Chapter 7

“How do we handle this?” Minhui tossed the personnel file on the low coffee table before her office couch and turned her gaze to her brother. He was standing by the window that took up an entire wall, stiff and tense. His back to her, staring across the city view, seemingly lost in thought.

“Going by her resume, the employee reports going back since she joined the firm …we would have no grounds for dismissal. She will pass the evaluation process easily…. She’s a model employee who contributes greatly to the firm and has the highest recommendations from senior staff.” Tian cut in, sitting opposite Minhui and flicking through his copy of Meilei’s documents with a furrowed brow and grim expression. Perched, leaning forward.

Kai said nothing… listening to them while staring off into the morning mist, which concealed skyscrapers mid-height today. The weather was grey and wet but already dispersing into smog due to the high heat worming into the air. It was going to be another scorching day, but clamminess was possible. He felt like the weather somehow matched his mood, and focusing on it he needed something to stop his thoughts from spiraling for a little respite from this.

“I don’t want her in my company…… I also don’t want to lay eyes on her. I don’t think I could handle that.” Minhui sank back, taking her coffee mug with her and cradling it, her heart heavy since Kai told her about the incident in the elevator yesterday. She was fragile in mood, and trying to navigate this was a sensible head.

She knew Meilei…had met her many times in the year Kai had been with her. The memories of just how much her brother had doted on her and treated her like she was his everything made the bile in her stomach rise. She had looked like such a sweet girl, which only proved appearances could be deceiving.

“Judging by the fact she took emergency leave right after seeing you and has filed for extended leave for a few days, we might not need to find a reason. She may resign of her own accord….Kai was pretty brutal from what I saw and left her in no doubt she wasn't welcome here.” Tian had gotten the low down of events from his friend shortly after. Being someone close to him all these years, he knew most of the history of who she was and what happened to Kai’s sister. It was strange to be able to now apply a face to the girl he had imagined all these years.

Somehow, he hadn’t expected someone so delicate and sweet-looking with an aura of vulnerability. In his head, he had conjured up a tall, shameless seductress oozing sexual energy like that leggy finance manager who kept winking at him in the hallway. A woman no man could trust.

“I’m not looking to fire her… not yet.” Kai finally broke his silence after standing there for the last half hour in deep thought since they convened here.

A knock on the door brought their attention back, stalling conversation, and Minhui called the intruder to enter.

It was Qian. Their loyal sniffer dog and skilled assistant. Also, another member of their family being their younger cousin. The cute boyish tag along who was like a shadow to both men. He had been with them many years and had FBI-like skills for anything they asked him to investigate.

He strolled in, sliding the door closed beside him, a file in his hand and a stern, serious look on him. Nodding in respect before coming to the table's edge between them in the luxurious office.

“Well… what did you find?” Minhui had tasked him with digging up dirt on Meilei within the company to see if they had reason to dismiss her.

“Nothing… no gossip, no scandals, no previous disciplinaries. She’s clean and keeps her head down…. She was promoted through the ranks within the last two years because of her contribution to the tech department. Hard-working, dedicated, and skilled…. I found that her leave was requested by Manager Huo from the finance department yesterday, and last night, the same manager requested that Miss Liu take some of her holiday days. While looking into her, I found they reside in the same apartment.” Qian carefully laid his report on the table with the printouts of his morning’s diggings.

“They’re neighbors?” Minhui asked with interest, wondering how much this manager knew. It was unlikely Meilei would have told her every single detail, but you never could tell.

“No… same apartment… they’re roommates.”

“They live together?” Tian leaned forward and swiped up the papers, flipping to the personnel file of Miss Huo….the leggy seductress from finance. He internally sneered, not even shocked that she would be the friend of someone like Meilei Liu.

Her picture was as expected. She posed with a dazzling smile and head tilt for a serious employee photo. Her eyes sparkling with flirty mischief, almost kissing up to the camera, and he tossed to the next page in irritation, reading through her record.

“So she has an ally…. Do we have to find grounds to fire two, then? To keep it clean and end any rumors from stirring up.” Minhui sighed, a finger straying to her temple to relieve her stress. The last thing they needed was some finance manager to kick up hell within the company if they fired her roommate for past grievances.

“I said no one is getting fired for the time being.” Kai turned, cutting in with a sharp tone, walked to the couch, and slid down, opening his suit jacket to sit comfortably. He was eerily unemotional given the topic and had an air of iciness brewing that made his sister and Tian uneasy.

“Why would we keep her here?” Minhui’s hostile tone and lowered brow made it clear she wasn't happy about it, frustration kicking in, but Kai smirked.

“You can’t make someone suffer if they’re not here….I said yet….she’s not going anywhere until I say so.”

“And if she resigns… because right now it seems like she might be running scared. She took leave until the start of next week,” Tian was browsing the notes from Qian, not fazed by Kai’s words, who had obediently moved to the rear to stand out of the way and await the next order. Qian had opinions on this matter, but he was not one of the people who had the right to voice them.

“Watch her try.” Kai picked up Minhui’s discarded file on Meilei and flipped through, eyes scanning the pages and avoiding her photo altogether. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her smiling… she didn’t deserve to smile. “When promoted, she renewed her contract and signed a five-year agreement standard for superior roles. She tries to break the contract, and we sue her.”

“And if that doesn’t work?” Tian was still flipping through Ling’s details, mentally taking notes and summarizing she might be contentious enough to back her friend and pay whatever was needed. She had a manager's salary and wasn’t short on cash. Judging by her downtown address, she wasn't spending it on luxury housing, which was odd.

“There are always ways to make someone do what you want….. Did I teach you nothing, old man?... What is she working on?” Kai was in all business mode. Cold, still, and controlled. Thinking this through in the way he would come at a business issue and strategize what he intended to do. He knew he had to stay emotionally detached from this. He made a mistake in the elevator, losing it with her, which was dumb. Revenge, after all, was a dish best served cold.

“The inhale app… it’s a woman’s health app for busy women who neglect their self-care. It covers everything from dietary help, important health screening calendar, menstrual tracking, and various female-orientated helpful reminders and help sheets, including a community forum. It’s a project she proposed eighteen months ago and has headed during its entire creation. She’s the team leader on this project.” Qian was quick to offer intel and returned to his previous position.

“It looks to be in beta testing,” Tian added. “Maybe another month or two before marketing will start devising a launch plan.”

“Suspend it… put the project on hold.” Kai wasted no breath in the decisive action.

“For what purpose.” Minhui raised a brow at her brother, second-guessing him when it came to hurting their newly acquired business and possible funds. The product was almost ready for use, and he wanted to stop it. It wasn't like him to make bad business decisions.

“Leverage…. It’s her baby. Her work…. If she cares about it, she won’t want it held up.”

Tian shook his head but smirked at the cold-blooded nature of his friend. Blackmailing the girl was a new low for Kai. He didn’t approve, but he did admire that Kai was a shark when needed and had a shaky moral code when revenge was his plan. Still, business came first, and stalling that app was a mistake that grated his nerves.

“You really intend to make her stay? For how long, Kai? We came here to work, not plan a vendetta.” Tian threw the file down and sat back in his chair, lounging with frustration. She was just one little simple girl…and here he was, wasting his morning devising some evil masterplan to crush her. He was so not on board with this. Tian knew about the past and her part in it, but he also believed in moving on in life and leaving those things behind you no matter how much they hurt.

“You don’t need to get involved. I can handle this…. You don’t take my place for another few months. Until then, stay out of it.”

Tian gave him a strained glare, translating a lot between the two men. They were friends, best friends, although sometimes he felt like throwing Kai off the top floor. How could he not back his buddy and go along with whatever stupid thing he thought he needed to do to heal from his past? Even though he had his own option, he still backed his friend.

“Ordinarily, I would tell you to focus on your work and let some past grudge go…but it’s her….it’s for Yuelin, so do whatever you need. I’m flying out tomorrow night, and you can keep me updated. Just stay smart.” Minhui had other things to oversee, and she trusted her brother. He might focus on making Meilei his target, but she knew he would not shirk off his responsibility to OTS.

She knew he was capable of taking down an enemy without breaking a sweat. After all, in this cutthroat business, they sometimes had to do it for good results. Yanhue didn’t grow to be an international corp because it was nice to everyone they dealt with. They were ruthless when they needed to be. Meilei was another gnat on the windshield that needed to be swiped off.

“Just remember… whatever you do reflects on all of us. Try and keep your head in this and don’t go overboard…the scene in the elevator, had it been in front of any staff…...” Tian warned him. The voice of reason in their duo. He was not as much of a risk-taker as Kai when his reputation and professionalism were on the line.

“I know… it caught me off guard. She’s the last person I expected to run into. It won’t happen again.”

Tian understood why his friend couldn’t let this go.

He did…and he empathized.

He had been there for Kai right after it all happened. It wasn't hard to get all the details when you were in the middle of a close family like theirs and part of their inner circle. He had accompanied him through his wild days and stopped him from going completely over the edge with women and booze. He had witnessed his friend's pain.

Tian’s father was close to Kai’s. He was a director in Yanhue, and they had grown up with much contact over the years before taking a place in their company, too. They had studied together and became inseparable friends until he decided he wanted a more permanent position in the next acquisition, as he was tired of moving from pillar to post every few months. He felt like he was getting old. OTS was going to be his resting place, so to speak.

“Don’t leave me a trainwreck to oversee when you move on to your next pot of gold.” It was more of a lighthearted comment but had underlying seriousness. Tian just hoped Kai wouldn’t let his emotions override his senses in this matter, and this girl was nothing but a minor glitch he could quickly deal with.

“Make the call… have her project put on hold and the funding frozen.” Kai nodded to Tian as a reminder, and he lifted his cell without argument, got up, and left the space to do as he was told. He would play along and make sure his friend didn’t take this too far.

Minhui studied her brother’s blank expression, analyzing the icy aura he wore like a shrowd and softened to a slight maternal smile.

“You look tired... you mustn’t have slept well last night.” She loved her brother dearly and was very sensitive to the tiniest changes in him that most would never notice. Kai was good at hiding everything from most eyes but not his sister. She had given him more attention and love than their mother ever had.

“I’m fine. I don’t sleep much anyway... I don’t need it.” Kai motioned to Qian and nodded at the mugs on the table, indicating he should get them coffee. He nodded, turned, and left without question. He didn’t want a witness to his sister’s prying, even if they could trust Qian completely.

“Are you, though? I know you….. yesterday you were visibly rattled, and today…… I can feel the prickly mood coming from you in waves. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you this way.” He was in a dark place again. He sometimes got like this over the years, unable to let go, and she often worried about him. He got lost in his head and became a loner, pushing everyone away to deal with his feelings.

His wild two years of parties, drinks, and girls didn’t rid him of the memory of that bitch, and he became a workaholic to try and fill his days and nights with no room to think.

Work by day, play by night. She was scared her brother would put himself into an early grave from sheer exhaustion. He was not even thirty, but sometimes, he seemed older. The flirty, fun-loving, funny boy from his college days had become a stern and emotionally vacant man. It broke her heart. She felt like she didn’t just lose one sibling that day, but two.

“I wasn’t prepared to see her. I’m fine… she can’t get to me like she once did… there’s nothing there but hatred and a need to see her pay. Once it’s done….it’s done. Yuelin can rest, and I will let this go.”

“Don’t let it take over your life….. don’t let it become unhealthy, Kai. We all miss her, and we can never forgive that girl, but don’t get so stuck in the past that you lose sight of the here and now.” Minhui was worried, and it reminded him that while she supported his messing with that girl’s career as cold desserts, that’s where it should end. She knew he was only here for four months…the deadline should serve as the end goal for whatever he did to her.

She had watched the self-destructive breakdown of her brother when they went abroad and saw him try to put his broken pieces back together. It was something she never wanted to witness again. The depths of his pain and guilt that he let his sister be harmed by the person he thought he loved the most. The two people he loved the most.

“We have crushed opposition and overseen hostile takeovers many times, sis…this will not be any different - only instead of a company... it’s a person. Instead of monetary gain, it’s for Yulein. Trust me….she can’t get under my skin this time.”

Minhui stared at him for a long moment, evaluating him, and seeing only that blank front he presented normally, she let it go with a soft sigh.

“Right…… I trust you….I do….let’s drop it for now. Don't forget to pick Anna up at the airport this afternoon. She has been bugging me that I make sure it’s you who collects her. She misses you.”

“Yes, sir.” Kai mock saluted his sister with a slight smile, watching her get up and smooth down her tailored two-piece suit. Looking killer in designer branding.

“When are you going to get serious and make her your girlfriend? You know she adores you, and I know there has been something between you before.” Minhui liked Anna. She was the director of operations for Yanhue Corp and a great asset when they were reforming new acquisitions.

She knew there had been a brief affair… Anna pursued him, and Kai let it go on briefly before cooling off again. But Anna persisted, and despite being heartbroken, she had remained by his side with every project, sure that one day his affections for her would win him back. The girl was dedicated. She would give her that.

“The last thing I want or need is a woman to answer to… I’m too busy and too selfish. It’s bad enough having you.” Kai deflected like he always did, with zero interest in ever letting any woman have a singular death grip on his heart ever again. He had been burned once and was sure his ability to love was left somewhere in the ashes.

“Don’t leave her dangling too long, or you will regret it when she’s no longer holding the door for you… Anna is sweet and is willing to overlook your playboy past.”

“Who says it’s my past?” Kai winked, making his sister eyeroll, and she aimed a slap his way despite them being nowhere close enough for contact.

“I do not want to know what my baby brother gets up to in his spare time…. I am amazed you still have a liver.”

“My liver is functioning perfectly well…fit as a fiddle and in my physical peak, see.” Kai lifted his arm, straining to show an impressive bicep even through a suit jacket that got a vomit reaction from his sister in jest. Placing her finger in her open gag mouth.

“Does that work on your array of girlfriends?” She approached the door with a sarcastic edge, and Kai followed her. He had work to do, and this was not his office.

“Usually….that or my abs…. or my sexy smile.” He knew she was cringing, and he was doing it on purpose, enjoying the banter with his sister. Nothing was better than teasing your sibling.

“Eww… never will I ask to see proof of those…. Never will I want to hear about your ‘abs’ again, and you can keep your sexy smile away from me…you vulgar beast.” She waved him away with a gruesome grimace that pulled a genuine smile from him, and they walked out together companionably. The seriousness of their previous discussion was left inside.