Sullen, Peggy took another sip of her drink. That crisp Franklin note on the table looked so out of place—glaring and hot, like a branding iron searing into her chest, right down to her core.
Even though she silently cursed the man for brushing her off, she couldn’t help but replay that night in her mind.
What had gotten into her that night?
Probably the alcohol... or maybe—it was just that he really was that handsome.
Feeling her mouth go dry as she stared at him, Peggy instinctively swallowed. She could hear her own heartbeat and breathing, rough and rapid.
"Damn it, Peggy, what is wrong with you..."
She scolded herself inwardly.
"Stay calm. Calm down! Peggy, he’s just a Chinese man—just..."
Feeling flushed all over, she quickly downed the rest of her drink. The glass was empty. Parched and hot, she gestured to the server with a raised finger:
Peggy had no idea how many drinks she’d had. Her mind foggy, her gaze began to blur, and as she looked across at the man, she found herself biting her lip. Even though his attention wasn’t on her, she couldn’t stop staring. Almost absentmindedly, she had slipped off her wedding ring.
Finally, the group at the next table got up and left. Only then did a faint smile appear on Pierre’s face.
"Looks like it’s my turn to try..."
No sooner had he said it than a soft, delicate voice answered him:
"Let’s give it a try..."
The blonde woman across from him was staring directly at him—cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling, breathing uneven. Anyone who understood, understood.
Seeing that he had finally turned his attention to her, Peggy stretched her leg across beneath the table, lightly brushing his thigh. Her big blue eyes shimmered with moisture as she gazed into his, her red lips parting slightly.
With that, she stood up. As she left, she smiled faintly, picked up the bill from the table, and cast him a sultry glance. Then, swaying her slender waist, she walked away.
"Damn, she’s on fire."
Watching her hips sway as she exited, Pierre smirked. Any man in his position would’ve found it hard to resist.
Just as he stepped out of the bar car, a pair of arms pulled him into a nearby cabin. With a whiff of perfume and the rush of soft, hot skin, Peggy’s body and lips were already on him.
As the train roared down the tracks, another kind of rhythm filled the cabin...
By the time it was over, night had fallen. In the dimly lit cabin, Peggy lay sprawled on top of him, panting heavily and slick with sweat. Though her body was completely drained, she forced herself to stand.
Watching her exhausted figure, Pierre was puzzled—was she getting ready to leave?
Should he... pay again?
But as he looked at her graceful silhouette, he couldn’t help but think—this woman was incredible.
Beautiful, elegant—how had she ended up ...?
She bent down, gathered her clothes, put on her lingerie, then smoothed down her skirt. After a quick tidy-up, she opened her wallet. Lips curling into a smile, she walked over to him.
"Darling, you were amazing just now. I really enjoyed it."
Hearing that, Pierre chuckled smugly.
"You were great too..."
But before he could finish his sentence, she pulled out a wad of cash from her wallet!
Tens and twenties, at least twenty or thirty bills in total—she slapped them onto the table with a smirk and said proudly:
Staring at the pile of bills, Pierre was completely stunned.
What the hell just happened?!
Before he could figure out what was going on, the woman had already opened the cabin door with a triumphant flourish.
"Darling, you really were worth every penny!"
And with a cheerful wave, she sauntered off.
Lying on the bed, Pierre was frozen in place for over ten minutes, unable to process what just happened.
He was speechless. Even after he got dressed and looked at the cash on the table, he felt completely out of sorts.
How did it come to this?
Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?
For the first time ever, Pierre found money uncomfortable to touch.
"I didn’t take her money—no wait, I mean, as long as I don’t keep the money, it doesn’t count... right?"
Trying to console himself, he managed to feel a bit better.
"Besides, I didn’t take a dime. In fact, she still owes me for the last time..."
While muttering to himself, his eyes landed on a slip of paper on the carpet. Bending down, he picked it up—and saw it was an admissions notice.
"American Academy of Dramatic Arts? Grace Kelly?"
Why did that name sound so familiar...?
But whatever. For now, his priority was reaching Washington and knocking on the Pentagon’s door—to deliver Japan a deadly gift.
Almost at the same time, Peggy had hurried off the train, prompting her younger sister to ask in confusion:
"Sis, we haven’t even arrived yet. Why are we getting off?"
Peggy replied quickly:
"Grace, I think we should take a little detour. No need to rush home..."
What was Washington like in 1943?
With the outbreak of war and the rapid expansion of the U.S. military, the command structure in Washington also ballooned. To house this growing apparatus, the government built a massive office building in Arlington County, Virginia, just southwest of D.C. Its five-sided shape gave it the now-famous name: the Pentagon.
The largest office building in the world had only recently been put into use. Many of its facilities were still incomplete. Even the cafeteria couldn’t feed everyone...
Of course, generals didn’t eat there.
They dined at the nearby National Hotel.
But the generals weren’t the only ones eating there. High-level executives from companies—arms brokers, essentially—were frequent guests. At the National Hotel, they met with generals to pitch weapons or secure contracts. With tens of billions of dollars in military procurement up for grabs, companies big and small made fortunes.