Richard was angry and tried to talk sense into her but she told him that she needed time, that she wanted to spend more time with her parents, and that if he's really that anxious to leave then he can go without her. Richard was furious but in the end failed to change her mind. He left, but with an ultimatum: he'll give her another week then he'll be back to get her even if he had to drag her away from her family.

An Ma, of course, was delighted. His dislike of Richard was growing. His daughter's divorce still rankled, as if he blamed himself for allowing An Ning to go through all that misery when he had the power to stop it.

An Ning, for her part, was starting to feel anxious and uneasy. Away from Richard's protection, it was as if things were starting to get into sharp focus, like she was viewing things from an angle which quietly and seriously alarmed her.

She was a twenty-two year old pregnant woman without a job or prospects. She didn't even know how much money she had in the bank. Richard once mentioned an apartment she moved in after the divorce but she didn't know where it was, and if she did decide to live there on her own, how then was she going to support herself and the baby?

Then there was the amnesia. She didn't know if she would ever get her memory back again but whether she did or not, the fact remains that she still needed to be able to take care of herself and her child on her own. She was an adult with responsibilities. There really was no running away from that, divorced or not.

Unemployed and pregnant...It was terrifying to realize that she was entirely dependent on family members and an ex-husband who probably was willing to take her just because he knocked her up. She had no illusions whatsoever about her relations.h.i.+p with Richard.

She liked him, adored his caring humor, liked his awesome physique but she knew she can't left herself get adrift again. This time, she refused to spend the rest of her life enthralled physically and emotionally by a man, even if he was her ex-husband. The stake was just too high this time around.

The An Ning before the amnesia happened seemed to have drifted towards a life dominated by her obsession with this man. She was not only content with constantly chasing after him, she also had to basically made herself into an image suitable to become his wife. That An Ning lived a very parasitic life alternately feeding on a rich father then husband. And to have gained nothing except a broken marriage and an illegitimate child...it was not the same path An Ning wanted to take this time around.

But now, she was again back at square one. Dependent on father then husband if she ended up married to Richard again.

The second week was nearly up when An Ma called An Ning to his study. He sat behind the desk with a folder spread open before him. An Ning glanced at it without curiosity. She was actually wondering how to broach the topic of her leaving soon. Not with Richard because that would just be another prison for her to break out of but maybe she could ask her father for help just until she gets back on her feet again?

"I should have done this a long time ago," An Ma said . "But better late than never, as they say."

He handed her the folder.

"Open it," he ordered.

An Ning took the folder and opened it. Inside was a three-page doc.u.ment. It was his will and testament. He was leaving her everything, the house, another houses in Europe and Asia, his businesses locally and overseas, jewelry he'd inherited from his parents, and all of his other a.s.sets worth billions of dollars. The doc.u.ment also mentioned a $500 million bank account he had just opened under her name which she could draw any time she wanted. The money was a gift for the unborn child she carried, his way of acknowledging that the child was related to him by blood even if he was born illegitimate.

"All it needs is your signature and everything I have will be yours," he said softly.

An Ning was stunned.

"Why, Daddy?"

"Because you are my daughter. And because I want you to live a life of your own choosing. Go anywhere you want. Live with anyone you like. This is total freedom I'm giving you, An Ning. You won't owe anybody anything anymore. You and your child...you are no longer beholden to anybody but yourselves."

An Ning felt tears sting her eyes.

"What if I go back to Richard?"

"Then that is your choice and I will accept it. However, what I'm giving you with this is an option. I've watched you these last few days and I can tell you're worried. I think you've realized that the choices you make from hereon are not only for your sake but also for your child. An Ning, as a parent, all I want is for you to be happy.

"I want you to make the right decision for yourself without guilt or fear. I don't want you to make choices based on compromise or because it is convenient. Use the money for whatever purpose you want. I'm here to help you."

"What about mom?"

"Don't worry about your mother or Maya," An Ma said expressionlessly. "I've already made provisions for them."

An Ma rang a bell and a few minutes later Sarai and a middleaged man dressed in a black suit entered the room. Following behind them was a young man in his twenties whose eyes grew round when he saw An Ning.

"You can sign it now," An Ma said to An Ning.

An Ning hesitated then gripped the pen and put her signature on the blank s.p.a.ce with her name on it. She handed it to An Ma who signed his name with a flourish.

"This is my last will and testament. I've called you both in here to be my witnesses," he told Sarai and the young man. "Hand them the doc.u.ment, Gil. You two, put your names where this gentleman tells you to."

The doc.u.ment was duly signed and witnessed.

"Sign then notarize it," An Ma ordered the black suited man.

The man did as he was told then gave the doc.u.ment back to An Ma, who scanned it then put it back in the folder.

"That's it then. Thank you for your help. Gilbert, let me walk you to the car. An Ning, wait for me here. There's still some things we need to discuss."

An Ning couldn't have left even if she wanted to. She was still stunned, her legs shaking like jelly. She was alternately grateful and curious about her father's intentions. But the opportunity to finally have a say in her life, in her unborn child's life, was simply too unbelievable. Her mind reeled at the thought.

When An Ma reentered the room, she was sitting on the edge of her chair looking thoroughly shock and speechless.

"Now tell me what you're planning to do," he said, sitting down. "I think you've already made some plans? Let's hear it."

"I'm thinking of a company that develops video games," An Ning said, recovering from her stupefaction. "Small-scale at first with about 10 or 20 people. Not RPG but apps."

"How are you going to market it?"

"Embed it as part of a device then regular upgrades. It doesn't have to be too elaborate. Something that even a child can play. I'm not too sure about the ROI though. Have to make a study of it first."

"We have a unit similar to that that's been running on its own because the head just quit. He was caught making out with another man's wife or something. Anyway, you can take over the department if you like. Some of the staff quit so there's about five or six people working there now. You can hire more if you want."

"Are you sure, dad?"

"It's a wasted resource, An Ning. Sooner or later, someone has to take over and take responsibility for it."

"I don't want to step on other people's toes...." An Ning said delicately.

"If you mean Maya, no. She doesn't work for any of my companies. I once made the mistake of hiring her and the staff quit. All 30 of them. And it was in the middle of audit season. You can imagine how that went."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Why do I have a foster sister?"

An Ma sighed.

"Your mother adopted her when a cousin's cousin died. I'm not clear about the relations.h.i.+p and I'm not really interested. All I can say is that you don't have to worry about her. Maya doesn't have an impact in this house or in our lives, especially yours."

"You don't like her," An Ning said, stating a fact.

"I'm indifferent," her father shrugged. "You don't remember but she was very jealous of you in the beginning. She was so jealous that she started bullying you. I later realized what was happening and warned your mother she had better change her att.i.tude or she'll be out on the streets in one second flat. Your mother and I...." An Ma sighed. "She loves Maya and I love you. Do you understand?"

An Ning understood better than he imagined. She'd seen with her own eyes the close relations.h.i.+p between the two women. Her mother was considerate of her, her daughter, but she was gentler and laughed more often when she was with Maya. An Ning should have felt some jealousy except she did not. Every time she looked at the two of them and their interaction together, she always had this queer feeling that she was watching a drama. It was exhausting and dull and just boring to the extreme.

"Can I take the tech staff out and put them in a rental?

"An office s.p.a.ce just opened up in one of our buildings. Why not take it? You won't take up too much s.p.a.ce with just a small staff."

"You haven't told me what you think of the idea yet," An Ning pointed out. "Aren't you afraid that I will cost you a lot of money?"

"I told you, the choice is yours. I think you're ready to put down some serious effort in making something of your life this time. And as I said before, my role as your father is to help you achieve that goal."

"I'm very lucky to have a father like you," An Ning said shyly. "Thank you, daddy."

An Ma laughed.

"You're welcome. I'll let the division head know so he can get in touch with you later about the turnover. You can go over the plans for the new office with my architect," he looked at her and frowned. "You're forgetting something. Or someone. What about Richard?"

"I'll talk to him and explain."

"I doubt he'll listen to your explanation," her father said wryly.

He turned out to be right because Richard went ballistic when he heard the news.