I forced myself to stay still while he worked, my heart pounding in my chest all the while. When he was done, all that was left was a small cut.
“There,” he said. “It doesn’t look quite as bad as before. Just a little blood.”
I gaped at him as he smiled, flashing his unusually long canines at me. It took a moment before I realized I was staring.
I licked my lips, an action that did not go unnoticed by him, and nodded. “Yeah, it’s fine. I just need a bandage.” I let him help me to my feet and then turned to the broken vase. “I’m really sorry about that. I’ll pay for it of course.”
The man chuckled, a sound that I found myself eager to hear more of. “You have fifteen million dollars to spend on a Qing Dynasty vase? I thought you were a maid?”
I could feel my face pale at his words. “Fif- fifteen million? On a vase?” My eyes bulged from my head at the broken pieces on the ground.
Lifting one shoulder as if it weren’t a big deal, the man grabbed my wrist and led me to the couch. “Here, have a seat. I’ll get you something to bandage your hand with, and then we can figure out some kind of payment plan.” He winked at me and then left out a door on the other side of the room.
I sat there for a moment, reveling in my mortification. Fifteen million dollars. Who the hell had that kind of money? And to spend it on something like a vase? One that you placed anywhere that it could get knocked over! Rich people. I would never understand them.
“There you are,” the same annoyed voice from before growled at me. I shot to my feet to meet my guide’s vexed gaze.
My guide’s brown eyes widened as he took in my bleeding hand and the broken pieces on the floor. “What the hell happened here?”
I winced. “I tripped?”