The Rules Series

caught up with the rest of the world. Yes, it would be great to have him as an ally, but there was always more than one way to get what I wanted if things didn’t pan out here.
For now, I’d play along and follow behind the maître d’ to his table. As I walked closer, I realized the figure sitting with his back to me wasn’t Mr. Si Xei. It was Zheng, his eldest son. Pissed couldn’t even begin to describe my anger. Will nothing in this day go according to plan?
“Zheng?”
He turned his lithe body around and stood when he saw me standing there. A slow smile spread across his face as he reached for my hand and placed a gentle kiss on top of it. Eyes like sparkling onyx glittered. They were transfixed on me and never left my face. “Gina. I’m happy you could make it. My father sends his apologies for being unable to attend this meeting, and we both give you our condolences on the death of your father.”
It was a good thing I hadn’t taken off my glasses. It gave me an extra moment to bring my anger levels down from dangerous to pissed-the-hell-off for this blatant disrespect. Make no mistake; dangerous was still bubbling underneath the surface. I took my seat, masked my frustration, and removed my glasses. This wasn’t the first and more than likely won’t be the last slight directed at me as I took over my father’s empire.
Still, I managed to keep my cool. “I think if I could meet with your father so soon after mourning the loss of my own, I’m pretty sure Xei should have been able to make this meeting barring any medical emergencies.” The smile on my face was radiant while speaking cutting words. “After all, it was he who requested it.”
The fool ignored me. Zheng acted as if I hadn’t said a word. He picked up the bottle of wine on our table and poured some into my glass. “I took the liberty of ordering for you.” He paused as if he had something important to say and sat the bottle back on the table. This time, we made eye contact. “Let’s be honest. You and I both know you’re not that upset about the death of Chang.”
At first, I didn’t respond. I leaned back in my chair and held his gaze. Why did everyone want to play games with me? Fine, you want to play. Okay . . . let’s play. “I couldn’t be more upset about the loss of my father. Secretly, I know you wish you could switch places with me.” I took a sip of my wine. “This is excellent. It’s a great choice. Unlike you, I get to call my own shots.” This time, I gazed over the rim of my glass before taking another sip. “The pitying droop of my lips that you see on my face is because I’m so sad for you. Your father is still the puppet master pulling all of your strings.” The corners of my mouth turned up into an innocent smile as if I’d asked him about something as simple as the weather. “Shall we get to business before our dinner arrives?” I knew what buttons to push. Zheng’s eyes hardened.
“You’re still a bitch.”
“The biggest and I own every bit of it. You’ll do well to remember that.” It couldn’t really be this easy to get under his skin.
Zheng leaned back in his chair attempting to regain the upper hand he thought he had when I arrived. Unfortunately, for him, he never had it.
“My father will never work with you.”
“I hope it’s not based on your advice. You haven’t been known to make very savvy business decisions.”
He laughed. It was a weak, weasely laugh. “Really? Well, I have one thing on my side that you will never have. Make that two. Both my parents are Chinese. You on the other hand—have a hēi guǐ mother. People tolerated you because . . . well, let’s face it; Cheng wasn’t a man to be crossed. No matter, all of this will be rendered mute if those RICO charges against his company don't go away. Until that happens no one will touch your business or give you the votes you need.”
The laughter bubbled up and out of me. “Is that the best you can do? Hurl ridiculous insults? You men make me laugh. If nothing else, Zheng, you are very entertaining.”
It was obvious he was aggravated that his words didn’t have the desired effect. “If I recall, you weren’t laughing when I was screwing your brains out.”
I took another sip of wine as a new round of laughter hit me. “Zheng. Zheng. Zheng. You’ll never learn will you? Men are always thinking with the little head and in this case, I do mean little. It shouldn’t be this easy; with smart men, it isn’t.”
The smirk on his face disappeared.
“Listen. I wanted something from you, and all I had to do was screw you to get it. I got it and never called you again. Get over it. Men have been doing this shit for years.” I continued to make my point even after the waiter arrived with our food. “You’re sitting here pouting because I didn’t call or receive your calls. It’s silly. The bottom line is our families have a lot to offer each other and coming together could be a good move especially for you. You could finally show your father you’re worthy of his empire. Business is business,