A brief, hysteric chuckle flew out of my lips. My move was risky. I was practically admitting that I went through the company's files, violating their confidentiality. No one in their right mind would ever admit to committing something like that! The more annoying fact was that I couldn't play dumb while trying to prove I was smart enough to fix their problem.
Aren Lan went back to the middle of the corridor where I stood. Mr. Errington followed his boss, although his reluctance couldn't possibly be marked on his face more clearly. Aren looked around. There were plenty of other people gaping at the three of us in that corridor.
"Lend me your office," Lan said, his words sounding like an unmistakable order.
Mr. Errington twitched his lips but didn't dare to say a word. After a quick nod, he started walking through the corridor and stopped as he reached the corner. "This way." He pointed at the door before opening it for the big boss to walk in.
"Miss Cora, after you," Aren Lan tossed nonchalantly, urging me to walk inside with a gesture.
I smiled nervously and entered Mr. Errington's office first. The two men followed, and Mr. Errington closed the door behind us. I stopped in the middle of the room, finding myself in a space between the three-piece suite and a large office desk. We entered Mr. Errington's palace, but it was clear who was this kingdom's ruler. The balding man stood silently a few steps away from the door while Aren Lan walked forward and leaned against the desk, facing me with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Well? I'm all ears." He shot me a sly smirk.
As I took a deep breath, I started, "I might have seen a sign of very dangerous spying software on the receptionist's computer."
"You... might have?" Aren laughed.
"This is ridiculous!" Mr. Errington cut in, walking toward me with a glare that was probably meant to threaten me. "Can't you see that this girl is talking nonsense?! She is wasting your time!" he roared, looking at his boss.
"Sit down and let her talk," Aren said icily. "I'll be the judge of whether she is wasting my time or not."
My jaw almost dropped when I saw Mr. Errington lowering his head and obediently sitting on the sofa. Yet, I couldn't dare call that man a wuss. The authority overflowing from Aren Lan's words was breathtaking. I flinched as Lan's dark eyes shifted to me.
"Talk."
I pulled in a shaky breath. "First, I need you to give me your word that I will not be charged with anything no matter what I say." I trembled inside while saying it, but I placed my hopes in his curiosity.
He laughed, then stepped closer, leaning down on me. "I give you my word."
God... His voice sounded as dark and dangerous as it was amazingly sexy. I knew I was playing with fire, but somehow I was eager to risk a little burn. I faced his gaze and resisted lowering my eyes to his lips. I felt as if my intelligence flew away each time he was close, as if he was turning me into some goddamn cavewoman!
"All right..." I exhaled and cautiously stepped back away from him. "I was bored after over two hours of waiting for someone I could talk to about the eviction notice, and... I took the liberty of glimpsing at the receptionist's computer…" I paused, noting their reaction to my words.
"What do you mean by that?! And where was the receptionist at the time?!" Mr. Errington snapped.
Well, I had no intention of putting any blame for what I did on the redhead, but I wasn't feeling too guilty about the spot I was about to put her in either.
I admitted bluntly, "She went for an urgent meeting with the toilet seat, so she wasn't there at the time."
Aren raised his eyebrows at me, and I couldn't miss the faint amusement painting his face. "So... you literally broke into one of my company's computers," he concluded.
"I didn't break in. The computer wasn't password-protected... I merely used an opportunity to take a closer look at the screen," I corrected, skipping the fact that I went through their files a bit.
He sighed, straightening and towering over me even more than before. "Get to the point."
I cleared my throat and turned on my geek mode. "I'm a computer specialist, and I've encountered a specific type of software. It's made to steal classified information, but the thing that makes that bug special is the fact that it plants a decoy, a small icon, quite easy to find by any well-working security software. That's the icon I've seen on the receptionist's taskbar. The security software acts like a total sucker, finding the decoy and deleting it from the system. Once the decoy is erased, the security software ignores the real problem, and that is the exact moment when the real part of the worm starts to act and steal information. The fact that I've seen the icon means that the problem is quite fresh with a chance that no damage has been done yet," I explained confidently.
Lan glanced at Mr. Errington, questioningly, and I could see that the older man had started to sweat. With his jaw clenched, the director of Golden Estate Investments was determined to undermine everything I said, not that I wasn't ready for that to happen.
"This is bullshit!" he spat. "We have the best security on the market! If there truly is something on the receptionist's computer, then she planted it herself!"
"Wow! Easy with the accusations there, OK?!" I exclaimed, glaring at him. "I try to help, but if you are willing to risk getting all your plans exposed in front of the competition, then be my guest!"
I got so agitated that I barely registered when Aren Lan stepped beside me and grabbed my wrist. I froze and gazed at him hesitantly. His composed, calculative stare at me made me hold my breath. I couldn't read him and only prayed that he wasn't about to kill me. For a few seconds, which felt like an eternity, he didn't say a word, turning that moment into the most terrifying and sadistically exciting scene of my life. Of course, my subconscious facepalmed, seeing my inexcusable awkwardness... Finally, my arrogant Mr. Trouble spun me around while holding my wrist firmly and tossed me on the chair by Mr. Errington's desk. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
"Show me," he commanded, pointing at the computer on the desktop.
Mr. Errington rushed towards me and his laptop, but Aren stopped him, raising his hand and sending him a murderous glare. I smiled nervously and touched the computer. Certainly, it had password-required access. I hesitated for a second. Aren leaned over me to look at the screen and then glared at Mr. Errington.
"Give her your password," he said to him.
"No need," I smirked, as I had already noted every piece of information I needed from Mr. Errington's desktop.
There was a picture of his family in a small frame and a bigger picture of him with a bull terrier. There was the name "Apollo" engraved beneath the picture. I decided it was worth a shot. I typed it in the password field and entered the system without any problem. I heard Aren chuckle as he watched me, but I didn't dare to look at him, feeling his burning gaze on me the entire time. Now, I only hoped that my assumptions were correct and that the bug had already infected the entire company's network. My help wouldn't have any practical value if it was only the receptionist's computer that had the pesky worm...
"Thank God," I muttered under my breath as I saw the little icon on the taskbar on the director's computer. With a smirk, I pointed at the small spot. "This is the decoy that I was talking about," I stated, and turned around only to find Aren Lan's face an inch away from mine.
"Good," he said with a low, velvet-like voice. "I think I would love to use you then." His curled lips almost brushed my own. My heart skipped a beat and my face covered itself with a thick blush.
"W-what?" I mumbled, barely opening my mouth.
He leaned back as he realized my flusteredness. "Fix the system and get rid of that spying software. You can do it, can you?" He flashed me a sly grin.
"Yes," I replied, nervously combing my hair with my fingers.
He chuckled and stepped back away from the desk, which helped me regain my composure. "You wanted to keep renting the place where you have your workshop for six more months?"
"Yes," I responded cautiously.
The smile disappeared from his face as he turned on his previous serious businessman's face. "Solve our computer problems. If you do, then you've got a deal."
I didn't answer Aren right away. I held my poker face still, resisting the urge to smile. I waited until the smug smirk slowly left his mouth, enjoying every second of his uncertainty. "Say it again," I said. He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Will you marry me?" His confusion made my lips gently curve. "Not this, but your words before that." "I love you." He grinned, reaching for my hand. "I love you." He took out the ring from the box and put it on my finger. It fitted perfectly. "I love you," he breathed, leaning closer and placing a gentle kiss on my chin, on my cheek, and my lips. I wish I could say that it was a perfect, romantic moment, but my hormones ruined it all by making me cry again. He chuckled softly, sitting beside me and pulling me onto his lap. He kissed every tear away while gently stroking my hair with his fingers. "I want you forever as my wife. Nod if you agree," he said, giving me the sweetest smile I saw on his face. Of course, I nodded. It was much e
I had been dreaming about this moment for the last five months. No. Scratch that. I had been having nightmares about this moment. From the moment I found out that I was pregnant, there wasn't a single day I didn't think about how I was going to tell Aren. Initially, I wanted to call him immediately. This situation was changing everything between us. I grabbed the phone while tears flooded my eyes. I picked Aren's number... and I froze.The baby I had growing inside my belly would become the future heir of the Lan family. This meant that as soon as I told anyone, I would become the future mother of the future heir... Chills ran down my spine. Would I be forced to live in Shanghai and become nothing more than Aren Lan's wife? I instantly felt nauseous, and not only because I had morning sickness. Something was crushing my chest, and I was scared. I was terrified. And then later, what if someone decided that I wasn't the best mother for my child and would take my child away? I knew that
It'd been over six months since Cora walked out the door of the Lan family mansion. That day was the last time I saw her, the last time I felt her, and the last time I could focus on anything. From that moment, I had been merely existing, surprising myself each time I got up to see another morning. Funny, isn't it? The cold son of the bitch who wasn't supposed to have a heart was suffering from agonizing heartache. If Nanny Mei Lien had seen me like this, she would have called me pathetic.Since my Mother died a little after I was born, Mei Lien was the only parent figure around me. James Winton most likely wanted me to die as well, but Mei Lien did everything she could to keep me safe. She contacted my Grandfather on her own and begged him to grant me and her his protection. He refused. He was soaked with hatred for the daughter who betrayed him, and it was only natural that he would hate that daughter's son as well. It's ironic that right before the daughter whom he hated died wishe
I started packing the second I walked into our room. Aren looked at me, shocked. Within a heartbeat, he surged between me and my suitcase. "What are you doing, sunshine?" His steady voice had a rough edge painted with anxiety. "I'm going back to New York. I had already booked a plane on our way to the mansion." I tried to keep my tone composed, but every piece within me was shaking. He huffed nervously. "When are you coming back to Shanghai?" His eyes darkened; he knew what I was going to say. "I'm not coming back," I muttered, lowering my gaze. "Sunshine... don't..." He shook his head, pain and desperation surfacing in his features wildly. I brushed away the tears that had uncontrollably fallen down my cheeks. "Give me a reason why I should stay?" I pushed him away from my suitcase and continued packing. "I know that I'm selfish, but I can't lose you." His voice was soft, nearly cracking. Before I knew it, his arms were wrapped around me, and I surrendered to the warmth of his b
I had trouble eating dinner, and it had nothing to do with my two broken fingers. I couldn't swallow a single piece of food, feeling that every bite got stuck in my throat. Afterward, I went to Lan Jing's office for a private conversation. I was pissed, and with every second that had gone by, I found it more difficult to hide my anger. I had known that Aren would have to be in Shanghai to take over Lan Wang Corporation, but we were going to discuss the details together! I had never even considered moving to Shanghai and staying here permanently!The few friends I had, all lived in New York. My Grandma stayed in the clinic in New York. My life was in New York. I loved Aren, but I had only just begun to truly cherish the place where I lived, and I didn't want to move somewhere else, no matter how beautiful and extraordinary Shanghai was. It wasn't about the language, because I would gladly learn it, but I would do it for myself. I helped Aren with his revenge, and it seemed to me that h
I was not a killer. I'd always considered myself a good person. I had a high set of moral standards, and I had never thought that there would be a day when I would point a gun at someone, thinking that he deserved to die. Still, I couldn't take away his life... But I wanted him to suffer. I aimed at his right shoulder. Adrenaline sharpened my senses, making me more focused than I had ever been in my whole life. The oddly funny fact was that I had problems with hitting the target board, but I knew exactly where the bullet would hit the second I pulled that trigger.Caishen growled in pain, the knife held in his right hand falling to the ground. "You bitch!" he yelled, stomping my way.I shot again, this time aiming at his thigh. The second bullet made him collapse. I watched him fall to the ground, his hands reaching to press the wound on his leg. I smirked coldly. I must have hit an artery since he was bleeding out fast. None of those shots were lethal, but they were enough. He lost.