章 2: Delilah Yeung
One day earlier.
Las Vegas, A.K.A. 'Sin City'; the entertainment capital of the world, an adult's playground, and a city that never sleeps. Famous for its over-the-top hotels and casinos, glam lifestyle, spectacular shows…and flash weddings.
Inside one of the most luxurious hotels, a pool party was underway. Sitting in the exclusive VIP area, Delilah Yeung flicked back her long brown hair as she held her phone in front of her and pouted her lips for a selfie. One could not attend a pool party in Vegas without posting about it, especially not a narcissistic socialite like Delilah Yeung. Underneath her photo, she wrote in the caption, 'Enjoying my last few weeks of singledom #poolparty #gettingmarried #feelingblessed'.
As a young heiress from Hong Kong, Delilah Yeung's parents owned a small chain of nail salons that kept them just above the cut-off between upper-middle-class and lower-upper-class. Although they were wealthier than the average person and she could live off the money made from her parents' nail salons, her ultimate dream was to be in the upper-upper-class; a dream that seemed out of reach until a few days ago when the secretary of Alexander Lee, the chairman of Lee Corporation, suddenly came looking for her.
"Miss Yeung, I'm sure you must know who I am," the secretary said in a proud manner as she lifted a cup of coffee to her wine red lips. Even though she was just a secretary, this woman had an aura of authority and power that could not be denied.
Delilah Yeung's eyes lit up as she stared at the beautifully composed woman in front of her. Of course, she knew who this woman was. Everyone who was anyone knew who she was. But why was the infamous Nadia Kwan, personal secretary to Alexander Lee, meeting her in this cafe?
The woman removed her sunglasses and looked into Delilah's eyes, "What are you doing in the next three weeks?"
Although the secretary asked this question, she had already done her research on the woman and knew the answer. Delilah's dream was to be a rich housewife; she had no job and she was not studying. What could she possibly be busy with?
Delilah looked at the woman in confusion and shook her head, "Nothing much…"
The secretary smirked.
[As expected.]
"In that case, Mr. Lee would like a bit of your time," the woman continued as she reached into her handbag.
"A bit of my time?" Delilah asked. The Lees were like royalty in Hong Kong, and Alexander Lee was equivalent to the king of the Lee empire. With his billions in assets, this man was so high and mighty that a commoner could only look at him from a distance. Even for someone like Delilah who was in the lower-upper-class, the Lees were usually beyond her reach. What could Alexander Lee possibly want with her? Did he want his nails done?
The secretary pulled an envelope out of her handbag and slid it over to Delilah, "He would like you to attend an engagement party in three weeks' time."
"An engagement party?" Delilah furrowed her brows as she picked up the envelope and looked inside, "Who's getting engaged?"
This was an extremely weird request. Especially coming from someone she had never met before.
The secretary put down her empty coffee cup and smirked.
In a nonchalant manner, she replied, "You…are…"
Delilah thought about that meeting from a few days ago and laughed to herself. She had never met Chairman Lee and she didn't know how he knew about her, but that day, he had made her a proposal that she couldn't reject: he had told her to marry his son — Lucas Lee!
She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
Lucas Lee was the heir to Lee Corporation and was due to take over his father's business as soon as he returned to Hong Kong. At just 28-years-old, he was already one of the youngest billionaires in the country and one of the most eligible bachelors. Although he had been living in the US with his mother since he was 8-years-old and no one in Hong Kong knew how he looked, marrying into the Lee Family was the quickest route to getting into the upper-upper-class, so Delilah didn't care. It didn't matter whether he was ugly or had a horrible personality. Heck, it didn't even matter if he was missing a limb. For Delilah Yeung, getting into the upper-upper-class was like a dream come true! Everyone in Hong Kong would respect her, they'd be jealous of her, and she would be able to do whatever she pleased without ever lifting a finger.
Naturally, she agreed to Alexander Lee's 'proposal'.
Of course, Chairman Lee had his conditions. "You can enjoy all the benefits that come with being Mrs. Lee, but you will have to listen to the chairman's orders from now on," the secretary explained that day in the cafe. "You see, the Chairman would like you to help him 'keep an eye' on his son." In other words, he needed a spy to report to him and help him control his son.
"In that envelope is a ticket to Las Vegas. The Chairman has arranged for you to meet the Young Master there. If you can convince him to come back to Hong Kong for your engagement party in 3 weeks, then you will prove that you are worthy."
Delilah looked at the ticket and smirked. With an air of confidence, she waved the envelope and said, "Get ready to call me Mrs. Lee…"
The secretary put her sunglasses back on and stood up to leave. As she turned around, she couldn't help but whisper under her breath, "We'll see about that…"
…That was how Delilah ended up in Las Vegas.
Delilah looked at the pool party in front of her and smiled as a couple of handsome blond-haired men looked towards her direction. Although she wasn't the smartest, richest, and most successful woman, there was one thing that she was confident about — her looks!
If anything, she was sure Lucas Lee would not be able to resist her big eyes, her tall nose, her luscious lips, and her curvaceous body.
"Mrs. Lee, here's your cocktail," a chirpy voice said teasingly beside her.
This voice belonged to her best friend, Tiffany Ta. Of course, Delilah did not fly all the way to Las Vegas on her own. Next to Tiffany was a good looking young man in a blue short suit with a palm tree print on it. The suit was very flamboyant, but this man managed to pull it off. This man was her other best friend, Sam Ting.
Delilah accepted the cocktail, lifted her phone again, and snapped a photo with the cocktail and her two best friends.
"Girl, I can't believe you're marrying the heir of Lee Corporation!" Sam squealed.
Delilah shrugged her shoulders smugly and stumbled back a little in her high-heeled shoes as she gave a slight shiver and threw on a jacket to cover her bikini. Although she was at a pool party, it was the end of December and the weather was cold. "I guess luck is on my side," she giggled as she looked around at the packed venue. The party was completely sold out, but there were only a few people that were actually swimming in the pool.
Normally, hotel pools were closed in December because of the weather, but this particular hotel was smart. To be exact, the marketing company they worked with was smart. They knew that the rise in social media had produced a new breed of people — pretentious people that just wanted to take photos and show off. So, they convinced the hotel to install a heating system in their pool and told them that the weather didn't matter. As long as it was a pool party in Vegas, people were bound to attend. Especially as the new year approached.
And, they were right…
Delilah gulped down the cocktail in her hand and shivered again. "I need another drink to warm up," she demanded as she stumbled back to the bar.
クリエイターの想い 
Yunyi
Yunyi A little off-topic but has anyone watched "Crazy Rich Asians"? When I was writing this chapter, I was thinking about that movie and the different social classes present in Asia.
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