That night I couldn't sleep. Julian's words kept echoing in my ears. He was right, it was easy for Asher to discover Siren Gem if I work too closely from him.
I needed a proper office, I couldn't keep Siren Gem confined to Shanghai where every move could be monitored.
I needed to go international and stay away from the local market before Asher figured out Serena Lin was me.
I texted Julian from the bathroom at 3:00 in the morning.
Need to talk. Its urgent about international expansion.
Hid reply came around 5:30 in the morning:
My place. 7 AM.
It was 6:30 AM, Asher was still sleeping. I watched him for a moment. He looked so innocent sleeping.
Only if he was in reality as well.
I thought of an idea. I slipped out of bed, got dressed quietly in workout clothes. I grabbed a gym bag, stuffed it with the burner laptop instead of sneakers, and left a note on the kitchen counter:
