by Ian Hamilton
“Why are you calling me?”
“I just finished a conference call with our marketing teams in London, New York, and Paris. I want you to know that the PÖ brand has now officially lost all prospects of doing any meaningful business in Europe and North America.”
“You can’t lose what you never had.”
“You can lose hopes and dreams.”
“That sounds almost romantic.”
“I can be hopelessly romantic, I admit that,” Pandolfo said. “But the real reason I’m calling is to ask you to reconsider your position. It may not be too late to salvage things. I don’t really want to play a part in the destruction of Clark Po. He has talent. It needs to be nurtured.”
“Is that you speaking or are you passing along a message from Dominic Ventola?”
“It’s me, but I know that Dom shares the sentiment,” he said. “Despite his bluster, he hasn’t closed all the doors.”
“Then call off your people and mend the damage you’ve done.”
“I would like nothing more, but we have our terms.”
“And we’re not prepared to abandon ours.”
“By clinging to them you’re ensuring that PÖ won’t ever be more than a pimple on the fashion world’s ass.”
“Don’t be quite so sure of that.”
Pandolfo paused. “You know, I had breakfast with Dom this morning and I said to him, ‘That young woman Lee bears watching. There is an edge to her I really like, and I think when this PÖ business is resolved, we should consider doing other business with her.’”
Ava slid out of bed. She walked over to the couch where she had left her clothes and her bag. She took out the list that May had given her.
“Let me tell you a few other things that bear watching,” Ava said. “Do you have a pen at hand?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to read some numbers to you. They’re long, so I’ll read slowly.”
“I don’t understand the point of this.”
“Just write them down. Are you ready?”
“Go ahead,” he said, sounding suspicious.
“OCE463987U96,” she said. “Did you get it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. And PPL948356YL23,” she said.
“What are they?”
“The numbers of containers carrying VLG products,” Ava said.
( 28 )
Ava slept the rest of the night uninterrupted and without dreaming. The room was bright when she woke. She felt energy coursing through her body and her head was clear. She glanced at the bedside clock. It was past ten. Next to the clock was the list of container numbers she’d given Pandolfo.
She checked her phone for messages and saw texts from Amanda and May, asking her to call when she was ready for breakfast. She texted them both. I just woke up. See you downstairs in half an hour?
She made coffee and turned on the computer. Sonny had emailed. Ava blinked. It was the first time she’d ever gotten an email from him. On my way to Shenzhen with Lop and some of his men. I’ll phone you when we’re finished, he wrote.
She scrolled down through the rest of the messages and quickly scanned a newsy one from her mother and another from her sister, Marian. Again there was nothing from Maria.
Ava finished the coffee and went to the bathroom. She brushed her hair and clipped it back while she brushed her teeth. Her mind drifted to thoughts of Maria, and then, almost inexplicably, to Pang Fai. It took a minute before she began to remember fragments of the dream, and another minute before she could see Uncle sitting at a table with her at a restaurant that looked like Hakkasan. May had planted that Pang Fai seed in her head, and Uncle had made it flower. “This is crazy,” Ava murmured.
She dressed quickly in slacks and a button-down shirt, checked her phone, and saw that Amanda and May had responded that they would meet her downstairs. She put her phone, notebook, and the list of containers into her bag and left the room.
Amanda and May were already seated in the Lobby with a basket of pastries, a rack of toast, jams, and a large pot of coffee on their table. They both waved at her, and even from a distance she could see their broad smiles. May had obviously briefed Amanda on their success so far.
“So you told her?” Ava said when she reached the table.
“How could I not?” May said.
Amanda stepped around the table and threw both arms around Ava’s neck. “I’m so lucky to be working with you and May.”
“Everyone manufactures luck. This happens to be our turn,” Ava said.
“You slept well?” May asked.
“I did, although Raffi Pandolfo did what he could to disrupt it,” Ava said, taking the seat next to Amanda.
“He called again?” Amanda said.
“At midnight, to tell me they’ve shut us out of Europe and North America. But if we reconsider our position and accept their offer, they’ll make everything right for PÖ.”
“How did you respond?”
“I don’t think I handled it as well as I could have,” Ava said, looking at May. “I got irritated. I gave him the numbers of two of the containers we’ve misplaced.”
“Oh, that explains it,” May said.
“Explains what?”
“Suki phoned me first thing this morning to say she’d heard from two of the freight agents we persuaded to help us. They were contacted by VLG’s import broker and asked about two containers. It must be the two you mentioned to Pandolfo.”
“How did the agents respond?”
“As we agreed. They said they couldn’t locate them and would have to get back to the broker.”
“Hopefully there’s more good news to come. Suen is in Chongqing already, and Lop and Sonny will be in Shenzhen this morning.”
“Besides Chongqing and Shenzhen, what else is in the works?” Amanda asked.
“That’s not enough?” Ava said.
“I was only —”
“I’m teasing,” Ava said, smiling.
Just then May’s phone rang. She listened for several minutes, nodding and smiling. “Thanks. Ava and Amanda are here. I’ll let them know,” she said. “That was Suki. The Customs Department has just told her that four television crews and at least six newspapers have confirmed for this afternoon.”
( 29 )
At ten minutes to three, two taxis carrying the PÖ team stopped at the entrance of the container terminal, where Suki Chan was waiting in her SUV.
Years before, Ava had been inside Hong Kong’s Kwai Tsing Container Terminals and was astounded by the size of the port. It was a like being inside a maze covering several square kilometres, with walls that were thirty metres high. Kwai Tsing handled about seventy thousand containers a day, but as impressive as that was, the facility in Shanghai’s Waigaoqiao port area surpassed it by thirty percent. The world’s busiest container port was built on the coast facing the East China Sea and extended south towards Hangzhou Bay, where the Yangtze and Qiantang Rivers joined.
The taxis and Suki’s SUV were dwarfed by long lines of trucks, which in turn were dwarfed by rows of containers above which quay cranes towered.
“It looks chaotic, but it isn’t,” May said. “The entire system is supported by top-notch technology that can track every container. That’s why, when you use that technology to lose a container, it’s hard to find.”
The taxis followed the SUV as it wove its way slowly past trucks and forklifts. Ava checked her phone. She hadn’t heard from either Sonny or Xu, and she was getting anxious about what was happening in Shenzhen and Chongqing.
The SUV veered to the left and drove towards a square four-storey red-brick building with a sign reading CUSTOMS above double doors. To the right of the building was a row of warehouses. A cluster of television trucks and cars was parked in front of the one nearest the customs house. The SUV parked next to them and the taxis followed suit. Suki got out of her car and signalled for the others to wait where they were. She walked into the warehouse, and when she reappeared, a gr
ey-haired man in a blue uniform was with her.
“This is my husband’s cousin, Officer Ling,” she said.
He nodded. “I told Suki she could bring some friends, but I didn’t expect so many of you. I have to ask you to please stay in the background.”
“We won’t get in the way,” Ava said. “But is it okay if we take pictures and video?”
“As long as you are unobtrusive.”
“Officer Ling, we really appreciate your help,” Ava said.
“The struggle against counterfeiters is endless. We’re happy for the assistance that made this possible,” he said and walked back towards the warehouse, where the television crews were gathered at the entrance.
“Does he seriously think these goods are counterfeit?” May said.
“Of course not,” Suki said. “He’s a good actor.”
A group of customs officials appeared at the warehouse entrance. “Ladies and gentlemen,” a voice boomed from a loudspeaker. The PÖ group edged closer, keeping to the right so they were out of the media sightline but still had a clear view of the proceedings.
“We invited you here today to witness the destruction of counterfeit goods that foreign manufacturers were attempting to smuggle into China. Putting a stop to this trade is one of the biggest challenges we face, but as these seizures prove, we are successfully combatting this illegal practice. Today we are going to destroy a shipment of counterfeit watches. It has a reputed value of more than six million renminbi but isn’t worth a fiftieth of that. We also have a container load of alcohol labelled as one of the best Scotch whiskies. It is actually nothing more than cheap liquor,” the official said. “Now I ask that you step just inside the warehouse.”
The warehouse entrance was wide enough to accommodate the film crews and leave enough room for Ava and her group to stand to one side. Inside the brightly lit warehouse the watches had been dumped across the middle of the concrete floor, along with their boxes, which clearly displayed brand names. Off to the right, twelve cases marked “Dougal’s Ten-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky” were stacked in three rows. Two large oil drums stood next to them. The customs officer who had spoken took a position near the watches. “Tell me when you have all the shots you need,” he said to the media. Ava couldn’t hear their comments, but a moment later the officer raised his right arm and then she heard a rumble.
Ava began recording the scene with her phone. A small steamroller appeared from the back of the warehouse and slowly drove over the watches. Ava heard glass popping and the crunch of metal being crushed. She made sure that she kept the brand names in clear focus. The steamroller finished its run, reversed back over the watches, and then did another length before reversing again.
The officer walked over to the cases of whisky. “There was too much liquor to dispose of all of it here,” he said. “The rest has already been dumped into the sea. But for your cameras, we’ll empty these bottles into the drums and do the same with the contents.” Four officers stepped forward, opened the cases, and started pouring the whisky into the oil drums while the television cameras ran.
When they had finished, Ava saw the cousin smile at Suki. She gave him a wave and turned to Ava. “We should get going now.”
As they walked back to their cars, Ava listened to Clark, Gillian, Chi-Tze, and Amanda talking excitedly about VLG’s likely reaction to the destruction of their goods. In real dollar terms, Ava knew the product loss wouldn’t affect the company, but the symbolism of the event would not be lost on them. Their power and influence in the East were not as secure as they had imagined. Then she caught herself. “Suki, when do you think VLG will know about their products being destroyed?” she asked.
“I’m sure their import brokers are already asking about the status of the shipments. If they haven’t been told already about what’s happened, they soon will be.”
Ava looked at her watch. It was eight-thirty in the morning in Milan.
“You look preoccupied,” May said.
“I’m trying to figure out when we should send the video to VLG.”
“Me too. I thought maybe we should wait until their broker tells them about the seizure and destruction. Then we follow up with the video in a one-two punch.”
“I was thinking along the same lines, but I’m starting to feel that we’re overthinking this and acting too passively. Why not send it now? Why not be the aggressor?” Ava said. “Let’s see if we can put them on the defensive.”
“You’re right,” May said abruptly. “Send it.”
Ava stopped walking, took out her phone, and found Raffi Pandolfo’s email address. She wrote, Greetings from Shanghai. I have two unfortunate pieces of news for you. The first is that an air shipment of VLG watches and an ocean container filled with Dougal Whisky were identified by Chinese Customs as counterfeits and were destroyed minutes ago. A video is attached. I can attest to the veracity of the video, since I took it. The second unfortunate piece of news is that this won’t be the only such occurrence. Stay tuned for more. My warmest regards, Ava Lee.
Ava showed May the message. “What do you think?”
“It’s perfect.”
“Good,” Ava said. She attached the video and hit SEND.
May looped her arm through Ava’s as they recommenced their walk towards the taxis, where the others were waiting. “I can’t tell you how good it feels to think about those men’s reactions when they get that email,” May said. “I understand about image. Having products bearing your name declared counterfeit and making purses and shoes in Chinese factories doesn’t exactly mesh with the illusion VLG has conjured as one of the world’s leading luxury-brand companies.”
“Don’t feel good for too long, because above all, they’re going to be angry,” Ava said. “We’d be naive to think they’re not going to push back.”
When they reached the taxis, Amanda approached them. “Did you hear from Sonny?”
“No. I sent the video to VLG with a note,” Ava said.
“Already?”
“We decided it was time to go on the offensive. I know I said it might be better to let them find out things gradually, but we’re at war.”
“So now what?”
“I want to hear from Sonny and Xu before deciding on the next step.”
“You don’t need us around for that, do you?” Amanda asked.
“Why? What do you have in mind?” Ava said.
“We’ve been invited to a house party at a friend of Clark’s and we’d like to go. It will give our collective heads a much needed rest,” Amanda said. “You and May are welcome to join us.”
“I can’t,” May said quickly. “I’ll be spending most of the night on the phone with Wuhan. There are some business issues I have to deal with.”
“And I’m going to stay available for Sonny and Xu,” Ava said.
“But you don’t mind if we go?”
“Not in the least. We can meet for breakfast again.”
“Breakfast it is,” Amanda said. “We’ll just squeeze into one taxi and head out.”
Ava walked over to Gillian, Clark, and Chi-Tze. “Enjoy yourselves tonight,” she said. “I’ve sent the video to VLG, so they may ramp up tomorrow. I don’t want you to lose contact with our customers, so be prepared to spend more time on the phone over the next few days. We need to keep our side of the story out there.”
( 30 )
Ava and May had a hurried dinner at Yi Long Court. May’s first conference call was at six-thirty, and she thought she’d be busy until at least eleven. Ava kept checking her phone, becoming increasingly anxious as she waited to hear from Sonny or Xu.
“Why don’t you call them?” May asked at one point.
“I don’t want to seem desperate.”
“It’s Sonny and Xu.”
“I still have a certain image to maintain.”
“As if there’s anything you could do or say that they wouldn’t think was perfect.”
Ava smiled. “That’s only because I
don’t give them a reason to think otherwise.”
“What else are you going to do tonight, besides wait?” May said. “I feel kind of guilty leaving you on your own.”
“I have some other phone calls to make. You made a comment about brand integrity that hit home. I wonder how many VLG customers know that their bags and shoes may be labelled ‘Made in Italy’ but are actually made in part or entirely in China?”
“Are you going to muddy those waters?”
“I’ll try. Elsa Ngan might be a useful resource.”
“And Carrie Song?”
“No, she’s done enough for us already. I wouldn’t want to put her in an even more difficult position.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” May said. “I have to get upstairs and get organized for the first meeting. Call me if anything really urgent happens, and if you don’t go to bed early, maybe we can have a nightcap.”
After May left, Ava lingered in the restaurant. She finished a second glass of Pinot Grigio, thought about having a third, and then decided it would be better for her to take a walk. There was a chill in the night air, so she went to her room to get her Adidas jacket and cap. Before heading back downstairs, she checked her computer, hoping that an email or text had somehow evaded her phone, but none had.
The Bund was jammed when she exited the hotel. She stood at the entrance for a moment, weighing whether or not she was in the mood for being jostled and pushed by a slow-moving crowd. It didn’t seem to matter what time of day it was or what the weather was like, the river and the promenade were magnets for both locals and tourists.
She gazed at the Huangpu River, the Oriental Pearl Tower, the World Financial Center, and the line of skyscrapers along the horizon. She started to walk towards the promenade but wasn’t out of the Peninsula’s driveway before her phone rang. She checked the number. It was Sonny.
“I’ve been waiting for your call,” she said.
“We went to dinner to finalize the agreements,” he said.
“And are they —” she began, and then stopped when she saw she had another incoming call. “Just a second, Sonny,” she said before switching lines.