| Fan Fiction |
by romantic_swan_lake
Chun pondered, “Let’s see what you can do then, I have all the time in the world now.” He continued, “My Grandpa disapproved my life style and determined to correct what I had been.”
Ella thought approvingly, ‘Old Sir Wu sure is a man of intelligence.’
As if reading her mind, Chun’s brown eyes glinted, “If you have not heard, some said I am wicked.”
“Among other things,” at his astonished look, she hastily added, “definitely it’s all probably not a fact.”
Chun chuckled, “too bad, that’s the fact.” He smile faded, “All of his children and grandchildren, you could say, disappointed my Grandpa.”
“You must have exaggerated,” Ella not believing his statement.
“I am not, Grandpa chased my aunty out of the Wu clan penniless for marrying a man not of his choice,” he informed.
She caught his dark gaze and asked, “How about your father?”
“My father fell in love with a woman of a lower status, something my Grandpa ashamed of. He eloped with my mother.”
“You parents must have been very deeply in love,” Ella mused.
He frowned. “He was twenty and my mom was seventeen, both wild and naïve. My Grandpa was shocked and upset. He sent the private investigators to search everywhere for them. After five years, he found them living in the poorest environment ever.” He sadly added, “They died within a year after that. My Grandpa raised me since I was four years old.”
Chun continued solemnly, “My Grandpa kicked the bucket six months ago and left all his fortune to me. My cousin Alexander inherited a quarter of his fortune such as some hotels and real estates. However, there were strict terms and conditions to those properties. Grandpa knew Alexander too well to leave those properties unprotected.”
“How do all of these have anything to do with Angela?” Ella tightened her grip to the glass of wine in her hand.
Chun’s face changed to a derisive grin. “My Grandpa wanted me to marry before my 30th birthday and stay away from scandal of any kinds for a year in order to inherit Wu’s family fortune. He found me too wild and restless.”
“He must have known you are hell of a casanova,” Ella said in pretense of innocent.
“Casanova?” he choked.
“Not forgetting the drinking and gambling,” she was trying to rub the salt to the wound.
A smirked on his face, Chun mused, “I can’t believe you are into gossips too, Miss Chen.”
Ella retorted, “Well I was bored at the balls and events attended with Angela, so I listened to gossips to kill time.” [Ella was asked by her aunty to act like a personal maid for her younger cousin, Angela. So she normally accompany her to all those events which Ella was not very fond of]
“So how much time do you still have before your 30th birthday?” she was curious to know.
“Uumm less than 3 hours or to be exact 2 hours and 20 minutes,” Chun glanced at his Patek Phillipe again.
Her jaw drop almost reaching the carpeted floor, “2 hours and 20 minutes? How long have you known the requirement of the will?”
“Since the day he died.” Ella was informed.
“Excuse me that was six months ago!” fury shown in her eyes.
Chun tried to reason, “I was hoping for miracle to happen.” He ran his fingers through his jet black hair, his fringe dropping back across his forehead.
"Unfortunately, there was no miracle in my problem.”
Ella tightened both hands to her glass to fight her urge to reach over to smooth his fringe back into place. “I was wondering why you chose Angela?”
His tempting lips curved into a smile again. “Grandpa was confident that marriage would make me change for the best. His will is very specific, my bride have to be the granddaughter of the late Harold Zhang Zhi Cheng to inherit the fortune.”
Ella remarked, “Your Grandpa must have not known my cousin at all.”
Chun chuckled in amusement, “He didn’t. Zhang Inc. had established quite remarkably in Taiwan with its businesses and he has unmarried granddaughter, which was more than enough to my Grandpa.”
Ella had an odd feeling why she was happy that the handsome heir had not been crazily in love with her beautiful cousin. “If you do not fulfill the requirement of the will, who will benefit from the misfortune?”
“Of course, it will be my cousin, Alexander Fong,” Chun hissed.
“Isn’t he the new President of Plaza International Hotel Taichung and some other luxury resorts around Taiwan? He seems to be very close to Angela recently.” She frowned and took a sip of her wine. “I bet they planned your misfortune together. Pardon me to mention this but Angela has always wanted to be your wife and has your fortune but .... There will be more if to add Alexander’s and yours together.”
Ella was startled by the slammed of his fist onto the bar top in front of him cursing, “damn the bitch and bastard.” He snarled, “Hell will be a good place for them for such a sinful act,” draining down his remaining whisky like water.
Ella sighed. ‘If he became drunk, how am I going to handle him with his size and all. I have to do something before he empties that bottle of whisky in no time.’ She took a deep breath and thinking to drink only this glass just that Chun would at least has a glass less of alcohol. She took a gulp of the wine; the devil’s juice headed straight to work to spiral through her and warmed her from head to toe in a swirl.
“Wow .. a slow sip, OK,” Chun took a long watch at her taking another sip, “careful, it may be a little strong for you.”
“I am not an over protected child, Mr Wu. I know about life and so forth, no worry, please,” Ella protested.
Chun said sarcastically, “I’m aware of that, you probably know every crooks and corners of Taiwan and some parts of America you grown up in.”
Ella ignored his sarcastic comments and took another sip absently, “I know a few, Taipei International Women’s Club has organized fund raising committee all over Taiwan, I have a small part in the most of the fund raising activities.”
“Well ..well..we have a die hard charity volunteer here,” Chun revolted.
“Whatever, I work to better the position of those who are affected by the cruel hand of poverty such as homeless, unwed mothers and handicapped children” Ella elaborated in one breath.
“What do you know about poverty and cruelty of the world, Miss Chen?” Chun retorted.
Ella gripped the glass with both hands, her mind wandering back to the dark days after her parents’ death. She had to face the realities of being an orphan and woman alone struggling for survival in foreign land with no relatives eventhough she kind of born and grown up there. The awful memory still brought pain to her heart and shiver to her body, yet she managed answer calmly, “I know and see enough to wish it ended.”
He laughed out loud disturbing the silent evening, “We are made for each other, don’t we, Miss Chen. You, trying to help others but without the money to make a real difference and me, trying to help myself yet unsuccessful.”
“I try my best,” Ella tried to hide her pain with a shrug. She stared down at her glass wondering where the wine gone. There was barely a drip in it and she searched the carpeted floor for any stain to see if it had spilled but could see none. She reluctantly swirled her attention to Chun, “have you seen a lawyer?”
“Many, mostly are damn sly foxes,” with a hurtful smile, he rose and filled his glass with whisky and poured Ella some wine. “The game had ended and I lost, I played badly. I’m a loser.”
Ella could feel the warmth of his hand when his long sculpture fingers unconsciously touched hers as he handed her wine. The dangerous touch apparently left her yearning for more. She took another big gulp to steady her rushing pulse. Due to the effect of alcohol, she suddenly filled with confident to be able to solve every problem that may arise. She stated her mind, “surely, there must be a solution to this mess.”
“Are all Americans believed they can perform wonders, Miss Chen?” he laughed this time around with a touch of humour.
Ella reminded, “kindly bear in mind, I’m still a Taiwanese. I was brought up to value hard work, trust, honesty and most importantly the facet of life, Mr Wu Ji Chun.”
“Oh my, you are a total opposite of Angela, aren’t you?” he leaned against the bar counter with his brown twinkling eyes.
Ella dropped her eyes to her Nike, moving upward to her jeans and baggy T-shirt with a twinge of regret. There were few things she envied her beautiful cousin but not the uncountable attentions from those bachelors and playboys in Taiwan, which Angela prided of. However, Chun was different. A certain glimmer in his reckless smile and wistfulness in his glance made her yearn to know more about the mysterious handsome ‘playboy’.
“We should return to Taipei,” he sighed restlessly, as if reading her mind.