Chapter 7: Preparing for Marriage

Shopping

Amber

We climbed out of the cab and headed for the outlet mall stores. My eyes were on Gloria's Bridal shop and that's where we went. The girls followed me into the store and up to the counter.

"Excuse me, I have an emergency. I need four bridesmaids' outfits for these girls and a wedding gown for myself," Amber said.

Gloria Steidlemear looked at the girl dressed in all black and her right eyebrow went up as she asked, "Did you want it in black as well?"

"Can you?" Amber asked in shock and then started laughing as the woman's face turned to disgust.

"No. I want it in white, and it has to be bright white, with lots of lace."

Gloria lowered her glasses to the tip of her nose and looked at the girl. "When do you need it?" she asked.

"Like yesterday. I am getting married tomorrow," Amber replied as she set her purse on the counter.

"Impossible..."

Gloria stopped talking as the girl pulled out a bundle of hundreds. She then slapped her hands and her three assistants came over. Giving them their orders, they dragged the woman to the back room as she took care of the younger girls.

Annabelle

Annabelle dragged Victor into Saks Fifth Avenue. If Amber said to spend the money on him, she was going to do it. She started pulling Armani Collezioni suits off the rack that were in his size and pressing them up against his chest.

"I think black should do nicely," Annabelle said.

Victor stood with his eyes closed and when he opened them and looked at his mom, he replied, "Dark brown."

"Are you sure?" Annabelle asked.

"Definitely, it will go with Ambers dress," he said.

Ok, brown it is," Annabelle said and hung the black suit up. She quickly found a nice dark brown one and had him go try it on in the dressing room. When he came out, she had him stand in one spot to be inspected by her. She nodded her head as she walked around him as she tugged the Armani Collezioni cream colored shirt, until it was strait. With the shirt ready, she had him try the jacket on and then went through the ties and found a tie the same color with a diagonal cream thread about an inch apart. As he was standing there letting her tie the Brioni silk tie, she stepped back, and looked at him.

"Mom, I can shop for myself," Victor said with a whine.

"Not for your wedding. Shut up and do what I say," Annabelle replied as she looked at her son. 'I am going to make him look just as nice as my boss in his suits, ' she thought.

"But..."

"No buts ... Belt and shoes now," Annabelle said as she led him to the belts and found a nice Ermenegildo Zegna tailored leather belt in a brown that matched the suit. She watched as he threaded the belt through the belt loops.

"Can I assist you with anything Madam?" a sales clerk asked as he walked over.

"No thank you," she replied as she waved him off. She then yanked Victor over to the shoe section and forced him down into the seat. Grabbing some dark brown Ribbed Merino/Silk OTC socks, she had him slip them on as she went through the shoes and found some Lace-Up Oxfords from D&G Dolce & Gabbana that were in his size.

Once he had the shoes on, he stood up and let his mom walk around him. Annabelle nodded her head and said, "Go take it off. I will get you some underwear, a wallet and some cologne. We then need to get Amber her ring."

While Victor was dressing in his normal clothes, Annabelle went through the wallets and found a brown Burberry and a Cunill sterling silver money clip for him. Going to the cologne section, she picked up a bottle of Bond No. 9 New York Eau de New York. Picking up the two hundred dollar bottle, she walked to the shirts and picked up another shirt in Victor's size, some Hanro ribbed briefs and went to the register. Setting the items down just as Victor joined him. The clothes were hanging on their clips as he placed them on the counter.

William Mayer started ringing up the items, and he heard a cough from the boy when he hit total.

"Mom! That's fucking..." Victor never finished the sentence as his mother slapped him.

"Don't you cuss! Now let me pay the bill, and we will discuss it," she said as she pulled the bundle of hundreds out of her wallet and counted out forty-six of them.

William took the money and placed it into the register after he checked to see if the hundreds were real with the pen. He then grabbed a plastic carrying bag and placed the suit inside to protect it from dust. Tying the bottom of the bag in a knot to seal it, he hung it on the hook and then bagged the rest.

"Have a nice day," William said as they picked up the bags.

"We will," Annabelle said, and dragged her son out of the store.

Amber

Amber sighed as the women worked on her dress. Her eyes drifted over the racks of dresses and settled on a pale green one. Stepping down from the elevated platform she walked over to the rack and pulled the dress out. The name on the tag said, 'Eugenia Couture Graceful Goddess wedding dress', and she fell in love with it. Holding it to her body, she looked in the mirror and said, "I want this one, but it needs to be one size larger."

"That is a five thousand dollar dress," Gloria said as she stepped into the back room from helping the three girls. 'If she takes that one, I need to change the bridesmaids' dresses to a pale green, ' she thought.

"I will take it," Amber replied as she ran her hands over the greenish lace.

"Well let's get that dress off of you, and we will try it on," Gloria said as she came in with several of the dresses.

They quickly stripped Amber out of the dress she was wearing, and had her slip into the new dress. Gloria walked around her, and examined her. With her Eurasian features, the dress 'was her'. She just needed some green three-inch heels to go with it, and she would be perfect.

"It's perfect, but you need to wear your hair loose and just a touch of makeup, and you will make your intended a blubbering idiot," Gloria said as she handed the girl the stockings she would need to go with the dress.

"I will, but it needs something," Amber said as she looked in the mirror.

"Pearls, if you have some, a single strand to go around your neck and hang down between your breasts, which would complement it," Olivia Benton replied as she unfolded the train that went with dress. Walking behind her, she stepped up onto the platform, and inserted the Jade, Ivory and Gold silk crepe sheath with crystal beading that held the train in place. Looking over the girls shoulder, she adjusted the train and said, "You look beautiful."

"I do! Don't I," Amber said in awe as she looked at herself. 'Mother, I wish you could see me like this, but you forfeited that right when you tried to sell me off, ' she thought as she smiled at the image of herself, and then she pictured Victor standing beside her, and it was complete in her mind.

Over the Pacific

The Learjet was approaching Hawaii after a fourteen-hour flight from Mainland China with a stop in the Philippians to refuel. Descending through the cloud cover, the plane was leveling out for Honolulu Airport when the phone rang, Jung Wang pulled his fingers out of the stewardess snatch and reached over and picked it up and said, "Yes?"

"Mister Wang, there is a call for you, from a Mei Lee," the pilot reported.

"Patch it through," he said as his left eyebrow went up...

"Yes, Sir. Patching through, now," the pilot said.

"Thank you..." the tone changed and a woman's voice started talking.

"Jung, she's run away. I have been looking everywhere, but cannot find her," Mei said.

Jung sat up and snarled into the phone, "Find her. Find her in the next eight hours, or else."

"I'm looking, I have asked the clan to help, but they won't unless you authorize it," Mei replied.

"Then I will release it. I will call them up, right now," he said as he reached for the note pad in his jacket.

"They're right here, I will hand you to them," she replied.

The phone crackled as it changed hands, and then a voice started speaking in Mandarin. Jung started yelling back, and the young stewardess (or Jade due to her green eyes, was what she was officially named, and who was a slave to the Wang clan) knelt in front of her master.

She listened to the plans of the clan and wished that they would fail, but she knew that they wouldn't. Just like when they took her from her family five years before in the Quinghai province where she was born seventeen years before.

Jung continued his conversation until the plane touched down. Hanging up the phone, he zipped up his pants as the plane headed for the refueling station to refuel the aircraft. The plane came to a stop outside a small terminal and Jade and Jung walked down the steps and entered the terminal. As they showed their passports, the plane was searched by K-9 units. They were allowed to reboard, an hour later.

Mei

Mei walked out of the Chinese temple with two-dozen men. Turning to them, she said, "Find my daughter. Bring her to me, and don't let anyone stop you. You have eight hours to find them, or you can tell Mister Wang why you have failed. Do you understand me?"

The men nodded their heads and scattered to their teams. They passed out bundles of pictures of their target, and scattered throughout the city. Within thirty minutes, over five hundred people were checking all the hotels, motels and rental agencies.

Mei was driving her car down Post Street when she slammed on her brakes. Coming out of Saks Fifth Avenue was Annabelle Adams and Victor Adams. With the horn blowing behind her, she started moving again as Victor looked right at her and then away.

"You know where she is, I have her now," Mei said softly as she pulled over and watched as they loaded some bags into the van.

Victor climbed into the driver's seat, and pulled out. Mei was right behind them. Ten minutes later, she knew they were heading for their home so she waited until they pulled into their parking place, and she stopped behind them.

Victor

Victor watched as Amber's mom followed them and came to a stop behind them. Climbing out of the van, he walked towards her car as she climbed out of the vehicle. "Miss Lee, why are you following me?"

"Where is daughter, I know you know, where she is. If you don't tell me, you tell clan members," she said as she nodded at the three men who climbed out of her car.

"Look, I told you I don't know where she is. Now why don't you leave her alone, she is an adult now, and you have no control over her. You gave up that right when you signed the papers," he said.

The taller of the Chinese men and the heaviest walked over to Victor and shoved him back with his massive hand, "Tell Mistress Lee where daughter is or I break arm!"

Victor looked up at the large man who reminded him from his favorite James Bond movie Goldfinger. He was as large as Oddjob but not as neatly dressed. "You could play Oddjob on Goldfinger," Victor said.

"I'm Chinese not Korean," he replied and threw a punch at the boy's stomach.

Victor tensed his body for the blow and when it hit him, the Chinese man screamed as they heard the bones snap.

The man staggered back from Victor holding his shattered hand. His two henchmen came around the car and charged Victor and he ducked the first wild swing, but the second hit him in the chest, and he staggered back trying to catch his breath. Before he could do anything, he hit the ground as the first man leg swept him.