Deep Cover Desires

Chapter Three: Birthday

In the apartment, Jade turned off the showerhead and stepped out of the bathroom.

The mirror on the sink was veiled with a layer of mist. She threw on an oversized white T-shirt and wiped away a bright crescent with her hand.

The cut on her forehead had stopped bleeding, but the bruise on her neck seemed to be getting worse. Beneath the cold white light, as she examined the injuries, Jade froze, realizing that her necklace was missing from her neck.

In an instant, panic set in. Ignoring her lack of shoes, she rushed from the bathroom to the living room.

It must have been lost during the confrontation with Andrea just now.

"Looking for this?" A husky, slightly tipsy female voice emanated from the bar.

Jade turned, seeing Willow in a forest-green robe, leaning against the bar with disheveled hair, sipping a drink. A fine thread hung from her fingertip, glimmering faintly in the dim light.

The suspended tension finally eased.

"Just for this crappy necklace, you're so worked up?" Willow's tone was lazy as she placed the necklace on the counter.

Without a word, Jade walked over. Just as her fingers were about to touch it, Willow suddenly pressed them down.

"Why is this necklace so important?" Willow asked, a contemptuous tone with a hint of provocation, like a cat toying with its prey.

"It's the reason why you are working for Dexter Wen right?"

One couldn't deny women's intuition; sometimes, it's unbelievably accurate.

Jade had been assigned to Willow by Dexter Wen after she arrived in New York. To put it nicely, she was Willow's bodyguard; to put it bluntly, she was there to help Dexter monitor his daughter's every move.

Jade had always been indifferent, indifferent to things that didn't concern her. So now, she just tightened her fist, forcefully pulling the necklace from Willow's hand.

Jade used just enough force. Willow's hand, unable to retract in time, hit the marble edge of the counter, causing her to grimace in pain.

The wide sleeve of the robe slid open, revealing a dark bruise on her arm.

Jade hesitated, recalling that this was probably caused during chaos on the cruise earlier today.

To foster Willow's twisted personality, Mr.Wen must have done some shady things behind the scenes. Although Jade didn't want to get involved in the Wen family's affairs, Willow's injury was, in the end, a result of her job negligence, so there was a hint of self-blame.

Wearing the necklace, Jade turned and grabbed Willow's wrist, dragging her into the bedroom.

Willow screamed all the way, utterly powerless as Jade pressed her onto the sofa. She attempted to muster the temperament of a blue blood girl, ready to jump up in defiance. Yet, a cold, stern gaze from Jade intimidated her, and she meekly sat back down.

Jade went outside to get some medicine for her.

"Hey," Willow still tried to strike up a conversation, "How much did Dexter Wen pay you? I'll double that if you help me take him out."

"Ms. Wen," Jade's tone was cold, "jokes like that shouldn't be thrown around casually."

"Who said I'm joking?" Willow, still with a nonchalant attitude, half-drunk, leaned on the sofa, murmuring, "Isn't it said that murderers should pay with their lives? He's done so many bad things, why shouldn't he pay?"

Jade didn't want to engage in conversation, so she focused on applying the medicine.

The room quieted down, with only the rustling sound of gauze, creating a rare moment of warmth.

Under the influence of alcohol, Willow finally settled down a bit. Her hand hung down, and, leaning against the sofa, she accidentally knocked over a miscellaneous box on a low cabinet.

Various items scattered on the floor.

Two bottles of pills rolled out of a paper bag, and Jade recognized them. These were the "sleeping pills" that Willow had asked her to fetch earlier tonight.

Clomiphene—a drug used to induce ovulation.

Both froze as Willow lunged to grab the items scattered on the floor. In the midst of their struggle, Jade managed to pin her down.

"What's this?" Jade asked, her tone cold and intimidating.

Unable to conceal the truth, Willow decided to be upfront, lying on the floor and sneering, "Can't you read?"

"I'm asking, what do you intend to do with these?" Jade questioned.

Willow chuckled even more, "What do you think? Certainly not for beauty care, right?"

Jade was left speechless, strongly contemplating silencing this woman right then and there.

Since the first day Jade became Willow's bodyguard, she was thoroughly briefed on Willow's rebellious history. Whether it was true love or just to stir trouble for her father, Willow wasted no time aligning herself with one of Dexter's most trusted aides upon arriving in New York.

This man, who had been with Dexter for many years, was now the head of the marketing department at Wings Corporation's New York branch. Logically, he shouldn't lose his composure and engage in such indiscretions with Willow.

However, gentle town is always the hero's grave, the heroes who possessed by their d***s.

With the collaboration between the two companies now sealed, as long as things didn't go too far, a couple of scandalous rumors in the face of immense benefits were hardly worth mentioning.

So, Jade speculated that whatever Willow was scheming with this move, it was likely something significant.

"You want revenge on Mr. Wen, but there's no need to joke with your own body," Jade remarked.

"Oh, really? I can't? Then why can they?" Willow retorted.

Jade remained silent, finally taking the medicines off the floor and walking away without uttering a word.

*

The rain had stopped at an unknown hour, yet the damp air on the terrace of the apartment's top floor still blurred the view. The faint orange light broke the hazy night with a crisp sound, igniting a spark and a white plume of smoke. She observed the city's muted sky.

As the train started moving, the orange and silver lights illuminated, and the taillights on the bustling road resembled rolling pearls. Countless lights adorned the vast, endless night, creating a sense of disorientation.

The current situation was even more challenging than Jade had anticipated. When she agreed to Myron's request to take on this FBI's informant operation two years ago, she knew this path would be difficult. Giving up was never in her consideration.

Although her true identity was still well-concealed, if Andrea started suspecting her connection to the Branconi Family, he wouldn't easily let it go. This meant she couldn't be sure how long she could approach Andrea through Willow before discovering the truth herself.

So, she needed to come up with a plan quickly. But how?

Jade pondered and concluded that the most feasible approach was to start with the Branconi Family. The enemy of her enemy was her friend. If she could forge an alliance that bound her interests with Andrea's, convincing him that her approach to Willow was reasonable and motivated by common enemies, it might prove she wasn't a mole for the Branconi Family.

With the alarm lifted, she could still stay close to Willow.

Exhaling a long sigh, Jade reached into her jacket pocket for her phone. She flipped open the lighter's cap, revealing a tiny communication card.

The call connected, and Myron's voice came through. He was, indeed, still awake. It seemed like he was always there whenever she needed him.

A sudden warmth filled Jade's chest. The smoke swirling within her expanding lung lobes turned into torches, drying her cold and damp body.

"It's good to hear from you," he said, his tone expressing both surprise and relief. "How's it going? Haven't run into any danger, have you?"

"Yeah," Jade responded. She always shared the good news, avoiding unnecessary worries. Succinctly, she said, "Help me dig into the Branconi Family. The more detailed, the better."

"What's going on?" Myron asked, somewhat concerned. "Why suddenly check on the Branconi Family?"

"I plan to use this to get closer to Andrea Caruso."

"Don't act tough," his voice raised a few degrees, unable to hide the anxiety.

Jade rubbed her throbbing temples, not attempting to persuade him. She simply said, "If you don't help, I'll find someone else."

There was a moment of silence on the other end. After a while, Myron reluctantly agreed, "Fine," and then gently reminded, "Look up, three o'clock direction."

Following the sound, Jade saw a row of almost invisible colored lights not far away in Times Square, forming a small circle, like rubies in the night.

"Happy birthday," Myron said. "Hope I'm the first to say it."

Her heartbeat paused for a moment and sank heavily.

If it weren't for Myron's reminder, Jade would have forgotten. Today was her birthday. She stared at the circle of lights shaped like a cake for a while before calmly saying, "Thank you."

There was a pause on the phone, an attempt to speak, but ultimately, nothing was said. He bid her a soft "good night."

Tender and lingering, almost like a whisper.

She responded with a simple "Hmm" and then ended the call.