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.
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