Vera Wave looked up in alarm, only to see the man standing between her legs. He had already taken off his suit jacket and was now reaching up to loosen his tie.
Realizing the precarious situation, she promptly sat upright.
"What...what are you doing?!"
Kris Cooper casually pulled off his tie, his dark eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her nervous face with an inscrutable expression.
He’s taking off his clothes and loosening his tie... He isn’t really going to insist on providing that ’service’ from the other day, is he?
Her heart clenched. Vera quickly stood up, reaching out to grab his hand as he was about to unbutton his shirt.
"Strenuous exercise isn’t good right after a meal! It’ll upset your stomach!"
Kris Cooper’s gaze fell on her bright, dark eyes.
This damn brat. Does she really think I’m some kind of animal in heat all the time?
"It’s no problem..." Extending his fingers, Kris Cooper caught a strand of her long hair that had slipped to the side of her shoulder, gently twirling it. "I could use some exercise, actually. Lose some weight."
Her long hair trembled with his movement. Vera felt her scalp tingle and hurriedly pulled her hair free from his grasp.
"No, really, that’s quite alright! I... I have something urgent this afternoon. Please, experience the room for free. I’ll be leaving now!"
Making herself smaller, she carefully tried to squeeze through the space between him and the bed.
The man simply extended an arm, blocking her path.
"You haven’t written my IOU yet, have you?"
Vera forced a smile. "I’ll write it right now."
Carefully squeezing past him on the other side, she quickly took a pen and paper from her bag, scribbled a new IOU, and shoved it into his hand.
"Here, please keep this safe. I really must be going!"
Before Kris Cooper could react, Vera had already bolted.
Watching her stumble away, Kris Cooper, afraid she might get hurt, didn’t dare chase her. He walked to the window and watched as she ran all the way out the main entrance, fleeing like a little rabbit towards the subway station. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief and unfold the IOU in his hand.
He shouldn’t have looked. The moment he did, his eyebrows shot up in anger.
The note, written in her neat handwriting, read:
To Kris Cooper: Five thousand USD.
For: The ’Bird-Groping’ Fee.
PS: I need my ID Card for job applications, so I’m borrowing it back temporarily. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely pay back your money. I won’t be short a single cent.
Kris Cooper arched an eyebrow. He took his wallet from his suit jacket; sure enough, her ID Card, which had been tucked into a card slot, was gone.
That little rascal! So she took the opportunity to secretly retrieve her ID Card.
Noticing a photo tucked inside the wallet, he paused. His thumb reached out, gently stroking the girl’s face in the picture.
His expression softened. He carefully folded the IOU and tucked it into a compartment in his wallet. Then, casually hooking his suit jacket on one finger, he slung it over his shoulder and headed downstairs.
Tommy Taylor saw him exit and hurried to open the car door for him.
Settling into the back seat, Kris Cooper glanced at the "Eden Garden" hotel signboard.
"Buy this hotel. Also, find me a place in the Hepingli residential district." Kris Cooper glanced at the address Vera had left in the wallet compartment: "Building 2, Unit 2, Apartment 201."
"Our company is already planning to redevelop that area; it’s scheduled for demolition soon. Do you want to rent or buy, sir?"
"I don’t care. Just make sure I’m living there within three days."
Kris Cooper closed his wallet, slipped it back into his pocket, and leaned lazily against the seatback.