PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT! YOU MUST MANUALLY SELECT TO OPT BACK INTO RECEIVING EMAIL ALERTS ON THE ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT PAGE TO CONTINUE RECEIVING UPDATES!
Review Responses:
cherry-tree-of-life - You could say that Masquerade's less-than-serious attitude about the audio and video might've led him to the fate he met in present day, but the truth will always come out... but not until several chapters later. Shun and Alice both have more clever things to say in the future!
CookieDecor22 - You never know when something small and petty could escalate to something much bigger. Alice will eventually talk about Joe in full detail, but now's not the right time. COVID-19 was a terrible time for me, given remote classes/work and all, so I channeled a lot of my emotion in just a single speech. Shun's a very supportive person, but the upcoming funeral/wake will drive some people insane...
MagicxMusicxMelody - Someday, Alice will mention what happened during the first banquet to Hydron and Zenoheld as leverage, but not today. Alice's professional attitude is the real meaning of keeping personal and work lives separate. Hydron and Zenoheld are definitely planning something, but great plans come with great risks.
Chapter 9 - Done Being Generous
xXx
Alice sat impatiently in one of the hospital's waiting rooms while constantly checking her phone for notifications. One of the physicians later exited the operating room. "Doctor, any updates on the victims' conditions?"
"Mister Claude's surgery was successful in repairing all identified physical damages, but he hasn't regained consciousness yet, so we'll keep monitoring. Unfortunately, your brother didn't survive because he already lost a lot of blood by the time he arrived at the emergency room."
"What... No... Masquerade... Why...?" After the physician reentered the operating room, the redhead took a seat on the chair and broke into tears again. "Why is this happening to me?!"
Chris arrived shortly and saw her crying cousin. "What happened, Alice? What did the doctors say?"
"Linus survived the surgery, but Masquerade didn't. He's gone."
"Say what?! That's just... unacceptable." The blonde patted her cousin's back and watched the surgery team escort away Linus in a hospital bed. "What do you need me to do right now?"
"Keep working on your tasks at hand. I'll let you all know later if I need to delegate some of my work to you."
"I can't believe you're still thinking about work after what just happened! As your cousin, I'm ordering you to take bereavement leave again. The company won't stop while you're gone." Chris looked behind her and saw the raven-haired receptionist walking over. "Shun's here. I'll go check on Linus."
"That would be great." Alice wiped her face before her receptionist sat down next to her. "What are you doing here? It's almost midnight. You have work tomorrow."
"I'm the last person you should be worrying about. Since my computer received all the GPS alerts, I have some responsibility for all this as well. Did the police obtain everyone's statement yet?"
"I know they interviewed several bystanders and asked other drivers for dash cam videos. They might need to interview every single at Testarossa Electronics too. Linus survived the crash but hasn't regained consciousness yet. Then I need to plan for Masquerade's funeral."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
"Don't be. I completely forgot about the GPS systems on each of our company cars and that the receptionist account is the primary point of contact for anything that goes wrong. If only I personally took Masquerade to the airport instead of attending my team meeting, then none of this would've happened."
"No offense, but who can guarantee that you wouldn't end up in a traffic accident if you drove him to the airport? Losing you means losing everything. Who knows why Daylight Savings starts on Monday out of all days? Blame the government." He took out a napkin bundle from his jacket pocket and handed it to Alice. "This is yours."
She unwrapped the napkin and saw the collar chain that she lent him. "You don't need to return this. You can also keep the clothes I lent you."
"This collar chain looks expensive and still means a lot to you, considering that you kept it in your office drawer instead of your house basement."
"Well... Do you think Hydron and Uncle Zenoheld have anything to do with this?"
"I overheard Hydron trying to steal Masquerade's ride when Hydron was at fault for being late to his event. His dad later picked him up. I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet, but this was not how Masquerade's last day in Bayview was supposed to go."
"That explains what I saw outside while I was on the phone with Runo." The redhead buried her face in her hands. "I was right about being all alone in the end."
"Mind if I ask how you met Joe?"
"You probably heard this so many times, but several of my colleagues at work went to college with me, including Joe. I introduced them all to Testarossa Electronics. The fact that he was accused of insider trading was absurd enough. Then he died when the investigation had just barely started. I couldn't believe all that happened within less than two weeks back then."
"The truth will come out eventually. Who planned his funeral then?"
"His parents, of course. They invited the rest of their family and friends, including me. However, all of Masquerade's current friends and colleagues are overseas. We don't have any other local family members to inform about his death, but everyone at work will eventually find out. I want to schedule something simple for Masquerade instead. I've had enough of funerals and bereavement leaves."
"Speaking of overseas colleagues, you need to inform his cofounder about what happened too."
"Right... his name is Gunz Lazar. I'll figure it out. By the way, how is your grandfather doing? All you told me was he was badly injured during the home invasion."
"He ended up being admitted inpatient due to severe bruises and cuts. Thankfully, all the hospital bills are completed paid for. The issue now is that one of the doctors recommended physical therapy, which requires prior authorization."
"All that resulted from the altercations?"
"No matter how skilled he is in ninjutsu and self-defense, he's not young anymore. But that's my problem, not yours. It won't affect—"
"How is that not my problem? I'm the reason why those perpetrators were sent to invade your grandfather's residence." Suddenly, the same physician from earlier exited the operating room again, now with a clipboard in his hands. "That must be the paperwork for issuing Masquerade's death certificate."
"Alice, you have enough problems already from Hydron and Zenoheld, so I don't need you worrying about my grandfather. I heard Chris telling you to delegate all your tasks to the team so that you can fully focus on funeral services. I can't help you with what they're doing, but I'm always here if you need anything."
"Thank you... I definitely need a few days off to deal with paperwork, so be prepared to redirect any important calls or emails to other departments."
"Not a problem at all."
-x-x-x-x-x-
On the day of the wake at a local funeral home, several friends and coworkers dressed in black had arrived with flower baskets as they entered the reception room. Chris greeted and checked in everyone at the front entrance. "Alice and I appreciate you all for coming today."
"You know we always have your back," Dan replied. "Where do you want us to place the flowers?"
"Let me get my mom to help." The blonde's mother then came over and carried everyone's flower baskets to the front near Masquerade's casket. "You can put your condolence donations in this box and then sign your name in the logbook."
The visitors then approached the casket in smaller cohorts, with each person bowing three times before Masquerade prior to facing Alice for another bow. "You're all here today," she commented.
"We don't have the heart to push through more work while you're on bereavement leave again," Runo responded. "Your well-being is our well-being."
"Alice, you'll get through this," Baron rooted.
"I hope so too. Funerals aren't new to me anymore, but each one is still a struggle to plan and endure."
Half an hour later, Shun checked in at Chris's desk and repeated the same procedure as everyone else before greeting Alice. "Sorry... am I late?"
"Not at all. I appreciate you for taking your time out to stop by. How's everything at work?"
"Soon is covering the front desk while I'm here." Then he whispered, "You saw the green envelope that I put in your mailbox, right? I gave my donation in advance because I didn't know if I could step out today."
"I did. Again, I appreciate your flexibility and generosity."
This time, Alice bowed a solid ninety degrees, prompting the raven-haired receptionist to extend his hands and stop her immediately. "Alice, not in front of everyone..."
"You've done a lot more than you realize, Shun."
"I know this isn't the time to ask, but any updates on Linus's condition and the case itself?"
"Nothing yet. The car is so damaged that the police need more time to assess. Linus is still unconscious in the hospital. I still think that—"
"You can put my flower basket up front." All eyes faced the room entrance, where Hydron walked through as a funeral home employee carried the said flower basket.
While seated, Dan leaned over and whispered to Runo. "Weren't Hydron and Masquerade fighting over who needed an urgent card ride before the accident happened?"
"Yeah, and I don't think it's as simple as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also, why is he the only person wearing a single black armband over white clothes?"
"Oh my god, you're right. That's just wrong."
The blond intern skipped the check-in desk and walked straight to Masquerade's casket for his three bows. Before he could face Alice, Chris sprinted forward to stop him. "What the hell are you doing here? You want to admire the damage you've done?"
"I'm just paying my respects to a late family member. What's wrong with that?"
"I am more related to Masquerade than you will ever be." The amethyst-eyed blonde snatched the black armband off Hydron's left arm and tossed it onto the floor. "Get out."
"You need to stay out of this, Chris. I'm not leaving until I—"
The irate cousin interrupted the intern by slapping his face with her right hand. "You stay out of this, Hydron!"
"Chris Marie Barlow, that's enough!" The mourning redhead dragged her maternal cousin aside and picked up Hydron's fallen armband. "May I help you?"
"More like... how can I help you? Take as much time off as you need, Alice. I can handle everything at work."
"I'm not taking another two weeks off again like I did for my grandfather, especially since you're still on probation."
"You're just upset that your last resort in keeping the company for yourself is gone. Masquerade was more your puppet than he ever was your brother."
"You're also more Uncle Zenoheld's puppet than you were ever his son. Isn't that why he still backs you up even though we all know that you're useless on your own?"
Hydron's lavender eyes widened as he taunted quietly, "I'll get you back for this."
Alice crossed her arms and stepped closer until their faces were only centimeters apart. "Good luck with that."
The blond intern left without another word, and the rest of the funeral services proceeded as planned. Most of the guests left at the end of the service, but Shun stayed and offered to clean up. "Alice, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"Hydron's arrival ruined the whole event. What did he say to you?"
The redhead paused after finding Hydron's black armband while cleaning the trash and turned around. "Do you really want to know?"
Frightened by Alice's change of tone, Shun stayed quiet and just nodded.
The redhead ripped the torn armband apart and approached her receptionist until their faces were now centimeters apart. "I will no longer be nice to him anymore, because he's taken too much from me and given nothing back."
-x-x-x-x-x-
"If you can find a way to put my son in charge of the entire company, then I'll transfer some of my shares to each of you," was the last thing Zenoheld before ending a last-minute meeting in the grand conference room with the other shareholders.
After everyone else left, Hydron entered while twirling his hair repeatedly. "I still can't believe Masquerade is gone. If actually I got into that car and asked Linus to take me to the leadership conference—"
"That's nonsense! What happened to the company car was a complete accident. Even if Linus took you to the conference, you might not end up in an accident because your destination was in the opposite direction of the airport. Let the police worry about this. By the way, I've already informed the other shareholders about my plans to make you own this company. Now it's just a matter of—"
Katie suddenly ran inside the conference room but stopped immediately after seeing the father and son. "I'm so sorry. I thought the person I was looking for would be here, but it looks like I'm in the wrong place."
After the PR representative left, Hydron also prepared to leave as well. "We'll talk another time, Father. I must get back to work."
After his son left, Zenoheld cleared his throat and said, "I know you're still standing outside, young lady." The creamy blonde reluctantly entered the conference room and approached the gray-haired shareholder. "The previous task I asked you to complete did not end well, but this current task was much better." From his inner coat pocket, he took out a white envelope. "Take this check."
"Sir, I don't want your money. What I want is for you to give Hydron and me a chance."
"Then I hope you like waiting until eternity." With that said, Zenoheld snatched the envelope back and left the room.
Katie left the conference room as well and went to the dining hall instead. However, she saw through the windows that a large section was reserved for what looked like a party that Alice was hosting for her team. Runo took a bite of her ice cream cake and said, "I was really surprised to see that most of the cars had solar panels lined up on their dashboards. I looked inside one of them and saw a power station in the passenger seat."
"No offense, but putting all that expensive stuff in a car is like asking to be robbed," Dan refuted after biting an apple strudel.
"Was this a ground level parking lot?" Baron asked. "Because I don't think a parking garage gets a lot of sunlight."
"This was in the company's designated parking lot outside with excellent security and no trees nearby at all. I find it pretty cool that the car owners found a creative way to harness solar power."
"Even with no trees nearby to block the sunlight, the sun will still shine at different angles throughout the eight-hour work shift," Alice noted.
The PR representative decided not to get any food from the dining hall instead. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Hydron staring at Alice's crowd from the other dining hall entrance. The pair exchanged brief glances before turning around and walking away.
Shun, who was helping himself to mixed fruit on a table that was away from the hallway's view, returned to the main crowd but saw a shadow dash past the window. "Was there someone outside, Alice?"
The redhead looked out the windows but didn't see anyone. "People pass by all the time to get food and drinks. Maybe we were being too loud. Are you returning to the front desk already?"
"I can't leave it unattended for too long. Besides, Zenoheld reserved the grand conference room for some unspecified meeting earlier, but I was busy helping someone else and didn't have time to plant a recording device."
"It's fine. There's only one reason why he'd reserve that room anyway." Suddenly, her phone rang. "Hello, this is Alice Gehabich."
"Good afternoon. My name's Billy Gilbert. I'm one of the Bayview police officers assigned to the traffic collision case. Your security guard Linus finally regained consciousness, so I have colleagues waiting outside for the doctor to clear the patient for interrogation."
"That's great. What do you need from me right now?"
"We might reach out to you afterwards depending on what Linus tells us. Is this your best contact number?"
"Yes, it is. Thank you so much." Alice hung up and told her receptionist the good news. "I hope Linus can provide crucial information to solve this case. I'll keep you updated as the case progresses. Feel free to return to the front desk if you're busy."
"Sounds good. I'll see you later."
-x-x-x-x-x-
Shun spoke with the hospital receptionist and signed a few papers before returning to his grandfather's assigned room to explain. "I already signed the discharge paperwork. You just need to physically check in with the front desk later so that the staff can clear this room."
The elderly man stretched his limbs before asking, "What about physical therapy? Did my health insurance finally approve it?"
"PT is approved, but your first session isn't until next Monday. I already have a copy of your PT schedule, but we still need to call the center to confirm exact details."
"Just when I thought I could retire in peace. How's your new job treating you? You've been busier than I expected."
Even though I don't blame Alice, she's one of the reasons why Grandpa experienced a home invasion. "It's a typical front-desk job during business hours on business days. That's why I haven't been able to complete important errands lately."
"Then how come you're free today to help me check out of the hospital?"
"Because if you don't need to stay an additional day in the hospital, then you should leave this place immediately. Quality of life decreases as inpatient stay increases."
"But you don't earn money if you're not working."
"Grandpa, we're in the twenty-first century. Most major companies offer paid time off in employee benefits. I requested the whole day off, and a trusted colleague is covering my shift."
"Fine, call me outdated. Are you still looking after your mother's apartment?"
"I am. Why do you ask?"
"Have you considered moving back?"
"Grandpa, I'm fine with where I am. Mom left the apartment for me when she passed away. If I'm not happy with that place anymore for any reason, then I'll relocate. Can we talk about something else?"
"Well then... I saw on the news that someone at your company passed away."
He must be referring to Masquerade. "He wasn't an employee, but just a visiting collaborator for an upcoming project. I don't really know anything else because I only work at the front desk." Shun stared at the physical therapy schedule in his hands. I didn't think this through. Who's going to drive Grandpa to and from the physical therapy center while I'm at work? I can't just leave him alone on public transportation.
"Shun, your phone's ringing again! It must be urgent!"
The raven-haired receptionist finally came to his senses and took out his phone. Two missed calls already... from Alice? The redhead called a third time, in which he finally picked up. "What do you want? I requested the day off, remember?"
"This is about your home invasion police report. I'm in the hospital's main lobby."
"Grandpa, I'll be back." Shun hung up and immediately ran to the main lobby, where Alice was talking to one of the nurses at the front desk. "What are you doing here? How come the police contacted you instead of me?"
"Firstly, I came to see how Linus was doing, but the medical team took him elsewhere to conduct imaging tests, so I need to wait. Secondly, I called the police and listed myself as emergency contact for your home invasion case, so I got a call from the police after they told me that you weren't answering your phone."
"That's impossible. The only missed calls on my phone came from you just now. Anyway, what's your update?"
"The police couldn't find the perpetrators despite all the information we provided, but they found everything that was stolen from your grandfather's dojo. You need to personally visit the police station to itemize everything."
"That might be difficult, because I can't name every single thing at home that's missing."
"At least call the police station stating that you're aware of this and maybe update your contact information if needed. Was I interrupting you when I called earlier?"
"Not really, but I should tell my grandfather about the police report because he definitely remembers every item at home better than I can. Are you also coming this way?"
"Linus should be back by now... Sure, I'll walk with you."
"Maybe I should also visit Linus." Shun led the way back to his grandfather's room and entered first to explain. "The police think they found everything that was stolen during the home invasion, but they couldn't catch any of the perpetrators."
"That's better than nothing. I shouldn't have been so careless or forgotten to activate all the traps at home."
"Grandpa, it's not your fault. These people were professionals." The grandson looked outside and saw the redhead facing away while talking on the phone. "Give me a moment."
Alice hung up shortly after her receptionist returned to the hallway. "Something urgent came up, so I need to leave immediately, but turns out Linus isn't back yet. Can you give this fruit basket to him for me? I also have one for your grandfather."
"I can't believe I still need to run errands for you on my day off. Thanks for the gift, though. Take care." Shun entered his grandfather's room again and presented one of the fruit baskets. "This is for you."
"Did that young lady outside give this to you?"
I can't believe he actually saw Alice. "She's one of my coworkers and was supposed to visit another coworker who survived the car accident that you saw on the news. That surviving coworker has an MRI or CT scan somewhere, but she needs to leave for an emergency, so I'm responsible for giving the other fruit basket. This fruit basket for you is an extra."
"Isn't she the same person who arrived shortly and called the police? That means I owe her my life!"
"Grandpa, calm down." Maybe I should continue pretending that Alice was never at the crime scene. "You were badly injured and probably seeing—"
"I didn't see a wedding ring on her left hand."
Shun froze for a few seconds before screaming, "What did you just say?!"
"Have you considered asking—"
"We're leaving the hospital immediately. These past few days here made you delusional." After walking his grandfather to the front desk, Shun stepped to the side to text the redhead. "Everything OK? I'll give Linus the fruit basket after my grandfather's paperwork is done."
"A bit busy. Just enjoy your day off."
Sensing that Alice didn't want to chat, the raven-haired receptionist put his phone away without responding. I've already asked too much from her, yet there's not much I can give in return.
Me: This chapter was an emotional roller coaster! Devastated ➡️ irate ➡️ cheerful ➡️ random comedic relief at the end... Did anyone see the solar eclipse in person? I just finished watching coverage on the news.
Soon: I believe you and I are the only people here because everyone traveled elsewhere to see it.
Me: Well, thanks for holding down the fort with me! Next chapter will feature a huge blow to Alice's plans, but she'll make her come back! On my Tumblr account is a video of the funeral scene from the original TVB drama, if anyone wants to watch.
Soon: We'll see you in the next update!