Blinding light rested on Ilyana's closed eyes. Under her eyelids, her eyeballs moved to resist the naughty eyes that had disturbed her sleep, reminding him of the man last night who kept going on and on despite claiming it to be his first time. When her black eyes opened, her gaze stared blankly at the ceiling of the room. The golden dragon that was painted alongside the black roses on the ceiling stared back at her as she lost her mind in the view. She blinked her eyes and finally gathered enough energy to push herself from the bad to sit up.
The moment she moved, the silky sleeping robe slide over her shoulders, almost showing the full curve of her bosom.
Ilyana looked at the place beside her, finding it empty and a frown immediately weaved her eyebrows together.
She didn't remember wearing any sleeping robe and her body felt clean despite the long hour she spent in a hot mess with him, meaning he must have woken up early and immediately took her into the bath and even doll her up.
Lev has disappeared. His clothes had also left the room without a trace and there was no sign of his blonde hair that she tugged tightly last night. Everything about him dissipates into thin air as if he had became one with the wind.
Ilyana stayed silent as she stared at the ruffled bedsheet, the only place that Lev couldn't seemed to fix. The memories of last night slowly filled her head again, reminding her how she had rested on his body and climbed on top of him. She also recalled seeing his cheeks flushed down to his chest and how strong his leg muscles are as he carried her entire weight between him.
How Lev's voice was so sweet as he groaned when he felt pleasure or when she stroke the back of his ears reverberate deeply in her mind even though she was drunk in both the rice wine and love.
Yet. Despite. Showing. Him. Such. A sweet. Memory. LEV LEFT HER!
Was this a courtesy of the western men— to leave their partner right after they had made love?
She didn't plan on making it a one night stand but it appears to Lev what happened last night should only be remembered for one night.
"Damn that pretty love," murmured Ilyana who felt her back winced as she had overexercised last night. "He's pretty tough isn't he? To move so nimbly and escape right after the mess he made on me last night."
Looking at how Lev really won't come back, as he didn't leave anything important that would make him come back, Ilyana pulled her silk robe over her shoulder and tied a tighter knot around her waist. She held a deep hum inside her throat as she thought of what she should do now as a revenge to Lev who had left her alone. But she didn't see how she needed to fear him escaping her, not when he is working under her.
It would be an abuse of power to fire Lev and deep from the bottom of Ilyana's heart she never planned to ever fire the pretty gem she had just found. She thought if she should tease him but come with a better idea.
If he left by his own choice last time, then now she would make all his choices to turn back to her. Trapping doesn't seem to be the right vocabulary on her new approach to Lev… yes… Ilyana would like to call it as —seducing.
She will seduced Lev back to the point he would get so addicted to her and would have no choice but to remain by her side. Ilyana who had created her own twisted plan curled the corner of her lips, her beautiful face seemed to glow even brighter as she seemed happy that she had a new goal to focus.
On the other hand in the same afternoon, Lev's face snapped to his left side as the big man in front of him had punched his jaw.
The three men, draped in the black coat had made Lev kneel on the cold ground by kicking the back of his leg. Lev had made no sound as she endured the sharp pain he felt as he got kicked and punched. His handsome face remained unbothered as the man abused him.
"Zhège fēngzi." Cursed one of the tree man. The man was shorter than the rest and he hadn't punched or kicked Lev but compared to the rest he was much more evil as he would order others to hurt Lev and enjoy to see how the western man would say nothing as he got beaten. He pushed the small round sunglasses that barely covered his eyes and kicked Lev over his shoulder. "You do know that we will come here to wait for your debt and you daringly walk proudly in front of us and even ignored our existence?"
Lev didn't want to respond. He didn't particularly ignored these men. Usually, he would avoid them at all costs, even more than how he would avoid a deadly famine. But after what he experienced last night, he felt so much joy that he forgot that these men was walking in front of him, waiting for him to come home.
Lev lifted his face, his long blonde lashes mixed beautifully well with his green eyes, "I don't remember ever owing any debt to you people."
"You don't?" The same man scoffed and looked at his two subordinate before bursting out into loud laughter. "You stupid bastard. You live with that bastard who died last week right? That bastard owe us money and I heard he was the one who helped you come here to Shanghai. So if he is dead who else would carry the debt over if it isn't you?"
Dumbfounded by what these men said which made zero sense in his head, despite both of them speaking in english, made Lev to simply stared at him while wondering if this man had lost his marbles. "That man died because of you people. He also told me that you will one day kill him and that's the reason why I have been avoiding to walk near you. I didn't hide because I owe you any debt and I am not his family who had promised to pay for his leftover debt."
Lev recalled the man who had brought him to Shanghai. He was a fellow westerner, hailed from Germany. As westerners tend to be hated in Shanghai, most of them gathered together to help out one another. But Lev wasn't stupid enough to trust everyone around him blindly. He also knew the moment he met Braun, how he seemed to always drunk on something or maybe high on an unknown substances. Lev didn't want to participate in his action thus he never asked. Although Braun was odd, he was still a kind man who had helped him without tricking his money. Braun had also warned him how the local Chinese should be the ones that they feared as to them westerners are disposable— meaning even if he was to die now, no one will bother to find his body or the cause of their death.
"Did I ask?" Asked the man who then looked at his tallest subordinate standing on the right of him. He nudged his chin as if to allow him to take another punch on Lev again. "You need to know one thing, lǎowài, a foreigner like you have no say in the rules I made. I rule this street and what I say is the law here. No one can help you, not even the proudest Pandora! So let me tell you one thing. When I say you have debt, you have a debt. When I say you have to pay for it, you have to pay for it. It doesn't matter if you agreed to it or not, you still have to pay for the money that I want you to bring.
Then isn't that robbery? Lev asked in his mind but he couldn't reply as he saw another balled fists come after his face. He managed to turned his cheeks around, letting his cheekbones to be marred without his nose being broken. He wouldn't have cared either way if his face was punched but somehow hearing how much Ilyana praises him to be beautiful last night, he didn't want his face to be ruined… and disappoint her.
"Dàgē," said the subordinate who was holding Lev down on the ground. "This guy, he doesn't seem to be listening to you."
The boss who had been making the crazy demand narrowed his eyes at Lev. His veins popped on his forehead as he realized that Lev's eyes weren't focus. Noticing his mistake, Lev murmured a whisper of a curse underneath his breath. It seemed that today he will get beaten up for a longer time than he expected. He was never this careless but ever since last night, his mind could never forget the seductive voice that lingered strongly near his ears.
"We will see for how long he can ignore me. Continue beating him up YanEr and don't stop until he beg like a dog," demanded the boss, his knuckles seemed to crack as he balled his fist beside his hip.
Not far from Lev was Blaire Zhuang, the woman who had made the advances at Lev. She could notice his blonde hair from miles away and knew that he was being beaten up. Her hand rested under her chin as she whispered to her brother whose face was hidden by his round hat. "Gēgē," Blaire whispered. Her voice was always known to be sweet contrary to her real personality that was murkier than a swamp.
"What?" Her brother asked, his voice and tone curt as he read. The newspaper on his hand.
"Do you know that laozhi over there? That one with those two subordinate. I remember he is a debt collector right? Can you help me to talk with him?"
Blaire still recalled the humiliation she received from Ilyana last night. Although she heard now Ilyana had lost her heir position, she couldn't wait to bring more shame to Ilyana's eyes, wanting her to look at her back in such desperation that she would regret to always making fun of her.