12

Alan groaned as he glared at the person who allowed the light to shine through the room, waking him up from his sleep. He was about to go back to sleep when someone beside him stirred as well, waking up to the light as well. She giggled as she wiggled closer to him, allowing him to take a whiff of her faint scent from last night. As much fun as they had last night, the fun ended once the sun came out.

She playfully placed her kisses on his body, trying to wake him up so that they could play more. But when she saw him not flinch from her kisses, she laid on his stomach, twirling her finger around his chest, that managed to wake him up. His eyes slowly open to find this beautiful lady staring at him, while her finger continue to draw imaginary circles on his chest. Any man who has been in his position would be lying if they said that it didn’t feel good, heck it felt more than great, it was like his guilty pleasure. Who can blame him? Alan had the looks, money, girls and power.

“Did you have fun last night baby~?”

He chuckled, slowly lifting himself up to lazily sit up straight, still half awake. “Mhmm, did you like what you see last night?”

“Of course I did baby, you and I were in harmony last night.”

He glanced over to her, wondering where this mushy stuff was coming from. Completely forgetting that this was the girl he just met, it came to a surprise at how much he could tolerate, especially how early it was.

“Anyway, you can use the bathroom first.” He signaled her to the room before he laid back down.

“Alright, I’ll be back.”

 She planted a quick kiss before she gathered all her clothes walked into the washroom, closing the door behind her. The guy who pushed the curtains aside continued to stand there, wondering when he will receive his attention so he cleared his throat for his attention. Alan smirked as he covered his eyes from the sunlight with his arm, lying on his back. “Speak.” The man crossed his arms, leaning against the wall as he played with his knife. “I have planted one of our people in the newspaper company that Miss. Qiu works at and–“

“YOU WHAT?” Alan instantly shot up, throwing a pillow at him as he stared at him. “I DIDN’T AUTHORIZE IT! WHY DID YOU PLANT SOMEONE THERE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION? THEY ARE NOTHING THERE! IF THE MY UNCLE KNOWS THIS, WE WILL BOTH BE IN TROUBLE!”

“I know but hear me out boss. The reason I planted her there was to see how far Miss. Qiu would go into the investigation. I notified her to immediately let us know if anything new or strange happened. And strangely, just last night, she checked the phone calls she made last night and it seems to be rather odd...” Alan glared at him as he picked up his shirt, buttoning the buttons as he signalled him to proceed. “Boss, how much do you know about the oil companies?”

“Oil companies? They provide oil don’t they? Is this a trick question? JUST GET TO THE POINT!”

“Well it turns out that she made calls to this oil company, in a hurry since she left a little time between calls. So we believe that this are linked to the investigation.”

“She could be making calls for one of her friends or clients. How do you know that it had something with the investigation?”

“Because when our person walked into the office, the file to the Wu’s was on her desk. It was strange because Miss. Qiu is always organized no matter what circumstance she was in. So we believe that it’s somehow linked to this case.” Alan smirked as he put his blazer on. After the hunt, he wanted to blow off some steam so he went to a club to party. He was sure that the case has gone cold since after the fire, he tried to recover as much things related to the as he could find but there was nothing. So he thought his chances of finding the Wu’s is forever lost. But now, heaven’s surely has been on his side. “What’s the number?” He asked as the man remained silent. Sensing his hesitation, Alan twirled around to find him quiet, almost afraid to say whose it belonged to. “Give it to me.”

Unaware that the number he was about to call would bring him back in time. The man handed him his phone reluctantly and stared at the number the man has given him. Business was never his interest, to Alan, any business he had was to his own gang. He walked back and forth for awhile, waiting for someone to pick up as the line continue to ring before someone picked up. “Good morning customer, welcome to the Yan Corporations. help service, how may I help you today?” He shut the phone, staring at the numbers on the screen. What did he just– Who was it? He threw the phone on the floor as it broke in half. The man stared at his phone in pity, he had it longer than his other one, which was not a surprise. Alan stared at the mirror, into his reflection as he recalled the kid who ambushed him back in high school. “Why am I hearing about this?”

“Miss. Qiu thinks that it might have something to do with the Wu’s, considering how close their families were before the incident.” Close? That guy and Ying Jie? Then that means Hebe and Mike... are they in this together... “We have another target to look for. Round the guys up cause we are going for another hunt, as for the time frame... the hunt will start a week from now.”

The man nodded as he walked out of the room, leaving Alan staring into his reflection. After a couple of minutes, he could hear the girl who was with him last night came out with only a towel covering herself. She walked over and hugged him from behind. “What’s with the sour expression baby?” Alan turned around to kiss her roughly, sticking his tongue through the opening as she felt herself tasting the pleasure once again. Only this time, alcohol was not blocking their senses.

“I will call for you another time.” He walked away but was soon held back when she held onto his sleeve. “Before you disappear, do you remember my name? Or you can give me yours, because if you call me, I won’t know who you are.”

“Then remember my voice.”

“Not good enough, your voice is attractive but I need to know your name.” He turned back and held her hand up, planting a kiss on her hand as she stared at him. Wondering what caused him to change from his rough attitude to this soft, prince-like qualities. “I have a talent for making girls remember me and I’m sure you’ll definitely remember me, princess.”

With that, he left the room as she walked over to the bed. She could hear the footsteps marching away with his, she stared at her reflection and sighed, she looked like so... disgusting. Without any more negative thoughts, she zipped her silver dress that hugged the curves on her body and walked out of the hotel room. “I know you’re there, stop hiding.” She turned around to find two of his men standing there.

“Ma’am, our master instructed us to be your bodyguard.”

“MA’AM? EXCUSE ME? I’M NOT OLD! I could be the same age or even younger than you sticks! Geez, tell whoever your boss whoever it may be that I don’t need two twigs protecting me.” She attempted to walk away with her 4 inch heels while they kept a close distance on her. Making her feel uncomfortable, so she turned around to see them turning away to not make eye contact. “We cannot leave, not when he instructed us to keep you safe.” And that’s when she got fed up, she turned around, taking off one of heels and threw it at them. “LEAVE ME ALONE!”

The men winced at the pain as the heel hit their chest. “HOW CAN THIS SHOE HURT YOU? YOU’RE SUCH A WIMP! WE MUST FOLLOW HER!” And they chased after her.

Luckily, she got into the elevators and when the doors were about to close, she waved at them just before the doors close. They cursed under their breath at the level they were at, riding in an elevator was always a hassle since it would always be jam-packed with people riding in it, so they never realized the beauty of elevators till this moment. They stared at the number 35, and that’s when it occurred to them, they were at the 35^th level. They cursed under their breath as they began their chase, running down 35 levels of stairs. One way or another, they need to be with her, to keep her from harm’s way instructed from their boss, Alan. 

When the doors opened, she sprinted out of the hotel to find herself looking back to see the two men running after her shortly after. For ‘twigs’ she got to admit, they sure know how to keep up with her. She kept running until someone quickly pulled her in, she sniffed the scent and sighed a relief. His arms were comfortable so it calmed her down as she caught her breath. The men who were chasing after her continue to run straight, convinced at she was still running ahead of them.

When they ran past her location, the man who pulled her in let her go, straightening his clothes as he stared at her. “That’s... an very.. inappropriate... revealing dress you have on.” He stated as she stepped on his feet. She held her hand out, signalling him to give her what she has asked for, and he did. He handed the bag over to her as she walked over to the car he came to fetch her in. She took the blazer out of the bag and smiled, pulling the wig off, tossing it aside. She tossed her head back and forth, allowing her hair to breath.

When the silk fabric landed against her skin, she gleamed in happiness as she tossed the one heel off to the side, slipping herself into work appropriate heels. With her hair tied into a bun, she leaned back and stared at the ceiling in the car. “How was the night?” She sensed a hint of sarcasm as she hit him on the back of the head. “Surprisingly, he wasn’t fun but it was amusing. I never knew it would be so much fun to tease.”

He gave her a stern look as she sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. She was ready to fall asleep when someone woke her up, telling her that they have arrived to the destination. She nodded, erasing her makeup so that her skin could breathe, before putting her glasses on. She walked out of the car, walking into the building. She knew what others would think of her walking in like she just out of bed, bingo, she did just get out of bed. 

“Good morning Miss. Albee.” Her secretary greeted her as she placed a card on her desk. Albee glanced at it and smiled, before signalling her to leave. When her assistant left the room, it was her assistant and her. So she took the card, input the numbers into the computer and in an instant, the room turned dark and the projector did a quick security scan before turning the screen into a chat room.

“My My, Xiao Xun, how are you on this lovely morning? I’m sure you had a great sleep considerin–“ Xiao Xun rolled her eyes as she crossed her legs while her assistant laughed, leaning against the desk as the man on the screen chuckled. “I bet she did Mr. Yan. She was quite a catch this morning.”

Xiao Xun through a pen at him, telling him to zip his lips. “Anyway, you’re right Mr. Yan, it has begun. This Alan person mentioned how they were going on a hunt and they are going to gather men for it. I’m quite certain they found out your relation to the Wu’s, or at least, have a hunch.” As great of a business person she was, she could keep herself concentrated but her assistant was a different story. Sure he was a great businessmen, maybe better then she was but the downfall to having him as her assistant was his untimed jokes.

 “How was he? Ao Long that is.” She threw the whole jar of pens at her assistant, glaring at him as he burst into laughter. “Mr. Yan, Mike and Aaron are safe. So when do we step in?”

“Not yet, my son are two valuable players on the field, when they get into a situation where it’s impossible to get out, then we will be their saviour.”

“When do we know when it’s time?”

“We will know when the time comes. In the meantime, keep your ears open and be alert at all times.” When the screen turned off, Xiao Xun punched him on the arm hard as she glared at him. “WHAT WAS THAT? QUITE A CATCH? ARE YOU INSANE?” He laughed as he took an pile of documents before walking out of the room, laughing like crazy. When he left, Xiao Xun stared at her name plate with the words “Albee Huang.”

Flashback

Last night, first encounter with Alan Qiu Ao Long

Being the notorious women as she was, she didn’t want to make the first move to any men, regardless of who they were.

It was a quiet evening, luckily work has ended so she headed out for a drink at a local place. It was rather high-ended but it was rumoured to be where he would be tonight. Her boss has given her a task of spying for a little bit, with her assistant keeping an safe distance from her, she could hear herself wondering if this was going to work or not. Despite her elegance whenever she is in work attire, she felt disgusted when she slipped onto a dress that made her face sour all over the place. Okay, let’s just say that the dress wasn’t her, and it didn’t suit her personality but she will admit, she looks hot.

Just when she was about to finish her last drink and go, thinking that he wasn’t going to show up. She got out of seat but was stopped when an arm blocked her pathway, preventing her from going anywhere. As she looked up to meet his eyes, his eyes welcomed her, dominating her gaze as she found her lips curve into a smirk.

When she tried to walk away from him, still convinced that the man in front of him was not who she was suppose to meet, she tried to walk around him but he stepped in front of her, causing her look back at the man.

“What are you doing here by yourself princess?”

 Princess? Who uses that word now-a-days? She turned her gaze to meet her assistant as he gave her a thumbs up, telling her that it was time to get her acting skills on. She could feel her skin crawl at the thought of spending time with him. She would be unable to sleep for days! Maybe months! Years.. yeah, maybe even years.

So shaking half of her pride off, she leaned against the bar and did whatever she read in the magazine that made a man want a girl. She has read over and over these techniques for so long, for this moment, so she can’t risk blowing her cover. Not when he is so close to her, that she could feel the intensity in his gaze.

“Home.”

“Is there any way that I can change your plans? Especially tonight since you and I are both lonely souls.”

Advice #1: Play hard to get.

“My plans are quite difficult to change. Are you up for the challenge?”

“I wouldn’t say I am the expert in that field but I do quite alright. Would you like me to give you a little taste of what I am capable of doing?”

She was about to speak when his arms wrapped around hers, pulling her close to him, making her unable to utter a word of rejection. She could feel his lips brushing the tip of her ear which made her mind stop functioning because his scent and actions overpowered her.

‘What was this feeling?’

Albee was clueless as to what was happening, because she hasn’t felt anything like this. Sure, she dated a couple of guys, but by far, he was her first to made her feel this way. “What’s your name princess?”

“...Vivian...” She whispered into his ear as he offered his hand. They did a handshake, surprising her since she never thought that this man can do handshakes... not in the world he was living in. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“And yours?” He placed his finger on her lips, with a simple shake of his head. “It’s a secret.”

End of Flashback