by Cynthia Dane
Even if she understood the necessity of me meeting her father as soon as possible, she wouldn’t have approved of it. Not without it being her idea.
Yet here was how the situation looked from my point of view: I was a man of means courting the estranged daughter of a Taiwanese businessman. News of our relationship would be worldwide by the end of the weekend. If I didn’t extend the olive branch now, I risked the wrath of a man who probably still felt he had some semblance of control over his daughter. One he hadn’t seen in years, but I unfortunately understood his thinking process thanks to tutoring and life experience I had received living life as a man.
It also helped that I was competent at Mandarin. While I’ll never be as fluent as Natalie, I can stumble my way through a dinner with Taiwanese diplomats and businessmen.
Luckily, Mr. Chen was fluent in English after studying it most of his life and having lived in America long enough to marry Natalie’s mother and beget her.
“Mr. Mann,” he said with hardly an accent. We shook hands in the private room of the teahouse, and the first thing we noticed about each other was how strong our grips were. Mr. Chen gave a sly grin to realize I wasn’t a weakling.
“Mr. Chen,” I greeted in return. “Pleasure to meet you.”
He hesitated before turning to the table the tearoom madam had prepared for us. “You’re not going to pretend that you’ve heard many things about me?”
“Not from your daughter, no.”
His smile widened. It wasn’t a grin of mirth.
Our party was small. I had brought Sherman into the room, and Lewis Chen brought one of his bodyguards. He informed me that the head of his security couldn’t make it that evening, since she had to run some other errand on his behalf.
She, huh? I did not expect this man to employ a woman as his head bodyguard, but I had seen stranger things in my years of business. Some of the most misogynistic men in the world were the first to hire women in unlikely positions if they thought it would save them money.
Not that I knew anything like that about Lewis Chen yet. All I knew were his vitals and that he hadn’t spoken to his first wife and oldest child in years. Suppose there was a reason for that. I wanted to find out what it was. And, of course, to ask his permission to date his daughter.
Archaic, I know. As a woman, it riles me up. As a man, I see it as a necessary evil.
“I hope your flight was comfortable,” I said after we sat across from each other at the table. “I understand it takes quite a while to fly between here and Taiwan.”
“Yes, well…” He kept his gaze on me as we were served our first round of tea and snacks. “When someone like Eric Mann calls me to say he’s dating my daughter and wants to meet me, I answer.”
“She’s an exceptional woman.”
“She must be, if she’s caught your fancy.”
I studied Lewis as if he were a man I wanted to drain of his money. Yet I couldn’t get a hard read on him. Perhaps he was that skilled at hiding his real thoughts and emotions. Maybe he didn’t have many thoughts about his own daughter. The best-case scenario was Lewis telling me to do as I pleased with his daughter, as long as I didn’t harm his reputation. The worst case? I may have the money and business clout, but I was still non-Taiwanese, and I had no idea how he felt about that. My girlfriend was only half-Taiwanese, but for all I knew, her estranged father might still think he had plenty of say in who she married.
“Natalie began as an employee of my company. She caught my eye very quickly.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and opened one of the selfies Natalie had sent me the other day. Her windswept hair had made her laugh the moment the camera went off. I hoped Mr. Chen would appreciate the natural beauty of his daughter.
He gave the photo a cursory glance before sitting back again. “Very pretty. Like her mother.”
This was going to be more torturous than I anticipated.
It didn’t help that Sherman’s warnings of Triad affiliations hung in the back of my head. But how could I think about those when my potential father-in-law looked me in the eyes and said he was happy to hear that his daughter had such lofty standards? We toasted with tea and he took the time to correct some of my Mandarin. Every so often I brought up his daughter’s skills and how much they had already changed my business for the better. I intended to make her one of my personal assistants. If things went well… we could discuss soon enough where exactly we wanted our relationship to go. I made it clear that we intended to go public with the relationship, and I wanted to give him a head’s up before the media told him on my behalf.
“Much appreciated,” he said while a fresh pour of tear cooled before him. “I already have my media team working with the local Taipei papers to perfect our spin.”
My eyes widened. “Is that so?”
“Of course. I want my associates to know that my American daughter is still a fastidious Chen at heart and will always be thinking about her family and how to better its position in the global economy.” Another one of his unnatural grins crossed his wrinkled face. The man was probably the same height and build as me, but somehow, he was more intimidating. I couldn’t let him know that I had noticed, however. “This is what the traditional people I work with want to hear. Appearances are everything where I am from. Since I have never hidden the fact that I have a daughter from my first marriage in America, I need to ensure that she’s holding up her end of the bargain”
“Bargain, sir?”
“Of course. Someone is paying for that house she and her mother live in, and it is not my ex-wife.”
I did not respond to that. Natalie had never mentioned that she received money from her father after she grew too old for child support. Perhaps, though, she had no idea.
“Now, let me ask you something, Mr. Mann.” Lewis braced his hands against his knees. I wasn’t sure if that look on his face was imposing or friendly. I’m sure that’s what he intended. “Is my daughter’s interest in you purely financial? Or does she know the truth about you?”
My throat was dry. Sherman was more alert than he usually let on, and that was not a good thing.
“Excuse me, Mr. Chen?”
“I’d rather not play games, Mr. Mann.” Lewis motioned for his guard to approach and provide documents both in English and Traditional Chinese characters. “I’ve known for a long while now that you are female. From the moment my daughter expressed interest in working for your company, I had my employees dig very deeply into who you are and what it is you do.”
I must have been sheet white. Sherman was two seconds away from cracking someone’s skull. Possibly mine.
“I’m in no business to expose you,” Lewis reassured me. “In fact, I’m quite committed to helping you keep your secret, if that’s what you want. But I need to know how serious you are with my daughter before I expend those resources. Because reporters in my country will investigate you once they know my daughter is dating you. I have the means to put a stop to it. I will do it as a favor to you – and my daughter.”
“And to your reputation, I’m sure.”
“We Taiwanese are not as old-fashioned as you may believe, Mr. Mann. Besides, my daughter is afforded certain liberties since she is American and not in line to inherit my properties aside from what I personally decide to leave her. If it comes out that my daughter has… Western tastes in romance, there will be a minor scandal, but I have my ways of diverting attention in Taiwanese media. The question is how much of a relationship you and I will have in the future.”
“You’re asking if I intend to marry Natalie.”
He slightly nodded.
“Mr. Chen,” I said, in disbelief that I even had to mention this, “I do not fall in love easily. I’m sure your digging also revealed what happened the last time I was in a serious relationship.”
“Yes, quite unfortunate.”
“I do not want to repeat that. Natalie knows of my situation, and she supports me. We’re trying not to rush into anything, but it is my
intention to treat her as my significant other for as long as she’ll have me.”
“If she’s as brilliant as my sister always leads me to believe,” Lewis said, “then I’m sure she’ll be quite happy with you. Very well.” He clapped his hands together once. “I will ensure that the media stays silent on anything they discover. As my favor to you, the person taking on my daughter.”
“I hope you are not under the impression that I require favors of you, Mr. Chen.”
“Not at all. But as another effort of good will toward you, Mr. Mann, may I suggest something?”
I remained silent.
“Your secret is not being kept easily. Many, many powerful people such as myself are aware of who you really are and what efforts you take to keep your secret from the public. It’s commendable, regardless of whatever feelings we truly have toward your situation.”
I swallowed. Hard.
“Right now, there are a number of reporters and plants in your very own company who either know or are close to discovering the truth. I know, because one of those plants is mine.”
He couldn’t be serious…
“My sources tell me that the game will be up for you soon. Since the photos of you and my daughter came to light, everyone in Asia and beyond is curious about what you’re up to. You’ve experienced a number of security breaches recently, yes?”
“What do you know about those?” Sherman asked.
Lewis did not acknowledge him. “I suggest you go into hiding as of yesterday, Mr. Mann. Until this whole unfortunate renewal in your identity dies down again, anyway. I would also humbly request it of you as the father of your beloved. I absolutely would detest to have my child wrapped up in this scandal before I’ve had the chance to head it off at the pass, as it were.”
“Go into hiding…” I had contingencies in place if it were ever necessary. Two or three locations around the world where I could escape should the environment here in America became too much to bear. Or if my own safety dictated it.
I wasn’t expecting Lewis to cut our meeting off so early. Yet there I soon was, sitting by myself in the tearoom with only Sherman to grumble about what had happened.
He was already on the phone making plans with the rest of my security. It almost sounded like he wanted to fly me to Singapore that very night.
“Are you nuts?” I asked. “I can’t leave the country because someone might be on to me!”
“Erica.” His leveled voice did not inspire confidence. Not in me, anyway. “We’ve had a number of security breaches. Even he knew about it. He knew about you. Everything he’s said has been correct. We can’t take any chances. This is exactly what you would have agreed to three months ago.”
“You mean before Natalie?”
“Don’t let your love for her cloud your judgment. We need to get you out of here. Now.”
The moment I stood up, I received a text from Natalie.
“Eric, I need you. It’s an emergency. My house, now, please.”
Sherman instantly recognized the panic on my face. He called for Clyde and soon routed us to Natalie’s house.
Chapter 48
NATALIE
Two things I didn’t know about Ji-min Cho: she was only half-Korean, and spoke fluent Mandarin after all.
I also didn’t know that my father had the connections to convince my boss’s receptionist to kidnap me via rideshare, but here we were, living in this crazy, fucked up world.
“Just a few more minutes,” she coolly said, gun pointed in my direction while she drove. “Lucky me found you on the app. I thought we were going to have to take you the hard way.”
“The hard… we?”
“Be quiet. I hear you talk enough at work. Like I said, it’ll only be a few minutes, and we’ll have a nice, long chat.”
“Do you even know how to use that thing?”
“Shut up!”
Right. I would do that, as soon as I stopped peeing myself and having a heart attack.
“Text your girlfriend and you’ll be in a world of hurt, too.”
I put my phone back in my bag. “My girlfriend? I’m not like that.”
“For the love of God, don’t act so dumb. I’ve known about Erica for months now.”
I swallowed more of my words. What else was there to say that wouldn’t get me killed?
We drove in silence to the warehouse district, because that didn’t scream that I was about to be killed and thrown into the river. By my father’s hand, probably. Great. This wasn’t how I wanted to meet my ancestors.
Jimmy came to a stop in front of one building. Immediately we were flanked by three men in suits barking orders in Mandarin.
The door opened. A man whose name I never learned yanked me out of the back of Jimmy’s car. She joined us on the way into the warehouse, her heels echoing between buildings while I tried to remember how to breathe.
“Over here,” a woman’s voice snapped. Her Mandarin was fluent, although she chose to address me in English. “Don’t be so rough with her. She’s our esteemed guest.”
The man slammed me down on a bench and stood right behind me. Everyone surrounding me brandished firearms on their belts, including Jimmy, who still held her handgun as she smoked a cigarette on the far side of the dimly lit room.
“Easier than doing my nails,” she said with a sigh.
The woman in the corner snapped her fingers. Two of the bodyguards scattered. When she stepped out of the shadows, I thought I was looking into a mirror.
But I wasn’t. Melanie Chen may have been my aunt, but we weren’t identical. We simply had the same features as our mutual relative Grandma Chen. More proof that nobody would ever see me as anything but Taiwanese for the rest of my life.
Well, except the Taiwanese relatives, I suppose.
“Long time no see, zhinu.”
Her brother’s niece. Yup. That was me. And she was my a-koo, a term of endearment I had respectfully given her since I was a small child receiving letters from her on my father’s behalf. Last time I saw her, I did not recall a spry young woman wearing fashionable clothes and sporting hair straight out of a Taiwanese magazine. Her makeup was dark, as if she tried to hide herself from the rest of the world. A far cry from the plain and bubbly aunt who pinched my cheeks.
“A-koo? You’re in the fucking mafia?”
“Come on. It’s not like that.” She shrugged. “We are hardly organized crime, sweetie. That would make it sound like what we do isn’t legal. Since my older brother pays us quite a few million on the books – and we pay taxes on it, thank you – we would prefer that you didn’t mix us up with the riffraff.”
“What?”
“We’re your father’s security detail. Not the fucking mafia. Christ’s sake, you’ve been watching too many Hollywood movies.”
This was security? Then again, I had no reason to be surprised. Not after what I had seen with Erica’s team! I wouldn’t put it past Sherman to perform these same theatrics!
Erica… Sherman… what the fuck was going on?
“I’m so confused.”
“I’m sure you are. After all, it’s not often you get to meet your old aunt here in the States. But I’ve been keeping an eye on you all these years. You thought I was the obnoxious aunt who occasionally sent you red envelopes.”
“I didn’t think anything! Certainly not this!”
“There was no reason to ever tell you, Natalie. You had your own life here in the States with your mother, God bless her stupid soul.”
“Did she know about this?”
“She knew that I knew how to kick her ass if I ever needed. Beyond that, your mother never bothered to learn your father’s customs, let alone enough Mandarin to understand our conversations about his security detail. So, no, she probably never knew that I can take down three men at once with nothing but my bare hands. Ask my male companions in here.”
They didn’t respond.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, Natalie.” M
y aunt released her stony façade and showed me that frivolous kindness I was used to around her. “You’re in big trouble. Luckily, I anticipated this would happen and put safety checks into place the moment you told me you were applying to work at Mann-Garrett. You’re such a smart, hardworking girl that I knew you would get the position. I wanted to make sure that you were protected when the shit hits the fan.”
“What are you talking about?”
My aunt sighed, as if I were being dramatic about a chemistry test instead of her kidnapping me and revealing that she was the head of my father’s security. “There are some dark secrets going on at Mann-Garrett. Secrets that some people will kill to know, whether to blackmail for money or expose out of revenge. Charles Mann made a lot of enemies before he died. Suffice to say, his son is a moving target.”
“It may shock you, a-koo, but I already know the big secret.”
“You know a big secret. A secret that isn’t really a secret to those of us who make it our living to know what skeletons the wealthy keep in their closets so we can leverage the information if ever need-be. I feel like leveraging some information right now. Like how my only niece has been cavorting with a woman the past few weeks.” She laughed. “Have to admit, I hadn’t seen that coming. The part where you two hooked up, that is. Your father would be proud of your match if it weren’t for the whole Erica Mann thing.”
“You’re trying to tell me that there’s a secret deeper than the fact she’s actually a woman… posing as her dead brother.”
“Deep enough that her team would kill to keep it. Has she ever told you how her brother died?”
“No. I assumed it was the horse riding accident that they say she died in.”
“Oh, there was a horse involved. Quite the coverup her father managed. He did such a good job that it drove his wife insane and into an assisted-living home.”
“So what is it?”
Jimmy held up her phone. “They’re out of the meeting.”
“Perfect timing. How about you go ask her yourself?” The men moved. One picked me up from my armpits and turned me back toward the door. “Let’s get going. We’ll drop you off at your house and make sure Eric Mann arrives on his way back from his meeting.”