Many children bring happiness, a shameless start

After returning to his room, Lip immediately tried calling Jessica. He let it ring a few times, but no one answered.

Frowning slightly, Lip muttered to himself, What's up with her today? She never ignores my calls.

Just as he was about to hang up, the call finally connected.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" Lip responded, his brows furrowing at the unfamiliar female voice on the other end. He quickly pulled the phone from his ear to double-check the caller ID. It was indeed Jessica's number.

"Who is this?" Lip asked cautiously.

"You must be Lip. I'm Jessica's sister, Julie."

Julie's voice was soft and melodic, like a lark's song in early summer.

"Oh, hi," Lip replied.

"Jessica's in the shower right now. Why don't you try calling back in a bit?"

"Alright. Thanks."

"No problem. Bye!"

"Bye."

Lip placed his phone on the table, stripped down to his boxers, and flopped onto his bed. A quick nap sounded perfect while waiting to call back.

Ah… Lip yawned loudly as he closed his eyes.

But barely a minute had passed when his phone buzzed again. Sighing, Lip got up to check.

The screen displayed an unfamiliar number. Lip hesitated but ultimately declined the call.

Before he could lie back down, the phone buzzed again. Annoyed, Lip picked it up and answered.

"Who is this?" he asked sharply.

"Lip, it's me!" Jessica's cheerful voice rang out, catching him off guard.

"Jessica? But Julie said you were in the shower."

"She was right," Jessica giggled. "As soon as I heard it was you calling, I couldn't wait to talk to you. So I used the cordless phone in the bathroom."

Lip laughed softly. "Oh, I see."

"Hehe, did you miss me?"

"Not at all."

"Liar. You're terrible at hiding it," Jessica teased playfully.

"Jessica, I need a favor," Lip said, shifting the conversation.

Her tone turned mock-offended. "Oh? Is that how you ask for help? No sweet words to butter me up?"

"Sorry, it's kind of urgent," Lip admitted.

"Alright, fine. What do you need?" she asked, her voice tinged with mock frustration.

"My brother Ian's boyfriend, Mickey, is in juvie. I need your help getting him out."

Jessica laughed mischievously. "Your brother's boyfriend? Wow, Lip, you really know how to drop a bombshell."

Lip sighed. "Can you help or not?"

"Well, Hongmen has pulled people out of Fox River Prison before, but those were our members. This Mickey guy is an outsider. I'll have to check."

"Thanks, Jessica. I owe you."

"Humph, a simple thank-you won't cut it! If you're asking me for this big a favor, you'd better come and see me," she said teasingly.

"Let me guess—you want me to 'pay with my body,' don't you?" Lip retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Hmm, that's one form of payment. But don't worry, I'll leave it up to you," Jessica replied, her voice dripping with amusement.

"Jessica, I think you're just begging for a spanking," Lip warned, his tone playful yet stern.

Jessica giggled. "If you think you can handle me, Lip, come and prove it!"

Lip glanced at the clock. It was just before 8 PM. He sighed and said, "Fine. Send me the address."

"Yay! I'll text it to you right now. Don't keep me waiting!"

Lip shook his head, a wry smile on his face as he hung up. Moments later, a message popped up on his phone.

He opened it to find an unfamiliar address. A quick search online revealed it was in a wealthy area north of downtown Chicago, near Northwestern University and the Botanical Garden.

"Huh, I always thought Jessica was just a gangster. Turns out she's a rich gangster," Lip muttered to himself, amused.

He got dressed, went downstairs to tell Fiona he wouldn't be home that night, and set off in his Hummer.

About 40 minutes later, Lip arrived at a large villa. Or rather, a full-blown estate.

A middle-aged Chinese man, who looked every bit the professional butler, was waiting for him by the gate. The man climbed into the passenger seat and directed Lip to the garage.

Inside, the butler escorted Lip to a room on the third floor. With a polite bow, he gestured for Lip to knock before quickly disappearing.

What a pro, Lip thought, impressed.

He knocked on the door.

"Lip! You're here!" Jessica's voice came from inside, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

The door swung open, and before Lip could say a word, Jessica grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him inside.

"Bang!" The door slammed shut behind them.

Jessica had him pinned against the door, her arms wrapped around his neck, her face inches from his. She was dressed in a black lace slip that left little to the imagination.

"Did you miss me?" she purred.

Lip smirked and scooped her up in his arms. "Yeah, I missed you."

Jessica giggled, wrapping her legs around his waist. "I knew it!"

They shared a heated kiss before Jessica pulled back, resting her head on his chest.

"Alright, Jessica. Let's talk business," Lip said, trying to shift gears.

"What business? Isn't this what you came for?" she teased.

"I'm talking about Mickey."

Jessica pouted. "Oh, that? It's already taken care of. He'll be released in three days."

Lip blinked in surprise. "That fast? Are you serious?"

Jessica grinned smugly. "Lip, don't underestimate Hongmen. We're low-key in Chicago, but our power is no joke. It took less than ten minutes to make a few calls."

"How?"

"I contacted the Hongmen boss in Chicago. He reached out to some city officials. Problem solved."

Lip shook his head in disbelief. "Wow… Hongmen really runs deep, huh?"

Jessica nodded. "Of course. We've got our hands in both gray and legitimate industries. Governments, political parties—they're all part of the game."

Lip sighed. "I knew there was no white without black, but hearing it like this is still shocking."

Jessica beamed at him. "You're so smart, Lip. That's why I like you."

Lip chuckled. "By the way, you've been holding out on me. I thought you were just Hongmen's Chinatown princess, but you're basically royalty for all of America."

Jessica laughed. "Hey, you never asked!"

She leaned closer, her eyes sparkling. "So, now that I've helped you, how will you repay me?"

Lip smirked. "Guess I'll have to repay you… like a loyal servant."

Jessica's grin widened. "Good. Then start serving me now."

Lip swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed. The night stretched on as the two got… creative.