Sunday, July 26, 2009

Always and Forever - Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Ironies and Deals




Calvin and Ella sat silently on his car. Ella have stopped crying, but she have not spoken a word. He reached fore her hand, and held it. Ella looked at Calvin, and saw the concern in his eyes. Then, she gave him a smile. “I'm OK now...” she said. Calvin turned into a smile upon hearing that. “I'm glad that you are...” he said in a low voice. Ella looked away from him, and sighed. “I never thought that you would see me like this. I felt like I'm such a weakling when you saw me cry...” she said. Calvin let out a faint laugh. “It's OK to cry and admit to yourself that you are weak. That's what makes you strong in the end.” he said. Ella shook her head. “Not for me. I want everyone to see that I am the strong one. I don't have the right to act weak in front of a lot of people.” she said.

Again, there was an awkward silence between them. Ella looked outside the window, while Calvin was staring into her sad face. He have this urge to pull her close to him, and embrace her, making her feel that everything will be all right. He wanted to tell her that she can cry on her when she feels like it, and that she doesn't have to act strong in front of him. He wanted so much to plant a soft kiss on her pink lips, and kiss away all the sadness that she is feeling right now. He doesn't know why, but when he saw her again tonight, he felt all those emotions that were building up inside him when he first met her. And it's not because of that short affair that they had the night they met.

“I saw the news about you...” he began. Ella looked up at him, and then their eyes met. “Then you know now what kind of a girl I am.” she said. Calvin nodded his head. “I am not the type of girl that you would want your parents to meet. I have a very messed up life...” she said. She let out a faint laugh, but Calvin remained unmoved. “I still believe that you're not that kind of girl.” he said softly. Ella looked up at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but she felt a lump on her throat. She felt as if he was seeing through her, through the mask she have been wearing all this time. “What happened to us that night...”
“You regret it, don't you?”
Calvin closed his eyes, and shook his head. “Looking back, I don't regret a thing. What I regret is that we did that on the very first day that we met. I don't want you think that I am that kind of guy, that I am taking advantage of you...” he said. “Well, I am that kind of girl.” she said. Calvin looked at her, and stared into her eyes. “I don't think you are...” he said. He reached for her face, and cupped her cheeks. He leaned towards her, their foreheads touching. He stared into her eyes as he brushed her hair with his fingers. “I could feel your heart... I felt everything that's inside your heart the moment we kissed. I felt that you needed love...” he whispered to her. He moved closer to her, and kissed her on her lips. Ella closed her eyes, and let herself be lost into his kiss. A part of her was telling her to stop this temporary madness, and a part of her was telling her to go on. She wanted this, needed this feeling of being loved just for tonight. But she knows that after this madness stops, it will be heart that will be broken once again.

Ella pulled away from his kiss. Calvin looked at her with confusion. He could clearly see the tear building up in her eyes. “I... I can't... I don't want to do this anymore.” she said. Ella opened the door, and went out of his car. Calvin soon followed her. “Ella!” he called. Ella looked at him. He walked towards her, and took her hand. “It's not what you think...”
“It is. I know you just want to use me for your own pleasure.”
“I don't want to use you.”
“Then stop saying those things to me! Why do you make me feel that you love me, when you just met me?”

Calvin fell silent at what he said. He let go of her hand, and looked away from him. “This is the last thing I needed. I'm going through a lot. You don't want me to think that you are taking advantage of me, but that's what you're making me feel! You're taking advantage of my weakness right now, for what? You want to have sex with me again?” she shouted at him. Calvin looked at her, and stared at her sternly. “I am not taking advantage of you.” he said. “Why can't you believe that what I'm telling you, what I'm making you feel, all of those things are real?” he asked her. “Why, because you love me?” she asked him. Calvin paused, and stared at her for a long time. Does he really love her, that's why he's acting this way? Is he already feeling something for her, that's why he have searched for the past three months?

Ella let out a bitter laugh. “See? You can't even answer my question. How can I believe a total stranger like you? I am too smart to be fooled by you. I may not have an MBA or a PhD, but I know when someone is telling me the truth or not.” she said. Then, she sighed. She wiped the tear from her eyes, and looked up at him again. “Let's stop this thing, OK? Just pretend you never met me. Pretend that night never happened. You don't know how messed up my life is right now, and I don't want you to get involved.” he heard Ella said. Calvin looked at her, and watched her as she turned her back to leave. “Ella!” he called again. Ella paused, and looked back at him. “Stop it...” she said wearily. “I... I don't want to see you again. Just move on with your life, because I will.” she said. Ella turned his back on him again, and left him all alone.

Calvin could only watch as she leaves him. “What if...” he thought. “What if I do love you? What if the reason why I acted this way is because I want to love you? Why aren't you giving me that chance to make you feel special?”

--

Calvin rested his head on the headboard, then looked at his side table. He took Selina's picture from the table, and stared at it for a long time. “I found her...” he said softly. “But I kinda messed up. You're right, I maybe smart, but I'm not good with my wordings.” he said, letting out a faint laugh. His finger traced on her face. “You do understand, right?” he asked her. “I don't know what I'm feeling for Ella. All I know is I never felt this way towards any other girls before, except for you. If I do love her, you would understand, right? You would be happy for me, right?” he asked her again. “I know that you would want me to be happy. I know you wouldn't want me to end up to be an old bachelor, right?” he said. Then, he let out a sigh. “Why is it that when I found the girl I want to give all my love to, she pushes me away?”

--

Ella laid on her bed, staring on her mother's locket. She have just finished crying that night. Somehow, she regrets pushing Calvin away, but she couldn't bear to have her heart broken by him if she found out that he's not what he think he is. “Am I wrong, mom?” she asked. “All my life, all I wanted is for someone to love me unconditionally, like you do. I thought before I could find in the other guys I dated, but they simply used me. You don't blame me if I ended up like this, don't you?” she said. She sat up from her bed as she continued to stare at her pendant. “I'm just being too cautious. I don't want to feel the pain you've gone through in dad's hands. Because if he realizes in the end that he doesn't love me, it would hurt me the most.” She felt the tears beginning to fall from her eyes again. “I love him... I love him... but I'm too scared to love again...” she whispered. She laid back on her bed and let the tears fall from her eyes.

--

“Is there something bothering you?” Celestine asked his husband, who have sitting outside the veranda for quite a while. Tristan looked up at his wife, and smiled at her. “Nothing...” he said. Celestine put her hands on her waist, and looked at him sternly. “Tristan Chen, I've been married to you for a long time. I know when something is bothering you. Speak up now.” she said. Tristan sighed, and looked away from his wife. True enough, something is really bothering him. A lot of things have been bothering him these past few days. “It's just that I'm worried about our company...” he began. Celestine took a seat beside him, and held his hand. “Everything will be all right, Tristan. We started out from scratch, and even if we go bankrupt, I can live with that, as long as I'm with you...” she said. Tristan sighed again and shook his head. “I only want the bet for you, and for our children. If it's just us, I know we can leave from hand to mouth. What I'm worried about is Tammy, Calvin and Andy...” he said. Celestine gave her husband a warm smile. “They would understand, Tristan. I know they will...” she said.

Tristan caressed his wife's cheek and smiled at her. He was thankful that despite all the bad things that happened to him, he is still blessed to have an understand wife like her, who supports and encourages him in every way. “Have I told you that I love you?” he said. Celestine felt herself blush, like a giddy teenager. “Aiyo, stop it!” she said. “My only wish is that Calvin and Andy would be able to find themselves a wife who could be as loving and as understanding as you are. I'm afraid they won't be able to meet someone like you, because you're one in a million...” he said. “I know they will. What I'm worried about is Calvin. Since Selina's death, you know that he have not dated another girl....”
“I know that it's him you're worrying about the most.”
“I've been wanting to arrange marriage dates for him, so that he could find himself a wife!”

Tristan let out a laugh at her. “What if I tell you that I found a way to fix your problem with Calvin, and at the same time, for the company?” he asked. Celestine gave him a wondering look. “What do you mean?” she asked. “Robin Chen offered me his help. He's willing to help us get back to our feet, but I don't think I can do his favor, because it means sacrificing our son's happiness.” he said. Celestine got a hint of what he is talking about. “Does Robin Chen wants our son to be married to her daughter?” she asked. Tristan nodded his head. “I think it's because of the latest scandal her daughter got involved with. To clean it up, he made this drastic move... to arrange a marriage for his only daughter...” he said. “You know I would approve of any girl for Calvin, but it will still be all up to him. It will still be his decision.” she said. “I don't know how I will talk to our son about this. I don't think he would understand. I agreed to Robin's favor, but I'm having second thoughts....” he said.

“I agree...” they heard Calvin said. The couple looked back, and saw Calvin walking up to them. “Is this the only way that we can save the company, dad?” he asked. Tristan looked at his son, and nodded his head. Calvin let out a smile at his parents. “If this is the only way, then I'll do it.” he said. Tristan stood up from his chair, and approached him. “But son, marrying someone is no joke. I don't want to force you in this...” he said. Calvin shook his head. “It's OK, dad. After Selina died, I promised myself that I will not love again. This is good for me. We get to save the company, and at the same time I could be with someone, and not be alone anymore. Who knows, in the end I might learn to love this girl. And besides, mom have been nagging him about me getting married.” he said. The couple laughed at their son. “Calvin, are you really sure that you want to be married to this girl?” his father asked. Calvin nodded his head. “I want to. And it would be best if I get to meet this girl soon.” he said. Tristan smiled at his son, and patted his shoulder. “Thank you, son...” he said. “And I'm sorry that I have to sacrifice you because of this huge problem we had.”

--

Ella sat by Attorney Jiang's office, waiting for him to arrive. She have to speak to him regarding the inheritance that she will get now that she's 25. it's known to her that once she turns 25, she will have full control of all her mother's properties and stocks. And that includes a majority of stocks in her father's company. After a while, the lawyer have arrived. “Ella! It's good to see you!” Attorney Jiang said. Ella stood up from her seat, and shook his hand. “So, what brings you here in my office?” the lawyer asked as soon as he settled on his seat. “I want to talk about my inheritance, the one that I would be able to take control of when I turn 25.” she said.

Attorney Jiang knew this coming. He took a deep breath as he took the documents inside his folder. “Yes, I remember...” he said nervously. He read the papers in his hand, then looked up at Ella. “Unfortunately, there are some problems with your inheritance...” he said. Ella gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?” she asked. “All of your mother's properties are under your father now, and since your father is still alive, there is no way you can have control over it.” he said. Ella could feel her blood rushing up to her head. It seems to her that her father manipulated everything so that she wouldn't take hold of her inheritance. “Did my father asked you to do this?” she snapped at him. “You know that after your mother died, and after your grandfather left you, all of their properties were under your father's control. Technically, it's his property, and you can only get it if he dies and states in his will that you will be the executor...”
“But it's clear to me that day you read my mother and my grandfather's will that I will be the executor of their properties once I turn 25!”

Attorney Jiang shook his head, and then looked sadly at her. “I'm very sorry, Ella, but that's how it really goes...” he said. Ella stood up from her seat, and glared at him. “Tell me, is my father behind all of these?” she shouted at him. “Did he asked you to do these? Did he manipulated you so that I won't get a single cent?” she asked. Attorney Jiang stood up from his seat, trying to calm Ella. “I'm sorry Ella, but this is the law. Mr. Chen will still be -”
“Then I'll take that as a yes.”
Ella turned her back on him, and stormed out of his office.

--

Robin heard the door of his office open. He looked up, and saw his daughter enter. “Ms. Ella -” his secretary called. He saw his daughter throw a fit at his secretary. “Why do I need to make an appointment to see my father?” she shouted at her. Robin stood up from his seat. “Michelle, it's OK. Let my daughter in. We need to talk.” he said. His secretary nodded her head, and left the office. Robin took his seat, and watched as his daughter approach him. “What you want?” he asked as he clasped his hand. “I want my inheritance.” she hissed at him. Robin let out a smirk at her. “What inheritance?” he asked. “You know very well what I'm talking about! The Tian's property. All of my grandfather and my mother's properties. The one that I'm supposed to get once I turn 25!” she shouted at him. Robin nodded his head, and let out a mocking smile. “Haven't Attorney Jiang told you that it's still under my name? You won't be able to get it until I die, that is if you will get to be in my last will.” he said. “They are mine!”
“Why are you interested? Let me gues... your trust fund is running dry, am I correct?”
“It's none of your business. Those properties are mine, so give it back to me!”
“It is under my name, and I could do whatever I want with it.”

Robin stood up from his seat, and walked towards her daughter. “You know, your mother have a lot of useless properties that she left. The summer house, for example. Since it's considered my property, I'm thinking of selling it.” he said. “It is mine! That summer house is mine!” Ella shouted at her father. Robin stopped walking, and folded his arm as he smirked at him. “Seems to me that that summer house is very important to you.” he said. “It is the only memory left of the family I once had.” she said. Robin looked away from her daughter, and sighed. He suddenly felt guilty because of what Ella said, but he didn't want her to see that he was affected by what she said. “I grew up on that house. I lived there with mom. It was the place where mom spent her last remaining days. Now, do you understand how important it is for me?” she told her father. “If that is very important to you, then you would do everything to have it, right?” he asked. Ella remained silent as his father speaks. She felt as if he was trapping him to do something to his liking.

“How about if we make a deal.” he said. “What do you want me to do?” she asked him. “i want you to follow everything that I tell you to do. Sounds simple, isn't it?” he said. Ella glared at the elder man beside her. “You expect me to become an obedient daughter?” she asked in disbelief. “That's all you have to do. Follow everything that I tell you to do, and you will get not only the summer house, but your mother's properties, including the majority of stocks in my company.” he said. Ella closed her eyes, finally deciding to give in to what her father wants. “Then I'll do it.” she said. Robin smiled to himself upon hearing her daughter's answer. “Good...” he said. “Then prepare yourself. Tonight, you will find out what is it that I want you to do.”

--

Ella sat in front of her dresser. She looked at herself in the mirror for a long time. Her father had informed her that they will have visitors coming over, and at the same time, he will let her know what he wants her to do. She took her pendant, and stared at it for a long time. “Mom... I'm scared...” she said in a soft voice. Her heart is filled with fear. She have a bad feeling about her deal with her dad, but this is the only way she knows so that the summer house will not be taken away from her. Aside from the pendant, the summer house is her remaining memory of her mother.
She heard a soft knock on the door. As she looked at it, she saw Genie taking a peek inside her room. “Jie, dad wants you to come down now.” she said. Ella gave her a faint smile and nodded her head.

She went down the staircase, and from below, she saw her father talking to their guests. “Dad...” she called as soon as took her last step. Robin looked at her daughter, and smile. “There you are...” he said. She walked towards them, and stood beside her father. “Ella, I want you to meet Tristan and Celestine Chen. Tristan, Celestine, this is my daughter, Ella.” he said. Ella smiled at them, and shook their hands. “She's as pretty as her mother...” Celestine commented. “Thank you, she said, smiling at him. Then, a tall figure entered their mansion. As she looked at the door, she was surprised to see Calvin standing before her. She could tell that Calvin was as surprised as she is. “There is our son...” she heard Tristan say. Calvin walked over them, not taking his eyes off Ella. “Ella, this is Calvin. Celestine and Tristan's son...” she heard her father said. “Calvin, this is my daughter, Ella. She's your future wife.”

Ella turned her eyes on her father, unable to believe what she heard. “Wife? I'm going to be his wife?” she asked. Robin smiled at her, and nodded his head. “Didn't you say you will do everything for me. Then, I want you to marry Calvin here.” Robin said. She looked up at him, and saw him smiling at her. “It's nice to see you again, Ella.” he said. Ella turn into a smile. “It's nice to see you again, Calvin...”

Labels: Always and Forever, fan fic