“Raymond, over here,” Frankie called out and waved him over.

Raymond walked with ease towards Frankie, aware of the scene he was stirring with his presence. His face had just been blasted on the television for all to see, not to mention the publicity he has been getting since announcing his return. Everyone wanted to get a glimpse of him. Some with blatant interest and the rest just out of curiosity. “Sorry for being late,” Raymond said as he sat down across from Frankie. “The interview went on a bit longer than expected. I had to remind her that an hour was the limit for me,” Raymond said with a chuckle.

Frankie folded his arms on the table as he surveyed his younger brother, “I watched the interview. I must say, you handled it very well.”

Raymond was perplexed by the comment and said, “What do you mean? I've done so many interviews in the past couple of years that it's become a routine for me.”

Frankie kept his eyes leveled on Raymond and said, “Back then all the interviews were about your business and how it got started. Now that we’re back in our hometown, the reporters here are going to get more personal. When she asked about your love life, to the viewers you may seem unfazed by the question but I can read you clearly. You were upset at the question because it made you think back about the past. Am I right?”

Raymond sat stiffly in his chair and signaled for the waiter, “I don’t want to talk about her.”

The waiter came and took their orders and when he was gone Frankie said, “You're bound to run into her at some event since you'll be socializing in the same circle. What are you going to do or say when you eventually see her?”

Raymond stared straight at Frankie and said casually, “I’m going to pretend that she doesn't exist.”

Despite his offhand manner, Frankie knew that Raymond’s emotions were in jeopardy. Just the mention of her, Raymond’s entire attitude seemed to take on an edge. He remembered five years ago when he received the unsettling call from Raymond. He quickly dropped everything and flew to the states and found Raymond drunk and crumpled on the floor of his apartment. Raymond had looked up at him, his usual smiling face now looked like death as he broke out in tears. Frankie, without a word, held him until his grief and misery were spent. The next day Raymond acted as if nothing happened. He went about his daily routine but whenever Frankie mentioned Charmaine, Raymond’s face would take on a blank look. Frankie, however, could see the undeniable hurt in his eyes. He had told Frankie, more like threatened, not to ever say her name again. Then to get over her, Raymond immersed himself into long and hard hours at work. His dedication paid off. Steven’s father was so impressed with Raymond and his ideas on the development of the land that he made Raymond a small partner on the project. One project led to another and soon Raymond became his own boss. Although he had succeeded successfully financially, his love life was a different story. Sure, he dated tons of women, but not one of them was able to stir any real emotions in him as Charmaine did. Raymond talked of women as if they were just an object to be worn on his arm when the occasion calls for it. Coming back to the present, Frankie pressed, “You think you could do that? Ignore her?”

Raymond debated the question in his head. He thought of how Charmaine cold-heartedly aborted their baby and without giving him time to grieve over the loss, asked for a divorce. In an icy tone, he said, “After what she did to me, she’s lucky that I’m only ignoring her. What I have in mind would put me behind bars.”

Frankie looked worried and sighed, “You still can’t forget her.”

Raymond was slightly irritated by Frankie’s words. In a gruff voice, he said, “How could I? I have never hated anyone as much as I hate her.”

Hearing that, Frankie looked closely at Raymond. Even though he knew he shouldn’t ask, he did, “Are you absolutely certain that the only feelings you have for her is hate?”

“Trust me, it is.” His tone turned bitter as he confirmed, “The only feelings I have for her is hate.”

Frankie thought otherwise. He knew that Raymond’s hatred stemmed from loving her too much back then. Like the old saying goes, there’s a thin line between love and hate. He looked over at Raymond and said without conviction, “Well I’m relieved that’s all you feel for her. I wouldn’t want you falling for her all over again.”

“No chance of that happening,” Raymond stated. “To me, Charmaine Seh is nothing but a rich, spoil and selfish person. So you can relax.”

Frankie nodded, then smiled, “I’m glad you’re able to see that.”

Raymond returned Frankie’s smile, only there was a deadly menace in it, “For her own sake, she better wish I don’t ever lay eyes on her again.”

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Steven knocked on Mr. Seh’s office door and waited a few beats before entering, “I stopped by to drop these agreements to you.”

Without looking up from his desk, Mr. Seh nodded and with a hand motioned for Steven to placed the documents in a corner.

Steven did as told but remained standing in front of his desk. “Mr. Seh, there's something that you should know."

Mr. Seh looked up with annoyance, “What is it?” he asked with a snarl. “Make it quick. I have tons of work to do.”

Steven closed the door and sat down. He leaned on the desk and whispered, “Raymond Lam is back.”

Returning his attention to the documents in front of him, Mr. Seh said without care, “So what?”

Steven felt himself sweat despite the coolness in the air. He rubbed his palms together and asked, “What if he comes looking for Charmaine?”

Mr. Seh smiled, “Is that what you’re worried about?”

Steven stammered, “What we did back then was way out of line. Raymond was a nobody then but now... now he is someone we should watch out for. If he ever finds out the truth, he’s going to come after us.”

Mr. Seh stared harshly at Steven and growled, “Where’s your spine? Are you afraid of Raymond Lam?” He saw the cowering look on Steven’s face and got his answer. “You may be but I’m not. I don’t care how wealthy or powerful he is now, to me he is still a nobody.”

Steven didn’t feel comforted by Mr. Seh’s words. In fact, he seemed more upset by them. “All these years I’ve been living with what we’ve done and it’s not easy. Charmaine has gotten over Raymond now so shouldn’t we tell her the truth. It’ll ease our conscience.”

Mr. Seh barked. “I’ve never regretted what I did. It was all for her own good. I am not going to open up something that is done and over with. I suggest you do the same,” he added but his eyes warned him that it was not a suggestion but an order.