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“Prepare to spend a lot of money, dear,” said the woman with the chic French twist in a black top and matching skirt. “I spent way too much.”

“Everyone deserves a treat now and then.” I smiled.

She placed a hand on her heart. “Wine and desirable men? There’s just something about that blend, you know.” She shivered to emphasize. “If only I were in my thirties again.”

I laughed. “You’re beautiful. Enjoy the wine.”

Dating wasn’t on my mind these days. I had no time or energy. It didn’t help that the last guy I dated was such an asshole. I kicked him to the curb after only one month. That was before I moved to Providence. My mind had been on Aimee.

I had no interest in connecting with The Triad, but I made an exception today for Aimee.

The signs for the wine expo took medown a hallway into an extravagant ballroom with a magnificent display of wine from all over the world. I browsed the rows, searching for the Tai Lok wine with the snake logo. The wine belonged to The Taipan Triad. The inland taipan was the most venomous snake known today. That serpent insignia represented how ruthless and deadly The Triad could be.

I was acquainted with the Tai Lok wine representative in attendance today. But I didn’t know if Calvin Wong would help me. Despite that, I had to try for Aimee’s sake.

A section of the event was roped off from the public crowd. The VIP area displayed more glamorous centerpieces and appetizer tables. Men in tailored suits and women dressed in designer gowns chatted around tall tables. The lifestyle of the rich and powerful differed from mine. I was underdressed compared to them.

As a pediatric dentist, I could demand a lot more money than a general dentist. I wasn’t in need of money. I was content with my life.

Stop lying.

Fine. My life was missing something . . . A spark? A dream? I didn’t know. I had a thriving career, but that didn’t fill the emptiness in me. The violence I’d witnessed and experienced as a child took something from me, and I never got it back.

That part of me died along with my mom, and it was also something I’d never let anyone know. Tears welled in my eyes, but I blinked them away. It would be embarrassing to cry in public for no reason.

My eyes scanned the VIP area and connected with a man I didn’t want to see today. Arrow Holt had a face that looked like the God of Fury and the God of High Sexuality combined into one irresistible being. The power he exuded forced me to take a step back.

I inhaled a breath to gather myself from the imbalance he had caused in me. Arrow was like an unexpected storm that came and disturbed my inner peace. Every time I was near him, I got flustered, and being flustered wasn’t something I neededorwanted.

By now, he probably detested me for rejecting him not once, but twice.

Three women stoodbeside Arrow. One of them was his ex, Sylvia. They seemed like more than friends. Were they back together? The other two women, a blonde and another curly-haired brunette, ogled at him as he made eye contact with me. The women followed his gaze in my direction. I looked away and walked off to browse the wine aisle.

Talk about magnetism. I couldn’t free myself from his eyes fast enough. His stare was like some invisible power pinning me in place.No wonder those women were stuck to him. This was another reason I didn’t want to go to dinner or duel with him. A man surrounded by pretty women was often tempted to stray. Of course, I was assuming based on experiences and what I saw in celebrity gossip.

He’d be a major disturbance in my life, and I wasn’t ready for another storm, even if it was the most gorgeous disruption I’d ever seen.

I shook off the unease and focused on finding the Tai Lok wine.

Where was Calvin Wong? On the surface, no one knew the Tai Lok brand was associated with The Triad, but I knew. Nerves churned as I walked further down the aisle. Would Calvin help me? Would he still remember me? It had been so long ago.

Aimee was just another missing child among a long list of missing children. Her case was no longer a priority for the police or the private eye they’d hired, so I had to take matters into my own hands.

I stopped by a magnificent wine display with two fancy pots of live bamboo. One was filled with black bamboo, and the other green. I glanced at the Bambooze Series of the CheckMate Black and CheckMate Red labels. The tagline read:Make all the right moves.

“If you drink enough, I’m sure you’ve got all kinds of moves,” I muttered with a laugh.

Intrigued, I picked up a bottle to examine it. I’d heard about bamboo wine but had never tried it.

“Would you like a taste?” His deep voice vibrated on my skin, making me shiver.

I turned and looked up at a set of magnetic gray eyes that belonged to an untamed wolf.Arrow Holt was a gorgeous man with hidden fine prints. If I weren’t careful, I could sign my life away without knowing it. I’d been around dangerous men before. Most of them wore masks.

What mask are you wearing, Arrow?

“Is this your brand?” I asked.

He nodded, and the intensity of his eyes sent a series of tingles rushing up and down my body.