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“Watch it, Goh. You clearly need something from us, and we have no issues with walking away,” Nico threatens.
Caishen doesn’t respond but stares at me for a solid twenty seconds.
“I just wanted to see you for myself.”
“The three bullet holes in my vest say otherwise,so get to the point,” Nico snarls as Caishen’s gaze never leaves mine.
“Your father and I had a business relationship. One that ended when you bothdied, but seeing as how you’re indeed alive and well, our business will resume,” he explains as if he’s delivering the weather report.
“And what kind of business would require you to shoot my husband?” I chastise.
His eyes shift to Nico’s, raising an eyebrow.
“You gonna let a woman speak for you?” he taunts.
But Nico’s smart enough to not take the bait.
Only a weak man would react to that.
“My wife can handle you.” Nico smiles softly.
Suddenly, I’m all hot and bothered. I have to fight the urge to not melt into a puddle.
Caishen lets out a bark of laughter and tells his men in Mandarin to send in the goods. The two men who let us in open the doors we came in through, and I inch my hand for my gun before a woman walks in with a cart of tea and pastries. Another man pulls up a chair for Bash.
“Please take a seat.”
Without another word, the three of us sit, the rest of our men standing at attention.
“Would you like milk in your tea?” None of us answer, so Caishen nods to the woman who greeted us earlier. “Don’t just stand there, Delphine.”
She moves to pour the pot of tea and milk into three cups, then adds a pastry onto each dish. Caishen takes his time mixing his tea and drinking it.
Getting impatient, I break the silence. “Mr. Goh, as I said, while it is an honor it is to be here, we really do have a lot of business to tend to. So, if you could please get to the point of this meeting, we would all appreciate it.”
“Tell me. How does the princess end up with the consigliere?” he asks in Mandarin, swirling the tea with his spoon.
He’s clearly trying to keep Nico out of the conversation but doesn’t realize my husband’s been studying the language. While it’s not perfect, he can keep up.
“This is a waste of time.” I jerk to get up.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Caishen states.
And I hear the safety being switched off by multiple men.
“Then, tell me about your business with my father,” I demand as he stares at me, making no effort to hide his gaze moving up and down my body.
He’s yet to bring up the explosion or his seized shipments.
“Yes. Imagine my...surprisewhen a photo of you shows up on my desk. Very much alive and very much married... tosomeone else.Thanks for the invite to the wedding, by the way.” He relaxes into his chair.
You could bounce a quarter off the tension radiating from Nico. His jaw is snapped so tight I’m surprised his teeth isn’t turning to dust.
When none of us respond, he continues. “I read all about the great love story. How Anya spent her life in hiding because her uncle wanted her inheritance so badly he hired a hit man. Nico comes in to save the day, and you two fall in love in the process. I’ll give it to you, stick as closely to the truth as you can. So romantic. But it’s not reality.”
“That doesn’t tell us what you want,” I retort.
“You’ve made some rash decisions, my dear. Decisions that have consequences. I’ve come to claim what’s mine.”
