He moved to sit on the third empty couch, picking up a business magazine from the side table and pretending to read while actually watching his sleeping family.
Today has been the longest day in his life, from getting Shuyin out of prison to getting married, to curing his daughter, and to the phenona that occurred, it truly was one of the longest days.
Chen Wan, uncertain of her place in all this, carefully settled onto the fourth couch, as far from everyone else as possible. Ah-Ling remained standing nearby, professional and alert despite the long day.
After several minutes of silence, Chen Wan gathered her courage and spoke quietly. "Master Lu... can you advise her not to take my kid away from ?"
Lu Yuze looked up from his magazine, confusion crossing his features. "Kid?"
"Madam promised to help with her situation," Ah-Ling explained, his voice low so as not to wake the sleeping won. "In exchange, Mrs. Chen agreed to give Madam one of her children as paynt, along with control of the company her husband stole from her."
Lu Yuze’s expression remained neutral, though sothing flickered in his eyes, perhaps surprise, or perhaps calculation. "Do what she told you to do."
Chen Wan’s face fell. "But Master Lu..."
"Do you think I care about other people’s problems? Who do you think you are? Even if she wants all the kids, you will have to give her that..." Lu Yuze’s voice was cold, matter-of-fact. "If it’s what she wants, you’d better comply. It’s you who bargained!" Even if Shuyin was his contracted wife, he would stand by her side anyti anywhere...
"But my children...."
"You don’t want to be her enemy," Lu Yuze repeated, his electric blue eyes fixing on Chen Wan with an intensity that made her shrink back. "You really, really don’t want that. You would only end up losing everything... You’d better comply."
He didn’t know what she wanted to do with the kids, but he would still protect her and support her. But deep down, he knew she wouldn’t hurt children.
Chen Wan felt tears prick her eyes, but blinked them back. Shuyin was crazy, but Lu Yuze was even crazier; she thought he would listen to her. She had no choice. She’d made a deal with sothing she didn’t understand, and now she would have to live with the consequences.
She would have to choose which of her babies to give away which pained her heavily.
Lu Yuze returned to his magazine, the conversation apparently over as far as he was concerned.
After a mont, he glanced at Ah-Ling. "The three won Shuyin brought from the prison, are they settled in the villa? How are they? Have they asked for anything else?"
It was evening now, and he hadn’t checked on them since arranging their accommodations hours ago. These won seed to be genuinely close to Shuyin, which ant they were worth keeping comfortable and content.
"They’re doing well, Master," Ah-Ling reported. "All three are mostly resting. Everything has been supplied as requested: food, clothing, toiletries, and electronics. I also gave them mobile phones with this house’s number programd in, so they can call if they need to speak with the Missus."
"Good." Lu Yuze nodded in approval. "Make sure they have whatever they need. If they ask for anything, provide it imdiately."
"Of course, Master."
Lu Yuze was about to return to his magazine when Ah-Ling cleared his throat delicately. "Master, there’s sothing else you should know."
"What?"
"Your deceased wife’s parents heard that you’ve gotten married. They’re... on their way here now." Ah-Ling’s tone suggested this was not good news. "Also, your own parents heard that Miss Yuyan has awakened. They’re also en route, along with several other extended family mbers."
Lu Yuze’s face darkened imdiately. "Tell them to turn around and go back. All of them. At this hour, I don’t want anyone’s disturbance. I’ll visit them when I’m ready, not before."
"Master, they’re already...."
"I don’t care if they’re already halfway here. Turn them around." Lu Yuze’s voice dropped to sothing dangerous. "My daughter has just woken up after six months in a coma. My wife is exhausted and unwell. We haven’t even settled in yet, and they want to show up unannounced? How dare they?"
His hands clenched around the magazine, crumpling the pages. "No visitors. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not until I say otherwise. Is that understood?"
"Perfectly said, Master. I’ll inform them imdiately." Ah-Ling pulled out his phone and stepped into the hallway to make the calls.
But Lu Yuze wasn’t finished. Another thought had occurred to him, dark and paranoid but necessary.
"Ah-Ling," he called out before his assistant could leave the room completely.
"Yes, Master?"
"Fire everyone else in this mansion. All the servants, the butler, the kitchen staff, the groundskeepers, everyone who isn’t one of our personally vetted people."
Ah-Ling’s eyes widened slightly. "Master, that’s... that’s nearly everyone. The entire household staff...."
"I don’t care." Lu Yuze’s voice was flat, and absolute. "My daughter was poisoned. Soone introduced cold poison into her system, poison that shouldn’t exist in this world. That ans soone had access to her, to her food, to her daily life. Soone in this house might have done it."
He looked around at the opulent sitting room, at the mansion that had been his ho for years, and suddenly it felt like enemy territory.
"I don’t know who was after my daughter, but I’ll find out. And until I do, I’m not trusting anyone who wasn’t hired by personally. Clean house. Get rid of everyone, especially anyone connected to my late wife’s family or the old mansion staff. Bring in only our people, the security team’s trusted contacts, people we’ve vetted thoroughly."
"That will take ti, Master. We’ll need to...."
"Then start now." Lu Yuze’s eyes flashed. "I want them gone by morning. All of them. Pay them whatever severance is required, give them good references if they’ve been loyal, but get them out of my house."
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