Chapter 12: Reunion

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Terrified, Tang Mi turned around, only to see a waiter holding a tray, looking at her in surprise and somewhat at a loss. “Miss, would you like some champagne?” he asked.

She exhaled in relief, took a glass, and replied, “Thank you.”

As the waiter disappeared, she took a sip, the chilled drink gradually calming her tense nerves. The terrace was quiet, with a faint scent of pine in the crisp air. The murmur of the guests, muffled by the soundproof doors, felt distant, as though she were miles away from it all.

She felt secure here, for the moment.

But suddenly, a voice rich and magnetic emerged from the shadows, as if the devil himself had softly whispered in her ear: “Mind sharing a glass of champagne with me?”

Her hand trembled, and the glass slipped, plummeting toward the ground—much like her sinking heart. The fragile glass was about to shatter, but just before it hit the ground, Arthur’s hand caught it firmly, holding it in his grasp. He took a sip from the glass, smiling with satisfaction. “Have you missed me in all the days we’ve been apart, my dear honey?”

“Yes,” she replied honestly, lifting her gaze to him. “In my nightmares.”

“And I think of you constantly—every time my wound flares up,” Arthur replied, stepping closer. He placed both hands on the railing, trapping her between himself and the edge.

“I’m sorry—I should have used real poison instead of anesthetic, so you could have died quickly rather than suffering slowly,” Tang Mi responded, mimicking his smile with one of her own that was both genuine and merciless.

“Don’t be so heartless, I could never bear to let you suffer,” Arthur stared at her lips, the delicate lines and petal-like color tempting him in the moonlight, and he couldn’t help but remember the soft texture he had once tasted and the pain in his wrist.

At that time, the poison on her hairpin wasn’t the poison of the Maasai people, but an anesthetic. Although it wasn’t lethal, it would leave a person unable to get out of bed for three days, and the excruciating pain from the inflammation of the wound was so intense that it made him feel as if he wanted to chop off his entire wrist just to catch a breath.

An eye for an eye was Arthur’s belief, and the pain Tang Mi brought him was like some kind of hallucinogen, mixing with her stunning beauty, swirling and screaming in his mind. At first, he thought of revenge, but as time passed, hatred gradually condensed into an inexplicable longing, eventually transforming into an unreasonable desire filling his chest, like a strange and surging undercurrent, with its source in her.

This pain, he had to return it tenfold.

Arthur smiled, suddenly leaned down to seal Tang Mi’s lips, and then, inch by inch, meticulously and accurately attacked, sucking and pressing. He wanted her to remember every one of his movements, every touch, every breath, and then imprint his memory in her mind, as if only this way could he return to her the strange suffocation and torment in his heart. As for her willingness?

That was not in his consideration.

Tang Mi passively endured his weight, the biting pain on her lips, her mouth invaded by his domineering tongue, stealing all her breath and disorienting her consciousness. Every nerve in her body was drawn and controlled by his breath.

After the shock came an uncontrollable rage. She couldn’t resist his brute strength and the invasion of his lips and tongue, so she bit down hard, her arm simultaneously swinging up sharply. “Slap!” It didn’t land as she intended, hitting only his hand instead of his face, and then he tightly seized her wrist.

“I warn you, this is not the savannah. If you keep acting like this, I’ll…” Tang Mi’s eyes widened, her shoulders trembling slightly from anger.

“What will you do? Shout?” Arthur chuckled, looking at her. Her terrified and helpless expression made him feel like the damned big bad wolf, but she was never a docile little lamb. In an instant, the sharp gaze of a white lion flashed through his mind.

“Heh, not a bad idea. I should call everyone over and let them all know about Mr. Kano Solomon. Not only is he engaged in the arms trade in Africa, but he’s also suspected of illegal imprisonment and intentional harm. Don’t forget, the photos you traded are already stored in the magazine’s computer, maybe they’ll even be the cover for the next issue.”

Tang Mi pressed her hand against his chest, chin raised, her eyes flashing with defiance.

Arthur gently twirled a strand of her hair that hung down to her neck, running his fingertips through it. He adored the look in her eyes right now, sharp and radiant, like a diamond hidden behind an icy shard, making one instinctively want to get closer, to dig and collect, even if it meant getting hurt in the process. He leaned close to her neck and whispered softly, “Darling, you’re strong, I have to admit, but it’s still not enough to confront me. Unless something unexpected happens, your African elephant album will become the cover for the next issue, but all the photos related to people will be deleted. This morning, the CEO of Explorer magazine personally called to confirm this with me.”

Tang Mi glared at his face, the deep contours under the moonlight so handsome it made her heart tremble, but all she wanted right now was to tear it apart and stomp on it.

She didn’t doubt his words. She had seen too many unbelievable things from this man. It wasn’t surprising that he could sway the magazine CEO’s decisions. Even if he could influence the decisions of the UN Secretary-General, she wouldn’t be shocked. What truly puzzled her was his true identity and the purpose of his appearance here.

The night wind brushed past the two in an ambiguous position, and at the same time, the door creaked open with a “creak.”

Arthur, alert, loosened his grip and casually looked toward the door connecting the terrace to the hall, greeting, “Good evening, Mr. Ma Jin!”

“Good evening, Mr. Solomon. Oh, Tang, so you’re here. I’ve been looking for you for a while,” Ma Jin’s gaze lingered for a moment on the two standing on the terrace, before quickly softening, and he smiled at Tang Mi.

“Ma Jin,” Tang Mi felt relieved upon seeing her foster father, as if saved by a soldier. She hurried to his side, instinctively using her body to block Ma Jin’s view of Arthur.

Fortunately, Ma Jin didn’t continue to notice Arthur, and instead focused on pulling Tang Mi into the hall, speaking as they walked, “The charity auction has already started. Your donated photos are about to be auctioned off. It’s rather impolite for the donor to be absent.”

If Ma Jin turned around at this moment, he would see the deep, unreadable gaze that Arthur had cast upon him, sharp and vigilant but not murderous, like a complex and intricate web that obscured the true intentions hidden beneath. Was it for hunting or for protection?

Everything remained as unclear and dark as the night itself.

A gust of wind blew, clouds obscured the moonlight, and the shadows of the trees were scattered. Only the mournful cry of a crow could be heard as it left its perch.