Chapter 265 - How Much Do You Charge?

The flight back to Hong Kong was quiet. Marissa asked to swap seats with Emerson as soon as they boarded and chose to sit by herself rather than next to Danson. As a gentleman, Emerson agreed. But, he was even more certain of his suspicions. Marissa definitely liked Danson, and it seemed like she finally realized this. If this was Marissa in the past, she would have forced Danson to swap with Emerson so she could sit next to him, but she did not do this today.

"You should apologize to her, she's upset with what you said earlier," Emerson said to Danson.

Danson frowned, "She's upset because you said you would never be with her. It has nothing to do with me."

Emerson sighed and shook his head. This man was so clueless.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. If you don't do something soon, you may lose her forever," Emerson said. An outsider always saw a situation clearer than the people involved and he could tell that the two had reached a turning point.

Danson scoffed, "Don't try to give me advice when you just watched the girl of your dreams marry your own brother last night..."

Emerson's eyebrow twitched a little at the harsh and defensive comment and sighed again. If this man didn't want his help, then so be it...

The flight between Beijing and Hong Kong was roughly 3 hours. By the time the trio landed back in Hong Kong, it was already 10pm.

The Qian Family's driver was waiting for Danson and Marissa in the arrivals hall. As soon as he saw the stepmother and stepson, he grabbed their luggage and helped them to the car. "This way please, Madam and Young Master..." he smiled.

Emerson watched as the two boarded the Mercedes together.

Even though his relationship with Danson had fallen apart and his relationship with Marissa was awkward, he still thought of them as friends. After all, they shared some great memories from high school.

"I hope they figure things out..." he whispered to himself.

He then turned to look for his driver. 

That was when he realized, he forgot to tell his driver that he was returning today. Originally, he was due to return the day before, but because of Halia and Jackson's marriage, he rescheduled his flight and forgot to mention it to his driver.

Emerson looked down at his small suitcase and sighed. If he had known earlier, he would have asked Danson and Marissa for a lift, but it was too late now, they had already left. At least, he didn't have much luggage.

Analyzing his situation, he knew it was better for him to catch the MTR (Hong Kong metro) than to call his driver and sit around waiting for him, so he pulled out the handle of his suitcase and started dragging it towards the underground station.

Emerson liked using public transport like a normal person, but his mother had always been protective of him and ensured a driver was always around. Now that she was in prison, he finally had the freedom to do whatever he wanted, even though it was all very foreign for him.

Emerson looked around. Everyone was walking through the gates of the MTR casually with their octopus cards. He had purchased one once, but he barely used it and it was sitting somewhere at home.

With slight confusion, he approached the ticket window, "Can I please purchase an octopus card?"

The service staff looked at the handsome young man and smiled, "Sure. Where are you from? Is this your first time in Hong Kong?"

Since it was the airport station, it was common to encounter tourists, so the old woman liked to start small talk with them.

A little embarrassed, Emerson looked at her speechlessly. He was no tourist. He was born and raised in Hong Kong, but he didn't want to get into the details of his rich and luxurious life, so he decided not to respond.

"Oh sorry, you don't speak Cantonese?" the woman asked in English.

Emerson smiled and simply nodded his head. He then paid for the octopus card and headed for his platform.

As he reached the gates, he fumbled a little with his wallet and dropped it on the ground.

Just as he leaned over to pick it up, a long slender hand reached out and picked it up for him.

"You need to be careful. There are many pickpockets on the metro. You should put your wallet away carefully before boarding," a sweet voice warned in English as she handed him back his wallet.

Emerson heard the perfectly spoken English and expected to see a foreigner of some sort, but was surprised when he lifted his head and looked into a pair of oriental eyes. The woman that picked up his wallet had a surgical mask and a cap on her head, so only her eyes were exposed, but he could tell that she was of Asian descent.

"Thank you," he replied thankfully in English as he quickly put his wallet away.

"You're welcome," the young woman replied with a smile in her eyes.

She then pointed to the platforms, "Do you know where you're going?"

Emerson nodded, "I am going to The Peak."

The young woman smiled after confirming that he knew what he was doing and began to walk away. At that moment, her phone rang and she quickly picked it up, "Hello?"

"I decided to take the metro...Yes, I'm fine...I'll be back soon. OK, I'll be careful..." she said on the phone in Cantonese.

Emerson gathered from what he heard that she was a local. He wasn't actually a tourist, but he was glad to see a well-spoken and friendly local helping someone that they thought was a tourist. Running his casino, he often heard his guests complain that Hong Kong people were rude and not very friendly. So, he felt fascinated by this woman. If someone like her could work for him, that would be great.

With this thought, he quickly chased after her but realized she was running for a train.

In a panic, he tapped on her shoulder just as the doors of the train opened and said when she looked at him, "Miss, can I hire you?"

The woman looked at him with confusion as she stepped onto the train. What did he mean?

Emerson knew he didn't have much time to explain everything, so he blurted, "Can I have your number? How much do you charge?"

The woman furrowed her brows and slight anger appeared in her eyes. How much did she charge?

Some of the other passengers looked her up and down and snickered.

That was when Emerson realized his words sounded a little inappropriate...

In a panic to explain himself, he quickly jumped onto the train just as the doors closed. But, his suitcase got caught and he stumbled forward, pushing the woman against the other side of the train. Before he knew it, he felt his lips press firmly against hers.

Even though she was wearing a surgical mask, he could feel the softness of her lips underneath and his heart raced a little...