1. 33. Good Morning

The chef immediately composed himself before Zed turned to face the tablet monitor.

The chef was right. Zed instinctively cooked whatever ingredients he could find, drawing from his experiences watching others cook or taste food. Subconsciously, he avoided anything related to eggs. It had just now occurred to him that he had cooked something with eggs. 

+++++

After receiving the tamagoyaki from the chef's assistant and having it tested for poison, Zed set up the dining table and went to Leah's room.

There was a tacit understanding between Leah and Zed that they did not need each other's permission to enter the other's space. Zed entering Leah's room without permission was part of it. However, as soon as he opened the door without entering, he reflexively closed it. He regretted not knocking first.

Inside the room, Leah was walking around without anything on except her one-piece black lace lingerie, which covered her upper thighs up to the upper part of her chest. One-centimeter-wide strings on both shoulders held the lingerie together.

Her long, silky black hair and fair skin illuminated by the morning glow made her look like a fairy visiting the land of humans out of boredom. Her bare feet touched the soft carpet as if it were jelly, and as she walked, her chest bounced freely.

Zed noticed all this within seconds of opening the door.

He stood outside Leah's door, running military tactical scenarios through his imagination, trying hard not to imagine devouring Leah immediately. After a few minutes of calming down, he knocked on the door, but nobody answered. Opening the door to take a peek, he found the room empty.

"Wife is probably in the washroom freshening up," he thought.

Closing the door, he waited outside, pondering if the food would still be warm enough when she finished. Just as he considered returning to the dining room to warm up the food, Leah opened the door from the inside, wearing a loose-fitting ash gray shirt, comfortable black jogging pants, and black sleepers. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, with a few loose strands framing her face.

Seeing Leah's warm smile directed at him soothed Zed's heart and washed away his worries.

"What are you doing just standing out here and not entering?" she inquired, unaware of the turmoil in Zed's head.

Zed returned Leah's smile with one of his own. "Breakfast is ready. Why don't we head down and eat before the food gets cold?" he encouraged her.

Leah nodded, and they walked side by side toward the dining room. Her smile didn't fade as she savored Zed's handsome face that greeted her that morning.

"I will never get tired of his face," she thought, silently thanking his parents for giving birth to him.

…..

Breakfast for the two was silent, but the atmosphere was peaceful and comfortable. Just like the night before, Leah helped Zed load the dishwasher after eating.

"How was it?" he asked.

"Not bad," she answered.

"Hmm," he smiled at her and then focused on rinsing the dishes while Leah loaded them in the dishwasher.

As he loaded the last bowl, Zed asked Leah to do what she needed to do.

"I will finish cleaning the dining and kitchen area."

Leah nodded and left without looking back. She missed seeing the gaze that lingered on her like a piranha, patiently waiting to devour a piece of meat without sparing its attached bones.

Once Leah was out of sight, Zed's face returned to its usual tone of disinterest and detachment.

…..

Back in Wang Haoran's temporary office at the hospital:

"Boss, your appointment with Wang Defu is approaching," Zhao Bolin reminded.

What all three brothers had in common besides wanting each other dead was that they never referred to Wang Defu as 'father.'

"Hmmm, let's go and eat lunch first," Wang Haoran said while clearing up all the confidential documents lying around the room.

"What are you guys waiting for? Get in here, and let's eat! The babies and I are hungry," Li Mei's complaining yet coquettish voice was heard by the men inside from a smartphone on a speaker positioned at the edge of the room. It seemed positioned to give the caller a panoramic view of Zhao Bolin and Wang Haoran's current location.

Li Mei's subconscious seemed to accept being away from Wang Haoran as long as she could see him either in person or virtually. They had to buy the latest smartphone capable of withstanding continuous video calls for twelve to fifteen hours. They purchased two: one for Li Mei and the other for Wang Haoran.

Both men in the room looked at the source of the voice. Li Mei's face was on the phone screen, and she could see the whole room while the two men could only see her face.

Both men smiled at the phone and said, "We're coming!"

Wang Haoran entered Li Mei's room first, followed by Zhao Bolin. "You both go and wash your hands. We already set up everything," Aunt Hi instructed.

The four of them enjoyed a sumptuous meal together. Aunt Hi shared her usual neighborhood gossip while the others listened. Zhao Bolin laughed the loudest, Li Mei chimed in with comments, and Wang Haoran smiled and nodded along.

Their meal, which generally lasted fifteen to thirty minutes individually, doubled when they were together like this. Before they knew it, it was already time for Wang Haoran to meet Wang Defu.

Ring— Ring—

Their cozy get-together meal was interrupted by Wang Haoran's phone. Everyone in the room was aware that only Wang Haoran's inner circle had his phone number besides Liu Leah, her parents, and Wang Defu, or Wang Defu's assistant.

Silence echoed inside the room as Wang Haoran stood up to answer the phone outside, leaving the door wide open so Li Mei could see him.

"Who could be interrupting our meal?!" Li Mei complained loudly, not hiding her annoyance. Her voice carried to the person on the other end of the call. It didn't occur to her that the person calling could help or disrupt their plans.

"Where are you? It is five past the agreed time!" Wang Defu's assistant's voice reverberated with irritation across the phone.

"We're on our way," Wang Haoran nonchalantly answered. Before he could end the call, he heard the assistant's voice again, "Control your mistress!"

Click—

The assistant made sure to have the last word before ending the call.

Zhao Bolin followed Wang Haoran after noticing the phone call had ended and bowed to apologize. It was part of his job to keep his boss punctual and up to date, but he failed at the crucial moment.

Wang Haoran shook his head when Zhao Bolin apologized, indicating that he didn't blame him. He also felt partially at fault, realizing he could have set an alarm to remind himself about the upcoming meeting.

Wang Haoran's inability to separate personal matters from business matters could pose a risk to his long-term success. Human nature is unpredictable and ever-changing, and allowing personal emotions to influence business decisions may lead to unforeseen outcomes.

…..

Arriving in front of Wang Defu's study, Wang Haoran knocked loudly.

"Come in," Wang Haoran heard Wang Defu's voice from inside.

As Wang Haoran entered the room, his eyes widened in shock. Before he could step inside, his father hit him on the head with an ashtray, causing his forehead to start bleeding.

The assistant, standing silently on the right side of Wang Defu, scoffed and stared indifferently at the state Wang Haoran was in.

"Like father, like son," he mused silently, noting the three-stitched wound over his forehead.