Part 2Tea Master vs Green Tea

Alistair picks up the phone. It's Penelope, her voice a small, whimpering plea for help from the other end. She claims she's being harassed by thugs at a bar, trapped and unable to leave. She begs him to come and save her.

The moment he hears her crying, Alistair's reason goes offline. He hangs up and rushes for the door.

"Vivi, Penelope's in trouble! I have to go check on her. Lock the doors and stay safe!"

Of course, I don't resort to crying or faking a sprained ankle to stop him. For a top-tier manipulator like me, such tactics are amateur hour.

I launch myself at my brother, clinging to him like a koala.

"I'm going too! I have to help Penelope!"

The moment we enter the club, I spot her. Penelope, looking fragile and helpless in a corner booth, her hand being forcefully held by a devilishly handsome man.

Before I can even assess the situation, my brainless brother charges forward and shoves the man.

"Let her go!"

The man explodes in anger, jabbing a finger in Alistair's face. "Who the hell are you?"

Alistair, his sense of justice at an all-time high, puffs out his chest. "I'm Penelope's friend! You're harassing a woman in public! You want me to call the cops on you?"

"Harassing?" The man scoffs, a humorless laugh escaping his lips. "Me, harassing her?"

Penelope flinches, her teary eyes meeting Alistair's. "Alistair, I want to go. I want to go home."

Alistair puts a protective arm around her, glaring at the other man. "Don't be afraid, Penelope. Let's go!"

The man, now furious, blocks their path. "Penelope, did I say you could leave?"

Alistair's temper flares, and he looks ready to throw a punch. "You scum! And you say you're not harassing her!"

Seriously, bro? You think you're Bruce Lee? Why are you always ready to fight?

I throw myself onto Alistair's arm, internally screaming. Alistair Sterling! You traded ten lifetimes of common sense for one lifetime of god-tier looks! Is that it? Were you reborn as a beautiful, brainless Ragdoll cat?

I quickly bat my eyelashes, turning an innocent gaze on the man. "Excuse me, sir. You know Penelope, right?"

The enraged man is momentarily thrown off by my question. "Of course I know her! She's the one who asked me to meet her here tonight. Now she wants to leave after less than half an hour?"

Penelope's sobs stop abruptly. She looks at me with pure terror in her eyes.

Alistair is also frozen. "Penelope, you know him?"

She starts to panic, trying to explain. "Alistair, it's... I..."

I don't give her the chance. I keep pressing. "Sir, I just figured since you knew her name, you must be friends. See how worried my brother is? He thought you were some kind of creep!"

Now it's my brother and the other man's turn to be stunned. The man's eyes narrow as he seems to finally understand. He glares at Penelope.

"Penelope, so you've been telling people I'm harassing you? That I'm a creep?"

My brother, completely lost, mutters to himself, "So... you weren't being harassed? You know him?"

Penelope is cornered. Facing two men she can no longer fool, she starts spouting nonsense. "No! Marco, listen to me!"

"Alistair, you've misunderstood! Actually..."

Just then, a commotion erupts at the edge of the crowd.

"What's all this noise?"

"Nobody move! Police!"

A group of uniformed officers storms in, quickly taking control of the scene.

I hide behind Alistair, a barely perceptible smile playing on my lips.

Sorry, everyone. I wasn't just standing around. I took the liberty of making a quick call. The reason? A report of a public disturbance involving illegal activities and women being forced to drink with clients at a certain club.

With my future-vision, I had to get my brother and the Sterling family out of this mess. After all, if my brother made an enemy of a mob boss's son this early in the game, the Sterling family would be in danger.

And my Porsche, my Hermès bags, my gold chains and fancy watches, would all be in danger.