Chapter 50: Caught In The Act!

Chapter 50: Caught In The Act!

Scott looked as though absolutely all of his financial investment stocks had crashed into complete bankruptcy at the exact same microsecond, rushing out of the dining room in a desperate hurry while completely ignoring Debby, who scrambled up from her chair to follow him into the corridor.

I pretended to entirely ignore his emotional outburst, adopting an expression that suggested I had absolutely nothing to do with whatever crisis was unfolding behind his eyelids. The rest of the table, however, wasn't looking in my direction at all, rendering my basic acting skills completely pointless for the moment.

After about ten minutes of my father-in-law filling the silence by speaking with Mrs. Lang regarding what next semester's academic course load would look like, the mother and son finally returned to their seats.

"I am incredibly sorry about the disruption, everyone," Debby announced, smoothing down her formal wear as she tried to salvage their family face.

"My Scotty had just received some absolutely terrible news regarding the passing of a close childhood friend, so he was understandably upset, but we are completely fine now."

"Mother is completely right, but I am perfectly fine now," Scott echoed, his voice shaking slightly as he tried to look tough in front of the family Heads.

"It was just a very sudden notification. Please, let's continue with our meal."

Nadia, playing the role of a deeply caring and attentive wife to absolute perfection, gracefully stood up from her chair. She pulled a pristine white handkerchief from her dress, stepping over to Scott’s side to gently wipe the lingering moisture from his eyes, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness as she murmured, "There we go. You had missed a bit of tears right in the corner, husband. Now you look absolutely great again."

Spit! Cough, cough, cough!

I happened to be taking a slow sip from my glass of wine at that exact microsecond, and the sheer reality of the visual hit me so hard that I executed a massive spit-take right back into the crystal glass, coughing my lungs out and immediately drawing the intense attention of every single person at the table.

When my brain fully processed what Nadia was actively doing to Scott’s face, a wave of profound shock and absolute horror washed over my consciousness. Her capacity for unadulterated cruelty was staggering!

While the rest of the room was focused entirely on my sudden coughing fit, she subtly turned her head in my direction and flashed me a sharp, mischievous wink.

"Cough! I am incredibly sorry about that, everyone," I choked out, wiping my mouth with a napkin as I tried to clear my airway. "The wine just accidentally went straight down the wrong pipe, but I am perfectly good now."

I sat back, my heart pounding as a chilling realization settled in. That pristine white handkerchief she was casually using to dab his eyes was the exact same cloth she had manually utilized to wipe my overflowing love fluids off my dragon back in the vacant computer classroom. Ew! I immediately locked a permanent note into my internal calculations: never, under any circumstances, upset Nadia for any reason whatsoever!

She casually tossed the contaminated handkerchief straight into a nearby waste bin and left the room to wash her hands, completely unbothered by the biological warfare she had just executed. Nichole, noticing that my wide eyes fully comprehended the exact nature of their revenge script, merely offered me a smug, knowing look before casually taking a slow sip of her ice water.

Hana, acting as a great medical professional and a fiercely protective wife, immediately leaned over to rub my back and tend to my breathing, making absolutely sure that none of the alcohol had settled into my actual lungs.

Before long, the remnants of the main course were systematically cleared from the table, and the waitstaff brought out rich chocolate lava cakes to serve as everyone's final course for the evening.

Noticing Mary staring down at my dessert portion with a look of pure, pregnancy-driven longing, I didn't say a word, immediately sliding half of the rich cake straight onto her porcelain dish. Her lips curled into a wide, blissfully happy grin at my silent display of domestic care.

At the definitive end of the meal, while the Lang family maids busied themselves clearing away the final plates, George Lang stood up to address the gathering. "I have managed to secure a bottle of an exceptionally rare, imported whisky sourced directly from the North Americans, and I would like to formally invite all of the gentlemen into my private study for an exclusive tasting session. My wife will accompany the lovely ladies out onto the veranda to catch some fresh evening air and engage in some proper girl talk. Let us utilize this time to properly bond with one another on this wonderful evening."

I figured this was just some kind of standard, high-society tradition that noble houses executed at formal parties. The older family Heads, my father-in-law, Scott, and I all stood up in unison to navigate our way down the hardwood corridor into the secluded atmosphere of the executive study.

Up until this exact point in my new life, my physical consumption of alcohol had been strictly limited to basic beer and wine, and I had never once interacted with hard liquor, so this tasting was bound to be an interesting baseline test for my physical conditioning.

Five heavy crystal tumbler glasses were brought into the room by a maid, glinting under the low study lights. My father-in-law, John Chang, and I took our places together on a wide leather couch, while Scott and his father Anthony settled onto an adjacent sofa, leaving George Lang to claim a massive mahogany armchair. He carefully uncorked the dark bottle, pouring the rich amber liquid precisely halfway up the baseline of each glass to allow us to slowly enjoy the vintage.

The Dean noticed me staring down at the liquid with a look of pure unfamiliarity, instantly picking up on the fact that I had never held a high-proof spirit before, and he stepped into a fatherly role to teach me the proper technique.

"We routinely serve exceptionally high-quality liquors like this in a wide, open glass specifically to let the complex aroma breathe properly, Rick, so make sure to smell the vapor first," he instructed warmly, swirling his own tumbler. "Then, you want to take a tiny sip and roll the liquid completely around your mouth and tongue to map out the flavor profile. But do be incredibly careful; it possesses a massively strong alcohol burn compared to standard beer and wine, and it is going to heat your throat and possibly your stomach a bit. Now, go ahead and give it a try."

After getting the basic structural gist of the process and recalling how I had seen high-ranking executives execute the movement in movies and videos, I braved the new world of hard drinks.

Bringing the glass up to my face, I inhaled the aroma without a single issue, and the initial chemical burn against my tongue didn't disrupt my composure either. But the absolute second I manually swallowed the high-proof liquor, the raw heat caught my throat off guard.

"Cough! Oh man, that is incredibly rough!" I choked out, a sudden flush of warmth spreading straight down into my chest.

Scott, witnessing my status as a complete hard-liquor noob, immediately let out a loud, mocking laugh from across the rug, seizing the opportunity to regain some masculine face. "Ha-ha! You can't even handle a tiny sip of real whisky? That is absolutely lame, man."

I simply offered him a calm grin, refusing to take the obvious bait or say something aggressively rude right in front of the major family Heads. I chose to redirect the conversation toward my own operational mindset, stating, "This is my absolute first time attempting to try a spirit, but I can already tell it must be of exceptional quality. I am definitely going to have to be incredibly careful regarding exactly how much of this I consume tonight, though. Being a professional bodyguard who runs around with concealed firearms while drunk is definitely a massive rule violation."

The three older men broke out into a warm, ringing laugh at my cautious humor, giving firm nods of agreement as they validated my logical deduction.

A massive part of operating as a real man in this world was fully understanding your own physical limits. Scott, however, completely misread the underlying context of the statement, assuming that I was using the mention of my weapons to deliver a subtle, veiled physical threat directly to his seat, but for once in my life, I wasn't attempting to mock him at all. I was simply thinking ahead like a practical dad who had a household of children to protect back home.

My father-in-law began regaling the room with stories from his younger days, explaining the difference between drinking cheap, low-grade whiskey with ice on the rocks and breaking down the chemical baselines of other well-known options like vodka, rum, and schnapps.

A half-hour passed by in a blur of relaxed conversation, and I eventually stood up to excuse myself to locate the hallway restroom. Between the warm atmosphere of the study and the high-proof nature of the rare spirit, I was starting to feel a tiny bit tipsy, and I wanted to splash some cold water on my face to keep my instincts sharp.

I just finished using the restroom and was in the middle of washing my hands, looking up into the mirror to see a wide, relaxed smile on my face. So far, the evening had been an absolute success, and the rare whisky had left me buzzed to the exact right degree.

I was actively thinking about what kind of fun I would have with Hana back home tonight when the bathroom handle clicked and the door swung wide open, making me instantly realize with a jolt of panic that I had completely forgotten to turn the deadbolt when I walked inside.

In walked a smiling Nadia, who paused just inside the threshold to watch me finish drying my skin with a hand towel. "Ricky, did you like my little trick I did earlier at the table?" she purred, her blue eyes flashing with absolute amusement. "I have literally been waiting for that one all week, ufufu. Now come here, you handsome boy."

Before I could even put the cloth down, Nadia moved into my personal space, pushing me back toward the edge of the counter. She reached up, placing her hands behind my neck, and pulled me into a sudden and passionate kiss.

There was little time to react, and while a small part of my mind worried about being caught in a house full of influential guests, the effects of the drinks made it easy to ignore the risk.

I leaned into the moment, holding her as the world outside the bathroom door seemed to disappear. In a brief pause between kisses, I whispered, "I love you."

Click.

The distinct sound of the door closing echoed through the room, and we both froze instantly. Still close together, our eyes darted toward the entrance to see who had entered.

Standing there with a perfectly composed expression, hands clasped elegantly in front of her, was Linda Lang. Her gray eyes remained fixed on us, observing the scene with silent intensity.

Slap!

The silence was broken as Nadia suddenly pulled away and slapped my cheek. The sound was sharp, though the force was controlled. Turning toward the door with a look of feigned outrage, she exclaimed, "Lee, you've clearly had too much to drink! How dare you behave this way! If I didn't want to avoid a scene and protect the Lang family's reputation tonight, I would tell my husband exactly how you've acted. Don't ever try that again!" With that dramatic exit, Nadia hurried out of the room, leaving me alone with Linda.

Trying to maintain a calm exterior despite the awkwardness, I straightened my jacket and let out a forced laugh. "I think I overdid it with the drinks tonight," I muttered, looking away. "For a moment, I confused her with my wife in this light. I'm sorry you had to see that, Linda. Perhaps we could keep this between us? I'd hate for any misunderstandings to cause trouble at home."

I was too preoccupied to notice a subtle glimmer of mischief in Linda’s eyes. While she had her own reasons for staying silent, she saw an opportunity to gain some leverage.

"Rick, on Saturday afternoons, would you be able to tutor me for our business class when you aren't working?" she asked, her voice remaining flat and professional. "I want to impress Teacher Victoria Long, and since your marks are the highest in the program, you're the best person to help. I'll provide lunch as a thank you. What do you think?"

I paused, wondering if this was a genuine request or a clever way to ensure my cooperation. Though she didn't call it blackmail, the timing felt strategic.

"Sure," I replied, realizing I wasn't in a position to negotiate. "If my security schedule is clear on Saturdays, I can come over and help with the schoolwork. Is that all?"

Linda gave a slow nod, then gestured toward the room. "We'll start next Saturday. But I actually came in here to use the facilities, so..."

Realizing I was still blocking her way, I quickly stepped toward the door. "Right, of course! And thanks again for keeping this quiet. See you later!"

Using careful, quiet steps, I slipped out and made my way back to the main gathering, ensuring I wasn't spotted. Behind me, the door clicked shut and the lock turned. Alone in the room, the corner of Linda's mouth quirked into a small, triumphant smile as she looked at her reflection. "Finally," she whispered.

Then Nadia came back out to the patio with the other women and she whispered into Nichole's ear, "Nicky, I was caught kissing Ricky in the bathroom. Um, oops!"

"Oh fuck," Nichole muttered, her posture stiffening slightly on her chair. "Who exactly caught you two?"

"Linda Lang," Nadia murmured back, keeping her voice low beneath the ambient conversation of the older generation. "But she did not talk, and I quickly slapped Ricky for show and stormed straight off to make it look like he forced it, so everything is fine. Well, plus she doesn't actually know if it was me or you in the room anyway, if that helps our situation any?"

Nichole thought about the variables for a brief moment and firmly shook her head, dismissing the concern. "No, if it's only Linda who witnessed the encounter, she won't tell a single soul. She genuinely likes Rick and cares about his reputation. At most, she is simply surprised by the development, but that is entirely irrelevant to our long-term timeline. Just relax and ignore her completely. She hates Scott just as much as the two of us do anyway."

Nadia patted her chest in visible relief, let out a soft sigh, and whispered, "Good. But I just hope Ricky is not genuinely upset with me. I completely abandoned him in there to take the blame, fufu."

Off to the side of the patio furniture, Mrs. Sue Lang was engaged in a casual conversation with Mary, steering the topic toward her professional background. "So what exactly do you do as a high-level detective for the city department, Mrs. Lee?"

Mary pushed up her glasses, ensuring she didn't sound rude as she offered a clear breakdown of her daily duties. "Normally, we handle the intensive work on cases that the standard beat or traffic police don't possess the clearance or training to manage. High-profile incidents, murder investigations, and major robberies fall under our scope. But lately, I was officially placed on slightly less dangerous operational assignments due to my condition, so things like investigating corporate break-ins and analyzing crime scenes are my main focus. Being a detective is really not nearly as glamorous as the television shows and movies make it out to be to the public. We actually spend easily half of our active time researching data and compiling files at our desks."

Before the conversation could shift, Linda came walking out onto the patio. Her sharp gray eyes scanned the crowd, casually passing her gaze over the twin sisters like they were any other random guests in attendance before she gracefully sat down next to her mother. She immediately tuned into the ongoing chatter as if she had never left the area to begin with.

Debby Tang, thoroughly disliking the friendly atmosphere of the women getting along so smoothly, decided to assert her presence, turning a demanding look toward the two Lang women. "Sue Lang, have you and your husband finally decided on the exact timeline to hold the official engagement party? December would be an exceptionally good month for the function, and then the kids could officially marry in the spring."

Mrs. Sue Lang didn't let her composure slip for a single second under the pushy woman's interrogation, maintaining a polite but firm demeanor as she explained their stance. "We have not set a definitive date for the function yet because we intend to wait until at least the summer for Linda to marry. Executing a massive celebration during the active university semester would be incredibly hard on the high-ranking guests coming to the event. So waiting for the summer window, say somewhere in June for a wedding, is vastly better for everyone involved. We absolutely do not want the kids' academic grades to suffer from being distracted by a massive corporate event."

Debby slightly frowned, her eyes shifting toward Linda, who consistently made it known to the family that she wouldn't marry her boy under any circumstances. "This entire timeline keeps getting pushed off more and more as time goes on," Debby pointed out, her tone sharpening. "She was originally supposed to marry my boy well before the Ning twins ever entered the equation, and now those two plus two of our household maids are already legally married and pregnant. I am starting to feel that the Lang family intends to push the wedding off until she is old, hitting twenty-two by that point. We have deliberately kept his premium first-wife spot open just for your daughter's arrival. And my Scotty genuinely loves Linda, so..."

Linda's mother suddenly felt immensely grateful that Mary and Hana were present at the table to serve as a convenient shield, and she immediately gestured toward their seats to counter the narrative. "Mary here is actively pregnant at twenty-two, and Dr. Hana Lee is pregnant at twenty-five, so the age variable is not really a logistical issue for our lineage. Furthermore, we have other Lang family members to consider in this arrangement. We absolutely cannot have our younger daughter marry before our oldest daughter completes her vows, and her wedding is locked in for June first. As you can see, we have much to plan for behind the scenes, so please be patient, Lady Tang."

Linda's mother was undeniably an exceptionally skilled speaker, but every single woman sitting out on the veranda could smell the corporate bullshit the exact second she stepped into it, marveling at how shameless the excuse truly was. But nobody at the table cared enough to challenge the statement because it was Debby who was being systematically run around in circles, so the white lie was happily overlooked by the group.

Nichole sat quietly in her chair, a highly amused thought crossing her mind as she watched her mother-in-law stew. Yes, you rushed us into this marriage, and because of that choice, I managed to find Rick. So you're actually the primary one to thank for your own son's ongoing misery, fufu!

Debby stood up from her seat, forcing a rigid smile onto her face as she announced her departure. "It is getting exceptionally late, so girls, gather your things immediately. We have a long drive back to the main Tang Compound ahead of us. Thanks for having us over tonight, Sue. And little Linda, I sincerely hope you can stop pushing your future husband away moving forward, because starting a relationship like that only makes a marriage incredibly rocky. See you all later, and good luck to Mrs. Chang and the Lee women with their conditions."

With her piece said, Debby marched out of the patio, with the four black-haired beauties following silently behind her like a disciplined row of soldiers.

Sue Lang gently patted Linda on her back, letting out a long breath before she turned to the remaining guests. "That is the absolute most I can do for you, Linda. I stalled her demands for as long as I could possibly manage. Excuse me, everyone, I need to escort the Tang family out to the front gates to act as a proper host."

The moment she went back into the house, the atmosphere shifted completely, leaving only Mary, Hana, Mother Chang, and Linda sitting out back with a few servants pouring fresh tea. Linda leaned back against her cushion, looking toward our side as she murmured, "Tonight would have turned out incredibly bad for my position if the three of you hadn't come along, so thank you so much for attending this dinner."

Mother Chang offered her a warm, motherly smile. "No, not at all, it was thoroughly entertaining, and I even managed to learn a great deal more about my new son-in-law's accomplishments. My husband completely enjoys that kind of male bonding time in the study anyway, so it was a very fun evening for him. Plus, both the Lang and Tang families contribute immense financial resources to the university administration over the fiscal years, so it's doubly good that we came out to support the function."

Hana turned her blue eyes toward Linda, adding her own thoughts. "It was only a short walk next door, and I managed to get off from my hospital shift tonight by switching my hours to tomorrow's schedule anyway, so it was no problem at all. Plus, Mary and I had a perfect excuse to go clothing shopping for our pregnancy needs and enjoy a full spa day together, fufu. I sadly only miss out on my street race day tomorrow night, but someone else will keep my Rick company out on the mountain, so the arrangement is absolutely perfect."

Mother Chang's brow furrowed, and she turned a stern gaze toward her daughter. "Hana, dear, I have told you repeatedly that you should absolutely not be participating in that dangerous street racing lifestyle while you are pregnant."

"No, Mom, you don't understand," Hana laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "When Rick is handling the steering wheel, the ride is significantly safer than walking down the sidewalk. Trust me on this one."

Mary immediately stepped in to reinforce Hana's argument, helping out her co-wife. "Rick and Hana both firmly agree that the physical driving is completely fine until she reaches her fourth month of pregnancy, after which she will strictly watch the races from the sidelines. So please be at ease, Mother."

Linda listened to the exchange, her gray eyes blinking in genuine curiosity. "Is Rick really that exceptional of a driver?"

"He has literally never lost a single street race in his entire life," Hana stated proudly, her face lighting up. "And his high-level vehicle control is vastly better than most professional police officers. In fact, he could easily race professionally on the international circuits if he wanted to. I definitely fell in love with him in a small part for his driving talent, fufu."

Mother Chang put her head in her hand, letting out a dramatic sigh. "Hana, where exactly did I go wrong raising you for you to end up getting involved in illegal street racing and dressing so provocatively?"

"My husband fell for my style because of it, Mother, so my domestic choice was entirely the right one, humph," Hana retorted playfully, crossing her arms.

Linda remembered the intense encounter inside the restroom, and she cleared her throat, turning her expressionless face toward the two Lee women to ask a question. "Mary, Hana, I formally asked Rick to tutor me on Saturday afternoons for our advanced business course, and I wanted to know if that arrangement is completely alright with your household?"

Mary looked up in genuine surprise, her eyes widening behind her frames. "Wow, did Rick really say yes to a request like that out of the blue? Sure, I think the study partnership is completely fine, but wow, I'm shocked!"

"I happened to run into him right after he finished drinking that high-proof whisky," Linda explained flatly, keeping her tone perfectly neutral. "And I asked him while he was a bit tipsy from the spirits, so I believe his buzzed state was the real reason he agreed so easily, but he did explicitly say yes to the schedule."

Hana let out a soft laugh, nodding her head in approval to Linda's request. "Just make absolutely sure you don't let Tina Feng find out that he is tutoring you on Saturdays, or he might suddenly find his schedule packed with mandatory bodyguard shifts for clothes shopping trips, ha-ha!"

Mary stood up from her seat, smoothing down the fabric of her blue dress as she addressed the group. "Well, Linda, we are going to go grab Rick from the study before he drinks far too much of that liquor, so we will also take our leave for the night."

Linda saw the remaining guests off, and my wives promptly collected me from the study, though the official party was definitively over by this point in the evening. Head George Lang, his wife Sue, and the standing staff saw our group to the front gates. Tonight was scheduled to be Hana's turn to tuck me in for some high-intensity sexy time, and that was a night I absolutely could not miss out on under any circumstances, especially because she was working the grueling late-night hospital shift tomorrow, forcing her to miss my upcoming race day. But before we went to sleep, she explicitly told me to invite Tina Feng as her substitute passenger and go enjoy the race. I figured, sure, why not? Otherwise, I would have just stayed home doing nothing important with my time.

After the major party reached its definitive conclusion, George and Sue packed their things and headed out to their separate wing, leaving only Linda and Mercy Mu alone inside the massive main house as usual. Mercy walked down the hall, looking over at Linda as she asked, "Was everything completely okay with Rick when that twin Tang girl sneaked into the restroom right after him earlier?"

"Nothing was wrong," Linda replied, her voice calm and flat. "Rick only forgot to turn the deadbolt to lock the door, but they were both fully dressed, and she left the room immediately after. I am incredibly sleepy now, Mercy. I am going to bed, and thanks for your assistance tonight."

Linda walked away toward her private quarters, leaving a smiling Mercy behind, who also went to bed for the night. As Linda entered her bedroom, she pulled her extensive brass house keys from her pocket, turning them over in her hand.

"As the actual legal owner of this entire house, why on earth would I ever be unable to unlock any door inside my own property? Even one that she hastily locked from the inside?"

Linda's face flushed with a sudden, beautiful blush of shame as she recalled the memory of walking in on the two of us making out against the counter.

Her gray eyes stared at the keys as she remembered hearing my voice clearly say that I loved her.

"Rick," Linda whispered to the quiet room, her expression softening completely. "If you can find it in your heart to forgive the twins for what they did, then I will happily choose to forgive them as well."