Two guards in matching leather jackets escorted Victor, Han, and Phantom into a space that looked like an impressive living room, though one of the guards had referred to it as the study. There were no books or shelving, no desk, or any other office paraphernalia. Fine art lined the walls, and the floors were covered in Persian carpets. There were also a few sculptures on display, forged from dark gray metal.

The 24K Dragon met them at the door and escorted them over to the “study’s” one seating area: two maple brown leather couches that sat directly across from each other, with an antique Chinese table standing between them like a referee.

“Sit! Sit!” Kuang said, taking a seat on the couch that faced the door.

Victor hated sitting with his back to the door, but he took a seat nonetheless, as did Phantom and Han.

Besides the seating arrangements, Kuang was much more accommodating here than he was in his city apartment. He asked them what they wanted and had them put in orders with his footman. This was a break from his usual MO. Typically, Kuang’s choice of drinks simply appeared underneath an umbrella of expectation that his guests would drink whatever he served them.

They talked for quite a while. Mostly about business. Not once did the subject of Kuang’s daughter come up. After an hour or so, Victor began to wonder if he hadn’t mistaken the purpose of this meeting.

Perhaps “come meet my daughter” had been some sort of euphemism for come to my house in Connecticut and let me show off all my fine things and my excess of security guards while we talk about what we always talk about.

However, after about two hours, Kuang sighed and said, “I suppose we should get this over with.”

He nodded toward an attendant, who had been hovering near the door since they’d arrived. “Tell my daughter it is time.”

The door opened and closed behind them. But then opened again almost immediately.

The daughter must’ve been waiting nearby. Perhaps even in the hallway that they had walked down to get to the study. Victor recalled there’d been a hard, antique bench that had not looked at all comfortable.

He wondered if Kuang had been stalling because she was late for the meeting or because he had been making her wait.

Either way, Victor fixed a passive look on his face. It wouldn’t do for him to let it show if she truly was as unappealing as Phantom had predicted.

But to his shock, the woman who entered the room was gorgeous. Kuang had married a Chinese actress from the days when Mafia used to run the Hong Kong studio system. She’d been quite beautiful.