In Denial Read online

‘You, Patrick and Lucinda, and now Adam were born here. I was born in Colombo. I was Sinhalese then but I suppose I’m Sri Lankan now.’

  ‘I think I have noticed.’ This time Joseph let a broad grin cross his face. ‘You are still Sinhalese and proud of it.’

  ‘Well, I am.’

  ‘And you have every reason to be.’

  ‘You’re mocking me. Stop it.’

  ‘I wouldn’t dare, but anyway, back to the point. It’s only been a matter of days since Stuart and Maggie were killed. That poor child has to come to terms with their deaths before he becomes a mere pawn in some legal battle.’

  ‘That poor child, as you call him, doesn’t have the faintest idea what has happened let alone what is going on.’ She stopped as she listened to a sudden burst of giggling coming from outside at the pool. ‘You see what I mean?’

  ‘It will take time but one day soon he will understand.’

  ‘Fortunately he is so young. One day he might know and he might question, but maybe he will never understand.’ Christina tucked her legs under her, letting her light blue sari brush against the tiled floor. ‘Have you heard any more about the cause of the accident?’

  ‘All I know is the Cessna was serviced only two days before it happened and the chief engineer has assured me whatever is done on such occasions was all done properly and recorded in the servicing log.’

  ‘But the plane went into the side of Lion Rock on a clear day. There was hardly any wind and it was broad daylight. Surely -’

  Joseph shook his head. ‘Accidents happen under all circumstances. It could take weeks before something is known.’ He thought for a moment. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t put down to pilot error. Jack could be a bit of a show-off on occasions and you know he fancied Maggie Harrison, he -’

  ‘I don’t think now is the time to be suggesting -’

  ‘Why not, Chrissie? When Stuart was away he was always going over to see if she was all right. I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t -’

  ‘No, you’re very wrong there. Maggie was my best friend and I won’t have you saying such things.’

  ‘Even best friends can stray.’

  ‘She wouldn’t.’

  ‘That was the wrong tense, dear.’

  ‘All right, she didn’t, and stop being so superior. Maggie loved Stuart and she wouldn’t, didn’t, ever stray with anybody.’

  ‘You’re sure?’

  ‘Of course I’m sure. Anyway, with Stuart and Jack gone you’ve lost your two co-directors. What does that mean for you, for us?’ There was more laughter from outside and Christina craned her neck to check that the children weren’t too close to the pool edge but she was pleased to see Ah Ho, the live-in amah, was outside with them. Ah Ping, their cook and wash amah, hadn’t yet arrived.

  Joseph sat down and gave a big sigh. ‘I don’t know, Chrissie. Jack and Stuart were the brains behind the company. I certainly won’t be able to do three men’s work.’

  ‘Is there nobody?’

  ‘Not anyone who’s ready for such responsibility, no. With Stuart, Maggie, Jack and Laura gone, we’ve lost so much. Young Adam is all that’s left. I don’t want to rush into anything but I think it might be best if I put the company up for sale. We’ve had so many offers in the past. As soon as some of our competitors get a sniff that it might be for sale they’ll be knocking at our door.’

  ‘Is it ours to sell?’

  ‘Yes. It was in the Company charter that if any one of the three of us died then their share would automatically go to the remaining directors. None of us ever expected that two would go together.’

  Joseph wandered over to the veranda doors next to Christina, pulled back the net curtain and looked out at the children playing with Ah Ho only a few yards away. ‘Little Adam may one day ask me why I even contemplated doing such a thing, but at the moment I don’t think I have any choice.’

  ‘And what will you do if you do sell?’

  ‘Not me, Chrissie. Us. What will we do?’ He sat on the arm of the chair and picked up his wife’s hand. ‘What about something you’ve always wanted to do.’

  ‘And what’s that?’

  ‘You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re probably one of the best chefs in Hong Kong and what a combination - Sinhalese and Cantonese cuisine. I’ve even thought of a name for your first restaurant - SinCan!’

  ‘I don’t think so, Joseph. A name like that will put people off. But are you serious?’ She gripped her husband’s hand not really believing what she was hearing.

  ‘Never more so, Chrissie. I couldn’t run the company on my own. I provided the local contacts and kept the Triads at bay. What good will that be without Stuart’s selling and marketing expertise and Jack’s business acumen. No, selling has to be the right thing to do. Afterwards it’ll be your turn.’

  Christina moved over so that Joseph could slip into the chair next to her. ‘You really are serious, aren’t you?’

  ‘I am and I bet you already have a name to replace SinCan, haven’t you?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said mischievously, ‘I have.’

  ‘And what is it?’

  ‘Colombo Dragon,’ she said with a smile.

  * * *

  Adam’s and Lucinda’s birth dates were only days apart so it was decided to have a joint celebration. It was the fifth year of celebrations after Adam was legally adopted by the Yongs, and as each birthday occurred they looked forward to them more and more.

  This was therefore their tenth birthdays and they were already inseparable.

  The legal aspects of adoption had gone remarkably smoothly. Neither set of grandparents suggested Adam should return to England. Although he was their flesh and blood he was a child they had each only met for a couple of days when he was less than three years old. Stuart’s parents never forgave him for moving to Hong Kong in the first place and Maggie’s parents also never forgave him for luring their daughter to the other side of the world, and neither did they forgive her for agreeing to go with him. When Stuart and Maggie died in such tragic circumstances both sets of parents grieved for a while but wanted nothing to do with the product of a relationship that was conducted out of their reach. They eventually went to their graves still believing they had been in the right.

  So Adam became the adopted son of Christina and Joseph Yong and they and Lucinda and Patrick were the only family he ever knew. Christina, a brown-skinned Sinhalese beauty and the youngest of three daughters born to Rohini and Dilip Navarajasingham, met Joseph while she was on an exchange visit for students between universities in Hong Kong and Colombo. Joseph was an unusually tall Hong Kong Chinese man, the son of very wealthy parents, and their wealth had allowed him to start his own import/export business when he was only nineteen years old. He joined forces with Stuart Harrison and Jack Pennington when he was twenty-three, and they, being well-established businessmen in Hong Kong, saw Joseph as a bit of a threat. The offer they made was one Joseph could not refuse.

  So when Christina - her name was Salani when she left Colombo - met Joseph he was already a US dollar millionaire, very young and the best looking man around. She received a lot of grief from her parents when she wrote home to tell them she was giving up her studies and marrying Joseph. There was also the religious aspect to consider because Christina had been brought up in the Hindu faith and Joseph was a Christian, but there was also a significant cultural difference. Although Christina’s father was a doctor and her mother a nurse, they wouldn’t earn in a lifetime what Joseph could earn in a year.

  But after meeting Joseph they mellowed considerably and eventually gave the union their blessing. Joseph’s father, Henry - western forenames had become the norm in the Yong family after Joseph’s grandparents embraced Christianity prior to World War II - was smitten with Christina’s beauty the moment he met her, and Helena, Joseph’s mother, took only a little longer to follow suit.

  Harrison, Pennington and Yong Inc. thrived and by the time Joseph was thirty, wi
th Patrick and Lucinda born before Christina was twenty-three, he was looking at his second US dollar million.

  After his parents’ tragic deaths, Adam moved from the luxury of a six-bedroom mansion in Repulse Bay - a select area on the south coast of Hong Kong Island - to equal luxury close to Clear Water Bay to the North East of Kowloon.

  His Cantonese was fluent by the time he was eight and in the Yong household all five of them could discuss anything in either Cantonese or English. They used to drift from language to language, each choosing the word or phrase that was most expressive. Adam and Lucinda were in the same class at the local school and Patrick two years above them. All three children were deemed to be of above average intelligence, the headmistress’s way of saying that they were academically a class above many others. Adam and Lucinda were in the top grades for all subjects and each evening their homework was attended to with great enthusiasm and, what was to be more important, together.

  * * *

  ‘We’re so lucky,’ Joseph told his wife, his arm round her waist as they watched the group of nine, ten and eleven-year olds enjoying themselves. ‘It’s hard to believe that five years ago we were facing possible ruin.’

  ‘You never told me that,’ Christina said without taking her eyes off Adam and Lucinda. As usual they were together. They were giving most of their attention to their guests but every now and again they caught each other’s eye, and smiled. Christina was more watchful than Joseph. She was only too aware how close the two children had become and to some extent to the exclusion of Patrick. He was at the party as well, and he too was watching his sister and brother very closely. He’d never said anything to his mother, but she had sensed there was resentment.

  ‘I didn’t have to tell you. You knew but you were too tactful to say anything. If the company hadn’t been bought so swiftly we could have gone under very quickly.’ He tightened his grip on Christina’s waist. ‘But we didn’t and thanks to your brilliance we’re now doing as well as we were before.’

  This time Christina did look at him. ‘I wouldn’t call it brilliance but I have to admit I am pleased with the way things have gone. I was talking with Peter Walker today and he thinks we’re ready to expand even further. He thinks maybe the time is right for us to move into Europe.’

  ‘Did he? Well I think he’s taking too much from you for what he does.’

  ‘If accolades are to be handed out then he deserves them. We’ve already staked our claim on Kowloon, Hong Kong and Macao, with Japan next. He says we have sufficient capital to think about expanding even further.’

  Joseph waved as he caught Lucinda’s eye. ‘Putting more money in his pocket, you mean.’

  ‘And ours.’ Christina took her husband’s arm from around her waist. ‘Just what have you got against Peter? He’s been totally professional in every way. He’s told us where and when to invest, where and when to buy, and he’s taken care of the marketing. In fact without Peter Walker, the number of Colombo Dragons would probably still be just the one.’

  ‘It’s not what he’s done for the business that worries me. I admit he’s been, well, very conscientious but you have to admit that we’ve made him a very rich man.’

  ‘I would put it another way,’ Christina said. ‘Yes, his bank balance is better than it was but he has kept our heads above water too. Without him we might have had to sell this place.’

  Joseph held up his hands. ‘All right, I accept all of that. It’s just that -’

  ‘Are you jealous?’

  ‘No, I’m not jealous. I respect his abilities, his foresight. It’s -’

  Christina took her husband’s hand in hers. ‘The attention he pays me? Is that what it is?’

  Joseph looked away. As usual Christina had been able to read his mind. He might not have noticed how close two of his children had become but he’d seen Peter Walker looking at his wife, and not just looking, he’d seen the longing, the challenge.

  Only two days ago at a cocktail party to celebrate the launch of yet another of Chok Wah Ho’s supermarkets, he’d seen Peter and Christina laughing and joking with each other. He’d seen the way they looked at each other, the way they exchanged little touches. It was all so innocent for those who didn’t watch as closely as he did but he saw what was happening. Peter Walker wanted his wife and he wasn’t too sure that Christina might not in a moment of weakness give in.

  Joseph loved his wife.

  Even when they had come up against hostility about their relationship from not just their families but also his supposed friends and work associates, he had tried to explain it away as simple resentment and in some cases jealousy. Some of the resentment had caused long-standing friendships to die, others to turn into open antagonism.

  But they had weathered the storm.

  To Joseph, Christina was beautiful in every respect. She was the most understanding and intuitive woman he had ever met and she had cared for his every need. When Patrick and then Lucinda were born and he had to share her, she didn’t change. She always put him first. There were times when the children were very young, he would arrive home quite late and find her lying exhausted on top of their bed. Although he would try not to disturb her, invariably she sensed she was not alone and would cook his evening meal and then, while watching him eat, she would listen attentively to what had happened during the day.

  Most of the hostility had been purely racial.

  She was Sinhalese, he was Chinese and in some people’s eyes the two didn’t mix. However, although some friendships waned and then stopped, others fortunately lasted.

  Patrick had inherited a lot of his father’s genes. It was only his nose that suggested he might be of mixed blood. Lucinda, though, was definitely her mother’s daughter. From the day she was born, Christina and Joseph used to stand beside her cot holding hands, and look down at the tiny sleeping figure thinking of the hearts she was going to break in the future. She not only inherited her mother’s colouring and looks but also her temperament. Whereas Patrick was a moody and sometimes a downright disobedient child, Lucinda was compliant and far less troublesome.

  By the time Adam came into their lives on a permanent basis, Patrick had, as a direct result of his father’s strictness, also begun to conform. But Joseph was not fooled: underneath the surface there was a time-bomb ticking and one day it would explode. Joseph just prayed that when the time came he would be able to harness the energy and use it rather than let it ruin his, and maybe other people’s, lives.

  Peter Walker had appeared on the scene soon after Adam’s adoption, and Joseph had to admit he had worked absolute wonders with Colombo Dragon Enterprises. Peter wasn’t asked to help market the expansion; he suggested it.

  He’d taken one of his beautiful, voluptuous female companions to Christina’s first Colombo Dragon restaurant in Granville Circuit off Granville Road. Once they had eaten he asked if the owner was around and if so could he have a word. Christina, eager to monitor early progress was on the premises while Joseph was at home looking after the three children.

  ‘Do sit down,’ Walker suggested, standing and holding a chair out for Christina, who in turn eyed cautiously the Chinese woman on the other side of the table. Although they smiled sweetly at each other, it was very evident that Christina’s invitation to join them hadn’t been a mutual decision.

  ‘Thank you,’ Christina said, visibly uncomfortable.

  ‘Let me do the introductions. My name is Peter Walker and I have a public relations-cum-sales and marketing company up in Mongkok. This is Sun Sat Ping, or Sunnie as she prefers to be called, my advertising secretary.’

  Christina exchanged a fingertip handshake with Peter Walker but just nodded at the other woman, whom she immediately decided was anything but an advertising secretary. For a start she was probably no more than eighteen or nineteen and although the cheongsam she was wearing did suggest she was in public relations, it was undoubtedly not the branch of public relations Peter Walker had described.

  ‘My n
ame is Christina Yong. What can I do for you, Mr Walker?’

  ‘It is hopefully what I can do for you.’

  ‘And what might that be?’

  ‘I sense a smidgen of hostility in your voice.’ He clicked his fingers at a passing waiter and Christina was pleased to see that Kai didn’t bat an eyelid.

  ‘Sir?’

  ‘A bottle of your best champagne and it had better be cold.’

  ‘We would not dream of serving it any other way, sir.’ Kai stole a look at Christina who nodded as she allowed a slight smile to play on her lips.

  ‘I should think not.’

  Kai went away.

  ‘Now … Christina Yong, that’s an interesting name. It’s rather obvious you’re neither Chinese nor European, so, if it’s not too impertinent, may I ask where your names come from?’

  ‘It is impertinent but I’ll tell you anyway. Yong is my married name. Navarajasingham was my maiden name and Christina was added when I married my husband Joseph, to keep you Europeans happy.’

  Peter Walker laughed but Sunnie remained expressionless. ‘You know, Christina, I think you and I are going to get on well together, very well indeed.’

  ‘And what makes you think we’re going to get on at all?’

  Just as he was about to reply Kai returned with the champagne, three flutes and an ice bucket. He expertly allowed the cork to leave the bottle with a slight pop. He filled two of the flutes but looked at his boss before filling the third.

  ‘Cheers!’ Peter Walker said, reaching across the table and clicking the other two glasses with his. ‘Here’s to a profitable future.’

  Christina took a sip from her glass. ‘Mr Walker, this restaurant has been open barely three months. I’m very busy and although I wouldn’t be so rude as to ignore my customers, I do have other things to do. As you can see the restaurant is full and there are other people I should be attending to.’

  ‘More important than me, you mean?’

  Christina looked at Sunnie who was already over half way through her champagne. ‘Probably, yes.’