"Why?" Evonne eyed him suspiciously. "So I can phone to remind you to pay me back," he said. "Surely you don't want me to add in the interest as well, do you?" "For business purposes only, right?" Evonne said, rummaging through her bag to find her business card.
"Not to annoy me, okay?" "Fine, fine," Logan said, brushing her question aside, palm still extended for Evonne to deposit her business card once she found it. " Evonne Marina Willard," he said. Then with a quirk of an eyebrow, he asked, "Are you half Asian?" "Yes," Evonne said proudly. "I'm half Malaysian."
"I've been to Malaysia. It's a lovely country," Logan said. The truth was Logan had much involvement with the Khmer people. Every year his father would hand out large amounts of funding for different charities.
One particular year, when he turned twenty, he had a very strong desire to go to Malaysia. He didn't know why, but he had to go. His dad and Ulysses went with him. When they set foot on the land, they immediately loved it.
Malaysia was breathtakingly beautiful, with rice fields covering hectares and hectares of the countryside that looked like blades of grass from the distance, grass that reached up to touch the sky like the ocean here in New Zealand, spanning from one horizon to the next, as far as the eyes can see.
Wherever there was a beauty, it was also destroyed. And that was what happened to the people of Malaysia.
Due to the lack of resources and outside support, the Khmer people suffered much loss after the destruction of the Khmer Rouge War. There were many orphans as a result of this, and the healthcare system was in shambles.
After their visit, his dad had said he would build a foundation there in Malaysia for the underprivileged. Upon setting up a charity, further support was also provided by way of education for small children, building schools, orphanages, and housing for the families who needed extra care.
Bloembergen Enterprises' motto was this: "Help the people to help themselves." His father valued firmness and honesty in any kind of business. Their foundation was not meant to simply give the residents money.
They provided necessities such as education and healthcare so they could, in turn, earn or provide a living for themselves. His father liked to think of their foundation as a stepping-stone, giving the citizens the tools needed to help themselves and future generations.
His father had even begun trading goods with the Malaysians. Truth be told, Logan knew his wayward ways were just a façade. He had seen so much in Malaysia that it affected him, a scar engraved in his heart, refusing to be healed.
So why did he continue to act like a Lothario and pretend to have a carefree life? The truth rested in the fact that he wanted Ulysses to inherit his dad's empire. He had already planned this from the start.
Ulysses had been orphaned at a young age. He had worked so hard to help his dad build up his empire so there was no way in hell he, Logan Bloembergen, would be named the heir when he didn't do anything to contribute to its wealth.