248 Growing voice of insecurity

"Oh, so now I have to take an appointment to meet you and speak with you about your welfare, is it? And don't try and give me this 'helping the friend' story. Apart from that weird guy, Michael, you don't really have any friends," her mother pressed her lips into a thin line of displeasure.

Due to the events which occurred seven years ago, her mother had turned from a mild tempered, pleasant woman to an insecure, bitter soul. It was as if all the unfairness of the past had culminated and merged into this one incident which had caused her to become like this.

Sam blamed herself fully for this change and as a result, was always tip toeing around her mother rather than giving her the facts upfront. Irene completely disliked Sam's current way of living, where she chose to engage in meaningless, 'only for pleasure' kind of short term relationships.

Neither of them wanted to talk about the reason for the same and it was only during situations like these which brought them near the uncomfortable truth, once in a while.

"Ok, I promise not to worry you like this in the future. Please don't stress over this any further. It is not good for your heart. Now, I am really really hungry. Do you think we could go for a quick breakfast in the canteen before my classes start," she cajoled her mother.

Giving into her daughter's tactics, Irene sighed and nodded her head in resignation.

Few miles away, Covent Garden

Jia Li's eyes were swollen due to the overnight stay of grief and shame in them. Her mind knew and applauded her for the tough decision. But her heart was truly mourning, not just the loss of a friend but also the pain which she had inflicted upon him.

"I should have never encouraged him. I should have not leaned on him ever for support. I knew that he liked me, still I continued to leech warmth and affection off him. He is the one paying the price for my coward, indecisive heart's past actions," she chided herself.

If Tang's mysterious absence wasn't enough to cause her misery, events from the previous day had simply made the pain unbearable.

No amount of make-up could cover up the hideous dark circles and the sick pallor which had inhabited her face. Shrugging her shoulders in defeat, she stepped out of the flat and went to work.

On her way, she thought of all the means which she had used to track Tang's whereabouts last evening. She had needed to cling to something positive after that episode with Wei. She had first reached out to his cousin Zheng He, with whom Earthly Matters was collaborating for business purposes. He had no clue about his cousin's whereabouts which had led Jia Li to reluctantly call up Li Jie and ask him to speak with Xie Chu, Tang's sister in America, and find out the truth.

As a result of this call, she had had to blurt out the entire truth about Tang & her recent interactions and the absence of correspondence which followed from his end.

Li Jie had only given a cold, disappointed "OK, I shall find out and let you know," and put down the phone.

He had called her back after an hour and told her that Chu claimed to have no clue about her brother's intentions but only knew that he was travelling at the moment.

"Did you tell her that I am the one asking about him," Jia Li had asked Li Jie tentatively.

"Do you take me for a fool? I would like to save you a little face in front of everyone, even if you don't seem to have learnt your lesson. Never mind, let's not talk about this now. I will try and look for him through other means," with that he had disconnected the call.

It seemed as if he was hiding from her deliberately. But why would he do that? Why did he need to do that? Her mind went in circles trying to tamp down the growing voice of insecurity inside her.

Lost in her thoughts, she found herself outside the office building. Stepping in, she kept her eyes lowered till she reached her work station. Before opening the laptop and starting work, she got up and knocked at Ying Hui's cabin.

"Mr. Ying, may I come in? I need a few minutes of your time," she said, standing at the door.

Hui looked up with a smile at her voice and froze. He took in her haggard expression and got up quickly from his desk. Without caring for what would she think about his reaction, he nearly galloped and covered the distance between them.

Taking her by the elbow, he made her sit in the chair placed next to the desk.