Page 30 of Bully's Second Chance
My stomach growled. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Us as well. Talk soon.”
I nodded. “Talk soon.”
After we hung up the phone call, I figured I would have felt more elated or joyous. But, it all seemed so empty. I had no one to immediately celebrate with, and the only thing I wanted to do was call Lily and tell her the good news.
But, I settled for popping open a bottle of sake and enjoying a drink before I changed myself into a nice, casual evening suit.
I checked in on my father for a few minutes before I was due to head downstairs, and I found Lily sitting by his bedside again. She held his hand, and I saw her lips moving, and I wondered what she was saying. I mean, she knew now. I had informed her of the cameras and the recording system.
So, I unmuted my laptop and listened in.
“…and of course, he loved pulling those stupid pigtails that Mom always used to put in my hair. But, I suppose it wasn’t all that bad. I was a bit dramatic as a child.”
I shook my head. “No, you were just looking for someone to care about you.”
She snickered. “He really is a good man now, though. You’d be proud of him. He’s intelligent and caring. You know, when he’s not railroading everyone for not reading his mind.”
I grinned as I sat back in my chair.
“If there’s one thing I could change about him, though, it would be his anger. He’s got so much of it some days, and I know how that feels. That’s why I go to the spa regularly. The massages and the facials help me to relax and move that anger through my system. I wish he could find an equally useful tactic for himself.”
She knows I can hear her.
“Well played, Lilyanna.”
I closed the laptop just as my hotel phone rang, and I made my way down to the lobby. Mr. Zhang was there to greet me, as well as Miss Liu, then together we all slipped into a limo that was extra long in order to accommodate everyone who had been at our afternoon meeting.
We popped a bottle of champagne and toasted to our new venture together, then I leaned back and enjoyed the sights of Shanghai as we passed by all of the lit-up buildings and bars and clubs.
But, things took a turn very quickly when we pulled up to a place that wasn’t as lit up as the rest of the city we had just seen.
“Uh, Miss Liu?”
She leaned into my ear and whispered. “Yes?”
I peered over at her. “Are we where I think we are?”
She blushed. “Yes, sir. We are.”
Holy shit, we were in the fucking red light district of Shanghai.
“Mr. Zhang wants to know if you’re getting out with the rest of them,” Miss Liu whispered.
I peeked over at Zhang before I drew in a deep breath. “Tell him I appreciate the proposition, but I have a woman back home that wouldn’t be too happy if I… well, you know.”
She sighed. “Look, I know you don’t want to do things our way, but this is a big moment. You don’t have to indulge in anything, but you do need to come inside, have a seat, and pick a woman. Even if all you do is talk with her for the evening, this can break the contract.”
I chuckled. “He signed it. It’s not breakable.”
“He signed the first page, but nothing more. He hasn’t even dated it yet.”
My face fell flat. “You’re fucking kidding.”
Her face grew somber. “I’m sorry, Mr. Levy. But, you’re so close. You’re almost there. Just come inside, and I’ll walk you through everything so that you don’t cross lines you don’t want to. Okay?”
I looked back at Mr. Zhang, who was standing outside waiting for us.
