Checkmate
Rui picks up the half empty bottle of wine and fills Gunnar Hedwig’s empty wine glass. “Nothing to say? Well, that was retribution for frightening Feng LiMei.” He moves the laptop back. “The next video is to ensure you won’t be bothering my woman ever again.” Rui picks up the menu, “Did you want to eat first?”
Gunnar Hedwig sneers as he looks at the menu, “Doctor, I have to hand it to you, you got my attention but I can easily recoup my losses. Every top official in the government has to ask my permission before they take a piss. So you found one rogue general and a rebel group to destroy my underground lab. Minimal damage. Dr. Samman..who gives a fuck about his formula. There is always some lunatic developing the next big designer drug thinking it will earn him a fortune.” I will placate the Old Bitch and that hot head Malouf about the loss of the aphrodisiac. Troublesome but not difficult.
Rui chuckles then counters with, “Didn’t I tell you that was only a little retribution for targeting my woman.” He finishes his glass of wine. “I only had two days to prepare my surprise. Imagine if I dedicated my resources to destroying everything you built over the last ten years. But, I could give a shit about what you and Chronus do as long as it doesn’t touch my reverse scale. My only concern is Feng LiMei’s safety.”
“Do you think you are in a position to negotiate with me? Do you think I’m worried about whatever else you have up your sleeve? You should order and enjoy their signature dishes because you won’t be leaving this restaurant alive. Then I will find your little woman and drain every ounce of blood from her snow white body. I saw a video of Feng LiMei or should I say Qin Daiyu, she is quite beautiful…like a winsome fairy. She looks incredibly soft and delicate with an ethereal beauty..It is hard to believe the little fairy girl is a member of the Black Sky.”
Rui’s face darkens but he maintains his composure, “One more word..and no one will save your dear mother. I will say for a middle aged woman who is deathly ill she still retains her beauty well.” He turns the laptop towards Gunnar Hedwig, the screen displays Rui putting something in Hana Hedwig’s infusion bag.
Gunnar Hedwig quickly stands then lunges at Rui with a dagger that was hidden in his sleeve. “YOU FUCKING BASTARD! WHAT DID YOU PUT IN THE IV?”
Rui swiftly stands up anticipating his move and agilely turns away dodging the dagger. The two men struggle knocking over a chair. Rui forcefully hits Gunnar’s hand, the dagger rattles as it hits the marble floor. Rui changes direction from behind grabbing him around the neck. He would kill him right now but he knows he is the only one that can stop Chronus and any other organization from going after LiMei. The two men’s bodyguards rush in when they hear the noise inside the private room. Rui tightens his grip on Gunnar Hedwig’s neck. His pitch black eyes display a strong killing intent,“Tell them to leave or you die now.”
Gunnar Hedwig struggles gasping for breath, his blue eyes bulge as he weakly commands them, “Go.”
The two men don’t move and he gathers his strength to repeat, “GO!”
Rui tells Morgan and Cheng, “You two leave too.”
After they leave Rui shoves Gunnar Hedwig down on the couch. “You are not as invincible as you seem to think. Now let’s continue our discussion.”
Gunnar Hedwig rubs his throat while coughing. How did this bastard get behind me? “Wh..wh..what did you do to my mother?” He knows Rui won’t kill her because he obviously wants to use her as a bargaining chip. Motherf****r I did underestimate the prick!
Rui bends down to pick up the dagger on the floor then twirls it in his hand. Rui’s lips curl up in a malicious smile as he taunts him.“ A ruthless bastard like you… a ‘Mama’s boy.’.. Quite funny..”
Worried about his mother Gunnar Hedwig clenches his fist at his side, “What did you do to my mother?” I will burn that fucking hospital down and kill that fat fuck Broussard for letting Qiao Rui get to my mother!
“You may find this hard to believe but I want to save your mother in exchange for you forgetting Feng LiMei is Subject 456.”
“So you poisoned my mother now you are negotiating for the antidote?”
“Actually no. Your insidious father poisoned your mother. I put a rare medicinal herbal medicine in the IV to alleviate the symptoms from the cold yin in her body.”
Rui throws the dagger and it sticks in the wall. “Call your mother and ask how she is feeling if you don’t believe me.”
“You expect me to believe this bullshit! She is being treated for stomach cancer. Poisoned by my father? Impossible!That bastard is cold in his grave .”
Observing Rui he has an ominous feeling. Gunnar takes his phone out of his pocket then dials his mother’s hospital room. When she answers he softens his tone, “Mother, how are you feeling?”
“Gunnar darling, much better. A lovely Chinese doctor gave me an infusion and I feel better than I have in a long time. He suggested I wait before scheduling any further chemotherapy, I was going to call you to discuss.”
“Mother, I need to go to a meeting. I will visit you this evening. We can discuss your treatment.”
“Your voice sounds hoarse, have you been overworking at the Company? Darling boy, let Ning help you, she is the Vice President. Mother worries about you. Last time you came to visit you looked too thin .Don’t work too hard and make sure you have dinner.”
“I will Mother.”
Rui walks over and hands Gunnar a glass of water. “Satisfied?”
Gunnar Hedwig gulps down the water. “ You might have just given my mother a pain medication to fool me. I want answers. If I am satisfied I will agree to your terms.”
“First of all if she continues with the chemotherapy she will die a horrible death. The radiation will cause the Gu worm to mutate and become more virilant.”
“What the fuck is a goddam Gu worm.. what do you mean mutate?”
“You might not believe what I am going to tell you but it is the truth. I have no reason to lie to you. I only want to protect Feng LiMei and it is in my best interest to cure your mother. I wouldn’t lift a finger to help her if it didn’t benefit me. Your despicable father poisoned your mother using a Gu worm to keep her close to him. This is an ancient method from the South of China. The Gu worm lives in the abdomen. It consumes the victim from the inside out with internal burning without the antidote being administered on a regular basis.
For example would your mother suffer from prolonged fevers, loss of appetite and vomiting if she left your father for a period of time?”
Gunnar Hedwig’s face darkens and he has black lines on his forehead. He hated his domineering and powerful father for many reasons but never thought he would use such merciless means to keep his mother close. She tried to escape from him many times but always came back to his side. He never knew why she would always return to the hell called home.
“Now that your father is dead your mother will also soon die.”
Gunnar Hedwig’s face pales, “Qiao Rui you have to save my mother. I will make sure no one knows Feng LiMei is Subject 456. We can go to the hospital now and you can cure my mother.”
“Hedwig, it isn’t that simple. I know a way to exorcise the Gu worm from your mother but I need to go to the Washu Mountains in China to retrieve the necessary rare herb. In the meantime I can keep the Gu worm under control using a similar antidote your father fed your mother.
You can move your mother out of the hospital to her home. I will give a month’s worth of antidote. It needs to be administered every ten days. I will return to Paris at the end of the month.”
“Fuck! Now I see! Bastard, you think if you go back to China you will be out of my reach so you concocted this absurd story.”
“Ask Ning’s mother, Fu Wan if it is true. She gave him the Gu worm to feed your mother.”
“Fu Wan was his mistress why the fuck would that whore make sure my mother was tied to my father! Ridiculous!”
Rui looks at his watch, “Ask Fu Wan that question. When you make your decision you know where to find me.” He picks up the laptop from the table and leaves.
Gunnar Hedwig watches Rui leave. Deep in thought he leans back on the luxurious leather couch staring at the priceless black diamond ring on his finger.