Chapter 10

Blood of Love and Hate

Lau Kong walked into the Peninsula Hotel where Moses was waiting for him.  With a curt nod to Moses, he, Power and their men followed Moses through the main lobby to the elevator bank.  Staring straight ahead, he asked, "Is Dominic Lam here yet?"

Giving him a brief glance, Moses answered, "Not yet but he'll be here in a few minutes."

They remained silent the rest of the way to the hotel's main restaurant.  After settling down in their chairs and ordering a round of drinks, Dominic and his crew walked into the room.

"Late as always," Lau Kong remarked gruffly.

Dominic chuckled and walked to stand behind the older man.  Bending slightly over him, he said teasingly, "And I can see that you're still a scrooge."

Lau Kong snapped his head around to glare at Dominic.  After a few seconds where the two men glared at each other, Lau Kong finally broke into a wide grin and said affectionately, "Still as playful as ever aren't you Dom?"

Dominic gave Lau Kong's shoulders a firm squeeze before taking the chair on his left.  Leaning towards him he whispered, "It helps me feel and look young.  You should try it.  Maybe then you wouldn't look as old as you do now."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Lau Kong bit back a smile and shook his head sadly, "I'm getting old.  Nothing I do can change that fact."

Sensing the despair in his long time rival, who also happens to be his friend, Dominic turned serious and asked, "Why did you call this meeting?"

"There are two things I want to discuss with you that affect both our associations."

Perked by this little piece of news, Dominic leaned forward in his chair and asked, "They are?"

"Before we begin," Lau Kong said then turned to his right, "Let me introduce you to my eldest son Power."

Power nodded a greeting at Dominic but didn't utter a single word.

Following suit, Dominic turned to his left and gestured for Raymond to stand up, "This is my son Raymond."

Raymond stood up and like Power, merely nodded a greeting and remained silent as he sat back down.

With the introductions over with, Lau Kong got down to business.  Turning to Dominic he said softly, "I'm old and don't have many years left ahead of me.  While I am still around I want to make it known to everyone that my son Power will be my successor."

Dominic gave Power a quick glance of approval and said, "If that's your choice then I will do my best to secure his position."  Looking directly at Lau Kong he added knowingly, "That is what you're going to ask of me isn't it?"

"You're always a step ahead of me," Lau Kong praised and the two men laughed.  When their laughter died down, Lau Kong's expression changed.  Looking intently at Dominic he asked, "Do you remember Michael Miu?"

Dominic tried to recall the name but drew a blank.  Yet, a nagging feeling told him that he should know the name.  "I think I heard it before but can't say I personally know the guy."

Nodding his head at Dominic's answer, Lau Kong looked over at Power and Power immediately handed him a stack of pictures.  Tossing them in front of Dominic, Lau Kong said, "These pictures were taken a few days ago.  That's Michael Miu."

Looking away from Lau Kong, Dominic turned his attention to the pictures before him.  He slowly picked one up and studied the man in the photo.  A feeling of dread filled him as he returned his gaze to Lau Kong.  "I remember him," he said in a barely audible voice then asked uneasily, "He's back in Hong Kong?"  Lau Kong nodded his head but it was the expression on his face that made Dominic ask, "Why is he back?"

"I don't know but I can only say trouble is heading our way."

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Kevin kicked out at the punching bag then threw a fist into it.  He repeated the movements several more times before he stepped back away from it.  Panting and heaving with exhaustion he climbed out of the ring and towards Vin, who watched from the side sipping from a bottle of water.  "Pass me one will you?" Kevin asked as he removed his boxing gloves and threw it onto the table.

Vin opened the mini fridge and took one out.  He watched while Kevin took a long gulp from the bottle then with hesitation said, "Kev, I need your help."

Recapping and placing the bottle down onto the table, Kevin looked at Vin and noticed his grave expression, "What is it?"

All of a sudden, Vin fell onto his knees in front of Kevin.  With tears forming in his eyes, he clasped Kevin's arms and cried out brokenly, "I'm in urgent need of money.  Can you lend me a million dollars?"

Shocked by the large amount, Kevin stared at Vin, "A million dollars?  Why do you need so much money?"

Lowering his head, Vin responded hoarsely, "It's my mom.  She needs to go overseas for surgery.  If she doesn't have the surgery soon, she's going to die.  I can't lose my mom!  I just can't!  She's my only family!  Please Kev, can you help me out?"

Kevin pulled Vin up onto his feet.  Raking his hand through his hair, he began to pace the room with frustration.  "You're talking about a million dollars here.  I don't have that kind of money to lend you or even know where I can borrow that much."

Vin collapsed to the floor, his head hanging low on his chest as he cried, "What am I going to do?  I can't stand back and let my mom die."

Kevin kneeled down beside Vin and placed a comforting arm on his shoulders.  "Give me some time to think.  I'll see what I can do for you."

Vin looked up at Kevin with hope and asked anxiously, "Do you really mean it?  You're going to help me?"

Nodding his head, Kevin forced a smile to his face and said softly, "Have I ever lied to you?"

Just then Bosco and Vincent walked into the boxing hall.  Kevin pulled Vin up and whispered, "Wipe your tears and let's get back to work."

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Raymond walked into the Fortune Nightclub and his gaze wandered around the room.  He stopped at the sight of Charmaine, who was setting glasses down at a nearby table.  Without knowing it, his eyes appraised her and he felt an involuntary stirring within him.  Looking away quickly, he walked over to his uncle's table and sat down.  "Hi Uncle Bowie."

Bowie held up a decanter of brandy and placed it back down on the table when Raymond shook his head in refusal.  "What brings you here tonight?"

Raymond shrugged carelessly, "No particularly reason.  I just had a dinner meeting with Dad and didn't feel like going home yet."  He relaxed on the chair and his eyes were drawn back to Charmaine.  She was now at the bar and talking to the bartender Chris.

Bowie followed the direction of Raymond's gaze and with a chuckle said, "Looks like Charmaine has another admirer."

Turning his attention back to his uncle, Raymond said, "What are you talking about?"

"Every guy in this place is interested in her and I don't blame them."  Leaning against his chair, Bowie looked towards Charmaine and said in a business like tone, "She's attractive and has appeal.  If she switched to being a hostess my profits would increase overnight."

Raymond looked over at Charmaine again, his eyes studying her with renewed interest.  In the past, he let his annoyance cloud his vision of her.  But now looking at her from a different point of view, he agreed with his uncle.  She was definitely attractive and out of nowhere he wondered how she would be like in bed.  With those thoughts leading him, Raymond stood up abruptly.

"Where are you going?" Bowie asked in surprise.

Raymond picked up his uncle's glass of brandy and sloshed it down his throat.  With a sly smile he said, "I'm going to find someone to share my bed tonight," he then headed towards Charmaine. 

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AngelXxx
#1
Chapter 2: just one chapter into the story and i love it already! :-) i can really imagine it as i read on.... <3 thanks
HTTPSTAY
#2
congratulations
lunafxstar #3
Congrats on the feature!
munjee
#4
Congrats !
bietvui #5
Great story, thank you very much !
charray #6
Thank you Simcon, another great story about our lovely Charray!
mewmew #7
woohoo an update, missing your updates lately :)<br />
Love Raymond's determination to see if Charmaine is alright, but I feel that he would slow everyone down if they were to make a run for it. I actually thought that Tavia would be done with her silly games, but she continues to come up with useless ideas for someone to pity her, she's like a yo-yo that keeps coming back, what the heck O_0 I really hope that Raymond does not fall for her trap again, shame on him if he does, as if he didn't learn the first time around. Thanks for the update Simcon :D
mewmew #8
At last, the truth reveal, thank goodness Dominic has an eye for distinguishing the good from the bad. Ugh..I'm just utterly disgusted by Tavia's actions. Charmaine is once again caught in middle of the family affairs. Where is Michael's right hand man, Moses when you need him. Sheren and Michael sure does have a history, if he really loves Sheren, he would stop the crazy, lunatic act. But I do wonder if Sheren loves Dominic for the right reasons. Thanks for the double update :)
mewmew #9
Messing with the enemy, does Tavia even know how dangerous Michael is and how much of a threat he poses to the family. Tavia is such a joke, hope that Dominic and Raymond see her true colors soon. Looks like trouble is headed their way, not a good feeling. Thanks for the update :)
mewmew #10
Oh my, at this point, I am uncertain as to whether or not Charmaine and Raymond will ever get back together :( I didn't like the fact that Tavia had the nerve to visit Charmaine and played like she is the victim in this whole thing and that Raymond was at fault. However, I do agree that Raymond was at fault for leading them on, but Tavia had no right to play this type of dirty game and mess with their minds. Thanks for the update :)