Read Online The Two Sisters of Borneo by Ian Hamilton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ian Hamilton
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mind. She stared into his eyes. She smiled, or thought she did, but all she felt were tears running down her cheeks.
( 8 )
Ava slept until almost eight o’clock. She woke with a start. It took a few minutes before she realized she wasn’t at the Mandarin Oriental, and that she had slept the entire night. She rolled out of bed and walked over to the window. It was still raining, and so heavily that she could barely see past the courtyard to the front entrance gate.
She brushed her teeth and hair and then dressed in a clean white T-shirt and training pants. Before going to bed she had made a mental list of the things she wanted to do that morning, but now her stomach was rumbling and had her attention. Eat, then work , she told herself.
She called Reception. The main restaurant, Vinkeles, was closed until dinnertime, but breakfast was being served in the Long Gallery lounge. She debated ordering room service and then decided to go downstairs.
Half an hour later, fortified by two cups of coffee and Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, she sat at her computer and opened her emails.
She had let everyone in Toronto know that she was leaving Hong Kong for a few days. The reactions from Maria, Mimi, and her mother were identical — worries about Uncle and about how she was holding up. She assured them that Uncle’s situation hadn’t changed and that she was just taking a few days after the wedding to unwind.
Two of the emails were from May Ling. There was a seven-hour time difference between Amsterdam and Borneo; the first email, sent late the night before, said that she had arrived and had been met at the airport by Ah-Pei and Chi-Tze. They had spent several hours that evening reviewing the situation. The women were devastated, but they seemed determined to keep going, whether or not they had additional support. Their attitude had pleased May.
From a preliminary look at the books and their anecdotal recap of the state of the business, it was obvious that the financial situation was dire. Their cash flow had been destroyed, and unless more funds were pumped into the business quickly, production would have to be suspended. If that happened, then their supply lines for hardwood would come under pressure. If they lost those sources of supply to another manufacturer, God knows when or whether they could ever get them back. May estimated they needed at least another $5 million to stabilize the situation.
May’s second email had been sent about the same time Ava was awakening in her hotel. Amanda landed in Kota Kinabalu just before lunch and came directly to the office, May wrote. To the sisters’ dismay, I sat with her alone for the first hour. She was very upset that I hadn’t told her about the problems. I explained I hadn’t wanted to jinx her wedding, and she began to calm down when she found out that I hadn’t told you anything either. I assured her that we did not hold her responsible for the mess in Borneo, and told her that we were prepared to put in whatever money was required to keep the business viable as long as she was willing to manage the process until things were clearer. She couldn’t have been more agreeable. I hope your trip was uneventful. I’m leaving my hotel with Amanda and Chi-Tze in a few minutes for a meeting with a lawyer who we think is smart and tough enough. I’ll update you later tonight, she closed.
I’m in Amsterdam. Flight was fine. Call me on my cell when you finish with the lawyer. I’m going to start hunting things down at this end , Ava replied.
She closed her computer and glanced at the envelope and Moleskine notebook that sat on the desk. She reached for the book and then noticed her cellphone. Uncle , she thought. She punched in his number.
“ Wei ,” the familiar voice said after the second ring.
“It’s Ava.”
“I could not tell. There is no number showing on my end.”
“I’m in Amsterdam.”
“And I am in Shanghai.”
“Already?”
“They released me from
( 8 )
Ava slept until almost eight o’clock. She woke with a start. It took a few minutes before she realized she wasn’t at the Mandarin Oriental, and that she had slept the entire night. She rolled out of bed and walked over to the window. It was still raining, and so heavily that she could barely see past the courtyard to the front entrance gate.
She brushed her teeth and hair and then dressed in a clean white T-shirt and training pants. Before going to bed she had made a mental list of the things she wanted to do that morning, but now her stomach was rumbling and had her attention. Eat, then work , she told herself.
She called Reception. The main restaurant, Vinkeles, was closed until dinnertime, but breakfast was being served in the Long Gallery lounge. She debated ordering room service and then decided to go downstairs.
Half an hour later, fortified by two cups of coffee and Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, she sat at her computer and opened her emails.
She had let everyone in Toronto know that she was leaving Hong Kong for a few days. The reactions from Maria, Mimi, and her mother were identical — worries about Uncle and about how she was holding up. She assured them that Uncle’s situation hadn’t changed and that she was just taking a few days after the wedding to unwind.
Two of the emails were from May Ling. There was a seven-hour time difference between Amsterdam and Borneo; the first email, sent late the night before, said that she had arrived and had been met at the airport by Ah-Pei and Chi-Tze. They had spent several hours that evening reviewing the situation. The women were devastated, but they seemed determined to keep going, whether or not they had additional support. Their attitude had pleased May.
From a preliminary look at the books and their anecdotal recap of the state of the business, it was obvious that the financial situation was dire. Their cash flow had been destroyed, and unless more funds were pumped into the business quickly, production would have to be suspended. If that happened, then their supply lines for hardwood would come under pressure. If they lost those sources of supply to another manufacturer, God knows when or whether they could ever get them back. May estimated they needed at least another $5 million to stabilize the situation.
May’s second email had been sent about the same time Ava was awakening in her hotel. Amanda landed in Kota Kinabalu just before lunch and came directly to the office, May wrote. To the sisters’ dismay, I sat with her alone for the first hour. She was very upset that I hadn’t told her about the problems. I explained I hadn’t wanted to jinx her wedding, and she began to calm down when she found out that I hadn’t told you anything either. I assured her that we did not hold her responsible for the mess in Borneo, and told her that we were prepared to put in whatever money was required to keep the business viable as long as she was willing to manage the process until things were clearer. She couldn’t have been more agreeable. I hope your trip was uneventful. I’m leaving my hotel with Amanda and Chi-Tze in a few minutes for a meeting with a lawyer who we think is smart and tough enough. I’ll update you later tonight, she closed.
I’m in Amsterdam. Flight was fine. Call me on my cell when you finish with the lawyer. I’m going to start hunting things down at this end , Ava replied.
She closed her computer and glanced at the envelope and Moleskine notebook that sat on the desk. She reached for the book and then noticed her cellphone. Uncle , she thought. She punched in his number.
“ Wei ,” the familiar voice said after the second ring.
“It’s Ava.”
“I could not tell. There is no number showing on my end.”
“I’m in Amsterdam.”
“And I am in Shanghai.”
“Already?”
“They released me from
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