”How about your sisters? Any of them taken?”

”Why? You want to add them to your body count too?”

Edward laughed, “The only one of you that I might have been interested in has a baby that looks like her.”

Even though Su realised what Edward meant, she acted like she didn’t.

”No way! You have a crush on Mai?” She threw her hands over her mouth, feigning shock.

”Mai has a baby?”

Su nodded emphatically.

”Who would have thought,” Edward laughed. “And the baby is still alive?” He couldn’t imagine stoic Su being able to woo a man long enough to give her a baby who’d actually survived a day with her.

”What the hell?” Su laughed, “Of course the babies are still alive.”

Edward nearly choked on his soup, “What?”

”She has three kids,” Su revealed, then shocked Edward further by adding, “Mai’s the only one of us that’s married.”

”Wow,” was all he could say. How unpredictable like could be sometimes. Mai the bull (his own private nickname he’d given her) married? Wonders.

”How about Chapa?” Edward decided he’d faint if he heard she had a baby as well. He hadn’t even been sure she had female organs when they were kids.

Su laughed, “Chapa’s always been a prude and she never leaves the house, unless we force her to. She’s going to marry my parents.”

Hmm.

”What do you have planned for the day?”

He didn’t have anything actually. Since he was being closely watched, he had to put a check on the places he was found in before the party.

”Why?”

”Well, my sisters and I are going on a hiking trip.”

Edward laughed, “Ladies hiking before a party? You trying to fit into your dress or something? Would have imagined it would be the spa.”

”Very funny,” Su tsked and tossed a shrimp at Edward. “We are all in good shape and besides, the spa comes after.”

They looked at each other and smiled.

The meal continued over casual conversation. Edward asked basic questions that might help him figure out whether this hiking trip he had agreed to go on was all a part of the plan. He figured it was anyway.

They wanted to get as much out from him as they could. But Tai Pin had sent the wrong set of the people.

He would never reveal a thing to his daughters even if they were all innocent. They would find a way to mock him about it and make the rest of his living miserable.

At half past eleven, after spending close to three hours in the room, Su Ya stood to leave.

”Well, after that meal, I just might be pregnant again.”

Edward laughed, “For your own sake, I hope you’re not.”

He walked her to the door.

”Thanks for stopping by, it was a pleasure.”

”You’re not rid of me just yet. I’ll pick you up by one.”

Edward nodded. He watched her enter the elevator before locking his door. He didn’t have any clothes that would be suitable for hiking, not to talk of his shoes. He placed a call to Viktor.

”I’m going hiking with Tai Pin’s daughters.”

That was all he said before ending the call. If he had trained Viktor well enough, his guard would know exactly what to do.

***

The clothes arrived a little before one along with tracking chips that Edward was supposed to clip to the women’s clothes. They were going to be followed too.

He was just done dressing when the telephone rang, a call from the desk,

”Hey Woman,” it was Su Ya, “Get your female behind down here.”

He was about to say he didn’t have a female behind but she had already cut the call.

Edward slipped his phone and wallet into his pocket before heading for the lobby. He was met with Su at the hotel doors and she led him to the jeep where Mai and her sister Chapa awaited.

”Look what I dug up girls,” Su shouted to her sister and they both looked up.

Mai frowned, “So this is the treasure you said we had to pick up first.”

”Well treasure for me because you both owe me five hundred each.”

”No, we don’t. You clearly cheated. The party hasn’t started yet,” Chapa spoke for the first time.

”We didn’t specify when we had to talk to him. Pay up losers.”

Chapa rolled her eyes and Mai just frowned. She sized Edward up like she was disgusted by his presence and the man wondered how she ever planned on winning the bet if she couldn’t even be in the same space as him.

”Still holding on to that grudge huh Mai?”

The woman chuckled, “You can’t hold on to something that was never there. Get in the car Woman.”

Edward laughed, there was definitely still a grudge. Mai had had a crush on him and Edward had found out after Su Ya and him kissed.

It was in fact because of her feelings Su had stringed him along. She had been taunting Mai who hadn’t looked at Edward the same since that day.

But he couldn’t care less. He had always seen the eldest sister as a big bully who should have been a boy.

While he got into the back seat with Chapa, Su Ya got behind the wheel and off they went to the trail.

The first person Edward managed to put the chip on was Chapa since the was the closest to him and the least attracted to him. She just kept her gaze on the streets as Su drove past at such an alarming speed.

”Try not to get us killed Su,” Mai warned her.

”Sure!”

Nothing else was said for the rest of the ride until Su brought the car to a stop at the edge of a trail.

”We are here.”

She turned off the engine and they all trooped out of the car. They walked into the forest in a straight line led by Su.

For the first few minutes of the walk, everywhere was silent until Mai asked about Edwards life in Beijing.

”How does it feel being a top guy?”

Edward shrugged, “Normal, I guess.”

”What a cocky reply.”

”I wasn’t trying to be.”

”That’s the point. You don’t have to try, the arrogance is natural.”

”Do you have a problem with me?”

”I don’t know, do you?”