Riya was still asleep in a private room. The doctor injected strong pain killers that knocked her out for almost fourteen hours. The nurses were coming to check on her every four hours. There was so much noise coming from the hallway. The television was also on in the receptionist area. People talking and the television going on were starting to wake Riya up. She slowly opened her eyes but the lights were too bright. She closed her eyes immediately to ease the pain. She waited for a minute for the pain to go away. She tried for the second time. She slowly opened them, it was not as bright as the first time. She closed her eyes again to ease the little pain. Then she opened them again and the pain disappeared.
She was looking at the white ceiling with a small bulb facing her. She looked to the right and saw two windows. It was still dark outside but the sky was slightly turning into dark blue. Then she looked to the left. There was medical equipment next to the bed. There was a side table next to her with a vase of water. Riya finished looking at the room. Her stomach was making noises. She held it so the noises could stop but that did not help. She was really hungry because she did not eat supper yesterday. She was more interested in saving Bingting from getting raped. Riya wondered how Bingting was feeling right now. She was getting really hungry. She tried to lift herself but her lower back was aching. She was struggling to get up by herself but she did not give up.
Two giant hands were on her shoulders. Riya looked to the side. A man was right next to her. He pulled her up slowly and allowed her back to rest on the pillow. He made sure that she was sitting upright. Then he took a seat on the chair and sat right in front of her. Riya looked at him for a moment. He looked handsome with his fair skin and those wonderful manly features. Riya recognized him immediately.
"You...you are the one who saved me last night.", she spoke and pointed her index finger at him.
"Yep. If I didn't come at the right time, you would have been dead by now. How are you feeling?", he asked.
"My back is aching and I got barely feel my leg.", she was being honest.
"The doctor did say that some of the pain will go away in twenty-four hours."
Riya nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't get your name."
"Wang Liang.", he answered.
"I'm Riya Moodley. Nice to meet you.", she offered him a handshake.
He accepted her handshake. "Nice to meet you too."
Riya could feel the strength by just holding his hand. She released her hand from his. "So, you are the owner of The Lotus Flower Hotel.", she started having a conversation.
"Yes.", he lifted his arms in the air and placed them on the back of his head.
"Wow, your arms look big and strong.", she randomly said that.
"I train five days a week and I eat healthily. I heard you had a rough day yesterday."
Riya nodded. "Yeah, it's all about becoming a businesswoman. Michael told me yesterday that I mustn't bother about becoming one.", she said while looking at her fingers.
Liang released his hands from his head. "You shouldn't worry about what he said. If you want to become a businesswoman then do it. Don't allow all his comments to make you stop from achieving your goals."
"I know but I'm tired of getting those comments. I went through so much in the make-up industry. Now I'm worried about the contract.", she remembered that contract. She looked at Liang with some fear. "I need to go.", she was about to get up but Liang stopped her.
"No you don't.", he held her shoulders.
"But I need to go through the contract and signing before I get into so much shit."
"Moods, your contract is with me. You are not going to the hotel tomorrow.", he was easing her worry.
Riya looked at him. "When do I start?", she asked.
"Yingjie told me that he wants you to start on 24 June. He is just in a meeting with his cousin. We both know how that will go.", he said.
Riya was feeling much better. Then she noticed Liang's palms on her shoulders which was making her uncomfortable. "Please let go of me.", she said politely.
A bad boy smile appeared on his face. "Not until you are lying on the bed Moods."
Riya looked at him. "What you just call me Wang?"
"Moods, short form for Moodley. Now lie down."
Riya listened to him. She slowly moved her back to the pillow. Liang helped her by putting the pillow upright. She put her back and head on the pillow. Liang went back to see the seat. Riya's stomach started making noises again but louder than Liang heard it. He picked up a green pastel box from the table. Riya looked at him. He opened the box and then placed it on Riya's lap. She looked at him with a blank expression.
"I made a sandwich for you because I knew you would be hungry."
"Thank you.", she picked up a slice of the sandwich. It was chicken and mayo with lettuces. She took a bite. "Ah.", her lower lip was sore but she managed to a piece in her mouth. She looked at the sandwich and nodded with a smile. "It's delicious.", she said.
"Thank you.", he said with a smile.
"I'm sure your parents are worried about why you are at the hospital.", she took another bite.
"Well, I lost my parents when I was ten months old. They were killed in a car accident. Kris and I are biological cousins. His parents adopted me a few days after my parents' funeral. I was taken as their eldest son. Kris and I don't consider ourselves cousins because we are so close. We consider ourselves brothers. My aunt and uncle are my parents now.", he explained.
"Sorry about that. It seems like you and I have a similar background. My father was also killed in a car accident when I was eighteen."
"Sorry about that."
"Not your fault. You didn't know. So Wang, how did you start your business?", she asked.
"I started my business while I was still in the entertainment industry. I was twenty-two years old. As years when by, my business started growing and growing. This year, I have over a hundred and fifty hotels opened across the world."
"Wow, how old are you?", she asked out of interest.
"Twenty-six, turning twenty-seven in November."
"Wow, that's amazing. I honestly thought you were in your thirties. I wish I was in that position."
"You will get there. Yingjie gave me your report and he wants me to help you with that. When you are better, come to my house and I will teach you. You will get irritated and frustrated that you want to give up. But you mustn't say that, you must say 'I will succeed no matter what.", he suggested.
Riya felt slightly encouraged that she wanted to start now. "Well, Wang..."
There was a knock on the door. Riya and Liang looked at the door. It was Michael. Riya looked at him with an indifferent expression. Michael entered the room with a smile. Riya was getting scared because he was smiling at her.
"Hello Riya.", he politely greeted her.
"Go...away.", she snapped then looked away from him.
"You don't mean that.", he stopped in front of her.
Riya looked at him. "Really? You want to bet?", she asked.
"Come on Riya, I'm sorry for what I said. You will also start on the 24 June as originally planned. I did a lot of thinking while kissing Bingting the entire time.", he said while embarrassed.
Riya did not want to hear that part. "Mr. Wu, you had to tell me that.", she said.
"I thought you love hearing those things."
Liang looked at him with confusion. "Not from her boss. That's weird.", he said to Michael.
"Don't you tell your employees about your love life?"
"No, my love life is private.", Liang said.
Riya agreed with Liang about keeping love lives private. Riya closed the box so she could eat the sandwich later. Someone was screaming from the hallway. Michael nearly flinched when he heard that. Liang looked at the hallway. The nurse switched the television to the news. A young woman appeared on the screen.
"Two hundred and fifty victims appeared at the police station at midnight. It appears to be the missing women and girls from the school two nights ago. They have been staying in the station for the night. Lucy Song has the report. Let's hear the answers.", the woman spoke.
The screen changed to the victims and a couple of police officers standing next to them. There was a female journalist standing in front of a victim with a mic in her hand. A small girl was standing in front of the journalist. Riya was going to read the English subtitles because she did not understand Mandarin.
"Tell us what happened for the past two nights?", the officer asked then she placed the mic just below the victim's lips.
"The rumors are true. We were kidnapped by Yanwu's men. The men had scary white skeleton tattoos on the right side of their necks. We had been beaten by them if we disobeyed them. The men also forced us to use these dresses. We did not see Yanwu because we were kept in a dark room. We were taken to The Forbidden Harbor last night to be sold to other gangsters from other countries.", the woman explained.
"Then who saved you all last night?"
"We were saved by a woman."
The journalist looked shocked when she heard the answer. She was speechless for a moment. Finally, she had the encouragement to ask some more questions "Can you describe this woman?"
"We can't remember what she looks like because we were still recovering from our trauma. But the woman was wearing a white mask."
"But did she tell you a name?"
"This girl standing in front of me gave her a name. She is naming this woman White Jaguar. Tell her why you gave the woman that name?", the victim asked the girl.
The journalist placed the mic by the girl. The girl looked scared but she answered. "Because she is as fast as a jaguar.", the girl answered.
The nurse switched the television off. Michael was frozen when he heard that. Riya was interested in this Yanwu dude. Liang was also shocked but not as shocked as Michael. But Liang was happy that the two hundred and fifty women and girls were safe and alive. Riya grabbed her phone from the table. She unlocked her phone. She went to calls and looked for Holly's name. She found it and clicked on it to call her. She waited for Holly to answer. Liang turned around when he saw Riya busy on the phone. Riya was waiting for Holly to answer. Then she cut the call.
"Holly must be sleeping or trying to scare Lucas.", she whispered.
"What do you need?", Liang asked.
Riya looked at him. "I need Holly's laptop. No, Michael, it's not what you are thinking.", she knew that he was going to ask her if she was going after Yanwu.
Michael looked at her with shock. "How do you know what I was thinking?", he asked.
"Because I can see in your face."
"Oh, but are you still going to work at the hotel?"
"Yep because I need to provide for myself. Plus, I love my apartment.", she was being honest.
Michael was happy about that. Riya looked at her phone for a moment. Then she placed it on the table. Then she looked at Liang who was staring at her. She gave him a smile. He smiled back at her. She rested her head on the pillow and looked at the ceiling.