THE BILLIONAIRE'S BARGAIN

CHAPTER 33

AUNT MEI'S RESIDENCE

The day begins to break, with the sun peeking over the horizon, casting a sleepy glow across the quiet neighborhood. Early birds chirps, greeting the new day, but in Aunt Mei’s cozy kitchen, the only sounds were the gentle crackling of the stovetop and the rhythmic clinking of utensils. Aunt Mei, in her late fourties, with streaks of silver threading through her dark hair, moves about her kitchen with a sense of urgency. She is busy preparing breakfast for her daughter, Detective Ling, who had been involved in a serious incident last night.

Last night’s call from Officer Martinez had shaken her to her core. The words echoed in her head as she flipped pancakes and fried eggs.

“She’s stable, her surgery was successful. I'll advice you come visit her early in the morning.” The gravity of the situation made her fingers tremble slightly as she poured the batter in the pan. Aunt Mei had always been against Ling joining the police force. Even with the strong reasons coming from Ling, she always suggested she studied something different. Seeing her taking the same path as her father, made her worry all the time, causing her sleepiness night. Last night, she was yet again reminded of the risks that came with Ling’s choice to join the police force.

“Mom, let me help!” a voice broke through her thoughts. It was her son, Jin, an undergraduate with a mop of unruly hair and a youthful exuberance that brought light to the darkest of days. He shuffled sleepily into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

“No, Jin. Don't you have lectures today? I can manage,” Aunt Mei replied, attempting to keep her voice steady despite her troubled mind.

Jin could see the unstableness in his mother's body.

“I’m skipping lectures today,” he stated firmly, brushing aside her protests.

“ I prefer we go together, besides, if I leave you alone, God knows what might happen and what you might do to sis. Ling.”

Aunt Mei pauses, the spatula in her hand suspends in mid-air.

“I’d prefer you keep up with your studies instead and get a better results. Which company will give you a job with your crying CGPA.”

she began, but her words felt hollow with the weight of the situation pressing down on her.

“Mom,” Jin said, leaning against the counter.

“ Ling is in hospital. No class is more important than being there for family. You taught me that.”

“ Also, I don't have to work in a company when I'm done with school. I'll just start up my company”.

With a deep breath, Aunt Mei lowers the spatula. She couldn’t argue with his logic, especially when her own heart cries out for her niece.

“ Really? Wake up. Who will want to work with someone with that brain of yours. If you want to come along, fine. But don't go about blabbing to me about what you can do”, she conceded, a sadness creeping into her voice.

“ Let’s get ready.”

Preparing the breakfast together, Aunt Mei’s mind began flowing with so many thoughts. She could have have stopped her earlier and made her pursue something else abroad. After all, her dad died of an early age in his line of duty. She didn't want Ling to have the same fate as her dad.

“Why did I let her pursue this?” Aunt Mei mumbles as she packages the food, the aroma of filling the air.

“I should have encouraged her to choose a different path. But she was so passionate about it…”

Jin, attending to the coffee machine, glances at her sharply.

“You can’t blame yourself for her choices, Mom. Ling is strong. This is what she wanted to do, and she’s good at it, just like how uncle was good at his work too.”

“Good at it,” Aunt Mei echoes bitterly, her heart aching for the child she used to know.

“But at what cost? What if something happens? Each call like this takes a piece of me.”

“ That why we are here for her. What Ling needs now is our support and not discouragement coming from her loved ones. we’ll be there for her, just like we always are,” Jin said, trying to reach her, to remind her of the strength their family had always shared. They had gone through hardships before, and each time, they had come out stronger together.

“Maybe if I had insisted she pick another field—one that didn’t involve danger…” Aunt Mei sighs, her thoughts spiraling into a dark abyss. She glanced out the window, her gaze lost in the distance. The clouds were beginning to gather, casting shadows over the neighborhood, reflecting her mood.

Jin places a reassuring hand on her shoulder, grounding her.

“Ling wouldn’t change anything. You know her. If she wasn’t a detective, she’d be fighting for justice somehow—she always wanted to make a difference. That hasn’t changed just because she wears a badge now.”

His words struck a chord, and Aunt Mei felt a flicker of pride amongst the anxiety. Ling had always been driven, a force of nature, ready to stand up for the helpless. But as her auntie who lost her brother, what she saw was the risk, the shadow of danger that loomed over her niece with every case she took on.

“We can’t protect her from everything, Mom,” Jin continued, his voice softening. “We just have to trust that she knows what she’s doing.”

Aunt Mei nodded slowly, though her heart felt heavy. “I know, but…” she hesitated. “It’s just so hard to let go.”

With breakfast now a rushed affair, they hurriedly completed their tasks and washed up. Jin grabs his phone, glancing at the time before stowing it in his pocket.

“We need to leave soon if we want to beat the morning traffic.”

Aunt Mei grabs her purse and keys from the kitchen counter, her heart pounding in rhythm with the rapid beat of her anxious thoughts.

“ How about your job? she ask, though she knew it was irrelevant now with the priorities at hand.

“I’ll just text my boss up later. Right now, let’s focus on Ling.”

Stepping out of the house, they both took a taxi to the hospital. Aunt Mei tries to steady her breaths but felt as if the weight of her fears was suffocating her. Jin who was busy with his phone, notices the worried look on his mom's face.

“Mom, stop overthinking it. She is fine, isn't that what you were told?Jin asked, noticing her distant stare as they sat in silence at a red light.

“I feel like I failed her mom by letting her choose this life.”

“Mom, you didn’t fail her. You raised her to be strong and independent. She made her own choices.” Jin’s confidence was a salve to her frayed emotions, even if he sounded more certain than she felt.

“Ig you keep up with this, I might just decide to join the army instead of the police force”, he cajoled, trying to lighten his mom's spirit.

His mom immediately turns to him, after he had uttered those words.

“ Are you crazy, do you want to join forces to kill me?”, she said.

Jin chuckles on seeing his mom's expression.

“ Just kidding”, he replies, focusing on his phone again.

The light turns green, and the driver presses on the gas, propelling them forward. Aunt Mei kept staring at the road ahead, she also turns her gaze to her son, who was busy with his phone.

Pulling across the hospital, they both came down and paid the driver, carrying what they had brought along. They made their way towards the entrance, her mind racing with the worst-case scenarios. The antiseptic smell stung her nostrils, and the bright lights felt harsh against her skin.

“Where do we go?” Jin asked, peering around the busy hallway filled with nurses and anxious families.

“Let’s ask the receptionist at the desk,” Aunt Mei replies, moving towards a counter. A nurse behind the desk smiled kindly as they approached.

“My niece, Detective Ling, was brought here. Can you tell us where I can find her?” Aunt Mei’s voice trembles slightly, a twinge of hope woven into her plea.

“Of course. Just a moment…” The nurse took a moment, tapping on her computer. “Room 304. She recovered quickly, hours ago. She is also with some guest who came to visit her too. It should be her colleagues from work, they stayed with her throughout the night. You can go in and see her.”

“Thank you,” Aunt Mei breathed, relief washing over her. She turns to Jin, who was staring wide-eyed ahead.

“Let’s go,” she said, her heart pounding in anticipation as they made their way to the room.