The sky was clear and blue.  The temperature has warmed up considerably and with spring around the corner, flowers were beginning to bloom.  Lau Kong stepped off the terrace and made his way over to his wife, who was sitting underneath a wide umbrella having a light lunch of fruits and salad.  Sitting down in the chair next to her, he lifted his hand to call for the maid who stood a few feet away.

"Yes Master?" the maid bobbed her head.

"Tell the cook I'm going to have my soup out here and bring it out to me."

"Yes Master."  The maid bobbed her head again and walked into the house.

Alone with his wife, Lau Kong touched her arm lightly and asked softly "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Mary said curtly and continued to eat without paying any attention to her husband.

Sighing heavily, Lau Kong squeezed her arm and said in a low voice, "She's my daughter too and like you I miss her."

Mary dropped her fork onto the plate with a clang and gave her husband a look of disbelief.  "If you love and miss her you would bring her back home."

"Don't you see?  If I did that she would hate me more.  She has to come back on her own.  You know how stubborn and willful Charmaine is."

Mary stared at her husband and realized what he said was true.  Charmaine can be very stubborn and if she was dragged home kicking and screaming, she would resent her family even more.  Although she doesn't know the exact details of what happened between her husband and daughter, Mary knew it involved the kind of life they lead.  When she first married Lau Kong, she knew what to expect and she guessed she sort of expected her children to accept it as well.  Her sons did but apparently her daughter didn't.  Still, it doesn’t change the fact that they are family.  Letting out a sigh of resignation, she patted Lau Kong's hand and said contritely, "I'm sorry.  You're right.  It's just that I'm worried about her.  No one has heard or seen from her since she left.  I worry that someone may take advantage of her being all alone out there."

Relieved that Mary was no longer upset with him, Lau Kau laughed softly and said with a twinkle in his eyes, "Our daughter will be just fine.  She has our genes and I bet she's probably having fun at this very minute while we're worrying about her."

Mary thought about his words for a few seconds then a smile slowly spread on her face.  "You're absolutely right.  Our daughter is tough just like her father.  She will never let any one get away with picking on her."

Leaning in towards his wife, Lau Kong picked up her hand and gave it a firm squeeze, "So are you still angry with me?" he asked softly.

Mary instantly shook her head, a serene smile on her face, "How can I when I know how much you value our family.  Whatever you do, whether right or wrong, I know its to protect us."

The praise made Lau Kong beam proudly.  He brought his hand to cup Mary's face and caressing it softly said, "You are a wonderful wife and have given me three beautiful children.  As long as I'm alive, I will go on protecting and valuing our family."

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Michael walked out of the bank where he had a lengthy meeting with one of the financial advisors to discuss a plan to expand his bar business.  He had a chain of them overseas and wanted to open some in Hong Kong.  With his accumulated assets and recognition in the foreign business world, his credit was good to go.  The only problem was location.  He had a few in mind but they were all currently occupied by his rivals Lau Kong and Dominic Lam.  Just thinking about Dominic Lam infuriates him.  In all areas, he excels over Dominic Lam and yet he lost the only woman he ever loved to him and that didn't suit well with him.

"Michael, where to now?" Ron Ng asked.  He has been working for Michael since he was a teen.  It was Michael who saved him from getting severely beaten up as a teen by a bunch of bullies.  From that day forward, Ron made two promises to himself.  The first, he would never let anyone bully him again.  The second, he would follow and obey Michael until the day he dies.

Hearing the question, Michael turned to Ron.  He was about to suggest that they grab a bite to eat when his eyes caught sight of someone he thought he would never see again.  Feeling his pulse accelerate, he quickly said, "I have something that I need to do on my own.  Wait for me at the office.  I should be back in about an hour or two."

Ron nodded in obedience and without a word took off.

Keeping his eyes on her, Michael trotted across the street and stopped when he was directly in front of her.  He saw the astonishment on her face and smiled tenderly, "Hi Sheren.  Long time no see."

Recovering from the shock of seeing him, Sheren gave him a casual smile and said, "Yes, it's been a really long time.  How are you?"

"I'm fine," Michael answered softly.  Glancing around he spotted a café a few stores down and suggested, "Do you have time for a cup of coffee?"

Sheren immediately shook her head and said, "I can't.  I'm meeting my husband."  She saw the smile banish from Michael's face and added softly, "It was nice bumping into you again.  Take care."

Watching her turn from him filled Michael with rage and jealousy.  His hand shot out to encircle her wrist, stopping her from leaving.  "I want us to talk," he said in what sounded like a snarl.

Sheren forcefully pulled her wrist away, "There's nothing for us to talk about."  Giving him another soft smile, she said, "It was nice seeing you again.  I'm sorry but I really got to run.  I don't want to keep my husband waiting."

Michael watched her walk away, regret etched on his face.

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"Let's order the sushi boat for two," Fala said as she took a sip of her steaming green tea.

Sitting across from her, Charmaine shook her head, "We're not going to be able to finish it."

"You and I can't but," Fala turned to give Kevin, who was sitting next to her, a teasing smile and continued, "Kevin can.  He'll eat up everything we leave behind."  Nudging him in the arm she asked sweetly, "Won't you?"

Unable to contain his laughter, Kevin said, "Sure.  Sure.  Order whatever you girls like.  I already said it's my treat."

"See!" Fala practically screamed out and snatched the menu from Charmaine's hand to see what else she can add to the already long list.

Charmaine gave Fala a glare before turning to look over at Kevin.  Smiling warmly at him she said, "You really don't have to treat us.  We can pay for ourselves."

Kevin smiled at Charmaine and joked, "It's not every day a guy gets to take two beautiful girls out for lunch.  Give me that chance will you?"

Hearing that, Fala set the menu down onto the table and looked meaningfully at Charmaine.  In a teasing note she said, "I've been neighbors with Kevin for more than three years now and he hasn't even treated me out to eat once.  So the person I should be thanking for this meal is you."

Charmaine's eyes instantly flitted to Kevin and saw the blush creep into his face.  When he lifted his eyes to hers she could not help but feel her own face heat up.  Quickly lowering her head, she kicked Fala in the leg underneath the table.

"Ouch," Fala cried out from the sudden attack.  Giving Charmaine a sharp look, she used her elbow to nudge Kevin in the arm again and said in mock anger, "This is what I get for trying to help my friends.  The next time you two decide to go out, don't invite me to come along."

"Fala!" Charmaine hissed but that only made Fala giggle.

Seeing the two girls sparring so tenderly and naturally together gave Kevin a warm fuzzy feeling.  "If you girls don't mind, why don't I order for us."

"Sounds great!" Charmaine and Fala both said at the same time.  Looking at each other, they burst into giggles.

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Raymond strolled down the street paying no heed to his surroundings or the woman who held tightly onto his arm.  He was moody and edgy and the littlest thing would set him off.  He didn't know why he was feeling this way.  There shouldn't be any reason for it and yet he was.

"What do you feel like eating?" Tavia asked softly as she turned to look at him.  Raymond continued walking aimlessly besides her without making a response.  Tugging him lightly on the arm, she said, "Ray?  Ray!"

Snapping his head down to look at her, Raymond gave her a sheepish smile and said, "Sorry Tavia.  Did you say something?"

Tavia stopped walking to face him fully and asked with concern, "Is everything alright?  You don't seem like yourself lately."

Raymond brought his hands to her arms and gently rubbed them, "Of course everything is alright.  Why wouldn't it be?  Business is good and I have a wonderful girlfriend by my side."

Pleased with his response, Tavia brought her own hands to his arms.  Looking affectionately at him, she asked, "What do you feeling like eating then?"

Raymond scanned up and down the block and stopped at a Japanese restaurant across the street.  Gesturing at it with a nod of his head, he asked, "How about Japanese?  You did mention that you haven't had it for a long time."

Smiling happily that Raymond remembered what she said, Tavia grabbed his hand and pulled him along, "Come on.  I'm starving!"

With Tavia's infectious smile affecting him, Raymond broke into a wide grin and allowed himself to be pulled by her into the restaurant.  The moment he stepped into the restaurant the smile disappeared and he could feel his foul mood returning.