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.
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