The Billionaire's Brother

Perspective: Nila K It is near midnight. Everything was quiet except for the sporadic barking and howling from a few dogs in the neighbourhood. Her parents are fast asleep in their room. She hurriedly packed her  large luggage bag, making sure to make as little noise as possible. She didn’t want to wake her parents. They will never let her leave. They did not believe her when she told them that her life is under threat and if she doesn’t make a run now, it might be too late. It could destroy their whole family. She had made arrangements with her friend, Cindy, to help her escape. Cindy is her best friend and they have been inseparable since they became friends in kindergarten. Tonight will be the last night she spends time with Cindy. Cindy will be driving her brother, Charles’s car to help her run away.  After making sure she has packed only the essential clothing items, her toiletries and most importantly, her sketchbooks and art supplies, she gave her room one last glance. She may not be back for a long time. She grew up in this room and it was where she daydreamed of becoming an artist, where she hid her sketches under her bed from her parents, where she daydreamed about her first crush at 16, where she danced for joy after a boy asked her to be his girlfriend at 22 and where she hid her sorrow, tears and fear when that first relationship went from sweet to sour to utterly horrendous.  She sighed. She will be starting a new chapter in her life and what better way than start anew somewhere else. Away from people who knows her. Away from home. Away from the danger that lurks to swallow her up whole and destroy her and her family.  She left a short note for her parents, telling them not to worry and that she will contact them soon once she settles down in a new place. After all, she is 28 years old. It is time that she strikes out and be independent. She has led a sheltered life, living with her parents, letting them make every decision for her for long enough now.  Cindy was waiting outside her gate, her car engine idling quietly with the headlights off. She carried her luggage outside, quietly locked the front door and the gate. She got into Cindy’s car and pulled the door close gently. Her friend shifted into gear and then they were off. It would be a long drive. She had chosen a location as far away from home as possible and yet it is still a city by itself. It is a city well known for its thriving art scene and this suited her very well as for once in her life, she will try to fulfil her dreams of becoming an actual artist.  “Are you sure about this?” Cindy asked after they have pulled out of the housing estate and merged with the traffic on the highway.  She nodded.  “I have to do this. I have to know if I have what it takes to be an artist, I have to try at least,” she told her friend.  Cindy was quiet for a while as she manoeuvred the car through the traffic. It may be late night but they are in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, and the traffic never lets up till the early hours of the morning. The plan is for Cindy to drive her all the way up to George Town in Penang. A small island state in northern Malaysia that is know for its quaint heritage city, its thriving art scene and its wonderful food. Of course the fact that it has pristine beaches everywhere is also a plus point.  “Well, I only wish I have your guts to do this, to just leave everything behind for a new place and to start out with nothing,” her friend said.  She shrugged. She is slightly nervous about uprooting and leaving everything she has known in her life for a strange place in a state far away from home. Yet, this is what she has to do. Not only was her life in danger, she could put her family’s life at risk too. She has a younger brother to think of. Devan is 18 years old and despite their large age gap, he is like her best friend and they got along really well. He had supported her when she told him her plans to run away and hide up in the northern state of Penang.  “It’s not like I have a nice career or anything, I hated that job and besides, if I don’t go now, my parents might get an idea in their head to arrange suitors to marry me off,” she shuddered at the thought.  Her parents are deeply traditional. Though her father has Chinese roots and is quite modern by all accounts, it is her mother, who has Indian roots, who is insistent on them always keeping to traditions and culture. As a child of an interracial couple, it meant that she has to learn and practice the traditions and cultures of both ethnicities. It also meant that she has the complexion and features that is the best of both worlds.  She has thick and long black hair that ends in glossy curls hanging halfway down her back. She has thick curly eyelashes and large deep set dark brown eyes. She also has a gorgeous tanned skin that gleamed healthily. She is also tall with an hourglass-figure and she knows that she is stunning that every time she enters a room, eyes will follow her.  Despite living a sheltered life, she has a streak of rebellion and wilfulness although she rarely let this make her go against her parents’ wishes. They had wanted her to study accounting because “it is a respectable job for a young woman” and so she did. She became an accountant as they had wished but she was deeply unhappy. It was tedious and boring. She had resigned from it a month ago without telling her parents.  She had been planning this escape for months and finally, she is going to be free. Free from her parents. Free from the threat that lurked in the shadows. Free from a boring desk job where she had to stare at numbers and account balances for hours on end. Free to live a life she planned for herself.  “Seriously? Arranged marriage? Do people still do that?” Cindy asked in amazement.  “Well, yes, some families still do that, they will send over proposals and let the couple meet and if the couple agrees, then there will be a wedding,” she replied.  “Of course, they don’t force them if either of the couple disagrees to it,” she added. Cindy was shaking her head.  “Ohmygosh, I can’t imagine being forced to meet some strange man and make a decision if I want to marry him or not…I mean, come on, he could look all presentable but who is to know that he is not some closet serial killer or a psycho,”  Nila K grinned at her friend’s reaction. She had the exact same reaction when her mother told her about her cousin’s friend’s aunt who had a cousin who got married this way. It seems the couple is happily married with two children. She doesn’t even know if it was true or just something her mother made up. She would’t put it past her mother to embellish the truth to get her to accept some traditional concept. “Oh well, at least you don’t have to worry about such things…I am sure your parents wouldn’t do this,” she told Cindy. Cindy nodded vehemently. “Thank goodness for that. Yet, they have their limitations…you know Charles dare not come out to them even now,” she told her.  She rolled her eyes. “Till today, my parents actually believed that James is his room mate and not his partner,”  “That’s Asian parents for you…it’s hard for them to accept many things that they are uncomfortable with,” Nila said.  The women continued chatting lightly as they drove through highways and winding roads to reach Penang in the early morning hours as the sun was rising.  They stopped before a boutique hotel called “The Rosa Lilly” and checked in. Cindy collapsed on one of the twin beds almost immediately, stretching luxuriously and yawning. “That was a long drive! I need a nap right now, don’t wake me up,” she said.  Despite staying awake throughout to keep Cindy company, Nila was not tired. She was filled with excitement. She is now in a new city with new people and a new environment. Her life starts now and she can’t wait to live a life of her own design from now onwards. “Just wait, mama and papa, I will make it as an artist and I will show you that it is a living worth sacrificing a stable accounting job for!” she said as she stared out the windows at the brightening skies and a glimpse of the calm blue sea. She opened the window to admire the view. Hues of orange and reds and pinks splashed across the skies as an orange orb broke free from the horizon. She took a deep breath and embraced the salty scent of the sea.  The spectacular sunrise and the gorgeous view spelled a positive new beginning. She is certain she will make it here.