Yongye picked up his iced Coke, tipped his head back to drain the last mouthful, and casually tossed the empty bottle into the nearby trash can. It traced a precise arc through the air and landed with a clunk.
He tilted his head toward her, his smile as brilliant as Manhattan's late-night neon outside the window.
"You'll find out someday whether I'm crazy."
Diana stared at him, at that far-too-young face whose smile chilled her to the bone, and remained silent for a long time.
She rose and began putting herself in order.
Finally, she fastened the last plate of her golden armor, straightened up from the sofa, and took two steps toward the door before stopping again.
She did not turn around, only angled her face slightly. The floor lamp's warm glow cast her profile in alternating light and shadow. Extremely complicated emotions churned in her pale blue eyes before finally resolving into a muffled snort through her nose.
Then came a solemn declaration.
"I sincerely hope you can pull it off!"
"But don't think you can drag me into it. I'm not that stupid!"
"You can sleep with me whenever you please, but that's all you can do. I will never become your pawn!"
The door closed behind her. Slow, heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway, receding until the muffled closing of the elevator doors swallowed them entirely.
Leaning back on the sofa, Yongye tilted his head toward the closed door. The smile on his lips shifted from amusement to a deeper certainty that he would get what he wanted.
Diana was far too naive. She thought much too highly of him!
The next morning, in the top-floor office of the Eye Society headquarters.
Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the entire office.
Sharon sat at