Chapter 81: Run! It’s My Harem!

Chapter 81: Run! It's My Harem!

I had such a pleasant dream of making love to a sexy but dangerous woman...

When my eyes opened, I was looking straight up at a clean white ceiling while a soft, rhythmic humming echoed from my right side. I looked over across the sheets to see Tina smiling warmly at me, her red hair draped over her bare shoulders as she broke the silence.

"Good morning lover, we are late for University."

The sudden realization that I had apparently slept for a whole fucking day and failed to go home hit my chest like a runaway truck. I bolted straight out of bed, scattering the white silk sheets everywhere as I frantically looked around the room for my discarded clothing, right until a tinkling wave of laughter echoed behind me.

"Ufufu, dear, it has only been an hour and it is still Sunday. Now come back here, Rick."

I paused, looking down to notice that my body and hers were completely naked but perfectly clean from our lovemaking, and my racing heart finally calmed down knowing Tina was just pranking my head. She slid across the mattress to hug my waist from behind, pressing her warm front against my back as her fingers roamed along my chest.

"You were sleeping so soundly and I did not want to wake you up, but I was just called in the Harem-Chat to send you straight home for a family meeting of some sort," Tina whispered into my shoulder. "So Mary said to get your butt back to the house immediately. This spider will let you out of the web for a little bit."

I took her hand with a smile, stepping away to go into her master shower for a lightning-fast rinse before she and I said our official goodbyes for the afternoon.

On my way out to the driveway, I ran into an incredibly awkward goodbye with a smiling Lane Feng, who only offered me a knowing look that told me she knew exactly what we had been doing upstairs, forcing a sudden blush of embarrassment onto my face. It wasn't because I felt guilty about having sex with Tina, but the way her mother looked at me made it feel like I was already her official son-in-law.

On my way back into The Garden Estates, I immediately noticed a strange abnormality occurring just a few doors down. Right at Lot 5, which sat directly next to Hana’s Lot 7 to the right of her estate, a massive fleet of moving trucks was busy unloading an enormous amount of high-end furniture into the building. It seemed the owners had successfully sold the massive four-story mansion, meaning we were going to have some brand-new neighbors in the neighborhood very soon.

Pulling the sports car directly into my own driveway, my eyes locked onto a sleek white limousine parked right out front. I killed the engine, wondering what the hell was happening, and quickly headed inside.

For the very first time in months, the unexpected scene waiting in front of me in my own living room left me completely stunned.

Mei, easily catching my frozen expression, stepped forward from the entryway to remove my jacket. "Welcome home, Master Lee. Let me take that for you."

Not only did she smoothly take my coat, but under the heavy, watching gaze of every single woman in the room, she unbuckled my shoulder holster to take my two firearms away for safekeeping. Mary, Helen, Hana, Nadia, and Nichole were all sitting together on the velvet sofas, sipping hot tea or juice while watching my surprised face with various smirks.

My hardwired Acting skills finally activated, locking my facial muscles into a state of perfect calm as I remembered my surroundings and offered a polite greeting. "Hello, wives and three Tang ladies. I had absolutely no idea you would all gather here today. Had I known, I would have never gone out."

They all let out collective smiles at seeing my initial public gaffe, and Helen offered a cheerful wave of her hand, gesturing toward the table. "Cousin, come over here. We were looking through your childhood pictures while we waited for you to arrive. How adorable."

Breaking every single ounce of traditional noble lady etiquette, Nadia suddenly stood up from her seat and dived straight into my arms. I caught her weight automatically, holding her close while awkwardly looking past her shoulder toward Helen to gauge her reaction, but my cousin only smiled warmly, leaving me completely confused by her lack of anger.

"Ricky, I am absolutely not letting you go," Nadia declared, burying her face into my chest.

Helen giggled at my visible confusion, deciding to stop messing with my head. "Father and I know absolutely everything, cousin, so relax. We are not upset with you at all, fufu."

With Nadia firmly attached to my waist and refusing to let go, I walked over to the two facing couches, immediately facing a massive dilemma when choosing which side to sit on. Hana and Mary occupied the entire left couch, while Helen and Nichole sat together on the right.

Fuck, managing a massive harem is incredibly difficult. For a second, I wondered if I could just turn around and run, but I quickly threw that ridiculous idea out the window, knowing exactly how to handle the sudden choices.

I walked over and offered my cousin a warm hug first, then turned to give Nichole a much bigger embrace to show her I recognized how patiently she had been waiting for my return. Finally, I walked back over to my two wives, sliding into the space to sit directly between them. The exact moment Nadia looked sad, thinking she would have to separate from my side, I reached out and pulled her straight into my lap, making her face light up with a massive smile.

Mary thoroughly enjoyed the entire show, watching me struggle with the sudden domestic choices with an amused expression. Hana just tracked my nervous smile, also enjoying the highly strange situation I had just walked right into.

Oh, crap. I suddenly realized that both Mary and Hana were total soap opera addicts, and this entire room probably felt like a real-life soap opera playing out right in front of their eyes.

My wandering mind was brought straight back to reality as Nadia leaned heavily into my chest, grabbing my right hand to force me to hold her belly so I could rub her slight, developing baby bump. Helen, watching me rub her stomach, was forcefully reminded of how Nadia had been so entirely sure and proud during their talks, realizing this former money-grubber knew my personality perfectly.

It was honestly hilarious that both twins were currently enrolled in the university law program. If anyone ever looked up the term 'slimy lawyer' in a dictionary, Nadia and Nichole’s pictures would probably be sitting right there on the page, even if they were easily the hottest slimy lawyers in the city.

"Cousin, I can explain the entire situation to you right here," Helen stated, her tone turning professional as she leaned forward. "Scott has been officially removed from the Tang family registry, and the twins are preparing for a divorce, but the processing has some complications politically. So, father asked the three of us to come over and invite you and your wives for a family meal tonight to discuss the future. Please come for my sake, cousin, as well as for your lovers."

Nichole turned her eyes toward me, her voice soft. "Rick, I have never asked you for a single thing before, right? But for the sake of my baby, please come tonight and consider the big picture."

"Sure."

Nichole had apparently thought she would have to launch into the exact same begging routine Nadia used just to convince me to attend, so her face looked incredibly silly when I agreed instantly. I chuckled at my dramatic woman.

"I would come for your sake even if it wasn't for my child, silly woman. You overthink things far too much. You should know by now that I am a very simple man."

Nichole looked deeply touched by the words, standing up from her seat to walk around the backside of the couch so she could wrap her arms tenderly around my neck, completely ignoring Helen's amused gaze.

Mary adjusted her position on the cushion, letting out a soft laugh. "I best go try and find something nice to wear in the closet, fufu. Well, Helen, you heard his choice, we are definitely coming."

Hana stood up alongside her, her voice turning incredibly playful as she stretched her arms. "Honey, do you want me to look hot or elegant for the Tang estate?"

I leaned up to give her a quick kiss, offering the only strategically right answer a husband could give. "I am going to wear a standard black suit tonight, so you decide the look."

"Well, I am still thin enough to pull it off, so I am definitely going with hot," Hana decided with a wink. "Be back in a little while."

The exact second Hana left an open spot beside me on the sofa, Nichole snatched the cushion, shifting Nadia to my opposite side so the two sisters could share my space evenly. I sat there grinning, completely framed by twin bookends.

I spotted Mei walking over to hand me a cold beer, and I turned my head back toward Helen to clear a final detail. "Bringing my personal maid along won't be a problem for the dinner, right?"

Nadia, Nichole, and Helen all turned their eyes to look at the maid they all knew from the past, though they realized they had never truly known her character. My cousin offered a reassuring nod.

"She has been completely cleared of all past charges by the high-society court, and since you seem to trust her presence completely, we will absolutely not hold the past against her. She is more than welcome to join you at the estate."

I turned my head to look down at my twins, making my boundaries perfectly transparent. "There is absolutely no romantic relationship between us like the one she was forced into with Scott, but I trust her safety and she needs my full support right now. So treat her kindly for my sake."

I was stating the boundary for Helen's benefit as well, because I knew that if I didn't make things completely clear to Nadia and Nichole right away, their territorial instincts might make things incredibly hard on Mei, and I didn't want any domestic conflict.

Nadia smirked, leaning back against my arm. "If Ricky says you're good, Maid Xia, then I promise to be a good girl tonight."

Nichole said absolutely nothing, merely offering a firm nod of her head to agree with her sister's terms. Mei bowed respectfully toward the two of them, her voice steady as she said something that instantly startled both girls.

"I had absolutely no other choice than to serve Scott Tang in the past, but I freely chose to serve my Master Lee. So please know that my personal loyalty to him is entirely true."

Nadia tilted my chin with her fingers, forcing my blue eyes to look straight into hers. "It seems Ricky truly hasn't laid his hands on the maid yet."Helen stared at Nadia as if she had just witnessed something incredible, entirely surprised by her insight. Nichole noticed her face and offered a quick explanation.

"Nadia can easily tell exactly what Rick is thinking and feeling just by looking at his posture," Nichole explained to Helen with a sigh. "It's like a freakish superpower of hers, and the worst part is she is mostly right, sigh."

Mei and Helen both watched the incredibly smug looking Nadia, while my face twisted into a helpless smile of agreement. Helen then shook her head, shifting her posture into a serious mode.

"My cousin, I don't want you to be caught completely off guard when you face my father tonight, so I am going to give you a quick heads-up," Helen revealed, her voice dropping to a serious whisper. "Father, I, and the twins desperately need you in our family. I won't say too much more before the meal, but please know that we mean it with all of our hearts."

The Tang twins gripped my arms a bit more firmly at her words, their fingers tightening as if they were terrified I would say no and abandon their future completely.

"I believe your word, Helen," I replied, matching her serious look. "I will listen well tonight."

Shortly after the twins finally managed to get their quick Ricky-fix, they reluctantly let my maid lead me away toward the master bedroom so I could get ready for the evening.

While she was busy combing and styling my hair in front of the mirror, Mei kept her eyes on my reflection, her voice dropping. "Would you really refuse to go to their dinner if they had turned me away at the door?"

Looking at Mei through the glass, I let out a soft sigh, explaining my true thoughts. "Honestly, I have to go to be there for my lovers, so I would have gone regardless. But I absolutely wanted them to know your presence is worth speaking up for."

Mei smiled cheekily at my honesty, tapping the top of my head gently with the comb. "You easily could have earned some major brownie points with me by telling a lie, you know. You should have just told me you wouldn't go for my sake, silly."

I shrugged my shoulders, offering her a completely level look. "Sure, but I think being honest with you is far better than casually flirting for cheap brownie points. We are professional partners who need to absolutely never lie to each other, well, more than you already have to do just to protect my cover."

Mei let out a soft sigh as she looked at my reflection through the mirror, privately wondering why my romantic flirting skills were so incredibly terrible.

Then, her thoughts suddenly drifted to the manipulative behaviors of guys like Scott and Alex, and she realized something important. Maybe my blunt, raw honesty was exactly the right way to live after all.

"Well, that is the most handsome I can possibly make you look, Master, ufufu," Mei chirped cheerfully, tapping the top of my head gently with the comb as she finished.

Then, with absolutely everyone in the house completely ready for the evening, it was finally time to make our move. We all piled inside the massive luxury limousine waiting in the driveway, the engine purring softly as the driver steered us out of the gates and began the long journey toward the sprawling Tang Estate in the southern district.

Hana sat directly on my right side, looking incredibly striking in a long-sleeved black mini dinner dress. Her dark hair was elegantly pinned up, leaving a single decorative strand hanging loosely down the center of her back.

Sitting on my left was Mary, wearing a beautiful blue one-piece dress tailored with less constricting curves so it wouldn't make her developing baby bump look entirely obvious to public onlookers. She wore a pair of elegant designer glasses that matched the dark fabric of her dress perfectly.

The white limousine finally slowed down, pulling right up to the heavy front gates of the compound. My eyebrows instantly creased into a deep frown as I stared out the tinted window at the massive perimeter wall and the reinforced entryway, a strange sensation washing over me. Helen immediately noticed my questioning look from across the seat.

The towering stone wall surrounding the entire compound was constructed from pure white stone. On each side of the heavy, retractable steel gate fence sat two massive, ten-foot-tall stone statues of White Tigers, looking as if they were actively guarding the perimeter lines. The raw craftsmanship in their creation was so incredibly precise that they looked almost lifelike under the streetlights.

"Cousin Rick, what's wrong?" Helen asked softly, tracking my gaze.

"No, nothing's wrong," I muttered, shaking my head slightly to clear my thoughts. "I just... I seem to know those stone tigers. I have definitely seen them somewhere before."

It took about two minutes of slow driving along the small, private asphalt road just to cross the outer perimeter. The pathway was heavily lined with well-maintained trees and decorative bushes. Several smaller branching roads split off toward both sides of the property, which were clearly private driveways leading toward other grand mansions scattered across this vast clan property.

Soon, a massively large, four-story white mansion accented with sharp black shutters and modern trimmings came into full view. Erected right in the center of the manicured lawn was another enormous stone statue of a laying White Tiger, complete with two small cubs depicted playing happily at its feet. The winding road formed a seamless circular driveway around the art piece, allowing large limos to pass by the front steps without blocking traffic.

The second our group of seven stepped out onto the concrete pavement, I felt entirely drawn to the stone cubs. Ignoring the grand front doors of the mansion, I walked straight over to the base of the decoration out of pure, deep-rooted familiarity. The sudden detour completely confused the women, who stood on the driveway watching me walk toward a lawn ornament instead of entering the actual house.

I stopped right beside the two playing cubs, locking my eyes onto the details. One cub was depicted lying flat on its back, its stone feet pushing up defensively against the second cub that was frozen in mid-air trying to pounce on its sibling. I reached out a hand, placing my palm gently onto the top cub’s stone head as a clear memory resurfaced.

"I know I have seen this before!" I stated out loud, my voice echoing in the evening air.

"Indeed you have, Rick," a deep, mature voice answered smoothly from the steps. "You were exactly five years old at the time. I am very glad you came tonight."

I turned my head around quickly to see Anthony Tang standing tall near the entrance. He held his hands comfortably behind his back, his sharp blonde hair and striking blue eyes cutting an imposing figure under the lights. A warm, genuine smile graced his lips.

"My past memories are a bit fuzzy," I admitted, offering him a small smile in return as I lowered my hand. "But I honestly thought I was at a massive public amusement park back then. I distinctly remember thinking I was a real tiger and spending an hour playing right here with these two cubs, right?"

The Head Tang nodded his head slowly, stepping down the stairs to explain the timeline of that day. "Your father came to the estate to show me your physical progress and talk with me about the past. You were having so much fun playing in the grass that we simply left you with a security staff member and had our private discussion inside the office. You played out here for an hour or so. Sadly, that was the absolute last time you ever came to visit us here."

"Why did you and my father not get along back then?" I asked directly, wanting to understand the history.

He shook his head sadly, his gaze turning distant. "The complete opposite is true, Rick. It is because he and I got along far too well that things became incredibly difficult on our positions. My father and Debby Song absolutely did not like having your father around my office, and they both made things tough for our alignment."

A sudden flash from my previous dreams came back to me—the image of me, my father, Mary, and Mary's mother sitting together at the dinner table.

My father had asked me if I wanted him to personally do something about Scott's behavior at school, and I realized now that he must have meant talking directly with Anthony to settle it. I had refused his help back then. It made sense now why my father had worn that heavy look of knowing why Scott was such an arrogant dick. It had all been driven by Debby's poison behind the scenes.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to bring up old, complicated past stuff," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "I was just completely drawn to the stone layout."

"Thank you for helping my wife, Kim, in the Black State today," Anthony said suddenly, shifting the topic completely. "It means a massive amount to me that you handled that threat for her."

Even my hardwired Acting skills couldn't completely hide the massive wave of shock that struck my face at hearing my secret digital involvement was known. I stared blankly at his smiling face, realizing my internal processing had completely stopped working for a split second. Anthony let out a soft laugh at my stunned expression.

"All four Heads of the main houses know about your true identity, Rick, but we are all bound by a sacred oath of secrecy," Anthony revealed, putting my panic to rest. "So relax, absolutely no one is spilling your clues to the public. I merely guessed that you were the one who helped Kim today. You didn't leave a single shred of digital proof behind, so you can completely relax your guard."

I let out a helpless smile, feeling exactly like a little kid who had just been caught with his hand inside the cookie jar. It seemed like the mysterious voice on my phone, Mei, and now Anthony Tang all possessed far more hidden clues about my capabilities than I did. Anthony continued talking, stepping closer as he saw me relax.

"I am absolutely not going to beat around the bush with you, my nephew. You probably already know the exact reason why you are here tonight, and the reality is that I need your help. Plus, Helen and I genuinely want you with us in this family. Your twins desperately need their future husband to establish their place. So, if I promise to never make things difficult on your freedom, please agree to be a Tang. I firmly believe my sister would highly approve of this decision as well."

I couldn't help but respect his approach. The man really just played his cards right out in the open, completely refusing to use underhanded corporate games or cutesy manipulation to trick my mind.

"This whole arrangement is structured so I can officially marry the twins, right?" I summarized, cutting straight to the chase.

He instantly put up a hand, correcting my assumption with a firm shake of his head.

"You do not have to marry them if you do not want to," Anthony corrected smoothly. "You could marry them even if I were actively against the alignment. But if you marry them as my officially recognized nephew, they, you, and the Tang clan will have a far better outcome going forward. Not to mention the many innocent people who would be caught in the political crossfire if the families went to war. Very few high-society restrictions would ever be placed on your actions as a Tang, because you, my nephew, desperately need complete freedom to grow your strength."

I looked past his shoulder to see the women standing in the background near the limousine. They were all watching the two of us have our intense, heart-to-heart talk on the grass, a dozen different expressions covering their beautiful faces. I turned my blue eyes back to my uncle.

"You're awfully easy to talk with, uncle, but I still need to ask my two wives for their thoughts before I accept anything officially."

He gestured with his hand toward the standing women and the wide front doors of the mansion, letting out a happy, booming laugh. "That is exactly the reason why I made sure to invite your two lovely wives, who are currently carrying Tang babies in their bellies, ha-ha!"

I couldn't help but chuckle. Anthony Tang was easily the ultimate car salesman in the city.

As the two of us walked back toward the main group with wide smiles on our faces, I could see every single one of the women letting out a heavy, visible sigh of relief.