Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
There was no way I could do this every day.
It would make me crazy. They would have me on camera fighting this person and that.
Some of those damn questions were bullshit.
How long could I walk by stupid stuff like that and keep my mouth closed?
Finally, we reached the elevator.
Lei rushed us on.
Bolin and Fengge came too.
Lei shook his head. “We won't need you upstairs.”
More of his men hurried on.
Fengge sighed. “Unfortunately, sir. There's a crowd upstairs too.”
“Who the fuck is crowding that level?”
“Your harem and our aunts.”
Lei groaned in annoyance.
Bolin bobbed his head. “But it won't be as bad as this. We have men maintaining a path to your bedroom.”
The doors closed, cutting off the flashing lights and loud voices.
Lei looked like he was about to scream. Instead, he sighed again and gazed at me. “I’m sorry you had to go through this, Moni. It can be bad walking around the palace but not this damn bad.”
“It's like you’re the president.”
“I hold more control over their day-to-day lives than the president, so to them, I am.”
The elevator rose.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to say hi earlier.” Fengge looked at me. “Welcome to the East, Ms. Jones. Duck has already told us a lot about you.”
I widened my eyes. “Well. . .I hope Duck said nice things.”
Fengge smirked. “Probably too many nice things.”
Lei frowned.
Glad to be out of that chaos, I leaned against Lei and was grateful for his protection and the safety of his presence. That walk had been a rough reminder of the life Lei lived—one where privacy was a luxury and every moment was under scrutiny.
Lei kept his arm around me and traced small circles on my hip. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
Lei's expression softened. “You'll never have to deal with shit like that on your own. Okay?”
“Yes.”
“We would always face that together.”
“Okay.”
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened and tons of bald-headed women in blue cookie monster pajamas greeted me.
These chicks are crazy.
Chapter thirty-one
The Craziness Just Keeps on Coming
Monique
“Lei, let us satisfy you!”
Bolin stepped forward and placed his foot in the way of the door so it wouldn't begin to close.
“Lei, baby! Come here!”
Meanwhile, Lei and I didn't even step off the elevator.
We just stood there in shock.
It was like we had stumbled upon a secret society of Cookie Monster enthusiasts, preparing some elaborate seance.
Thank God, palace security had formed a human barricade between us and them because they looked like a group of obsessive fans trying to get to their beloved icon.
However, the palace guards—in their crisp, sky-blue uniforms—were clearly unprepared for this peculiar challenge. With arms outstretched and stern expressions, they tried to maintain a perimeter, keeping the eager women several feet back. However, their task was anything but easy. The women continuously tried to sidestep, duck under, or even sweet-talk their way past the guards.
Plus, they kept calling out to Lei, their voices a blend of pleading and playful taunts, as if they were all part of some bizarre fan club. They waved, blew kisses, and a few flashed their breasts.
I just. . .don't know what to say. . .
One woman shoved a guard aside and raced forward to only be captured by a guard and dragged back. “Lei, we need to talk! Right! Now!”
Still rooted in place on the elevator, I scanned all of the women and thought back to when I had been trying out dresses in the room with Aunt Min and Aunt Suzi and overheard their conversation.
Aunt Suzi had kept her voice low. “I was thoroughly shocked by the bald head.”
“Me too,” Aunt Min had muttered. “But with that face, who needs hair.”
“Once the East sees her, the harem will all be bald by the end of the month.”
“Can you imagine?”
I'd thought it was ridiculous but. . .
They all really shaved their damn heads!
And each face was unique, yet they shared a common expression of annoyance as they gazed my way.
Hey! I didn't do anything to you.
At least, Lei definitely didn't discriminate when it came to his bed.
“Lei, you know one woman can't satisfy you!”
The group was a mesmerizing rainbow of humanity's diversity— porcelain-white to deep ebony, olive tones to warm caramel. The variety of shapes and sizes added to the surreal quality of the scene. Some of the women were tall and willowy, while others were shorter and curvier.
And where did they find all of these different Cookie Monster pajamas?
The pajamas they wore were not uniform; some had large, bold prints of Cookie Monster's face, while others were adorned with tiny, scattered images of the beloved character munching on chocolate chip cookies.
“You're mourning Chanel! Think this through! She's not the one!”
One guard appeared particularly flustered as a woman in pajamas with giant Cookie Monster eyes on the front tried to crawl between his legs.
This is really crazy.
Another guard was engaged in a comical dance of sorts, trying to keep a particularly agile woman at bay who seemed to think this was all a game of tag.