Phei sighed.
He was in quite the pickle right now.
Faced down by these two women—one holding a cheque like it was the Holy Grail dipped in daddy's money, the other watching with eyes that sparkled with barely concealed victory like she'd just won the "Trap the Dragon" lottery—most people wouldn't understand the concepts at play.
They'd think: just take the money and say no later when they ask for repayment. Pretend you didn't know there were strings attached. Play dumb.
Or they'd think: just refuse the cheque. Say thank you but no thank you. Walk away clean.
Anyone who thought either of those was a solution was someone who didn't understand how power worked among elites. And especially not here in Paradise, where "no" was just a polite way of saying "please destroy me slowly."
