Smooth Criminal

DTV's mansion looks exactly the same. The green lawn was nicely cut, the bushes were trimmed perfectly, the house's white paint looks so purely white that it could've been repainted just an hour ago or so.

"A perfectionist with taste. My dream man." Minh Tuyet said.

LTQ scolded. Perfectionists are the one type of men he hates most. He believes that's what a woman should be. Men should only focus on the important and big things, and not wasting his time looking at every single detail to make sure it's perfect. Nobody's perfect.

"If you like him so much, why don't you just marry him?" LTQ wanted to stop himself but it was too late.

"Shut up, balloon head. He's a gangster. Why would I want the father of my kids to be a gangster? But I gotta admit--I would definitely prefer a gangster over a knucklehead."

"Too bad. Only knuckleheads would be foolish enough to marry you anyways."

"Look at yourself! No girls want you either!"

"Hey, that's because I'm picky-"

"Well, I am too!"

The two stopped as D stepped in the middle of them.

"DTV warned me about this. Please stop fighting, we have a lot to discuss inside. DTV and Mr. Hung is waiting for you. If I have to use violent means to get you inside, I will not hesitate."

LTQ took a teeny weeny step back, as if he was afraid that the guy would strike any moment. But D didn't. He just started walking toward the door, and they followed.
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Inside the house was entirely different from the outside. It seems to be just the opposite of what they remembered it to be. It was dark inside and all the furnitures seemed to lose its colorfulness. There was nothing but white and in the dark, everything look gray.

D led them to a room upstair, a place they haven't been to before. But like all the other rooms, it bore a boring shade of gray. A man was sitting in a big chair behind his desk. There was a window behind him, where some beams of light managed to make it through. In contrast to the light, his face was difficult to see. He slowly took out something from under his desk. LTQ and Minh Tuyet had the same thought in their head: Gun. They were taking a step back when both came to realization that it was a cigar, not gun. The guy started smoking and then suddenly, he coughed.

Minh Tuyet: Vu? Is that you?

The guy kept on coughing and could not reply her. A voice burst out from the hall,

"GET OUT OF MY CHAIR AND STAY AWAY FROM MY CIGARETTES!"

At the order, the guy clumsily fell out of the chair, still coughing. The door opened, and a man in white suit stepped in. "I knew it! Two minutes in the bathroom and you couldn't resist?" Was the first things he said.

LTQ and Minh Tuyet were confused at what was going on. Who is this man? Out of the blue, someone turned the lights on--it was the stranger who just entered the room.

Minh Tuyet: Duong Trieu Vu! I KNEW IT WAS YOU!

DTV started to laugh, still coughing, and together, it sounded like he was choking to death.

LTQ felt sick at the joke. A minute ago, he was worried that Jack had caught DTV and took over the place. He turned his attention to the stranger, "Who are you?"

"Name's Hung. I'm the boss of this gang." He replied, walking toward his chair and sat down, while DTV crawled to a smaller seat next to him, now no longer choking but breathing hard to catch his breath.

LTQ: Someone made it seems like he's the boss instead.

Hung shot a look at DTV but changed the topic, "Kieu is currently in the hospital right now. Some nasty wounds he's got-"

"What happened to him?" Minh Tuyet asked, worried.

"Jack's men caught up to him and beat him up at a gas station. The owner somehow misunderstood him for the bad guy and made it worse by putting a bullet in his chest."

Minh Tuyet: I thought Vu sent people to watch after us? How come this still happen?

Vu: I'm sorry. We got there late due to traffic.

Hung: Anyways, he's lucky that he's still alive. And you guys are lucky to not have any scratches. Kieu must be out of his mind to try and put Jack in jail. He had to pay for his stupidity.

Minh Tuyet started to shout, "You talk like it's all his fault! Where were you when he almost kill us? And your gang as well!"

LTQ: Tuyet, calm down.

Hung: Lady, it's wiser to listen to his advice. With friends like you, no wonder Kieu ends up where he is now. And for your information, I was busy trying to track down all of Jack's contact and the murderer of Mr. To.

Minh Tuyet & LTQ: He was killed?!

Hung: Of course. What did you think?

LTQ: We.. just never thought..and we were never told that he was killed. But why would you want to track down his murderer? Just for revenge?

Hung: Mr. To was one of my closest friends. I would never let that person get away with it. Mess with my friends or family, and I'll make you pay.

There was a knock on the door that interrupted the conversation.

"Come in," Jack said.

A young man dressed in white stepped in. He kept his head low. "Sir, one of our men that you sent to follow Mr. Quang isn't back. What do you want me to do?"

"You know the usual routine...if he don't show up in the next 5 hours, announced him dead. Send letters to his family... do what you can." Hung said.

DTV looked at LTQ. "Anything strange happened on your way back?"

"Hmm... No. Not that I know of." LTQ lied.