She turned toward her savior to thank him, but he had already sat down beside her with an amused look in his eyes. “I can’t have you kill him tonight,” he said and ordered himself a new drink. “I need him alive still.”

  The light of gratitude in her eyes faded. She grabbed the drink she had coyly pushed away to drain the rest of the alcohol down her throat. “It’s not every day an ordinary man recognizes what I actually am,” she retorted. “I’ll have you know that was a good sum of money in my hands.”

  The young man chuckled. “What’s your name?”

  “Celia.”

  “What’s your real name?”

  She turned toward him. “Celia.” Her eyes dared him to ask her again. “Yours?”

  “Hui Ye.”

  “Cinder of the Night. How very poetic.”

  “Chinese names are created with the intention of being poetic. I personally find it quite beautiful.”

  “I would be kinder if it wasn’t for the fact that I will not be getting paid for my efforts tonight.” She clicked her tongue. Her heeled boots tapped on the ground. She looked to see if the man still lingered in the room, but saw not even a shadow of his existence. “Why do you even need him alive?”

  “I am working on a large project, and I need his vulnerabilities to keep me afloat.” Hui Ye finished his new drink. “I apologize for forcing you to lose your money. I will pay it back.”

  “I am very expensive.”

  “I believe I have more.” He grinned and offered his hand.

  In a connecting room to the bar, rich people danced in their fancy outfits in such boring manners she’d rather choke than mingle. However, the stranger scared off her entertainment for the night and with no other immediate alternative, she took his hand with a sigh and followed him to the dance floor. They moved in tandem, and they lowered their voices into whispers. “What gave me away?” she asked.

  “Your shoes are clearly different. I’m assuming there’s a weapon hidden in there?”

  “What if there is?”

  “You should probably get a designer brand marked on there somewhere. Everyone at this stature gets uniquely designed clothes from famous designers—all the way down to their shoes.”

  Up close, Celia could see the handsome man in his entirety. Brown eyes that almost appeared black, pitch-black hair swept to the side, and cheekbones that any woman would die for. His shoulders were broad but delicate, and he reeked of money without any of the pompousness or ignorance that followed other young men like him. “You would have better luck tonight with another woman,” she smirked.

  “I didn’t come here tonight to find a woman. This was unexpected.” The music changed to another classical piano piece, and Hui Ye kept his hand gripped around her gloved hands. “Tell me—why are you doing this?”

  “I don’t follow?”

  “Has that man wronged a loved one, perhaps?”

  She tipped her head. “You think this is personal?”

  “He does have his string of settled sexual harassment cases, and he’s had zero real consequences. The settlement money was pocket change to him. I thought it reasonable someone would eventually snap and go after him.”

  An actual laugh escaped from her lips as they swayed. “Really? Well, here’s a little story for you.” She leaned closer and whispered into his ear. “I’m a bored woman.” She stepped back to smile smugly, and her hand gripped his tighter. “Watching the worst of humanity tear each other apart is quite fun. I wasn’t hired by any of his victims. I was hired by an equally terrible competitor. It entertains me to kill them and kill for them.”

  He stared before he broke eye contact. His shoulders shook from laughter, and Celia admitted her surprise when he turned back around mirthfully. He returned to their dance position, and his voice only turned more jovial at the revelation. “Do you trap your targets using sex appeal every time?”

  “No. Only when I think it’s more fun that way.” She sang her words. “As you said—he’s had his string of buried sexual harassment cases with far more unreported and continues to grow richer by the day. He revels in the filth of his own creation and displays it to the world with such confidence—why would I ever let go of the opportunity to take advantage of it?”

  His eyes remained locked on her. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Yes. I wouldn’t.” She let go of his hand and swept the side of her dress elegantly. “Will that be all for the dance, Hui Ye?” She curtsied mockingly and left the building.

  “Well, what am I going to be doing tonight?” she wondered aloud. She glanced at the people walking past her on the sidewalk. Perhaps she would seduce a stranger for fun. She had, after all, planned to kill the man during the act itself.

  “Wait!”

  Celia stopped and turned to see Hui Ye chasing after her. Stifling an annoyed groan, she walked back over to him. “Are you that curious about me?”

  “No, it’s more that—I did tell you I would pay for the work you lost tonight. I’m keeping my promise on that, and I would also like to pitch something to you.”

  She tipped her head. “Pitch?”

  “Yes, a business proposition.”

  Curiosity piqued, Celia agreed to follow him back to one of the many apartments he owned in Hong Kong. He had his own chauffeur and a fancy car. She enjoyed the warmed seats in the silent ride back to the apartment, and she allowed a second to marvel at the grandeur of his apartment complex.

  He turned on the lights and slipped off his jacket and tie as she stood to the great window of the living room that overlooked the blinking lights of the breathing city. “My,” she exhaled, “I do wonder what corruption you partake in to own such a place like this.”

  He did not respond and motioned her to join him in the bedroom. She could tell it was soundproof when her shoes did not echo the way they usually did. The door locked itself.

  He loosened the top button of his shirt. “Have you tried helping the better of humanity before? I’m sure you’ll find it just as entertaining and maybe more.” He sat down on the edge of his bed. “The worst of humanity likes to climb over and sacrifice everyone for their own self-survival and pleasure, but the better of humanity always fights longer and at higher risks because the only people they’re willing to sacrifice are themselves. Is that not what you want?” He looked at her pointedly. “You want a bigger fight.”

  She was thoroughly unimpressed. “You want me to help you?”

  “I am working on something, yes.”

  “And you think you are the better of humanity?” She gestured to his soundproof room.

  He allowed a small smile, but his eyes were downcast. “I just know I am not the worst.”

  Celia tapped her chin. He gave little away, which was the right thing to do. He risked his operation if he told her the details before she agreed. At first, she thought he screamed generic rich boy with a kinder soul because of good parentage. However, in the moment he admitted that he wasn’t necessarily the better of humanity, she sensed guilt and a pang of anxiety that had rooted itself deep inside him.

  Finally, she shrugged. “Regardless, I was going to find myself someone to entertain the night with, so before I agree, you might as well keep me occupied in that manner first. You do know how to do that, do you?”

  He laughed, walking over to the corner of the room to reach for one of the expensive whisky bottles sitting on the table. “I think I can handle you for tonight, if nothing else.”

  Before he could grab the bottle, Celia slinked over and slipped underneath his arms. She shoved him back, and, as he stumbled, she pushed him again to fall onto the bed. She climbed over him with her legs apart. Her hand reached for the halter and slowly pulled out the bow around her neck. The dress dropped from her body. She pulled off her gloves with her teeth and grinned as his eyes gazed upon her.

  “You can’t handle me at my best.”

  • • •

  Celia smirked when the young man stumbled out of bed the next morning. She pushed the covers off her naked body and reached for the early morning alcohol left at the bedside when he brought back a folder of papers.

  “I am trying to break apart the mafia group my family is part of.”

  She paused her drinking straight out of the bottle. “You’re betraying your parents?”

  “My parents are both dead, but in a way, yes, I’m betraying them.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t agree with what they’re doing. With what I’m doing. I want to ensure they are brought to justice like they should’ve been years ago.”

  She screwed the cap back on and dropped the bottle. “You are part of the mafia, so you should know better than anyone how impossible that will be.”

  “It is not impossible.” The devilish smile returned to his face. “I have already made efforts toward it. I purposefully reestablished lost relationships, so that I can have all the most powerful families in one place when I take them down. That’s the only reason why I bothered extending an olive branch to the Chen family after they killed my mother.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “That must’ve been difficult.”

  He chuckled. “It was less difficult than I thought.”

  “And how do you intend to enact this master plan? By yourself?” Celia reached for the folders to flip through the pages.

  “I have already contacted the best of the best. Trustworthy law enforcement. The best lawyers of Hong Kong and the US. With a bit of a helping hand from an important group of people.”

  Celia’s hand froze. She stared at the profiles of the Guo family. On paper, they were just another family, part of Infinite, but one look at the photographs clued her in on their true nature. An undercover family with a husband and wife who worked for the government and children looped in to appear as normal as possible. A doctor and a businesswoman. What perfect careers. The handpicked clothes, the purposeful body language, and the eyes that glowed of warmth. Perfect mediocrity that could not possibly exist in the world.

  “How in the world did you manage to get them to help you?” Veiled admiration tinged her voice.

  “I didn’t.” He lay on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. “My mother set the stage. Unintentionally. When she found out the truth about them, she spared their lives and convinced the other families that the Guo people were failures. Not government agents.” His voice quieted. “They couldn’t have been happier when I reached out to them. It was a debt unpaid.”

  She continued reading his plans. He moved to Hong Kong because their main businesses were operating out of the United States. “My perfect excuse was to grow our side of the business here, which I have, but really it just makes it harder to trace to me if things start to move,” he explained.

  “And the children of the other families? Your stepsiblings? Your younger brother? What’s going to happen to them?”

  “As long as Lang Lang is kept out of the crossfire, I really don’t care what happens to the rest.”

  Well, he’s certainly not the best of humanity. Celia could not help musing to herself at the icicles that dripped from his words. But the best of humanity is just so boring… She leaned forward invitingly.

  He snatched the folder from her hands and gazed into her eyes. “Are you interested?”

  A part of her didn’t want to answer, but Celia never turned down entertainment. She grinned. “It sounds not boring.”

  And not boring it was.

  Sniping from a rooftop. Poisoning drinks and leading the victims away. Seducing married men and opening her body for easy photographs for Hui Ye to use. Lying without the slightest sense of guilt. She utilized every bit of technique she developed in her career—killing, questioning, fishing, and blackmailing.

  She was many people at once and no one at once—Andrea, Avery, Olivia, Meghana, Sally, and June. He provided her everything she needed to transform into another woman, showing her an entire warehouse with clothes, wigs, makeup, and accessories.

  “Do you like to create women for your fantasies?” she once teased him as she cycled through another identity.

  “There’s a more personal reason to this. My mother made most of the clothes here.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t your mother make most of the clothes you own?”

  He nodded. “She loved designing clothes.” And said nothing else.

  After one of their drunken nights in bed together, she woke up to see him melancholy by the window. He said without turning to her, “Today, my mother was murdered. They almost killed my younger brother, too. She protected him.”

  “You know you don’t have to wait for the day she’s killed to mourn or celebrate her,” Celia climbed out of bed and hugged him from behind. “There’s not a specified day for mourning.”

  He chuckled and played at an empty glass of alcohol in his hands. “It’s a force of habit now. For Lang Lang’s sake.” He said nothing more, and Celia didn’t bother to pry.

  They had more important things to focus on.

  • • •

  Celia had just climbed into her car after a successful meeting with the bank regarding Hui Ye’s newest investments in his rival’s business. She drove her car to a secluded area and slipped out of her curly black wig. She was busy wiping the makeup off of her face when her phone pinged.

  Eyebrows furrowing, she picked up the phone with her still gloved hands to see the location of where Hui Ye last was. The message alerted of his status.

  She threw her phone aside and pressed hard on the gas pedal. She weaved through the unsuspecting streets where citizens yelled at her for speeding, and she took care that no one followed her before entering where the GPS signaled her to go.

  She drove into an abandoned construction site. Smoke rose from the distance, and collapsed buildings dotted the dug-up land. The land once had no value, and the poorest of the city lived in this unassuming area before a rich person decided they wanted to develop it. The citizens were kicked out, and the construction began with grand designs of skyscrapers, beautiful artificial gardens, and stunning roads. Halfway through, the rich decided it was no longer worth it, and the area remained a ghost town that no one ventured to.

  Except for Hui Ye. Paranoid of people following, he had his chauffeur weave through forgotten and abandoned lands like this to get to where he needed to go.

  She slammed on the brakes and flew out of her car. His car burned, and smoke billowed out into the sky. Hui Ye had begun to crawl his way out of the car through a window but gave up halfway through. He hung completely limp, and his arm brushed against the ground. His chauffeur stayed dead and strapped to the driver’s seat.

  She dashed over and pulled Hui Ye out of the car, but she knew he was a lost cause. Burns covered his entire body, and his legs were twisted like a toy. How he was not screaming from agony, Celia did not know, but she laid him on top of her lap as best as she could to make him comfortable.

  Her heart did not beat in pain, panic, or anger. There was an eerie acceptance of the fact that the man she had dedicated several years to lay dying in her lap. He coughed and gasped for air, and, despite half of his face burned away with flesh curling in torment, she still found herself admiring his handsome features. He forced his one good eye open, and the crooked smile returned to his face when he recognized her. “I might’ve…messed up…” he whispered.

  “Do you know who it was?”

  “Not really, but…Wang Xing was acting weird today…you’ll want to dig into who spoke to him recently…” He coughed, and blood trickled out of his mouth. Pain painted in his eyes, but still, they focused only on her. “I have…one more wish for you to fulfill…if I may ask…”

  She tipped her head. “Your wish is to take down Infinite. That wish is what I agreed to, and I will continue to work on it even in your death. That is how I operate.”

  “No…it’s regarding Aiden…Lang Lang…Hui Lang…” He took a moment to catch his breath, but his determination forged forward. “…he wants to live a life separate…like he should…please make sure he doesn’t get swept into the family and have to pay for their transgressions. Make sure that he’s free to live. Like he wanted to live. Grant his wish by granting mine.…”

  “Why?” She stared down at the dying man. “You cannot give me anything in return for my work in that regard. You will soon be dead.”

  However he managed to summon the strength, Celia did not know. Hui Ye reached into his pocket on the right and pulled out a small jewelry box. She took it from his hand and opened the obvious ring box. A silver ring reflected back light. A purple gem sat at the center. Celtic symbols were engraved within the band. “That…” he whispered. “That is a promise…”

  “A promise?”

  “That it will be fun.”

  She snapped the ring box shut and placed it on the ground beside her. As Hui Ye continued to breathe laboriously, she slipped her gloves off and threw them into the fire of the car. His body started to shut down. Writhing, whimpers escaped from him. She placed her hand against his eyes to focus him on her touch, and she placed her other hand against his cheek. His breathing calmed. He chuckled, leaning his cheek into her hand. “I had once thought to myself that if I were to get killed, I would rather it be you to kill me.”

  “Well, isn’t today your lucky day,” she whispered. She tapped the small button inside her shoe with her toe, and the heel retracted for her to grab the dagger attached to her boot. She pulled it out.

  “How are you going to kill me?”

  Her finger lingered on his neck. She traced it, dragging the tip of her nail against his dying skin. “Like this. So quickly, so suddenly, and so professionally. Your blood will pour out in a matter of seconds, and you will be dead. Just like that.”

  He smiled at her as she readied the dagger against him. “Celia? Was it fun?”

  She sliced the dagger through his throat, and he died with blood pouring out his neck and over her lap. When he was nothing but a corpse, Celia moved his body back into the burning car. It would be a while before anyone noticed something was wrong. The murderer would ensure that news of his death would not travel far, which protected her as her fingerprints burned away with him. She opened the ring box, took out the ring, and tossed the box into the flames. She slipped the ring through the gold chain necklace that currently decorated her neck and clasped it back in place.

 

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