Unedited
……………..
Somewhere in Austria
“She decided to go to Luxembourg.” An old man’s voice reverberated against the stone walls of the building.
“You think Zhou Jingren told her anything about what happened?”
“He won’t,” Harringfort assured them, he focused on the candle that was inside a glass-like case on the wall instead of looking at their faces behind the hood. “It is only logical that he keep it as a secret. He understands nothing about us.” He could not stop the chuckle from his mouth. “He must be wracking his brains trying to find out about us.”
“You seem to enjoy playing with him too much Harringfort. Do not forget it was your fault why we still needed another six months before we could get access to his people in Japan.” An older voice chimed in. “His mother had been working diligently in recovering the Tanaka Clan’s prestige in the Black Market. The unfortunate ending of the Inagawa is proof that they have been slowly increasing their power.”
‘No clan can dominate the Yakuza’s’ Harringfort thought inwardly as he lowered his head. “I thought it was only logical to allow him a six-month deadline because Lily is pregnant.” Before he agreed with that bet, he already figured that Zhou Jingren might be bold enough to demand some time. He found this reasonable and logical.
He heard a sneer. “Logical? The only one who will benefit this is you and your crooked cause, Harringfort. Don’t ever think that we don’t know how you are using this as an opportunity for him to make mistakes. For us to dispose of him.”
“If Zhou Jingren makes a mistake in six months, then that is no longer Harringfort’s fault. It was Zhou Jingren’s choice to do it. We should not blame the child for Zhou Jingren’s future mistake.”
“Stop making excuses for him!”
“Neeson… you seemed to like Harringfort too much. Was this because he is engaged to your granddaughter?” another voice echoed. Scoffs and sneers followed it.
“Neeson had a point.” Another answered. “If Mr. Zhou will make a mistake in these six months, that means he deserves death. Simple. This is not Harringfort’s fault any longer. After all, Mr. Zhou was the one who proposed the deal.”
Silence followed the man’s voice.
“So Lily is going to leave Hong Kong?”
“I’ve heard the news about her visiting Luxembourg. She is planning to give birth in Switzerland which is only a couple of hours away from Luxembourg, maybe she only wanted to use this opportunity to relax while visiting places before giving birth.”
“Was it confirmed though?”
“Yes, it was. He will arrive on the seventh of January with her brother.”
“And her husband?”
“No. Zhou Jingren will arrive on the ninth.”
“Hm… interesting.”
Harringfort only lowered his head as he listened to the conversation about Lily. This was not the first time that they talked about her and he knew this won’t be the last either.
“And Japan’s situation?”
“Let it be. Let’s not involve ourselves in the mafia’s matter. We have more pressing issues like… the cartels. Harringfort… give us an update.”
Harringfort immediately started telling them about the Cartels that he was handling a few days back. These guys had always been like this. To them, time is precious. Someone who cannot work with schedule and deadlines does not have their place in this organization.
“Also… our testing for the virus is already in its last phase. We are going to test it in humans soon.” He ended the update. “Probably a couple of prisoners first.”
“Good.”
……
While they are busily discussing things that are happening in the world, Lily and Zhou Jingren were also discussing Christmas and the new year. Both had already decided not to focus on things that they cannot control. Instead, they wanted to focus on their family.
This year, Lily and Jingren are planning to host a Christmas Celebration in their house. That includes dinner and gift-giving.
“The most important thing is the sincerity of the gift, not the price.” Zhou Jingren said. Lily pouted in response.
“I am buying everyone a limited edition bag and clothes! I already called my friends in Gucci. They are going to make something up for me. Limited edition bags are rare, but they are willing to do it just for me. Isn’t that adorable?” She lifted an eyebrow.
“See? This is what I’m talking about. You wanted to beat me when it comes to gifts. You are not sincere at all.” He beamed. “I am giving everyone a painting — something that I personally painted.”
“Painted…”
“Yes. I will— “
“You have the talent! I don’t.” Lily interrupted him. “I am only good at earning money. I also spent a lot of time earning this money. You should not look down on these gifts, ah. This is a product of my years and years of working without eating properly.” Lily gave a dramatic sigh. The connections and money that she earned all these years should be comparable with Zhou Jingren’s talents, right?
Zhou Jingren shrugged in response. “Who says that I am looking down on those gifts? I am talking about your intention. A gift should be personal and me— “
“Then… I am cooking.”
“Eh? Excuse me?”
“I said, I will wholeheartedly cook for everyone! This might take a lot of time, but I am willing to stand for hours just to cook for everyone’s dinner.”
“Eh? I — I am only teasing you. There’s no need for you to do that.” He laughed. “You know how married couples tease each other, right?”
Lily narrowed her eyes at him. “Well… thanks to your teasing, I actually realized my mistakes. You are right. I should give some effort on my first Christmas— “
“Nope. There is no need.” Zhou Jingren interrupted her. “No need to tire yourself out. You are pregnant after all. You should just let Chef Yang handle everything. You know what? Why don’t we use my paintings as gifts for both of us? Then you can add — ” He did not continue his words when he noticed the smirk on Lily’s face.
Laughter then followed his words.
……..
2/3
