The Princeling of Nanjing

by Ian Hamilton

“What?” Ava said, startled.

  “I know he had something to do with helping us out in Borneo, and I heard from someone that he was a friend of Uncle’s, but other than that I don’t know much.”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “When our people went to the factory where we’re going to make our clothes, they were blown away by the reception they got.”

  “Was that so unusual?”

  “They thought so. There wasn’t a request they made that wasn’t responded to positively, and some of those requests involved the factory making substantial investments in equipment.”

  “They sound eager to get our business.”

  “The plant manager went out of his way to tell Gillian that they’d do anything else we wanted, and on the way out of the building, he asked her to make sure that her bosses told Mr. Xu how co-operative they were.”

  Ava started to reply and then stopped. Amanda was still looking out the window, but Ava saw that her jaw was tightly set.

  “Do you remember the rather large infusion of working capital we got a few months back?” Ava said.

  “Of course. It financed Suki’s expansion and the Po business.”

  “The money came from Xu.”

  “Oh. I thought it had come from you and May.”

  “It came from Xu. He was a friend to Uncle and now he’s a friend to me,” Ava said. “There are no strings attached to the money and no ownership participation. It’s an investment that he hopes returns a profit. That’s all. We should have told you sooner.”

  “I understand.”

  “Is there anything else you want to ask?”

  Amanda hesitated, and Ava braced herself for a question about how Xu had acquired so much money.

  “No,” Amanda said.

  “Good. Now let me ask you something,” Ava said. “Has anything been going on between May and Xu?”

  Amanda’s eyebrows arched and her mouth flew open. “What do you mean?”

  “He’s single. He’s handsome. She’s on her own in Shanghai and is still damn attractive. And I couldn’t help but notice that she was kind of flirting with him the other night at the reception.”

  “The only time I saw him was the other night. I didn’t pick up on any flirting. And I’ve seen May every day since she’s been here, and most nights too. She’s always been alone.”

  “It must be my imagination,” Ava said.

  “Would it bother you if something was going on?”

  “It would worry me rather than bother me,” Ava said. “They’re both friends, and nothing can complicate a friendship quicker than sex.”

  “Or lack of it.”

  “What?”

  Amanda reached for Ava’s hand. “Michael and I have both been travelling a lot on business and, just speaking for myself, when I get home I’m tired and don’t always feel like having sex. He doesn’t like it when I’m not all eager. Living with someone isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.”

  Ava pressed her head against the back of the seat. Amanda couldn’t possibly know about her dilemma with Maria, could she?

  “We’re going at the speed limit,” Amanda said. “We’ll be at the airport in no time. I don’t know why the driver was fussing.”

  “He was creating low expectations,” Ava said, glad for the subject change. “That’s often a smart thing to do, in business and in life.”

  ( 18 )

  Ava saw Sonny standing under a sign that read MEETING PLACE at Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong’s international airport. His eyes scanned the rush of people coming through the doorways. He was dressed, as Uncle and Xu always were, in a black suit with a white shirt. His thin black tie was loosened at the neck, and it looked to Ava as though he had put on weight and was having problems buttoning his shirt collar.

  He had been a member of Uncle’s gang in Fanling and then, in a relationship that spanned twenty years, he had become Uncle’s personal bodyguard and driver. It was only in that capacity that Ava had known him. He was a big man, only a few inches shorter than Suen, and he was thick and broad across the shoulders and chest. Despite his size, he had incredible agility that, combined with raw power and natural ferocity, made him a terrifying opponent. Ava had never seen anyone come close to besting him in hand-to-hand combat. She had doubts that even she would be able to take him down, despite her years of bak mei training. Not that she would ever have to. Sonny had completely transferred his loyalty to Uncle to her. She knew there wasn’t a single thing he wouldn’t do for her.

  “Sonny,” she said, as they emerged from the crowd.

  “Boss,” he said, stepping forward with a grin. He stopped just short of her and Amanda and bowed his head, clenching his hands in front of his chest and moving them slowly up and down.

  “Don’t be so formal,” Ava said as she reached him.

  “You should have told me you were coming.”

  “It was last minute. Besides, I wanted to surprise you,” she said as she stood up on her toes and kissed him on both cheeks.

  “How long are you staying?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “I like the sound of that,” he said. “Does Lop know you’re here?”

  “No, and why should he?”

  “No reason,” Sonny said, reaching for her bag and Amanda’s suitcase. “The car is parked outside in the VIP area.”

  “How have you managed to retain that privilege?” Ava asked.

  “They know it was Uncle’s car,” he said.

  Ava and Amanda walked in Sonny’s wake as he forged a path through the crowded arrivals hall to the main exit. Within ten steps they were standing in front of the silver Mercedes S-Class. Sonny opened the back door for them and then placed their bags in the trunk. When he slid into the driver’s seat, he turned towards them. “Amanda, are you going to the office or the apartment?”

  “Apartment.”

  “Boss?”

  “The Mandarin Oriental in Central.”

  “Do you have any plans after you check in?” he asked.

  “I have a meeting at a lawyer’s office in Central at three.”

  “I’ll drive you?”

  Burgess and Bowlby was a fifteen-minute walk from the Mandarin Oriental, but Ava knew that meant nothing to Sonny. “Of course. You can pick me up at quarter to three.”

  He eased the car into traffic. “I drove Michael and Simon to Shenzhen this morning,” he said. “They’re taking the train back. Michael said to tell you he’ll be home before seven and asked if you could wait for him for dinner.”

  “Thanks,” Amanda said.

  Sonny began the drive along Route 8 that would take them along the northeastern coastline of Lantau Island towards the New Territories and into Kowloon. From there, Ava knew he’d probably take the Western Harbour Crossing to get to Hong Kong Island and into Central. She looked at the passing countryside without much interest, but when the Mercedes drove onto Tsing Ma Bridge, she sat upright and stared intently at the scene below.

  Tsing Ma was more than two kilometres long and was one of the largest and longest suspension bridges in the world. It had six traffic lanes, three in each direction, and beneath them were two sets of train tracks. Two hundred metres below was the Ma Wan Channel, the major shipping lane in and out of Hong Kong, Asia’s busiest commercial port. From the bridge, Ava had a spectacular view of an armada of ships and boats of all sizes and shapes, ferrying goods and people in and out of Hong Kong to and from every part of the world. The sight always generated a touch of emotion in her, a feeling that she was now officially back in Hong Kong, her second home.

  She turned on her phone and saw that she hadn’t received any texts or emails from Johnny, and all was quiet on the Maria and Jennie fronts. She wasn’t sure that hearing nothing from Jennie was a good thing. She had a vision of her mother sitting at a baccarat table pl
aying black hundred-dollar chips. If all she lost was the $15,000 she’d been up, it would be a good night.

  Amanda was listening to some voicemails and then checked for texts. “The girls have been active,” she said to Ava. “I’ll forward you these texts if you want to see them.”

  “No thanks. I trust them, and you,” Ava said.

  “Oh,” Amanda said quietly, looking down at her phone. Ava was wondering if she’d offended her when Amanda turned to her and yelled, “Yippee!” A huge smile broke across her face.

  “Listen to this. Chi-Tze just forwarded it to me,” Amanda said. “‘Hello, everyone, this is Laura. I received your information yesterday, thank you. I reviewed it with a few of my colleagues and then met with Ms. Song this morning. We would like to organize a conference call with you tomorrow. Clark should most definitely be a party to the conversation, as well as your in-house people who look after marketing plans and costings.’”

  “That’s great. Will you take part?” Ava asked.

  “No, I think it’s better to let Chi-Tze, Gillian, and Clark handle it. They’re the team in Shanghai. I don’t want them to think we’re looking over their shoulders all the time.”

  “That’s very smart of you,” Ava said. “And that email is very encouraging. Not quite a commitment, but it sounds like a positive start to the process.”

  “You’re not kidding. The fact that we’re communicating with Lane Crawford is cause enough to celebrate,” Amanda said. “Ava, speaking of Lane Crawford and Hong Kong, do you ever think about living here?”

  “Pardon?”

  “I’m sorry if that sounds nosy, but it’s something that May and I, and Michael and I, have talked about. We’d all love it if you were closer, and we aren’t the only ones,” Amanda said, nodding towards Sonny.

  “It’s something I’ve never thought about.”

  “Not even when you were in business with Uncle?”

  “No. The most time I’ve spent here was when he was dying, and my life was rather restricted to making sure he was looked after.”

  “Would you think about it now that the business is centred and growing here in Asia?”

  “I’m not sure that’s actually a consideration,” Ava said. “May can keep her eye on our investments from Wuhan. You’re running the business very well here in Hong Kong. The Chiks seem to have things under control in Borneo. Chi-Tze and Gillian will manage PÖ. And Suki Chan doesn’t need my guidance or presence. So what would I do? Interfere?”

  “You have no idea how much you’re respected, how much you’re loved.”

  “That’s all very nice, but what does that have to do with my moving to Hong Kong?”

  “So much of your life is here.”

  “A part of it is here, but I’m not sure it’s the biggest part,” Ava said, and then paused. “You’ve met my mother.”

  “How could I forget? She is an incredible woman.”

  “And you met my girlfriend, Maria?”

  “I did, and I found her incredibly sweet.”

  “Well, they’re the two most important people in my life.”

  “Ava, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to pry.”

  “It’s okay. I know you and I have a relationship that goes beyond Michael, but all of it is based here in Asia. No one here understands what it’s like to live in a country like Canada. My mother can do and be anyone she wants. Maria and I can walk hand in hand on the street. We can kiss and hug in public and no one will say a word against us. In fact, many people will applaud us. Can you imagine that happening in Hong Kong, or anywhere else in Asia?”

  “Ava, I’m sorry.”

  “No, no, no,” Ava said. “I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to understand. My mother built a life and a future for my sister and me in Canada. She made sure that we both had educations and would never have to be dependent on anyone. Now my sister is married to a gweilo and has a life that could be described as domestic, but I’m convinced that if the need arose, she’d be able to look after herself. I am a different case. I never needed anyone to look after me. Not even Uncle. That frame of mind came from my mother, but it was reinforced by my day-to-day experiences living in Canada. I’ve never had to apologize for who I am, or explain why I am who I am.

  “There, I have my mother, a woman who’s devoted her life to me and my sister and who would step in front of a speeding truck to protect us if that was necessary. And I have the only woman who has ever loved me so unconditionally that it almost makes me cry thinking about how devoted she is. How could I leave either of them or ask them to come to live in Hong Kong, where everything they represent is considered either an abhorrence or second-class?”

  “Ava, I’m sorry I asked that question,” Amanda said, her voice cracking. “It only came from good intentions.”

  Ava sat back. Her torrent of words had surprised her. “I know it did, and I’m sorry for overreacting,” she said. “It’s just that I’m struggling with my own feelings about some things right now.”

  “We do love you.”

  “I know, and I love all of you too. I’m just tired and jet-lagged,” she said, squeezing Amanda’s hand.

  Throughout the women’s conversation, Sonny’s eyes had been locked on the road, his body rigid. Now his shoulders relaxed and he turned towards the back and said, “The Western Harbour Crossing is moving well today. We’ll be in Central in a few minutes. I was planning to drop Amanda off at her apartment first, if that’s okay.”

  “That’s fine,” Ava said.

  Amanda and Michael lived in an 800-square-foot apartment on Queen’s Road in the Mid-Levels. The streets to that area ran from Victoria Harbour through Central and up the mountain towards Victoria Peak, or “the Peak,” as it was commonly known. The higher the real estate, the greater the cost. The Mid-Levels, as the name implied, was halfway between the harbour and the Peak. The neighbourhood was mainly residential, nearly entirely apartment buildings, and home to comfortably retired senior managers and a younger crowd who aspired to eventually buy on higher ground. Michael and Amanda’s apartment was just high enough to get a sliver of a Victoria Harbour view from the window.

  The Mercedes traversed Victoria Harbour and exited onto Connaught Road. If Sonny had kept going straight he would have reached the Mandarin Oriental. Instead, he made a right turn and started the climb to Queen’s Road.

  “Do you want to join us for dinner?” Amanda asked Ava.

  “You haven’t seen your husband in two weeks. I think he might prefer having you to himself,” Ava said.

  “Tomorrow night, then?”

  “Yes, that’ll be great,” Ava said. “But do me a favour — when you see Michael tonight, ask him not to tell my father I’m in Hong Kong. I’ll meet up with him for dim sum in the next day or two, but I’d like to initiate the contact myself.”

  “Momentai.”

  “Thanks.”

  They came to a stop in front of an older apartment building with red brick walls and small windows. Sonny climbed out of the driver’s seat and went to the trunk to retrieve Amanda’s suitcase.

  “Give me a hug,” Ava said to Amanda.

  As they embraced, Amanda said, “I’m sorry if what I said about you moving to Hong Kong triggered something unpleasant.”

  “Don’t be. It’s nice that I’m wanted here as well as in Toronto,” Ava said. “The truth is that my relationship with Maria is on my mind. I need to make a decision about the future and I’m not finding it easy.”

  “I’m sure you’ll sort it out. You always do.”

  “I wish I was that sure,” Ava said.

  Sonny stood on the sidewalk with Amanda’s suitcase.

  “I’d better go,” Amanda said. “I’ll touch base with you tomorrow.”

  Ava watched her sister-in-law enter the building, and then she climbed back into the car. Sonny did an awk
ward U-turn before heading down the mountain towards the harbour.

  Five minutes later, the Mercedes stopped in front of the Mandarin Oriental, and Ava was greeted by the doorman with a loud and cheery, “Welcome back, Ms. Lee.”

  It had been her hotel of choice in Hong Kong for years. She loved the location, which was close to the harbour and surrounded by great shops and restaurants. It was within walking distance of the Star Ferry, which could take her to Tsim Sha Tsui, the southern edge of Kowloon, and then further into the New Territories. An MTR station was only a few blocks from the hotel, and she used the subway system to get to places like Victoria Park, near Causeway Bay.

  “I’ll be back downstairs at about a quarter to three,” she said to Sonny. “The lawyer’s office is in the Bond Building.”

  “A ten-minute drive at most,” Sonny said.

  After checking in, she hurried to her room. It was already well past two o’clock and she didn’t have a lot of time to get ready for her meeting with Brenda Burgess. She brushed her teeth and hair, then put on a clean pair of black linen slacks and a blue button-down shirt. She thought about checking her email and decided to wait. It was the middle of the night in Toronto and she was sure Johnny Yan didn’t have anything for her yet.

  Ava took the Tsai files from her bag and set them on the desk. Then she opened her notebook and reviewed the items she wanted Burgess to pursue. Some of them would duplicate the work that Johnny and Felix were doing, but she wasn’t concerned about getting back similar information from two different sources. She appreciated certainty and confirmation.

  At twenty to three she left the room and headed for the lobby. Sonny wasn’t in sight, but she knew the car would be near the hotel entrance and he’d be standing by it. When she walked out of the hotel, he was parked right in front, chatting amiably with the doorman and a policeman.

  As Ava climbed into the car, Sonny said, “Uncle Fong called me a few minutes ago. I mentioned that you were in Hong Kong. I hope that’s okay.”

  “That’s fine.”

  Sonny opened the driver’s door and slid behind the wheel. “He wondered if you would be available for dinner sometime.”