Criminal Love

59. Bad News

The day after, at the office

It's 9.40 am and Dylan and Yue are alone in the small conference room. Yue is pacing nervously while Dylan keeps his gaze locked on her, his eyes following her around.

"You can't come with me, Didi. Please! She specifically asked me not to tell you."

"She's my mother! I need to explain to her what is going on."

"Gosh, I shouldn't have told you anything..."

"Don't say that, cookie. We agreed not to keep secrets from each other. They almost broke us up in the past."

Suddenly, the door opens, and Caesar pokes his head in.

"Guys, I respect your relationship and all, but this is your workplace. You need to act professionally," he advises in a serious yet friendly tone.

Yue fills her cheeks with air and slowly blows it out in annoyance. Dylan has hated that habit of hers since the day they met.

"Don't do that, cookie. Makes you look ridiculous."

Acting as a mature adult, Yue rolls her eyes at him. "Whatever," she mumbles. "Listen, Caesar, maybe you can help us out here..."

Confident and proud to be the wiseman of the group, Caesar steps fully in and keeps the door open – only Darren is in the office anyway. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm supposed to meet his mom in 15 minutes, as we already told you before, but she explicitly asked me not to mention anything to Dylan. Of course, I had to let him know because we don't keep secrets from each other, but now he's adamant about coming with me," she explains, exasperated.

Caesar makes a what is wrong with you face. "Dude, you cannot go! Your mom would never trust Yue again!"

Yue shoots her brows up and lifts her palms to the ceiling. "See?! He understands!"

Dylan has kept his arms crossed on his chest since Caesar walked in. He huffs, but he knows his friend is right. He does want Yue and his mom to have a good relationship; therefore, he admits defeat. "Alright. I won't come. But I want to hear everything. So, you'll wear an earpiece."

"What?!" Caesar and Yue chorus.

"Yes. That way I can hear what is going on and help you out if needed. That's my condition. Take it or leave it."

"You're using expensive Bureau equipment for personal purposes?" Caesar arches an eyebrow.

Oops. Dylan puckers his mouth, realizing how inappropriate that might be.

"Cool," Caesar shockingly responds to his own question. "As long as all of us can listen to what's being said. After all, it's not entirely personal because you guys said Mrs. Wang is onto us, right? She knows about Yue being an agent, which means this has become official FBI business."

"Huh?" Dylan is now skeptical about having Darren and Caesar hear what his mom might have to say.

Yue darts her eyes from one man to the other, not sure if the situation is taking the right turn. Sadly, there are no other appealing choices.

Later at Starbucks

Yue is sitting at a corner table on the second floor, away from prying eyes and ears. Dylan's mom is 5 minutes late already; thus, Yue sips her iced Americano, decaf and sugar-free because she is already jittery, and glimpses at the stairs every time she hears footsteps.

Finally, at 10.15, the woman shows up and Yue snaps straighter as soon as she spots her.

Mrs. Wang is hard to miss. Her makeup and hair are always flawless, her long nails perfectly manicured and red, as well as her toes; she's wearing a black skirt just above her knee and a silk red blouse that costs more than what an FBI agent makes in a month. She walks confidently towards Yue in her black heels, and Yue feels intimidated by her mere presence. Though Mrs. Wang has always been kind to her, today she seems to be willing to throttle anyone who might be a threat to her beloved younger son.