Chapter 187 - His Great Friends
In the meantime, the Shang Hotel and Casino were closed after the bombing incident. And because the employees were on vacation, Theo sent his men to buy food for their guests and ordered a coffee from a nearby coffee shop.
Sat across from each other, Vincent and Theo having a serious talk regarding the incident as it was something they must work on without delay.
"Since the hotel was under investigation, it is safer to close it down so then we can start the renovation after the case solves," said Theo.
Vincent nodded while he was sipping on his coffee; his brain started doing several changes in his previous design for the hotel. He stated, "This time, it's better that only you and I will know the secret passages."
"Sounds great to me!" Theo approved immediately. He likes the idea, of course. After what had happened, they needed to be extra careful about everything than before. "I think I need to assign a more trusted director to oversee this hotel."
"Who's in your mind?" Vincent had just asked Theo, but speaking of the devil, that man had just arrived.
"Yo! Two CEOs seated in an empty fancy dining hall seem off at this angle." commented a man at the door of that hall. Both men turned their heads to look in his direction.
"Rubin, good to see you." It was Vincent who greeted him first.
Several years ago, he met Rubin Lim when Jeremy Shang, Theo's older brother, was a patient at William Medical Research Facility like him. They were in the rehab together, and Rubin was often in the facility to report everything that happens in their branch company at Mainland City.
"Great to see you, Vincent Shen! Congrats, by the way! Roland told me just now when I am on my way here," said Rubin.
"Hm. Roland has leisure time to gossip to you, but he said nothing to me." Theo grumbled.
"Dang. So it means you didn't know that it was Miss Hailee he was engaged to?" Rubin asked Theo like he was making fun of his young master. He was beaming from excitement to gossip.
Theo was confused; he glances at Vincent with curiosity in his eyes. It seemed like he could not follow the conversation that Rubin opens up out of the blue.
"What did I miss? Hailey who? Or are we talking the same, Hailee?" Theo was asking Rubin, but his eyes remained to stare at Vincent.
"Master Shun's cousin," Rubin answered Theo, who widened his eyes in surprise.
"Do you mean Hailee Davies? Oh, shot! It was Hailee who were you searching back then?" Theo exclaimed out of shock. "You're looking for the princess?"
He nodded. "I didn't know she had this identity until last night."
"Seriously?" Theo and Rubin asked at once.
Vincent nodded. He does not know that the girl he's looking for is someone so important in this world.
He did some research about Davies Group, of course. It is better to be prepared, and at the least, he has little knowledge about his future bosses. But he didn't find the heiress's photo, but only her worth of several trillion dollars. That is an amount in US dollars.
"I was shocked like… What the fuck!? Am I sleeping with my boss? How would I explain it to her dad? And to her executives?" Vincent stressed out.
"And to her cousin, Master Shun Crow." Rubin sniggers at him. The guy was amused, watching his face twitching from shock.
"Seriously!? Chairman Crow is her cousin?" Who didn't know him? He's not only the William Medical Research Facility owner, where he stayed for months for his operation and rehab.
Shun Crow is amongst the most influential men in the business world. He is running a business everywhere. Now to think that Hailee could throw a hundred billion US dollars to him is not impossible. She was indeed from the Royal family!
"Hey! Don't feel gloomy. Shun is a great person. He won't judge you, nor will he be against his cousin's love life. As long as you truly love her, you don't need to migrate to another planet. Otherwise, Shun will hunt you down with his agents." Theo did his best to comfort him.
Vincent flinched with a realization. Now, come to think of it, Shun is also the Mafia Emperor. Wait, could it be that Hailey's dad is? Vincent gulped. He confirmed, "You mean, Section 14? A group of men in the Mafia Association?"
"I think the ones to chase you are Section 15 agents," Rubin corrected him; it sounded like he was threatening Vincent for real.
Vincent fell silent as he mused, 'This underground world is really something.'
"Are you a member of Section 14, Vincent?" Theo asked him with curiosity afterward.
"I attended a few summers back then," he replied, pondering over something.
"Then, nothing you have to worry about!" said Rubin to pacify Vincent while patting his back.
"But I didn't finish the training nor receive the ceremony to become MAS-14… I focused on taking Architecture in later years, so I didn't go back to Italy." Now he wished he were on the same ground as Hailey.
She's getting beyond his reach.
"Well, even if you didn't finish it, as they invite you to the Camp, someone in your family is a member of MAS-15," Theo commented.
"Or Section 10? Your forefathers must be." Rubin echoed. Even he is not from a wealthy family. He received the chance to join because of Theo as his attendant until he becomes his bodyguard and assistant before he works for Jeremy, and the rest is a long story. The Shang can be recommended because of their standing in the Mafia Association.
"Hmm..." Vincent hummed. He didn't answer Rubin directly but averted his eyes.
"Wait… It might be confidential, but are you a Mafia Lord, President Shen?" Rubin scrutinizes Vincent's face as he waits for his response. His tone is solemn this time.
"I wished I had the leisure time running around in the Underground World. But I have no interest, to be honest." His response to Rubin. Even though he would get the invitation to join the underworld, he has no interest in that world. But he wants to stay at Hailey's side.
"I know he isn't, Rubin. If Vincent is a Mafia member, he would know that Hailey is Hailee Davies," Theo concluded; he paused after he realized something. "Wait, a minute... I know now why you didn't find her back then!"
"Oh…" Vince fell silent to contemplate.
"Maybe you came across to people that know Miss Hailee, and that's put an alarm to the whole Mafia Association."
"So, all the people that I tried to ask were a few of them possibly lying to me. That makes sense why I can't search for her," said Vincent after a long thought. "Now I am curious why she came to Metro City."
"What I know, she is in a hurry to finish her city," said Theo. "I heard it from Shun. She is looking for the best architect in the world. She is traveling around to study these places and search for the best designs. I am certain she set her eyes on Metro City of what you've done so far. You are now working on a project for her, right?"
"Yes. So, she came to the city to study my work?"
"You said that it is a little wonderment that you win a contract so easily. They offered you a project without seeing your presentation."
Vincent couldn't agree more with Theo's conclusion. That is possibly true. Hailey probably meant to offer him a contract at the very beginning.
And with the status that she has, there's no way she would reveal herself to the public, which is why she has to lie to him and didn't approach him directly.
Maybe it's not her intention to keep a secret from him. It's just that because of their agreement; she has to play along, which she has no idea that he plans to tie her down to him.
That agreement is just a beginning that she could not get away with this time. But he didn't know Hailey plans to tie him with her offered projects.
There is a smile playing on his lips as his eyes glowed. He muttered, "I think this trip is so worth it."
"And what are you thinking now while smiling like an idiot?" Rubin raises a brow, staring at him, having this expression on his face that it was his first time to be in love. Anyway, he learns from Tim that his boss has never had a girlfriend before.
Vincent rolled his eyes, glaring at Rubin. But maybe true that being in love makes you feel like an idiot thinking about the woman you are in love with.
"To be honest, Hailey and I haven't talked yet about the truth I learned regarding her true identity. Well, she wants to explain her side, but I was in a hurry to come here."
"So the two of you need a heart-to-heart talk," Theo advises him.
"Yeah. It always works!" Rubin echoed with a huge smile across his face. Honestly, he is also madly in love with his wife and was once on a roller coaster courting in the past.
"Hm. Comes from men who get through such situations, huh?" Vincent teases the two men in front of him.
"That is how we won over our wife, duh!" Rubin rolled his eyes, punching Theo's shoulder. "Especially this man, here. You should ask for his advice."
Vincent chuckled. "It's really nice to have friends who are men with experience." Vincent gestured a salute to them.
"I'm not good at explaining. I'm just following what my heart says."
"See? I told ya!" Rubin pointed his thumb in Theo's direction.
Vincent smiled. It's really great to have a few friends who are great men in their own ways. Not to mention they have a wonderful marriage as well.
"Honestly, if I didn't meet Theo three years ago, I would probably give up now and stop hoping that one day I will meet her again. He inspires me, really."
"President Shen is making us cry!" said Rubin humorously.
"Shut up, Rubin!" Both Vincent and Theo exclaimed.
*
Next on:
Metro City, P Country
Looking at his phone, Liam darkened his face, gritting his teeth from rage. Hailee had just announced that she's getting married!
"Huh. When are you going to take care of her?"
Liam throws a dagger look at the woman standing at the doorway. He shouted, "What are you doing here? I didn't call you to come!"
Zenaida has taken a back step forward. But she has important things to report to Liam Huo.
Biting her lip, she uttered, "Eva, canceled her flight."
"What!?" Liam screamed.
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