Page 20 of Billionaire’s Promise

I reached out both of my arms and lifted her up from the seat.

“Put me down.” June insisted, but I didn’t. Instead, I held on to her tighter.

“You said you’re too tired to move. So don’t move.” June struggled for another two seconds before giving in entirely.

June wasn’t skinny like those women my mother made me date. She wasn’t overweight either. I was no good at judging how heavy she was, but the curves of her body made it easy to have her in my arms.

I shook my head at how cliche my thoughts were, but she really fit perfectly to my body. Was it her body shape? Or were we just perfect for each other? Pfft, I refused to believe in such a thing. If that were true, divorce rates wouldn’t be so high.

I reminded myself that she was nothing but my best friend’s baby sister.

And I was just performing a big brother’s duty on behalf of my friend. To make up for my absence and lack of communication these last few years.

I carried June to her room without much problem. Her room was the first one down the corridor. Inside, the decor matched the rest of the apartment, apart from the bed, which was surprisingly pink. Maybe pink was her favorite color. I had never seen her using or wearing anything pink. Having said that, wasn’t her bed at her parents’ house pink as well? I only ever saw her in her bedroom briefly so I couldn’t be sure.

I put her down on her soft and fluffy bed and she climbed beneath the duvet.

“Should I read you a story?” I teased her as I picked up the book on her bedside table, Haunting Adeline. But June snatched it from me like I was going to steal a precious family heirloom. “Sleep tight.”

I made a mental note to find out what the hell Haunting Adeline was about.

This wasn’t the peaceful, relaxing trip that I had originally planned. Over the last two years, my mother had been on a mission to find me a suitable wife. I tried to brush it off by saying none of them were suitable. However, my mother made me go through a series of things to do with them before I could declare a hard pass on a candidate. According to Mom, if I could do everything on the list she provided with the woman she had chosen for me, and still feel nothing, then we really weren’t meant to be.

Don’t ask me where she got this list from. Probably from a magazine somewhere about dating. I could imagine an article titled, Ten Dates To Engagement.

To be fair, the women selected for me weren’t bad looking. They were of a high standard, of a certain class – my mother’s words, not mine. First of all, they all had to have studied overseas at a good reputable university, be from a wealthy family with a good background, be well mannered, and beautiful. Yes, beauty was part of it because she wanted to make sure that she had beautiful grandbabies.

The thing was, I found them all the same, and boring, and they all tended to look and behave in a certain way. Like my mother expected them to. Despite my busy schedule, I had to fit dating into my calendar, or my mother would never quit nagging at me. In fact, Mom had often made Andy, my personal assistant, schedule my dates without even asking me.

People are often curious why a man in his thirties would let his mother walk all over him like that.

I often wondered that myself. But I knew that it was pity. I felt sorry for my mother. First, my dad had an affair and then started another family with that woman. In recent years, my dad had been openly taking his mistress – instead of the official Mrs. Li – to events. And last year, at his birthday party, Dad introduced his illegitimate teenage son to all their guests.

That was what triggered all the madness in Mom. She wanted to make sure that I, as the true heir of the Li family, would inherit the family business when the time came. I didn’t really want to meddle in my parents’ business, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Mom.

My phone buzzed and it was a simple good night message from the last woman I was dating.

Lucy Zhang.

The only one that didn’t bore me.

The only one that didn’t annoy the hell out of me.

The only one that I didn’t want to finish the to-do list with.

Because I didn’t want to prove my mother right. The list was a powerful one and I couldn’t see any man not falling for Lucy after going through the list.

This trip wasn’t just to escape Lucy. I needed a break from my mother. From my power-hungry family.

My thoughts shifted back to June. It still baffled me, why June would need two bedrooms when it was just her. I knew that she worked hard in her career and deserved anything she wanted in her life. But did she want a roommate?

After a short discussion with Clare and Dave, I had decided that I would use the yoga room. The duo would share the second bedroom – since they had to take turns keeping watch at night anyway, so they wouldn’t both be sleeping, or sharing a bed, at the same time.

I didn’t think that we should use June’s home office at all – there might be sensitive information or data about the business that she might not like anyone to know. I personally wouldn’t let anyone into my workspace without permission. My workspace was sacred and I hated it when people disturbed me when I was working or brainstorming business ideas.

Dave had sent instructions to my PI to find out as much information as possible about the residents living in the building. To me, it was just a routine check. Ever since I was kidnapped, my parents had made it part of daily life to background check every single person that I might meet. Just to keep me safe.

You never think that it’s necessary until bad shit happens. Much like insurance.