chapter 168: illegal secret

[Shanghai, Police Station]

It turns out that the police had been investigating "F&B" company for some time now suspecting that the fashion company was a farce for an illegal drug trade. They finally had concrete evidence about the crime. Someone had tipped them on an outgoing shipment and where to find the hidden drugs.

Rose (Kenix Kwok) was stunned when her lawyer couldn't be reached and no one came to bail her out. She had tried to reach anyone she could think of, but no one, not even a maid or one of her father's men, could be reached, or rather, no one showed up. Alone and without anyone, Rose had no choice but to be detained at the police station's jail for 48 hours.

[Rose's Cell]

"Damn it! Damn it all to hell!" Rose was biting her nails. "Where has everyone died off to? Why isn't anyone here? Why am I still here?"

She shakes her fist in fury. Her blood boils. "Daddy pays good money to keep all of our dogs, where are they?"

Suddenly, Rose comes to a realization. She stumbles onto the bed in her cell. She is stunned. She gasps, finally putting together what had happened. "It was Daddy..." she mutters under her breath.

[Flashback]

"Rose, before you go off to Hong Kong to retrieve Chris, there's something I want to give you two," Mr. Suen (Michael Miu) says.

"What is it, Daddy?" Rose approaches her father's desk.

He hands her a folder and smiles. "It's an early wedding present."

Rose is surprised. She opens the folder and sees a thick legal contract. "What is it?"

"Rose, honey, you know that Daddy is getting old. It's time that I sign the company over to you and Chris."

"You are such a joker! You are still in your prime. But besides that, we're not even married yet. Don't you reckon it's too soon?"

He shakes his head. "No, the timing is just right. Sign these papers and let him sign it too. The company is going to be transferred under you two's names. You'll be in complete control. I trust you two."

Rose smiles and hugs her father. "Thank you, Daddy!"

"You deserve it. It's the best present Daddy can give you. You have everything else. I know you and Chris are very capable."

[End of Flashback]

Rose had taken those papers and had Ah Nin sign them when she came to Hong Kong. Afterwards, she sent the papers back to Shanghai for her father. She had quickly scanned the papers, but didn't read them thoroughly. "Damn it! He signed away responsibilities he had with the company. This is all coming down on Chris and I. Damn it! No wonder he's not in Shanghai. He must have known that the police were onto him and ran away." Rose was furious. Her father had betrayed her after she worked so hard to keep their family's secret.

"Damn you, Daddy! How can you let your own daughter take the blame for this?"

[Flashback]

It was the big day. Rose planned for Ah Hoi (Michael Tong) to attempt to run over Ah Nin (Frankie Lam) again that day. She had called Ah Nin to meet her in the park. She was going to engage in some pleasant conversation with Ah Nin and then Ah Hoi would suddenly come and run him over.

Rose smiles when she sees Ah Nin appear. He, however, wore a very furious expression on his face. He held a folder of some sort in his hand.

"Chris!" Rose waves her hand at Ah Nin.

He throws the folder down on the bench where Rose stood by.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm disgusted!"

"Chris, what happened?"

"You know very well what you did. I thought I was working for an honest company, but I was wrong." He shakes his head in anger.

"Chris, you're not making any sense."

He lifts up the folder and opens it for Rose to see. He shows her pictures of packets of drugs in-between fabrics.

"I don't get it." Rose is thoroughly confused. She looks at Ah Nin.

"I accidentally found these in-between the fabric of one of our out-going shipments," Ah Nin says frankly.

"Huh?"

"Don't act dumb."

Rose starts to cry. She pleads, "Chris! I really don't know what's going on. Please, tell me!"

"I know what you did! I'm going to tell!"

"Chris! Wait! Why won't you explain to me what happened?"

"I'm taking this to the police. They're going to investigate and expose whatever it is that your company is doing. I quit!" Ah Nin picks up his folder of evidence and then quickly runs off. Rose trails behind him, screaming his name. In this moment of fury, Ah Nin crosses the street, not seeing the fast-approaching car. It collides right into him. He rolls across the top of the car and lands on the road. Blood begins to leak out. Rose covers her mouth, horrified.

She sees Ah Hoi in the driver seat and quickly gives him the signal to drive off.

Reaching for her cell phone, she dials for an ambulance as she approaches the still Ah Nin. He still held the folder. She scans the scene while talking on the phone, quickly retrieving the folder and placing it in her purse. "Oh god, Chris... What have I done?" Her eyes are full of sorrow.

[End of Flashback]

Rose laughs. "It's so ironic that Chris discovered my family's secret before I did."

[Flashback]

Rose rushed home as soon as she could after attending Ah Nin to the hospital after the accident. She barged into her father's study. Mr. Suen was enjoying a cigar.

"Daughter, what happened?"

Rose takes out the folder and places it on her father's desk.

"What's this?" He asks.

"Chris told me he found drugs within the fabric of our clothes." Rose says.

"What?!" His eyes bulge out. "What did you say?"

"Chris found drugs in our clothes."

"Where is he now?"

"He's in the hospital. He got ran over."

Mr. Suen sighs a sigh of relief. "Thank god. Let's pray he doesn't make it."

"What?" Rose was astonished to hear the cold-blooded words coming out of her father.

"If he lives, we die."

Rose stares blankly at her father. "Huh?"

"Oh daughter, my innocent Rose." He smiles.

Rose finds herself trembling. "Daddy... what do you mean?"

He gets up from his leather chair. "Do you think our family would be so rich and powerful if we only ran a fashion company?"

"Daddy, I-I don't get what you mean."

He continues to smoke his cigar and smile.

"Daddy, please tell me." Rose's heart is pounding.

"Your ancestors were great, do you know that?"

"Yes, they went from having nothing to being one of the wealthiest."

"Ah, if only it was such a simple success story."

"Huh?"

"Our ancestors are some of the smartest people ever. They used their brains to get that rich."

Rose laughs nervously. "Well, of course... that should be the case."

"Oh Rose," he shakes his head and smiles.

"Daddy, you're not making any sense."

"Your ancestors conned."

"What?"

"They tried to make an honest living... but what good was it when they still came up short regardless? What's better than to take money that's already been earned?"

Rose's heart was pounding.

"Ah, what a sucker those Tsui's were for having such a stupid daughter. They lost everything and no one had any idea."

"Y-y-you mean to tell me that our fortune was all attained by conning?"

"At the beginning, yes, but now, it all rightfully belongs to us. We worked to maintain this."

Rose was stunned speechless.

"Oh, the 1930's... your grandfather told me so many stories about it. No one dared to disrespect a Suen. We were the most powerful mafia in Shanghai. We ran the city. Everyone had to answer to us..."

"But the drugs...?"

"The more illegal something is, the more profitable." Mr. Suen grins proudly. "Your grandfather and I thought up this ingenious plan to market drugs... who would ever think to find drugs hidden in-between fabrics of expensive clothing?"

Rose is shocked. Her jaw drops. Her eyes stare unblinkingly at her father. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But we have such a good reputation in the fashion industry!"

Mr. Suen smiles. "Of course. If we didn't have such a good reputation, do you think our shipments could escape the eyes of the government? Who would suspect that 'F&B' is actually shipping more than expensive clothes?" He laughs.

Rose shakes her head. "This can't be true! Our clothes are fabulous. People love 'F&B' designs!"

"They do. That's why we have such a good reputation."

"But you said from the start you and Grandpa used the fashion company as a cover up!"

Mr. Suen laughs. "Your thinking is much too simple. Our family does the best of both worlds. 'F&B' is a legit fashion company. The drug market is a side thing we do to earn a little more."

"This is illegal!" Rose shouts.

"It isn't if no one knows about it." He puffs on his cigar some more.

Rose can't believe everything that she just heard. She had thought her family's company was a prominent fashion company with honest business and nothing to hide. It had turned out that it was hiding a very dirty and illegal secret. She falls to the floor and sobs silently. "Chris was right... It's all fake..."

Mr. Suen gets up from his chair and comforts the crying Rose. "Daughter, what's wrong?"

"It's wrong! We shouldn't be doing this. Our family has enough money. You told me we retired from the mafia world after grandfather died!"

"Fashion goes in and out of style. Drugs are always trendy. We can never lose."

"I'm here! We don't have to do this. My designs can earn enough money!" Rose pleads.

Mr. Suen shakes his head and smiles. "Oh, Rose, you have much to learn."

"What if we get caught? The consequences are dire!"

"We haven't gotten caught for so many years."

"But Chris found out!"

"I know, which is why we have to take care of him immediately." Mr. Suen says sternly.

"What?"

"If he dies, no one will know."

"Daddy, I love him!"

"If he wakes up and tells the cops, we're done for."

Rose frantically says, "He's at the hospital now. You can't do anything to him anyways."

Mr. Suen laughs. "There's nothing I can't do. We have people at the hospital."

Rose trembles. "No, Daddy, please don't!"

"Rose, there are other boys out there for you. Besides, if I'm not remembering incorrectly, you aren't even his girlfriend. Why do you care so much about him?"

"Daddy, I'm begging you. Let's wait until after he wakes up and go from there. Who knows? He may wake up and not remember any of it. Please."

Mr. Suen reluctantly agrees.

[End of Flashback]

"Chris, don't you know that I look out for you?" Rose's eyes start to water.

[Flashback]

Rose was at the hospital again. She looks at the comatose Ah Nin.

"Oh Chris, when are you going to wake up? You will wake up, won't you?" She sat down by his side and took his hand. She places it on her face. "Please wake up."

She sighs, remembering the secret he had discovered before his accident. Silently, she ponders, "Maybe it's better for you not to wake up."

Rose laughs to herself. "I'm so stupid. Why did I tell Ah Hoi to run you over? Life can't be played around like this. I just wanted you to forget everything and love me. Now, you're not even awake to tell me that you don't like me. Oh, Chris..."

She caresses his face with her hand. "I'm so sorry." She lays her head down on his chest and weeps. After a few moments, she gets up and wipes her face. While looking at Ah Nin, she notices something strange. She sees twitching in his right hand. Rose gasps.

"Chris?"

Rose bites the bottom of her lip. "Please wake up and forget it all. Forget that you don't love me. Forget that my family has such a dark secret. Forget it all. Please. It's the only way you'll survive..." she prays.

[End of Flashback]

"You go and screw me over for that Joey (Bernice Liu). Do you know how much I did for you? How much I cared for you? How much I love you? I did so much! You wouldn't be alive this long if it wasn't for me."

Rose shakes her fists in the air. She feels defeated. However, the thought of Ah Nin going down with her made her happy. "Joey won't have Chris. She will never have him! He'll die with me and be with me in death." She laughs.