Take My Breath Away

The maid answered in a choked voice, "Mrs. Su said that Miss Su was so weak that she was almost scared to death by the snake, so it was attempted murder..."

"All right, all right. Tell the Su family that I did this, and it has nothing to do with you. Let them come to me if there is something wrong with Phoebe!" Erica's words were steady; she'd mentally prepared herself for this.

"Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Huo!" Shuddering in relief, the maid thought, 'Mrs. Huo is really a good person. She always keeps her word!'

In the meeting room of ZL Group

Paige followed Matthew into the meeting room, where they found Lyman, Fanya and Phoebe waiting. Standing in the corner like a human statue was a lone security guard, gripping a box in his hands.

Murmured greetings were exchanged, and everyone sat down except for the guard.

Smiling perfunctorily, Fanya asked, "Mr. Huo, hasn't Mrs. Huo arrived yet?"

Matthew had a look at his watch, then answered, "My wife is busy. When I called her, she was still taking photos in the suburbs.

I imagine she's just gotten into the city at this time." This came as an unpleasant surprise to the Su family. They had already been waiting for more than ten minutes.

Now Matthew told them that Erica had only just entered the city itself? It would take her at least another half-hour to get to the ZL Group!

Despite her best efforts, Fanya's smile evaporated. "Mr. Huo, I don't need to tell you how precious our time is. It will take half an hour for Mrs. Huo to arrive. What are we going to do until then—nothing? I don't think this is appropriate."

Matthew leaned back in his chair and played with the diamond ring on his ring finger. As usual, his whole manner was relaxed and emotionless. "Why is it not appropriate? I came here ahead of time, didn't I? I'm waiting here, just like you. My time is more valuable than yours. So, Mrs. Su, is there anything you are not satisfied with?"

Fanya was left speechless. She was perfectly aware of the reality behind Matthew's words. The man could make tens of billions of dollars in a minute, while the Su family could make at most hundreds of millions in the same time.

So, of course, Matthew's time was quite literally worth more than theirs.

Nevertheless, Fanya really didn't have the patience to wait for Erica. "Then I'll get to the point. Give the box to me!"

Matthew did not object, and the guard came over to the conference table. With considerable care, he placed t

ng confusion, Erica looked first at Lyman, whom Phoebe and Fanya had hidden behind, and then at the two snakes that were coiled about her wrists and hands. One was green, the other red. Erica smiled and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Su, Mistress Su, aren't my pets cute?"

Phoebe didn't seem to think so. She was shivering, curled up in one of the office chairs, her arms locked around her head.

"M-Mr. Huo..." Lyman swallowed nervously. "Don't just sit there—discipline your wife! This is outrageous!"

Snakes in general bothered him, and colorful ones even more so. 'What a bizarre woman!' he thought in astonishment. 'I can't believe Mr. Huo would like somebody like that.'

Having mastered himself again, Matthew addressed his wife calmly—but also sternly. "Erica, put those back where you found them!" Although the snakes appeared to be docile at the moment, he was afraid that his wife might still get hurt somehow. This was, after all, something of an odd situation.

Erica misunderstood his words, thinking that he was afraid for himself. To the utter mystification of the room, she said, "Oh Paige, would you please close the door behind you when you go out?"

Ashen-faced, Paige decided that that was as good a time as any to excuse herself. "No problem," she said weakly, and took her leave.

After making sure the door was closed, Erica abruptly dropped her snakes to the floor and trotted over to Matthew to comfort him. "Don't be afraid, honey. I'll protect you!"

Startled, the snakes hissed in dismay and wriggled where they had fallen. Meanwhile, Fanya and her daughter forgot their dignity and scrambled atop the conference table.