Marcel left the lovebirds, Andrew and Sandra, to have lunch by themselves after he was done with his own lunch to check on Ivy and Jason. Before he reached Jason’s room, he saw a familiar figure sitting alone in the garden and instantly knew it was Ivy as he walked over.
Marcel thought Ivy was crying by herself when he went over to pat her shoulders to comfort her before taking a seat by her side.
“Oh, Marcel…” She looked up from the sudden gesture as her face was buried in her palms.
“You’re alright?” Marcel asked, looking at her tired and frustrated face which was giving him a sad smile.
Ivy sighed. “I’m alright…” Marcel knew she was lying. Who would be alright at such a moment. Everyone was just trying to stay strong.
“Even if you say you’re not alright, my answer will still be the same... Don’t worry about Jason too much but work towards graduating. This will truly make him worry free and would be proud of you…” Marcel advised as Ivy nodded.
“Thank you…” She thanked sincerely as Marcel stood.
“Let’s start by taking care of yourself... Go have lunch with your friends…I will go have a look at Jason.” He urged as Ivy nodded and smiled.
“His grandmother and mother came…” Ivy mentioned as Marcel nodded before waving his hand to ask her to go ahead to the cafeteria. Marcel then walked over to Jason’s room to greet Jason’s family while waiting for Ivy to finish her quick lunch.
Later in the afternoon, on the way while sending the trio home, Marcel managed to detour to Jason’s house to pick up Lucky while Ivy fell asleep in the car. It was a request Jason specifically texted Marcel to do, knowing Ivy needed him by her side every night. Lucky was so obedient that he stayed quiet and sat with Andrew and Sandra who fell asleep at the back seats while an exhausted Ivy slept through at the front seat all the way till they reached home.
Andrew and Sandra quickly alighted the car when they arrived as Lucky, who was excited about reaching a familiar place, barked from outside the car, waking Ivy up to the surprise.
“Lucky!” She grinned awake as she peeped outside watching Lucky barking at her with Andrew and Sandra behind him.
“Oh, I must have fallen asleep so soundly that I didn’t even know you went to pick that boy up!” Ivy complained as Marcel frowned with a smile. “Go ahead and get some rest before studying…” Marcel urged as she nodded.
“Thank you! I can't wait to head back to the office to help you out… Am sure you’re so busy…” Ivy said as Marcel patted her head.
“I have gotten used to it.. It’s my job… Now, hurry go ahead…'' Marcel urged as Ivy nodded.
“Bye!” Ivy waved before alighting while Andrew and Sandra said the same in unison as they watched Marcel drive off before they headed straight to Ivy’s place.
When Ivy stepped into the house, she pondered awhile on the menu to prepare for dinner and also for Jason before heading to the kitchen to quickly whip up a pot of minced pork porridge on her slow cooker. It was the simplest and non obvious excuse to save some for Jason with her plans to visit at night.
Thereafter, she fed Lucky with his kibbles before catching up on study with Andrew and Sandra the entire afternoon. “It’s very heavy tomorrow with three papers tomorrow. You’re sure you can manage?” Sandra asked Ivy who was reading her history notes.
“Hmm… Don’t worry. Chinese and Maths are fine for me. After studying history I will need to study science since I have cleared my accounts over the weekend. Besides, science and accounts are my last day. I will be fine Sandra…” Ivy explained as they all continued to study.
Ivy would occasionally check her phone for messages but only to find no messages from anyone including Jason. She couldn’t help but to wonder how he was or if his mother and grandmother were still there with him.
“Are you feeling better?” She bravely hit the send button before studying a little more till evening when Andrew and Sandra finally left for their respective home.
She quickly went into the kitchen to pack the porridge she was keeping warm and prepared Lucky’s dinner which was some boiled chicken breast and fried omelet.
“Lucky… What should I do? Does Jason actually like me?” She asked as she fed Lucky, who was busy gorging his dinner.
“But Lucky… I need to fulfill my promise to Nancy and leave him because…” Ivy paused trying to control her emotions as she patted Lucky and rubbed his body while closing her eyes.
“I will miss you Lucky…” His fluffy fur was the only comfort she could sort to as a refuge at that moment as Lucky quickly finished up his dinner and was wagging his tail at Ivy.
Ivy sighed and sat on the ground as she thought to herself. “Ivy… Enough of torture… You have already been through this a thousand times. You know clearly what to do… Enjoy what you have now. Think about that part later. Live in the present, don't we agree?” She tried to convince herself as she slowly opened her eyes and decided to head to the hospital.
She quickly brought Lucky to Sandra’s place and left him at a kennel Auntie Soh had specially prepared for him outside their house. She also sent a text to Sandra alerting about Lucky's whereabouts before driving off to the hospital.
Sandra was curious when she received Ivy’s text message as she wondered where Ivy was going this late. She went out to fetch Lucky into her room and sleep with him as she eventually figured out Ivy must have gone to stay overnight and watch over who else if it wasn't Jason since he was the victim of the afternoon mishap. Sandra knew her best friend well that no other remedy would work well unless she was by his side watching over his recovery and that she had decided to let Ivy be.
On the way to the hospital, Ivy checked her phone but no messages again as she frowned before speeding up the car and reached in twenty minutes. She knew the visiting hours were over but she really wanted to see him so she requested from the nurse as a guardian to stay overnight instead. She was glad no one had applied as his guardian to accompany him overnight as she happily hastened her steps approaching his room.
When she entered his peaceful quiet room, he was asleep as she sat by the side of the bed admiring him quietly. ”If only time could stop…” Ivy thought to herself as she smiled trying to capture that moment by heart, blinking back the tears in her eyes.
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Jason was pretending to sleep when he heard approaching footsteps earlier in case his mother or grandmother returned again and decided to stay the night but instead it was someone with quiet steps and actions. He instantly knew it was Ivy; the root of all his worries which was keeping him from resting properly. He could feel she was watching him and couldn't help but crack a smile after a moment.
Ivy noticed his smile and laughed knowing he was pretending to be asleep. She quickly wiped her wet eyelids dry.
“Are your eyelids too heavy?” Ivy teased as he laughed and opened his eyes, watching her admiring him.
“Why didn't you reply to my messages?” Ivy asked gently after a while as he tried to sit up with her help.
“I thought you were studying? I didn’t want to disturb…” He said as he subconsciously held her hand.
“You don’t have to physically lift anything to disturb… You’re already disturbing my heart…” Ivy thought to herself as she closed her eyes tightly to ensure her welling tears were under control while trying to push away her thoughts and smiled instead.
Jason noticed her strange reaction as though she was trying to hold back her tears that he wanted to pull her in for a hug but instead she let go of her hand he was holding and walked towards the front of his bed where she left the container of porridge.
“I was studying... Well here, I made you minced pork porridge. Supper?” She lifted the cover of the container and the fragrance of the sesame oil wafted over to him which was too appetising to resist.
“Sure!” He held his hands up as though cheering for it. She poured some into a bowl she brought along before handing it to Jason with a porcelain spoon as she watched him take the first bite.
“Wow! Where did you learn to cook so well?” It was the first time Jason ever tried her cooking as all the while he was the one who always cooked for her.
.
“Grandma of course…” She giggled as she walked closer to him.
“You know it's past the visiting hours?” Jason asked abruptly noticing the time.
“That's why I have made a request to the nurse earlier that I am staying overnight as a guardian…” Ivy explained as she stood by the side of the bed.
“No you're not. Go home…” Jason said sternly before finishing up the small bowl of porridge and placing the bowl by the side table. He was aware that Ivy had exams tomorrow and was worried that if she slept at the hospital it would affect the quality of her sleep and her performance the next day.
“I don't want to…” She mumbled with a pout. Jason frowned and decided this stubborn girl wouldn't change her mind as he shifted to the right and patted the bed.
“Come, I could at least share the bed with you…” He offered as Ivy blinked in embarrassment and didn’t expect such an offer as she quickly declined.
“Nay it’s alright...” She mumbled but she noticed the way he looked at her was changing from a happy face to a very upset look.
“Here or home. Now.” Jason forced her as she obediently obliged and climbed into bed as he hugged her to sleep. With her in his embrace, he finally stopped pretending to be angry but instead hugged her tightly leaving Ivy a little confused if Jason was joking or serious.
“Thank you… it’s so nice to have a huggable bear. Make me miss Lucky too…” He whispered after awhile as he could finally feel his eyelids were getting heavy.
Before she could retaliate, she noticed he had fallen asleep as she continued to admire his peaceful look and fell asleep along; appreciating the last bits of moments being by his side.
Little did she know her father had made plans to finally see her after so long as Peter sent a message to notify Jason of his visit in two days' time just as Jason had suggested. Peter felt he could finally have a good rest at night after he made the decision and decided to tell his sons the next morning.
“Say what? Where are we going to see Ai Lee?” Ryu asked at his dad’s shocking announcement of the location that he dropped his fork on the ground at the breakfast table.
“Hey… chill…” Jin scolded as he bent down under the table and picked up the fork before changing a new one at the kitchen for Ryu.
“Landsfield… Why? Isn’t that place familiar to you?” Peter said nonchalantly as he bit into his toast. The boys had grown up independently without maids at home as Peter had never liked the idea of pampering the boys that they had a roaster for every chores in the house and they took turns to do it.
“It is… But I have been there so many times… How could I never bump into her…It is after all, a small town…” Ryu mumbled to himself.
“Stop mumbling… Finish up and do the dishes. Head to school and come back to pack your bags. We are going to leave early tomorrow morning…Don’t forget to apply for absence for the next two days.” Peter instructed all the boys as they nodded.
“Ray…” Peter noticed he was quiet all the while and was zoning out.
“Yes, dad?” Ray shook his daze away as he paid attention to his dad.
“Don’t forget to bring Daisy’s kibbles along…” Peter initially wanted to ask him of his thoughts but decided he should let the boys have their own time to sort out themselves so he changed the topic to bring along their golden retriever, Daisy before leaving the breakfast table and heading to work.
“Yes, dad…” Ray replied audibly as Peter was walking away. Ray couldn’t help but wondered what the nature of his elder sister would be and embraced the fact that he had another sibling he had to lookout for.
To begin with, he was never the eldest despite being in a mixed heritage family of the heterogeneous seletar people which was his dad’s side and a typical Chinese family which was of his mother’s side, the influence from the Chinese heritage was intense in their upbringing mostly due to their relatives. The first son regardless of which order he was born is considered the eldest even if there were daughters older than him. Ray never liked being the eldest as he felt the burden of hovering over the younger siblings and owning up to their mistakes.
Although Peter never made it a point that the younger siblings’ mistakes were also his, it seemed the paradigm had big influences on Ray as their relatives would usually compare him to his other cousins and siblings while imposing on him these beliefs. As he sighed in frustration, he didn’t want his elder sister to go through the same that he was determined to protect her from the harassment of their relatives after this.
After exams, Ivy quickly rushed over to meet Marcel at the location he had texted her for an urgent meeting with one of their clients who had an impending large event with them. In actual fact, Jason had already delayed the meeting with them to next week in order to give way for Peter to reunite with Ivy and hoped for a favorable outcome on the merger. However, the client had gotten impatient and insecure with the delays so they sent their event manager to meet up with Jason to chase their final proposal only to meet with Marcel who had no choice but to bring along Ivy to the meeting to help him take down notes and come up with the proposal as a temporary backup thereafter.
“Do you think your firm is big enough to conduct such an event? It's a regional event. No doubt I do not question the credibility of your speaker…” The client questioned Marcel sarcastically as the meeting got intense after Marcel tried to explain their situation and stated that there has been not much progress while seeking the client’s understanding.
Marcel was a little taken aback as Ivy watched his confidence break a little. It has always been a concern to Marcel and Jason to expand the company but he has not had much luck with the independent investors as Marcel lamented and hoped Ivy would be understanding when her father came around to speak with her not only about their family bond but also about the investment in Jason’s business.
“Mr. Jing, I'm aware of your concern on the manpower we have... Am sure you're here today because of Mr. Rahi’s credibility as a speaker and since the deal we offered comes in a package, we try our best to not disappoint. With that, will you allow us more time to sort out an updated proposal to address your concern? Perhaps, next Monday we will meet again to present to you the proposal.” Ivy took over, noticing Marcel was already in a state of daze as she spoke articulately which surprised Marcel. Ivy couldn't read Mr. Jing’s reaction well and decided to play safe in an attempt to buy more time.
“Mr. Jing, I hope you understand that we are in the midst of sorting out support for your event and with the unexpected accident Mr. Rahi met…” Mr. Jing raised a finger to silence Ivy from continuing before he stood.
“You have till next Monday to come up with the updated final proposal…” Mr. Jing said as he walked away.
“Thank you, Mr. Jing!” They both stood and said in unison.
“Genius! Way to go! How did you pull that confidence? Anyway, sorry for dragging you out on a non working day.” Marcel praised her.
She sat with a motionless face as she worried and wanted to get started on the proposal.
“It’s alright… I am almost done with exams anyway. Let’s go back to the office. I will work on the proposal and hopefully by evening, you can send it to Jason for a quick review.” Ivy thought that her preparations for her last two papers were quite sufficient and she wanted to help Marcel, knowing how urgent it was. Marcel doubtfully walked to the carpark with her but he knew he didn't have a choice either as it was urgent.
“But, do you know how his meeting with the investor went? Because this project seriously needs a lot of manpower and funds which I heard the investor had both what was required. Besides, this event is just next month. He requires us to not just provide him with logistics support but also sound systems and security. The cost to hire and rent all these resources would require a large sum of deposit considering it’s a four day event which is large-scale. They also invited a few local artists to participate in the performances. The carnival is no doubt raising donations and awareness for mental health for a good cause but if we can’t get this investor, then perhaps we should look for man power and other consultancy firms for joint support. No doubt this event definitely makes money with your markup policies but you still need to have funds…” Ivy paused thinking if she should suggest it as Marcel raised an eyebrow waiting for her answer.
“…a loan perhaps?” Marcel chuckled at her reply as they entered the car.
“Go ahead and write in the notes to Jason to review then…As for the collaboration, if you’re looking at a large corporation other than the investor, forget about it as everyone will avoid…” Marcel said while driving as Ivy started typing away on her laptop.
“Why?” Ivy asked without stopping her typing.
“Cause, his father will be the one who controls if he gets the help or not and knowing Jason, he would never beg him for it at all. He wanted to prove himself. This was a chance he had been waiting for all this while. All we could hope is that the investment would flow in smoothly.” Marcel explained as Ivy nodded in acknowledgement while continued typing away.
Ivy already expected such an answer after all the stories Jason had shared with her previously. It was no wonder that Jason strived hard to be successful with his own effort instead.
As Marcel drove, he couldn’t help but to think to himself while watching Ivy work so hard to rush the proposal. “It all depends on you, Ivy… You’re the only solution in this proposal…”