Chapter 23: Chapter Twelve-2

Lee slams the car door—a little too hard—and we both walk to the car we were supposed to be in. He takes a seat with me in the backseat and he remains silent, calming his breathing. I don’t say anything. I think it might be a touchy topic with him. I remain silent to the ride there. Throughout the ride, I think about Mark. Who could he possibly be to enrage the youngest billionaire on Earth? Is he a past friend that ended their friendship roughly? About a million possibilities run through my mind. I’m in the middle of one when the chauffer opens my side of the car door. I thank him and step out only find raindrops hit my head. I stand before a beautiful tall building with all the lights on. It’s starting to drizzle and it feels amazing. The air smells like wet pavements and lights blur into one. New York City is beautiful under the rain. I would stay here a bit longer if it wasn’t for the fact that Lee was already inside and waving over to me to come inside. I ran inside and thankfully my dress or hair isn’t ruined too much. Lee gives his name and party name and the person at the desk gives him a room number. He walks to the elevator and I step in with him. The doors close and leave us to ourselves. “Who’s Mark?” I blurt out. Lee looks a bit taken back. “Nobody important.” “Oh,” I say, disappointed into not being able to get information out of Lee. If he wouldn’t tell me, I’d have to take matters into my own hands. “Now, remember everything on the script? The people and what you’re supposed to say to them? Don’t mess up on this. It’s too important,” Lee informs me. “Just remember the person I told you about. Madam Jin.” “Thanks for the encouragement. You’re such a good boyfriend,” I say sarcastically. “No pressure, right?” “I’m serious, Ivory.” “Sorry,” I say as the elevator doors open and lead us down a hallway. There are two, white French doors at the end of the hallway—where I’m guessing we’ll be going. There are two guards at the doors and they open each door for us. The first thing I notice is an orchestra playing on the side of the large hall. Violins and flutes. There are people chatting and drinking wine. Some are dancing in the middle. The room has large windows draped with light pink curtains. There is a large chandelier on the ceiling. Snacks and drinks are served by waiters, who walk around holding large trays. It smells delicious. “You ready?” Lee asks me as he slips his hand into mine. I’m surprised at first but then realize we’re a couple now—well, pretend couple. I firmly hold his hand. “Ready.” Lee leads me to people I should talk to. We talk to non-important people about small things. We try to dodge their questions about our relationship as most as possible. Lee does most of the talking, thankfully. It’s mostly talk about business anyways. And then it’s my turn. We’re walking towards Madam Jin—an important lady that’s supposed to make an upcoming business deal with Lee’s company. I don’t know who she is personally but she’s the most powerful Asian lady in the economy. She runs almost every chain of business in Korea, China, and Japan. I heard she even controls Thailand resorts and what not. “She’s in her late fifties but she’s not to underestimated,” Lee had warned me earlier. As I grew closer to her, I got more scared. “Just act like a couple in front of her. She’ll be leaving for Japan in a couple of days, anyways.” “Hello, Madam Jin,” Lee greets politely. He takes Madam Jin’s hand and kisses it. “It’s been a while.” Madam Jin doesn’t crack a smile with her completely red lips. She has thick eyeliner, which makes her eyes seem even scarier. Her long, black hair is into a tight bun at the top of her hair. She’s wearing a dark purple dress with a fur coat on. “Lee,” she says. “It has been a while.” “Yes, it has, Madam Jin.” She turns to me and my eyes widen. “Is this the girl you were talking about?” Madam Jin moves closer to stares straight at me. “Yes, Madam Jin, it is. Isn’t she beautiful?” Lee says, a nervous look on his face. He puts an arm around me and squeezes. And then Madam Jin cracks a smile. Her eyes become teary. “She reminds me just of my daughter-in-law.” She takes my hands. “Do you mind if I talk to you alone?” What? Wait a minute. Lee never had this in his script. I stare at him and he just nods. My eyes widen and glare at him. Lee just nods and mouths to go. “S-Sure,” I respond to her. Madam Jin grins and takes my hand and pulls me along to a side table in the room. She gets a waiter to get us some European crackers of some brand I don’t know. A waiter brings a basket full of them and sets it between us. “What’s your name?” Madam Jin asks me. “I-Ivory. Ivory Flores,” I answer. “Don’t be scared, Ivory. I don’t bite,” she jokes, chuckling. Madam Jin pushes the crackers to me. “Here, take some. They’re really good.”