Anna lay comfortably in the jacuzzi with a glass of juice beside her, enjoying a warm bath. Since she arrived at her brother's house, peace has known her name. Though the house is mostly quiet and lonely, no one would denigrate or treat her like trash in her brother's house. The thought alone delighted Anna as she flapped her legs in the bath.
When her brother broke the news of the money their father left for them, Anna almost slumped. Though she knew that their father had money, she didn't know to what extent, and also thought that their uncle had taken everything.
The news boosted her confidence and she felt like going to the Cheung house to teach the ladies a lesson. Most especially Megan, who if given the opportunity would trample on Anna and wipe her shoes on her head. Finding out that her beloved brother was free brought inexplicable bliss, but the money was a cherry on top of the cake.
Anna was dependent on Maurice to clothe her, but he did so at his convenience. So when Richard credited her account with a hundred million dollars, Anna went straight to the mall to spoil herself with different designer bags, shoes, clothes and jewelry. Her closet became rife with names like; Fendi, Levi's, Armani, Saint Laurent, Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli, Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, Calvin Klein, Victoria's Secret, Givenchy, Guo Pei, Lan Yu, Christine Lau, and Ryan Lo.
But in all her comfort and bliss, something was missing. She was still worked up about Ji-Hoon's disappearance. Even as she sipped her drink, Anna reminesced about his kiss at Pudong Jinhai Wetland park. It was truly phenomenal. As Anna thought about it, she could taste his lips on hers and it made her miss him much more. She imagined being in Ji-Hoon's arms and curled herself up in the bathtub.
Anna didn't know if what she feels for Ji-Hoon is love, but she was absolutely sure that she would go crazy if she couldn't see him anymore. The more she thought about it, the more scared she became. 'Did he abandon me on purpose? Or is he not interested to see me anymore? I don't think Ji-Hoon could just leave like that. Did something happen to him?" Anna just couldn't help herself as the thoughts kept coming.
Suddenly, her cellphone started ringing. Anna jumped out of the bathtub stark naked like a deranged person. She grabbed her phone from the marble mirror, without even checking the caller and picked the call. "Ji-Hoon, is that you." Anna asked enthusiastically, hoping to hear the familiar voice that always makes her day.
But the voice she heard shattered her yearning to pieces. "Good morning. Is this Anna Yeon?" The woman on the phone asked, sounding dispassionate and vigourless. She spoke as if she was talking to a piece of wood. "Yes." Anna answered quickly, and waited anxiously for the next question. "We have a Mr Ji-Hoon here in the hospital who put your name as his next of kin. He was in a car accident, but we managed to stabilise him. We need a…"
"Which hospital is he?" Anna interrupted the woman. She couldn't take any more of her dreary narration. Besides, her blood pressure was already up. So if she has to listen to the woman talk any further, she will pull out her hair. "Huadong Hospital, Fudan University." Anna sighed. "Okay. I will soon be there." With that, the woman hung up.
Anna went back to the bathtub. But this time, he rushed her bath and hurried into her bedroom. The room was spacious and luxurious. With a large winged bed suspended on glowing laminate floor boards, a walk in closet, plaster ceiling, exquisite voice activated lighting, automated blinds, a state of the art fire place, and varieties of artworks.
Anna dried her body and hurried into her closet. Picking up her phone, she booked an taxi drop to the hospital. As she got dressed, Anna thought of what happened to Ji-Hoon and fear gripped her. But she found solace in the fact that Ji-Hoon named her as his next of kin. The thought made her smile in spite of the current situation. 'Since we are both orphans, we have a lot in common. We can rely on each other.' She thought.
In less than one hour, Anna was looking dashing in her dark blue Levi's jeans, dark blue Fendi turtleneck, a red Saint Laurent long coat, a Roberto Cavalli sun shades and a pair of black Salvatore Ferragamo ankle length boots. She received a call from the Uber driver and hurried downstairs.
When she got to the hospital, the nurse she met at the reception was more friendly than the one that called her earlier. She patiently led Anna to the ward where Ji-Hoon was receiving treatment. Anna had forgotten how much she hated hospital smells. The mixture of disinfectants and various human smells always makes her want to throw up.
But her reason for being in the hospital was more important to her than any allergies or reservations about the place. When they got to Ji-Hoon's room, he was on the phone. His left leg was covered with plaster of Paris and suspended in the air. There was a bandage round his head and right wrist. When he saw Anna, he lowered the phone, smiled and waved at Anna who approached him vehemently.
"Let me call you back halmeonim. I have a guest. Talk to you later grandma. Love you." Ji-Hoon said before putting down the phone. Anna knelt down beside him and started crying. Ji-Hoon quietly patted her on the back. "You don't have to cry. The doctors said I will gain full recovery. I am very sorry for not calling you earlier. But I couldn't even if I wanted to, because I was unconscious." Anna raised her head. "What happened!" Ji-Hoon sighed and relaxed on the bed. "Its actually embarrassing, but I have to tell you. I was hit by a drunken driver while cycling back to my house. You see, I always do the exercise of cycling in the morning before going to work. I moved after seeing a green light, but the driver ignored the red light and ran into my lane. Then everything went blank. Next thing I knew, I woke up in this hospital four days later."
Anna was distraught. She could only imagine what Ji-Hoon has been through and the pain he's endured. 'If there was a way to take away the pain, I would have done it.' She thought. "I am so sorry for all you've been through. I hope you will be fine soon." Anna said, sounding irreproachably beautiful. "No need to apologise Anna. Well, the drunk driver left the car there and disappeared. The police are still looking for him. I really hope they find him." Anna nodded slowly. "Yeah, me too."
At this point, a nurse came into the room and asked her out, because it was time for Ji-Hoon's medicine. But before Anna left the room, something interesting happened. A smartly dressed man who she didn't properly see his face wanted to enter the room, but suddenly changed course and walked past the room, like he was avoiding something or somebody. But Anna paid no heed to him and just left the room so Ji-Hoon could be treated.
Miles away in his office, Richard plotted and schemed. On his tablet, he had written all the information he gathered on his enemies. But it wasn't nearly enough. He needed a lot more put them away for life like they planned for him. As he thought about it, his mind flashed on his first day in Kaishui.
"Turn around and raise your hands up." Richard was frightened and confused at the same time. He was hoping that someone would wake him up from his nightmare quickly before it gets real. But unfortunately, no one did. When the guard hit him on the back with his baton, Richard fell to his knees in pain. He wanted to cry for his mother, but quickly remembered she died long ago. He tried to call out to his dad and remembered that he was dead too. At that point, Richard felt so alone.
The guard dragged him up to his feet and hit Richard again. This time, he fell dispiritedly to the ground. But instead of pulling him up, the guards started kicking him from every direction. They kicked and stomped their boots on him, like he had committed a heinous crime. It didn't last long, but it was enough time for Richard to realise that his life was no longer his. It actually belongs to the warden and the guards.
After beating the living daylights out of Richard, they marched him to the shower room still bloodied. Two guards turned on the hose on him maliciously, and the water hit Richard like shotgun bullets. He hit his back on the wall from the impact and fell to the floor. But this didn't make the guards to stop. Instead, they faced the hose on him right there on the floor. Richard managed to curl himself up on the floor and waited until they stopped.
As the guards marched him stark naked and cuffed to his cell, Richard felt numb. With the way the guards treated him earlier, he wasn't so sure if he was innocent of what they accused him of. Though he was absolutely sure when he walked into the prison. He thought about his sister and how she wept bitterly in the court room when he was sentenced by the judge. But a guard interrupted his thoughts by whispering into his ear.
"Next time, if there will be a next time for you. I suggest you mind your own business and stay in your lane. Believe it or not, the world doesn't revolve around you. A stubborn fly always ends up in the belly of the frog." The guard said menacingly. Richard squinted at him. "What do you mean?" Instead of the guard answering the question, he hit Richard on the stomach with his baton. Richard fell on his knees. "It means that in here, your life belongs to me. You do what I want, when I want, and how I want it. You get that?" He hit Richard again on the back and he collapsed.
Finally when they got to his cell and the bars slammed shut, Richard felt some relief from the beating. But the foreboding atmosphere in his cell didn't make things easier. With bruises all over his body, Richard laid down on the bed and wept.
"Excuse me sir. The HR department is ready for you. The are waiting for you at the conference room on the 45th floor." Richard's secretary snapped him back to the present. Richard took in deep breaths and exhaled. "Thank you Mei Qing. I will be with them soon."