Page 82 of Billionaire’s Cruelty

“Do you have anyone who can vouch for you?”

“What do you mean?” I frowned in confusion. Dannie’s hand rested lightly on mine.

He answered without hesitation. “I can.”

“Thanks, Dannie. But I still don’t understand the question. What exactly are you vouching for?”

“We need someone to confirm that you’re a good character,” Amanda explained. “A responsible citizen of…” She paused, glancing at my passport even though she had just filled out the nationality field. “The United States of America.”

“My friend Wendy could do that. Should I give her a call?”

“She’s American?”

“Yes.”

“No, we don’t—” Her gaze flicked between me and Dannie before settling back on me. “Your guarantor has to be a citizen of Hong Kong or the Republic of China and must have known you for at least five years.”

“It’s okay, June. I qualify.” Dannie reassured me, giving Amanda a confirming glance.

“Yes, Mr. Wu is a perfect candidate,” she affirmed.

“So, what does that mean? I still don’t get it.”

“Mrs. Wu⁠—”

“Dr. Bennet,” I corrected her before she could go any further.

“Oh… kay. Dr Bennet,” she said, adjusting. “You don’t intend to cause any trouble in China, do you?”

“What kind of trouble?” I asked warily. That wasn’t my intention, of course, but I wasn’t entirely sure what might be considered as “trouble” in some countries.

For example, while some categories of drugs were illegal in America, people weren’t afraid of the legal repercussions that could come with the use of those drugs. But in many South East countries, the consequences could be far more severe. The thought of the death penalty sent a shiver through me.

Amanda let out a quiet sigh, clearly growing frustrated with my questions.

“Look, it’s just a routine question we ask all our clients,” she said. “Believe me, we pre-screen applicants before we even take them on. Your case is straightforward. You’re a highly regarded doctor in the States. No debt. Not even a speeding ticket. Your application will go through without any issues. Normally, we’d send you straight to the visa center, so you wouldn’t have to pay extra fees. But if it weren’t for⁠—”

Dannie cleared his throat. “I think June gets the idea now, right?” Then he turned to Amanda. “And I believe you have everything you need to process the application.”

Amanda stood up and straightened her gray pantsuit—a smart, tailored short with a vest that I found both interesting and a little odd. It wasn’t something I’d normally wear, but I could see myself trying something like that next summer.

Mr. Huang’s assistant excused herself, murmuring, “be right back,” before leaving us with our coffee.

The cafe had a steady flow of people coming and going, most of them in a hurry. They’d grab a takeaway cup from the barista and practically jog out the door. It couldn’t be cheap to have a private barista serving only a select few, but maybe it saved time. Instead of employees running out to the city for their caffeine fix, the coffee came to them.

Then again, in this day and age, you could order anything with a few taps on your phone. Places like this didn’t seem particularly sustainable in the long run.

“Are you worried about your visa?” Dannie broke through the chit chat in my head.

“Not after hearing what Amanda said,” I admitted. Everything she had told me was correct. There was no reason my application should be rejected. And yet, a small part of me still worried they’d find something—some trivial excuse to deny me entry. Maybe they’d dig up evidence of me watching porn online or something ridiculous like that.

“You don’t have to sit with me,” I told Dannie. “You must have a lot to do right?”

“Nothing important. It can wait.”

I hesitated. Dannie was like that—always thoughtful in ways I didn’t expect. “You didn’t have to come at all.”

“I had to be here anyway, as your guarantor.” He replied, reminding me of that two second answer he’d given.