There’s a knock on the door. Wyatt again?
I inhale, trying to calm my conflicting emotions. I’m going to be a nice, reasonable person here. I can be mature. I am mature.
I open the door, only to come face to face with a beautiful, slim Asian woman. Her taut, smooth skin is milky white with a hint of gold, and her makeup is absolutely professional. Long, straight auburn hair cascades down her back. Something about her seems really familiar, though. Where have I seen her before?
“Hi,” she says with a wide grin.
“Hi.”
Champ sticks his nose out and tries to lick her, but I block him. You can’t just lick everyone who comes by. He’s a fabulous dog, but a little too friendly at times.
My gaze falls to the two large suitcases next to her. Oh no. Maybe she looks familiar because she’s one of those door-to-door salespeople I’ve been ignoring. So what if she’s carrying Louis Vuitton luggage? They’re probably knockoffs.
“I don’t buy things from drop-by salespeople,” I say coolly.
“Cool. Me either.” She continues to smile, looking like she expects me to let her in.
Nope. She needs to move on. Like…to Wyatt’s place next door.
Finally, something dawns in her eyes. She glances at her luggage. “Oh, don’t worry. They’re not for sale. And even if they were, I don’t know if you could afford them.”
Huh? I cross my arms, feeling mildly insulted. Lady, whatever you’re selling can’t be that expensive. She’s in a cheap T-shirt, jeans and no-name brand shoes. Snobbish, but I can’t help myself from judging.
“Who are you and why are you here?” I demand.
“Mind if we talk inside?”
“Yes.”
She sighs and appears slightly put out. “Court told me you’d be nice.”
“Court…?” Does Salazar have another illegitimate son I don’t know about?
“Harcourt Blackwood? He said he heard from Nate that you don’t have a roommate anymore because Evie moved out.”
Okay, so she isn’t making stuff up. I know who Court Blackwood is, even if we’ve never been introduced. And it’s no secret he and Nate are close.
But when did he—or Nate—become my real estate agent? I haven’t even hinted to anyone that I was in the market for a new roommate.
She sticks her hand out. “I’m Yuna Hae. I know the name probably doesn’t mean anything, but I’m Ivy’s soul sister. That sort of makes me Court’s sister-in-law, by the way.”
“I know who Ivy is.” The story of her and her husband, Tony Blackwood, is pretty well known—infamous, even. But…Yuna Hae… Yuna Hae… Where have I heard that name before?
Something clicks, and I snap my fingers. “Wait. Are you the Yuna Hae from the Hae Min Group?”
She nods with a small smile.
Holy shit. “Why didn’t you say so?” I say, hoping she isn’t offended I mistook her for a door-to-door salesperson. “Come on in.”
The Hae Min Group is one of the biggest family-held multinational conglomerates in Korea, and Salazar has done business with them before. If she’s here, it must be something important. I’m just not sure why she didn’t have her people send me a message. That’s the normal protocol.
On the other hand, I’m not going to tell her she’s doing things wrong. Her father and brother are two of the more important people on Salazar’s contact list. And I know enough about them to know that she’s not to be messed with. Not because she actually does much at the Hae Min Group, but her father, the chairman of the conglomerate, overindulges her. I’ve heard rumors that Byron Pearce lost a deal with the corporation because Yuna didn’t like him.
Damn it. Did I screw up? In my defense, I’ve never met her, and it’s pretty unexpected for her to show up at my place, unannounced.
I help her bring her suitcases in and shut the door behind her.
Champ sniffs her and then—since I’m too far away to stop him this time—licks her, wagging his tail. She rubs his head and says something in Korean. “Your dog is adorable.”