Chapter 114 - Emerson's Brother

Halia spent the rest of the day alternating between tables and eavesdropping on conversations while avoiding Marissa.

That night, she returned to her hotel room and wrote down everything she had discovered.

As usual, her handler for this mission was Sean, but obviously, he was staying in a separate hotel since he wasn't invited by a junket. So, she secretly snuck out to meet him at a restaurant.

Macau was once a Portuguese colony, so Portuguese food was common in the city. Hence, Sean arranged to meet Halia at a Portuguese restaurant near the old town.

As soon as Halia sat down, she showed Sean her notes.

"Even though Emerson is the CEO of the casino, I discovered that all publicity, marketing and junket operations are managed by his uncle, Everett Pang."

"I'm suspecting that Everett Pang is running illegal operations without Emerson knowing," Halia explained.

Sean looked through Halia's notes and nodded his head. "Keep following this direction and see what else you find," he instructed. "I think you may have something here."

After talking about business, the two friends settled down and enjoyed a dinner together. It had almost been a month since Halia officially rejected Sean. At first, things were a little awkward between the two, but gradually, Sean reflected on his actions and began to act differently. He visited Sara's grave often and confided in Halia about his grief and realized that he had acted out of line because he hadn't properly accepted Sara's death.

As they got to know each other better, Sean began to treat Halia like a sister. He talked to her about everything and even cried in front of her. It took a while, but he finally found that he could let go and felt his mind was clear again.

Soon, the two finished their main dishes and they decided to order dessert. But, just as Sean picked up the dessert menu, his phone suddenly rang. Sean glanced down and said, "I'm going to pop out and take this call."

Halia looked at the man with suspicion and nodded her head. She had seen the caller ID on his phone: it was Natalie. Did those two keep in contact?

Actually, apart from Halia, Sean had also been talking to Natalie on a regular basis. A few days after Sean returned to China, Natalie called because she had grown an interest in the man after meeting him in Hong Kong. Sean didn't think anything of it since he still thought Natalie and Halia were a couple, but he found himself enjoying their phone calls and he even looked forward to it. So, they gradually developed a habit of chatting every day.

"Guess where I am!" Natalie giggled over the phone.

Sean stood outside the busy restaurant and smiled. This woman's voice naturally made him light up.

"I don't know. Tell me," he replied.

"I just arrived in Macau!" Natalie replied.

Sean's eyes opened wide in shock. "What are you doing in Macau?"

"Well, you mentioned you would be in Macau for a week, so I decided to come join you. I haven't seen you since Hong Kong, so I thought you'd like the company," Natalie explained. "Am I not welcome?"

Sean immediately laughed. Of course she was welcome...but he was in the middle of a mission...with her girlfriend!

"So, where are you right now? Can I come look for you?" Natalie asked.

Sean assumed that Halia had never told Natalie she was in Macau, otherwise, Natalie would be there to see her, not him, so he decided to lie.

"I'm with a client," Sean replied. "If you want, we can meet tomorrow."

But, unbeknownst to Sean, Natalie was sitting in a car on the opposite side of the road watching him at that very moment. In fact, she had seen him enter the restaurant with Halia and saw them chatting happily inside. Why did he lie that he was with a client?

As it turned out, Natalie was the one that recommended the restaurant to Sean, so she had a feeling he would be there for dinner. But, she couldn't believe she was right, nor could she believe that Halia was there too. Was Sean still clinging to Halia?

"Take me to the hotel," Natalie said to her driver in disappointment after she hung up her phone. As the car started, she frowned. She didn't want to feel this way, but...she suddenly felt jealous of her best friend.

...

The next day, Halia arrived at the casino nice and early, hoping to run into Emerson's uncle. She had heard that he usually did morning checks to ensure the casino was running smoothly before it got busy, so it was the perfect opportunity for her to understand the man better.

But, when she arrived, she spotted the man amongst the public tables with a familiar figure.

It was Emerson.

At first, Halia didn't know whether to greet him or not. The last time they met on the cruise, she had rejected him but he had actually told her to reconsider and to contact him again if she changed her mind. If he was to see her at his casino, would he misunderstand that she was there to see him?

Halia panicked. She quickly turned and decided it was best to avoid the man. If she was skillful enough, she could continue with her mission without running into him for the rest of the week. After all, the casino was huge and he never visited the VIP rooms.

But, in her fl.u.s.tered state, she accidentally ran into someone that was standing behind her.

With her head down, Halia quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry," she said while trying her best not to draw any attention.

"That's OK," a deep charming voice replied.

Halia froze.

The voice sounded very familiar!

As she furrowed her brows, she slowly scanned her eyes upwards. The man had a pair of brown leather shoes on his feet, and on his body was a fitted dark blue suit that outlined his toned masculine body.

His lips were soft.

His nose was tall.

And his eyes were alluring.

Halia held her breath as she looked at a face she hadn't seen for a month. What was he doing here?

At that moment, she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. It was Emerson.

"Haili! What are you doing here?" Emerson smiled as he pulled Halia into his embrace and hugged her.

Halia remained motionless like a statue as she continued to stare at the man she had run into.

"I see you've met my brother," Emerson chuckled as he pointed to the man in the dark blue suit.

"This is Jackson, Jackson Wu. Jackson, this is Haili Feng, Director of Fengtai Corporation," Emerson introduced.