13 Her fathers daughter (1/2)

The tension between Richard and An Ning simmered then finally exploded when the one week came and An Ning told Richard she wasn't ready to leave just yet.

Richard was angry and tried to talk sense into her but she told him that she needed time, that she wanted to spend more time with her parents, and that if he's really that anxious to leave then he can go without her. Richard was furious but in the end failed to change her mind. He left, but with an ultimatum: he'll give her another week then he'll be back to get her even if he had to drag her away from her family.

An Ma, of course, was delighted. His dislike of Richard was growing. His daughter's divorce still rankled, as if he blamed himself for allowing An Ning to go through all that misery when he had the power to stop it.

An Ning, for her part, was starting to feel anxious and uneasy.Away from Richard's protection, it was as if things were starting to get into sharp focus, like she was viewing things from an angle which quietly and seriously alarmed her.

She was a twenty-two year old pregnant woman without a job or prospects.She didn't even know how much money she had in the bank. Richard once mentioned an apartment she moved in after the divorce but she didn't know where it was, and if she did decide to live there on her own, how then was she going to support herself and the baby?

Then there was the amnesia. She didn't know if she would ever get her memory back again but whether she did or not, the fact remains that she still needed to be able to take care of herself and her child on her own. She was an adult with responsibilities. There really was no running away from that, divorced or not.

Unemployed and pregnant...It was terrifying to realize that she was entirely dependent on family members and an ex-husband who probably was willing to take her just because he knocked her up. She had no illusions whatsoever about her relationship with Richard.

She liked him, adored his caring humor, liked his awesome physique but she knew she can't left herself get adrift again. This time, she refused to spend the rest of her life enthralled physically and emotionally by a man, even if he was her ex-husband. The stake was just too high this time around.

The An Ning before the amnesia happened seemed to have drifted towards a life dominated by her obsession with this man.She was not only content with constantly chasing after him, she also had to basically made herself into an image suitable to become his wife. That An Ning lived a very parasitic life alternately feeding on a rich father then husband. And to have gained nothing except a broken marriage and an illegitimate child...it was not the same path An Ning wanted to take this time around.

But now, she was again back at square one. Dependent on father then husband if she ended up married to Richard again.

The second week was nearly up when An Ma called An Ning to his study.He sat behind the desk with a folder spread open before him. An Ning glanced at it without curiosity. She was actually wondering how to broach the topic of her leaving soon. Not with Richard because that would just be another prison for her to break out of but maybe she could ask her father for help just until she gets back on her feet again?

”I should have done this a long time ago,” An Ma said . ”But better late than never, as they say.”

He handed her the folder.

”Open it,” he ordered.

An Ning took the folder and opened it. Inside was a three-page document.It was his will and testament. He was leaving her everything, the house, another houses in Europe and Asia, his businesses locally and overseas, jewelry he'd inherited from his parents, and all of his other assets worth billions of dollars. The document also mentioned a $500 million bank account he had just opened under her name which she could draw any time she wanted. The money was a gift for the unborn child she carried, his way of acknowledging that the child was related to him by blood even if he was born illegitimate.

”All it needs is your signature and everything I have will be yours,” he said softly.

An Ning was stunned.

”Why, Daddy?”

”Because you are my daughter. And because I want you to live a life of your own choosing. Go anywhere you want. Live with anyone you like. This is total freedom I'm giving you, An Ning. You won't owe anybody anything anymore. You and your child...you are no longer beholden to anybody but yourselves.”

An Ning felt tears sting her eyes.

”What if I go back to Richard?”

”Then that is your choice and I will accept it. However, what I'm giving you with this is an option. I've watched you these last few days and I can tell you're worried. I think you've realized that the choices you make from hereon are not only for your sake but also for your child. An Ning, as a parent, all I want is for you to be happy.

”I want you to make the right decision for yourself without guilt or fear.I don't want you to make choices based on compromise or because it is convenient. Use the money for whatever purpose you want. I'm here to help you.”

”What about mom?”

”Don't worry about your mother or Maya,” An Ma said expressionlessly. ”I've already made provisions for them.”

An Ma rang a bell and a few minutes later Sarai and a middleaged man dressed in a black suit entered the room. Following behind them was a young man in his twenties whose eyes grew round when he saw An Ning.

”You can sign it now,” An Ma said to An Ning.

An Ning hesitated then gripped the pen and put her signature on the blank space with her name on it. She handed it to An Ma who signed his name with a flourish.

”This is my last will and testament. I've called you both in here to be my witnesses,” he told Sarai and the young man. ”Hand them the document, Gil. You two, put your names where this gentleman tells you to.”

The document was duly signed and witnessed.

”Sign then notarize it,” An Ma ordered the black suited man.