CALYPSOGURL'S FAN FICTION BLOG

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 33

2007-06-17T01:16:00.000-05:00

The soft jazz music coming from the front traveled in all directions of the elegant restaurant. It was in this restaurant that Edison shared an elusive table with his wife and uncle.

It was the fourth night in a row he had deliberately pushed off dinner meetings to pick his wife up from the office. He never mentioned the reason for this sudden availability and was just as glad that she didn't ask. Ever since he could remember he disliked explanations especially if he was on the side of giving, and despite how strong his feelings for his wife were, was uncomfortable when it came to expressing them, even to her. It made him feel vulnerable and foolish.

If he wanted to be able to have a few hours with her each day, wanted to be there to help deal with her drunken father at night, she needn't have to know. It was the same train of thought that had him leaving instructions with her assistant to automatically order her lunch if she didn't have any lunch meetings after his interrogation of the younger woman resulted in news of his wife often skipping her mid-day meal to work, leaving him worried for her health especially after the incident on the phone a few days ago.

That was just his personality. Who he was.

"I don't know how you put up with him," his uncle winked to his wife then took her hand. "You should run away with me. We can live on a remote island somewhere. Hunt by day and cuddle by night."

Despite that knowledge that his Uncle Nick was obvious trying to get a ride out of him, Edison could not help the jealousy soaring through his insides and in that unguarded moment, it showed through his clenched jaws. The result brought a triumphing smile to his uncle's lips and a glowing one to his wife's. Perhaps just perhaps, in the end it was all worth that small degree of embarrassment on his part.

"Oh Nick, you are such a flirt," his wife said in the direction of his uncle then turned and gave his hand a small squeeze before rising. "Excuse me for a second."

His eyes continued to linger on her shrinking figure and couldn't help noticing that she had lost some weight when an amusing chuckle called his attention.

"So this is what it is like to be whipped, eh nephew?"

Edison could only retorted with a smirk. Despite his male pride, he could not deny his uncle's statement. For his wife, he would anything.

"But by god, Gillian is a special woman. An unique combination of strength and character," he paused, "I might be in love myself."

His uncle waited until his gaze turned into a glare before releasing another chuckle. "No worries nephew, I won't steal her from you. Even though we both know she would gladly run off with me," his uncle's eyes twinkled again before turning serious. "Actually, I've found one of my own. I'm getting married in a few months. As soon as the missus can find the right dress."

The news came completely unexpected. As far as he could remember, his uncle was an absolute flirt that bounced from woman to woman. He was never deliberately cruel but had definitely left a trail of broken hearts.

"Actually, you've seen her...we met at the Tse International Annual ball."

Edison could no longer hide the amusement that came dancing through his eyes. "I see."

Even the strongest tout could be caught, he amused.

"Her name is Ruby Lin."

The named immediately jotted his memory. "Heiress to the biggest cosmetics company in Taiwan."

"Also, the most spoiled and demanding woman I've ever met."

"Yet, you want to marry her."

"We all must take our deserved punishment," the older man toyed with the glass of wine in his hand and for a second, looked thoughtful, "She's a hellcat, my hellcat."

Edison nodded. "So hell is finally freezing over."

His uncle was finally settling down.

"Yes, it's official now," then raised his voice a notch, "hell is freezing over."

Patriots from other tables stared in their direction with puzzled expressions but the two hardly noticed as they shared a hearty laugh.

"As soon as the date is set, we'll be sending out the invitations. But just so you know, I'll be expecting the two of you there," at what he saw as hesitation, he quickly amended, "No excuses."

"No excuses," Edison raised the wine glass then poured all the liquid into his mouth. The underlying meaning was clear.

His parents.

They would be there. And even so, his uncle wanted him there to share his special day.

Much had changed in the last one and a half year but one thing remained the same, the animosity he held for the pair that gave him life. It was their fault that his sister was dead. It was their fault she had never spent a day in happiness.

His sister.

Karena would have been so happy to see their uncle settle down. Just as his maternal grandparents would have been.

"What are you two gentlemen talking about," his wife returned to her seat.

"I was just telling Edison that I'm getting marry soon and I want guys to attend the wedding."

She leaned over and gave his uncle a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations! Of course, we'll be there."

For the rest of dinner, conversation moved from the specifics of the wedding to the issues plaguing Chung Enterprises. Temporarily overtaking the position of Chen Corporation's CEO, his uncle offered his assistance but Edison declined, wanting little to do with anything in connection with his parents.

With warily thoughts lingering in the back of his mind the evening ended.

When the Chung home came into view, Gillian transferred her attention from the road to the man beside her. Her husband had been quiet throughout the drive home from the restaurant. Even so, she knew his thoughts were far from calm. Though he made no issue of it, they both knew that it was inevitable that they would run into his parents at his uncle's wedding. Something she was most certain he did not look forward to.

But unlike her husband she neither felt like nor dislike for them. They had mistreated their children and in the end paid the ultimate price for their negligence. She couldn't find it in her heart to pity them. But neither after seeing their grief could she hate them. Perhaps, that was just life. Too many irreversible mistakes.

Cool air and silence framed the dark night.

Gillian slid out of the car seat and closed the door behind her. She took several steps forward when the Victorian-styled fountain passed the front door came into focus and brought back some long buried memories.

"Do you mind if we talk a walk in the garden before we go inside?"

Her husband nodded.

Somewhere along the way from the car to the garden, their hands entwined. "When Kenny and I were young we used to run around the garden all the time. When I was too tired to run he would carry me on his back," with a small sigh she added, "Those were the days."

Even now she could see vividly a young boy no more than nine or ten wearing a blue t-shirt and matching shorts, on his feet were a pair of laced up sneakers, carrying a little girl with pigtails in a short pink dress. Kenny had learned to master the art of string lace tying before she was able to even pull socks on her tiny feet, which if their mother or Mrs. Lo was not around, he helped her with. It seemed as though he was always there to help her into this last bit of attire so as not to waste any of their playtime. And not once had he ever left her alone to fend for herself. He always waited patiently and helped as he saw fit.

Under the supervision of either their mother or Mrs. Lo, the two would dash all over the garden until his hair was soaked with perspiration and she was too tired to move a limb. It was usually then he would crouch down so that she can climb on to his back so that they can enjoy the last few minutes before having to head back inside for a bath and dinner.

With a faint smile on her lips, she turned in time to see the distant look in her husband's eyes. It was not hard to guess where his mind has wander off to.

His sister.

Did lost ever hurt less with time?

Did love really grow faint with absence?

No. The answer was clear. Her husband would always love his sister, just as her death would always pain him. The older she grew, the more years that passed the more Gillian realized that there was just too many tears and cracks in the heart that could never been amended. The best example would be her parents, whether her father bared any hatred or blame toward her mother, the result of their marriage was just the same. It was over for them. It was only a matter of whether they would be able to pick up the pieces of their lives again and live on separately.

The truth ate away at her heart like acid but nevertheless Gillian knew there was no changing, no going back. So she took a deep breath and decided to change the train of their thoughts. Live only for the smiles and not the tears. "For my eighteenth birthday, my parents threw me a huge party. The estate was covered from end to end with glowing lights. In the darkness, the house looked almost magical."

Even though, her words had drawn no response from her husband, she knew he was listening. "I felt like a princess that night in my very own fairytale."

"You looked like one too."

Her head turned. Surprise clearly written in her eyes. "How would you know?"

He chuckled smugly and led her forward. "My dear Gillian how forgetful you are. Or perhaps, my presence was just not enough to attract your attention."

It took a moment for her to realize that she had forgotten he had been there. It was actually her first memory of him. Overconfident and arrogant. How could she have forgotten?

It was her turn to smile smugly. "How could I forget? The red streaks in your spiky hair made me think you were some triad member on the loose."

"So that's what you thought. No wonder you gave me such a nasty glare when our parents introduced us."

"If you thought my reaction was bad then, imagine how I looked when my father told me I had to marry you," she broke free from his hold and deliberately walked further so that he could not see her smiling.

She had reacted pretty badly when her father broke the news to her. But now, after so many years, after all they have been through, she couldn't imagine life without Edison. Neither did the slap from her father that day bring back bitter memories anymore.

His voice sounded so casual and amused. "I doubt it could compare to the reaction I had when I was informed."

She knew he was deliberately chiding her but couldn't stop herself from spinning around to give him a glare. What she hadn't expected was for him to pull her into his arms and crush his lips into hers.

Under the moonlight, the pair told in unspoken words how little they regretted the past that brought them to each other. And the inability to express the amount of hope they held for the future.

Their future.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 32

2007-06-17T01:07:00.000-05:00

The morning sun hit the exterior of the fifty-floor glass tower and bounced off. Through the window of her office, Gillian's gaze swept across the captivating Hong Kong skyline and held at a large construction site that ran miles long in all directions.

The resort.

The completely built structure of the main resort had been torn down as demanded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Six months of time and money were down the drain. What more was that the deadline to complete first phrase of the resort was fast approaching and they have yet to gather enough funds to begin construction again.

But there was still hope. Her husband was diligently bringing in new investors.

Once built, the resort would be able to accommodate more than five thousand guests. The facilities would range from spa and sauna to paintball, tennis, golf, and swimming. Within the plans were also an enormous high-end shopping center, a multi-cultural museum, and a rare exhibit zoo. Tourism would never look at Hong Kong the same again. Neither would the rest of the world. And most of all, the survival of Chung Enterprises depended on it.

The beep of the intercom brought Gillian to her desk. The dark gray knee-length dress and black pumps emphasized her slender figure while the sleep ponytail drew attention to her beautiful facial structure. On the outside, she looked confident and impassive. But the telltale sign of her arms tightly wrapped around her rib cage told otherwise.

"Yes?" She spoke into the intercom.

"Mrs. Chen, Mr. Law of Hsuan Corp. is on the phone for you," her assistant replied.

"Send his call through."

When the light on her office phone blinked, she pushed the button for speakerphone and took her seat. "Uncle Law?"

A smooth masculine voice greeted her.

Her memories of the tall savvy Gallen Law had always been fond. Having been her father's right-hand man for over fifteen years, he spoiled her brother and herself as much as any blood relation. And gave as much to Chung Enterprises as her father. It was only ten years ago that the conformed bachelor finally looked out from his forest of female companions and found the woman that captured his heart, Jessica Hsuan of Hsuan Corp, a rival company. After their marriage, Gallen at the insistence of his new in-laws resigned from Chung Enterprises and joined Hsuan Corp. But despite the change, the friendship between Gallen Law and her family continued.

Her heart felt an anxious tug while the words left her lips. "Uncle Law I thought you were still on vacation. Has there been a problem?"

"Actually there is. And I've been trying to reach your father all last night but only got his voicemail."

"Father hasn't been entirely himself lately," she said unworried of speaking honestly. Her mother's confession that afternoon weeks ago had wounded her father. Rather than slaving over the company as he always had, his new obsession was alcohol. Just last night, she found him drunk in the den. "What is the problem?"

"I kind of had a feeling something was wrong. What happened?"

Unable to avoid the subject, Gillian gave him a brief overview deliberately keeping her emotions distant.

"I don't know what to say. I can only imagine how hard your father is taking this. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

"I will. But Uncle Law, back to the reason you called."

"Yes. We've run into a problem. Hsuan Corp.'s board of directors wants to re-evaluate the investment."

"But Mr. Hsuan gave us his word," she gasped, referring to Hsuan Corp.'s chairman and Gallen Law's father-in-law.

"Yes, but rumors of Chung Enterprises' instability have been flooding the grapevines. The board's concerned. I just wanted to call to let you know to be prepared."

And because she already knew he would do his best to help them, she didn't ask. "I understand."

"I also heard that many members on the Chung Enterprises' board is grumbling a lot outside. They might very well take this opportunity to attack your father."

"Ken Tong and Ray Liu have always wanted to overtake father's position as the chairman," she recalled the two men bitterly. "But we won't give them the opportunity."

It was a promise she hoped she would be able to keep.

Hours later, the sun was already well on its way to retirement for the day but in front of her desk, Gillian continued to shift from page to page through large black metal spiral folder, drinking in the finer details of the resort that her brother had called to ask her to check on. Her eyes burned from tiredness but her will and determination fueled by countless cups of coffee pushed forward.

With her brother stationed at the resort site, her husband out meeting with potential investors, and her father more drunk than sober, she alone was left to hold down the fort. Her responsibilities ranged from paper pushing to fending off the press whom were more than ready to tear the company apart with their pens to gain market share.

When familiar melodious ring suddenly sounded off, her hand automatically reached for her cell phone and muttered a greeting while her eyes remained unmoved on the third page of the expense report.

"Vice President of the Chung Enterprises and all I get is an absentminded hello?"

The teasing voice of her husband automatically brought a smile to her lips. For the time being that he was on the other end of the phone, she would forget about the exhaustion eating away at her body and the problems already knocking on their front door. "I would be more tempted to be personable if someone offered to buy me dinner."

She heard his deep chuckle. "You sure know how wheel and deal. Maybe you should be the one out here trying to fish investors instead of me."

It was her turn to chuckle. "Oh, I would be except that would leave you with no purpose. God knows you're more likely to strangle the reporters than pacify them."

Another smile touched her lips as she recalled the infuriated expression on a reporter's face when her husband knocked him down in her defense back when the news broke out that her brother was having marital problems.

The tension in her shoulders was beginning to ease away.

She was about to ask about the results of his meetings when a wave of nausea hit fiercely. Out of instinct her free hand covered her mouth while the hand holding the cell phone let go to reach for the box of tissues across from the desk. It was only after the knot in her throat settled that she noticed the spilled coffee.

A muffle curse escaped while she put the phone back to her ear and heard her husband calling her name.

"I'm sorry. I'm was feeling a bit nauseous before and accidentally dropped the phone," she explained at the same time carefully moving the files on her desk out of harm's way and began patting down the spill.

"How are you feeling now? Any better? Actually, stay put -- I'll be right there."

"No. No. I'm much better now. I probably just drank too much coffee. I'll be alright," then said, changing the topic, "Don't you have a meeting with Adam Cheng soon? He detests tardiness."

"But --"

"No buts. I'll be fine. I'll see you at home tonight."

After exchanging goodbyes, Gillian continued to pat down the coffee. When the last of the coffee had been soaked away she released a slow breath and discovered the silver picture frame in her hand that had been unconsciously picked up during her cleaning.

The eight by six color photograph had been taken on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. In formal satin gowns, her mother and herself stood in a close embrace while her father and brother stood on either side in similar tuxedos.

Her slender finger reached out to the smooth glass surface and traced along soft and elegant features of the woman that gave her life.

Days had stretched into weeks since that afternoon in her father's den. But like the aftermath of a sudden violent storm over a peaceful tropical island, causing trees to fall and landscape to shift. Paradise would never be the same again. Her mother had moved from the Chung home to the Church. While her father drank excessively. The smiles and laughter that once filled the small household and spacious hallways would never be again. The warmth had changed to shock and mourning.

Her mother may not have been behind the wheels that night that Margie Tsang had died, but the woman's blood would forever be on her hands because she had made the choice to drive away leaving the woman to die.

It was a debt.

A debt that could never be erase.

Later than night her car came through the dark metal gates. With the exception of her father's limousine the entire garage was empty, which meant neither her husband nor brother were home yet. As was the routine last few weeks.

"Miss," the jovial housekeeper welcomed her into the house. "Have you eaten yet? Should I prepare dinner?"

The thought of food had brought some tension to her throat and made her quickly dismiss the idea. "No thanks, Mrs. Lo. I'm not hungry."

The housekeeper having taken care of her since birth must have seen through lie. "Are you alright, Miss? You've been looking a bit pale. If you're not hungry how about just some congee?"

Gillian nodded and produced a small smile, unable to reject the concern of the older woman. "Let me take a shower first. I'll be down afterwards."

It was the same type of love and concern that brought her to the den instead of her own room. After two light knocks, she entered the dark room and found her father sprawled behind the large desk where a bottle of liquor laid virtually empty with his eyes opened, looking toward the balcony doors.

"Daddy," she walked closer.

The man in front of her resembled nothing like the father she had always known. Instead of projecting a dignified and immaculate presence, his hair was uncombed; his shirt was half buttoned and not properly tucked.

She kneeled until their heads were leveled. "Daddy."

Words could not describe the helplessness that ate through her at that moment.

"Gillian." He did not look at her.

"Daddy," tears sprang from her eyes and blurred her vision.

"All my life, I've been proud. Proud that I have always been able to think one step ahead of others. Proud that I have been able to keep Chung Enterprises afloat despite all the financial difficulties. But the truth is...I am nothing but a failure. I can't even protect the women by my side. Margie, your mother, even you." His words came out slightly slurred.

"It's not true--"

"It is true. Whether I want to believe it or not, Margie had left me in order to protect me. Even with child, she didn't want to put me in a difficult situation. She loved me so much but never -- never was I able to do anything for her. And your mother, I haven't been a good husband to her. I wanted to hate her for what happened to Margie but in the end, I hate only myself. And you," he finally looked at her for the first time, "I had even sacrifice the happiness of my own daughter to save the company. What kind of father am I?"

The self-accusations torn her heart. "It's not that at all. None of it was your fault. It's fate that should be blamed."

"Fate? Or my own incompetence?"

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 31

2007-06-17T00:48:00.000-05:00

The curtains over the double sliding glass doors were pulled shut. The lights were off. With the exception of the small glow from the alarm clock the large rectangular bedroom was enclosed in absolute darkness. From the model racecar collection that filled the shelves to the walk-in closet that was almost equal size to the room, all was hidden.

Hidden behind a blanket of emptiness.

"Hi, this is Charlene. I'm not available right now. Please leave your name and number and I'll return your call as soon as I can. Thanks."

The sweet voice vibrated from the receiver. His grip around the smooth handset tightened until the pads of his fingers were numb. But with the same force, his powerful thumb landed on a small rubber button and abruptly ended the call before the anticipated piercing beep. His heart wanted to hold on but his pride made him let go.

He was no longer in her thoughts.

He was no longer the one she loved.

He had lost her.

The only comfort came from the occasionally glimpses of her he managed from deliberately waiting by her home or boutique. He was aware of exactly what went on in her quiet life. To his surprise, not only did she not go back to Kenny Chung, she signed the divorce papers to end their marriage of two and a half years. On top of that she had adopted Timmy. Their Timmy. Her full lips curved into such a sweet smile when she looked at the young boy that he couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy.

She had once given him the same sweet smile. The same loving grace. But that would be no more.

With his back against the cushioned backboard of large king-sized bed, Nicholas looked distantly into the still darkness through the feathery long bangs that covered half of his face. Rather than the usual home attire, he wore a wrinkly unbuttoned silk navy-blue shirt and a pair black pants displaying the same traces of neglect. The same outfit had earned him many admiring glances and flirtatious smiles the night before at the Mayor's celebration party. But like his expressionless features, they too had lost their appeal.

He had not slept a wink the entire night. The familiar feeling of numbing boredom enveloped him again. Irritating him. Frustrating him. He sought for an escape. But how could one escape from their own self?

In the last year, he had bribed, hurt, sabotaged, and prorogated. Sending thugs to harass innocent residents in order to acquire their building. Bribing an architect to make the structure of what would be the biggest resort in Hong Kong unsound.

Was this the same man that had spent six months just lounging on a beach in Hawaii? Partied seventy-two hours straight without sleeping? Volunteered at an orphanage for the fun of it?

He hadn't always been an honorable man. But for the first time in his life he was malicious and calculative.

A trail of loud hollers broke through his thoughts and made his brows furrow. In an instant the stillness that encapsulated the large room evaporated. With cat-like reflexes, he hopped off of the bed and headed out to investigate.

His eyes needed a second to adjust to the light. When they were finally focused, he stood stunned over the metal banister, overlooking the living room. Two of the maids were by the front door, trying desperately to keep a tall intruder from entering, but failing miserably due to their obvious physical inferiorities. The intruder dressed in a casual cotton sweater and slacks registered in his mind immediately.

Daniel Wu.

"Let him in."

His order was met by silent obedience. The two maids dutifully moved away from the door and allowed the taller man to enter.

"There will be nothing else," he spoke one last time to the maids before meeting the other man's furious expression.

"Why did you sabotage the resort?"

They stood face to face in the middle of the modernly furnished living room. A pair of chilling eyes meeting a pair of flaming ones.

Nicholas realized immediately the reason for Daniel's visit. The taller man had found out about the sabotage. His expression hardened instantly, half annoyed by the other man's presence and half irritated by his own bad mood.

"How could you sabotage the beams? People could have been killed."

"It would have been their bad luck." The answer was a front to cover his own traces of guilt as well as an attempt to get a ride out of the other man. It gave him pleasure when Daniel's expression darkened some more.

"You b@stard!"

"Revenge always has a price."

"How could you be so cold-blooded?"

"Simple. I don't lost sight of myself the way you do," his lips curled in angry distaste, "allowing myself to be wrapped around the pinky of a woman that betrayed me."

He wanted the other man to hurt because he was hurt.

"You -- I'm going to expose you. I'm not going to let you get away with this," Daniel raised his right index finger and pointed threateningly at him.

"Are you sure about that?" Nicholas crossed to the bar and began pouring out a glass of brandy. He hated the other man for acting as though he was better. "Do you really think you can claim innocence? After all, were we not in this together? Did you not want revenge on the Chungs? Spreading the truth of their financial situation all over the grapevines?"

"I never agreed on harming innocent people," the other man firmly held his ground.

"Who's to prove it? You're in it just as deep as I am. If something happens to me, you can be sure I will drag you right down with me." His lips gave way to a smirk.

"You--"

He took a sip and slowly rocked the tall shapely glass held in his palm. "I suggest that you remain an obedient little soldier and do your job as the Marketing Director -- think up a wonderful proposal to promote the resort," the right side of his lips lifted even higher, "it's just ashamed that it will never be put to use because I can promise you that I will not let the Chungs complete that resort. And if you're thinking about quitting -- you can forget about it. You signed a five-year contract. Even if you sold your soul, you still won't be able to afford to get out of it."

A smile was still on Gillian's lips when she entered through the left side of double mahogany doors into the living room with her mother following closely behind. The weather had been nice out. The sun was warm. The wind was breezy but not cold. And for the first time in days, she felt refreshed and well rested. The doctor had written her off as a case of a bad cold and should be back on her feet in a few more days.

It had been a long time since it was just her mother and herself on an outing. Even after her return from New York, all too often life came in the way of spending time together. Whether it was work or her relationship with Edison. But her mother always understood. She never complained nor reprimanded. Instead, she only kissed away fears and soothed away insecurities whenever Gillian needed.

As far as she was concerned, her mother was the best mother in the world.

Continuing their lighthearted chatter, Gillian climbed up the long spiral stairs and down the hall with her mother, their relaxed features brightened when they noticed the three men in the den but just as quickly mixed with confusion and shock.

"Is this really true? Is Nicholas Tse really your son?" Her brother asked, towering over their father's mahogany desk. While her husband stood a few steps behind. In his usual seat behind the large desk, her father's face was pale, almost sickly. And in his hands was a piece of paper, slightly wrinkled.

The scene made her heart uneasy.

Of the three men, only her husband turned to acknowledge their entrance but even his expression was solemn and unreadable.

"Kenny, what did you just say?" Gillian situated herself between the two standing men, determined to have her brother repeat his question again, stunned by what she thought she had heard.

"Is Nicholas Tse really your son?"

After another long minute she received her answer. Her older brother's gaze remained fixed on their father. "Is Nicholas Tse really your son?"

Her eyes wandered to her father, glittering with hope that he would deny the accusation but he did not. And to his left, her mother had become ash white.

"He is your son, isn't he?" her brother's voice had become shaky.

When her father finally spoke, it was in a strain and distant way that Gillian had never heard from him before, not the strong and decisive tone she had come to know. "Why didn't she tell me?" His eyes closed shut. Pain overwhelmed his aging features. "Margie, why? Why didn't you tell me?"

Like her brother, Gillian felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her.

Nicholas Tse was her father's son.

Their brother.

Traces of the recent shower continued to linger. Clear droplets dripped in a soft rhythm from the ends of his dark shiny hair onto the collar of his black t-shirt. The blue gym pants clung to his long muscular legs where moisture was still present.

Alone in the patio, Nicholas listened to the rustling sound of leaves attacked by the fierce wind. Without an opponent to defend against and take his anger on, he felt the painful boredom in his heart again. This time it was combined with guilt.

He had put the lives of many innocent people in jeopardy. He hadn't meant to. He only wanted to harm one family.

The Chungs.

From behind a deep voice called to him. Immediately he recognized the voice.

His adopted father.

Simon Tse was the only father he had ever known. And the only family he had since the death of his mother. Charming and suave, he was every bit of what old money should be. Known in high society as a charitable and generous man, no one would have guess the ruthless ways he used to pursue business, to persecute the Chungs.

"Father," he met the bright knowing eyes of his adopted father.

The older man took the seat next to his. "I heard we had a visit from Daniel Wu."

Nicholas nodded. "He found out about the resort. But I already took care of him."

"Good," came a nod of approval. "I've gotten wind that Edison Chen managed to get backing from the bank."

"What?"

Nicholas had been so sure that the setback would mean the end to Chung Enterprises. And success to his pursue for revenge. But now...

"I've already got another idea," the older man said thoughtfully.

"What is it?"

"A bomb."

"A bomb?"

"Yes, a bomb that would destroy the entire resort from bottom up."

Nicholas suddenly saw all the people that would fall victim to the act and felt a shiver. He never meant for it to go this far. "But all the innocent people--"

"With every goal there must be sacrifices Nicholas. If we are to destroy the Chungs then there must be a price."

"But--"

What would have been if he had not accidentally overheard his adopted father speaking with the private investigator? Hadn't found out that Tony Chung was his biological father. Hadn't found out that Tony Chung and his wife were the true culprits behind his mother's death.

At the very moment, he almost wished he never found out the truth.

"Your mother would not have died if it wasn't for the Chungs. Tony Chung lured her there that night. Then his heartless wife...I'm not going to push you. You are already more involved than I ever wanted."

It had been sheer coincidence for them to find out the truth. His adopted father had hired the private investigator with the intention of finding the driver that had hit his mother. For years there were no leads. Then the private investigator made a breakthrough, he found a resident that had lived in a nearby village a while back but had moved away that claimed to have seen his mother by the lake with a man then later on with a woman. He saw when the car hit her but had not notified the police, afraid of calling attention to himself -- to his small drug dealing business. The man was Tony Chung. The woman was Carina Chung.

It was the goodness in his mother's heart that had caused her death.

"I'll finish off the Chungs alone."

The raw determination in his adopted father's eyes made Nicholas realize just how in love the older man had been with his mother. And just how great that love was. The ability to take the son of the woman he loved into his heart. The ability to jeopardize everything there was to seek revenge for her.

If his adopted father could sacrifice so much for his mother then so could he.

"No father, we will finish off the Chungs together."

The air in the large room felt suffocating despite the strong ventilation system. Quietness encapsulated the room as the occupants inwardly absorbed the sudden alarming revelation.

Nicholas Tse was the son of Tony Chung and his first love, Margie Tsang.

Edison felt a surge of emotions after hearing his father-in-law conveyed the tragic love story that continued to live in him even after thirty years. He was able to clearly picture his father-in-law as a young man just stepping out of college. And for the first time in his pamper life meeting a young woman from a different class, someone not as privileged as himself but equally proud, and being fascinated by her. Using teasing words to capture her attention without knowing why. Wanting to make her smile without really understanding.

It was love in the most innocent way.

Like his own first love, his father-in-law faced opposition from his rich family for loving a woman below their social status. Even worse was the fact she had grown up in an orphanage. But those were only some of the reasons; the most important one was that his father-in-law's parents had already set their sights on the perfect addition to their family, the perfect alliance of power, the daughter of a powerful politician.

Carina Chung, his wife's mother.

And like Amanda, Margie Tsang left, but for an entirely different reason that Edison couldn't help but feel some admiration for. Being a prideful young woman in love, she choose to leave rather than continue to put his father-in-law in the painful position of being torn being his family and her. And even despite the older man's best efforts, she managed to elude him. She had loved him enough to sacrifice herself for his happiness. Eventually his father-in-law did comply with his parent's wishes and married Carina Chung. But the habit of going to the small lake in the forest where he had spent many happy moments with his first love continued every night.

Ironic how it was at that same lake that Margie Tsang lost her life.

The tale reminded Edison much of his own experience, having to choose between his family and the woman he loved. It was the same way for Amanda and the same way for Gillian. In both times, he had chosen them but only the latter time he had made a correct choice. Amanda had not loved him. She left with his father's first offer.

One million dollars.

Though painful, at least Margie Tsang had wholeheartedly loved his father-in-law. And had their story not ended tragically then the existence of his brother-in-law and his wife would never be.

It was an unending cycle of cause and effect.

"You were with her that night at the lake?" Edison referred to the night that Margie Tsang died, ventured to the lake in the deep forest to meet his father-in-law at the man's insistence when she ran into him at a business party some years later.

While the other attendees' averted their eyes into the distance, clinging to the safe embrace of numbness, he alone watched the older man's pained face.

"Yes," the reply came weakly, "I never should have left her alone. I shouldn't have left first. I shouldn't have...I couldn't even go to her funeral because as long as I didn't see her in that casket, I could still pretend she was alive."

He never imagined a man like his father-in-law could be so sentimental. But then love had made even stronger men weak, Edison thought, taking a quick glance at his wife. "Even after all those years, she still didn't tell you about the son she had with you?"

"No. When I asked her to leave with me she refused. She told me to go back to my family....told me to treat them well. Even then, she was putting my happiness above her own...bearing all the burden herself...Why did God have to take her? After all these years I still dream of that night. Each time, I see bright lights coming and I rush to her but..."

"It wouldn't have been too late if she had made it to the hospital in time. It wouldn't have been too late if I had called for help in time."

Edison's head snapped to window where his mother-in-law stood. In the same disbelief, his wife and in-laws did the same.

"What?" His father-in-law managed.

"I was there that night. I followed you there. I wanted to see where you went every night after we all went to sleep. And I finally found my answer," tears were slowly sliding down the porcelain face. "You told her how much you loved her and missed her...despite the years...despite our marriage and our two children. You begged her to leave with you...to a place where no one would know you two. I heard every single word."

And it broke her heart, Edison thought grimly.

His wife made a move towards the window but her mother gestured weakly for her to stop. "I saw the disappointment that filled your eyes as you left," her expressive eyes continued in the direction of his father-in-law. "I was on my way to the car when she saw me. She called for me and asked me to listen to her. She said she had no intention of taking you away. She promised to walk out of our lives. All the while I just kept going. My legs were weak and I could barely breath through my sobs but I kept going. I didn't want to face her. I didn't want her to see me. Suddenly a flash of lights blinded me. I felt a hard shove to my back. When I finally came to my senses the car was already gone. And she was lying on the ground. I wanted to run to her. I wanted to help her. But I couldn't. I drove off without turning back."

His wife tumbled slightly backwards and Edison moved forward to hold her.

"She saved my life but I left her to die."

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 30

2007-06-17T00:32:00.000-05:00

After several hours of discussing the current situation and weighing their options, conversation came to an abrupt stop when a knock was heard from the other side of the den door. With his father-in-law's permission the maid entered and reported that two men dragging a third man were seeking permission to see Edison. Minutes after the affirmation from his father-in-law the maid reappeared followed by three men, two of which were lean and built and in between was no other than the man that had betrayed their company.

Frankie Lam.

The sides of his face were red and swollen. The edge of his mouth contained traces of blood. And from the looks of his rumpled clothing, there were many other unseen wounds.

"Mr. Chou told us to deliver this man to Mr. Chen," the older of the two men said.

Mr. Chou, or more widely known as Jay Chou, leader of the Black Dragons, was an acquaintance Edison had made a few years back. The Black Dragons held enormous influence in all of Asia, second to no one. Edison's association with them was purely business. In situations when he could not be publicly involved, he enlisted their help. The only requirement was a hefty fee that hardly scratched his wallet.

Recognizing the importance of finding Frankie Lam, he had made a call to the elusive Jay Chou earlier, right after receiving the urgent call from his father-in-law. And now, as promised the traitor was delivered.

He rose from his seat in front of the large mahogany desk and reached into the inner pocket of his leather jacket, pulling some bills out between his index and middle fingers. All the while, his eyes remained firmly planted on the haggard man in the center. "Thank you gentleman, please give my thanks to Mr. Chou." Then added, "When the resort is completed. I'll be sure to have a room reserved for Mr. Chou's pleasure."

Compensation in terms of dollar amounts would be too easily sought out by law enforcement. It was therefore a much safer bet to reimburse using other means, such as fringe benefits; be it a free luxury suite on occasion, or the privilege to purchase newly built condos before the general public was offered, ensuring a fast buck.

The two men dropped Frankie Lam on to the Persian rug and took the money, giving a small bow before exiting the den along with the maid.

Roughed up pretty badly, the traitor staggered tiredly to his feet. Slouched over with his right hand pressed to his stomach and left arm waving unsteadily to keep balance, the tan-skinned middle age man rambled for forgiveness and begged for mercy. But none of the faces in the room were sympathetic.

Betrayal was a sin.

Betrayal of a friend was an unforgivable sin.

His father-in-law's jaw gritted angrily, rising from his seat followed by his brother-in-law. "Who put you up to it? Who paid you to sabotage us?"

Though there was no actual proof, being seasoned and intelligent businessmen, it was only common sense to them that money was involved.

"I...I'm so sorry, Mr. Chung. I had no choice. The loan sharks were after me. They said they would kill me and rape my wife if I didn't repay the money," the rambling continued to their impatience.

"Cut the bull, Frankie. Who told you to sabotage us?"

"I can't say. Or...or else they will kill me," the beaten man hesitated.

Precious time was wasting. And they were not any closer to an answer. Edison took it as an invitation to step into the interrogation. A quick scan of his father-in-law's desk proved rewarding. Taking the metal letter opener into custody, he then took quick steps toward the disheveled man and pulled him up by the collar, holding the sharp point to his neck. "If you don't answer, you'll die now."

His cold eyes and menacing tone send shivers down his captive's back, turning all his words into nervous stutters. "No...no...you wouldn't."

"Try me." His simple answer was accompanied by a slight push of the opener. The action was just enough to cause a superficial wound at the base of the other man's neck.

If there was anything his father had taught him early on in business, it was to be ruthless -- Mercy was its own undoing.

Edison had already assessed the type of man that Frankie Lam was, cunning but without honor. He was a coward. It was only a matter of time before he would cave.

Frankie screamed.

"Mr. Chung! Mr. Chung!"

The cries were first directed to his father-in-law then brother-in-law but both continued to look on angrily, neither showed any signs of weakening.

He smirked. "Well?"

Slowly, the look of remorse disappeared from the bruised man. "I can tell you but in return I want a million dollars."

"Fat chance!" Edison traced the sharp point further down to where the Adam's apple was. One hard shovel and Frankie Lam would be a dead man. That was chilling knowledge that they both were only too aware of.

Would he have actually killed the man?

Probably not.

Edison considered himself vicious but not cold-blooded. And surely, this man was hardly worth it. All he wanted was to rattle him enough to spill. And from the looks of the heavy beads of sweat streaming down the man's tan face, he knew the moment would not be far.

Frankie swallowed fearfully. "It was the Tses -- Simon Tse and Nicholas Tse of Tse International."

Edison was right.

But at the mention of Nicholas Tse, his gaze instinctively turned toward his brother-in-law, who looked at first in shock then flaming mad. It was the same with his father-in-law. He was shocked too but refused to let on in front of Frankie Lam. In the face of an adversary, he knew he had to keep a clear head. "What proof do you have? How do I know you're not just looking for scapegoats?"

"I...I recorded the conversation."

The elder Chung stepped forward. "Where's the recording?"

"In my jacket pocket -- a small cassette. It can prove that Simon Tse had bribe me to sabotage the beams."

Edison pulled the cassette out of the suit jacket and threw it to his brother-in-law. Kenny quickly put the cassette into the player and within seconds the voice of Simon Tse could be heard through the scratchy recording.

If there had been doubts in any of their minds, the recording had quickly put them away. In explicit terms, Simon Tse expressed his willingness to pay Frankie Lam a large sum if the man agreed to sabotage the main beams.

In the midst of anger, with a harsh push, Edison sent the despicable man scrawling onto the Persian rug once again. "Tell me! Why? Why are they sabotaging the project?"

"I...I don't know," the injured man cried fearfully, using his palm to cover his neck wound but thin lines of blood were spilling out from the cracks of his stubby fingers. "I really don't know. I only did as they told me. Please let me go. Please."

"This cassette. You made it to blackmail the Tses in the future, didn't you?" Kenny looked accusingly at the man still scrawled on the floor.

"No doubt. And if somehow the plan fell out, he could use it to strike a deal with the DA for a lesser penalty. Perhaps even no jail time," Edison remarked casually then turned to Frankie.
"Are there other plans? Are they going to try anything else?"

"I...I don't know."

It was true that the contract protected Tse International from financial losses if the finish date was delayed but the hit to their reputation would be great. The public would lose confidence in the company. The results could mean a drop in their stock price. It was one loss after another, what would be the motive?

It just did not make sense.

"Morning Nancy," Charlene gave her assistant a bright smile before continuing her way from the storefront, where rows of her designs were displayed, to her office in the back. Entwined with her slender hand was the small chubby one of Timmy's.

Her adopted son.

The overhead lights took a second to come on after she tapped on the smooth white two-way switch. The monotone decorated room felt familiar and yet foreign as a result of her infrequent attendance to work in the last few months.

From the embedded skylights to the slanted sketching table, each item had been carefully chosen by Kenny and herself. Countless hours had been spent in various furniture shops all over Hong Kong until they finally found the perfect-sized shelves that matched both the color scheme of the room and suited her needs. It would come as a surprise to many how rare it was for certain pieces of furniture to come in just solid black.

The color scheme had been Kenny's idea. The theory behind it was that the monotone background would allow her to focus on the colors of her design without outside intrusion affecting her eyes. And of course he had been right, even though she had not totally agreed at first but the benefit had become evident quickly.

What the furnishing lacked in color, the various textured colored fabrics scattered over her desk and filled the black shelves that were against the white walls made up. Then there were also the randomly placed mannequins that took up most of the space in front of her desk. Each was dressed in her latest designs, mostly colorful chiffon articles.

Fashion design had always been her dream. A result of having been called a tomboy a few times too many in her younger years. Growing up, she had been conscious of keeping her appearance soft and feminine, from her short feathery hair to her flirty girlish choice in clothing. Her fashion expertise slowly evolved into a professional passion. Funded by her husband, the boutique had been an opportunity to realize her dream. It was ashamed that after three years of hard work she had to close it down. But since she had already decided to leave Hong Kong, there really were no other options.

She led Timmy to the black coffee table adjacent to a two-piece black couch set where small meetings were usually conducted. "Here Timmy, you color here while I take care of some things. Okay?"

Timmy nodded obediently with a contagious smile, already opening his small book bag to reach for his coloring book and crayons. Unable to resist his babyish charm, she ran a hand over his short straight hair.

Where would she be without him?

He was her anchor in the midst of the turbulent sea.

The last month had been spent running around the legal departments to get the adoption finalized. The time she had spent volunteering at the orphanage turned out to pay off in a big way. The orphanage board voted unanimously to her request and granted her custody earlier than most adoption applications.

It was ironic that despite her marriage of three years, this was the way she became a parent. Kenny had wanted children early on but it had been her wish to postpone until a later time. Charlene could not help feeling a twinge of regret.

Kenny would be a wonderful father.

But she had denied him the opportunity.

The busy month had done her much good. It had afforded her time away from useless dwelling on the past, regrets that could never be corrected. It was time to let go.

All the things she should have done but did not.

All the things she did but should not have.

Kenny.

Her heart would always be indebted to him. His love was more than she could ever dream for. He had appeared like a knight in shining armors during her most hopeless moments. It was her own stupidity that had lead to their misery. She had wronged him.

Nicholas.

There was a time that she had loved him more than life itself. But he had become no more than a stranger to her now. She could not accept that the easy-going young man that had once stolen her heart had become a ruthless businessman with little conscience.

Perhaps had she never met Kenny she would not be as disappointed in Nicholas. But she had met Kenny. And she was disappointed in Nicholas.

Their importance in her life could never be erased. But she had come to accept their meeting had been ill fated since the very beginning.

The asymmetric handkerchief hem of her soft lime skirt swayed from side to side as she made way to the sleek black desk. With pen and pad ready at hand, she prepared herself for the long iterations of voicemails that had not been checked for over a month. It had taken approximately ten minutes to listen through over fifteen voicemails. The previously clean page of her pad was now filled with scribbles notating the calls she had received and the necessity to return them. As luck would have it, most had been invitations to fashion shows and store openings. None of which required more than a gift basket. Two or more were simply hang-ups in which the caller had left neither name nor number. That coincidentally had been occurring quite often with the voicemail on her mobile phone. But figuring that the caller must have realized they had reached the wrong number, Charlene did not heed any more attention than necessary.

The long black hand against the white background of the round black clock hung over the opposite wall made several rotations and soon more than three hours had passed.

A smile of satisfaction reached Charlene's lips when she called to Timmy. "Honey, time to pack up."

With their hands entwined, Charlene exchanged a few parting words with her assistant then lead Timmy out the front door. "Hungry yet, Timmy?"

He nodded bringing another smile to her beautiful round face. "What do you want to eat?"

His eyes lit up. "McDonalds."

In response to his innocence, her giggles rang like bells. "Okay, McDonalds it is."

The mother and son happily continued down the street, too oblivious in their happiness to notice the pair of eyes following them from the insides of a ruby red Ferrari.

To let go of someone you love takes a lot of courage.

Courage that not everyone possesses.

Gillian's eyes opened in time to meet the handsome features of her husband. "Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

Her lips automatically curved into a sweet smile when he gently help her sit up, propping a pillow behind her. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost eight hours," her husband replied, holding a small porcelain bowl to her.

Her expressive eyes recognized the white liquidly substance immediately. "Congee?"

"Your mom especially made this for you. She said you shouldn't eat anything oily while you're still unwell."

She nodded then turned to her husband again. "Have you eaten yet?"

The sight of the small bowl in her husband's strong hands while he carefully skimmed spoonful of congee from the surface made her heart warm.

"We had lunch a few hours ago," he said, bringing a spoonful of rice porridge to her lips.

The delicious taste made her mouth water. "Congee with pork. My favorite."

After several more spoons, her husband passed the bowl to her and turned to retrieve the ringing mobile phone from his front pant pockets. "Uncle Nick..."

Gillian's gaze turned curious when two familiar names escaped her husband's lips -- Simon Tse and Nicholas Tse. From the context of the conversation, her husband was asking his uncle to investigate the Tses for him.

Not quite explainable, she automatically felt a connection between the inquiry and the reason for their sudden visit to her parents' home.

Her lips pursed together momentarily after he snapped the phone shut. "Why are you suddenly checking up on the Tses?"

She continued to press. "Is it related to the resort?"

"Didn't you promise to trust me?"

"I do," she insisted softly. "I'm just curious."

Still, the expression on her husband's face was unreadable. "We found Frankie Lam."

The small bowl in her hand was entirely forgotten. "The architect? What did he say?"

"He said Simon Tse and Nicholas Tse paid him to sabotage the resort."

"But why would they do that? They are our partners in the project."

"I'm not sure either."

"That's why you are checking them out?"

He nodded.

The Tses were behind the sabotage?

"What was Kenny's reaction?"

If it really was the Tses then her brother more than anyone else should be angered. After all, Nicholas Tse had been the culprit that broken up his marriage. Gillian could not help wondering now if somehow that had been deliberate.

"Nothing in particular. Just shocked."

Her husband must have noticed her worry. Despite his cold exterior, he always seemed in tuned with her emotions. "I won't let him do anything rash."

"Thank you," she smiled gratefully but worry had not entirely abandoned her heart.

If the Tses were involved, another person would likely be a suspect as well. Daniel.

"Okay, spill it. What else is in that pretty head of yours?" Her husband's tone became lighthearted and playful.

Gillian hesitated momentarily, hoping her request would not spoil his mood. But knew it was impossible. "Can you promise me if Daniel is somehow involved that you would let him go?"

Her husband had been furious when the reason for her disappearance yesterday slowly escaped her lips. He wanted to give her former fiance a lesson that he would never forget. But she could not and would not allow that. It was after all her fault for the situation they were in. After much reassuring and convincing, Edison finally agreed to let the incident pass. But she knew it was far from forgotten.

To request once again for his lenience was far from fair but she owed Daniel too much.

It would pain her to know that he was involved but she could not dismiss the suspiciousness of his sudden coupling with Tse International. And the various times he had tried to coax company information from her. But yet, if it were not for her, someone as upstanding and righteous as him would never participate in anything so illegal and devious.

The chiseled jaw line of her husband grew hard. "Finish the congee."

"Please."

Both were men that held important places in her heart. One was a man whom had literally taken her under his wing during her most desperate moments. One was a man whom she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The last thing she ever wanted to see was the two standing on opposing sides.

Her husband finally responded with a reluctant nod. "I promise."

His love for her was beyond doubt.

Her love for him was beyond reason.

Would that be enough to live happily ever after?

The first Sunday rays had already invaded the entire bedroom but motionless with his body against the firm queen-sized mattress and legs hung off the side of the bed, crushing the deep blue bed skirts that his wife had chosen when they first married, Kenny's eyes stared straight into the white ceiling. Finally for the first time in days, there was a quiet moment for him to confront the cycle of infuriation and disbelief that had been eating at him.

While his father and brother-in-law had been preoccupied with finding new investors, to ensure funding for the continuation of the resort, Kenny had been rushing in and out of the office, meeting with disgruntled developers whom were not particularly thrilled about having to tear down the existing structure and rebuild, and answering to angry board members, whom were rightfully upset with that status of the project. With some of the rotten attitudes he had seen in certain men, he would have decked them had he been a lesser man. But being the man that he was, he simply restated their current position and took the heat.

But now all alone in his room, he no longer had to continue the pretense of being calm and determined. His anger was exploding in waves.

How could a man he treated as a friend betray him so easily?

And yet, Frankie had admitted to the act himself. Even snitching on the people that had bribed him.

The Tses.

But why? Why had the Tses paid Frankie Lam to sabotage the project?

The very question had haunted him day and night without conclusion.

Anger and helplessness made his blood want to boil. Since the moment Nicholas Tse had walked into his life, the man had stopped at nothing to tear him apart; ruining everything he treasured; first, his marriage and now, Chung Enterprises.

Kenny wanted nothing more than to beat him to a bloody gulp.

On the small nightstand to his right, a sleek silver mobile phone began to ring, bringing his mind back to the present, away from murderous thoughts. With sluggish movements, he reached for the phone. His lips pursed into a slight frown at the name displayed on the small LCD screen.

Cecilia.

Lowering his thumb on the 'end' button, the phone immediately slipped into dormant sleep.

It was not the first time he had avoided her calls in the last few days. There was just too much on his mind without her constant pressure to add to his shoulders. He liked Cecilia very much, even loved her. They had grown up together, had many happy times. But he was not in love with her. There was only one woman in his heart.

Charlene.

He had only accepted Cecilia because he could not bear to hurt her. But he could no longer lie to her or himself. He needed to tell her the truth.

Just not now.

Not when the future of Chung Enterprises was still so uncertain.

It took great effort to pull himself off of the comforting embrace of the large bed. The bed he had once shared with his wife. Desperate for a breath of fresh air, he made his way out of the room, into the hall, and down the stairs. His stomping feet came to an abrupt stop at the sound of his brother-in-law's voice.

"I've been wondering when you'll be up."

Kenny turned to the living room area where his brother-in-law was seated on the large Victorian-styled sofa. He immediately noticed the absence of his sister. "Where's Gillian?"

"She's at the doctor's with your mom," he replied, strolling to his side. "I have something to show you."

"What?"

"This," a large manila envelope produced from the younger man's hand while his eyes twinkled with seriousness. "I asked my uncle to look up information on the Tses. You might find it interesting. Especially the section on Nicholas Tse."

Kenny took the envelope hesitantly and removed a large stack of papers. Uncertain of what to make of the information, his legs slowly made their way back to the sofa where his brother-in-law had occupied just before and spread the document over the clean coffee table.

The first set of the documents contained detailed information on assets owned Tse International and other privately owned assets by the Tses. According to his tally, the Tses were rich enough to buy up the entire Hong Kong and probably more.

The second set of documents explicated Simon Tse's life from birth to the present, even a detailed history of his career achievements and love life. It seemed Nicholas Tse's philandering ways had been inherited from his father. But despite many high-profile relationships, Simon Tse had never married.

The piece of information made Kenny's brows furrow.

While there had never been a Mrs. Tse to his knowledge, he had always assumed that Nicholas Tse was the product of a previous marriage. But now, it seemed more likely he was a product of an affair.

His eyes continued down the document then stopped. In the middle of 1985, Simon Tse adopted the orphaned son of his secretary, whom had died in a tragic car accident.

Nicholas Tsang.

His heart immediately felt uneasy. Unable to continue with the rest of Simon Tse's profile, quickly Kenny turned to the next set of documents, the ones that pertained to the life of Nicholas Tse. His hands froze and face paled immediately on the first page -- a photocopy of a birth certificate. Nicholas Tsang, born 1977 in Hong Kong Hospital to Margie Tsang and Tony Chung.

Tony Chung.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 29

2007-06-17T00:27:00.000-05:00

His wife.

He had to find his wife.

But where was she?

Edison jerked upwards. The force was almost enough to send him sitting all the way up on the oak bed but a weight on his chest held him in place. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness that enclosed the cozy bedroom while his heart continued to pound heavily against his chest and his breathing still rapid and short. Before the land of dreams had entirely withdrawal its grasp from him, his head was already turning frantically from side to side searching. Searching for the one woman he could not live without.

Gillian.

It was only when the faint scent of jasmine swept deliciously into his nostrils that he became aware of the warm body resting on his broad chest, cradled tightly by his left arm. Only then did an uncertain breath slowly eased from his mouth and the muscles in his body begin to relax.

She was right there.

He had not lost her.

It was only a dream.

He could hardly recall the exact details that haunted him but the feelings and emotions that remained were so intense that his heart was still aching of fear and lost. The excitement from the day before had followed him into his sleep much to his distaste.

Yesterday had begun rather typically with the exception of his wife falling ill. He had tucked her into bed after her last rush to the bathroom and made sure to boil some plain congee for her before he left for the nursery. It was not the unpackaged shipment of plants that needed to be sent at the end of day that lured him away from the beach house. He really could not have cared less if the shipment went out late and the buyer demanded compensation. Money after all was just a means to an end. And he had already reached his ultimate goal; a life of contentment that even money could not possibly buy.

His true motive was to search for his wife's missing wedding band, knowing all to well how upset she was of its lost. But much to his dismay even after searching high and low for hours, he was still no closer to finding it. But rather than remaining to pack the plants, he told Leila to call the buyer and inform them that the order would be shipped late. Any loss would be compensated.

It was a small price to pay in order to be home sooner.

His mind was still mentally going through every inch of the nursery, trying to determine where he had missed when his car stopped in front of the beach house, parking right next to his wife's. It was not until he was already on the front porch that his blood suddenly turned cold as though at some unexplainable level, he already knew something was wrong.

The front screen door was closed but not locked. The door behind it was wide open. Without further thought, he raced into the house, calling from room to room for his wife. But only eerie silence greeted him. As though wanting to inform him that the mistress of the home was missing.

His mind tried to formulate a reasonable explanation but none came. Gillian would not have gone out without locking up. Furthermore, her car was still parked outside. The only time, the car was not necessary in their isolated location was when taking a stroll along the beach but that could not be. She was too ill in the morning to even move why would she walk along the chilly waters?

The suffocating panic that struck him was beyond what words could describe.

His heart nearly pounded out of his chest as he came to the horrid realization that she might have been abducted. Perhaps by kidnappers looking for a hefty ransom or a deranged lunatic that happened to stumble into the area. God, why had he left her alone?

Fear.

Panic.

Regret.

Worry.

The various emotions attacked him all at once on the way to his car. All the while his mind worked overtime trying desperately to keep calm enough to think of the best approach to search the area for her whereabouts. If she were held captive, which road would her captors have taken? Would they take her back to the city or would they hide her in the local town? At which point should he notify the authorities of her disappearance? Would his in-laws' know of her whereabouts?

As luck would have it, he made the right choice when he turned into the smaller road leading to town. It was rather deserted. He saw her small figure walking along the side almost immediately. When the car was close enough, he jumped out and ran toward her, pulling her into his strong arms without wasting a second.

It had only been thirty minutes into his search but yet it felt like the longest thirty minutes of his life.

He knew right then and there, he would not be able to live without her.

She was not only the love of his life.

She was his life.

There had been many women in his life. But only one had ever held a place in his heart.

Amanda.

He had once loved her.

He had once cried for her.

The months that followed their initial meeting had given him the first taste of love. But her departure had scarred in his heart the means of distrust. And even she had become nothing more than a distant memory, forever living in the shadow of his beloved wife. After all, they had not been through the pain of wanting to die because the one they loved had. They had not lived in an isolated existence of having no one but each other for comfort and security. They had not been through thick and thin. She had only seen him at his best, whereas his wife had seen him at his worse. That was the fine line between puppy love and true love.

Gillian.

He had once hated her.

He had once wronged her.

But he would be nothing without her.

Since the very beginning, the very day when their paths crossed it was hard to say who had wronged whom. She had run out on him on their wedding day. He had blackmailed her into marrying him afterwards. She had tried to make amends with him. And he had feared too long to trust. It seemed that their destinies had always been mingled together in a cycle of catch.

But one matter was certain: He would not be able to live without her.

His eyes were still lingering on her sleeping face when the sudden ring from his cell phone caught him by surprise, disturbing the serenity that had engulfed the room. Taking the phone from the nightstand, he flipped it open and pressed it to his ear. Within seconds, his eyes grew serious. "We'll be over in an hour."

His eyes swept over to his wife again.

He had made a promise to her.

A promise he intended to keep.

The low solid ticking of the large antique grandfather clock in the far corner haunted the spacious living room where three occupants sat with solemn expressions. The long hand just reached twelve when seven loud gongs erupted from the clock.

On the couch opposite his father, along side of his mother, Kenny's eyes traveled between the two, wondering if they were just as worried as he was. Wondering if they were exhausted from not having slept a wink all night. Unconsciously, his broad hand curled into a tight angry fist, the bitter taste of betrayal lingered the same way a chunk of wasabi burnt strongly at the nose and ears of the consumer long after its journey down to the stomach.

Frankie Lam.

He had trusted the older man with many of Chung Enterprises' biggest projects despite a not-so-glamorous past of gambling debts. What he had seen was talent and in so, he gave Frankie another opportunity. Had it not been his generosity, the architect would have undoubtedly been fish bait already. Loan sharks had no mercy.

But his repayment was betrayal.

The afternoon before, the Department of Housing and Urban Development had reported that the main beams of the resort were misplaced and threatened to close down the site if Chung Enterprises did not immediately correct the issue. Already so far into construction, the only solution would be to tear down all the outer walls, remove all the beams and then rebuilt from scratch. The process would set them back close to six months and millions of dollars.

Such a grave error could not be an innocent mistake.

Especially since all the evidence showed that Frankie was on the run.

Immediately after the two officers had left, he tried countless times to reach his architect without success. Only upon speaking with the foreman, did he learn that Frankie had made reckless decisions despite the protest of others and had not even reported to work in the last two weeks. Following the home addressed listed on his employment files had resulted in nothing but a vacant apartment. From the mess left behind, it was obvious that Frankie had left in a rush.

Kenny had been in around long enough to know the underhandedness that went on in the business world, family stabbing family, friends betraying friends. He had seen it all. But what he never imagined was becoming part of the unfortunate statistic.

The buzzing ring of the doorbell brought everyone's attention to the double front doors. Walking as quickly and discreetly as possible, the maid entered through the kitchen and passed the living room to the doors.

Muffled greetings could be heard as his sister strolled into the living room leaning against her husband for support. And for the first time, he saw not the usual hard expression on his brother-in-law's face but a sort of unspoken tenderness that softened his features.

At least his sister was well taken care of.

After the five of them exchanged greetings. His mother took his sister upstairs to rest while his father lead his brother-in-law and him into the den.

"What's our situation?" His brother-in-law asked, taking one of the two seats in front of his father's wide mahogany desk while he took the other.

"The Department of Housing and Urban Development warned that if we don't begin to correct the beams within a month, they will close the site down," his father explained gravely. The creases between his sharp eyes deepened.

Even though, no one had made any open accusations, guilt mercilessly ate at Kenny.

The project had been his responsibility.

But he had allowed personal problems to blind him.

"Our primary concern right now," his father continued, "is funding. Since we were originally ahead of schedule, we should still be able to meet the deadline if we put in more overtime but this will set our budget back. I've gotten a few new investors from China but that still might not be enough capital."

"I still have some investments I can liquidate. If need be, I can ask my uncle for a loan. And perhaps even cosign a loan from the bank, if it really came down to it. As long as we can make it through this phase then Tse International will fund the next phase."

The omission of Chen Corporation was obvious. Without the backing of the larger company, their position was immensely weaker. And they all knew it.

"The key person is Frankie Lam, the architect," his brother-in-law said after a few moments of silence. "We have to find out why he sabotaged us. And if there are plans for more."

Obviously Frankie was only a pawn. But who was the mastermind? And why?

"But we have no idea where he is," he said.

How he would love to get his hands on that man right now.

"Don't worry, we'll have him soon. I made a few calls before heading over."

He shivered from the coldness in the younger man's eyes. But that was not all. There was something else.

Determination.

Gillian enjoyed the gentle hand running softly over her forehead while the heavy covers fell securely over her.

"Try to get some rest," her mother said from the side of her bed.

Her heavy eyes swept across the room that had been hers since the early days of infancy and quietly noted the changes in her mind. The peach walls had been a shade of lavender until one summer when her mother decided it was time for a fresh coat of paint for the entire house. Her brother's room, which was originally a dark blue, became a light blue to match her peach. The rest of the house was more or less in the same lightness.

Standing on one side of the room was a beautiful wooden shelf. At one point, it had been filled with countless stuffed animals then as she grew older the furry collection was removed and replaced with a large variety of seashells, mostly collected in her spare time but not all, some were contributions from her brother and lots were souvenirs brought back by her father from business trips.

Several feet away, was a creamy-white desk with a matching hatch. She had gotten it around five, when she had officially started school. The picture frames were proof of the passing years. There were school pictures, family portraits, and miscellaneous pictures during outings with her brother and Cecilia.

And before the desk, there had been a small children's table set in the same place. She recalled it vividly despite the long years. It was also creamy-white, round with four small matching chairs. Back when she was three or four, she was in the habit of pulling whoever happened to be around, be it was her parents, older brother, members of the staff, or Cecilia, on the occasion that she was over, to the small table for a game of 'make-believe.' Like most children her age, she pretended to be various characters, such the hostess of a tea party, a doctor reviewing a patient, or a teacher lecturing a student.

The memories brought a small smile to her lips.

Then on the other side was the door the lead outwards.

Her smile disappeared.

Down the hall in a large den, the three most important men in her life were working to find a situation for the current jeopardy that their company faced.

The morning had been more or less a fast blur. It had been barely six o'clock when she awoke to a light nudge, her tired eyes opened to her husband softly calling to her. He was already wearing a navy sweater and a pair of khakis rather than flannel pajamas he had on the night before.

"Get dressed," he said, "We have to go over to your parents...."

When she asked for a reason, he merely said there was matter needing to be taken care of and that he would explain further in the car.

As best as she could, still in a dream-like state, she went about brushing her teeth and washing her face before putting on a simple black jersey dress that required little effort on her part. Her sleep had hardly been restful. The entire night had been one dream after another, memories from her times with Daniel. From their first meeting in New York to the photo session for their wedding pictures, then from the day she had deliberately brought Edison along to meet him at the harbor to yesterday.

Yesterday.

Why did he have to found out the truth?

Why couldn't sleeping dogs just lie?

The look of destitute and defeat on his handsome face battered her heart with guilt and sorrow; haunting her dreams.

To accept the offer to leave with him would have went against her heart. But in declining, she had broken his.

Why did things have to come to that?

Was all the fault hers?

Had she been too selfish?

Her husband gave her a brief overview of the current situation Chung Enterprises was facing in the car, explaining that her brother had received a visit from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. They had issued a warning. Before her brain could even process the consequences, her husband removed a hand from the steering wheel and rested on top of hers, asking her not to involve herself, just to rest and let him handle everything. Then ended the conversation with two simple words.

"Trust me."

Instinct already told her what he meant.

He was asking her to trust him to fulfill his promise to her.

He was asking her to trust in his abilities.

Her response came in a confident nod and a tight squeeze to his hand.

She trusted him.

Her eyes turned upwards and rested on her mother. The rows of skylights above created a warm glow around the elegant middle age woman, illuminating her delicate features. Despite her age, her mother remained youthful; years only brought more grace to her every gesture.

"Why aren't you sleeping, sweetie?"

"I'm not tired yet. I want to talk for a bit," she said in a whiny voice, earning bell-like laughter from her mother.

"Still the same after all these years. I remember when Kenny and you were young. Kenny would sleep on his own while you would keep me up most of the night with your chatter."

Gillian could not suppress her sheepish smile as she recalled all her little naughty tricks to get out of sleeping. "But you enjoyed chatting with me."

"I did," the older woman smiled. "So what do you want to chat about this time my little Gillie?"

She hesitated for a moment, still savoring the sound her old nickname before her expression became serious. "I'm worried about Kenny. I know he's only with Cecilia because he can't bear to hurt her. The person he loves is Charlene."

Her mother nodded, worry touched her dark brown eyes. "I know. Sometimes it really hurts my heart to see how much he has sacrificed for Chung Enterprises."

Her lips pursed with guilt. "In comparison to Kenny, I have done so little."

"That's not true at all," her mother's hand ran softly down her face, "I know how much it hurt for you to give up Daniel."

"I owe Daniel more than I can ever repay. He had done so much for me but all I..."

"Gillian, don't say that. It wasn't your fault."

"I choose family over him. It was my choice to let him go."

"To let go of someone you love takes a lot of courage," her mother's voice became lower, "Courage that not everyone possesses."

Gillian nodded, not noticing the pain in her mother's eyes.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 28

2007-06-17T00:22:00.000-05:00

"...Ms. Choi has already signed the divorce papers. She requests no alimony or any financial gains. The apartment and boutique that you have recently transferred to her name will be returned to you. Whenever it is convenient please stop by our office to sign the papers," the monotone voice of the female lawyer rang into his ears.

Where would Charlene live if she moved out of the apartment?

And her boutique, was she really going to close it down?

The phone in his hand felt heavier by the second. "I would like to meet with Charlene before I sign the papers. Can that be arranged?"

He needed to speak with her but knew it would be close to impossible for him to seek her out. She would just avoid him the same way she did the previous times.

"I'm sorry Mr. Chung, Ms. Choi does not want to see you," came a matter-of-fact reply.

He took a wearisome breath. "I understand."

But he really didn't understand.

And couldn't understand.

He worried for her.

After agreeing to drop by the lawyer's office at his earliest convenience, Kenny dropped the phone back onto the base. An enormous weight formed on his chest. Breathing transformed from an effortless reflex to a strenuous chore.

There was no doubt that Charlene would always be the only person in his heart. And no matter the circumstances that had pulled them apart, he sincerely wished her happiness, even at the price of his own.

But was she really happy?

Had she forgiven Nicholas?

Were they still together?

Was he treating her well?

As much as he wanted to care, he knew it was no longer his place. He had no authority over her anymore. Not even as a friend.

A sudden knock on his door disturbed his thoughts and brought his assistant into his office. Her cheeks flushed with color and her breath short-winded and wheezing. She seemed worried and afraid. "Mr. Chung, two men from the Department of Housing and Urban Development are outside. They want to see you immediately."

He immediately understood her uneasiness and felt the same feeling strike his heart. "Show them in right away."

"Yes sir," she answered and quickly walked out the door.

In less than a minute two men dressed in finely tailored suits strolled in, carrying an air of authority as well as menace. "Mr. Chung, we would like to speak to you about the new resort that Chung Enterprises with Tse International."

The moment of revenge has finally arrived.

Was it really the beginning of the end?

Arched over the long oval bathroom sink, her gathered hands brought splashes of cold water from the running facet onto her pale face. But the usual exhilaration that came with the gesture eluded her while the feeling of discomfort remained. When her back straightened, reflecting from the rectangular cabinet mirror, a pair of dim eyes, colorless cheeks, and white lips greeted her. Against the black velour hooded jump suit that she wore, her complexion seemed even more tired and sickly.

Incredible nausea had forced her out of bed and into the bathroom early in the morning. More than once, she had emptied the contents in her stomach into the porcelain toilet bowl, leaving her light-headed and gasping for air.

The nasty chill from the night before must have given her a cold or worse, the flu.

Taking careful steps into the small living room, her head immediately found its way onto the back of the cozy couch, vaguely aware of the softness of her elastic velour pants against her legs. Soon her white sneakers were pulled onto the cushion and for a long while she remained curled in fetal position.

Despite her condition, she had intended on returning to the nursery to help Leila and most importantly to search for missing wedding band. But her husband had adamantly insisted that she stay home and rest while he drove over to the nursery alone, leaving her a small pot of congee, promising to return as soon as he could. With a reluctant nod she agreed.

Never been one afraid of loneliness, she couldn't help wishing her husband would hurry home. The months of living in the beach house with only each other for companionship, she had grown accustomed to his constant presence. Most times, they would either be in the den attending to business or her in the kitchen tending to their next meal while he took up chores around the house. It was reassuring to know that he was never more than a few rooms away. It was this same knowledge that made his current absence even more pronounced and the house even emptier.

Her ears immediately perked up when the melodious sound of the doorbell resonated through the quiet house, her mood lightened at the thought that possibly her husband had returned, yet could not shake the feeling that it was someone else. The conscientious person that her husband was, he had never forgotten his keys.

But who else would it be?

Her parents and brother would not come unannounced.

Perhaps some more busybody reporters looking for interview, or the occasional stranded motorist that required assistance?

Nevertheless, she slowly made her way to the front door, still battling against the nausea spell.

Her neatly shaped brows involuntarily creased in confusion when an unexpected handsome face greeted her through the top of the screen door. "Daniel?"

Dressed in his usual style of designer shirt and matching pants, his eyes looked longingly at her but did not speak.

Her fingers reached to unlock the white screen door. "What are you doing here?"

It had been a few months since the last time she had seen him. She vaguely recalled that it was during a status meeting for the upcoming resort. In the presence of so many others, neither had acknowledged each other with more than a polite nod.

What would prompt him to suddenly drive out here to look for her?

"Gillian, I have to speak with you," his voice carried much urgency. Then suddenly his right hand shot out at her. "Come with me."

Powerless in her fatigue state, she found herself unable to break free from the tight grasp of his strong hand. In a blink of an eye, all she could hear was the flapping sound of the screen door hitting against frame of the house while she stumbled weakly into his car.

Her eyes traced his tall figure helplessly confused as it crossed around the front of the car and slipped into the driver's seat. "Daniel, what is happening? Where are you taking me?"

But rather than answering her, he ignited the engine so that it roared loudly, then with a swift right turn of the steering wheel and a hard stomp to the gas pedal, the car was speeding down the deserted road.

Fueled by newfound uneasiness, her discomfort from before grew at an exponential rate. With one hand on her chest and the other tightly grasping the leather car seat, seeking for some sort stability, her patience began to thin. "Where are you taking me? Answer me. Why won't you answer me?"

Breathing was becoming difficult. It had taken several gulps to suppress the overwhelming queasiness that erupted in her chest and throat. Then abruptly the car pulled to the side of the road where only once in a long while another car would pass by.

His hands were still curled around the steering wheel but his eyes were slowly traveling to her. In them, she saw pain and disappointment.

At one point, he had been the most important man in her life. Had it not have been for his generosity, she would have never been able to be part of one of the best marketing teams in New York. While other coworkers turned their backs on her because of her sometimes headstrong rash decisions, he took her under his wing and befriended her. And eventually their friendship turned to love.

Without him, she would not be who she is today. He was her mentor, best friend, lover, and almost husband. Had they not returned to Hong Kong, it was undoubtedly that they would be married by now. Perhaps even with child.

But the appearance of Edison had changed everything.

In a strong solemn voice he began to speak. "Why did you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me that Edison Chen had blackmailed you?"

Her lips parted slightly from shock and her eyes grew wide with guilt. "Wh--What? What are you talking about? I don't know what you are talking about."

"There's no point for you to deny it. I over heard your brother explaining to a woman the exact circumstances of your so-called perfect marriage," he recalled bitterly. "Edison Chen had blackmailed you with Chung Enterprises. If not you would have never married him."

Cecilia.

The woman her brother was speaking to must have been Cecilia. Her childhood friend had been extremely concern over the matters of her marriage during her last visit. She must have forced the truth out of her brother.

"Why, Gillian? Why didn't you tell me the truth? Why did you lie to me?"

Her eyes adverted from his and moved to stare at the empty road ahead.

Why had she lied?

Why hadn't she told him the truth?

Perhaps, it was because at the time, she really didn't know how to face him, to put into words her painful dilemma, to see him inevitably pained by her decision. The beautiful excuse of sparing him from ensuing torment and agony was just cowardice on her part, afraid she would break down and back away from her decision once she saw his handsome face.

"Don't you know that I could never be happy without you?"

His words crushed her like a ton of bricks. Exhaustion unlike any she felt before washed over her.

A long time ago, their love had meant the world to her. But now, at this very moment, her heart already belonged to someone else. How she wished she could reciprocate his feelings. But yet, she couldn't. It was too late for them.

Their paths were destined to be different.

The lapse of silence came to an end when he suddenly took her cold hands into his warm ones. "Gillian, leave with me. We can start over again."

"No Daniel," she refused, turning her head from side to side while immediately pulling her hands back, afraid suddenly of his touch.

"Why not? Are you afraid of Edison Chen?"

"It's not that."

"Gill..."

"I've fallen in love with him, Daniel."

"No," he cried, turning his head from side to side. The look of disbelief immediately overcame his handsome features. "No, you're lying. You're just afraid he would make true of his threat. You're afraid for Chung Enterprises."

"I'm sorry, Daniel."

"How can you love him? Edison Chen is a monster. Do you know how many businesses he destroyed? How many lives have been ruined by him?"

Her lips pressed together helplessly, pained by her former fiance's distressed state.

"Please tell me you're lying, Gillian. Please tell me you're lying," he pleaded with her.

His desperation torn through her heart, yet all she could do was quietly apologize. "I'm sorry."

Despite all they had been through together, that was only comfort she could offer him.

"Take care," she said, taking a deep breath before turning to the door. He made no movements to stop her, still staring at an area on the dashboard it was as though he was too lost in his memories and regrets to notice anything. On his face was the look of undeniable defeat.

The chilly fall wind brushed harshly against her delicate skin, blowing her hair wildly. She closed the door with a light slam and began to walk forth.

It was time to go home.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 27

2007-06-17T00:16:00.000-05:00

The two large white candlesticks erected on opposites sides of the alter softly illuminated the chapel. The gentle glow washed the spacious room with peace and harmony.

But kneeling before the enormous wooden cross with her hands tightly entwined together, partially hidden by her unruly hair, the silhouette of Carina Chung's beautiful features etched of unrest. In a long black overcoat her normally voluptuous body seem weak and frail.

It had become her habit to seek salvation in the small church, sometimes even before the first morning rays, each time after awakening drenched with cold sweat; still plagued by the horrid nightmares that haunted her night after night, her own screams matching the female screams in her bewildered mind.

It was always the same.

A pair of strong white lights flashed quickly, blinding her. When her vision returned that woman was on the ground. Her once flawless complexion stained by fresh blood. Her once twinkling eyes pleaded desperately for help.

Twenty years since that horrid night.

Twenty years since she bared that dark secret alone.

Fresh burnings tears fell from her closed eyes, and ran down the sides of her flawless face.

Why did she have to go out that night?

Why did she have to follow her husband out?

The silly hope of obtaining her husband's love had diminished long ago. Years came and went but his indifferent attitude was always the same; ever so courtesy, even thoughtful at times, but love, there will never be.

Even their two beautiful children were products of obligation, not love.

To him, the world consisted of so much, of the woman he never stopped loving, of the business he never stopped fighting for. But for her, the world only consisted of three people, him and their two children.

It was the love for her small family that condemned her to the deepest parts of hell. Had she know then that no amount of time would bind his heart to her, she would not sinned. Had she known then what she knew now, she would have granted him his freedom.

But it was all too late.

Her sins could never be forgiven.

Her luscious lips departed and took in a heavy-hearted breath. Slowly her head raised and eyelids folded. In the gentle light her delicate features, barely touched by the years, radiated but her heart contained only of emptiness.

Life had long lost meaning for her. Had it not been the existence of her two children, her only remaining comfort, she would have gladly used her life to repay her sins. It was for them that she lived on. They were all she had left in the world after the death of her parents.

When they suffered, she suffered.

When they rejoiced, she rejoiced.

Through them, she continued to live.

Of the two, it had always been her younger daughter that caused her to worry most. A result of unconditional pampering by the entire family, Gillian had been stubborn and headstrong since a young age. It came as no surprise to Carina when she ran away rather than give into a loveless marriage. In reality, she had known she would and allowed her the opportunity. No mother could bear to see their own daughter walk the same painful road as they had.

But now the one she worried for was Kenny. Different from his younger sister, her son had always been quiet and observant. His strength lay not in words but actions. To fulfill his father's wish to preserve the family business, he gave up dreams of being a doctor without muttering a single word of complaint. Even when it was evident that it was his constant preoccupation with work that had eventually caused a drift between himself and his wife until he finally lost her, he still continued to endure in silence.

As surprising as it might has been at least her daughter and son-in-law found in each other partners to continue their journey through life. But whom did her son have?

Behind her, the first rays were just seeping through the beautifully tinted glass panels, projecting colorful shadows on to the rows of benches below. Outside, the birds were chirping and the squirrels were running about. All over the earth was coming to life once again.

Unbeknownst to her, the Day of Judgment was nearing.

But her sins would be repaid not only by her own tears but the tears of her beloved children as well.

The dim dark skies had brightened into a light shade of blue, sparsely covered with feathery white clouds.

All along the sandy shores, large white seagulls circled over the turmoil morning waters, calling to one another, sharing indecipherable secrets.

The constant companions of the sea were already awake and alert.

But it was just the opposite inside the ranch-style beach house, where all was still and the only movement came from the light blue curtains hung over the open bedroom window, blown gently by the soothing ocean breeze. Day light was beginning to seep in. With each passing second the early morning rays invaded a bit more of the calm darkness; revealing from the shadows the serene faces of the handsome couple that laid comfortably in each other's arms, drawing from each other's warmth, still in the land of sweet dreams.

With her head still resting on her husband's smooth broad chest, Gillian was the first to stir; her eyes unwillingly met the neon red numbers displayed on the digital alarm clock by the nightstand.

6:53 AM

The time to awakening was approaching. And yet, the warm embrace of her husband and the soft cotton flannel sheets were too tempting to depart from. Just another minute, she told herself and buried her face into the nuke of her husband's neck, inhaling his familiar musky scent.

Minutes passed one after another until she could prolong no more. Using her right elbow to prop herself up, her head rested lazily onto her hand while her gaze swept admiringly up and down the chiseled features of her husband; moving her eyes from his smooth forehead down to his strong jaw line; drinking in the sight of his peaceful expression. While her own glowed of love and contentment.

Unable to resist temptation, she gently ran her soft fingers down the side of his face, acutely aware of the roughness by his chin. The platinum diamond wedding band on her fourth finger sparkled in the dim lighting.

"Time to wake up sleepyhead," she whispered, placing a kiss on his soft warm lips. "It's passed seven already."

After a few more feathery kisses, he began to stir. With his eyes still closed, his lips curved into a lazy grin.

His half-awaken expression made her heart flutter. "Come on, time to wake up. We have a lot to do today."

"I'm sure it can wait a bit longer," he said slowly, in a deep and husky voice, pulling her into a meaningful kiss and sliding his hands around her soft body.

It was close to noon when they arrived at the mid-sized supermarket. Their passionate escapade had set their schedules back by hours but the sweet smiles on their faces revealed no complaints.

"Kiwis. My favorite," Gillian exclaimed almost like a young child, quickening her steps to where a large wooden stand stacked with the brown-colored fruit stood.

The fruit hadn't always been her favorite, far from it. Her first taste of the odd fruit was at the age of one. Her mother had given her a small piece and she had spitted it out almost immediately; abhorred by the sourness, never even the opportunity to sample the sweet center.

Once you get pass the sour exterior you will be able to taste the sweetness inside, her mother would say, but each and every time, she would swiftly flee when offered a piece.

It wasn't until adulthood in New York that she finally began to appreciate this peculiar fruit. It was the close similarities that the fruit held to life that intrigued her the most -- a bit of sweetness surrounded by a lot of sourness. Each cringing bite served as a reminder of hope, of her mother's words.

Luckier than most, she was born into a family that offered more love and luxury than some people could ever imagine. The princess -- that was what her older brother always called her because the entire household from parents and brother to the staff members; all catered to her every whim.

But such happiness could not last forever.

Rather it seemed her suffering was only multiplied by her good fortune. Roughly eighteen, she was forced to flee to New York all alone, having no one but herself. For the first time in her life, she was struck hard by reality.

So many of nights, she broke down in tears, not knowing how to face the next day, not knowing what the future would hold.

Her once color-filled world became monotone and cold.

How she wanted to return to Hong Kong, return to her family. Yet, that was no longer an option, not since her father publicly disowned her.

There was no turning back.

But who would imagine she would eventually marry the same man she had tried so hard to run away from. And ironically, she felt no regrets.

The raw texture of the brown skin felt slightly ticklish and familiar against her soft hand. The clear plastic bag she was holding was already half way filled when the distinct sound of turning wheels approached. Behind the metal cart containing their groceries, dressed in beige turtleneck and black leather jacket paired with vintage-washed blue jeans, her husband moved with ease and grace; his eyes twinkled as they rested on her.

Just a year ago, the thought of her husband strolling casually through a supermarket was unimaginable. Yet, the simple trip had become part of their weekly life. Sometimes, to sample fresh seafood they even ventured into the loud and dirty outdoor marketplace by the pier.

Her lips automatically curved into a sweet smile. "How about a kiwi shake later?"

"Sure," he answered then teased, "At least, you can't burn a shake."

He was deliberately badgering her for accidentally burning their dinner last night. But despite his teasing comments, he cleaned up the plate of meatloaf that had nearly turned to charcoal with a grin. It was the same when he would insists on washing the dishes or cleaning the windows, claiming her small petite physique was inferior to his when in actuality, he didn't want her delicate hands to dry from the strong washing liquid or itch from the powder inside the plastic domestic gloves.

That was the way her husband was, unlike others whose emotions ran along their lips, his were always buried deep in his heart.

After playfully rolling her eyes, she took another kiwi into her hand, squeezing it lightly before deciding that it was ripe enough to purchase. Then raising the plastic bag containing close to a dozen kiwis, she turned to her husband. "Okay, that should be enough. What else do we need?"

His broad shoulders shrugged carelessly leaving her to reciprocate with a small disbelief shake of her head and a playful dry smile and meaningful glare.

Despite living alone for many years, her husband had been entirely reliant on his sister and nanny to stock his shelves and clean his sheets, absolutely ignorant to what was necessary to run a household. He was only too happy to have her to make all the choices.

Quickly, she scanned the packed cart. "I think that's about it. Let's go, we still have to go the nursery later. Leila can't handle all the work by herself."

The ride back to the house to drop off the groceries went rather quickly, in a blink of an eye, the short path leading to the glass structure was approaching and the metal gates were in plain view.

The bushes of carnations in front.

The large willow tree on the right side.

Everything about the nursery was the same as the first time she stepped foot on this paradise but the most important element was no longer there.

Her sister-in-law.

But despite her absence, her essence was still so strong; so strong that Gillian half-expected her to push open the glass door to greet them but of course that would not happen.

Never again.

Much had transpired since her return to Hong Kong over two years ago. But none was more painful than her sister-in-law's death. Someone so sweet, so genuine, did not deserve to die so tragically. Even now, close to a year later, it still felt surreal.

As if everything was just a horrible dream, only it really wasn't.

But the taste of mourning was not hers alone.

From time to time, during the middle of the night, she would awake to find her husband missing. And when she wandered around the quiet house in search of his whereabouts, she would always find him in the room that his sister had once occupied. Standing in front of the wide glass window, staring into the dark night, he looked so alone, so vulnerable. She imagined that replaying in his mind were the carefree days of his childhood with his sister on the sandy beach, only to be awaken from the beautiful memories to the realization that the laughter and smiles would never be again.

With her slender arms wrapped around his warm body, neither would speak. There was no need to. They both felt the loss.

Karena was gone.

It was doubtful her husband would ever forgive his father for the role he played in his sister's death. And yet, she knew her husband could never separate himself from the older man.

Blood could never be separated.

Despite the anxiousness in her voice, Leila still smiled brightly. "I'm so glad you two are here. The shipment is for the day after next and I only have a quarter of the plants packed."

The young girl had been hired after her sister-in-law's death. Had it not been for her help, the nursery could not have continued to function.

"Okay, let's get started then. What should we do?" Gillian asked smiling at Leila then turned to meet the eyes of husband.

The sweet girl carefully instructed them on what needed to be done.

While she placed the small pots of plants into the large crates, her husband stacked them away, ready to be shipped off.

As hours passed, the sunlight that had once filled the glass structure began to recede, leaving only the cold white light from the halogen lamps hung above their heads.

"Look at you," she said after her husband stacked a filled crate onto another one. Then with a gentle hand, she brushing off some dirt from her husband's flawless complexion, earning a slanted grin from him.

"Ahh," Leila muttered as she stretched her arms upwards over her head. "Can't believe we packed more than half of the plants already."

The area by the door that was empty before was now filled with stacks of crates, small pieces of green still visible through the openings.

"Let's call it a day then," Gillian looked from her husband to Leila, "it's already well pass your leaving time."

"Oh that's alright. I don't mind," the other girl once again flashed a warm and carefree smile.

This time it was Edison that spoke, "Gill's right. It's getting late. Why don't we start again early tomorrow?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. We'll finish up tomorrow," Gillian chimed in.

Dark clouds filled the night skies by the time they reached their cars and exchanged parting words. The poorly lit road was barely visible in the absence of the usual bright moon and twinkling stars. Despite the corduroy jacket that was snug around her petite body, and the small quantity of heat expelled from the vents of the silver Mercedes, she still felt the evening chill. Absentmindedly, she began to rub her hands together, seeking to keep them warm.

But less than a minute after her hands touched, unease grew from the inside of her chest; unknown fear crept into her heart. Adverting her eyes downwards instantly, she noticed the bareness on her left hand.

Her wedding band was missing.

The band was part of a set, one belonging to herself and the other to her husband. Together, they were silent witnesses of their marriage, metallic symbols of their commitment. And now hers was missing.

"Oh no!" she cried.

"Chipped another nail?" Her husband teased, glancing over from the top of the black leather covered steering wheel.

"No," she cried, not in the mood to joke. "My wedding band is missing. It was still there before when I was making coffee."

"It must have slipped off when you were packing the plants," he said, taking her hand into his own. "Don't worry, we'll find it tomorrow."

Reluctantly, her head slowly nodded but her heart continued to pound feverishly.

Tomorrow.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 26

2007-06-16T22:42:00.000-05:00

Parked along the curb of a quiet two-way street across from the entrance the high-rise apartment complex was a ruby red Ferrari. Inside the luxury vehicle, Nicholas took another drag from the burning cigarette between his long fingers while his eyes trace along the towering building's enormous height.

The warmth that once illuminated from his charming features was gone. His every glance and movement reflected only the hatred that had consumed his heart. In place of his once easy-going ways and light-heartedness was ruthlessness and malevolent.

Forgotten was the tenderness he once felt for the children that resided in the same orphanage his beloved mother had also resided in her youth.

Forgotten was the love he once fought so fiercely to regain.

What remained was no more an empty shell driven only by hatred.

With an agitated flicker of his fingers, the burning cigarette flew out of the car window and landed on the hard-cement ground below, joining the many others that had met the same fate. His strong masculine hand reached for the cell phone that had been angrily thrown onto the passenger side seat on his left side earlier, then forcefully he pressed onto the smooth keypad, taking out his aggravation on the small inanimate device.

"Hi, this is Char--"

The less than satisfying response of her voicemail erupted an angry groan from his throat along with incoherent swearing under his breath. But even then his anger had not subsided, with a violent jerk of his arm, the small silver object slammed into the interior of the car door where it then fell back onto it's original position on the expensive leather seat.

For almost a month, she has been avoiding him; refusing to open the door when he visited, refusing to speak to him when he called. Then this morning she went as far as requesting the security guards to forbid his entrance into the complex.

Blessed with good looks and a wealthy background, beautiful girls had surrounded him since the youthful age of sixteen but love was never more than a game to him. Ever since the loss of his mother at the tender age of seven, his heart has long been locked away, afraid of love, afraid of loss.

Only her.

Only Charlene was able to break through his harden barriers with her sincerity and innocence. In so many ways, she resembled his beloved mother, so fragile yet so resilient, unpretentious and loving.

It was during college that they met. He was goofing around with a group of friends during class when he noticed two girls sitting in the front of the lecture hall; the girl on the right was rather attractive with long wavy hair but his attention was quickly focused on the other girl. The girl was not exceptionally beautiful but had an air of innocence. Originally, only planning to play with her, he asked around for her name and initiated a chat with her on the school network. As it turned out, she was not only innocent she was also exceptionally cute. One event led to another, and eventually they met in person, beginning a memorable two weeks.

Inevitably, she requested exactly what he could not give.

Commitment.

And eventually, he lost her.

But fate brought them together again; first at the orphanage then at the wedding reception. It had taken much persuasion before she was back by his side again.

Yet, he could not recall these memories anymore. Nor, could he recall his love for her, because love had been eliminated from his being.

The second chance he had once so badly begged of became only a forsaken thought.

In the midst of his anger, a slender female dressed casually stepped out of the wide complex entrance, catching his attention. Most noticeable was the large pair of turquoise sunglasses that covered the upper half of her delicate round face. But her solemn expression was unmistakable.

His movements were as fast as lightening; in quicker than a blink of an eye, the sound of his car door slamming shut echoed into the air and quickly, he was standing before her.

"What is wrong with you? You won't open the door when I come over. You won't answer the phone when I call."

And despite all he said, she did not turn to look at him, merely continued to stare forward. When she finally spoke her voice was quiet and carried an air of resolution. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean what am I doing here? I just told you why I am here."

"Nicholas, we're over."

The few words washed over him like a bucket of cold water. Instinctively, his hand gripped onto her forearm and tugged forcefully. "What are you talking about? Over? What over?"

"We're over."

"No! We're not over, you heard me?"

Her head turned from side to side in defeat. "We should have never gotten together to begin with. Our relationship had been a mistake since the very beginning."

"It's Kenny Chung, isn't it? You're still not over him," he accused, tightening his grip.

"This has nothing to do with Kenny. This is about us," she continued, unaffected by his grasp. "I don't know you any--"

"Rubbish. It has to be Kenny Chung," he defended, refusing to listen to her, having only pride to cover his pain. "What does he have that I don't? Tell me!"

"This has nothing to do with Kenny. He deserves someone better than me. Someone that won't cause him anymore pain," she whispered. "Please just let me go."

"I'll ask you one more time. Are you certain you want to break up? Is nothing going to change your mind?"

His question was met with silent admission.

Overwhelmed by disbelief and anger, all he could do was scream, "Let me tell you something, Nicholas Tse can have any woman he wants. I don't need you."

Before the last words left his lips, his hand was already gone from her arm and his legs were quickly carrying him back to his car, missing the tears that slowly rolled down from beneath her darkly tinted sunglasses.

Revenge was what he had sought for.

In doing so, he lost her.

In doing so, he lost himself.

*

Despite being inside the inner quarters of the orphanage where the children slept, the happy laughter and screams of the children playing in the yard could still be heard. Yet, sitting motionlessly on the neatly made bed, Charlene seemed absolutely unaware of the noise. Her normally bright eyes were dim and lifeless.

It was only when a gentle young voice call to her did she awake from the darkness that surrounded her. The moment her eyes focused, a pair of bright and innocent mocha eyes was already staring at her. "Jie, jie. Jie, jie."

Timmy.

They had grown quite attached to one another in the last year.

Only with him, did the baggage of being the former wife of Hong Kong's currently most eligible bachelor and girlfriend of former socialite playboy seem to be lifted.

Only with him, was she simply Charlene Choi; a friend, a playmate, and to a certain extend, a mother.

How she had made her way to the orphanage was entirely a mystery. The entire journey eluded her. All she recalled was the earlier unpleasant confrontation with Nicholas.

Nicholas.

He had entered her life like a wild whirlwind, filling her once routine life with excitement and thrill, but as quickly as his entrance was his exit, leaving her alone to pick up the shattered pieces of her heart.

But it was a lesson she did not learn.

Two years later she once again fell for his charms. But this time, she was not the single college student rather she had already become the wife of a handsome businessman.

Perhaps, it was the need to fulfill an unfinished dream that made her abandon everything for him. Including a man that loved her like no other.

But like the first time, the dream had fallen short.

Timmy smiled and pointed at the small hardcover book on his small lap.

Jack and the beanstalk.

She could only smile weakly.

Fairytales were meant to bring young readers faith to overcome the obstacles that awaited them. They were supposed to believe that courage and determination was enough to overthrow the ugly mean giant. But what fairytales never told were the heartaches and pain that must be endured along the way.

Or maybe, it was just she never had enough faith.

"Yes, Timmy?"

"Jie jie, where's gor gor? You said gor gor would come next time?" He asked, innocently. His big brown eyes so pure and angelic.

Taken back, it took seconds before she could answer. "Gor gor is very busy. He'll come when he has time."

It was true what some said.

Ignorance was sometimes bliss.

She hoped her words would be able to spare him from pain.

To her relief, he nodded and did not probe further; instead he began to read to her from the small hardcover book, pointing at the illustrations on each page. His childish pronunciation sounded almost gibberish.

As hard as she tried to concentrate, her mind began to wander and her eyes became distant.

Kenny.

Their meeting was a blessing from the heavens. He had saved not only her body but also her heart from the harsh cold. Their marriage would have been the perfect fairytale if not for her unfaithfulness. And despite the pain and humiliation she had inflicted on him, he was still willing to forgive her, still willing to start over again.

His heart was big but hers was not.

With a squiggle of a pen, she had set him free, finalizing their divorce.

After the way she wronged him, how could she face him again? How can she look into his understanding eyes again?

But was it really guilt that forbade her from accepting him again?

Or was it pride?

Perhaps even she did not have the answer.

But one matter was certain.

Hong Kong was no longer the new home she had once anticipated; the small city had given her a lifetime of memories, some sweet and some bitter. But overall, it was filled with regrets and pain.

It was time for her to return to New York, where her parents were, where she was born and raised. Perhaps from the land she had originated, she would find a much-needed new start.

Involuntarily, her eyes turned to the small child beside her and she felt a small tug to her heart. If she left, what would become of him?

"Timmy, jie jie has something to tell you," she spoke slowly, looking into his small round face. "Jie jie has to leave Hong Kong."

"When are you coming back?" His small eyebrows rose.

"Probably never."

Her heart broke when his bright brown eyes dulled with disappointment while his little lips pursed together to fight against the gathering tears.

Instantly, she knew she couldn't leave him behind. "Would you like to come with me?"

He nodded excitedly, a bright smile automatically formed on his small round lips as he crashed into her open arms. Reminding her of the familiar feelings of love and security that she would never take for granted again.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled the young boy closer and rested her head on his.

"From now on. It'll just be us."

The atmosphere around the rectangular conference room table was solemn. One after one, department managers reported the progress on the various different aspects of the resort to the rest of the attendees. Among the attendees were Tony Chung, Kenny Chung, Simon Tse, Nicholas Tse, and Daniel Wu.

When the Production manager rose to speak the entire table intently with the exception of one person. Seated beside Tse International's two highest executives, Daniel's eyes traveled over to the speaker until they eventually landed on two empty seats near the head of the table.

His normally sharp eyes grew distant.

"Will you love me forever?"

"I promise you, I will not let you go until you let me go."

And let him go, she did. For riches, she abandoned him and their promise.

For that, he hated her.

He hated her more than he had ever hated anyone in his entire life and yet; he could not be without her. For at the same time, he loved her more than he had ever loved anyone in his entire life.

They were once the perfect couple. By day, they were the best of partners, part of the most successful marketing team in New York. By night, they were passionate lovers, sharing their hopes and dreams.

After the meeting ended, everyone filed out the double office doors, some in groups and some individually. A few steps behind the elder and younger Tses, Daniel followed in silence. But in truth, he had not taken liking in either father or son and was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. It would not surprise him, if they had already begun their plans to destroy Chung Enterprises without his knowledge.

Yet, the idea did not really bother him.

The three almost reached the parking lot when he noticed some files missing from his stack of folders. Quickly excusing himself from the two, he headed back to the Chung Enterprises office.

It proved to be an event that would change his life.

Only several feet away from the conference room, his steps slowed at the sound of a pair voices from inside, one male and one female. The male voice belonged to Kenny Chung but the female voice, he could not recognize. It was raspy and coarse.

He was just about to knock when a familiar name immobilized him.

Gillian.

"Kenny, is there something I don't know? How could Gillian have married Edison?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean after all the hardship she's been through to avoid the marriage? Why did Gillian suddenly changed her mind? I tried to ask her the other day but she said it just happened and wouldn't speak further. I know she's hiding something, Kenny. Tell me what happened? Gillian and I have been friends since forever. I have the right to know."

Silence ensued until he heard the sound of a deep sigh coming from the other side of the doorway. "For years, Chung Enterprises has been in debt. My father and Andy Chen originally planned Gillian and Edison's marriage years ago with the agreement that Chen Corporation would invest a large sum into Chung Enterprises but Gillian ran away, so the deal was off. We all thought the ordeal was over. But she suddenly returned."

The voice grew even quieter. "When Edison found out that she had returned, he used evidence of my father's bribery and Chung Enterprises' debt to blackmail Gillian into marrying him."

"Oh my god."

Outside the hallway, a pair of knees nearly buckled.

Blackmail.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 25

2007-06-16T22:35:00.000-05:00

The afternoon sun was slowly withdrawing through the double glass balcony doors. But chatter and laughter continued to fill the simply furnished kitchen. On the far end of the spacious room, the two Chung siblings along with their respective partners sat around the large oval dining table and chatted away.

Kenny could only shrug and smile at the giddiness of the two women. Almost eight years since their last meeting, the exchange between Cecilia and Gillian resembled two endless water streams, flowing over events that had brought them to the present, as well as selective moments from their worriless youth.

It had been his baby sister's idea for them to come for a visit. Having lost touch with their childhood friend for so long, she automatically extended the invitation to Cecilia. But concerning their newborn relationship, she did not comment. He knew exactly why.

Both Cecilia and Charlene were dear to her heart.

What more could she say?

As the day progressed, occasionally he would tease the two women for their talkativeness, earning a glare from both but a grin from his brother-in-law. And eventually, even the younger man added a few playful remarks.

"Kenny Chung, don't you dare corrupt my husband," his baby sister cried when the two men were beginning to team up.

Who would have thought there would be a day the two brother-in-laws would joke and laugh together?

It certainly didn't seem possible over a year ago.

When in good company time really flew.

Soon enough, the sun was beginning to set. His younger sister suggested that Cecilia and him take a stroll along the beach and enjoy the sunset while Edison and her prepared dinner.

He heavy-heartedly agreed; a bit hesitate of being alone with Cecilia.

But once outside, his reservations were temporarily forgotten while the beautiful sight captured his heart. Like an image taken from a painting, the scene was truly gorgeous.

The sun was on the verge of disappearing into the mountains far away. Overhead, the normally white clouds were outlined by shades of red and pink while the sky slowly darkened. To his front, the continuous sea breeze gently blew into his thick hair while the loud crashing waves rang soothingly into his ears.

Unknowingly, his body began to relax. The tension in his aching shoulders began to slip away. But his mind was still far from cleared of troubles. There were too many issues plaguing his tired heart. Among them was undoubtedly, Chung Enterprises.

They had just passed the first inspection. Still a long way until the resort would be complete. If anything were to go wrong, Chung Enterprises would collapse. Generations of hopes and dreams would be gone.

And of course, there was his soon-to-be ex-wife.

Should he have used the key that day?

Should he have tried harder to convince her to return to him?

Or should he have not let her go in the first place?

So many questions.

So many doubts.

More than anything else, he wanted them to be together again. But yet, he knew he could not force her. Above everything else was her happiness. Until she can forgive herself, he knew she would not be able to face him.

More and more he became absorbed in thoughts of her.

But a coarse female voice from behind suddenly startled him. "Even though you are with me. You are still thinking about her."

Swept away by the serene surrounding, he had forgotten Cecilia's presence.

Even though her face was expressionless, her eyes were accusing.

His silent admission only fueled her anger.

"What does she have that I don't? Don't you forget that she betrayed you. Now, she finally got what she deserved."

He couldn't bear to hear even a single disrespectful word about the woman he loved. "That's enough, Cecilia."

"Well, isn't it true? You treated her like a princess and she just left you for another man," she continued, each word stabbing into his already bleeding heart.

"Cecilia, stop it. Her and I are already over. Please don't insult her anymore."

"Her! Her! Her! All you ever care is her," her voice began to rise. "When she's in trouble you go to her without even thinking. Would you do the same for me? Would you?"

Momentarily speechless, he recovered quickly. "Of course, if you were in trouble I would do my best to help you."

"Is that really so?"

Just as her sentence ended, she was already rushing toward the turbulent waters, making his heart jump.

She didn't know how to swim.

"Cecilia," he called, running after her.

The water had already reached her chin by the time he caught her arm, preventing her from proceeding further. They struggled for what seemed like an eternity before he was able to drag her back to the safe shore.

His usual calm was gone. "What has gotten into you? Are you crazy? You could have died."

He expected her to argue with him again but instead she flung herself into him and began to sob."Kenny. Kenny, I can't live without you. Please don't leave me."

Before his eyes, the last rays of sunlight disappeared.

Inside the lively kitchen, a comfortable silence enveloped the husband and wife in its safe serenity. The former was chopping some peppers while the latter sprinkled some seasoning into a pot of tomato sauce while another pot filled spaghetti was coming to a boil on the side.

Dinner was spaghetti with meatballs.

Her brother's favorite.

This was the first time she had ever cooked for him. Privileged as they are, cooking was always done by the small staff hired by their parents. It was not until on her own in New York, did cooking become essential to her survival.

After all these years of practice, her skills were definitely worthy of a little boast.

The surreal feeling of reuniting with her childhood best friend continued to linger, at the same time stirring many other mixed emotions. Cecilia was like a sister to her. They had grown up together and shared many secrets. Among the many were her plans to run away from her arranged marriage numerous years ago. And as always, she was able to rely on Cecilia for her support. It was unfortunate that they had lost touch. Life was more than a challenge on her own, constantly relocating until she found a suitable place to settle down, juggling between work and school; time became scarce.

After so long, they finally found each other again.

It was a time for joy.

And also, worry.

Her friend's crush on her older brother was apparent since their early adolescent years. The two coming together had been her dream.

But now.

Cecilia's heart may not have changed but Kenny's heart was already occupied.

At times she wondered had she not ran away, would Kenny and Cecilia eventually become a couple?

Would he have still met Charlene?

It was hard to say but yet, she felt responsible for the turn of events.

What would happen now?

Was this really the end for Charlene and her big brother?

And the beginning for him and Cecilia?

Somehow, the notion brought her no joy. Perhaps because she knew better than anyone else, love could not be forced.

The result could only be pain.

With a sigh, she looked up from the simmering pot and met her husband's lowered handsome face across the counter. He was chopping some vegetables for the sauce per her instruction.

Who would believe business prodigy Edison Chen would be chopping vegetables?

An unexplainable warmness rushed from her heart to the rest of her slender body. Despite all the hardships, she had endured. She couldn't help feeling lucky, lucky because fate had given her a second chance at love. Despite turbulent past shared by the two, love greeted them and the days in the beach house had been her happiest.

There was no denying that Daniel continued to hold a place in her heart. After all, they had shared two wonderful years together. He had accompanied her through her darkest days. Their romance was nothing short of a fairytale. He was her knight in shining armor. But circumstances had torn them apart.

Perhaps they were never meant to be.

With Edison, there was no romance. And their story was far from a fairytale. But with time, they had learned to lean on one another. While Daniel had been her protector, she had never been able to reciprocate the gesture because there wasn't anything he could not handle. With or without her, he would be able to live on and find happiness.

While Edison too, protected her, she also protected him.

They needed one another.

With him, she would travel the rest of her days.

With him, she would see through sickness and in health.

Her eyes continued to stare intently ahead, into the love that had taken so long to come. She found herself wanting to be closer to her husband. Afraid that their happiness would suddenly slip away.

A scenario that she could not bare.

Slipping her arms around his waist, she leaned against his back and felt him tense with surprise.

His voice was gentle, filled with curiosity. "Gill?"

Her eyes closed, wanting to remember the feeling of his body against hers. "Hmm?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just want to feel you beside me," she replied with her eyes closed, tightening her arms around him. "I love you. Promise you will never leave me."

Gently, her husband twisted around and pulled her into his secure arms.

"I'll never leave you," he said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

She buried her head into his welcoming chest. "Seeing Kenny's situation. I really feel lucky."

His rely came in the form of a tighten embrace.

"I wish we can stay like this forever."

But unfortunately the moment ended quickly when the balcony doors opened to reveal Cecilia and her older brother; both drenched to the bone.

Instinctively, she walked forward, out of her husband's embrace. "Oh my god, what happened to you two?"

Cecilia shifted from side to side, avoiding their eyes, while her brother chuckled uncomfortably. "We just wanted to try out the water."

But Cecilia didn't know how to swim.

From the look on her husband's face, she knew he didn't believe them either. But both decided not to press on.

Dinner was served after the two showered and changed. The party of four ate quietly. The lightheartedness from before seemed to have evaporated. Instead a dark cloud hung over the dining table. Once finished, Cecilia and Kenny both excused themselves, claiming the need to turn in early.

Something must have happened. But what?

Long after the stars filled the dark skies. The entire house was quiet with the exception of the whispering winds and crashing waves. Still dressed in the same as before, Gillian walked to the balcony, wanting to ease her restless mind.

But to her surprise, the balcony was not vacant. Someone else had already occupied her favorite spot by the banister, leaning over the side while the smoke from the end of his cigarette slowly disappeared as it ascended.

Her brother.

"I thought you wanted to turn in early," she said, walking toward the banister while her eyes fixated on her old brother's defined features.

"Wasn't as tired as I thought," he said, his lips curved into a forced smile.

The last time she had seen a real smile on her brother's face had been over a year ago when she returned to Hong Kong. The last few months, particularly after his separate with Charlene, his lips were rarely graced with a smile.

Her eyes filled with worry. "What happened at the beach today? Tell me the truth."

"You're a married woman now, Gillie. Can't be so nosey anymore," her brother teased, but his voice sounded tired and strained. Then with a flickered of his finger the cigarette in his hand flew forward and it dropped into the sand.

That was the way his older brother has always been; the first to aid someone else but his own pain and troubles laid buried within his heart.

She remained silent, knowing too well that his lips were locked.

"How's that brother-in-law of mine treating you? Need me to teach him a lesson for you?" He chuckled.

The first time since their conversation began, she saw a twinkle in his bright eyes.

"We have been doing well," she answered in a quiet voice, still wishing her brother would open up to her.

"Andy Chen resigned from Chen Corporation," he said suddenly.

Her lips pursed together in unease. "I know. Edison's uncle is temporarily taking over as CEO."

"They should be knocking on your door soon."

She nodded slowly.

Would her husband answer?

Would that be the end of their peace?

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 24

2007-06-16T22:28:00.000-05:00

"Hi, this is Charlene. I'm not available right now. Please leave your name and number and I'll return your call as soon as I can. Thanks."

A frustrated groan erupted from his throat.

It was her voicemail again.

Having already left many messages, Kenny's only choice was to flip the small mobile device close and pray that the elevator would hurry.

Where was she?

Was she all right?

His mind was flooded with worry and restlessness.

As soon as the double steel elevator doors opened, he immediately slipped out and into the brightly lit hallway that led to the apartment he had once shared with the love of his life during a brief but happy time.

Despite all that had occurred between them, he still cherished bittersweet memories they shared in their short-lived marriage. The thought of her unhappiness was what he could not bare.

The events from a few nights ago still haunted him. He never imagined encountering Charlene and Nicholas during his dinner with Cecilia. When he saw how Nicholas was mistreating his soon-to-be ex-wife, he was hardly able to contain himself. Without a second thought, he was heading in their direction, leaving a confused Cecilia all alone.

From the look on Charlene's face, he knew she was both stunned and embarrassed to see him. But he could not just stand and watch while she struggled helplessly to free herself from Nicholas' hold. The area of her arm where his hand gripped tightly had already turned red, threatening to bruise.

After a few exchanges between her harasser and him, she suddenly broke free and ran straight out of the elegant restaurant like a speeding bullet. Instinctively, he followed. Unfortunately, she had already blended into the ocean of pedestrians by the time he exited the glass doors.

At that exact moment, uneasiness tugged mercilessly at his heart and had not stopped since.

In the days that followed, he called her countless times but each time only her voicemail answered his worried heart. Trips to her boutique were equally disappointing, only news of her absence greeted his anxious soul.

In desperation, he came to the apartment in hopes of finding her.

At first, his long fingers gently pressed against the smooth surface of the round plastic tentatively, the sleeves of his tailored suit and shirt brushed against the white wall, waiting for the light chimes to inform her of his presence. But after minutes of uncomforting silence from the other side, his fingers became more anxious and he couldn't help by call out her name. Despite the lack of response, deep inside his heart, he could feel her presence on the other side of the door.

"Charlene, it's me. Open the door," he pleaded. "Are you alright? Answer me please."

His suspicions were confirmed when lights sobs began to transfer through the wood works of the door. "Charlene! Charlene! Please don't cry! Open the door!"

Her pain was obvious but there was so little he could do.

With the exception of that one time his younger sister cried painfully in his arms days before her wedding, he had never felt such destitute and helpless as he did right at this moment. Once again, he had failed to protect the one that he loved.

Finally, he abandoned the doorbell and began pounding on the smooth white door. That became his sole consolation. "Charlene, please don't cry. Please..."

Despite his persistence, her sobbing did not stop. Rather each sob grew more and more tormenting, as if her heart was slowly bleeding to death.

How could Nicholas have treated her so heartlessly?

He blamed himself for letting her go.

"Charlene," he cried, continuing to pound onto the door.

Then for the first time, he heard her voice. "Leave Kenny. Please leave."

His pounding stopped instantly, pressing his hand against the barrier that separated them, wanting to feel her presence. "How can I leave knowing you are suffering?"

"Please don't be so kind to me," she begged, her voice had become raspy from crying. "I don't deserve it."

"Char--"

"It was me that betrayed you. No matter how Nicholas treats me, I deserve it. What goes around comes around, Kenny. You deserve better. I saw Cecilia at the restaurant the other night. I can tell she still loves you very much. Perhaps, we were never meant to be. Perhaps, you two had always been destined. Don't let happiness slip through your fingers the way I did."

"No, the one I love is you. You are the one woman I will ever love. You are my happiness," he said. "We can start all over, Charlene."

"Kenny, you are the most wonderful person I have ever met. You deserve someone better than me," she sobbed.

"Char--"

"My mind is made, Kenny. Please leave. I will have the lawyer contact you when the divorce papers are ready. Please allow me some dignity. Please."

Out of frustration, his hand accidentally brushed against the side of his tailored pants. It was then he realized a copy of the key to the apartment had always been in his keyring. Immediately his hand reached into his front pocket, wanting nothing more than to remove the barrier that separated them.

"Please allow me some dignity. Please."

His hands tightened around the set of keys until stabs of pain shot up his nerves.

He didn't want to force her.

If she did not want to see him then he will leave.

If she did not want to be with him then he would wish her the best.

Because that was what love was.

Unconditional.

The brightly lit hallway suddenly dimmed with a careless brush of Edison's hand, turning off the bathroom light as he exited. Traces from the refreshing shower he just took were still evident. Droplets of water dripped from his black locks onto the collar of his plain white cotton t-shirt that had not been worn since his adolescent days. Matched with a pair of long khaki shorts, it looked as if the clock has been reversed; gone was the man that fought ruthlessly to defeat his competitors, in his place was a simple man that yearned only for peace and love.

As he journeyed toward the kitchen in steady steps, the soft melodious sound of his wife's humming filled the long vacant beach house with life. A small smile immediately crept onto his handsome face while his bright eyes looked ahead.

The days following his sister's death were bleak and void of hope. More than once, he prayed for nothing more than to join his sister, relieving him of the misery that had saturated his life.

But the appearance of his wife that fateful night changed all that.

In her, he found the love he had yearned but had always been afraid to strive for.

In her, he found a refreshing new breath to life.

In his darkest hour, she had been his light. It was as if God had taken away his sister but compensated him in another way, with a new chance to life. His life was no longer filled with only revenge and hatred.

It also included love.

He need not see destruction of others to gain satisfaction and self-assurance. All that could be felt with a simple smile from his wife. Her love was all he needed to feel complete.

If this were a dream, he would be glad never to awake again.

Arriving at the kitchen door, he stared in awe, mesmerized by her beauty. Donned in a simple low-cut blue halter sundress, all her hair was tied back in a messy bun with the exception of a few wispy pieces. No traces of make up were visible on her porcelain clear complexion. With her head lowered toward the counter, her long curvy eyelashes fanned downwards as she chopped sticks of carrots into small chunks.

She was simply enchanting.

If not for her sudden realization of his presence, he would have been content with just admiring her from the side all day.

It seemed in an almost unspoken way, they had begun a new life together. The beach house had become their home. And they had become husband and wife in the real sense.

"Good morning," she greeted him with a dazzling smile he could never get enough of.

Not one of a talkative nature, he enjoyed listening to her clear vibrant voice. Her bell-like laughter and sweet as honey smiles never ceased to improve his mood. During moments of loneliness, the knowledge of her presence was enough to warm his heart.

"Good morning," he returned the greeting. While from the outside he did not seem particularly affectionate, in reality he was completely taken in by her. But years of living under the apathetic roof his parents provided had given him a permanent cool exterior. Emotions were felt within but never shown. "What are you making?"

Her tone suddenly grew quieter and her eyes were no longer twinkling. But she continued to smile patiently. "I'm making carrot and ginger juice."

An unintentional look of skepticism crept on to his handsome features. "Carrot and ginger juice?" His voice reflected a mix of disbelief and disgust.

Her eyes twinkled once again while a small giggle escaped her lips, ringing sweetly into his ears. "I promise, it won't taste bad. Just give it a try, okay?"

His eyes survey the counter again with uncertainty.

"Come on, it's almost done." His wife threw the chunks of carrots into the juice machine and orangey liquid came flowing out the side, into a plastic jug. With an apparent look of satisfaction on her beautiful face, he watched as she detached the jug and turned toward him. "Get two cups, let's go to the balcony. It's very beautiful out."

Following her orders, he pulled two clear plastic cups from the cupboard and followed her to the other side of the kitchen where large double glass doors led to the balcony; a generous wooden platform raised several inches from the ground and attached to the main structure with an extendible overhead for rainy days.

Once outside, he couldn't help but agree with his wife. It was indeed beautiful. The clear blue skies were sporadically filled with white fluffy clouds. The occasional refreshing sea breeze blew about. And best of all, there were no anxious reporters waiting for them.

During earlier months, reporters had somehow gained knowledge of their whereabouts. They camped out in the area, waiting to take pictures of their every move and eager to shove a microphone into their faces. But apparently, their moment of interest had ceased, much to the relief of both of them.

The beautiful beach was finally theirs alone.

For a while, neither spoke, instead they just enjoyed the moment, allowing the sound of crashing waves to fill the air.

With a clear calm voice, his wife broke the silence. "Have you ever wondered how our lives would be like if I hadn't ran away?"

He looked at her curiously and noticed she was staring into the distant waters. "Why do you suddenly ask?"

"I don't know. I guess, I've just been thinking a lot about us. How things could have been. So, have you?"

"Yes. Many times."

Too many times.

"How do you think we would have been?" she asked.

He didn't really have an answer. "I don't know."

"For years, I told myself that I had made the right decision. That I couldn't let others dictate my life. I was the only one that could to determine my own fate," she said, her voice growing softer and her eyes becoming more serious. "But now, I don't know anymore. Maybe if I wasn't so rebellious, I could have saved all of us some pain."

"There is no way of knowing what would have happened," he stated simply.

"Perhaps..." she trailed then turned toward him with unshed tears in her eyes. Again, the sound of crashing waves filled the silence between them while they were each occupied in their own thoughts of what could have been. "All I know is you suffered too much because of me. How can I ever make it up to you?"

"You already have," he said after many minutes, taking her hand into his. "No matter six years or sixty years. You are worth the wait."

Her love had become his greatest strength.

One day, it would become his greatest weakness.

After hearing the affirmation from the other side of the door, Daniel entered into the well-furnished office. The radiance that once graced his handsome face was nowhere to be seen.

Over a year of working at Tse International had left him profoundly lost. Simon Tse and Nicholas Tse were both ruthless men that would stop at nothing to achieve their goal. Where morals were concerned, it seemed they had none.

Paying hooligans to harass occupants of the areas they wanted to buy.

Using inadequate materials to construct their buildings, then paying officials to pass the government inspections.

The long time pillars of the Asian Real Estate field, Tse International were mere heartless criminals.

And to think, for the sake of revenge against a woman who had once broken his heart and betrayed his trust for riches, he was conspiring with these criminals. The idea seemed increasingly obscured with each additional time it entered his mind.

Yet, he had already made a pack with the devil.

The consequences of backing out would not be pleasant.

"Daniel," Nicholas greeted him with a fake smile.

In return, his eyes grew sharp, noticeably more alert as he slipped into the cushioned seat in front of the desk. In front of the man that was neither his friend nor comrade. On the contrary, he despised the man. News of what happened at Blue Diner nights ago flooded the media.

"Confrontation between Tse and Chung for Charlene Choi."

"Any news on the Chung Enterprises front?"

"Not much. Their main focus is still the resort. Kenny Chung has been extremely diligent concerning all the details," he reported, hesitating a second when a malicious twinkle flashed across the other's eyes then disappeared, making him uneasy. The truth was he did over hear about potential future business plans but did not want to release this secret. There was no telling what destruction the man before him was capable of. "Edison Chen and Gillian Chung hasn't step foot into the office in months. It seem they are working remotely elsewhere."

Nicholas' eyes turned anxious. "What about Tony Chung?"

"I haven't seen him lately. He seem to have left Kenny Chung in charge of everything," he spoke matter-of-factly.

"It can't be that simple. Chung Enterprises is as good as his life. He wouldn't wash his hands of it so easily. He must be planning something else."

It seemed the other's thoughts had drifted somewhere else, creating an uncomfortable silence around them.

"If there is nothing else, I have some work to attend to," he said, already up from his seat, anxious to leave.

When neither confirmation nor rejection came, he exited the room.

The calm, collected, intelligent man that had recruited him had vanished long ago. In his place, was a man that had turned revenge into an obsession.

The sight was making his spine shiver.

But that would not be all.

Not at all.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 23

2007-06-16T22:24:00.000-05:00

Outside, the rain continued to pour with the occasional loud roars of thunder.

It had been years since he had come back.

Lying on the familiar and yet foreign queen-sized bed with only a pair of flannel pants on as the fluffy blanket covered him loosely, Edison's eyes wandered around the simple bedroom, tracing the outlines of each piece of furniture. While none could compare to the furniture in the Chen home in value, the simple furniture was dear to his heart.

Perhaps it was a result of the wonderful times that had taken place in this very house.

Located right off a remote beach, the moderately sized beach house was part of the inheritance from his maternal grandparents after they passed away. Unlike his parents, his grandparents were quite caring and easy-going. Summer vacations were his favorite. That was the time; his sister and him would be able to stay at the beach house for a few weeks with his grandparents and uncle. While his father attended to business and his mother went on her shopping sprees in Europe. Without their presence, he felt like a bird released from its cage. The feeling of suffocation stopped.

But the tradition came to a sad end with the death of his grandparents. Their lives had ended prematurely from a plane accident. A commercial aircraft had encountered minor troubles during take off. Several hundreds feet in the air, the plane fell into water. While there were many survivors, his grandparents were not part of them.

At the tender age of ten, it had been particularly emotional for him but his father had forbidden from shedding a tear.

"Men don't cry."

He had not cried since that day. Instead his sorrow had evolved into anger.

He hated his parents.

He hated God.

As for the beach house, occasionally his sister and him would come with his uncle and his latest girlfriend for a short weekend and enjoyed the scenery. But that had not occurred in a long time, not since he left for London to avoid the humiliation from his failed wedding. After he returned, Chen Corporation took over all his time.

Looking back, the memories in this house seem no different than the memories from another life.

Then last night, after they both had calmed down, all drenched and cold he took Gillian here for a hot shower and a change of clothing rather driving back to the city. The last thing he wanted right now was to return to the city, where the constant struggle for survival never seemed to end. Battle after battle in the corporate boardrooms had tired him out. After so many years, all he wanted was peace.

But peace was always out of his reach.

Matters of business.

The feud with his parents.

The loss of his sister.

Then there was his wife.

Keeping her at arms length, he had deliberately given her another room, the room that had once belonged to his sister. Somehow, it seemed most appropriate that she stay there rather than a guest room.

Yet, the empty space by his side was unbearable. Having shared the same bed for some long, he felt as if a piece of him was missing without her.

"The day you married me you made it my business!"

Since when did she care for his well-being?

Since when did their marriage become real?

His thoughts came to a sudden pause when he heard light footsteps outside his door. Instinctively, he closed his eyes and feigned sleep when the door creaked open.

Entering the dark bedroom belonging to her husband, Gillian's attention was immediately caught by the open window; furious droplets of rain were blown into the room. Her only attire being a loose nightshirt she found in her sister-in-law's draw, an involuntary shiver ran down her warm body. In a matter of seconds, she made her way over to the other side of her husband's bed and closed the window.

Thoughtfully, she paused over her husband's sleeping figure before pulling the blanket over his shoulders and kneeling down until her face was leveled to his. Careful of awaking him, she gently placed her hand on his forehead, checking for any signs of cold or fever from their earlier escapade outside in the rain. Satisfied that his temperature was normal, her fingers slowly traced down the to his cheek then his chin.

A tighten hand crutched her heart, seeing how his cheeks had sunken in.

Despite the exhaustion that overwhelmed her body, sleep eluded her. The handsome face of her husband appeared each time her eyes closed, mixed with worry and fear.

Petrified that he would fulfill his promise and join his sister in another world.

Her brows furrowed slightly but fearful that her presence would awake him, taking a last glance she slowly inched away until a firm strong hand tightened around hers.

"Don't go."

She swiftly turned back and met the pleading eyes of her husband.

"Don't go."

The softness in his voice was such she had never heard from him before.

Captivated by his vulnerable eyes, she succumbed when he gently pulled her toward him, onto the large bed. She watched as his head leaned closer and closer to her until their lips met. Slowly, she felt herself melting into his welcoming embrace. Within seconds their yearning transformed to hunger. Previous reservations and connotations were all forgotten in their moment of passion and desire.

With great eagerness, their hands ran over one another's sensitive skin. When they could no longer wait, they tugged and pulled until the restrictive articles of clothing were removed allowing their bared skin to touch, crushing their heated bodies together. Desire continued to grow as their lips locked, their tongues danced together.

The steamy kisses left her breathless and lightheaded. Unable to continue she pulled slightly away all the while not removing her gaze from his handsome features. But her suddenly pause was mistaken for hesitation, within seconds her husband's arms were pulling away. Eager to show him otherwise, she tightened her embrace and kissed him with passion she never imagined. Fortunately, after a small hesitation he succumbed to her affections.

As her desire grew to the point of aching, she pulled him toward her until he was on top, his hand gently stroking her hair as they kissed. An enticing moan released from their locked lips when their bodies finally joined together, relieving their lusty hunger.

But their relief was short-lived; the motions of their entwined bodies served to fuel their yearnings even more. Then when they could no longer resist the pleasure that had been building inwardly, tightening their hold, an utter cry of pleasure left their lips, followed by heavy breaths.

All the while her eyes could not tear from his.

It was then she realized he had captured her heart along time ago.

Only she had been too ignorant to see it.

The noise from the bulldozers, cranes and various other heavy machineries were all that could be heard at the construction site that was no more than a skeleton structure. Amongst a crowd of men, dressed mostly in suits was Kenny. The piercing sun made his eyes squint in discomfort as he and a group of his executives followed the foreman and the architect around the site.

Months had come and gone since he had taken over the project, all the steal beams were almost in place. The structure was almost complete but the project was far from over. It was merely the beginning but the continuous trials were already wearing him down.

It was quite fortunate that his brother-in-law had taken over all his other projects. But it was under the condition that he could work remotely from the beach house he occupied with Gillian unless there was a pressing issue. But at least a few times a day the two would have to communicate by phone.

The death of his sister had been quite a blow for his brother-in-law. But in a sardonic sense, it was a mixed blessing. The tragedy had brought his brother-in-law and his sister closer, meanwhile disintegrating the barrier that had once surrounded the younger man. As he imagined their carefree days along the beach, he wished for nothing more than to join them.

Unfortunately that was not an option.

As the eldest in his family, the survival of Chung Enterprises rested on his shoulders.

Having gathered his thoughts, Kenny turned to the two older men leading the tour while the other executives gathered around. "Are we going to meet the first inspection deadline next month?"

The foreman spoke first. "There should be no problem. As a matter of fact, we're a head of schedule," then added, "the guys have been working very hard."

He smiled and nodded understandingly, and then turned to the other man, who seem to be at a daze. "Mr. Lam?"

It seem the other's mind was still wandering elsewhere until the foreman nudged his shoulder. "Huh? Oh, uh, the schedule. Yes, we should be ahead of time."

Kenny nodded and tried to brush off the uneasiness from the architect's behavior. Frankie Lam had worked for Chung Enterprises for a number of years. He had designed some of their most large-scaled projects. But it was the first time in their years of collaboration that he has seen the other man behave so awkwardly. Normally a talkative and easy-going man, Frankie had been unusually quiet during the inspection.

Just when he was about to suggest that the group move to another part of the site, the ring coming from his jacket pocket caught his attention.

Cecilia Cheung.

He hesitated momentarily before answering. That day in his office when she had asked him to give her a chance, he had reluctantly agreed; a way of consoling her. But deep down he knew exactly where his heart was.

With Charlene.

Sometimes during his drive to different meeting locations, he would deliberately pass by her boutique, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. All he needed was to know she was well. A few times he saw her together with Nicholas.

Often he would tell himself to let go.

But yet.

He sighed inwardly then nodded to the men excusing himself. "Hi Cecilia."

"Hi Kenny," she returned his greeting in her usual raspy voice. "Where are you? Why is it so noisy?"

Instinctively, his eyes swept across the large site. "I'm inspecting the resort site. What's up?"

"Oh, I just wanted to tell you I made reservations at Blue Diner tonight. Can you pick me up at seven?"

"No problem. I'll see you at seven."

Around seven-thirty the elegant restaurant was already packed with patrons, of all had reserved ahead of time for this exclusive eatery. From the beautiful crystal chandeliers above to the rich burgundy carpeting below, every inch of the spacious dining area was tastefully decorated. And service was incomparable. It was no wonder that it was so popular among high-society.

"Timmy was asking about you today. He wants to know when you will bring him more marbles. I offered to buy him some but he only wants them from you," Charlene smiled from her plate of salad. A smile that was more and more rare as the days went by.

On the opposite side from her, Nicholas finished a sip of his wine and placed the glass back onto the table. The sides of his lips curved slightly upwards, looking more amused than happy. "Really?"

But she was too excited to notice. "The workers said he's gotten a lot more outgoing," her smile broadened at the thought of the young boy. "Instead of sitting on the side watching other children play, he actually goes up and ask to join them."

He continued on his salad. "That's wonderful," he commented in a nonchalant matter, but did not mention visiting the young boy.

In a matter of seconds, she felt her enthusiasm fade; her bright smile was beginning to falter. Like her, Nicholas had formed a close bond to the young boy. But it seemed with each passing day, the young boy's status was falling in his list of priorities.

The table soon lapped into uncomfortable silence. Charlene tried her best to concentrate on the salad before her, but the crunchy flavorful lettuce from before had suddenly become bland and tasteless. The smile that had graced her lips was gone.

"What is taking them so long with our main courses," Nicholas complained impatiently. "Where is the exceptional service that Blue Diner is famous for?"

She remained silent, not sure what to say.

It became more and more apparent that the man she had once known was gone.

The last few months was evidence enough. He had become increasingly easily irritated. The generosity and kindness he had once possessed was gone. As a matter of fact, she had once accidentally overheard him on the phone. It seem that Tse International was looking to acquire a large plot of land in the New Territories but several landowners had stubbornly refused to sell. Over the phone, Nicholas commanded his subordinate to use whatever force necessary to force these landowners to sell.

The words had made her heart drop. But she rationalized that it necessary for survival in the business world. And that he was not the only one. Yet, no matter how hard she tried to lie to herself, she knew the truth. In the two years they were married, never had Kenny resorted to such tactics. His success was won through competence and passion.

A sudden harsh ring brought her back to reality. It was then she noticed the cell phone in his hand. After a few seconds, he flipped close the small device and turned toward her. "Thursday night there's going to be a party at the country club. I want you to be my partner."

There was nothing she hated more than egoistic socialites. What more, she already had obligations. "I can't. I promised to volunteer at the orphanage that night."

"Cancel it."

The two simple words sounded more like a command than a request but she was wary of budging. "No, I can't. I already promised them. They're counting on me."

"I'll donate some money to them. They'll be fine."

His words angered her. "Money isn't everything."

"I'm not saying it is. But I want you to attend the party with me."

"I already have obligations."

"Cancel it."

"I told you I already have obligations. I refuse to continue this any long. I'm leaving," she cried, getting up from her seat, holding her purse. She had only taken a few steps when a strong grip pulled her back.

The commotion attracted the attention of many patrons.

She struggled helplessly but his grip did not loosen. "Let go of me."

Then another voice from behind boomed. "Let go of her."

Slowly, she turned around, not believing her ears.

Kenny.

He was just as she remembered.

Once again, he was coming to her rescue.

"I said let go of her." Her soon-to-be ex-husband came forward.

The expression on Nicholas's defined features changed from angry to furious. "Stay out of our business."

With the relief of seeing Kenny also came the embarrassment.

He had done so much for her, including letting her go.

But yet, she had proven her choice was wrong.

From a distance, a female pair of eyes watched her with tighten fists.

Her fight was only beginning.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 22

2007-06-16T22:01:00.000-05:00

Shadowy storm clouds gathered across the dark heavens, occasionally covering the crescent moon. While wild winds blew against the large glass panels, just as a blinding flash of lightening struck across the open night skies, illuminating brightly the insides of the small nursery for a split second.

Gillian.

Stunned and confused by her sudden appearance, Edison stared into the expressive eyes of his wife. The worry and concern written on her face could not out weigh his disappointment. A hopeful second ago, he had thought God had taken pity on him and returned his sister but alas, all has not changed.

His sister was gone, buried beneath the cold merciless earth.

A loud roar of thunder followed by furious droplets of rain crashed onto the glass panels. Then for the first time, he raised his voice to her. "What are you doing here? Go away!"

As best as he could, he fought off her warm embrace, returning to the stack of aluminum cans for comfort.

Edison Chen did not need pity from anyone!

Especially not from her.

"Edison," she called, her voice overflowed with shock and disbelief.

He fought hard to ignore her presence, pulling another can off the plastic holder, missing the pain in her sparkling eyes and the determination in her firmly pressed lips.

"Please don't drink anymore," she pleaded. "Please..."

Pretending not to hear, Edison lifted the can to his lips and poured the bitter liquid into his mouth, savoring the burning sensation as it slid down his throat. But his satisfaction was short-lived, for a slender hand began prying the can away. "Stop!"

But his wife did not let go; instead her grip grew stronger. In their heated struggle, bursts of beer splashed all over, soaking into their clothing before the can finally fell onto the ground. The uncomfortable feeling of his cotton t-shirt damply stuck to his chest radiated his anger. Despite the sluggish effects from the alcohol, he managed enough strength to push his wife onto the ground, away from him. "Get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving without you," she gritted, matching his tone. "I won't let you drink yourself to death."

"I said get out!"

"No!" Her eyes burned into his. "Not unless you leave with me!"

"I'm staying here!"

Ignoring her, he bent over to grab another can of beer but like a speedy cat, she beat him to the stack and protectively pulled them to her chest. "I'm not going to let you drink yourself to death."

"Give it back. I'm warning you," he threatened.

"You're going to die if you drink anymore!"

"Who do you think you are? Get out of my face." His tone grew more menacing, wanting the hurt her the same way he was hurting. Continuously reminding himself with the exception of his sister, all women were evil.

His mother.

Amanda.

They were all the same.

He hated the feelings that arose whenever his wife was present. Constantly struggling between love and hate, he needed to keep her far from him, from his heart. But at the same time he wanted her near, in his arms.

"No! I'm not going to let you drink yourself to death! You're going to wake up whether you like it or not!" As soon as the words left her lips, she threw the cans onto the ground and grabbed his arm, pulling him upwards. "Get up!"

"Get your hands off of me!" The alcohol made his head airy light but his body heavy as a boulder. He tried to struggle but to no avail.

*

All was quiet inside the richly decorated bedroom with the exception of his wife's soft breathing and occasional murmuring of their daughter's name. The only light source was a small lamp on the nightstand by their bed.

Andy Chen had not moved from the large cushioned chair where he sat down hours ago, absentmindedly staring into the darkness, into his past.

It was almost thirty years ago, during the Chen Corporation annual ball that his father announced his succession as the company's next CEO. The loud applauses that saturated the large ballroom still rang in his ears. It had been those applauses that gave him the strive to succeed, to exceed what his father had accomplished, to become a feared legend in the business world.

And in that, he had succeeded.

Yet, all that seemed so meaningless now.

For he had paid the ultimatum price.

His family.

Suddenly, a slight vibration came from his front pocket. Pulling out the small mobile device, he took a glance at the display before answering.

Nick Cheung.

"Hello," he greeted, his voice was void of any emotion.

On the other side, his brother-in-law spoke in a grave tone that he rarely heard. "Andy, this is Nick. How is Rosamund doing?"

He took a deep breath before answering. The guilt of having chosen pride over his own flesh and blood weighed him down. "She's asleep." His jaws unconsciously locked together before he continued. "Have you found Edison yet?"

"Yes, he's at the nursery. Gillian called me an hour ago."

For as long as he will live, the devastation in his son's eyes as he cried out for his older sister to awake from her eternal sleep will never be forgotten. His arrogance had been the cause of their pain. Had he not been so determined to uncover the truth that even his son could not sought evidence for, Karena would still be alive.

"I see," he said, still aching with remorse. "Nick, there is something I want to discuss with you."

"What?"

It was a rash decision but he knew it was the right choice. "I have decided to resign from Chen Corporation. I want you to take over temporarily."

"What? Resign? Chen Corporation is your life."

"It's been my life for too long."

His eyes unconsciously landed on his wife.

It was time to make amends.

Just outside the front doors of the botanical nursery, the rain continued to pour violently with seemingly no intention of stopping, much the same way the course of their emotions were soaring. It had only taken seconds for the cold liquid to soak through their light clothing, chilling their warm bodies.

A mere foot away from her husband, as they stood face-to-face, Gillian felt as if they were standing on the opposite sides of the globe; their souls, millions of miles apart. Yet, she continued to cling onto the hope that the heavy cold droplets would revive his senses, returning him to her.

It hurt her to see him suffering.

So much that, she felt an overwhelming urge to hold him, to protect him.

There was a time she could have cared less.

There was a time she wished for nothing more.

But as days turned into months, she saw of him what she had never known before. Uncertain of exactly when, but one day he was no longer the ruthless man that had blackmailed her to marry him for revenge. Rather he was a lonely man that had suffered at her hands; humiliated by her actions. Yet, for a promise to her, he disobeyed his father at the cost of losing Chen Corporation.

She gripped his forearms tightly. "When are you going to wake up? Do you think drinking yourself to death is going to bring back Karena? Do you think she would want to see you like this?"

Her dear sister-in-law.

But he pushed her arms away and staggered backwards. "Shut up! Shut up! I don't want to hear it anymore!"

She walked closer, persistent to break his barriers. "Do you know how hurt she would be seeing you like this?"

"Go away!" He flung his arm out at her, keeping a distance between them. "Karena is dead. She doesn't see anything."

"That is where you are wrong. She lives within us. She sees every right and wrong we do. She sees our every smile and every tear," she screamed, sincerely believing in her own words. "I am certain she is hurting right now, seeing you like this."

"What do you know about hurt?" The effects of the alcohol seemed to have totally disappeared. His eyes were no longer dull and lifeless. "Karena was all I had in this world. Why did God have to take her away? How could He be so unfair? She never harmed anyone. All her life she suffered at the hands of others. Why did God have to take her life too?"

Those were the same questions that had plagued her mind since that night at the hospital. Her sister-in-law had a kinder heart than any person she knew and yet, God had chosen to treat her so cruelly.

Why?

She refused to believe there was no justice in this world.

Perhaps God had taken her sister-in-law to a better place.

Perhaps God had not wanted her to suffer anymore.

"I don't know," she said, her eyes reflecting the same angst and pain. "We can only pray that she is in a better place now."

His two hands rose over his head, forming tight angry fists. "Then I will join her."

"No, I won't let you do that," she said, fearing what he might do.

"What I do is none of your business!"

"The day you married me you made it my business!"

The whispering moonlight shone onto Carina Chung's sleeping features, revealing her distressed expression. A long buried memory had resurfaced. Although over twenty years had lapsed, that autumn night continued to haunt her, to torment her mercilessly.

There is no room in his heart for her.

Not years ago.

Not today.

The road was close to pitch-black. There were no lampposts near by; the only light was from the moon shining above. Inside a black vehicle, she discreetly followed the dark red car belonging to her husband, wanting to know where he was headed so late in the night.

And most importantly, whom he was headed to meet.

Uneasiness grew from the pit of her stomach, apprehensive of what she would see.

As the only daughter of a high-profile politician, she knew her marriage to the handsome charming Tony Chung was no more than an alliance. But she did not care. It was love at first sight for her; unfortunately she had been the only one that felt the sting of cupid's arrow. Her fiance at the time treated her with only politeness at best, not an ounce of warmth. At times he barely noticed her presence. She naivety thought with time, they would fall in love.

How wrong she was.

The first month after their wedding, her husband would leave the house every night after he thought she was asleep and returned early in the morning. Eventually that came to a stop. Carina thought all was well finally and soon they had two beautiful children. Her husband was incredibly delighted by their arrival, but now years later, he was mysteriously disappearing again.

For her family and for herself, she was determined to find out the truth.

Soon, her husband's car came to a stop by a lake. Not wanting to be discovered, she parked behind some trees and slowly walked closer. At first some distant trees had hindered her sight, but then she saw.

Her worse fears had come true.

Her husband was holding another woman in his arms.

Tears began to blur her vision. She raised her hand immediately to cover her mouth; afraid her cry would catch their attention. Faintly, she was able to hear them speak. Her husband asked the woman to leave with him but she refused, insisting that he return home to his family. He continued to protest but the woman's mind was made.

Unable to bear the sight any longer, she closed her eyes and tears ran down her oval face, feeling a mix of fear and betrayal.

Did their years together mean nothing to him?

Couldn't their family compare to this woman?

How could he be so cruel?

Carina's entire body jerked into sitting position. Her forehead was covered with sweat. Her breathing was heavy.

Why did she have to remember?

Why couldn't the past die with that woman?

In her fragile state, she wanted nothing more than a shoulder to lean on but alas; the other side of the bed was empty.

The covers were untouched.

Just the way they have been for years.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 21

2007-06-16T21:57:00.000-05:00

The enormous bedroom filled with expensive furniture reeked of melancholy. The cream walls seem dull and lifeless. And the air felt stale and stuffy.

"Why?" the sobbing voice of his wife continued, while he slowly guided her onto the king-size European bed and draped the beautifully embroiled burgundy comforter over her petite body, taking notice of how frail and haggard she had grown in just a matter of days. "Why did God have to take her away? Why didn't He give me a chance to love her?"

Following the death of their daughter, it seem as if his wife could not stop weeping and blaming herself for her past negligence, not much different from himself with the exception of his tears having flowed inwardly rather than visible to the eyes of outsiders.

His lips pressed into a thin line as he leaned back and dropped dejectedly onto a chair opposite of the bed, unable to find any words to comfort her. It was his fault that their daughter was dead.

Why did he not handle the matter more tactfully?

Why did he pay off the con artist knowing Karena would arrive soon?

His demanding persona and hectic schedule had always stood between his children and himself. He had never been close to either of them. For most of their childhoods, he had left them under the care of a hired nanny and the rest of the staff. His only participation in their lives was as a disciplinary, punishing them for not meeting his expectations. There was hardly a time he could remember giving either one of them a simple hug or an encouraging praise.

What kind of father was he?

Between his two children, he had neglected his elder daughter the most; for she was a girl and not the male heir he had wanted to continue his legacy. He was not unaware of his wife's harsh treatment toward their daughter and was not surprised by it.

Despite her exceptional looks he would have never married his wife if not for her family's connections in the business world. In his eyes, she was nothing other than a spoiled brat.

It had been an unexpected shock for her when she had learned that he wanted her to bear a child as soon as possible after their marriage. The idea had never crossed her mind, for fear of affecting her slim curvy figure, but she had learned the hard way that it wasn't a choice she was to make.

He made sure she would bear him an heir.

Perhaps that was very reason she cared so little for their flesh and blood.

She had never wanted their daughter and son.

But all that change the day at the hospital. The day their first child was pronounced 'dead.' It seemed to finally trigger her maternal instincts.

Unfortunately it was already too late.

"Karena," his wife cried, interrupting his thoughts.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Try to get some rest."

Over fifty floors high, the view from window inside the executive office was magnificent. The sky was light blue. The clouds were white and fluffy.

"We should thank the driver that hit Karena Chen. Ever since his sister's death, Edison Chen hasn't not stepped foot into Chung Enterprises," he smirked, opening a bottle of wine then pouring it into two tall glasses. He handed the first glass to his associate then raised the other one to his lips. "Without him, our plan will go very smoothly. I've already bribed the architect to incorrectly place the main structure beams."

Without a doubt his mood was good. With Edison Chen too preoccupied to manage the project between Tse International and Chung Enterprises the easier it was to sabotage the development.

In the contract both companies signed, it was clearly stated that Chung Enterprises was responsible for the actually construction of the resort while Tse International funded the costs. If completion did not meet the agreed upon specifications or deadline Chung Enterprises would be liable for all the costs incurred by the project and owe Tse International a huge sum.

The debt would surely bankrupt them.

Daniel stared at his glass and frowned. "I don't agree with the plan. Not to mention I heard Tony Chung has already called Kenny Chung back from Beijing. He's sure to notice if the structure is constructed incorrectly."

The mention of Kenny Chung made Nicholas tense with distaste. He hated all the Chungs but Kenny Chung in particular. His sole fault being he was Charlene's husband. Despite being at fault for their union, he could not stand the thought of another man touching the woman he loved.

She was his and his alone.

A cold chuckle left Nicholas's lips. "He can't even keep his wife. What makes you think he can see through our plans?"

"I'm not going to let you go through with it. If the resort collapses hundreds of people will be die," Daniel's harden eyes met his own.

It was obvious the other held no affections for him. They were partners merely to accomplish a mutual goal.

Nicholas's jaws tightened. No one ever threatened him and he was not about to let the man in front of him be the first but for the sake of revenge he will appease him for now. "Fine, we're think of another way."

No one can change his plans.

In another executive office across the business district another argument just exploded.

A slender young female with long flowing black hair bit down on her lower lip to control the hot tears stinging her eyes as she stared at the man that rejected her.

Kenny Chung.

"What does she have that I don't?" she cried barely able to hold her voice steady. "We've known each other since we were kids. Everyone thought we were going to be a couple but you married her after knowing her for only a few days. And even now that she left you, you still won't consider me? Why?"

The Cheungs and the Chungs had been business as well as personal friends since the generation of their grandparents. Cecilia Cheung being an only child was extremely close to the Chung siblings, particularly the eldest. As they slowly grew from children to adults her feelings for him evolved from friendship to love.

It was him that stood up for her in school when classmates teased her about her skinny not yet developed figure.

It was him that caught and held onto her hand when she nearly slipped off the edge of the cliff during a school camping trip.

The entire upper society saw them as a couple. Even their parents thought they would marry some day.

But her world came shattering down when Kenny introduced her to Charlene, his newly wed wife. After meeting only a few days he married her while they have known each other their entire lives. Confronting him had only deepened her wounds, ever so calmly he told her he only thought of her as a younger sister, no different from Gillian.

How could he be so cruel?

To prevent further embarrassment and heartache she was on board a plane heading to France before the night was over and has been traveling ever since, from city to city, country to country. Always avoiding Hong Kong.

When the past seemed to finally be behind her, Fate brought them together again. Several days after arriving in Beijing, she ran into him outside the hotel where she was staying. All her past feelings for him resurfaced immediately as if the two years apart had never existed. And when she learned of his pending divorce, she knew Fate had deliberately arranged for their meeting.

Accompanying him back to Hong Kong when the elder Chung called for his immediate return, she was determined to fight again for what she had yearned for since childhood.

His love.

But now inside his office, he had rejected her for the second time.

Hurt written all over her face, she stepped back when he took a step forward. "Cecilia, don't be like this."

"Why Kenny? Why?"

"Cecilia..." he trailed, looking at her face. His eyes filled with concern.

"If you had never met Charlene would you love me?"

His only answer was silence.

"Can't you at least try? Can't you at least try to love me?"

Again he stepped forward but this time she didn't step back, instead she allowed him to pull her into his safe embrace, holding her tight with one arm and stroking her back with the other hand.

No matter what he will love her eventually, she swore.

*

Nightfall came once again, leaving the glass constructed nursery dark and quiet. Hidden beneath morbid haunting shadows, Edison's handsome features were only partially exposed by the moonlight coming through the large glass panels. Resting against one of the many pieces of panels, his breath was loud and heavy, reeking of alcohol. Empty cans of beer were shattered all over the cement floor, beneath tables and shelves of potted plants, each tossed carelessly after its contents has been deposited into his mouth.

With the exception of his sister's funeral, which had passed like a dream, he had locked himself inside the nursery. It was his sister's sanctuary but in here he found no peace. It was as if with her death, she had taken a part of him with her. And the truth was she really did.

She was his light.

She was his salvation.

But now she was gone.

His thoughts traveled back to a time many years ago, a time when his sister and him were mere children. He had accidentally knocked over an expensive vase in the living room. His father was very angry, intending to punish him with his thick leather belt. But he didn't get whip. That was because his fragile sister had taken the hit for him. That night she immediately burnt up with a high fever. He remember standing by her bed and crying. Fears ran through his little head. What if his sister was never to wake up?

His sister must have heard him, for she raised her gentle hand and wiped the tears from his chubby face. "Eddie, don't cry," she said. It was before she had a speech problem. "Don't worry, I'll be alright. I'll never leave you all alone."

An inaudible groan resonated from his throat expressing the pain that ate at his being, filling the darkness and causing the glass panels to shake slightly.

At this time a pair of female arms wrapped around him. His head immediately jerked upwards.

Karena.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 20

2007-06-16T21:54:00.000-05:00

Noon was among the busiest time on the streets of Hong Kong; buses, cars, and various other types of vehicles saturated the roads while endless streams of pedestrians flowed from all directions. Hidden along the currents was Karena.

Dressed in a floral beige camisole and stonewashed jeans, a large navy sling bag across her petite body, she was perhaps the only person amongst the crowd carrying a sweet smile glistening with happiness.

A radiant smile that only two people had the ability to bring to her lovely face.

The first was her only sibling, Edison.

The second was her handsome boyfriend, Ekin. And it was indeed the latter that she was rushing to meet.

Unaware of the sorrow awaiting her.

A joyful bounce in each step, she light-heartedly made her way to the Italian restaurant her boyfriend and her had agreed to dine at. Seconds after glancing around the dimly lit restaurant, she spotted her boyfriend sitting at a table located on the right of a large white pillar.

Instantly her smile widened as she headed toward his direction. But her happiness was short-lived. Only a foot from the pillar, her eyes traveled to the opposite side of the table and saw a familiar male figure.

Her father.

Her smile immediately faltered as her legs came to a stop, placing her just out of the two men's view.

Her father had found out about her boyfriend.

As hard as she had tried to hide her relationship from her parents, knowing they would disapprove, her father still found out.

"Name your price," her father said in a smooth voice, before taking a sip from his cup. It had only taken her seconds to realize what his intentions were.

Her father was doing what he did best.

He was deciding her life.

The same way he had paid Amanda to leave her brother, he intended to pay her boyfriend to leave her.

With each second that passed, her heart pound furiously, anxiously waiting for her boyfriend's answer.

Afraid of what his answer might be.

Seated on the far end of the table, her boyfriend's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I don't know what you mean, Mr. Chen. I love Karena with all my heart."

His reassuring words made her heart swell with joy, bringing a small smile to her lips, but such happiness did not last.

A sudden cold chuckle from her father made her hands shake with fear. "Since it's just you and me, you can cut the act. I've already had you checked out. Cheng E-Kin...age...thirty-five...born in Hong Kong...parents passed away at age five...raised by your uncle...a con artist...began conning professionally by age seventeen..targets mostly young rich girls....almost married twice...each time the girls... parents had to pay you off. Is there anything I missed?"

"You must have mistaken Mr. Chen," Ekin protested.

A sly smile appeared on her father's confident face. "I don't think so. Your uncle already told me everything. It's quite amazing what $100,000 is capable of. Let's cut to the chase, shall we?"

Rather quickly her boyfriend's expression changed, his once innocent warm eyes suddenly turned cold and menacing, revealing a side she had never seen before.

"Name your price," the elder Chen repeated confidently.

"One million dollars."

"Fine, but you have to leave Hong Kong immediately."

"No problem."

The unexpected exchange made her stagger backwards unknowingly, unable to believe the reality that had just unfolded before her very eyes.

Con artist.

Her boyfriend was a con artist.

He was only with her for money.

Finally unable to suppress her shattered heart, a small sob escaped her lips, catching the attention of the two men, surprising both. Taking one last look at the two through her tearful eyes, she swiftly turned and ran out the restaurant.

Once on the hard cement sidewalk, she ran as fast as her slender legs could carry her, bumping into surrounding pedestrians. From behind a loud voice called for her but her wild mind could not hear.

Would it have made a difference if she had heard?

Would her heart have ached less?

Would it have saved her life?

Absentmindedly, she ran into the street just as a car was coming. The impact came quickly, sending her onto the pavement several feet away.

"Karena!"

Inside the large open office belonging to Edison, he forced an obligatory smile as he dismissed two investors from his office. As the door closed beware the two men, Edison pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning his head onto the leather exterior of his chair. Tired and exhausted from the previous meeting, he unconsciously drifted off.

The expression on his handsome face slowly relaxing as he entered into another world.

After an uncertain amount of time, he felt a soft touch caressing the side of his face, bringing consciousness back into this weary body. Much to his surprise, the face of his sister met him as he opened his eyes.

"Karena," he called but she only smiled. "When did you get here? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Again instead of answering his questions his sister continued to smile. Meanwhile his heart began growing uneasy.

Despite the sweet smile on her face, his sister's eyes were filled with sorrow. But why?

"Edison!" called a familiar female voice. Instantly his sister's presence faded away as he felt his body jerk upwards. When his eyes opened again, only the distressed face of his wife greeted him.

"Edison, wake up. Wake up," his wife cried. "Karena was hit by a car."

The sound of their quick hard heels echoed through the hospital halls as her husband and her approached the emergency room where her sister-in-law was sent, meeting the grim expressions of her in-laws.

At the same time stepping out of the heavy pale blue curtains to greet them was an elder doctor dressed in a light blue hospital gown.

Immediately her mother-in-law rushed toward the doctor. "Doctor, how is my daughter?"

Under other circumstances Gillian would have been surprised by the other's concern, seeing how her sister-in-law had been mistreated, but now all that occupied her mind was her sister-in-law's well being.

Unconsciously, she inched toward her husband as the doctor began to speak. "I am sorry. The patient did not make it."

Even before her mind could register the heart wrenching news, her husband's sudden bolt through the offensive curtains instantly had her trailing from behind.

On the other side of the pale blue curtains, the large bed covered by a white sheet immediately called her husband's attention as she stood steps behind him, still in the state of shock; unable to believe the surreal truth.

Inch by inch, her husband slowly lifted the large sheet as her eyes soon met the pale complexion of her sister-in-law, who looked as if she was merely asleep.

And asleep she was indeed.

Eternal sleep.

But how could that be?

How could someone so wonderful and so young die so early?

Only several days ago, they were walking around her sister-in-law's botanical nursery as the other explained to her the varies kinds of plants that grew there.

Now she was gone.

"Karena," her husband called softly, making her heart ache. "Karena, wake up."

Almost feeling a sense of reluctance, she slowly tore her eyes away from the sweet features of her sister-in-law to meet the unreadable expression of her husband. Through blurry tears, she watched as he lifted his hand to gently caress his sister's face.

Even biting down onto her lower lip was unable to stop the overflowing bitter liquid that ran from her eyes down to her jaw as she placed a gentle hand onto his forearm. "Please Edison, don't be like this."

Seeing her husband so sad and vulnerable filled her heart with pain and helplessness. How she would she could ease his sorrow. But she knew only too well that would not be possible, at least not at the present time. After all, if god forbid, it was her brother that was on that bed instead, she couldn't even imagine being able to cope with the loss.

"Karena, wake up," her husband cried. "You promised you would never leave me. You promised even if the entire world abandoned me you would still be by my side. You promised."

His pleads made her heart ache even more, not knowing what else she could do, she wrapped her arms around her husband from behind, burying her head onto his back as they both broke into sobs.

From outside closed curtains, the entire floor heard the alternating cries and screams coming from inside.

It was a day they would never forget.

It was a day their angel returned to heaven.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 19

2007-06-16T21:49:00.000-05:00

The melodious sound of the doorbell warranted her attention. Already she knew who was waiting on the other side.

Nicholas.

As she slowly motioned toward the door, neither excitement nor joy came from her footsteps, only the heavy weight of guilt and hopelessness. The mischievous sparkle that once resided in her beautiful bright eyes was gone, leaving only a spiritless soul. Her once jovial round face has hollowed and matured.

With a gentle twist of the knob, she slowly opened the door, revealing the man she had once loved with all her heart. The man she had broken her husband's heart for. The thought made her brows crease with uneasiness.

On the other side of the door, Nicholas's handsome features appeared even more radiant than usual, his eyes were glistening with joy and his lips were curved with eagerness but she only acknowledge him with a weak smile and faint nod.

Meanwhile, his charming smile broadened at the sight of her. "Charlene, I have great news."

Feeling the need to reciprocate his enthusiasm, she forced her lips to widen while silently gesturing him inside the confines of her apartment.

The very apartment her husband and her had enjoyed many magical moments together.

The very apartment her husband had willingly gave her as part of their future divorce settlement.

"You won't believe this. My father wants to meet you," Nicholas said excited, placing his hands on each side of her shoulders. "You're the first girlfriend of mine he's ever wanted to meet. This is a good sign."

She acknowledged his news with a few nods and a tight smile. Somehow she couldn't muster the same enthusiasm. But why?

Hadn't it always been her wish to be with him?

Hadn't this been what she had been waiting for?

"Charlene, I love you so much. We will never be apart again," Nicholas said, slowly leaning his head closer to hers.

Just as their lips were about to touch she suddenly turned her face away, leaving only the scent of her perfume, and slipped out of his hold, quickly making her way towards the kitchen. "I'll make you some tea."

The hint of humming from the constant air pressure echoed throughout the interior of the plane heading to Beijing. Inside the first class section, Kenny sat quietly, his eyes absentmindedly staring out the small window.

With negotiations between Chung Enterprises and Tse International, to build the largest luxury hotel in Hong Kong, almost in the final stages, it was only a matter of signing the contract before their alliance was official and construction would go underway. The project had originally been his responsibility but with the awkward situation between him and Nicholas Tse, his father decided to have his brother-in-law handle the project instead.

In some ways, he couldn't help feeling betrayed by his father. Though knowing Nicholas Tse's interference in his marriage his father still chose to allied with Tse International. At the same time he knew this project was the opportunity they have been waiting for. The profits from the project would pay off a substantial portion of their company's debt.

With that settled, his father decided to have him take over a smaller project in Beijing, to oversee a housing complex that their company had invested in. If all went as planned he would be in Beijing for the next two years until the project was completed.

He didn't really mind the change in scenario. Perhaps it would help ease his mind off Charlene.

Before heading to the airport, he took one last drive to the apartment near the beach where his wife currently resided. He didn't go up to the apartment for fear of disturbing her; instead he opted to merely peer at the living room window from his car, catching glimpses of her slender silhouette.

Staring into the cloudy skies that were soon dissolving into the cascading buildings within the city of Beijing, he leaned back and rested his head.

Did he have a place in her thoughts?

Did he have a place in her heart?

Those were perhaps questions he would never have the answers to.

Or will he?

It was another trip to the Chung Enterprises office for Daniel, a ritual that he had gotten used to in the past months. His participation in the negotiations had been Simon Tse's idea; the elder wanted him to use the trust of his former fiance to gain knowledge of the company's inner workings. And indeed, he learned quite a bit about the company that could be used to his advantage when it came time to take revenge.

Gillian was too unsuspecting, a flaw that he had pointed out numerous times in the past when she worked for him.

It will be a hard lesson for her.

"Thank you for bringing the contract over," his former fiance smiled as she walked him out of her office.

Daniel continued down the hall, turning left at the corner, heading in the direction of the elevators when he heard a male voice and a female voice echoing from behind. His strides slowly came to a haul as he tiled his head to listen on.

"Do you have time for dinner tonight?" he heard her former fiance ask in an uncertain tone that he had never heard before. Even during her most desperate times in New York he had never heard her use that tone.

Who could she be speaking to?

Who could be so important?

An emotionless male voice he recognized as belonging to Edison Chen spoke. "Sorry, I already have plans."

"Oh. I see."

The disappointment in her voice was evident, unexpectedly stabbing his heart.

Since when did the willful woman he knew become so submissive?

A long sigh escaped his lips while his right foot stepped harder on the gas pedal.

It was his second time around the island of Hong Kong and still, Edison couldn't decide on his destination. Despite what he told his wife, he didn't actually have plans.

It was an excuse to avoid her.

Ever since that day when they almost kissed he did everything he could to avoid her. Arriving home only after he was certain she was asleep, leaving early in the morning before she had awakened.

He was afraid of her, or more correctly he was afraid of what he was feeling for her. When he saw her bright eyes and inviting lips, he wanted nothing more than to claim them. But what would become of him after that? The pain from his first love's betrayal had scorched his heart, a wound that would perhaps never heal. He knew better than to make the same mistake with his wife.

But yet, he couldn't help wanting her.

Or stop the flaring jealously that formed in his heart when other men were around her, especially when Daniel Wu was within vicinity. Her former fiance presence made him uneasy. Innately, he feared that somehow she would succumb to her former fiance's charm and would renounce their deal, leaving him behind again.

The truth was Edison had never felt as lost as he was now. He felt like a satellite that had been pushed off course and drifted into a foreign region. His initial intentions for marrying Gillian were to rectify a flaw in his life, a flaw that turned him into the laughing stock of high society. But now...

He wasn't even sure what his feelings were anymore.

His brows furrowed in frustration until a bouquet of yellows tulips in the hands of a female pedestrian caught his eyes, he suddenly had an incredible urge to see his sister.

Karena.

Despite the personality difference between the two, no one had ever been able to understand him the way she did. Furthermore, she always seemed to be able to ease his troubled mind with her wisdom and love. It seemed almost ironic that as power hungry as his parents were, they were able to raise such a gentle and generous creature.

The thought of his parents made his hand tighten around the steering wheel.

Ever since that night he fought with his father to stay in Chung Enterprises, he had not step foot in the Chen home again. On the occasion he ran into them in certain functions, neither acknowledged the other's presence.

They were as good as strangers.

Sometimes he wished they were.

Upon entering the green-filled nursery, the fresh scent from the various potted flowers and plants immediately penetrated his nostrils, lightening his horrible mood.

After finding the front room empty, he ventured into the greenhouse where he was sure his sister would be. From behind, he noticed Karena trimming the leaves of a small plant as she hummed.

"Just be sure you don't give it the same cut we gave Charlotte," he grinned. "Charlotte' was the name of a doll his sister had owned when they were young. After watching Edward Scissorhands, the two had decided to experiment on the poor doll. The results were unsurprisingly disastrous.

Karena looked up in surprise, making him grin. "E..Ed?"

He walked over and placed a kiss on his sister's left cheek. "Surprise."

"Oh my..my gosh. You ne..nearly scared me to..to death. Why do...do you and..and Ekin like sc..scaring me so much?"

A bright smile touched her lips but his immediately disappeared, replaced by concern and anxiousness. "Ekin? You're still seeing him? How many times have I told you he's only after your money?"

He was certain that the man was merely after his sister for money but sweet and innocent by nature, his sister refused to believe him, insisting he feared too much.

"Ed, I wo..won't have you in..insulting him in that way," his sister cried.

Slowly the two lapsed into silence, each looking in a different direction as both kept quiet, not wanting to further upset the other.

Not wanting to fight with their only sibling.

Eventually, his sister smiled and placed her hand on his forearm. "How ha..have you been? You haven't been...been home for months."

"There's nothing for me there," his expression beginning to soften from his sister's touch. "Dad pretty much disowned me for refusing to obey him."

Karena nodded understandingly. "But he is..is still our father."

"You don't know how much I wish he wasn't," he said bitterly, allowing his sister to lead him to a bench on the side.

"Gillian came to..to see me yesterday," she said, searching his face.

When he didn't speak, she continued, "It's ti..time to let go of..of the past. Gillian isn't Am..Amanda. You can...can't live in fear for..for the rest of yo..your life."

The two continued to talk into the night until almost morning. It had been a long time since they've had the opportunity to talk. And despite the worries that were on his mind, he found comfort in his sister's presence.

She was his guiding light.

She was his guardian angel.

A being too pure for this world.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 18

2007-06-15T22:18:00.002-05:00

While the sky was clear and sunny, their mood was quite the opposite. Several weeks since news broke out about her brother's marital problems, the media was still constantly hounding anyone related to the Chungs for information, whether family or business associates. Being so closely related, Gillian and Edison were inescapably targets by the press.

Like others, she had found out about her brother's marital problems through the media. Despite her unyielding persistence her brother still refused to breath a word of what had transpired between Charlene and him except that they were separating and her sister-in-law had moved into their apartment by the beach. As much as she prayed for the two, she knew some things could not be forced; love in particular was one of them.

More than anyone else, she knew only too well the pain of ill-fated love.

In the meantime, imprisoned in his own home by the constant cluster of reporters, her brother could only attend to business remotely, on matters he could not attend to personally her husband and her shared the inherited responsibility.

As soon as their car was within the proximity of the apartment complex where they dwelled, a huge crowd of reporters came forth, surrounding them. The flashing from the cameras and the knocking on their windows, made Gillian grow uneasy.

Confined to their car, unable to exit, her husband called building security for assistance while he angrily glared through the glass windows.

Had the media been just as fierce to her husband seven years ago?

Had she been too selfish to consider the aftermath that followed?

Endless questions greeted her the moment she stepped out of the vehicle and into her husband's protective arms while the building security team of six surrounded them, protecting them from the aggressive reporters coming from all sides.

"Mrs. Chen, how do you feel about your brother's marital problems?"

"Are your brother-in-law's marital problems affecting his work performance, Mr. Chen? Will this affect Chung Enterprises' stock price?

"Does Mr. and Mrs. Chung know about your sister-in-law's infidelity yet, Mrs. Chen?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Chen, please look this way."

Unconsciously, she leaned closer into her husband's safe embrace while he guided her forward as the team of security guards pushed the reporters back, weeding a path for them. As they about reached the entrance of the building, a forceful middle-aged male reporter pushed through two guards, accidentally shoving his camera right into her.

"Ahhh," she cried in pain, while the culprit continued to take her picture, one shot after another, not at all remorseful for his actions. Instantly, the arms of her husband loosened from around her body as he flew toward the male reporter, his left hand gripping the collar of the other's shirt while his right hand swiftly brushed the large camera to the floor. Then to her surprise, he threw a strong punch, causing the elder man to fall to the ground.

"Don't you dare come near my wife! That goes for all of you!"

Once inside the expensive compounds of his penthouse, Edison let out a frustrated growl.

How could he have failed to protect her?

How could he have not seen that reporter coming?

His tolerance for the pestering media fell another notch when he took another glance at his wife resting on the couch, the bruise located on the corner of her forehead becoming more evident. Drawing a deep breath, his anger grew once again, wishing he had punched the rude reporter a few more times.

"I'll get you some ice," he offered.

Taking a seat beside her petite figure, he placed the small ice pack on her forehead. Unconsciously, his gaze lingered on her delicate features, taking in each contour of her beautiful profile until his eyes met hers; each drawn in by the other's mesmerizing gaze.

Unknowingly, Edison began leaning forward, decreasing the distance between the two with each passing second; his nostrils filled with the soft floral scent of her perfume. Meanwhile, his wife's long lashes fluttered several times before finally concealing her adoring eyes; silently offering herself to him.

Edison's gaze swept across her beautiful features once more, his heart growing with yearning and raw desire. There was nothing he wanted more than to taste her sweet lips. Mere inches from his destination, he suddenly turned away; the memories of Amanda making him suffocate with fear and hostility.

Women were all the same.

He had sworn never to trust another woman again.

Rising from the couch, he made his way to the balcony windows where his eyes landed on the crowd of reporters far below.

After several minutes, movement from behind alerted him of his wife's presence.

"The reporters. Were they the same way after I had left?" The tone of her voice was soft and uncertain.

The unexpected question brought a twisted smirk to his lips, recalling all the occasions he endured the harassment from the media. "Why the sudden interest?"

His eyes bored into her uncertain face, noting how she uncomfortably looked away.

"When I decided to leave seven years ago. All I knew was I couldn't marry a man I barely knew. I couldn't let my life be dictated by others," she drew in a deep breath, "I never thought about the aftermath. I certainly never thought about you. I'm sorry."

Her apology caught him by surprise.

The ever-so prideful Gillian Chung was apologizing to him.

"It's a little too late for an apology, don't you think?" Despite his softening heart, he refused to let her or anyone else see his weaker side. "Be prepared to pay with the rest of your life."

In response to his words, his wife's lips pursed together remorsefully, bringing unease to his heart.

Did he really want her to pay?

Inside the brightly-lit office, his eyes trailed along the male figure as it headed over to the small open bar. 'What's happening over in Chung Enterprises?"

"Nothing unusual. Kenny Chung has been out of the office the last few weeks. Edison Chen has taken over most of his responsibilities," he answered.

The smirk that appeared on the other man's face made him inwardly hurl in disgust. There was nothing more he hated than a man that stole another man's wife.

Had it not been for their mutual interest in seeing the destruction of Chung Enterprises, he would not bother wasting another minute speaking to the man. But he knew better than to voice his opinion. There was a greater goal to be accomplished and he was not about to jeopardize that.

During numerous meetings he watched in raged jealousy as his former fiance smiled and nodded affectionately, clinging onto her husband's every word.

Once upon a time, those endearing expressions had been reserved for him only. He will never forget the pain he endured from her betrayal.

For that very reason, when Nicholas approached him one night at the bar he frequented, proposing a way of destroying Chung Enterprises, he did not hesitate to accept. He had lost hope that Gillian would realize her grave mistake and return to his side.

He had misjudged her.

She had chosen wealth and power over him.

She had broken their bond.

If money and power were what she cared about, he would make sure she endured the pain of losing both.

"Has anyone been suspicious of our plans?" Nicholas asked before emptying the entire glass of vodka into his mouth.

His head shook slightly. "No, I know Gillian very well. She may be smart but she's too trusting. She will never able to guess the true motive behind our collaboration."

"Good," the other nodded approvingly, barely able to contain his delight.

Rising from his seat, he began towards the door. "If there's nothing else, I'll be in my office."

How often have even the greatest men fallen victims from their own clouded emotions?

How often are mistakes realized only after it is too late?

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 17

2007-06-15T22:18:00.001-05:00

Miles of dark clouds covered the endless morning skies, barracking the warm rays of sunlight, leaving only an air of chilliness.

A single male silhouette could be seen slowly approaching a well-kept grave in the middle of a long aisle of resting places. Dressed in a black trench coat, his face was partially covered by a pair of dark sunglasses. In his hands was a large bouquet of white lilies.

Those were her favorite flowers.

Setting the bouquet in front of the moderate-sized granite stone, his fingers affectionately stroked the gravestone before standing up and gazing longingly at the name etched into the stone many years ago.

The name of his mother.

Unconsciously, his thoughts drifted back to a night almost a year ago. He had just arrived home minutes after the stroke of midnight. It had been days since he began sending bouquets of lilies to Charlene, asking her to meet him at XXX Park but only disappointment greeted him each time. Absentmindedly, he walked through the hallway, heading for his bedroom, but low murmurs expelled from his adopted father's den caught his attention. His curiosity rose even more when his mother's name was mentioned.

Upon listening further to the conversation between his adopted father and another man, his eyes widened with shock when he heard his adopted father furiously blamed the Chungs for his mother's death, swearing revenge. Overcome with shock, it took a few seconds before his senses returned. Unable to suppress his emotions, he burst through the wooden door and demanded an explanation, startling the two men with his sudden presence.

Hesitant at first, his adopted father was finally succumbed by his persistence. Nicholas listened intently, tightening his fist with each infuriating detail.

The Chungs were responsible for his mother's death.

Now, he understood why his adopted father had sent someone to cause havoc at the news conference that the Chungs' held to announce Edison Chen's alliance with their company, digging up dirty deeds from Tony Chung's past and revealing Chung Enterprises' financial crisis. He had thought it was merely a way of eliminating competition but the real reason was to destroy the Chungs, to avenge his mother.

The recent news they spread had caused Chung Enterprises' stock price to drop but Edison Chen had been able to reassure investors at the last news conference. It didn't matter though; it was only a matter of time before Chung Enterprises failed.

No one would be able to save them.

He had already set the wheels in motion.

"I promise you, Mother. No matter what price, I will make the Chungs pay for what they have done to us," his lips twisted into a smirk, "they will finally experience the feeling of losing a loved one..."

Only an empty dining room greeted her when Charlene came down the long spiral stairs, prepared to have breakfast. The absence of her husband caused the pit of her stomach to tighten into knots. Her in-laws were away on business but where was her husband? He wouldn't have left for the office without bidding her goodbye.

Concern brought her to the door of his den. Her hand curved into a fist as it made contact with the door but received no response in return. After a few seconds, she reached for the knob and turned. To her surprise, her husband was sitting behind his desk, his eyes were distant and his expression was unreadable.

Why hadn't he answer her?

"Kenny?"she called, making her way to where he was but stopped abruptly when her eyes landed on the open newspaper lying on the desk.

'Heir to Chung Enterprises's Wife in the Arms of Another Man.'

Fear crept into her guilty heart as she stared at the huge photo of Nicholas and her kissing in the rain several days ago.

Stunned, she could not understand how their picture could have been taken.

How could she have not noticed there were reporters?

How could she have been so careless?

Her own reputation, she could care less but her husband was a man of importance and worse yet, she had succumbed to temptation, bringing pain to the man that loved her above all else.

How could she have betrayed him?

How could she be so useless?

Nicholas had urged her to confide the truth of their love to Kenny immediately but she had insisted on waiting, intending to talk to him after the issues at work had been resolved, not wanting to distract him but now...

"Kenny?" she called again, her eyes not leaving his expressionless face.

Moments passed before her husband finally lifted his eyes to meet hers and forced a weak smile, her heart twisted with grief and remorse from the pain that had become so evidently written on his handsome face. Involuntarily, tears began streaming down her face while her gaze diverted to the floor, no longer able to meet her husband's eyes.

While her heart bled, a warm hand lifted her chin and gentle fingers wiped away her tears.

"Kenny..."

Words could not express the bitter regret she endured from hurting the man that guided her through the darkest hours; that had given her warmth during the loneliest time.

"Shh," he lifted his index finger to her lips, preventing her from speaking further. "I've already called the lawyer. He's going to draw up the divorce papers as well as the ownership papers for the boutique and the apartment by the beach. Pack some things, I'll drive you there later."

The tiredness and defeat in his voice torn her heart.

"I don't deserve all that," she protested, shaking her head from side to side while her tears continued to flow freely.

Why was it even now he was still so wonderful to her?

The gentle smile on his lips made her heart ache even more.

"As long as you are happy, I will be happy."

If only she had met him first.

"...to be betrayed"

A swarm of emotions washed over her the instant her former fiance's broad frame filled the doorway of her office. It felt familiar yet foreign to be in his presence again, almost surreal that their paths should cross once more after so much had happened.

There had been a time when he had been the love of her life.

There had been a time when their hearts and souls were joined in one.

But she had chosen to sacrifice his love for her family, for Chung Enterprises.

She had broken his heart.

His charming smile was just the same as she remembered but her heart no longer ached with longing when she looked into his twinkling eyes instead it rejoiced inwardly knowing that he was doing well, knowing his career had further advanced. But on the surface, she remained composed and professional, even cold to an extend, keeping her emotions hidden. Knowing only too well that their meeting today was to discuss a collaboration between Tse International and Chung Enterprises; not a reunion. Most importantly, she did not want old flames to reignite and more pain to ensue. After all, for better or for worse, she was already married.

"Mr. Wu," she welcomed him into her office.

Her former fiance chuckled. "Please Gillian, don't be so formal. We may not be a couple anymore but we are still friends."

The statement caught her by surprise, so much so that she missed the flash of bitterness in his eyes. Clouded by memories of his past generosity and kindness, her thoughts drifted only to the bitter note they had ended on, the regrets she had harbored knowing the friendship she once cherished with all her heart was gone, but his words had brought a sense of relief to her remorseful heart.

Perhaps, he had moved on?

Perhaps, he had believed the materialistic excuse she had given him and found it in his generous heart to forgive her?

Yet, she knew they must keep a distance, for their sake as well as everyone else's. Her gratitude could only be buried within, hidden from observant eyes.

Her bewildering emotions had caused her to make one fatal mistake, forgetting the darkness that resided in every broken heart.

"Daniel," she said, savoring the familiar way his name rolled off her tongue, "this way please."

Cautious to remain reasonably distant, she gestured to the seat in front of her desk while she made her way back to her leather chair, once again missing the way his withdrawn eyes studied her every move.

"...to lose everything"

The weather was beautiful, warm and breezy. Tony happily strolled down the path to the lake where he knew she would be waiting for him. From a distance he was able to make out her slender figure. Increasing his speed, he was behind her in no time, wrapping both arms around her petite waist.

The sweet smile he received in response made his heart soar with happiness.

Margie.

Moments after studying her bright eyes and luscious lips, his self-control ceased as he leaned over to kiss her. Satisfied, he lifted his head, wanting to look into her beautiful eyes again but the woman before him had become someone else.

Carina.

He jerked awake just as the plane experienced another wind turbulence, beads of sweat on his forehead, running down the side of his face. His eyes landed on the leather-covered seat in front while a gentle hand rested on his arm.

It had all been a dream.

Just a dream.

Bitterness flashed through his eyes as he painfully wished to snuggle against his first love once more.

"Are you alright?" He turned to meet his wife's worried face.

He nodded without answering, suppressing the suddenly resentment that grew for his wife.

After taking a few minutes to relax, his eyes averted to the laptop on top of his tray. Wanting to preoccupy himself, he lifted the screen and began studying the information that was displayed.

Chung Enterprises' stock had risen but an unsettling feeling continued to grow in his heart.

Something was wrong.

"...I promise."

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 16

2007-06-15T22:16:00.000-05:00

Below the gorgeous cascading crystal chandelier in the ballroom of the XXX hotel were countless politicians, businessmen, and socialites; men donned in tailored tuxedos while women draped in expensive gowns and exquisite jewels. The reason for the prestige gathering was no other than the twentieth anniversary of Tse International. Being one of the first Chinese companies to broaden their business into western regions, few companies were in par with their incredible success.

Among the affluent guests were Edison and his wife, attending in place of his father-in-law and brother-in-law, both of whom were occupied by other matters. Such social affairs had become a typical part of their martial life, but tonight was a night neither of them would be able to forget.

For, neither expected the surprise that was to come.

Dismay and disconcert ran through Edison's veins, the moment a man he recognized as a prominent figure in the political circle asked his wife for a dance and she obligatorily agreed. Outwardly, he took everything in stride but beneath his calm and collected exterior, his heart was swarming with jealousy.

An emotion that was both unwanted and despised by him. Regardless of the countless times he had reminded himself, his marriage to her was merely out of pride, to seek revenge for his humiliation, he couldn't help getting lost in her beautiful bright eyes.

Revenge.

Was that what he really sought?

Involuntarily, his eyes trailed his wife's slender figure, as it slowly grew smaller with distance. He watched as her elegant silver gown clung to her alluring curves, raising an aching desire from within.

Barely able to suppress the frustrated groan from the internal conflict that was forming, he excused himself from present company and headed off to the bar, requesting a glass of whiskey on the rocks. The burning liquid slid down his throat, but did little to submerge his uneasiness.

Placing down his glass for a refill, his eyes caught sight of his wife from a far, the soft lock of her hair gently swaying from her movement, the backless halter that left her smooth back uncovered, the bottom of her skirt fluttering from side to side displaying her creamy legs.

His eyes diverting only when the voice of his uncle rang from beside him, "if you stare any harder, you're going to burn a hole through her dress."

He immediately chuckled at his uncle's joke, trying to appear unaffected when in fact, his uncle read him like a book.

"Uncle Nick," he greeted the elder.

"Good job on bringing the stock prices back up, by the way," his uncle grinned.

For the first time that night, a genuine smile touched his normally expressionless face. For as long as he could remember, the only members of his family that ever complimented him were his uncle and sister, somehow no matter how hard he worked his parents never deemed him praise-worthy.

He was always lacking.

"Well, talk to you later, kiddo. I think I just found my next target," his uncle gave him a light slap on the shoulder before running off.

From a distance he saw his uncle heading toward a rather attractive girl with big eyes and long hair, dimples appearing when she smiled.

That was his uncle, always the Casanova.

Returning to his drink, his eyes once again landed on the mesmerizing figure of his wife.

What would it feel like to have her in his arms?

Social obligation had been the only reason she agreed to the dance, while her body was on the dance floor; her mind had unknowingly drifted off to thoughts of her older brother.

Worried was the only word to describe what she was feeling.

Each forced smile and each distant look she saw from him, only added to her worries. That was not the older brother she knew. Kenny was always kind-hearted and generous, his mood barely ever turned sour.

What could be bothering him enough to neglect business?

Gillian prayed that it was not his marriage.

Normally, on the receiving end of his brother's affections, this was the first time she had to worry about him. Perhaps it was time she confronted him.

The two siblings had been close since their younger years.

The loud roar of thunder had been her worse fear during her youth; she recalled the many stormy nights her brother would stay by her bedside, humming their favorite tune, as she slowly fell asleep in his presence. Then there were the miserable days just after she had learned of the company's financial problems; in his safe arms she cried and cried until there were no tears left.

He was her protector.

When the song finally ended, she forced a polite smile and got ready to depart from the dance floor when a familiar voice caught her by surprise. "May I have this dance?"

Her head lifted, meeting her husband's charming profile. The tailored tuxedo hung perfectly on his broad shoulders.

He looked even more handsome than usual under the slightly dimmed lights.

As she slowly relaxed in his arms, the scent of his previous alcoholic drink teased her nostrils, clouding her mind with memories from a few months ago when she had tucked him into bed after a night of drinking. Heat began to reach her cheeks as she recalled caressing his handsome face while he slept.

For some reason, she suddenly found herself wanting to know more about the man that was her husband. While a bond had developed at work, they were still cordial acquaintances at home.

Was their marriage merely a business deal?

Would she ever have a place in his heart?

Searching his striking features with her bright eyes, she noticed his sensuous lips had curved up into the arrogant smirk she had grown used to and his mysterious eyes were resting on her. Unexplainably, her heart began to beat rapidly, not realizing the feelings that were already beginning to develop.

For most of the night, he deliberately stood out of sight, not wanting to reveal his presence until the time was right. But that hadn't prevented him from noticing the married couple the moment they arrived.

Most of the room had noticed.

Everyone whispered about the arrival of the young business legend and his beautiful wife. Unspoken of, were the memories of her leaving him at the alter and running off to New York.

His lips twisted into a smirk, displaying his distaste.

Just goes to show, what money and power were able of.

His eyes trailed her each and every move.

She had been the woman that he loved most.

She had been the reason he gave up his career in New York and returned to Hong Kong.

His hand curled into a fist and tightened while his eyes turned cold with hatred as he continued to watch her.

For over two years they were together, he thought he knew everything there was about her. But apparently he had been fooled by her innocent persona; she had been no different than any other materialistic woman. Even after she had left him, he found it hard to believe that she would return to the very man she had ran away from merely for money but solid evidence was standing right before him.

His jaws tightened, gritting his teeth.

When Simon Tse approached the stage and made a small speech, gaining everyone's attention, he knew the moment he had waited for had finally come.

"..and finally, I would like to introduce our new Marketing Manager, Daniel Wu."

In long strides, he walked up to the stage and respectfully shook the hand of the CEO, all the while remembering to take a good look at two faces that were in the crowd.

Edison Chen and Gillian Chung.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 15

2007-06-15T22:13:00.000-05:00

Despite the seriousness of the matters at hand, his mind was hopelessly preoccupied with thoughts of his wife, random memories of their times together appeared before his eyes like scenes from a movie. From the moment they met in New York to their married life in Hong Kong.

The most memorable being the day he proposed to her. It was just two days after they met. It was undoubtedly irrational on his part but there they were standing on the top level of the Empire State Building, admiring all the beautiful sight the city had to offer but none could compare to the demure beauty beside him.

An air of innocence, of vulnerability, surrounded her.

She was so child-like in many ways.

With all his being, he just wanted to protect her, to offer her the happiness that she deserved, to bring a smile to her lovely face.

That night he did the unthinkable, absolutely spontaneous and impulsive, he got down on one knee and proposed, and surprisingly, she accepted. Then in a matter of hours, they had taken a flight and were standing in a chapel in Las Vegas, pronounced as husband and wife.

Two years.

It had been two wonderful years. Even if he had to set her free one-day, he knew there would be no regrets on his part.

"Kenny," he felt a nudge on his side and turned to meet his younger sister, concern clearly written on her beautiful face. "Daddy just asked what you thought of the situation."

Diagonally across from him, his father sat along side his brother-in-law looking rather disappointed and had good reason to be, after all someone was leaking news of the company's disastrous financial situation to the public, causing their stock price to fall. If the prices didn't rise soon, it would cause another crisis that the company could not afford to deal with at the present time.

"I think perhaps we should call for a news conference," he suggested.

"I second that. Our latest development project is doing very well. We can use that to reaffirm the confidence of our stockholders," his brother-in-law continued.

His eyes wandered to the large window on the side.

The sky was entirely dark.

A storm was brewing.

Dark threatening clouds covered the sky when she stepped out of the orphanage doors. It was only a matter of time before a huge downpour.

With a heavy heart, she walked toward the direction of her car. Despite the temporary refugee at the orphanage, it was time to return home. To return to the lady-like facade that was expected from a woman of her social standing.

At times, she really craved for the freedom that she had enjoyed in New York, where no one knew who she was and cared what she did. She could behave, as she liked without having to worry that her behavior would reflect poorly upon her husband and his family.

Droplets of rain fell onto her perfectly styled hair as she continued down the block. Fumbling to open her umbrella, she accidentally dropped her purse. Just as she was about to reach for the purse, a strong masculine hand already delivered it before her; a smile was about to touch her lips when her eyes rested on the face of the good Samaritan.

Nicholas.

The unexpected encounter made her heart stammer. Standing in front of her was the very man that she had once loved deeply and waited for unconditionally. But all that was in the past now she reminded herself.

"Thank you," she said as she began to walk away.

"Why didn't you come?" His voice was so full of emotion, so full of yearning.

Motionlessly, she stood with her back facing him as she replayed his question in her mind. Somehow, it seemed almost ironic for him to be the one asking that question.

Was he not the one that left her waiting in the cold?

"I didn't find any reason to," she stated plainly and began to walk away once again.

It was too late for them.

Two sudden grips on her shoulders forced her body to turn, dropping her umbrella. Once again, she found herself face to face with him, both being drenched by the rain. "Can you give me another chance?"

"At one time I would have given up anything for you," her eyes rested on his, "but not anymore. I stopped waiting a long time ago."

To wait for someone that didn't love you was the same as to wait for a person that would never come.

"What if I tell you that I did go to the seaport but you had already left," he paused momentarily, "For the longest time, I didn't believe in love. Even when I met you, it was just another game for me. But somehow you managed to creep into my heart."

The knowledge brought tears that mixed with the rain as they slid down her face.

Why was fate so cruel?

Why did he have to tell her?

"It's too late," she began to sob.

Shaking his head, he pulled her closer. "No, it's not. We can start over."

Against her better judgment, she allowed his soft lips to find hers. Her mind clouded with memories of the passion they once shared. Breathlessly, they stood in the rain, enjoying their moment of abandonment.

A moment that she would soon live to regret.

"Okay then. Gillian, I want you to make the preparations for the news conference. Kenny and Edison will take turns answering the reporter's questions," his father delegated their duties, concluding the meeting.

"Since it's so late already, let's just order lunch and eat here," his sister suggested, receiving silent confirmations as everyone was already too exhausted to care one way or another.

A sense of relief washed over him as he noticed his sister had become less withdraw lately and began returning to her normal self, the willful girl that he had always loved.

His brother-in-law seemed different as well.

Edison had become less arrogant and more mellow.

There had been times when nothing would have pleased him more than to have his hands around the other's neck, for the pain that had been inflicted on his baby sister, but his anger had temporarily subsided knowing that his sister had not been mistreated after their marriage.

All differences aside, he had to admit his brother-in-law was quite a brilliant businessman as well as a risk taker. And somewhere, deep inside he knew the man had a soft spot for his sister.

When lunch arrived, the four ate in relative silence. When the secretary walked in with a tray of fresh-brewed coffee, a sudden loud roar of thunder came from the window, causing her to jump, shattering all the porcelain cups on to the marble floor.

Staring at the scattered debris, an awful feeling grew in the pit of his stomach.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 14

2007-06-15T22:12:00.000-05:00

There was no doubt in his mind that his father would follow through with his threat. No one ever defied his father without paying a price. It was ironically probably the trait he had inherited to the fullest from his father.

His standing in Chen Corporation was as good as gone, all because he refused to withdraw from Chung Enterprises.

Had he made the decision out of pride? Or was it because of a promise he had made?

Edison wasn't sure of the answer, or worse, he was afraid of the answer.

His eyes remained glued to the road ahead as he continued to step on the gas petal, accelerating until the traffic in front blocked his path. In a split moment's decision, he swerved onto the next lane, causing a wave for angry honks to fill the air.

Amanda.

Why did his father have to bring her up again?

Just when he thought the images of her bright innocent eyes and luscious red lips had slowly faded away.

It seemed only like yesterday that he met Amanda at a fraternity party, but in actuality it was already eight years ago. He was only eighteen at the time, young and over-confident.

He could still recall sitting by the couch when she timidly walked into the room, in an oversized sweater and mini-skirt, avoiding the eyes of lust driven admirers. It had taken a bit of work before she finally warmed up to him but by the end of the night she had agreed to give him her number. During the next six months, they were inseparable; he was absolutely taken in by her innocence and gentleness.

She was an angel from above.

She was his first love.

Of course, it had been no surprise when his parents opposed of their relationship; after all, her family was mere middle-class, nowhere as prestige as his own. Despite, the opposition, his faith in their relationship remained strong, that is until he found out she had taken the bribe from his father to leave him.

The only woman he had ever entrusted his heart to, she had betrayed him. She had chosen money over him.

For a million dollars, she had left him.

Perhaps his father had been right, she had only been with him for his money after all. It had been a painful lesson but he had learned it well.

Since that day, he stopped believing in love.

Preparing to make another sharp cut to the next lane, his body immediately tensed when a warm gentle hand laid on his.

Gillian.

So absorbed in thoughts, he had almost forgotten her presence. Easing off the gas petal, he took a quick glance at the beauty beside him. Her eyes were filled with emotions he had never seen from her, worry and concern, but he reminded himself not to be overtaken.

He had married her for the sole purpose of revenge, to make her pay for the humiliation she had caused him but yet whenever his eyes rested on her porcelain face he found it impossible to mutter even a harsh word.

It was as if she had cast a spell over him. The harder he fought the more he felt drawn to her.

"Let's eat, I'm sure you are hungry by now," he suggested, void of any emotion.

Was this God's punishment to him?

She watched intently as her husband drank glass after glass of wine, finishing more than half the bottle while his plate remained untouched. Staring out into enormous window that displayed the nightlights of Hong Kong, his eyes barely shifted, she could only imagine what was on his mind.

Unexplainable uneasiness filled her worried heart as she continued to study his handsome features that remained unreadable. It was the first time since their marriage, she had felt a strong emotion of any kind, and even more surprisingly, it was for the very man that she had spent most of her adult life running away from.

Repeatedly, playing over and over again in her mind was the argument between her husband and father-in-law just hours ago.

Her husband had chosen to go against his father to remain in Chung Enterprises. She couldn't help wondering the true reason behind his decision.

Was it because of his promise to her? Or was she overestimating her importance?

There was just too much about her husband that she did not know. They were married in name but their hearts were so far apart.

What she did know was, he was a man of his words.

In return for her hand in marriage, he had promise to save Chung Enterprises, to bring it back from the midst of bankruptcy. And with her own eyes, she had seen how hard he worked to do just that.

An hour later, they reached the parking lot of their building with Gillian behind the wheels while her husband laid comfortably on the slid down passenger seat. The alcohol had taken effects particularly quickly and strongly due to his empty stomach, leaving him only semi-conscious.

Stepping into the apartment, she supported him by the side while he wobbled along. After clumsily removing his own suit jacket and tie, he landed heavily onto the sturdy mattress. From behind, she helped him removed his shoes and pulled the blankets over his exhausted body.

Sitting by on the edge as she tucked him in, she couldn't help pausing to take a long glance at the sleeping figure. This was probably the first time she had seen him asleep despite the months they had shared a bed together. He looked so vulnerable but his sleep was restless.

He was in turmoil.

Since the day of their wedding, she had resided to fate, living without really feeling, as good as dead in many ways.

Perhaps that had all been an effect of self-pity. Unknowingly, blaming fate for taking away her happiness, for taking her away from Daniel. In retrospective, having observed her husband these last few months, she couldn't help realizing his life was no better than hers, if not worse.

Everyday he was fighting a battle, a battle against the rest of the world, against competitors, against his parents, against his own executives. More times than not, his jaws were tightened from the constant stress.

A few times, she even overheard employees snickering about her husband being left at the alter by her. She couldn't help but feel she had wronged him.

In fighting for her own happiness, she had inadvertently chosen to sacrifice his.

Gently caressing the side of his face, she continued to stare at her husband's sleeping features until he finally found peace and serenity.

For better or for worse...until death.

Stumbling along unsteadily on a deserted street, a haggard figure leaned on light poles and telephone booths for support as he proceeded. Occasionally, crouching over to dispel the remains of his last meal.

A nasty bruise had donned his face from the brawl at the bar hours before, but he was too intoxicated to realize.

Alcohol had become his only salvation.

Solitude had become his only companion.

But such was probably the lesser of two evils; compared to the path he will soon choose.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 13

2007-06-15T22:10:00.000-05:00

While some fought with all their might to earn a place in the concrete jungle of the business world, she found contentment inside her green-filled nursery, where only peace and beauty existed.

Carefully, placing new shipments of potted orchids onto an empty shelf, an unknown smile graced her lovely face as she inhaled the aromatic fragrant that permeated the air.

Soft humming emitted from her curved lips until unexpectedly, someone grabbed her from behind, causing her to scream out in fear, disturbing the serenity that had existed only moments ago. But Karena's panicking heart soon eased when she recognized the familiar laughter and scent of her boyfriend, Ekin.

"I..I..told you not..not to do that any..anymore," she protested, smacking his arm lightly but couldn't suppress the happiness that arose from her boyfriend's presence.

"Sorry sweetheart, I just wanted to give you a surprise," he smiled, pulling her into a hug.

"You should..shouldn't come here. Wh..What if Ed saw you." Her brother was protective and distrusted anyone that came too close to her but she knew in the case of her boyfriend such worries were uncalled for.

Yet, how would she convince her younger brother of that?

Turning away hurtfully, he said, "and what if he does? Are you ashamed of me?"

"It's not..not that, he's just pro..protective of me," she defended, feeling helpless, torn between the two men that she loved.

"I know what your family thinks. They think I'm after you only for your money," he stated angrily.

"Just..as..as long as I know it's not..not true," she said, hugging her boyfriend from behind.

Softening, he turned to face her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Let's close up early, we can have dinner and go to a movie."

She shook her head, regretfully. "I..I can't. Have to..to eat at home to..tonight, my sister-in-law is going to pick me up later."

"I understand," he said looking downwards.

Pondering for words to comfort him, her eyes landed on a pot of dirt nearby. Mischievously, she grabbed a handful of dirt and wiped it on his handsome face. When he realized what was happening she had already retreated to the door, leading to the open yard. Wasting no time, he was immediately on her trail.

Laughing and giggly, she successfully avoided his grasp a few times but finally submitted into his strong arms when there was no escape. Taking her along with him as he spun his body, her face was met the gusting wind while her heart filled with bliss.

Despite being together for a year already, it still seemed surreal that she was the object of his affections.

At times, it really felt too good to be true.

And perhaps it was.

Only time could tell.

When Gillian and Karena arrived back at the Chen home at night, her husband and in-laws were nowhere to be seen.

Her sister-in-law suggested passing the time looking through some old photo albums in her room while waiting for the others to return. But when they reached the bottom of the staircase that lead to the second floor, a maid rushed out from the back asking her sister-in-law to settle a matter in the kitchen.

Agreeing to meet upstairs, Gillian followed the staircase and wandered down the hallway until loud voices from the den caught her attention. She identified the angry voices of her husband and father-in-law immediately. Having witnessed their disagreements on numerous occasions, she was not surprised by yet another argument but the topic this time kept her two feet grounded on the floor.

"How could you make such a careless oversight? Do you know it could have given our competitors a chance to attack us?" her father-in-law's voice taunted through the heavy wood door.

Then in a low and emotionless tone, her husband's voice was heard. "I will be more careful from now on."

"Will you? Do you think you can really handle Chen Corporation and Chung Enterprises at the same time? I want you to withdraw from Chung Enterprises tomorrow. I am not allowing you to continue this madness any longer."

"I can't do that."

"How dare you defy me? It's about that wife of yours, isn't it? Haven't you learned your lesson yet? Remember Amanda?"

Several seconds of silence passed before her father-in-law continued, "she left as soon as I offered her money, not much, just a million dollars," continuing in a more menacing tone, "I will not allow you to tarnish the Chen name. You will do as I say. Withdraw from Chung Enterprises tomorrow."

Her father-in-law had paid a girl to leave her husband?

"No," she detected anger arising in her husband's tone. "If you are dissatisfied with me, you can kick me out of Chen Corporation but I am not going to withdraw from Chung Enterprises."

Several heavy shuffling footsteps later, the door burst opened, revealing the cold charming features of her husband.

Stunned by his sudden appearance, she could only stand numbly as the distance between them decreased.

"We're leaving," he said, pulling her away by the wrist.

Sitting at a small table near a secluded corner of the bar, Nicholas slowly sipped the large mug of beer in his hand as his eyes rested on a male figure far away.

The man was drinking his sorrows away; it had been that way for the last few months. The liquor may have eased his pain temporarily but could not cure his wounds. Each day the man would arrive minutes after the bar opened and drank mindlessly until the bar employee's threw him out at closing time. Stumbling clumsily, the man made his way home, only to repeat the process again.

It was indeed a heart wrenching sight.

Man was by nature governed by emotions. He was no different himself. Despite his persistence, Charlene still refused to see him. Perhaps, that was just punishment for all that he had done; or actually not done.

He had never really allowed her into his heart.

They both studied in the same college but different subjects. He had seen her around campus on numerous occasions, but she was too preoccupied in her rose-tinted world to notice.

His lips curved into an unknown smile, as he recalled all the silly stunts he pulled to get her attention; using different computer accounts of friends to chat online with her to conceal his identity merely for fun. Then there was the night, he finally revealed his identity and they chatted until early morning in his car. He could never forget how much she reminded him of his deceased mother, so pure and innocent.

Both were simple creatures that unwaveringly believed in the mysterious powers of love, both entrusted their love to the wrong man.

At the time, Charlene was already in a steady relationship, while he was hopping from girl to girl. But after several months of continuing their friendship, her relationship with her boyfriend had dissolved, which inadvertently brought them closer. While they never officially dated, they did everything normal couples did, but only for two weeks. After two weeks, he had pulled out of their relationship and broken her heart in the process.

Reason being, he had never believed in the existence of love.

If love did exist, why had his mother endured so much pain? Why was he without a father for the first five years of his life?

Deliberately avoiding the seaport, the location she had promised to wait for him until he changed his mind about them. Eventually he did go but it was already too late. She had left.

For years, he told himself that it had been for the best that she stopped waiting and pushed away the possibility of having fallen in love with her until the moment he saw her in the arms of another man, her husband, a man that despised for more reasons than one.

He strongly believed that fate had reunited them for a purpose and this time he would make appends for his past.

His thoughts returned to the present when the man he was studying before argued loudly with another man. No doubt, another brawl between drunkards.

One day, he would approach the man, offering him a chance to avenge his sorrows.

But not today.

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 12

2007-06-15T22:07:00.000-05:00

The sun had rose and now beginning to set, but all this went unnoticed by him. Since early in the morning, Edison's head had been buried in work. His responsibilities had doubled since taking part of Chung Enterprises' Board of Directors in addition to his already significant role in Chen Corporation.

He spent many nights juggling workload between the two companies but his primary concern was Chung Enterprises, for unlike Chen Corporation, the other company was standing on thin ice.

From what he understood upon reviewing the company's records, the company had been exceptionally strong until it reached the hands of his father-in-law's father, whom was an extremely gullible character with poor judgment.

Despite his father-in-law's best efforts after inheriting the company, there no clean solution to the company's problems without a significant financial sum, which was impossible to acquire without exposing the failing situation. Through inappropriate routes of underground transactions, his father-in-law had been able to keep the company afloat, an amazing feat, but that was far from bringing the company back into the black.

While his brother-in-law was also a brilliant man, Kenny was not ruthless enough, too sentimental, too unwilling to cut off dead weight.

Edison however held no apprehension to do so; if Chung Enterprises was going to survive corporate restructuring was inevitable. Anyone and everyone that was not contributing to the company must go.

Perhaps people would say his tactics were too vicious but he had promised Gillian to save Chung Enterprises.

For her, he intended to keep his word despite any sacrifices.

But it seem as if, the problems were only snow balling into bigger ones if not stopped immediately. The mere thought made him his temples pulse. He needed to bring cash flow back into the company as soon as possible. The sum he invested in the company would be enough to finance a new project that would generate significant returns if all went well. Hopefully that would prevent the company's financial crisis from worsening.

For the last month, he had been putting at least fifteen hours a day in the office, even on weekends to overlook this project, when he arrived home at night his beautiful wife was already asleep.

Just as well since her bright eyes never failed to tug his heart with yearning and desire.

Her beauty. Her confidence. Her every poised gesture only made him yearn for her more.

Why hadn't he realized this before?

He had unsuspectedly fallen in love with her with each hatred-filled thought, since the moment he vowed for revenge.

Opening the top drawer on his side, he retrieved a sparkling diamond ring, the ring that she had been holding in her hand on their wedding night before she passed out.

It was the ring her former fiance had given her.

He knew while she was physically by his side, her heart was elsewhere.

Loving her could only bring pain. Thus, he tried to keep a distance between them, tried to stop loving her.

Gently, the ring was place back into storage, forever locked away from its rightful owner when a sudden knock came from the door.

Rather unexpectedly, Nick Cheung, his mother's younger brother peeked through the door.

"Working hard, kiddo?" The vibrant voice of his uncle echoed through the once quiet room. "What did Uncle teach you? All work and no play equal one boring life."

He couldn't help but chuckle at his uncle's humor, always the happy-go-lucky guy.

"Anyway, I only stopped by to tell you what I found out about that reporter."

"What did you find out? Who is he?"

"The only thing I was able to find out is that he had disappeared since that day after the news conference. I still can't confirm which newspaper sent him. Something is definitely fishy," he said crinkling his nose playfully. "Anyway, gotta go now, kiddo. Meeting my new girlfriend at the country club."

With a wink, his uncle turned and left. Much like a spring breeze, his uncle always came and went as he pleased, never shedding much thought on unnecessary responsibilities.

Why couldn't his life be like that?

Enormous guilt lurked in Charlene's heart as she stared across the table into her husband's earnest eyes.

The very best was already in front of her, why would she long for anyone else?

She hadn't gone to meet Nicholas that day but that didn't mean he had vanquished from her thoughts or her heart.

Each day, for the last month she received a bouquet of lilies with the same message. Regardless of how hard she tried to ignore his efforts, he was slowly wearing her resistance down.

The mere thought disturbed her to no end.

In front of her was the man that stood by her through the most agonizing time.

How could she betray him?

He had been the only one that cared while all the others merely glanced at her before walking away when she stood frozen at the seaport, waiting for Nicholas.

For her, he stood up to all his friends and relatives when they indulged in jokes about her family background.

She would remain loyal to him, if not for love than for friendship.

Just then the waiter replaced the empty space where her meal once occupied with a plate containing a slice of her favorite dessert, tiramisu.

She knew from the smile on her husband's face that he was behind the luscious deed. Her heart swelled with warmth and gratitude.

She was very lucky to have met him.

"I was thinking," she began, "we've been married over a year now. It's time we should try for a baby. What do you think?"

Her husband had always wanted to start a family but she had been the one postponing the plan, not wanting to be tied down so early but somehow it seemed like the only way to repay his love.

"You sure? I thought you wanted to spend a few more carefree years first?"

Even now, he only thought of what she wanted.

"We can still be carefree with a child. If it's a boy, you can teach him to play sports. If it's a girl, I can dress her up and teach her all about makeup and fashion. What do you think?" She tried to sound enthusiastic, desperately wanting to bring happiness to her husband, to love him the same way he loved her.

If only love was a matter of will.

If only...

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 11

2007-06-15T22:03:00.000-05:00

The faint smoke slowly rose from the end of her cigarette until it could be seen no more, much like the feelings in her heart.

Dressed in nothing more than a loose grey shirt with a pair of dark jeans, she welcomed the chill brought about from the brisk wind that swept across the area, staring out into the open greenery that exceeded for miles as she stood by the gates of her sister-in-law's botanical nursery in the country.

A month came and went, mechanically, she continued to go about her days; the world had become dull and tasteless. Each day was no different from the last; she would head to the office, at times with her husband if he was around or alone. Having become his personal assistant, she buried herself in work.

Other than the nights the two attended obligatory social functions and dinners at the homes of their respective families, they each went their own ways. Most nights, he would only return hours after she had fallen asleep.

His whereabouts were a mystery, he never told and she never asked.

Conversation between the two was rare and only spoken out of necessity.

During the day, at the office, she had seen his behavior ranged from cool and controlled to cold and ruthless. With his family, he was indifferent or sarcastic, the only exception being with his sister and nanny. In their presence, his eyes twinkled with warmth and his lips curved with playfulness.

To her, he was neither cold nor warm, he rarely spoke more than a few words but when he did he was never rude. While his tone was emotionless, at moments his bright eyes shined as though they were speaking entirely on their own.

In the short time that they have been married, they neither kiss nor touched except in public.

Always an invisible wall separated the two.

They merely shared a bed, never more.

At times, she couldn't help but wonder why.

Was he not attracted to her?

Hadn't possessing her always been his reason for marrying her?

Or perhaps, ruining her happiness had been enough for him?

Taking a deep breath, she let out a slow sigh.

She had become accustomed to such solitude, almost preferring it.

Sometimes during the nights, when the apartment became extremely quiet, memories of her past life with Daniel would come flooding back, all their jubilant times together.

Neither seen nor heard from again after her wedding, he had simply vanquished. Her only hope was that he had moved on.

Perhaps they were only passer-bys in each other's lives.

Like two boats passing one another during the midst of the night.

If fate would be so kind.

"Honey, it's beautiful here," his wife's cheerful voice brought a smile to his face as the waiter seated the two at a secluded table by the corner.

"I'm glad you like it here," he watched as her face glowed and eyes sparkled from the candle the flickered on the table.

He loved her more than words could express.

She was the reason for his happiness.

Vividly, he could still recall the day he absent-mindedly wandered around downtown New York, in hopes of running into his sister.

Little did he know in just minutes his life would be forever changed.

Step by step, he found himself standing before a large body of water, not too far away was a seaport where a small shopping center stood, before it a large ship docked. His eyes traveled the large structure from the top until a girl on the side caught his attention.

He watched as she shook in her light-green waist-length down jacket and blue jeans from the freezing cold, her eyes were empty as tears slid down her once pink cheeks.

As if hypnotized, unconsciously, his legs brought him before the petite girl. Standing face to face, he watched as she looked up, through her tear streaked lashes at him. Within seconds, she buried her head onto his chest and began sobbing uncontrollably as he took off his own black wool coat and draped it over her shaking body.

They were mere strangers but he had sensed her sorrow, her pain.

He never questioned her on the reason she was there that day but somehow he knew she had been waiting for someone.

Someone that didn't deserve her love.

A month ago, he had gone to pick her up from work after the news conference. Unknown to her, he had seen the bouquet of lilies and the card in her trash bin. Deliberately, he mentioned the location written on the card during their ride home and watched carefully for her reaction.

The hope and anxiety written all over her face, twisted his heart.

She hadn't gone to the meeting that day but he knew it was only a matter of time.

Perhaps, she had not been his from the start.

His happiness had been borrowed.

Even from a distance, Karena could tell her sister-in-law's thoughts were miles away. Another minute passed before she approached the other with two steaming hot cups of tea.

"Th..Thinking?"

The other nodded while she shifted her eyes to the beautiful nature in front of them.

Only here did she truly feel freed and relaxed.

Since young, her parents had set high expectations on the shoulders of her and her younger brother. Expectations so high that she felt herself being suffocated by the weight, it was also during this time that she unknowingly began to stutter. Each time, she faced either of her parents, her palms sweated, her heart pounded, and her tongue tied.

In fact, she was terrified of them.

Edison had been more fortunately, his rebellious personality gave him the courage to fight against their parents' control, whereas she was too timid, too obedient.

As children of the Andy and Rosamund Chen, they both paid a huge price.

Her younger brother's once witty personality grew more emotionless and impassive with each passing day.

She saw, yet she had been helpless, unable to prevent it, unable to protect him.

The reality was, she couldn't even protect herself.

"The nursery is very nice," the gentle voice of sister-in-law broke the comfortable silence.

The compliment brought a smile onto her heart-shaped face, "Th..Thank you. Ed brought me..me this nur..nursery a few years a..ago. He knew I..I didn't like par..parading around with my..my mother all day, so..so he brought me th..this nur..nursery to he..help pass my time."

A weak smile formed on the lips of her sister-in-law.

"How..how are you to..two getting along?"

"As well as two strangers could, I guess."

"Ed, is..isn't an ea..easy person to un..understand. He ke..keeps all his fe..feelings buried within be..because he..he doesn't want ot..others to see he..his weak side."

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 10

2007-06-15T21:56:00.000-05:00

It was nighttime. Daniel and her were walking down a street full of vendors; it was very loud and busy. Everywhere she turned there were more and more people. Excitedly she walked along, purchasing different types of snacks from the vendors and sharing it with her fiance. She couldn't remember ever having more fun.

Then suddenly, the street became empty, everyone was gone except her. Frightened, she began calling for Daniel but her pleads went unanswered. Panic-stricken, she began to run, running in search of a safe location.

Her lungs hurt from the heavy breathing, she struggled to keep running then she heard a loud bang...

Gillian's body automatically jerked up, panting, at first too absorbed in her dream to notice the unfamiliar bedroom. When she finally glanced around, the picture by the bed immediately caught her attention.

It was a picture of Edison smiling smugly; next to it was a glass of water along with a bottle of aspirin.

Slowly, the previous day's memories began to surface.

She was finally married; married to a man she did not love.

The thought brought her neither sorrow nor despair, only a heavy heart.

It was a sentence. A life sentence.

A fact she must accept.

Looking down she realized that her red evening gown had been replaced by a set of blue flannel pajamas that she had never seen before.

Right at that moment, Edison strolled out of the adjoined bathroom fixing his tie. "I'm glad sleeping beauty has finally decided to wake up."

"Were you the one that changed my clothes?" Her tone was neither accusing nor worried; after all they were married. She wasn't naive enough to believe that he would keep his hands off of her.

But to her surprise, his only response was raising his left eyebrow slightly then favoring her with another obnoxious smirk before walking out the door without answering.

Instinctively she followed him into a small dining area that was just off of the living room, where a delicious aroma saturated the air.

There she saw the young woman she vaguely recalled being introduced as Edison's older sister, Karena, setting plates of breakfast on to the table.

"Morning sis," her husband said, placing a kiss on her new sister-in-law's cheek, in return she smiled affectionately, fixing the collar of his shirt just before he took a seat.
Gillian took the seat next to her husband, directly across from her sister-in-law.

"Mor..Morning"

"Morning."

"I..I hope you sl..slept well lastnight. You..You didn't have an..any clothes here so I..I just changed you in..into a set of m..my pajamas."

"You changed me?"

"Wh..When you passed out last..lastnight, I hel..helped Ed bring you..you back."

"I see. Thanks," she said then clarified, "for helping me changing. And thanks for the aspirin."

"As..aspirin?" her sister-in-law asked, obviously confused.

Questioningly, she turned to her husband but he seemed too immersed in the newspaper and breakfast to notice the on going conversation.

He was the one that prepared the water and aspirin?

"Get ready, the news conference is in an hour," his voice broke into her thoughts.

"What news conference?"

"The one that will announce my official involvement in Chung Enterprises' Board of Directors. Your parents and brother will be there as well."

Deep in thought, Charlene draped different combinations of clothing on to the plastic mannequin in front of her, but continuously sighed when the results were displeasing.

Nibbling the ends of her fingernails, she decided on another colorful blouse and a muted colored flowing skirt, frustratingly shook her head when the results were equally as disappointing as before.

Each time she tried concentrate, images of Nicholas's striking features would surface.

Why?

Why had he asked her to meet him?

Why had he looked so disappointed when she introduced her husband?

Why did it matter to him that she was married? After all, he was the one that left her waiting for days in the freezing cold.

He was the one didn't care about her.

What they had was only mutual attraction, infatuation; it was nothing compared to what she had with her husband.

Only Kenny deserved her love.

If that was so, why did her heart flutter when Nicholas looked at her?

Why did it hurt to see him with another woman?

Shaking her head again, she tried to push all thoughts of the man she could never understand out of her mind and concentrated on the mannequin before her.

An hour had passed when she a knock on her door, revealed her assistant, holding a bouquet of lilies.

Her favorite flower.

She glanced at the card and felt her heart miss a beat.

"I will be waiting at XXX park at 5, please come-Nicholas."

It was their first public appearance as husband and wife, cameras were flashing all around the room. Reporters seem more interested in their new marriage than his involvement in Chung Enterprises. Questions were being thrown from all different directions but his attention was solely on the beauty by his side while his eyes stayed focused ahead.

Leading her by hand, they reached the stage where all the important members were to be seated. Arriving before them, were his new in-laws, he nodded a greeting and sat down.

His wife had been quiet throughout the car ride. Edison could only imagine what was going on in her pretty head. She had been an unwilling participant in their marriage but she neither complained nor wallowed in self-pity.

She was a strong woman; he had always known that.

She had done everything she could to run away from him but now she was finally his.

Her each and every gesture intrigued him, the distant look that donned her porcelain face while she thought, the small smile on her lips while she slept, the flames the flashed in her eyes while she's angry.

When had he become so mesmerized by her?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the call of his name and applauds. Rising to meet the extended hand of his father-in-law, he knew it was time for him to make a speech. Though, not having prepared ahead of time, he was able to jot his thoughts together to make a short convincing speech expressing his gratitude for Chung Enterprises for allowing him to join but everyone knew the truth; it was the other way around, they needed him.

When the time came to questions, he took turns with his father-in-law and brother-in-law, answering accordingly, giving away nothing.

Just as the conference was coming to an end, one male reporter from the back that remained quiet throughout the conference suddenly spoke up.

"This question is for Mr. Tony Chung, is it true that 28 years ago, you sacrificed your first love to marry your current wife in order to save Chung Enterprises and now 28 years later, you sacrificed your only daughter for the same reason?"

Edison noticed his father-in-law and brother-in-law falter from the unexpected question; smoothly and unfazed, he stepped in. "I think you are mistaken. Chung Enterprises had at no time been in jeopardy, therefore had never been in need of saving."

"Isn't it true that the last few projects has been a complete failure for Chung Enterprises?"

"There is always a risk in business. Chung Enterprises is a solid company."

"If that was true, then why are you suddenly investing such a huge sum into Chung Enterprises?"

"Because I believe in the company."

That man knew too much.

The sun was beginning to set when they drove home together.

"Is something wrong, honey? You seem awfully quiet today," Kenny's voice penetrated her ears while her eyes stared blankly ahead as the car continued to move forward.

She was determined not to fall into the same trap again.

Nicholas was a part of her past that she did not want to resurface again.

The bouquet of lilies he had sent earlier was already in her trash bin.

"Just tired I guess," she lied. "How was the news conference?"

"Pretty bad. One of the reporters hit a few nerves," her husband went on but her mind was elsewhere.

Why did he have to step back into her life again?

She nodded absent-mindedly until a certain word her husband said caught her attention. "Huh?"

"I said, that's XXX Park over this side. The view is beautiful, we should go there sometime."

"Yeah," she replied, but her eyes were focused on the park that was slowly disappearing from view.

Was he still there waiting for her?

The Unfilial Daughter - Chapter 9

2007-06-15T21:52:00.000-05:00

Nicholas's eyes were glued to the flat screen monitor on his desk as he tried to make sense of all the information displayed but his thoughts kept drifting to a long cast aside moment.

He remembered that day clearly.

It had snowed a few days earlier. The white precipitation was beginning to transform into dirty slush and slippery ice. He ran as fast as he could, swerving pass other pedestrians. His heart hammered anxiously with each passing second.

His anxiety began to subside as soon after the seaport was in sight, running as fast as he could he crossed the street and reached his destination. The entire area was practically vacant due to the below zero temperature. He turned in circles, while the harsh winds blew, trying to locate his target, a silly girl that had promised to wait for him every day until he arrived.

Little did she know, he had never had the intention of coming, love was but a game to him. Yet an unexplainable tug in his heart told him to come today because or else a stubborn girl might fall sick from the freezing cold.

When he finally came to a spot where a set of footprints was deeply embedded, he didn't know whether to feel sad or relieved that along the adjoining street; two pairs of footprints could be seen walking away.

She finally gave up.

Thoughts of her had been buried since that day but seeing her at the orphanage the other day had triggered those forbidden memories.

Why did her face surface before his eyes when he least expected it?

A deep solemn voice interrupted his thoughts. His eyes shifted from the monitor to the door, meeting the face of his adopted father, Simon Tse.

"Father," he greeted respectfully, ready to get up from his seat, only to be gestured down by his adopted father who took a seat across from him.

"I just received a wedding invitation from the Chens; their second son is marrying Tony Chung's daughter," he paused momentarily, "I want you to go with me. It's time you began associating with the socialites of Hong Kong. Relationships are very important in business."

"I understand," he answered despite his reluctance to attend another boring wedding.

His adopted father must have sensed his unwillingness. "Don't worry Nicholas, I promise you won't be bored. There will be plenty of pretty girls for you to chase after."

They both laughed knowingly.

Love was nothing but a game or so he thought.

Only one woman was dear to his heart.

His mother, but she had died.

Staring into the starry skies on the terrace, Charlene recalled her day with a slight smile. Hand in hand with her husband, they walked into the orphanage compounds, bearing bags of clothing and toys.

It had been a long time since they spent a day together. Since returning to Hong Kong together, her husband had spent day and night at the office, worrying about business matters. So many nights, she waited for his return, only to disappointedly slip into the cold and lonely bed on her own. Silently, she had seen him staggering through their bedroom doors, pale and tired, but without fail he planted a kiss on her forehead before drifting off to dreamland.

He was a good husband.

Her smile broadened as she recalled her husband energetically distributing the gifts they brought. His face held only serene and love as he helped some of the children assemble their new toys.

Maybe in another year or two, they will have their own child.

She knew he would be a wonderful father.

He didn't have a dangerous streak, nor did he enthrall with excitement but he was steady and stable.

He may not have been her first choice but he was definitely the best choice.

There comes a point in every woman's life when they become too tired to play games.

While it maybe hard to find a person to capture one's heart, it is harder to find a person that knows how to cherish it.

She had found the person.

"A penny for your thoughts," she looked up to meet the wise face of her mother-in-law.

"Mother, why are you up so late?"

"Gillian's wedding is tomorrow. I can't sleep," the elder woman sighed.

Charlene nodded knowingly.

Inwardly, she prayed for her sister-in-law's happiness.

Life was so ironic.

Donned in a gorgeous satin and lace wedding gown, she stood with her arm tucked under her father's, the way she always dreamed of yet the groom was the very person she had been running away from for six years.

Her heart no longer held resentment and distaste for the man she was destined to marry, all that she hoped for was to save Chung Enterprises and her father, nothing else mattered anymore.

If those were fate's plans for her, she would willingly accept them.

She was too exhausted to fight any longer.

Daniel had waited outside her gates for the last month despite her refusal to see him. While it hurt to see his pain and distress, deep down she knew it was for the best that he let go now instead of another inevitable time down the path.

What would be the point of prolonging their pain?

He deserved to be happy.

The sooner he forgets her the sooner he could be happy.

Whereas she, she had already resided to fate.

She had fought and lost.

Inside the grand ballroom of the most prestige hotel in Hotel Kong, Charlene was running around busily from errands given by her mother-in-law. Accidentally, she bumped into someone she hadn't expected to see.

"Charlene," he greeted her, while his female companion walked off to the restroom.

"Nicholas," she returned the greeting politely, feeling rather uncomfortable. "Well I better get going."

Unexpectedly, she felt a strong hand around her elbow.

"Charlene, would it be possible for us to meet again," he said quickly releasing his hold, "You know, sit down and talk?"

"I don't think that would be possible," she said as her eyes lingered on his handsome features.

"Why?"

"Charlene," a voice called from behind, saving her from having to answer.

Turning, she was met by her husband's concerned face, "Kenny."

"This is?" Her husband drew an arm around her petite waist and nodded politely at Nicholas.

"This is Nicholas Tse," she introduced, "and this is Kenny Chung, my husband."

Immediately she noticed the disappointed look that flashed across Nicholas' face.

And silently in her heart, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Dressed in a ruby red satin evening gown with her hair elegantly put up, Gillian stared absent-mindedly into space as she stood by her new husband while he spoke to some business associates.

Every so often, friends and family would walk over to congratulate her, taking her farther and farther away from her husband's side, her lips curved into a slight smirk as she recalled these were the same people that forsaken her after she had been disowned.

What a realistic world it was.

Taking a glass of champagne from a passing server, she began sipping on the alcoholic drink, disregarding her empty stomach, ignoring the burning sensation from within.

Suddenly from the side, someone brushed by and slipped a small gift box into her hand. Opening the small box, she found the engagement ring that she had returned to Daniel along with a note.

"Meet me outside."

Tightening her fist, she crumbled the note.

Crumbling all her previous hopes and dreams.

Selecting another glass of champagne from a server, she gulped the fizzling liquid until the entire glass had slide down her throat. As the alcohol began to take effect, she giggled her way around the room, laughing and flirting with male guests, unaware of her husband's trailing eyes following her.

The jacket of his tuxedo was carelessly tossed aside; the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and loosely untucked from his black dressed pants as Edison placed his unconscious wife onto the bed. Having consumed too much alcohol, she had passed out during the reception, luckily he had been able to catch her before she fell to the floor.

Intently, he stared at Gillian's delicate features, the curve of her long lashes, the slight upward turn of her lips, suppressing the urge to kiss her.

He had seen the sadness masked beneath her smile.

He had seen the tears on the corner of her eyes as she laughed.

He had been the one to drive her to such misery.

"Don't...Don't turn into Father."

The words of his sister echoed in his ears.