At the Wong Mansion:
After Nnadia's funeral, Kristy pulls Ada aside to ask about Nnadia's body. They are both confused but Kristy wants to know why Ada lied. "Why did you lie to Jei Fuo? (Brother-In-law)" Kristy questions.
"I didn't want to say something wrong." Ada replied. "If Nnadia is still alive she must have her reasons for pretending to be dead." She insisted trusting Nadia completely.
"I don't understand why Ling Jei Jei would need to do anymore. She already helped eliminate everyone who made out lives miserable." Kristy said.
Ada shook her head. "No. Remember Edward Wong." Ada reminds her. "He not only became a billionare tycoon and strong force in the triads, but he also lived a full and happy life. He got married, had children, and died in his sleep!" she shouted suddenly releasing her 15 year anger.
Kristy nodded as she tried to calm Ada down. "I remember." she said simply. "I remember. But we don't even know where his family or inheritance is." Kristy reminds her. "How are you so sure Louis, Ekin and Nic are his heirs?"
"I'm not. Unlike Nnadia, I didn't do any research on our captors. I don't have the strength or will power she does for revenge " Ada replied with despair. "That's why we can't fall in love with anyone with the last name Wong. Not anyone.... not even Louis...." Ada said with a pause as she looked at Kristy.
Kristy shook her head afraid of what she was hearing because it would mean Louis was their enemy. Ada was hesitant but she continued, "Louis,Ekin, and Nic could be related to him. Afterall, they were part of the same triad group as the other sons of our other captors."
'Don't say anymore." she pleades for her sister to stop. "Why can't we stop all this vengeance? It won't get us anywhere." Kristy asked getting on the bed to lay on Ada's lap like a child with her mother since Ada was her eldest sister.
"Do you think it's possible?" Ada asks. "Can you forget what happened to us for the last 15 years? Can you forget the lifestyle that we could of had compared to the one that we did have?" she asked with angerr boiling in her.
Kristy shakes her head. "I don't know." She answers in a juvenile tone. "Can you?"
"I don't know either. From the day we were kidnapped till now our life has been filled with darkness; sex, violence, drugs, and evil." Ada sighed. "Many don't understand how it is to live the way we did, but to live as we did is nothing different from living as caged rats. We never had a future, not even a past. No happiness. No life. Nothing."
"Will our life ever be filled with happiness?" Kristy asks with hope.
Ada runs her fingers through Kristy's hair as she ponders over their situation. After a moment, her eyes cascaded upon her sister's. Her younger sister was definitely more juvenile than she was, more optimistic. Hopefully it was a good thing. Kristy enjoyed laying on her sister's lap. It gave her a nostalgic longing for the olden days in China, when they were younger and ow their mother would comb their hair before bed everynight.
"I promise you'll definately have a fresh start." Ada says with confidence.
Kristy didn't know what Ada meant by that but she nodded in obedience to her sister. They sat there momentarily in silence then Kristy started humming their childhood song. Ada felt serene listening to it as she hummed along. After they finsihed the two laid on the bed thinking about their present life.
"Louis kissed you didn't he?" Ada asked out of the blue. Kristy sat up afraid to answer her as she stared petrified at her sister. Ada smiled and said, "Its okay he told me about it. It's natural to have mixed emotions and feelings." Ada replied understandingly.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have kissed him. Louis belongs to you." Kristy said in an apologetic tone.
"No, he doesn't belong to me. He's not a package of meat. We're humans." she said excitedly. For a long time they didn't feel like they were people. "We're not personal belongings. He has the right to chose who to love and so do you." Ada reassured her.
"I don't want to take Louis away from you." Kristy replied. "He loves you. I'm so sorry." She said sadly.
"You're not taking him away from me." Ada stated. "If he was mine, he'll always be, but if he isn't he'll never be. Right now, he hasn't chosen yet, but once he makes the choice, we'll need to accept it." Ada said with a smile. Kristy wasn't sure of Ada's intention but she nodded to accept what Ada said. Ada smiled and the two sisters called it a night.
~ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ~
At the Lai Mansion:
Nnadia sat in her large master bedroom. She couldn't think straight with her mind wandering off between Ekin and Leon. She wanted to hate Ekin but she couldn't. She tried to concentrate on Leon but she kept thinking of Ekin. She kept telling herself over and over that Ekin was Edward Wong's son and she shouldn't care about him because he was her enemy.
Finally she concentrated on how she met Leon three years ago and the infatuation she had for him then. She even chose his last name, LAI as hers because she was so infatuated with him at first sight. It was only a year ago that she bumped into him at the Desert Landscape Garden at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The sun shined brightly that day and the skies were clear. It was a wonderful Spring day.
* : * : * BEGIN FLASHBACK * : * : *
As fate would have it, when he walked past her that day someone ran past her almost causing her to trip. But luckily he caught her in time. Since the two shared a deep desire for each other they stared deeply into each others eyes. Nnadia remembered being caught in the moment as butterflies developed in her stomach. Leon was just as nervous but played it cool.
"Are you okay?" he asked helping her stand up straight.
"Yes thank you." she responded coyly.
"Um... I... I..." Leon stuttered then smiled brushing his hair back. "Sorry I'm kind of nervous." he told her truthfully unable to keep his cool for too long in her presence.
She smiled coyly again and replied, "Me...me... I am too." She said anxiously.
Leon understood she had the same feelings for him as he did for her. "How about dinner tonight?" he asked knowing she wouldn't reject him.
"Sure!" she replied enthusiastically forgetting the feeling that he was too good for her. All she knew was she wanted to be by his side at the moment.
"Ummm... it's 4 pm right now do you want to do something before dinner?" he asked looking at his watch. She was beautiful when she smiled. It melted his heart.
She nodded with a cute smile and replied, "Sure what would you like to do?"
"Do you have anything you want to do today? Maybe I can accompany you?" he asked knowing she wasn't like other girls that would just say nothing and ask the man to decide.
"Well I've never been ice skating and I really wanted to share the experience with someone special." She said hinting her desire for him as that special someone.
Leon nodded. "I would be honored if I could share this first experience with you." he said with a gentleman charm Nnadia couldn't resist.
"I would like that." She replied.
Leon smiled and escorted her to his car. That day they shared a wonderful day. They went ice skating then they shared dinner and at night they drove out to the desert to observe the starry night sky.
After many dinner dates, they had a particularly strange dinner together. That dinner they shared many things they wouldn't have told anyone. Most of their secerets were revealed and they made a promise that would change everything in their lives.
"So how many people are in your family?" Leon asked taking a bite of his steak.
Nnadia didn't hesitate with her reply. "I have three sisters." She said for the first time in her life she told another person about her sisters. "And you?" she asked in return.
"I don't have any family. My parents died a long time ago and I was the only child." He replied sadly.
"I'm sorry for bringing that up." She said in an apologetic tone taking a bite of her food.
He smiled so she wouldn't feel so bad. "It's okay it was a long time ago. I'm ok now." He said trying to grin.
Nnadia tried to change the subject. "So what are you doing at UNLV? You don't seem like a normal university student." She said grinning at him as if she knew him well.
"I'm there to better my businesses." Leon replied bluntly. "I own a couple of casinos." He added. He usually didn't tell the women he dated about his wealth because he was afraid that they would only be interested in him for that, however with Nnadia it was different; trust was the only think that came to mind.
Nnadia raised her eyebrows. "Casinos?" she asked wondering if he was part of the triad world that Simon was in. Suddenly her eyes were filled with freight.
"You seemed scared?" Leon asked noticing her reaction.
"I rather not continue this dinner." She said getting her things together to leave.
He stopped her. "Why do you seem so scared?" he asked holding onto her hands.
"I... I.." she stuttered unable to explain to him. How was she able to explain that she was a pawn in Simon's hand and didn't deserve to be sitting here with him. How was she able to explain that she was afraid he was from the Triads? The same one that kidnapped her years ago and are still soing the same things today! How could she say anything that he would understand.
"I'm sorry." she said at last pulling her hand from his gasp and ran out of the restaurant.
Leon quickly ran out following her. He didn't have to pay because he was the owner of the restaurant. He caught up to her fast and questioned her again. "Why do you seem so frightened?" he asked. "Is it something I said?" he asked worried that she was afraid of him.
"I need to go. I need to get away from here. I... I..." she stuttered unsure how to tell him what was on her mind. She was afraid and confused. Was he a bad man like every other man she has met in her life? She was baffled and filled with befuddlement over what to do. She wanted to trust him but at the same tiime she wanted to run away from him.
Leon grabbed her hand and pulled her to his car. He sat her in the passenger seat, gave her a wink, and buckled her belt. He swiftly ran to the driver side and flashed an irresistible smile at her which almost melted her heart. He placed his right hand on her left hand reassuringly. He could tell she was indecisive but he wanted to let her know she could trust him.
"Do you trust me?' he asked affectionately.
His touch was tender and warm making her feel safe for the first time in her life. Her heart responded for her. "Yes." she sid returning a grip onto his hand to let him know she did.
He nodded as he droved towards the desert with one hand, his left hand. Every now and then, they glanced at each other warmly. They finally arrived at their destination which was the desert.
Leon went over to open the door for her. "This is where I go whenever I feel down, afraid, or confused. It helps me think better." He announced bringing her towards the center of the desert.
They were in a middle of a circular canyon. If you stood in the middle of it with the darkness around you and looked up into the night sky there were millions of bright stars shining down on you.
Nnadia looked up and felt much better. She couldn't help feeling safe and secure. They sat back to back looking up at the sky. As they sat there together they told each other their darkest deepest secrets. Nnadia told Leon about her life as a conartist while Leon told her about his life in the Triads.
Leon made a promise to love, cherish and value her. The promise included saving her from Simon, revenge on the men who made her life this miserable, and pulling him back into the Traids that he already despised with much hatred. This was one promise she never knew would change her life beyond her belief. And maybe even ruin his life, but when it came to love, nobody knew it's limits.
* : * : * END FLASHBACK * : * : *
Leon walked into the room and sat next to Nnadia on the bed hugging her from behind. "I finished handling everything at the hospital." He informed her.
She turned around to look at him. "What did you tell them?" she asked leaning into him
"I told them you were a victim of domestice violence. Husbands beating their wives is too common here in Las Vegas so it was easy and simple." He said with a grin.
"And they believed you?" Nnadia asked even though she knew they would believe him. He had this charismatic charm about her that she knew was irresistable to practically everyone he came into contact with.
"Since I'm always doing charities they figured I was just rescuing you to one of my battered women shelter homes." Leon replied as his kissed her on the cheek and walked over to the closet to change out of his business suit.
Nnadia got up from the bed and walked over to him to help him change. When she finished, she smiled at him. His charm was still there even though he was in pajamas. She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.
Leon smiled. "What was that for?" he asked with surprise that she was so affectionate.
"I just wanted to thank you for keeping your promise." she replied huggin him tightly.
Leon hugged her back. For a mment they stood in a warm embrace until he realized her muscles were very tense. "Come sit down." he said motioning her to sit on the bed. She complied and he started to massage her shoulders and neck. "It must have been tiring pretending to be dead for almost 15 hours!" he teased.
"Not really all I did was lay there." She chuckled. "Next time you fire those blank bullets you should be careful, you ruined my favorite dress." She pouted.
He chuckled replying, "You shouldn't have worn that dress because you knew you needed to wear those pouches of blood." He replied.
Nnadia moved from his massage changing the subject. "Are you hungry yet?" she asked.
He nodded and got up to lead her holding onto her hand. He felt a ring on her marriage finger. "When do you plan to get rid of that?" he asked noticing Ekin's wedding ring.
"Why should I?" she replied with a smirk. "It's worth money, why waste it." She said with a twinkle in her eye as if she only wanted the ring for its value. "After all, diamonds are a girl's best friend." She said leading him to the dining room for dinner.
Leon knew better than that because Nnadia wasn't a greedy woman. He knew she was more emotional than she showed. Even though Nnadia didn't say so, Leon knew Ekin had captured a part of his lover's heart that he might never get back.
Leon was a peaceful guy and usually didn't say or do much within the Triads, but his love for Nnadia has caused him to do so many things he never imagined. For one, he shared the love of his life with another man. Secondly, he reentered the dark world of the Triads. Third, he betrayed the Wong brothers, they were his only friends in the Triads. The only reason he now wanted Ekin dead was because no man could really live with their lover's heart at another man's side.
~ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ~
Ekin's Belliagio Office
It's been two days since they buried Nnadia but Ekin was still sitting in his office wondering if that was Nnadia's body. He knew it was impossible because he remembered the scars vividly. He suspected two things. One, was that her body was stolen by Francis and Alex or that she didn't really die. But how is that possible if she was shot so many times by so many bullets. The doctors even confirmed her death! He couldn't get this thought out of his head. Second was if Francis or Alex took her body they would have used it to lure him out a long time ago.
Jerry knocks on the door breaking hid thoughts. "Come in." Ekin says enervated. He's exhausted from everything.
Jerry sits down across form Ekin. "There's something I needed to tell you about the attack on Jordan's mansion but couldn't reach you that day and you were so busy with Ah- So's funeral." He says.
"What is it?" Ekin questions rubbing his face to wake himself up and look more alert.
"Leon was one of the people who attacked Jordan's mansion." Jerry informed him.
"Impossible. Leon has been out of the triads for so long already. He has no ambition to be in it." Ekin says but then stops to think about it.
"It's true you can even ask Stephen." Jerry advises.
Ekin nods his head. "It's possible, anything can happen in this fuckin messed up world." He said thinking about his life since he was a child. his life hasn't always been smoothed since his father brought him to America.
"I'll contact him." Jerry says leaving the office.
Ekin sits back and takes a deep sigh. He was very tired now. All he wanted to do was sleep but not the regular sleep maybe an eternal sleep so that he could reunite with Nnadia.
~ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ~
LAS VEGAS GENERAL HOSPITAL
Stephen was at Joey's bedside. Nic came in and sat down. "Any movement?" he asked.
Stephen shook his head. "No, she's been like this for weeks. I'm very worried for her." He said holding onto her hand.
"She'll be okay." Nic said reassuring him even though he didn't quite know it himself.
Unexpectedly, Joey started flinching. Her whole body was shaking. "Call the doctor!" Stephen screamed trying to hold her steady. The doctors and nurses came running in and rushed Nic and Stephen out. They come out moments later. "How's she?" Nic and Stephen both ask in a crazed panic
The doctor shakes his head. "She needs a heart transplant." he informed them. Nic and Stephen nodded simultaneously. The figured her heart became very weak when she was thrown out of the car.
"Take mine!" Stephen declares pulling on the doctor.
"She needs you!" Nic says. "Take my life instead." He yells grabbing the doctor also.
"Please calm down." The doctor advises them. "Your heart needs to be compatible and we won't kill one living person to save another human." He informs them.
The nurses try to hold them back. "Furthermore she needs a heart transplant in a matter of days and there is a limited amount of donated hearts." The doctor tells them.
"Then just test me! If something happens to me tomorrow or anytime soon you could transfer my heart to her." Stephen yells.
"Me too." Nic protests.
The doctor looks at the nurses. He thinks they're crazy but tell the nurses to do testing anyways. It turns out that one of their hearts was compatible with Joey's. Now it was just a decision that one of them needed to make.
Ada and Kristy arrive shortly after that incident. When they hear about what happened, they become alarmed and have no idea what to do. They haven't lost hope because they're not willing to let go of their younger sister's life that easily. However, they didn't know that one of the boys had a heart compatible to Joey's.
~ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ^ * ~
Copyright © Nov. 2, 2003
IiI Sorrow IiI
All rights reserved.