IN LOVE WITH A SOLDIER - SEASON 9 EPISODE 27

“He’s Lawrence Chu, the host of the party,” Sharon replied frankly.

“Good. Do you know his relation with Violet Chu, your daughter-in-law?” Mike continued.

Out of the blue, all the people nearby looked towards Sharon. Selina and Amy watched her intently.

Sharon remained silent. An ominous premonition took over her heart and fear engulfed her conscience.

“Well, Violet is from the Chu family, and Lawrence is her brother, just in case you didn’t know,” Mike declared curtly.

Caught off guard, Sharon was petrified as if her world had changed all of a sudden, without warning.

At the moment, sweet music began to play, signaling all the guests present to the official commencement of the party. One by one, they all began to mill around the stage.

As they moved forward, their eyes were transfixed on Lawrence, waiting for him to go onto the stage and give his speech.

The deep hatred in Lawrence’s eyes was unmistakable, as he cast Sharon a furious glance. Careful not to spoil the moment, he tried to control his anger. Slowly, he turned around and and ambled to the stage, taking his sweet time.

Right behind him, Mike followed behind, acting unfazed too. But within, he also felt the tension of the moment.

Next in line, behind Mike were Selina and Amy, walking side by side, heading to the stage as well.

The other ladies also walked away from Sharon. They’d rather listen to Lawrence’s address than waste time on the now befuddled Sharon.

Legs turning limp, Sharon squatted down watching people around her walk away. She then looked up at the lights on the stage. All of a sudden, she understood why she had been invited here.

“Look, Greg!” Alice said to Greg as she spotted Sharon who squatted at the floor.

Greg looked along Alice’s gaze, and then at Lawrence who was on the stage. By Sharon’s expression he could tell that she had learnt Violet was Lawrence’s sister.

Standing near the mic, Lawrence slowly and intently swept his gaze through the audience, before finally settling on a guest, in the corner far at the back. He knew that woman who wore delicate makeup. As the lights settled on her pretty face, she looked even more gorgeous.

Remembering who the lady was, he quickly looked away. Rebecca didn’t notice it.

“Thank you for your coming,” Lawrence began. His curt opening remarks left all the guests present nervous. The legendary figure was finally making his appearance in public, they thought.

“Today, I have an announcement to make,” he continued. The now spellbound audience looked on, completely enchanted by the magical husky voice and an equally alluring aura.

Like everyone else, Rebecca too focused her eyes on Lawrence, but for slightly different reasons. ‘What is he going to announce?’ she wondered, anxiety written in her inquiring eyes. ‘Will he invite me to the stage and introduce me as his friend?’

“I invited XS Hospital’s president- Fred Xiao’s wife Sharon Qin here. She is my sister’s mother-in-law,” Lawrence plainly introduced.

Among the audience whispers could be heard, as all eyes shifted to Sharon again. For some a long time, there had been rumors doing rounds that Jackson had a daughter, but hardly was she ever seen. To most people, it was mere speculation which they couldn’t ascertain.

But recently there had been growing interest in the special relationship between the Xiao and Chu families. When Alice came back from abroad, she had surprised the guests by dedicating her homecoming party to Greg’s marriage with Violet. The announcement had been quite out of the blue. It turned the party into a frenzy of thunderous applause as the young couple graced the stage. And now, Lawrence had invited an A-list of influential people from across the city for a different function, only to give a subtle hint. His announcement would further cement links between the Chu and the Xiao families.

The expectant look on Rebecca’s face was replaced by one of surprise. It hadn’t occurred to her that Lawrence would make such an announcement. She had already known that he had a sister, but she never met her before. ‘Is his sister married to Fred Xiao’s son- Greg Xiao?’ she tried to guess.

Caught by surprise, Derek and Wilson exchanged a look. Neither of them had foreseen Lawrence introducing Sharon first.

“Your wife is over there,” Mond reminded Fred in a low voice, casting him a sideways look.

The expression on Fred’s face changed when his eyes fell on his Sharon. ‘If I walked over to Sharon, our whole family would be the laughingstock across this city. But on her part, she wouldn’t even feel a thing, ‘ he ruminated. Instinctively, he shifted his gaze to Greg who was standing beside Tim and Alice. Perhaps his son felt more embarrassed than Sharon, he inferred.

“Do me a favor, Derek. Please speak for my wife in front of Lawrence. I don’t want to see her get hurt,” Fred pleaded with his friend. With those few words, he turned around and left the party. The only thing he could do, to protect his son and wife was to leave now, he thought.

Standing up slowly, she corrected her clothes and tried to calm down. She finally got what she wanted. Being part of the upper class was something she obsessed about many times over. Little did she know that class would land her into the murky waters she was in right now.

The more she thought, the angrier she became. Transfixing her eyes on Lawrence, she made her way to the stage.

As Lawrence watched Sharon approaching, he casually stood there, saying nothing more. Meanwhile, Mike too was watching, mischievously calculating her every step of Sharon.

Just when she was about to step onto the stage, Miked swooped in, out of the blue and stopped the old lady in her tracks.

Raising her head to look at Lawrence, Sharon paused. “So Violet is your sister?” she asked reproachfully. “Why did nobody fill me in?”

“I don’t think there is any need,” Lawrence snapped sharply. Even though so many people stared at him, he still blurted out. “I hope you haven’t forgotten what you did to my sister, have you?” he asked brusquely.

Rebecca was surprised by his mean answer, she was determined to keep pressing. “I have so much to tell you, Lawrence. As for what happened back then, I owe you an apology…” she said gently, as she tightened her grip on Lawrence’s arm.

But before she could finish her sentence, Lawrence stopped her.

“Miss Rebecca, please behave yourself,” he howled, as he shook off her hand indignantly. He turned around and was about to leave.