Chapter 30
30
Su Khoon had slides for their meeting with their father up on an iPad, positioned on the dining table so Renee and their father could see them.
It was the first time Renee had seen her brother since they’d found out they’d won the Freshview deal. She’d begged off the meeting he wanted to have when he was back from Italy, claiming illness, and ignored the subsequent messages and emails from him and his team. There hadn’t been that many, before Su Khoon had suddenly gone quiet. Renee assumed his hired man had reported back on being found out.
She hadn’t bothered following up. She’d been busy with other matters. It had been a crowded week—but a productive one.
It was just the three of them in the family’s Chelsea townhouse. Su Khoon’s wife had taken the kids out, at Dad’s command. Su Khoon had tried suggesting that Jessie join them, but Dad was traditional about daughters-in-law: they had all the obligations of a daughter, none of the rights. Jessie wouldn’t dare come back before dinnertime.
Su Khoon obviously hadn’t worked with Renee on the presentation, so he was doing all the talking.
“I just thought of doing slides last night,” he said offhandedly to Dad. “Haven’t had a chance to coordinate with Renee.”
He couldn’t quite stop himself from shooting Renee a quick glance at this point.
Renee was leaning back in her chair, her arms crossed. She kept her smile bright.
She’d have her chance to speak. In the meantime, she was interested to see what Su Khoon had to say.
It was an impressive presentation. Su Khoon went through the deal they’d struck with Freshview, their plans for working together, the projected returns for Chahaya, and future opportunities they could explore. He even remembered to say “we” some of the time.
Dad asked a couple of questions, but mostly he listened, leafing through the briefing pack Su Khoon had supplied. When Su Khoon was done, Dad turned to Renee.
“You’ve been very quiet,” he said.
“She’s been busy,” said Su Khoon quickly. “Got a launch for Virtu coming up.”
“That’s next year,” said Renee. Her tone was light, but the reference to Virtu at Home smarted. She hadn’t found an alternative supplier yet. “Next year” was optimistic.
Well, she’d have all the time in the world to devote to putting Virtu in order, after this.
“Did you, uh, did you have anything to add?” said Su Khoon. He nodded at the slides.
He was evidently in some suspense about how and when she was going to introduce the fact he’d been having her followed. In his place, Renee might have tried to get ahead of the revelation, announced it herself. That way, Su Khoon could frame it in a favourable light. After all, he could always fall back on claiming he was worried about Renee, had hired a guy to follow her around London with a camera for her own safety.
But of course, that wasn’t the only secret Renee was keeping for him. Maybe he was wary of trying her patience too far.
Though in that case, he really should have resisted the temptation to do a solo presentation effectively taking the credit for the deal they had won together. Careers had been ruined for lesser offences.
Part of Renee was enjoying his nervousness, not least because it was a distraction from her own trepidation. Dad was not going to be happy about her news.
Oh well. No point in putting it off.
“I do, actually,” said Renee. She turned to her father. “I’m afraid the deal’s off. Freshview’s going with someone else, a British player. Er Ge should be getting the email soon. It’s an easy choice for them to justify. They’ll say we don’t have the local contacts. That was always the weakness of our pitch.”
The two men stared at her.
“What are you talking about?” said Su Khoon.
Dad looked from him to Renee. “I thought you all were working together?”
“We were,” said Su Khoon, correcting himself: “I thought we were. I was being collaborative.”
“Oh yes,” said Renee. “You’ve been paying very close attention to my business.”
Su Khoon went red.
Dad said, “Then?”
Renee uncrossed her arms, clasping her hands and resting them on the table.
“Around the time we were pitching Freshview, I received some concerning intelligence about the company,” she said. “I hired some people to look into it, and I talked to contacts at Freshview. The group has a chequered history in Malaysia. They’re the subject of a lawsuit accusing them of illicit logging in Sarawak, and there are rumours they were involved in the disappearance of an activist in KL some years back. In my view, they’re not a company Chahaya should be doing business with.”
She reached over to her bag on the chair next to her, pulled out a plastic folder, and slid it across the table to her father. He picked it up gingerly, as though it might bite him.
“I printed off some documents, in case you want to look through them,” she said. “I can email the materials to you, Er Ge.”
“What the hell?” said Su Khoon, his voice rising. “Dad, I don’t know what this is all about. This is the first I’ve heard of any of this.” He turned to Renee. “What’s wrong with you? You told me you wanted to work together. Now you’re trying to blow up the deal? Because, what, Andrew Yeoh rubbed your knee at lunch?”
“What did Andrew Yeoh do?” said Dad, looking up from the folder.
“That’s a separate issue,” said Renee. “Andrew Yeoh has a record of sexually harassing his staff. Turns out there have been quite a few complaints by Freshview employees.”
“That’s what you were getting so cosy with Hazlina about,” said Su Khoon, his lip curling. “I suppose you encouraged her to report Andrew. So long as you get your revenge, you don’t care what happens. What’s Lin going to do if she gets pushed out of the company? Did you bother to ask yourself that?”
“Funny you should mention it,” said Renee. “Lin’s decided to leave Freshview. She’s going to be joining Virtu as our new business affairs manager. I’ve been feeling the need for someone who can take on the strategic side of the business, free me up so I can focus more on the creative side. It’s a new direction for Lin, but I think her skillset’s a good fit for us.
“Anyway,” she went on, having struck Su Khoon speechless, “the sexual harassment allegations are a problem for Freshview’s HR department, not us. It’s the Guardian exposé you should be worried about.”
That got Dad’s attention. “What exposé?”
“Do you know the Guardian, Dad?” said Renee. “It’s one of the big UK newspapers. They’re planning to publish an article on corruption in Sarawak. Freshview features heavily.”
Dad was frowning. “How do you know that?”
“I spoke to the journalist,” said Renee.
Dad flicked through the papers in the folder she’d given him, his eyes darting over the pages. “You told Low Teck Wee all this?”
“I haven’t had any contact with Low Teck Wee,” said Renee. “Though I did DM Felicia Handoko and mention some of the things her husband’s said to me. I wasn’t sure she’d believe me, but I guess she must have had her suspicions. We had quite a long chat. It was a few days after that that I heard Freshview are looking for a new construction partner.”
Renee inspected her nails. They were growing out. She needed to make an appointment for a manicure.
“But who knows what’s going to happen after the Guardian piece is out?” she said. “Freshview would have given warranties when they won the project. The government here’s been bigging it up, it’s a showpiece for them. They’re not going to enjoy being embarrassed. It’s not too late for Freshview to get kicked off the development.”
Renee should probably leave it there. It wasn’t any of her business any longer. She’d declared her position by doing this—and that was firmly outside the circle of family entrusted with Chahaya’s interests.
But it was impossible to resist the temptation to be clever, with Su Khoon snorting and turning purple on the other side of the table. She added:
“Of course, Chahaya has contacts with the Malaysian state investors, too.”
Dad had been looking like he couldn’t decide whether to rage out, or to find a dark, quiet place where he could lie down and try to forget he’d ever had children. He perked up.
“You think we can take over the development,” he said.
“It’s speculation at this stage,” said Renee. “But Chahaya would be well placed to do it.”
Su Khoon finally found his voice.
“Selling crap on Instagram is good PR training, huh?” he said. His fingers were twitching slightly where they were resting on the table, but apart from that he was remarkably controlled. “Teaches you how to present your fuckups as wins. Since you’re being so upfront, telling us about what’s been keeping you busy, why don’t you tell Dad about your little boyfriend?”
Su Khoon probably didn’t expect Renee to roll her eyes.
“Why don’t you tell Dad?” she said. “Since you know so much. I’m sure Dad’s going to be shocked to hear that sometimes I go on dates.”
Su Khoon glared at her. “You know there’s more to it than that.”
“Oh, please enlighten me,” said Renee.
Su Khoon was already leaning over to grab the iPad, bringing up an image on the screen.
It was a shot of Renee with Ket Siong as they left her building together, the morning after he’d found her in Hyde Park. Su Khoon’s guy must have taken the shot mere minutes before Ket Siong clocked him.
Dad squinted at the iPad. “I thought you’re with that singer? What’s his name, Jason?”
“That’s over now,” said Renee. “For the record, the reason why Er Ge has this picture is because he had me followed.” She added to Su Khoon, “That’s messed up, by the way. No wonder you think Andrew’s behaviour is fine.”
Su Khoon shrugged. “I didn’t know if you could be trusted. Who knows what kind of nonsense you might have been getting up to? Turns out I was right, no?”
Dad ignored their bickering with the ease of long practice.
“Who’s this, in the photo?” he said to Renee. “He’s Singaporean?”
“His name’s Yap Ket Siong. He’s from Malaysia,” said Renee. It wasn’t like it mattered what Dad thought of Ket Siong. But moved by some obscure impulse, she said, “His mom was a lawyer, but she’s retired now.”
“Lawyer?” Dad picked up the iPad so he could bring it closer to his eyes. “Looks like a decent boy. What firm was the mother at?”
“His mother is Chang Yin Lok,” said Su Khoon sharply. “Ten years ago, she was working at Khalid and Balasubramaniam in KL. You remember, when SB Permata was trying to acquire the land for Uptown Mall? The deal almost got called off.” He pointed at Ket Siong’s blurry image on the screen. “His mother was the lawyer who was causing the problem.”
“You told the firm to fire her,” said Renee.
She wasn’t sure why she said it. It wasn’t like Dad was going to admit to having done wrong.
“Oh, the activist,” he said. “I remember.”
He didn’t seem overly perturbed. Given some of the other boys Renee had brought home, maybe it struck him as a nonissue. Derek Lim’s mother had sold laksa in a hawker centre.
“It’s clear what’s happening here,” said Su Khoon. “This woman, Chang Yin Lok, has a grudge against Chahaya. Renee’s seeing the son and he’s fed her some rumours about Freshview. Do you think she’s up for the job of leading Chahaya? What’s to stop her from sabotaging the business if it doesn’t meet her boyfriend’s approval?”
Renee began, “The Guardian wouldn’t be publishing an exposé about Freshview if it was simply rumours—”
Dad crooked a finger. It was the signal he used when he wanted silence. Renee shut up despite herself.
“This boy, what’s his name—he’s your new boyfriend?” he said.
Renee’s cheeks warmed.
She and Ket Siong hadn’t talked about their relationship status. They’d barely even spoken since the day the picture on Su Khoon’s iPad was taken. She’d been so busy laying the ground for this meeting, the only time she’d seen Ket Siong in the intervening period was when he’d taken her to meet Helen Daley.
She knew how she felt about him, even if she’d yet to say it out loud, but this thing between them was so new and fragile. Could she really trust it was serious?
Then she remembered the way he’d looked at her when they’d last parted—a long, steady look, as though he was drinking her in, trying to imprint her image on the back of his brain. Her chest flooded with light.
“Yes,” she said.
“Hmm,” said Dad. Su Khoon opened his mouth, but Dad said, “I’ve heard enough for now. I called this meeting because I wanted to tell you two about the succession planning for Chahaya. I spoke to your brother already.”
He rubbed his temples. “Su Beng has been taken off his project. I’m putting somebody else in his place. If he could do the job, he would be the next CEO, but he cannot manage it. It must be one of you. But if I give it to Su Khoon, it will be Jessie who runs the business.”
Su Khoon said, “That’s not—”
“You had your turn,” said Dad. “Right now, I’m talking.”
His very mildness was a warning. Su Khoon quietened down, looking disgruntled.
“Jessie is a clever girl. But she is not a Goh,” said Dad. “Su Ren is too emotional, and the way she makes decisions is hard to predict. But in business, you need somebody who can work hard, who can sacrifice, and who is willing to take risks. So I was planning to appoint her.”
Renee caught her breath. Her heartbeat was thundering in her ears.
She’d imagined the triumph of this moment so many times, craving the recognition it would represent.
None of her fantasies had involved her blowing up the Freshview deal. She’d given up on the idea of being chosen when she’d decided to do that. But that yearning for validation remained, woven through her body, even if her mind knew Chahaya wasn’t what she wanted.
“But now you tell me you’ve pulled us out of the Freshview deal,” said Dad. “Some more you went and interfered in the family affairs, talking to the nephew’s wife and all this.” He sighed. “So I don’t need to ask Low Teck Wee if he wants to play golf anymore.”
“Dad,” said Su Khoon and Renee, at the same time.
“Wait until I finish first,” said Dad. He settled back in his chair, looking weary. “You shouldn’t have run off to do all this by yourself. This kind of major decision, you must get the stakeholders on board.
“But,” said Dad, “I can see the problems with Freshview. Singaporean government is very sensitive about corruption. We have to be careful. And if the development goes out for retendering, that will be interesting for us.”
He gazed into the middle distance, seeming not to see either of his children.
“It’s too early to decide,” he said. He straightened up and took off his glasses, putting them in the front pocket of his shirt. “Su Ren will be acting CEO for one year. Then we’ll see how. If you can win this London development, we will formalise the appointment. Otherwise, it will go to Su Khoon.”
“But—” said Su Khoon.
Dad got up. “I’m going to rest. Call me when the children are back.”
When Dad was done with you, you were done. That didn’t stop Su Khoon from saying, “But Dad …”
Dad ignored him, lumbering off to the stairs. He had a foot on the first step when he checked and turned around.
“Of course,” he said, “you must finish with this boy. What’s the name, Yap—? The lawyer’s son. Your mother has a friend, her eldest is divorcing his wife. Forty years old, no children. The father owns a media company in Hong Kong.”
“I’m good, thanks,” said Renee.
“At your age, you should be thinking about getting married,” said Dad. “Otherwise, it’ll be too late to have children. We can arrange a meeting with the man when you’re back in Singapore.” He yawned, about to head off up the stairs.
“Dad,” said Renee. “You haven’t asked me yet.”
He looked back again, surprised. His eyes were red and a little watery, the lids drooping. Dad had been straight-backed and strong for as long as Renee could remember, but as he stood there by the stairs, she saw that he was stooping, his shoulders curving in. Her heart failed her.
Her father’s force of personality, his power, his position as the head of the family all made it hard to remember he was a human being, subject to human frailty. But for once Renee looked at him and saw not Goh Kheng Tat, a man possessed of more wealth and resources than most people ever dreamt of having. She saw an old man, worn out from jet lag, the burden of responsibility, and the intransigence of his children.
“You know how many people work for Chahaya Group?” he’d said to her once, when she was a teenager. Su Beng or Su Khoon had messed something up—she couldn’t remember what, now. “Fifteen thousand. If I don’t work hard, or I make a mistake, fifteen thousand families will lose their rice bowl. Means it’s worth taking seriously, right?”
If only she could have left this conversation for another day, put off the moment when she had to disappoint him yet again. But there wasn’t time. Dad was flying off in a few days’ time, and once Jessie knew about the outcome of this meeting, there would be no hope of keeping the news within the family.
Dad’s brow furrowed. “Asked what?”
“If I’m going to accept the job,” said Renee.