Page 18 of Billionaire’s Promise

That much was true. I had met Chloe’s friends, Emily and her family. Their family had hotels in every corner of the world. There wasn’t a major city on Earth that they hadn’t built their hotels in. Okay, a slight exaggeration on my part, Pyongyang and a few others might be an exception.

I knew I shouldn’t tease him but still, it was fun. After what I had suffered through this morning, I would much prefer to see someone else in agony, and Kai was an obvious choice. “Because all hotel rooms are haunted, and I’m scared of ghosts.”

Wendy almost spit out her water and Kai smiled.

“Fine.” I tried not to laugh. I wasn’t sure I believed him, but I knew that a lot of Asians believed in ghosts, my mother included. “On second thought, you have bodyguards, right? What do you hire them for?”

I tried to keep a straight face. I tried really hard.

“Oh yes, they will need to stay with us,” he said shamelessly as if I had already promised to let him stay.

“What?”

“I think you need another tea.” Wendy excused herself from the now slightly heated conversation.

“You won’t even know they’re there. I promise.”

My idea of having Kai to myself had been shattered. I didn’t factor in his precious bodyguards who never left his side. How naive was I?

And suddenly, I remembered what Chloe told me years ago when Link’s life was in danger. Kai and his family always had security in plain sight, protecting him wherever he went, and ready to pounce on anyone who might cause him harm.

“Like ninjas.” I recalled saying the same words to Chloe.

“Exactly.”

4

Kai

June’s apartment was nice, but it didn’t seem to suit her. Most of the walls were painted white, with a select few that were covered in this dark blue wallpaper with a floral pattern in gold foil. The furniture was all either black, white or beige. Everything was neutral, and unremarkable. It did give it a modern feel, like most five-star hotels have, but at the end of the day, none of them were remarkable enough that you would ever want to go back.

“Who’s your interior designer?” I took the opportunity to ask as June joined me in the living room after showing Clare and Dave their room.

June frowned slightly. “Um, something Apex I think.”

That’s exactly what I thought.

Unremarkable.

So unremarkable that even the owner of the apartment couldn’t remember. This tiny apartment had two bedrooms and a small room she used for exercise. A bit tight for me and my guys. I wondered what the second bedroom was for. Was someone else living here with her? I couldn’t wait to snoop around for some men’s items.

“It just doesn’t feel like you.” I thought about not mentioning anything, but I had done enough of that at home. And here, with June, I felt like I could just say anything I had on my mind.

“Emily recommended them. Do you remember her? The Thompson’s girl who’s friends with Chloe.” I nodded.

“The Emily you were going to call to get me a suite.” Of course, I knew who Emily was. I had attended many charity events organized by Emily before June even heard about her. The Thompson family was known for their hotel business and had been trying to branch out to other sectors. Though they had some success in America in the food industry, lately they had been thinking about expanding abroad. Emily’s brother Trent Thompson, and husband Dylan James, had both reached out to me separately, in hopes to secure a collaboration in China. Those two, they never saw eye-to-eye when it came to business.

“Yes, I know Emily Thompson.”

“James,” June corrected me as she sank into one of the cream-colored sofas.

She wasn’t wrong but I didn’t feel the need to tell her that Emily still uses her Thompson surname for work. For private matters, she had chosen to be Mrs. James, but anything to do with work she still used Thompson. I simply responded with a smile, something I would do when I couldn’t be bothered to comment.

“Why didn’t you decorate the place yourself?”

June had a talent for creative things. I remembered that she used to draw. Not everyone who can draw knows anything about design, I knew that, but I thought June might enjoy decorating her own place.

“I had no time.” She shrugged. “And Mom said my time is better spent doing the important things.”