does Ewan have the same tattoo as you?" Jackson asked.


    Herman had heard bits and pieces of Jackson''s conversation so he quickly understood the importance of the tattoo, "Yes, but his dragon has a black pearl!"


    "You understand what a black pearl means. Someone hired you to come after my wife, didn''t they? Why did you take the job when you knew it would put your ex-wife in danger?" he frowned with disappointment.


    "I simply wanted to do this one last job. The offer was too good to resist. I''ve never been offered this much money in my life! Besides, this person was even harder to offend than Ewan," Herman explained guiltily.


    "Who hired you?" Jackson asked straightforwardly.


    Herman looked down and did not say a word. It was against his professional ethics to reveal his client.


    "Was it someone from The Organization," Jackson tested. It was the only link he could think of. Otherwise, there was no reason why someone in Korea would want to kidnap his wife.


    Herman''s eyes immediately opened wide in fear. Clearly, it was a yes. In a panic, he suddenly stood up with the chair still tied to him and tried to barge his way out. The mention of The Organization obviously triggered him.


    Jackson and Sean immediately held the man back down, "Who was it? Give us a name. Do you know why they were after Halia?"


    The man stuttered, "If I tell you what I know, please don''t hand me over to the police... The police can''t be trusted."


    "Why do you say that?" Jackson asked with suspicion.


    "I suspect my client is in the Korean police..." Herman whispered.


    "I only know him by the code name, Eagle. Obviously, he has an identity to hide. But, before I started working for him, I had already heard rumors about his identity. That''s why I was too scared to turn him down," he explained.


    Jackson furrowed his brows. "Do you know what he wanted with Halia?"


    "I''m not sure. He didn''t even give me any details about her. He simply said to bring her to him alive," Herman explained.


    At that moment, Halia suddenly stepped forward and said, "Since he doesn''t want me dead, let''s lure him out!"


    Sean immediately objected, "No, that''s too dangerous!"


    "It''s more dangerous if he continues to come after me," Halia responded.


    Jackson nodded his head. Even though he didn''t want his wife to take a risk, he trusted her abilities and agreed with her reasoning. The Organization had people all around the world. If they had their eyes set on Halia, they weren''t giving up easily. They needed to send them a warning not to go after her. But, they needed back up and they still needed to protect Mrs. Song from the murderer that was on the loose.


    "Sean, I''ll give you Mrs. Song''s phone number. Let her know what''s happening and go keep an eye on her. I''ll go with Halia to lure out Eagle. I have some friends in Korea that can back us up..." Jackson said.


    Jackson previously headed the Hong Kong/Macau branch of Interpol, so he naturally took command and Sean listened.


    "Stay here and get some rest," he said to Natalie before he left the hotel room.


    Natalie nodded obediently, "Stay safe."


    After Sean left, Jackson picked up his phone again and made another phone call, "Kwon, I need your help..."


    Since the police couldn''t be trusted, he needed to recruit another form of help...


    ...


    Over in Hong Kong, Emerson rushed excitedly home to have dinner with Avaleigh. A moment ago, he had received a phone call from Jackson, telling him that Avaleigh''s father wasn''t the murderer and he immediately passed the information on to both Officer Liang and Trisha. Now, it was time to tell Avaleigh about it. Although Avaleigh had lost contact with her father, he was still her father and she cared about him, so Emerson knew this piece of news would give her some relief.


    As he opened the apartment door, Avaleigh was standing in the kitchen like she normally did, humming a song and waving her h.i.p.s.


    When she heard the door, she turned around and smiled shyly, "Just in time. Come eat."


    Emerson looked at the woman as he approached. Probably, due to their conversation earlier, there was a slight sense of ambiguity in the air.


    A moment later, Avaleigh gently placed a platter on the dining table and blushed, "It''s my first time making sushi. I hope you like it..."


    Emerson''s heart raced when he saw the beautifully arranged platter in front of him. Sushi was his favorite food but he never had it at home. Not even the chef at his family mansion ever made it for him. He looked at the individually handmade pieces and was surprised to find that there was a good variety of ingredients. There was salmon, tuna, kingfish, egg, tofu skin, and even eel! He glanced over at the kitchen and saw it was a bit of a mess. How long did it take her to prepare all this?


    Avaleigh quickly blushed, "I''ll clean up the kitchen later. Eat first while it''s fresh. Marissa said sushi was your favorite..."


    Emerson looked at the woman in front of him and his heart melted. Without a second thought, he walked around the table and hooked his arm around her waist. Ever since he hugged her earlier, he had been dreaming about hugging her again.


    Avaleigh gasped in surprise as she felt the man''s body against hers.


    As he held Avaleigh close to his body, Emerson whispered beside her ear, "Sushi''s not my favorite..."


    "Huh?" Avaleigh asked in surprise. Did she hear wrong? Or did Marissa make a mistake?


    However, her heart almost jumped out of her chest when she heard what the man said next. "...you''re my favorite," he chuckled.

 Chapter 339 - Lured

    Sean arrived at Hangang park where Mrs. Song was having her evening stroll. Every evening, after dinner, she would go for a walk along the river here to aid digestion and to watch the sunset.


    A moment ago, Sean had called urgently and told her she was in danger, so she was currently sitting on the grass among some families that were having picnics and barbecues. It was a common weekend activity for Korean families to set up a tent at the park and enjoy a picnic or barbecue with their family. Mrs. Song looked around and admired their happy smiles. It had been a long time since she did something like this with her daughter. Avaleigh was always so busy, and on the rare occasion that she wasn''t, it wasn''t convenient for her to be seen in public. But, she couldn''t blame her daughter. Avaleigh knew she had lived a tough life, so she wanted to make enough money for her to live comfortably and she succeeded. She helped her leave behind her sad memories and sponsored her over to Korea, she bought her an apartment in a safe and convenient neighborhood, and she gave her enough money to buy the clothes she wanted and eat the food she craved. However, comfortable didn''t mean happy...


    As she sat there, a young man suddenly ran over to her in a panic and asked, "Have you seen a little girl wandering around on her own? I lost my daughter. She was next to me one moment and gone the next!"


    Mrs. Song immediately stood up worriedly and looked around. "No, I didn''t take notice. How old is she and how does she look like?" she asked with concern. She had raised her daughter on her own so she could imagine how worried this father felt.


    "She''s only five. Her name is Evie. She was wearing a pink dress and her hair was in pigtails. If you see her, I''m just over at that tent," he said as he pointed to a solitary tent under a bridge.


    Mrs. Song nodded her head and scanned around as the father kept searching.


    Not long after he wandered out of sight, Mrs. Song spotted a little girl crying near the river. She looked exactly how the young man described so she walked over to her and asked, "Are you Evie?"


    The little girl sniffed and nodded her head.


    Mrs. Song grabbed her little hand and walked her over to the tent that the man had pointed to earlier. "Your Daddy went to look for you. He will be back very soon." She then knelt down and wiped the girl''s tears with a tissue from her pocket.


    The little girl had puffy cheeks and round eyes just like Avaleigh did when she was young and it melted Mrs. Song''s heart.


    "I''m cold," the little girl shivered. "Can you keep me company in the tent while I wait for Daddy?" she asked as she pointed to the tent.


    Mrs. Song smiled and nodded her head.


    As she entered the tent, Sean arrived at the spot where she was sitting earlier and looked around. From the description that the woman had given him, she was supposed to be nearby, but he did not see anyone that resembled her.


    "Excuse me, are you Mrs. Song?" he asked a middle-aged woman that was sitting down to have a rest on a bench, trying his luck even though the woman was wearing completely different colors to what Mrs. Song told him.


    The woman looked at him blankly and shook her head. Of course, she was not the woman he was looking for.


    Sean helplessly picked up his phone and called the number that Jackson had given him earlier to check where she was.


    But...no one answered.


    He had clearly spoken to her earlier, so she definitely had her phone with her. Knowing this, he tried again. But, he still didn''t get through.


    Left with no choice, he quickly ran around the area to see if he could find the woman. Mrs. Song said she was wearing a teal and black tracksuit with matching teal sneakers. It couldn''t be too hard to find her, right?


    Wrong, he did not see anyone with that description at all.


    At that moment, Mrs. Song was actually busy playing with the little girl inside her tent. She reminded her of her daughter so much that she was completely in a daze and didn''t hear her phone.


    As she waved a teddy bear in front of the little girl, she giggled in response and it lit up her heart. Her giggle was contagious, so she waved the bear again and the girl giggled louder. But, the girl suddenly pointed to something behind her and continued to giggle. It turned out, she wasn''t giggling because of the bear but because of something else.


    With curiosity, Mrs. Song turned around to see what was behind her.


    That was when she noticed a pair of cold-blooded eyes looking down at her. In his hand, he was holding a belt.


    A man had entered the tent without her knowing.


    She had met this man earlier.


    But, he looked a lot different from the concerned father she thought he was.


    "Daddy!" the little girl cheered. "I caught her. I win!"


    Mrs. Song immediately sensed that something wasn''t right and tried to stand up. But, without warning, the man wrapped his belt around her neck and covered her mouth so she couldn''t make a noise. Mrs. Song subconsciously tugged at the man''s arm, but all she managed to do was move his sleeve a little. As she did so, the end of a tattoo could be seen wrapping around his wrist...


    "Good job, my darling. Now, go outside and play," the man said calmly as he pulled the belt tighter.


    The little girl nodded her head like the scene in front of her was normal and walked out obediently.


    Mrs. Song''s eyes opened wide in horror as she realized what had happened.


    She couldn''t believe it.


    This man had used his own daughter as bait and lured her into this tent! Was this the danger that Sean was warning her about? How was she so careless?


    Mrs. Song''s head began to get dizzy from a lack of oxygen and her body felt weak. She wasn''t strong enough to resist.


    As she almost ran out of breath, the man leaned beside her ear and said, "Don''t worry, your death will be a lot more pleasant than your daughter''s. After you blackout, I will throw you into the river and everyone will think you committed suicide from grief. No one except your ex-husband will know that this was all his fault!"


    People often said, "The love of a mother for her child is undeniably the strongest emotion in the human soul."


    Just as the man thought the woman had given up, she heard him mention her daughter and a rush of emotions woke her up. What happened to her daughter? What did he do to her? Before the man realized what was happening, the woman bit him on the hand and he flinched instinctively. This momentary shock gave her just enough time to scream and call for help.


    She screamed at the top of her lungs. But, it was only for a short moment before the man covered up her mouth again. "No one will hear you, I specifically chose a spot that''s far away from everyone else," he snickered.


    As the tent fell back into silence, Mrs. Song''s heart sunk. Was this the end? Was she never seeing her daughter again?


    At that moment, a soft melody could suddenly be heard coming from her pocket.


    Mrs. Song glanced at her pocket and felt a glimmer of hope as she tried to scream again. It was her phone. Someone was calling...


    Unfortunately, it was impossible for her to pick it up as the man tightened his belt around her neck again...

 Chapter 340 - Eagle

    "Do you think my daughter will forgive me if this succeeds?" Herman Song asked as he drove with Halia in the back seat of his car.


    Earlier on, Halia and Jackson had convinced him to cooperate. If he helped them lure the corrupt officer out and they captured him, they would help him plead for a shorter sentence and they would help him reunite with his daughter.


    "Your daughter might end up being my sister-in-law very soon. Technically, we are family," Jackson said back at the hotel.


    "If you don''t go back to your old ways after you get released this time, I''m sure she will forgive you. The fact that she was even worried about you shows that she still thinks of you as her father. I just hope Sean manages to save your ex-wife in time," Halia replied honestly.


    The car fell silent for a while as Herman Song drove. Every now and then, he checked his rearview mirror to make sure he hadn''t lost his backup. Behind him, a few cars followed inconspicuously. Leading the way was Jackson, followed by Kwon and his men.


    Jackson had met Kwon when he was still a part of the gangs, but after his boss was taken down during a drug deal, he went to jail and came out a changed man. Of course, he wasn''t the only one that decided to change his ways. He and a few other ex-gangster friends came up with a plan, did a few years of tough manual labor, combined their savings, and ended up opening a bar in Itaewon where they recruited other ex-convicts to work for them. The bar was appropriately named, ''Second Life Bar''; the only bar in Itaewon that was free from drugs, crime, and gang influence. If Kwon and his partners wanted to, they could recruit enough men to start their own gang and that gang would be more frightening than any gang that currently existed. Thus, no one dared to touch them.


    So, when Jackson asked for Kwon''s help to capture a corrupt officer linked to an international crime ring, he immediately rounded up his men and agreed.


    Soon, Herman''s car stopped outside an old abandoned warehouse and the cars following him stopped a little distance away where they couldn''t be seen.


    "Are you ready?" Herman asked.


    Halia looked at the man with determination and nodded her head.


    Herman was quite surprised by the woman''s bravery. If his daughter was this brave as well, he would be so proud of her.


    Before Halia left the hotel earlier, Jackson had already tied her hands behind her back with some rope in a way that she could easily break free, so all Herman had to do was cover her mouth with some tape to make his capture look convincing.


    "Do you have anything else to say before I cover your mouth and we head in?" he asked.


    "Stay safe," Halia said. "Even if you''re willing to change, you need to stay alive."


    Herman nodded his head with confidence and covered Halia''s mouth. Halia then closed her eyes and pretended she had fainted as Herman carried her into the warehouse.


    Soon, she heard a voice say, "Good job on bringing her here alive."


    Herman gently placed Halia against some wooden pallets and said, "You must be Eagle. Have you got my money ready?"


    A tall, muscly man stood opposite Herman. He was wearing a black coat with a black shirt, paired with some jeans, and on his face, he wore a mask. It seemed, his idea of a disguise was very similar to Herman''s.


    He picked up a bag that was sitting on the floor next to him and threw it at Herman, "Everything''s in here. Take it and go."


    Herman quickly unzipped the bag and flipped through the stacks of cash inside with greedy eyes. If he ran away with this bag now, he could live off this money for a while. Was he really handing himself in? With a smile, he grabbed the bag and left the warehouse.


    After he was gone, Eagle walked up to Halia and had a proper look at her. As he knelt down beside her, he lifted her chin and analyzed her face. "Aren''t you too beautiful to be special police?" he smirked.


    After he was confident that the woman was the right person and she posed no threat, he stood up and made a phone call, "Boginya, I have her. What do you want me to do?"


    Halia listened as the man spoke on the phone. Boginya? Who was Boginya?


    "Yes, yes, yes. OK. I''ll call you back," the man said. She then heard him walk away for a bit.


    Halia listened with curiosity. It sounded like he was taking orders from this Bonginya. What did this person want with her?


    She opened one eye slowly to check that the man was gone and started untying the rope around her hands. As she did so, she looked around and saw a few figures sneak into the warehouse. Amongst them was Jackson. He looked at her and revealed a comforting smile.


    Just as she smiled back, she heard some footsteps approach and quickly closed her eyes again. Eagle was back.


    As she leaned against the wooden pallets, all she could rely on were her other senses to figure out what was happening, but she knew Jackson was watching over her so she was not worried.


    She listened intently and heard the man approach. What was this man planning to do with her?


    She sniffed a little and could smell the strong scent of cigars coming from the man''s body as he got closer.


    Then, without a warning, she suddenly felt a strong splash of water against her face and body. She subconsciously opened her eyes and coughed from the water that entered her nose.


    Eagle looked at her and laughed as he held onto an empty bucket. "Our sleeping beauty is finally awake. Someone wants to speak to you..." he said.


    Halia blinked her eyes and almost reached out her hand to wipe her face, but quickly remembered her hands were supposed to be tied, so she quickly jumped into acting mode. "Who are you? What am I doing here?" she asked. These were the questions that people always asked when they were kidnapped, right?


    The man snickered, "I am Eagle... The Organization sent me..."

 Chapter 341 - A Proper Kiss

    The words, ''you''re my favorite'', echoed in Avaleigh''s ears as she stared at the man blankly. Her fans often said these words to her, but coming from Emerson, it had a totally different effect. Her body tingled, her heart raced, her palms became sweaty, and her cheeks burned up.


    She could feel Emerson''s arm around her waist and it made her nervous. It had been a long time since she was this close to a man. The last and only time she dated someone was when she was 19 and that guy turned out to be a sc.u.mbag that she dumped before he managed to get physical with her. Even when she appeared in idol dramas, the director maintained a distance between her and her love interest so she could uphold her innocence. The Koreans cared a lot about that; even holding hands was a big deal.


    So, she didn''t know how to react.


    Especially when Emerson suddenly looked her in the eyes and began to lean forward.


    She glanced at his lips and almost stopped breathing as he moved closer. The smell of his cologne tickled her senses and teased her heart. His heavy breathing was s.e.xy and masculine and his body was strong and sculpted.


    Avaleigh bit her lip as she looked at him. Over the last week, he had been showing up out of nowhere to help her and take care of her. He even gave her a place to stay. But, apart from voicing his feelings for her, there had been no real progress between them. He simply appeared in front of her every day, provoked her desires, made her feelings grow, and then disappeared at the end of the night. Only today, did they finally hug.


    So, as he moved closer, Avaleigh did not resist. If he wanted to kiss her, she was ready for it. She had been ready days ago.


    But, she had no idea what Emerson was thinking. He had the patience to wait over a decade for Halia, he had the self-control to resist Marissa, and he had the integrity to not take advantage of a woman when she was vulnerable. So, he didn''t mind waiting. He knew he had to act faster than he did with Halia, but he was happy to wait a little longer; he could easily wait another month...or even two...


    So, just as his lips were about to touch Avaleigh''s, he tilted his head a little, leaned over her shoulder, and grabbed a piece of sushi.


    Avaleigh took a deep breath. Her heart almost stopped. She thought he was going to kiss her. But, as it turned out, he was simply leaning over to grab a piece of sushi.


    Emerson popped the sushi in his mouth and smiled with satisfaction like an innocent child as Avaleigh felt a sense of disappointment. Again, this man was unknowingly teasing her. It was like dangling a carrot in front of a horse and not giving the carrot to it in the end.


    With frustration, Avaleigh gathered her courage. She had to make a move or the tension was going to kill her. So, she stood on her tiptoes and leaned forward. Her carrot was not getting away this time.


    Emerson froze and swallowed the sushi in his mouth as he felt something, warm, soft, and moist against his lips. His heart skipped a beat and he glanced down. Avaleigh''s eyes were closed, her nose was gently touching his, and her lips...her lips were pressed firmly against his.


    She was kissing him!


    A woman was kissing him!


    The beautiful, s.e.xy, adorable, amazing Avaleigh Song was kissing him!


    This was the first time a woman that he liked took the initiative and kissed him.


    His heart fluttered as he stood there in shock.


    Sensing no response from the man, Avaleigh slowly moved away and looked at him shyly. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes were dewy, and there was a slight tremble when she breathed. Why did Emerson have no response? Did she misunderstand? Was that why he hadn''t made a move all these days?


    Emerson slowly regained his composure and looked at the woman in front of him. He had been restrained and patient, but he couldn''t hold back his desires anymore. Like a demon being released from the underworld, Emerson grabbed the back of Avaleigh''s head and returned her lips to his. These lips belonged to him now, and he was not letting them go.


    Avaleigh stumbled forward a little in surprise and pressed her palms against the man''s firm chest to regain her balance. His s.e.xy, sculpted body made her gasp. As her lips parted, Emerson took this opportunity to weave his tongue into her mouth. She tasted sweeter than he had ever imagined and he couldn''t stop.


    Avaleigh felt the man''s tongue and closed her eyes. Finally, they were kissing properly. She couldn''t believe she was completely breaking her contract and getting involved with a man, but she didn''t care. If she had to resist Emerson any longer, she was going to go crazy.


    Wanting to get a better angle, Emerson lifted the woman up, brushed the platter of sushi back, and seated Avaleigh on the dining table. At this height, neither of them had to stretch their necks. Now, he could savor this kiss all night without getting tired.


    But, at this height, another part of their bodies matched up perfectly as well.


    Emerson subconsciously ran his hands down to her thighs, spread them gently, and pulled her closer to him. As his firm body pressed against her soft delicate body, he kissed her harder. It was like he was possessed. All these days of restraint and s.e.x.u.a.l tension had reached its limit and he could no longer hold back.


    Avaleigh felt something hard between her thighs and realized what it was. But, she was not frightened. Instead, to her surprise, it made her slightly excited. This was the first time she had felt so attracted to a man, both physically and mentally, and she couldn''t believe it. Her body didn''t want to resist it. But, her logic quickly took over. Although she was 24, she had never been intimate with a man before, so she didn''t want to act impulsively. Especially when Emerson wasn''t even officially her boyfriend yet...


    However, at that very moment, as though he read her mind, Emerson suddenly moved away from her lips, looked her in the eyes, and asked softly, "Will you...be my girlfriend?"

 Chapter 342 - The Black Pearl

    Over in Korea, Avaleigh''s mother was also in the arms of a man. But...she was with a very different kind of man - a man that wanted to kill her!


    She wanted to break free, but she was already in her fifties, while her captor was a strong and energetic young man in his mid to late twenties. She stood no chance against him.


    Perhaps, from the moment she first met her ex-husband, this was a fate she could never escape. When she realized his identity, she had tried to break ties with him, but as it seemed, she had simply bought a bit of time for what was inevitable. At least, her daughter had grown up into a beautiful and successful young woman. But, what did the man mean earlier when he said her death was going to be more pleasant than her daughter''s?


    "Don''t worry, this will all be over soon. At least, you won''t be making a bloody mess like your daughter when I killed her..."


    Mrs. Song''s opened her eyes wide in shock. A bloody mess? Killed? Did this man kill her daughter? But...she had just spoken to her a few days ago! Plus, why hadn''t she been notified of her daughter''s death?


    Shocked by the news of her daughter''s death, Mrs. Song froze and a tear rolled down her cheek. She then closed her eyes in despair. Her poor daughter. She was in the prime of her life. She hadn''t even fallen in love and started her own family yet. How could she be dead?


    Mrs. Song stopped struggling. If her daughter was dead, then she had no reason to continue living. She might as well join her in the afterlife so she wouldn''t be lonely.


    But, just as she gave up hope...she suddenly felt the man release her mouth and neck.


    She stumbled forward weakly and coughed a few times to catch her breath as she held her neck in surprise. The man let her go. Why?


    Her head was a little dizzy from a lack of oxygen, but she shook it a few times and quickly regained her full consciousness. That was when she heard some tussling behind her.


    In confusion, she turned around to see where the noise was coming from. To her surprise, another young man had entered the tent at some point and he was now fighting the man that almost killed her.


    Both of them looked like professionally trained fighters, but her savior clearly looked like he had the upper hand as he predicted and dodged the killer''s every move with ease.


    Mrs. Song quickly retreated a few steps in shock as the men moved further into the tent. The father and daughter were camping in the park on their own, but they had brought a 10-person family tent to occupy as much space as possible. That was how they managed to take up the entire patch of grass under the bridge that was a little isolated from everyone else. This man had planned everything properly. He knew Mrs. Song went for a stroll in the park after dinner every day, so he set up early and waited there for her. Moreover, he knew she loved her daughter, so he brought his own daughter as bait. He was determined to take her life that day.


    Killing a person was second nature to him and the black pearl tattooed to his arm was proof of this.


    "Don''t worry, Mrs. Song, I''m Sean. You''re safe now," Sean said as he finally flipped the man onto his chest and restrained his arms behind his back. As he did so, he pulled down the man''s sleeve to double-check the tattoo on his arm. A dragon that looked exactly the same as Herman Song''s stared back at him, and in its mouth, was a black pearl. This was the competitor that Herman mentioned. He did not lie.


    He had found Mrs. Song just in time.


    Fortunately, he was passing by a moment ago, when he heard a muffled scream coming from the tent. A couple of other people thought they heard it too, but when they saw the little innocent girl sitting outside the tent, they simply thought her parents were ''having fun'' inside the tent and dismissed it. After all, Korea was a relatively safe country. Who would expect a murder to be taking place in the middle of a public park?


    But, Sean instinctively sensed something wasn''t right.


    He immediately picked up his phone and tried to call Mrs. Song again.


    That was when he heard the faint sound of her phone ringing from inside the tent. He hung up, walked closer, and called again. The phone rang once again.


    Mrs. Song was definitely inside. He was certain of it!


    Without a second thought, he rushed into the tent just in time to see a man strangling a middle-aged woman. The woman had a teal tracksuit and matching teal sneakers. He found her.


    That was how she was saved.


    However, she did not look happy. Instead, she broke down in tears, "My daughter''s dead, what''s the point of living...?"


    The killer sneered and deliberately tried to provoke the woman further, "We had some fun before she died. If her father wasn''t Herman Song, you could have been Evie''s new grandmother..."


    Mrs. Song looked at the man in horror. What did he do to her daughter before she died?


    But, just before she broke down further, Sean said to Mrs. Song, "Don''t worry, Avaleigh''s alive and well."


    The killer laughed, "Alive? Impossible! I stabbed that little sl*t in the chest until she stopped breathing."


    Sean looked down at the man and furrowed his brows, "Haven''t you seen the news?" Clearly, this man had been so occupied with hunting down Mrs. Song that he didn''t pay attention to the news. "You killed the wrong person. The woman you killed was called, Mimi Chan. She was Avaleigh''s bandmate..."


    Mrs. Song quickly looked at Sean with hope in her eyes, "That''s right! Avaleigh called me a few days ago and told me Mimi died. Was this man the one that killed her?"

 Chapter 343 - Sofia

    Halia looked at the man that called himself, ''Eagle''. Even though he had a mask on his face, there was a sense of familiarity. This familiar feeling led Halia to believe that he knew Trojan.


    A moment later, the man held a phone in front of Halia and put it on video call.


    The person on the other end had her head and mouth wrapped in a scarf and only her eyes were showing, but as she spoke, she clearly sounded like a woman with a Russian accent.


    "Hello, I''m Boginya, one of the leaders of The Organization. I''m sure you''ve heard of us before. It seems, you''ve met a few of our members..." the woman said as she narrowed her eyes on Halia.


    Halia looked at the woman and asked, "What do you want with me?"


    Boginya sneered, "I heard that you investigated our resort in Boracay and reported us to Interpol while posing as Trojan''s godsister. How did you know so much?"


    Halia smirked and leaned forward to look at the woman carefully, hoping to get some clues about her identity. As she looked into the woman''s beautiful bluish-grey eyes, she spotted a tiny mole just under her left eye. If one didn''t look closely, they would easily miss it. But, Halia saw it and a rush of emotions suddenly stirred inside her body.


    Her heart began to race, her palms grew sweaty, and her body heated up. It was Trojan. She recognized this feeling; she only ever felt this way around Jackson. It was attraction! Trojan was attracted to this woman!


    All of a sudden, the warehouse around her faded and she found herself under some covers, looking into the eyes of a woman as she panted in pleasure.


    The woman''s eyes were the same as Boginya''s!


    Halia''s eyes opened wide in surprise as she realized she was lying on top of the woman''s n.a.k.e.d body. She too was n.a.k.e.d, but her feminine body was replaced by a strong masculine one. It was Trojan''s memory. Halia cringed on the inside. Out of all the possible memories, why did she have to remember this one?


    Trojan leaned forward and kissed the woman on the lips as he thrust his body forward.


    "Oh, Sofia," he m.o.a.ned in pleasure.


    Sofia?


    The woman frowned and replied, "Boginya... From now on, call me Boginya. Don''t ever call me Sofia again or reveal my identity to anyone."


    Trojan thrust his body harder. "What will happen if I do? Will you kill me?" he teased.


    The woman m.o.a.ned with satisfaction as she flipped him over and took control, "Of course not. I could never kill you."


    Halia could tell that the woman was lying, especially since she knew what eventually happened to Trojan, but Trojan had no idea. He thought the woman loved him as much as he loved her.


    "Then let me call your name one last time: I love you, Sofia," he said.


    Halia blinked her eyes and snapped back to reality. "Sofia..." she whispered.


    Trojan actually knew this woman''s real identity! Not only that, even though Halia couldn''t quite picture the woman''s face, Trojan knew how she looked as well!


    The woman on the phone looked at Halia in surprise, "What did you just say?"


    Boginya was one of the founders of The Organization. Only she and the founders knew the real identities of their members, but their members had no idea who they were. There was only one exception, Trojan, one of the first members she ever recruited. He was obsessed with her and was willing to do anything for her, so he was the perfect candidate.


    There was a reason why Boginya named herself after the Russian word for goddess. She loved it when men worshipped her and groveled at her feet. While Trojan was truly in love with her, she simply treated him as a pawn. But, of course, even after all these years, he had no idea. So, even though he knew her real identity, she was 90% certain he would take that secret down to the grave. As for the other 10% of uncertainty, she had someone ready to kill him at any time if he dared to leak a single word. He was much too naive to think that she would never kill him. He would never reveal it; he couldn''t. Not even to the closest people around him.


    So, how did this woman know her name? She was certain she heard her say the name, Sofia. A name that she hadn''t used for a long time.


    "Trojan told me everything..." Halia said as she looked confidently into the woman''s eyes.


    Boginya''s eyes twitched a little in disbelief.


    Halia saw the woman was becoming fl.u.s.tered and spotted an opportunity to provoke her further. "Trojan knew you tried to kill him. Even though he loved you wholeheartedly, you still tried to take his life, so he told me everything when he woke up..." she smirked.


    Boginya tried to remain calm, but Halia could clearly see the fire that was burning in her eyes.


    It was the rules of The Organization. Anyone that failed and was captured by the authorities would be killed. Trojan knew this from the start. Did he think she would make an exception just because he loved her? Did Trojan really wake up and tell this woman everything?


    Even though she had her doubts, this explanation was the only explanation that made sense. Otherwise, how could Halia possibly know so much?


    If that was the case, what else did he tell her?


    Before Boginya could respond, Halia turned to Eagle and asked, "Is your assistant around?"


    From what she discovered about Trojan, his assistant fired the shot that put him into a coma and she also came after him at the hospital to end his life. If she was right, Eagle probably had an assistant that was ready to do that as well.


    Eagle subconsciously glanced towards the top right corner of the warehouse, "Why do you ask?"


    Halia smirked but did not answer straight away as she snuck a wink at Jackson. A couple of minutes later, a struggle could be heard coming from the top right corner of the warehouse, followed by a few shots of a gun. "We got her!" a voice shouted.


    Eagle looked up in surprise and saw some men leading his assistant down the stairs. Who were these men? Weren''t they alone in this warehouse? Before he could react, he felt a punch against his face and a kick in his stomach. He stumbled back a little and looked at Halia in shock.


    "You tricked me..." he said.


    She was untied and standing in a fighting pose, looking at him. "I just saved your life. Now, hand yourself in, Officer."


    Eagle was a trained officer, so he instinctively fought back when he realized what was happening. He threw a left hook and a right jab, twisted his body, and directed a spinning kick at Halia''s face. But...she avoided them swiftly. "This isn''t how you treat your savior," Halia said.


    The man was frustrated and decided to reach for his gun, but as he did so, he realized...it had gone missing!


    He lifted his head and found himself staring into the barrel of his own gun. Halia had snatched it from him when they were fighting. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by some gangster-looking men, some of which he recognized. He had even arrested some of these men in the past. They moved in on him and quickly tied him up.


    Halia then picked up Eagle''s phone that had dropped on the floor.


    It was still on video call. Boginya had been watching.


    With a smirk, Halia looked into the woman''s eyes and warned, "I will capture whomever you send my way, so you better not mess with me again, Sofia."


    The woman glared at Halia and ended the call. There was definitely more to this woman than she thought.


    As soon as the call ended, Halia immediately made a call with her own phone, "Trisha, increase security around Trojan. The Organization thinks he''s awake."


    She then grabbed her stomach and leaned forward in pain. She was sure Eagle didn''t hit her, but for some reason, her stomach hurt a little.


    Jackson looked at his wife worriedly and quickly carried her in his arms, "Are you OK? Let''s take you to the hospital for a check-up..."

 Chapter 344 - Halias Condition

    Jackson ran out of the warehouse with Halia in his arms. She had been unwell since they were on the plane that morning so he began to worry. Was she sick? Was it something serious? Or was she hurt during the fight with Eagle?


    As he exited, he spotted a familiar figure waiting for them inside a car. Although he was tempted for a moment to run away with the money that Eagle gave him, Herman Song thought about all the trouble he had caused and decided to stick by what he had promised and wait outside.


    "Mr. Song, you have made the right choice," Jackson said briefly as he walked past.


    "I hope so," Herman replied as he watched Jackson carry Halia into his car. "Is something wrong with Mrs. Wu?"


    A moment later, Kwon approached the two men and said, "I will take Eagle and his assistant straight to the Interpol office. With so many witnesses and evidence, they won''t be able to deny their crimes even if they have any other insiders. Mr. Song, you can come with me. You are vital in apprehending them."


    Even though he was confused, Herman nodded his head and followed Kwon to his car.


    As soon as Kwon started the car, Herman asked, "Is something wrong with Mrs. Wu? Did she get hurt?"


    Kwon shrugged, "We''re not sure yet. Jackson is taking her to the hospital to check."


    Herman frowned and turned around to look at Jackson''s car worriedly. If they were really to become family like Jackson said, then Halia was family too. Kwon looked at the man and smiled. This man actually had a heart.


    "Why did you turn back to crime when you were released? You don''t seem all that bad. Wasn''t 6 years in prison enough of a lesson for you?" he couldn''t help but ask.


    Herman sighed turned back to the front and replied, "I had no other means for survival. It''s all I''ve ever done and it''s the only thing I know how to do. Plus, with my history, who would hire an ex-convict?"


    Kwon glanced at the man. He could tell he wasn''t a completely bad guy, he simply thought he had no choice. Kwon once felt the same way and he had met many people that felt that way too, but he knew now that there was definitely a choice.


    "When you get released from prison this time, come look for me at the ''Second Life Bar'' in Itaewon. I will find you a job and help you get back on your feet," Kwon offered.


    Herman turned his head and looked at the man in surprise. As he looked at him in detail, he suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.


    "Have we met before? Why are you helping me?" Herman asked.


    Kwon focused on the road in front of him and smiled, "We met briefly about 7-8 years ago..."


    Herman thought carefully and scanned his eyes across the man with curiosity. That was when he noticed there was a tattoo wrapped around his wrist.


    A dragon''s tail!


    However, the tattoo had been reworked a little and there were lotus flowers around the base of the tail. Lotus flowers were a symbol of purity; of rising from the darkness. Just like the way that a lotus flower emerged from muddy waters unscathed, it seemed, this man had emerged from prison and started a new life.


    Kwon saw the man look at his tattoo and smiled. With one swift movement, he lifted his sleeve so the man could have a better look. As expected, the base of the tattoo was exactly the same as Herman''s. It was the same dragon from the same artist. The only difference was, Kwon''s tattoo had been reworked to convey a completely different meaning. Not only did the dragon look like it was emerging with the lotus flowers, the white pearl in its mouth was transformed into a Yin-Yang symbol and its body was surrounded by splashes of water. The dark, dull underworld tattoo was now a piece of art with multiple meanings. Like a dragon emerging from the darkness (the lotus), Kwon was cleansed (by water) and had reached a balance in life (the Yin-Yang symbol).


    At that moment, Herman suddenly remembered the man. 7-8 years ago, when Kwon was in his early 20''s, he accompanied his boss to meet with Herman. He was a foul-mouthed, arrogant punk at that time, but now, that scrawny little troublemaker had turned into a mature businessman that owned one of the most popular bars in Itaewon.


    Hope glittered in Herman''s eyes. Kwon was the perfect example of someone that had picked himself up, turned a new leaf, and started a new life. If this man could do it, then he could do it too...


    ...


    Meanwhile, Jackson and Halia arrived at the nearest hospital they could find. Kwon had left one of his boys with them to help with translation if needed and the young man quickly got one of the doctors to check on Halia. The young man''s name was Lucas. He was only 18, but he could already converse perfectly in Korean, Mandarin, and English.


    As Jackson and the young man waited outside for the doctors to run a thorough checkup on Halia, Jackson asked Lucas with interest, "How did you end up working for Kwon?"


    He knew that Kwon generally hired ex-convicts, reformed gangsters, and troubled teens, but this young man looked clean-cut and well educated. What was his story?


    Lucas smiled, "I met him when I was 15. I ran away from home because my father was a drug addict and I ended up on the streets. If Kwon didn''t happen to walk past me one day, I may have joined a gang to survive. Kwon practically raised me like a younger brother. He gave me a place to stay, he found me a part-time job at a convenience store, and he paid for my tuition fees so I could continue studying. Since his bar is in Itaewon, I decided to repay him by studying languages. That way, I can help with the foreigners that visit. I''ll be working there starting from this summer when I turn 19."


    Jackson nodded proudly, Kwon had turned into such a great person and he was happy for him.


    At that moment, the door to the doctor''s room finally opened and Halia walked back out.


    The doctor looked at Lucas and said a few things in Korean. Although she knew some basic English, it was easier to explain Halia''s condition in her mother tongue, so she let the young man do the translating instead.


    Lucas nodded his head as he listened. The doctor seemed to be saying a lot and it made the couple anxious. They even saw Lucas furrow his brows at one point. Was Halia''s condition serious?


    Finally, after what seemed like forever, the doctor finished speaking and Lucas bowed politely at the middle-aged woman. He then turned to the couple and said, "The doctor told Mrs. Wu to go home and get some rest. Don''t strain your body too much, remember to eat breakfast, have foods with fiber if you can, take some iron and folic acid vitamins, eat about two meals of fish or shellfish a week, stay away from soft cheeses and lunch meat, limit caffeine and avoid alcohol..."


    Lucas listed all the things that the doctor had told him, but the couple were getting impatient. "Stop, Lucas! Can you tell us what the diagnosis is first? Is it something serious?" Jackson finally interrupted.


    Lucas looked at the anxious couple and shook his head, "The doctor said...Mrs. Wu is pregnant..."

 Chapter 345 - Emotionless Beast

    With clear evidence, Herman, Eagle, Eagle''s assistant, and Ewan were quickly arrested by the authorities and investigated.


    As Herman predicted, Ewan had indeed killed Mimi because he mistook her for his daughter. The truth was, he had sent a henchman to do the research, and even though the henchman discovered the existence of Avaleigh and discovered the cameras of the hotel were under maintenance for the day, the henchman accidentally gave him the wrong room number...


    Mimi was, unfortunately, staying next door to Avaleigh and this simple slip-up from the henchman cost her her life.


    That night, Ewan knocked on her door claiming to be doing some maintenance for the hotel and Mimi let him in without any suspicion. She even found him handsome when he removed his mask and tried to flirt with him a little.


    At first, Ewan decided to play with her a little and flirt back. He was like a cat that liked to play with its prey before killing it.


    But, when there was suddenly a knock on the door, he pounced on the woman and covered her mouth so she couldn''t answer it; he couldn''t let anyone know he was in the room.


    That knock was from the hotel staff that attempted to deliver dinner.


    After the staff gave up and left, Ewan held a knife to the woman''s neck and told her not to call for help.


    "Who are you? Why are you doing this to me? Are you a fan? I can do a dance for you if you let me go..." Mimi offered, trying whatever method she could to escape. To be honest, it wasn''t the first time a crazy fan tried to get close to her. But, this was the first time she had a knife held to her neck.


    Ewan laughed and sat back as he watched the woman dance.


    Once upon a time, he would have refused something like this. He was a criminal but he still respected women. In fact, he wouldn''t have even entered that room with the intention of ruthlessly killing her. After all, he wasn''t born a killer. But, after the mother of his daughter ran away with another man and he hunted them down and killed them both, he turned into a heartless, emotionless beast.


    Originally, the pearl on his dragon tattoo was white like Herman''s, but overnight, he changed it to black and offered to take whatever job came his way. Extortion? Sure! Kidnapping? Child''s play! R.a.p.e? Bring it on! Murder? Hell yeah!


    He even took his daughter with him as bait on more than one occasion, especially when his target was a woman.


    Women were stupid. They immediately let their guard down at the sight of a child, so he used his daughter and he did not feel bad for it.


    As Mimi danced in front of him, he was suddenly reminded of his dead wife. If he looked at her carefully, this woman looked slightly like her and it made him hate her even more. Not only was she the daughter of his competitor, she even looked like the person he hated the most.


    Ewan sat inside the interrogation room and explained everything in detail like he was proud of what he had done. "Did you actually think that Herman did it? That guy''s a wimp! He''s never killed a person in his life! All he knows how to do is sneakily undercut people and hide." He couldn''t believe that Herman almost took credit for his masterpiece. "I was in there for almost 3 hours; the little sl*t danced for me, she stripped n.a.k.e.d for me, she even offered to sleep with me in exchange for her life. Meanwhile, no one suspected a thing."


    "But, there were no signs of s.e.x.u.a.l activity..."


    "That''s because we didn''t have s.e.x. I either r.a.p.e someone or I kill someone. I don''t sleep with the person I''m about to kill. That''s just sick..." he replied, sounding as though he had some moral integrity to him.


    "To be honest, I think she wanted me more than I wanted her. She even had a shower and cleaned herself for me. Life as an idol must have been lonely," he sighed egoistically.


    He thought about the young woman and the way she sauntered out of the bathroom that night, smelling fresh and seductive. She even told him she had condoms in the drawer. They were about the same age. If he wasn''t there to kill her, she could have been his new wife.


    But, as she lay on the bed and beckoned him towards her, an image of his ex-wife suddenly appeared in his mind and it fired him up. The sl*t used to beckon him like that too and she must have beckoned the guy she cheated with in the same way? Did this woman also beckon other men in the same way? She seemed way too comfortable to be just an innocent, pure idol.


    Angered by the familiar scene, he gripped his knife in his gloved hands and looked at the woman with a murderous gaze. He had done enough playing - it was time to go in for the kill!


    As he rushed up to the woman, he didn''t even give her a chance to react as he covered her mouth and thrust the knife into her chest. The woman didn''t die instantly, so he slowly pulled the knife out and smirked, "That first stab is for your insolent father..."


    Mimi looked at him in horror as tears rolled out of her eyes.


    But, before she could respond, Ewan dug the knife back into her chest and sneered, "This second stab is for your promiscuous behavior..."


    This time, the woman''s body weakened and Ewan removed his hand from her mouth as she coughed up some blood. It seemed, he had struck one of her lungs.


    With adrenalin coursing through his veins, he pulled out the knife one last time and aimed ruthlessly for her heart, "And this last stab is for that dead sl*t and the b*st*rd she cheated with. I am sending someone down to join the two of you in hell!"


    Ewan looked at the two shocked officers in front of him as he finished his recollection of the night.


    With a proud smile, he said, "That''s how I killed Mimi Chen..."

 Chapter 346 - Arranged Marriage

    By the time that Sean, Halia, and Jackson returned to the hotel, it was almost midnight.


    While they were gone, Natalie had been sitting anxiously in her hotel room by herself. Her husband was going after a killer and her best friend was going after a corrupt officer that tried to kidnap her, so she was naturally worried.


    Her life was like a drama - a drama in which she was of no help at all...


    As soon as she heard the door of her hotel room open, she jumped straight up.


    "A pregnant woman can''t be stressed like this," she said when she saw the trio finally return. "Did you know that stress can have potentially harmful effects on the brain and development of an unborn baby?"


    Sean quickly ran over and kissed his wife. "Does this take your stress away?" he asked. He understood how she felt, but this was the kind of life he led and she knew that when she married him.


    Natalie''s face immediately softened as she smiled. This man always knew what to do. She pouted her lips and closed her eyes, "One more kiss."


    While the two were displaying their affection again, Jackson looked at Halia and said, "Did you hear that? No more crime-fighting and stressing about the organization. Leave everything with Trisha and Interpol, they will handle it."


    Halia looked at her husband and nodded her head. As she did so, she suddenly felt like vomiting again and rushed into the bathroom.


    Natalie turned her head in surprise, "Was she disgusted by us kissing again?"


    Jackson smiled warmly and shook his head, "She''s just got morning sickness..."


    Sean looked at Jackson in confusion, "Morning sickness? But, it''s the middle of the ni..."


    Before he finished speaking, Natalie suddenly interrupted. Although nausea during pregnancy was often called, ''morning sickness'', it could actually occur at any time of the day. Of course, Sean had no idea, but Natalie knew this well. However, her mind was not focused on the timing, she was shocked that her best friend was even experiencing morning sickness at all. "Is Halia pregnant?!!" she squealed, trying to contain her excitement.


    Jackson laughed and nodded his head, "We just found out at the hospital."


    Natalie''s eyes lit up and she immediately pounced on Halia as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom. "If we give birth to different genders, let''s get our kids married to each other!! That way we can be family!" she said.


    Halia looked at her friend in surprise and realized Jackson had announced the good news.


    With a laugh, she replied, "Don''t you think it''s a bit too early to think about that? Besides, what era are we living in? Arranged marriages are so outdated."


    Natalie shook her head stubbornly, "I''m sure our children will like each other. With my personality and your looks, our grandchildren are going to be perfect!"


    "Grandchildren?!" Sean, Jackson, and Halia exclaimed.


    This woman was really getting ahead of herself...


    ...


    At this time, over in Russia, Boginya received a call from Hong Kong, "Interpol suddenly increased security around Trojan and we can''t get our people anywhere near him. It seems someone warned them about us."


    Boginya furrowed her brows. Her organization spanned multiple countries and she had members of all different levels of influence, but for some reason, this mere SPU agent seemed to also have connections everywhere. Worst of all, she was always one step ahead.


    Losing her patience, she dialed another number. This time, she contacted a member in China. The same man that had originally told her Halia''s identity. "Did you discover anything else about that woman?!" she asked impatiently.


    The man on the other end trembled a little when he heard the anger in the Russian woman''s voice, "I already told you what I found. There''s nothing special about her. She studied business and criminal justice in university, graduated from the police academy last year, joined the Beijing police force, and was transferred to SPU a few months ago. That''s all I know about her."


    "She only graduated last year?" Boginya asked in surprise. How could a new graduate have the influence and abilities that Halia had? She even captured Trojan, Florence, and Eagle, and she uncovered their operation in Boracay. More importantly, she witnessed her fight with Eagle. She was much too skilled for a fresh graduate. There had to be more to this woman. She was certain of it!


    "Forget it! If you can''t find anything, then I''ll have to go there and investigate myself," Boginya sighed with frustration before she hung up the phone. She was going to find everything there was to know about Halia.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Emerson looked at the beautiful woman opposite him and asked again, "Will you be my girlfriend?"


    He had waited so long to ask her this question, but she was only looking at him blankly, so he repeated himself to make sure she had heard his question.


    Avaleigh trembled a little as she looked at Emerson. She wanted to say yes, but her words seemed to be stuck in the back of her throat. Just as she almost got her words out, her phone suddenly rang.


    She quickly jumped off the dining table and held her phone nervously to her ear, "Hello?"


    "My dear daughter, it''s so good to hear your voice," Mrs. Song''s voice sounded from the other end.


    Sean did not lie to her. Her daughter was indeed alive.


    Almost in tears, she said, "Your father''s been arrested..."


    Avaleigh almost dropped her phone on the ground when she heard this. She had no idea that Emerson had asked Jackson to help her father and had no idea that Mimi''s murderer was someone else, so her heart immediately dropped. "Is he getting the death sentence?" she asked.


    "Huh?" Mrs. Song asked in confusion.


    "Did they prove that he killed Mimi?" Avaleigh added.


    Mrs. Song didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. She took a deep breath and explained, "Your father didn''t kill Mimi, it was someone else. The real murderer''s been caught. Your father''s been arrested for other crimes, but he helped your friends find the real murderer so his sentence may be shortened."


    "Friends?" Avaleigh asked with a puzzled expression.


    "Yes, Emerson sent them to help," Mr. Song explained.


    Avaleigh glanced at Emerson as he popped another piece of sushi in his mouth and her heart began to race. How did such a busy man have the time to worry about her matters?


    As she hung up the phone, she returned to his side without hesitation and said one simple word, "Yes!"


    Emerson swallowed and looked at her with confusion.


    "Yes, I''ll be your girlfriend," Avaleigh clarified.

 Chapter 347 - Moving To Guiyang City

    The sun shone in through the hotel window in Seoul. Halia gently opened her eyes and looked at her husband. Jackson was still sleeping peacefully but he had a gentle smile on his face as his hand lay on top of her stomach. Last night, they had fallen asleep after making a late-night phone call to Father Feng.


    "Dad...you''re going to be a grandfather..." Halia announced.


    Father Feng stared at his daughter through the phone screen in shock as she rubbed her stomach with a smile. He immediately smiled as well and placed Pumpkin on his lap. The little boy was sleeping over again and they had been building a train set all day, so he was in the middle of playing with their completed creation when he was suddenly interrupted.


    "Grandpa Feng, I was playing..." the little boy frowned. But, he quickly noticed the phone in Father Feng''s hand and spotted Halia and Jackson on the screen. With a huge smile, he waved and said, "Auntie Haili, Uncle Jackson, can you see me?"


    Halia and Jackson nodded their heads and laughed.


    Father Feng pointed to Halia''s stomach and said to the little boy, "Your Auntie Haili and Uncle Jackson are having a baby!"


    Pumpkin''s eyes lit up and he immediately clapped his hands. "Another baby to play with? I''m so happy!" he cheered.


    "You''re going to be a big brother soon. After the two babies are born, you will have to look after them and protect them well, OK?" Father Feng taught the little boy.


    Pumpkin nodded his head with confidence and leaned into the screen like he was trying to talk to the baby in Halia''s stomach, "Auntie Haili''s baby, this is your big brother, Pumpkin. Don''t be afraid. When you come out of that stomach, I will protect you well and make sure nobody hurts you!"


    Halia looked at the little boy and her heart melted. He was such a good child. If her child turned out to be half as good as Pumpkin, then she would be really happy.


    After Pumpkin finished speaking to Halia''s stomach, Father Feng placed him back on the ground and said, "You can go back to playing with the train set. I''ll come to join you soon. I just have a few other things to say to your Auntie Haili."


    Pumpkin nodded with understanding and ran back over to the train set.


    Father Feng then looked at his daughter with seriousness. He had never interfered with his daughter''s life decisions and supported her in whatever she chose to do, but she was pregnant now and he couldn''t help but worry a little, "Now that you''re pregnant, you should put your work on hold until after the baby is born. It''s too dangerous for you to be running around."


    Halia glanced at Jackson and he smiled at her supportively. He agreed with Father Feng, but he was going to let her make the decision on her own. He trusted that she knew what was best.


    "But, if I put my work on hold, what will I do? I don''t want to sit at home doing nothing," Halia said worriedly. She didn''t want to stop working, law enforcement and justice had always been her biggest passions in life and she was just getting started, but she knew her father was right. Today was the best example. If Eagle had landed one single hit on her stomach, she may have lost her child before she even knew it was there.


    Father Feng looked at his daughter awkwardly with a trace of hope in his eyes. He knew his daughter''s passion lay elsewhere, but he had always been hopeful that she would return to run the family business one day. "Why don''t you return to Guiyang City to help me?" Father Feng asked carefully without sounding forceful. "Natalie will be there to help you and she''s pregnant too so you can watch out for each other..."


    Halia listened to her father''s suggestion and looked into his hopeful eyes. He had always been so supportive and understanding. As a single parent, he had sacrificed a lot for her over the years. In fact, Halia knew that a part of the reason why her father never found another partner after her mother''s death was because he was so busy at work. If she had helped him a little, would he have had a little more time to enjoy his life?


    Now that she was about to become a mother, it was time for her to make some sacrifices too. So, she glanced at Jackson and asked, "Do you want to move to Guiyang City with me?"


    Jackson smiled, "I will go wherever you want to go."


    "In that case, we''ll book a flight back to Guiyang City after our honeymoon," Halia nodded at her father, gesturing that she was taking his suggestion.


    A big smile appeared on Father Feng''s face. With excitement, he said, "I''ll get the maids to prepare a room for you! We are going to have so much fun living together again! While you''re at work, Jackson can play chess with me and we can go to the golf club and..."


    Halia glanced at Jackson awkwardly. Although she loved her father, she was married now and wanted her own place with her husband. Especially if they were planning to stay in Guiyang City long term and Jackson was staying home every day. The old man was going to drive her husband crazy...


    At that moment, she remembered something. "I''ll call the Captain tomorrow and I''ll organize to get Coco flown to Guiyang City as well," she said casually.


    Father Feng looked at his daughter in horror as soon as she mentioned Coco. Why was that little monster coming as well? He was afraid of dogs, probably more afraid than Max, so he never owned one. But, Halia had always loved dogs, so she adopted Coco a few years after she left home. Now, he was practically a part of the family; she couldn''t leave him behind.


    Originally, Father Feng wanted his daughter and son-in-law to live with him. However...the dog immediately changed everything.


    "But, of course, you need your own space eventually..." Father Feng suddenly said. "You can stay here until you find a suitable place in Guiyang City. I know some realtors that can help."


    Halia secretly laughed to herself. Originally, she was a little worried about how she would reject her father, but fortunately, Coco had saved the day...

 Chapter 348 - BTA

    "What? You''re pregnant?" Captain Tang exclaimed over the phone.


    "Yes," Halia confirmed, "That''s why I would like to request for an 18-month break from the force. Will that be OK, Captain?"


    She needed to give birth and spend some time with her child too, so 18 months sounded reasonable.


    Halia knew it was a lot to ask. Especially when she had only been transferred to the SPU not long ago. But, she and Captain Tang had grown quite close during this time and she had helped him crack a couple of big cases, so she hoped he would take it into consideration.


    Captain Tang sighed, "I''m honestly happy for the both of you. But, we have a small problem. You''re currently the first and only ''Brain Tap Agent (BTA)''."


    "Brain Tap Agent?" Halia asked.


    "Yes, that''s what Dr. Li has decided to name people like you. He will be presenting your results to a secret branch of the UN next week. It''s been almost 7 months of testing and we haven''t seen any adverse effects so he is confident about it. If this technology is approved, it will be strictly monitored and used. And, it will probably be restricted to top international security agencies only. So, it''s highly likely that you will be the only mainstream BTA in China, or they will transfer you to an international agency like Interpol. It would have been nice to use your help for a little longer, but I understand the situation you''re in. All I can ask is, if we urgently need your help, or if you suddenly remember something useful, please provide your assistance," Captain Tang requested.


    Halia immediately nodded her head, "As long as it doesn''t involve anything physical, I am always available to help!"


    "OK, I''ll notify Dr. Li of your break later. In the meantime, please stay safe," Captain Tang said before he hung up.


    Halia breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at Jackson. She didn''t realize how important she was to the SPU, but the captain was right, no one else had the abilities that she had.


    However, Halia didn''t truly understand how special she was. Sure, her abilities were surgically provided to her by Dr. Li, but she had no idea that Dr. Li''s ''Brain Tap'' didn''t work on just anyone. It had been mentioned to her on the day that she signed her contract that she was chosen because she had an exceptionally good memory. How good, though?


    Countless psychological experiments had shown in the past that, on average, the longest sequence a normal person could recall, without previous exposure, contained about seven items. This limit became known as the ''brain''s working memory''. But, when it came to Halia, she managed to recall 50 numbers accurately before she started making mistakes! These results were never shown to her, but it was the main reason why she was selected. Without a good memory, the effectiveness of the Brain Tap would be greatly reduced. Just like in the case of the 50 numbers that Halia recalled. Imagine those 50 numbers made up a password and that password was given to just an average person with average memory. If they couldn''t recall all 50 numbers in the right sequence, what use did it have?


    Perhaps, one day, someone would discover a way to make the Brain Tap work on the average person, but for now, Halia was an important asset.


    So, when Dr. Li heard Halia was going on a break, he immediately panicked. "Where is she right now? I need to gather a bit more data from her before I present to the UN!" he said.


    "She is in Korea, but she will be flying back to China in a few days," Captain Tang replied.


    "Tell her to drop by the lab first. I need to run a few small tests. It won''t take up much of her time," Dr. Li requested.


    Captain Tang agreed and quickly recalled the message to Halia. In the end, Halia and Jackson booked a flight back to Guiyang City with a 24-hour stopover in Beijing.


    But, before they returned, they still had the rest of their honeymoon to enjoy. So, after sorting out all their important affairs, Halia and Jackson met up with Sean and Natalie and they headed out to explore Seoul.


    Although Seoul was a busy, modern city with highrises, fast transport, and advanced technology, there were still historical areas where old palaces and traditional villages remained.


    The most famous, largest, and arguably most beautiful palace was Gyeongbokgung; the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty.


    The two couples caught the metro to the closest stop and hopped off to have some breakfast first. Due to its location near the palace, they visited a famous restaurant that served Samgyetang, a.k.a. Chicken Ginseng Soup. The traditional-looking restaurant had a long queue, but because they were early, it didn''t take long before they were seated at a table inside.


    Although it was summer in Korea, hot soups like this were very popular. In fact, it was a tradition to eat Samgyetang on the hottest days of summer. The Koreans had a saying for this: ''yi yul chi yul'', which literally meant ''fight fire with fire''. So, the four friends wanted to partake in this tradition.


    As a steaming hot stone bowl of soup arrived in front of each of them, they looked at each other and questioned whether they had made the right decision. Just looking at the steam made them sweat. But, as soon as they started digging into the soup, the heat slowly became bearable and it felt oddly refreshing.


    After breakfast, the four friends spotted a group of young girls dressed in traditional Korean hanboks. At first, they thought they were entertainers or performers, but when they spotted some foreigners stepping out of a shop also dressed in traditional clothing, they asked in curiosity, "Excuse me, why are you dressed in traditional clothing?"


    A young German man replied in English, "Many of the shops along this street have hanboks for hire. If you wear a hanbok, you get free entry into the palace, and sometimes you get a professional photographer to accompany you for the day. It is a very common activity. My friends recommended it to me."


    Halia and Natalie immediately jumped in excitement. "I want to wear a hanbok and look like a princess!" Natalie squealed.


    The two men smiled at each other. Although it didn''t really excite them, they were willing to do anything to make their wives happy, so they followed them into a rental shop.


    "I guess we''re wearing hanboks today..." Sean whispered to Jackson.


    "I guess so..." Jackson replied.

 Chapter 349 - Emersons Plan

    Two of the biggest events in a person''s life was none other than their wedding day and their funeral. Unfortunately, for Mimi, she never lived to experience the former.


    As her closest friends and family gathered in Hong Kong to bid her farewell, her young, beautiful body was carried in a white, glass-top, coffin into the crematorium.


    Her parents had requested to have her cremated, and her ashes taken back to Korea.


    "My dear daughter..." Mrs. Chen cried as she kneeled on the floor.


    Behind her, the members of Macaron hugged each other comfortingly. Although it had been several days since Mimi''s passing, they were still in shock. Mimi''s dream had always been to shine under the spotlight; she wanted to play an important role in Macaron and she wanted her name to be on everyone''s lips.


    Ironically, her dream was achieved now that she was dead.


    All over Hong Kong and Korea, the newspaper headlines were all about her violent death and the psychotic killer that had been captured, and outside the crematorium, reporters were trying to capture, at least, one iconic photo of the event.


    She was more famous now than she had ever been when she was alive.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Seoul, two pregnant wives were waddling through the streets as they headed towards the palace.


    Halia had picked a pink royal hanbok with golden accents that made her look like a princess and Natalie picked a similar one in purple. The ladies at the rental store had helped them change into the clothes and also did their hair into an elegant braid at the back of their heads. Meanwhile, on top of their heads, they wore a cute little headpiece that dangled slightly onto their forehead.


    "You look so pretty!" Halia praised her friend.


    "You''re gorgeous!" Natalie squealed back.


    The two girls were so immersed in praising each other, they had forgotten about their two husbands who were following a fair distance behind.


    Jackson and Sean were dressed in dark blue royal hanboks that made them look like two handsome princes. On top of their heads, they each wore a black hat.


    As they followed their two excited wives awkwardly through the streets, shopkeepers and locals looked at them and blushed, "They are so handsome..."


    "Omo, the one on the left is making my heart flutter..."


    "I want to marry the one on the right!"


    "Do you think they''re taken?"


    "Where are their girlfriends or wives? Why is it just the two of them? Could they be...?"


    Jackson and Sean didn''t understand what these people were saying, but they could roughly guess by the looks on their faces. Furrowing their brows, they both strode domineeringly up to their wives. Jackson grabbed Halia''s hand and Sean wrapped his arm around Natalie.


    "Have you forgotten about us?" they both asked simultaneously.


    The two women looked at each other and laughed. There were only a few days left of their honeymoon. They each turned to their husbands and gave them a kiss. As they did so, a camera snapped and a random tourist handed them a polaroid. "You looked so cute that I couldn''t resist."


    The two couples accepted the polaroid in surprise and waited for it to develop. As they looked at the photo, they all smiled. This was a honeymoon that they would never forget!


    ...


    The days following Mimi''s funeral, Macaron struggled to get back on their feet. Death was an auspicious thing and no company wanted Macaron to represent them in any way. On top of that, all their concerts and performances were canceled. After all, how could they sing and dance on stage when the woman that made up the first letter of their group name was murdered in cold blood? It wasn''t like they could just sweep it under the rug and replace her with someone else that had a name starting with ''M''. That would be too disrespectful. Besides, even if they did, it would take some time to train another person. Eventually, their management agency decided that there was no way for them to continue as a group. So, they had no choice but to disband the group, cancel their contracts early, and wish the girls good luck on their own. They couldn''t even be bothered to promote them as solo artists; it was not worth their money nor time.


    Like that, the 6 living members of Macaron kissed their idol dreams goodbye. Everyone in Korea knew who they were and no agency wanted to deal with the aftermath of a death, so no one dared to sign them on.


    As though they had never existed, one of the most popular girl groups disappeared from the Kpop world overnight.


    At first, fans were upset and annoyed. But, it didn''t last long. New groups debuted, new songs were released, and the fans quickly found new idols to follow. The world was fickle like that and Macaron experienced it first hand.


    Of course, Avaleigh was a little upset by this. After all, she had worked hard for many years, yet Macaron disbanded just as it was becoming successful. Worst of all, her ''loyal'' fans, her ''dependable'' agency, and her ''trusted'' manager all turned their backs on her.


    At the end of the day, everyone just cared about themselves.


    Everyone except...Emerson.


    Although he was happy that Avaleigh was remaining in Hong Kong with him, he knew how important her career meant to her and he knew she was an independent woman that would not be satisfied with sitting at home doing nothing.


    With the amount of money that Emerson made, most other women would sit back, relax, and enjoy the rich, luxurious lifestyle of a billionaire''s girlfriend if they were in Avaleigh''s position. However, Avaleigh wasn''t like ''most other women''. That was why Emerson picked her and not them.


    So, even with his busy schedule, Emerson sat down for a quick lunch with Danson and Morton, and they had a discussion about a plan that Emerson had.


    "Are you sure you want to do this? You know nothing about the entertainment industry," Danson asked with uncertainty as he flipped through a proposal in his hands.


    "That''s why I need your help. Now that Marissa is back, only one of you are needed at the PR agency. Think of it as payback. I just need you to attend a few meetings and keep my identity a secret..." Emerson said.


    "From my point of view, I think it''s a great investment. I can draft up a few contracts for you to look at," Morton approved. Probably because of Halia, he felt like he should help Emerson. Sure, he was rejected by her and she ended up marrying someone else, but she still held a special place in his heart and he still thought of her as a friend so he still wanted the best for her and her family.


    "Thanks, Morton," Emerson smiled.


    Seeing that a big lawyer like Morton gave his approval Danson looked at his friend helplessly and finally nodded his head, "OK. I''ll pay back the favor you did for me. But, if this is a success, I want a share of the profits."


    Emerson laughed, "If you can help me get Avaleigh back on her feet, I''ll give you 10%!"


    At that moment, Morton leaned forward and asked playfully, "What about me? Will I get anything?"


    Emerson glanced at the cold and serious lawyer. Although they had known each other for years, this was the first time he saw a playful side to Morton. "If we succeed, I''ll give you 10% as well!"


    Morton nodded with satisfaction.


    With a smile, Danson leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette, "In that case, what are we waiting for? Let''s get started!"

 Chapter 350 - Make Him Yours

    The first few days after her contract was canceled, Avaleigh tried to call Sue for help. But, no matter what time of day she called, her calls went straight through to voicemail every single time. Eventually, Avaleigh got the hint that Sue didn''t want to talk to her. It seemed, during times of crisis, people showed their true colors.


    "I haven''t been able to get in contact with Sue either," Chu said as she chatted to Avaleigh over the phone.


    "I even went to the agency, but the security guards stopped me at the entrance," she added.


    Avaleigh sighed, "I guess we need to rely on ourselves from now on. How are the other girls holding up?"


    "Ara, Nana, Olivia, and I have met once since our contract cancelation, but we''ve pretty much lost hope in returning to music. Ara runs a YouTube channel that''s still making her a little bit of money and Nana still has her spot on the radio station, but Olivia and I are completely unemployed at the moment. As for Ray, she returned to Japan to spend some time with her family," Chu explained. "If we try to look at things positively, at least this has given us an opportunity to spend time with the ones we love. For example, I''ve been seeing my boyfriend more often and we don''t even have to keep our relationship a secret anymore. It''s not all bad...don''t you agree?" Chu asked with an underlying meaning to her question.


    Avaleigh blushed a little. She had a feeling she knew what Chu was referring to, but she pretended to be oblivious, "Yes, I''m planning to move back to Hong Kong permanently with my mother. She''s looking forward to spending more time with me."


    "Ha! Are you moving back to Hong Kong because of your mother? Or because of President Wu?" Chu teased straightforwardly. "I heard you''ve been living together..."


    Avaleigh quickly cleared her throat and corrected her friend. "Hey, we haven''t been living together! He''s simply renting his apartment to me..." she said shyly.


    She was telling the truth. Although she had agreed to be Emerson''s girlfriend a few days ago, he still returned to his family''s mansion every night and they never did anything apart from sharing a kiss on that first night. After all, they were both inexperienced with relationsh.i.p.s and neither of them knew what to do.


    But, to her surprise, her friend replied, "What are you waiting for? Hurry and make him yours before someone else steals him away! Haven''t you seen the articles online lately? Emerson Wu ranked number one as the most eligible bachelor in Hong Kong for the 4th year in a row!"


    "Most eligible bachelor? Make him mine?" Avaleigh blushed.


    "Yes! Sleep with him and don''t give him the chance to consider any other woman but you!" Chu said straightforwardly.


    Avaleigh trembled and quickly hung up her phone, "I don''t know what you''re talking about..."


    But, as soon as she hung up, she found herself scrolling through the articles that Chu was talking about. Chu was right; women were obsessed with Emerson! There were even articles about women trying to confess to him and those women were all attractive with wealthy backgrounds.


    Before she knew it, Avaleigh found herself clicking through one article after another like she had been sucked into a black hole that she couldn''t get out of.


    She eventually stopped on an old article about Marissa and quickly recognized her. It was an article about the two of them dancing together at a ball. She was the woman that visited last time! And they looked quite good together.


    Avaleigh felt a tinge of jealousy and realized Chu was right, if she didn''t act fast, she was going to lose Emerson!


    Sure, Marissa was beautiful with a s.e.xy body and a straightforward personality, but Avaleigh was a popular idol with plenty of fans. Although she was no longer active as an idol, her beauty could not be denied. If she tried, Emerson would not be able to escape from the palm of her hands. She was certain of it!


    With this thought, Avaleigh checked the time and quickly ran into her bedroom to get changed. Emerson was almost home.


    By now, some of her clothes had been moved from Korea and she had also bought some new clothes, so she no longer had to dress in the shabby clothes that Emerson''s maid bought for her. Avaleigh quickly flipped through the dresses in her wardrobe and picked out one that was casual, sweet, yet slightly revealing. She had to seduce Emerson without looking too desperate and this dress was perfect! Tonight, this bachelor was not going to be a bachelor anymore.


    She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled with satisfaction. Even though she was a little nervous, she couldn''t let this man slip away, so she was determined. Just as she finished getting dressed and applied a light layer of makeup, she heard the front door open. The timing was perfect!


    She sauntered into the living room, trying to look as natural as possible, but quickly froze awkwardly in place when she realized there were two other figures behind Emerson.


    Emerson paused in surprise while the two men behind him scanned Avaleigh up and down. Danson subconsciously whistled. "I can see why you''re trying so hard to help her," he whispered to his friend.


    Emerson immediately jabbed Danson with his elbow, removed his jacket, and covered Avaleigh with it. As he did so, he glanced down at the beautiful woman and saw her blush a little. Her collarbone peeked out between her long wispy hair and she had a little bit of cleavage showing. Emerson took a deep breath and quickly pulled his jacket tightly around the front of Avaleigh''s body.


    "Why didn''t you tell me we had guests?" Avaleigh asked softly.


    Emerson looked at his girlfriend apologetically and said, "Danson mentioned a really good opportunity for you and I couldn''t wait to tell you about it."


    "What opportunity?" Avaleigh asked as Emerson led her to the dining table.


    Danson and Morton quickly joined and Danson began to explain, "Ahem...I recently invested in a new entertainment agency and taken on the role of managing director. We are currently looking for artists to sign and Emerson mentioned you were looking for a new contract. Have you ever considered pursuing a career in Hong Kong and China?"


    "A new entertainment agency? Who''s the boss? What''s the name of this agency?" Avaleigh asked in surprise.


    Danson glanced at Emerson awkwardly, and replied, "The agency is called AE Entertainment. You don''t know the boss and he prefers to remain anonymous, but you can trust us..."

 Chapter 352 - 3 Episodes

    Avaleigh stepped out into the arrivals hall at Shanghai Pudong Airport. This was her first work-related meeting since Mimi''s death and she was a little nervous. She pulled down her hat a little and adjusted the mask on her face as Danson walked confidently beside her. Although Macaron had been disbanded and no agency had been promoting her for almost 2 weeks, 2 weeks wasn''t enough to have people completely forget about her. So, she still had to be careful.


    Outside the airport, a car was waiting for them in the hot summer weather. The air was a little smoggy and humid, but the air conditioning in the car immediately made them feel like they had stepped into another world.


    Avaleigh removed her mask and hat, wiped away some of her sweat, and touched up her makeup. Her makeup was light, but she still looked beautiful. A natural beauty like this was rare in the entertainment industry. Especially when she had spent so many years in Korea where plastic surgery was the norm.


    "You''ve never had any procedures done?" Danson asked as he analyzed the woman beside him.


    Avaleigh glanced at Danson and shook her head. She was also a bit surprised that her agency never asked her to do anything before she debuted in Macaron. Apart from dyeing her hair and getting her to train her body, they didn''t really change her appearance much.


    Seeing that they were on the topic of plastic surgery, Avaleigh was reminded of the beautiful woman she met a few days ago. She had seen a lot of plastic surgery in the entertainment industry, so she had no stigma against it. Instead, she was a little curious. "Do men like women with plastic surgery?" she asked, wondering how men thought about it. She had seen the way that Emerson interacted with Marissa and it still made her a little uncomfortable. "Your stepmother seems like a very attractive woman," she added, trying to sound casual.


    Danson almost choked at the mention of Marissa. His woman was the complete opposite of Avaleigh. She practically had every possible procedure done under the sun! Although he never minded Marissa''s original appearance, he had to admit that the current Marissa was very attractive. At least, to him, she was. Perhaps, it was because he loved her, so she always looked attractive no matter what she did.


    So, he replied, "My stepmother is a real catch! Whichever man gets her is really lucky!"


    On the surface, it sounded like he was praising Marissa, but in reality, he was praising himself.


    When Avaleigh heard Danson''s response, she frowned. Did Emerson think the same way?


    The poor girl had no idea that Danson and Marissa were actually a couple - only Emerson knew.


    Soon, the car pulled up outside a film studio and the two stepped out. Avaleigh had visited this studio in the past. But, that was when she was still a part of Macaron and she had a huge agency backing her. This time, she was there as a solo artist and she was being backed by a new agency, so she was a little nervous.


    Danson saw her nervousness and wrapped his arm casually around her shoulder, "You don''t need to worry about anything. Let me do the talking."


    Avaleigh glanced at the confident man and nodded her head.


    Although Danson was new to this, he was good at socializing and he knew the producer well, so he was not concerned at all. The fact that they were invited all the way to Shanghai was already promising.


    And, he was right.


    As soon as the producer saw Avaleigh, his eyes immediately lit up. Dressed in a purple-patterned t-shirt and ripped jeans, the producer walked over to Avaleigh and looked her up and down. "Oh darling, you''re perfect!" he exclaimed.


    Avaleigh had never met this man before, but he obviously knew who she was. This was the first time that Producer Xue had seen her in person and she looked even better in person than onscreen.


    When Danson first mentioned Avaleigh to him, he was ecstatic. He was a huge fan of hers and she sounded like the kind of person he had been searching for.


    Like many other successful variety shows, Producer Xue''s variety show was following a standard format. A permanent cast of 7-8 members would be put up to different challenges each week; sometimes they would have group challenges, sometimes they would have solo changes. The 7-8 members usually consisted of 1-2 women and the rest were men, mainly because the filming hours were long and the challenges were strenuous. The woman/women he chose had to be both attractive for a bit of eye-candy, but also strong and independent so she could be a good role model. She couldn''t be afraid of getting dirty and she had to be prepared to appear on camera with little to no makeup. Moreover, she had to have the ability to win against the men in challenges, whilst showing a gentle caring side towards both the other members and the guests.


    Avaleigh was a beautiful natural beauty, she was an idol that was used to working long hours and she was extremely fit and healthy. On top of that, she spoke Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Korean; an ability that could help her relate to a variety of international viewers and guests.


    And, most importantly, she had just lost her contract in Korea so she had plenty of time to commit to a weekly show. No matter how the producer looked at it, she was perfect.


    But, he still needed to test her chemistry with the other cast members. If there was no chemistry, then everything else was useless.


    With a smile, the producer pulled out a contract and placed it in front of Avaleigh. "We will sign you up as a guest for 3 episodes. If you are a good fit and the viewers like you, we will keep you on. If not, then we will pay you for the 3 episodes and bid you farewell. Are you OK with that?"


    Avaleigh looked at the contract and smiled. At a time like this when she had absolutely nothing else going for her, 3 episodes were already more than she could ask for. So, she looked into the producer''s eyes and nodded her head. "Yes, I won''t disappoint!" she replied excitedly.

 Chapter 353 - The Empty Room

    Officer Kenneth Jiang was a revered officer in the Beijing Police Department. Over the years, he had been involved in many big cases and even risked his life to save ordinary citizens. Because of this, it was assumed that he was next in line for the position of Police Chief.


    After all, the current Police Chief was getting old and he was looking to retire in a few years.


    However, Officer Kenneth Jiang had a secret that his colleagues didn''t know about.


    Trojan had scouted him when he was still in the police academy and had helped him pave this path to becoming Police Chief. In fact, he had staged crimes for him to solve as well as people for him to save. It was all done for the sake of getting someone in the top position of the Beijing Police Department for The Organization.


    If not for Trojan and The Organization, Kenneth Jiang would just be an ordinary police officer that no one noticed.


    Kenneth walked past the Police Chief''s office slowly and tried to listen to what was being discussed inside. He knew there were cameras watching the office so he couldn''t linger for too long or he''d be suspicious, so he pretended to drop a pen to give himself a little more time.


    But, no matter how he stretched his ears, he did not hear anything inside.


    He returned to his desk and watched over the door inconspicuously. Last time, when Boginya contacted him, he didn''t find any useful information about Halia even though Boginya was sure there was something odd about her. This time, Halia was right there, in the same building as him. If he still didn''t find something, Boginya was going to be furious!


    So, after 15 minutes, Kenneth stood up and walked past the office again. Again, he tried to listen in on the conversation inside. But, once again, he heard nothing! It was like the room was empty even though he clearly saw the Police Chief, Halia, and a man walk inside.


    He bent down to tie his shoelaces and peeked under the door slightly. There were no signs of movement inside and he did not see any shadows.


    Normally, when everyone knew the Police Chief had people in his office, they did not disturb him. It was something he was adamant about. Even if they had something urgent, they were told to call him on his phone instead because he didn''t want anyone walking into his office. It made sense. After all, he met with undercover agents, whistleblowers, and all kinds of people to discuss important and confidential matters. But, curiosity got the better of Kenneth and he gently knocked on the door.


    All he wanted to hear were any signs of movement from inside. Even if the Police Chief was to yell at him and tell him to go away, it was enough to convince him that nothing strange was going on inside. But, to his surprise, there was no response.


    Another officer walked past and gave him the hush gesture. "The Chief is probably ignoring you because he''s got guests inside. You should return to your desk before you get in trouble," she said.


    Kenneth nodded his head and returned to his desk once again. As he did so, he picked up his phone and made a call, "Something strange is happening in the Chief''s office...I think...there''s no one inside..."


    Even though it didn''t make sense, his gut told him the room was empty.


    "No one inside?" Boginya questioned. "Are you sure? Did you definitely see them walk into the room and not leave?"


    "Yes, I watched them walk in with my own eyes and I''ve had my eyes glued to the door. I walked past a few times to see if I could get any information, but I didn''t hear or see any movement inside. I even knocked on the door but there was no response," Kenneth replied. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but..."


    Boginya narrowed her eyes and crossed her legs as she sat down on a bench and looked at the building across from her. The front of the building read, ''Beijing Police Department''.


    With a slight smirk, she cut in, "You''ve done well this time. Leave the rest with me."


    She had been in this field for long enough to know the man''s suspicions weren''t ridiculous at all. Sure, The Organization had a lot of secrets...but it was nothing compared to the law enforcement agencies around the world. Spies, lies, cover-ups, secret agencies, advanced technology, undisclosed experiments...she had seen it all. So, an empty room was no surprise to her at all. It simply meant her suspicions were correct. Halia was more than just an ordinary SPU agent.


    ...


    Over in Shanghai, Avaleigh and Danson celebrated their first contract with dinner. In order not to rush around too much, Danson had booked a hotel for them to stay at and they weren''t returning to Hong Kong until the next morning.


    As they sat down inside a popular crowded local restaurant, Danson picked up a bottle of beer and said, "Enjoy this while you still can. When you become a household name in China, you won''t be able to eat at places like this anymore."


    Avaleigh gently lowered the mask on her face and popped a delicious Xiao Long Bao (steamed soup dumpling) in her mouth. Although Macaron had some fans in China, Kpop was a niche market, so it was still possible to walk around relatively comfortably without worrying about being recognized. But, Danson was right, if she became a permanent cast member on the show and the show became a hit, everyone would know who she was. Just the thought of it excited her and frightened her at the same time.


    "Thank you so much for your help," Avaleigh said as she smiled at Danson. If not for him, she would still be in a slump, wondering what to do with her future.


    Danson laughed and mumbled, "It''s not me you should thank..."


    "Huh?" Avaleigh asked, not hearing what he said properly.


    "You should thank Emerson. I''m only doing this because he''s my friend and you''re his girlfriend," Danson replied. Of course, he did not reveal that Emerson had founded an entire entertainment agency just so he could help her.


    Avaleigh smiled and nodded her head. With this thought, she gave Emerson a phone call. "What are you having for dinner?" she asked. Since she wasn''t there to cook for him, she wondered what he ate and if he was having dinner on time.


    But, to her surprise, he casually replied, "I''m having dinner at Marissa''s place."

 Chapter 354 - No Ordinary Scientists

    Dr. Li connected some equipment to Halia''s head so he could run a few tests. He wanted to read her brain signals and see if she reacted to certain triggers. It was a way for him to determine which memories and knowledge she still had in her head.


    He showed Halia a few photos of Sara''s old friends that Halia had never seen before and there was no response from her brain. "Have you seen any of these people before or do they look familiar to you at all?" Dr. Li asked.


    Halia shook her head.


    He then showed her a photo of Sara in the hospital. When she was a child, she had gotten into a car accident with her parents and broken her leg.


    Once again, Halia looked at the photo and had no response.


    Dr. Li wrote down his findings.


    He then gave her a multiple-choice paper with some questions about bombs and weapons.


    Halia looked at the paper and frowned. Although she remembered a few brief things from when she had knowledge from the bombs and weapons specialist, she couldn''t even answer half the paper confidently.


    She glanced at her husband with slight embarrassment. Back when she was undercover and investigating him, she had helped him build a bomb and even defused a bomb on his body. What if...he fell in love with her because he was impressed by those skills. Would he be disappointed?


    But, next to Jackson, Eric was softly explaining the reason why they had chosen Halia and why she was their first and only human subject. Not only was Jackson not disappointed, he was even more impressed by his wife. Besides, he never fell in love with her because of how good she was at defusing bombs or how well she solved crimes and fought. From the moment he first met her at the hospital he was already drawn to her. There was something about her brave, s.e.xy, yet adorable character that he couldn''t get enough of.


    After confirming that Halia fought recently with the Captain''s skills and also accessed Trojan''s memory, Dr. Li came to the conclusion that the memories and knowledge did, indeed, only last for 3 months like they originally predicted. And, apart from a little incident where Sara''s memories tried to take control of Halia''s body, there were no issues after she became aware of it.


    Dr. Li spread his arms and gave Halia a hug, "Congratulations on becoming a mother soon. Take good care of yourself. We will look forward to your return." Although he didn''t want to say goodbye to such an important asset, he had grown close to Halia and he wanted her to have a safe and smooth pregnancy, so he did not try to stop her.


    He looked like a mad scientist but he was actually very understanding and compassionate; he had a daughter and grandchild too, so he could relate. If not, the technology he created had the potential to do a lot of evil.


    By the time Halia and Jackson left the police department, it was already late and most of the officers had gone home. Only a couple of night shift officers remained seated at the front desk in case there were any walk-in reports. From the front desk, the officers could not see the people that walked in and out of the police chief''s office, so Dr. Li and his lab assistants usually finished work at this time. As long as no one saw them come out of the police chief''s office, they simply thought they worked for the coroner or forensics department. It had been that way for many years.


    But, across the street, a pair of eyes watched as the old man walked out with Dr. Eric Ren and waved goodbye to Halia and Jackson. With her years of experience, she knew these two men were something more than just ordinary scientists...


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Shanghai, Avaleigh hung up her phone and looked at Danson uncomfortably. "Let''s return to Hong Kong tonight! I''m not tired," she said.


    Danson looked at Avaleigh in surprise, "Why the rush?"


    Although the flight between Shanghai and Hong Kong was only 2 hours, Danson was planning to enjoy Shanghai a little.


    Avaleigh narrowed her eyes and looked at her phone. "I have something important to do," she said. A moment ago, Emerson had told her he was having dinner at Marissa''s place. If she didn''t return as soon as possible, her man was at risk of being stolen!


    Avaleigh still thought Marissa was Emerson''s first love so when she heard he was having dinner at her place, it made her uneasy. Both she and Danson were not in Hong Kong, that meant Marissa and Emerson were all alone under the same roof! What if...something happened between them?


    What if Chu was right and she didn''t make him hers in time? She was interrupted the other day before she got to do anything. Did she miss her chance?


    Thinking it was something urgent, Danson immediately booked a flight back to Hong Kong with Avaleigh.


    As they reached the airport, he quickly messaged Emerson and said, "Your girlfriend suddenly requested to fly back to Hong Kong. Did something urgent happen?"


    Within a few seconds, Avaleigh''s phone rang. "Danson said you''re flying back urgently. Did something happen?" Emerson asked worriedly.


    Avaleigh held onto her phone nervously and replied, "Can you pick me up from the airport?"


    Without questioning her further, Emerson immediately agreed, "Of course." He then hung up his phone, grabbed his jacket, and walked right out of Marissa and Danson''s villa without finishing dinner. He had plenty of time to get to the airport before Avaleigh''s flight returned, but he was too worried to even care.


    "Where are you going?" Marissa asked.


    "To pick up my girlfriend from the airport," Emerson replied.


    Marissa looked at her friend with confusion as he jumped in his car and started driving away. What time was it? Weren''t they returning tomorrow morning?


    She picked up her phone and messaged Danson, "Are you returning home tonight, honey?"


    Over at the airport in Shanghai, Danson looked at the message on his phone and smiled as he replied, "Yes babe, warm the bed for me..."


    Meanwhile, Avaleigh was completely oblivious to this...

 Chapter 355 - Kiss Her More Often

    Emerson arrived at the airport 2 hours early. Practically, the moment he arrived at Hong Kong airport, Avaleigh and Danson had just boarded their plane in Shanghai, but he didn''t mind waiting. When he spoke to Avaleigh earlier, he could tell from her voice that something was wrong and it made him a little anxious, so he raced to the airport straight away. He had never worried about a person so much.


    Did something go wrong with her audition? Or did something happen with her mother and father? Regardless of what it was, he wanted to be there to support her as soon as she stepped out of the airport.


    Meanwhile, on the plane, Danson glanced at Avaleigh and noticed she had calmed down a little, so he finally asked, "Did something happen? Why are you in such a rush to get back to Hong Kong?"


    Avaleigh bit her lip and laughed at herself. Now that she had a bit of time to calm down, she realized how impulsive she had been. But, she still had a question that bothered her.


    "Danson, you''ve known Marissa and Emerson for a long time. Do you think Emerson still likes Marissa? If given the chance, do you think they will eventually end up together?" she asked straightforwardly. Avaleigh wasn''t the kind to beat around the bush. If there was still something between Emerson and Marissa, then she didn''t want to get in the way. She would rather leave Emerson and focus on her career like she had always done. After all, they had just started dating and had only shared one proper kiss. She could still back out before she fell too deep...


    But, to her surprise, Danson burst into laughter. "Who told you that Emerson likes Marissa? He''s never liked her! If they were to be together, it would have happened already."


    Avaleigh looked at Danson in surprise, "But, Emerson said he had a crush on someone for over a decade. Isn''t that Marissa?"


    Danson laughed and shook his head, "Don''t tell me this is the reason why you''re rushing back all of a sudden.


    Danson couldn''t believe that Avaleigh was acting so impulsively, but he was also a little envious of Emerson. A beautiful young idol was actually jealous because of him. It seemed, all the hard work that Emerson had done behind-the-scenes was worth it this time. Last time he had put in a lot of effort to pursue Halia, but she ended up marrying his brother. This time, his efforts did not go to waste.


    With a smile, he said comfortingly, "Trust me, as his friend, I can tell how much he likes you. You don''t have to worry about a thing. Besides, he''s never had a crush on Marissa, they are just friends, I can guarantee that. The person he liked is already married and he has completely moved on. Didn''t you hear how worried he sounded when he heard you were suddenly returning to Hong Kong? Apparently, he jumped straight into his car after he received your call. I bet he''s already waiting for you at the airport."


    Avaleigh looked at Danson in surprise, "Really? He''s already waiting for me?"


    Danson nodded, "He didn''t even finish dinner..."


    Avaleigh frowned and looked at her watch worriedly. It was 8pm. By the time she arrived back in Hong Kong, it would be 10pm. Why didn''t he, at least, finish eating first. He had plenty of time. Avaleigh shook her head and laughed. Both of them were as silly as each other.


    How could she have doubted him?


    She realized she had been too impulsive and childish, but she suddenly had another reason for rushing back to Hong Kong. She was no longer jealous of Marissa since Danson confirmed that Emerson had no feelings for her, but her heart was suddenly overflowing with emotions.


    As she imagined Emerson waiting for her at the airport, rubbing his stomach in hunger as he worried about her, her heart broke. She suddenly missed him and wanted to hug him in her arms.


    The 2-hour flight felt like forever but it soon passed and Avaleigh arrived back in Hong Kong. As soon as she stepped out of the airport she saw a familiar man standing near a car waiting for her. Without a second thought, she ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his body.


    Emerson stumbled back a little in surprise. "Is everything OK?" he asked worriedly.


    "I''m sorry..." Avaleigh confessed.


    Emerson glanced down at the woman in his arms and asked with confusion, "Why are you sorry?"


    Avaleigh moved away a little and looked into Emerson''s eyes shyly, "When I heard that you were having dinner with Marissa, I was jealous, so I rushed back. But, I didn''t know that I had misunderstood and I didn''t expect you to come here without even finishing your food..."


    "I know it''s childish and impulsive, but I couldn''t help myself...I..."


    Emerson watched as Avaleigh babbled with embarrassment, but he was not annoyed. Instead, it made him happy. For the first time in his life, he could tell that the woman he liked also liked him too.


    Avaleigh had a mask on to hide her identity, so Emerson could only see her eyes, but even her eyes were enough to make his heart race as he stared into them.


    So, before Avaleigh finished speaking, he leaned forward, lifted her mask up slightly, and covered her mouth with his. He didn''t mind that she was jealous, nor did he mind that she had acted impulsively. Back when he liked Halia, he had done much more impulsive and embarrassing things. It was nice to finally be on the receiving end.


    Avaleigh felt the man''s soft lips against hers and she immediately froze. She thought he would be upset or angry at her for making him worry and for making him rush to the airport, but that didn''t seem to be the case. A sense of relief immediately swept through Avaleigh''s body and she closed her eyes as she returned the man''s kiss.


    Emerson pulled the delicate woman closer to his body as he leaned back against his car. He was hungry and Avaleigh''s lips were so delicious he did not want to part with them. It had been a while since their first proper kiss, but her lips were just as sweet as he remembered them to be. From now on, he really had to kiss her more often.


    But, just as he was getting immersed in the kiss, he heard someone clear their voice and say awkwardly, "Ahem, excuse me, sir, but this is a 5-minute pickup area..."


    Avaleigh immediately pulled away from Emerson''s lips and covered her mouth back up with her mask as she giggled shyly into Emerson''s shoulder. Emerson hugged her and chuckled. Neither of them could believe that they had lost control like that. "Sorry, we''ll get going right away," he apologized to the airport staff.

 Chapter 356 - Home In Guiyang City

    After their quick stopover in Beijing, Halia and Jackson flew back to Guiyang City early the next morning. By the time they arrived at Father Feng''s place, Coco was already there and he was running around the back garden, exploring his new temporary home.


    As soon as Father Feng saw the couple, he ran over to them with a relieved expression. "You''re finally back! Hurry and deal with the monster, I don''t know what to do!" he exclaimed. The monster he was referring to was obviously Coco.


    Coco had arrived two days ago, but since he arrived, Father Feng had not stepped foot into his back garden due to fear. In fact, he was so scared of the dog that he had to feed it by throwing food over the balcony.


    Halia laughed and walked outside with Jackson.


    As soon as Coco saw his owner, he ran up to Halia and jumped into her arms.


    Ever since she joined the police force, Halia had been taking one case after another and traveling all over the place. As a result, she had spent a lot less time with Coco than she wanted, so she was happy to finally have some time with her little companion.


    Whenever she wasn''t around, Cleo and Max took care of Coco. In a way, Coco was their matchmaker, so they treated him like their own. Thus, while Halia and Jackson were away on their honeymoon, Cleo and Max took Coco to a d.o.g.g.y day spa and gave him a professional haircut.


    As he buried himself in Halia''s arms, the little brown poodle looked like a teddy bear. Halia couldn''t understand how her father could be afraid of something like this, but he was clearly terrified as he watched them from behind the floor-to-ceiling windows.


    He opened a little gap in the door and yelled out, "I made an appointment with a realtor for you. He can take you to inspect a few properties this afternoon. You can see if anything suits your tastes."


    Halia looked at Coco and laughed. "I''ve never felt this unwelcome before. It''s all because of you," she joked. Of course, she didn''t really blame the dog. In fact, she was thankful that the dog gave her an excuse to live in her own place with Jackson.


    The little dog looked up at her with his round eyes and stuck out his tongue as he puffed excitedly. He had no idea what Halia was saying, but the sound of his owner''s voice made him happy.


    Halia kissed the little dog on the head.


    That afternoon, Father Feng''s realtor friend met with the couple and took them around to some of the best properties on the market. Father Feng was a famous billionaire and so was Jackson, so the realtor assumed they wanted the best. The first house was huge with 10 bedrooms, a 10-car garage, a pool, and even a tennis court, but the couple quickly turned it down. It was just the two of them and the dog, why did they need such a big place?


    He then took them to a modern, high-tech house, that was run on smart devices.


    As soon as they walked through the door, a voice said, "Welcome home." The curtains then opened, the air-conditioner turned on, and some music started playing.


    This house was a lot smaller than the first one, but because of all the technology, the price was similar.


    The realtor looked at the couple proudly as he pulled out his phone and said, "Everything in this house can be controlled on your phone, even the rice cooker can be turned on before you get home."


    Jackson and Halia looked young so the realtor assumed they would be impressed by the technology. But, Jackson and Halia had worked with much more advanced technology than this, so it didn''t phase them. Just the wire connected to Halia''s head, for example, was decades ahead of anything found in that house.


    At his wit''s end, the realtor looked at the couple and asked, "You seem to have a good idea of what you want. Why don''t you describe what you''re after and I''ll see if I have anything suitable." These two did not seem like the typical billionaires, so he didn''t want to waste any more time.


    Jackson wrapped an arm around his wife and said, "I want a small, quiet, and cozy place. I want to be able to find my wife easily and hug her whenever I want."


    He had lived in a big mansion in the past, but it felt cold and distant. There were times when he would go days without seeing his family even though they lived under the same roof because the property was so big. He didn''t want to experience that with Halia.


    His ideal place was something like his safe house in France. "I want to be able to smell breakfast cooking from the bedroom, I want to hear my wife''s footsteps as she walks around the house, I want to look out the window and see her playing with the dog in the garden. I want a small vineyard so I can make my own wine and I want a deck where we can sit back and enjoy it."


    Halia smiled and added, "I want a big kitchen so I can prepare good food for my husband, I want a comfortable bathtub so we can relax after a days work, I want a fireplace so we can huddle up in winter, and I want big windows so we can see the flowers bloom in summer."


    Jackson looked at his wife and felt his heart warm up. Everything that Halia wanted was what he wanted too.


    Unfortunately, something like that didn''t quite exist in Guiyang City unless they built it themselves. However, the realtor did find something that was close.


    As they opened the door to the two-story home, Halia and Jackson walked inside and had a look. It was a bit bigger than they wanted and there was no fireplace nor vineyard, but there were floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto a big enclosed garden.


    Hand-in-hand, Halia and Jackson stepped into the garden and paused. Right in the middle of the garden was a big plum blossom tree. It was currently in full bloom and it looked spectacular as the sun''s rays danced across the leaves and petals. Halia looked at Jackson and smiled.


    Back when they were kids and Jackson saved Halia from the pool, they had shared their first indirect kiss under a similar tree.


    Although the house wasn''t perfect, this tree made them feel like they were home...


    With a nod, they both looked at the realtor and said, "We''ll take it."


    However, deep down, Jackson promised himself that he would build Halia''s dream home for her someday.

 Chapter 357 - A Serious Matter Of National Security

    Trisha furrowed her brows and looked at the exhausted young woman in the mirror. It had been one week since she received intel from Halia and one week since the authorities in The Philippines launched a raid on White Pearl Resort. But, it had also been one week since that raid failed miserably.


    No one could explain how an entire floor of a building disappeared and no one wanted to investigate further.


    To be exact, no one dared to do it.


    After all, White Pearl Resort was owned by a government official from the tourism department and the local authorities didn''t want to offend him any further. Moreover, they had already caused a lot of damage by storming into his resort and causing a commotion so they didn''t want to push their limits.


    However, Trisha trusted Halia and she trusted the information she provided her. She even watched the videos she recorded multiple times and confirmed that they were real without a doubt. But, Interpol in the Philippines refused to follow the case any further unless she revealed her source. Trisha began to suspect that something wasn''t right, so she decided to keep Halia''s identity a secret and continue to investigate on her own.


    As a result, she had barely slept for an entire week.


    The day before, she had just finished doing a video interview with Eagle in Korea due to his suspected connection with The Organization and she was currently writing up a report. Although the man denied that he knew anything about The Organization, Halia had already told Trisha everything she knew, including the woman that sent him after her so she knew he was lying.


    "Why did you go after Haili Feng? Was it because of the incident in the Philippines? Did Boginya send you?" Trisha asked straightforwardly.


    The man stared at her and refused to talk, but his eyes twitched a little out of guilt.


    "If you tell me what you know about The Organization, I can help you plead for a shorter sentence," Trisha offered. "Do you know Boginya''s real identity or where she is right now?"


    Trisha tried her best to tempt the man into talking, but his lips were sealed.


    In the end, she had no choice but to give up and try again another time.


    "If you decide to talk at a later date, you can always call me. My name is Trisha Hua, I am the Head of Interpol in Hong Kong/Macau."


    Trisha was in the bathroom at that moment trying to wake up a little by splashing water on her face. As she returned to her office with a cup of coffee, she massaged her temples and tried to focus on the work in front of her again. But, just as she did so, she suddenly received a phone call from a number in Seoul.


    "Is this Captain Hua?" a voice asked in a nervous whisper.


    Trisha sat up with curiosity and replied, "Yes, who am I speaking to?"


    The woman on the other end had a strong Korean accent but she managed to say in English, "Officer Kim told me to pass on a message... Boginya is in Beijing..."


    Trisha''s eyes opened wide in shock. Officer Kim? Officer Kim was Eagle.


    "Who are you? Why isn''t he telling me himself?" Trisha asked with suspicion.


    On the other end, the woman''s voice began to tremble, "O-Officer Kim was...killed in a car accident while he was being transferred this morning. I was the paramedic at the scene. Just before he died, he told me to contact you and pass on this message."


    As soon as the woman finished speaking, she immediately hung up the phone in fear. It took a lot of courage for her to call Trisha. Even though she didn''t work in forensics, she had arrived at the scene of many car accidents in the past, so she was sure that the ''accident'' this morning, was no accident. A truck driver had run his truck straight into the police vehicle that was carrying Eagle as though he was on a suicide mission. There were no skid marks on the ground, the truck aimed directly for Eagle''s seat, and the police vehicle was pushed a fair distance before it was crushed against a wall. If the police vehicle wasn''t armored and fully enclosed, Eagle would have died instantly.


    Trisha held onto her phone and furrowed her brows. The Organization always shut up members that were caught - she had witnessed it with Trojan in the past - so, she was also sure that Eagle''s death was no accident.


    If his dying words were to tell her that Boginya was in Beijing, then something serious was definitely happening there. It wasn''t like she was on a holiday. So, without hesitation, Trisha picked up her phone and contacted Captain Tang from the SPU. She had previously worked with him and Halia when they caught Trojan so she knew he could be trusted.


    "The Organization is up to something in Beijing," she warned. "Boginya is there."


    But, to her surprise, Captain Tang slammed his hands on his desk and swore, "F*ck!"


    Trisha sensed something wasn''t right. "What''s wrong?" she asked cautiously.


    "I think you may be too late," Captain Tang said as he tried to calm down. "Two of our scientists went missing last night and we haven''t been able to locate them..."


    That morning, the Chief of the Beijing Police Department had contacted him in a panic telling him that Dr. Li and Dr. Ren did not show up at work. When he called their families to check, their family members said they never returned home the previous night and that they thought they were working overnight.


    Immediately, both men knew something serious had happened. Dr. Li and Dr. Ren had been working on technology that the government had been keeping a secret for years. If someone found out what they had been working on and kidnapped them, it could be a serious matter of national security.


    At first, they weren''t sure, but now that Trisha mentioned The Organization, Captain Tang had a bad feeling about the situation.


    Had Dr. Li and Dr. Ren been kidnapped by Boginya?

 Chapter 358 - Stay The Night

    Over in Hong Kong, the sun streamed in through Avaleigh''s bedroom window. It was the middle of summer so it was already hot in the room even though it was early in the morning.


    In her half-sleeping state, Avaleigh kicked away the blankets and rolled over. But, just as she did so, the blanket was quickly replaced by a strong pair of arms that wrapped lovingly around her body.


    "It''s not good to go from hot to cold so suddenly. You might get sick," a deep charming voice said beside her ear.


    Avaleigh''s eyes immediately flew open in surprise when she heard this voice and she gasped when she saw a handsome face in front of her.


    Emerson looked at her lovingly and smiled as Avaleigh quickly gathered her thoughts. Why was Emerson there? What was he doing in her bed?


    She subconsciously glanced down at their bodies and realized Emerson was only in his underwear and so was she.


    A moment later, she blushed in embarrassment as she remembered what had happened the previous night.


    After Emerson drove her back from the airport last night, he was planning to go home like he usually did. After all, it was getting late. But, Avaleigh insisted he come up to the apartment so she could cook dinner for him. She knew he had rushed to the airport without finishing his dinner earlier, so she assumed he was still hungry.


    Emerson was indeed hungry so he had no reason to refuse.


    As soon as they entered the apartment, Avaleigh walked over to the fridge and pulled out some ingredients that she found. Like a professional, she quickly grabbed a wok and made some fried rice. It was simple, but it was too late at night for her to buy more ingredients and make something else.


    "It''s just a simple bowl of fried rice, but I hope you like it," she said gently as she placed the bowl of food in front of Emerson.


    Emerson smiled and quickly dug into the rice. "As long as you made it, then I like it. I could eat the things you cook for the rest of my life..." he said lovingly as he savored each spoonful of the rice.


    Avaleigh looked at the man and bit her lip as her heart overflowed with emotions. She had never felt this loved by a man before and she felt a bit silly for even doubting him for a moment.


    Emerson was honest about enjoying her food, so it didn''t take long for him to finish the entire bowl of rice. As he did so, Avaleigh was both happy and disappointed She was happy that he liked her cooking, but she was disappointed because it meant he would be leaving. If she knew he would eat so fast, she would have taken longer to cook.


    Avaleigh suddenly remembered the thoughts she had as she was rushing back on the plane from Shanghai. At that time, she was determined to make Emerson hers. Even if she didn''t take their relationship to the next level, she wanted to at least make him stay the night. But, now that Emerson was in front of her, she was too shy to make a move or ask him to stay.


    In an awkward manner, she suddenly grabbed a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. People often said that alcohol was like liquid courage and she needed a bit of courage at that moment. "I passed the audition today and signed a contract for 3 episodes," she smiled. "Let''s have a bit of wine to celebrate."


    Emerson''s eyes lit up happily. "I knew you could do it," he smiled as he watched her pour out the wine. He had always had faith in his girlfriend. Sure, he had started up an entertainment agency for Avaleigh, but it wasn''t just an emotional decision that he made recklessly; he was a smart businessman. At the end of the day, he wouldn''t have invested in something unless he was confident about it.


    Not knowing how to react to the man''s praise, Avaleigh grabbed one of the wine glasses, raised it shyly, and emptied it down her throat.


    Emerson sipped on his wine charmingly as he watched the woman''s actions. By now, he was beginning to realize how nervous she was and it melted his heart. Was there something she wanted to say to him? He could sense her hesitation.


    Avaleigh was dressed in a white summer dress that day and her long hair hung casually over one shoulder. Her lips were pink, but they were now slightly stained by the red wine and her cheeks were a little rosy. She looked cute, yet seductive, and Emerson couldn''t take his eyes off her.


    He couldn''t believe that this woman was his.


    As he looked at her, he noticed a drop of red wine trickle down the side of her mouth. She had drunk so quickly that she didn''t notice this.


    Avaleigh''s eyes met Emerson''s and her heart began to race. Why was he just staring at her? She quickly fluttered her eyelashes and looked away.


    But, just as she did so, the man suddenly stood up, grabbed her chin, leaned forward, and licked her seductively on the edge of her lips. He could have wiped it off with a tissue or his finger, but he purposely licked it, and he did it in a slow and gentle manner.


    Avaleigh''s heart almost exploded when she realized what he had done. She looked at the man speechlessly as he leaned back a little. They were so close that their noses were almost touching.


    "You had some red wine on the side of your lips, I didn''t want it to stain your dress," Emerson explained with a cheeky smile.


    Avaleigh felt the man''s warm breaths on her lips as he spoke and her body began to heat up. Was he teasing her? Although she had only had one glass of wine, she could see the cheekiness in his smile. Gathering her courage, she bravely grabbed onto his tie before he backed away any further. She couldn''t let him get away with teasing her.


    A slightly evil look appeared in Emerson''s eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked.


    With an equally evil look in her eyes, Avaleigh smiled and replied, "I want you to stay the night."

 Chapter 359 - Exploring New Territories

    (Warning R18+: Please skip this entire chapter if you are under 18 or uncomfortable with mature content. This chapter contains s.e.x.u.a.l content that does not affect the plot of the story.)


    "I want you to stay the night..." These words rang in Emerson''s ears and every single ounce of restraint that he had left in his body was immediately released.


    Without a second thought, he put down his wine glass, pounced forward, and pressed his lips greedily against Avaleigh''s. He had been waiting for this day for a long time. Now that he got permission, he was going to make the best of this opportunity.


    Even though the apartment belonged to him and everything inside it was his, he respected Avaleigh and never forced her beyond what she was comfortable with. So, every night, after dinner, he returned home diligently even though he didn''t want to.


    But, tonight, he was finally staying here and he was going to make sure that he got to sleep in his own bed again - with Avaleigh.


    He had been on blind dates in the past to please his parents and women had attempted to throw themselves onto him, especially Marissa, but he had never been in a serious relationship and had never actually slept with a woman before. At his age, he was a little embarrassed and he didn''t quite know what to do, but Avaleigh was in the same position. The last time she was in a relationship, she had broken up with her ex because he had tried to push things too far before she was ready. After that, she pretty much signed her life away as an idol and didn''t get the chance to date again, so she was not experienced in this aspect either.


    However, as their kisses grew more and more passionate, their bodies just naturally went with the flow.


    Emerson gently weaved his tongue into Avaleigh''s mouth and tasted the wine in her breath. She had drunk more, so she smelled more of wine than he did and it was slightly seductive. Emerson ran his hand across the back of Avaleigh''s neck and pulled her closer to get a better taste while Avaleigh wrapped her arms around his waist. As their bodies pressed together, he felt the woman''s soft body against his and it sent shockwaves through his body, triggering every bit of desire he had.


    He wanted her, he wanted all of her.


    Avaleigh felt something hard press up against her body and she gasped in surprise, but she did not pull away. Instead, she felt aroused by it. It was a normal male response, but she didn''t expect Emerson to react so quickly. It made her feel s.e.xy and confident. Who knew she could make the most eligible bachelor this excited.


    Emerson ran his hand down her neck to her collarbone and slowly slid off the straps of her dress from her shoulders. As they hung loosely to her arms, the front of her dress slid down a little, revealing her lacy white bra underneath.


    Emerson moved away from her lips for a moment to have a look at his woman. He felt even more attracted to her than he ever thought he could be.


    Avaleigh blushed a little and bit her lip as she looked at the desire on Emerson''s face. She knew what he wanted and she wanted it too.


    She slowly backed up against the dining table and sat herself on top of it. Last time they kissed in this position, it seemed to be the perfect height. Before the man could respond, she gently spread her legs and pulled Emerson towards her via his tie.


    Emerson smiled and dove his lips into her neck as he pressed his body back against her''s.


    Avaleigh let out another gasp of surprise as she felt Emerson''s body rub up against the most sensitive part of her body. The thing in his pants had grown even bigger and harder than before and it shocked her a little. How much more could this thing grow?


    Emerson ran his lips back up to her mouth and gently unzipped the back of her dress. Sensing this, Avaleigh also unbuttoned Emerson''s shirt and started to remove it.


    Avaleigh ran her fingers across Emerson''s firm, muscly chest, and kissed him harder. She had worked with male celebrities and idols in the past, but no one was as attractive to her as the man in front of her at that moment.


    Avaleigh''s dress slipped off the top half of her body, but because she was sitting on the table, it continued to cover her bottom half with modesty.


    Avaleigh was an idol so her body was in top shape. She had also endorsed many clothing brands and was often seen as a style icon, so she had all the right curves on her body.


    One glance of the woman''s body was all it took for Emerson to immediately lose all patience.


    With a sigh, he quickly lifted the woman off the table and carried her into the bedroom.


    As he did so, Avaleigh''s dress slipped off the rest of her body and she was only left wearing her white lacy lingerie. But, he did not allow her to even wear that for long.


    The moment they lay down on the bed, he began to unclasp her bra and remove her underwear. He was slightly impatient, but he remained gentle, and Avaleigh did not retaliate.


    As the woman lay n.a.k.e.d under his body, he gently ran his fingers between her legs and she let out a m.o.a.n of pleasure. Just like the way that his body reacted to her, her body was producing a response to him too.


    Without a second thought, he removed his pants and grabbed a condom from his wallet. He didn''t usually carry such an item around, but during dinner that day, Marissa had thrown one at him as a joke. "You never know when you might need this," she winked. She had always been a bit more liberal. Who knew it would actually come into use so quickly?


    After he covered himself well, he looked into Avaleigh''s eyes to confirm that this was what she wanted and she smiled at him lovingly. "Make love to me," she said.


    These words drove Emerson crazy. With a nod, he obediently proceeded to please his woman.


    As it was both their first time, he was slow at first. Every time Avaleigh shrieked in pain, he would kiss her comfortingly on the lips and wait until she was ready for more. Eventually, their bodies became one and the pain turned into pleasure.


    The room turned hot and steamy as the couple explored new territories that they had never experienced before. As they reached their climax, Avaleigh''s body trembled and she lay down weakly beside Emerson; she was completely exhausted. Emerson placed a loving kiss on her forehead and helped her put on her bra and underwear for a bit of modesty. He then wiped down the sweat on her body and pulled her into his arms. A little while later, Avaleigh fell asleep.


    As Avaleigh remembered the events of the previous night, she blushed and climbed out of bed.


    "I''m going to go make breakfast," she said as she scurried away.


    Emerson looked at her lovingly and smiled.

 Chapter 360 - Alone But Not Lonely

    It took a few days to complete the handover of the house in Guiyang City and to furnish it with the essentials. During those few days, Halia and Jackson stayed with Father Feng temporarily.


    Halia enjoyed those few days. All three meals were prepared for them every day and it was always one of their favorite foods. On top of that, their laundry was done for them, their room was cleaned daily, and they had a driver to take them wherever they wanted.


    Father Feng was afraid of Coco, so he didn''t want to stay at home during the day if he didn''t have to. Besides, he wanted to show his daughter and son-in-law around the city; it had been a long time since Halia had explored the city properly and a lot had changed.


    "You see that building over there? It is called the Lieben International Building and it has one of the largest artificial waterfalls in the world. Also, it is the tallest waterfall that''s been incorporated into a building! Isn''t that amazing?"


    "And look at that area over there, it''s been completely redeveloped! Do you remember how it used to look like?"


    Father Feng ran around excitedly pointing to different buildings like a tour guide. Clearly, he didn''t get visitors often so this was a rare opportunity for him to show off the city.


    Much like many large cities in China, the government had implemented massive redevelopment plans in Guiyang City to drive economic and social development. Thus, just in the last decade, the entire city had been gradually transformed into a modern, futuristic city.


    Of course, the natural beauty of the area was maintained and old historic buildings were restored, so the city still had its unique charm.


    For example, the famous Qianling Mountain Park was the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. On one of the days that Halia and Jackson stayed with Father Feng, they ended up joining him and his hiking group for a hike through the mountain. Although Father Feng was old, he was relatively healthy because of some of the activities he partook in.


    As a famous businessman in the area, there was a lot of networking to do. For younger people, they would go to bars, gyms, fancy cafes, etc, but for the older generation, they preferred to do taichi, play chess, and go hiking. As a result, Father Feng joined a hiking group with a few other businessmen roughly 10 years ago and they had been hiking together since.


    Of course, deep down, Halia wished her father had spent this time looking for another wife to keep him company and take care of him instead. It was something she had always worried about. After all, he was getting old and it broke her heart to see him lonely. But, she couldn''t force him either.


    That day, they met with Father Feng''s hiking group at the foot of the mountain. Father Feng explained beforehand that his group consisted of 5 men including himself that had all lost their wives or were single. They had met many years ago due to business but as they slowly found themselves on their own, they provided emotional support for each other and their friendship grew. Eventually, they formed this hiking group. Halia felt relieved that her father managed to find friends that could sympathize with him and it lifted a slight load off her shoulders.


    As the day progressed and she got to know the men better, she learned that they had helped her father through some business difficulties and that her father had helped them back. She was surprised that her father never mentioned it to her, but she was glad that he had friends to support him and watch out for him even though his wife and daughter couldn''t be by his side.


    However, the thing that surprised her the most was when she watched them interact with each other she noticed a spark in her father that she had never seen before. Amongst these men, Father Feng was the youngest, so when he jumped and joked around, there was suddenly a youthful vibe to him, like he was young again.


    She always thought her father was secretly sad and lonely. But, from what she saw today, it seemed he was alone, but he wasn''t actually as lonely as she thought.


    Perhaps...she had been wrong about wanting him to find another wife.


    Perhaps...her father was happy the way that he was.


    Perhaps...she had been too narrow-minded to believe that a person couldn''t be happy on their own.


    With this thought, her worries for her father slowly faded and she found the motivation to focus on running the company while her father enjoyed his life...


    But, even though she thought this at the time...two days into her role at the office, she lay down on her desk and struggled to keep her eyes open. She wanted to blame her tiredness on the fact that she was pregnant, but when she saw Natalie walking energetically around the office, she knew she had no excuse.


    "How does it feel to be finally helping your father out?" Natalie asked. "Isn''t it exciting?"


    Halia looked around at the open office. People were typing on their computers, doc.u.ments were being printed from the printer, the receptionist was talking on the phone. There was nothing exciting about this place. If anything, she much preferred the brewery side of things, but she was not in the position to do manual labor.


    Not wanting to lie, Halia held her head and replied, "This place is driving me crazy! It''s so boring..."


    Natalie looked at her best friend in surprise. She didn''t find it boring at all. She loved the challenge of finding the next big client and drawing up plans to help the company grow and expand. It was the best job she had ever had in her life!


    But, she forgot that Halia was used to hiding undercover, pursuing criminals, and solving mysteries. These two jobs could not be compared.


    Natalie shook her head in disbelief and walked out of the office. "Let me find you something exciting to do. I''ll be right back," she said with determination. She was determined to make her friend like this job.


    However, just as she stepped out, Halia suddenly received a call on her phone. She looked at the caller ID and furrowed her brows as adrenalin started pumping through her veins. This was the most excitement she had felt in days.


    It was a call from Trisha.


    She didn''t know why she was receiving this call, but she knew it had to be something important...


    "Hi, Trisha, what''s up?" she asked with a serious look on her face.


    Without hesitation, Trisha replied straightforwardly, "Dr. Li and Dr. Ren have been kidnapped..."

 Chapter 361 - Tracking Boginya

    Halia held onto the phone nervously. "Kidnapped?" she asked. "When did this happen?"


    She had just seen the two men about 4 days ago in their lab. How did they suddenly get kidnapped and who took them? No one knew about the two doctors or what they were doing apart from a few selected people that had sworn to secrecy. Unless someone knew about their experiments, they had no use for them.


    "To be honest, you and Captain Wu may have been the last people to see them," Trisha replied. Even now, she still called Jackson, ''Captain Wu''. After all, he was her idol.


    "That was 4 days ago! Why am I being contacted now?" Halia exclaimed. She could sense some hesitation in Trisha''s voice.


    "I was only told last night that you may be able to help..." Trisha said softly. It sounded like she didn''t want to bother Halia, but she was left with no choice.


    "Me?" Halia asked in surprise. "I am on leave and I am pregnant. Plus, I have not heard from Dr. Li and Dr. Ren after I saw them last. How can I help you?"


    "I know...that you''re a BTA..." Trisha whispered, afraid that someone would overhear her, even though she was all alone in her office and no one knew what a BTA was. "Captain Tang explained it to me last night..."


    Halia almost choked when she heard this. Captain Tang would never reveal this...unless it was something really serious.


    "Halia...Boginya kidnapped Dr. Li and Dr. Ren..." Trisha revealed.


    Halia''s hand trembled and she almost dropped her phone when she heard the woman''s name. Boginya? Boginya was a founder of The Organization!


    "We weren''t sure at first. After all, no one had ever met Boginya in real life and we knew nothing about her. All I had was the information you gave me from Korea and a message from Eagle that she was in Beijing. I remembered that you mentioned her real name was Sofia, so I started following that lead. Sure enough, a woman named Sofia Lebedev flew into Beijing by herself from Moscow two days before the two doctors went missing and checked out of her hotel on the day that they didn''t return to work. After further investigations we spotted her on CCTV footage, sitting opposite the Beijing Police Department on the night that, according to Captain Tang, you were visiting the two doctors with Captain Wu. I suspect she was there for you but ended up setting her target on Dr. Li and Dr. Ren instead," Trisha explained.


    "We''ve been using all our resources over the past few days to track her. No one knows where she went after she checked out of her hotel and there are no records of her flying back out of the country. But, Captain Tang did manage to uncover a mole in the Beijing Police Department. We believed that he had been working with The Organization for a long time and he may have been the one that notified Boginya about your visit. After 2 days of questioning, he finally confirmed that we were right: Boginya had taken the two doctors. As you know, Boginya is one of the founders of The Organization and possibly an ex-KGB agent; she has a vast network of connections and she is an expert at covering up her own tracks. So, finally left with no choice, Captain Tang decided to reveal everything to me about the experiments that Dr. Li and Dr. Ren were involved in and how you are the first BTA. He told me this because...you apparently have Trojan''s memories...and Trojan may have information about Boginya..." Trisha said in disbelief. This finally explained why Halia always had such reliable ''hunches'': Nightingale, Archangel, Eagle, and Boginya were all discovered because of her. And, it also explained why one of the founders of The Organization had kidnapped these two doctors.


    Halia held her head and closed her eyes for a short moment. It was a lot of information to absorb.


    "Halia, is there anything in Trojan''s memory that could help us?" Trisha asked with hope in her voice.


    "I''m not sure," Halia furrowed her brows and tried to access Trojan''s memories. But, the only thing that came to mind was the same scene she witnessed last time: two n.a.k.e.d bodies indulging in the pleasures of a.d.u.l.thood. Two familiar voices m.o.a.ned in pleasure as Halia sighed in disgust. Was it the hormones from her pregnancy that were making her remember this particular scene?


    But, as the memory grew more vivid, Halia realized it was slightly different from last time.


    "...I love you Boginya!" Trojan exclaimed as he reached his climax and lay down beside the Russian beauty in his arms. Boginya? Last time she saw these two, Trojan had clearly called her Sofia. Was this a different memory further down the timeline?


    Just as she was thinking this, the woman lifted her head and looked Trojan in the eyes; the same eyes Halia had previously seen.


    Halia stared into the woman''s bluish-gray eyes. Last time she accessed Trojan''s memory, she only saw these eyes and struggled to see her face. But, this time, to her surprise, the woman''s nose slowly came into view, followed by her lips, her ears, her hair, her neck...


    Before she knew it, Sofia Lebedev came clearly into view.


    Trojan''s heart raced as he looked at the woman. He truly loved her and Halia felt slightly sorry for him.


    She was beautiful. Her hair was a light brown, her nose was thin and tall, her lips were thick and luscious. Halia could see why this man was so obsessed with her.


    Sofia Lebedev pursed her lips, grabbed her clothes, and stood up to get dressed. "We are almost there," she said indifferently as she looked out the window and buttoned her shirt.


    Almost there? Almost where? Halia thought to herself as Trojan stood up as well and started pulling up his pants.


    That was when Halia realized the scenery outside the window was moving. Mountains of vast, uninhabited land flew past as they moved at high speed. Halia held her breath and looked around. She originally thought they were inside a room, but she realized at that moment that they were actually standing inside a small 2-person cabin. As the cabin swayed slightly, she could hear wheels rumbling against the tracks below them.


    They were inside a train!


    Quite a luxurious one too, judging by the expensive fabric and curtains.


    Halia glanced at the little table attached to the window and noticed a pamphlet sitting on top. Across the front of the pamphlet were the words, ''Welcome aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway''.


    That''s right! It was possible to travel from Beijing to Moscow via train! Was this why she was seeing this memory?


    At that moment, a knock on Halia''s office door snapped her back to reality. She quickly opened her eyes and saw Natalie return with a smile on her face.


    "Look what I''ve got for you..." she tempted as she waved a folder in her hand before she realized Halia was on the phone and quietened down.


    Halia held onto her phone and furrowed her brows, "Have you looked into train travel? Could she be returning to Moscow that way?"

 Chapter 362 - The Trans-Siberian Railway

    The Trans-Siberian Railway is the 3rd longest continuous railway in the world and one of the most popular train routes for the avid traveler. The main route runs between Moscow in the west and Vladivostok in the east of Russia, but it also has two connecting routes to China.


    Every Tuesday, the Trans-Mongolian train departs Beijing for Moscow via Mongolia and takes 6 nights in total to complete its journey.


    The day that Dr. Li and Dr. Ren didn''t turn up to work, happened to be a Tuesday!


    Trisha furrowed her brows as she looked at the information about the Tran-Siberian railway. If Halia was right, then Boginya and the two doctors definitely boarded one of the Tuesday trains and would be arriving in Moscow in a couple of days. She had to quickly find evidence that they were onboard and contact Interpol in Moscow to stop them.


    Of course, Boginya wasn''t so stupid as to use any of their real names or passports for the train. So, there were no records of any of them leaving the country. Border security was a lot more lenient via land travel compared to air, and even easier if they had inside help. That''s why smugglers and illegal immigrants often chose to travel by land.


    Boginya was a founder of The Organization, so she was bound to have help around every corner. Fake passports, last-minute tickets, extradited check through immigration - it was no surprise if she had all of this.


    Traveling between Beijing and Moscow without alarming the authorities was child''s play for her.


    Trisha sat down with a few agents and scoured through every piece of CCTV footage from Beijing Railway Station on the Tuesday that had just passed. Even the slightest sign of Dr. Li, Dr. Ren, or Boginya, was enough to get Moscow Interpol to stop them on the other side. Especially if they mentioned she was a founder of The Organization. This was a name that every Interpol Agent was now familiar with.


    Looking through the CCTV was a tiring process. There were many cameras around the station and millions of people passed through Beijing station every single day. Of course, Trisha''s team started by only looking at the cameras on the platform that the Trans-Mongolian departed from, but even that was extremely busy.


    Adding to the difficulty was the fact that most people wore face masks. Face masks were common in China due to the heavy air pollution, especially in Beijing and in summer when the levels were extremely unhealthy. But, another reason was the compacted space on the train. Due to bad ventilation and close contact with other passengers for a long period of time, it was easy to fall sick, so many people opted to wear face masks.


    At one point, Trisha almost lost hope.


    But, finally, after almost two days of looking through every single face that stepped onto the four Trans-Mongolian trains that departed that day, Trisha suddenly spotted one particular man. Like 90% of the people around him, he was wearing a mask. But, this man caught Trisha''s attention because he seemed to be looking around suspiciously. Most people either looked at the ticket in their hands to find their carriage or looked ahead of them to see where they were walking, but this man was scanning his eyes across the roof and corners of the station like he was searching for something. This was extremely abnormal behavior and it caught Trisha''s attention.


    As she watched him, his eyes slowly panned across and he ended up staring straight into the surveillance camera that Trisha was watching the footage from. Even though he was far away, she could see the desperation in his eyes; he looked like he was calling out for help. Next to the man, there was a big burly man that looked like his travel companion. Trisha looked carefully at the two and noticed that the burly man seemed to be dragging the masked man along. Then, to her surprise, the man with the mask suddenly grabbed a bottle and removed his mask to take a drink! The burly man was also surprised. As the man drank, he purposely turned to face the camera head-on! For 5 seconds, the man''s face came into view before the burly man covered him back up and quickly dragged him onto the train.


    Trisha gasped. She knew she had discovered something.


    She immediately rewinded the video and paused it on the moment that the man''s face was clear. She then compared the face to the photos of Dr. Li and Dr. Ren.


    With a smile, she jumped up and screamed, "Bingo!"


    The man in the video was Dr. Eric Ren!


    Halia was right, they had boarded the train to Moscow.


    She quickly jumped on the phone and rang the main headquarters of Interpol. This time, she was smart. She had learned from her experience with the Philippines to escalate the matter as much as possible and contact the higher-ups first. This was the best way to prevent corruption.


    The Organization had gradually climbed up Interpol''s most-wanted list in the last few years, so as soon as headquarters heard about Trisha''s case they immediately sent agents to stop Boginya and the two doctors in Moscow.


    By that time, it was due to arrive in just 3 hours. Trisha made it just in time!


    But...when the train pulled up at Moscow station and the agents checked every single passenger on board, Interpol in Moscow called back to say that the three people they described weren''t found anywhere on the train...


    Trisha held onto the phone in shock. If they weren''t in Moscow, then where were they? They had clearly got on the train in Beijing...


    But, as soon as she thought this, she hit herself on the head for being stupid. The train wasn''t non-stop between Beijing and Moscow. There were stops along the way. They could have gotten off at any of the stations on the route!!


    With regret, she turned to her agents and said, "Sorry guys, we have more videos to look through. Anyone want coffee?"


    The only thing they could do at that point was to check the CCTV footage at every single stop along the way...

 Chapter 363 - Ulan Bator

    Halia looked at the advertising proposal in front of her and raised her eyebrows as she flipped through some photos of trending celebrities. The previous day, Natalie had brought her some ''exciting work''. Fengtai was planning a new ad campaign and Natalie had just received the draft proposal the previous day. Every season, Fengtai ran a new ad campaign, but they were an old brand that had sold the same product for over a century so the campaigns didn''t vary much. It usually consisted of updated photography and sometimes a new slogan, but it was far from ''exciting''.


    Baijiu was one of the most expensive liquors in the world and was usually consumed by the rich and famous. Because it was perceived as a status symbol, it didn''t need much advertising, so the most famous baijiu brands simply took a photo of their bottle, placed it on posters, and that was it. However, the majority of baijiu drinkers were from China and the younger generation was beginning to drift away from this old-school drink as they began to discover international alternatives like wine, soju, and vodka. In the long term, would baijiu be able to compete in the global market? With this thought, Halia had a suggestion: why couldn''t they revamp their branding to appeal to the younger generation and the global market? They couldn''t compete with the most prestigious brands like Moutai in terms of status, but they could compete in terms of image. They could represent quality and innovation, but also be young and hip. Something that other big baijiu brands did not do. So, she spoke to their ad agency and discussed the possibility of finding a spokesperson. Someone that was young, hip, and trending with, preferably, some influence in the food and alcohol industry.


    Thus explained the photos that were in front of her. However, not everyone fitted the bill, and those that did, naturally cost a lot more.


    "Veronica Zheng: model and actress," Halia read as she looked at the photo of a feminine young woman. She quickly furrowed her brows and shook her head. Sure, this woman was beautiful, but what influence did she hold in terms of the food and alcohol industry. She didn''t even look like she ate or drank. If she said their baijiu was good, why would people trust her?


    "Alan Zhou: singer," Halia furrowed her brows again. Sure, Fengtai wanted to appeal to the younger generation, but this young man looked like he had just turned 18. What percentage of his fans were actually at the legal age for consuming alcohol? What if they got accused of promoting underage drinking? That was not a good image for their brand.


    After a long day, Halia eventually sorted the photos into two piles: one that was a definite no, and one for further consideration.


    She then massaged her temples and checked the time. It was almost time to finish work. As she started to pack her things, she smiled at the thought of the man that was waiting for her at home. They were officially moving into their new house that day so Jackson had been running around furniture shopping. Halia didn''t have a particular style when it came to furnishings, but Jackson had a good eye for design in general. After all, he had lived in France for many years and was exposed to designs from not only Europe but all around the world. She had seen his apartment in Beijing; it was modern, sleek, and stylish, so she trusted him with their home. It was one less thing for her to worry about.


    However, just as she was about to step out of her office and finally return to enjoy her new home, she suddenly received a phone call. It was Trisha again. She had not heard from her since the previous day.


    Immediately, her expression turned serious and she quickly picked up the phone as she sat back down at her desk. "Did you find anything?" she asked anxiously.


    Trisha sighed, "You were right about the train. They definitely boarded the Trans-Siberian to Moscow. Unfortunately...they did not disembark in Moscow..."


    "They didn''t disembark in Moscow?!" Halia exclaimed. She had assumed that their final destination was Moscow too. If they didn''t get off in Moscow, then where could they have gone?


    "Any idea where they got off?" Halia asked.


    "We are still looking through CCTV footage," Trisha sighed. Every time the train stopped, it usually stopped for 5-20 minutes; enough time to stretch one''s legs, buy some snacks, and take some photos. So, there were always a lot of people on the platforms. This made it extremely difficult to find particular people.


    Halia held onto the phone in silence. She wanted to help, so she tried to remember the memory she had the previous day. Trojan and Boginya were on the Trans-Siberian and Boginya had said that they were almost arriving. At that time, Halia also assumed they were arriving in Moscow, but now that she thought about it, perhaps they were going somewhere else at that time too.


    As the memory slowly came back to her again, she remembered the scene outside the window. Vast mountains and grassy plains, dotted with wildflowers flew past. The scene was beautiful, but she quickly realized something...


    They weren''t in Russia; Russia did not look like this!


    At that moment, a train staff walked past and reminded in Mandarin, "We are pulling up at Ulan Bator in 30 minutes and the train will stop there for 30 minutes. Make sure to take all your belongings if you are disembarking."


    Boginya smiled at Trojan and said, "The other founders are looking forward to meeting you."


    Halia''s eyes opened wide in shock.


    "Ulan Bator!" she gasped as she snapped back to reality. Why didn''t she realize earlier? They weren''t in Russia nor China - they were in Mongolia! And, judging by what Boginya said, they were meeting the other founders there?


    Trisha heard Halia scream a location name and quickly asked with anticipation, "Did you remember something?" She recognized the name, Ulan Bator. It was the capital of Mongolia!


    Halia took a deep breath and replied, "Trojan and Boginya got off at Ulan Bator last time. They were meeting with the other founders..."


    As she said this, some images of a desert, some yurts, and lab equipment suddenly flickered through her mind. With hesitation, she added, "I think...The Organization might have a base there..."

 Chapter 364 - Conserving Energy

    Up until recently, Danson had spent most of his a.d.u.l.t life not achieving much. He had never excelled in anything particular and his father''s PR company didn''t interest him either. All he did was drink, flirt with women, hang around with other rich socialites, and spend his father''s money. But, the company somehow ended up in his hands so he was forced to run it.


    Fortunately, Marissa returned and he found someone to palm the company back onto. Although traditionally, a man was meant to be the breadwinner, she was technically his stepmother, so he didn''t mind living off of her while he ''took care'' of their home (even though, technically, they had maids and helpers to do that).


    He considered himself as an open-minded person; this was gender-equality, right?


    Marissa liked being a strong and independent woman anyway.


    But, just as he was beginning to enjoy his idle life again, Emerson suddenly contacted him and asked him to be the director of his new entertainment agency. Perhaps, Emerson saw something in him that he didn''t see himself.


    If he did, then he was right!


    At first, he was helping Emerson as a favor. But, only after one week into the job, Danson discovered he felt more motivated and alive than he had ever felt before. From the moment he discussed Avaleigh''s first project, to her audition, to watching her sign her contract - each successful step was so gratifying. Before long, he even took the initiative and signed on their second artist!


    Emerson was pleased but surprised. He had started the agency for Avaleigh and never really considered the long term direction of the business, but it seemed, he had really put his business in the right hands.


    Ever since high school, Danson had been a charismatic and charming person that got what he wanted without much effort; Marissa was probably the only challenge he had ever faced. Emerson knew this well. Moreover, he had dated many women and had a good judge of character. With one glance, he knew whether a woman was genuine and if she had any ulterior motives. Thus, directing an entertainment agency was the perfect job for him. He easily spotted good talent with good character, and he had the charm to scout them for their agency. On top of that, he knew many people that worked behind-the-scenes in the entertainment agency and could easily secure jobs for his artists.


    "We will be flying back to Shanghai tomorrow to film the first episode of your new variety show. Are you ready?" Danson asked Avaleigh over the phone. For some reason, he felt more excited than she did.


    Avaleigh was just about to pack her suitcase at that moment. As she rolled it out of storage, she replied, "Yes, I''m looking forward to it." She knew of the Korean version of this show and knew it was a long-running show that had spanned many years over hundreds of episodes. If she managed to secure a permanent position, this would be enough for her for the rest of her life!


    Just as she finished her conversation with Danson and hung up the phone, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind. "I''m going to miss you," Emerson''s charming voice said beside her ear.


    Avaleigh blushed a little and proceeded to open up her suitcase. But, to her surprise, she discovered the suitcase wasn''t empty!


    It was filled with fresh roses!


    The sweet fragrance quickly enveloped the room and she gasped in surprise.


    "This is a little gift to wish you good luck," Emerson smiled.


    Avaleigh slowly picked out the roses and laughed. When had this man put them inside?


    Feeling grateful, she leaned over and kissed him on the lips.


    Emerson grinned and helped her clean out the last few petals that remained in her suitcase. He then walked over to the closet and said, "You are going to be gone for three days. What clothes are you planning to bring? Let me help you."


    Avaleigh nodded her head. She had never met a more caring and thoughtful person. "Although it''s also summer in Shanghai, we are reaching the end of the season and it is relatively cooler there than in Hong Kong. Don''t forget to bring a light jacket just in case," Emerson said as he grabbed a windbreaker and folded it neatly.


    As he placed the windbreaker in the suitcase, he actually felt bad that he hadn''t hired a stylist for Avaleigh yet, nor had he secured any sponsorsh.i.p.s for clothing. But, he knew they would eventually come with time.


    Once she started appearing weekly on television, brands would be fighting for her to wear their clothes, just like they did when she was in Macaron. After all, she was a natural style icon and he had faith in her.


    After the suitcase was completely packed, Emerson helped Avaleigh push it out to the door so she could grab it and go the next day. Avaleigh chuckled thankfully, "I could have pushed it myself. I''m not that weak."


    Emerson looked at his girlfriend and a slight smirk appeared on his face, "You need to conserve some energy."


    Avaleigh laughed, not quite understanding the underlying meaning in the man''s words. "Filming won''t take place until 2 days later and I have all day to rest after I land tomorrow. I will definitely have enough energy for the show," she reassured.


    But, to her surprise, Emerson suddenly lifted her in his arms and winked at her charmingly, "I wasn''t talking about conserving energy for the show..."


    He then carried her into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. "Since you''ll be gone for a few days, you need to make up for it in advance..."


    Avaleigh blushed as she realized what he was referring to. Before she managed to give a reaction, Emerson leaned over and kissed her on the lips.


    Ever since the first time he stayed the night, he had not returned to his family mansion at The Peak. Instead, he spent every night savoring this woman''s body and indulging in the love and pleasure she gave him. It was almost like she was a drug. So, now that she was going to be gone for 3 days, he needed to get his fill in advance. Otherwise, he would go crazy...

 Chapter 365 - The Gobi Desert

    When one thought of a desert, images of sweltering heat and dry scorching weather came to mind; places like the Sahara or the Mojave. But, a desert could actually be any waterless, desolate area of land with little to no vegetation. It had nothing to do with temperature. In fact, the coldest and largest desert in the world was The Antartic Ice Sheet in Antarctica!


    Over in Mongolia, Dr. Li and Dr. Ren had just arrived in another famous cold desert - The Gobi Desert. Here, the weather got so cold that it could even snow in winter. Fortunately, it was the end of August, a pleasant time of year when daytime temperatures averaged at 27 degrees celsius and nighttime temperatures averaged at 15 degrees celsius.


    Both doctors had heard of this desert before, but neither of them had ever imagined going there. Even a week ago, when they were first kidnapped by Boginya, they did not imagine they''d end up there. As they spent their first night inside a yurt together, neither man could sleep. They were about to make a very important decision the next day - a decision that could impact the entire world!


    A week ago, when Boginya kidnapped them, she demanded to know what they were doing with Halia and claimed that she knew about their secret lab. They didn''t know at the time, but she was simply making a guess. Even so, both doctors still refused to speak. After all, their experiments were top secret. Plus, the fact that she knew Halia meant she was likely linked to The Organization, or at least, a pretty serious criminal. But, because Dr. Li was preparing a presentation for the UN, he had some doc.u.ments on him that briefly explained their work. Dr. Li tried to hide them from Boginya at first. He even tried to discard them when she wasn''t looking. But, Boginya noticed he was acting strange and eventually spotted the doc.u.ments. When she read through them, her eyes opened wide with interest.


    "BTA..." she smirked. "That''s how she knew my name, right?"


    Dr. Li and Dr. Ren knew she was referring to Halia, but neither of them responded. However, Boginya was already certain of the answer. It was the only explanation that made sense.


    As a founder of The Organization, she was smart, ruthless, and resourceful. Technology like this could be worth a lot if it ended up in the hands of The Organization.


    She immediately made some phone calls, and within an hour, she had people watching over Dr. Li and Dr. Ren''s families. "Cooperate, or your family will die!" she threatened as she showed the two doctors some live-streamed footage of their homes.


    The two doctors wanted to refuse, but when they thought about their families, they couldn''t do it. In the end, they obediently listened to all of Boginya''s instructions and simply hoped, deep down, that Halia and the others would find them.


    But, before they knew it, Boginya made them fake passports, secured train tickets for them, and they were ushered onto the Trans-Siberian Railway separately by two fierce and burly men.


    Just before he was dragged into the train carriage, Dr. Ren found a way to expose himself to one of the cameras. It was only for 5 seconds, but he hoped it was enough for the authorities to find them. Fortunately, the burly man beside him was too afraid to mention this small incident to Boginya. Otherwise, with her connections, she would have probably tampered with the footage and got rid of those 5 seconds without anyone knowing.


    As the two men lay inside their yurt, the silence outside was daunting. A couple of hours ago, they had just arrived at this camp in the middle of the Gobi Desert after almost 11 hours in a car. This was a remote area, far from where all the tourists visited for day trips. Practically, no one knew they were there except for a few local authorities that The Organization had paid off.


    When the two doctors first arrived, they were shocked by how big and equipped the camp was. They even had electricity and internet! Clearly, anyone could do anything as long as they had money in a place like this.


    After they got out of the car, a few men showed them to their yurt, told them to get some rest, and they were pretty much left on their own after that. Boginya didn''t even worry that they were going to escape. After all, they were completely surrounded by desert; there was nowhere to escape to. However, she did drop by briefly to introduce a doctor/scientist to them. He was practically the Russian equivalent of Dr. Li. They were about the same age, same height, same weight, and they even had the same white hair with a bald patch on the crown.


    "I want you to start working with Dr. Ivanov tomorrow. If you want your family to remain alive, I want you to share the Brain Tap technology with him," Boginya ordered.


    Dr. Li and Dr. Ren did not say a word. They didn''t want to do it, but it wasn''t like they could refuse.


    So, as they lay awake inside the yurt while everyone around them began to fall asleep, they both stressed about the following day. "I can''t let my family die," Dr. Li whispered as he revealed his standpoint to Dr. Ren. In other words, when it came down to it, he was going to reveal everything to save his family. Even though he knew how serious this matter was, he couldn''t possibly watch his entire family die.


    Dr. Ren frowned. If Dr. Li was going to reveal everything, then there was no point for him to retaliate. All he could do was close his eyes and hope that Halia was on her way to save them.


    ...


    At that moment, in Guiyang City, Halia also closed her eyes. She was desperately searching through Trojan''s memory for a way to locate the base. At first, all she saw was Boginya''s face. After all, Trojan was obsessed with the woman. But, all of a sudden, a different face appeared in front of her. Halia opened her eyes wide in shock. It was a man in uniform; a man that Trojan had spoken to when he was at the base. And, judging by his uniform, he seemed to be from the military...


    If they needed someone to locate the base, then this man was the answer...

 Chapter 366 - An Urgent Discussion With Mr. Wu

    "We need to find a man that''s in the military. He met with Trojan when he visited, so he must know the location of the base. Judging by his uniform, he may even be a general or a senior officer of some sort." Halia made this assumption based on the badges that were on the man''s uniform. "And, judging by his appearance, I think he was very likely Mongolian."


    "If we can find him, we may be able to track down the base," Halia explained.


    Trisha''s eyes lit up when she heard this. "Then, we better hurry!" she said.


    "Do you have an artist there? I can try to describe the man''s looks," Halia suggested.


    With a laugh, Trisha replied, "You have one of the best artists there with you."


    "Huh?" Halia was confused for a moment before she realized who Trisha was referring to.


    "Do you mean Jackson?" she asked.


    Trisha smiled proudly. This was her idol they were talking about. "Of course," she replied.


    Halia furrowed her brows. She had agreed to come to Guiyang City to get away from work. If Jackson found out she was working on another case, would he be mad? He had never been mad at her before.


    "Stop hesitating. You better be quick. We have no time to waste," Trisha urged before she abruptly hung up the phone.


    Halia sighed.


    At that moment, there was a slight tap on her office door. "Everyone''s gone already, what are you still doing here?" Natalie asked. Since Halia had complained about being bored, she assumed she would be the first one out of the office as soon as it hit 5pm. Who knew she''d still be here.


    "Was it the work I gave you? It''s exciting, right?" Natalie smiled.


    Halia laughed helplessly as she grabbed her things and started walking out the door. "Contact the ad agency. I''m not liking the suggestions they made. We need a spokesperson that has more say in the food and alcohol industry. I don''t want just a pretty face..." Halia said.


    Natalie looked at her friend and smiled with admiration. Although they had known each other for most of their lives, this was the first time she was actually working with her.


    Ever since Halia cut her hair to disguise as Mars last time, it had grown up to her shoulders. Through her hair, Natalie could see a pair of simple, yet elegant diamond earrings that hung to almost the same length as her hair. These earrings made her bare neck look extra slim, and they accentuated her collar bone which was revealed by the off-shoulder business shirt she was wearing. The business was a light blue collar with faint vertical stripes that were 1-2 shades darker, and they paired perfectly with the white high-waisted skirt and nude heels that she wore underneath.


    She had never seen her friend look like such a boss!


    "Yes, Boss! I''ll call them tomorrow!" Natalie said as she gave a salute.


    Halia laughed. But, as soon as she stepped out of the building and headed for her car, she became serious again.


    As she sat inside, she said to the driver, "Hurry home, I have something urgent to discuss with Mr. Wu."


    ...


    Meanwhile, at their new home, Jackson had just finished moving in all the furniture. It had been a long day, but everything was where he wanted them to be and he couldn''t wait until his wife got home so she could relax.


    As he sat down to catch his breath, he picked up his phone and called his good friend Max. He had a habit of calling Max every week to check how he was going. Even though Jackson was retired from Interpol, he was still the owner/shareholder of many things. Apart from the casino in Macau and his restaurant in France, the restaurant in Beijing that he bought with Max had just opened a couple of months ago.


    "Has business been good?" Jackson asked.


    "It''s been amazing," Max replied. "The seasonal menu that Cleo helped me make has become one of the most trending menus on social media. Everyone is loving the taste and the creativity, and they think it matches really with the ambience and decor of the restaurant. In fact, we are fully booked for the next month already."


    Jackson smiled. He knew he could leave the restaurant with Max. Back when Max ran the restaurant in France, he did really well there too.


    "In that case, you really need to reward Cleo well," Jackson reminded.


    Max laughed, "Don''t worry, I dote on her more than you dote on your wife."


    Jackson laughed as well.


    After a short pause, Max added, "Talking about doting... Your brother must have inherited the same genes."


    Jackson held onto his phone with slight interest, "What do you mean?"


    He knew his brother was officially dating Avaleigh now. Emerson had called him to share the good news. But, Jackson had never actually met Avaleigh or seen the two together. Did Max know something that he didn''t?


    "Did you know that your brother opened an entertainment agency?" Max gossiped.


    Jackson looked puzzled as a slight trace of amus.e.m.e.nt appeared on his lips, "How do you know about this?"


    "His girlfriend is signed to his agency and she is filming a new television show in Shanghai, so he hired Cleo to fly up there to help," Max explained. Cleo was so excited about the contract when Emerson contacted her. Apart from working with Max, all her other previous clients had been housewives or students. This time, she was working with a famous celebrity! So, she told Max about it as soon as she signed the contract. When Max heard about it, he was happy for Cleo, but he was also a bit confused. When did Emerson have an entertainment agency?


    "He even named it AE Entertainment," Max added.


    As soon as Jackson heard this, he almost burst into laughter but he quickly held it back.


    "I must say though, he also inherited your business genes," Max said with slight complaint in his voice, "He hired Cleo for three roles: dietitian, chef, and personal trainer! Three for the price of one! Does he think he''s buying a vegetable at the market?"


    This time, Jackson couldn''t hold back his laughter anymore. As he held onto his phone, he leaned back on the sofa and laughed, just as he saw Halia pull up in the driveway...

 Chapter 367 - The Sketch

    Halia walked in through the front door of her new home and Coco ran up to greet her. Because of the call from Trisha, she had finished a little bit later than expected but Jackson did not look upset. Instead, he was on the phone chatting to someone and looking at her with a loving smile.


    That morning, when she left for work, they were moving out of Father Feng''s place, so this was their first night at their new home.


    Jackson had already moved her things into the house and fully furnished the place while she was at work. As she looked at her man sitting on a light grey leather sofa on top of a white rug and glanced at the oak coffee table in front of it, she couldn''t help but feel impressed by his tastes. She then scanned her eyes around the rest of the house. Everything was in a similarly light white and grey color palette with accents of beige and oak wood. The house looked clean, minimalistic and elegant.


    Previously, Jackson''s apartment in Beijing was a lot more masculine because the colors were darker and there were metal accents, but this time, the house felt warm and soft with a slightly more feminine touch. Halia never knew much about design, but she suddenly realized this was exactly the style that she liked.


    "Wow!" she gasped as she approached Jackson and saw him put down his phone. "I love what you''ve done to the place."


    Jackson smiled, "Its Scandinavian-inspired; a type of style that is very popular at the moment. I thought you would like it."


    Halia nodded in approval.


    But...it didn''t take long before she remembered that she had something serious to discuss with her husband.


    Jackson immediately noticed something was wrong. "Did something happen today?" he asked as he walked up and placed a kiss on Halia''s forehead.


    Halia closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy the kiss before she lifted her head and looked into her husband''s eyes.


    "Jackson, we have a serious situation..." she said straightforwardly.


    Jackson understood the tone in his wife''s voice and the look in her eyes. Although he had told her to put her work with the police aside, he was not mad because he knew it had to be something really serious.


    He held onto her hand and pulled her down to sit on his lap.


    Halia felt a weight lifted off her shoulders as she saw how patient and understanding her husband was. She then took a deep breath and started explaining everything. She told him about the phone call she received from Trisha, the flashbacks she had, and the man in military uniform.


    "Trisha said you''re really good at sketching faces..." Halia said.


    Jackson lifted his wife off his lap and placed her on the sofa. He then went to grab a pen, some paper, and a laptop from the bedroom.


    "Back when I was undercover, I was often asked to identify criminals to my handler. At first, I could only describe them to him verbally and it worked sometimes. However, I wasn''t satisfied with the accuracy, especially when the criminals didn''t have any unique identifying features. So, I tried to find another way. I developed a system with my handler which is similar to what police sketch artists use. I found images online and stitched together different features from different people to create a similar face to what I remembered. But, you know me, I couldn''t just leave it at that. I gradually started teaching myself how to sketch. First, I replaced the eyes I found online with my own sketches of eyes. Then, I moved onto the nose...then the mouth... And, eventually, I managed to sketch an entire face."


    As Jackson spoke, he had his eyes down the entire time while his hands scribbled something on the paper in front of him. Halia leaned over with curiosity, but couldn''t quite see what he was scribbling. However, it didn''t take long before Jackson stopped. With a smile, he held up the paper in his hands and revealed what he had been scribbling. Halia opened her eyes wide in surprise.


    He had sketched a quick portrait of her!


    It was a simple sketch without any fine details, but it had all the main features that were enough to identify her. Most importantly, he even included the earrings she was wearing and a bit of her top. Sure, he looked at her face every day so it wasn''t hard for him to remember how she looked, but her earrings and clothes were new, she had bought them specifically for work, yet he sketched them confidently without lifting his head once.


    No wonder this man headed an entire branch of Interpol at such a young age. He was even more impressive than she thought.


    "You''re amazing!" she gasped.


    Jackson chuckled. It was always nice to be praised by one''s wife.


    But, he quickly composed himself and handed Halia the laptop in his hands.


    "I kept the files I used to identify people in the early days. It came in use a few times when I had to help others identify people on the spot and we had no sketch artist around. I would ask them to pick out similar features from the database I collated over the years and then I would sketch it out with them by my side and make slight tweaks and adjustments along the way," he explained.


    "Have a look and see if you can piece together the face you saw. I have a folder on the desktop called, ''faces''. I''ll go heat up dinner."


    Halia turned on the laptop and opened up the folder that Jackson was referring to. Inside, there were other folders that were labeled, ''hair'', ''eyes'', ''ears'', ''nose'', and ''mouth''.


    She remembered that the man in her memory was wearing a hat that covered all his hair, so she skipped the ''hair'' folder. But, she slowly worked through the other folders and started to get something similar to what she remembered. A few times, she had to close her eyes and check Trojan''s memory to make sure, but she eventually settled on a combination that she thought was the closest.


    Just as she finished, Jackson arrived with two bowls of fishball noodles that he had made. He knew how urgent the situation was, so he did not force Halia to eat at the dining table. Instead, he placed it on the coffee table and started to eat while drawing a sketch with the images that Halia selected.


    "You didn''t pick any hair?" he asked.


    "No," Halia replied as she also ate beside him. "He was wearing a furry hat that covered all his hair. It looked like a traditional Mongolian fur hat that is worn in winter. They wear it in Russia too."


    Jackson nodded his head and started sketching a hat, "Like this?"


    "Yes, but a little shorter and it covered the top of his ears. Also, the top of the hat was flat."


    Jackson patiently drew and erased until Halia was satisfied.


    "He has dark eye bags and some wrinkles... His nose looks a bit crooked and leans ever so slightly to the left... He has a mole under his right ear..."


    Finally, after about an hour, the sketch was finished.


    Halia held onto the sketch and looked at it with amazement. It felt like the man was standing right in front of her. "This is it! That''s him!" she exclaimed.


    She then jumped up to grab her phone, "I will send this sketch to Trisha right away!"

 Chapter 368 - Cleo

    It took under 3 hours to fly between Hong Kong and Shanghai. By the time that Avaleigh arrived in Shanghai, it was already midday. As they were filming the first episode of their new variety show, the director, the cast and the crew were meeting for a celebratory dinner. But, she still needed to sort out lunch on her own.


    Avaleigh picked up her phone to search for nearby restaurants and reviews. Although she normally cooked, and the apartment that Danson arranged for her had a kitchen, she was only staying for a couple of days and didn''t want to cause a mess.


    However, just as she was stressing about what to eat, there was a knock on the door. Avaleigh looked up in surprise just as Danson stepped out of his room to answer it. The apartment they were staying in had three bedrooms and they had a room each. Avaleigh was a bit uncomfortable when she first realized they were staying together. After all, Danson was a well-known player. But, she decided to trust him since he had gotten her so far and he was Emerson''s friend; if he made her feel uncomfortable in any way, she would leave and call Emerson for help.


    Avaleigh glanced over at the door in curiosity as Danson opened it. "Good, you''re finally here," Danson said with a charming smile.


    Avaleigh raised an eyebrow. Were they expecting someone?


    A moment later, a beautiful young woman stepped into the apartment with 2 duffle bags and a suitcase.


    "You''re more beautiful than I expected," Danson admired as he looked her up and down. He then grabbed her bags and suitcase and carried them towards the third empty bedroom.


    The woman appeared to be in her late 20''s. She was dressed in black training pants, a white cropped t-shirt, and a pair of white sneakers. Although her clothes were simple, they highlighted her slender waist and her toned abs and thighs.


    The woman smiled and followed Danson down the corridor.


    Meanwhile, Avaleigh held onto her phone awkwardly and didn''t know what to do. Who was that woman? Was she staying here? Was she a friend? Or...


    Before Avaleigh figured out what was going on, she suddenly heard a loud thump coming from the bedroom followed by the sound of a man''s groan.


    Avaleigh''s eyes grew wide in shock. She didn''t know what they were doing, but she couldn''t help but assume it was something indecent. Did Danson call a woman over to...have some fun...? How could he do that while she was right there?


    With disgust, she walked over to complain. She could not stay under the same roof as someone like that. Without a second thought, she threw open the door and yelled, "What do you think you''re doing in here?!"


    But, the scene in front of her, was not what she expected...


    Danson was lying face down on the floor, fully clothed, while the woman stood a few steps away, looking down at him sternly. She was fully clothed too.


    Danson lifted his head and looked at Avaleigh tiredly, "Oh Ava, I forgot to introduce you. This is your new dietitian, chef, and personal trainer. Her name is Cleo."


    Avaleigh looked at Cleo, "Dietitian, chef, and personal trainer?" She then looked back down at Danson with a puzzled expression, "Why are you lying on the floor?"


    Danson glanced at Cleo with frustration just as she started to chuckle.


    A moment ago, when Danson was carrying her suitcase and bags into the bedroom, Cleo noticed he was beginning to struggle towards the end. Out of politeness, she offered to take the duffle bags back from him, but he insisted, "It''s nothing, I can handle it. I''m a man!"


    Cleo knew how heavy her bags were. She had packed them full of sandbags and exercise equipment. They were roughly 30kgs each! Plus, the suitcase was another 30-40kgs.


    "Are you sure?" she laughed. "You look like you''re struggling. Do you normally train?"


    Danson furrowed his brows, it was true that he hadn''t been to the gym for well over a year but he couldn''t let a woman look down on him. However, just as he was thinking this, Cleo grabbed the duffle bags out of his hands and carried them effortlessly into the bedroom. Danson looked at her with amazement. That was when he remembered the woman had brought these bags all the way from Hong Kong on her own!


    He didn''t want to be looked down on, but he couldn''t help but feel impressed.


    "Aren''t they heavy for you?" he asked.


    Cleo nodded her head, "Yes, but I train often and I understand my body. That''s why I distributed the weight into two bags and a suitcase. For short distances, I can carry all three at once. For longer distances, I can carry them one at a time. You should train more often. It appears as though you''ve been slacking off..."


    Danson cleared his throat, "I''m fine. I feel healthy."


    "You have dark eye bags and don''t sleep enough. Your breath smells like smoke. You aren''t fat, but your muscles aren''t toned either. I bet you can''t even do 50 push-ups..." Cleo criticized.


    Danson furrowed his brows and stubbornly got on the floor, "I can do 50 push-ups! You just watch."


    Danson was confident. He had done 50 push-ups in the past. But...things were different now...


    "...24...25...26..."


    Thump!


    After just 26 push-ups, Danson fell flat on the floor...


    "...and that was when you walked into the room," Cleo explained.


    Avaleigh laughed as she listened to Cleo''s explanation. Even she knew how quickly a person''s fitness could deteriorate without regular exercise and training.


    "Did you know that within two weeks of not training, a person can start to show a 7-10 per cent loss in strength levels?" Cleo said as she looked at Danson.


    "And, data suggests that you can lose at least 70 per cent of the adaptation you''ve built through exercise after about three months," Avaleigh added.


    Cleo looked at Avaleigh with an impressed smile. She definitely looked a lot fitter than Danson.


    "Can you do 50 push-ups?" Cleo asked out of curiosity.


    Avaleigh nodded her head. She quickly did a few stretches, got down into the correct position and started doing push-ups effortlessly.


    As Cleo watched she glanced at Danson and saw him looking embarrassed.


    A moment later, Danson shuffled over awkwardly and whispered, "OK...I admit defeat. Can you train me too?"


    If these two girls could tell that he was weak and unfit, what did Marissa think? Perhaps, it was time he started training again.


    Cleo laughed, "Yes, but I''ll have to charge extra..."

 Chapter 369 - Still Popular

    After the raid in the Philippines failed, Trisha became quite paranoid about the people she contacted and worked with. In fact, she couldn''t even trust her own counterparts in Mongolia. So, this time, instead of contacting one person and giving the information time to be spread beyond her control. She sat a small team of trusted senior Interpol agents from Mongolia, as well as the Captain, inside a contained room and spoke to them all at once over a video call. No information was to leave that room and they would be the only ones involved in the case. If anything went wrong, then they would all be suspected of corruption and would be thoroughly investigated.


    The three agents and the captain nodded their heads as they listened to Trisha explain the case they had. "I have a sketch here of a military officer that can help us locate the base. I want him arrested and brought in for questioning!" Trisha demanded.


    The 2 men and 2 women looked at the sketch carefully. It was so detailed, it almost looked like a photo. Immediately, one man jumped up and exclaimed, "I know who he is!


    Everyone turned to look at the man that spoke. "He was a Major General when I was doing my military service. We knew him as General Ganbat."


    In Mongolia, one year of military service was compulsory for all men between the ages of 18-25. This particular agent was in the military roughly 10 years ago! Clearly, General Ganbat was an old and authoritative figure.


    The group looked at each other uncomfortably. The military wasn''t easy to deal with but they knew it had to be done.


    "Leave it with us, we will go get him right away," the Captain said. It didn''t matter who this general was, this was a matter of international security and law. If he was actually involved with The Organization, then he could not escape.


    Trisha nodded.


    ...


    After Cleo quickly unpacked her things, she walked back out to the living room to find Avaleigh swiping through something on her phone while Danson was typing on his laptop. Cleo approached and noticed Avaleigh was looking at reviews for restaurants.


    "You haven''t had lunch yet?" she guessed.


    Avaleigh sighed and nodded her head. Back when she was with Macaron, all her meals were set for her, and after she left Macaron, she usually cooked. But, both of those weren''t available to her at the moment, so she had to pick a restaurant.


    Cleo smiled, "Did you forget what I was hired for?"


    Avaleigh looked at Cleo questioningly.


    "Dietitian, chef, and personal trainer," Cleo reminded. "I will handle your meals from now on," she said as she pointed to herself proudly.


    "Follow me."


    Avaleigh quickly threw on a coat and followed the young woman out while Danson remained behind to do a bit of work. He had never worked this hard in his life, but for some reason, he actually enjoyed it.


    Soon, Cleo and Avaleigh arrived outside a hip, modern cafe in the downtown of Shanghai. Over the years, Shanghai had developed into a huge metropolis and there were now a lot of international food options. This particular cafe was one that originated from Australia!


    Avaleigh looked at Cleo in surprise, "Are we eating here for lunch?"


    Cleo nodded her head and smiled.


    Avaleigh was a little hesitant and doubtful at first. The place looked well decorated with natural timber and plants, but from her experience with Macaron, healthy food was not tasty food, especially not when it was planned by the company. Above all, they never allowed her to eat much either.


    Even though her contract said that there were no strict diets, it did say she had to remain healthy. If she refused advice from her dietitian, would she be breaking her contract?


    Avaleigh shook her head quietly as she sat down.


    But, to her surprise, Cleo handed her a menu and said, "Pick one main and one drink. We can share an entree."


    Avaleigh looked at the menu. Everything looked delicious! And judging by the orders on the tables around her, the portion sizes were normal.


    "A-Are you sure?" she stuttered.


    "I''ve looked through their entire menu beforehand. You can order anything. It''s all tasty and good for you," Cleo smiled. "Besides, I will make sure that you do a decent workout afterwards," Cleo added with a wink.


    Avaleigh immediately flipped through the menu with excitement and her eyes fixed on a photo of a salad bowl. It contained pea and halloumi fritters, pumpkin pur¨¦e, shaved zucchini, smashed avocado and a poached egg!


    The presentation was beautiful, the ingredients sounded healthy, and it looked delicious.


    "I want this!" Avaleigh squealed with excitement. She then flipped to the drinks menu and quickly picked out a banana smoothie as well.


    Cleo pulled out a notebook and jotted it down.


    "What are you writing?" Avaleigh asked.


    "I''m keeping a food diary for you," she replied. "Everyone is different and they have a different metabolism. I want to keep track of what you eat and customize a plan that suits you."


    Avaleigh''s heart lit up when she saw this. Who knew the company would treat her so well!


    But, her heart lit up even more when she saw the food arrive. It looked even better than in the photos!


    She immediately grabbed her phone and started snapping photos of the food to share on her social media. How could she keep something so great to herself? She then took a photo of herself with Cleo and the food in front of them and posted it online as well. Underneath it, was a caption that read, ''Lunch with my new dietitian/chef/ personal trainer/friend! Here''s to a new start!''.


    As she put down her phone to dig into the food, likes and comments quickly flooded in:


    "Where is that cafe? I want to go there too!"


    "What are you eating today? It looks delicious!"


    "A new start? Are you making a comeback?"


    Avaleigh was so immersed in the food, she had no idea how popular her post was.


    Nor did she know how popular she still was...

 Chapter 370 - A True Influencer

    It took a few hours for the Mongolian Interpol to contact General Ganbat who was in the middle of training some new recruits in the army base. When the agents approached him on the running track and showed their badges, he resisted at first, but when they told him it was a matter of international security, he knew he had no choice but to go with them. He didn''t know what was going on and he didn''t know how he was involved, but he assumed they just needed assistance. He didn''t expect them to know about his involvement with The Organization. He had kept it tightly under wraps.


    As the agents sat him down inside one of their interrogation rooms, General Ganbat took a sip of water calmly and said, "I don''t understand why I am here."


    The Captain of the Mongolian Interpol sat down and looked at him with seriousness. "We are trying to track down an illegal criminal base in the Gobi Desert and we have been told that you know the location."


    General Ganbat tried to remain composed as he cleared his throat, "I don''t know what you''re talking about. Why would I know?"


    "Because you''ve been there before."


    General Ganbat shook his head and laughed. No one knew he had been to the base and the only person that was with him at the time was dead. These people were clearly lying. How could they possibly know?


    "I don''t know where you got this information from, but I have no idea what you''re talking about," the man smirked.


    An agent walked in at that moment with a laptop. It was connected to a video call and a woman was staring at him from the other end, "Hello, I am Trisha Hua from the Hong Kong/Macau branch of Interpol. We are looking for an illegal base in the Gobi Desert that is related to The Organization. We know you have been there before and we know you are involved. If you cooperate, we can make a plea bargain."


    The General looked at Trisha and began to feel a little nervous. However, he stuck to his guns and denied all involvement.


    Trisha knew what the man was thinking, but she also knew something that he didn''t know.


    "You must think we have no evidence to prove your involvement, but have you forgotten the man that you spoke to at the base?" she asked.


    The General began to look a little confused.


    "His name was Trojan... He told us all about you..." Trisha lied.


    The General began to move around restlessly in his seat.


    "I don''t know anyone by that name," he said stubbornly.


    Trisha smirked. She could tell that he was already beginning to believe her. So, she picked up her phone and called Halia. "Trojan, do you remember anything unique about the conversation you had with General Ganbat?" she asked, pretending that she was speaking to Trojan.


    Halia picked up the phone and immediately played along. She recalled the meeting between Trojan and the General and tried her best to remember what they had spoken about. As she concentrated, she remembered one particular conversation.


    "The General offered to make a traditional Boodog for Trojan with a goat from his farm called, Gerel," Halia recalled.


    Boodog was a traditional Mongolian dish that involved barbecuing an entire goat or marmot using heated stones inserted into the animal''s stomach. It was a very unique dish.


    Trisha repeated what Halia said and pretended she was speaking to Trojan. "You can''t deny it. Cooperate with us and you may get a lighter sentence."


    General Ganbat''s eyes opened wide in a panic. Apart from Trojan, no one knew about that conversation. It seemed, he had indeed been compromised. He wasn''t a part of The Organization, nor had he been involved with their crimes, he simply accepted some money to keep their base a secret and help them keep other authorities away. So, he finally gave up and decided to protect himself, "I will give you directions to the base, but you must not tell them that I gave you this information. I am not a part of them. I simply accepted a bribe to keep their base a secret. I don''t know what they do there."


    Trisha smiled and nodded her head.


    She then thanked Halia for her help once again and hung up the phone.


    After getting off the phone with Trisha, Halia returned to what she was doing. She was actually scrolling through social media and familiarizing herself with the different platforms. When she was an agent, she had no time for social media. Plus, her identity was highly confidential; she couldn''t afford to have a social media account. So, WeChat, Weibo, TikTok... All of this was completely new to her.


    After she sent back her feedback to the advertising agency, they had gotten back to her with names of some social media influencers in the food and alcohol industry. These influencers were better aligned to Fengtai''s brand and were cheaper, but Halia wasn''t familiar with social media and whether these ''influencers'' had enough influence.


    As she was scrolling through the accounts, she noticed some odd patterns. Some of the accounts seemed to have thousands of likes but not a single comment while some influencers just had a lot of followers but no activity on their posts. She wasn''t familiar with social media, but these numbers didn''t quite add up.


    When Natalie walked in and saw the perplexed look on her face, she naturally asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Halia showed Natalie what she discovered and Natalie nodded her head, "Some people buy likes and followers. It''s hard to find genuine accounts these days."


    Halia scratched her head, "Is there a way to find genuine content that is actually trending?"


    Natalie grabbed the phone from Halia''s hands and started pressing on it. She then flipped the phone back around and said, "Here are some trending food posts today."


    Halia scrolled through briefly and suddenly paused on one particular photo. She paused because she recognized one of the women in the photo. "Cleo?" she whispered under her breath. Cleo wasn''t just her neighbor in Beijing, she was also Max''s girlfriend. What was she doing in the trending section?


    But, when Halia clicked on the photo and realized who the woman sitting next to Cleo was, she was even more surprised. "Avaleigh Song?" she whispered again.


    Even though they had flown to South Korea to help Emerson because of this woman, she and Jackson had never actually met her in person.


    With interest, Halia began to scroll through the comments...

 Chapter 371 - Spokesperson

    Avaleigh was always a diligent person, so she ended up arriving nice and early for dinner. The director arrived around the same time and he quickly led her into a private room that he had booked at the restaurant. Inside, there were three round tables and some crew members were already sitting around one of them.


    "These are all the cameramen," the director introduced as he pointed to a table of fairly strong looking men. It was hard to carry a camera around all day, so they were naturally a little built.


    Avaleigh smiled and waved at the men. One particular man stood up and walked over to her, "I am assigned to follow you. I look forward to working together."


    Avaleigh shook the man''s hand thankfully. She knew how important the camera crew were, especially this man that was assigned to her. If he didn''t capture her properly, he could either make her look bad onscreen or have her parts completely edited out.


    Soon, the producers, writers, and the rest of the cast arrived.


    When Avaleigh saw the first cast member walk through the door, her eyes almost flew out of their sockets. She knew who this man was; practically everyone in China knew who he was. It was, Herbert Fang, he was a legend in variety shows and was the host of many popular programs. Never had she imagined working with him.


    But then again, based on the popularity of the same show in Korea, it was only fitting for the director to find someone of this calibre to lead the cast.


    Following closely behind, another 5 men gradually made their way into the room. Avaleigh didn''t know all of them, but they seemed to all know each other. After all, she was brought up in Hong Kong and spent most of her career in Korea, so the Chinese entertainment industry was a little foreign to her.


    The night started off a little awkward at first. Avaleigh was the youngest one there and she was the only girl so the conversations were a bit hard for her to join in with, but the men were extremely friendly and did not exclude her.


    "Avaleigh, can you tell me a little about yourself. I''m old and not very trendy, so I must admit that I''ve never seen or heard of you before," the oldest member of the cast said. This man was a senior in the industry but he had an easygoing and honest personality.


    The other men laughed. "Brother Na, you must have been living under a rock. Avaleigh''s one of the most popular Korean idols," one of the younger men said. Avaleigh recognized the younger man, he was a singer in China. She had heard a few of his songs so she quickly said politely, "I''m nothing compared to Brother Xie though. Your songs have helped me through many difficult times."


    Brother Xie quickly smiled, "No need to be so polite. You can call me Andy from now on."


    Avaleigh smiled and briefly introduced herself to the table in case anyone else didn''t know who she was. She also told them honestly about her current state and how she was only signed for 3 episodes, "I''m still unsure about how the audience will respond to me. I will try my best, but please don''t be disappointed if you don''t see me for a 4th episode."


    Herbert Fang looked at the young woman and patted her comfortingly on the shoulder. He had been in the industry for almost 30 years and had been through many ups and downs so he knew how she felt to be currently in a slump. But, he also knew there were blue skies ahead as long as she got over the current hurdle. "Don''t worry, you seem like a genuine person. The audience will see that. As long as you be yourself, we will help you stay on for a 4th, 5th...100th episode..."


    Avaleigh looked around the table as the men all smiled at her. Their smiles were kind, like older brothers looking at a younger sister and it made her feel warm. Oddly enough, it felt like she had returned to Macaron, except, all her members had now turned into men and she no longer had the stress of being a leader.


    Soon, the food arrived and everyone began to eat. Avaleigh looked at all the dishes and gradually filled her plate. Cleo did not give her a restricted diet, but she did explain to her what a healthy portion looked like. "Half your plate should be filled with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter can be filled with grains, pasta, and starchy vegetables, and the remaining quarter should be left for meats and legumes," Cleo''s voice played in Avaleigh''s mind.


    The men looked curiously at Avaleigh as she filled her plate and she explained to them that her dietitian had taught her how to eat healthily. The men looked at each other and started following her. "We are a team. We should stay healthy if we want to film many episodes together," Herbert said. The other men quickly agreed.


    Avaleigh laughed and grabbed her phone to take a photo of the plates. She then placed a post online with the words that Herbert had said, ''We are a team. We should stay healthy if we want to film many episodes together''.


    ...


    Over in Guiyang City, Halia was looking at Avaleigh''s social media account when she suddenly saw a new post pop up. It was a simple photo of dinner but comments and likes immediately flooded in. Halia was shocked. Every time she refreshed the page, more comments and likes showed up.


    "A team? Is Macaron reforming?"


    "Where are you eating? The food looks so good!"


    "Is that a standard portion at that restaurant?"


    "I want to be healthy like you, Avaleigh. Can you teach us?"


    Halia looked at the comments and smiled just as Natalie walked in to remind her that it was home time.


    "What''s with the smile on your face?" Natalie asked.


    Halia turned her phone to show Natalie what she was looking at. In a confident tone, she said, "I think I found our spokesperson..."

 Chapter 372 - The Rescue

    It was almost midnight by the time that the team in Mongolia followed General Ganbat''s instructions and located the base in the desert. The Captain had requested help from SWAT and gathered a team of 20 officers to search the base with him. Under Trisha''s instructions, he drove them straight out to the base without giving them any information until they arrived. That way, no one could pass on any warnings. After all, Trisha was still unsure if there were any corrupt agents in the Mongolian Interpol and the Captain understood; The Organization seemed to have people around every corner. He had crossed paths with them in the past too and they weren''t easy to deal with.


    The police vehicles stopped a short distance from the base behind a sand dune and the Captain led the team covertly towards their target. The Captain had a camera strapped to his head and he was live-streaming the situation to Trisha who was watching in Hong Kong with her agents. Even though he was the Captain, Trisha was actually calling the shots.


    "Hello everyone, this is Captain Hua from Hong Kong/Macau Interpol, you have been called out here today to assist in a search and rescue. We have two doctors from China that have been abducted and are currently being held inside this base against their will. Your main mission today is to find them and get them out of there alive. After you rescue them, your secondary mission is to take down the base and arrest everyone inside," Trisha explained through a microphone that was connected to earpieces that the officers had.


    The officers nodded with understanding as they received their mission. Finally, with a clear idea of what they had to do, the team split into three and started searching the base. They had to be careful if they wanted to keep the two doctors alive, so they didn''t just rush in and raid the complex. Instead, they hid quietly among the shadows.


    As it was almost midnight, most of the people in the base were getting ready to go to sleep in their own tents. There were only a few guards patrolling the place, but the base had been around for 6-7 years with no issues, so they weren''t on high alert. In fact, a few of the guards were even playing cards and gambling in the corner.


    Trisha watched anxiously as the Captain of the Mongolian Interpol snuck around and peeked into a few tents. Some were empty and some had people, but none of them looked like the two doctors. Moreover, the base was a lot bigger than expected, so it wasn''t easy to find the two men.


    Just as she was starting to lose her patience, a young male voice suddenly said in their earpieces with a whisper, "Team Two reporting, possible target acquired. We are standing outside a tent containing two Chinese males that fit the profile of the two doctors. How should we proceed?"


    Trisha''s eyes immediately lit up with hope. "Let me see them," she ordered.


    "OK," the Captain replied as he adjusted the camera on his head and started running across the base.


    Trisha watched the Captain race across the base towards the other team. He then checked his surroundings and slowly peeked into the tent. Trisha held her breath in anticipation. Had they finally found the two doctors?


    Sure enough, two Chinese men soon came into view. They were sitting restlessly inside the tent with exhausted expressions. There was one older gentleman and one younger one. As their faces came into view, Trisha jumped up to take a closer look. "Yes!" she screamed when she recognized their faces. "That''s them! Get them out of there immediately!"


    The officers heard the order and quickly did as told. They rushed into the tent and gestured for the men to hush, "We are here to rescue you..."


    Dr. Li and Dr. Ren looked at the officers in surprise but quickly realized what was happening. Finally, someone had come for them; they thought they would never be found. Before they knew it, two officers shielded them and rushed them out of the base. It was a smooth rescue with no issues; they walked out of the base just as easily as they had walked in. The Organization had been so arrogant that they put their guard down and did not expect their base to be found. But, after the two doctors left the base and the SWAT team surrounded the complex, the people inside finally realized their mistake.


    "You have been surrounded. Put down your weapons and surrender!" the Captain announced over a loudspeaker as a helicopter arrived overhead at that moment and shone a bright light onto the base. As he said this, he couldn''t help but smile. This was the highlight of his career; he was actually taking down one of The Organization''s bases!


    Boginya stepped out of her tent and squinted her eyes as she looked around in shock. There were men in bulletproof vests and helmets pointing guns at her and a helicopter circling above her head.


    "What''s going on?" she growled at the patrolling guards. How did they get surrounded without any warning? They were in the middle of the desert and they had a clear view from all sides. How did the guards not see such a big team of SWAT officers approaching?


    At that moment, she spotted some cards and money lying near the feet of the guards and she furrowed her brows as realization hit. "You f*cken pieces of trash!" she cursed.


    But, before she could punish any of them, the SWAT team ran in, handcuffed her, and dragged her out of the base...


    "You must be the infamous Boginya..." the Captain snickered as he restrained the woman.


    Over in Hong Kong, Trisha watched as Boginya was captured and finally breathed a sigh of relief as she sat back in her chair. They did it! They had saved the two doctors, taken down the base, and captured Boginya. She leaned over the microphone and said proudly, "Good job, team. Mission success."


    The other agents around her jumped up and cheered. It had been a tough week but it was finally over.

 Chapter 373 - A Simple Life?

    The raid in Mongolia was huge news for Interpol. Because it was such a big case with so many people involved and so much evidence, a special team was formed to specifically handle it. Every single person in the base was questioned, every single piece of equipment was checked, and every single lab note was studied.


    It took a long time to go through everything, but eventually, after 4 months, Boginya was officially sentenced to life in prison without parole. Interpol tried all different methods to convince her into revealing more about The Organization, especially the names of her co-founders and other members. They even offered a reduced sentence, but of course, Boginya did not reveal a thing.


    However, her capture spurred Interpol to place a higher priority on The Organization, and teams were quickly formed all around the world to take them down.


    Meanwhile, after the initial assistance she provided, Halia did as promised and tried not to get involved with crime-fighting again. Instead, she focused on running her father''s business and became especially involved in organizing their new advertising campaign.


    Halia had a good eye for people. She spotted Avaleigh just before she made a comeback and immediately contacted Emerson. As they were family, Emerson naturally trusted Halia and signed Avaleigh as their new spokesperson straight away.


    The day that their first commercial was broadcasted on television, it coincided with the first episode of Avaleigh''s variety show. As they had hoped, the variety show was a huge success and Avaleigh was a hit.


    She was easygoing, smart, friendly, and kind, and the nation immediately fell in love with her. The show naturally signed her on for another 50 episodes and her popularity quickly skyrocketed again.


    At first, everyone was confused that she was endorsing an alcoholic product. It seemed to contradict her healthy lifestyle and image. But, a certain live stream that she did with Cleo one day clarified everything and changed everyone''s views.


    That day was the day that she officially renewed her contract with the show. "Hi everyone, I want to share some good news with all of you! I have just been signed on for another 50 episodes!"


    Hearts filled Avaleigh''s phone screen as people started to click into her live stream.


    "Ava, we love you! We''re so happy that we get to see you on television now!"


    "Ava, you were so adorable in the latest episode."


    Avaleigh smiled as she saw the messages and likes.


    "I''m here with my dietitian friend, Cleo. We are about to celebrate with a healthy dinner. But first, I want to raise a toast to all my supporters and thank each and every one of you for sticking by me and making all this possible," Avaleigh lifted a shot glass of clear liquid.


    "What are you drinking, Ava?"


    "Is that alcohol?"


    Avaleigh looked at the questions and nodded her head. "This is the baijiu from Fengtai that I am currently endorsing."


    "Isn''t alcohol bad for you?"


    "How can you endorse such a product?"


    Avaleigh shook her head, "I don''t condone underage or binge drinking, but I must clarify that baijiu has many health benefits when drunk in moderation."


    Cleo nodded her head in agreement and stepped into the frame, "Just like red wine that has been proven to be good for the heart, baijiu contains various micronutrients that are good for speeding up blood circulation and improving the function of our cardiovascular and circulatory systems. Don''t forget that Chinese liquor is the base for many Chinese medicines. We simply need to learn how to drink it in moderation."


    Cleo then picked up a small shot glass of the liquid as well and clinked glasses with Avaleigh. "Let''s all wish Avaleigh good luck for the future," she said before she drank the baijiu in one go.


    Avaleigh drank her glass as well and smiled, "That was the perfect amount to warm up the body. Now, let''s get cooking..."


    This live stream ignited a new baijiu craze in China. What was originally deemed as liquor for the rich and old, suddenly became hip and cool. Many health programs and radio shows invited experts to discuss the topic and many agreed that, when drank in moderation, baijiu did have some health benefits. Problems only arose when people binge drank, which was common at banquets and dinner parties.


    Thus sparked a new appreciation for the liquor. People started to sit down and enjoy it slowly. Some bars even introduced c.o.c.ktail menus and some restaurants began to serve baijiu-infused food! The impression of the liquor completely changed, and Fengtai rose to the forefront of this new craze.


    Trying to stay morally responsible, Halia came up with some new and innovative ideas for the brand. They released smaller bottle options to prevent excessive drinking and they designed a new range of collector bottles so people could display the liquor on their shelves without feeling the need to drink everything in one go. She also experimented with pre-made c.o.c.ktails and infusing flavors into their baijiu to give it a different taste.


    She gave the company an entire facelift and it was a huge success!


    In the blink of an eye, 7 months passed since Halia and Jackson first moved to Guiyang City. At first, it was hard for them to leave everything behind and adjust to a completely different lifestyle. But, as time passed, they slowly settled down and made this new life work for them.


    Halia even found herself enjoying the role that she had at Fengtai; something that she never imagined she''d enjoy.


    Meanwhile, Jackson enjoyed his semi-retired life. Every now and then, he would call his various businesses around the world to make sure everything was running smoothly, but apart from that, he spent most of his time cooking dinner for his wife, keeping the house in order, and preparing for the arrival of their baby.


    After decades of being undercover, he deserved a simple life.


    "Don''t worry, Big Bro, the casino is doing well. You don''t have to worry about a thing," Emerson reassured over the phone as he spoke to Jackson. "Just enjoy your simple life..."


    However...life could not remain simple forever...


    Just as Jackson got off the phone with Emerson, his phone began ringing again. Jackson looked down at the caller ID and furrowed his brows. He hadn''t spoken to this person in almost 7 months...


    "Trisha? What''s wrong?" he asked in a serious tone.


    "Captain Wu, we have a situation..."

 Chapter 374 - Prison Break

    When Jackson heard Trisha refer to him as ''Captain Wu'', he knew she wasn''t simply calling him as a friend. It had to be something serious. But, why was she calling him when he had already retired from the force?


    "7 months ago, when we raided the base in Mongolia, there was something that I didn''t tell you and Halia about the case," Trisha confessed.


    Jackson listened quietly without saying a word as Trisha began to explain the purpose of her call.


    "I knew you were retired and I knew you didn''t want Halia to get involved with crime-fighting while she''s pregnant, so there were some details that I kept from you..." Trisha continued.


    "Back when we raided the lab notes and questioned Dr. Li and Dr. Ren, they actually confessed that they had shared some of their research with the doctors/scientists at the base..."


    When Jackson heard this, his eyes widened in shock. Trisha had simply told them that the doctors were rescued but she never mentioned that they had shared any of their technology. This was a serious problem. If The Organization got a hold of the Brain Tap technology, who knew what they would do with it.


    Trisha waited for a response but didn''t hear one, so she continued, "At that time, they didn''t know if we were coming for them and they were worried about the safety of their families, so they had no choice. However, they explained that they had only revealed the foundation of their studies before they were saved and thought the risk of The Organization figuring out the rest was low. We were hopeful that that was the case too. Until, last night..."


    Trisha cleared her throat and paused for a bit.


    "What happened last night?" Jackson asked. He could tell that Trisha had bad news.


    "There was an attempted prison break..." Trisha said quietly. "Boginya tried to escape..."


    "How?" Jackson furrowed his brows.


    "It was an elaborate plan that they must have worked on for the last 7 months. They deliberately got two of their people arrested last month, had them admitted to the same prison as Boginya, and they attempted to help her escape last night. The two women were smart, they knew everything about the officers and knew how to distract them and manipulate them. They even stole the keys to their cells and managed to unlock them last night. They knew the entire blueprint of the prison, they knew the exact schedule that the officers followed, and they knew all the blind spots to get past without being noticed," Trisha sighed.


    Listening up to this point, Jackson began to get impatient. "Are you telling me that Boginya escaped?!" he asked. If she did, then his wife was in serious danger. After all, she played a big part in Boginya''s capture.


    Fortunately, Trisha replied, "No, we were lucky. Another big incident happened last night that completely foiled their plan..."


    "Another big incident?" Jackson asked.


    "Yes," Trisha confirmed, "It was Trojan... He finally woke up..."


    Jackson continued to listen with curiosity. How did these two incidences collide?


    "As expected, Trojan woke up with permanent brain damage after 9 months in a coma. To be honest, we didn''t expect him to ever wake up. But, as soon as he woke up, he called out one particular name: Sofia. I knew immediately that he was referring to Boginya after what your wife had previously told me about their relationship. So, under compassionate grounds, I decided to have her escorted to see him. Of course, Boginya never expected this, nor did her two accomplices. When the officers arrived to fetch Boginya, they discovered her trying to escape. There was a big fight. The two women had smuggled in weapons and they were extremely good fighters, but they couldn''t hold up against the officers and were finally restrained. When I was notified about the attempted escape, something in my gut told me there was more to it. Following my instincts, I went to speak to the two accomplices. I wanted to see if any guards helped them and how they planned such an elaborate escape. But, something immediately caught my attention when I met with them..."


    "One of the women called out my name before I even introduced myself..."


    "I was certain that I had never met her before, yet she looked at me like she knew exactly who I was..."


    Jackson squinted his eyes with suspicion as a thought crossed his mind. "Brain Tap..." he whispered under his breath.


    "Yes..." Trisha replied with regret. "I thought the same thing so I immediately called Dr. Li and Dr. Ren. And, after some tests, Dr. Li confirmed this afternoon that the two women had indeed undergone Brain Tap surgery."


    "This means that The Organization has figured out the technology and has begun to use it..."


    Just as Trisha finished saying this, the front door to Jackson and Halia''s home opened. Halia had just returned from work.


    When Jackson saw his wife, he suddenly had a bad feeling he knew why Trisha had called. "Why did you call to tell me this?" he asked sternly. Trisha had no obligation to report this to him; he wasn''t her superior anymore.


    Trisha hesitated for a moment. "Well..." she stuttered. She knew Jackson wouldn''t like what she was about to ask, but she knew he would have been furious if she hid it from him.


    "I would like to ask for Halia''s help. I..."


    "No!" Jackson replied firmly before Trisha even finished speaking. He knew it!


    "Listen, Captain Wu, I have no choice. This is the best and quickest option..." Trisha pleaded. "I promise your wife won''t be harmed in any way."


    Jackson glanced at his pregnant wife as she waddled up to him like a cute little penguin with her round belly. How could he bear to let her get involved with something so dangerous?


    "No, I can''t allow it. There must be another way," Jackson was firm on his decision. There were plenty of people in Interpol, why did they have to bother his wife?


    Trisha bit her lip nervously. She was desperate.


    At that moment, Halia sat down and leaned in to give her a husband a kiss on the cheek. "Who are you talking to?" she asked with a sweet smile.


    As soon as Trisha heard Halia''s voice, she ignored Jackson''s disapproval and subconsciously screamed over the phone, "Halia! Help! The Organization has the Brain Tap technology!"


    When Halia heard this, she quickly grabbed the phone out of Jackson''s hand. "What did you say?!" she exclaimed in shock. "We have to stop them! How can I help?"


    Jackson looked at his wife dotingly and sighed. If he knew this was going to happen, he should have blocked Trisha''s number...

 Chapter 375 - BTA Captain

    2 days after the phone call from Trisha, Jackson and Halia ended up on a plane to Hong Kong.


    Although Jackson didn''t agree to it at first, Halia patiently explained the situation to him and he was eventually convinced into flying back to Hong Kong with her.


    "Dr. Li presented his research to the UN a few months ago. Although everything was a little delayed because of the incident with Boginya, the UN was impressed and decided to test the technology on an international organization like Interpol first. So, over the last two months, Dr. Li has been running memory tests on Interpol agents all around the world to find suitable candidates. After Boginya''s attempted escape, Trisha and Dr. Li agreed that these first few Interpol BTA''s should be sent to go after The Organization and they are in the process of transferring some of the top skills into them. However, they don''t have the experience that I have, and they don''t know how to access and search through a person''s memory quickly like I do. So, Trisha has asked me to help," Halia explained 2 days ago after she got off the phone with Trisha.


    "I will not be required to go out on the field. I will simply be working from the headquarters. She has even given me the title of BTA Captain. I will be doing exactly the same thing I did during Dr. Li and Dr. Ren''s kidnapping: providing directions and instructions," Halia continued.


    Jackson listened calmly and tried to look at the situation subjectively. As long as his wife wasn''t required to do anything physical, he could still understand, but one thing bothered him. "As I''m aware. Transferred memories and knowledge only remain in your mind for 3 months. It''s been 7 months since you''ve seen Dr. Li, so you are practically a blank slate now. How will you be of any help?" he asked suspiciously.


    Halia''s eyes darted guiltily as she replied, "Trisha has suggested to transfer Boginya''s memory into my mind... After all, she is a founder of The Organization and she knows the identities of all their members."


    Jackson had a feeling this would be her response. With a frown, he asked, "Does that mean you will be undergoing surgery in this state? What if something happens to the baby?"


    Halia smiled comfortingly as she rubbed her big stomach and held onto Jackson''s hand, "Dr. Li and Dr. Ren already assessed the risks. It will have no effect on the baby. Don''t forget, I''ve still got the wire attached to my head. It will be a simple, non-invasive transfer."


    In the end, Jackson sighed and agreed. But, he had one condition. He quickly picked up his phone and called Trisha back, "I want you to set up a command center at my Hong Kong apartment. You can get the key from my brother. Have it ready by the time we arrive in two days. Halia will work from home where I can protect her. I want her identity to be kept completely confidential."


    When Trisha heard this, she immediately agreed. As long as Jackson allowed Halia to help, she was willing to do anything.


    So, that was how the couple ended up on a plane to Hong Kong...


    ...


    Jackson''s apartment in Hong Kong was located in the same building as Emerson''s. In fact, it was the only two apartments on Emerson''s floor. Thus, Jackson left him the keys to check on the apartment every so often and dust it a little. Avaleigh had always been curious about this mysterious brother of Emerson''s, but she did not question him about it. She simply enjoyed the fact that they practically had no neighbors.


    When Emerson was asked to hand the keys to Trisha, he was a little surprised. He had met Trisha briefly when she helped to find Jaclyn so he knew who she was and who she worked for. But, he didn''t understand why his brother was giving his keys to this woman? Didn''t Jackson already retire from Interpol?


    But, what surprised him the most was when he saw her sneak into the apartment after midnight with some men and some boxes. This happened during one of the nights when Avaleigh was away for filming, so he was the only one that saw it. Of course, he did not reveal this information to Avaleigh because he knew it was likely confidential, but he couldn''t help but feel curious about his brother and Halia''s return. Those two were always full of surprises.


    So, on the day that Jackson and Halia moved into Jackson''s apartment, Emerson finished work on time, walked straight up to their door, and knocked on it.


    Originally, he expected his brother to open the door. But, to his surprise, a beautiful smile met his eyes instead; a smile that he hadn''t seen in 9-10 months; a smile that used to make his heart flutter. Now that he saw her again, it was like he was meeting a different person. She was no longer his first love, she was now his sister-in-law. Emerson was a bit surprised by the way he felt around her. He had loved this woman for over a decade, but all those feelings had disappeared and they were now replaced with completely different feelings that he couldn''t explain. Her smile still warmed his heart and her gaze was still comforting, but it was like seeing an old friend or a family member rather than attraction.


    "Haili..." he gasped in surprise. He still greeted her with her Chinese name like he always did.


    "Emerson, it''s been a while," Halia smiled.


    Emerson''s eyes subconsciously trailed down to Halia''s protruding stomach. It was so obvious that it was hard to ignore. Jackson had told him that Halia was pregnant, but he had not seen the couple since they signed their marriage papers and left on their honeymoon, so it was still surprising to see her stomach for the first time. Immediately, Emerson smiled back.


    "Do you want to touch it?" Halia offered as she rubbed her stomach.


    Emerson looked at the young woman and slowly stepped forward. With a smile, Halia grabbed his hand gently and placed it on her stomach.


    "Baby, this is your Uncle Emerson," Halia whispered gently. A moment later, as though the baby understood, there was a little kick against the surface of Halia''s stomach.


    Emerson jumped a little and chuckled in surprise. He then looked up at Halia and smiled. The little girl that he first met at his family''s mansion, the one that he had loved for over a decade, was about to become a mother. He suddenly felt like a proud older brother. Filled with emotions, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Halia, "I''m so happy for you, my dear sister."


    Just as he did this, the door to the elevator opened and there was a loud bang.


    Emerson instinctively glanced over in surprise.


    Standing just outside the elevator, Avaleigh was staring at the two in shock as her suitcase lay on the ground. She had just returned from filming in Shanghai to find her boyfriend hugging another woman!

 Chapter 376 - Meeting Emersons First Love

    For the last 7 months, Avaleigh had been flying to Shanghai every single week to film the variety show that she was a part of. Every now and then, they filmed two episodes in one go and she got a week off, but apart from that, the regular filming had become a part of her routine.


    During this time, Danson became really serious about his role and signed on a few other artists. He even wrote up a proposal and suggested that Emerson rent out a building in Central Hong Kong for him to hire people and scout more artists. Seeing his friend''s seriousness and analyzing the potential benefits and risks, Emerson took the suggestion and left the agency in Danson''s hands. With assistance from Morton''s legal firm and Marissa''s PR agency, AE Entertainment quickly became a rising newcomer in the entertainment industry and tripled in profits. Naturally, everyone grew curious about its mysterious CEO.


    However, Emerson kept his identity a secret as he continued to focus on his family''s casino business. He simply started the agency for Avaleigh, but he wasn''t actually interested in the entertainment industry.


    But, even though the business grew, Emerson did not hire a manager for Avaleigh. He still got Danson to personally support her because he was the only person he could trust to report directly to him. Thus, Danson and Avaleigh grew really close during this time. Every time Avaleigh flew to Shanghai, he would go with her and they would stay in the same apartment together. Of course, Cleo would be there too.


    Between filming, the trio had some interesting conversations. Sometimes, the girls would tease Danson about his love life (while being completely unaware that he was in a secret relationship with his stepmother), and sometimes, Danson would tease them about theirs. Naturally, Emerson''s first love was mentioned a few times...


    Avaleigh was too afraid to ask Emerson directly about his first love. She knew he had loved her for a long time and that he had given up on her because she got married, but she was afraid to hear any more details from his mouth. So, she asked Danson about her instead.


    "Her name is Haili Feng, but most people call her Halia. She is the heiress of Fengtai Corporation and she married Emerson''s brother, Jackson," Danson explained.


    "Fengtai Corporation?!" Avaleigh exclaimed in shock. That was the baijiu she had been endorsing. From what she knew, Emerson had recommended Fengtai to Danson and that was how Danson signed an endors.e.m.e.nt deal for her. Did he do it to help his first love?


    Feeling a little curious but also jealous, she looked up Halia''s name online but didn''t find many details. Apparently, she was very private and barely appeared in the public eye.


    Left with no choice, her only source of information was Danson.


    "Is she really beautiful? Is that why Emerson loved her for so many years?" she asked cautiously.


    Without holding back, Danson replied, "She''s gorgeous! Probably one of the most beautiful women I''ve ever seen. She has long legs, a perfect figure, a sweet smile, alluring eyes... Morton was interested in her at one stage too. Emerson has good taste in women, after all."


    He was indirectly praising Avaleigh, but of course, she did not realize this.


    At that moment, Cleo stepped in and heard their conversation. "Who are you guys talking about?" she asked nosily.


    "Haili Feng from Fengtai Corporation," Danson replied.


    "Oh, Halia, she was my neighbor in Beijing. She married one of my boyfriend''s best friends!" Cleo smiled. "Not only is she gorgeous, she''s also smart, kind, and really badass! I heard she knocked out your stepmother in a boxing match once."


    Danson cleared his throat awkwardly. He wanted to stick up for his woman, but there was nothing he could say. It was true that Halia had knocked her out.


    Avaleigh furrowed her brows. She never knew Cleo was connected to Emerson''s first love as well. Was this just a coincidence? Suddenly, she felt a bit like an outsider that had intruded into a circle of friends.


    As Cleo finished speaking, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her gallery to find a picture. Finally, she showed Avaleigh a photo she had taken with Halia and Jackson during their marriage ceremony.


    "Look, I was there when they got married. Isn''t she gorgeous?" Cleo said as she pointed to the bride.


    Avaleigh looked at the photo carefully and felt her heart sink. Halia was indeed very beautiful. When she thought Marissa was Emerson''s first love, she didn''t worry too much because she felt confident compared to her, but now that she realized Halia was actually Emerson''s first love, she couldn''t help but feel a little self-conscious. Worst of all, when she zoomed into the photo, she noticed Emerson standing in the background looking brokenhearted. His brokenhearted expression broke her heart.


    Even though Emerson told her he loved her and that he had moved on, seeing and hearing about Halia still made her have doubts. It was only natural. Especially since Halia was so mysterious.


    So, when she returned that day and saw Emerson hugging the woman from Cleo''s photo, just outside their apartment, she couldn''t help but react in shock. Her suitcase fell out of her hand and her entire body felt weak.


    However, Emerson looked at her and smiled. "Ava, you''re back! Let me introduce you to my brother and sister-in-law," he said as he walked over naturally and grabbed her hand.


    Avaleigh felt the man''s warm palm wrap around her fingers and gasped as he dragged her forward. There was no sense of awkwardness or guilt as he said proudly, "Haili, this is my girlfriend, Avaleigh Song." He then wrapped his arm around her waist and said dotingly, "Ava, this is Haili Feng, my sister-in-law, childhood friend, and the first love I told you about."


    Avaleigh was surprised by how direct Emerson was. It appeared as though he had absolutely nothing to hide and it gave her the confidence that she needed. Her heart immediately relaxed and a loving smile appeared on her face as she looked into his eyes.


    At that moment, a deep, charming voice said, "Stop referring to her as your first love. Aren''t you embarrassed?"


    A tall handsome man that had slightly similar features to Emerson stepped out of the apartment and placed a kiss on Halia''s forehead.


    Emerson saw this and followed with a kiss on Avaleigh''s forehead. "There''s nothing to be embarrassed about. I am a loyal and devoted person; once I set my heart on someone, I won''t change easily. If you ask me, I think that''s a great trait."

 Chapter 377 - Meeting The Team

    After the two couples briefly met, Emerson and Avaleigh returned to their apartment. As soon as they walked in through the front door, Emerson wrapped his arms around Avaleigh''s waist from behind and whispered beside her ear, "Sorry for not warning you about my brother and sister-in-law''s return. You looked a bit surprised earlier."


    Avaleigh sighed and turned around to face her man. How could she not be surprised? "How would you have felt if you saw me suddenly hugging my first love outside our apartment?"


    Emerson chuckled, "You wouldn''t because that guy was a jerk!"


    Avaleigh pouted. That was true. Her first love was a jerk that she never wanted to see again. Unlike Emerson''s first love who was smart, beautiful, and kind.


    Emerson understood what Avaleigh was thinking, so he placed a kiss on her lips and explained with seriousness, "It was very last minute. They suddenly told me they were returning 2 days ago, when you had just flown to Shanghai, so I didn''t get the chance to tell you. But, you need to trust me, that hug meant nothing. She is my sister now, and the child in her stomach is our future nephew or niece. I was simply happy for her."


    Avaleigh cleared her throat awkwardly and blushed a little; one particular sentence caught her attention, "What do you mean ''our'' future nephew or niece?"


    Emerson lifted Avaleigh''s chin and looked at her lovingly, "You know exactly what I mean." He then leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers again. This time, it was more passionate than before. This woman had absolutely nothing to worry about.


    As they pulled away from each other, Avaleigh looked into Emerson''s eyes and nodded with understanding. She could never be truly mad at him. "Why did they return so suddenly? Is something wrong?" Avaleigh asked with concern.


    Emerson furrowed his brows a little as he thought about Trisha and the men that snuck into his brother''s apartment. He knew Jackson and Halia''s true identities and had a feeling their return had something to do with Interpol, but he did not want to scare Avaleigh, so he simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "They''ve always been unpredictable like that."


    Avaleigh looked at Emerson with slight suspicion. There had to be more to the story than that. Otherwise, why would a pregnant woman suddenly leave her hometown and business to fly all the way to Hong Kong? She was much too far in her pregnancy to be simply here for a holiday. But, Avaleigh did not question Emerson. Now that they lived next door to each other, she had plenty of time to learn more about this mysterious couple...


    ...


    Meanwhile, next door, Jackson led Halia to a locked bedroom at the end of the hall. Apartments in Hong Kong were generally small, but Emerson and Jackson''s apartments were big and luxurious with 3 bedrooms each. After all, the two apartments occupied an entire floor in the building. The first two bedrooms in Jackson''s apartment were standard. One had a king-sized bed for the couple to share and the other had a double bed for a guest. Only the third one was a little different. Jackson unlocked the door to the third bedroom and said sternly, "This will be your office/command center while you are in Hong Kong. I want your identity to remain a secret as much as possible so don''t go wandering around the Interpol headquarters if you don''t have to."


    Halia stepped into the room and gasped in surprise. An entire wall was covered in screens and there was a microphone on a desk with a set of headphones. "Trisha set everything up. It should be ready to go."


    At that moment, Jackson walked up to the desk, pressed a power button and all the screens turned on. "Trisha said to log on at 8pm. That''s now." Jackson then led his wife to sit down on the seat in front of the microphone and helped her put on her headphones. He also sat next to her and put on a pair as well.


    A moment later, a voice said over the headphones, "Hello, can you hear me?"


    Halia immediately recognized the voice. It was Trisha. "Trisha, is that you?" Halia asked.


    Trisha smiled and quickly replied, "Yes. I''m glad to see that everything works."


    She then asked, "Agents? Are you also connected?"


    Halia looked up and noticed images appear on four of her screens. They were from four different locations. She then heard four voices, "Yes, connected and ready to take orders."


    Halia did not see any faces on her screens but saw four thumbs up. Two clearly looked like women, while the other two looked like men.


    "Good!" Trisha cheered. "Agents, this is your new Captain. You can call her Captain BTA. To keep her identity confidential, you will not be given her real name, but you can trust her with your lives. Captain BTA, these four agents are our first four BTA agents and they will be under your command from now on. They have transferred knowledge from our best fighters and smartest agents. I have left a stack of doc.u.ments on your desk with their details. You can familiarize yourself with them later. But, in case our communication gets intercepted in any way, they will be using code names from now on. Agents, introduce yourselves."


    A hand suddenly waved on one of the screens and a chirpy voice said, "You can call me Hummingbird, I am currently in Israel following someone that visited one of Boginya''s accomplices two days before their attempted escape."


    Right after her, another hand waved and a deep, manly voice said, "I am Sasquatch, I''ve been investigating people that worked with the officer that helped Boginya in Beijing to see if we have any other moles that work for The Organization."


    On a third screen, a slender male hand lifted a glass of red wine, "I am Wolf. I am currently in Russia, trying to see if I can get any leads on Boginya."


    Finally, a cold, feminine voice said, "I am Orca. I am currently in Mongolia investigating the base."


    Halia looked at the four screens and nodded her head with a pleased expression, "I''m looking forward to taking down The Organization with all of you..."

 Chapter 378 - Juliette

    After the call with her team of BTA agents, Halia remained seated inside the room and flipped through the doc.u.ments that Trisha left for her. There were four folders: one for each agent.


    Jackson leaned over dotingly and glanced at the folders. The first one was labeled, ''Hummingbird''.


    Halia opened it up and saw a photo of a young woman on the first page. She had long wavy red hair, light brown eyes, and she appeared to be around Halia''s age. Under her photo was her profile: Allison Jones, 27, Australian. Halia had thought that the woman''s chirpy accent was a little different but didn''t realize she was Australian at first. With interest, she flipped to the next page and started reading through the missions that the woman had been on. Allison was a sporty woman that worked for the Australian defense force at one point. When she was young, she was a champion in swimming, running, and even horseriding, and after she entered the defense force, she won a few marathons and shooting competitions. She had only joined Interpol a couple of years ago, but she had already cracked a few drug and weapon smuggling cases in Australia.


    2 days before Boginya''s attempted escape, a mysterious old woman that claimed to be a friend of Boginya''s accomplice had visited the prison. After checking the surveillance cameras and details of the visitor, Trisha discovered the woman was from Israel and found it quite odd. Firstly, why was she in Hong Kong, and secondly, why did she visit someone that was clearly there to attempt a prison break? Most importantly, they had yet to figure out how the two accomplices managed to smuggle weapons into the prison and the weapons used were ones they had never seen before. Since the accomplices were inside for 7 months and their cell was regularly cleaned, the weapons must have been smuggled close to the date of their escape from an outside source. This mysterious visitor was the biggest suspect.


    So, Trisha immediately sent Allison after her.


    According to the doc.u.ments, Allison was transferred fighting knowledge from one of the top fighters in Interpol and she was also transferred some weapons and drugs knowledge from an expert. At that moment, she was posing as a backpacker and was tracking down the woman in Jerusalem.


    "Israel is one of the top weapons exporters in the world, but it flies under the radar compared to Russia and Germany. I wouldn''t be surprised if that woman supplied their weapons," Jackson explained. "They have a lot of secret weapons that we don''t know about..."


    Halia looked at her husband and almost forgot that he had posed as a weapons dealer for many years. "Did you ever trade with Israel?" she asked.


    Jackson nodded, "My boss had a few dealings with them when I was in France, but Interpol had other agents in Israel so I did not overstep my boundaries."


    "If your agent is in Jerusalem, tell her to check Daisy Bar. I know a lot of weapons dealers enjoy meeting there," Jackson said before he stood up. "You should be hungry by now, let me go out and make you dinner."


    As Jackson stepped out of the room, Halia took Jackson''s advice and sent a quick encrypted message to Hummingbird, "Check Daisy Bar."


    She then picked up the second folder. This one was labeled, ''Sasquatch''. Just like his name suggested, this man was big, burly, and strong. He was the oldest out of the four agents at 35 and he had many years of experience with Interpol.


    He was from Hong Kong, so Trisha sent him to investigate potential local moles.


    As he was doing a simple investigation, Dr. Li only transferred fighting knowledge from the same fighter that they used for Hummingbird. This fighter was so impressive, that the remaining two agents were also transferred the same knowledge.


    Halia put down the second folder and reached for the third one. Just as she picked it up, Jackson returned to the room with a bowl of stir-fried egg noodles. "Here, have some food first," Jackson said dotingly as he placed the bowl in front of his wife.


    But, Halia was so immersed in the doc.u.ments in front of her that she ignored the food and proceeded to open the third folder. This folder contained the information for ''Wolf''. A young, handsome, and charming agent from Italy. This man was a sweet talker that cracked many undercover cases, especially when women were involved.


    Halia laughed. She had heard that Italian men were good with women.


    It was no wonder that Trisha had sent him to Russia to investigate Boginya''s background. This man could probably get information from anyone. Especially with the Russian language knowledge that Dr. Li transferred to him.


    Halia flipped back to the first page to have another look at the handsome Italian man. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and a neatly groomed beard and mustache. This man could be a really good asset.


    Jackson saw that his wife wasn''t eating and noticed her staring at the man''s photo. With a frown, he picked up her bowl and started feeding the noodles into her mouth.


    Halia subconsciously ate as she picked up the last folder. "Orca," she whispered to herself. What an interesting code name. The name ''Orca'' sounded pleasant and beautiful, but when one considered the other name for an orca, they would realize it wasn''t as innocent as it sounded; orcas were also known as killer whales!


    Orca was currently in Mongolia with some transferred IT knowledge to aid her in her investigation of the base that Interpol had raided.


    As Halia flipped through the woman''s information, Jackson slipped another mouthful of noodles between her lips and she ate it subconsciously again. Jackson laughed dotingly and glanced down at the doc.u.ments. That was when he noticed the photo attached to the doc.u.ments in front of her.


    "Juliette?" he exclaimed.


    He recognized the woman.


    Halia frowned. She knew about Amelie, but who was this woman and why did Jackson look so pleased to see her?


    Finally, she picked up her bowl of noodles and began to eat it as she looked at her husband curiously. Meanwhile, Jackson picked up the folder and started flipping through it with interest. "Wow, she did so much since I last saw her," he said in an impressed manner.

 Chapter 379 - Boginyas Memories

    The next morning, Avaleigh and Emerson woke up nice and early and decided to have breakfast outside before they each headed to work. Thanks to Emerson, Avaleigh''s career was saved (even though she was still unaware that he was the boss of AE Entertainment), so she had a busy schedule, but she never neglected her relationship with Emerson and never deliberately tried to hide it. Whenever the media asked her if she was in a relationship, she nodded her head with honesty, and whenever they asked her who her boyfriend was, she simply told them he wasn''t in the entertainment industry and that she''d like them to respect her privacy. The media were persistent, but they were still human. Avaleigh had a good relationship with them and they saw how genuine she was, so naturally, they did not bother her. Besides, they had plenty of other gossip to chase, especially gossip involving celebrities that they didn''t like.


    That day, just as they stepped out of their apartment, Halia and Jackson happened to step out at the same time.


    At first, Halia and Jackson did not see the couple.


    Jackson had one arm around his wife''s waist while he supported her with his other hand dotingly and he had an extremely loving look in his eyes. Even though they were married, his love for his wife never stopped growing.


    Avaleigh looked at them with admiration. One day, she wanted to be just like them.


    After her chat with Emerson the previous night, she was no longer jealous of Halia, instead, she wanted to be a good girlfriend that got along with his family. After all, she also hoped that Halia''s baby would be ''their'' future nephew/niece. So, she saw this as an opportunity to get to know the couple better and stepped forward with a friendly smile, "Oh, what a coincidence!"


    She then glanced at Emerson lovingly and said, "Emerson and I are heading out to have some breakfast. Would you like to join us?"


    Emerson smiled at Avaleigh with satisfaction. This was the kind and understanding woman that he had fallen in love with.


    But, to their surprise, Jackson actually turned down their invite, "We have something important to do today. Perhaps, another time."


    He then glanced at Emerson with deep meaning, checked his watch, and said, "We''ve got to get going. See you around."


    Emerson immediately knew that his suspicions had been right. They were definitely back because of an important mission and they were probably heading to Interpol at that very moment. Otherwise, Jackson''s words wouldn''t be so mysterious and cryptic. But, Avaleigh stood there dumbfounded as Jackon hurried his wife into the elevator. Before she got the chance to respond, the elevator door closed and they disappeared from their sight.


    Avaleigh stretched out her hand when she realized what had happened, "Wait..."


    She then looked at Emerson with disappointment, "We could have caught the same elevator, at least..."


    Emerson patted his girlfriend on the head and laughed. He was used to the unconventional actions of this mysterious couple, but Avaleigh needed some time to adjust to it.


    "What could have been that important that they didn''t even have time for breakfast?" Avaleigh pouted. "The baby needs to eat too..."


    Emerson laughed and kissed the cute woman on the lips. He wanted to tell her the truth about his brother and sister-in-law, but what could he say? He couldn''t possibly tell her that Halia and Jackson were probably out saving the world. So, he simply said comfortingly, "They probably had breakfast already and are heading out for a check-up at the hospital. Don''t forget that Halia is due in a couple of months. I''m sure they have a lot to prepare."


    Avaleigh''s face relaxed and a smile finally returned to her face. "You''re right. That must be it. Now that I think about it, we should get them some gifts for the baby. Let''s do some shopping after breakfast," she suggested.


    Emerson nodded and pulled her forward just as another elevator arrived.


    ...


    Technically, the lie that Emerson told Avaleigh was actually right. Jackson and Halia were indeed heading to the hospital. They even went to the obstetrics ward and told the nurse at the reception desk that they were there for a ''check-up''. But...they weren''t actually there because of the baby, they were there because of Halia''s brain.


    The moment the nurse led them into the doctor''s office, a familiar face smiled back at them.


    It was Dr. Ren. Now that Interpol was officially using the Brain Tap technology, he and Dr. Li had been officially transferred to Hong Kong with their families.


    "Dr. Li is waiting in the operating theater with Boginya," he said. They had drugged Boginya''s food that morning and transferred her out of the maximum-security prison to the operating theater in the hospital without anyone noticing.


    He then helped Halia onto a bed, covered her with a blanket, and pushed her inconspicuously towards the theater while Jackson followed beside them.


    Thanks to the wire they had previously attached to Halia''s head, the memory transfer was easy and painless for her. Moreover, Dr. Li was well prepared and already had Boginya ready for the transfer as soon as Halia entered. In less than an hour, Halia could already see the various new memories in her head and tried to focus on one. Since they were in Hong Kong, she tried to see if Boginya had contacted any moles in Hong Kong and China apart from the officer in the Beijing Police Department that was now captured.


    Immediately, a pair of hands holding some fake passports and train tickets came into view.


    "I knew I could trust you," Boginya''s voice laughed as she opened one of the passports and nodded her head with satisfaction.


    As she flipped through the pages, Halia noticed the photo inside the passport and gasped. It was Dr. Li!


    These were the fake passports that Boginya used for the Trans Siberian Railway!


    "I''ve also contacted my guys in immigration and told them to help you through the borders without suspicion. Call me again if you need anything," a soft female voice replied. Boginya smirked and slowly lifted her head.


    In front of Halia''s eyes, a woman came into view. Although she had a cap and surgical mask on, Halia noticed some scars on the woman''s hands that looked like cuts from a knife. She immediately pulled herself out of the memory, grabbed Jackson''s hand excitedly and said, "Let''s get back to the control center! I need to contact Sasquatch!"


    Sasquatch was investigating local moles and he was in Beijing at that moment so she had to tell him about the lead that she got.


    After a 7 month break, she still had it in her!

 Chapter 380 - Scars

    Sasquatch was spying on some customs officers when he received a call from an encrypted number. He was a bit surprised at first; he knew it had to be his new captain. But, why was she calling him?


    Sasquatch was 35-years-old and he had almost 10 years of experience with Interpol. When he was offered the opportunity to become one of the first BTAs in the world, he was actually very excited. He thought, after all his years serving Interpol, he was finally being recognized. He even thought he could try for the position of captain.


    But, to his surprise, one week after his surgery, Trisha sent him straight to Beijing and told him his new captain would get in touch. He tried to understand Interpol''s decision and convinced himself that they must have found someone with extensive experience to lead the team. However, when he heard Halia''s voice the previous night, he was shocked to discover that she sounded really young. In fact, he was pretty certain that she was younger than him. He didn''t want to be a close-minded person, but he couldn''t help but have his doubts.


    He turned on his earpiece and said without any particular emotion in his deep voice, "Hello."


    Halia was a little taken aback by the man''s emotionless tone. It almost sounded a little cold and unwelcoming. But, Halia brushed it off and assumed that he was simply serious when he was working.


    "Sasquatch, I have a lead for you. I want you to search through immigration for a woman in her 30''s-40''s with multiple cuts on her hands," Halia instructed. "She may be in a position of power or someone that''s been working there for a long time."


    "Multiple cuts?" Sasquatch questioned, "As in 3-4 cuts?" This was such an odd thing to look for. Firstly, why was she being so specific about this particular detail, and secondly, it wasn''t uncommon for people working in law enforcement to have cuts on their hands. He had quite a few himself. Was this a joke?


    But, to his surprise, Halia replied, "No. Multiple as in 20-30 cuts. Have you ever heard of scarification?"


    Sasquatch furrowed his brows in surprise and replied, "No, what is that?"


    "It is a common practice among some small tribes around the world, especially in Africa, whereby scars are deliberately left on a person''s body through cuts to create a pattern or a form of branding," Halia replied. She had come across it on a doc.u.mentary she once watched.


    "I suspect this woman has been branded. The cuts on her hands are thin and each cut is about the same length. They couldn''t be accidental," Halia explained.


    Sasquatch listened with confusion. How did she know all this? But, he did not question her. "OK, I''ll see what I can find," he replied before he looked up the immigration office and went to search for the woman that Halia described.


    After she hung up with Sasquatch, Halia glanced at her own hands and frowned. She understood that scarification was a tradition in some tribes, and was even seen as a form of beauty and identity, like tattooing, but she couldn''t imagine how a woman in China would end up with scars like the ones she saw in Boginya''s memory. In her memory, even Boginya shuddered a little at the sight of it. Scarification was not common in China at all. In fact, it was practically unheard of. Who put those scars on her? Or did she do it to herself?


    At that moment, she heard a voice in her mind, "Damn, Amun. I can never understand his fetishes..."


    Halia''s eyes grew wide. It was Boginya''s voice. She was remembering something that Boginya thought. "Amun?" she whispered. Who was Amun? Did Amun leave those scars on this woman?


    She then called Trisha, "See if Boginya can tell you anything about someone known as Amun?"


    Trisha furrowed her brows, "Amun? OK, I''ll get right on it."


    ...


    Over in a little local Hong Kong cafe, Avaleigh and Emerson were seated in the back corner enjoying their breakfast. They came to this cafe at least once a week and the staff knew them well. They also recognized who Avaleigh was so they always gave them the seat in the back where they got a bit more privacy. The show that Avaleigh filmed in China hadn''t really picked up steam in Hong Kong, but she was still very famous from when she was in Macaron. Although people recognized her, they simply asked for autographs and photos every now and then without preventing her from living a relatively normal life in Hong Kong. Thus, she never tried to disguise herself or hide Emerson.


    However, she didn''t realize that a certain paparazzi had followed her back from Shanghai this time...


    Mainstream media and reporters generally left Avaleigh alone because she was so kind and genuine, but this man was a freelancer who was desperate to make some money, so he didn''t care. Especially since he was already guaranteed money just to follow her. A couple of days ago, a mystery person had offered him money to follow Avaleigh. They even bought him plane tickets from Shanghai to Hong Kong and offered a bonus if he managed to find something that could make it onto the headlines.


    The paparazzi sat a few tables down from Avaleigh and Emerson and placed his camera casually on the table like he was just a tourist. However, his camera was pointed directly at the couple and the record function was on.


    Completely oblivious to the paparazzi, Avaleigh and Emerson enjoyed their breakfast like they always did while the man watched with interest. Was this Avaleigh''s boyfriend?


    The couple was discreet. Apart from chatting, eating, and smiling at each other, they didn''t do anything that was obviously affectionate. After all, they lived together; they didn''t have to display their affection publicly when they had plenty of opportunities to be affectionate at home.


    However, the paparazzi did notice one odd reaction from Emerson. Emerson and Avaleigh had both ordered the same food, but Emerson suddenly prodded the egg on Avaleigh''s plate and swapped her egg with his halfway. The paparazzi watched and realized that the egg from Avaleigh''s plate was undercooked and Emerson had swapped it with one that was fully cooked.


    Avaleigh frowned, clearly unhappy that he did this, but Emerson shook his head and insisted that she couldn''t have the undercooked egg.


    The paparazzi watched on with curiosity. Why was he so adamant about the egg. Was there a reason why Avaleigh couldn''t have raw eggs?

 Chapter 381 - Amun

    Avaleigh pouted at Emerson and said, "I like having my eggs a little raw. Why did you take it away from me?"


    Emerson furrowed his brows, "Cleo called me yesterday and said you had a bit of an upset stomach while you were filming in Shanghai. She said you were filming a food episode and you may have eaten something that was a little bad and got minor food poisoning. The other members of the cast also felt a little unwell. So, no raw eggs for you until you recover."


    Avaleigh scrunched up her nose. Since her food poisoning wasn''t that bad, she thought she could hide if from Emerson. Who knew, Cleo would betray her...


    But, then again, she still had no idea that Emerson owned the entertainment agency she was signed to, so it was Cleo''s responsibility to report all issues to Emerson.


    She reluctantly shoved the fully cooked egg into her mouth and waved for the waiter. "Let''s pay and go shopping before you head off to work," she mumbled. They had agreed to buy a gift for Jackson and Halia''s baby, so she needed to allocate as much time as possible to that.


    But, as soon as she stood up, her stomach began to churn. Emerson was right, she hadn''t fully recovered yet. Looking a little embarrassed, she excused herself and ran off to the toilet.


    A short moment later, she returned looking a little pale and Emerson wrapped his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "Are you sure you still want to go shopping?" he asked.


    Avaleigh nodded her head stubbornly.


    With a doting look in his eyes, Emerson rubbed her stomach and led her out of the cafe.


    Meanwhile, the paparazzi watched with suspicion in his eyes as he grabbed his camera and ran out after the couple.


    The couple turned the corner and entered a department store nearby as the paparazzi followed behind. It was early in the morning and the department store had just opened, so there were barely any people around. As soon as they walked in, Avaleigh looked at the directory and started dragging Emerson towards a particular department.


    The paparazzi followed with curiosity and discovered that Avaleigh had dragged Emerson to the baby section! His eyes immediately lit up. Bingo! "She must be pregnant!" he whispered to himself. This was huge news! He could already imagine the headlines: ''Innocent ex-idol pregnant before marriage!''


    He quickly grabbed his camera and started snapping photos excitedly. "I''m going to get a fortune for these photos," he laughed greedily.


    Avaleigh had no idea that someone was taking photos of her. After all, she had nothing to hide, so there was no reason for her to be wary. She grabbed a little pink tutu and asked, "Do we know if it''s a boy or a girl yet?"


    Emerson shook his head, "My brother and Halia want to keep it a surprise. They said they would be equally happy no matter if it''s a boy or a girl."


    Avaleigh frowned, "That makes it difficult to shop for them. I guess we''ll have to buy neutral items."


    She then started to look at some white and beige jumpsuits for newborns.


    Emerson nodded as he watched his girlfriend shop with excitement. Women always seemed to get excited by the thought of babies, even when the child wasn''t their own, but men were different. Sure, they would love their own child, but other people''s kids did not excite them in the same way. So, Emerson simply pulled out his credit card, handed it to the sales assistant, and said, "Whatever she picks out, put it on my card."


    The sales assistant held onto the card nervously and nodded her head. Emerson had handed her an American Express black card! She had heard of this card before, but this was the first time she was actually holding one in her hands. This card was available by invite only and was the most prestigious credit card in the world! Who was this man? Why did he have this card?


    Not too far away, the paparazzi also noticed this card and his mouth opened wide in shock. "I''ve definitely hit the jackpot," he snickered.


    ...


    Meanwhile, over at the maximum-security prison, Trisha walked in with a stern look on her face. Due to Boginya''s attempted escape, she was now moved to an isolated cell underground that had to go through multiple security checks; an area that was usually reserved for highly dangerous criminals that could not be allowed to socialize with other prisoners.


    Normally, when a prisoner had visitors, the guards would take them out of their cell to a monitored room where they could talk. But, clearly, this was not feasible for Boginya because a previous visitor had somehow smuggled weapons in for her. So, one could only visit her at her cell now and they had to sit a fair distance back.


    As Trisha sat down, she felt a bit like Clarice Starling visiting Hannibal Lecter in ''Silence of The Lambs''. And just like Hannibal Lecter, she still had a certain confidence and charm to her even though she was dressed in a prisoner''s uniform.


    "Agent Hua, what brings you down here?" she asked with a thick Russian accent.


    "Amun," Trisha said straightforwardly. "Can you tell me about him?"


    Boginya laughed. "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "The woman that made you the fake passports in China, she had scars on her hand that were made by Amun, right?" Trisha probed.


    Boginya did not respond. She tilted her head to one side and started brushing her long blonde hair and checking her nails. Even though she was in her forties, she was still a very attractive woman.


    "It''s a shame that you will be stuck down here forever where no one can see you. It must be hard to be down here with nothing but your own thoughts, eating the same food every day, wearing the same clothes, and seeing the same four walls," Trisha sighed.


    "I''m sure that anyone else in your position would not be able to handle it. If I was you, I would be exchanging information for better conditions. After all, I can''t reap the benefits of The Organization from down here anyway..." Trisha said casually.


    However, Boginya continued to ignore her. She had sworn loyalty to the other two founders, so she couldn''t betray them.


    But, Trisha suddenly said something that made her a little uncomfortable. "I heard The Organization always kills those that get caught, especially if they reveal something. I wonder what Amun would think if we reveal that we know about him? Would he think that you gave us his name...? Perhaps, we should give it a try..."


    Boginya sneered, "Don''t forget. You''re the one that put me into maximum security. How will anyone kill me down here? I''m in the safest place on earth!"


    Trisha shook her head and replied, "I can always take you out of maximum security..."


    Trisha watched as Boginya''s eyebrows twitched a little. Boginya was stubborn but Trisha was confident that she would be able to eventually make her talk. So, she did not wait around. She smirked, patiently turned around, and left Boginya to think about the situation on her own.


    As soon as the door closed behind Trisha, Boginya clenched her fists and threw her hairbrush on the floor. No! Amun would never doubt her like that! He would never send someone to kill her...


    ...would he?

 Chapter 382 - The Immigration Office

    Sasquatch looked up at the big immigration office in front of him. The immigration office was owned by the government so technically, Interpol could have contacted them directly for information about their employees, but clearly, it was hard to know who to trust these days, so Halia had asked Sasquatch to do some investigating on his own first.


    Sasquatch walked into the busy office that was located in central Beijing and looked around. A young woman approached him and asked nervously, "Can I help you?"


    Sasquatch was tall, burly, and he had a stern look on his face, so the woman felt a little intimidated. It wasn''t the first time that Sasquatch received this kind of reaction. "I lost my passport, so I was wondering if I could speak to someone about it," he said calmly.


    The young woman nodded her head and quickly led Sasquatch over to some counters. "You can speak to one of the people in this department. This is your number. They will call you when it is your turn," she said as she handed him a little slip with the number 108 on it.


    Sasquatch thanked the woman and went to sit down.


    He glanced up at the number screen to check how far in the queue he was: they were only up to 82! How long would he have to sit there? Government agencies were always slow, no matter where in the world one was.


    He sat in the front row of the waiting area and scanned his eyes across the counters. There were 5 counters in total: 2 were being served by men and 3 were being served by women.


    He wasn''t actually there to get a new passport so he had no reason to just sit around and wait. He stood up, walked up to one of the women, and asked, "Excuse me, where is the bathroom?"


    As he asked this, he glanced down at the woman''s hands. The woman had long manicured nails like a witch, but no cuts on her hands. While the woman pointed to the left and said, "It''s just down that corridor," he quickly took a look at the other women behind the counters.


    One woman was writing something on a piece of paper with her smooth and delicate hands. Clearly, she was not the person he was looking for. The other woman was old and wrinkly with age spots, but she had no signs of cuts either. All three of these women had no cuts. In fact, it almost seemed like they had never even stepped foot into a kitchen or held a knife.


    It was certainly comfortable to work for the government.


    Furrowing his brows, he stepped away and began to walk down the corridor to the bathroom. Perhaps, he had been too simple-minded to think that a passport forger would be working in the passport department of the immigration office. Maybe, she worked in a different department.


    He peeked into a few of the offices as he walked down the corridor. Some offices were occupied and they seemed to be discussing serious matters like visas and migration, others were either empty or the person inside was focused on their computer.


    Just as he walked past one particular office, the door happened to open and a young woman stepped out. The woman seemed to be in a rush and accidentally ran into him. "Watch where you''re going!" she said fiercely as she bent down to pick up some doc.u.ments that she dropped. Sasquatch looked down at the woman and lifted an eyebrow. He was just walking straight; she was clearly the one that ran into him. Why was she throwing the blame onto him?


    "You''re the one that ran into me," he said sternly. "I think you should apologize." Sasquatch had spent most of his life in the military and Interpol, so he was a straightforward person with a one-track mind. In his world, right was right, wrong was wrong. If someone did something wrong, they had to apologize.


    The woman scoffed and stood up with an arrogant look on her face. "Why were you standing so close to my door? Look how wide the corridor is!" she said stubbornly, refusing to admit any wrongdoing.


    Clearly, there was no such thing as customer service in the government departments. After all, they weren''t selling anything. On the contrary, people came to them every day begging for help. So, this woman seemed to have a bit of a power trip.


    Sasquatch glanced behind the woman to check the name on the office door: Lotus Li, HR manager.


    "Ms. Li, if we were cars and you entered an intersection without looking when I was already driving through it, who do you think is at fault?" Sasquatch reasoned.


    The woman rolled her eyes. "I don''t have time for this," she sighed with annoyance. She then adjusted the glasses perched on her nose and started walking away.


    That was when Sasquatch suddenly noticed that the woman was actually wearing gloves. Sasquatch glanced down at himself. Although it was the end of winter and the weather hadn''t completely warmed up, he was only wearing a t-shirt and a light windbreaker. Was it that cold that she had to wear gloves?


    He suddenly felt the urge to remove her gloves and see if she was hiding any cuts underneath.


    Sasquatch looked at the woman with suspicion and noticed she was also wearing a scarf. Without thinking, he tugged on the scarf and yelled, "Wait!"


    The sudden tug caused the woman to stop in her tracks and lose her balance. Before she knew it, she began to stumble backwards. Unable to regain her balance, she closed her eyes and waited to feel the impact against the hard tiled floor.


    But, to her surprise, a pair of strong muscly arms caught her. Lotus slowly opened her eyes and looked at the man. It was Sasquatch, he had caught her. However, her eyes quickly burned into a fiery rage, "Why did you suddenly pull me back like that? I could have fallen on the floor or choked! Were you trying to kill me?"


    "Security!!!!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

 Chapter 383 - Dinner With The Wus

    Halia was sitting in her room trying to see if she could recall anything else about the mysterious ''Amun'' that Boginya mentioned when there was suddenly a knock on the front door. She and Jackson weren''t expecting any guests so she peeked her head out to have a look as Jackson went to open the door.


    A moment later, she heard a familiar voice. "Since we didn''t get to have breakfast today, Emerson and I were wondering if you''d like to have dinner tonight?" Avaleigh asked.


    Halia smiled and stepped out of the room when she realized who it was.


    "We would be more than happy to," she replied before Jackson got the chance to say anything. Back in Guiyang City, Halia had overheard some conversations between Jackson and his brother about Avaleigh. Apparently, Emerson loved her so much that he opened an entertainment agency just for her. Of course, prior to that, she couldn''t forget that Emerson had also asked Jackson to go after a killer that was related to Avaleigh in Korea. As his sister-in-law, she couldn''t help but feel a little curious about this woman. So, dinner was the perfect opportunity to get to know her better. They could test her and see if she was genuine. After all, she and Jackson were professionals at interrogation and they were a good judge of character.


    "That''s great, apart from food that''s not allowed during pregnancy, is there anything that either of you don''t eat? Or is there anything you''re really craving?" Avaleigh asked politely. Emerson had already headed to work so she was standing there on her own and she suddenly felt a little nervous. The couple had an oddly intimidating presence...like the police...


    She still remembered how she felt when she was suspected of Mimi''s death, and these two gave off a similar vibe to the police that interrogated her. How strange...


    But, from what she knew, Jackson was a businessman that owned shares in multiple businesses and Halia was the director of Fengtai Corporation. Perhaps, her nerves were just getting to her.


    Jackson shook his head. "We aren''t picky eaters," he replied.


    Avaleigh smiled and nodded, "OK, I''ll prepare something and see you at 7pm tonight. You can come to our place when you''re ready."


    She left excitedly and quickly returned to her own apartment.


    That night, Emerson returned home right on time to help Avaleigh plate the food that she had cooked. He was used to her cooking and was always impressed by what she managed to make, but of course, she repeated a lot of her dishes. After all, they had been together for several months now; she couldn''t possibly cook something different every single day. But, as Emerson looked at the food on the dining table, he was surprised to see dishes he had never seen before.


    Avaleigh looked at Emerson with slight embarrassment, "Do you think they will like this food? It''s my first time making it."


    Emerson scanned his eyes across the table and nodded his head. This woman was more thoughtful than he could ever imagine.


    At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Halia and Jackson had arrived.


    As soon as they opened the door, Halia sniffed the air and smiled, "I smell something sweet and sour." Pregnant women often craved sweet and sour food and she was no different.


    Avaleigh nodded her head and explained, "I made you a pork knuckle, black vinegar, and ginger stew. It is a traditional Cantonese dish that we make for pregnant women. It is highly nutritional and great for both you and the baby. Plus, it''s delicious."


    Halia walked over to the dining table and looked at the earthenware pot that was sitting on top of it. She lifted the lid and the fragrance wafted into her nose. She immediately felt like she could finish the entire pot.


    "Did this take a long time to make?" Halia asked as she looked at the earthenware pot. Normally, stews cooked in pots like this took a long time.


    Avaleigh shook her head modestly, "Traditionally, people would let this stew overnight, but fortunately, I have a pressure cooker, so it sped up the process."


    Emerson wrapped an arm around his girlfriend and said proudly, "She started making this as soon as she returned from breakfast!"


    As soon as she returned from breakfast? Halia started counting in her mind. That meant, the stew took, at least, 7-8 hours!


    Avaleigh quickly waved her hands, "Don''t listen to him. He''s making it sound like hard work. I simply left it there to stew. The longer you stew it for, the stronger the flavors. Some people make huge pots and eat it for weeks. Come, sit down, I''ll scoop out a bowl for you," Avaleigh smiled as she began to serve the stew for Halia.


    Halia glanced at Jackson and smiled. She could see why Emerson loved her so much. Avaleigh was an amazingly thoughtful person.


    But, Jackson remained indifferent as he sat down. He needed a little bit more to feel impressed. After all, she was still nothing compared to his wife.


    However, the moment he sat down, he noticed a particular dish on the table. "Is that ratatouille?" he asked in surprise. He hadn''t seen this dish since Max cooked it in their restaurant in Marseille.


    Avaleigh nodded her head, "I heard that Cleo''s boyfriend is your good friend, so I asked him for a recipe that you really like..."


    Jackson immediately dug his fork into the dish to have a taste and smiled when the familiar flavor entered his mouth. It tasted almost the same as the one that Max made. This dish meant a lot to him. It reminded him of the struggles that he, Max, Kevin, and Rowan went through in France. Those were some tough years.


    He nodded his head with satisfaction and looked at his brother with approval. "When are you going to marry her?" he asked straightforwardly.


    Avaleigh immediately blushed and almost choked on the glass of water she had just lifted to her lips. She couldn''t believe how direct this man was.


    Halia giggled when she saw Avaleigh''s reaction. When it came to love, Jackson was never one to mess around.


    Perhaps, this was something that ran in the Wu Family''s blood. Emerson looked at his brother and sister-in-law proudly, pulled Avaleigh closer to him, and said cryptically, "After her ring arrives."


    Avaleigh glanced up at Emerson in surprise. Ring? What ring?

 Chapter 384 - Lotus Li

    Sasquatch sat outside the immigration office with frustration. Earlier on, the security guards actually listened to Lotus Li and kicked him out, so he was left with no choice but to spy on the office from a distance.


    Every time a woman walked out, he would stare at their hands to see if there were any cuts, and when they noticed him, they would glare at him like he was a pervert. However, Sasquatch didn''t care. He had a mission and he was going to complete it. At least, he wanted to prove to his new Captain as well as the rest of Interpol that he was a highly capable agent; perhaps, they would regret not picking him as Captain instead.


    But, as the office emptied out and the sky started to turn dark, he still did not see anyone that resembled Halia''s description. Was she giving him false leads? Did this woman even exist?


    It was the end of winter and the daytime temperatures were pleasant, so Sasquatch only wore a t-shirt and a light windbreaker, but now that the sun was setting, he was beginning to feel the icy coldness.


    He blew into his hands to warm them with his breath and continued to wait. He was not giving up until the last person left the office.


    Finally, around 7pm, the lights of the office turned off and the last few people stepped out. That was when Sasquatch saw Lotus Li again. As well as her gloves and scarf, she now had a huge coat on her body. He glanced at her gloves and furrowed his brows. "It has to be her," he whispered to himself, "Everyone else has already left. She must have cuts hidden underneath those gloves." He had already looked at the hands of every woman that walked out of the building and none of them had any cuts; she was the only one left.


    He watched as Lotus crossed the street to the subway station and quickly followed her. He had to follow her and find a chance to remove her gloves. As it was still peak hour in Beijing, the subway station was extremely busy so Sasquatch couldn''t just grab her in front of everyone. Thus, he decided to follow her to her destination and find a quieter opportunity to strike. His gut told him that she had to be the one. But, just as he followed her onto one of the platforms, she suddenly started running.


    "Wait!" she screamed when she saw there was already a train on the platform.


    Sasquatch immediately realized she was running for the train, so he quickly sped up his pace to follow her.


    Fortunately, the two of them squeezed onto the train, just as the door closed.


    Sasquatch breathed a sigh of relief. He almost lost her. How embarrassing would that have been? He got frustrated just thinking about it. The Captain would have been disappointed in him and she probably would have laughed at him behind his back.


    Just as he thought this, he looked around to check where Lotus Li was and realized - she was standing right in front of him!


    The train was packed, so he had run on right behind her and his chest was practically touching her back! Fortunately for him, there was no room for her to turn around. If she realized he was standing right behind her, how would she react?


    Sasquatch carefully peered over her shoulder to see where her hands were and saw that she had pulled out her phone. He secretly cheered on the inside; she would have to remove her gloves to swipe the screen. But, just as he saw her tug on one of her gloves, a man cleared his throat and nudged him. Sasquatch looked at the man. He was glaring at him like he had done something wrong.


    "That''s not very appropriate," the man warned, trying not to make a scene if he didn''t have to.


    Sasquatch looked at the man in confusion and quickly realized that it looked like he was trying to look down Lotus Li''s chest. After all, s.e.x.u.a.l harassment was common on packed trains like this.


    He quickly waved his hands and whispered, "You''ve misunderstood..."


    But, before he got the chance to explain, the train pulled up at a stop and Lotus started to walk off. Sasquatch quickly followed her again as she put her gloves back on and put her phone away. He had missed his chance!


    Feeling a little frustrated, he followed her out of the station and across the road. He thought she was heading home and would eventually turn into somewhere quiet, but to his surprise, she ended up walking into a big gated complex. Sasquatch looked at the sign: it was an orphanage!


    He watched with curiosity as the woman waved at the staff and walked straight inside like she was a regular visitor.


    After a moment of hesitation, he knew he had to follow her inside. But, how? The security and staff weren''t going to let some random person into the orphanage. What if he was a s.e.x.u.a.l predator/pedophile?


    Sasquatch scanned his eyes across the building and saw a fence with some cameras. For the average person, a fence like this would be hard to jump over, but for him, it was a piece of cake. With a sigh, he pulled out a device from his pocket. He had a signal blocker for moments like this. All he had to do was press it and the cameras would go blurry for 30 seconds. Enough time for him to get past without being noticed and to not create a stir.


    He looked left and right to make sure no one was around, and, as soon as the coast was clear, he pressed the blocker and jumped over the fence effortlessly.


    The guards in the security office saw the screen go blurry, but by the time one of them asked, "What''s wrong with that camera, should I go check on it?" the screen returned to normal and they simply brushed it off as a glitch.

 Chapter 385 - Morocco

    Avaleigh looked at Emerson nervously. Was he planning to propose to her?


    Emerson smirked. He knew what she was thinking but he was going to leave her hanging. She was so cute when she was nervous. How could he resist teasing her?


    "What''s this other dish that you made?" he asked with curiosity as he changed the subject and lifted the lid off a stone pot. As soon as the lid was removed, a unique fragrance of spices filled the room.


    Emerson was a foodie that liked to try new food so Avaleigh always tried to find new recipes whenever she could. Today, she came across an interesting Moroccan dish that was perfect for the cold weather and nutritious for pregnant women.


    Halia sniffed the air. Her senses were particularly heightened. She had never had this dish before but she could smell the different ingredients that were in it and it somehow felt familiar. "Coriander, c.u.min, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, garlic, ginger, onion..." she smiled with her eyes closed.


    Avaleigh looked at Halia in surprise, "Have you made chicken tajine before?"


    Halia opened her eyes and shook her head as she looked at Avaleigh. She had never eaten anything that even resembled this dish. With a puzzled expression, Avaleigh scooped a spoonful into a bowl and passed it to Halia, "Here, have a taste and see what you think."


    Halia accepted the bowl and started eating from it. The chicken was tender and the warm and complex flavors danced across her tongue; it was a new, yet familiar experience. She closed her eyes for a moment to savor the flavors. They were unique, unlike anything she had ever eaten before, yet there was a nostalgic feeling that swept through her body.


    She swallowed and opened her eyes again. But, to her surprise, she was no longer in Avaleigh and Emerson''s dining room. The chicken tajine had, somehow, triggered a memory! She scanned her eyes in front of her and realized she was sitting at a table outside a busy restaurant - all by herself. In front of her, was the culprit of this memory: a chicken tajine served in a traditional conical tajine pot. She stretched out her hand to taste a spoonful and the flavors exploded in her mouth. Although the flavor was similar to the one that Avaleigh made, this was incomparable. After all, Avaleigh had simply followed a recipe.


    Halia looked around at her surroundings. The temperature was hot and the air was a little dusty but the locals were still working hard in the sun. She had never been to a place like this before, but she quickly figured out that she was sitting in the middle of a busy ancient medina! The only thing that told her she was still in the 21st century was an iPhone that a man was talking on a few tables down.


    The man appeared to be a local and he was speaking French. It confused Halia for a moment. Did they have medinas in France? She shook her head; this place looked nothing like France.


    Halia tried to piece together the clues in front of her to figure out where she was, but right at that moment, a man with a donkey suddenly walked past in front of her and shoved a piece of paper into her hand. Halia was surprised but Boginya simply smiled and looked at the paper calmly; she had been expecting that man.


    Written on the paper were some numbers. Halia looked at the numbers with curiosity. But, before she figured out what they meant, Boginya swiped her phone, typed the numbers into her maps app, and a pin dropped onto a location that was not too far from where she was. They were coordinates!


    She smiled, took another bite of her chicken tajine, and started weaving her way through the medina. It was a shame that she couldn''t finish it.


    As she passed by some shops, the shopkeepers waved their goods in front of her face and tried to convince her to buy something. But, she ignored them and continued walking.


    "Hello, over here, buy here!" a woman smiled.


    "Where are you from?" a man asked, trying to start a conversation.


    "I have beautiful rugs. I can do a special deal for you," another woman waved.


    Finally, one man said something that caught Halia''s attention, "Hello, beautiful lady. You come to Fez, you must buy leather!"


    Fez? Halia latched onto this one word as Boginya continued walking forward like she didn''t hear a thing. If she remembered correctly...Fez was in Morocco!


    That was right!


    The sights, the sounds, the smells, and the tastes were consistent with what she had heard about Morocco. So, Boginya had been to Morocco before.


    But...who was she meeting and why was she being so secretive. Also, was there a reason why she was suddenly having this memory apart from the fact that Avaleigh had cooked a familiar dish?


    Just as Halia was thinking this, Boginya turned a corner and found herself in a dead-end. She checked her map and frowned. "This is the right place, but where''s Amun?" she whispered to herself.


    Amun? Halia''s eyes grew wide. That name again. Did that mean...Amun was in Morocco?!


    At that moment, a deep voice said behind her, "Sofia..."


    Boginya smirked and turned around. But, just before she saw the man''s face, a voice pulled Halia back to reality. "Halia! How does it taste?" Avaleigh asked with a big smile.


    Halia glanced at Jackson with an odd look in her eyes and he immediately realized why she had suddenly dazed off.


    "It''s delicious," Halia replied, just as Jackson leaned into her ear and whispered, "Did you see something?"


    Halia watched as Avaleigh smiled at Emerson proudly and started feeding him some of the food she cooked. She then pulled out her phone to take some photos of the meal and share it online.


    While they were preoccupied, Halia turned her head slightly and whispered back to Jackson, "Amun''s in Morocco..."

 Chapter 386 - Dont Mess With The Wus

    Halia decided to quickly pop by home and update Trisha; this information was too important to delay. But, just as she was about to stand up, Avaleigh suddenly gasped, "What''s this?!"


    Halia and Jackson lifted their heads and looked at the woman in surprise.


    Avaleigh glanced at the couple awkwardly as she held onto her phone. "Sorry, I just saw something surprising," she apologized.


    "What''s wrong?" Halia asked with genuine concern when she saw Avaleigh''s expression.


    "I posted a photo of our dinner online and people are suddenly congratulating me on my pregnancy..." she said with confusion. Of course, apart from congratulatory messages, there was also a lot of scolding. Just as she was scratching her head and wondering what was going on, Danson suddenly sent her a link and told her to look at it.


    "This article was posted 3 hours ago," his message read.


    Avaleigh clicked into the link and was immediately shocked by the huge headline: ''Gold Digger 101: Ex-idol Falls Pregnant Before Marriage!''


    Attached to the article were photos from that morning of her and Emerson shopping for baby items, as well as photos from the previous ''misunderstanding'' that she had with Emerson on the metro. The paparazzi claimed that she was a scheming, calculative person that had been planning to latch onto Emerson from the first time she met him and that the last scandal they shared was simply covered up with lies. He even wrote that he witnessed Avaleigh with morning sickness during breakfast!


    Halia walked around, looked at the article as well, and raised an eyebrow. She didn''t know Avaleigh that well, but from the sincerity that she showed that day, she was certain that she was not a bad person. Plus, she trusted Emerson''s judgment.


    "Avaleigh had a minor case of food poisoning from Shanghai," Emerson quickly explained, hoping that his brother and sister-in-law wouldn''t misunderstand as well. He then pulled out a bag from underneath the dining table and handed it to Halia, "Avaleigh insisted on getting a gift for your baby this morning so we did a bit of shopping. We didn''t expect a paparazzi to be following us."


    Halia accepted the gift and looked at Avaleigh with guilt. She had been misunderstood because she was shopping for her and, on top of that, she was busy preparing for dinner all day even though she was sick. "You did all this even though you were feeling unwell?"


    Avaleigh forced a smile on her face, "I feel perfectly fine."


    Halia frowned. Messing with Avaleigh meant they were messing with Emerson. Messing with Emerson meant they were messing with Jackson. And, messing with Jackson meant they were messing with her!


    "Don''t worry, I will make sure to repay your gift. I''ll be right back," Halia said as she stood up and stepped outside.


    Avaleigh looked at Halia worriedly. "What is she doing?" she asked Jackson softly.


    Jackson smirked and glanced at his wife, "Showing the paparazzi not to mess with the Wus..."


    Avaleigh looked at Emerson questioningly and he reassured her not to worry, "Eat. Your sister-in-law has your back."


    Avaleigh didn''t quite understand, but she did as told and started eating as she stared at the door.


    Over in Halia and Jackson''s apartment, Halia rushed into her secret office and immediately contacted Trisha. "Did you discover something new?" Trisha asked as soon as she picked up.


    Halia smirked. This woman was starting to read her mind. "Amun''s in Fez, Morocco," she replied.


    Trisha nodded her head, "I''ll speak to Boginya about it again and see if I can get anything from her."


    Halia agreed, "I also suggest that we send Hummingbird to Morocco since she hasn''t found anything in Israel and she isn''t too far away. Perhaps, she''ll find something in Morocco instead."


    "OK, we can speak to her after this," Trisha replied. "If that''s all..."


    Just as Trisha was about to hang up, Halia suddenly added, "One more thing..."


    "I would like to ask for Oliver''s help with a private matter..."


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Beijing.


    Sasquatch tiptoed across the grounds of the orphanage he had just snuck into. The sun had already set by this time and it was cold outside, so everyone was indoors and no one saw him. The orphanage was fairly big with multiple buildings surrounding a grassy field in the middle. At this time of night, the lights were off in most of the buildings, but one particular building was shining brightly amidst the darkness.


    Sasquatch followed the light like a moth to a lightbulb and finally realized it was the dining hall. That''s right! It was dinner time!


    Sasquatch rubbed his stomach and it grumbled a little; he didn''t even notice that he hadn''t had dinner yet.


    He peered in through a window and saw three long dining tables, fully seated with children of various ages. They were laughing and talking to each other as they waited for their dinner to be served.


    A moment later, the kitchen door flew open and a woman walked out carrying a tray with a few plates of food on top. She smiled sweetly at the children and said, "We are having spaghetti bolognese today!"


    The children clapped and cheered as the woman began to place the plates in front of them.


    Sasquatch looked at the woman carefully and was surprised to discover that - it was Lotus Li!


    Was this the same cold and arrogant woman that he met in the morning?


    He was so shocked that he could barely even close his mouth. But, he quickly snapped out of his daze and reminded himself what he was there for. He focused his eyes on the woman''s hands to see if there were any cuts. For some reason, he was certain she would have them earlier, but he wasn''t so sure now. In fact, he kind of hoped that she didn''t. How could a passport forger that worked for The Organization be so kindhearted as to volunteer at an orphanage?


    But, when he looked carefully at her hands...he realized she was still wearing gloves! She had removed the pair from earlier, but because she was serving food, she was wearing rubber gloves for hygiene.


    Sasquatch sighed. How much longer would he have to follow this woman just to see her hands?

 Chapter 387 - Bernard

    Sasquatch watched from outside the window for a long time before Lotus finished serving all the meals. All the while, the same sweet smile remained on her face.


    By now, Sasquatch was almost 90% certain that he had wasted his time and followed the wrong person. But, he couldn''t make any assumptions. So, he continued to endure his hunger and waited a little longer.


    As the kids ate happily, another volunteer walked in and said, "It''s your turn to have dinner. I''ll clean up after them and we can tuck them into bed together after."


    Lotus nodded her head and started walking out of the dining hall.


    Sasquatch smiled. Did that mean she would be finally on her own? All he needed were a couple of minutes to pull off her gloves and look at her hands. If he confirmed that it wasn''t her, he could just jump back over the wall and never see her again.


    With this thought, he started following Lotus down the corridor. As her high-heeled shoes clopped against the floorboards, Sasquatch tread lightly behind, trying not to make a sound. He was a burly and heavy man, hence the name, Sasquatch (Big Foot), but he was actually very nimble. With the extra martial arts knowledge that he had been given, he was so light on his feet that he could practically tread on water.


    He was quite impressed by the Brain Tap technology as well as his own skills.


    But, just as he thought he was being really stealthy, he followed Lotus around a corner and found her standing there staring at him. "Why have you been following me?" she asked bravely.


    Sasquatch stood there dumbfounded. How was he to respond?


    "I saw you outside the immigration office and on the train..." Lotus said as she narrowed her eyes with suspicion. "Why are you here? Who let you into the orphanage?"


    As soon as Sasquatch heard this last question, he thought of an idea, "I''m a new volunteer here. It was just a coincidence that we were on the same train. I was at the immigration office earlier trying to get a new passport. I swear I didn''t follow you."


    Lotus was still a little suspicious but she knew the orphanage had strict entry rules and no one was allowed inside unless they had clearance. So, she began to let down her guard. But, she also remembered that she had kicked this man out of immigration earlier, so she was still a little cautious of him.


    Sasquatch sensed her hesitation, so he added casually, "I''m headed to the staff room to have dinner. What about you?"


    Lotus turned and started walking again as she replied, "Me too." Her sweet smile had disappeared again and she had transformed back into the cold, arrogant woman that he met earlier. But, she decided to trust him - for now.


    Sasquatch breathed a sigh of relief and followed behind.


    After they entered the staff room, she disappeared straight into the kitchen.


    While she wasn''t around, Sasquatch scanned the room to see if there were any cameras and discovered it was very private. He could do anything to her in here and no one would know. With a slight smirk, he sat down on a sofa and waited for her to return.


    But, to his surprise, a plate of food suddenly appeared in front of him. "You must be starving," Lotus said as she handed him a fork and a spoon. Like the kids, the staff also had spaghetti bolognese for dinner. Sasquatch licked his lips and sighed on the inside. Since he had already been waiting so long to remove Lotus'' gloves, he may as well eat this spaghetti first and wait a little longer. He couldn''t waste this food. Especially when he was indeed starving.


    With a thankful nod, he grabbed the fork and spoon and took a bite of the spaghetti. It was better than he imagined.


    As he was enjoying his meal, Lotus asked with suspicion, "Why did you decide to volunteer here?"


    Without thinking, Sasquatch replied, "Because you''re here."


    Lotus looked at him in surprise. She knew it! This guy was a stalker!


    Realizing what he said, Sasquatch quickly waved his hands and explained, "I meant, I''m here because of the same reason why you''re here! Sorry, I was speaking with my mouth full and it didn''t come out clearly."


    "Same reason why I''m here?" Lotus asked questioningly.


    "Yes, aren''t we both here because we want to contribute to society?" Sasquatch asked.


    Lotus laughed, looked down, and shook her head. "You''re wrong... I''m not here to contribute to society," she whispered.


    Sasquatch furrowed his brows, "Then, what are you here for?"


    Lotus looked into Sasquatch''s eyes like she had a story to tell, "I''m here to protect them from society..."


    After saying this, she fell quiet and focused on eating her spaghetti. Meanwhile, Sasquatch wondered what she meant by these words.


    Soon, both of them finished their dinner with satisfaction. Sasquatch glanced at the time and realized it was 8:30pm. He had been following this woman for almost 8 hours! It was time he completed the mission he was there for. He glanced down at the rubber gloves that were still on her hands and asked, "Why are you still wearing the gloves. Aren''t they uncomfortable?"


    Perhaps, he could get her to voluntarily remove them without using force...


    Lotus glanced down and smiled, "I''m used to wearing them. Besides, I still need to wash the dishes after this. It''s annoying to pull the gloves on and off."


    "Here, hand me the gloves, I can wash the dishes for you," Sasquatch offered as he reached for her hands.


    But, just as he was about to touch them, a voice said from the doorway, "The kids are finished eating. Let''s wash the dishes and get them to bed." It was the other volunteer. He looked at Sasquatch with suspicion and asked, "Who are you?"


    Lotus stood up and started walking to the door. "He''s a new volunteer," she explained.


    She then turned back and looked at Sasquatch with a smile. It was the first time that day that she directed a smile at him and it surprised him a little. "By the way, what''s your name?" she asked.


    A little fl.u.s.tered, Sasquatch felt himself blush as he subconsciously replied, "Bernard."

 Chapter 388 - Worthy Information

    It was past visiting hours in the maximum-security prison, but as the head of Interpol, Trisha was an exception. So, when she showed up to see Boginya, the guards nodded with respect and quickly led the way to the underground cell.


    It was the second time that day that she was visiting this prison. She didn''t expect to return so soon...neither did Boginya.


    As Trisha walked in, she noticed Boginya chewing on her nails, obviously looking less comfortable than she did that morning. For a moment, she wondered if her words that morning had actually made the woman a little nervous.


    But, as soon as Boginya saw Trisha, she quickly pulled her hand away from her mouth and sat up calm and confidently as usual. "Why are you back so soon? Are you that desperate for information?" she laughed smugly.


    It was true that Trisha''s words earlier had gotten to her a little. She knew how The Organization worked. Anyone that was captured, was killed. They had already shown her mercy by trying to help her escape once. They weren''t going to waste resources on trying it again. But, would they actually kill her? Who would dare kill her? She was one of the leaders of The Organization and an ex-KGB agent. Even if they put a price on her head, who would take that risk. If one wanted to survive in prison, wouldn''t they want to get on her good side instead? So, after much thought, she dismissed all doubts and insisted on keeping her mouth shut.


    But, to her surprise, Trisha looked at her and laughed as well. "I''m simply here to give you one last chance to cooperate before we find out everything ourselves and you become useless..." she said in a carefree manner.


    Boginya glared at Trisha and ignored her as she grabbed a book. Lately, she had been reading science books. Especially ones about the human brain...


    Trisha smirked and sat down on a chair opposite the cell. "We''ve discovered that Amun is in Fez, Morocco..." she said as she watched the woman''s face for the slightest reaction.


    Boginya''s eyebrows twitched a little but she did not look up.


    "What is he doing there? What is his real identity?" Trisha asked. "We will find out sooner or later, but if you help us speed up the process, I can make sure that you live comfortably down here for the rest of your life. I''m sure you''ve thought about what I said earlier. If we release you back upstairs, I wonder how long you''ll survive."


    Boginya put down the book in her hands and looked into Trisha''s eyes, "If you release me up there, I will become their boss and have plenty of people to serve me for the rest of my life. After all, they know who I am and they''re afraid of me. Who would dare to touch me?"


    Trisha smirked, "I wonder if they will be more afraid of you, or more afraid of the person that ends up killing you..."


    Trisha knew how the prisons worked. It was just like an ancient kingdom where the person that killed a king would naturally take their throne. Did Boginya really think she could hold onto the throne forever? She had the biggest target on her head!


    Boginya started to look a little fl.u.s.tered as she thought about what Trisha said.


    Knowing that she had gotten to Boginya, Trisha stood up calmly and said, "Since you''re so confident with yourself, I guess I should stop wasting my time here... This will be the last time I visit you..."


    She then turned and started walking to the door.


    But...just as she reached it, a voice called out behind, "Wait!"


    Trisha smirked.


    "If I tell you what I know, what will I get in return?" Boginya asked in a hesitant tone.


    Trisha looked into the woman''s plain cell. All she had was a mattress, a hole in the ground for a toilet, and a desk with some books.


    "How about a television and a sitting toilet?" Trisha offered.


    Boginya pointed to the chair opposite her cell, gesturing for Trisha to sit back down.


    "What I''m about to tell you is worth more than that. How about a softer bed and a quilt as well," she negotiated.


    Trisha sat down on the chair and crossed her legs, "Let me hear what you have to say first and I''ll decide if it''s worth it."


    Boginya looked at Trisha confidently. Her information was definitely worth it. "Amun...is one of the other leaders of The Organization..." she said.


    Trisha leaned back with a pleased expression, "That is indeed worthy..."


    ...


    Meanwhile, back at the orphanage, Lotus and Sasquatch had just finished washing the dishes and were getting ready to tuck the children into bed.


    Because of the cold weather, Lotus had her scarf and gloves back on from earlier that day.


    Sasquatch watched as Lotus patiently tucked each of the children in. Some wanted hugs, some wanted kisses, and some even wanted to hear lullabies. He dazed off for a moment as he watched her. For some reason, she seemed so genuine that it warmed his heart. If he had children one day, he would want a wife that was as patient and loving as Lotus to tuck them into bed...


    Wait a minute!! Why was he even having this thought? His cheeks began to heat up with embarrassment.


    Sasquatch quickly shook his head and snapped out of his daze. That was it! He had enough! The moment they left this orphanage, he was going to grab her, remove those gloves by force, and get on with his mission instead of having ridiculous thoughts.


    At that moment, a little voice beside him said, "Bernard, I''m not feeling well..."


    Sasquatch glanced down at the child that was tugging on his shirt. The child looked a little weak. Sasquatch leaned over and placed his hand on the child''s forehead with concern. He then compared the temperature to his own forehead. Did the child have a fever? Because of his embarrassing thoughts a moment ago, his temperature was a little hotter than usual, so he couldn''t tell.


    But, just as he furrowed his brows with uncertainty, a soft, gentle voice suddenly said beside him, "Let me check..."


    Sasquatch watched as Lotus walked past him with a comforting smile. For a moment, he was mesmerized by her angelic presence. But then...


    ...he saw her slowly remove her gloves...

 Chapter 389 - Underneath The Gloves

    Sasquatch held his breath. For the first time that day, he was finally about to see Lotus'' hands and he didn''t know what to expect.


    The unpredictable woman slowly slipped the gloves off and placed them on the child''s bedside table. She then pressed her left hand to her forehead and put her right hand on the child''s cheek with a serious expression.


    From the foot of the bed, Sasquatch ran his eyes across both hands and almost choked.


    Scars...


    Her hands were indeed covered in scars! Just as Halia had said, these scars were left from thin, deliberate cuts, like some kind of branding...


    Sasquatch was horrified!


    Normally, when Sasquatch caught a criminal, he would feel hatred and disgust, but today...he actually felt pity and sympathy. How did Lotus have these scars? Why did she have these scars? Who gave her these scars?!


    "Oh, sweetie, you''ve got a fever," Lotus said softly to the child in front of her. She then looked at Sasquatch and asked gently, "Bernard, can you help me get some medicine while I fetch a towel and some warm water?"


    Sasquatch snapped out of his daze and nodded his head. Regardless of who she was, he couldn''t make a scene in front of the children and frighten them. So, he tried to remain composed as he walked over to the medicine cabinet.


    When he returned, he saw Lotus sitting beside the child''s bed, wiping his face with some warm water. "It must be the cold weather," the other volunteer said quietly as he walked over to Sasquatch and saw him looking at Lotus. "Lotus recently donated some money to have the heating system in the orphanage upgraded. They''re planning to install it in the next few days."


    Sasquatch wasn''t that afraid of the cold, so he didn''t take notice earlier, but the orphanage was relatively cold. He looked around and saw the other children huddled up in bed with thick clothing. The other volunteer also had a down jacket on, even though they were indoors.


    Suddenly, it no longer seemed so strange that Lotus was walking around with a scarf and gloves all the time.


    He was actually the strange one in his t-shirt and windbreaker.


    Sasquatch glanced at Lotus again. This woman actually donated her money to the orphanage! He was already viewing her differently to the criminals he had dealt with in the past, now that he knew what she did for the orphanage, he suddenly felt bad that he was about to arrest her.


    But...he was a professional... He knew what had to be done. If she was a passport forger that worked for The Organization, no amount of charity work could excuse her for what she had done. So, he pulled out his phone and sent an encrypted message: ''Woman with scars located. Send back up.''


    ...


    Halia was back in her secret office when she received Sasquatch''s message. Dinner was amazing but she had serious work to do, so they did not stick around for too long. Avaleigh was a little disappointed but she did not force the couple to stay. She simply offered for them to take the pot of pork knuckle, black vinegar, and ginger stew to eat for the week. Halia really enjoyed it, so she did not refuse. She was truly impressed by Avaleigh and already treated her like family.


    Halia read Sasquatch''s message and immediately contacted Trisha to send a small team to Sasquatch''s location. While they were on the phone, Trisha revealed what she had learned about Amun from Boginya. "Amun is one of the other founders of The Organization. His real name is Ali Gamal and he used to be an agent for the Egyptian State Security Investigations Service (SSI) which got dissolved in 2011 after a revolt. That agency did not have a good reputation and was widely detested, so even when he was working for them, he was already running The Organization on the side in secret. According to Boginya, he has his own secret base in Morocco where he is practically treated like a king. The founders agreed not to question each other''s methods as long as they made money for The Organization and helped it grow bigger and more powerful, so she''s never actually investigated what goes on inside Amun''s base. Just like the way that her base in Mongolia was a complete secret, she has no idea of the exact location of Amun''s base. Every time she met him, it would be at a different spot within the Fez medina and he would blindfold her before taking her to his base. However, she does know that he''s narcissistic and likes to brand his people with cuts. She said that if we find one of his people, we may be able to find him."


    Halia nodded her head, "Let''s hope Sasquatch got something..."


    After she got off the phone with Trisha, Halia checked the time and made another call. This time, she was calling Israel. It didn''t take long before a chirpy voice answered, "Hey, babe! It''s so good to hear from you. Let me find a quiet spot." In the background, Halia could hear some loud music and Hummingbird saying to some people, "My friend is calling from Australia. I''ll have a quick chat and be right back."


    A little while later, the music got quieter and quieter, and eventually, Hummingbird whispered into the phone again, "Hi, Captain, you called at the right time."


    "Did you discover something?" Halia asked.


    Hummingbird nodded her head, "I went to the bar you told me about and snooped around a little. The woman that visited the prison in China is a courier that works for one of the largest crime organizations here in the middle east. They are a completely separate entity to The Organization. If I have to make an assumption, I think The Organization hired them to deliver weapons to Boginya with their own courier. That way, we wouldn''t be able to trace the woman back to their base. It is practically a dead end here in Israel."


    Halia furrowed her brows slightly, but she was not fazed. "That''s fine. I want you to leave Israel and fly to Morocco. There''s something much more important for you there..."


    "Morocco? What''s there?" Hummingbird asked with interest.


    "Another founder of The Organization has a base there. We need you to find it..."

 Chapter 390 - The Chase

    After the children were tucked into bed, Sasquatch and Lotus finally left the orphanage. Of course, Sasquatch couldn''t be seen walking out the front door, so he pretended that he needed to use the bathroom and bid farewell to Lotus while they were still on the grounds.


    Lotus didn''t live too far from the orphanage, so she wrapped herself tightly in her scarf and coat and walked home like she usually did.


    She had lived in Beijing for many years and had volunteered at the orphanage for just as long. Every time she finished, she would take the same path home and she never had any issues. Sure, she ran into the odd drunkard or homeless person, but she simply ignored them and they left her alone.


    So, it took her completely by surprise when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.


    The footsteps were faint and careful like they were deliberately trying to sneak up on her.


    In situations like this, a woman would normally turn onto a main road or walk somewhere where there were a lot of people, but Lotus ended up turning into a quiet alleyway...


    Behind her, Sasquatch had been waiting patiently for an opportunity. When he saw her turn into the alleyway, he saw his chance and immediately rushed forward. But, just like earlier at the orphanage, as soon as he turned the corner, he saw Lotus standing there looking at him.


    This time, he had no excuse. He was obviously following her.


    Without a word, he stretched out his arm to grab her shoulder. He had already played nice all day, it was time to take things seriously. But, to his surprise, Lotus furrowed her brows and quickly dodged. She then turned her body in a nimble manner and kicked him on the back.


    "Who are you?" she asked as she clenched her fist and aimed a punch towards Sasquatch''s head.


    Sasquatch realized the woman knew some martial arts, so he did not hold back. He quickly squatted, grabbed the woman''s arms, and flipped her over his shoulder. Lotus reacted swiftly and landed on her feet. She looked at Sasquatch and analyzed the situation. Now that she looked at him properly, he had a strong and burly body and his stance told her he was well-trained in martial arts too. Just by looking at him, she knew her opponent was stronger than her. If she stuck around, she would eventually lose...


    Lotus'' main priority was survival. She quickly scanned her surroundings and noticed some pieces of timber stacked against the wall of the alleyway. Someone had done some renovations and there were still nails sticking out of some of them. Without a second thought, she knocked over the stack and they came tumbling to the floor, creating a barrier between her and Sasquatch.


    Sasquatch covered his face and jumped back in surprise.


    When he looked in front of him again, Lotus was already running away. "I don''t know who you are, but stop following me!" she screamed.


    Sasquatch frowned and quickly tried to chase after her, but because there were some nails sticking up from the timber boards, he had to be careful where he stepped and it slowed him down a little.


    Lotus smirked when she saw this; she knew her obstacle would work. After all, this was not the first time she escaped from someone that was after her. However, she was a bit confused by Sasquatch. She had never met him before today and she was sure she didn''t offend anyone recently. Why was he after her?


    Regardless of the reason, she continued to run as fast as she could.


    Just as she thought she was in the clear and had completely lost the man, a van suddenly pulled up in front of her and blocked her path. Lotus'' eyes opened wide in surprise. A moment later, 3 men with masks ran out of the van, grabbed hold of her, and dragged her inside before she could retaliate. They then sat her down and tied her up.


    It all happened so quickly that Lotus didn''t know how to react.


    Lotus panicked. Who were these people? Were they working with the man that had been stalking her all day? What did they want?


    But, these men had nothing to do with Sasquatch. Right behind the van, Sasquatch and the team that Trisha sent had just caught up in their car. When they saw Lotus being dragged into the van, Sasquatch furrowed his brows. "Follow them," he said. "I have a bad feeling about this."


    The female agent beside him quickly focused her gaze, held onto the steering wheel tightly, and floored down on the accelerator.


    Inside the van, the driver looked at his rearview mirror and also floored down on his accelerator. "Someone seems to be following us. I think she has backup!" the man said.


    "How annoying!" another man said. "Do what you can to lose them." This man seemed to be the leader.


    The driver nodded his head with determination and turned onto the highway.


    Lotus looked around nervously as she felt the van speed up. "Who sent you? What do you want with me?" she asked the leader.


    The leader smirked. "Amun sends his greetings."


    As soon as she heard the name, ''Amun'', Lotus realized what was happening. She had been hoping that it wouldn''t come to this. With a calm expression, she began to move her tied arms up her back. The men had no idea, but she was actually double-jointed. Before they got the chance to react, she swung her arms over her head, elbowed the man on her left, and threw a punch at the leader on her right. She then hooked her tied hands around the driver''s neck and started to strangle him. The driver subconsciously let go of the steering wheel to pull her away and his foot stepped on the brake. Naturally, the van began to slow down and swerve.


    Before she knew it, there was a loud bang. Lotus shook her head in confusion and realized the van had swerved into a road barrier. Fortunately, the van had slowed down at this point, so the accident wasn''t too serious.


    The driver fell unconscious from her strangling and she quickly tried to untie herself with her teeth and escape. But, just as she managed to break free, the two men in the back regained their consciousness and immediately grabbed onto her.


    Lotus tried to shake them off, but they held one arm each and they were much stronger than her. Just as she thought she was captured again, the van door suddenly slid open.


    Lotus looked up in surprise and her eyes met the man that had been stalking her all day. It was Sasquatch!

 Chapter 391 - Orphan

    Sasquatch furrowed his brows and raised his fist.


    Before Lotus could react, he threw a hard punch at the man on her right before he grabbed the man on the left and smashed his head against the wall of the van. Both men immediately fell unconscious.


    Lotus looked at him with a vulnerable look in her eyes. Who was he? Why had he been following her? Most importantly, why did he save her?


    Sasquatch scanned his eyes up and down the woman.


    Without another word, he grunted in frustration and lifted her out of the van in his arms. He then placed her in his car and gestured for the other agents to get out. "Clean up this mess," he said briefly before he climbed into the driver''s seat, stepped on the accelerator and drove off.


    For some reason, he was annoyed by the scene he had just witnessed. Even if the scars on Lotus'' hands were coincidental, even if she just so happened to know martial arts, this attempted kidnapping proved, without a doubt, that she was no ordinary person.


    Lotus sat in the passenger''s seat without saying a word. She still didn''t know who Sasquatch really was, but she did not try to escape. After all, he had just saved her life, because she knew, if those men were sent by Amun, then she was definitely being ''sacrificed''.


    "Where do you live?" Sasquatch asked as he focused on the road in front of him.


    Lotus pointed to the left, "Turn into this street. Then turn left and right. I live in the third apartment building on the left."


    Sasquatch followed the woman''s instructions as she glanced at him with curiosity. Was this man simply driving her home as though nothing had happened?


    The car soon pulled up outside her apartment building and Sasquatch stopped the car. Lotus undid her seatbelt awkwardly and tried to get out, but that was when she noticed a stinging pain on her thigh. She glanced down and realized she had been cut by a shard of broken glass; her adrenaline had prevented her from noticing it earlier. She tried to lift her leg, but now that she noticed the injury, the pain finally registered and it was quite intense. However, she was used to pain. She grit her teeth and endured the pain as she lifted her leg again, but before she managed to do anything, the door next to her suddenly opened. She didn''t know when Sasquatch had stepped out of the car and ended up on her side, but before she got to react, the strong, burly man lifted her effortlessly in his arms again. "What unit number?" he asked robotically with no emotions as he started walking towards the elevator.


    Caught by surprise, Lotus replied subconsciously, "1818." She didn''t know anything about this man, but she felt like she could trust him.


    Before long, they arrived outside the door of Lotus'' apartment and she unlocked it. "You can leave me on the sofa and go home," she said awkwardly, still unsure of the man''s motive.


    But, Sasquatch did not listen to her. He placed her on the sofa, closed the front door, and said, "Where''s your first aid kit?"


    Not knowing how else to react, Lotus pointed to the bathroom awkwardly and Sasquatch immediately went to look for what he needed.


    A moment later, he returned with a small chest. He kneeled down beside Lotus'' thigh, grabbed a pair of tweezers, and looked at her. Lotus understood what he wanted to do. She rolled up her skirt slightly and Sasquatch gently started removing the shard of glass that was still planted in her thigh. It wasn''t very deep, but it was still very painful.


    However, Lotus simply clenched her fists and did not flinch.


    "This must be nothing compared to the cuts on your hands," Sasquatch suddenly commented as he wiped her wound with some saline water.


    Lotus narrowed her eyes, surprised that he had noticed her cuts. She thought for a bit and replied, "Physical pain is nothing compared to mental pain." Indeed, in the scheme of things, these cuts were nothing compared to what she had experienced in her life.


    Without raising his head, Sasquatch asked, "Who did this to you?"


    Lotus fell silent for a while. This man''s voice was deep, manly, and protective. It almost sounded like he wanted to get revenge for her. "What are you referring to?" she asked. Was he asking about the kidnapping or the cuts on her hands?


    But, after she asked this question, she realized it made no difference what he was referring to. After all, the cause of all her pain was the same person...


    Thinking about this, she shook her head and laughed. "Do you know why I volunteer at the orphanage?" she suddenly asked before Sasquatch got the chance to answer her question.


    Sasquatch finally lifted his head and looked into her eyes. Her eyes were gentle; nothing like a criminal''s. He shook his head.


    "I was an orphan too," Lotus revealed.


    "I was 6 when my parents abandoned me at the doorstep of the village orphanage because they could no longer afford to feed me."


    Sasquatch felt a tinge of empathy when he heard this. He finished bandaging the wound on Lotus'' thigh and sat down next to her to listen to her story.


    "They didn''t know at the time, and I was too young to understand, but the orphanage was actually illegally run and was a front for a human trafficking ring. So, soon after the orphanage took me in, I was sold off to a gang in the middle east who subsequently sold me to a man in Egypt. This man''s name was Ali Gamal, but everyone knows him as ''Amun''. He was the one that put these cuts on my hands," Lotus said as she removed her gloves and showed her hands to Sasquatch.


    "He was also the one that tried to kill me today..."

 Chapter 392 - Amuns Women

    "Amun," Sasquatch repeated this name. "One of the founders of The Organization..." he whispered as he remembered an update that Halia sent him earlier.


    Lotus looked at Sasquatch in surprise. "Who are you?" she asked. How did he know who Amun was and how did he know about The Organization?


    Sasquatch calmly pulled out his badge and showed it to the woman, "Senior Interpol agent, Bernard Kwan."


    While the woman looked at his badge in surprise, he pointed to her hands, "I received a lead about your hands. You''re a passport forger for The Organization, aren''t you?"


    Lotus hesitated for a moment but she eventually nodded her head. She knew she couldn''t escape at this point, and even if she did, Amun had people hunting for her on the outside.


    "I know you''re not a bad person..." Sasquatch said as he looked into the woman''s eyes. "How did you end up working for The Organization and do you know how to find Amun?"


    Lotus took a deep breath and replied, "Amun is a charismatic man that knows how to mess with a person''s mind. 25 years ago, he adopted me from the traffickers in the middle east and brought me to his home in Egypt. There, he fed me well, gave me fresh clothes, and promised to take good care of me. At that time, I genuinely thought that he was my savior. There were a few other adopted children in that home with me and he had a tutor for each of us to teach us knowledge, etiquette, and life skills. We were even taught our mother tongue and cultural history so we ''wouldn''t lose our roots'' and we were taught martial arts so ''we could protect ourselves''. I seriously thought he was a good man that wanted the best for us. Only now, do I know that he was training us to be his soldiers. I still remember, when I turned 12, Amun suddenly packed the entire family up and we moved to a base camp in Morocco. When we first arrived, it was like a paradise. Some of my older adopted siblings turned 18, so he adopted more children to join us and got them to take care of them. During that time, I completely trusted and depended on him and I did everything he asked of me. In my mid-teens, he ''rewarded'' me by sending me on errands through the medina, delivering messages and packages for him. It was the only time I got to leave the base and I secretly made some friends on the outside. I felt honored that Amun trusted me and I appreciated the opportunity to see my friends, so I completed every errand to the best of my ability. Sometimes, I was chased by the police and Amun''s enemies, but because of my small stature and nimble skills, I always escaped, and Amun praised me for it. His praise was like the best gift on Earth..."


    "Then, when I turned 16, he began to teach me how to forge passports, IDs, and even how to counterfeit money. He convinced me that I was doing something good. That the money he made from my help was used to adopt more children and to give them better lives. I completely believed him and respected him. But, as I matured, I began to notice strange things around the base. Some of my older siblings were sent away and I never saw them again, especially the boys, and some of my female siblings started to act differently around Amun. I also noticed some strange cuts on their hands, but they simply told me they were nothing to worry about."


    "It wasn''t until the night of my 18th birthday that I realized what the cuts meant... It was a kind of branding... It meant that we were Amun''s women..."


    Lotus'' eyes became watery as she stretched out her hands. "He r.a.p.ed me on the night of my 18th birthday and branded me with these cuts. It tore my world apart. I always viewed him as a father figure, but he suddenly turned into a monster that night."


    "I realized after that, that he did it to every single girl that turned 18. It was a way to satisfy his ego and narcissism. Those that he didn''t like or got sick of, he branded them and sent them on long term missions overseas to help The Organization. Sometimes they were sent to kill traitors and members that had been captured, sometimes they were sent to facilitate illegal border crossings and trafficking, and sometimes they were even sent as gifts. Many times, they were killed and never heard from again. Meanwhile, those that he liked, he kept them close to him. I was one of the ones he liked. He called me his little Oriental Lotus. I was kept by his side for 5 years before he finally sent me to Beijing to join the immigration office. Before I left, he warned me that he would kill me if I didn''t behave and I believed him. After all, I knew how many children he had trained and sent on the field and I knew how many he was in the process of training. As a result, for the last 8 years, I''ve been assisting The Organization with everything that''s immigration-related here in China. At first, I tried to find a way out. I thought I could make a fake passport and ID for myself and just disappear. But, I quickly realized that staying quiet was easier. The Organization didn''t do much in China anyway, and when they did, they barely needed my help, so in the last 8 years, I''ve probably been contacted only a dozen times. The rest of the time, I''ve just been living a normal life."


    Sasquatch furrowed his brows, "Then why did he suddenly send someone to kill you?"


    Lotus sighed, "I suspect it has something to do with Boginya''s capture. They failed to help her escape, so they''re going with Plan B: kill her and anyone that recently came in contact with her."


    "But, you simply helped her make fake passports. Isn''t he being too paranoid?" Sasquatch asked in confusion.


    Lotus shook her head, "No...he''s not being too paranoid. He needs to kill me because I also know the location of his base..."

 Chapter 393 - Hummingbird

    The next day, outside the Wus'' apartment building, reporters from the biggest entertainment news sources were gathered. They didn''t bother Avaleigh before, but now that they knew her boyfriend was the infamous Emerson Wu and she was pregnant with his child, they all wanted to latch onto the hot gossip.


    So, the moment that Avaleigh walked out of the building, she was surrounded by cameras and microphones.


    "Ava, how many months pregnant are you?"


    "Ava, are you dating Emerson Wu because of his money?"


    Avaleigh looked at them helplessly and didn''t know what to say. Unless she had solid evidence in her hands, it only seemed like she was hiding something. So, she ignored them and tried to squeeze through. But, the reporters formed a solid wall in front of her.


    At that moment, a voice called out behind her, "Excuse me, a pregnant lady is coming through!"


    Avaleigh turned around in surprise and saw Halia trying to get through the crowd. By this point, Halia was almost 8 months pregnant so her stomach was extremely obvious and no one dared to get in her way in case they hurt her. As Halia walked past Avaleigh, she hooked her arm around Avaleigh''s arm and said, "Help me to my car."


    The reporters moved to the side, clearing a path for the pregnant woman.


    At that moment, "Vroom!" A brand new Rolls Royce pulled up in front of the apartment building. The reporters looked in admiration at the expensive car, but they weren''t completely surprised since the apartment building was one of the most expensive in Hong Kong.


    But, they were taken by surprise when Avaleigh opened the car door for Halia...and Halia pulled her into the backseat as well! Before they managed to react, the car drove away.


    "Hey, come back! We haven''t finished with our questions!" one of the reporters screamed as she tried to chase after the car. However, her screams were futile.


    Inside the car, Avaleigh looked at Halia in surprise before she glanced at Jackson who was sitting in the front seat and realized the couple had deliberately left the apartment separately to save her. She was stunned by what they had done. How did they know the reporters would be waiting and weren''t they intimidated by them?


    She wanted to question Halia, but before she managed to say anything Halia suddenly asked, "Do you know someone called Natasha Gu?"


    Avaleigh tilted her head in confusion. She thought about the name and nodded, "Are you talking about the model, Natasha Gu?"


    Halia nodded her head and continued, "Did you offend her in any way?"


    Avaleigh thought for a moment. "We''ve never crossed paths," she replied.


    Halia glanced out the window indifferently but she understood and said with an underlying tone, "Focus on your work. Don''t worry about the media. I''m sure the truth will prevail."


    She then smiled and said, "I am going to the hospital to get some checks done. Why don''t you come with me and get a check-up? The best way to clear the rumors is with solid evidence. I''m sure, no evidence is better than a confirmation from a doctor."


    Avaleigh looked at Halia in surprise and nodded her head. It was indeed the quickest and easiest way to clear her name. "But, I''m supposed to report to the agency today," she said.


    "Don''t worry, I already spoke to Danson," Halia said.


    Avaleigh was once again impressed by her future sister-in-law. It appeared as though she already had everything planned. No wonder she was the boss of Fengtai.


    After they arrived at the hospital, Avaleigh went to see her doctor first. Since she was only there for a general check-up, she didn''t have to wait long.


    Meanwhile, Halia waited in the waiting room for her obstetrician. Knowing that it would take a while, she stepped outside and made a quick phone call to a number that she had just added to her phone the previous night, "Avaleigh has never crossed paths with Natasha Gu, are you sure your intel is reliable?"


    On the other end, a male voice replied, "As soon as you called me for help last night, I asked my friends in the industry about the reporter that posted the article about Avaleigh. Supposedly, someone saw him meeting with Natasha Gu in secret. I made some more calls this morning and discovered something interesting. No one knows this, but Natasha Gu is the backup female choice for the variety show that Avaleigh is in... If Avaleigh gets kicked off the show, Natasha will take her place. Based on the popularity of the show, she definitely has the motive to ruin Avaleigh''s reputation, even though Avaleigh isn''t familiar with her."


    The man on the phone was Oliver.


    Halia furrowed her brows. "Get someone to follow the reporter and Natasha Gu, I want evidence. No one messes with the Wus and gets away with it..."


    ...


    At this time, in Morocco, a plane landed from Israel.


    "What are you here in Morocco for, Miss Jones?" the customs officer asked the chirpy young blond-haired woman in front of him.


    Allison Jones, A.K.A Hummingbird, looked at the serious man and smiled, "Bonjour! I''m here on a holiday!"


    The customs officer flipped through the woman''s passport. She had been to many places and she did not seem suspicious, so he grabbed his stamp, placed a stamp on it, and waved the woman through.


    "Muchas gracias!" Hummingbird grinned as she grabbed her passport and walked through.


    As she disappeared, the customs officer looked at his colleague and rolled his eyes. They spoke French in Morocco, but that woman had just thanked him in Spanish. "Another Australian backpacker?" his colleague asked. The customs officer sighed and nodded his head.


    But, not too far away, Hummingbird chuckled to herself. She had blond hair, blue eyes, and a chirpy voice that made her appear like a ditzy blond, but she was actually a genius with an IQ of 153! In fact, she became a member of Mensa when she was only 7! She had deliberately acted dumb to avoid being noticed and it worked. Even a fake taxi driver tried to scam her into taking his car when he saw her walk out of the airport.


    "I can take you to the medina for 100 dirham!" he whispered beside her.


    Everyone else was charging a flat rate of 120 dirham, so 100 dirham sounded like a good deal. But, this man actually wanted more than 100 dirham. He was going to lure someone into his car and rob them!


    Hummingbird smiled and nodded her head. "This way," the man grinned as he led her across the street. He thought she had fallen for his trick. As he walked past one of his friends, he even whispered in French, "Got myself a sucker." His friend smiled, looked around, and carefully started following behind.


    But, the two men did not notice Hummingbird''s innocent smile had turned into a smirk.


    The moment that the man led her to a car hidden in the corner of the parking lot, his friend rushed forward from behind and tried to grab Hummingbird. But, she quickly dodged, knocked the two men out, grabbed the keys to the car, and jumped into the driver''s seat.


    She was no sucker. They were the suckers...

 Chapter 394 - Being Alone Is A Choice

    Hummingbird checked into a traditional Moroccan riad, connected her Bluetooth earpiece, and sat by the pool.


    "So, what exactly do you need me to do?" she asked casually over the phone as she waved at a staff member, "One Tequila Sunrise, please."


    Halia heard the woman and smiled, "I am sending backup soon, but for now, I want you to confirm that Amun is definitely in Morocco at the current time. According to our lead, he frequents a rooftop bar just outside of the Medina at the Sahara Hotel. Alcohol is hard to come by, so there aren''t many bars to choose from. This particular one is the most exclusive and only allows access to foreigners. He often goes to the bar to look for one-night-stands with tourists. It leaves him with less loose ends since they are only in the city for a short period of time. I will send you a sketch. Don''t do anything reckless if you see him and don''t draw too much attention to yourself. If he has his eyes on you, he may even spike your drink."


    Hummingbird nodded, "Don''t worry. Send the sketch through."


    After Hummingbird hung up the phone, she leaned back and looked up at the blue sky. "I guess, I''m free to do anything until the sun sets..." she whispered to herself. This was the benefit of being on her own. At times like this, she could do whatever she wanted without having to discuss with another person or consider their feelings. This was why being a spy was perfect for her. What other job allowed one to travel often and not be tied down? She had always been a free spirit that did not like restraint. Probably, that was the meaning behind her code name: like a bird flying in the sky, she never wanted to land. At least...she had yet to find a reason to land.


    As she soaked in the warmth of the sun, she closed her eyes comfortably. The silence was calming; she could lie there all day like that. But, a voice suddenly broke the silence, "My name is Franco, what''s yours?" a handsome young man was standing at the edge of the pool. He seemed to be a backpacker that was on his own as well. A charming smile was directed her way and the man stretched out his hand.


    Hummingbird shook the man''s hand and lied, "Maggie." She had made many friends on the road, but she never kept in touch with any of them because she always provided a fake name and fake details. Apart from her parents, probably no one in this world knew who Allison Jones was.


    Hummingbird looked at the man. Dark brown hair, hazel eyes, neatly groomed facial hair, Italian accent; he would match the boyfriend criteria for a lot of women. But, Hummingbird was different. She wasn''t after a relationship nor even a hookup. Her life could not accommodate another person. Besides, she was much too smart to fall into societal norms and expectations. What? Did they expect her to get married, settle down, and have children? That was not for her.


    "Are you on your own?" the man asked.


    Hummingbird smiled and nodded her head.


    "Why would a beautiful woman like you be alone?" the man flirted as he sat down by the pool.


    This was not the first time a man had asked her this question. If he was simply trying to make small talk, she was happy to make a new friend, but if he had other motives, she had no time to mess with him. Without answering, she asked back, "Are you on your own?"


    With a twinkle in his eyes, the man cleared his throat and smirked, "Yes."


    "Then, why are you on your own?" Hummingbird questioned.


    The man looked amused. He moved a little closer and revealed a charming smile.


    "I haven''t found the one yet...but you may be the one..." he said, deliberately trying to tease and flirt with the woman. These words always worked a charm.


    But, to his surprise, Hummingbird looked into his eyes and said, "Well...I guess you''ve misunderstood. I''m on my own because I choose to be on my own..."


    The man laughed awkwardly when he heard this response and almost choked on his own spit. This was not the response that he expected. Taking the hint, he stood up and excused himself.


    Hummingbird laughed and closed her eyes again to enjoy the silence.


    That night, Hummingbird returned to her room and changed into a short black dress. The dress made her blue eyes and blond hair pop, but her aim was to not attract too much attention, so she covered herself with a leather jacket and headed out to the bar that Halia mentioned.


    At the entrance of the bar, the security guards asked for her passport. After they confirmed that she was not a local, they let her inside. As Morocco was predominantly a Muslim country, they had strict laws regarding alcohol. Locals were not allowed to drink alcohol in public and alcohol could only be served in licensed venues, so some of the more exclusive bars chose to only serve tourists to avoid any problems.


    As Hummingbird stepped inside, she carefully scanned her eyes around. Like all the other BTA''s, she had an exceptional memory and already memorized the sketch that Halia sent her. Of course, the sketch was very accurate because Jackson had drawn it after talking to Lotus.


    As much as Sasquatch sympathized with Lotus, she was still a criminal, so he arrested her and convinced her to help them. If she helped, not only would she receive a lighter sentence, they would help her create a new identity after she was released. Lotus agreed. After all, she had been wanting to escape from Amun since the night of her 18th birthday, plus she knew Amun wanted her dead, so helping Sasquatch was the smartest decision she could make.


    Hummingbird did not see the man from the sketch so she found a quiet corner to keep watch. Fortunately, thanks to Halia''s reminder to keep a low profile, she did not attract too much attention.


    However, halfway through the night, a drunk woman suddenly tripped over and tipped a glass of wine all over her body. She quickly removed her jacket and tried to wipe herself dry. But, while she had her head down, a voice suddenly asked, "Are you OK?"


    Hummingbird looked up to say that she was fine and saw the man from the sketch standing right in front of her...

 Chapter 395 - Wolf

    Over in Hong Kong, reporters gathered inside a hotel ballroom. "Welcome, friends of the media. I know everyone was shocked by the article that was released last night and the claims that were made about our artiste, Avaleigh Song. We are here to clarify those claims for everyone. If anyone has any questions, please raise your hand. We will try our best to answer everything, but please be patient and understanding," Danson said as he stood on stage.


    He then waved Avaleigh onto the stage to join him.


    As she walked up, cameras flashed excitedly. Some people looked around for Emerson, some people looked at her stomach, and some people looked nervously at the heels she was wearing on her feet. But, Avaleigh was calm as she sat down in front of a microphone.


    "Hello everyone, thank you for sparing some time tonight to attend this press conference and listen to what I have to say," Avaleigh smiled.


    "I know a lot of you have been wanting to know the truth, so I am here to provide it to you. Firstly, I would like to address the claim that I am pregnant. Apparently, according to a certain reporter, I was shopping for baby clothes yesterday and I had signs of morning sickness. Here is a letter from a doctor proving that I tested negative for a pregnancy test which I took this morning. I was shopping for a gift and I was unwell because of minor food poisoning. If you check with the cast and crew of ''Let''s Go!'', they will be able to prove that it was from something that I ate during filming. As for plotting to date Emerson Wu for his money, I''m sure you have all witnessed how hard I''ve been working. With my current pay from, ''Let''s Go!'', my endors.e.m.e.nts, and my royalties, all I can say is, I have more than enough money to support myself."


    The reporters looked at each other. What was this all about? Who the hell wrote such a baseless article and led them on a wild goose chase?


    A reporter raised their hand, "Then why did you deny that you were in a relationship the last time there were rumors about you and Emerson Wu?"


    Avaleigh smiled, "You can choose to believe me or not, but we had honestly just met back then. We only started dating at a later date."


    At that moment, there were some beeping sounds in the room. A few reporters checked their phones and their eyes opened wide in shock.


    Avaleigh watched as those reporters started showing their phones to the people beside them and whispers started spreading through the room.


    Danson also watched the scene with curiosity. He pulled out his phone to check the news and noticed a new trending article that had been released 15 minutes ago. The headline read, [Natasha Gu Hired Reporter To Defame Avaleigh Song]. The article was written by an entertainment reporter named, Steven Zhe.


    ...


    Back in Morocco, Amun took off his jacket and quickly covered it over Hummingbird''s shoulders like a gentleman. "Are you OK?" he asked again. "Do you speak English? Let me apologize on behalf of my wife. She''s a little drunk."


    He waved his hand at two men that appeared to be bodyguards and they led the drunk woman away. As they did so, Hummingbird couldn''t help but notice the fancy lace gloves on the woman''s hands.


    Hummingbird nodded, "Yes, I speak English. Thank you for your jacket. I''ll go dry myself and return it to you."


    She then stood up to go to the bathroom. Now that she saw Amun, she simply had to dry herself off and leave; her mission was complete for the night.


    But, Amun suddenly grabbed onto her hand and held her back. "I am staying in one of the suites of this hotel with my wife. If you want, you can come with me and I can lend you a change of clothes. I''m sure my wife won''t mind since she put you into this vulnerable state," he offered.


    Hummingbird raised an eyebrow. She could see what was happening here. It seemed, the man had planned everything to get her to his hotel suite. How many times had he used this trick and succeeded?


    Hummingbird forced a smile on her face and shook her head. "Oh, that''s not necessary. I was about to leave anyway. Plus, we don''t know each other. I don''t want to trouble you." As she said this, Hummingbird politely stepped aside and headed for the bathroom again.


    But, the man wouldn''t take no for an answer. He stepped in front of her and revealed a charming smile, "You''ll catch a cold if you walk home like this. I insist you accept my help. I swear it''s no trouble at all. It''s only right since my wife did this to you"


    If this man wasn''t a founder of The Organization, he would make a great salesman with his charming smile and persistence.


    Hummingbird started to get frustrated.


    Just as she was about to reject the man again, she suddenly heard a voice beside her, "Maggie!"


    The voice was deep, slightly husky, with a strong Italian accent...


    A man with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and neatly groomed facial hair appeared beside her.


    Hummingbird looked at the man in surprise. He was the same man from the pool earlier that day. What was he doing there?


    The man looked her up and down and asked, "What happened?"


    Although she had rejected him earlier that day, Hummingbird preferred him over being stuck with Amun, so she quickly hooked onto the Italian man''s arm and pouted, "Babe, what took you so long? I had a little accident. Let''s go home."


    She then removed Amun''s jacket and handed it back to him, "My boyfriend''s here so he can take me home. Thanks for offering to help. I know you''re sorry but you should go check on your wife, she looked really drunk."


    With a smile, she turned and started dragging the Italian man away before he could expose her. Amun frowned but simply let her go as he looked around for another target. There were plenty of single women in the bar; he wasn''t wasting his time on someone with a boyfriend.


    But, as Hummingbird walked away, she did not notice that the Italian man was secretly smiling in amus.e.m.e.nt.


    After they walked out of the bar, she let go of his arm and said, "That man was hassling me so I used you as an excuse to get away from him. Don''t misunderstand."


    The man looked at her and smirked. "How could you just use someone that you don''t even know the name of?" he teased. He then removed his jacket casually and covered her with it


    Hummingbird laughed awkwardly and looked at the flirtatious man. It was true, she never even asked for his name.


    "In that case, what is your name?" Hummingbird asked. Since the man had helped her, it was only right to be polite.


    The man did not reply immediately. He flagged down a taxi first and helped her inside. After he climbed into the taxi next to her, he leaned over slightly and whispered into her ear, "Since you didn''t give me your real name, it''s not fair for me to give you my real name either. But...you can call me Wolf..."


    Hummingbird turned her head in surprise as the man grinned at her. "Wolf?" she gasped.


    Wolf stretched out his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Hummingbird..."

 Chapter 396 - Exclusive Reporter

    Avaleigh looked at the article about Natasha Gu. It included evidence of her contacting the paparazzi, paying for his flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and a photo of them meeting in a cafe after the article about Avaleigh was released. It also outlined all the possible motives that Natasha Gu had for targeting Avaleigh, including her position on ''Let''s Go!'' and her endors.e.m.e.nt for Fengtai. Not only was she a backup for ''Let''s Go!'' which was currently a hit in China, Natasha had also submitted an application to be the spokesperson for Fengtai - and both these positions were currently with Avaleigh.


    Avaleigh''s eyes opened wide in surprise. Was it really Natasha Gu that caused this mess? They had never even met in person before!


    All of a sudden, she was reminded of the conversation that she shared with Halia earlier. Was it just a coincidence that Halia had asked her about Natasha Gu?


    Or...did this have something to do with her?


    The reporters below the stage shook their heads with disappointment as they realized the truth. They had completely wasted their time on these baseless rumors when they could have been reporting on something else.


    They were never trusting this particular paparazzi ever again; he was going straight into their blacklists.


    ...


    Over at Trisha and Oliver''s apartment, Oliver was in the middle of a video call with his reporter friend. He poured a glass of wine and raised it at the man. "Congratulations on your trending article," he grinned.


    On the other end, Steven Zhe took a sip of his wine and laughed, "Thanks for the lead. If you didn''t tip me on this story, I wouldn''t have flown to Shanghai this morning and discovered all the things that Natasha Gu did. I thought you weren''t interested in entertainment. Why were you so interested in this particular story?"


    Oliver smirked secretively, "You know me. I hate unfairness and underhanded methods..."


    Steved nodded his head in agreement. He still remembered the last time that they worked together. 7-8 months ago, Oliver convinced him to go to the police with some photos that he had and he ended up becoming a suspect in a murder case. At first, he was a bit frightened. But, fortunately, the truth was revealed in the end and he actually provided crucial evidence that helped the police catch the real murderer. That case allowed him to understand why his friend was so adamant about justice and fairness. He was even rewarded for his help with exclusive permission to write an article about the incident and he became quite famous for it.


    This time, he once again revealed the truth and helped someone wipe their name clean.


    Now that he thought about...both cases involved Avaleigh!


    It seemed, she was his lucky star.


    After he got off the video call with Emerson, he did some research on Avaleigh and found the name of her agency. He had an idea. Since fate had brought them together twice to help each other, perhaps her agency would be interested in hiring him as their exclusive reporter...


    ...


    Over in Macau, Emerson was signing some doc.u.ments at the casino when he received a phone call from Danson. He had told Danson to update him on the press conference as soon as it was over, so he was expecting this call.


    He picked it up nonchalantly. "How did it go?" he asked.


    Danson sounded a little embarrassed, "It went surprisingly well. But, it wasn''t because of what we had done. Someone released an article this afternoon that proved Avaleigh was being defamed on purpose and debunked the entire article from yesterday."


    Emerson raised an eyebrow with interest and picked up his phone to look for the article that Danson was talking about. "Interesting..." he said as he looked at the photos and the evidence provided.


    He then swiped to the bottom and saw the name of the reporter: Steven Zhe. This name...sounded familiar. He thought for a bit and realized who he was. He was the reporter that captured photos outside of Avaleigh and Mimi''s hotel room on the night that Mimi was murdered. If he remembered correctly, this reporter was a friend of Oliver''s. All of a sudden, a network of relationsh.i.p.s appeared in his mind. Steven was a friend of Oliver''s, Oliver was Trisha''s boyfriend, Trisha was Jackson''s colleague, and Jackson...was Halia''s husband...


    Emerson smiled. Was this what Halia meant by repaying their gift and showing the paparazzi not to mess with the Wus?


    He was sure it was her. Who else had the skills, power, and connections to do all this in such a short amount of time? This sister-in-law was becoming more and more impressive.


    "By the way, the reporter that wrote this article contacted us. He offered to be our exclusive reporter. If we ever have anything to announce, we can contact him and he will do it in a tasteful way. Also, if we need to clear any rumors, he can help us seek out the truth like what he did this time. I think it''s something that we can consider."


    Emerson nodded his head, "He seems like a trustworthy person. If he does well, we can recommend him to Marissa as well. We need more people like that in the industry."


    After a short pause, Emerson added, "Actually, I have something that I would like him to report on very soon..."


    Danson held the phone in confusion as he thought about Avaleigh''s upcoming schedule. If he remembered correctly, there wasn''t anything out of the ordinary that was worth reporting on.


    "What is it?" Danson asked.


    Emerson smiled, "I have a ring that''s arriving in the next couple of weeks. Once it''s here, I am going to plan a grand proposal. I want him to report on it and announce it to the world. I want everyone to know that I am the luckiest man on earth."


    Danson opened his mouth in surprise. This man was certainly brave to announce something like that.


    He, on the other hand, still had to keep his relationship a secret...


    What a contrast!

 Chapter 397 - Assembling The Team

    "C.o.c.k-a-doodle-doo!" a rooster crowed early in the morning. Hummingbird rubbed her eyes and checked the time: it was only 5am. She chuckled and got out of bed. This was how it felt to live in the medina amongst the locals. She didn''t mind; she was used to waking up early in the morning.


    After she freshened up a little, she changed into a t-shirt and jeans and walked out to the dining room where the riad was serving breakfast. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw someone waving at her with a huge grin and furrowed her brows.


    That was right! Last night, in the taxi back to the riad, this man had revealed his identity to her. It seemed, this flirtatious playboy was the ''backup'' that Halia spoke about and he had deliberately teased her the previous day.


    She walked over to him casually and sat down. "I left my jacket in your room last night," he said suggestively. The other tourists in the small dining room heard this remark and smirked at each other. Hooking up on holidays was normal and these two sounded like they had shared a night together.


    Hummingbird glared at Wolf; he was doing this on purpose. Last night, after they returned to the riad, they had simply returned to her room to contact the captain; nothing happened between them. Why did this guy always make things seem so ambiguous? "Come around after breakfast to get it," she replied indifferently.


    "Sure, we can play with some of your toys as well," Wolf said with a wink.


    Hummingbird rolled her eyes as the other tourists held back their laughter.


    After breakfast, Wolf followed Hummingbird back to her room with a smug smile. He loved flirting with women and teasing them. As a lonely spy on the road, one had to find a way to entertain themselves and Hummingbird''s reaction was very unique. Normally, with his good looks, women threw themselves at him, but she was so indifferent.


    Wolf ran up to the woman''s side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I''m excited to have some fun with you," he said seductively.


    Hummingbird glanced at the man and smiled. If this was the game he wanted to play, two could play this game. "Are you sure you can handle it?" she suddenly asked with a wink.


    Wolf looked at the blond-haired, blue-eyed woman and laughed, "We will have to see..."


    Hummingbird smirked and opened her room door. As soon as she stepped inside, she closed the door and said, "Show me what you''ve got!" She then grabbed the man''s arm and twisted it behind his back. Wolf''s pupils constricted and he instinctively fought back. He broke free from her grip and pushed her away. Hummingbird backed up against a side table and knocked a few items onto the floor. Without another thought, she rushed forward with a punch. Wolf immediately blocked it and laughed. "Don''t forget that we both got transferred the same fighting skills..." he said as he pointed to his head.


    Hummingbird clenched her fists in anger. She was used to being on her own and didn''t like it when men flirted with her. But now, she was stuck with this flirtatious man and she couldn''t get rid of him, so she had to show him who was boss and put him in line. All of a sudden, she reached under her pillow and pulled out a gun.


    Wolf saw the gun and immediately raised his hands, "Woah..."


    "Come on, you''re not going to shoot me..." he chuckled.


    Hummingbird pointed the gun at his foot placed her pillow in front of the gun to silence it and asked, "Do you want to try me?"


    Wolf laughed with an impressed smile.


    At that moment, there was a knock on the room door. Hummingbird looked at Wolf and he shrugged his shoulders, "OK, I surrender. I''ll stop flirting with you and saying ambiguous stuff. I was just having fun."


    Hummingbird threw her pillow at the man''s face and slipped her gun into the waist of her pants. She then went to open the door.


    Standing in the doorway was a bulky Chinese man. "You are making too much noise in here..." he said. He then glanced at Wolf and saw the mess in the room. "Were you guys fighting?" he asked.


    Hummingbird immediately apologized, "I''m sorry, did we disturb you?"


    Was this a guest from next door?


    Without a word, the Chinese man stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, "That''s it, I''m taking charge from here!"


    Hummingbird looked at the man in confusion. What did he mean? What was he taking charge of and why did he come in uninvited?


    Hummingbird ran her eyes across the man''s arm and saw some scars. Paired with his stern face and threatening vibe, Hummingbird had a bad feeling. She immediately grabbed her gun and pointed it at him.


    But, to her surprise, the man immediately knocked the gun out of her hand and restrained her.


    "Who are you?" Hummingbird asked as she struggled in his grip.


    "Sasquatch..." the man replied, "and I''m here to lead this operation."


    Hummingbird stopped struggling when she realized who Sasquatch was and he slowly let her go. "I thought you were arriving later today..." Hummingbird said.


    "I caught an earlier flight. If I didn''t arrive earlier, you two may have killed each other. I don''t want to see the two of you fight like children again. We are here on a serious mission," Sasquatch frowned. He then walked over to a chair and sat down.


    "Now...let me explain how we''re getting into Amun''s base."


    Hummingbird looked at the man in surprise, "Do you know how to get there?"


    Sasquatch looked at the woman calmly, "What do you think I''m doing here?"


    With Lotus'' permission, Sasquatch had her memories transferred to him and he now knew the exact route to Amun''s base and even the layout of it...


    As he started to sketch out a map in front of the other two BTA agents and Hummingbird explained some of the weapons she had, Wolf sighed and joked, "I suddenly feel really useless here..."

 Chapter 398 - Brain Tap Technology Leaked

    Boginya grinned as the prison guards helped her out of her cell and led her to a new cell next door. Inside this new, updated cell, there was a soft bed with a thick quilt, a television, a bookshelf, and a sitting toilet, as promised. She knew she was likely never leaving this prison, but living like this wasn''t too bad. It seemed, it wasn''t a bad idea to cooperate with Interpol. At least, she was safe and comfortable.


    A little while after she settled into her new cell, she received a visit from Trisha again. "How are you liking the new cell?" she asked.


    Boginya closed the book in her hands and smiled. "Not bad," she commented.


    Trisha smirked and sat down on a chair opposite the cell. "We''ve located Amun''s base," she said straightforwardly as she watched for a response.


    Boginya''s eyes opened wide in surprise, "That was quick! I''m impressed. How did you manage to do that?"


    Trisha laughed and replied with one word, "Lotus."


    The corner of Boginya''s lips curved slightly with realization, "...the passport forger."


    "Is there anything else I should know before I send my agents in to raid the place?" Trisha checked. After all, this woman seemed quite cooperative now.


    Boginya smiled and said suggestively, "I wonder what''s for dinner tonight..."


    "I heard goulash is very popular on your side of the world. It would be perfect for a winter''s night..." Trisha said.


    Boginya chuckled; goulash sounded good. "I bet you never discovered this, but one day before my base in Mongolia was shut down, I booked a flight for one of my scientists..." she suddenly said.


    Trisha furrowed her brows. It was true, they never discovered anything about this. Who was this scientist and where did he/she go?


    "Why are you telling me about this now?" Trisha asked.


    Boginya walked up to the bars of her prison cell and whispered, "Because her flight was to Fez, Morocco..."


    Trisha had a foreboding feeling about this. Why did she send a scientist to Morocco? Unless...


    "Does that mean...you sent a scientist to share the Brain Tap technology with Amun?" she asked anxiously. Before she heard a response from Boginya, the smirk on the woman''s face already answered her question. Of course, Boginya shared the technology! Why would she keep it to herself?


    Trisha knew she had to warn her BTA agents before it was too late. Who knew what Amun did with the technology. Did he already have an entire army waiting? Did Boginya know about this? Was this all a trap?


    ...


    In Morocco, Sasquatch looked at Wolf and smirked. A moment ago, the man had admitted to being useless. It was true, apart from good looks, what did he have that they didn''t? "You''ll feel even more useless when Orca arrives," the bulky man said. "At least, she knows French and can communicate with the locals."


    "Orca''s coming too?" Hummingbird asked. She was a little excited that another woman was joining them. After all, there was currently too much testosterone for her liking.


    "Yes, the Captain put her on a flight last night. She should be here in the evening. As soon as she arrives, we will raid the base tonight. The Captain''s already spoken to local Interpol and organized a team to back us up. They will arrest everyone in the base while we go after Amun," Sasquatch explained.


    He then pointed to one particular spot on the map that he drew, "That''s Amun''s private quarters. He will be sleeping in there. We need to be quick and stealthy so he doesn''t escape."


    As Sasquatch looked at that one spot on the map, his heart ached a little. Yesterday morning, after Lotus'' memories were transferred to him, she briefly explained the base to help him tap into the right memories. Just like when a person was reminded of something from the past, snippets from Lotus'' past flashed in front of Sasquatch''s eyes. Apart from the location of the base and its layout, there was one particular memory that stood out clearly: the night of Lotus'' 18th birthday...


    Sasquatch saw the scene that Lotus had previously described to him. He saw the look in Amun''s eyes, he smelled the burning of sandalwood in his room, and he felt the way that her heart raced in fear as the man r.a.p.ed her. Afterwards, he also saw how the man placed a knife to her hand and started slicing it with a euphoric look in his eyes. But, it wasn''t as painful as he expected. She was right, the physical pain was nothing compared to the mental trauma she had experienced.


    Knowing what she had been through, he made her a firm promise before he left China: he was taking Amun down and locking him up forever.


    However, just as Orca arrived that evening and they reported to Halia... Halia told them to put the plan on pause.


    "We received intel that Amun has the Brain Tap technology. We''re not sure how many BTAs he''s got and their skill level. It''s too dangerous to run in blindly. We spoke to Lotus about it, but she''s been away from the base for too long to know what Amun''s been up to lately. However, she did mention that there''s a small lab in the base that was previously used to produce drugs. If Amun is undertaking any experiments, it would be in there," Halia explained.


    "So, do you want us to sneak in and check the lab?" Wolf asked excitedly.


    Halia smiled, "No, I have a better idea..."


    "Orca... We transferred you knowledge from one of our best IT specialists/hackers. Do you think you can hack into the computer inside that lab?" Halia asked.


    Orca smirked, "If I can get close enough to intercept their WiFi, I can hack into anything."


    "Then, agents, I''ll leave this task to you. Get as close to the base as possible without being noticed and gather as much information as you can. Once we know what we''re dealing with, we will take them down."


    The agents looked at each other with confidence and replied in unison, "Yes, Captain!"

 Chapter 399 - Taking Down Amun

    It took three days for the team to gather all the information that they needed. During this time, Hummingbird and Wolf kept an eye on Amun at the bar every night while Sasquatch and Orca camped near the base and tried to hack into their lab computer.


    As Halia and Lotus had predicted, Amun did indeed store all his research on this computer. Orca had to get through multiple layers of encryption, but she eventually found a list of test subject numbers. At first, the numbers increased rapidly, but slowly, the numbers dwindled. Amun did not know initially that the technology did not work on everyone so he tried to apply it to whoever he could. But when he saw the results, he realized he was just wasting time and resources.


    Eventually, after running some experiments, he discovered the key to the technology: it only worked on those with good memory.


    Sasquatch and Orca copied all the information and took it back to the riad. After reading through all the lab notes, the four BTA agents discovered that Amun had successfully applied the brain tap technology to 10 people. He called them his ''Super Soldiers''; a name that clearly outlined his intentions. 5 of them were still in the base, and the other 5 were sent abroad. 5-10 people didn''t sound too intimidating, after all, they had 4 BTA agents and a team of Interpol agents to back them up, but who knew what skills these ''Super Soldiers'' had...


    To be extra prepared, Halia got help from the Moroccan National Security as well and stayed in command through the entire raid.


    "Snipers, take down the guards!"


    "Team A, search the east side of the base. Team B, search the west. I want every single person to be arrested!"


    "BTAs, go find Amun! Keep an eye out for the 5 Super Soldiers. They are likely guarding him. Team C, follow them and provide backup."


    Everyone listened to Halia and quickly took control of the base. Most of the people in the base knew some degree of martial arts, but they could not hold up against the combined forces of Interpol and the Moroccan National Security.


    Hummingbird, Wolf, Sasquatch, and Orca carefully approached Amun''s living quarters. As soon as they opened the door 2 men and 3 women looked at them in surprise and launched themselves towards them. The BTAs immediately realized that these were Amun''s Super Soldiers. They were quick, nimble, and highly-skilled, plus they knew how to turn anything within reach into a weapon. The 4 BTAs struggled against them. Without any rules and regulations, who knew how many skills had been pumped into these people; they definitely lived up to their name.


    But, no matter how good they were at physical combat, they eventually surrendered after a long fight when the other agents rushed in with weapons. "Hands up where we can see them!" one of the agents yelled.


    As the agents dragged the Super Soldiers out, Sasquatch furrowed his brows and approached Amun. Without a warning, he raised his fist and punched the man in the face. "Lotus says hi," he said. However, the man wiped his mouth indifferently and smirked, "Tell her, bye." He then reached under his bed and quickly pressed a button.


    The agents looked at the man in confusion. What did he mean? Wolf noticed the man''s hand and immediately looked under the bed to check what he had pressed. Underneath...there were enough explosives to take down half the base, and there was a timer with less than 5 minutes on it! Amun was self-destructing and there was not enough time to evacuate everyone. Amun knew something like this would eventually happen one day so he had been prepared for it. He didn''t care about destroying his base nor killing the people inside it, he was simply hoping that everyone would panic and he would get the chance to escape amidst the confusion.


    Wolf furrowed his brows and turned to his colleagues. "It''s a bomb, and we have less than 5 minutes," he said.


    The other 3 BTAs looked at each other with frustration but tried not to act impulsively.


    "You should hurry and leave. If you run straight for the gates now, you will be able to escape unharmed," Amun chuckled.


    Sasquatch glared at the man. He had never met him before, but he felt like he knew him better than anyone. This man enjoyed seeing other people in fear and pain, and he was enjoying this scene in front of him.


    He couldn''t let him have his way.


    Keeping a straight face, Sasquatch lifted the microphone attached to his shirt and spoke to someone he knew he could definitely rely on, "Captain, we have a bomb. It''s exploding in less than 5 minutes. Please tell us what to do."


    Even though he doubted her at first, he had been convinced by Halia''s skills and abilities after working with her in China, so he was putting his life in her hands.


    Halia stood up from her chair and focused on the live footage that was being streamed to her via the cameras attached to the agents'' shirts. She knew that there wasn''t enough time to evacuate every single person in the base so she had to reduce the casualties as much as possible. "Team A, Team B, Team C, evacuate as many people as you can and wait from a safe location," she immediately commanded.


    She then said to the 4 BTAs, "BTAs keep your eyes on Amun and don''t let him escape. Sasquatch, show me the bomb!"


    Sasquatch unlatched the camera from his shirt and scanned it across the bottom of the bed.


    As Halia looked at the bomb, she waved Jackson over. She no longer had the knowledge from the weapons and explosives expert, but Jackson was still a weapons dealer at one stage with real knowledge. She recognized a few components and whispered to Jackson, "Can it be defused in less than 5 minutes?"


    At this moment in time, the best outcome was to defuse the bomb if they could. That was the only way to ensure zero casualties. But she had to determine whether it could be done in time. If it was too risky for her agents, she was not gambling with their lives.


    Jackson looked carefully. It was not a complicated bomb since it was made to explode quickly, so he nodded his head with confidence. "Yes, it can be quickly defused if we find the right wire and cut it," he said.


    With reassurance from Jackson, Halia turned on her microphone again and said, "Hummingbird, I want you to defuse that bomb..."


    Hummingbird had been transferred weapons and explosives knowledge from the same expert that Halia previously worked with. If anyone was to defuse the bomb, then she could definitely do it.

 Chapter 400 - Defusing Her First Bomb

    "Me?" Hummingbird asked in surprise.


    "Yes, have you forgotten the knowledge we transferred you. I have faith in you," Halia replied.


    Hummingbird''s heart raced. Although she had the knowledge, she had never actually defused a bomb before. Could she really do it?


    She walked over to the bed with hesitation and bent down to look under it. Immediately, she recognized the components under the bed and knew it was a simple bomb to defuse. However, she only had 4 minutes left and Amun had deliberately added a heap of extra wires to confuse her, so she wasn''t sure if she could find the right wire in time.


    She knew if she ran away with the other agents at that very moment, they could still escape the radius of the explosion with no injuries, but there were still innocent people in that base, including children that had no idea about the bomb, so she agreed that defusing the bomb was the best option.


    "I''ll give it a try, but I want the other agents to leave. If I can''t do it, I don''t want them to die with me," she said.


    Wolf, Sasquatch, and Orca looked at each other and had the same thought. They couldn''t abandon Hummingbird on her own at a time like that. They were a team; they went in as a team, and they were leaving as a team. If they were scared of dying, they wouldn''t have chosen the career path that they did.


    Wolf walked over to Hummingbird and said, "I know you''re used to being on your own and not having to worry about others, but you are not alone anymore. We are a team and we have faith in you. You can do it. We will walk out of this together."


    Amun looked at the four in disbelief. "Are you guys crazy?!" he yelled. If they weren''t leaving, then he wasn''t leaving either. Was he about to die in this place?


    The agents ignored him as Hummingbird smiled thankfully at her colleagues. Their trust gave her the confidence that she needed. She lay down and slid under the bed to get a closer look at the bomb. She then stretched out her hands and started examining each wire calmly.


    "It''s faster for you to run. Do you want to die here? Is it worth it?" Amun said as he stood up and tried to persuade the other agents.


    "Sit back down," Orca growled as she threw a kick at the man''s stomach.


    Amun glared at the woman and his eyes glanced at something momentarily.


    Sasquatch noticed this strange movement and looked at the direction that the man had glanced at.


    He could sense that the man was planning something, but he couldn''t pinpoint what it was.


    Lotus knew this man too well. Every little movement triggered Lotus'' memories and made Sasquatch feel suspicious. No wonder Amun tried to kill her. She really did know too much.


    Meanwhile, under the bed, Hummingbird was holding three wires in one hand: one red, one yellow, and one black. A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead as she followed these wires to see where they were attached. It had to be one of these three; she simply had to cut the right one and the bomb would be defused. But, which was the right one? She glanced at the time: two and a half minutes left. She had to focus.


    Halia watched anxiously from the other side as Hummingbird ran her hands up and down each wire. Finally, she grabbed a knife from her belt and placed it up to the yellow wire. The room was silent at that moment. All Halia could hear was the young woman''s deep breaths, and all Hummingbird could hear was the sound of her own heart thumping in her chest.


    Two minutes.


    Hummingbird''s hands trembled as she hesitated.


    Not too far away, Wolf whispered, "You can do it!"


    A tear rolled out of Hummingbird''s right eye. She had never been responsible for so many lives before and it terrified her. She hesitated, "I can''t. You guys should hurry and leave."


    Amun''s eyes opened wide in fear when he heard this. He couldn''t die there, he still had a lot to live for.


    "Screw you all! I''m not dying here!" he yelled.


    Without a second thought, he jumped up and ran over to a rug on the floor. Before the agents could react, he quickly rolled it up to reveal a metal door in the floor.


    When Sasquatch saw the door, he immediately realized what was happening. Of course! This man was much too selfish and narcissistic to sacrifice himself, so he definitely had an escape plan when he installed the bomb. This was his escape!


    Amun pressed his thumb against a screen on the door to unlock it, and with a beep, the door unlocked. He quickly threw it open and tried to climb inside. It appeared to be an underground bunker of some sort. But, before he managed to escape, Sasquatch grabbed onto his arm and stopped him.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" he asked.


    One minute.


    Hummingbird pressed her knife against the yellow wire again. She was running out of time. She closed her eyes and got ready to cut it. It was now or never.


    But, right at that very moment, a deep, calm, and confident male voice suddenly said into her earpiece, "Cut the black one. The yellow one is fake."


    Halia looked at Jackson in surprise. He had been watching the footage and noticed the mistake.


    Hummingbird opened her eyes in surprise and quickly looked at the black wire again. He was right. The yellow one was a distraction from the real one.


    With half a minute left on the timer, she held her breath and grabbed the black wire...


    Shup! She sliced through it in one clean movement. This time, there was no hesitation.


    Everyone stopped breathing and the room fell silent.


    Halia looked at Jackson, the BTA agents looked at each other, and Hummingbird looked at the timer on the bomb.


    Six seconds...


    The timer had stopped on six seconds...


    She had successfully defused her first bomb...

 Chapter 401 - The Wolf And His Prey

    It took almost a week to label and sort through everything in Amun''s base. During this time, they also investigated the identities of all the people living in the base, including newly adopted orphans. It was discovered that some of the children, especially the more recent ones, weren''t all orphans. Some were missing children that had been kidnapped!


    After all, with the brain tap technology in his hands, Amun had become quite specific with the type of children he wanted to nurture and train, and finding children with good memories wasn''t an easy task.


    It was a huge operation to get the children back to their families, and it was even harder to help the older children assimilate back into society after having led most of their lives under Amun''s rein. It was almost like they had been saved from a cult that had brainwashed them for years.


    Amun''s code name suddenly made a lot more sense: he probably thought of himself as a god...


    The BTAs helped wherever they could, but it didn''t take long before they were assigned new tasks by Halia. Their mission wasn''t completely over yet: there were still 5 Super Soldiers out there. Worst of all, they discovered three hostages in Amun''s underground bunker that appeared to be the people he had been stealing the memories/knowledge from for his BTAs.


    One was a military officer, one was a professor, and one was an MMA fighter. With their combined skills, it was worrying to think what the Super Soldiers were sent to do.


    Before leaving Morocco, the 4 BTA''s gathered for one last dinner together. Being a spy was a lonely job, but they had now made friends for life.


    "Cheers!" Hummingbird said as she raised a glass of wine.


    The other 3 raised their glasses as well and smiled.


    "When this entire mission is over, I hope we can meet again somewhere in this world," Hummingbird toasted. "Perhaps, one day, when we''re old and retired we can share stories with each other about the crazy life we have led!"


    "Cheers to that!" Sasquatch agreed.


    Wolf took a sip of his wine and glanced at Hummingbird. He had traveled around the world and flirted with many women. He had even had one-night-stands. But, ever since landing in Morocco, he had not been interested in any other woman apart from Hummingbird. There was something alluring about her that drew him in and it had him hooked.


    As a lonely agent on the road, goodbye was a part of life. But, for once, he did not want to say goodbye.


    "I''ve seen the way you''ve been looking at her," Sasquatch whispered beside Wolf as he gave him a nudge. "Don''t even think about it. You know how impossible it is with our lives. Relationsh.i.p.s are bound for failure in this profession."


    Orca overheard them and leaned in, "Oh, you''re wrong about that. There are exceptions."


    She then rested her chin on her palms and said with stars in her eyes, "I know of a legendary couple that met while on a mission and they''re now married!"


    "Did they quit their jobs and return to living normal lives? I can''t imagine how a relationship like that could ever work..." Sasquatch asked with doubt.


    "Not entirely. I happen to know that they''re working on a very important mission right at this very moment..." Orca replied mysteriously like she knew something that the others didn''t know. "Most impressive of all, the woman is pregnant and about to give birth!"


    Orca smiled to herself cheekily. Of course, the legendary couple she was referring to was none other than Halia and Jackson. She had worked with Jackson in France before and she had heard news about how he had retired from Interpol and married an agent in China. When she heard Jackson''s voice over her earpiece the other day, she thought she was imagining things at first. But when she thought about it carefully, she began to figure out that the retired Jackson was there for one reason only: his wife must be their BTA Captain!


    She was sure of it!


    Without even meeting the woman, Orca declared Halia her idol.


    Hummingbird caught the end of their conversation and smiled with admiration. Was it really possible to do that? She had always been a free spirit that enjoyed her life of solitude, but after almost dying the other day, she appreciated not being alone at that moment.


    That night, as they arrived back at the riad for their last night in Morocco, Wolf walked Hummingbird back to her room. He wanted to savor every last moment with her.


    "I still didn''t get the chance to thank you for the other day," Hummingbird said softly with her melodic voice.


    Her voice was sweet and it tickled Wolf''s heart. "The other day? What did I do?" he asked curiously. He could barely even think straight at that moment, let alone think about what he had done for her to thank him.


    "For not abandoning me in the base with the bomb and for letting me know that I wasn''t alone," Hummingbird explained as she looked him in the eyes. Her blue eyes twinkled like crystals under the moonlight and Wolf felt himself fall into a trance as he continued walking.


    At that moment, the woman suddenly stopped. "My room is here," she reminded with a giggle when she saw the man continue walking.


    Wolf looked at her door and felt his heart break a little. How did they get to her room so quickly?


    He dreaded this moment, but this was it. This was goodbye. Who knew when...or if...he would ever see her again.


    As Hummingbird unlocked her door, Wolf found himself subconsciously creeping up behind her like a real wolf stalking its prey. If this was in the past, he would wrap his arms around her waist, press his lips against her neck, and carry her into the room for a night of no sleep... But he did not do that this time. This time, he just wanted to see her return safely into her room.


    Hummingbird sensed the man behind her and bit her lip. She and Wolf were like complete opposites. He didn''t like being lonely, so he kept himself occupied with different women around the world, but she chose to be lonely, so she kept men far away from her. But, at this very moment in time, their thoughts seemed to be slightly more aligned. She did not want to say goodbye to him either.


    As the handle to her door clicked, she paused for a moment and turned around to take one last look at the handsome Italian man.


    But, she gasped when she realized how close he was behind her. Wolf also gasped in surprise. He didn''t expect her to turn around.


    There was an arms-length between them, but they could smell the wine on each other''s breaths and hear their own heart thumping loudly in their ears.


    Hummingbird leaned against the door behind her. It had been a long time since she felt this fl.u.s.tered by a man and she didn''t know what to do. She suddenly remembered the couple that Orca talked about at dinner and she clenched her fists nervously. Was it really possible for agents to date, get married, and still continue with their lives without being restrained?


    As she was thinking this, Wolf suddenly stepped forward and closed the gap between them. Even though their bodies weren''t touching, she could feel the warmth emanating from his body.


    Before she could react, Wolf stretched out his hand, grabbed her chin gently, lifted her head, and looked her in the eyes.


    Hummingbird looked into the man''s charming hazel eyes and her gaze slowly drifted down past his tall nose to his soft luscious lips...

 Chapter 402 - An Urgent Visit To The Hospital

    Hummingbird didn''t usually feel this way around men, but she suddenly felt the urge to kiss Wolf.


    Wolf, on the other hand, never held back around women, but he didn''t want to overstep his boundaries this time and scare the woman in front of him.


    So, he simply looked into her eyes with sincerity and said, "Take good care of yourself my little Hummingbird. If you get in trouble or you feel lonely, don''t hesitate to call Wolf..."


    He then let go of her chin, backed away, and turned to leave. He had to be realistic. Hummingbird wasn''t just some fun or a one-night-stand, she was more than that, so he couldn''t treat her like the other women he had met in the past.


    Hummingbird was realistic too. Even though Orca had given an example of a couple that worked out, they were the exception. She did not think that she and Wolf could be another exception; their bond wasn''t strong enough to withstand the challenges. Besides, being constantly on the road, it was much easier for her to be on her own.


    So, the two parted ways, leaving a deep impression in each other''s hearts.


    ...


    In Shanghai, two other people were parting ways.


    "You completely screwed up! Look what you''ve done to me now!" Natasha Gu complained as she threw a bunch of newspapers at the man opposite her. This man was the paparazzi she had hired to follow Avaleigh in Hong Kong.


    "It''s been an entire week and they''re still slandering me!!" Natasha Gu yelled. "This is all your fault. How could you write an article when you weren''t 100% sure? You made me look like a fool! I even paid you for this sloppy work and had everything backfire on me!"


    Natasha was distraught. She thought she had hired a professional to take down Avaleigh. Instead, she had taken down herself. She was now one of the most hated women in the entertainment industry and several of her contracts had been canceled.


    "I''m sorry, Miss Gu. I''ve been blacklisted by the other reporters too. I seriously thought I had genuine information that could ruin Avaleigh''s career," the paparazzi pleaded for forgiveness.


    "Shut up! Get lost! I don''t want to see you again!" Natasha said as she pointed to the door.


    At that moment, the paparazzi placed some photos and doc.u.ments in front of Natasha, "Please, Miss Gu, let me make it up to you. I discovered something that''s 100% true this time..."


    Natasha sneered and glanced down at the items in front of her with doubt.


    The paparazzi smiled bravely and pointed to a photo, "Because of the mess I made, I couldn''t follow Avaleigh any more. So, I decided to follow Emerson Wu instead."


    "Guess what I found."


    Natasha looked at the photo. Emerson was meeting with Danson and he was signing some papers. These men were both rich businessmen in Hong Kong so it was no surprise that they knew each other, nor was it any surprise for them to sign contracts together.


    "Hurry and tell me what you''re trying to say. You''ve already wasted enough of my time," Natasha growled between gritted teeth.


    The paparazzi picked up a doc.u.ment and showed it to Natasha. It was a copy of a business registration certificate.


    "AE Entertainment belongs to Emerson Wu..." the man said straightforwardly. "Danson Qian''s been meeting with him to sign doc.u.ments for the agency."


    Natasha looked at the man with interest. No one knew who the owner of AE Entertainment was. Who knew it was Emeron Wu...


    "Also...I discovered that the owner of Fengtai Corporation is the wife of Jackson Wu, Emerson Wu''s brother..."


    Natasha''s eyes opened wide in surprise. A moment later, a sly smile appeared on her face. "Oh, Avaleigh, I knew you were a gold digger. You even made your man open an entertainment agency for you so you could make a comeback... And, you used your connections to secure a big endors.e.m.e.nt to boost your popularity. How shameless!"


    Natasha had always been highly confident in herself, so she never believed that Avaleigh had genuinely beaten her? This was proof that she was right.


    "Post this online and do it properly this time. I don''t want any repercussions," Natasha ordered.


    The paparazzi smiled and nodded his head. Those other reporters were going to regret blacklisting him after seeing this.


    ...


    At this time in Hong Kong, Danson was in the car with Avaleigh and Steven. Danson had specifically delivered a dress to Avaleigh that morning and told her to wear it for a special event that they were attending. He also told her that Steven was going to capture some photos at the event and share it with her fans.


    Avaleigh did not question Danson. They had been working so well together that she never had to worry about the arrangements he made for her, so she simply went with the flow.


    But as she sat in the car in the beautiful white dress that Danson had brought for her, she suddenly received a phone call.


    "Hello, is this Miss Song?" a female voice asked gently.


    Avaleigh furrowed her brows in confusion. Who was calling her? "Yes, speaking," she replied.


    "I am a nurse calling from HKU hospital. You came in for a pregnancy check the other day and the doctor ran a few routine checks while you were here. Your results are back and the doctor has requested to speak to you urgently about it. Can you drop by the hospital now?" the nurse asked.


    Avaleigh began to tremble a little. She had a foreboding feeling about this. Why was the doctor asking to see her urgently? "Can it wait?" she asked.


    "It is very important. It''s best if you come right away," the nurse replied.


    Avaleigh glanced at Danson who was looking at her through the rearview mirror. "Is something wrong?" he asked.


    Avaleigh covered the mouthpiece of her phone and replied gently, "I need to go to the hospital right away. It''s urgent."


    Danson saw the nervousness on Avaleigh''s face and immediately nodded his head, "OK."


    He then turned the car around and started driving to the hospital. As he did so, Steven glanced at Avaleigh worriedly and sent a message, "Change of plans, we are heading to the hospital for something urgent..."

 Chapter 403 - Bad News

    "Miss Song," the doctor greeted as Avaleigh and Emerson sat nervously opposite her. Emerson had rushed to the hospital as soon as Steven told him something didn''t seem right and he naturally offered to accompany his girlfriend into the doctor''s office. "Remember how we ran a few routine checks when you were here last time?" the doctor continued.


    Avaleigh took a deep breath, nodded her head, and held Emerson''s hand. "Is something wrong, doctor?"


    The doctor flipped over a doc.u.ment and placed it in front of the couple. She then said in a soft, gentle voice, "We found some abnormalities in your pap test..."


    Avaleigh''s heart dropped when she heard this. Abnormalities in her pap test...? Pap tests were done to check for cervical cancer, so an abnormality could only mean one thing... Was it wrong for her to jump to conclusions?


    "Do I...have...cancer?" she asked nervously. Emerson looked at Avaleigh in surprise. As a man, he didn''t really understand pap tests so he didn''t realize this was what an abnormality meant. Avaleigh''s mind began to spin and she felt like she couldn''t breathe. Emerson immediately wrapped his arms around Avaleigh''s shoulder and waited for the doctor''s response.


    The doctor looked at the couple calmly and said in a comforting voice, "We need to run a few more tests to confirm it. It may be non-cancerous. We can''t be sure yet, but we need to take it seriously and not make any delays."


    Avaleigh bit her lip and held back her tears.


    "What if it''s confirmed?" Avaleigh asked. "Will I...die...?"


    Avaleigh was only 24 and she still had so much that she wanted to do. How could she accept news like this?


    "We will check the stage at which your cancer has progressed. It is likely in the early stages since you are young. The majority of people with cervical cancer will recover after surgery and chemoradiation therapy," the doctor explained. "At this point, you don''t need to be too worried."


    "But I must warn you...there is a chance that it may affect your ability to fall pregnant in the future... I want you to consider this and mentally prepare yourself..."


    Avaleigh trembled a little when she heard this and she subconsciously looked at Emerson to see his response. But, Emerson simply looked at her lovingly and said, "Don''t worry, I will be right here by your side. Everything will be OK."


    Avaleigh didn''t know what to say. She knew this man loved her, but she didn''t want to put him through the stress nor did she want to deny him the chance to be a father.


    As she walked out of the doctor''s office, her legs felt so weak that she almost collapsed on the floor. How could something like this happen to her?


    At that moment, Danson and Steven rushed over to check on her. "Is everything alright?" Danson asked.


    Without saying a word, Avaleigh buried her head into Emerson''s chest and broke down in tears.


    ...


    Meanwhile, not too far away, things were completely contrasting for another couple. By now, Halia was past the 8th month of her pregnancy and was heading into the final stretch. She and Jackson knew the baby would be arriving soon so they were putting their final touches on the nursery and packing a bag in preparation for labor.


    At this point, they still didn''t know the gender of their child because they wanted it to be a surprise, so everything in the nursery was neutral-colored. "If we have a boy, what should we name him?" Jackson asked.


    Halia thought for a bit and laughed. "Since you''re ''Jack''s son'' and Emerson is ''Emma''s son'', we can call our son Halson or Jacksonson," she joked.


    Jackson pinched her on the nose for being cheeky and chuckled, "Then, what if we have a girl, what will we name her?"


    Halia gave her husband a mysterious look and smiled. She had a name in mind but she wanted to surprise him. "You''ll find out when the time comes..."


    Jackson hugged his wife and placed a kiss on her forehead. This woman always knew how to keep him on his toes. "Well, I guess if we have a son this time, I''ll have to keep trying for a daughter to find out..." he said with a seductive grin.


    Halia felt her body heat up as she looked at the man''s grin and heard the suggestive manner of his words. She pulled him closer to her body and whispered in his ear, "Then, I guess you better start practicing."


    As soon as she said this, Jackson turned his head and planted his lips firmly against hers.


    Even though some couples chose not to be intimate during pregnancy, this was not the case for Jackson and Halia. Some men were disgusted by their wife''s changing body, and some women lost confidence in themselves, but Jackson simply grew more and more attracted to Halia. She was the mother of his child and every change to her body made him love her more.


    Some people think that having s.e.x during pregnancy is dangerous, but not only is it safe, it releases calming hormones and it increases blood flow, which actually benefits the mother and the baby.


    After some hot and steamy exercise, Halia lay in Jackson''s arms and smiled in satisfaction.


    At that moment, Halia received a phone call from Natalie. "Halia, have you seen the entertainment news?" she asked.


    Halia placed Natalie on speaker curiously and swiped to an entertainment news website on her phone. At the very top was an article with the headline: [Gold Digger Avaleigh Makes Boyfriend Open An Agency For Her]. Underneath it, in smaller writing: [Uses her connections to secure endors.e.m.e.nt for Fengtai].


    The article not only revealed that Emerson was the boss of AE Entertainment, it also revealed the relationship between Emerson, Jackson, Halia, and Fengtai. It made Avaleigh sound like a schematic person that used everyone around her as stepping stones, and it made Fengtai sound unreliable and biased.

 Chapter 404 - Set Free

    As Avaleigh cried in Emerson''s arms, Emerson suddenly received a phone call. At first, he was planning to ignore it, but it kept ringing, so he eventually checked who it was and realized his brother was calling. He could ignore anyone but his brother. Especially when Jackson never called for small talk; his calls were always important. So, Emerson picked up.


    "Emerson, where are you and Avaleigh right now? Have you seen the news?" Jackson asked anxiously. He knew Emerson was meeting with Avaleigh today and he had something ''special'' planned.


    Emerson heard the urgency in his brother''s voice and asked, "Why? Is something wrong?"


    "It seems like that reporter never gave up on investigating you and Avaleigh. He''s released another article about the two of you. You need to be careful," Jackson warned.


    Just as Jackson said this, Emerson noticed some people looking at their phones and pointing at him and Avaleigh in disgust. He didn''t know what the article was about, but he had a feeling that it was bad. At a time like this, when Avaleigh was already stressed, he didn''t want to add to her pain, so he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the car before she noticed anything. He had to get her out of there before too many people noticed her and started asking questions.


    But, as soon as they stepped into the underground parking lot, a sea of reporters were already waiting for them. Someone had spotted them in the hospital and contacted the media.


    Avaleigh looked at the reporters in surprise and didn''t understand why they were there. But, Emerson protected her well and helped her into the car before the reporters managed to ask anything.


    As Avaleigh sat in the car, she watched as the reporters started shoving their microphones towards Emerson and asking him questions. She knew that Emerson was a low key person that did not like attention like this and she felt bad for him. She had put this man through so much pain and stress. The first time they met, he was thrown into a scandal with her. After that, he had to protect her from a murderer. Then, he supported her while she made her comeback, and a moment ago, he just went through the heartache of knowing that she was ill and that she may never fall pregnant. Now, he had to put up with the harassment from reporters for god knows what!


    She couldn''t bear to hurt him like this anymore...


    Amidst the muffled sounds outside, she heard one particular reporter ask, "Mr. Wu, are you the CEO of AE Entertainment. Did you open the agency because Avaleigh asked you to? Have you ever considered that she''s a gold digger that''s just using you?"


    Avaleigh opened her eyes wide and unlocked her phone to check the news. That was when she saw the article about Emerson being the CEO of AE Entertainment and her heart began to ache. Emerson had done so much for her, but all she ever brought him was stress and pain...


    Suddenly, everything made sense. No wonder the agency treated her so well and gave her ridiculously good conditions. Danson even managed her personally when he was meant to be a director.


    Avaleigh lowered her head and a tear trickled out uncontrollably.


    Outside the car, Emerson ignored the reporters and walked around to the other side. Without saying a word, he climbed into the car and sat next to Avaleigh. He then gestured for Danson who was in the driver''s seat to start driving.


    Not long after they left the hospital, Emerson suddenly heard some sniffling beside him. He glanced over worriedly and realized Avaleigh was crying.


    His heart immediately broke.


    He wrapped his arm around the fragile woman and comforted her, "Don''t cry. I''m here..."


    Avaleigh cried even harder when she heard this. "That''s exactly the reason why I''m crying..." she mumbled.


    Emerson looked at Avaleigh in confusion.


    "I don''t want you to be here. I don''t want you to go through all this because of me. You''re Emerson Wu, the most eligible bachelor in Hong Kong. You can be with any woman you want. You shouldn''t be with someone that only causes you stress and pain..." Avaleigh explained as she tried to wiggle out of Emerson''s embrace.


    But Emerson hugged her tighter and did not let her go. "Don''t be silly. I don''t want to be with any other woman. You''re the one that I love."


    Avaleigh heard this and her heart ached even more. Of course, she loved Emerson too and she wanted to stay with him, but she couldn''t be selfish like that. "I''m no good for you..." Avaleigh whispered, "From the first day that we met, all I''ve brought you is trouble. Your life would be so much simpler without me."


    Emerson held onto the woman''s shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "I don''t want simple. I just want you...for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health..."


    Avaleigh heard these words and recognized them. This was something that people said for their wedding vows.


    At that moment, Avaleigh noticed the handsome tuxedo on Emerson''s body which was different from his usual business suits. She had been so focused on everything around them that she only noticed it now. She then glanced at the white dress on her body and tears welled up in her eyes again, "Don''t say that recklessly... Think about it, I may never be able to have children, or worse, I might even die... You don''t want to go through that. I don''t want you to go through that. You''ve done so much for me. The least I can do is set you free..."


    "I don''t need you to set me free. I know what I''m doing and I am dead serious," Emerson replied as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box.


    "I prepared this for you today and my intentions have not changed..."

 Chapter 405 - Baby Wu, Where Are You?

    The early summer sun shone in through the window, naturally waking the Wus from their sleep. The weather was perfect at this time of the year: warm but not yet hot and humid.


    Halia glanced at the bag that was sitting by the door and rubbed her stomach. It had been 2 weeks since they first packed that bag, but Baby Wu had not arrived yet.


    She got out of bed and walked into her office to have a brief meeting with her agents. Due to their time difference, this was the best time to get everyone together. The last time she spoke to them was a week ago when they had just settled into their new locations.


    "Any progress?" Halia asked as she sat down in front of her computer and checked her notes. It had been 2 weeks since the 4 BTAs had been sent to hunt down the 5 Super Soldiers that were on the loose. Based on the information that Orca found via hacking into Amun''s computers, 1 was in the USA, 1 was in Colombia, 1 was in China, 1 was in India, and 1 was unknown.


    Halia had been tracking down the unknown one, while the 4 BTAs went to look for the other 4. It seemed as though the unknown one had traveled by land; either south into another part of Africa, or north into Europe, but she had not found any trace yet.


    Hummingbird chimed in first like she always did, "I finally found my target last night. She''s been mingling with some celebrities here in LA, but I''m not sure what she''s up to. I will be following her to a pool party tonight. Hopefully, I will discover something."


    When Wolf heard her mention a pool party, he furrowed his brows. He remembered how she looked in her bikini when he first met her by the pool in Morocco and became a little protective. "Be careful at those pool parties. They can get a bit crazy," he warned.


    Hummingbird blushed a little when she heard the man''s voice but she did not respond to him.


    Sasquatch cleared his throat. He knew that Wolf liked Hummingbird, but this was not the time to involve personal feelings. "My target arrived in Beijing and caught a train to Tibet. Lotus gave me some tips on how to find which train he boarded and where he got off. I have just located him. He seems to be working with a paramilitary group here."


    Getting Sasquatch''s hint, Wolf immediately turned serious and said, "My target is here in Medellin working with a newly formed drug cartel. I am having trouble investigating him because they seem to have eyes and ears everywhere."


    Hummingbird frowned. How could he be worried about her attending pool parties when he was in a much more dangerous situation. The drug cartels in Colombia were famous for being highly dangerous and ruthless. In fact, Medellin was once the most dangerous city in the world because of these cartels.


    "Be patient. Don''t do anything reckless. Now that we know the Super Soldier is involved with the cartels, I''ll contact the local Interpol. They have an ongoing investigation there so you can work together with them. This is too dangerous to investigate on your own," Halia instructed.


    Hummingbird breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Halia''s response; Wolf definitely needed backup.


    "OK, I''ll lay low until they contact me," Wolf replied.


    After Wolf was done speaking, Orca finally spoke up, "I still haven''t located my target. As soon as she landed in India, she disappeared. I have not been able to trace her at all. The only footage I found of her was of her leaving the airport in Mumbai and boarding an auto-rickshaw. Clearly, she chose this option because it''s harder to trace. There were no cameras onboard and the auto-rickshaw did not have a GPS system installed. Finding her has been a long process."


    Halia furrowed her brows. "Let''s try investigating from a different approach. Rather than tracing the route she took, let''s predict her destination. I want you to investigate local gangs, cartels, and paramilitary groups to see if they''re up to something and whether they''ve been working with a foreigner. I''ll send you some backu...ahhh....!"


    Halfway through her sentence, Halia suddenly started screaming in pain. A moment ago, while she was talking, she suddenly felt a pop, and water started gushing down her legs!


    Her water had just broke!


    Hearing her scream, Jackson ran into the office and saw what had happened. He immediately ran over to his wife, picked up the microphone, and said, "Agents, I will get Captain Hua to contact you and continue this meeting."


    Just before he hung up, Hummingbird asked worriedly, "Did something happen to the Captain? Is she OK? Is she hurt?"


    Without beating around the bush, Jackson quickly replied, "Your Captain is giving birth!"


    He then hung up the phone, grabbed the bag that had been waiting, helped Halia out to the car, and tried to drive calmly to the hospital as his wife screamed in the backseat.


    It didn''t take long for them to arrive at the hospital. As soon as they arrived, some nurses quickly helped her onto a bed and pushed her to the labor ward.


    ...


    Meanwhile, inside a private room in the same hospital, Avaleigh lifted a cup of water to her pale lips. She had just come out of surgery the previous day and she was finally regaining some strength.


    She looked around the empty room and grabbed the remote control to turn on the television. She didn''t want her friends and family to worry about her, so she did not tell anyone about her condition.


    As soon as the television turned on, she saw an entertainment news reporter on the set of a show. "We are here at the filming of ''Let''s Go!" the reporter said.


    Avaleigh''s eyes opened wide with interest. Due to her condition, she had no choice but to quit her position on the variety show. She never explained the real reason to the cast and crew, but many of them had contacted her to show their concern. Especially the cast who had grown to be like family.


    The reporter walked over to Herbert Fang, the leading cast member, and asked nosily, "We heard that Avaleigh suddenly departed the show and there are rumors that she got kicked out of the show because she broke up with Emerson Wu. Is that true? Did she originally get a spot on the show because of her connections to Emerson Wu?"


    Avaleigh furrowed her brows and turned off the television. As she did so, she glanced at her bare hands and thought about what had happened in Emerson''s car 2 weeks ago. That day, Emerson had pulled a small box out of his pocket.


    And, in that box was a beautiful diamond ring...

 Chapter 351 - Avaleighs Comeback

    Morton placed a contract on the dining table and introduced himself, "I am Morton Meng, owner of Morton & Partners Law Firm. This is a contract I drafted up for you. If you are willing to sign it, you can become a signed artist under AE Entertainment. It is a 2-year contract in which they guarantee you a monthly salary even if they can''t find you any jobs. I personally think it is beneficial for both parties."


    Avaleigh glanced down at the contract in surprise. AE Entertainment? She had never heard of them before. But then again, it was supposed to be a new agency.


    At first, Avaleigh still had her doubts. After all, she didn''t know Danson and Morton that well. So, she held onto the contract and started reading through it with hesitation.


    There were no strict curfews, no strict diets as long as she maintained a healthy weight, no restrictions on relationsh.i.p.s, and she was guaranteed a minimum salary. If she managed to survive on the ''slave contract'' she signed in Korea, this contract was like a dream!


    Was this too good to be true?


    Emerson noticed the doubt on Avaleigh''s face and quickly glanced at his friends. They had already given their spiel so it was his time to speak up. After all, he was the anonymous secret boss of AE Entertainment...


    "I know the boss of this agency too. He can definitely be trusted. With Danson there as well, I am confident you will be taken good care of. Otherwise, I will sue them for you!" he said domineeringly.


    "I wrote out this contract and I went through every little detail with Emerson already. I can ensure you there is nothing wrong with it," Morton added.


    Avaleigh looked around and smiled. She had lost her contract in Korea and no one was willing to sign her on, so for the last few days, she thought she was never making a comeback again. But, this contract suddenly gave her hope. Hong Kong and China was a much bigger market with a higher earning potential. Moreover, she could already speak the language and she already had a fan base in these two countries that liked her as an individual rather than just as a girl group member.


    So, Avaleigh nodded her head, picked up a pen, and signed the contract. Even if she didn''t trust Danson and Morton, she trusted Emerson with her life.


    After Avaleigh signed the contract, Danson clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "Great! Now that you''re signed, let me announce that I have already found you your first job!"


    Avaleigh''s eyes opened wide in surprise as she looked at the man. He already found her something? How did he know she was definitely signing the contract?


    Emerson looked at his friend and smiled with satisfaction. He had instructed Danson to make a few phone calls to China today. Who knew he''d get results so quickly? Who said Danson was a good-for-nothing rich player? It seemed, his talents didn''t lie in PR but rather in management. Emerson had found the right person to help him.


    "There is a new variety show that is in the planning and casting stage. I know the producer and I mentioned that you may be signing a contract with me. As soon as he heard, he asked to meet with you. The show''s format is adopted from a very popular Korean variety show so he believes you would be familiar with it and you could bring a different vibe and chemistry to it. Would you like to give it a try?" Danson asked as he handed her a small folder with a few details about the show.


    Avaleigh looked at it and her eyes lit up. Danson wasn''t joking when he said this was a very popular show in Korea. She had guest-starred on the Korean version a few times, and each time she appeared on it, her popularity skyrocketed. If she was to be on the permanent cast, she would be set for a good few years. No wonder AE Entertainment was so confident about giving her a minimum salary. If she got this job, she was definitely exceeding the minimum every month and the agency was going to make a lot of money too.


    Without a second thought, Avaleigh quickly nodded her head. "Let''s do it!" she said.


    Danson smiled and glanced at Emerson. He could already feel the 10% shares in his hands.


    "In that case, I''ll book us some flights to Shanghai tomorrow," Danson said.


    ...


    While Avaleigh and Danson were preparing to fly to Shanghai, two couples were returning to China from their eventful honeymoon. Although things did not go to plan, they still had an unforgettable time. As their plane landed in Beijing for a transfer, the four friends separated for the first time in 2 weeks. Natalie and Sean were returning to Guiyang City first, while Halia and Jackson had a quick stopover to meet with Dr. Li and Eric.


    As Halia and Jackson sat inside their taxi, Halia glanced at a Polaroid photo in her hands and couldn''t help but smile sweetly. It was the random one that a passerby took for them.


    Jackson saw her smile and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. "I had an amazing honeymoon with you," he said.


    Halia wrapped her arms around her husband''s waist and nodded. "I had an amazing time too. I''m still thinking about the food we had. I think our baby is craving some Gopchang-gui (grilled intestines)," she said as she licked her lips.


    Jackson laughed. His wife had never been a picky eater, but she had been craving some weird things lately.


    Soon, their taxi pulled up outside the Beijing Police Department where Dr. Li''s secret lab was located.


    The Police Chief met them at the entrance and led them straight to his office. "It''s been a long time, Halia," the chief said as he smiled at the young woman. He still remembered the first day when he and Dr. Li scouted her. She had grown so much since then.


    As they walked down the corridors of the building, one particular officer perked his head up in curiosity when he heard the name, Halia. Haili Feng was also known as Halia. A few days ago, he had been asked about this woman but he didn''t find anything out of the ordinary. Yet, she showed up today and the Police Chief was personally leading her to his office at that very moment.


    He quickly picked up his phone and dialed a number in secret, "Haili Feng is here and she is heading to the Police Chief''s office."


    A woman with a Russian accent replied on the other end, "Follow them and see what they''re up to."

 Chapter 406 - Did They Break Up?

    "Avaleigh is an essential member of ''Let''s Go!'' I don''t know the details behind her departure, but I am 100% sure that she did not get kicked out. In fact, I have faith that she will return one day. From what I know, she left due to personal reasons. I hope you can respect her privacy and not make baseless assumptions. As for her relationship with Emerson Wu, I have spoken to her about him in private, and they were genuinely in love when we last spoke. Emerson Wu has no involvement with this show whatsoever, so I don''t see how he could have got her a spot on the show through connections. Avaleigh was originally signed on for a trial, and I was there during the entire trial. She got a permanent position on the show because the entire cast and crew agreed that she was well-suited. I''m sure her fans can vouch for that," Herbert Fang said confidently. He was an authoritative figure in variety shows and was well known for his high EQ and well-loved personality.


    The reporters scribbled down some notes and looked at each other. Herbert Fang would never lie. But...they still didn''t know why Avaleigh left.


    "In that case, will Avaleigh be replaced? We heard that Natasha Gu is her substitute," another reporter asked.


    Herbert furrowed his brows when he heard the woman''s name. Natasha Gu was recently linked to the reporter that had been slandering Avaleigh. From what he saw, that woman did not look like she had good intentions and she seemed to be deliberately targeting Avaleigh, but he had no proof.


    "That is a decision for the director to make. But I need to clarify that I do not condone bullying and the use of underhanded methods. If I am forced to work with someone with bad intentions, I would rather break my contract and quit," he said suggestively.


    In other words, he was warning the director not to make a reckless decision and hire Natasha Gu without investigating her properly. At the same time, he was highlighting his integrity and reiterating that he worked with Avaleigh because she was a good person.


    The reporters turned away and sighed. What exactly was the truth?


    ...


    Back at the hospital, a nurse walked into Avaleigh''s hospital room to check her vital signs. First, she checked her temperature, then her blood pressure, and finally her breathing and heart rate. This nurse had been taking care of her since the previous day and her name was June.


    "The doctor will be around to see you later today. He will explain how your surgery went and the next steps you will have to take. For moral support, we suggest that you have someone by your side during the doctor''s visit. Is there someone you would like us to call?" Nurse June asked attentively.


    Avaleigh looked out the window in deep thought and shook her head without saying a word. She had not said a word since she came out of surgery.


    The nurse looked at Avaleigh with concern. Although she arrived at the ward past visiting hours yesterday, she expected to see some visitors today, but Avaleigh''s room was still completely empty and she looked really sad. Of course, she recognized Avaleigh and knew who she was. She also saw the news and heard all the rumors that were going around. Did Avaleigh really break up with Emerson Wu? Everyone thought Avaleigh was kicked off her show and Emerson Wu broke up with her because she was a gold digger. But, from Nurse June''s point of view, it seemed like Avaleigh had left the show because she was sick and Emerson Wu broke up with her because of her condition. After all, cancer was a scary thing to deal with. Not everyone could handle it.


    Nurse June frowned and sighed. "Well, if you need anything, don''t forget that you have a buzzer beside your bed. You can always press it and I''ll come to help you," she reminded as she left the room.


    As soon as she stepped outside, one of the other nurses grabbed her aside and asked nosily, "Isn''t that Avaleigh Song?"


    Nurse June gestured for her to hush, "We need to respect our patient''s privacy and maintain confidentiality."


    The other nurse nodded her head and whispered, "Of course I know that. I''m just curious if the news is true. Has Emerson Wu visited? Are they still together?"


    Nurse June furrowed her brows, "Men can''t be trusted. He probably ran away when he realized his toy was going to turn into a weak and fragile burden that might not be able to give him a child. It''s not the first time we''ve seen something like that... You should see how sad she looks. It''s heartbreaking..."


    The other nurse shook her head in disappointment, "That''s such a pity. Poor girl..."


    Just as the two nurses were discussing their new celebrity patient, some footsteps could be heard approaching the nurses'' desk. "Excuse me..." a deep male voice asked, "May I know which room Avaleigh Song is in?"


    Nurse June turned around with curiosity. Avaleigh Song? Was someone finally here to visit her?


    Nurse June glanced up and her eyes fell upon the face of a young handsome man. She picked up a logbook nervously and said, "Can you please sign in first? Just leave your name, the time, and your signature. When you leave, don''t forget to sign out."


    Nurse June watched as the young man placed some bags on the floor and picked up a pen. He was so handsome that she couldn''t help but feel a little fl.u.s.tered. Was he a relative of Avaleigh Song? Did they both inherit their family''s good-looking genes? But, as the man''s pen fell on the book, the nurse watched as he wrote the name ''Emerson Wu'' neatly in the first column. She immediately looked at the other nurse and her eyes opened wide in surprise. "You''re Emerson Wu?" she blurted.


    Emerson kept a low profile and barely appeared on the news so the nurse didn''t actually know how he looked.


    Emerson looked at the nurse and nodded his head.


    "You''re here to see...Avaleigh? Your...girlfriend?" Nurse June continued to ask in surprise.


    Emerson leaned over and picked up his bags. He then shook his head, "No..."


    Nurse June frowned in confusion.


    Emerson saw the nurse''s confusion and smiled. "I''m here to see my fiancee..." he corrected.


    He then walked into Avaleigh''s room as the nurses looked at him with admiration.


    "I was wrong," Nurse June smiled. "Now, that''s what you call a man!"

 Chapter 407 - Laurie Wu

    Knock knock!


    There was a knock on Avaleigh''s hospital room door. When she heard the sound, her heart immediately began to race.


    Avaleigh turned around with anticipation and saw the face that she had been waiting for all morning. The previous night, when she woke up from her surgery, she was told that the visiting hours were over so no visitors were allowed. Thus, she had been waiting until the morning to see Emerson.


    "What took you so long?" she pouted cutely. Although she was a little pale and weak, she still looked beautiful. Emerson walked over with some bags and replied, "I went to get breakfast for you." He then pulled out an insulated bowl and placed it in front of her.


    Avaleigh lifted off the lid with curiosity and the flavors from a delicious steamy broth quickly filled the room and immersed her senses. She recognized the broth straight away. It was a serving of wonton noodles from her favorite wonton restaurant.


    A smile appeared on Avaleigh''s face. She didn''t have much of an appetite before, but now that she saw this, her mouth finally started watering. How did this man know that she would want to eat this? And wasn''t this restaurant far from the hospital? Did he drive all the way there to get it? Moreover, wasn''t the place usually packed in the morning? Was this why he arrived a bit later?


    Emerson sat down on the edge of Avaleigh''s bed, grabbed a spoon, and scooped up one of the wontons inside the bowl. He then placed it gently up to Avaleigh''s mouth. "You must be hungry," he said lovingly.


    The little morsel of goodness slid smoothly into Avaleigh''s mouth and she ate it with satisfaction.


    As Emerson grabbed a pair of chopsticks to pick up some noodles for her, she looked at him and asked, "Did you bring my ring?"


    Because of her surgery, she had to remove all her jewelry beforehand. Knowing this, she had deliberately left her engagement ring at home and asked Emerson to bring it for her after. Ever since she agreed to his proposal, the ring had not left her finger, and it felt a bit empty now.


    With a smile, Emerson reached into his pocket and pulled out the little box that he had pulled out on the day that he proposed. He then grabbed the ring inside and gently placed it back on her finger where it belonged.


    The ring warmed Avaleigh''s heart and she smiled. She really liked this ring; not because it was beautiful or because the diamond on it was more expensive than any piece of jewelry she had ever owned, but because it was a symbol of their love. It was proof of Emerson''s devotion to her and his promise to never leave her side, no matter how tough things got. This ring helped her remain brave and positive, even though she was facing the toughest challenge of her life.


    After Avaleigh finished the wonton noodles, the doctor arrived to check on her.


    "How are you feeling?" the doctor asked with a gentle smile.


    Avaleigh smiled back and joked, "I''ve had better days."


    The doctor chuckled and pulled out a folder from the pile of doc.u.ments in her hands.


    She then opened it up and said, "You still need to hang in there for a little longer, but I have good news. Your surgery was a success last night and there were no complications. We removed a very small growth from your body without having to do a hysterectomy or anything major. You may have more difficulty falling pregnant than the average person, but it is not impossible."


    Avaleigh looked at Emerson in relief. Pregnancy was one of the biggest things she was worried about. They had discussed this issue before the surgery and Emerson had reassured her that he was happy to adopt if pregnancy was not possible, but she still didn''t want to deny him the experience of having his own biological child.


    "We also took some samples from your lymph nodes and ran a test on them. There is no sign that the cancer has spread to anywhere else in your body, but because you are still young, I suggest you undergo chemoradiation therapy just to be safe," the doctor explained. She then went over Avaleigh''s schedule for her chemoradiation therapy and listed the possible side-effects. "Your immune system will be compromised and you will most likely lose your hair," the doctor said. "But everything will return to normal once you have finished the entire course of your treatment."


    Avaleigh nodded her head in understanding. She didn''t want to lose her hair, but it was better than losing her life. There was still a lot that she wanted to do with Emerson; she couldn''t leave this earth so quickly.


    After the doctor left, Emerson held onto her hands lovingly and said, "Are you sure you''re OK with everything? If anything is making you uncomfortable or sad, make sure to tell me. I will be right here beside you."


    Avaleigh smiled, "I''m a bit sad that I have to lose my hair, but as long as my bald head doesn''t scare you away, then I can endure it."


    Emerson wrapped his arms around his fiancee and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You can''t get away from me that easily. In my eyes, you are already my wife and nothing will change that."


    He then smirked and ran out to grab a wheelchair, "By the way, there''s someone I would like you to meet."


    Avaleigh looked at her fiancee curiously. Not many people knew she was sick. Who was he taking her to meet?


    Emerson helped her into the wheelchair and started pushing her down the corridors of the hospital. "Is this person in the hospital too?" she asked curiously as Emerson pushed her into the elevator.


    "You''ll see very soon," Emerson replied.


    A moment later, the elevator arrived on the ground floor. Originally, Avaleigh thought he was pushing her out of the hospital to meet someone in the garden, but to her surprise, he turned the wheelchair and headed down another corridor.


    Before long, they arrived in front of a window and Emerson pointed to a little baby inside. That was when Avaleigh realized they were inside the maternity ward.


    "Say hello to your niece," Emerson said softly beside her ear as she looked at the baby that he was pointing to.


    Avaleigh turned her head and looked at him in surprise, "My niece?!"


    "Did Halia give birth?" she asked excitedly.


    Emerson chuckled and nodded his head.


    Avaleigh''s eyes softened and she turned back to look at the little baby. On her bed, there was a label with her name. "Laurie Wu," Avaleigh read.


    Emerson smiled, "She''s named after Jackson''s mother, Laura..."

 Chapter 408 - Congratulations

    Halia opened her eyes. She had been sleeping for some time but she still felt exhausted. Although her delivery was surprisingly quick and smooth, it was still very painful and tiring.


    Jackson noticed his wife wake up and quickly walked to her side.


    "Where''s our baby?" Halia asked as she tried to look around.


    Jackson smiled. "The nurses are taking care of her in the nursery so you can get a bit of sleep. When you''re ready, I can ask them to bring her. You have a crib in your room for her to sleep in," he said as he pointed to a little crib next to Halia''s bed.


    Halia nodded her head excitedly. She had been waiting for the baby to arrive for so long. All she wanted to do now was stare at its face all day long and hold it in her arms.


    Jackson also nodded and stepped outside to speak to the nurses.


    Soon, a little newborn baby was carried into Halia''s room and placed in her arms. Halia looked at the precious little creature and felt her heart melt. Apart from holding her for a brief moment in the labor ward, this was her second time holding her daughter in her arms, but for some reason, she already felt so in love with her that she was ready to risk her life for her at any moment. This was the love of a mother. The feelings came naturally and Halia did not resist it.


    Jackson also felt the same way. If anyone dared to pick on his precious little daughter, they were dead!


    Seeing that Halia was now awake and her husband was beside her, the nurse began to teach the new parents some basics, including how to carry the baby properly, what signs to look out for, how to b.r.e.a.s.tfeed, how often to feed, how to change the baby''s nappy, and how to bathe her. Halia had read some books and watched some videos beforehand so she already knew some of the things that the nurse taught, but it was still different to actually put the theory to practice on her own baby.


    After the nurse finished teaching them and the baby settled into her crib, there was suddenly a knock on the door.


    Jackson walked over to see who it was and was surprised to see his brother and Avaleigh outside. But even more surprising was the fact that Avaleigh was in a wheelchair.


    Avaleigh didn''t want her friends and family to worry about her, so she had told Emerson not to tell anyone about her condition until her surgery was over and things looked positive.


    Halia saw Avaleigh and her eyes opened wide in shock. She had seen the article about Avaleigh and heard how she quit her show. She also read the rumors about her breaking up with Emerson. But Halia knew better. She knew how much Emerson loved Avaleigh and knew there was more to the story. Now that she saw Avaleigh in this state, she began to realize what the real reason was.


    "Are you OK, Avaleigh? What happened?" Halia asked in concern. She really liked Avaleigh so she was genuinely worried about her.


    Avaleigh looked pale and weak, and it appeared as though she had lost a bit of weight.


    Avaleigh smiled reassuringly and replied, "I just came out of surgery."


    "Surgery?" Jackson exclaimed. "Were you sick?" Jackson was also worried about her. Even though she wasn''t married to Emerson yet, he had seen how well she treated his brother and already thought of her as his sister-in-law.


    Avaleigh glanced at Emerson, gesturing for him to explain for her. It was a tough experience for her to talk about.


    Emerson kneeled down beside Avaleigh and held her hand. He then explained to Halia and Jackson that Avaleigh discovered she had cancer and was now being treated for it.


    "The doctor has removed the cancer and she said that it doesn''t look like it''s spread. At this point, things are looking positive and her survival rate is high," Emerson said.


    "It''s lucky that you took me to do that pregnancy test at the hospital a few weeks back and the doctor did a few routine checks while I was there; otherwise, I wouldn''t have discovered it so soon. The growth was very small and it was removed easily without impacting anything around it. Any later, and it could have been a very different story," Avaleigh added as she looked at Halia.


    Halia''s heart ached for Avaleigh; she could only imagine how scared she must have been when she discovered her condition. But, at the same time, she felt proud of Emerson. Like a sister, she was proud that he stuck by Avaleigh''s side and supported her through the entire ordeal.


    At that moment, Halia suddenly noticed a sparkle from the corner of her eyes. She glanced down at the couple''s entwined hands and noticed a diamond sitting on top of Avaleigh''s finger. She gasped in surprise and smiled. "Is that the ring you mentioned before?" she asked Emerson excitedly when she realized what it was.


    Jackson also looked at the ring and smiled.


    Emerson nodded his head and grinned at his brother. "She said ''yes''," he replied proudly. "We wanted to wait until the surgery was over before we told everyone."


    Jackson wrapped his arm around his brother''s shoulder and high-fived him. 2 weeks ago, Emerson had mentioned that he was proposing to Avaleigh. He had planned a special dinner for her with music, flowers, and even fireworks. But that was the same day that the article about Avaleigh was released. Since Emerson never mentioned anything about his proposal after that day and Jackson didn''t see any fireworks being lit, he assumed the article had interfered with his brother''s plans and he was postponing the proposal. Who knew he had already succeeded!


    "Congratulations!" Halia and Jackson said in unison.


    At the same time, Laurie started crying in her crib like she wanted to join in.


    Emerson and Avaleigh glanced at the baby and laughed. "Congratulations to you too!"

 Chapter 409 - Watermelon And Lolly

    Being first- time parents was tough, especially when neither Halia nor Jackson had their mothers around to share knowledge and experience. Fortunately, Aunt Lily stepped in at this time to guide them.


    After Emma Wu was sent to prison, Jack Wu divorced her and officially married Aunt Lily, making her his one and only wife. Even though Aunt Lily had given birth to Jaclyn and stuck by Father Wu''s side for decades, their relationship had never been official on paper due to the law. But now, she was officially Jackson and Emerson''s stepmother. Thus, she saw Halia as her daughter-in-law and Laurie as her granddaughter.


    Aunt Lily was an open-minded woman. When she first discovered that her daughter, Jaclyn, was in a relationship with a woman, she was quite surprised. But she quickly accepted it; especially after she did a few video calls with the couple and saw how well they took care of each other. Of course, as a mother, she did have a few concerns for her daughter, including marriage and children.


    But due to living away from home for most of her life, Jaclyn was mature and understood herself well, so she told her mother straightforwardly that she was not getting married and not having children; her relationship was not defined by these two things and her love for Mia was not going to be any less without it. Aunt Lily respected her decision. But deep down, she actually dreamed about having a grandchild.


    So, when Halia and Jackson gave birth, she immediately treated the child as her own grandchild and offered to help. For the first month, Halia and Laurie followed the tradition of a one-month confinement period and did not leave their apartment. This was a tradition for the mother to recover from giving birth and also for the fragile baby to adjust to the world. During this time, outsiders were asked to refrain from visiting and only immediate family saw the baby, so Aunt Lily was the only person apart from Jackson that Halia saw for an entire month. As a part of the traditions, Halia was told to avoid cold weather and wind. So, even though it was summer, Aunt Lily made sure that she was always wrapped in clothing and no part of her body was exposed to the elements. It was a bit difficult at first, but Halia understood that these traditions were a part of her culture and Aunt Lily was doing it because she genuinely cared about her.


    In the blink of an eye, one month passed.


    It was tradition to host a one-month party for a new baby. Not only was it a chance for friends and family to officially meet the newborn, but it was also an opportunity for them to bless it with good luck and health.


    Due to Halia''s ''secret room'' in the apartment, they could not host the party at home. Instead, they returned to the Wu Family Mansion.


    Halia wanted to keep the party small and intimate, so only her closest friends and family arrived. This included Natalie''s family and Halia''s father who flew in from Guiyang City.


    As Natalie arrived at the luxurious mansion, she was also holding a baby in her arms. She had given birth while Halia was away and her child was a couple of months older than Laurie.


    When Pumpkin saw Halia, he ran straight up to her and wrapped his arms around her leg. "Auntie Haili, can I see your baby?" he asked.


    Halia glanced down at the little boy and smiled. She then leaned over and showed the little girl in her arms to him.


    As soon as Pumpkin saw the baby, his eyes lit up, "Is it a girl? Are girl babies different to boy babies?"


    Pumpkin was asking this because Natalie had given birth to another boy. For a little while, Natalie thought she was having a girl because the ultrasound was unclear, so Pumpkin thought he was getting a sister. But it turned out to be a brother, so Pumpkin was extremely curious how different a sister would have been.


    "Baby Nicholas cries a lot. Sometimes, I can''t even sleep at night. I gave him the nickname Watermelon because he seems to be made out of water. Does your baby cry a lot too, Auntie Haili?" Pumpkin asked with a frustrated pout.


    Halia laughed and patted the little boy on the head, "Dear, all babies cry. It''s their way of communicating because they can''t talk yet. You cried a lot too when you were a baby."


    Pumpkin scratched the back of his head with embarrassment, "Did I?"


    Halia nodded her head, "Yes, that''s why you need to treat your Mommy well and help her around the house. She went through a lot to raise you. Now you understand how difficult it was."


    Pumpkin immediately nodded his head and turned around just as Natalie caught up.


    "Mommy, you''ve been working hard. Let me introduce Watermelon to Auntie Haili''s baby," he said as he stretched out his arms.


    Natalie smiled and gently placed the baby in his brother''s arms. Of course, she kept one hand underneath the entire time to make sure he was safe.


    "By the way, Auntie Haili, what''s your baby''s name?" Pumpkin asked as he leaned over and looked at the little girl.


    "Her name is Laurie," Halia replied with a smile.


    Pumpkin''s eye lit up and a big grin appeared on his face, "Lolly? I like lollies!"


    Natalie chuckled and tried to correct her son, but Halia pulled her back and laughed, "He can call her Lolly if he wants. That''s a pretty sweet nickname."


    Natalie smiled and leaned over to whisper in her friend''s ear, "Yes, that''s a pretty sweet nickname for his future sister-in-law."


    She then winked, "Don''t forget about the conversation that we had in Korea!"


    Halia looked at her best friend in confusion but quickly realized what she was referring to. Future sister-in-law? Conversation in Korea? That was right, on the day that she revealed her pregnancy to Natalie, Natalie had suggested that their kids get married if they gave birth to different genders...


    And now, she had given birth to a daughter while Natalie gave birth to a son...


    But...wasn''t that just a joke...?

 Chapter 410 - Going Public

    Everyone was focused on Halia and Natalie''s children when a Rolls Royce pulled up at the front of the Wu Family Mansion.


    Halia and Jackson knew about Avaleigh''s condition so they did not expect her to attend the one-month celebration, but Avaleigh treasured family and did not think it was right to be absent from an important day like this, so she decided to turn up.


    Originally, Avaleigh kept her condition quite private; no one in the Wu Family, apart from Halia and Jackson, knew about it. She did not specifically hide it, but she did not announce it to the world either. After all, it wasn''t something to be proud of. But during one of her chemotherapy sessions, another patient said something that really stuck with her. "I can''t believe a celebrity is doing chemotherapy in the same room as me and you''re so young as well. Celebrity lives are always portrayed as being so perfect. Who knew you''d get cancer too."


    "I''m only human," Avaleigh replied weakly as the chemotherapy drugs were pumped into her body via an IV drip. She had been there for 20 minutes before this woman arrived and sat next to her.


    The woman furrowed her brows in confusion, "But why is everyone saying that you left ''Let''s Go!'' because you broke up with Emerson Wu and no longer had his support after he discovered you were a gold digger?" The woman then glanced at Emerson who was sitting next to Avaleigh, holding her hand lovingly. Emerson didn''t show his face in public often, but this woman had clearly seen him in a finance magazine before so she knew who he was. They were clearly still together and very much in love.


    Avaleigh smiled calmly, "They can think whatever they want. I know it''s not the truth."


    The woman furrowed her brows again. "I still don''t understand. Why don''t you just announce that you left because you''re sick and undergoing chemotherapy? I''m sure everyone will understand. Plus, don''t you think it''s a good opportunity to raise awareness?"


    Avaleigh looked at the woman with interest, "Raise awareness?"


    "A lot of people think that cancer is so rare that it will never happen to them, especially when they''re still young. Because of that, they forget to have regular check-ups. If I was you, I would encourage people to get themselves checked and I would highlight the importance of early detection. I had put off checking my b.r.e.a.s.ts for 5 years before a workmate was diagnosed with b.r.e.a.s.t cancer and mentioned it at work. That was when I went to the doctor and we discovered a small lump. Both of us are lucky that our cancers were in their early stages, but not everyone is that lucky..."


    Avaleigh listened to the woman and realized that she made a lot of sense. She had never looked at things from that angle; she simply thought it was her own burden to handle. But now, she realized how many people she could possibly help.


    So, Avaleigh turned up at the Wu Family Mansion that day and walked confidently through the front door. When everyone first saw her, they were shocked. She had lost a bit of weight but she still looked healthy. She had light makeup on and her white dress made her look pure and innocent. But the thing that drew the most attention...


    ...was her bald head.


    Was this some kind of fashion statement?


    "Avaleigh, dear, it''s been a while since we last saw you. We heard that you left your show. Have you been well?" Aunt Lily asked. She and Father Wu had agreed not to interfere with Emerson''s love life, so they ignored the gossip and trusted their son without asking any questions, but she was still a little worried about Avaleigh. Especially now that she saw her in this questionable state. Had something happened? A certain celebrity once shaved her head during a public breakdown, was this something similar? Avaleigh had been through a lot recently: murder, disbanding, and endless slandering. Had she reached her limit?


    But, just as Aunt Lily was thinking of the possibilities, Avaleigh held her hand and looked in her eyes. Her gaze was comforting; it reassured her that it wasn''t what she thought. "Auntie, there is news I would like to share with you. But before I get started, I want to reassure you that I am perfectly fine."


    Aunt Lily pulled Father Wu to join her. She could tell that Avaleigh had something serious to say and felt that Father Qu should be there to hear it too.


    Avaleigh took a deep breath and smiled, "I recently had surgery...for cancer..."


    Aunt Lily almost broke into tears on the spot when she heard the word ''cancer''. She looked at the young woman''s skinny body, her pale skin, and her bald head; everything suddenly made sense. She lifted her trembling hand and placed it up to Avaleigh''s cheek, "Oh dear, you must have been through so much on your own. You should have told us earlier so we could be there for you."


    Avaleigh shook her head. "It wasn''t actually as tough as I thought it would be at the beginning." She then looked at Emerson lovingly, "Emerson was there with me through the entire journey and he''s been attending all my chemotherapy and radiation sessions with me. I actually feel quite lucky that I discovered my diagnosis early. I have seen many people in worse situations, and I have also seen some very lonely people at the hospital."


    Aunt Lily and Father Wu looked at Emerson proudly. They knew the reports were wrong about him breaking up with Avaleigh because she was a gold digger.


    At that moment, Aunt Lily noticed the diamond ring on Avaleigh''s finger. Emerson saw her look at it and smiled, "On a lighter note, I also have news to announce..."


    Aunt Lily glanced at Father Wu excitedly as she pointed at the ring.


    "Avaleigh and I are engaged," Emerson said proudly as he held onto his fiancee''s hand.


    Just as he said that, Natalie suddenly received an alert on her phone. Since Avaleigh was the spokesperson for Fengtai, she had set up alerts on her phone for all news related to her.


    Natalie picked up her phone and clicked on a new article that was released 5 minutes ago. It was an article written by Steven Zhe, AE Entertainment''s exclusive reporter. The headline read, [Avaleigh Song''s Brave Battle With Cancer].

 Chapter 411 - Emersons Message

    On the day that Avaleigh realized her potential to help others, she had actually invited Steven and Danson to her home. Over dinner, she told them that she wanted to go public about her condition and to use it as an opportunity to raise awareness and educate the public. Danson and Steven were a little surprised at first. They both knew how harsh the entertainment industry could be and didn''t want her to get hurt. But her intentions were clear and she was set on her decision, so they were slowly convinced.


    "Are you sure?" Danson asked. He had worked with Avaleigh for quite some time now and he viewed her as a younger sister so he was quite cautious.


    Avaleigh nodded her head. "I don''t think there''s anything to hide. It''s not like I did something wrong. I was just unlucky. Besides, I''m already recovering."


    Danson glanced at Emerson. He was, after all, his boss. "If this is what she wants to do, then I will support her 100%," Emerson approved. Since the boss approved, then Danson had no reason to object.


    So, that night, as they sat around the dining table, Steven held an impromptu interview and wrote down everything about Avaleigh''s condition and the message she wanted to send.


    Natalie read through Steven''s article, and the shock on her face slowly faded. It was a tasteful and well-written article that beautifully doc.u.mented Avaleigh''s journey to recovery and there were a lot of gentle reminders for the public to check their bodies. At the very end of the article, there was even a small message from Emerson that Avaleigh didn''t know about.


    Emerson had actually spoken to Steven in private and asked him to add it as a surprise.


    Halia also read the article and saw the message that Emerson left. With a smile, she walked over to Avaleigh and said, "I think all the reporters in the entertainment industry have just received a huge face slap..."


    Avaleigh looked at Halia and raised an eyebrow in confusion. Was she referring to the article? She didn''t really think of it as a face slap...


    But, Halia was referring to Emerson''s message. She held her phone in front of Avaleigh with a knowing smile and showed her the message that Emerson left. "Did you know about this?" she asked.


    Avaleigh looked at the text that was written in Italics under the article about her and her eyes opened wide in surprise:


    "Dear members of the public and the media,


    It has come to my attention that there has been a lot of speculation and misleading information regarding Avaleigh Song and I. I would like to remind everyone, not to believe everything that you read. While some very hurtful articles were going around and people were questioning Avaleigh''s moral integrity, Avaleigh was going through the toughest time in her life. I watched as this brave woman put everything on hold and faced her cancer head-on while everyone was slandering her. She could have easily revealed the truth and played on everyone''s sympathy, but she chose to shoulder her illness on her own because she didn''t want to make everyone sad.


    Avaleigh is the strongest, kindest, and most selfless person I have ever met, and she inspires and amazes me every single day. Never once have I considered leaving her. My love for her is genuine, and I am 100% certain that her love for me is genuine too. I don''t want to hear any more doubts regarding our relationship.


    I would like to take this opportunity to clarify that Avaleigh has never asked for anything from me. I am in no way affiliated with the production of ''Let''s Go!'' nor was I involved with the endors.e.m.e.nt of Fengtai. Both projects were secured by Avaleigh herself and AE Entertainment merely represented her. She has more than enough capacity to achieve great things on her own. If anything, I am the selfish one that wanted her for myself, and I am the one that''s benefiting from her fame. Sure, I opened an entertainment agency for her, but I am also a businessman that never invests in a loss. I saw an opportunity with Avaleigh, and I grabbed onto it. I''m sure any businessman would have done the same.


    AE Entertainment is nothing without Avaleigh Song...


    And, I am nothing without Avaleigh Song...


    If any of the rumors are true, then it has to be the one about her not being my girlfriend anymore...


    Because...


    Avaleigh Song is now officially Emerson Wu''s fiancee and I can''t wait to make her my wife!"


    Avaleigh turned to look at Emerson as tears formed in her eyes. "I can''t wait to make you my husband too," she smiled as she placed a kiss on his lips.


    Everyone looked at the couple and sighed in admiration. What a lovely sight.


    But, just as they were focused on the newly engaged couple, a sharp cry immediately drew their attention away.


    The little baby girl in Halia''s arms was crying as though she was upset that everyone had forgotten about her. That was right! This was meant to be a party for her.


    Pumpkin immediately ran over and started pulling funny faces at the little girl and her crying slowly subsided. "Look at me, Lolly. I am your big brother, Pumpkin. I will take good care of you and Watermelon," he said gently.


    Laurie looked at the little boy and made a few random noises as though she understood and Pumpkin naturally placed a kiss on her forehead.


    Halia giggled and looked at Natalie. "I think your son just stole my daughter''s first kiss," she joked.


    "That doesn''t count. It wasn''t on the lips. Her lips are reserved for my little Watermelon," Natalie chuckled as she rocked the baby in her arms.


    Halia rolled her eyes and laughed as she looked at her daughter. As she looked at her tiny face, she couldn''t help but wonder how her daughter would be like when she grew up. Who would she actually give her first kiss to and who would she eventually marry. Would her husband be as handsome as Jackson?


    As she thought this, she slapped herself on the forehead. Where was her mind wandering off to? Wasn''t she getting too far ahead of herself? Her daughter was only one month old!


    Halia shook her head and laughed.

 Chapter 412 - Forgiveness

    After Avaleigh''s article was released, there was a mix of emotions. Her friends and family were proud, her fans were heartbroken, and the media was strewn with guilt. Some reporters began to reflect on their actions and some publications even revised their procedures after they realized they had been led too far down the wrong path. If they had been a little more sensitive, thorough, and patient, like Steven Zhe, they would have been rewarded with the truth and a clear conscience.


    The media weren''t the only ones that felt guilty.


    At this time, a young woman read through Avaleigh''s article and suddenly felt so guilty that, for the first time in her life, she actually hated herself. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. The person looking back had changed so much. When she first entered the entertainment industry, she was a kind and innocent person chasing her dreams. But without noticing it, she had slowly been transformed into a b*tch just to survive. "What have I been doing?" she asked herself. "I even hired a reporter to harass her."


    All along, she thought Avaleigh used her connections to steal her jobs away from her. But Natasha Gu realized, at that moment, that she had scripted an entire story in her mind that was completely different from the truth.


    Realizing this, she grabbed a cotton pad, poured on some makeup remover, and started removing the layers of makeup that were on her face. She had been hiding under this makeup like a mask, but even she hadn''t noticed until now that she had turned into a different person. This wasn''t her. She wasn''t a nasty person that blamed others because she was jealous. She was better than that!


    After she removed all her makeup, she applied a light layer of powder, a bit of lip gloss, and walked out the door.


    She had heard that the Wus were holding a one-month celebration for their new granddaughter and she happened to be in Hong Kong for an event, so she took it as an opportunity to set things straight. If she had to guess, she was sure Avaleigh would be at the Wu Family mansion for the celebration, so she got the address from the paparazzi she had been working with and started driving there. Everyone in the media knew where the Wus lived, but getting into the private estate was a different story. However, Natasha was willing to try. Redemption had never been easy.


    When she arrived at the gate of the estate, the security guard looked into her car and saw her. He knew who she was; she was a famous model that he had seen on television before. But, he also knew that she did not live in the estate. What was she doing there?


    "Hi Miss Gu, may I ask if you are here to see someone?"


    Natasha bit her lower lip and replied, "I''m here to attend the Wu Family''s party."


    The security guard quickly pulled out a list and ran his eyes down it. "I''m sorry, but your name isn''t on the invite list. If you want, I can call the Wus to confirm," he said awkwardly.


    Natasha sighed and nodded her head. She had no other choice, but she had a feeling that Avaleigh wouldn''t want to see her.


    "Speak to Emerson Wu. Let him know that Natasha Gu is here to congratulate him and his fiancee on their engagement, as well as his brother on becoming a father," she instructed.


    The security guard immediately did as told. As Natasha watched him return to his little booth office, she was ready to turn the car around and go home. Why would Avaleigh and Emerson agree to see her after all she had done?


    But, to her surprise, the guard soon returned and opened the gate. "Mr. Wu and Miss Song are waiting for you," he said with a friendly smile.


    Natasha''s heart almost jumped out of her chest in shock. They actually agreed to see her?!


    Natasha''s car entered the estate and drove down a neatly paved road lined with perfectly manicured shrubs. Clearly, this was not a place for the average person. Following her GPS, she soon arrived in front of a massive mansion that overlooked the city of Hong Kong. This was literally a million-dollar view. No, to be exact, it was several tens of millions. Only the most prestigious and affluent families lived here, and the ones with unobstructed views, were the richest of the rich.


    As Natasha stopped her car and stepped out, she noticed the front door open and a couple walking out. Emerson Wu had always been famous for his handsome looks, but this was the first time that Natasha saw him properly. She had worked with models from all around the world and seen many handsome men, but she had to admit that Emerson Wu was extremely good-looking. But even though that man was really eye-catching, she quickly found her eyes drawn to the woman behind him.


    She had lost a bit of weight, she was pale, and her head was bald, but she had an air of confidence that made her look as beautiful as ever.


    Natasha and Avaleigh were the same age, so Natasha couldn''t help but feel like she could relate. If she was in Avaleigh''s position, she would not be able to stay confident and positive. When it came to a woman''s appearance, hair was an extremely important factor. Without their hair, every little flaw on their face would be exposed to the world. Some women hid their foreheads with bangs, some hid their round faces with long hair on the sides, some tried to look more western with blond hair, but Avaleigh couldn''t hide a thing even if she wanted to.


    Natasha finally felt defeated at that moment. This was why Avaleigh was more successful than her. Her confidence was no joke and she was glowing like a star even in this state. A genuine smile appeared on her face and she bowed her body forward as Avaleigh approached. "Avaleigh, I''m here to apologize for all the pain I caused you. I have to admit that I completely misunderstood you."


    Avaleigh quickly went to help her stand back up. "It''s fine. In the scheme of things, it was nothing..."


    Natasha opened her eyes wide in surprise.


    Did she forgive her just like that?

 Chapter 413 - An Unlikely Friendship

    Due to the fact that Avaleigh''s cancer was detected early and there weren''t any obvious signs of the cancer spreading, her chemoradiation treatment ended after 3 months. For some people, it took much longer.


    On her last day of chemotherapy, Avaleigh brought gifts for all her new friends at the clinic as well as the nurses and doctors that had helped her through the journey. She was grateful for their support throughout the 3 months and was excited to start afresh.


    Of course, she still had to get through that last night of nausea and her head was still bald, but she was optimistic about the future.


    Emerson was there by her side as usual and he helped her out of the hospital clinic towards the car.


    Now that everyone knew about Avaleigh''s condition, some reporters were naturally waiting outside. But they had learned from their past mistakes, so they were a lot more respectful.


    Instead of rushing up and harassing Avaleigh with their cameras and microphones, they walked slowly beside her, keeping a distance as they gently asked a few questions.


    "Ava, congratulations on your last round of chemotherapy. Your peers and friends are all very proud of you. May I ask how you''re feeling right now and what your plans are for the future? Will you be returning to ''Let''s Go!''" one female reporter asked.


    Avaleigh smiled and replied softly, "I am feeling a little dizzy so I can''t really think about the future right now, but I am very glad that it is all over. Chemotherapy is tough. I would like to cheer on my friends at the clinic that are still battling this horrible illness. I hope they all recover smoothly. I may not have set plans for the future yet, but if I can, I am hoping to eventually start a charity for cancer research or help in some way. I hope we will find a cure one day."


    The reporter smiled and nodded in agreement, "It would be amazing if that could be achieved one day." She then glanced down at the ring on Avaleigh''s finger and asked, "What about your engagement with Mr. Wu. Are you planning to hold an engagement party now that things are all over? Have you set a date for your wedding?"


    Ever since Avaleigh revealed her condition 2 months ago, she had become the biggest trending topic on social media. Every publication followed her story and there were photos of her posted online every single day. 90% of the time, Emerson was in the photos with her. Even though he had an entire casino and entertainment agency to run, he prioritized his fiancee and did not go into the office unless completely necessary. During this time, Jackson helped at the casino and Danson continued to manage the entertainment agency for him. Thus, everyone saw Emerson''s efforts and they were completely smitten. All their doubts were immediately dismissed and Emerson and Avaleigh quickly became their favorite couple.


    "Yes, when is your wedding? The entire nation is looking forward to it!" another reporter cheered excitedly.


    Avaleigh smiled sweetly and glanced at Emerson. She loved this man so much that it practically felt like they were already married. "I guess...I have to wait until my hair grows back first; otherwise, I won''t be beautiful enough to match Mr. Wu," she giggled as she touched her bald head.


    Emerson leaned over and placed a kiss on her head, "I don''t care about your bald head. I could marry you tomorrow."


    The female reporters squealed and the male reporters cheered. "I don''t think I''ll be eating dessert today. This scene is too sweet," a reporter laughed as she watched the couple board their car.


    Avaleigh giggled at the comment. "We haven''t set a wedding date yet, but when we do, Steven will make an announcement. You can speak to him if you have any questions," she said as she boarded Emerson''s car. The reporters understood that their interview was over and waved her goodbye as they stepped back with respect.


    ...


    When Avaleigh and Emerson arrived back at their apartment, they noticed a familiar car in their underground parking lot. They parked their car and entered the lobby to find Natasha waiting for them. Natasha rushed over with a bunch of flowers and handed them to Avaleigh.


    A smile immediately appeared on Avaleigh''s face.


    "Let''s chat upstairs," she said as she accepted the flowers. She then unhooked her arm with Emerson and hooked it with Natasha''s.


    Emerson looked at his bare arms and chuckled as he looked at his fiancee. Ever since Natasha showed up at his family''s mansion and apologized to Avaleigh 2 months ago, an unlikely friendship formed between the two women. Perhaps, it was because they were both around the same age and had experienced many struggles in the entertainment industry, so they understood each other.


    Natasha was actually a genuine person. After she realized she had misunderstood Avaleigh, she didn''t just apologize in person, but she also made a public apology on all her social media accounts. She also made the effort to visit and show her support whenever she could, and she slowly became good friends with Avaleigh.


    At first, Emerson was worried that she was doing it for show because she knew Avaleigh was trending. But time proved that that was not the case. Natasha was never seen in public with Avaleigh and she always appeared at their apartment in secret. Even today, when she knew reporters were definitely gathered at the hospital, she chose to wait in their apartment lobby for their return.


    As soon as the two women stepped into the apartment, Natasha wrapped her arms around Avaleigh and cheered. "Congratulations! It''s finally over!"


    Avaleigh smiled and nodded her head. This woman seemed even happier than she was, "Yes, it''s all over."


    Emerson laughed and walked over to the kitchen to give the two women some privacy. It was nice to see that Avaleigh had a friend. Because she had left home at a young age to start her career in Korea, she didn''t have many friends in Hong Kong. Sometimes, he actually worried that she was lonely. But he didn''t have to worry anymore.

 Chapter 414 - Ferry Ride

    The first year of being a mother flew by quickly. Fortunately, Laurie was a relatively easy child to take care of. Apart from the first 3 months of adjusting, the Wus quickly fell into a routine, and they worked well as a team. In the mornings, Halia would wake up to feed Laurie before she started work. After that, Jackson would take care of Laurie between breakfast and lunch. Just after lunch, Jackson would head over to Macau to check on the casino while Halia got Laurie to have an afternoon nap. She would then clean the house and when Jackson returned from the casino in the evening, he would cook dinner while she did a little bit more work. Finally, after dinner, they would have some free time together to either play with Laurie or watch a movie. This routine continued until the day of Laurie''s first birthday.


    Normally, women liked to plan events like birthdays, but Jackson knew how busy Halia was with trying to track down the last founder of The Organization so he offered to organize Laurie''s birthday party instead. After all, the casino had many connections with the events industry.


    During her investigation of Amun''s 5th Super Soldier, Halia had actually started to suspect that the Super Soldier had gone to look for the last founder of The Organization. Based on the meticulous nature in which the Super Soldier made his way through Europe, it was the only thing that made sense. Initially, it took her an entire month just to discover that the Super Soldier had gone upwards into Europe rather than down to Africa. After that, he was spotted in locations all over the EU; hopping across borders like he was playing a game of tag. It was like he was everywhere and it took Halia and a small team from the Interpol headquarters many sleepless nights to piece together a timeline. The man was practically in a different city every day - and he met multiple people every single day! It was hard to tell if he had reached his destination yet and whether he had already met with the founder...


    Halia trusted Jackson with her daughter''s first birthday and was glad that she could focus on work. It had already been a year since they captured Amun and she was getting anxious. The longer they took, the harder the Super Soldier was to trace. At one point, she even tried to work backwards by speaking to Lotus, interviewing Amun, and questioning Boginya to see if they could provide any information on the founder, but the only thing she knew about the last founder was the fact that he was known as Odin and he was originally from Germany. Halia had been to Germany before and she knew how meticulous the Germans were; this man was no different. He hid his tracks carefully and kept an extremely low profile. Unlike Amun and Boginya, he did not have people running around using his name nor did he have any friends, family, lovers...etc. He appeared to be a complete hermit and this worked well for him. Halia couldn''t find anyone that had worked directly with him, nor anyone that had seen his face. Even Amun and Boginya had only met him once, and he had a mask on at that time. Just like his name, he was like a mysterious God. No one even knew if he actually existed, but they knew he had a plan.


    Laurie''s birthday party was to be held at the casino in Macau. Jackson took Laurie to the casino first to prepare and thoughtfully told his wife that he had asked Emerson and Avaleigh to drive her there when the celebrations were about to officially start. That way, she could have a bit of time to receive the latest updates from her agents. Halia thanked him and agreed.


    As soon as she connected her encrypted call with her 4 BTA agents, she spoke to Wolf first. For the past year, Wolf had been deep undercover in Medellin, Colombia. Originally, his mission was just to locate one of Amun''s missing Super Soldiers like the other BTAs, but due to the fact that a drug cartel was involved, Interpol sent him undercover instead. During his initial investigation, he had actually discovered that Amun had hired the Super Soldier to the drug cartel as a bodyguard for their boss. Upon further investigation, the other BTA''s discovered that their Super Soldiers were also on hire. That was when they realized that Amun''s intention for the technology was to make money by hiring fully-customizable Super Soldiers! The possibilities were endless and varied! For example, the one in India was hired for a political assassination, the one in Tibet was hired as a hacker for one of the paramilitary groups, and the one in LA was hired as a trophy wife!


    It was actually a smart business model. Not only were Amun''s Super Soldiers customizable, they also only lasted 3 months due to the constraints of the technology. This meant, his clients had to pay him every 3 months if they wanted to keep their Super Soldier or they would just be left with a completely inferior product. Unfortunately, Amun was captured and his base was closed down. After three months, the drug cartel in Colombia had a useless bodyguard that only knew some basic self-defense. Thus, they had no choice but to replace him. That was when Wolf stepped in. With his skills, he was exactly what they were looking for, and he had been working undercover with them since.


    "Last time I spoke to you, you said you had finally gathered enough evidence to take the cartel down. Any progress?" Halia asked.


    On the other end of the phone, Wolf was huffing and puffing like he was rushing somewhere, "A few more days... Colombian Interpol will raid this place."


    "Do you need backup? I can send Hummingbird to help you," Halia offered.


    Hummingbird had already captured her Super Soldier 2-3 months ago and was living in LA while awaiting new orders, so she was ready to hop on a plane to provide assistance if needed.


    Right at that moment, as though it was fate, an announcement on Hummingbird''s end of the phone could suddenly be heard in the background, "Boarding has now commenced, please have your tickets ready..."


    Halia raised an eyebrow, "Are you going somewhere, Hummingbird?"


    Hummingbird quickly covered her mouthpiece and looked at the person next to her awkwardly. The announcement was completely unexpected.


    "Why didn''t you put your phone on mute until it was your turn to talk?" Orca complained as she held her own phone next to her ear.


    "I forgot," Hummingbird whispered. "What should I tell her?"


    Orca sighed and rolled her eyes. She then smirked cheekily and said, "Tell her you''re going on a ferry ride..."


    Hummingbird also smirked. Yes! She could just say that! She removed her hand from her mouthpiece and replied, "The weather''s nice today, so I decided to go on a ferry ride..."


    "Oh," Halia replied without any suspicion.


    Hummingbird looked at Orca and stuck out her tongue playfully. She was technically telling the truth. She was indeed boarding a ferry. Halia simply didn''t know that she was boarding it with Orca, and that neither of them was where she thought they were...

 Chapter 415 - Welcome To Macau

    Hummingbird and Orca carried their backpacks onto the ferry that arrived. Because they were used to being on the road and acting as backpackers, these backpacks usually contained everything they needed. But today, they needed to do some shopping when they arrived at their location. They were attending an important event and they had nothing suitable to wear.


    Like Hummingbird, Orca had already captured the Super Soldier that she was sent to pursue. About 9 months ago, she had tracked the woman down and found that she was attempting a political assassination! The Super Soldier purchased a sniper rifle from the black market and hid on a rooftop for a week, waiting for her target to appear during an upcoming national parade that he was scheduled to attend. Fortunately, Orca found her and arrested her before anyone was hurt. But, it took her another 9 months to track down the person that had hired the woman.


    Only yesterday did the local authorities sweep in and arrest a high profile politician for the attempted assassination. Orca assumed that everyone was talking about that case in India right at that moment.


    "Congratulations on the arrest. You did a good job," Halia praised Orca over the phone. "Find a safe place to hide in India and I will update you when you are needed again."


    Orca glanced at Hummingbird and replied, "Yes, Captain!" Little did Halia know that Orca had already left India the previous night.


    Halia then said to everyone, "Your Brain Tap updates will be due in a couple of weeks. As usual, Captain Hua and I will be sending some people to meet with you. I will give you more details closer to the date. Until then, stay safe."


    After Orca and Hummingbird hung up their phones, they looked at each other and giggled. Orca then picked up her phone and made another call, "Captain Hua, our ferry is almost arriving. Are you meeting us at the wharf?"


    Trisha checked the timetable on the screen in front of her and nodded her head, "Yes, I''m just outside the arrivals area. I''m here with my fiance. Look for a British man with curly brown hair." As she said this, she looked around and laughed. "He stands out like a sore thumb."


    Oliver glanced at his fiancee as she said this and pinched her nose. Even though he had been living in Hong Kong for over a year now, he still got weird looks every now and then due to his unique appearance. Unlike the typical Westerner with blond hair, he had curly brown hair. Paired with his crystal blue eyes, it was an odd yet extremely attractive combo that one couldn''t help but take a second look at.


    10 minutes later, a ferry pulled up at the wharf as scheduled, and two blond women came skipping excitedly towards them. If they didn''t know better, Trisha and Oliver would have thought that these two women were a pair of ditzy blond backpackers.


    Trisha smiled at the two women and spread her arms. "Welcome to Macau..." she said.


    ...


    Back in Hong Kong, Halia was speaking to Interpol in Europe to see how far they had tracked the fifth Super Soldier.


    "The target was last seen in Warsaw a few days ago, he got drunk and was admitted to the hospital. Captain, we''ve been following this man for a year now. He doesn''t seem to be doing anything suspicious; he''s like a typical backpacker. Are you sure we have the right person?" one of the agents asked.


    Halia furrowed her brows. "I''m certain it''s him..." As Halia said this, she felt slightly unconfident. There was one thing that bothered her about this fifth Super Soldier. The Brain Tap technology only worked for 3 months, but it had already been a year since they started following him. In theory, he should have completed his mission by now, but her gut told her he was still up to something. Was she right to continue this investigation based on a gut feeling?


    She looked at the information in front of her and checked the man''s timeline again. He simply partied every night during the first 3 months and the people he spoke to were indeed normal backpackers. There was no way that he could have met with anyone related to Odin, unless...


    Halia paused on one particular piece of information. 3 months after he left the base in Morocco, he had got into a bar fight in Greece and was admitted to a hospital. At that time, he was simply treated for some bruising by a nurse and was discharged, but now that Halia looked at it, he was in the hospital for almost 5 hours! Wasn''t 5 hours too long for such a simple treatment?


    Halia flipped through the man''s timeline again. 6 weeks after that, he was admitted to the hospital again for food poisoning in Bulgaria, another 10 weeks later, he was admitted to the hospital in France for tripping during a hike.


    Halia''s eyes opened wide, "Check the surveillance cameras from the hospital in Warsaw! How long was he there for and was he in the emergency ward the entire time? Who did he speak to when he was there and what exactly did they do? I want to know every detail about his time in the hospital!"


    The agents immediately accepted the task and got off the phone. After Halia was done, she turned off everything, locked the door to the secret room, and went to get ready for her daughter''s first birthday.


    Right at that moment, there was a knock on the door.


    Halia opened it up to find Emerson and Avaleigh standing outside. Emerson was smartly dressed in a white collared shirt with a Champagne-colored vest, and Avaleigh was dressed in a beautiful short Champagne-colored off-shoulder dress that suited him.


    It had been one year since Avaleigh completed her chemotherapy, so her hair had now returned and it was tied into a neat bun. With a smile, she said, "Jackson prepared a dress for you."


    Halia looked at Avaleigh in surprise, but she accepted the dress and quickly changed into it in her bedroom. It was a simple white dress with an elegant lace design on the bodice that highlighted her post-maternity body. After giving birth, Halia''s body recovered quickly and she looked just as fit as before. In fact, she had a few extra curves that made her look even more feminine.


    Avaleigh stepped into the bedroom and gasped in surprise. Even as a celebrity, her body wasn''t as fit as Halia''s. "Come, sit down, let me help you with your hair and makeup," she offered as she helped Halia sit down. Halia looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. It had been a long time since she got dressed up like this, and it was completely worth it for her precious daughter.

 Chapter 416 - Changes In Macau

    After Halia was done with her hair and makeup, she followed Emerson and Avaleigh downstairs to the parking lot. Emerson and Jackson had multiple cars that Halia had seen before, but today, there was a different car waiting for them. It was a stretch limousine. The driver stepped out, tipped his hat, and opened the door for them. Although she had never seen this car in the parking lot before, Halia was not surprised. The two brothers were two of the richest people in Hong Kong, getting a car like this was child''s play.


    Avaleigh smiled. "Thanks, Albert," she said as she stepped inside. Albert was the taxi driver that served as her alibi during Mimi''s murder case, and Avaleigh had now hired him as her personal driver. This man was honest, trustworthy, and most importantly, a safe driver, so she offered him the job after she realized she was staying in Hong Kong permanently.


    Albert also smiled as he closed the door behind the trio and hopped into the driver''s seat. He then started driving towards Macau.


    Halia looked out the window and watched as the scenes of Hong Kong passed by. She had now been living in this city for over a year. When she first came here, it was just to assist Interpol with their new BTAs. Who knew this place would gradually become home.


    Now that she thought about it, she hadn''t visited Macau during this entire time even though Jackson owned a casino there. The last time she was in Macau, she was on a mission to investigate his family''s casino. Halia glanced at Emerson and smiled as she remembered the way that she reunited with him at that time.


    "Has the casino changed much since I last visited?" she asked Emerson.


    Emerson looked at Avaleigh and smiled, "Ohhh, a lot has changed...The sunflower garden''s gone. I replaced it with a wisteria garden."


    "Wisteria?" Halia questioned. She still remembered how beautiful the sunflower garden was. That time, when she was investigating the casino, Jackson had returned with Amelie, claiming that he had lost his memory. It was in the sunflower garden that she first exposed him of his lies. She had fond memories of that garden.


    Emerson held onto Avaleigh''s hand and nodded his head, "Wisteria is Avaleigh''s favorite, so I changed it."


    Halia looked at the couple and laughed in realization. She was happy for Emerson. Back then, she had hurt him by choosing his brother. But it wasn''t because he was a bad person, her heart simply belonged to Jackson.


    Halia glanced at the bracelet around her wrist. From the day that Jackson first gave it to her in the underground lab, she had cherished it. She ran her fingers across the morse code imprinted on the heart pendant and whispered to herself, "J&H".


    As the car crossed the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, grand casinos gradually came into view. Halia couldn''t believe that she hadn''t visited for over a year. She had been so busy hunting down The Organization and taking care of Laurie that it never crossed her mind to visit. In fact, she didn''t even follow the news in Macau or keep up to date with the casinos. She simply asked Jackson whenever he returned home from work whether the casino was doing fine, and he always replied that it was doing well. For a brief moment, she felt a little guilty for not paying more attention to her husband''s family business.


    But, then again, it wasn''t like Jackson ever asked her about Fengtai, or checked up on news regarding Guiyang City. Nor did he delve too much into the missions she was commanding from her secret room in the apartment. He simply assisted when Halia asked for help. Their home was a place for them to enjoy their time together, not to discuss business, and she was glad that they managed to keep the two things separate. So, her guilt quickly dissolved.


    As the limousine pulled into the main casino strip, Halia began to feel a sense of nostalgia. She shared many memories in this place with Jackson and her friends. She still remembered the ghost wedding that she had with Jackson and the way that she, Natalie, and Amelie pretended to be ghosts and scared the hell out of Emerson''s mother. She also remembered how Jackson got down on one knee and officially proposed to her with the ring that his mother left him.


    Halia looked at the sparkling diamond ring on her finger. As a mother, it wasn''t possible for her to wear this ring every day in case she scratched Laurie with it. But today was a special occasion, so she took it out of her safe and made an exception.


    One casino after another passed by outside the window, each with its own unique design. One looked like Paris, one looked like Venice...


    As the limousine approached Golden Dream Casino, Halia tidied her hair a little and adjusted her dress.


    But, to Halia''s surprise, when the familiar building came into view, Albert continued driving and did not stop. Halia glanced out the window in confusion and said with a slight giggle, "Albert, you drove right past it."


    She assumed Albert wasn''t familiar with the casino because it was his first time driving to Macau, but Albert replied, "No Ma''am, we aren''t going to Golden Dream Casino today."


    Halia looked at Emerson and Avaleigh, and they both looked at her with cheeky smiles. She then saw Avaleigh lift her hand and point out the window.


    Halia furrowed her brows and turned around to see what she was pointing at. As she glanced out the window, her eyes opened wide in amazement and she couldn''t help but gasp in awe.


    Halia had been down this strip before and she even lived here for a while when she was investigating Golden Dream Casino, but she didn''t remember ever seeing the casino that they were now stopped in front of.


    Just outside the door of the car, there was a long red carpet that led to the entrance of the casino, and on both sides, reporters lined the pavement patiently. At the end of the red carpet stood a grand casino that looked like a castle and just above the entrance, in cursive writing, were the words, ''Halia''s Castle''.


    All of a sudden, Halia remembered a conversation she had with Jackson when they were in Germany:


    "If I built a castle for you, how would you feel?"


    "If you built something like this for me, I would have to spend my next hundred lifetimes repaying you with my love."


    "That sounds like a pretty good deal."


    Halia looked up at the castle again and her heart began to race. "No way..." she whispered under her breath. Did that silly man actually build her a castle?

 Chapter 417 - A Big Surprise

    Albert stepped out of the driver''s seat, ran around the front, and opened the door.


    Immediately the reporters on the side began to flash their cameras.


    Halia looked at Emerson and Avaleigh in both confusion and nervousness. "What''s happening?" she asked.


    Avaleigh grabbed Halia''s hand and said reassuringly, "Just follow our lead."


    Halia wasn''t used to being in the public eye. Although her husband was one of the richest men in Hong Kong, he always kept a low profile, so reporters barely ever followed them. Avaleigh, on the other hand, was a celebrity, and Emerson now owned the agency that she worked for, so this was a familiar scene for them.


    Emerson stepped out confidently first and waved at the reporters. After that, Avaleigh stepped out while holding onto Halia''s hand.


    A reporter immediately screamed, "Surprise, Mrs. Wu! What do you think about the new casino that your husband built you?"


    Halia looked at the reporter and was at a loss for words. Surprise? Were the reporters in on this? How did they know it was a surprise?


    Avaleigh laughed and said on Halia''s behalf, "I think Mrs. Wu is still trying to process everything. Give her some time, we can hold a press conference after she has a look inside."


    Avaleigh then snuck a wink at the reporters and they immediately nodded their heads and backed away.


    Halia looked at Emerson and Avaleigh and asked, "Did you guys plan all this?"


    Emerson laughed, "We have a pretty good relationship with the media..."


    "How else could we have kept an entire casino a secret from you?" Avaleigh added.


    A year ago, when Jackson first told them about his plan, Avaleigh and Emerson immediately sat down with Marissa, Danson, and Steven, and they drafted a confidentiality agreement with the media. The media were allowed to mention that a new casino was being built in Macau, and take photos of its initial progress, but they weren''t allowed to mention who was building it, why they were building it, and they weren''t allowed to mention the name of the casino. Above all, they couldn''t take any photos as soon as it began to come into shape. In exchange, they were given the opportunity to partake in one of the biggest surprises of the 21st century. In a world ruled by technology, and social media, where nothing seemed like a secret anymore, this was a statement to the world that the Hong Kong media weren''t as ruthless as they seemed. That they could work together to help a man show his love for his wife.


    When they saw the surprised look on Halia''s face, they knew they had succeeded. The world was going to hear about this story tomorrow, and they were going to be amazed!


    Emerson and Avaleigh led Halia to the entrance of the casino. As soon as the door opened, the grand foyer of the casino came into view. Golden accents, crystal chandeliers, designer furnishings... The place was beautiful and opulent, but it wasn''t open to the public yet, so there was no one in sight.


    Right in front of her, Halia saw a grand double staircase that curved and met on the first floor where there was a big beautiful archway with an exquisite art nouveau door.


    Avaleigh saw Halia looking at the door and said, "That''s the ballroom. Everyone''s waiting for you inside." She then grabbed her hand and dragged her up the right flight of stairs.


    Halia looked around as she held her dress up a little and walked up the stairs. This place was spectacular and reminded her of some of the places that she and Jackson had traveled to. Was this where Jackson was holding Laurie''s first birthday? Were all the guests inside already?


    As she reached the door, she tried to look inside, but all she saw were rough silhouettes. There seemed to be a lot of people inside. Did Jackson really do all this for their daughter?


    She took a deep breath and got ready to step inside, but just before she did, she suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her. "Halia," a male voice said.


    Halia turned around and saw her father approaching her. She wasn''t too surprised to see him since she knew he was coming to attend his granddaughter''s birthday, but she was surprised by the tuxedo he was wearing. Like Emerson and Avaleigh, he was wearing a vest with the same shade of champagne underneath his black tuxedo. Halia raised an eyebrow. Did she not get the memo? Was the theme for the party meant to be this champagne color? But...why did Jackson pick out a white dress for her?


    Suddenly, she felt a sense of deja vu. A year and a half ago, something similar had happened...


    Before she could react, she noticed her father was holding something white that was folded up in his hands. With a smile, he shook it loose, threw it around her shoulders, and buttoned it around her neck. Halia gasped in surprise as she ran her fingers through the intricate veil-like cape. Diamonds studded the area around her shoulders and neck and the sheer material hung low against her back, dragging across the floor to form a long train. Her simple white dress was immediately transformed!


    Not giving his daughter a chance to ask any questions, Father Feng hooked his daughter''s arm around his arm and the grand doors swung open from the inside.


    A long red carpet stretched from the doorway to the other end of the ballroom. The venue was huge and the place was packed with guests all standing and clapping as they stood around circular tables decorated elegantly with white, champagne, and pastel pink flowers. From the roof hung a row of intricate chandeliers and the rest of the roof was covered in hanging white and pastel pink wisteria flowers. The room was dimly lit and smoke billowed from the sides to create a magical atmosphere. Halia had never seen anything so beautiful in her life.


    Halia bit her lower lip and her lips curved upwards slightly. This was definitely not a first birthday party...


    As she thought this, a spotlight lit up and two small figures waddled towards her. Halia focused her eyes and saw a little girl in a white dress with a flower crown on her head, holding onto the hand of a little boy who was dressed smartly in a tuxedo and holding onto a basket of petals.


    Laurie slowly waddled down the carpet to her mother. At first, she looked a little scared by all the a.d.u.l.ts around her, but when she saw her mother, a big smile appeared on her face. Next to her, Pumpkin held onto her hand and made sure she didn''t fall over. Laurie had just learned how to walk a few weeks ago and she was still a little unsteady on her feet, so he was given this important task as an older brother to make sure she didn''t get hurt.


    As Laurie reached Halia, she giggled and said with outstretched hands, "Mama."


    Halia leaned over and lifted her little girl in her arms. Just as she did this, the other end of the red carpet lit up and music started playing.


    Halia had her suspicions about this event as soon as her father threw the cape around her shoulders, but now that she heard the music, she knew her suspicions were correct.


    Halia held onto her daughter and slowly stepped forward.


    The familiar melody of the ''wedding march'' echoed through the ballroom and Halia smiled.


    This was, indeed, not a first birthday party...


    This was a wedding...

 Chapter 418 - Walking Down The Aisle

    Hidden amongst the guests, Hummingbird and Orca looked at the bride and gasped. Who knew that their captain was this beautiful in real life.


    Hummingbird was especially surprised. "Is this the legendary couple that you once mentioned?" she asked with admiration. Ever since the night that Orca mentioned a couple that had met while on mission and was now married with a child, the solitary Hummingbird had begun to imagine the possibilities of sharing her life with another person.


    But, it wasn''t just anyone. In particular, a handsome Italian man often appeared in her dreams and the scene of their last goodbye often played over in her mind. This man was Wolf. What would have happened if she had gathered her courage that night and kissed him? Would things be any different right now? Would they be as happy as the couple that was currently getting married?


    "Are we the only BTAs that have been called back to attend this wedding?" Hummingbird couldn''t help but ask Trisha who was standing beside them.


    Trisha nodded her head. "Sasquatch is still in Tibet with Lotus and Wolf is still waiting to raid the drug cartel in Medellin. I called you girls back because you''re the only ones that have completed your missions so far."


    Hummingbird nodded but there was slight disappointment in her eyes.


    "Why did you ask? Were you hoping to see someone?" Trisha probed with suspicion when she saw the woman''s chirpy expression sink.


    Hummingbird immediately shook her head, "I simply thought the team would be reunited again for this special occasion." She then turned her focus back to the bride while a slight smirk appeared on Trisha''s face.


    Standing on the red carpet that ran down the center of the ballroom, Halia took one careful step at a time as she carried her daughter in her arms. Usually, a father accompanied a bride down the aisle and handed his daughter to his new son-in-law, but Father Feng had already done that on the day that they signed their marriage papers, so this time, he handed his daughter to his granddaughter instead. The mother and daughter were beautiful like a princess and a queen inside a castle.


    In front of them, Pumpkin led the way as he grabbed the pastel pink rose petals from the basket in his hands and threw them in the air. Usually, the flower girl did this, but Laurie was currently in her mother''s arms, so he took over the responsibility. Nothing about this wedding was conventional anyway.


    The ballroom was massive and the aisle was a lot longer than Halia could believe. As she glanced at the people on the sides, she was surprised by the amount of guests that were there. Did she and Jackson actually know this many people? But, then again, Jackson owned one, no two, of the biggest casinos in Macau, and Halia owned one of the biggest baijiu breweries in China. Moreover, their fathers were influential businessmen with connections all over the world. Everyone wanted to attend and congratulate the union of these two prestigious families.


    Halia smiled thankfully at her guests. At first, she didn''t recognize many of the faces. Clearly, acquaintances and business partners were seated further at the back of the ballroom. But as she got closer to the front, familiar faces began to come into view. First, she spotted the doctors from Peking University Hospital: Isaac, Ivan, and Vincent; three men that she had once suspected of being serial killers. And, next to them stood the head nurse, May, who had helped her during her time at the hospital. Lily wasn''t amongst them, but Halia knew, without a doubt that she was a part of the bridal party that was waiting for her at the end of the aisle.


    Further down, she caught a glance of Captain Tang, Dr. Li, and Dr. Eric Ren. If not for these three men, she would not have become a BTA agent, and she would not have met Jackson. In her mind, they were like her matchmakers.


    Not too far from them stood Trisha, Oliver, Sean, Alexander, and Cleo. Sean was holding Watermelon in his arms and telling the little boy to wave. Unlike Laurie, Watermelon had not started walking yet; otherwise, he would have definitely joined them on the aisle. Next to Trisha, Halia spotted two women that were also waving at her. The excitement on their faces showed that they knew her well. But she looked at them curiously and did not recognize them. With their blond hair and blue eyes, the two women looked completely out of place in the predominantly Asian setting. Were they wedding crashers? Impossible! This room was filled with agents, ranging from the SPU to Interpol, plus they were surrounded by security and reporters! This was probably the most secure place in Hong Kong and Macau!


    Then, it hit her...


    Agents...


    "Hummingbird and Orca?" she whispered under her breath with suspicion.


    The two women saw the realization in her eyes and quickly nodded their heads to confirm her suspicions. Halia''s eyes opened wide in surprise. What were they doing there? Wasn''t Hummingbird in LA and wasn''t Orca in India? She had a lot of questions for the women, but she had something much more important to do at that moment, so she glanced at Trisha who was grinning, and made a mental note to question them later as she continued down the aisle.


    She turned her head to look at the other side of the aisle and noticed Danson, Marissa, and Morton. The woman that she had punched twice looked at her and winked. Halia looked into Marissa''s eyes and couldn''t help but laugh a little. Marissa once hated her and she didn''t like her much either, but after their misunderstanding with Emerson cleared, they gradually became friends. After all, Danson was Emerson''s best friend, and the three families often had dinner together. She even knew that Danson and Marissa were actually a couple and they had a son together - even though everyone thought she was his stepmother.


    Finally, Halia reached the last few tables along the aisle and started to see family. As well as Aunt Lily and Father Wu, she also saw Jaclyn and Mia who had flown back from Germany to attend the wedding. The two women were beautiful and many people were surprised to see them.


    Jaclyn had been studying overseas for most of her life, so many of her father''s business partners and friends hadn''t seen her for a long time. Of course, their sons hadn''t seen her for a long time either.


    "Isn''t that Jaclyn Wu? Wow, she''s beautiful!"


    "I heard she studied overseas. That must be her foreigner friend. She''s hot!"


    "I wonder if they''re both single..."

 Chapter 419 - No

    At the end of the aisle, a man in a champagne-colored tuxedo stood with his back to Halia. Halia scanned her eyes to the left and saw Avaleigh, Natalie, Lily, and Amelie dressed in similar dresses in the same shade of champagne. In each of their hands, they held a delicate little bouquet with soft shades of pink, white, and champagne. Halia''s eyes lit up in surprise when she saw Avaleigh. She didn''t even notice when she had disappeared from her side and made her way to the front of the ballroom. This cheeky woman and Emerson had teamed up with her husband to plan all this.


    She then looked to the right where Emerson, Max, Kevin, and Rowan stood smartly in their champagne-colored vests. The men looked at her and smiled smugly like children. She was tempted to twist their ears to teach them a lesson for lying to her, but before she managed to react, her husband turned around to finally look at her. The love in his eyes made every little trace of blame disappear from her mind.


    He stretched out his hand and she naturally held onto it. The warmth from his palm traveled straight to her heart and a sweet smile appeared on her face.


    "2 years ago, I promised you a grand and luxurious wedding. I''m sorry it took so long..." Jackson said softly as his wife stood in front of him.


    Halia looked into his eyes and couldn''t help but let out a laugh. When they got married 2 years ago, he had apologized for rushing their marriage and promised to make up for it with a grand and luxurious wedding. At that time, she had told him it didn''t matter, so she thought he had dismissed the thought, especially after their daughter was born and their lives became busy with work. Who knew he had been doing all this without her knowing...


    "I know that we are already married and our marriage has been official for 2 years, but I have never loved you any less than the day that we first signed our papers. I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you of my love by renewing our vows in front of all our family and friends. Would you be willing to do this with me?" Jackson asked.


    Halia handed Laurie to Avaleigh and nodded her head.


    Jackson then held onto a microphone and said as he held her hands, "Marriage is an interesting thing. Some people get married out of impulse, and some get married due to pressure. But I can confidently say, without a doubt, that marrying you was the best decision I ever made. 2 years have passed since we vowed to love each other for better or worse, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, as long as we both shall live. Today, as we stand here in front of all our family and friends, I am 100% certain that that vow still stands true. So, I would like to ask you, Mrs. Wu, are you still willing to be my wife?"


    Halia took a deep breath and took the microphone from Jackson. She looked deep into his loving eyes, but...the smile on her face slowly faded. Then, with a serious expression on her face, she replied, "No."


    This one word echoed through the ballroom, casting an icy aura through the crowd.


    The guests fell silent and everyone looked at each other with curiosity and awkwardness.


    "What''s happening?" a few guests whispered.


    "Are we witnessing a divorce?" someone asked quietly.


    Jackson gripped onto Halia''s hands tightly as pain slowly appeared in his eyes. He thought their relationship was doing well, but had he been mistaken? Was he not attentive enough to notice that his wife wasn''t happy? Was she about to leave him?


    But he couldn''t bear to let her go...


    However, just as he was about to ask her why, Halia continued to speak, "I don''t want to be just your wife. I also want to be your best friend, your soul mate, your confidant, and the mother of your child. When you are sick, I want to be your nurse. When you are hungry, I want to be your chef. When work gets tough, I want to be your secretary. I want to be there for you through thick and thin, and I don''t want to ever leave your side. Can you accept that you''re getting a lot more than you asked for, Mr. Wu?"


    Jackson''s eyes slowly lit up and the room slowly warmed back up.


    With a nod, he laughed, "I''m a businessman, how could I say no to such a great deal!" He then whispered in a voice that only they could hear, "You tricked me!"


    Halia leaned forward and stuck out her tongue, "Now we''re even!"


    Seeing the cheeky expression on his wife''s face, Jackson wrapped his arms around her waist drew her close to his body, and kissed her passionately. He didn''t care that everyone was watching; this woman was impossible to resist.


    But, of course, the guests didn''t mind this public display of affection. After all, they were at a wedding, they didn''t expect anything less. So, they looked at the couple happily and clapped and cheered. Single people watched in admiration, unmarried couples felt inspired, and married couples reminisced on their own love stories.


    After the couple pulled away from each other and went to sit at their table at the front of the ballroom, some of the guests began to mingle.


    "Jack! Long time no see!" a middle-aged man smiled as he stretched out his hand and shook Father Wu''s hand. He then glanced at Aunt Lily and Jaclyn. "Lily, your daughter has grown into a fine young lady. Time certainly flies..."


    Jack laughed, "Jaclyn, come greet Uncle Robert, he is a property developer that I''ve been working with for years. You met him when you were young."


    Jaclyn looked at the man, left Mia with Cleo, and walked over to her father''s side. He had a warm smile but she didn''t remember him at all. "Hi, Uncle Robert," she said politely.


    The man smiled with satisfaction. "When you were little, you used to run around the garden with my son. Do you remember him?"


    He then waved at a young man that looked around Jaclyn''s age.


    The young man walked over and stretched out his hand, "Miss Jaclyn, it''s nice to see you again."


    Jaclyn smiled awkwardly. She didn''t remember this young man either. She stretched out her hand to shake his hand politely, but to her surprise, he lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of it.


    "I noticed you as soon as you walked through the door. You''re beautiful. May I ask if you have a boyfriend?" he asked straightforwardly.

 Chapter 420 - The Penthouse

    While everyone waited for the first course to be served, Avaleigh stood up with Emerson and walked over to one of the guest tables. Sitting next to Danson and Marissa was a face they had been seeing a lot lately, Natasha.


    Ever since a year ago, when their misunderstanding was cleared, not only did Avaleigh and Natasha become good friends, Avaleigh also ended up scouting Natasha for AE Entertainment. Natasha subsequently signed a contract with AE Entertainment and Avaleigh found her a reliable manager - who now became her boyfriend.


    Due to her experience in the industry and her ability to spot real talent, Avaleigh slowly moved behind the scenes, and Emerson naturally handed AE Entertainment to her. Every week, she still appeared once on ''Let''s Go!'', but apart from that, she did not take on any other jobs as an artiste.


    Avaleigh and Emerson led Natasha, her boyfriend, Danson, Marissa, and Steven outside to where the reporters were waiting. As a condition for keeping this entire event, as well as the casino, a secret, they had promised them an exclusive story, so they were stepping out to answer their questions.


    Ever since Avaleigh''s incident a year ago, the entire industry had changed and the reporters were now very cooperative and respectful. When they saw them walk out, they simply lifted their cameras and microphones and listened intently.


    "Hello everyone," Emerson smiled. "Once again, I would like to thank all of you on behalf of the Wu Family, for helping make this surprise a success. We had a lovely wedding ceremony inside the ballroom of the casino where the couple renewed their vows and are currently being congratulated by family and friends. We have professional photographers doc.u.menting the entire event inside the ballroom and Steven will share the details with you after tonight. Of course, we don''t want you to return empty-handed. As you all know, no photos of the completed casino have been doc.u.mented and the interiors have been a mystery. After this, we will have some people show you around so you can have a look for yourself. Take special note of the floor-to-ceiling murals in the hallways. They were inspired by Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, which was the overall inspiration for the casino."


    Emerson finished talking and looked at Avaleigh, "I also have another piece of news to share with all of you. As you all have noticed over the past year, I have slowly stepped out of the limelight and moved behind the scenes to manage AE Entertainment. I didn''t realize I would enjoy it so much, but after working with Natasha and a few other artistes, I discovered a passion for helping others achieve their dreams. I''ve found a lot of satisfaction in nurturing fresh talent and developing ways to maintain a comfortable work-life balance for them. Thus, Emerson and I have officially decided that I will be stepping into the role of General Manager of AE Entertainment. This has been made effective starting from today."


    Avaleigh smiled and the reporters scribbled down notes excitedly.


    Danson then stepped forward and said, "Now that AE Entertainment is operating smoothly and is in good hands, I would also like to announce that I will be stepping down from my role at AE Entertainment and returning to help at Magnolia PR. But this doesn''t mean that we won''t be working together anymore. On the contrary, Magnolia PR has signed an official partnership contract with AE and we will be managing all their PR from now on with the help of Steven Zhe, who we are officially hiring as our new Director of Communications."


    All the reporters cheered. This seemed to be the best outcome for everyone.


    Avaleigh then grabbed Natasha''s hand and said, "As the new GM of AE Entertainment, the first thing I''ll be doing is announcing that I have secured a new ongoing contract for Natasha."


    Natasha looked at Avaleigh in surprise. She didn''t know about this yet.


    "The producers of ''Let''s Go!'' have been discussing for a while the possibility of adding another female cast member to the show. After much deliberation, they have decided to ask Natasha to join us!" Avaleigh said.


    Natasha opened her eyes wide in surprise. "Are you serious?" she whispered.


    Avaleigh nodded her head.


    The reporters immediately turned to Natasha and asked, "How do you feel about this announcement, Natasha?"


    Natasha held back her tears and replied, "I am completely over the moon. A year ago, I had a huge misunderstanding and made a detrimental mistake by acting impulsively. Fortunately, I was able to redeem myself and gained a good friend as a result. At that time, I didn''t expect Avaleigh to forgive me, let alone provide me with any assistance. But she not only signed me as an artiste of AE, she also stuck by my side through this entire year and helped me back on my feet. Now, she even got me my dream position. I don''t know how I can ever thank her enough, but I will do my best not to disappoint her."


    The reporters took some photos of the seven influential entertainment industry figures in front of them and anticipated seeing what they''d achieve in the coming years.


    After that, Emerson called over some ushers that he had hired to show the reporters around the casino and they quickly split the reporters into small groups and showed them around.


    Not only did the casino have a gaming floor and ballroom, it also housed world-class restaurants, a theater, and a hotel.


    "Wow," one of the reporters exclaimed as she took some photos around the hotel lobby. "Will we get a chance to see any of the hotel suites?"


    The usher nodded her head and gestured towards the elevator, "I can show you our presidential suite."


    As they stepped into the elevator, the usher pressed the second-highest floor. The reporter looked at the usher with curiosity, "What''s on the top floor?"


    "It''s the penthouse," the usher replied.


    "The penthouse? Will we get a chance to see that as well?" the reporter asked with excitement.


    The usher smiled and politely shook her head, "The penthouse is not available to the public..."


    Seeing the confusion on the reporter''s face, she explained, "It''s the private residence of Mr. and Mrs. Wu..."


    Meanwhile, in the ballroom, Halia had no idea that Jackson had one more surprise waiting for her...

 Chapter 421 - Made For Each Other

    Dressed in a short bluish-grey bodycon dress that highlighted the curves on her body, Jaclyn stood awkwardly beside her father and glanced at Mia. Like her two brothers, she was quite popular among the opposite s.e.x so a small group of young socialite men had gathered around to eavesdrop on her response.


    "So, do you? Do you have a boyfriend?" Uncle Robert''s son asked again.


    Jaclyn wanted to be honest, but she didn''t want to embarrass her father. Technically, she didn''t have a boyfriend - she had a girlfriend. But could she really say that in front of all the guests?


    It was only a few years ago that a certain socialite had made a public offer on social media, saying that he would pay any man HK$1 billion if they could turn his homos.e.x.u.a.l daughter straight. Moreover, Hong Kong was a country where same-s.e.x marriage wasn''t legalized yet. Would a conservative country like this be able to accept her and Mia?


    However, even though Jaclyn couldn''t predict what everyone thought, she had greatly underestimated her parents. While she was hesitating, her mother dragged Mia over and said proudly, "I would like you all to meet my other daughter."


    Jaclyn looked at her mother in surprise.


    "Other daughter?" Uncle Robert asked in confusion. The German woman standing beside Auntie Lily towered above her like a giant and her brown hair and blue eyes did not resemble her at all. What did she mean by other daughter? Was she adopted? Or was she her goddaughter, perhaps?


    Uncle Robert smiled. Was this another option for his son to marry someone from the prestigious Wu Family?


    Auntie Lily nodded her head. "Yes, my daughter-in-law," she clarified. She then placed Mia''s hand in Jaclyn''s hand and smiled at the two women warmly. Same-s.e.x marriage was not legal in Hong Kong, but it didn''t mean that she didn''t acknowledge the couple. Especially after everything that Mia had done for Jaclyn. If not for Mia, her daughter may still be addicted to heroin.


    Uncle Robert was still a little confused. For a moment, he had to wonder whether Mr. and Mrs. Wu had a third son. He even considered the possibility that this woman was a mistress of Jackson or Emerson''s. But the young men that were listening to the conversation immediately understood.


    Now that they looked at the two women, it was quite obvious. Mia was wearing a stylish suit in the exact same shade as Jaclyn''s dress and they were both wearing the same rose gold ring.


    Inside the busy ballroom, it was a little silent around Jaclyn as everyone tried to process the information they had just been given. Uncle Robert''s son felt a little silly for asking the question that he did, and the other young men felt a little awkward. They didn''t know how to react. This was a sensitive topic.


    At that moment, Uncle Robert gave a sly chuckle. "Which one of your sons is the lucky man?" he asked as he winked and nudged Father Wu.


    All the youngsters gasped. Uncle Robert had just made the scene even more awkward than it already was...


    Would Father Wu be offended by this?


    But, to everyone''s surprise, Father Wu smiled and said straightforwardly, "My daughter Jaclyn is the lucky one."


    It took a few seconds for Uncle Robert to process Father Wu''s response, but his eyes soon lit up with realization and his lips quivered awkwardly, "I''m sorry, Jack. I didn''t know..."


    "There''s nothing to be sorry about," Father Wu replied. "I just hope that you can treat my daughter and daughter-in-law with respect."


    Uncle Robert quickly nodded his head. He was still shocked but he did not dare to cast judgment on the Wu Family.


    At that moment, Uncle Robert''s son stretched out his hand and shook Mia''s hand. With an admiring smile, he said, "It''s a shame that two lovely women are taken off the market, but I must admit that you make a great couple."


    Behind them, some of the other youngsters started whispering, "They look so good together."


    "I wonder how they met. I would love to hear their story."


    Jaclyn smiled when she realized how accepting everyone was. She knew that Mia didn''t understand and was worried that she might feel uncomfortable, so she leaned over and whispered in her ear, "They''re all saying how good we look together."


    But to her surprise, Mia wrapped her arm around her waist and said confidently, "I know."


    She didn''t care what others thought, never once did she doubt that they were made for each other.


    ...


    Up at the bridal table, Halia looked at Jaclyn and Mia and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw their smiles. Her two sister-in-laws had flown all the way from Germany to join them for this celebration, so, naturally, she didn''t want to see them unhappy.


    "I''m so envious of them and of you," a voice whispered beside Halia''s ear. "I wish I could find a partner that matched me so well," Lily sighed.


    Halia glanced at her doctor friend, "What about Isaac? Didn''t things work out with him?"


    Lily looked towards the direction of the doctors and frowned, "We broke up a week ago..."


    Halia''s eye opened wide in surprise, "Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "I knew your wedding was coming up so I didn''t want to ruin the mood. It''s OK, I already cried it all out and I''m ready to move on. That''s why I''m telling you now. You don''t have to feel unhappy for me," Lily said with a brave face, even though Halia could sense the sadness in her voice.


    "What went wrong?" Halia asked.


    "It''s too difficult for two doctors to be in a relationship. We''re both so busy and we barely have any free time. Worst of all, we work at the same hospital, in the same ward, so we are often rostered on different days and times. It''s too hard to get some time together. What is the point of a relationship when you can never see each other?" Lily sighed.


    Halia nodded in understanding and took a quick glance at Jackson. She was very fortunate that Jackson retired from Interpol to dedicate his time to their home. If he hadn''t done that, would they still have lasted this long? Could two agents really date?


    ...


    At this time, in one of the corridors outside the ballroom, Hummingbird had just stepped out of the bathroom when she felt someone push her against the wall. She instinctively lifted one of her arms and one of her knees to fight back, but when she saw the person''s face, she immediately stopped.


    "I''ve been waiting an entire year to do this," a seductive voice said.


    Before she could react, Hummingbird felt a pair of soft lips press down against hers...

 Chapter 422 - Hibernation

    Hummingbird''s lips were completely covered so she had no choice but to breathe only through her nose. The scent of the man''s warm minty, masculine breath entered her nose and sent tingles down her spine. She hadn''t been this close to a man for a long time and forgot how it felt.


    But she had no time to think about that. Her first reaction was to push the man away. However, he came prepared and had her arms pinned firmly against the wall. Although she was restrained, there was a sense of gentleness to his touch as he ran his hands down her arms, intertwined his fingers with hers, and secured her hands behind her back. This domineering action caused butterflies to erupt in Hummingbird''s stomach.


    Hummingbird opened her big blue eyes wide to look at the brazen person properly, but because he was so close, all she could see were his long fluttering eyelashes and his soft hazel eyes. Perhaps sensing her shock, or perhaps because he needed to catch his breath, the man moved away from her lips momentarily. But as soon as Hummingbird reconfirmed the identity of the man, he smirked and returned to her lips like a yoyo.


    Hummingbird gasped. She stopped trying to break free but her body became tense.


    It was Wolf!


    What was he doing there?


    Wasn''t he supposed to be in Colombia? Wasn''t he waiting to raid the drug cartel?


    Before she could react, the man moved away from her lips again and whispered in his deep, charming voice, "It''s rude to keep your eyes open when you''re kissing someone."


    He then let go of her hands, slowly ran his fingers up her back, and gripped gently to the sides of her head.


    His touch was warm and protective, and it made Hummingbird''s heart melt.


    As he slightly tilted her head and leaned forward to kiss her again, Hummingbird closed her eyes and kissed him back. Regardless of why he was there, she was pleased with this surprise.


    She wrapped her free arms around his waist and pulled him closer to her.


    It had been over a year since they parted from that riad in Morocco. During this entire time, she had regretted not kissing him goodbye outside her room, for not inviting him inside, and for not telling him how she felt. Now that he was in front of her, this kiss felt so right.


    Wolf had been a player before he met Hummingbird, flirting with different women every night and never being in a serious relationship, but after meeting Hummingbird, he simply focused on completing his mission so he could go back to look for her. In fact, during the time that they were apart, he did not even lay his hands on another woman. It was like his desires had gone into hibernation.


    So, when Hummingbird pulled him closer to her body, his desires were finally awoken like a starving beast, and he forgot that they were standing in a public corridor.


    He ran his hands down her neck and his lips followed. Hummingbird naturally arched her back and tilted her head in pleasure. This man knew exactly what to do. Her body began to heat up and her breathing sped up. This kiss was better than she had imagined.


    As she bit her lip to prevent herself from making any sound, Wolf ran one hand down her thigh and lifted her leg so he could move even closer to her body.


    Hummingbird felt something hard between her legs and gasped in surprise. She had made the choice to be single most of her life, but it didn''t mean that she had never been with a man before, so she knew what she was feeling.


    Without wasting another second, she yanked the man away from her neck, grabbed his hand, and pulled him into a nearby storage closet. As the casino wasn''t open to the public yet, the storage closet wasn''t locked and it was still empty. It was the perfect amount of space for two people.


    Click! The door locked shut.


    The wolf had been in hibernation for over a year, but the hummingbird had been in hibernation for even longer...


    ...


    Halia scanned her eyes across the ballroom and spotted Trisha with Orca. Since the food was still being prepared, she decided to take the opportunity to clarify a few things. She grabbed Jackson''s hand and led him over to greet their unexpected guests.


    As she got close to Orca, she whispered, "Are you Hummingbird or Orca?"


    The French woman smiled slightly and looked at Jackson. "Captain Wu, comment ?a va (how are you)?" she asked.


    Jackson smiled back and replied, "Oh, Juliette, ?a fait longtemps (long time no see)."


    Halia looked at her husband in surprise for a moment. She had almost forgotten that he was an undercover agent in France for 8 years and he had mentioned that he once worked with Orca.


    Switching to English, Orca said in a feminine voice with a French accent, "When you helped with the bomb last year, I immediately knew it was you. You definitely found yourself an impressive wife. I can see why you retired from the force to spend time with her."


    She then looked at Halia and did a quick subtle salute with one finger so no one else would notice, "It''s nice to finally see you, Captain. You''re more beautiful than I imagined..."


    "Orca," Halia said with realization. Clearly, this woman was not the lively Australian with a chirpy voice. She then looked around and asked, "Where''s Hummingbird?"


    Orca looked around with confusion as well and replied, "She went to the bathroom a while ago. Now that you mention it, she''s been gone for quite some time... I wonder if something happened..."


    If Hummingbird was a normal person, Halia would have brushed it off and said not to worry. But in the crazy life that they led, danger seemed to be lurking around every corner, so she immediately looked towards the door that led to the corridor.


    "Let''s go check on her," she said as she began to walk ahead.

 Chapter 423 - BTA Department

    The moment that Halia opened the door to the corridor, she noticed the beautiful abstract pattern that was on the walls and the line of mirrors that ran down both sides. Although it was only abstract, the pattern reminded her of the aquarium projection that was on the walls of the bar where she was spiked during her first mission. That night, when she was spiked, Jackson saved her and they ended up sharing their first kiss.


    Halia wasn''t sure if Jackson had that night in mind when he designed this corridor, but she loved it nonetheless.


    As the others stepped out behind her, they spotted a young blond woman standing in front of one of the mirrors, fixing her hair, and reapplying her lipstick.


    It was Hummingbird!


    When Hummingbird sensed the eyes that were looking at her, she turned her head in surprise and revealed an awkward smile. "What are you all doing out here?" she asked as she tried to turn them back towards the ballroom like she had something to hide.


    However, Halia stopped in her tracks and looked the woman up and down. "You''re Hummingbird, right? Are you OK? I heard you''ve been missing for a while."


    Hummingbird chuckled and said, "Have you forgotten how much security is outside and the amount of law enforcement guests you have? We are in the safest place on earth."


    She then nudged Halia back to the door and said, "The stars of tonight shouldn''t be out here looking for me. Hurry back inside and enjoy the celebrations."


    Halia found Hummingbird''s actions a little strange. Why did it feel as though she was trying to get rid of them? Shouldn''t she be excited to finally meet?


    But just as Halia thought this, her mind was interrupted when the door to one of the storage closets suddenly opened...


    Out stepped a handsome young Italian man in a black tuxedo. He neatened his cuffs and closed the door behind him. Just as he did so, he noticed the small group of people who were looking his way.


    They were frozen in surprise and confusion. Those that recognized him, wondered what he was doing in Macau, and those that didn''t recognize him, wondered what he was doing in the storage closet.


    Acting on her feet, Hummingbird turned around, clapped her hands together in surprise, and exclaimed, "Wolf! What are you doing here?"


    Wolf looked a little fl.u.s.tered, but he quickly spread his arms and yelled, "Surprise!"


    Halia looked at the man in confusion.


    Seeing her expression, Trisha laughed and explained without any suspicion, "Wolf said he wanted to surprise you guys so I kept it a secret for him."


    "I bet you didn''t expect me to be hiding in the storage closet!" Wolf chuckled, trying to make everything sound like it was a part of his plan.


    Halia and Jackson looked at him in doubt rather than surprise. If he wanted to surprise them, why would he choose to hide in the storage closet in the corridor? What if they didn''t come out here all night? Also, when he first walked out of the storage closet, he looked more surprised than they did.


    Wolf approached the group and deliberately stood next to Orca instead of Hummingbird. As he came into view, Hummingbird''s eyes opened wide and she quickly gestured at her lips. The man''s lips were a pink color; the same shade of pink that she was wearing on her lips! Noticing her gesture, Wolf quickly wiped his lips when no one was looking.


    However, Orca noticed this and looked at the two with suspicion.


    Fortunately for Wolf and Hummingbird, Halia suddenly changed the focus by asking Trisha, "Why are these three here? I thought we weren''t supposed to ever meet..."


    Trisha glanced at Jackson and said, "I got permission from Captain Wu."


    Halia furrowed her brows in curiosity.


    "He said you''ve been working really hard on locating the last founder of The Organization. I''ve noticed how hard you''ve been working too. So, now that our initial BTA tests are over, I requested for an official BTA department to be set up and the higher-ups agreed. Hence, I called these three back to assist you," Trisha explained.


    "An official BTA department?" Halia asked. "Does that mean I have to report to the headquarters? I thought we agreed that I would work from home... I don''t want to be too far from Laurie...and Jackson..."


    After talking to Lily a bit earlier, Halia had realized how important it was to spend more time with her husband and daughter, so this arrangement didn''t sound like it worked for her. But Jackson suddenly said, "That''s why I made sure you won''t have to travel too far from home. Follow me." He then led the group out to the main lobby and into one of the elevators. "I took some inspiration from the resort in the Philippines," he said before he pressed some numbers into a number pad on the wall and scanned his fingerprint on the screen. A moment later, the elevator started moving down.


    There were 3 levels of underground parking at the casino. The elevator blinked B1, B2, B3...and then the numbers stopped blinking. They reached the furthest that the public could access but the elevator continued to move deeper underground. Finally, the elevator stopped and the doors opened.


    Right outside the elevator was a circular room with a big steel door at the end. The room was filled with children''s toys. Jackson was right about taking inspiration from the Philippines. This setup looked exactly like the illegal casino that Joel Gabriel Santos ran at White Pearl Resort. "From now on, Laurie can play in here while you work on the other side. The walls are made from two-way glass. You can see Laurie, but Laurie won''t be able to see you."


    After he was done explaining this first room, Jackson walked straight up to the steel doors and scanned his eyes on a scanner. A moment later, the doors swung open, revealing a high-tech headquarter on the other side. "Welcome to Interpol''s BTA Department," he announced.

 Chapter 424 - The Glass Elevator

    Screens lined the walls, monitoring different things around the world, including the latest news, and most up-to-date information from Interpol. Right near the entrance, there was a command center that looked into the children''s play area; clearly, this was designed specifically for Halia. And, spread across the headquarters were desks with the fastest and most efficient computers.


    Halia looked at Jackson in amazement. "You actually built a headquarters in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the casino?!"


    She then noticed some rooms on the left side. This was another similarity with the casino in the Philippines, except, these rooms were not used for illegal transactions. Instead, they were labs and surgery rooms. "Dr. Li, Dr. Ren, and their team will be moving here as well. It''s much safer than the lab in the police department. Plus, they will be able to work closely with the BTAs," Jackson explained.


    However, Halia started to feel a little confused. Didn''t Jackson say that she wasn''t working too far from home? From their apartment in Hong Kong to this casino, it took roughly an hour! This was even further than the Interpol headquarters...


    "But...this isn''t close to home," Halia said questioningly.


    Without saying anything, Jackson smiled at his wife, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into the command center. She couldn''t see if from the outside, but as soon as Halia walked into the command center, she noticed a circular mirrored column at the back of the room that was beautifully designed but looked a little out-of-place and unnecessary. At first, she thought it was a support column that was needed for foundation, but then she noticed a touchpad beside it. "What''s that?" Halia asked with curiosity.


    Jackson turned to Trisha and said, "We''ll be right back," and Trisha nodded in understanding.


    After that, he pulled Halia over to the column and placed his hand on the touchpad beside it. A moment later, the column opened up, revealing a space that fit 1-2 people. That was when Halia realized it wasn''t just a column, but an elevator. "This is a private elevator that''s built exclusively for you and me. It can only be operated by our handprints and it only goes between two places..."


    Halia looked at her husband in awe as they stepped inside and the doors closed. Like the headquarters, the walls of this elevator were made with two-way glass. They could see out, but people couldn''t see in!


    As the elevator started to move up, Halia looked out of the elevator and realized this glass column ran straight through the building. On the ground floor, they passed through the casino, then it passed through the ballroom where their guests were still mingling, and finally, it passed through the lobby of the hotel before a warm light lit up and they entered a dark tunnel surrounded by walls.


    "Where is this going?" Halia asked curiously as the elevator continued to move upwards.


    Without answering, Jackson replied with a mysterious smile, "You''ll see very soon."


    A moment later, the lights in the elevator turned off and natural light from the outside streamed in. Halia looked around her and covered her mouth in amazement.


    "Welcome home..." Jackson said as the doors slid open.


    They were inside the penthouse of the building...


    "This is where we will be living from now on."


    Halia wandered through the open-plan living area. Floor-to-ceiling windows covered most of the walls, allowing natural light to stream in and providing a beautiful view over the city. Against one of the walls, there was a fireplace for the cold winters, and in the ceilings, there was a ducted air-conditioning system. Connected to the living area was a big kitchen with a butler''s pantry, and beside the kitchen was a long dining table that could easily seat 12 people. This place was perfect for entertaining and Halia could already imagine the family dinners they would share there.


    Jackson then led her down a small corridor where the bedrooms were located. The master bedroom had a plush king-size bed, there was an ensuite bathroom, and there was also a walk-in wardrobe! Apart from the master bedroom, there were five other bedrooms. "Two rooms are for our guests, and the other three are for our children," Jackson grinned.


    Halia looked at her husband and pinched him on the arm playfully, "Who said we''re having three children?"


    Jackson chuckled and wrapped his arms around his wife. "If we don''t, I can always turn the spare bedroom into a ''dungeon''," he said seductively beside her ear.


    Halia blushed and ignored him. "Show me the bathroom," she said as she walked out.


    With a laugh, Jackson led her to the big spacious bathroom. Like the other rooms in the penthouse, this room also had floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out on the city. Right next to the window was a luxurious freestanding bathtub and not too far from it was a standing shower with water jets on the wall to provide extra comfort after a long day of work. Along one of the walls was a long vanity with two sinks, a long mirror, and two seats, perfect for getting ready in the morning, and beside the door was a nappy change table as well as a baby bathing station for Laurie and their future children.


    Everything about this penthouse was perfect.


    "Remember when we were looking at houses in Guiyang City?" Jackson suddenly asked. "I built this place based on what we described as our dream home."


    Halia thought back and smiled. Back then, she had said, "I want a big kitchen so I can prepare good food for my husband, I want a comfortable bathtub so we can relax after a days work, I want a fireplace so we can huddle up in winter, and I want big windows so we can see the flowers bloom in summer."


    With a challenging smile, she said cheekily, "You''re missing one thing, Mr. Wu. I wanted to see flowers bloom in the summer."


    Jackson laughed and shook his head, "No, I didn''t. Follow me."

 Chapter 425 - Help...My Wife is a Spy (Ending)

    Back in the main living area, there was a spiral staircase behind the elevator that Halia didn''t notice earlier. She looked up and said in surprise, "Is there another floor?"


    Jackson grinned and nodded his head as he pulled his wife up.


    When they reached the second floor, Halia was surprised to find that they were inside a small circular glass room with lounges that faced outside and a little bar with wine and drinks. Outside the windows, they were surrounded by a beautiful courtyard, filled with plants and flowers. It was like they had been transported to a secret garden in the countryside, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city below. Jackson led her out into the courtyard and down a small path, lined with sunflowers. As they reached the end of the path, Halia heard a familiar little bark. Her eyes opened wide in surprise and a little brown poodle came bounding towards her. "Coco?!" Halia exclaimed. She immediately bent down to pick up the dog.


    As she stood back up, she noticed the beautiful infinity pool in front of her, and not too far away, she saw a grandfather sitting underneath a plum blossom tree with his granddaughter. It was her father and Laurie. "What are you doing up here?" she asked in surprise as she approached her father and daughter. Father Feng glanced at his daughter and smiled. "Nappy change," he laughed, "and Laurie was feeling a little shy around all the strangers so Jackson told me to bring her up here for a bit."


    Father Feng handed the little girl back to her mother and sighed in satisfaction, "Your husband really spoiled you this time."


    Halia nodded her head in agreement before she noticed another path that seemed to lead to somewhere. "Where does that go?" she asked Jackson.


    Jackson smiled and gestured for her to follow him as he led her down the path which circled to the other end of the building. As the path opened up, Halia gasped in amazement. Rows of gr.a.p.evines covered the roof of the building. At that moment, Halia remembered what Jackson had said about his dream home. Back in Guiyang City, he had said, "I want to be able to smell breakfast cooking from the bedroom, I want to hear my wife''s footsteps as she walks around the house, I want to look out the window and see her playing with the dog in the garden. I want a small vineyard so I can make my own wine and I want a deck where we can sit back and enjoy it."


    "Is this a vineyard?" she asked in surprise.


    Jackson nodded his head. He had lived in France for many years and he even spent some time on a vineyard, so this was like a little piece of his second home.


    "Do you like it?" Jackson asked.


    Without any hesitation, Halia nodded her head. "I love it! I love everything about this place! It''s perfect!"


    From the castle exterior, to the headquarters in the bas.e.m.e.nt, to their penthouse home, this place was perfect. Most importantly, not only was it close to work for her, it was also close to work for Jackson, who could run the casino from the comfort of his own home.


    Halia held onto her daughter and felt a rush of emotions. She felt like the luckiest woman on earth. "Thank you," she said sincerely to her husband.


    Jackson wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter and smiled with satisfaction, "I''m glad that you like it."


    As the family of three stood there on the rooftop, enjoying their new home, Halia suddenly felt a slight vibration on her thigh. Jackson felt it too and slowly moved away. Seriousness immediately swept across both their faces.


    Halia didn''t have her normal phone with her; she had no pockets on her dress to carry it in. Plus, her handbag was down in the ballroom. But...she did have her private encrypted phone attached to her thigh. This phone was specially designed by Interpol so it could never be traced nor spied on, and only a few selected people had the number to this phone: Trisha and her BTAs. Halia had regular meetings with both, so they were specifically told to never ring the phone unless there was an emergency. At that very moment, Trisha, Orca, Hummingbird, and Wolf were all in the bas.e.m.e.nt headquarters; they couldn''t possibly be calling her. So, there was only one possibility: something had happened to Sasquatch.


    Halia placed Laurie into Jackson''s arms and quickly picked up her phone.


    "Captain, I captured someone that appears to know Odin''s real identity!" Sasquatch exclaimed over the phone. "Supposedly, he has a cabin in Iceland!"


    Halia''s eyes lit up when she heard this. Iceland? That was exactly around the area where they were tracking the fifth Super Soldier. Could Odin be in Iceland? This was massive news!


    She quickly hung up the phone and looked apologetically at her husband, "I need to notify my BTAs of something extremely important. I''ll meet you back at the ballroom."


    Jackson looked at his wife and nodded with understanding. He had been in her position before and he understood the nature of the job. "Take your time. I''ll entertain the guests," he whispered.


    Halia was grateful for his understanding. She placed a kiss on her husband and daughter''s foreheads, pulled off her high-heeled shoes, and ran back inside to catch the elevator back down to the headquarters.


    As Jackson watched his wife run inside, Father Feng approached with curiosity, "Where is she going?"


    Jackson laughed dotingly, "Working..."


    Although it wasn''t the right time to be working, Jackson was not mad. His wife had an extremely important job that literally saved lives, so he understood. All he could do was lift his daughter in his arms and chuckle helplessly.


    Father Feng laughed and shook his head. He also understood that he couldn''t be mad at his daughter.


    Laurie looked at her father like she understood what was happening and said in a comforting voice, "Papa..."


    With a smile, Jackson looked into his daughter''s eyes and sighed dotingly, "Help...my wife is a spy!"


    - THE END -