Chapter 12
DIANA
The Huangs might have built the HMG to prove they deserved a place in the news world, but the company only survived out of competition.
Uncle Frederik sits across from bàba at the dinner table. While bàba looks polished and regal at his seat, Uncle Frederik sags into his. Graying hair speckles his head and surrounds a mouth that frowns like a man sucked dry.
Bàba and Uncle Frederik grew up in the splendor of Taipei City.
They were both educated in American language schools and eventually studied abroad at DHU.
Winning my grandfather’s approval and control of the HMG was what they were raised to do.
They upheld that challenge until my āgōng stepped down as CEO.
Uncle Frederik lost the vote, and bàba never let him forget it.
He pays for all of Uncle Frederik’s needs.
But it’s not out of the kindness of his heart.
His generosity sends a message: I keep you fed because I defeated you. I am better. I am victorious.
Now, that thirst for competition lives on in us.
Competition keeps you sharp, bàba always says, it keeps you driven and ambitious. Your blades will never grow dull if there’s always a reason to sharpen them.
“I heard about the joint project you’re working on.” Uncle Frederik offers me a reserved smile. “Congratulations, Diana.”
I smile proudly. “Xiè xiè, shūshu.”
Bàba stares at my siblings expectantly. “The rest of you ought to follow in her steps. Especially you, Sophia.”
There’s a pointedness to his words. They stifle the same fires that once burned within her when Sophia fought to stand her ground and establish her own path away from the HMG.
Those fires are mere embers now, as Sophia keeps her head down. Her voice comes out small and meek: “Of course, bàba.”
“Diana is a shining example of what you can be, of what you can achieve if you just listened to me!”
Sophia’s jaw stiffens. Her knife stops rowing back and forth over her chicken.
“Of course.” Then she smiles a little too sweetly for someone being ripped into. “Although, Diana has so much on her plate: Classes, running the Howler, and vying for the CEO position. It’s a shame it’s taking a toll on her studies.”
My fingers pause over my glass of water. “What do you mean?”
Sophia swallows hard, her face hesitant. But when her eyes lift, they’re shining and calculating. “Well, I saw that email about your grade earlier when I was looking for that source on your phone. It’s okay, Diana. Failure is ultimately a part of success, is it not?”
She pops the chicken into her mouth and chews.
I remember when Sophia was my little sister. She used to ask me to help curl her hair because she couldn’t reach the back. She would borrow my makeup and my dresses. She hid under my bed covers when lightning storms rattled her bedroom windows. Now, Sophia is nothing more than another rival.
She smiles at me, a challenge flickering in her eyes.
That’s the thing with keeping your blades sharp. You don’t care who bleeds.
Māma gasps. “What is Sophia talking about, Diana?”
The clatter of silverware dropping down makes me flinch. I turn to see my whole family casting their attention towards me.
Gregory looks amused. Jonathan starts to smile.
I gulp, carefully setting down my knife and fork. “I didn’t do as well as I should’ve on an assignment for one of my electives.”
A dull thud snaps my attention to the end of the table. Bàba grips his wine glass tightly, his face dark with disappointment.
“Becoming CEO will demand you to shoulder everything all at once.” His voice is low and undercutting like the first growl of thunder before a storm. “Excelling in one area alone isn’t enough.”
“That’s what I said,” Gregory chimes in.
“As a journalist, we are lifelong students,” Bàba charges on. “You can’t fail in this vital pillar to our work.”
I feel naked all of a sudden. As if every one of my imperfections are on display for them to pry into and pick apart.
I nod. “I understand, bàba.”
“Do you think the others will respect us if they know we can’t measure up to them in every single aspect?”
“I will do better. I promise.”
“Good.” His glare doesn’t wither, yet he simply picks up his silverware and continues eating.
Shame razes all the pride I once felt. I look at Sophia, urging her to look back at me and the damage she left in her wake. But she avoids my gaze. Her shoulders are slumped now; her bravado vanished.
Uncle Frederik sighs. “Come now, Edward.” He pours more red wine into bàba’s cup. “Enough of that. We have a dinner to enjoy.”
Bàba stiffens at Uncle Frederik’s gesture. But he doesn’t mull on it. Instead, he smiles tersely at his brother. “Just thought you’d like to familiarize yourself with the Huang family values again.”
“Oh, believe me.” Uncle Frederik’s thumb traces the hilt of the knife lying flat on his plate. There’s a resentment on his face that’s clear as day. “I haven’t forgotten about them.”
I try to hold myself together throughout the night.
Except every bite becomes too much to handle, only adding weight to the growing mountain of problems and worries I’m suffocating under: Regaining bàba’s respect and approval.
Staying up to date with the joint project to secure my place at the top of the succession plan.
Working with Kai on Mellonbaum’s midterm project to boost up my grade.
An ache throbs in my head.
Out of everything I can realistically deal with right now, the midterm project comes to mind. All I can do is work hard enough to get an A. If I’ll have to work with Kai? Fine. I’ll just have to make adjustments to keep my focus intact.
I have to. Especially when it comes to making bàba proud.