"Bakri Dato' Kamaludin" says the name on the door.
"CEO" says the title beneath the name.
Helen hesitates from knocking on the heavy Teak door. She glances towards the male PA, who reassuringly nods with a smile. Helen returns the smile, feeling encouraged. She checks her posture.
She measures the distance of her bent knuckles from the door leaf, and with a deep breath, she makes three small knocking sound.
"Come in!" says a voice from inside. A deep, warm voice. A voice she has been missing! A voice which reminds her of her youth instantly.
The CEO jumps from his seat, nearly spilling the coffee from an over-sized mug in his right hand.
"Look who is here!" He exclaims.
"And looks who is the CEO of BDK Group!" Says Helen teasingly.
The CEO puts down his coffee mug in a hurry, and walked over from behind his desk. He isn't sure to extend a hand, or to hug. The hesitation gives Helen an opportunity to take control. She takes two steps forward, her face inches away from his. She places one hand on his shoulder. He leans forward and kiss her on her cheek. She places another hand on his other shoulder. He reciprocates, he wraps his hands around her. They hug. Then breaks away, each takes a step back. Almost at the same time, they extend their hands for a hand-shake!
"What a lovely surprise to see you!" Says the CEO.
"You haven't change a bit!" Says Helen.
The CEO asks, "Is that good or bad?"
Helen paused. She bits her lower lips, disguising a cheeky smile. Her reply comes in the form of puzzle, "That depends on what you will offer me...."
The CEO smiles. He loves that side of Helen. Funny, and quick on her feet. The later description is also true literally. He recalls a time in memory from their student days, when Helen once out-ran him in trying to catch the last train after a night out in London. Both of them missed the train and had to empty their pockets of all sterling notes and coins in order to pay for a taxi fare back to Guildhall. Helen later claimed that she had to slow down because she did not want to leave him behind. Endearingly, he agreed to the claim and hugged her all the way at the back of a black cab. He even walked her to the door of her rented flat, and walked alone through a blizzard night to his bed-sit.
"So..." Helen now seated on a sofa, pushes for an answer, smilingly.
"What I offer you depends on how much time you have.." Said the CEO, not to be outdone.
Helen glances at the Rolex clock on the CEO office wall. 3:01pm. She leans back, she tilts her head to rest it on the back of the sofa, crosses her legs and said lazily, "You are the one at work, I am not. I have all the time you need...But it depends on the offer!"
"I am the CEO right? I think a CEO can leave his office at any time, can't I?" The CEO heads back to his swivelling leather chair, grab his sports jacket and gestures for them to leave.
As she exits the door she glances back to the Rolex on the wall, it shows 3:03pm. Plenty of time for any possibilities, she thought and smiles with anticipation.
"I was only expecting an offer of coffee while we chat in your office!" She discloses her thought as she adjusted the seat belt in his black Porsche.
"Exactly what I have in mind to offer you, but not in my office!" The CEO teases, still playing the game.
Helen flips open the vanity mirror from behind the sun-visor. She refreshes her lipstick, and using her fingers she combs her thick brown hair which flows beautifully onto her shoulder. She remembers very well the time when the CEO used to do the same with his long sensitive fingers. She used to love every seconds that happened in the past, and sitting there next to him again after all these years brings back the good feeling.
"As vain as ever! And if I may add, as beautiful as ever!" The CEO continues to tease.
"Deny on being vain, and accept on being beautiful with thanks!" Says Helen, as she extended her left hand to place on his right thigh. She glances at him, and he at her. They both smile. He leans towards her, and she responds by kissing his lips. A closed mouth lips kiss. Brief and sweet. Just like they used to do in lecture halls whenever the lecturer turned back to face the blackboard.
"I miss you!" His turn to disclose his feeling verbally. A rare thing between them. The surprise catches Helen off guard, and she too does the same.
"I miss you more, enough to make me search all over the world to find you!" She says. She listens to the echo of her voice in her ears. No, no regret for saying that! She is surprised by her own readiness to admit her vulnerability.
The black Porsche cruises along the Sheikh Zayed road, passes the Mall of Emirates. The full view of Burj Khalifa stares at them. Helen takes out her hand phone and tries to snap a picture of the tallest building in the world.
"If you have the time, I will bring you up the building, but it is too late for today!" Says the CEO, in a serious low voice.
"Are you trying to ask me how long I plan to be in Dubai?" Helen giggles as she confronts the CEO.
"Yes, I am trying to find out..." The CEO replies. His eyes, once again kissing her beauty.
"I will let you find out for yourself then..." She, at her best, gives him puzzles to solve. The CEO focuses on the heavy traffic. A huge Yukon cuts in front of him from the blind side. He welcomes the distraction as it gives him time to think about the sudden appearance of his visitor, what brings her there and where has she been. She focuses on the CEO, watching him. She is impressed with how calm he has become, not even letting himself be annoyed by bad drivers.
The black Porsche slows down as it approaches an exit with a sign that says 'World Trade Center', takes the exit and makes its way towards the entrance of Emirates Tower Hotel. Helen's starts to wonder, if she is about to be offered a room service with a difference. From the corner of her eyes, she sees a clock on the wall just above the receptionists. Dubai 4.12pm! Singapore 8.12pm! Momentarily, she is disturbed by images of siren blazing police cars, ambulances and paramedics rushing to a halt in front of a luxury apartment complex just off the Orchard road. One from which she has just come from!
Unknown to her, the CEO also took a quick glance at the same clock. He does a mental note, '6 hours!' That is how little time he has before he must rush to take the Midnight flight to Kuala Lumpur. An emergency return to home country which is not something he is looking forward to. The call by Mr Bhu Dho Kah's PA telling him that Mr Bhu Dho Kah is traveling to Kuala Lumpur and wants to meet him, gives the CEO with no option. Mr BDK as he is passionately known amongst the Middle East business circle, is after all the reason for his success, being the CEO of BDK group in Dubai, managing Mr BDK's real estate investment of net worth no less than 10 billion dollars. Especially not today when he is presented with a gift of an old flame at his disposal.
"Seems like a long drive for coffee" Helen could not resist herself from taking a poke at the CEO.
"It will be worth it..." Says the CEO as he gives the car key to the car jockey.
They look so elegant together, walking side by side, astride. Helen in her grey business suit and white blouse merge with the late afternoon crowd at the hotel lobby. It is obvious that what she is wearing is designed for the class and not the mass. The fabric and the cut speaks of richness and panache. Her ankle strapped shoes adds feminine touch, and subtle sensuality.
The CEO leads her into a lift, presses 51 floor button. "Wow, that is a high place for coffee!" Helen starts to imagine Presidential suite and King size bed. She starts to feel warm all over. When the CEO announces their arrival at the Vu's bar on the 51st floor, she flushes with self-embarrassment.
"This is one of my favorite! The first place that comes to mind for our first cup of coffee together!" The CEO says, happy to see Helen flustered, with what he thought is a sign of being over-awed by the place and the view.
A white Toyota land-cruiser also halts in front of the hotel just 4 minutes after the black Porsche. The driver of the Land-cruiser, an Arab man, flips the car keys to the Asian guy in the passenger seat who quickly made a dash for the driver's seat and drives the car off. The driver, in white polo T shirt and a pair of faded jeans made his way to the lift, a few steps after the CEO and his lady partner. He can smells the perfume from the lady - undoubtedly Miss Dior Cherie by Christian Dior. The driver tries to have a guess of the CEO's cologne, he pretends to peek at the lift button in order to have a closer sniff. Opium by YSL! He smiles with his skill to identify cologne and perfume, a result of a decade working as a sales person in the Cairo airport duty free perfume outlet. A job he left, for a more lucrative profession. He now make a living by eliminating a life, and his target this time is standing a sniff away from him! His client is someone whom he has not even met, but has only heard the voice on a recorded message brought to him by the Asian driver whom he met for the first time two days ago, in a circumstance typical of how he normally gets his assignment. His car was hit accidentally in a parking lot, and when he came out to inspect he was thrusted with an envelop with the words, "Assignment in Dubai for a million dollar" and a recorded message on a recorder describing in details about his target and how the target can be located. He has been paid a quarter of what is due in cash on the day he confirmed his acceptance of the assignment. The balance upon delivery, and will be credited into a bank account on Isle of Man, under the name of 'Disco International Enterprise'. The driver prides himself with the choice on his business name which has acronym D.I.E. !
Being a professional with reputation, he knows he will not disappoint his client.
Helen recognizes the driver the minute he steps into the lift. She has been well briefed by her boss. The driver's hair has gone a lot thinner and the beard may be gone, but his thick eyebrows and a scar just above is left eye is a dead give away! And that is exactly what she intend to do, to make sure he is dead before she leaves Dubai. As expected, if she plays her card right, she knows that the driver will come to her! And by being with the CEO, she is playing her card perfectly right. Her only regret is the driver appears way too early, before she has any opportunity to satisfy her desire for an intimate reunion with the CEO. She realizes that she may have to go into action sooner than she wishes to.
The passenger who replaces the driver keeps staring at his hand phone. He is waiting for a miss call from a certain number, and he knows exactly what he needs to do. It must be timed precisely. No room for error. The landcruiser is already strategically parked at the spot where it is supposed to be in the basement car park.
The CEO leads Helen to a seat for two by the window facing the sunset. She can tell that he is a regular, and that he is given his favourite seat by the usher who seems to know him by his first name. She lets the CEO pulls her chair for her before sitting. When she realize she has lost sight of the driver, she gets up and suggests to the CEO that they exchange seat.
"I think I deserve the sunset view after coming all the way!" she whispered smilingly. The CEO obliged. Happily! Discreetly she scans the bar. She spots the driver seated alone at a far corner table for two, pretending to be studying the menu.
At exactly the same time, police cars and ambulance are seen parked haphazardly in front of a luxury apartment complex just off the busy Orchard road. Stretcher with a black body bag is seen being carried into the ambulance, escorted by five police in uniforms and unrecognizable numbers of police in plain clothes. A TV reporter is seen speaking into a microphone while being recorded for an on location report of a suicide case but with suspicion of foul play. "The police has reasons to believe that there is foul play involved, and has not dismissed the possibility of a professional killer's involvement in the death of billionaire property tycoon Mr Bhu Dho Kah. It is believed that Mr B D Kah from Hong Kong is in Singapore on a business trip and has been staying at his private penthouse for the last three days! " Says the TV presenter.
Helen knows the body of Mr B D Kah has been discovered from his bedroom in the Singapore penthouse because at that very moment she receives a coded text message on her mobile, "Missing u already!" Her boss is obviously at the scene, watching every step of the proceedings. Certainly the boss is proud of her, thought Helen. After all, she cleverly weaved her way into Mr B D Kah's appetite for classy girls, and just at the critical moment laced the Viagra pill to be taken by her instant lover with deadly poison. For her part she earned a huge solitaire diamond engagement ring and USDollar One million into her Labuan bank account. A small change for the boss who as the only child of Mr BDK, stands to inherit all of the old man's fortune. In any case, the old man at 69 has over stayed his time on earth, and the boss has no more patience to wait.
The boss is the boss for a reason. He has a brain which has natural tendencies for attention to details. His choice of Helen is by no means accidental. He has done his thorough homework. He wants an old flame of the CEO to be the perfect candidate to do the jobs. He has found three old flames of the CEO, each has been carefully researched - and from the three Helen fits the bill the best. She is classy, and gullible for high living style and anything associated with it; diamonds, fast cars, money, single and available.
....
......
(Have a guess....what will be the ending of this story? How will the plot twist?)
I may take a break from finishing this story - by updating with other topics in between.
.JPG)
