=== November 7, 2011……7:15 a.m. === Their gazes at each other were strong and unbreakable, staring intently into the iris of the others. Nancy bit her lower lip lightly once she realized how much of a gamble it would be to quietly rescue Michelle off of the boat. As the speedboat came to a silent whisper on the water, Fala stepped away from the wheel and looked back at her sister. Ron had his arms folded, listening in on the conversation between Macy and Raymond as he tried to figure a way to get Michelle safely off the boat without causing an unwanted shoot-out. While the world seemed to be revolving around her, her eyes were fixed on the woman up ahead. Nancy had nearly forgotten the troublesome situation she was in and had drifted into her own world. Looking into Michelle’s eyes, Nancy’s long lost memories seemed to have returned to her entirely, perhaps even stronger and more vivid than before. Before her eyes she could see two chubby little girl, full of smiles as they watched their mother create lovely chocolate treats in the back kitchen of a bakery. [FLASHBACK] Scented with the delicious aroma of sweet, baked goods, the kitchen of the bakery, though lined with metal equipments, was still a warm and lovely place to be. The calendar said it was a Friday on a beautiful summer afternoon. Students had just gotten out of school and the day seemed to have just started all over again. Inside the kitchen, a woman stood beside the large metal table centered in the middle of the kitchen, her hands stirring back and forth a large batch of batter. In front of her sat two little girls, their smiles lined with the white icing of a stuffed pastry. Little sounds of laughter and giggles could be heard as the hours drifted by. “You two are so naughty today,” the mother smiled, bringing over a new batch of batter. “Fala’s just learning how to eat. I’ve got to make sure she gets to try every single thing here!” the little girl in a small pony tail and polka-dotted dress laughed as she gently fed yet another piece of brownie into her sister’s mouth. “Nancy, careful. Fala’s teeth haven’t grown all in yet,” the woman smiled as she wiped her hands on her apron. “I know mommy!” the girl replied in a high pitched smile. The woman walked around the table, wiping the icing off of the two little girls’ smiling faces. She laughed in a gentle and warm tone when the older sister of the two managed to place icing on the tip of her nose. She shook her head and laughed when the little girl replied with a puppy face and covered her mouth, giggling. [END OF FLASHBACK] Her eyes were off in the distance somewhere as she rekindled the sweet memories of her childhood, carefully filtering out each one. Nancy must’ve accidentally let out a smile as Ron turned his eyes to her and saw that she and Michelle both had the very same expression. Looking between Michelle and Nancy, Ron saw how the expressions on their faces are nearly in-sync and how strongly Nancy resembled Michelle, from eyes to lips and possibly even to the personality. He held Nancy’s hand in his, squeezing it just a little tighter to bring her heart and mind back to reality, in a situation where her mother’s life was laid out before her. Nancy turned to him both exchanging glances that questioned each other what to do next. “Where did you drift off to?” he asked her quietly, noticing that Fala was still on the boat, listening intently to the conversation between Macy, Raymond and now Tavia as well. “Childhood memories,” Nancy sighed. “She must’ve just had the same thing happen to her,” Ron pointed out. “Your mother, Michelle.” “You saw?” she asked. A short moment afterwards, Nancy let out a small sound of laughter, bittersweet right down to the smile she gave him. “I doubt she did. Look at her. She’s a triad now, not the gentle and motherly woman that I remembered. They’re all distant memories now.” “She’s still your mom,” Ron reminded her with a tight squeeze to her hand. “Now we still have to find a way to get her off the boat safely.” Nancy’s expression turned straight as she looked back up at the boat. “I’ve got an idea,” she began. She then turned to Ron with a serious expression on. “But you could say it’s a little reckless. Can you trust me on this one?” “I’ve trusted you many times before. Though you tend to raise my blood pressure a bit, things tend to turn out alright,” Ron sighed. “If I cover you, do you think the chances of success would be greater?” he questioned. Seeing his sudden understanding and giving into her ideas, Nancy slipped out a small, gentle smile. “100%,” she replied assuring him of her plan. “Tell Fala not to worry.” From the corner of his eyes, Ron saw that Bosco had been waiting patiently in position, his gun in his hand and showed not a moment of holding back. He glanced over at Kate who stood still, nearly invisible with her gun out of sight. It stirred him how she wasn’t even planning on helping, but he would have to tend to that matter a bit later. As he turned back, both he and Fala saw Nancy swing off of the speedboat, hanging onto a side rope that hung from the larger boat just below where Macy stood. He covered Fala’s mouth just as she was about to speak and whispered something nearly inaudible to her. Fala settled down and bit her lower lip slightly, watching as Nancy swung steadily and quietly from the rope onto a stronger railing of the ship. Ron pulled Fala back behind him as he quietly took his gun out, placed the silencer on and cocked it in preparation. His eyes straight, he found his target immediately, following the tip of his gun to her every movement on the bow of the ship. Fala took over the radio, speaking something into it, quiet enough so as not to stir unwanted attention, but loud enough for the receiver on the other end of the line to hear her. “Bosco, Ron said to position your shot for Macy’s gun. Nancy’s going up there so be careful not to shoot her.” It surprised her a bit as Bosco gave her a quick response. That must’ve been the first time Bosco had spoken directly to her, and he had a sweet, childish voice that she could get used to. “No worries doctor, I’ll be careful not to lay a scratch on your sister. Wouldn’t want you and Ron after me,” he laughed. She could see his confident smile behind his sunglasses from far away as he hung up the radio on her. Her usual impression of Bosco was suddenly questioned when she noticed a distinct glow around him, enhancing his simple features and even making him look quite attractive. She herself was surprised. What was with all her choices in guys recently? First, triad boy Ruco, and now the usual sloppy mess Bosco. Fala sighed and shook her head, pulling herself back to the current situation. What was she doing, thinking about silly nonsense at such a crucial time? === The sun was climbing to a higher point in the sky as minutes passed quickly before her. Macy’s voice was becoming dry as she yelled across the open waters to Raymond, convincing him to let go of whatever or whoever was holding him back and leave with her. It had occurred to her that no matter how much she convinced him, Raymond still wasn’t going to take one step out of Hong Kong with her. The only thing left for her to do then was kick start the engine that had been warmed up. Then push the old woman who stood in front of her overboard. Her options were limited before her, but she still wasn’t going to leave until she tried her hardest on changing Raymond’s mind. All those nights she had spent with him, though they talked very little to each other, she felt something very strong towards him. She had felt something so strong that she was willing to risk all that she had to get him to be hers and hers alone, even going past the point of no return. She wasn’t going to leave him so easily, not after everything that she had done and everything that she had gone through to get him. Macy stopped a moment and swallowed, trying to refresh her throat with whatever traces of liquid she had in her mouth and she spoke again. “Why won’t you leave with me?” Macy yelled across the open space between them. “You said it yourself very often, you’ve always wanted to get away from this wretched city. Well here’s your chance! Why won’t you take it?” He was caught in a twist of surprise and disbelief as he watched the innocent and shy little girl he once knew turn into such a messed up street woman. Raymond held back his thoughts for a slight moment. His plan was going to drag it out as long as possible for the cops to do their job, until he turned and out of the corner of his eyes he saw Tavia. She was standing up arm distance away, her hands gripping the railing tightly as she watched, worried. Just seeing her beside him, seeing the way her eyes were looking far out and occasionally turning back to him, they just make him want to yell out whatever he was thinking. He wanted both her and Macy to know that because of Tavia, he had nearly abandoned his past plans and want to start anew with a different name to him. He wanted them to know that because of Tavia, he didn’t want to be a player and ‘love’ multiple hearts at the same time anymore. Lastly, he wanted Tavia to know, for it to come to her knowledge, that for her he felt something he couldn’t explain, something he really liked, and something he would love to have forever. “I won’t take that chance because there are things left in Hong Kong I still have yet to do!” Macy’s expression showed confusion as she stared back at him. “What do you still have to do?” Something came to his mind at that moment, something good and very clever actually. He discreetly glanced at Tavia for a moment, seeing that she had now fixed her gaze directly on both him and Macy at an angle. Raymond knew that to stir Macy’s attention away from Michelle and allowing the cops to do their job easier, he would have to make her really mad. “I’m in love with a woman in Hong Kong!” he screamed his heart out. “…and I can’t leave until that woman agrees to admit that I’m her boyfriend and promise to marry me!” He watched as Macy’s curiosity and frustration got the better of her as she stepped forward on the bow, away from Michelle and closer to Raymond. Tavia was now in shock. She shot yet another brief glance at her and she seemed to be frozen in her stance. He knew that he had just stirred Macy up enough for her attention to be on him for a little bit longer. What he didn’t know was what was going on in Tavia’s mind. Raymond sighed, fishing for more words to say to keep Macy’s attention. As for Tavia, he will have to have a proper one on one conversation with her later. Finally, from behind Macy, he could see a small figure, knowing it was Nancy’s, sneak up onto the boat and quietly making her way to Michelle. === Slyly, she had managed to get herself onto the front of the boat in silence. It had never occurred to her but climbing a boat in silence really took a lot of effort as she feared that with one noise Macy would turn around and who knows what she would do. Quietly, she snuck over to Michelle, the woman who stood there, staring back at Nancy with gentle eyes, waiting to be rescued. She turned her body around, holding her hands out first, waiting as the stranger with a shocking familiarity came closer to her. Nancy could feel her heartbeat rising as each step she took brought her closer to her own mother. It frustrated her, killing her on the inside how she couldn’t scream and vent all her frustrations on that woman. She ignored her temptation to do so and instead only came over in silence and began untying the woman. “Thank you officer,” the woman spoke quietly. Nancy’s heart nearly stopped at the sound of her voice. How many years has it been since Nancy had heard that voice again? She could still remember the soft ring and the warmth it had to it. Tears came to her eyes and her hand shook for a short moment. What was she going to do afterwards? After rescuing Michelle, will she end up in a game of cat and mouse with her own mother, or will they be able to recover all those lost years? Pain came to her when more memories of the past came back, unfiltered. She remembered exactly the day Michelle left both Nancy and Fala for her own selfishness. “Miss?” Michelle questioned, wondering what was taking Nancy so long. She quickly blinked away the tears gathered in her eyes and continued untying the tight knot. She laughed sullenly, “How do I untie this knot?” Nancy asked. She didn’t know whether she was asking herself or the woman before her. She definitely didn’t know whether she was asking about the physical knot in her hand or the knot her life was in. “Don’t rush, it will eventually loosen up,” Michelle replied wisely. Nancy knew Michelle was simply referring to the physical knot in their hands, but in Nancy’s mind, those words could nicely apply to her life’s knot. “Raymond seemed to have things under control. That should give you enough time. Who is that girl beside him? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her before.” She brought herself back into the game. It must’ve been the tenth time she had drifted off into her mind that day. Nancy recalled the words Raymond had declared earlier. She knew they were meant for Tavia, but it surprised her a bit as it came from someone like Raymond. “She’s the girl he’s mentally speaking to,” Nancy replied. === “Raymond Lam!” Macy yelled. “Why did you have to lure me in so deep?!” That was just the push they needed. Tavia’s eyes were wide and surprised, staring back at him in silence. Raymond was silent to her, unknowingly swaying closer to her. He then turned back to Macy. She was now bent over the railing of the bow, screaming something at him, tears forming in her eyes. He admitted it was cruel, but he needed to get Macy far away from Michelle and Nancy. Seeing Nancy nearly finished in untying Michelle, Raymond screamed back, now more serious than before, hoping to keep Macy’s attention for just a little longer. “I’m sorry!” he yelled. “I just never expected things to turn out this way! I never expected you to change so much for me! I’m very sorry Macy! But I can’t lie to myself either! Sure before I wanted to get out of Hong Kong very badly, but now I have found something that makes me want to stay. I’m so sorry!” Tavia placed her hand on his, not knowing what to say, unsure of what to believe, and puzzled on what she should do next. Raymond turned around for a brief moment, looking into her eyes. Something he had said suddenly made all the world matter to her. She watched as Macy slammed her fist on the metal railing, tears streaming. Tavia could see the pain that streamed through Macy’s body. She thought all women could. But yet, though Tavia felt sympathy for her, she understood the situation Raymond was in. She sighed. Blinded by her tears, Macy knew of nothing else to do. She felt a piercing pain in her somewhere, somewhere she couldn’t pinpoint exactly where it was. Her left hand came up, wiping her tears away as he right turned backwards, finger on the trigger and ready to fire at the woman she was certain still stood behind her. Macy’s sudden movement caught Nancy by surprise as she hurried to untie Michelle’s legs. Nancy was then rushing more than ever but as he attempts came harder, so did the knot. From behind her she could hear the sound of the safety on the gun clicking. As a cop, she herself knew better than anyone that the sound of the trigger being pulled would come very soon after. The sound of a gunshot bang rang through all their ears. Her mind froze and she admitted that no matter how much harder she tried the knot wouldn’t come undone. She didn’t bother to think as she pushed herself off of the floor and grabbed Michelle, jumping over the railing of the boat and into the open water. She took a breath and hung on tightly to the woman as they jumped head first into the sea, the water crashing against them. It was cold and somehow painful for her. Pain shot near her shoulder and for a second there she couldn’t move. === The smoke could faintly be seen leaving the tip of the black pistol that was held tightly in Bosco’s hand. He looked up from his aim, keeping the gun in position in case he needed another shot. Glad, he let out a sigh once he saw Ron swing himself up on the boat, over the railing and onto Macy. The vivid red color of blood could be seen from Macy’s hand as she tried to reach for the gun that was shot out and now laying yards away from her. Ron took her hand and bent it backwards with force, not caring whether he was hurting her or not. He had something else to worry about, something even greater than his own life. As he quickly pulled out his handcuff, Macy’s other hand had managed to throw a strong and stinging punch at the side of his face. The pain stung him and made him flinch, knowing a bruise was already forming on impact. He continued to pin her down, pushing his weight on her legs as he managed to get one handcuff on her wriggling body. “Ron I can’t see Nancy!” Fala screamed. He could see the speedboat Raymond was on come closer to him. Ron finally managed to get the metal handcuff roughly around Macy’s other wrist as she continue to fight him. He let go of her and pushed himself across the boat floor, his heart desperate to jump into the water. Ron’s one small worry about Macy escaping again was eased when Bosco had gotten up and held her down. He continued on his path, jumping over the metal railing and diving head first into the water. His figure was nearly perfect as a diver as he jumped. Water splashed up like a wave as he got underwater, kicking and pulling himself lower down to look for her. “Let me go!” Macy squealed, kicking and screaming as tears continued to leave her eyes. Bosco had lost his grip for a mere second and she was already on her feet but luckily Raymond had pushed himself on top of her, hugging her and pinning her down at the same time. He held her tight as she tried to push him away. Tavia saw her eyes behind those tears, looking back at her angrily. “Stop it!” Raymond yelled, pinning her down with force but careful not to cause anymore pain that he already had. “Detective Wong I got her, don’t worry,” Raymond sighed. “So close,” Macy sighed in defeat after a while of struggling. “If only I didn’t care about you as much,” she sighed. “I’m sorry,” Raymond spoke. “Macy I’m sorry but I can’t love you when I’ve already got someone else,” he sighed. He then looked up at Tavia who stood speechless, watching him. She didn’t move and her expression was unreadable. At that moment they felt like time had stopped. Tavia could see the sincerity in Raymond’s eyes and that was when it hit her like a speeding truck in her face. She was the one. She was the one he was talking about and she was the one he loved. Unsure of how to respond and what to say, she blinked hard and scurried over to the side of the boat, to the side where Nancy and Ron had jumped from. Tavia bent over, scanning the water. She turned back and looked at Raymond, avoiding eye contact with him, at least until she was certain of how she felt towards him and was able to put her feelings into words. “I’m going to go help Fala pull Ron, Nancy, and Michelle up,” she spoke. === For a moment, water blinded his eyes and stung so badly that he couldn’t see where he was diving in to. After those few seconds of darkness, Ron’s eyes had already nullified the pain and was now desperately searching around, looking for the stubborn woman he fell hopelessly in love with. He kept kicking and swimming deeper and deeper into the water, until he finally saw her. He saw her small body, kicking hard to push not only herself but a woman very close to her as well up and out of the water. While she kicked she scrambled to untie Michelle’s feet. He could see that Nancy was losing energy, and quickly. As fast as he could, he pulled his way over to her. Ron could see Nancy’s shining eyes, glad to see him as he placed his hands over hers to help her untie her knot. He held her hands tight in his, pulling and guiding her finger through her movement, and slowly, finally the knot became undone. The next thing he knew, he had gripped her waist, pulled her close to him and was pushing Michelle alongside her up to the surface. Fala was growing worried, leaning over the swaying water, hoping that sometime soon a familiar face would pop up and alert her that they were all alright. She feared her sister’s stubbornness, knowing Nancy would do something as stupid as jump into salty water with an open wound, and she knew Ron would definitely jump in after her even after his light was nearly knocked out by an amazing side punch. As for that woman, she remembered Michelle was her name, the woman they had all been searching for, for some odd reason, Fala felt a strange connection with her. It was a connection that she couldn’t explain logically. That woman, her face was totally new to her. She was nothing more than a stranger. But yet, how come she didn’t feel like a stranger? Instead she felt like… “Nancy!” Tavia screamed. The two girls on the boat leaned as far over as they could with open arms, waiting to pull the tired couple and mysterious woman out of the water. Nancy didn’t flinch from the pain the water was causing on her wound, something that didn’t surprise any of them. Ron stayed in the water the longest, his right cheek swollen blue as he ignored the sting and lifted Michelle, then Nancy up onto the small, already crowded speedboat. Once they all got on, Fala had already started the engine and were heading back to land. Michelle sat beside Tavia, her eyes watching both Nancy and Fala intently, puzzled as to why she felt a strange feeling towards them. It was a warm feeling, but strange. Nancy leaned back in Ron’s arm but she pulled back once her shoulder unknowingly collided with his chest, causing her wound to sting to the point of tears. She kept quiet though, not even a sound came out of her. Ron carefully placed his arm around her, pulling her closer. Michelle, the woman who didn’t know she was so close to her own flesh and blood, sat quietly, watching the stubborn little girl who seemed so much like herself. === November 7, 2011……11:30 a.m. === They’ve been at it for hours and it was finally time to give it a rest. Ron had surprised himself yet again that day, allowing someone like Raymond to stand there, shoulder to shoulder beside him, watching Bosco as he showed his professionalism in interrogating Macy. Sadly the only thing they managed to get from her was her awkward and apparently undying love for Raymond. Bosco’s eyebrows were shuffled together in the interrogation room as he tried to ask her about her support and aids but all she would give him in reply was her seemingly endless memories with the infamous player. Ron noticed that both he and Raymond had their arms folded and wore nearly the same expression as they watched the interrogation. It irritated him how alike he was to Raymond at that point, but he wouldn’t feel comfortable in changing himself just to have a distinct difference from Raymond. No matter, even if Raymond was a triad member, whatever happened that day had proven more than enough to Ron that under certain circumstances, Raymond was a great help to have. He sighed to himself at the realization. “I really need to stop giving to Nancy’s reckless behaviors,” Ron sighed to himself inaudibly. “Seems as if it’s all over now and things should be back to normal,” Raymond began as he placed his hand on his chin. “But yet I still feel like there’s something wrong.” “To be honest, no matter how much I hate to agree with you, I have the same feeling.” “Michelle’s return was a huge secret, the only outside person I’d expect to uncover it was Kevin Cheng. Macy wouldn’t know anything and the people she associates with in the gang wouldn’t know anything either. I have a feeling that Macy is somehow tied with Kevin.” Ron nodded for a moment. “We’ve followed Kevin Cheng’s activities overseas for quite awhile. From what I can see, I think that he’s manipulating her to take Michelle out. As you said when you asked us to look for Michelle, she came back to fight with Kevin over the main power in 14K. It wouldn’t be surprising for Kevin to want to take Michelle out of the picture before things began.” He glanced over at Raymond, observing his reaction and indeed it was a face Ron had expected from the way things had turned out. “I actually agree with you,” Raymond laughed. He then completely turned and faced Ron with an unreadable but yet pleasant smile across his face. “You know Detective Ng; you’re not such a dick after all. You take care of your girl, do your job right, and have the right ideals,” Raymond smiled as he held out his hand, waiting for a firm shake. Ron was reluctant for a moment, but from all the events that day, he ended up shaking Raymond’s hand anyways. “I wouldn’t expect things like this to happen again too often. I feel like I should keep a closer eye on my fiancée, after all it was her who dragged me into this.” “Give her some room. I think your fiancée is a free spirit, restricting her would only stir fights.” Again, no matter how much he hated to admit it, Raymond was right… === The break room of the police office reeked with a strong and odd smell as the day went by. The sweet aroma of coffee was enhanced five times by Bosco’s cruel attempt to stay awake and force the answers out of Macy if he had to. Along with the scent of coffee, there was also a strong scent of rubbing alcohol, ones not for drinking but used to clean open wounds. “Oh shit!” Nancy accidently screamed in a high pitched voice as she shifted into biting her lower lip. Her face cringed and twisted in pain, so obvious even someone like her couldn’t hide it. “Sit still!” Fala insisted as she peered closer to Nancy’s burning wound, trying to be gentler as she dabbed it lightly with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol. “You’re so reckless, why did you jump into the water?” “I thought I was going to get shot!” Nancy replied, partially laughing as she looked up to Tavia’s confused facial expression. Tavia shook her head and sat down beside Nancy. “Just try not to be reckless for the next couple of days. I think you’ve made Ron and Fala’s blood pressure rise enough for a few days. Even Raymond gave you a fun nickname,” she smiled warmly when mentioning Raymond’s name. “What is it?” Nancy asked, noticing that discreet smile of Tavia’s. “He calls you an amusingly reckless cop,” Tavia laughed. “Hmm,” Nancy replied with a smile. “I don’t know whether to take offense to that or take it as a compliment. But on a side note, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for him.” “What do you mean?” Tavia backed up nervously. “I’ve known you longer than most people. You’re feeling something for him aren’t you?” “No! Of course not!” Tavia replied. “I know, don’t try to hide it. You can lie to anyone but me,” Nancy laughed. “God! Fala! Ouch!” “Stop moving! If you’re going to question Tavia then sit still and do it,” Fala sighed. “I can’t believe you’re my older sister. If I ever meet mom I’m going to ask her if she somehow mistook us for one another and that I’m the older one!” Fala’s eyes widened slightly once she realized which territory of Nancy’s heart she had accidently wandered into, once again. Tavia stayed quiet, watching them and anticipating Nancy’s reaction. Much to her surprise, Nancy shook her head and…laughed it off? “Yeah if you ever meet her again you can ask that. Also ask her to find a good guy for you to marry too! I’ve been waiting for a brother-in-law for ages!” Her eyes lit up when she could see slight signs of blushing on Tavia’s face. A subtle knock came to their ears as the three girls turned to the open entrance way where an aged woman with a gentle face, warm eyes and welcoming smile stood looking in at them. She felt reserved at first, being the center of attention and having to interrupt their active conversation. Tavia took the chance she had and rushed out of the break room, her cheeks growing red with each second. The woman laughed awkwardly as she took slow steps in. “I’m sorry I’m interrupting,” she smiled. “It’s ok, I’m just about done here,” Fala replied in a warm voice. “You two can talk. I still have to go get DNA samples from Macy. In the heat of things I nearly forgot,” she laughed and left the room as Nancy tidied her shirt and sat awkwardly before Michelle. Bewildered, she didn’t know how to render what she saw in front of her. Never could she imagine the day when she would actually see her own mother again and actually be able to sit down and talk to her. Deep down in her heart, Nancy felt nostalgic and fulfilled. The one thing that ruined the sweet feeling of reunion for her was the fact that Michelle didn’t even know that she was their mother. The irony of the whole situation was how oblivious her mother was. “Thank you,” Michelle began. “You’re wounded and you had to stay in the water so long to help me. It must be very painful,” she spoke softly. In her mind, Nancy didn’t know which was more painful. The wound on her back or the fact that she was so close to her mother but she couldn’t expel her emotions onto her. She wanted to yell at Michelle, screaming and asking her why she left them. Then she wanted so badly to hug her, to hold her again and feel like the old days when she actually saw no fault in life. Nancy smiled, her smile discreetly hiding its bitterness behind the mask. “It was nothing. It is my job to protect people. Besides, I can’t just let you fall, that’d be wrong of me.” Michelle laughed and took Nancy’s hand. “You remind me so much of myself. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were my daughter,” she spoke, her tone unreadable. Nancy could feel her heart tighten and her eyes nearly watered if she wasn’t self conscious of herself at that moment. She strained herself to remain discreet and subtle. It was hard, but she fought back her growing desire to yell and scream at Michelle, to release all the questions and emotions she had held back for years. But at that moment, she just couldn’t. She didn’t want to come off on the wrong end with Michelle, not with the already oh so delicate relationship they have and the future troubles she knew was bound to come with their polar opposite status in society. “This must be very odd, the first time in history probably,” Michelle continued softly. “But even though I’m a part of the triad, I feel as though we could be great friends. Too bad it’s your job to put be behind bars and my job to pull as many tricks behind your back as possible. If we didn’t have our statuses today, maybe you’d be happy to join me for coffee some time?” “Yeah, if not for our status,” Nancy mumbled. “I don’t really understand the life you have, but take care and be careful from now on. At the end of the day you’re still just a woman and still very delicate. Watch your back in that treacherous world. I know you’re at odds with Kevin Cheng so try not to get killed before I put you behind bars.” Her voice shook as she spoke those words, but no other thought could come to her mind as she was suppressing most of her true feelings. Maybe it was a good start to warn Michelle about the darkness in the streets. Michelle nodded and smiled, a smile Nancy couldn’t erase from her memories even if she wanted to. “I won’t die before you catch me, but I won’t let you catch me either.” She sat there, dwelling into a variety of topics with a stranger who had just risked her own life to save hers. Michelle couldn’t understand why, but she felt awfully close to this girl. She would blindly explore the strange feeling of warmth and closeness even more if not for the gap between their statuses. After that day, she knew she wouldn’t be able to associate with such a girl again, so it was best to make such a strange moment last and answer all her questions then. The feeling she had was faint, but exchanging words with Nancy, she felt like she was talking to her own daughter. There were so many similarities in them from the smiles to the eyes and then to the very name. Mentally she backed up. This detective who had just saved her couldn’t be her Nancy. She had been sure to leave her two daughters in the mainland where they’d be safer from the exchanges of the city, and surely fate wouldn’t play such a twist on her as to place her own daughter on the very force trying to catch her. No, life isn’t that unpredictable.
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