It was May, summer was ending and the touch of rainy days fell upon the skies of Singapore, it was Winona Chen's final photo shoot of the month and she was finally returning to Beijing the next day after a month-long advertisement campaign for a clothing line. She started off in China, then she was in Malaysia, and Thailand, and finally, the campaign was coming to an end in Singapore.
"We are really grateful that you accepted this campaign, Win. We couldn't have found anyone more suited than you are." Diamond's manager, Esther Liu, congratulated her as she they were wrapping up her final shoot.
"You know I wouldn't think twice, Esther. It was actually a good break from work." Win looks out of the window, admiring the beautiful skylines of Singapore from across her accommodation, "Cases here and there, for a moment I thought I was going crazy from all the legal stuff I had to face before starting this campaign."
"But you do love being a lawyer, don't you?"
Of course, she does. Being a lawyer has been always been her lifelong dream, graduating from law school with the highest honors and topping the bar exam was more than she ever asked for. It's just that all the fame after winning a case against a large corporation was getting into her. She smiled, "Well, you could say that."
Just weeks after the release of the bar exam results, law firms were swarming around her to get her hired. Her impressive exam results and law school performance spread fast in the industry and everyone was pumped to get her to be a part of their firms. But to everyone's surprise, she chose a small firm owned by an old but impressive lawyer. To Winona Chen, law is about the people, not about the money.
And then just a few months after that, she was given the case of her life. She was asked by the firm to handle a case for Mr. George Li. He was a poor man, working as a maintenance personnel for a huge company. He was accused of theft and because of the company's influence, no lawyer dared to take the case. She was new to the industry back then, and despite her remarkable performance as a student, law school was far different than the real world.
But she didn't think twice about accepting the case, Mr. Li insisted he was innocent, he said the company couldn't keep their part of the contract that he eventually would be accepted as a permanent worker after five years of work as a maintenance personnel so they framed him instead. Even the police didn't want to get involved in the messy situation so Win had to investigate on her own. Turns out, Mr. Li was telling the truth so she bravely stood for him in court.
This earned her the title of Beijing's Angel. People say that she walks courtrooms like it was her runway. She'd show up in designer clothes and four-inch heels and her demure actions would cause everyone to quietly listen to her arguments. 'Her deep brown eyes, defined nose, and chiseled jawline would look that of a seraph,' one news outlet wrote, 'and her perfectly fine sense of justice earns her the rightful title of an angel.'
Sure, it was amazing at first. The law firm she worked at received much attention that they expanded really fast and more and more brands asked them to sponsor their products. But after a while, everything just grew tiring for her. That's why she accepted Diamond's offer of a month-long campaign; Esther was a good friend of hers from college and to Win, the campaign was more of a vacation trip than work.
"So, I guess I'm finally going back to Beijing tomorrow, huh?" Win laughed.
Esther hands her a plane ticket, "Yes, Ms. Chen. You're officially going back to being Beijing's Angel tomorrow afternoon. How does that feel?"
She takes the plane ticket and chuckles, "Quit calling me that. You sound like one of the reporters who'd persistently wait out of the court halls for hours to simply get a 'I'm sorry, I won't entertain interviews today.'"
"You are still the Win I know, a little harsh on the outside, definitely sweet inside. I really don't get why they call you angel. Your tongue is so sharp sometimes, it's almost that of a fork-tailed diva."
"Appearance deceives many, Esther." Win takes her bag and stands up from the make-up chair she was sitting on for hours now, "Since I'm done here, I better cherish my last day in Singapore. Ciao!"
"Okay, angel. Call me if you need anything."
The twenty-six-year-old model sticks her tongue out playfully and finally walks out of the photo shoot site.
Minutes into wandering the streets of the famous Lion City, her phone was ringing nonstop. She frowned, thinking it was Esther calling. It was minutes since she left, wasn't she gonna get enough freedom time? This was supposed to be a vacation, she thought.
However to her surprise, it was an unknown number calling, "Hello? Who is this?"
"Oh my gosh, finally, I could talk to you!" a familiar voice boomed over the phone.
Esther flinched at the loud sound, "Whoa, calm down. Is this by any chance, Lia?"
"It's a relief you could still recognize my voice, Win. Of course, it's Lia. You practically went missing for a month!" Lia is her best friend since she was in middle school, they're almost like sisters from two different mothers. But this time, Win disappeared from everyone including her best friend.
"Correction, I did not go missing at all. I remember telling you that I was going on a month-long campaign for Diamond and that I was going to different countries in Asia. And I also remember clearly telling you that I was going to block all my phone contacts and be on a finding myself journey throughout that month. I also remember you agreeing to that plan."
A moment of silence was heard from the other line, "Lia, you there?"
"Yes. I needed time to accept that you were right. You know it's never easy. But come on, I didn't know you were serious about not contacting us at all. Even Nathan. You didn't check on him even once."
Win sighed, "I know. How was I supposed to "find myself" if I were to deal with everybody again? Besides, I talked to Nathan about it and he is completely fine with it."
"Oh no, missy, he obviously just agreed but isn't fine with it. Your boyfriend has been calling me every single day to check if you've sent any message to me just to update us that you are alive and breathing."
"You're overreacting." Win rolled her eyes, wishing Lia could see how frustrated she was, "I am alive and breathing."
"So, when are you coming back?"
"If you were that worried, you'd know when a month ends."
"Oh, Win, even if I was worried, I would not be counting the days you were back. I am your concerned best friend, not your personal secretary. Oh, speaking of personal secretary, she called me as well. She said that if ever I get to reach you, I should tell you that Mr. Yang of the Yang Industries has been trying to reach you since last week. It seems urgent."
A frown suddenly was painted on her face, "Yang Industries? Are you sure? Did she tell you why?"
"Of course not, it was probably about legal things she knew I wouldn't understand. Your secretary is smart enough to understand me and my disinter-"
"Lia, I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I have things to finish here."
"What? But Nathan still wants to talk to-"
"I'm sorry, just please tell him that I have urgent stuff to do and that I'm coming back tomorrow so he doesn't have to worry. Thanks. Bye." Win immediately ended the call, bothered about why the CEO of Yang Industries would be looking for her, "It must be about legal matters. But what? And why me of all people?" she murmured to herself.
Her phone lit up again, this time a message from the number Lia used to call her.
'You, missy, are very harsh to your boyfriend and best friend. Nathan was waiting a whole month to hear from you and you choose urgent things over him?'
Win giggled, no one ever topped Lia from being overreacting about almost everything. She wasn't really worried about Nathan; she knew he'd understand. Maybe he was worried, but he trusted her that she'd be just fine even through a month without talking to anyone close to home. She continued reading the message.
'By the way, you didn't let me finish so I'll finish it here. We are having a college reunion tomorrow evening and YOU HAVE TO COME. I know you'll say no but you can't. You have to accompany me to make up for your month-long missing feat. Don't worry, I know what worries you most about these reunions, and he won't be there. See you! XOXO.'
Obviously, no isn't an option regarding the college reunion. Lia would bother her continuously if she doesn't agree. It won't take long anyway, she thought, even if a person from her past would or would not be there, what's it to her? It should not matter.