Johanna had no idea Sophie had been laughing at her. She ordered the suited man to watch Wang Cheng’s movements every day, hoping for an opportunity to strike. But after several days he reported that Wang Cheng followed almost the same route each day, going from home to work and back. Outside working hours he was almost always with Chu Yifeng.
Johanna threw a furious tantrum at home. Wang Cheng was the only person who had ever made her feel truly threatened. She had been jealous of the women surrounding Chu Yifeng before, but never to this degree. The greater the threat felt, the more desperately she wanted Wang Cheng gone.
“What’s wrong, Johanna? Who’s upset my darling daughter?”
Carla heard crashing sounds from her room as soon as he arrived home. When he opened the door, he found a terrible mess. He knew she had a temper, but had never seen her so out of control.
Johanna took enormous pride in her aristocratic ancestry. To avoid losing the last thing that gave her standing, she maintained an air of dignity before outsiders, whether pleased or angry. Carla understood how painful it was to be looked down on and had never exposed the false front his daughter presented to the world.
“Daddy, Leo is serious about that man.” Seeing her father, Johanna quickly composed herself. Even before him, she hated appearing disheveled.
Carla had never truly understood Leo. He had once assumed they were alike, men who enjoyed romantic diversions. Yet Leo had unexpectedly brought a man home and introduced him to his grandfather. Carla too could see he was serious. His daughter might genuinely have lost her chance.
“If you can’t win Leo, it looks as though Daddy will have to make his own move.”
“I won’t give up.” Johanna refused to admit she could not win over a man. She still had tactics she had not tried.
“Whatever you do, take care not to leave evidence. I have a feeling your rival is different from the others. He won’t be easy to deal with.” Carla’s warning suggested he knew about her previous actions.
“Don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll be careful. It isn’t my first time.”
When Johanna had someone disfigure Lina, many people suspected her, but none could prove it. She therefore remained confident in her plans.
Carla was not counting on his daughter. Leo had never shown any interest in her, and as a man Carla knew that driving away every rival would not make Leo marry her. He would rather try his own luck. Emily, at least, was currently single and would not be openly hostile to him.
Carla dressed handsomely and went to the Aimer residence to see Emily. He had learned she had been at home for several days instead of visiting her lovers.
“My dear Emily, you grow more beautiful every day.” Carla presented a bouquet of roses and gazed at her passionately. “I selected these ninety-nine red roses myself. They represent my everlasting love. Fiery red suits you perfectly. You leave me utterly enchanted.”
“Thank you, Mr. Carla.” Emily accepted the flowers with a smile, then handed them to a servant, who carried them away.
Carla was disappointed when the servant did not replace the flowers in the sitting-room vase with his roses, but he hid it. “Emily, we hardly had time to talk during my last visit. I’ve missed you.” He lowered his head and kissed the back of her hand.
“Then let’s sit and talk,” Emily said, smiling impeccably.
Carla was adept at charming women, but Emily had far more experience than he did. Over the years she had been involved with at least as many men as Carla had women. Apart from a few especially persistent ones, she knew how to handle them all. Carla hardly posed a challenge.
By the time Carla left, Emily had him so thoroughly dazzled that he forgot he had intended to stay for dinner. He was politely escorted outside. Only when the cold wind struck his face did he regain his senses and regret his failure.
Aimer headquarters gave employees two days off each week, but Zhou Group’s overseas subsidiary currently closed only on Sundays. The branch was newly established and could not yet offer much flexibility, so Wang Cheng had to work Saturday too.
Chu Yifeng knew some of the branch’s business, and after driving Wang Cheng to the office, he stayed to help with the workload. News of that naturally reached Johanna. She became even more determined to act quickly. Once the couple returned to China, her opportunities would be fewer.
Fortunately for her, an opening soon appeared.
That afternoon, Old Locke telephoned Chu Yifeng about something important. Chu Yifeng left a little after three.
After work, Wang Cheng approached the car Chu Yifeng had left him, preparing to drive back to the residence. He had barely inserted the key into the lock when dizziness overwhelmed him. A moment later, he lost consciousness.
The suited man in white gloves appeared at the car window. Seeing Wang Cheng unconscious, he took out his phone and called Johanna.
“Well?” she demanded eagerly.
“It’s done, Miss.”
Johanna grinned, unable to conceal her excitement. “Good. You know what to do next. I want excellent news.”
“Yes, Miss.”
After ending the call, the man carried Wang Cheng from the driver’s seat to his own car and drove away. The only nearby camera that could have recorded the incident had already been damaged. His destination was not a deserted suburb but a busy part of the city. He turned into an empty lane, drove behind a building, and stopped at a small side entrance. Before long, two large men emerged and helped carry Wang Cheng inside. On the fifth floor another accomplice opened a door for them. The apartment was cramped. They laid Wang Cheng on a large bed surrounded by recording equipment. Had he been awake, he would have recognized the sort of equipment he once saw when visiting He Zihuan on a film set for Pan Zhihai. The purpose of the room became horrifyingly apparent: the group operated a criminal pornography studio.
The suited man took an envelope from his pocket and handed it to the shortest member of the group. “Here’s fifty thousand. You’ll receive another fifty thousand when it’s done. My employer wants this man humiliated and harmed as badly as possible. Show no mercy, but don’t kill him.”
The short man counted the bills and smiled unpleasantly. “No problem. Your employer will be satisfied. Shall we begin now?”
The suited man nodded. “The sooner, the better. Ideally within an hour.”
“Could you please speak English? I can’t understand Italian.”
The unexpected voice made everyone jump. They turned to find Wang Cheng awake. He tapped his head hard, then slowly sat up cross-legged on the bed. He still looked a little dazed. The drug had affected him, but not for as long as the suited man expected. Wang Cheng had held his breath when he sensed something wrong and had only been mildly incapacitated. He had begun regaining consciousness during the drive and now found himself among strangers in an unfamiliar room.
“Wasn’t he unconscious? How did he wake up so quickly?” The short man retreated from the suited man, briefly suspecting the operation was an attempt to trap his criminal group.
The suited man frowned. “He probably didn’t inhale enough. It doesn’t matter. There are several of us here. Is he really going to escape? Besides, it’s better if he’s awake.” They had intended to awaken him later anyway.
The suited man had no idea how important that difference would be.
Once the short man understood they were not being set up, he smiled again. “All right. Let’s begin.”
“Hey, I told you to speak English. I don’t like it when I can’t understand what you’re saying.” Wang Cheng rolled his neck, showing no fear. Neither the short man nor his employer’s agent noticed anything unusual, though the two larger men looked surprised.
The short man retrieved a small bottle of clear liquid and gave it to one of the men. “Make him drink this. The client wants it done quickly, and we don’t have much time.”
The man accepted the bottle hesitantly. It contained a potent drug intended to make the victim sexually aroused and unable to control his responses. The substance was difficult to obtain and normally reserved for particular situations, but the job was time-sensitive.
They thought they could overpower Wang Cheng. Instead, the moment one man seized his arm and the other moved toward him with the bottle, Wang Cheng hurled the first man into the recording equipment. The second had barely reacted when Wang Cheng punched him hard. He dropped the bottle with a cry.
“He knows how to fight?” The short man stared, too shocked even to mourn the spilled drug. He shouted furiously at the suited man, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The suited man had no idea. They knew only that Wang Cheng was the young heir of a Chinese company called Zhou Group. Nobody had warned them he could fight. Had they known, they would have restrained him from the beginning. Now their oversight could not be corrected.
Wang Cheng was already standing directly in front of them.