In the Shade of the Blossom Tree

by Joanna Rees

  If he thought she looked great in her dress, she didn’t give him the chance to tell her. Instead, she remained calm and professional. They were to go to the Good Fortune and find out as much as they could about their rival casino, she told him. This was a spying mission pure and simple. They had to find any evidence, any chink, any fault they possibly could and twist it to their own advantage. It was no good waiting for someone else to do it. Luc and Savvy were here tonight. They had to be proactive. Nowhere and no one was perfect. If Lois Chan was going to open first and hold herself up to scrutiny, then scrutinize they would. Savvy was sure there had to be some way to gain the upper hand tonight. They just had to find out how.

  Up ahead, the limos and the camera crews with their bright lights trained on the red carpet made the place feel like Oscars night and, with the crowd glittering in the camera flashes, Savvy felt her confidence surge. Walking and talking, meeting and greeting, posing and smiling. It had always been her bread and butter. It was what she did best.

  She took Luc’s arm firmly, falling into step demurely beside him.

  ‘Smile,’ she said, through gritted teeth. ‘We’re a united front. Nobody is to take a photo of us looking anything other than relaxed, OK?’

  Savvy steered him on to the red carpet and turned on her brightest smile. She heard her name and turned and posed for the cameras, stopping by a gaggle of journalists. A woman from the South China Morning Post was clearly delighted they’d shown up.

  ‘Are you upset that the Good Fortune has opened ahead of schedule?’ she asked Savvy. ‘Your father made it very clear that El Palazzo was going to spearhead Shangri-La.’

  ‘And it still will. There will be nowhere on earth like El Palazzo,’ Savvy replied, with a charming smile. ‘We will be the biggest and undeniably the best venue in the whole of China. Perhaps the world. You wait, you’ll see,’ she said as she moved on, exuding confidence.

  ‘Go easy, Savvy,’ Luc said. ‘Don’t promise them the earth.’

  ‘Why not? They’re going to get it.’

  ‘But—’

  She squeezed his arm and he looked down as she rubbed her fingers together. ‘Shangri-La is about gambling,’ she said, ‘not some crusade for the environment. We’ll give them good old Vegas razzmatazz right here in their backyard. Not all this eco bullshit.’

  She’d seen the glossy brochure for the Good Fortune already. She knew just what to expect. This place was more of a hippy holiday resort than a gambling haven. And people wouldn’t travel halfway around the world and pay these prices for that.

  Oh yes, Roberto Enzo might have won Savvy’s approval for the way he ran the Enzo Vegas. But he’d betrayed his own old-school principles here. This place was a hybrid. A nothing. It would never win anyone’s heart.

  They stopped and posed for the cameras again.

  ‘Can you put your arm around Miss Hudson, Mr Devereaux?’ one of the photographers asked.

  ‘Sure,’ Luc said, grinning and putting his arm around Savvy’s shoulder. ‘United front, right,’ he hissed, so that only Savvy could hear.

  She smiled, grateful that she and Luc were not alone. Because it would be too easy, she now realized. Too easy to be seduced by his touch . . . too easy to let it smooth away everything that had gone before.

  When the cameras finished flashing, she firmly stepped away from Luc. She was here for business. Nothing more.

  ‘So what do you think of the Good Fortune, Miss Hudson?’ another reporter asked.

  ‘The façade looks fine,’ she said. She had to say it really. Because it would look like sour grapes if she said nothing. She gazed at the Good Fortune’s glass structure rising into the pink sky like an elaborately cut jewel. It was quite magnificent, she had to admit. The clever melding of the twenty-first century with the traditional Chinese elements shouldn’t work, but it did. Rather stunningly.

  ‘But looks can be deceiving,’ she carried on. ‘And usually are. So give me a chance to have a look around inside and I’ll tell you if I’m right,’ she said, walking on.

  ‘You’re pretty good at dealing with the press, you know,’ Luc said.

  ‘I used to do it all the time,’ she reminded him.

  But God, she thought, it feels so much better to be doing it like this. Talking about something real. Something I’m involved with. Not just someone else’s perfume or DJ night. How silly and inconsequential and far away that seemed now. And the very best thing of all, she thought with a smile, is doing this clean. And with Luc by her side.

  But the second she walked through the golden gates into the glorious courtyard of the Good Fortune beyond, she felt her spirits sink.

  Because the brochure she’d flicked through had in no way done this place justice.

  And how could it?

  This was un-photographable. This atmosphere.

  It was immediately recognizable as a casino, but it had an ambience to it that was different to anything Savvy had ever experienced, as if the building site of the rest of Shangri-La was a million miles away, not just out there.

  The sound of water was everywhere. Tinkling, splashing chimes. The courtyard’s stone arches looked like they’d been here for ever. Savvy caught a glimpse of the lofty glass-sided casino and saw how the Chinese theme had been taken inside from the courtyard.

  Any hope she’d had that Roberto Enzo had gone off-message on his Vegas principles was dashed. This place oozed just as much class as the Enzo Vegas ever had. Roberto hadn’t just reinvented his business ideals, he’d adapted them. To this new city growing out of the dirt. To bring in new people itching to gamble their money away.

  And that was the hardest part for Savvy to swallow. The people. They already loved it here. She could see it all around her. They felt like they belonged. No matter where Savvy looked, she could see a sense of wonder and joy on every face.

  She could now see what a fool Hud had been to insist on European designs for El Palazzo. She knew that he’d deliberately planned the Italian-themed casino as a snub to Roberto Enzo.

  But it was no wonder that El Palazzo’s building contractors had floundered over the complicated replicas of Italian masterpieces. There was no cultural context for them here. The workmen didn’t know what they were, so had no clue how to install them. So how the hell were the clientele supposed to be impressed?

  Savvy saw now that Michael Hudson’s unshakeable pride had backfired. Instead of being an innovator, he’d achieved the opposite. He’d created an old-fashioned monstrosity compared to this, leaving El Palazzo looking like yesterday’s news before it had even opened.

  But Savvy couldn’t go backwards. She was stuck with Hud’s vision. They’d invested way too much money and time to start rethinking their plans now.

  Which meant that Savvy would just have to get over the fact that her casino would never be the most beautiful – or even somewhere she’d choose to go herself. But it could still be the biggest and most profitable. Which meant she would have done Hud proud. Because in his eyes, those were the only things that mattered.

  OK, so they might have lost the design battle but they could still win the business war, she told herself. She needed to become her father’s daughter in more than just words; in belief as well.

  She meant what she’d said to Luc. Gambling was where El Palazzo would get its edge. Whatever Lois Chan did, Savvy would undercut her. She’d make sure that the masses would come flocking to her casino. She’d hook them in and get them to spend, spend, spend.

  ‘Look, it’s only a case of one final push and we’ll be opening ourselves soon,’ she told Luc. ‘Only bigger and better. We’ll show these Chinese how to really throw a party, right?’

  They followed the crowd past a magnificent fountain – the centrepiece, a dragon with its golden claws resting on a golden tree trunk. Already, the bottom of the pool around it was shimmering with coins from people who had made a wish.

  Savvy stared into the water. Then she quickly slipped her bag off her shoulder, opened i
t and pulled out a dime. She threw it into the water and made a silent, secret wish.

  Hud might have been a fool in his choice of design, but Savvy was the bigger fool. Because she’d underestimated Lois Chan. And it was a mistake she’d never make again.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Lois couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she walked through the casino, past the slot machines. She’d grown to love the sound of them. Roberto had told her years ago that they were always tuned to the key of C and now, hearing them all live, all trilling their musical scales, she realized how harmonious they sounded with the happy burble of voices above them and the tinkle of coins.

  Unlike the energy-guzzling, brightly lit emporiums of Vegas, the Good Fortune’s cathedral-like casino hall had one side made entirely from glass and now, in the last rays of the sunset, the whole place was filled with a shimmering orange-gold light.

  She waved to various friends and acquaintances, thrilled that everyone had turned up. There were so many familiar faces from Shangri-La and from Vegas too. She knew that amongst the crowd now swarming through the casino were a whole contingent of seasoned Macau and Hong Kong regulars who’d made the special journey to see what the fuss was about. But there was also a swathe of newcomers from the provinces who’d never seen a casino before, and she heard their sighs and exclamations of awe as they filled the tables.

  But one thing had been clear in Lois’s mind from the start – especially after seeing for herself the race-goers in Hong Kong: the Chinese would always gamble. Which was why she was so proud to have created the safest, most entertaining place they’d ever had to do it in.

  Lois had insisted on a responsible public relations programme, employing locals to take the Good Fortune’s message deep into the heart of the mainland. She wanted people to be clear about the hazards of gambling, as well as aware of the exact expenses they’d encounter in Shangri-La.

  She’d heard horror stories of whole villages pinning their hopes and life savings on one of their men making a fortune in the casinos of Macau, with devastating consequences.

  But she knew as she moved through to the blackjack tables that she was looking for one face in particular.

  Aidan Bailey had been invited tonight, along with all the other investors, and Lois hoped she’d have a chance to talk to him. She hadn’t seen him since she’d run out on him at the races in Hong Kong. As time passed, she’d started to feel increasingly foolish for acting the way she had.

  She’d been so quick to dismiss him from her life, thinking his only connection to gambling might be through his own compulsions and addiction. It hadn’t occurred to her that it might be through business or that he might be connected to the Good Fortune.

  She’d checked the books, and although he wasn’t a large investor by any stretch, she still wanted to know whether he thought that his investment had been worth it. It was a point of professional pride.

  But there was another reason she wanted to see him too. To make him a reality again and not just a fantasy. Because that night . . . that magical night in Hong Kong . . . well, Lois hadn’t been able to forget it.

  She needed to see Aidan to remind herself of all the reasons why they couldn’t be together. To remind herself that he was still a gambler – just like her father – even if he’d made a business out of it too. To remind herself that he was still in the business of war, making money from exploiting other people’s misery and conflicts. To remind herself that he’d deceived her whilst he was sleeping with her. That he hadn’t had the courtesy to tell her that he was involved as an investor in the business she was about to run single-handedly.

  But still she scanned the faces, looking for his familiar grey-blond hair and disarming smile.

  ‘Ah, there you are.’

  Lois heard a familiar voice and turned to see Jai Shijai standing behind her. He’d lost weight since the last time she’d seen him. It made him look younger. More attractive too. But then, she had yet to see a man tonight who didn’t benefit from being in black tie.

  ‘Hello,’ she said.

  He smiled, his eyes glittering. ‘Look at you. Lois Chan. Right at the top . . .’

  Lois was flattered by his words and the reference he was making to their conversation on his private island.

  ‘It’s easy to be at the top when only one casino is open,’ she replied, with a modest smile.

  ‘But you won,’ Jai said. ‘You got there first. The Good Fortune will always have that now. The first and the best. I wonder how Savannah Hudson will retaliate.’

  As usual, she heard the tone of glee in his voice, as if this were all a game and he was revelling in the spectacle. But it wasn’t a game to her. It was her life.

  She had no desire to discuss her rival with Jai Shijai.

  ‘We are very honoured that you’re here tonight. And also that you are coming to the inaugural International Baccarat Championship,’ she said, keeping things formal. Jai Shijai had been the main reason she’d arranged the event in six weeks’ time, when she’d learned from his fixers that his schedule would be free and that he was planning on coming to Shangri-La. Six weeks would give her just enough time to iron out all the glitches and make sure they were fully operational as a world-class hotel.

  Jai Shijai’s presence here would almost guarantee the Good Fortune sufficient status for the championship to become an annual and internationally recognized event. It would also mean that the other billionaire gamblers who followed Jai Shijai’s lead would follow him here to the Good Fortune.

  Jai Shijai smiled, but he didn’t verbally commit himself either way.

  ‘Show me the baccarat room,’ he said.

  ‘Of course. It would be my pleasure.’

  He glanced at his minder, putting out one finger to tell him to stay. Realizing that she’d be accompanying Jai Shijai alone, Lois began weaving through the crowd with him towards the far corner of the casino.

  The suite of baccarat rooms had been designed with Jai Shijai specifically in mind. She was thrilled to be able to show them off, but she felt a flutter of nerves as she pushed open the heavy door and showed him inside.

  Unlike the rest of the casino, here Lois had used Jai Shijai’s personal quarters in his home on the island as her inspiration. The walls of the large room were covered in antique tapestries and the ceiling was painted with an image of Good Fortune’s dragon. At the far end of the glossy tables, there was a curved bar adorned with gold carvings. The smoke from the incense burner swirled, a waft of sandalwood coming towards them. The squashy black carpet and soft lighting gave the room a chic, intimate feeling. The door swished back quietly, sealing them inside.

  Lois stood behind one of the fringed black velvet chairs at the table, smiling at Jai Shijai, seeing that he was impressed. This was a room fit for a king, let alone a tycoon. Yet, infuriatingly, he made no comment.

  ‘So tell me, Lois. You have enjoyed being in China, yes? Getting back to your roots?’ he asked.

  Lois chose her words carefully. ‘It has been illuminating,’ she said, not wanting to offend him. Because the last two years had been illuminating. Illuminating, exhausting, amazing, as well as downright frustrating at times. Her American standards had been hard to impose here and culturally she’d had to accept that she was a million miles away. But she’d made it work, through sheer determination. The quiet respect she’d earned in Shangri-La from the developers and the locals was precious to her. And so yes, in that sense, she did feel as if she’d put down roots here. She’d grown in stature and experience because of this place. It was a fact the benign look on Jai Shijai’s face served only to confirm.

  He walked the length of the table, trailing his fingertips over the soft baize.

  ‘When was the last time you took a vacation, Lois?’ he asked. He smiled, his eyes scanning her face.

  ‘I can’t remember,’ she said, thinking of the last break she was supposed to have had with Cara, which Chris had cancelled at the last minute. She hadn’t had
a moment to think about doing anything for herself, for as long as she could remember.

  ‘Which is why I thought a gift might be in order.’

  ‘A gift?’ she asked.

  He walked back to her. Too close, she thought. He gazed into her eyes.

  ‘After your party tonight, you will accompany me to Beijing. I have some interesting contacts for you to meet. And then I thought you might like to come back to the island in the Gulf. You found it restful there . . .’

  It was an invitation, she realized. But he’d said it like a command. One that she couldn’t refuse.

  And any lingering doubt that he might be making a business proposal was lost as he now leaned in close, putting his hand over hers.

  Immediately, she found herself thinking of the last man who’d touched her like this. Aidan Bailey. And she remembered how she’d felt when he’d first taken her hand in his. Safe. Excited. Not intimidated or confused. Nothing like this.

  ‘That’s a very kind offer, but I couldn’t possibly. There’s still so much to do here and—’

  ‘But I don’t think you understand, Lois, what I’m offering you . . .’

  Lois glanced up at the camera in the ceiling above them, wondering whether Mario was seeing all of this, whether Jai Shijai knew it was a possibility, or whether he even cared. But she doubted the audio would pick up Jai Shijai’s voice as he whispered, ‘I can offer you riches . . . a lifestyle, Lois, of a kind you’ve never dreamed of.’ His eyes were deadly serious. ‘You’d be a fool to turn me down.’

  This can’t be happening, Lois thought, beginning to panic. Why is he compromising me like this? Jai Shijai was central to the success of the Good Fortune. Without his patronage . . . without him on side, the whole enterprise could so easily fail. If she turned him down now, she could be risking her future success. But if she agreed, then she would have given him all the power.

  Lois slipped her hand out from under his. The gesture gave her strength. ‘But I’ve got what I want already. Success. And I worked hard for it.’