| Fan Fiction |
by SilverDragon
- Present Day -
Calvin stood just behind his father, Yi Xia, who was engrossed in a conversation with one of his fellow business associates. He glanced around with a bored expression at all the distinguished guests that were gathered here for his homecoming. There were very few people who were around his age, and of those that were, most of them were either men from the Syndicate or else daughters of rich women who were aiming to have him as their future husband. Calvin came to the conclusion that his father’s side was the safest, even though it made his evening incredibly dull.
He slipped a glance towards Selina who stood on the opposite side of Yi Xia. A small smile crept onto his lips whenever he saw her face, thinking about how much she had changed since the first time he saw her. She was only fourteen at the time, a scrawny and dull looking girl. He was sixteen and he despised her, finding her cold demeanour and the attention his father gave her immensely annoying. It was hard to believe that that girl was the same person who was standing by his father’s side, beautifully dressed in an almost black, royal navy blue dress that revealed her delicate neckline. Yet he didn’t fail to notice the faint line of muscle along her arms.
Yi Xia and his friend suddenly let out a loud laugh at a small joke they just shared. The Syndicate leader reached out a hand to pat his friend on the back. “That was just too true. I see we think alike, Luke.”
Luke continued to laugh softly, his turkey-like neck wobbling slightly with the movement. “Yes, yes; otherwise, how would we be able to conduct business with one another after all these years?”
Yi Xia nodded with a smile. “Only too true.” He noticed Luke’s eyes dart towards Selina, who had her face looking down.
“You know, you’re very lucky to have such a loyal worker. I’ve never seen you go anywhere without Selina by your side.” He leaned forwards to whisper quietly at Yi Xia with a small smirk, “And such a pretty little secretary too.”
Yi Xia smiled back at him, much colder than before. “Yes… Selina is a rare find indeed. Loyalty is a very hard trait to come across in a person these days. It seems as if everyone is always looking out for themselves, and if something doesn’t go their way, they’re ready to jump ship.”
Luke gave somewhat of a nervous laugh as he looked away. It felt like that comment had been directed at him as a warning. He excused himself, saying he spotted someone he knew. Yi Xia watched him walk off, a faint smirk on his face.
“Aren’t you ever afraid of making enemies, Father?” said Calvin as he rolled his eyes, sipping his drink calmly.
Yi Xia chuckled as he peered at his son. “Always the hypocrite aren’t we, Calvin?” He then turned to stare out over the crowd. “You should know by now that men in our position will always make enemies. It is inevitable. We must show them how powerful we are without actually revealing our true strength or else we lose everything.”
Calvin watched as his father walked off, Selina following obediently behind. As she was about to pass him, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. Selina stood still, her jaw tensing as she stared down at the ground.
“Do you mind if I take your ‘loyal’ servant from you for a while, Father? I could do with talking to someone I know for once,” smiled Calvin at his father.
Yi Xia pursed his lips slightly before nodding his consent. Calvin’s smile grew wider and he dragged Selina along with him towards the balcony. Yi Xia watched them walk off, his expression unreadable, before he turned around and was met with some of his friends in politics.
Selina was led towards the balcony outside, Calvin pausing on the way to grab a new glass of wine for Selina and himself. They threaded their way through the crowd, Calvin never letting go of her hand. Finally they emerged outside, the light from the lamps illuminating the area in a faint glow. They stood together in silence for a while, staring out over the dazzling lights of the city nightlife.
Calvin was the first to break the silence. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Selina?” he said quietly into the night air.
Selina remained silent. She had not touched her drink.
Calvin glanced down at her, taking in the beauty of her face hidden in the half-light of the balcony lamps. Her hair flicked gently in the soft breeze, fluttering silently in the darkness. Since he had stepped off the plane earlier that day, he couldn’t help but be captivated by her, so different from his childhood memories. But he knew full well what she was. After all, he had been there at the beginning of the harsh training which had turned her into who she was now.
“How have you been?” he asked. Still, Selina remained silent. “I guess you’ve been well, seeing how much better you look these days.”
“Do I really look that much better, Master Calvin?” Selina said quietly.
Calvin let out a small smile as he went to hold Selina by the chin, turning her face up to look at him as he stroked her delicate lips with his thumb. “So much better.” He began to move his face closer to hers but Selina suddenly turned away. Relenting, Calvin released her and turned away, still smiling.
“But for however much you’ve changed on the outside, that coldness in you is still the same.” He took a sip of his drink, tasting it thoroughly. “I used to despise the attention my father gave you. You probably never realised it, but he often came to watch you train and whenever he saw you, his eyes would light up in an unexplainable way. I’ve never seen him look at anyone like that before, even at me, his own son.”
Calvin turned his back to the balcony, leaning against the rail on his elbows as he looked back into the ballroom. People he didn’t know conversed with one another, enjoying a night that was meant for him. Selina turned to look at Calvin now, and their eyes connected. He smiled at Selina.
“It took me a couple of years living abroad to make me realise how lucky I was that my father never looked at me like that. It was rather frightening, that look. I can’t really explain it.” His eyes bore into Selina’s. “But I know for sure that it wasn’t love. No… it was something… different.”
Selina turned away, slightly disturbed at hearing Calvin’s thoughts. “I am nothing special. Master Chen still cares deeply for you, Master Calvin.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that at all. If he didn’t care for me, then maybe he might have educated me in a similar way to you. I am, after all, his successor.” He paused for a minute, swirling the liquid in his glass. “One of the early things he taught me was that men of true power left the gritty work to their underlings. But in order to command those underlings, you would have to be stronger than them, both physically and mentally.” His mouth twisted up in a bitter smile. “And so began my training.”
Selina turned to stare at him, still swirling his glass. “You have changed, Master Calvin,” she said suddenly.
Calvin’s eyebrow piqued up in mild surprise as a sly grin spread on his face. “Changed? How so, Selina dear?”
Selina paused as she considered the best way to say what she thought. “You have become mature.”
He suddenly let out a loud laugh. “Mature, huh? Perhaps...”
Silence then ensued as the two ran out of things to say to one another. Calvin drained the last of his glass, placing it on the rail to his right. He stood up, and as he walked past Selina, he took her glass out of her hand and began to drink out of it.
“I forgot that you’re not allowed to drink alcohol,” he said as he walked off.
Selina watched him go, wondering about the new change she saw in the heir to the Syndicate. Zhi Ping suddenly appeared from the shadows, sipping his drink as he followed Selina’s gaze.
“He seems more interesting than before,” he said with a smile.
“You’ve been there for quite awhile.” Selina went over to lean on the balcony rail, looking out onto the cityscape.
Zhi Ping chuckled softly as he came to join her, picking up the glass Calvin had left behind. “Yes… You’re just as observant as always.” He lifted Calvin’s glass up to his eyelevel, examining it. “You’ve known all along what he just said to you, haven’t you?”
A twisted smile crept onto Selina’s lips, as if she was mocking herself. “It’s hard not to notice.”
Zhi Ping nodded before he decided to change the subject. “I never found out how Yi Xia took the news about you calling the police the other night. How did it blow over?”
“Quickly. He was furious initially but soon forgave me. He realised that there really was no other alternative.”
“Then that explains why he never called me in over the matter.” Zhi Ping drained the last of his glass, bringing it back down to tap gently with Calvin’s, a soft chime ringing in the silent night air. “And what about Jin?”
Selina faltered slightly at the subject. Zhi Ping noticed her lack of response and smiled. He let out a heavy sigh.
“Just as I thought… you still haven’t told him. You can’t hide the kid forever, Selina.” He turned to look at her long and hard. “What do you intend to do with him?”
Selina stared out into the distance, her eyes shrouded in the darkness. “Give him a better life.” With that, Selina turned and walked off leaving Zhi Ping alone to wonder what was going through her mind.
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A/N:
Wow... I didn't expect to get anymore comments and I log on this morning to find that there's 4 more! Thanks all you guys for your support!!!
Okay, so Calvin finally steps into the picture. How do you like his character? A little eccentric, perhaps? Haha, and Zhi Ping likes to pop out of nowhere ^^
Next chapter: Part 2 of Calvin's party - a couple of random meetings... ^_^
Oh, and does anyone know of a good site to download Chinese MV's? I really want Energy's 'Tian Sheng Fan Gu' one but it's so hard to find >.<"
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12th December 2007
11:47PM GMT+09:00
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