My adventure in the office

[Brogary]

ya la brother dont repost the whole thing lah. make me excited for nothing sigh... when i saw the new page so long i thought got update sia

[toiletducky]

Great stuff by bro ilock again

[ilikeoldchangke]

It was only at the moment we started pushing the trolleys when I realised how difficult this would be.

The box itself is bulky and oversized, it protrudes out of the old trolley that we were using.




Alex and I each pushed a trolley and we practiced a bit of manoeuvring inside the office lobby before we entered the loading and unloading lift. As the huge metal door closed with a loud and bumpy slam, no one spoke or moved as it slowly descended down to the loading and unloading bay of the office.




I stood right at the back of the lift with Alex, the front of the trolley pointed at the exit.

Hakim stood right in front, smacked in the middle of the lift opening while Uncle Tong stood to his left.




Belinda was on my left and Sandy on Alex’s right.



I could feel the tensed atmosphere inside the stuffy lift and when the door shook unevenly to peel apart the opening, Hakim stepped out first before gesturing us outside.




The sun was out in full, there is no wind on that humid morning.



The loading bay was empty and Hakim walked down the ramp, gesturing for us to go forward.



We stopped right before we left the boundary of our office.



We could not see any of Terry’s men but we knew they were watching us.



Belinda : Let’s go..


We started moving.



In the same formation of sorts we kept in the lift.




Hakim’s bulky figure went right ahead while Uncle Tong remained a few steps behind.



The roads were eerily quiet.



Cantonment road is usually busy, even on weekends you would see the occasional cluster of cars but that morning, it was quiet.


The traffic lights blinked lazily with no one to follow their commands except us.




The trolleys creaked under the weight of the box as we made our way up Cantonment link and stopped at the traffic island diagonally opposite Keppel towers.



There were no cars on the road but all of us stood ad waited for the lights to turn in our favour.



It was an uneventful crossing as we got over the road before turning right at Kalpson Hotel.



Our eyes scanned the road and surroundings for Terry and his men.



Nothing.



My mind kept thinking of what they could be up to.



Knock into us with bicycle ?




Pour coffee ?


Drinks ?



food ?




Surely they can’t be running up to us with machetes and shit. This is not some Hollywood production.



Hakim : Stay close… I can see Apollo… up ahead…



Uncle Tong immediately said he spotted Benjan across the road, walking parallel to us as we started our journey at the end of Lim Teck Kim road.

Further down, I could see a few others.


2 indian staff which I don’t know off ran further down the road before disappearing from view.




I surveyed the road in front of us, it’s not going to be a piece of cake.



We passed under the ERP gantry and it seemed like some sort of trigger has been pulled as we had to walk in a single file due to the narrow path.



This is so ridiculous.




I could see M hotel just down the street, the phrase so near yet so far almost sounded amusing at that moment.



We go to the coffee shop, Paris eating house and we rolled by slowly. A few patrons looked at us as they sipped their coffee.



Hakim continued taking the lead, his bulk clearing the way for the small convoy.




We passed by the row of eateries without incident before coming to the small one way street. There was no ramp leading down and we needed to lift the trolleys up a little to set it back down on the road level.



Hakim turned around to face me and he was about to bend down to lift up the front of the trolley when he suddenly looked to his right and ran towards that direction.


James : HAKIM!! Wait…




Uncle Tong saw and he immediately took up Hakim’s position and helped me put the trolley down onto ground level.



The girls behind me were asking what’s happening.



Belinda : WHAT is it ???



Sandy : What’s going on ??



Uncle Tong : Quick !... get it down…



The moment I got onto the road I heard Hakim grunt and cursed as he grabbed Apollo by the collar, throwing him backwards onto his bottom.




Apollo : ARghhh!!...



I quickly scanned the ground and his hands to see what was he carrying but there was nothing. No paint, no hot coffee. Nothing.


Belinda : JAMES!!!




Belinda’s shout came too late as Benjan had jaywalked across the road while we were preoccupied with Apollo and delivered a good kick to my trolley, the box protexted with a loud bang before shifting off the trolley but was saved by Uncle Tong.




Hakim cursed at Apollo, pointing a finger at him.



Hakim : You better fuck off before I beat the shit out of you.



Benjan was fast, after kicking the box he quickly jaywalked across the road again. Sandy took off after him but Alex shouted for her to come back and she gave us halfway.



There was a dent on the box but it’s generally fine.




Several patrons at the coffee shops and eateries were staring at us, wondering what’s going on.


I heard someone exclaimed that it looked like some company team bonding activity and they soon lost interest.




We managed to get onto the pathway leading to the traffic light junction.




Now if you know this junction, or if you take a look on google street view, you would know there was no way I could cross to the open field on the opposite side of the road from my end.




We would need to make 2 crossing, across to ABI plaza, then to Fuji Xerox before we continue our trip towards the hotel.



As we waited at the traffic junction, I could see 2 more PRC staff waiting for us at Fuji Xerox near the carpark exit. They were not even hiding, just standing in plain sight waiting for us.



James : There… there… I see them…



Belinda : Their hands are empty…



They just stared at us as we made the crossing over to ABI plaza.



Hakim walked to the front and he stretched a little, tilting his neck left and right as he loosen up his fingers.




Hakim : Time to burn off the nasi lemak I ate this morning.




James : Stall them, we will rush through… we’re almost there… barely a few hundred metres away..



The moment the light turned green, Hakim walked in front, increasing his speed, building up momentum.



The 2 PRC stood their ground and waited. When we reached the half way mark of the traffic junction, Hakim charged towards them and they ran a short distance, stopping at the carpark exit of Fuji Xerox.



James : GO.. go.. quick…!




Alex and I continued pushing the trolley, our knuckles turning white from gripping the handles so tightly.

[ilikeoldchangke]

Hakim shouted at the 2 PRC and tried to grab them but they were more agile and faster, ducking the reach of his hands and tried to make an attempt to kick our box off the trolley.




Sandy :WATCH OUT!! BEHIND!!!



Alex and I turned and we saw Apollo and Benjan coming towards us. Uncle Tong stepped in raising his palms in a graceful manner.




Fuck for a moment I though some Buddha would appear above him before he strike this 2 fucking foreign talent down to the ground but it did not happen.



There was no streak of white light, no Buddha, no taiji master.



Uncle Tong was fast, he stepped forward, catching Benjan by the arm but instead of stopping him, he let Benjan’s own momentum forward carry through as he held onto his wrist.




Benjan : ARghhh!!!



He shouted in pain as Uncle Tong locked his wrist, before knocking him into the trunk of a palm tree with his right shoulder.



Apollo got to Alex and Alex charged at him.




Alex : FUCK YOU CHEE BYE!!!



Their bodies connected and both fell to the ground.



A taxi slowed down, looking at us curiously before speeding off.



Across the road, several onlookers had gathered.



Suddenly I heard Terry’s voice rang out.




Terry : It’s ok people… it’s ok… team bonding games… just games…


A few cast a look at Terry and left while a few looked on.




Hakim grunted and cursed at the 2 PRC that kept dodging his attempt to grab them.



We were trapped.



One of the indian staff appeared out of nowhere and kicked Alex’s trolley and I immediately realised why they chose this spot.



Just a slight push and the trolley stared to roll towards the carpark ramp.




James : FUCK .! …



I let go of my trolley the same time I heard Sandy and Belinda engaged Terry who had Jaywalked across the road.




I could hear the wheels of Alex’s trolley rattle as it bumped and swerve a distance down the slope before I grabbed onto the handle.


The fucking indian was already running away from the scene.




Uncle Tong held onto Benjan, cursing in a mix of Cantonese and English.



Uncle Tong : I dare you to hit me…. I dare you….!!!




Apollo managed to push Alex off and I shouted for Alex to grab onto his trolley.


Terry effortlessly shook off the 2 girls and started walking towards me.




I was about to charge right at Terry when I heard some cursing in mainland Chinese as Hakim managed to grabbed onto one of the PRC guy. His friend tried to help him but he too was grabbed by Hakim’s massive arms.




It was no good, Hakim too was being tied down as he pushed them backwards, all speaking only in a language they understand aside from ‘fuck you’



I made a grab for Terry but he ducked and went around me. He was going for Belinda’s trolley.



My trolley was free and I as clear.


Belinda : JAMES!! GO!!




Sandy screamed and jumped onto Terry from behind, grabbing onto his shoulder while Alex too tried to stop Terry but was caught between holding onto his trolley on the ramp or helping Sandy.



Belinda grabbed a tuff of Apollo’s hair and they tussled a few feet away from me.





Belinda : GO!! JAMES !!! GO!!



Ignoring the mayhem around me, I gripped onto my trolley and went ahead, covering a good 30 metres before I saw another one of the fucking indian staff running towards me.



This guy though is a little unsure. He looked easier to scare. Even before he could come close, I shouted that I will make sure he never step into Singapore again if he fucking come close to me.




James : I dare you…. Fuck…. I make sure you never land another job in this country again…



His eyes betrayed his thoughts and that cost him precious seconds as I raced towards the traffic light right in front of M hotel.



I could hear the shouts and screams from behind me as I hit the button several times for the lights to turn green. That Indian looked back towards Terry and decided to run to the group behind me.




As fast as my legs could carry, I pushed the wobbling trolley towards the hotel on my own and when I got close enough to the entrance, a staff came out and helped me. I told him my company and that we have booked 2 function rooms for a presentation.



He directed me to a manager who was talking on the phone at the front desk and I waited impatiently for him to attend to me. Without wasting time, he said he will help me get the trolley and the box into our function room.




James : Do not let anyone, except me enter the room after you lock it…. I’ll be back in 10 minutes




Staff : No problem….





I don’t know how fast I ran, I only remembered me jaywalking across the same road I just crossed, flying towards the figures of bodies that were still struggling with each other. Alex had managed to get out of the way of the exit ramp, making a little progress.




I was surprised Belinda and Sandy alone could keep Terry from getting to Alex as he maneuvered his trolley while kicking and pushing back the blur cock timid indian staff.




Uncle Tong was holding onto Benjan as he struggled to push himself loose. You might just think they were playing some running man style name tag ripping game if not for the curses they were hurling at each other.



Hakim and the 2 PRC guys started trading blows but neither of the blows landed real damage as they were slow enough to be blocked. Most were just threatening shoves and push.



I don’t know where is Apollo and the other indian staff we encountered earlier.



I headed straight for Terry in order to separate the girls from him as they shriek and tried to push Terry away from Alex.




SMACK !



It sounded like the crack of a whip on the hard floor as everyone stopped moving.




I froze.



The 2 PRC froze too, their motions halted in midair with their arms intercrossed with Hakim.




Benjan’s mouth gasped open and Uncle Tong let go of his shirt.



The timid indian staff turned and ran away.



I stared in disbelief at Terry.




Sandy slowly backed away 2 steps before kneeling down beside Belinda.




Belinda’s left cheek was red and her lip was bleeding. Terry had slapped her so hard that she lost her balance and landed on the floor.



The silence lasted only for 3 seconds yet it felt so long.



I immediately ran over to Belinda and I could see her shivering on the floor. Her eyes started to well up as she grinded down on her teeth trying not to cry.



Hakim : TERRY !! YOU CHEE BYE!!!




With a hard shove, Hakim sent the 2 PRC chaps onto the ground and he ran towards Terry.




Before he could reached him, Terry sidestepped Hakim, tripping him on the foot, causing Hakim to stagger and lose his balance. Terry then went for Alex who was transfixed and shocked by the sight of Belinda on the floor.




Everything happened so fast.

[ilikeoldchangke]

Within seconds.


James : NO!!




Uncle Tong made a last ditched attempt to grab Terry but Terry shoved the old man onto the floor.




Uncle Tong : Arghhhh….



Benjan was shocked and he quickly ran over to help Uncle Tong.



Alex recovered too late and his struggle with Terry lasted barely 2 seconds before Terry pushed the trolley back a little back into the front of the ramp.





I ran forward but it was too late.


Terry kicked the box out of the trolley, sending it sliding and tumbling down the carpark ramp before he shouted at all of us.




Terry : FUCK YOU ALL… FUCK you..!!



He even went right up to Belinda and shouted right in her face.



Terry : Especially you.. !!! FUCKING SLUT ….FUCK YOU… ahahahhahaa…



I stood up and wiped off the sweat from above his lips and nose as he laughed, walking in a triumph manner towards the hotel.



Alex’s fist was clenched and he wanted to go for Terry as he taunted everyone.



Terry : Hit me la. !!! COME !!! FUCKING CHEE BYE,… COME !! LAI LA…..fucking faggots… hhahahahah



I held onto Alex and told him it’s not worth it.




James : He’s not worth it Alex… he’s not worth it…



A car happened to exit the building and he honked at us, flashing his high beam for everyone to get out of his way. He wind down the window and asked us to get the stuff out of the way.



James : Will do… will do…




Man in car : It’s fallen over to the side down there…. Better clear it… I pushed it to the side already…. If not it’s blocking the ramp… I saw it falling down…



I was about to thank him when I heard a woman barked at the driver from the back of the car before noticing the passenger beside the driver had only one arm.



Woman in car : Just go… we’re running late…



As the car pull off, Alex and I ran down the ramp and saw the box has been turned bottom up. We carried it up and placed it onto the trolley. Belinda had gotten up on her feet and the rest of the team were trying to ask if she was ok and she nodded her head.



We pushed the trolley without a word towards the hotel where another piece of shocking news awaits us.



The same manager came out to me and said our boss had arrived and requested for him to open the function room door.




My legs felt weak and I left the team where they were and ran into the room.



Terry smirked and laughed as I watch him stood up from the box which had also been turned on it’s back.



Terry :Hahahah… hahah… fucking loser…



Pointing to his nose with his thumb he added.



Terry : The rooms were booked by me… my company… KNN…. I paid for it…hahahhaha…



With that, he spit a glob of saliva on the carpeted floor before walking off.



Minutes later, I heard the gasps of my team members as they pushed the other trolley into the function room.




Hakim : Fuck… what should we do…



James : Calm down… let’s open it first..



We opened up the boxes to check the contents.




The binded reports were pretty much ok, they’re just stacks of paper, there a limit to how much damage it will suffer as long as they don’t get wet. They’re a bit rough around the edges but still ok.



The presentation boards though, were not in such a good state. A few pieces were broken at the sides, a bit of chips here and there. It’s not ugly, but just not professional.




Can you imagine going to a presentation when you are about to throw hundreds of millions of dollars into it and see stuff that are a bit broken here and crumpled at the edges ?




James : Fuck it… We have no time to reprint . we fix what we can and present it.



The problem though is the model.




Within the proposal was one hotel that Omar intended to name after some his father, that was to be developed in detail for the presentation. This was the reason why a model was made for the hotel.




Both models for both proposals were damaged beyond repair. That bore the brunt of the damage. You could say we can still present with our reports and presentation boards, yes of course we can but the requirements were clear.



Omar wanted a model for his fucking hotel.




I cannot imagine what he would say when we presented without one.




James : We… make do with what we have… there’s no other way.



Hakim : Chee bye… James… we go and destroy their model too la…



Alex and Hakim walked out without a word to search for the other team’s model.




I left the room to join them and found them a couple of doors down the corridor in the middle of a commotion.



It turns out that Apollo and another Indian fellow had come to guard their presentation the moment I broke free from the group. They must have thought I would do the same to theirs. If only I played as dirty.




The other staff soon appeared and hotel staffed warned us to keep it down or they would have to be forced to call in the authorities.



With 6 men sitting at the entrance, there was no way we’re getting in.



I got back into the room and gathered the team.




James : Let’s set the boards up and prepare whatever we could….

Presentation is early tomorrow morning…




3pm


We were done by 3pm and everyone parted ways with a heavy heart.


I wondered what Mr Liew would say when he realised what Terry had done.




8.30pm




I received a call from a unknown number and it was Rasid.



Rasid : Masaa’ al-khayr ( good evening ) !!! Wah hahahah….





James : EH ?? Rasid ??



Rasid : Yes !! JAMES!!! Wahh.. hahha… we are here in Singapore…



James : Oh hi… how’s the flight… ?



Rasid : Fuck the flight… you’re travelling in a tin can in the middle of the air… how can it be good eh… hahha.. wah haha…




James : Oh… ermm..



He cut me off before saying that Omar says hi but he was on the phone talking to some ambassador.




Rasid : James… looking forward to the presentation tomorrow eh… ahahah… oh.. one more thing…. About…. What we discussed…. Hahaha.. you know… Belinda… hahah…




James : I… I don’t know about that… I mean..




Rasid : Whaaha… don’t be nervous James… haha.. relax… it’s a beautiful night….




He went on to say that Omar and him would be attending our dinner and dance as well tomorrow evening.




Rasid : See you tomorrow James… hahha..



James : See you…




9pm



I called Belinda and told her Rasid called.



James : I think we need to talk about this… you should just..


Belinda cut me off and said she has something to tell me.




Belinda : Can you come over to my place ??


James : What ? Now..?



Belinda : Yes..


James : Can we talk over the phone ?




Belinda : I would prefer not to..



James : Ok… I’ll grab a cab over..






10pm



When Belinda opened the door, I could see my in laws open their mouth in shock as they stared at the man who married their daughter for the first time in years.


I don’t even know to address them properly.




Before they could say anything, Belinda grabbed me by my wrist and dragged me into her room.



James : What are you ….



Before I could finish my sentence, I stopped.


I could feel the air being drained out of my lungs as I stared at the exact same model of the hotel sitting on Belinda’s table.



I turned to look at her as she stood with folded arms and stared at the model.




James : What is this ?



Belinda : I learnt from your boss… he made 2 previously... didn’t he ???


…………………..

[Tits & Nipples]

Very good read bro...

[skl8188]

Worth waiting...

[fawx]

Belinda, 如此可教. at least she learnt from her mistakes!

[aloscus]

noted and sorry about it...

[gagareth]

Bro pls continue, damn exciting

[diputs1269]

Clap, Clap, clap fantastic updates.

[conly]

Originally Posted by ilikeoldchangke

read tomorrow morning for breakfast.

Just did,as usual.Thank you.
Til Monday.

[thime1969]

Very good read and worth waiting

[ilikeoldchangke]

James : What… what…. Fuck… why didn’t you say anything ???

Belinda : What could I say ?? That I have another??? To tell Terry to come here and try again ??




I sat down on the bed and looked at the model.



It was nicely done and Belinda paid for it out of her own pocket.




No one in the office knew.


Belinda : What should I do..?




James : Well you planned for it.. bring it along tomorrow…. Your proposal is better than mine… with this… you would surely win Omar over…




Something seemed to bother Belinda as she bit her fingernails as she let her thoughts drift away. Her left arm was folded across her full breast as her right rested on the back of her left wrist, her teeth covering near her thumb as she lost herself in her thoughts.



I looked at the model again and realised instantly what was going through her mind.




Having this presented a different set of problems.



If Belinda presented this, it would make my team the only one to present to Omar without a model.



If she doesn’t, her effort goes down the drain and there’s a chance we might not get the project even though Omar clearly has a liking for her.



Well, what could we do ? Tell Omar Terry plays dirty ?



Omar Omar, Terry destroyed our models .




This sounds awfully like some preschool kinds complaining to their teachers. There is no way anyone in their right mind would entrust hundreds of millions worth of project to you.



People pay you for solutions, not to listen to your problems.




Mr Liew would not like this.



With his ego and his previous brush with Belinda, it was clear he hated her for stealing his jobs even though they were peanuts compared to this one. Imagine if he had to let Belinda take this from under his nose, he would surely blow the top.




Ego and anger, one of the few things that caused the downfall of many man throughout history.



I hated moments like this as I struggled with my thoughts.



When Belinda and my eyes met, we knew we were thinking about the same thing.



10 minutes went by before I decided to just do it.




James : We’ll bring it in at the last minute…. To avoid any other accident.



She nodded her head and after a short chat, I left her room.




I could see my in laws loitering outside in the living room but before they could ask anything, Belinda snapped at them.



Belinda : Don’t ask me anything !!!...nothing!...He’s leaving now !!



I smiled awkwardly at my in laws before heading straight out the door.




I could not sleep that night.



On one hand I was thankful Belinda had a backup, on the other, I wonder what everyone would think when I walk into the presentation with another model in hand.




One that was of Belinda’s proposal.



What would they think of me ?



That I was in cahoots with her ?




Still, you have to look at the big picture.



Belinda is part of our team. I have no doubt with the model, she would get the project and it would still remain in our team. We can support her if she takes the lead, Mr Liew still holds the decision making power when it comes to money matter for the masterplan, the only downside would be his ego taking a hit.




How much is a KG of Ego worth ?



Surely not as much as the money that Omar would be giving.



I just hope Mr Liew would be rationale in his thoughts when he sees the model.





18th March 2012



Sunday

6am



I checked my phone and Mr Liew had just landed in Singapore. He would be heading back for a shower to freshen up before meeting us at the hotel.


Terry was to present first at 8.30am



Followed by Belinda at 9.15am




Last would be me at 10am.




30 minutes each with 15 minutes for Q & A.




7.30 am



I reached Belinda’s place and went into her room. She put on a pair of grey pants and a dark maroon long sleeve blouse. I saw the set of school uniforms from her JC days hanging outside the cupboard and it brought back old memories of the fun we used to have in them, causing an instant reaction.



Belinda dropped out of JC after 1 year and went to a polytechnic. She worn her uniforms more times in bed with me than she wore them to school, so naturally, seeing them up on the hanger right in front of me gave me quite an erection.



By the side of her cupboard was a pair of white canvas school shoes, a old pair she dug up that was pretty well maintained.



White shoes with white laces, a thin rim of red ran around the perimeter of the base followed by that familiar dark blue rim below.




Belinda saw me looking and kicked me on my leg.




Belinda: It’s for the dinner and dance….. best dressed competition…. Trip to Maldives you know..…




She put on a bit of make up to mask the swell on her cheek but it’s still quite obvious.





8am


Belinda and I booked a maxi cab for 2 hours and we loaded the model up before making our way to the hotel.



8.30am



The smooth traffic allowed us to reach M hotel in 30 minutes but we remained in the car, parked a few blocks away.





By then my phone had rang several times before the messages came.


Everyone was asking me where I was but I did not reply them.


Surprisingly, Belinda’s phone did not ring.



If only my team had bothered to read through what Belinda had done up on her own. They would surely know her proposal beat ours hands down.
She had addressed some concerns that would surely be raised up while we missed it out completely.




8.45am


Hakim sms : Terry’s proposal is shit… he kena wack jia lat jia lat by the client… come and see show quick … bring popcorn.




8.50am


Sandy sms : Where are you ???


Mr Liew sms : You ok ?? What happened ?




8.55am


We directed the driver to drive us right up to the entrance of M hotel and we unloaded the model. Belinda walked in front with our bags while I balanced it carefully on my hands.




8.58am


Belinda opened the door to our room right when we saw Terry’s room down the corridor open up.



We could hear people talking as they made their way over to our room.



I could even hear Rasid laugh .




9.00am


The sound of the group got louder and louder as Belinda and I set the model down on the table in front of her presentation boards.



The first to turn the corner was Mr Lau, the boss, together with Omar.


Rasid followed closely behind.




I could feel my breathing go erratic.


My hands started feeling sweaty.


There was this unexplained lump in my throat.




Hakim came in and when he saw the model, his face froze and he blinked twice before looking at me.



Sandy was laughing while chatting with Rasid and she too stopped a bit abruptly when her eyes caught what was on the table.



Alex and Uncle Tong stared at me without a word after looking up from the model.





Terry’s fist was clenched as he glared at Belinda, trying to control himself from smashing it again.




Mr Liew levelled his eyes at me without a word as he looked at Belinda’s model. The team no doubt would have updated him about what happened to our materials from the day before.




But no one…. No one knew about this extra stunt Belinda pulled.





Nothing could describe the feeling of being looked at like this while Belinda aced the presentation. Right from the moment she began, she oozed confidence and she answered every question from the client as if she already anticipates them the night before.

[ilikeoldchangke]

Omar was all smiles. Rasid for the first time was more excited about the project than he was with Belinda.



Before the 30 minutes is over, one thing is for sure. Omar would pick Belinda’s proposal for sure.



As Belinda wrapped hers up, Omar had only 1 question for her.


Omar : Who gave you that bruise on your face ?



Belinda just smiled and deflected the question away but I noticed he briefly glanced towards Terry who was talking to one of his PRC staff.



When it was my turn to present, it became glaringly clear I was the only dumb fuck in the office that presented without a model.



Add on to the fact that my work is not as good as Belinda’s, Omar lost interest within 15 minutes and he cut me short.



Omar : I think that’s enough…thank you James…. I think I can decide right now which proposal I would pick….




The bosses and clients mingled for another 10 minutes before they filed out of the room.


Mr Liew : gather everyone James…




I did as I was told and Mr Liew closed the door.



I heard him took a deep breath before he asked me softly.




Mr Liew : What is this ??


Belinda : Mr Liew… it’s….




Mr Liew shouted so loud in the room that everyone fell silent.


Mr Liew : YOU SHUT UP!!!! I’M NOT TALKING TO YOU !!!!




It caught Belinda off guard as well, she tried to speak again but Mr Liew slammed his hand down onto the table so loud that Sandy jumped backwards and Uncle Tong had to hold on to her.



Mr Liew : Why…….do we not … have another model ?



I stared in disbelief at Mr Liew.


Even before he started, I knew where this was going.


James : We did not know Terry was going to play dirty…




Mr Liew : Then what about her ??? !


No one said a word.



Mr Liew pointed his finger at me.




Mr Liew : Tell me James…. Did you know she has another one ?? DID YOU!!! She fucking made us look so miserable..!!!


James : What are you talking about… we’re the same team !




Mr Liew : WHAT SAME TEAM !! .. she stole projects from us JAMES!!!...




Belinda wanted to speak up again as she took a step forward.



He proceeded to point a finger at Belinda and shouted at her.



Mr Liew : You keep quiet…. I want to hear it from James….



Mr Liew : Tell me James… tell me…. She lied to all of us… tell me she did this behind all our backs…. I will fucking kick her out of our team… she can go work on this on her own since she’s so capable…TELL ME!!




James : Mr LIEW !...



He cut me off with another shout.


I have never seen him so angry before.




Mr Liew : YES OR NO!!!! Did you know about this ???



He pointed his finger so hard at the model that his arms shook at the force.


No one spoke for a good 5 seconds before Mr Liew softened his tone a little.




Mr Liew : Please… James… tell me you didn’t know about this….. tell me it was all her tricks …. She deceived us…..tell me she did not just watch our effort go down the drain while she secretly have a backup model…



Mr Liew : Tell me…. She lied…. I will fire her….. everything goes back to normal…… none of this happened… please James…. Tell me…


I sighed and looked at Mr Liew.



James : Listen… to what you are saying Mr Liew….




He blatantly ignored what I just said.




Mr Liew : Tell me… it was all her…



Belinda : James did not know !!





Mr Liew : SHUT UP!!! … I DID NOT WANT TO HEAR A SINGLE WORD FROM YOU..!!



James : ENOUGH!!



James : SHE LEARNT IT FROM YOU..!!... WHEN YOU DID THE SAME THING TO HER !! SHE DID A BACKUP BECAUSE SHE LEARNT FROM YOU !



For the first time I shouted back at my mentor. The same man that had taught me everything I knew.




James : ISN’T BELINDA ON OUR TEAM ?? IT’S STILL OUR PROJECT…!!! YOU STILL GET THE FEES…HER PROPOSAL IS SO FUCKING MUCH BETTER THAN MINE…. WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LET YOUR EGO GO AND LOOK AT THE FUCKING PROPOSAL FOR GOD SAKE !! GO THROUGH WHAT SHE’S DONE !!!




Mr Liew’s eyes closed and he refused to register what I just said.




Mr Liew : Just answer my question James…. Did you know ?



The silence in the room is deafening.



I could even hear people walking along the corridor outside the room.



I could even hear the low hum of the air conditioner from the supply grilles.




Mr Liew’s eyes stared right through me, I could not make out if it was anger or disappointment he was trying to convey but I knew it was pure stupidity.


Just as I expected, he has let his anger and ego take over him.




James : Yes……… I did..



I could see all my team mate’s eyes widened as they glared at me. Belinda immediately grabbed my arm and protested, saying that I had no part in this but Mr Liew did not want to hear anything from her.



He shook his head with a smile and put up his hand at Belinda, telling her to stop talking as he looked at me in the eye.





Mr Liew : One more time James… did you know ? ….



As our eyes met, I had flashes of our past experiences come and go.




The times when Mr Liew was without an assistant and I was the only one who helped him.




The times when no one believed in his proposal and that he was capable of greater things and I was the only one who stood by his side.




The time when he became a father and I was the 1st one to visit him.



The times when we worked late into the night, binge drinking on Japanese whiskey as we filled the office with our drunken swears of vulgarities.




And of course, the times when we won projects from bigger and better teams.



All those memories came and went.




James : Yes ….. I did. …




Belinda : JAMES!! What are you doing !!!... James !!!




She tugged me on my arm repeatedly, pulling my shirt and pushing my torso.


Belinda : James!!.. James!!.. JAMES!!! NO!... don’t lie … you did not know this until last night !!!



Belinda looked towards Mr Liew before looking at the rest of the team.




Belinda : James did not know !!... he really did not know…it’s just me…. I did it on my own..




Right at that moment, the door to the function room opened and Omar walked in with a smart swagger followed by Rasid and 2 of their aides.




Omar : Don’t mind me… please carry ok…..you guys are pretty loud… we could hear everything outside…




He pulled a chair, flipped it so the back faces his front and sat down backstreet boy style.





Omar : I mean it… carry on…


There was no smile on Rasid’s face.





Mr Liew just looked at Omar.



He could not give two fucks he was the client. At that moment, his ego was all that matters.



Belinda’s hand was still on my arm, tugging and shaking me to wake up.




Mr Liew : James…. I’m not kidding….. are you sure….




James : Yes I am….


He looked up into the ceiling of the function room with a sigh, letting his sights stop there for a moment.





Mr Liew turned back to face me and said it to my face.





Mr Liew : You’re fired.




After 2 seconds, everyone on my team started talking, questioning Mr Liew but he just walked out of the room.


Belinda : What are you doing James !!!






I could see she was on the brink of tears.


Omar just smiled and asked Belinda again.




Omar : Belinda…



The room fell silent once more.



Omar : Who…..



Omar: gave you….



Omar : that bruise ???



Belinda’s eyes closed as she thought about the question.