[Tavia’s Point of View]
Silence.
Everything, everyone was silent. The entire attention of the room shifted to Miss Bernice Liu, standing nervously on the stage. It seems to me that she was scared to make her announcement, scared to share this truth to the world. I don’t know exactly what she will say, but based on what she and I discussed that other day at the café, this is bad news for Raymond, Nancy and Ron. Seizing the moment, I scanned the frozen crowd for Damian.
There is was, standing right beside Dominic. The expression on Damian’s face was of course an act, but anyone without prior knowledge would totally fall for his façade. Dominic Lam on the other hand, this was the first time I saw true, intense worry on his face. I hate myself for even thinking it, but I am glad. Weirdly, I found a strange satisfaction in seeing the man’s fear and worries, maybe because he’s impacted my childhood so greatly.
Bernice took a breath.
“There are two things I’d like to say. First of all…Ron Ng and I are engaged…” she spoke, holding up her hand with the diamond ring on it.
This wasn’t the focus of her announcement. Her engagement with Ron was already made public enough, and of course people gossip, so nearly every single person in this room knew that Bernice Liu and Ron Ng are engaged. I looked for Nancy, wondering if this repeat impacted her somehow. I couldn’t find Nancy, actually, I was so short and surrounded by so many people, the only person I could see now was Raymond. I looked up. Bernice was buying time. She was waiting for something, why else would she have to wait this long?
Raymond’s phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. Standing close enough to him, I could feel the vibration too. He picked it up, his eyes blank.
“Hello?” he asked, without glancing at the caller ID.
“What is it?” I asked him, wondering if something was wrong.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he was so quiet and frozen, his phone fell right out of his hand.
I looked back up at Bernice, I knew it! She was buying time, and apparently Raymond’s phone call was her signal.
“Liu Banking Co. has just bought up 35% percent of both Wu Enterprise and AVC Insurance. We are now share holders, able to compete with the chairman’s 40%. NG Enterprise has also provided us with a nice balance of 25% percent from their company alone, and so now, AVC, Wu, and NG are all branch enterprises under Liu Banking Co.” she spoke in a hurry, her eyes on one person I know. Ron.
Back to me, I couldn’t tell what Bernice was doing. When she handed me that envelope from Damian Lau, I knew he was somehow acquainted with her. Damian Lau, there is a high possibility he could be my uncle, and this would also explain why he’s doing all this. He could also be using Bernice Liu, but why? Why would he use her, and why would she let herself be used? These were questions arousing my mind, but I knew that the answer was within reach. That USB drive inside the envelope, I have to see what is in it. But, I have to see it without Raymond looking over my shoulder. Yet after what just happened, I’m sure Raymond would need some alone time. If I look at this scene from a different view, I’m simply a spectator, watching as three of Hong Kong’s strongest companies be swallowed whole by one interfering fourth party enterprise.
~*~
[Nancy’s Point of View]
What was going on?! How could Liu Co. have bought up 35% of my dad’s company without alerting us?! I rushed, looking for my father but he was nowhere to be found. Something has happened before hand, either we were set up for this, or it’s just a stir business bluff. I stopped to think, there was also a slim chance that my father wanted this to happen, after all the old man was quite business orientated and something this big couldn’t have passed him by so easily! I was getting frustrated. I must’ve ran through the entire place already, where was he?!
“Nancy!” Kenneth called, pulling me back.
I nearly fell but his arm was there to stop me. Regaining my balance, I waited for him to say something, anything at all.
“I’m gonna go help your dad. Something’s wrong with the company stocks and share holders. Can you stay here and find out from Bernice Liu what exactly is going on?” he asked in a hurry.
I nodded. “Go…my dad needs your help. If you find anything call me immediately.” I replied.
Kenneth hurried away as I tried looking for Bernice Liu. My entire world seemed to have taken on some adrenaline as everything seemed to be happening so fast. There was absolutely no more room for details as everything passes me by without a warning. First their engagement, now they’re buying up my dad’s company. Bernice Liu, Bernice Liu, what is she doing?! I nearly screamed out my thoughts as I tried looking for her. She was simply affecting my world too much. Someone I don’t even know that well is making my life harder and harder.
I found her, ran into her actually, but I found her. As we regained our balance, I couldn’t hold back. I grabbed her shoulder, pulling her to the side where we weren’t surrounded by thick crowds of panicking spectators.
“Is something wrong Miss Wu?” she asked me, her voice a cold innocence that disgusted me.
“Yes…why did you buy up our shares? 35 percent isn’t a small number, and by the looks of things I’m sure your parents had no knowledge of this either.” I replied after glancing at her parents.
She simply smiled, brushing my hand off. “This is a business world, companies constantly want to expand their hold, and what is better than having control of the strongest standing companies in the Hong Kong market?” she asked.
“You conniving little bitch!” I whispered a yell. “What are you trying to do? As if having Ron wasn’t enough, you try to take over the company too? Not only that, you’re taking over Raymond’s company. Raymond Lam! Your ex-boyfriend!” I slammed in her face, wondering if she’s even listening to me. How could Bernice Liu change her attitude so quickly?
“Look…unlike you I’m not going to lose my temper. Buying up Raymond and your company was a normal thing to do. My parents’ company needed room for expansion, and having a say in these companies prove that we can expand into the international market even stronger than before. As for you and Ron, I should be the one hating you. Ron is already engaged to me, yet you always show up, causing him to doubt almost everything in his life. He’s even doubting our engagement.”
“That’s because you’re a conniving little devil.” I interrupted. I knew my emotions are getting the better of me, but at the moment there was nothing else I could think of Bernice Liu other than a Lucifer who is purposely making my life difficult.
“What are you flipping out about?” she asked. “I thought you never cared about your father’s company? Aren’t you that spoiled brat who does nothing but party every night? I still don’t know how Ron could possibly have fallen for you when you two were younger. That’s right, I know all this. You and Ron, how you and Tavia Yeung are best friends, everything. Let me tell you something, Ron is engaged to me, which proves I’m more important in his world. As for your little friend Tavia…ha…she’s more than she looks. She may be using you and you don’t even know it.”
“That’s enough!” Ron’s strong voice interrupted our hush argument. I turned to him, his face unreadable but by the way things are, I couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated.
~*~
[Tavia’s Point of View]
No matter how much I enjoyed the sweet satisfaction of Dominic Lam’s fears and worries, I couldn’t stand how much Raymond is affected by this. I couldn’t do anything except sit here and watch as he tried to find a way out of this tricky situation, his head in his hand. We were sitting in his car after he rushed me out of the ballroom, hearing enough of Bernice’s horrid announcement. I have mixed feelings about this, one side was Dominic, and one side was Raymond.
“I just don’t get how this could happen…and how Bernice could do this.” He finally spoke.
I didn’t speak, I couldn’t speak, there was nothing for me to say.
“What I still don’t get is how 35% of the company be bought up like that so easily, without anyone noticing. Another thing I don’t get is how Bernice could do such a thing. She’s not the type of person that would do this, and…I just don’t know.” He sighed, slamming back on his head rest.
“It’s a business world Raymond…you can’t expect to see everything coming…and people can change. Maybe there’s more to it than that…after all she only announced that they have 35% of the company but not how they’d use it…and there could be something else to this.” I spoke, trying to remind him that we’re living in reality after all and anything can change within the blink of an eye.
“35%...” he mumbled. “I don’t know…and at first I was actually starting to feel a sense of accomplishment for keeping the company this stable. Now with Bernice buying up 35%, it’s like a stab in the back. She only needs another five percent to be equal with me, and another one percent the least to be in full control.”
“We’ll work something out, after all…you two are friends…I’m sure she’ll take that into account.”
He nodded. “Tavia…I really need your support right now…please don’t ever leave.”
I smiled. “I’m not ever going to leave…you don’t have to worry.”
~*~
[Ron’s Point of View]
I never imagined things to turn out this way, but at the moment, I am dragging my ex-girlfriend away from my fiancée. I don’t even know what to think of now, after Bernice announced that she has 25% of my company and 35% of Nancy and Raymond’s company, I just don’t know what to think about it. This could be why she was asking me all those questions a while ago, but yet how could she have done it? How could she have gotten this much control of all three companies without any of us seeing it coming?
“Let go of me!” Nancy fought back, roughly shaking my grasp off.
“What are you going to do?” I asked. “You can’t just go back there and claw at my fiancée.”
“You want to see me try?!” she asked, her voice raising and her eyes showing me her anger. “How many times is your sweet, innocent Bernice going to try to mess with my life? Sorry to mention it but first, you, and now my father’s company?! What is she trying to do?! I don’t even know her all that well and look what’s happening!”
“Stop it! Stop it!” I yelled, holding her back. I could see I’m hurting her with the strength I’m using to hold her back, but I’m afraid of what Nancy might do in rage. “We’ll work this out. Remember she’s holding 25% of my company too…I’m on the same boat as you.”
“We’re not on the same boat.” Nancy spoke, pushing me away once we got out of the ballroom. “A woman I don’t even know that well is holding 35% of my family company, and who knows what she’ll do with it?! You’re Ron Ng, you’re her fiancé, what will she do to you?! I know what happened to Tavia and her family, and I’m not going to let myself walk down the same path.”
“Nancy, listen…she’s my fiancée but I’m sure Bernice was just doing it because of her parents.”
“Didn’t you see the looks on their faces?! I didn’t even have to ask and know that they’re totally clueless!”
I leaned back, kicking the trash can beside the door for a second time tonight. At one point, Nancy was right. My own fiancée bought of 35% of Nancy’s company and Raymond, her ex-lover’s company, and she took over 25% of my company. We can’t predict what Bernice will do next, especially when her parents don’t even know about it, proving that she’s more capable than I ever imagined. What I’m still wondering is the reason. The reason why Bernice would do this. What exactly does she want? Everything is all so sudden, so unexpected, and so quiet that none of us saw it coming.
“What are you taking?” I asked once I saw Nancy swallow a couple white tablets, grimacing from the results of swallowing them dry without water.
“If you don’t want me to run back in there and kill her, just don’t ask any questions.”
“What were you taking Nancy? I know you’re not on any medication.” I asked again.
“Some pills to calm me down, happy?” she replied.
“Bernice couldn’t have possibly affected you this much.”
“How couldn’t she affect me?!” she asked, nearly yelling. “First she takes you away! Now she’s even going for my family company! As I said before, I’m not letting anything close to what Tavia went through happen to me!” she retorted, shaking my arm off yet again.
Nancy walked away, shaking her head slightly as she turned. Something was wrong, I watched as Nancy tried to balance herself, walking down a straight hallway heading for the elevators. For some reason, I couldn’t stop myself, I ran after her.
~*~
[Raymond’s Point of View]
I stopped by the pier, hoping Tavia wouldn’t mind how our night went horribly wrong. I didn’t want to get all depressed and confused in front of her, especially how far the end result was from the night we both had expected. I just couldn’t get why Bernice would do this. I would like to believe in the fantasy that I’ve just thought of. I’d like to believe that Bernice might be doing this because someone was making her. But yet, knowing Bernice so well, who could’ve made her do this? She was very strong and independent, so that fantasy of mine is thrown to the garbage. I leaned back on the metal bars separating us from the water below, my eyes falling on Tavia.
“I’m sorry…” I apologized. “I didn’t expect tonight to end so badly.”
“It’s not your fault. What just happened was totally out of your control, and besides…I should be the one saying sorry. I’m no help to you.” She sighed.
“As long as you’re not leaving me, everything will be fine…don’t worry.” I sighed, taking her hand and pulling her into my embrace.
Bernice was the past, and Tavia is the present. She is the one person standing here with me now, supporting me. One part I was trying to think of what to do next about this whole stock and shares thing, but another I was wondering about me and Tavia. For some reason, whenever I’m with this woman I just want to forget everything, let go of everything and just have her and her alone. In my world, it’s just Tavia and I. Why can’t reality be like that?
“What are you planning to do now?” she asked softly, her head rested on my shoulder.
“I don’t know…my dad is probably looking into this…and I guess I’ll just have to wait for his order. I feel so useless.” I laughed, I know Tavia could sense the bitterness in it, but what else could I do? “I can’t do anything right.”
“You still got me, and as long as I’m here I’ll help you with anything.”
“I know…I love you. I guess…we’ll just have to wait until tomorrow. We still don’t know what Liu Co. will do next, and there’s no point in trying to guess.” I sighed in defeat.
~*~
[Ron’s Point of View]
Nancy grabbed a bottle of hard liquor from the store which still shocked me how they could sell those to people so easily like that. I’ve been following her for a while now, and as each second passes, the more I saw her struggling to keep her balance. I’ve managed to push her into the direction where my apartment was, hoping that she’ll stay there for the time being since I don’t know where her apartment was.
Upon seeing that she nearly tripped, I ran up to her and picked her up. I don’t want to see Nancy getting hurt, and even though the ring on my finger warned me to stay away from her, I just can’t do it. I don’t get what Nancy was talking about earlier. She said something about the same or similar thing happening to Tavia and she wasn’t going to let anything close happen to her. What did she mean? Also, Nancy openly mentioned me, saying how Bernice took me away. I hate myself for even thinking this, but at that key moment I wanted to seal Nancy’s lips with mine, stopping her from saying anything else, stopping her from mentioning our painful past that we shared together.
I carried her up to my apartment, her arms trying to push me away but the liquor has decreased her strength. Before, when we were at the dance she could’ve pushed me away, and she could’ve possibly hurt Bernice, but now, after drowning herself in all that alcohol, Nancy never looked so weak.
I set her down gently on my bed. “I’d take you home…but I still want to watch over you so you won’t do anything rash. I’m sorry.” I whispered beside her ear, hoping she heard me.
“Ron…I’m sorry…I’m sorry I pushed you away…and I’m sorry I still love you…” she mumbled, trying to get off my bed as she opened her eyes.
I turned around, wondering what were the last words she just said. I picked her up, straightening her as I pulled the blanket over her, sitting at the bedside.
“It’s just that…after you left I didn’t know what to do. Every day I live with a single strand of hope that you’d come back, but then Bernice and you…it was just so confusing! I thought I got over you, I tried! But how come we always end up like this?” she asked, sitting up, her head falling on my shoulder.
“Nancy you’re drunk. We’ll talk more in the morning when you’re better.” I replied, helping her lay down.
“Don’t leave…please? Don’t leave…” she asked, pulling my hand back.
I sat down, pulling her into my lap hoping she’ll feel better. I didn’t expect it, but Nancy sat up and placed her lips on mine. She was waiting though, she only placed her lips on mine and she was waiting for me to respond. I didn’t know what to do now, Nancy was waiting for a response. Before I even made up my mind or straightened out my thoughts, she pulled back.
“Just tonight?” she asked. “I missed you so much, I missed it when you yelled at me for doing something stupid! I missed it when you argue with me but always end up losing. I missed it when you’d hold me and tell me everything will be alright…” I could see the tears in her eyes slowly falling down her beautiful face. “I love you so much. Do you know how much it hurts to see you and Bernice together? Do you know how much it hurts me, knowing that you’ll never ever love me again?” she sobbed.
I couldn’t take it. I grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to me, getting myself on top of her. “Shut up…” I whispered. “I hate seeing you cry…I’m sorry I hurt you…” I spoke, kissing her perfect lips.
I could hear my phone ringing as I kissed her, but I was in no mood to talk to anyone else right now. Just tonight, just for tonight Nancy and I will go back into the past. Just for one night we’ll go back years ago, when we were both so innocent, and so deeply in love with each other. Just tonight, Nancy was the only girl in my world. As we kissed, I couldn’t fight the urge to reach for her dress, pulling the zipper down slowly. I wiped her tears gently with my hand, still holding her close to me. We kissed again, again and again. It was just like before, just like before I left. I sat up for a moment, ripping my tie off, then my shirt and we went back to lip locking. I loved her so much, and regrettably enough, I’m afraid I still love her, just as much as before maybe even more.
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