Page 29 of Billionaire’s Promise

Dr. Rose really missed out by not staying with us for dinner. I couldn’t wait to boast about what we had this evening.

Dave and Clare didn’t join us for dinner, either. Most of the time, they seemed like they were doing nothing other than standing around. In the background though, I knew they had to collaborate with another team – the invisible one that made sure things run smoothly for Kai’s day-to-day.

Dr. Rose had gone home to tend to her daughter whom she had adopted with her partner. She tried to help her patients as much as she could, often even after working hours, but if the situation allowed, she would always try to have dinner with her family. I respected her for having her principles. Still, I wished she’d joined us for dinner tonight. Kai had ordered way too much food.

I made chit chat with Jenny over dinner and found out that she went to a boarding school in Britain, then went on to study at a university in London, then France. We didn’t talk about her husband at all. Although there was no reason to suspect her husband was the person who caused her those injuries at this point, I preferred if Jenny brought up the topic herself when she was ready.

“I see now why my cousin is never satisfied with any of his dates.” She changed the topic of the conversation, tired of talking about herself.

“Oh? Why is that?” Kai stopped chewing, intrigued by what Jenny was going to say next.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Jenny punched Kai on his forearm as Kai childishly flicked her on the arm. Then she pointed at me like I was the fucking answer.

7

Kai

Jenny’s words came as a surprise. Was she right though? June was unquestionably different to most of the women that I’ve dated, but in what way? I didn’t have an answer.

“You mean American girls?” June chimed in. She didn’t seem surprised at all. If anything, she seemed kind of happy about what Jenny implied.

Jenny smiled cryptically and didn’t answer. I hated when she did that – left things unsaid. It drove me mad, and she had done this to me all my life.

It was nice to see Jenny warming up to June so quickly, interacting like they’d known each other for a long time. Jenny wasn’t a difficult woman, but she’d had a very sheltered life. Her parents had been planting this idea in her head her whole life that people only befriended her for her money.

To be honest, her parents weren’t wrong about that. Over the years, I've met plenty of gold diggers. Not everyone wanted to marry me of course. They befriended me for any kind of monetary reward – from something as small as a free meal, to something as big as a business partnership for those who were really ambitious. The ultimate prize was of course, marrying the trophy and inheriting their fortune.

Growing up, I never believed people would do things like that – until I got kidnapped. I could only remember part of the terrifying experience. In the immediate aftermath, I couldn’t remember anything. But eventually, fragments of my memory came back to me when I least expected them.

I found out later that it was my best friend’s mother who collaborated with the kidnappers. So, at a very young age, I had learned that some people would do anything to get money.

“American girls are really nice,” I teased.

Jenny was kind of right. I did like western girls. They were generally more open-minded and not constrained by the unspoken social rules and emotional blackmail of their overbearing parents.

“What’s the difference? You just want someone pretty to fuck, right?” June tried to sound nonchalant. But her face turned the color of a tomato, as if she was a virgin.

“Think about your upbringing, June. Didn’t they tell you nonsense about how to behave? Women shouldn’t do this. Women aren’t allowed to go to certain places. Women shouldn’t say certain things. Women shouldn’t think in certain ways.” Jenny let out a sigh.

“Excuse me,” I interrupted, “it applies to men as well.”

Jenny rolled her eyes at me. I knew it wasn’t quite the same, but I was not in the mood to argue with her. She had no idea how many times my parents expected me to perform so I could carry on the family torch, simply because I was their son. There were plenty of ridiculous rules that men had to follow too.

“And the pressure to be stick thin.” Jenny coughed out those words.

June coughed in agreement. “Exactly. Although it might be impolite to talk about it, it is implied. But things are changing now.”

“Some people are obsessed with ancient teachings. But you know what, Confucius was a sexist pig who divorced his wife because she stopped him from being successful in his career. You know what, I think he was a closeted gay. And he much preferred to spend all his days hanging out in his boy’s club, with his all male students – rather than going home to his wife and kids.”

I nodded. I never thought about Mr. Moral in that way. There was no way of knowing Confucius’s sexuality now that he had been dead for thousands of years, but a lot of his teachings were dated. It made me question whether the man should be worshiped like he is in some countries. Kind of like how slave owners shouldn’t be looked up to in this day and age.

June was eating her dinner like she was snacking in the cinema. Clearly having fun enjoying the banter between Jenny and me.

“It can’t be that bad being a woman, can it?” I asked, not seeing how being burdened with upholding the family name and being raised to be the heir was less than what women endured.

“Yes, it can. Ask Jenny.” June replied, causing me to turn to look at Jenny.

Tears welled up a little in her eyes and I knew that I’d said the wrong thing.