What do you think about Lanfen? Friend or foe? 😈😇
I froze, looking at Lanfen in disbelief. I had to admit that her story made some sense. If she truly was the target, that would have explained why she was the only one who appeared in the footage while the rest of whoever came there didn't. Still, I had a feeling that I was missing something..."How did you fool them?" I asked, tracing her face to catch the slightest change in her expression.She blinked at me. "Pardon?""If those professionals came there to kill you, how did you manage to escape? Besides, I saw you running out of Aren's room, and I didn't see anyone else," I said.Lanfen sighed. "I know it might sound silly, but I hid in the closet in Aren's room, hoping they wouldn't find me. One of them even walked inside... I was afraid that he might hurt Aren, but, fortunately, he didn't. Someone called that guy over, and he left the room, and then they all left. I waited for a while before I decided to run away from there... That's probably when you saw me."I hated the way her
I tried to put all the pieces together and kept wondering who the hell was Mr. C.? It looked like that guy was involved in killing Aren's mother as well as attempting to kill Aren. Did he hold a grudge against the entire Lan family? Moreover, as soon as I heard that Richardson had been meeting a short Asian assistant, I instantly thought of Max, but that had happened over thirty years ago! If it truly was Max, shouldn't he be in his fifties right now? I know that a lot of Asians look younger than they actually are, but seriously?! Then again, no one would have called "a short Asian guy" a precise description. What if the assistant who had contacted Richardson wasn't Max, but Mr. C.'s other assistant? That also made me wonder if Mr. C. wasn't Chinese, someone who had known the Lan family, and who, for some reason, decided to target Liling and then her son. Still, the only person who could come up with a list of potential suspects was Aren.The thoughts about Mr. C., Haskett, Max, and L
It came to me as a shock. When I initially heard the story about how his relationship with Lanfen ended, it seemed tragic, yet it left some room for misunderstanding. I should have known that Aren wouldn't want to tell me every single detail of their relationship. No man would want to dwell on the subject that made him broken. Nonetheless, Lanfen had miscalculated. She was confident that Aren didn't have any evidence against her. She thought that as long as she blamed it all on her family, she still had a chance with Aren. Over my dead body! I would not let her get anywhere near my husband! I was mad at myself that I didn't see right through her from the start. I should have trusted my instincts, and at that moment, I made a promise to myself that I would always listen to whatever my gut feelings told me. Aren was supposed to come back to New York on Thursday, and we were going to fly together to China on Friday afternoon. In the meantime, he sent me a few details about his family, w
*Trigger Warning* Dear readers, please be aware that the second part of this chapter contains a description of physical abuse and an attempted sexual assault. I was cold, lying on something hard and uncomfortable. The place I was in was lit by nothing more than a few dimly glowing light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. I could barely see anything aside from the concrete floor and walls. My hands were cuffed and chained to a large steel ring that was built into a concrete wall right behind where my head lay. I looked at my body; I was barefoot, wearing nothing but lingerie and something that resembled a white, short, see-through nightgown. I looked around and realized that I was inside the spacious, empty hall of a raw-state building. Through the row of floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see that it was completely dark outside, and since I could see no buildings or trees, I guessed that I must have been on one of the high floors. I pulled the chain enough to sit up, but that was the furt
I opened my eyes and faced the bright sun rays creeping through the window of a familiar hospital room in Aren's clinic. It took me a while before my brain fully acknowledged that I was safe. Once I did, I let out a soft exhale along with a few tears. I was lying still as the memories flashed back before my eyes, making me wonder what had happened and how I had found myself in the clinic. I thought of sitting up. I lifted my head and instantly welcomed an overwhelming headache."Miranda said that you shouldn't move." I heard Chris's voice and saw him leaning over me a second later. "I can pull up the bed if you want to sit." His lips curled into a faint smile.I nodded, looking at him numbly and processing why he was in my room. As he pulled my bed up so I could sit, I took a closer look at him. He was wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of combat pants, but even the dark fabric couldn't hide the dried bloodstains—proof of the fight. Only then did I realize that it was his voice I hear
After talking with Chris, I became restless. Ian Haskett had been eliminated by someone who didn't want him to talk. It would be obvious to suspect that the assassination had been ordered by Mr. C., whoever he was. It was frustrating: as soon as we found answers to some of our questions, more questions came. I used to think that the moment we found and dealt with the man who kidnapped me from my wedding ceremony would be the moment our battles would end. It was terrifying to think that a man like Ian Haskett had been merely a pawn in Mr. C.'s game. Chris told me that the sniper managed to run away right after successfully shooting Haskett. I bet that the shooter must have been there the whole time, observing the situation. The sniper must have been prepared to act in case Ian Haskett's plan went south. The second Blue Dreamland's board of directors had been arrested and the whole company basically ceased to exist, Ian Haskett had become expendable, but, for some reason, he wasn't elim
I spent the entire fifteen-hour flight to Shanghai being restless. Even as I lay in Aren's arms in the bedroom of his luxurious private jet, I couldn't sleep. Unlike me, Aren slept like a baby, but I guess his level of exhaustion finally forced his system to rest. From the moment he had come back to New York, he didn't leave my side, working from my room in the clinic in between taking care of me. Even when Miranda had finally agreed to release me from observation, Aren didn't go to his office to pamper me as if I was a child. He didn't let me do anything by myself, and he would have carried me around the penthouse so I wouldn't tire my feet if I didn't firmly protest against it. It felt awkward at times, but I couldn't help but feel my heart melting as I saw his concern filled with yet-unnamed emotions scratching their way out. Now, he was lying peacefully beside me, and I tried to soothe my nerves by stroking his thick black hair. Looking at his beautiful sleeping face was the only
What the hell was Lanfen doing there?! And why did she show up at the same time that we were supposed to meet Aren's grandfather?! I couldn't help but think that it was all carefully planned. But the real question was, was it her plan or Lan Jing's form to test Aren and me?I observed Lanfen making herself comfortable sitting on the sofa in a place where clearly I was supposed to sit. Her innocent mask was perfectly glued to her face, just as I remembered it from our chat at the cafe. She was dressed in a humble dark blue long-sleeve dress with a round white collar. Her black hair was tied in a sleek ponytail, making her look like a high school girl. It was obvious that she had the old man wrapped around her little finger. I wasn't sure what kind of lies she told him, but judging by the kind expression Lan Jing gave Lanfen, he bought everything she told him. My jaw clenched and I wished I could grab her hair and smash her smiling face against the coffee table.Lan Jing looked at Aren