Insufferable, deceitful prick!

Feodora faked a smile as she remembered Fei Long's description of her newly arrived, uninvited guest and his bodyguards. John Wong was an old man in his sixties who seemed to believe having a penis made him superior to all those without. The man stood to about her shoulder in height, and while his face was in serious need of Botox, his body could benefit from a few less spring rolls. He was as ugly as Fei Long was beautiful, and she couldn't help but to feel amazed at how the two men shared the same race.

According to the information Fei Long had given her, Wong was a business partner that Mikhail never fully trusted, but he'd kept for certain benefits. She'd remembered how the man had been persistently inquiring about Mikhail's well being for the last few days. It seemed he wasn't quite convinced of the answer he'd been given and had to see for himself if she'd lied about her husband being "busy" with funeral preparations. As a rule, she didn't trust anyone and had told them all the same lie. It appeared to be a wise decision, since Fei Long had also told her that the Wongs had been suspected of working behind Mikhail's back to take over some of their businesses in Macau. The fact that they were there meant they must have heard some rumors.But what had they heard exactly? she thought.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Mr. Wong?" she asked politely in English. Her Cantonese was far better than Mikhail's, but there was no reason to let them know she could speak, read and write the language. From the looks of it, the old man had considered her to be Mikhail's ignorant little wife. Good, she thought. It meant that he was as dumb and ignorant as he was ancient, and she preferred to keep her enemies that way.

"I just came to offer my condolences," Wong replied, trying to stand as tall as he could in front of her. "Where is your husband?"

Feodora just smiled. "As I said before, he's very busy and has asked me to make sure he is not disturbed."

Wong's lips lifted into a sneer that made him even uglier than he already was as he sat down uninvited. "I would suggest you fetch him if he's just busy. We have important business to discuss."

For a moment, she had to wonder if anyone was capable of "fetching" Mikhail Arbatov against his will - an action that even Vladimir had failed most of the time. "My husband has left me in charge of his business. If there's anything you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to speak to me," Feodora replied gracefully, accompanied by a gentle smile. Honestly, she was secretly thinking if her right or left stiletto would look better in the old man's eye, and how much she would enjoy punching it through.

"To leave his business to a woman... the rumors must be true."

Perhaps both, Feodora concluded.

"I assure you, he's fine. I'm looking after his affairs while he's occupied with the funeral. For now please leave your business here with me."

"It's not something I'd discuss with a woman. I'll wait here for his return," Wong replied as he eyed her, showing his irritation. Women should be kept in their places, and should never be allowed to interfere with business. Arbatov should know that sending a woman to receive him was considered an insult. But perhaps the rumors were true, and the Russian had no other choice. According to his sources, Mikhail Arbatov has been struggling with severe drug problems which is why his wife has been keeping him out of the public at all costs.

"Perhaps you would like to discuss it with me?" a silky-smooth voice sounded from behind.

Wong looked over his shoulder and immediately recognized the tall, elegant figure leaning on the door frame. "Liu Sin Saang?"

"Good morning," Feodora quickly greeted. "You slept well, I hope?"

"I did, thank you," Fei Long replied, feeling a little irritated at her last sentence. By making an appearance he'd simply hoped to state Baishe's position as Arbatov's ally to help secure Mikhail's power. Feodora immediately pick up the hint and had decided⎯ without his consent⎯ to expose the fact that he'd slept over, elaborating in one simple sentence the closeness of his relationship with Mikhail Arbatov. Not to mention the way she said it gave him no room to twist the fact around. Goddamn witch!

"As he said," she turned to Wong with a victorious gleam in her eyes. "You may also discuss the matter with Liu Fei Long of Baishe. My husband trusts him with all his heart," she humbly suggested. Fei Long's timing was impeccable and he'd just saved her favorite pair of Jimmy Choo.

Fei Long could see the grin on the old man's face quickly faded. With Baishe's full support, Wong would never dare make a move against the Arbatovs, regardless of the state Mikhail was in. And since there was no use denying their personal relationship, thanks to his wife, he might as well underline this alliance. "Mikhail is still asleep. You can discuss your business with me, or wait until he wakes up. Would you like to join us for breakfast?"

"That won't be necessary," Wong grounded his teeth as he answered. "It can wait. Please give him my condolences and let him know I stopped by." It was a mistake⎯ Liu Fei Long shouldn't have been there! The ties between Baishe and Arbatov should have been severed, according to his information.

He was quickly escorted to his limousine by Arbatov's men. As the car left the gate, Wong took out his cell phone and made a call, cursing quietly to himself. That stunt of his was complete waste of time, and it would seem that his sources' information was incorrect. Their alliance should have been obliterated. Or at the least, Liu Fei Long should have been out of the way.

A woman answered the call after a few rings. Wong quickly spoke into the phone, "Get me Phillip Toh."

xxxx

"I want thirty percent of your shares in the Macau casino." Feodora continued their earlier discussion once they were back in the kitchen as she tended to her freshly baked scones.

"You might as well suck my blood while you're at it," Fei Long replied with a chuckle. Feodora may be the kind of wife who bakes for her husband, but she was clearly better at cooking up business deals than scones. He'd expected a number, not a percentage. "Unfortunately, my reputation doesn't cost that much. Ten percent is as close as it gets."

"You are depriving me of the right to the entire Arbatov fortune, and this is me being kind. Twenty percent and a million dollars in cash."

"It's only a matter of time when that right will be forfeited from you. I can just wait for him to divorce you and not pay a cent."

"Of course," Feodora lifted her chin and smirked at the threat. "You are forgetting the fact that I may sue." She had plenty of evidence, enough to rip off a good chunk of Mikhail's fortune if she wanted to. Of course, she would never do that to Mikhail but that was a fact Fei Long didn't need to know.

"Whatever happened to love?" Fei Long had to wonder. He could tell that she was bluffing. But then again, a woman's mind tends to change by the minute.

"Sex has nothing to do with love, neither does money," she said with mockery in her tone. "A woman does what she can to survive."

Twenty percent of my casino shares is more than surviving, you bloodsucking witch, he wanted to argue. Yet Fei Long could feel his stomach turn at the thought of having to deal with a woman over a lawsuit, especially this woman. "Fifteen percent and a million dollars in cash on the condition that you agree to not sue him, in writing."

"Agreed," she replied quickly. "I'll send over my lawyer."

Just then, a heavy footstep sounded from the hallway, prompting the discussion to pause as they turned to see the intruder. Mikhail entered the kitchen in his crisp white linen shirt and a pair of pale khaki trousers. His blond hair had been carefully combed back to reveal his striking blue eyes while his beard had been shaved neat and clean as it used to be. Fei Long held his breath at the hint of seeing Mikhail returning to his old self again. Perhaps the rapid detoxification did work better than he'd hoped. But somehow, the way Mikhail looked at him that morning made him feel out of place and uncomfortable.

"Good morning," Feodora said, her eyes lit up at the sight of her husband and suddenly the witch had turned into a teenage girl. "How are you feeling?"

Mikhail walked past her to the drawer on the other side of the kitchen island without a response. He took out an opened pack of Marlboro, lighting himself one with a cheap lighter he'd stashed inside the pack. The choice of cigarette and the way he smoked were enough to tell he was still far from being his old self. Feodora seemed to notice that too, judging from the way her smile suddenly faded.

After a brief moment of silence, he turned to Feodora. "Excuse us," he demanded with a tone that left no room for objection.

With that look on his face, she knew she had no choice but to comply. "Try to eat something. You must be hungry," she said before leaving through the dining room door.

The room fell into suffocating stillness when she left. Fei Long stood quietly, watching Mikhail take another puff on the cigarette, and waited for the conversation to be initiated. They hadn't talked since the night Mikhail broke down and cried in his arms. For all he knew the man may not remember a thing, and their relationship may still very well be the opposite of what he'd just led John Wong to believe. In a way, those cold eyes had already confirmed his fear.

Mikhail knocked off the ashes from the cigarette and looked at him as if he was about to pass a death sentence. "Which part of I don't want see you or hear from you ever again do you not understand? Liu..."

"Don't," Fei Long cut in before he could finish the sentence. Don't you say it! At that point he could bear anything except the way Mikhail had chosen to call him lately. Hearing it once was more than enough to leave a scar. "My wound still hasn't healed from the first time you called me that. Must you inflict another?"

Mikhail paused for a second before his lips curled up into a smile that was filled with self-pity and spite. "Did you ever hesitate when you gave me mine?"

Did I? Fei Long swallowed the question with difficulty. It must have been a question that had plagued Mikhail's mind for quite some time. But the worst thing about it was the fact that Mikhail had already known the answer a long time ago, and had somehow decided to accept such treatment, at least until now.

"It was never intentional," Fei Long replied. "You know this. You know me." That much he was certain.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm done knowing you," Mikhail replied with a voice that sounded coarser than it had ever been. He had hoped that what happened the other night was just a dream, that when he woke up he wouldn't have to see the face that gave him nightmares. It appeared Fei Long was really there and must have stayed over since then – a revelation that only gave him a bitter taste in his mouth. The rapid detoxification worked on the heroin, but it did nothing to flush the man out of his system.

Fei Long closed his eyes to the pain as those words tore at his heart. Mikhail had not forgiven him. Why should he? For all the damage he had done to this man, he had done nothing to earn forgiveness nor proven himself worthy to stand by him. It was only fair. Mikhail had wounded him no more than he'd wounded the man.

It's time.

Slowly, he reached up to the gold chain around his neck and slipped it off. "Give me your hand," he asked, gesturing at the one with the gold bracelet around the wrist. Mikhail hesitated a little but soon allowed him to take hold of it.

"When you gave me this, you never told me what it meant," Fei Long said as he positioned the key on the bracelet and began to turn the screw. "You put this around your own wrist and made me wear the key without an explanation." When one side of the bracelet came loose, he moved on to the other. "There is a reason why the Love Bracelet cannot be worn or taken off by yourself. You can't surrender your heart to someone who does not want it, no more than you can take it back without the other's consent."

Fei Long paused just before the second screw came loose. This was it. One more turn and he would free Mikhail from the bondage they had forced upon themselves prematurely. He'd made up his mind to do this two nights before when he'd last held Mikhail in his arms, knowing that it had to be done. But despite his resolve, he suddenly lacked the strength to turn the key for the last time. He gritted his teeth and made himself try, but his hand was shaking too much to finish the task.

It was then that he felt the warmth of Mikhail's hand around his, holding it tight and steady, as if to stop him from turning the key, or so he hoped. But the words he wanted to hear were never spoken and that hand did not try to stop him. Fei Long closed his eyes and tried to swallow the lump in his throat as the roughness of Mikhail's hand pressed against his skin, bringing back the memories Mikhail wanted him to leave behind - a request he could not and would not comply. He would always remember how it felt to be loved and treasured by this man long after it had come to an end.

I will always remember us.

He took a deep breath and turned the key. The bracelet fell off Mikhail's wrist and into the palm of his hand. "You should have told me what it meant," Fei Long said with a faint smile on his face - the only kind he could force himself to give. "And I would have told you that you had it all wrong."

It was always you who held the key to my heart.

"There is something I must do in Japan. Something I must finish before I can stand here in front of you and beg you for forgiveness." He closed his hand tight around the pendent once more before placing the chain around Mikhail's neck. "When I return, I want you to ask me that question you've always been afraid to ask," Fei Long continued, looking into those blue eyes as his hand caressed the gold jewelry on Mikhail's chest. It was a question Feodora had asked him earlier - one he wanted more than anything to be able to answer. But right now it would not be fair or truthful to Mikhail. Not until he'd gotten something out of the way.

"When that time comes and you can find even the smallest measurement of your heart to forgive me, I hope that you will put this bracelet around my wrist with your own hands," Fei Long said as he pushed Mikhail's hand to close around the jewelry. "Where it belongs."

Mikhail just stood there silently, listening to everything he had to say without so much as a change in expression. And when his strong hand closed around the jewelry and tore away from his touch, Fei Long felt his heart being ripped away with it. Everything had gone the way he'd expected it to, but there was still a part of him that wished Mikhail's heart would soften the way it did countless of times before. But that day it didn't happen, and he was sure it was for the best. "Have a safe trip back to Moscow, and come back soon," he said before he'd decided to turn around and walk away. The longer he stayed, the harder it would be for him to leave.

"Fei Long," Mikhail called.

The sound made his knees weak. Hearing Mikhail called him by name made that damn lump in his throat swell up again, and this time it was impossible for him to hold back the tears that he'd tried so hard to hold in. Stop it! Don't you cry in front of him.

"You're welcome to join us for breakfast before you go," Mikhail told him in a rigid and formal tone. They were just words of courtesy, but even then it didn't stop him from wanting, aching to stay.

Pull yourself together! Fei Long took a long, deep breath and wiped the teardrops that managed to get away with the back of his hand. He turned around to face Mikhail, who now stood a few feet too far from his reach, and made a gesture of measurement with his thumb and index finger. "I'm this close to pinning you down on the floor and fucking you senseless," he said with a playful smile, even though his voice still trembled and his cheeks were still damp. "If I stay I will never leave."

It was just a simple joke he said to keep himself from appearing so pathetic, but at that moment Mikhail suddenly looked away for a second. Fei Long noticed his cheeks turned a little red as his lips lifted into his signature, playboy grin. "I do have that affect on people sometimes," he said with a shrug, and for a moment that lasted too soon, the same alluring sparkle returned to those blue eyes.

The sight nearly threw Fei Long off balance. It had to be the first time he saw Mikhail blush like that, and it made all those memories of having the man stripped naked in his bed rush straight to his groin. If he'd known Mikhail would be so adorable when he blushed, he would have teased him much more often when he had the chance.

"Oh shut up," Fei Long hushed, feeling a good amount of weight lifted from his chest to see Mikhail returned to his old self, even for a split second. He may have lost the Love Key, but there was a good chance he would not lose Mikhail to drug relapse, given what he just saw on that handsome face. The most important thing was that Mikhail survived through this, and survived well.

As Fei Long exited the room, Mikhail lit himself another cigarette and knotted his brows as the coarse, disgusting taste reached his tongue. He had been smoking any cigarette he could get his hands on for the past few weeks and didn't notice how horrible it was until that day. Perhaps the detoxification had also brought back his sense of taste and smell, or maybe it had something to do with the fact that he felt suddenly hungry.

"'I'm this close to pinning you down on the floor and fucking you senseless,'" a voice sounded from behind. Mikhail turned around and found Feodora standing by the door behind him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I don't even have to look and I know you must be as hard as a rock," she said in a criticizing tone before she tossed him a brand new pack of Treasurer Black. "Enough with the cheap cigarette. I can't stand that awful smell."

Mikhail glared at her annoyingly for a second before crushing the white cigarette in the nearby tray and lit himself a black one. While he didn't like her eavesdropping on him, he was rather thankful for the smoke. "By the way, what were you discussing behind my back in the kitchen?" he suddenly remembered.

"My divorce," she replied without hesitation.

Her divorce. She said it as though it had nothing to do with him. "Without my consent?"

"Why? Would you have made a bigger offer?"

Mikhail rolled his eyes and sighed. Sometimes he wondered if she could make someone bleed just by talking. "Why would Fei Long want you to divorce me?"

"A man's pride can be a costly thing," she replied, intentionally omitting the details about Fei Long wanting him back. It didn't benefit her for him to know, and she doesn't do things without a profit.

"What did he offer you?" he asked curiously.

"Fifteen percent of his casino shares, and a million dollars in cash."

Mikhail raised a brow. "For giving up access to my bank account? Did you suddenly develop a sense of compassion while I was asleep?" He could understand the fifteen percent of shares, but a million dollars in cash? Considering Feodora's spending habits, it wouldn't last her more than a few weeks on Via Condotti.

"He is the man you love," she said sarcastically. "But considering that I'm getting the better end of the deal, I've decided to be kind and require only a little compensation for the pain he's put me through. Call it retribution, if you will."

Mikhail narrowed his eyes suspiciously. She was already managing most of the family's fortune for his father. The amount she was speaking of was miniscule in comparison and definitely not the better end of the deal. "There's something you're not telling me."

Feodora smiled. "I'm three months pregnant, and in my womb lies the only heir to the entire Arbatov fortune."

xxx