Chapter 22 Enjoy Herself

Leena stared at her phone, frozen in place. Miguel's name kept flashing on the screen. Before she could decide whether to answer it or not, her mother came in with a thermos. "Take this chicken soup to Rena. Didn't you say that she was feeling under the weather? I bought chicken, red dates, and wolfberries, and made this soup by myself," Mrs. Yang said. "You can take it back to your apartment and heat it up in your microwave," she added.

Leena hurriedly rejected the phone call. "Okay," she responded curtly. Grabbing the thermos, she left in a rush. Once she made it to the front door, she shook her head and reluctantly turned back. She took the fox doll from her bed.

"Are you planning to take that doll to work?" Mrs. Yang asked, eyebrow raised in suspicion.

Leena didn't answer her question. "Mom, I'm going to work now. Help Yanni with his homework tonight, will you? Thanks!" Then, without waiting for a response, she rushed out the front door.

Making her way down the sidewalk, she came across a lidless trash can. Scowling at the doll, she tossed it into the bin without another word. Her relationship with Miguel was over. Coincidentally, just as she threw away the doll, her phone began to ring incessantly again. It was Miguel calling. This time, she didn't hesitate to reject the call. Head held high, she walked towards the subway. As she walked, her phone pinged with a message from Miguel-- message of apology. It was futile. An apology wasn't enough to make up for what he did to her. She scoffed at her phone and put it on silent.

She tried her best to focus on work, carefully tucking away her personal life. Being immersed in work meant she didn't need to think about how messy things were outside the hotel. Just then, she saw Carlson approaching her. Suddenly, she felt this indescribable urge to tease the man. How come men were allowed to play with women's hearts? Why were women expected to keep their integrity if men wouldn't? And why in hell did she even keep her virginity? Was it because of Miguel?

Over the years, she had been so busy with work and school that she never had the time to sit down and fall in love like a normal person. She coldly rejected men who had any semblance of interest towards her. She had waited for Miguel all this time, yet their relationship ended up failing. She winced at the thought of him. 'Why did I wait for him?' she asked herself unhappily. 'I should enjoy my youth while I still can!'

Somehow, she'd predicted Carlson would be there tonight, so she'd put on some different make up and wore a flirtatious dress. She was about to store her phone inside a drawer when she noticed another message from Miguel. Yet another apologetic text. He was begging her to talk to him.

She didn't know what else there was to talk about. She had given him a chance to explain, but he chose to shrug her off and chase Alina anyway. Talking about it would be pointless. She didn't want to trouble herself with him anymore, so she didn't reply. She put the phone back into the drawer, locked it, and went to work.

She headed straight into the VIP room. All eyes were on her as she strutted elegantly across the room. Carlson's eyes lit up as soon as he saw her. "Miss Yang, you look especially stunning!"

Taking a seat next to him, she answered, "Of course, I prepared myself just for you, Mr. Carlson. After all, it's rare of you to bring so many companions along." Her eyes swept across the room, and saw that every man inside were wealthy and powerful. She smirked; she was going to get tipped well tonight.

Carlson introduced her to everyone, one at a time. Shaking their hands graciously, she slowly expanded her social network. Everyone chatted amongst themselves heartily. Later on, a young boss slapped Carlson

on the shoulder playfully. "We all have beautiful women around us. Why didn't you call one for yourself?"

Carlson then wrapped his arm around Leena's waist. "I already have one right here. Isn't that right, Director Yang?"

Everyone burst into laughter. "Don't listen to him. Mr. Carlson just likes to make jokes," Leena said.

"I don't think so. As far as I remember, Carlson frequents this hotel just to see Director Yang!" another man said, causing another wave of laughter.

Leena felt a little uncomfortable from their laughter, but she had to play nice. She plastered a fake smile on her face and bore the brunt of their jokes. Carlson, on the other hand, didn't seem to give a damn. He just nonchalantly smoked his cigarette. Although his chiseled face looked stern, he was actually quite charming. A while later, while the bosses were talking, Leena and the waitresses continued to pour wine in their glasses and lit their cigarettes for them.

They started to talk about the business of the Empire Group, despite knowing there were outsiders in the room. Although they tried not to mention the name, Leena knew that they were talking about the Empire Group.

"He has been acting weird recently. Why does he keep ignoring our advice?" a man older than others said with a frown.

Perhaps he held a high position here, which was why he was the one who started the conversation. Everyone else followed suit. "I think he wants to change the rules. We haven't even agreed to do this project yet, but he has had his mind set on it. We have a rule passed down from generation to generation. This kind of business just can't be done!"

"He's probably desperate! Think about it. He has taken away Carlson's position, but he can never take away the connections and power accumulated by the Qin Family. A marriage couldn't give him everything. As long as we want, we can kick him out at any time!" Leena was taken aback by what they were saying, but she continued to pour wine wordlessly.

The elder man smiled. "What the hell can he even do?" In the past, Mr. Martin's position was taken away from the hands of Mr. Arthur. If it weren't for Mr. William's death, the Feng Family would've never taken the helm. Moreover, I heard Dylan Chen is currently in a war with his wife because of his mistress. It is torture for him! We don't even need to lift a finger!"

While Leena didn't know what exactly had happened, she was able to grasp the gist of their conversation. Although she was curious to find out more about the Empire Group, she remembered that saying about curiosity killing a cat. The more she found out, the more likely she'd get into trouble. So, she stood up abruptly. "I'll go get some more bottles of our finest wine and cigarettes!"

The bosses ignored her and continued discussing. "Who the hell is Peterson Yang, anyway? Dylan's gotten too close to him lately."

"Peterson Yang is ruthless! He's ruthless enough to catch the attention of Dylan Chen, and Dylan probably wants to train him as his confidant," the elder man answered.

Leena's ears were ringing at the mention of that name. Peterson Yang, her older brother? They were talking about her missing brother! Her brother had run away when he'd accumulated a sizable debt to the Empire Group. He'd been gone for years. Despite this, Leena and her family never gave up on looking for him. She had cried herself to sleep many times over her long lost brother. She never thought she'd hear about him here! If their words were true, he'd even become Dylan Chen's right hand man!

She couldn't help but stop in her tracks because she wanted to hear more, but a silence had fallen over the room now. Just then, Carlson stood up. "Miss Yang, I'll go out with you and order some bottles of my favorite wine."