Page 92 of Luxe

"Um, they know-ish. I'm not embarrassed about it or anything like that. It's more like, the more they know, the more they're going to want to meddle. They're not good with letting me doing what I want. Little Keeks always getting herself in trouble, that kind of thinking. So, they know that I provide prop players to some of the poker clubs in Hong Kong and sometimes for special events, take them to some of the casinos in Macau. But... they, er they don't about the other part of it. The rescuing part."

I don't know if that's true or not, but I'm not ready to get in the middle of the Yin family issues. Especially since I think that Kiara is more than capable of handling the men in her life.

"Well, I think if they knew the whole story, they'd be incredibly proud of you. But that is for you to tell them if and when you're ever ready. They won't be hearing about it from me first." I pretend to pull a zipper across my lips as I sit back down on the couch next to her.

"Good. Now, stop skirting the question!"

"I didn't mean to that time!" I protest and she laughs and cuddles back against me.

"Okay, I'll give you a pass for that one. So, you told me some of the things that you’re working on, but what’s the one you’re most excited about?"

Only one thing pop ups in my mind. Not because I'm not excited about others, I love my work, but right now, I'm focused on one project above all else.

"Watch," I say. "It's the streaming service that I own with Nathan, under the umbrella of Yin Tech."

"Of course, Nathan's told me about it. He said he doesn't really have much to do with it, that you're co-founders and he put up the capital but it's really your brain child."

"It's my heart child, really. The story of Netflix completely disrupting the entertainment industry is one of my favorite stories. And while Watch isn't an innovator, I think it can become a really important part of the movie and TV streaming landscape in Asia."

"Don't tell me you watch K Dramas!"

"K Dramas, C Dramas, all the old TVB stuff, all the stuff coming out of Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam. If anyone has watched it, I've probably watched it!"

Her mouth drops open. "Kylian Francis Baxter! You never cease to amaze me. I would never have pegged you as a soap opera fan."

I dig my fingers into her sides as punishment for teasing me. "Hey! Not like the crappy stuff my gran grew up on. I mean, sure they're interesting to watch to learn about how to pull a story out into a year and a half of content. But for true drama, comedy, suspense? Asian dramas are the real masterclass. Sure, they get their money's worth out of a good amnesia storyline, or missing twin, but hey, I've seen that on the Young and The Restless more times than Victor Newman returned to Nikki."

She looks at me with a combination of horror and wonder. "Who areeee you?"

"You don't watch them?"

"Not really. I watched a little with my mom while she was... er, while she was in bed. But I've never really turned one on to watch myself."

I look at her, stunned, then shake my head in sheer disappointment. "Wow. Kiara, I'm so sorry your life has been so empty."

She punches my shoulder. "Just tell me more about your company!"

"Well, we have to move fast, already you can see that Netflix is buying up the licenses for a bunch of Korean and Chinese dramas and short series. But they're only the biggest ones and mostly for an English-speaking audience. And those TV shows’ producers are getting seriously ripped off!" I jump onto my feet and wave my hands over my head. "Okay, so you haven’t watched K Dramas…or so you say, but did you watch the first season of Squid Game when it came out?”

“Of course. It was amazing.”

“Yeah, it was one of the all-time most successful shows on the platform. In fact, based on Netflix’s data, Squid Game ranks as the show that got the most hours viewed in its first month of release. Do you have any idea how insane that is! It made over $900 million dollars and only cost $21 million to make. And do you know why? Not paying the people who made this gem for you what they’re worth! I would never treat the Asian dramas and producers so badly. The more money you pour into the industry, the more you're helping it grow. I want there to continue to be new amazing shows for me to watch! Why would I want to stifle the industry?"

I don't even realize I'm yelling until Kiara presses her finger to her lips, trying to shush me, but laughter shakes her shoulders instead.

I can’t help but laugh along. "What? Do you think I'm being silly?"

Her laugh fades to a bright smile. "Not at all. I'm just... I'm blown away by your passion for this project."

"You have passion for your work, I have passion for mine, too."

"I can see that, Kylian. And it’s amazing to see.” There’s a respect in her eyes that I haven’t seen until now. Granted, a few days ago she was looking at me with pure hatred, so this is a big step between us that I should reasonably expect. “So, what specific plans do you have for Watch?"

Not everyone understands my nerdy rants about my work, so she’s really opening the floodgates by asking. "Well, I'm in talks to buy into a film studio here. And a production company."

"That’s so cool. But, can I ask, why don't you start one? You can build it from the ground up."

Her question makes me feel like she’s really listening and not just humoring me. "Well, to be honest, these companies that I’m in talks with have amazing track records, they’ve produced quality films before but cash flow has become a problem. I honestly don't think I could do any better than what they've done, and are doing. I just happen to have caught them during a time when they need money and I have money. They also share a lot of my vision for the film industry in this area of the world. I don't have any plans to overhaul their operations but I do have some idea on how to use my resources to capitalize on their potential to turn into a self-sustaining organization. And I don't know if having in house production companies is the way to produce some of the shows I'd like to invest in for Watch, but we'll see."

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