Gibson & Clarke (Failed Justice Series Book 2) (24 page)

CHAPTER 52

Anthony extended his stay in Zurich for another twenty-four hours. He would have made it forty-eight, but his guests, his suppliers, had already made reservations back to Singapore.

Mr. Scalesci was not their only customer.

I’ve hit the freakin’ jackpot. A year from today, I will control everything from Chicago to the East Coast. Why I may even extend down to Miami. That idiot Yeung, I would have paid twice the amount he was asking. I’ll show him how to run an operation.

Anthony, Tony to his friends, took care of the hotel bill for the Three Wise Men from the East, as he thought of them. He insisted on having a private dinner for them at his hotel. He insisted on a small banquet hall, no expenses spared. He even arranged for three young ladies to attend.

Anthony assumed if he liked New York steak, everyone would like New York steak. He assumed if he drank Johnnie Walker Black, everyone would love drinking it. Lastly, he assumed if he liked to grab a high priced hooker, the three wise men would be delighted.

Mr. Scalesci was wrong on all three assumptions. The three Asian gentlemen did not eat the flesh from the sacred cow, did not drink anything stronger than herbal tea, and certainly did not want big-busted blondes sitting on their laps.

They were appalled.

The dinner was over before it even began. Tony did not know the customs of others. He could not stop apologizing. The more he talked, the worse it was.

Did the rich American not think to take time to know and understand our culture? Did he think we are like him? Did he believe that food and drink and women of the night would please us? How are we going to deal with a man of such poor taste and vulgarity?

Technically speaking, the Three Wise Men were not a part of the agreement. Certainly they were aware of their vital role, but there was no consideration other than future business. It was not as if the Chicago syndicate was the only buyer of their product. This was the classic case of supply and demand, and the demand, worldwide, was far greater than the supply. How else could the suppliers pay pennies for pounds of poppy seeds and sell it for sums far greater than the weight of gold?

“We must talk to our good friend, Xiang Yeung. He has purchased from us for the past thirty-five years. There was never a problem with payment. His word never failed him.”

The two other wise men agreed.

Anthony Scalesci had no idea the size of the insult he had laid upon them. He had never dealt with Asians before. They did his laundry and delivered food when he wanted something different to eat. He would never understand why they did not use forks and knives. It was not logical.

Who would turn down a good New York strip steak? They have to be crazy. Sacred cow, what’s that crap all about? It makes no sense. Why do they think God invented cows? For prime aged steak, of course.

The diet of Xiang Yeung consisted mostly of fresh vegetables, farm-raised chicken, rice, and spices. While Anthony was stuffing his mouth with cholesterol-filled blood red meat, Xiang and his lovely sister were sitting in the garden having fresh stir-fried food from his very own garden. The conversation, as was becoming the custom, drifted back to their homeland.

“When can we go home, my compassionate brother?”

“Mei Ling, we are home. We can go back to China whenever you like, but this is our home. We are now Americans. Chinese Americans. We are citizens of our adopted country.”

The truth was, Xiang had no great love for the country of his birth. It was backward when it came to human rights, how they treated the poor and sick or anyone who questioned authority. It was most definitely a two caste system, with the indigent being by far the larger.

I would probably be in the one percent section.

After thinking about it for a moment, Xiang realized he would be in the top one hundredth of one percent. He could probably count all the billionaires in China on both hands and have a few fingers to spare.

“My sweet little sister, if you will call my private secretary, he will be pleased to make all the travel arrangements: air, hotel, ground transportation, and meetings with those who can accommodate our needs. Now that I have nothing else to do, I can devote my time, energy, and financial resources to make the dream of honoring our parents with a school, hospital, and safe home for abused women and children come true. You, of course, will make all final decisions.”

Mei Ling bowed deeply.

Yeung still did not have the complete freedom he so long yearned for. It would come. It would come soon, but for now, he had to tie up many loose ends. His distributors and upper echelon personnel had been notified the Yeung syndicate was no longer in business. The company and all its assets had been sold. Everyone would be contacted by the new owner in the next few days. As far as Yeung knew, all terms and conditions would remain the same. Mr. Yeung would accept no calls from anyone. He was now officially retired.

Several days later, Xiang received a most disturbing phone call. It came in on his private line, a number very few people in the world had access to.

Choe Yu was one of the Three Wise Men. If the private enterprise had been a corporation, he certainly would have been the CEO.

Xiang immediately stiffened up. This was not a social call. It could not be good news. Xiang listened carefully. He listened to the words, but more important, he listened to the inflection. He heard what was not said. Xiang knew there was a problem. The question was, was it his problem?

Retirement appears not to have lasted very long.

Xiang had made a promise to Mei Ling. He had also made a promise to himself. He made a pledge to honor the memory of his saintly parents. There was no way he could honor all his commitments. He needed to talk to someone. Someone who could look at the whole situation objectively. With understanding and compassion.

There is only one person I trust with such a task.

Xiang called the number by heart.

“Welcome back. How are you? I trust you have fully recovered. I have a most serious business problem. It is one I cannot talk to anyone about except you. We must meet so I can explain in person. It is of the utmost importance.”

Marta thought for a minute. No way would she ever go back to his home. That had been her first big mistake.

“I can see you in my office at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. I will spend as much time as it takes, and I can assure you, whatever it is will be treated in the strictest of confidence.”

Marta was not sure whether to call him Xiang or, now that it was strictly business, Mr. Yeung. She chose not to use either.

Xiang picked up on the lack of a salutation.

“Thank you, Ms. Clarke. I appreciate your willingness to help a foolish old man.”

Marta hesitated.

“Xiang, you are neither foolish nor old. You are competent, prudent, and very smart. All very admirable qualities.”

“Thank you again, Marta. I will be at your office tomorrow at nine sharp.”

What the hell just happened?
she wondered.

Marta buzzed her secretary to clear her calendar for the entire morning.

Her thoughts then drifted to Rod. He was constantly on her mind.

CHAPTER 53

“We have received our first order from Mr. Scalesci. He is depositing twenty-five million US in our account today. Do you have any comments or suggestions?”

Choe Yu turned to his two associates. No one was positive—though several had suspected—all three were brothers. Their paternal grandfather was a landowner in Myanmar and had almost fifty acres of poppy growing wild. He was approached by a group of foreigners to sell what was growing on the land. The old man readily agreed. Several years later, he came to understand the true value of his crop and the fact the foreigners had grown enormously wealthy on the fruits of his labor.

It was his eldest son, now the father of the three brothers, who convinced the old man to let him, the son, take over the family business. The first thing the son did was invite the foreigners to a private banquet as a way of showing his appreciation for improving the lifestyle of his entire family.

The foreigners, who were in constant need of more product, happily accepted.

“Bring your associates, anyone connected to the business. We personally want to thank them all. We also have a small token of our gratitude that will be given to each guest that attends.” The affair was well attended.

Near the end of the evening, the eldest son produced a most delicious dessert. No one knew it was filled with the seed of the poppy. By midnight, the foreigners and their entire entourage were sufficiently stoned. That was when the eldest son and his own brothers produced the small token of their appreciation, the dreaded long knife. With no warning, the heads of all guests were promptly separated from their greedy bodies.

“With one swing of the long knife, we are now growers and distributors. We have cut out the middleman. All the profits will now be ours; it will allow us to buy more land and grow more poppy. It is written. It is done.”

A generation later, Choe Yu and his two brothers were now some of the largest growers in all of the Golden Triangle. Their wealth could not be calculated.

Twenty-five million was no more than a good day’s pay.

It was Soon Li, the youngest, and the only one with an MBA degree, from the prestigious University of Singapore, who spoke up.

“Not only are we honor bound to fill the order, but until we know who controls the distribution in Chicago and New Jersey, we should maintain all business relations. The time will come when our decision may change. But not today, my esteemed older brothers.”

The two brothers agreed and bowed to the wisdom of the college boy.

***

The transfer went like the workings of a fine Swiss watch. Anthony was elated. He knew he had made a smart move. That’s why he was the boss. He still did not understand why the Wise Men were so tight-assed.

Why couldn’t they just accept the food, booze, and broads and not have made such a big deal out of nuthing?

Anthony was not as smart as he gave himself credit for. Not even close.

***

Marta personally steeped the special blend of tea. It was as close to a sign of peace and transition as she could think of. There was no question their personal relationship was over.

“You are too kind, my dear. I understand this is a business meeting, so I will not ask anything of your personal life. I must comment you are looking well. I would go as far as to say you almost glow. I trust everything is tranquil in your life.”

“Yes, it is, Xiang, and I do want to thank you for everything. You opened my eyes to things I did not know or understand, and I am grateful. Now, what can I do for you?”

Xiang sipped from the bone china cup, closed his eyes to gain clarity, and began. He finished more than an hour later. Marta knew more than she cared to know. What she had learned was privileged, but too much knowledge was also a dangerous thing.

“You have given me a great deal to contemplate, Xiang. There are no easy answers. I promise you I will not discuss this with anyone, including my partners, but I must reflect before I am prepared to give you any advice. You know, you are walking a very narrow tightrope.”

“I understand perfectly, my dear. Call me when you have some answers. You have been most generous with your time. I would now like to offer you a personal gift. Please do not think of it as a fee or payment for anything. It is a token of my respect and feelings for you. To refuse a gift would be an insult, and I know you would never do that.”

Xiang reached in his pocket and produced a small white box. There was no store label on it. It had a red bow.

“Please, make an old man happy. Open it and then accept it.”

Marta had a damn good idea. She was sure she recognized the box and knew Xiang was dying to give her the same gift he offered her months before.

She held her breath and opened the box.

I was right. It’s the black pearl he tried to give me before. As I recall, he told me it was a very rare perfect natural pearl. It has to be more than twenty-five carets. It has to be worth a fortune.

“It’s beautiful. It’s perfect. I have no right to accept it, but I will. It will serve as a constant reminder of what a sweet, thoughtful, and wonderful man
and extraordinary lover,
you are. Thank you.”

With that, Marta removed the ring and slipped it on. Not surprisingly, it fit perfectly.

She stood up and gave him a sisterly kiss.

She continued to stand, indicating the meeting was over. Yeung understood. He had given Marta all the facts he had and would now await her expert analysis.

“Again, thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I may not have mentioned it, but Mei Ling is now staying with me at my home.”

Marta was unaware of this and tried not to act surprised.

“That’s very good news. Congratulations. Please send her my best. If she would like to talk to me, I would be pleased to meet with her. Have a good day, Xiang.”

With that, she walked him to the front door.

The black sedan was still parked at the curb.

Marta watched her client enter the rear seat. She had a great deal to think about. For now, she removed the black pearl ring from her finger. It would be in her safe deposit box by the end of the day.