Hanh's POV

The day went by in a blur. I was still very upset that Ainsley had now decided to tell me we were kinda stranded in a foreign country. But the best part of actually having a job, even though it feels very fake, was that I can just focus on the work, instead of my feelings.

"You're doing good, Kira. I was a bit worried after seeing the commotion with your friend and Erika," Chisato said. And I was very grateful that I ended up with a nice coworker that was training me.

"I know, Ainsley is a work of art," I responded, sighing. Chisato giggled.

"Well, you know, Erika is not exactly loved here. So, I could confidently say the whole situation was amusing to most of us!"

"You're joking," I responded with my jaw dropped.

She laughed this time before responding, "Yes! My friend and I were talking about the possibility of her being the quote-unquote American hire! We were talking about if she would show up today as well! Talk about disappointment!"

"Are those really a thing in Japan?" I got closer to her, excited for once during this trip.

"Yes! It's typically an American, because they are willing to tell the boss when their idea is not doable, but I could see it being the case if Erika was the problem!"

"And here I was kinda of feeling bad for her."

"Please don't be! She is the mean girl at the hotel for a reason! And those twins are no joke either."

Chisato and I were giggling like little girls as we were moving on into the next room, and for once, one day in Japan wasn't turning out for the worst. Today was also the last day of the IVC. Apparently, this convention lasted several days, but Ainsley and I never researched that much into it. Ainsley already said that it was unnecessary because we would only be spending one day during the IVC, but she was clearly wrong. The last part of my shift was sending off the guests, and it just reminded me of my college days, right before the breaks, where the international students were all dressed up in the most designer brands, despite the rest of us wearing sweatshirts or tshirts. And I for one, was grateful that I blended in with the rest of the staff. I had zero intentions of drawing even more attention than before. I had kept my head done the entire time.

I wasn't dumb to think those black market auctions that I was just sold at, were being held for normal people. Those are the IVC are for the rich and wealthy. And those that I was sending off with the rest of the staff were the rich and wealthy. I was not interested in having anyone recognize me either, but there was one rich guy that I recognized. He was coming in the hotel, not leaving it, and he was bringing in a special guest too. The scariest thing was that he was smiling as he was talking to her. Even though I had stressed to myself that I wasn't going to draw any attention to myself, but I couldn't take my eyes off the newly changed man. It was Soryu, and his special guest was an Asian woman wearing her black hair in a bun, with front layers that framed her face and went down to her shoulders. She was also dressed in a red cheongsam, giggling at something Soryu said.

I guess Soryu felt me staring, because he made eye contact with me only for me to look away. If it was important enough to involve me, I was hoping he would let me know. His love life, even if he was known to hate women, was none of my business, and I was not going to get invested in that business when I can barely invest in my own love life. We had finished sending off all the guests, and I was saying bye to Chisato when I felt a vibration in my pocket. I pulled out my phone, which showed one text message from the nincompoop saying, "Come to the penthouse when you're done."

I rolled my eyes, like where else would I go. I was hoping that his lady friend would have made him care less about me, but I guess he was still keeping an eye on me. I made my way up to the penthouse, and as I got closer, I could hear faint laughter coming. Ainsley quickly appeared by me, making me jump.

"Dang, he got you paranoid like that already?" she asked.

"How are you already done with your shift? I remember in college that you would only work the night shifts due to the money?"

"Well, the bar here is open 24 hours. I guess rich people drink at all times of the day. And I wanted to support you in a way."

"Is your friendly side coming out because of your guilt?"

She gave me a shocked look, and brought her hand to her heart like she was hurt by my accusation.

"Ouch! You know I'm not like this! I definitely wouldn't have brought you here if I knew this was going to turn out like this!"

I looked at her from my side, not amused at her defense. She chuckled.

"But you know, this is going a lot better and more fun than I originally thought this trip was going to be!"

She and I opened the door to the penthouse together, revealing all of the guys along with the lady in the cheongsam from before. And Baba was in the middle of woo-ing her.

"Your eyes are like stars that sparkle in the night sky," he said, while holding her hand.

"Haha, your friends are weird, Soryu," she responded, looking towards him.

"Baba is . . .special," Soryu quickly corrected.

"Ooh, who is this beauty," Ainsley joined in.

The lady's eyes lightened up when she saw Ainsley.

"Hi! I am Mei Ling! Nice to meet you!" she said excitedly. I didn't know that Soryu was fond of bright and cheery girls. My author's mind only went to that typical troupe of the grumpy one x the sunshine, and I never had actually seen one properly in real life. I glanced back at Soryu to see if the way people typically describe love accurately, but I was kinda disappointed. All he had was an annoyed look, but that was more directed at Ainsley than Mei Ling. Although one could say that it was harder to determine if he had that look towards Ainsley or Mei Ling, because at this point, they were sitting together, chatting like old friends.

"Those two women are basically employees," Soryu clarified.

"Ooh," Mei Ling responded.

"Excuse you, I am not basically an employee. I am a freelancer, and these weirdos just happen to have a lot of money," Ainsley interjected.

I think I saw Soryu roll his eyes.

"Mei Ling is the only daughter of the boss of the Bell Crickets, an organization that is very close to the Ice Dragons. She came here from Hong Kong to take care of something urgent," Soryu explained.

"Oh, I thought she was your girlfriend," Ota said.

"In any case, a beautiful lady like you is always welcome here," Baba added.

"But Soryu doesn't know how to treat a lady to anything!" Ota continued.

"If you stay with me, I can make your stay in Japan something you'll never forget," Baba added.

Soryu ignored them and talked to Mei Ling.

"How about her," Soryu said while nodding his head towards me.

"That's fine, but I would also like Ainsley to take care of me too!" Mei Ling responded, remembering their little exchange as Ainsley quickly went to her earlier.

"No surprise! I am awesome!" Ainsley responded.

"She's not reliable," Soryu quickly said.

"You're not reliable," Ainsley retorted.

Mei Ling giggled, "Let's all go tomorrow to that festival! I'm sure going with a bunch of girls! And at least the one you trust is going too, top of Ainsley!"

Soryu didn't look fond of that idea, but it looked like he was trying to work with Mei Ling's wishes. Soryu reluctantly agreed. Soryu eventually showed her to her own room, and the rest of us retired. Once Soryu and I entered his room, he went to the couch.

"Sit down." I was not surprised and went to sit across from him.

"She is a very important guest, if something were to happen, you're as good as dead."

"Yes sir."

"And especially keep an eye on your friend. She would be the most problematic."

"Yes sir, I understand."

"And just so we are on the same page, Mrs. Hanh, I know who you are. I know where you live, and I know where your friends and family live."

My heart hammered in my chest.

"What?" I let out in a whisper.

"Your real name is Hanh Pham. Your family immigrated to the States from Vietnam when you were 4 years old and currently reside in Florida. You met Ainsley Carter kindergarten. Shall I continue?" I could feel a bead of sweat roll down my back.

"No," I whispered out.

"Now, I'll be honest with you. It's a big pain to kill you and the rest of your loved ones, so let's make this more enjoyable for both of us. I know you're smarter than your friend, so I trust that you know what you should do. I am a man of my word, so no harm will come if you don't do anything you're not supposed to do. Understand?" I understood, but I barely know the guy. This guy is a criminal, and I don't know what morals this guy has.

"How can I trust your words?" I asked, after gathering my own courage.

"You don't have much of a choice. But let's not dwell on the unpleasantries. We have quite the day tomorrow. And I expect you to keep your friend in check. She has quite the talent for finding trouble, but I am sure that can handle it. You've done well surviving her influences. Now get some rest. I would think you need it for tomorrow."