Hidden Assassin 238

The light flickered on, revealing everything in the room: the white underwear belonging to the girl, the kicked-off slippers, and the mixed-race girl who was clinging tightly to Jia Ming’s waist, her head peeking out from under the covers. Marilyn stood there, stunned, opening her mouth but unable to utter a word. Disbelief washed over her, and she took two steps back, slamming into the door with a bang. Her hand flew to her chest, which was heaving up and down rapidly.

“You…”

“Mom…Mommy…”

The little girl’s head poked out from under the covers, her bare, white shoulders exposed to the air. Her eyes were filled with panic and confusion. “Mommy, how…uh, you got it wrong! It’s not what you think…I was just…just chatting with Jia Ming…uh, chatting…”

“Chatting…”

Marilyn shook her head, her gaze flitting around, occasionally landing on Jia Ming. She saw him raising his hands as if to prove he hadn’t touched Heidi, but he kept his head down and said nothing. He seemed lost in thought, and a huge stone seemed to lodge itself in her chest, making her want to scream. But the scream never came. Heidi bit her lower lip, wriggling under the covers, and then she lay down on the edge of the bed, reaching out with her bare arm to pick up her clothes from the floor.

After several struggles, her panties snagged on her hand, and she pulled them into the covers. Then, a flurry of activity ensued inside the covers. Because of the girl’s movements, the blankets had been pulled to one side, revealing half of Jia Ming’s body, which was clad in pajamas. He sighed, his eyes flitting between Heidi and Marilyn, then he looked towards the window on the other side of the room.

Except for Heidi’s movements on the bed, the room was silent.

Heidi put on her panties. She continued to lie on the bed, trying to reach for her nightgown with her hand, but it had been thrown too far away. She stretched several times, but she couldn’t reach it. She gritted her teeth, extending her hand even further. Suddenly, half of her body fell off the bed, and this time, besides her arm and shoulders, her developing, alluring breasts were exposed to the air for all to see. Marilyn opened her mouth, but Heidi quickly pulled the covers up and crawled back onto the bed, pleading, “Mommy…”

Marilyn stood there for a few seconds, her gaze fixed on the side, her heart sinking like a stone. She wiped her eyes and then gently walked over and picked up the nightgown. She folded it carefully and, without a word, walked to the bed. Heidi reached out to take it, but Marilyn put the nightgown directly over Heidi’s head. Once she had put her arms through the sleeves, Marilyn pulled the nightgown down for her, then she reached into the covers and silently tidied things up.

With her nightgown on, Heidi crawled out of bed. She put on her slippers. “Uh, I’m going to sleep in my room…” Seeing that no one was paying any attention to her, she opened the door and left. The sound of her small feet running away echoed down the hallway as she closed the door behind her.

Marilyn sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze vacant. Jia Ming rubbed his forehead. “Uh, I and…”

“Why did you do it?” Marilyn gently interrupted him, her voice sounding like death. “Heidi is only fourteen years old.”

Jia Ming nodded, his expression complex. He didn’t say anything. Marilyn suddenly stood up. “What do you like? I’m enough for you. Why did you touch her!” Her hysterical voice reverberated through the room. Jia Ming looked into Marilyn’s eyes and smiled, but the woman started crying. As she cried, she unhooked the thin straps of her silk nightgown, which fell down along the curves of her body. Then she began to unclasp her bra, taking it off, followed by her underwear, one by one. Finally, she kicked off her shoes, standing naked on the edge of the bed.

“This body, you can do whatever you want, anything you want, just say the word, and I’ll do it. But why did you touch Heidi? Why did you touch her after you had me?” She spoke, already climbing onto the bed, passionately leaning towards him, starting to unbutton his shirt. “What exactly do you like? I’ve been trying so hard! I thought you didn’t need all this, and I’ve been using all my strength to make you happy. I also thought you just saw Heidi as your daughter, like a daughter you love. Do you like that feeling of her being your daughter? I can be that for you, Dad…”

“Don’t do that.” Jia Ming reached out and pushed her away, turning to sit on the edge of the bed. Marilyn, without covering her private parts, simply leaned on the edge of the bed, turning her head to look at him. “I didn’t touch Heidi…”

Marilyn’s hopeless gaze remained unchanged. She seemed to be waiting for an explanation from Jia Ming, but he didn’t offer more. He got up and buttoned his shirt, saying, “But that doesn’t matter now. Heidi…she’ll tell you everything later…”

They sat on opposite sides of the bed, like a married couple after a fight. The room fell silent again. Marilyn was clearly not satisfied with this weak explanation. She gradually turned her head, reached out with trembling hands to pick up the clothes on the floor, and put them on piece by piece, all the while wiping her tears calmly. She walked towards the door. A moment later, the door opened and closed again. Jia Ming was left alone, thinking about this absurd and troublesome problem…

******************************************************

Marilyn left the room and walked down the hallway with a calm facade. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her pace quickened, and tears began to pour down her face. She ran towards the last two steps and then, unable to control her speed, slipped and fell down the stairs with a thud.

A choked sob escaped her throat, and she lay on the stairs for a while before she slowly and unsteadily stood up. Her left side ached a little, but it wasn’t a major issue. She slumped onto the sofa, burying her head in her arms. The sound of her suppressed sobbing filled the living room.

At some point, footsteps echoed through the hallway. The sound had only been heard in this villa a few times, but maybe because she was so worried, it felt very familiar. She tried to stifle her sobs, and soon the footsteps reached her and stopped.

“I think it’s time for me to leave.”

The words rang out, and when Marilyn fully understood their meaning, she abruptly turned her head on the sofa. Jia Ming was sitting on the sofa next to her, wearing his down jacket. The bag he had brought with him was beside him.

“Heidi is a good girl. I didn’t touch her. That’s the truth. You’ll find out. But that’s not the point. I think I need to leave. It’s time to go. If I stay, things will get complicated.”

“Don’t worry about the Gambino matter. It will be resolved. Heidi doesn’t want to be a singer. I think you should stop forcing her to be one. But her dream of becoming a Mafia godmother…hehe, I don’t think I can agree to that. She’s really smart and can do anything. I’m not worried about that. Of course, you need to be careful about the influence of people like Joseph. I think…I need to thank you for everything you’ve done. I think it’s been great, really great.”

He smiled and stood up, picking up his bag. Marilyn also stood up. There were countless things she wanted to say: You’ve taken advantage of me and now you want to leave…You won’t explain yourself properly, how can you just leave…You’re so despicable, say something, even if it’s a lie, just say something that will make me happy, please…But she couldn’t bring herself to say anything, whether it was accusations, resentment, or self-pity. A moment later, Jia Ming disappeared out the door. She staggered to the windowsill and watched his figure slowly fade into the distance.

In the darkness, Jia Ming turned his head and looked at the villa in the distance.

From the moment Heidi started saying she liked him half a year ago, he should have foreseen this. Since this joke became a real liking, he had to leave because if he stayed, as long as he had a physical relationship with Marilyn, Heidi would inevitably become a problem. Even if he explained everything carefully and sincerely today, he would inevitably fall into an awkward situation. The longer this went on, the more entangled and complicated things would become.

When Heidi took off her clothes and jumped into bed, and Marilyn’s voice followed from the hallway, he knew for sure it was time to leave…

Goodbye, Marilyn.

Goodbye, Heidi…

*****************************************************

The villa was well-insulated, so they could only vaguely hear their mother’s crying, Jia Ming’s movement, and Heidi running to her bedroom. They knew they had fought.

From putting the drug in the wine tonight to now, although many things hadn’t gone according to plan, the outcome was still pretty good. Originally, she hadn’t planned to confess her feelings to Jia Ming so soon. Theoretically, sixteen should be a more appropriate age, and by then, Jia Ming should accept her. But her mother and Jia Ming’s intentional closeness had irritated her. She ran out during the banquet because she wanted to join in the excitement. But when she calmed down a little, she thought about the possibility of Jia Ming and her mother being alone, and jealousy took over. So, she did what she did with the wine.

The plan had failed. Jia Ming’s departure made her cry all night. Apologizing to Jia Ming and confessing her feelings were already outside the plan, and the result was still not ideal. However, after leaving, she caught a glimpse of her mother walking towards her, and she had a flash of inspiration, and the idea of running back was indeed a stroke of genius. At that moment, she had been driven by impulsive emotion and stripped naked, crawling into Jia Ming’s bed. Now, thinking about it, she felt a little embarrassed, but it had worked out well. Mommy had misunderstood for sure.

Starting tomorrow, Jia Ming would be hers! Although she felt a little sorry for her mother, love was a great thing, and there was no room for pity or sympathy. Sorry, Mom, but Uncle Joseph is actually not bad either. It doesn’t matter who it is, Jia Ming is mine…She thought contentedly, with a little guilt towards her mother, and she nestled into her covers and fell into a sweet sleep.

She didn’t know how long it had been when the door to her room creaked open. Marilyn walked in and sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at her sleeping daughter with a weary and gentle expression. She reached out and pulled the covers up for her, then she looked at her for a while longer before silently leaving the room…

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter