Page 38

“I don’t want to go to my mother’s house.

” I spat out the words. I knew exactly what she meant the first time.

There was a reason I had bought my own apartment in Shanghai.

My mother would have objected to the idea of me living on my own.

As a traditional Chinese mother, she would never want her only son to move out.

Maybe things would be different if she weren’t the way she was. Sometimes, I just needed space.

A little distance.

A little air.

“Noted.” Clare said with a curt nod and she looked away, sensing my annoyance, no doubt.

Finally.

Uncle He, my driver for many years, had already taken the initiative, steering us toward my apartment. Clare didn’t know that. She was terrible with directions—she could never tell north from south, east from west.

No one spoke on the way there. Yet my mind felt unbearably loud. Scenes from the recent past collided with imagined futures. What was going to happen?

To me?

To Jenny?

To Chen?

When we finally arrived at my building, I exhaled in relief. My driver dropped me off by the elevator in the basement parking lot. I fidgeted, hands trembling slightly as I waited for the lift to carry me up.

Coming home felt… strange. The ride to the penthouse seemed almost unfamiliar, as if I were returning for the first time.

I stood at my own door and rang the bell.

Clare reached for the number pad, probably thinking I had forgotten the code. I pushed her hand away.

Waited.

Then the door opened.

There she was.

June.

It was actually Andy who opened the door, but June was the one who ran toward me, throwing her arms around my neck.

My world stopped.

The noise faded.

The headache that had been hammering in my skull disappeared.

I could have stayed like that forever—holding her, feeling her warmth—if she hadn’t pulled away.

“Is everything okay, Mr. Li?” Andy asked in English. I suspected it was for June’s benefit

I rubbed June’s shoulder lightly before turning to Andy. “Thank you for taking care of things while I was gone. Have you been home since…?”

“Briefly.”

I understood what she meant. When I found out about her divorce, I tripled her salary. Being a single mother in Shanghai wasn’t easy.

“You should go home to your kid.”

“It’s not a problem, Mr. Li.”

Andy could now afford a live-in au pair to care for her child because of the raise. Knowing I had a loyal employee I could count on in times of need made me smile.

“Honestly, I’m okay. Go home.”

“I will. I’m just...” I squinted at her as she turned away, “…just need to quickly check through everything. Make sure everything is in order.”

June kissed me on the cheek. Then my nose. Then my lips.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I am now.”

I had been scared out of my mind when they took me. But I hid it well—or at least I liked to think I did.

The only thing that had kept me steady, the mantra I had repeated in my head over and over, was simple: Make June proud .

Every time the police questioned me, I asked myself—would my answer make June proud? Even when exhaustion tempted me to say something reckless, to crack a stupid joke just to relieve the tension, I forced myself to stay in control.

It didn’t always work.

People knew they shouldn’t do stupid shit under stress, but they still did it. It was human nature.

But I was home now. With her.

I scooped June into my arms, ready to take her to my bedroom.

A sudden, urgent knock on the door stopped me.

June tensed in my arms. “Did you leave anyone behind?”

“It can’t be Clare, right? I thought she came in.” I tried to recall, but my attention had been on June—and briefly on thanking Andy for looking after her.

I stood frozen in the doorway, still holding June. I wanted to open the door, but I didn’t want to put her down.

“I got it.”

Andy moved past me and pulled the door open.

“Biaozi.”

Bitch.

I stared in shock. My mother’s voice. Her words.

“Mama?”

She practically stormed inside the room, her face twisted with fury. Before I could react, she grabbed June by the hair and wrenched her out of my arms.

Lucy followed close behind, tears streaming down her face.

June shoved my mother off. My mother retaliated, shoving back—once, twice—until June lost her balance and fell hard onto the floor.

Without thinking, I rushed to her side, reaching for her.

“Why wouldn’t you help your own mother?” My mother shrieked in Shanghainese.

The last time I checked, she was still standing. June was the one on the ground. Had karma finally made my mother lose her footing?

Lucy hurried to help my mother.

“You gave up a girl like Lucy for an American whore like her?”

My head spun. What the hell was happening?

“What’s going on?” June clung to me, her voice shaken.

“You’re a whore.” My mother lunged again, reaching past me. I did everything I could to shield June, but my mother still managed to strike her.

With one hand, I grabbed hold of my mother’s shoulder while turning to check on June. Tears streaked her face. Her left hand clutched her cheek—red, angry, burning.

The room had filled.

Wendy. Trevon. Clare. All watching.

“Clare, hold my mother down.”

“But, sir…” Clare hesitated. I knew she saw my mother as her real boss.

“Do it or get the fuck out.”

Thankfully, she obeyed without further protest.

I exhaled sharply, switching to English. “Calm down, Mother.”

I knew full well my Oxford-educated mother understood every word.

June still hadn’t spoken.

“What the fuck is going on?” Wendy demanded, stepping beside June and gripping her arm protectively.

“This woman,” my mother spat, “she’s the reason for everything.”

“For what?” Wendy’s voice sharpened, her hand now planted firmly on her hip.

“Son, I know you wouldn’t have gotten into trouble if it weren’t for her.” My mother’s voice cracked as she jabbed a perfectly manicured finger at June.

I stepped between them, blocking her line of fire. “Mama, your son gets into trouble with or without her.”

She knew that. She had to.

I was sure she had seen the financial statements—she must have noticed the absurd security expenses, the money I spent on my so-called entertainment—but she had never said a word.

“And Jenny,” she continued, her voice trembling. “Poor Jenny would never have done anything so reckless if she hadn’t been exposed to her American ways.”

“Jenny only met her a few days ago,” I shot back.

“Exactly! You see?” My mother’s eyes flashed, as if she’d proven some grand point.

“Auntie,” Lucy interjected timidly, stepping closer. “June did nothing but help us.”

My mother softened—only slightly—as she turned to Lucy. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I already see you as my daughter-in-law. No one can take that away from you.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, my patience wearing thin.

“Clearly, you need a good woman by your side. And you’re going to marry Lucy.”

“No.”

“Oh, you will.”

My mother turned away from me and flicked her wrist at June, as if dismissing her. “Oi, you—how much do you want?”

June blinked. “What?”

“How much money do you want?”

“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded, glaring at my mother. She’s lost her mind, that’s the only explanation I could think of.

“Son, just like all those women you dated before, she only wants your money. Our money.”

“What are you talking about?” My voice was tight, vibrating with anger. I hated her in this moment—this arrogance, this belief that she was above everyone, that everything had a price tag.

“Oh, come on,” she scoffed. “Those women you dated back in college—why do you think none of them stuck around?”

A sinking feeling formed in my gut. “What have you done?”

“I paid them off.”

“You did what ?”

She rolled her eyes, it was nothing more than a mild inconvenience. “Relax. Not all of them, of course. Only the unsuitable ones.”

She turned back to June, dismissive, calculating. “Half a million. Is that enough?”

“Fuck, you’re bleeding, June.” Wendy’s low voice cut through the chaos.

My headache roared back. My ears were ringing.