Take My Breath Away

Wesley used the name Wayne Chen as his alias in D City.

The woman who was speaking had the hots for Wesley for a long time. He was such a hot guy. She vowed to get this man in her bed tonight.

Wesley grinned and said casually, "Just one? I'll bring both of you home tonight!" He sounded like the consummate playboy who fooled around with women all the time.

That just seemed to get the women in his arms even more excited. "Great! Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Leila urged anxiously. She couldn't wait to get this hot guy's clothes off.

Wesley flashed a playful smile and let go of her arm. He lit a cigarette. "What's the rush?"

"Come on, Wayne. I wanna be your little slut!" Leila held his arm again and pouted her lips

Wesley closed his eyes, as if he were trying to relax. But the truth was, he was trying to hide the disgust in his eyes. "I need to find Malcolm first. Then we'll go." He decided to give his higher-up a taste of his own medicine after the mission was over. He was asked to pretend to be the playboy, someone who got women to bankroll him. Wesley seethed with anger when he thought of it.

The two women instantly straightened up and started behaving when they heard the name. Leila asked cautiously, "Then...will Miss Chang be here too?"

Everyone in D City knew that Malcolm Chang's granddaughter—Patty Chang—was crushing hard on Wayne Chen. They were dating now. That was who Blair saw in Wesley's arms the other night.

Wesley tapped the cherry off his cigarette. Since these two women were still of use to him, he needed to make sure not to scare them away. "She's out of the country. Won't be back for a while."

His words set the two women at ease. They heaved a sigh of relief and continued to flirt with him.

Ten-odd minutes later, Malcolm Chang walked into the club, surrounded by a group of bodyguards. He wore a polo and khakis.

Guardedly, he scanned the club and spotted Wesley. Staring at the playboy, he ordered one of his men, "Bring Wayne Chen to me!"

"Yes, Mr. Chang!"

In no time, Wesley was escorted into Malcolm Chang's room. As soon as he saw Wesley come in, the old gang leader struck him across the back with his crutch. "You asshole, you never change. Patty's not around and you grab the first available ho!" If Wesley weren't so good at his job or so loyal, Malcolm Chang would've already killed him for cheating on his granddaughter.

Hearing the old man's ranting, Wesley calmly lit a cigarette, took a drag and blew out a cloud of smoke. Then he asked, "Should I break up with her?"

He was sure what the gang boss would say. Ever since Wesley joined their gang, Patty Chang had been head over heels in love with him. She even threatened to disown her grandfather when he said anything bad about Wesley.

Malcolm Chang's face darkened. His dear granddaughter would make a scene again if he forced them to break up.

So he dropped it and changed the topic. "We're expecting a drop next month, the 3rd. Mind picking up the cargo?"

Wesley smirked, an evil, greedy look on his face. He was so good at acting now. "Count me in. More jobs mean more bucks. Besides, Patty likes the rich life."

The old man nodded approvingly. "This shipment is important to us. We stand to gain a lot. Just avoid the cops and we're good."

"Don't worry. Leave it to me."

After discussing things for a while longer, Wesley said his goodbyes and left the room.

Watching the door close behind him, Malcolm Chang's assistant leaned over and asked, "Mr. Chang, didn't you say you didn't trust him? Why'd you give him such an important job?"

The old man sneered, "It's a test. If he passes, we'll know I was wrong. If not..." If Wayne Chen was a spy, he'd be dead by the third of next month.

But if he was proven to be loyal, he would let the young man marry his granddaughter. 'He won't have any reason to stray after marrying Patty, ' the old man thought.

Blair went back to Y City in a gloomy mood.

For the next six months, she hadn't seen Wesley once. She completely lost contact with him.

Even on her birthday, she didn't get any presents from him, unlike last year.

Every holiday, Blair would fly to Wesley's hometown and visit his family. She would go shopping with Cecelia and even go on trips with her. But they had an unspoken understanding—don't talk about Wesley.

Blair had planned to wait for Wesley for a year. But Keith told her a secret: Wesley would be gone for two years. He'd be done with his mission by that time.

So she decided to extend the deadline. She would wait for him for two years. However, deep down her heart, she felt it was unfair. He had all these women around him every day while she had only loneliness as her companion.

To Blair, time passed slowly. With three months to go, Niles called her.

"Blair..." Niles sounded sorrowful.

Blair's heart skipped a beat. She had never heard Niles speak in such a sad tone. "What's up? Anything happen?" she asked cautiously.

"Blair...turn on the news."

"The news?"

Niles didn't answer her. He figured she didn't know yet. He started sobbing.

Blair was flustered, her heart beating faster in her chest. She knew Niles was a cheerful and upbeat guy. She remembered he cried over the phone last time when he was beaten by his father, at his grandfather's demand. But he wasn't sad then.

His crying now gave her an ominous feeling. "Is the news... about your..." Her voice trailed off. She lost all courage to finish her question, her hand trembling.

Niles tried to rein in his emotions so he could tell her. "Yes. Something bad happened to my brother... Blair, I'll send you a video now."

'Something bad?'

Blair felt like a thunderbolt from the clear sky had struck her. Her phone slipped off her hand, dropping onto the floor. She staggered backwards as her knees went weak, and she leaned against the wall.

'Something bad happened...to...Wesley...' But then she shook her head and comforted herself, 'No...calm down. Something bad doesn't mean he's dead! Maybe he's wounded again.'

At the thought of it, she wiped away her tears and picked up her phone from the floor. Niles had just sent her a news report.

Taking a deep breath, she clicked the video with a trembling finger.

At first, all she could see was the sea, rolling and choppy, with a number of salvage ships cruising by.

Soon a reporter appeared in the foreground and began, "Hello everyone. We're live at the scene of a maritime disaster. A ship carrying 670 passengers exploded earlier today and sank into the sea in a matter of minutes. 273 bodies have been recovered, but only 37 of them were complete. Most of the bodies were torn apart by the blast..." The reporter couldn't help but take a minute to compose his emotions. "No survivors were found until now."

'No survivors... What does that mean? Everyone on the ship died?

Including...' Blair couldn't continue the thought.

Before she could finish watching the video, her phone rang. It was Joslyn.

She stopped playing the video and answered the call. "Joslyn."

"Bless, what are you doing now?" Joslyn tried to sound calm, holding back her tears. She figured that Blair should've known by now. It was sensational news throughout the country.

"Joslyn, are you crying? Why?" Her quiet sobbing didn't go unnoticed by Blair. She prayed in her mind that Joslyn wasn't crying for the same reason as Niles.

Joslyn covered her mouth to stifle her cries. She wondered how to tell her best friend the bad news about Wesley.

"Blair, have you heard?"

"Yes... But I'm not sure if he was on that ship."

Joslyn finally cried out loud. "He was. Blair, Hartwell said he was...on that ship. But Blair, his body hasn't been found yet. There's still hope that he's alive..."

Blair slumped in her seat. "When did the accident happen?"

"About... eight hours ago..."

'Eight hours...in the sea...What are the odds of surviving something like that?' She felt despair gnawing at her, freezing her blood.