Raymond couldn’t believe that Kenneth and Charmaine were standing in front of him.  His gaze was immediately drawn to Charmaine who looked at him with an expression of tenderness and regret.  Her eyes were puffy and red.  So was her nose.  She had been crying, and recently too.  What bothered him most was the fear he read behind her puffy red eyes.  That can’t be.  It was only a few hours ago that she enlightened him of her commitment to Ben Wong.  So what the hell was she doing here now and looking like some pathetic creature who was in dire need of comfort and protection?  Hardening his heart against the familiar stirring that only she can inflict upon him, Raymond asked icily, “Why are you here?”

Charmaine flinched under his scorching glare and took a retreating step back.  She shouldn’t have let Kenneth persuade her to come.  Standing here and seeing the hatred on his face was too much to bear.  She took another step back and said softly to Kenneth, “Let’s go.”

Kenneth quickly stopped Charmaine from backing away any further by keeping a steady grip on her arm.  “Raymond, we need to talk.  It’s extremely important!”

Raymond remained unaffected by the urgency of Kenneth’s words.  “Everything has already been said between us.”

Hearing the commotion at the door and yet unable to see who Raymond was talking to, Gigi went to the door stopping beside Raymond.  Seeing who it was, her face turned to a scowl as her eyes raked Charmaine with undue loathing.  “What are you doing here?  You’re not welcome here!”

“Kenneth, please.  Let’s just leave,” Charmaine urged, while she tried to pull her arm out of Kenneth’s grasp.

“That’s right,” Raymond agreed sarcastically.  “You should go back to your big house where your doting husband is probably waiting for you.  Oh wait, he’s probably too busy with his illegal business and has neglected you again.  Is that why you’re here now?  Killing yourself couldn't keep his attention for long so now you're trying the jealous tactic?”

Charmaine was wounded drastically by Raymond’s words and it was evident on her face.  Locking her eyes with his, she asked in a broken voice, "Is this really how you see me?"

Raymond knew Charmaine was on the verge of tears and his stomach churned with nauseas at his own words.  Still, he vowed never to let her affect him in any way again.  Staring coldly back at her, he said one single word, "Yes!"

Charmaine let out a ragged breath and broke away from Kenneth's grasp, fleeing down the stairs and out of sight.

“Charmaine, wait!” Kenneth called and ran after her but by the time he got out of the building, she was nowhere to be seen.  With boiling fury, Kenneth stalked back up the stairs to Raymond’s apartment.  The door was closed and he pounded furiously on it.  The door opened immediately and he was once again faced with Raymond's indifference.

Looking impatiently at Kenneth, Raymond asked, “What now?  Didn’t I make myself clear?”

Kenneth pushed Raymond aside and barged into the apartment.  "You're going to listen to what I have to say whether you want to or not!"

“Get out of my place,” Raymond warned softly.  “Don’t make me arrest you for trespassing.”

“I’ll leave,” Kenneth stated calmly then locking his eyes with Raymond’s he continued, “After I tell you everything about Charmaine”

“I’m not interested,” Raymond retorted sharply.  And to make sure that Kenneth gets the message, Raymond clarified louder, “I’m not interested in anything that has to do with her.  I’m done with her and will be marrying a woman who I love and who loves me.”

“You owe Charmaine!” Kenneth practically screamed at the top of his lungs.  He saw Gigi open to argue and turned his glare on her.  Raising a finger he pointed it at her face and jeered, “And you!  No one, especially you, can say anything bad about Charmaine.”

Not liking the tone Kenneth had used on Gigi, Raymond grabbed Kenneth's arm and dragged him out of his apartment and down the stairs until they were standing outside the building on the streets.  Pushing Kenneth against a wall, he growled, "Where do you get off coming here and speaking that way to my mom?!"

Kenneth straightened from the wall and was glaring angrily at Raymond when a car suddenly pulled up to the curb in front of them.  Raymond turned towards the car as the tinted window on the driver's side slowly began to lower.  While inside the car, Moses pushed the barrel of his gun through the slant of the window and aimed it on Raymond.  He the trigger, readying himself for the kill.

With nowhere to go, Charmaine had been hiding behind a parked van up the block going over her options when she heard the screeching of tires.  She peeked from behind the van and recognized the car.  It belonged to Ben's assistant, Moses.  "Raymond!" Charmaine screamed as she ran towards him.  She got to Raymond just as Moses opened fire.  The bullet that was meant for Raymond hit Charmaine instead.  She fell with her head hitting the concrete ground.

"Charmaine!" Raymond screamed when Charmaine collapsed in front of him.  His eyes snapped to the black car but it was already pulling away and speeding down the street.  Bending down he gently lifted Charmaine's head and pulled back when he felt a sticky wetness.  He stared in horror at his bloody hand and then down at the unconscious Charmaine.

"She's been shot," Kenneth breathed, his eyes mirroring the exact same horror on Raymond's face.  Only Kenneth's horror stems from knowing who was behind the shooting and how twisted and vicious Ben has become.

Raymond flicked an irritated glance at Kenneth and screamed, "Don’t just stand there!  Call an ambulance!"

Kenneth snapped into focus and quickly dialed.

------------------------------------------------------

Ben was seated behind his desk, a glass of brandy in hand while he waited for the good news from Moses.  He had no doubt that Moses could complete the job but he needed confirmation.  After he gets that, he will then look for Charmaine and bring her back home.  She was still legally his wife and regardless of her running away and disobeying him, he was still madly in love with her.  He intended to keep her by his side forever, no matter how much she refuses or fights him.  His cell phone vibrated on the desk and he picked it up.  "Yes."

"I'm sorry Ben," Moses said in a low humble voice.

Ben jumped up from his seat, clasping the phone tightly against his ear.  "What?  You didn't kill Raymond Lam?"

"It's Charmaine," Moses said tentatively.  After a slight pause, he continued contritely, "She jumped in front of Raymond Lam.  I shot her by accident."

Alarm filled Ben.  Charmaine has been shot.  Shot!  "You moron!" he bellowed into the phone and then threw the phone across the room.  Grabbing his jacket he raced out of the house.

------------------------------------------------------

At the hospital's emergency room, the doctors worked quickly and efficiently to remove the bullet from Charmaine's body and patch the wound on her head where she had hit it against the concrete.  Outside in the waiting area, Raymond and Kenneth paced as they waited.  Gigi and Mandy had heard the gunshot from the apartment.  Out of fear for Raymond, they hurried down the stairs to the streets and saw the still form of Charmaine lying on the ground with Raymond hovering above her.  Without questions, they followed Raymond to the hospital.  "She has to be alright," Raymond mumbled, his eyes filled with unshed tears.  "She has to be."

"Raymond!" Nancy called out in surprise.  She was on her way to visit an aunt who was in the hospital for a cyst removal when she spotted Raymond.  Seeing Gigi and Mandy, she nodded a greeting.  "What are you guys doing here?"

Raymond looked towards the closed curtains and responded bleakly, "It's personal."

Getting that Raymond wasn't in a talkative mood, Nancy said, "I better get going.  My aunt is waiting for me."  She turned to leave but stopped.  "Oh by the way Raymond, my ex-colleagues in Canada were finally able to track down the source of the money for Auntie's surgery."

This perked Raymond's interest as did Gigi's.  They turned as one to face Nancy.  "Do you have the name of the person?" Raymond asked.

Nancy pulled out a sheet of paper from her bag and handed it to Raymond.  "The anonymous money came from a corporate bank account owned by Travelseas Ltd.  And get this," Nancy stared at Raymond as she delivered the next piece of information, "My ex-colleagues did a thorough background check of the company and learned that one of their major shareholders is none other than Ben Wong."

"Ben Wong?" Raymond gasped but he was already turning to look at Kenneth.

Kenneth stared boldly back at Raymond and said quietly, “Yes Raymond.  Charmaine did marry my brother for money.  Money to save your mother!”