Chapter 16
Kai
Y ou should not live your life for your family, I thought in a half-awake, half-asleep state.
The word family had different meanings in my life over the years.
Mom hated Dad’s guts for cheating on her and our family.
But they never failed to post a happy family image for the media and social media whenever it was necessary.
They pretended all the arguments and disagreements were nothing but rumors.
To the world, we were this picture-perfect family without a single skeleton in our closet.
I have no idea how much I could do to protect Jenny from our world, our lives, but I would try my best. After all, she was the only person that I deemed as real family. The only person that I could talk to. Really talk to. And without having to bury or bend any truths.
Her pregnancy had to be kept a secret, for now.
For her own sake.
Her husband wouldn’t give up looking for her.
Not because he loved her dearly, but rather because he would see her disappearance as a betrayal of their marriage, of his pride.
However, in our world, betrayal was a one-way street.
It was deemed as acceptable, even necessary for men to entertain the idea of affairs and mistresses.
But for a woman, it would be frowned upon.
And leaving your husband? That was a sin too far, even if he was a monster.
Women weren’t given the same consideration in our world.
A woman who cheated was often seen as a witch. The social circles we lived in would socially shame them. I bet they would be hanged like the witches of Salem.
Things were changing in China though.
Divorce rates were going up. People were allowed to leave their spouses if they decided that they were no longer suitable for each other for whatever reason. However, for the upper class and the wealthy it was still deemed as socially unacceptable behavior.
At least with June being Jenny’s doctor, I didn’t have to worry about the medical side of things. I trusted her judgment more than I trusted myself. And I was sure that June wasn’t about to leak Jenny’s information to anyone that could cause her any harm.
It wasn’t hard to get someone to keep a secret though.
You just have to offer them enough incentive.
Money was one thing that people often cannot refuse.
If they cannot be bought by money, then give them an opportunity – something that only you could offer, be it a limited contract from your company, some out of reach item they craved, or an introduction to someone they admired deeply.
When playing nice doesn’t work, there are other means to get people to cooperate.
Threats, extortion, and kidnapping were all possibilities.
In fact, the possibilities are endless, if you have the right kind of imagination.
This kind of dirty work isn’t easy in the modern world, not when security has been tightened around the world.
But if you offered enough money, someone would always pick up the job.
Jenny’s husband had a disgusting habit. His good looks and charming personality meant that he was never short of any attention from the ladies.
However, he liked to pay for his sex. I had known for years about his dirty little secret, and it wasn’t hard to find out when his personal driver escorted different women in and out of his office on a weekly basis.
Besides that, he also kept a couple of love nests with some B-list actresses.
How did Jenny end up with someone so disgusting?
She didn’t choose it.
Her parents had arranged this marriage for her as soon as she graduated from her university.
They wanted to strengthen their business empire through marriage.
By marrying their daughter to the Chen Family.
Jenny’s dad could tap into different businesses, establish new relationships through their new in-laws.
My innocent cousin fell hopelessly in love with her husband Erik Chen, though. To be fair to him, he was sweet to her at the beginning. Jenny’s parents kept her on a tightrope all her life and would control every person she met. My poor cousin had never really been with a man until Erik.
When Erik showered Jenny with presents and attention – be it the right or wrong kind – she gobbled it up like a starving stray dog.
There was no doubt that Eric was just playing his part in finding himself a good, proper wife.
One that was approved of by his family. And Jenny fit into the role perfectly.
They were seen as the perfect couple, both wealthy and gorgeous, a match made in heaven.
Their marriage was often featured in the Asian tabloids as the dream couple of Shanghai.
I suspected his dirty little habits before they announced their engagement. The rich Asian boys circle really wasn’t that big. And people talk – men included.
He had the courtesy to invite me to his bachelor party, hosted by his secret club. The club often organized getaways on some private exotic island for an unforgettable weekend. Though I politely declined the invite, many of my friends went – it wasn’t hard to find out what happened at the party.
I’d thought about saying something about Erik’s disgusting habit to Jenny’s parents. In fact, I was sure that someone she knew had mentioned something about it. But Jenny fell in love so fast with him that she wouldn’t hear anything negative about him.
Lucy’s presence reminded me about my own fate.
She was handpicked by my mother – her favorite among all the women she wanted me to date.
Was her being here solely because I’d asked her as Jenny’s best friend, or was there more to it?
She had not caused me any problems since she’d arrived though, and she’d been a good friend to Jenny.
I would be forever in her debt for that.
I brushed the thoughts away. Second-guessing her right now did me no good. There was no doubt that she cared about Jenny and with her help keeping my cousin company I could keep watch over June.
I could keep my woman, my princess, safe.
My PI hasn’t had any news about Mack since his disappearance.
It would probably take a few more days if he were to extend his search worldwide.
For now, we have to make sure that he doesn’t go anywhere near June.
However, having to secure her workplace had proven to be rather challenging.
We had to make sure that every entrance to the hospital was watched.
I wanted every person in and out of the hospital to be identified.
Siti was the one who woke me this morning in the hotel suite.
She woke me with a cough so loud that I worried about her lung health. Right after I opened my eyes, I had to block off a bunch of flying objects aimed at my face. The woman literally threw my clothes at me before leaving the bedroom.
June was nowhere to be seen.
There was no sweet note next to me saying “call me” either. I guess romance only existed in old movies.
I got dressed and saw that it was only 7 o’clock as I put my watch on. A team of five or six people were busy removing the materials they’d left in the suite the night before, while I took my time making myself a cup of coffee.
I wanted to ask Siti where June was. Judging by the grumpy look on her face, she was in no mood to talk to me about her boss.
If I had to guess, Siti came in and found June and I naked in bed. She then woke her boss and let her sneak out of the room with dignity so she could shame me with that dirty look of hers.
It was all speculation, of course, because I had no idea when June left. Siti didn’t say a word to me apart from coughing and glaring at me here and there.
Part of me was sad that June left without telling me.
The other part was just mad for not noticing her leaving. How would I protect her if I failed at something as simple as that?
A quick phone call to Dave had eased all my worries. She was seen leaving the hotel not too long ago.
I was greeted by a mess at home. In the living room to be precise.
The coffee table was covered in bottles of beverages and delivered food.
And piles of expensive looking fabric laid on the floor.
Lucy and Jenny seemingly had their own party going on last night.
Picking up a bottle, I was glad that they were at least sensible enough to not drink alcohol.
“Hey, zao.” I turned around and saw Lucy standing there in a long champagne-colored nightgown, the satin glued to her skin like it was part of her.
She had no makeup on, and her hair was a little messy but still perfect.
Damn, she was a sight that would cause an instant hard-on if I hadn’t already had so much sex last night. And if she’d been June.
“Morning.” My brain told me not to stare at her Pilate body. “Did you guys have a party last night?”
“Yeah, what about it?” She chuckled lightly. “We had a fashion show, and plenty of food, of course. Apparently, Jenny’s baby loves American junk food.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, pizza, fried chicken, burgers, American style Chinese food.”
I shook my head at the list of things she’d just listed, but I knew that wasn’t all of it.
“Shouldn’t she be eating something healthy right now? Something more nutritious? You know I own several restaurants in New York, right? They could easily whip up something healthy for her, and you, of course.”
“Of course. But we wanted the naughty food. Plus, I could hardly say no to a pregnant lady.”
She was right. The only way to make Jenny happy was to satisfy her needs. Her cravings.
“Umm…” I forced myself to stop staring at Lucy below the neck. Regardless of how much sex I’d had last night, I couldn’t help but stare at a body so stunning as hers. I was still a man, after all. “Do you want a coffee? I can make us a coffee.”
She probably didn’t really need coffee. It was just a line I used to get out of an awkward situation.