Logically speaking, both the Sullivan and Carter families were quite wealthy and influential, but they still fell short of the truly top-tier social circle.
Not to mention having no chance to interact with those top-tier figures on a daily basis, even if they did get to meet them, no one had ever really seen the heir of the Choi family.
Whether he had a mole on his ear bone was a mystery, let alone such an intimate area as under his ribs.
Hearing Lila speak so convincingly, Ava pressed her lips tightly together, suddenly feeling uncertain.
As the call ended, the noisy voices in the private room fell silent instantly. Everyone could see clearly that Miss Tang was clearly defeated.
Several wealthy second-generation friends who often hung out together gathered around: "What's wrong? Didn't get to see Wen Ning make a fool of herself?"
"I told you not to provoke Lila. She's never the type to let herself be wronged. Come on, what did she say to make you so angry?"
Ava twisted her fingers and asked hesitantly: "Has any of you met the Choi family heir?"
"Come on, don't put us on the spot! At our level, how could we be qualified to deal with someone like him?" One person waved his hand helplessly.
Right, different circles and different levels.
They were still far from being qualified to contact such top-tier figures.
Ava lowered her head and muttered softly: "So that means no one knows if he really has a mole on his ear... Could she be bluffing me..."
"A mole on the ear? You want to know that?" Someone next to her replied.
Do you have a way?" Ava suddenly looked up.
"Won't the Choi family hold a charity gala next month? We can still get into events that require spending money to show off. If we're lucky, maybe we'll run into him in person—"
"Right! How could I forget about that!" Ava suddenly realized, her eyes lighting up instantly.
On the other side, after hanging up the phone, Lila's mood turned light again.
She knew the Tang family as well as the Tang family knew her. With the Tang family's strength, they could never get in touch with the Choi family.
But she was luckier than Ava.
A few years ago, she had accidentally seen someone from the Choi family. In the icy cold corridor of the hospital, Lila saw the director personally go up to greet them, respectfully calling them "Mrs. Choi" and "Young Master".
She subconsciously turned around and, under the cold white light, caught a glimpse of the mole on his ear bone.
It wasn't that the mole was particularly eye-catching, but at that time, his broken hair hung down to his eyes, and he was wearing a mask. Her gaze really had nowhere to rest, so she finally had to fix it on his exposed ear bone.
That mole was her only remaining memory from that time.
As for the mole under the ribs, it was purely made up by her.
After all, no one would really go to verify such an intimate matter.
She stuffed her phone back into her pocket and stretched lazily. Out of the corner of her eye, she inadvertently saw a faint red light flash at the entrance of the alley.
Lila squinted her eyes to look carefully, but found nothing.
There was a faint smell of tobacco lingering in the air.
Someone was smoking here just now?
She thought for a moment, then casually looked away. Macau was thousands of miles away from Beijing. Even if something happened, it wouldn't involve her. She was absolutely safe.
Thinking this way, her steps became even lighter.
The small dessert shop was still brightly lit, illuminating a small area at the entrance of the alley. But before she knew it, the street was lined with black cars. Lila slowed down and pushed open the old glass door.
"Hey handsome guy, (*&%...T*）"
"Beautiful lady, %^$#*&^(*&()(_*)."
The shop was no different from when she left it—small and bustling with people. The boss was walking around the shop with a fake cigarette rolled from old newspaper in his mouth, constantly speaking Cantonese that she couldn't understand. When he saw her come back, he pointed his chin at the wall covered with group photos and said in broken Mandarin: "Superstar, take one photo la."
Oh, she almost forgot.
Before she went out just now, the boss had mistaken her for a Hong Kong star and insisted on taking a photo with her.
Lila thought to herself whether to pretend to be Michelle Reis or another star, and nodded helplessly.
Glancing out of the corner of her eye, her gaze suddenly stopped at the position by the door.
The shop was still noisy and lively, but the area near the door was unusually quiet, as if it were an isolated island artificially divided. She was standing on the edge of this island, watching the scene a few steps away up close.
Lila slowly turned her head.
This shop had always had a rule of sharing tables, no matter who came. But at this moment, there was still a long line outside the shop, and the small long table at the door was occupied by only one person.
A few steps away, several bodyguards stood with their backs to the table, forming an invisible barrier.
Through the gap between the bodyguards' shoulders, she saw the man quietly eating a bowl of mung bean paste.
Just a side profile, and Lila squinted her eyes.
She had seen this man before.
About a few months ago, she had a brief encounter with him outside her father Richard Sullivan's study. Strictly speaking, it was a one-sided meeting on her part.
At that time, Richard was talking to him about something.
He was leaning on a Huanghuali wood chair, his legs crossed casually, and his fingers tapped the armrest lightly in time with Richard's words.
Probably because he had been sitting for a long time, when Richard said "If the conditions are not enough, I can add more", he withdrew his tapping hand and put it behind his neck to stretch his muscles.
He didn't turn his head, but his voice came accurately towards the door: "Someone's there."
Even though Lila retreated from the corridor as quickly as possible and pretended to have just walked over to go up the stairs, she still felt that she had been discovered. But the man didn't seem to tell Richard that she had been outside the door, so for the first time, Richard didn't scold her, but only frowned and said: "Next time when Dad is talking about business, remember to call the internal line first."
At that time, she had also glanced at the side profile again through the crack of the door.
And now, the same figure appeared in front of her again.
He was quietly eating a bowl of mung bean paste.
As he moved his shoulders, a few strands of hair fell in front of his eyes. Dressed in a black shirt, trousers and leather shoes, he looked calm and oppressive, like an indelible shadow under the sun.
Lila walked past the bodyguards and sat down in her original seat.
If she had to find a reason for coming to Macau, this man in front of her might be one of them.
After all, she could have fled the marriage anywhere. If she had gone to Hawaii with Ethan Carter, it would have saved her a lot of trouble.
But she had chosen Macau.
And by chance, on her first day here, before she could plan her next move, she met the person she most wanted to see.
Lila sat down calmly, tilted her head slightly towards the door, and asked in a low voice: "Who is he?"
Before Luna could speak, the boy sitting next to her whispered first: "Xavier."
"Who is Xavier?" Lila pressed.
Luna shook her head, indicating that she didn't know.
The boy asked back: "Sis, you should know what Macau's most prosperous industry is, right?"
"Yes." Lila propped her chin with her hand and asked casually: "Does he own all those industries?"
"Well, not exactly." The boy touched his nose and lowered his voice even more: "He manages them on behalf of someone else. He's the nominal decision-maker."
"Oh, the decision-maker." Lila repeated thoughtfully, then asked: "Is he very powerful in Macau?"
"That's for sure." The boy nodded vigorously.
"Does he have a wide social circle?"
"Definitely."
The fingers of Lila's hand propping her chin tapped her cheek lightly as she thought quickly.
"Anyway, as far as I know, no one dares to provoke him in Macau. Sis, you'd better not—"
Before the boy could finish speaking, Lila had already stood up.
"Hey, sis, where are you going?" Luna asked anxiously.
Lila curved her eyebrows and smiled at the stunned boy: "Since he's such a powerful connection, of course I'm going to meet him."
...
The mung bean paste in the bowl was almost gone.
Xavier tapped the handle of the spoon lightly with his finger. Soon, a bodyguard walked over with a separately packed portion of mung bean paste and signaled to him.
He stretched his legs and was about to stand up and leave.
"Hey, handsome guy." A clear female voice came.
Xavier frowned. It had been many years since he had been hit on in such a straightforward and clumsy way. What's more, this was Macau. Even if they didn't know him, they should have seen the row of black cars with three-region license plates on the street and known that he was not an ordinary person.
Under his brow bone, his deep eyes slowly lifted. The spoon in his finger tapped lightly against the porcelain bowl, making a clear sound.
A slender figure suddenly broke into his field of vision.
Probably to avoid the bodyguards blocking her way, the woman bent down slightly and nimbly slipped under the bodyguard's outstretched arm. She raised her hand to her face, curled her four fingers slightly, and greeted with a smile: "Hi! Don't you recognize me?"
Should he recognize her?
Standard Mandarin, obviously not a local.
Xavier stared at her for a few seconds, said nothing, and turned to leave.
"Hey, seriously? Such a bad memory?" Lila chased after him a few steps.
The bodyguards immediately stepped forward, stopped her outside, and vigilantly pulled back the distance. Obviously, Xavier had no intention of talking. He only left a cold back.
His straight shoulders made him look particularly tall and straight, even more imposing than when he was sitting.
Lila was stopped a few steps away and couldn't help raising her voice: "Xavier!"
As soon as she said that, the noisy shop fell silent instantly. All the diners turned their heads to look at the door, each of them as quiet as a cicada, not daring to make a sound.