Chapter 1029: For the Money (1/2)
About a couple of blocks away from the five-star hotel, a nondescript van was parked in a dark alley where huge, industrial-size garbage collection bins were located. The place was a big contrast to the bright night city view just a few steps ahead. With the huge garbage bins shielding the van from the street, nobody would be able to see the hidden vehicle without personally going into the alley and checking the place out.
Inside the van, Luke ended the disturbing phone call with Rose Young, his Singaporean maternal cousin. There were other two cousins around his age in the van with him. He called them cousins, but the degree of their blood relations was very distant. Nevertheless, he was still very close to them because they all grew up together in a humble village far away from the big cities. Most residents in the village were distant relatives one way or another.
Earning money was a struggle for everyone in the village. Therefore, many youths like Luke would choose to move to big cities to study or to work or do both at the same time. This was exactly what he was doing right now. He was working part-time while studying.
While growing up back in the village, he had vague memories of listening to his mother and some neighbourhood aunties gossiping about his mother's cousin marrying a rich Singaporean businessman. Since then, that auntie became a famous rags-to-riches legend not only in the family but also in the entire village. That legendary auntie was Rose Young's mother.
He already knew that his Cousin Rose was rich, but only when he met her did he realize just how rich she was. Every single item she carried on her person had eye-popping price tags. Not only her. Jenny Tseng, her twice-divorced, flirty but fun best friend, was even more extravagant in her spending than Rose Young. He couldn't relate to the two rich, Singaporean ladies and felt like they lived in another world.
”Bro, are we really going to do this?” his best friend who was sitting beside him asked, interrupting his thoughts.
”Y-yeah, I guess so.”
”Dude, I'm telling you that this is crazy,” his cousin said from the driver's seat.
”If the police catches us, we'll be in deep shit.”
Luke sighed, feeling helpless. ”I know. But our parents told us to assist Big Sister Rose in any way that we can.”
”Will her Young family really help all of our families leave the village and prosper in a nice city?”
His cousin at the driver's seat snorted. ”If they really wanted to help us, they should've done it a long time ago. Why wait three decades to do so? I'm only here because that woman already paid us big money in advance. She promised to give us double the amount if her fucked up plan succeeds tonight. I'm only here for the money and not because she's a blood-related cousin. I don't give a damn about Rose Young and her family. They're Singaporeans, so to me, they're foreigners—in short, strangers.”
His best friend nodded. ”Same here. I'm only here for the money and for our buddy here.”
Luke wiped the nervous perspiration on his forehead with his long sleeves. ”Sorry for calling you all the way here to do this. But you're the ones I trust the most including our three other bros inside the hotel.”
Before the other two men could reply, his phone vibrated. It was the signal from their other bro whose role was to be the look-out in the hotel. Both Luke and his best friend checked the hotel maintenance uniforms that they were wearing. Jenny Tseng used her connections to procure the outfits for them.