Chapter 28: Faithful Encounters
[Raymond’s Point of View]
As I awoke I could feel her breath softly sliding down my chest. Opening my eyes, I saw Tavia’s gentle face, lying asleep in my arms. She wiggled in place as I pulled the blanket over her bare shoulders. With great care, I caressed her face, kissing her forehead as gently as I could. I saw a soft smile forming on her face as she slowly opened her eyes. It took her only a short moment to adjust to the sunlight shining through my windows, and she pulled up, resting her head on my shoulder. I pulled her closer, able to feel her warmth and gentle skin resting on me. We both looked out the open window as a warm and gentle breeze swept in.
“Thank you, Raymond.” She breathed, snuggling closer to me.
“You don’t have to thank me,” I replied. “I’ll do anything for you and you know that.”
She laughed softly, “You’re always so cheesy.” Then she suddenly hugged me tighter. “But I like you like that,” she added.
“Well thank you, but I don’t see it as being cheesy. I think it’s romantic,” I smiled.
Just then, we both suddenly heard a soft, muffled knock on my door. Tavia turned and looked. She wore a surprised expression on her face as she looked back at me. I was positive that my dad was still on a business trip somewhere in the mainland, and so the person outside should only be my mom. Since my mom already knew everything, there was no use keeping her out.
“What if your dad comes in?” Tavia asked worried about the shock she could cause.
“No, I’m sure he’s still in mainland on a business trip, and Steven is sleeping at a friend’s house. It’s probably just my mom.”
She nodded. “So should I get changed?”
“No this should be quick. Just cover up though,” I smiled as I slipped my pants on and grabbed a t-shirt hanging on my chair. As I walked over, I pulled the shirt on and opened the door. Wearing a bright smile, I expected to see my mom at the door.
“Raymond! There’s something we really need to talk about,” my dad’s voice suddenly echoed the room when I opened the door.
My heart froze immediately, and I was sure Tavia’s did too. What was going to happen next when my dad saw Tavia lying on my bed? I was caught speechless when he pushed the door fully open and invited himself in.
“Raymond, I came home early from the mainland because I’ve just found out a new improvement for AVC,” he smiled as he walked in. “How about we sit…” My dad suddenly stopped short, and his eyes fell on the half naked girl lying on my bed with only my bed covers over her. Time literally froze for us.
Tavia’s eyes were filled with surprise and shock as she returned the stare my father gave her.
“Dad, maybe we should talk somewhere else,” I suggested.
“Dominic you left your files in the study,” my mom suddenly walked in.
Now within a matter of seconds, my entire family is gathered in my room, witnessing my time with Tavia. One person allowed me to do as I wish, and the other was strict on keeping far away from my so-called enemy. Silence engulfed all of us for what seemed like forever.
“Raymond,” my dad suddenly spoke up, his voice shaky. “What is she doing here?”
I couldn’t answer him. What could I say to him after that question? “D…dad,” I murmured.
“Raymond, tell me why Tavia Yeung is lying naked in your bed!” His voice rose in an instant, and his expression shot daggers into me.
I glanced quickly at my mom, and struggling to reply him, I let it out anyway. “Dad, she’s my girlfriend and I’m serious with her.”
“I don’t care who you date, but I’ve clearly asked you to end your relationship with Miss Yeung! Why pull that thread any further when we all know that it will never end well?!”
“Dad, listen to me. I’m sorry but,” I stopped when he fell against the wall, gripping his chest.
“Dominic!” My mom called, helping him stand as he gripped his chest tightly and gasped for air. I held him up to help her, and from the corner of my eye I could see that Tavia had quickly finished dressing. She rushed over to us, wearing a worried face.
“Michelle, I’m so sorry,” she apologized.
“We’ll talk about this later Tavia,” my mom replied with gentleness in her soft voice. “Raymond, hurry and get your dad to the hospital,” she urged me in a calm breath.
I nodded and pulled my father’s arm over my head, helping him downstairs as quickly as I could. From behind, Tavia and my mom rushed quickly behind us. My sights were headed for the black sedan parked in front of my front doors, and racing down the hall I rushed my dad into the car. He was still gasping for air as his lungs choked and gagged, and my heart quickly sank with each passing second.
~*~
[Tavia’s Point of View]
With Raymond’s dad still unconscious in the hospital, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of guilt streaming through my body. As I leaned on the hard metal bar that separated me from the road, I stared out into the busy streets. I waited quietly for Raymond to get his car to drive me home, but as I waited I hated the awful silence that enveloped me. Standing in the middle of Hong Kong, I couldn’t understand why I felt the silence creep up to me. It was a horrible feeling, something that reminded me of all the past mistakes I’ve made.
“Tavia,” someone suddenly called.
I turned around, surprised to see Damian standing there. He wore a wide smile but behind his thick sunglasses I could see the dark ambitions in his eyes. I stood straight up, growing wary of him and his unpredictable self. I waited a minute for him to talk, but during that brief second, his grin seemed to have mocked me.
“Good news right?” he asked me. I was a bit confused but I continued to listen. “Dominic is in the hospital, and ironically, someone had just transferred me a nice amount of shares from the company. Someone took the troubles away from our plan,” he grinned.
I was utterly surprised to see who else would be dumb enough to take Damian’s side in this case. “Who gave you the shares?” I asked him.
“That fool, Steven Ma,” he laughed. “He racked up all the remaining shares from the shareholders and gave them to me, for a rather large amount. He wanted twelve million dollars, but of course, it was a small price to pay for something as large as AVC.”
“Steven sold you those shares?! Who else knows about this?”
“I’m pretty sure no one. This just happened this morning, and I myself was caught by surprise. No matter, now I have 30% of AVC, if I can just take up either Miss Liu’s portion or that fox Dominic’s, AVC will be ours for the taking.”
“I’m not interested in your plan so don’t include me,” I interrupted him before he went any further. “I’ve decided, and I want out.”
“Tavia, I thought that the only reason you got back together with that fool of yours, Raymond, was because you wanted his share of the company.”
“I got back together with Raymond because I needed him and I love him, not because of the stupid company,” I argued. “Besides, what do I get in return? Since Michael is still alive, why don’t he just got and fight back his company, why put me in this?!”
“Don’t disrespect your father. We’ve been trying to take the company back for years. Now we’ve finally got a chance, and I can’t let it slip away.” His voice began to rise.
“You can’t let this slip? This is all about you and him. Because of this company, my mother got killed!” I couldn’t believe what just rolled out of my mouth, but in a different perspective, it was true. Because of this stupid company and their twisted game, my mother got killed.
“Tavia what’s wrong?” Raymond’s protective voice suddenly interrupted us. I saw him walk in and he immediately stood between me and Damian, setting a clear barrier of protection for me. “Mr. Lau, I’m warning you. If you don’t stop bugging Tavia, I will report this to the police.”
“Raymond, I was only paying my niece a little visit and having a conversation with her, is that so bad?” Damian asked calmly.
“Please leave,” Raymond spoke. I could tell he was restraining himself.
“Alright, give your dad my regards. By the way, the next board meeting is coming up. I’ve got an announcement to make there if you don’t mind. It’ll be quite exciting.” He imprinted us with a smirk that harbingered something bad before he left. I watched in surprise wondering how and why I ever decided to follow him at one point in our game.
“Tavia, what’s wrong? I heard you raise your voice, and rarely do you ever do that.” Raymond spoke in the most gentle way ever. It comforted me as I relaxed in his presence.
“Nothing, he just mentioned some things I really don’t want to remember,” I shook my head, hoping not to bring more worries to Raymond.
“Do you know what his announcement will be?”
I hesitated for a moment, but thinking back, I really couldn’t come up with any excuses this time around. I sighed, “Steven sold him the remaining shares. Now besides you and Bernice, Damian holds 30% of your company.”
Raymond froze immediately. “Please don’t tell my parents, I’ll handle this myself.”
Again, I could see that Raymond was holding back a lot of emotions. I could understand his anger if he ever got angry at me. His dad was in the hospital right now, all because of me, and Michelle was worried to death. Then Raymond finds out his trusted cousin sold the remaining company shares to Damian, of course anyone would find it hard to hold back. I held Raymond’s hands tightly, hoping to show to him that I’m here to help.
In my mind though, I couldn’t help thinking and calculating. All my plans, because of Raymond I’ve put them on hold. But maybe, now is the time to bring them all out again. Besides, I’ve still got the support of another unpredictable player in the game, Kenneth Ma. As thoughts ran through my head, I looked up at Raymond. His eyes held a blank stare to somewhere far, far away. He hugged me tight as we both looked out onto the busy streets, wondering why we were the only ones enveloped by a bubble of silence.
Feeling Raymond’s warmth around me, it felt like the warmth pressed some sort of button inside me. All the plans, calculations, and risks I hid away in the back of my mind came rushing back, and that was then I mentally pulled away from Raymond. Our game has to end as soon as possible before anything or anyone else gets hurt, and I think I might have just the right move to play.
~*~
[Raymond’s Point of View]
A couple days have passed after my dad settled in at the hospital. Troubled by the many things that have appeared in the past couple days, I sat quietly in a corner of a serene café. Hoping to relax myself, I couldn’t help but think of Tavia. Ever since her change, we’ve both turned and became so calculating and questionable. In my head, I couldn’t help but wonder what her intentions are of getting back together with me. I felt hurt that I doubted the person I love, but from things that have happened to us, I couldn’t help but wonder.
“Raymond, why did you want to meet me?” Bernice’s voice suddenly rang my ears.
I looked up as she sat down, placing her heavy purse to the side as she began to stir her warm cup of coffee. “Can’t I just have a conversation with you as a friend?” I asked her, wondering why lately I haven’t been able to converse with many people.
“Sure,” she smile, taking a small sip of the coffee. “How have things been going in the interesting life of Mister Raymond Lam?”
“Troublesome,” I sighed. “Did you know that Steven sold the remaining shares from the smaller shareholders to Damian?”
“Really,” she replied with only a slight bit of surprise. “Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t got a chance to talk to him yet. For the past couple of months he’s been hiding out at Kenneth’s place. I rarely get to see him. I don’t know what his intentions are, what he’s planning, and why he’s doing this.”
“Maybe he needed the money?” Bernice suggested. “Not many people know this, but both you and I know that Steven has a thing with stocks and gambling.”
“It can’t be because of that. Steven hasn’t made a pit in years, and he wouldn’t be foolish enough to do this now. He must have a reason for this,” I replied, mumbling.
“Raymond,” Bernice sighed. “Everyone has a reason for everything they do, but you just never know if they are good or bad. Maybe Steven just needed the money to patch up some trades, or maybe he’s planning something else, who knows. My suggestion is, you should stop wondering, and worry more about how you’re going to make your next move with Damian now holding shares close to yours. Also, just a heads up, I won’t be giving my shares to you, mainly because I’ve suddenly found interest in your company.” A slim and devious smile followed her words.
Suddenly, something inside me forewarned a change in Bernice. The aura she gave off was no longer a warming brilliancy that allowed me to confide anything and everything to. No, this new aura of hers was something else, something so different it became shocking that such a change has happened. Again, I couldn’t help but question and wonder at her change.
“Excuse me, I have an appointment. I’ll talk to you again, sometime later.” She smiled as she left. Her trail left me in wonderment as I watched her leave the store.
When I saw her leave, it was then that the answer hit me hard. Ron, Ron Ng was the reason why Bernice was suddenly so different. Because of all the problems in my mind, I had completely forgotten about Bernice’s troubles with Ron and Nancy. But, was her love for Ron, her jealousy and rage for Nancy, really what caused all of this? Why? That was what I didn’t understand. Why would Bernice all of a sudden change, and worst, find interest in my company?
~*~
[Nancy’s Point of View]
Our forks clicked against the plates as we both set them down in unison. I could still see that sliver of a smile glued to Tavia’s face as she leaned back in her chair. It’s been such a long time since we got a chance to sit down and eat together. Dinner was a rare occasion, and watching as my old time friend set her glass of wine down, I struggled to find words to say. We’ve been apart for so long, speaking casually became hard.
“You’re less talkative these days,” Tavia commented as she leaned in to speak.
“Maybe because of all the things that are going on. I don’t know where to start,” I replied. “But, I do really want to know. What are you planning to do?”
“About what?” she asked. “Raymond or the company?”
“Both.”
I saw her thinking for a moment, but behind all the distance we’ve had, we were still friends after all. She began to speak a short moment after. “I can’t lose Raymond, I’ll tell you that. I’m hoping that when everything’s done, he and I can still be together. As for the company, I admit I was once lingering between the thought of leaving it or not. I did think of letting it go, because I got so angry when I found out I’ve been lied to for twenty years.”
She paused, and during that pause I tried to process her every word. She’s been lied to for twenty years? Thinking back and forth, the only relation she had that long to anyone was either to her father, or her mother. But they were all dead, aren’t they?
“My father’s still alive Nancy.” She spoke as if reading my mind and answering my question.
“Did you guys talk?”
She shook her head sadly. “He looked me in the eyes and didn’t even know I was his daughter. I can’t blame him though, twenty years, I’ve changed so much.”
“So what are you planning on doing now with the company?”
“I don’t know. Maybe,” she stopped to think. “Give it back to its rightful owner, and then make a decision?”
“Basically, you’re still going to take AVC from the Lams, and now you’re giving it back to your dad and have him make the decision?”
She was quiet. For a moment there I couldn’t read the expression in her eyes. But after so thoughts, they again showed a window of clues into her mind. She suddenly smiled. “Enough about me, how have you been doing?”
I wanted to question her more, but knowing Tavia, pushing it further will lead me to nowhere. I sighed. “I’ve gotten back together with Ron, hopefully for real this time. We’re planning on keeping the child in my stomach, despite Bernice’s pleading that this was all a lie.”
“Nancy, you sound doubtful. Is something bothering you?”
“I was just considering the thought if Ron left me and went back to Bernice. I think I wouldn’t be hurt as badly because it’s already happened before. And when Bernice cried to me, she reminded me so much of myself when Ron left. I’m just not sure to trust the fact that he won’t change his mind again.”
“Things are different now. Before when he left you, we were so young then. But now, you’re carrying his son, if he left you it would hurt a million times more. Don’t have silly thoughts or considerations. Someone is bound to get hurt. You’ve already gotten your share of the pain. It’s fair to you that Bernice be the one to leave.”
“But I feel so bad for her,” I spoke in.
She immediately cut me off. “What does Ron think about this? Was he there when Bernice cried to you?”
I nodded. “He was there. And I know Ron, he has a hidden sympathetic side that no many knows about. When he saw Bernice cry so hard and pain so much over him, I could see the considerations in his eyes.”
“Well ignore those,” she spoke, placing her hand gently overtop of mine. “I know he cares about you a lot now, so much more than he did back then. Raymond once told me Ron cried over you. I’m thinking for someone like him, something like that never happened before.”
I only nodded.
“And Ron has a sympathetic side? I never knew that. I just thought he’s heartless and uncaring. He got a little better with you by his side, but still.”
I tried to smile a bit. “Yeah, he has sympathy and care hidden in him. I’m glad he does though because he gives me that protective feel but also the care that I need. Hopefully he’ll still be there for me when the baby comes.”
“Stop doubting,” Tavia smiled. “I’ve seen you hurt enough and it’s time you enjoy yourself for once. By the way, when will your baby be due?”
“In about two months,” I answered her.
Talking to Tavia again was refreshing. Maybe she was right. I should just stop doubting everything and live with it. Even though to me, having Ron by my side was too good to be true, I’d rather live in this fantasy with Ron than go back into awful reality.
Smiling, I looked down at my overgrown belly, wondering what it would be like to hold my baby close to me. I couldn’t wait. Despite knowing the pain that I’ll face when he comes, to me it’s all worth it. I rubbed my stomach gently as I heard Tavia’s gentle laughter in the background. I could feel the baby’s movements and stir, and I could feel its soft kick to my side. Praying to god, I just hope that all ends well.
End of Chapter 28...
Chapter 29 will also be updated on here.
