The Couturier of Milan

by Ian Hamilton

As Ava and Pandolfo worked, the tensions between the Camorra and the triad men shifted dramatically. In a show of goodwill, Sonny and Suen drove the Italians who had been injured in the bar to a private clinic. Lop and Moretti stood outside in the street with their men, and Xu and Lam were chatting with Bianchi and Ricci.

  It took more than an hour for Ava and Pandolfo to create an announcement and a list of fashion media, bloggers, and customers to send it to that they were both happy with. “Before it goes out, I’d like to send this to my partners for their input,” Ava said. “I can’t imagine it will be substantive, but I’ll contact you tomorrow with any changes they want to make.”

  “I’ll run them past our team in Milan,” Pandolfo said. “I’ll try to show the announcement to Dom as well, but honestly I don’t think he’ll have much interest. We should aim to have it finalized by late tomorrow. When do you want to release it?”

  “Right away.”

  “I can’t say I blame you,” Pandolfo said.

  “And you have my number, so we’re set.”

  Ava and Pandolfo walked to the back of restaurant, where Xu, Lam, Bianchi, and Ricci seemed to be involved in a lively conversation.

  “We’re finished,” Ava said. “With any luck, we can make a public announcement by late tomorrow.”

  “And now what?” Xu said.

  “I’d really like to catch the ten o’clock jetfoil back to Hong Kong.”

  Xu stood up. “I’ll ride with you to the terminal.”

  It took ten minutes for handshakes, promises, thanks, and goodbyes. The Italians were reserved, but Lam grinned when Ava kissed him on both cheeks. “I can’t thank you enough for all your help,” she said.

  “We’re almost even now, but if this thing turns out as well as I think it might, I’ll owe you again,” he said.

  Sonny and Suen had returned from the clinic and were waiting outside the restaurant. Lam’s car was at the curb. “Sonny and Ava are going back to Hong Kong on the jetfoil,” Xu said.

  “I’ll drive. Sonny can sit up front with me,” Suen said.

  “What were you talking about with the Italians?” Ava asked Xu when they were in the car.

  “Business opportunities.”

  “And?”

  “They’re tricky. We’ll see,” Xu said. “They’re staying here a few more days. Lam and I have agreed to have dinner with them tomorrow night and we’ll explore things in more detail. Do you want to join us?”

  “No, thanks. I’ve had enough of Macau.”

  “I imagine Ventola and Pandolfo will be staying as well.”

  “I know, but Pandolfo and I have agreed to communicate by phone and email. I told him that if we need to meet, he can come to Hong Kong.”

  They reached the ferry terminal at five minutes to ten. “We’re going to have to rush to catch the ten o’clock sailing,” she said as the car stopped.

  “Off you go,” Xu said.

  She leaned over and kissed him on both cheeks. “Thank you, ge ge,” she whispered.

  She and Sonny got to the jetfoil just before they disengaged the ramp. The first-class cabin was half empty. “Sonny, I’m going to sit up front by myself for a while,” she said. “I have some phone calls to make.”

  “Momentai.”

  She found a seat in the front row by a window, with no one within earshot. She phoned May first, then Amanda. She gave them a brief update on the outcome of the meeting and made arrangements to meet them later at the Mandarin, to provide more detail over celebratory drinks. She then called Chi-Tze, who quickly put her on speaker so she could also tell Gillian and Clark. She was still talking to them when the jetfoil docked in Hong Kong.

  “We’ll talk again first thing in the morning,” she said as she walked down the gangway. “I’ll send you the draft announcement as soon as I get to the hotel, but I think we should hold off saying anything ourselves until things are completely nailed down. When I spoke to Raffi, he was anxious that we coordinate our timing in terms of contacting customers. I think they want to do it first —it will be less embarrassing for them that way.” She put her phone in her purse and waited for Sonny to get the car.

  She thought about her work with Uncle, how most often she was on her own, at arm’s length from clients. When she was successful, it had generated a sense of accomplishment and sometimes relief, but rarely, if ever, the kind of joy she had felt when she picked up the phone to tell her partners they were back on track.

  Sonny parked the car at the curb and opened the back door.

  “Are you happy doing this?” she asked as he eased into traffic.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You are capable of doing so much more than driving my brother and my father around Hong Kong. I know you work for me, but we have geography working against us. It worries me that you might feel underused and underappreciated.”

  “Are you saying that because Lop said he’d hire me if he could?”

  “Partly, but it isn’t just Lop. Lam and Xu would be just as eager.”

  “Because of the way I handled those guys at the restaurant?”

  “Everyone needs protection, Sonny, and who’s better than you at providing it?”

  “I would only disappoint them,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “Because I can’t do it on command,” he said. “There was a time when I could and there was nothing I loved more, but Uncle helped me escape from that mentality. He rewired me to respond only to direct threats to him or me. And now it’s you and me —that’s all I care about. So you see, I’d disappoint them.”

  Ava felt her emotions swell again, but she had no idea how to respond to Sonny until they reached the Mandarin Oriental. When she got out of the car, she put a hand on his cheek. “I’m so lucky to have you,” she said.

  “We’re a good team, boss,” he said, averting his eyes. “I’ll be on standby tomorrow.”

  “If I need you, I’ll call.”

  She walked into the hotel lobby and headed for the elevators. Amanda was coming down from the Peak to join her and May, but Ava wanted to have a quick shower and change first.

  “Ms. Lee,” the concierge said as she passed his desk.

  “Yes?” she said.

  “Welcome back to the hotel,” he said.

  “Thank you,” she said, finding his behaviour a bit odd.

  She phoned May as soon as she got to her room. “I’m here. Let Amanda know. I’ll see you at M Bar in half an hour.”

  She was towelling herself off when she thought she heard the doorbell ring. She opened the bathroom door and listened but heard nothing. She put on a bathrobe and was starting to walk towards the closet when she heard the bell again. She went to the door and looked through the peephole.

  Pang Fai stood in the corridor.

  “Fai,” Ava said, opening the door.

  “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

  “No, but this is unexpected.”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Of course,” Ava said. “How did you get here?”

  “I remembered that you and May said this is where you stay when you’re in Hong Kong,” Fai said as she walked past her. “I checked myself in and then I persuaded the concierge to give me your room number. He was extremely reluctant but I managed to convince him. The perks of being a famous actress,” she said wryly.

  “You didn’t have to go to all that trouble. You could have just phoned me.”

  “There are things you can’t say on the phone.”

  Fai sat down on a loveseat that faced the television. She was wearing light blue jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and sneakers.

  “What’s going on?” Ava asked.

  “Will you sit with me?”

  “Sure,” Ava said, feeling slightly uneasy.

  Fai’s hands were clenched and she held them between her knees. She didn’t look directly at Ava.

  “Were you really in Beijing when we talked?”

  “Yeah. I flew in to see you.”
/>   “Fai, I don’t quite understand —”

  “Yes, you do. I’m sure you do,” Fai said.

  Ava’s heart skipped a beat.

  “I have less than a week before I go on a film shoot that will last a minimum of three months. Once I’m on the set, it’s like being in jail. I can’t get away. My time isn’t my own,” Fai said. She fell quiet, her eyes focused on her hands. Then she blurted, “I don’t want to spend three months wondering if you’re as attracted to me as much as I’m attracted to you.”

  Ava pulled back. Part of her had sensed Fai’s purpose, but hearing it said was something different. “Fai, you’ve caught me completely off guard.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “You’re also making an assumption about my being gay.”

  “Well, if you’re not, this is going to be even more embarrassing than I imagined.”

  Ava drew a deep breath. “I am gay. But I’m confused about you.”

  “Because I’ve been married?”

  “Yes, and the first time I saw you, you were with Tsai Men, and you made it clear that kind of arrangement with men wasn’t uncommon.”

  “I’ve thought often about that night,” Fai said. “I’m ashamed of the way I behaved.”

  “I admired your honesty.”

  “Except I wasn’t being honest,” Fai said. “I remember talking about men, sex, and money as if I’d invented them. There’s a lot of competition between actresses and a lot of exploitation by directors and producers. I think being in the system for so long and being scrutinized by the media and the public had hardened me. But when I saw the way Xu respected you, I thought, This woman is different.”

  “Why didn’t you say something then?”

  “How could I? You were with Xu and I knew nothing about you.”

  “You called me after that dinner, remember? You wanted to warn me about Tsai.”

  “That was my excuse. What I wanted was to hear your voice. Then I began to think about ways I could get closer to you, and I decided that representing PÖ was an opportunity.”

  “Was that the only reason you did it?”

  “No. The money was also very good.”

  “And you seemed to enjoy London.”

  “I had a great time. It was wonderful being around so many strong, bright women,” Fai said. “I flirted with you but you didn’t seem to notice.”

  “I was preoccupied.”

  “I thought that. Still, it was discouraging and I began to think that I’d misread you. Then one of the girls told me that you definitely are gay. I asked her how she knew, and she said that just about everyone knows. She said you don’t talk about it but you don’t hide it either.”

  “I’ve never hidden it and I’ve always accepted it.”

  “All I’ve ever done is hide,” Fai said, her eyes filled with tears. “I’ve never had a real relationship, because if it became known —or even hinted at —my career would be over.”

  “Given what I know about Chinese cultural attitudes, I can understand why.”

  “Understanding doesn’t make it any easier or make me feel better about myself.”

  Ava looked at Fai. Her head was lowered and her face in profile. Even without makeup and wearing nothing more than a plain white T-shirt, she was one of the most beautiful women Ava had ever seen. “So what kind of relationship do you think we could have?” she asked gently.

  “I want to find out. I’m tired of being afraid,” Fai said.

  “What does that mean?”

  Fai hesitated and then said, “Are you attracted to me?”

  “Yes, I am. But I have my own fears.”

  “Maybe we could support each other.”

  After a pause Ava said, “I’ve had a very exciting day. I’m going to M Bar to meet May Ling and Amanda for a drink to celebrate. Would you like to join us?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t answer quite so quickly. They’re going to find it curious that you’re here. You have to expect that they’ll figure it out. They are discreet, but I don’t know how secretive you want to be.”

  “I’d love to join you, and I’ll tell them I’m here to see you.”

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “I’ve never felt more certain about anything,” she said. “Do you remember in London, when I said I feel safe around you?”

  “I do.”

  “I can’t remember the last time I felt safe around anyone. It might have been when I was a child.”

  Am I ready for this? Ava thought. Do I really want to let this woman into my life?

  “Please, this has been hard enough already,” Fai said. “Let’s have a drink together with your friends.”

  “Okay, we’ll go upstairs,” Ava said. “They’re probably there already and I still have to get changed.”

  “Am I okay dressed like this?”

  “You look wonderful.”

  “And what will we do after the bar?” Fai said.

  “What do you want to do?” Ava asked.

  “I want to come back to the room with you.”

  Before Ava could react, her phone rang. She picked it up, thinking it might be Pandolfo or May Ling. But when she looked at the screen, she saw the country code she’d seen earlier that night. “Hello?”

  “Ava, this is Chang Wang calling. I trust you remember me.”

  “Uncle Chang, of course I do.”

  “I’m glad I reached you,” he said. “Tommy told me to give you his best regards as well.”

  Tommy Ordonez was the wealthiest man in the Philippines and a Chinoy —an ethnic Chinese who’d taken a Filipino name. Chang was his second-in-command. More important, Chang had been Uncle’s boyhood friend and a lifelong colleague. She had met Chang and Ordonez when she and Uncle did a job for them a few years back; they had saved Ordonez about $50 million, along with his reputation.

  “I think you tried to call me earlier, but I couldn’t take it. And truthfully, Uncle, your timing isn’t perfect now either.”

  “We have a problem over here, Ava.”

  “I don’t do debt-collection work anymore,” she said. “Since Uncle died, I’ve strictly focused on my investment business with May Ling Wong.”

  “This is an entirely different sort of problem.”

  “Then why would you come to me?”

  “It’s complicated, and it will take some time to explain.”

  Ava looked at Fai sitting on the couch and felt her heart skip a beat again. She put down the phone. “Fai, how many days did you say you have free before you start shooting?”

  “Four.”

  Ava returned to the phone. “Uncle Chang, I’m meeting friends right now to celebrate a great moment for our company, and I can’t keep them waiting. It’s also possible that I’ll be completely tied up until Sunday. Can your problem wait?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Not if you want my full attention,” Ava said. “And Uncle, that doesn’t mean I’ll be prepared to take it on.”

  He went silent and Ava could imagine him pondering his options. He was a careful man in both speech and action. “Then I’ll wait,” he said finally. “This problem won’t have disappeared by then. And I do understand that your willingness to listen to me isn’t a commitment to help.”

  “Shall I call you?”

  “No. I’ll reach out to you, since there’s a chance I can get Tommy to sit in on the conversation.”

  “So, Sunday night?”

  “Yes. Enjoy your celebration.”

  Ava saw that Fai’s eyes were on her. “With any luck, it might last for days.”

  COMING SOON

  From House of Anansi Press

  In January 2018

  Read on for a preview of the next thrilling

  Ava Lee novel, The Imam of Tawi-Tawi

  ( 1 )

  Ava Lee was in bed, flat on her back, her head propped up by three pillows. Her eyes were fixed on a long, lean woman standing naked next to a window that loo
ked out onto Dianchi Lake. The woman stretched her arms above her head and yawned.

  “I don’t want to leave,” Pang Fai said. “But I have to get moving.”

  “Stay.”

  “There will be more than a hundred people at the pre-shoot party tonight. I have to be there. The director is angry enough that I took the weekend off.”

  “Surely being one of the biggest movie stars in China gives you some advantages,” Ava said.

  “I think the opposite is true,” Fai said. “I’m expected to set an example for the other cast members, and this director hasn’t been shy about making me feel responsible for the success of the film.”

  “And how long will the shoot take?”

  “We begin early tomorrow morning and then it’s at least ten weeks of work. We’ll start here and work our way northwest to Beijing —city by city, town by town —for about twenty-seven hundred kilometres.”

  “I think it’s ridiculous to drag you and the whole crew from place to place like that.”

  “He’s a fiend for authenticity,” Fai said. “The whole idea is to have one lonely brave woman duplicating at least part of Mao’s Long March. It’s a challenging role. I play a farmer’s wife who’s brave —or foolish —enough to protest. I’m supposed to be a symbol representing the spirit of the march, but in reality show how Mao’s Great Leap Forward betrayed his original ideals and brought unimaginable suffering to ordinary people. Mao may have wanted to accelerate agrarian reform, but his policies dispossessed farmers, brought on catastrophic food shortages, and caused the deaths of millions.”

  Ava smiled. The women were staying at the Intercontinental Hotel on the outskirts of Kunming, in Yunnan province, which was almost three thousand kilometres to the southwest of Beijing. They had arrived from Hong Kong, where they had spent the previous two days. During their time together in Kunming, they had left the room only three times —for lunch and dinner in the Shang Tao Restaurant and for late-night drinks in the Butterfly Bar.

  They had known each other for months but had been lovers for only four days. The experience was proving to be momentous for both of them.

  Over the years Ava had had a series of flings before meeting Maria Gonzalez, a Colombian woman living in Toronto, with whom she’d had a serious relationship. Maria had ended it just as Fai came into Ava’s life. Ava had thought she loved Maria, but after these few days with Fai, she was beginning to wonder if she’d ever experienced real love before.