Zhang Wei neatly arranged the different pictures on the bed. Behind each photo was a brief introduction of each lady.
He looked at the pictures of the different ladies he was to go on a date with. His mother had asked him to choose the top three, so he was carefully checking out their details.
He paused when his eyes fell on Jiang Zoe's picture. Her smile was captivating, and her eyes were full of life. She seemed like she was bustling with energy and life.
She looked pretty familiar, and she reminded him of his new friend, Zane. They had similar facial features, and the surname was the same too. He thought with a frown after he glanced at the back of the picture to check her name. Zane had said he was kind of related to Chairman Jiang. That was probably the reason for the resemblance.
He took out her picture and then patiently read out her details. "Jiang Zoe, Second daughter of the Chairman of Jiang Conglomerate. Studied Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics."
It did make sense that she would study something like that since her father owned a pharmaceutical firm and often sponsored different medical research.
He made a mental note to ask Zane about Jiang Zoe when they meet the following day. He checked the other pictures and decided to go through the pictures with Zane during his break period. That should help them bond better as friends, and he would give Zane the privilege of choosing the top three ladies he would go out with.
Having made that decision, he put the pictures into his drawer alongside the contract paper his parents had asked him to sign before going to bed. He was looking forward to the next day now that he had a friend.
***********
"Grace! What is the meaning of this nonsense?" Mrs. Jiang asked angrily the next morning as she walked into Grace's room without knocking and placed her phone in front of Ann.
"What is it?" Ann asked, peering into the phone sleepily. Mrs. Jiang's voice had roused her from sleep.
Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the picture. It was Wang Tae-Joon carrying someone, a lady.
"I asked her to leave, and she decided to steal your fiance? Haha. And here I was, almost allowing myself to be swayed by your father's plea to let her stay," Mrs. Jiang said hotly.
It was only obvious it was Grace in the picture because the lady was wearing the same outfit Grace had worn to the office the previous day. And Zoe had talked about seeing Grace at the club.
"I think there is a reasonable explanation for this. I spoke with Wang Tae-Joon last night, and he didn't sound like he was in a club. Besides, if he did carry her out, then I think he probably did so because she was drunk, and he wanted to help out as my personal assistant," Ann said confidently.
"I don't trust that girl one bit. You better call Tae-Joon and find out what happened and where he dropped her," Mrs. Jiang said, sitting down.
Ann looked at her with a frown wondering why she was sitting down. "Aren't you leaving?" Ann asked her.
"Leave? No, I'm not. I want to see you call Wang Tae-Joon. I need to be sure this is all a misunderstanding. Or don't you understand how things work in our socialite circle?" Mrs. Jiang asked with a frown.
"Okay. I will call him," Ann said before taking out her phone. She didn't want to think of anything. She needed a blank mind in order to be logical and give him the benefit of the doubt. It wouldn't make sense to be jealous of herself, her own body, in Wang Tae-joon's embrace.
"Place the call on loudspeaker," Mrs. Jiang instructed her immediately after she dialed Tae-joon's number.
"Good morning, Darling. I was just going to call you. I hope you had a good night's rest?" Tae-Joon asked cheerfully, making Mrs. Jiang frown.
"Yes, I did. I hope you did too. Regardless of your busy night," Ann added.
"Busy night? I wasn't busy. I finished up with all the work I had on my desk before returning home. I went to bed after speaking with you. You won't be marrying a workaholic," Tae-Joon added with a teasing tone.
"You didn't go clubbing last night?" Ann asked, sounding surprised.
"Why would I go clubbing when I have work to do in the morning? You didn't tell me you loved clubbing," Tae-Joon said with a frown and made a mental note to add that to the list of things he would do with her.
Both Ann and Mrs. Jiang exchanged a skeptical glance.
"I think you should check the tabloids. You're making the headline," Ann suggested and hung up the call to face Mrs. Jiang.
"Well?" Ann asked.
"He isn't even married to you yet, and he is already having an affair?" Mrs. Jiang muttered in a low voice before walking out to search for her husband.
Ann decided the right person to talk to would be Grace, so she quickly dialed Grace's number as she got out of bed to prepare for work. After several rings and Grace failed to pick up, she decided to just get ready and meet Grace at work.
They were supposed to sign the contract with the foreign investors by 10 am, and they needed to make sure everything was in place for that.
***********
Grace opened her eyes slowly and quickly shut them back when the light from the window hit her directly in the eye.
Her lips and throat were parched, she felt awfully thirsty, her head was banging, and even though she was feeling hungry, she also felt like throwing up.
She rolled to the side and nearly jumped out of her skin when her body brushed against another body.
She quickly opened her eyes to see who it was and almost gasped when she saw it was Tae-Joon. Tae-Joon? Really Tae-Joon?
Snippets of the conversation from last night flashed through her mind. She remembered thinking she was talking to Tae-Joon. He was really the one? On the same bed with her?
She glanced at her outfit to be sure she was okay and groaned when she realized she was wearing just her very revealing camisole and her panties.
What did he do to her? Did he, by chance, touch her? No. She didn't feel like she had been touched, or maybe she just didn't know.
She decided it was best she left before he woke up. She slowly stood up, and even though the room seemed to be spinning around her, she defiantly stood her ground until that wave of dizziness passed.
She picked up her clothes and tiptoed to the door. By now, she already knew where she was, and luckily for her, she had booked a room at this same hotel before going to the club.
She quietly yet hurriedly got dressed before taking out her phone to check the time. She almost screamed when she saw over ten missed calls from Ann. She checked the time and thought she was going to collapse when she realized it was almost 11 am. What had she done? And Why was Tae-Joon still sleeping by this time? She wondered as she stealthily opened the door and crept outside.
She sighed in relief when she got to the hallway and jumped in shock when she saw Tae-Joon walking down the hallway with some of the hotel staff. If the man inside wasn't Wang Tae-Joon, then who was he? She wondered.