RECKLESS AUDACITY

CHAPTER 6: The Trouble

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, November 2011

Frank’s head was reeling - Farah Ibrahim, the founder of GCV, was making a killing with 1MDB. Frank had probed and probed, sheet after sheet, he combed and combed, until finally the belly of the beast called GCV lay bare before him. He knew every invisible hand that fingered every single penny that flowed through the unholy alliance between GCV and 1MDB. Finally, all the chips fell into place.

He sat behind his laptop and typed away.

When he finally got up from his desk, it was 7 p.m. He had been typing for 4 straight hours. One hundred and thirteen, single spaced, pages of findings. He leaned back and observed his work. Satisfied. He called Mark. Luckily, he had not left for the night with his “mysterious” Malaysian friend whom Frank had not seen since they arrived, but who always took Mark out.

“We need to talk”

“Now?”

“It could be tomorrow if that’s OK with you.”

“Good news or should I brace myself for the worst?”

“The latter, I would say.”

“How bad?”

“The very worst”

“OK, no need to spoil my night. Let’s talk about it tomorrow”

He hung up and stretched his body. He wondered whether he should stay in, and wait for Ain, his mysterious “massager”, or walk around to clear his head. He unscrewed the mini scotch he picked from the mini bar and drowned its contents.

In a room directly below him, the handle of a telephone was slowly placed in its cradle. The occupant picked up a phone and dialed the only number. He spoke quickly and softly.

Frank stood in the shower and allowed the water to fall on his head. The night had been extraordinary. Ain must have sensed the tension in his body, and did the miraculous. Where do these girls learn such tricks? If there is some curriculum, the whole American education system ought to be overhauled and infused with oriental s*x acts - it would save American marriages, thus keeping the family and nation safe.

But this morning as he readied himself for the meeting with Mark, his mind was once again on fire. When he finally got to the restaurant for breakfast, Mark was not there. It had always been their ritual to meet at breakfast, review their strategy for the day, before heading out to the GCV offices.

Well, he dug in, hoping Mark would appear before he was done. As he sipped tea, he tried calling Mark. There was no answer - the number could not be reached. Just then Siti walked in to inform him. Last night, Mark was taken seriously ill and was admitted at Putoll Private Hospital.

“It must have been something he ate,” the doctor tried to explain to Frank.

Well, that something kept him in intensive care for 12 days. Legacy Financials asked Frank to lead the team for the rest of the duration of the assignment. Of course, it came along with additional remuneration and allowances.

The day went slower than usual. Mark's sudden sickness had dampened the feeling within the team. Luckily, there were fewer documents and meetings to complete. He called it a day earlier than usual. He had promised Siti he would let her get off early to go visit her mum. Edward ordered the driver to take her straight home, against her protestations and the surprised look on the driver's face. Obviously, it must have been unheard of for a boss to drop off a subordinate. Welcome to my world, buddy!

The reception handed him a gold gilded envelope with the emblem of GCV embossed on it. An invitation to dinner that night, and it was from Farah Ibrahim, the CEO of GCV, himself.

Siti called to remind him his transport was there. He was surprised when the driver informed him, his instructions were to bring him - only him to the dinner. He had been under the impression that this was a dinner meeting between the team and the head of GCV.

He was ushered into an exquisite 5-star private restaurant, Enfin by James Won. There was only himself and Farah, and a full complement of managers, chefs and waitresses to cater to their every whim. They sat across each other sampling the delicious plates that were streaming over the table. Frank could feel the cold steely eyes of Farah studying every muscle, every sinew of his face.

“I am curious to know what your final verdict is, Mr. Grant”

The question was unexpected, but fair.

“I have yet to decide with my team what the final outcome of our evaluation should be. We will wrap that up within a month when we get back to the States”

“But you do have some preliminary impressions.”

“Oh sure, GCV is a cash cow, and will even get fatter as the years go by.”

Farah chuckled, and leaned forward. “GCV also knows how to take care of its own.”

The implication of that statement was not lost on Frank. He sat looking at Farah. His face was expressionless. The awkward silence lingered on. This is the time you walked out, Frank! His brain yelled at him.

Then his train of thought was cut short. Farah flicked a Wong Tai tab coupon on the table, landing perfectly between the shrimp and octopus plates. The signature glared up at Frank, and so did the figure, 340 grand. He lifted his eyes slowly and stared at Farah in the face. Frank had met this executive, Amir, who had introduced him to the casinos in Macau. Amir would fly out on Friday nights and return to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday evenings. His old demons had been stirred, and had joined Amir for a couple of weekends.

Two men who both knew what was at stake. Sudden death! For Frank, his career, for Farah, jail time. Whoever blinks first loses.

The ride back to the hotel was more sobering. His hands were not shaking. His brain was not foggy. It was clear, and his breathing was measured. He dropped off about two blocks from the hotel. He needed to think and brace himself for a new life. He thought of Cardi and how he needed to spend more time with her and the children. He had not been in his children's lives. That ought to change. He walked, oblivious of the people who milled around him. He could see the Mandarin Oriental just ahead of him.

Alpine Cove, Montecito, November 2011

Standing in the drawing room of Alpine Cove, Edward watched the dying embers and felt despondent. Alice was in the kitchen putting away the glasses.

“We simply cannot go on like this,” Alice was saying. “You cannot barge into my office.”

“But you won’t see me.”

“You damn right I can’t see you. I only see you when it's safe to do so. I cannot be at your beck and call.”

“O really, but you see me when you want to see me.”

“Look, I think we have come to the end of our fairy tale. The stakes are just too high for both of us now.”

He tried to hold her. The ache in his face was bare for all to see.

“Please, don’t touch me”

Edward had been trying frantically to get hold of Alice for about a month. She would not take his calls he put through to her reception. Her secretary had been keeping him at bay with excuse after excuse:

“Mrs Walters is currently in a meeting. I will inform her as soon as she is done”

“Mrs Walters just stepped out of the office. I am sorry she did not return your call. I will call you back as soon as she returns.”

“Sorry, Mr. Marden, I cannot give you Mrs. Walters cell phone number”.

“Mr. Marden, Mrs. Walters says your proposal will be evaluated by the Board and the final outcome communicated to you.”

Angry and frustrated, he had positioned himself in the office parking lot opposite the Sterling offices. He had watched Alice speed off, and taillighted her until she parked at the Bone n Grill Restaurant. And that is where he had “accosted a furious” Alice.

“Follow me.”

She had led him on a two-hour high speed drive from the Financial District to Montecito, where she owned a 50 acre property, Alpine Cove. It was all lush wood and a beautiful blue lake, with a small three-room, rosewood cabin. She had led him off the main driveway, along a back track until they were about 800 meters from the cabin. She disembarked and made the rest of the journey on foot.

“Edward, I can’t see you any more”

She held his head in her hands, and kissed his forehead.

“I will make it easier for you. I will go to New York for a year, so that we both get over each other. That way we both save our marriages and our sanity”

“That would be cruel.”

“Nothing is more cruel than you driving me crazy. Bringing up all this passion in me, and yet I know you will never be mine”, her eyes flashed with anger.

“You are the one stuck in a loveless marriage…”

“Don’t you dare bring my marriage into this. You know what? Stay at yours, let me deal with mine.”

“I am prepared to walk out of mine, are you?”

“I can’t walk out, and you know it.”

“Where there is a way, there is a will.”

“My will is to stick out and get what is mine. I walk, and everything reverts to his ex-wife. My end of the bargain was to stay till death do us part.”

“Well , that is going to be some long long time.”

“Maybe, yes, maybe no.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Love makes people do crazy s**t”

They were sitting on the sofa. Their eyes met. Edward could see she was serious. He leaned over, and she allowed him to kiss her, undress her and made love to her right in front of the fireplace. It wasn’t the crazy rough rides they were accustomed to, it was slow, passionate, just two bodies that knew each other well, merging into an orgasmic mesh. They lay back, spent, naked, and fully satiated, looking at the ceiling.

“I want to be with you”

“What did you mean by “maybe yes, maybe no?”

“George has a heart condition that has been acting up of late. We are bracing ourselves for the worst.”

“You think it could be worse?”

“Don’t know.”

“I had an African friend at Yale who talked about a plant, iboga. Its extracts contain a psychoactive alkaloid. It is a natural ingredient that can be put in food to give a hallucinogenic feeling. A little too much, and it causes death for people with weak hearts, but healthier people survive”

Alice turned, cradling her head in one hand and stared into Edward’s face.

“Get outta here”

“No, I am serious. I researched it, and it is true.”

“You know what I am seeing rolling under the news flash - a youthful wife arrested for poisoning her septuagenarian husband. And you know what folks are going to say? She never loved him, she was in it for the money."

"And you know what the more rational ones would say? - it serves him right to keep such a beauty hostage with his money."

They burst out laughing.

“You want a way out, I am offering you one.”

“Get out!”

She watched them as they walked gingerly over the grass and stones to their parked cars under the trees. She continued to watch them as they drove off.

The man looked familiar.

Saint Lucia!

The half-crazed man who had been trying to get his attention. Now it all makes sense. Was he the "client" she was supposed to bait?

Jenny pushed open the door and entered the cabin. The acrid smell of s*x still lingered in the room, even though a whiff of freshener tried to mask it. She reached behind the book shelf and retrieved the tiny pocket recorder, and plugged it into the laptop. She settled into the same sofa they had occupied, and watched the contents of the video. She slipped her fingers into her panties, and touched herself, letting the movement of her fingers flow with the rhythm of their movements. She climaxed just as Alice did.

She is a guest, and she must enjoy what her host enjoys.