1 Brewing the storms

Liliana looked at her protruding tummy in the bathroom mirror. Although the bathroom was small, one person could fit in just fine. She had rented this run down apartment at a really cheap price. This neighborHood was almost isolated and it was good enough for her to hide away from all the troubles from her past and raise her child. It wasn't easy, it wasn't going to be, It never had been easy for her ever since she stepped feet into this country.. as an African she didn't expect much. All she wanted was study, keep up the A+ grades required to keep her scholarship untill four years were over. Then she'd bag her degrees and make her parents proud. She had alot of people depending and looking up to her back at home. But now, even she didn't have so much confidence in herself anymore. She didn't want this child, it came as a mistake and a suprise, She didn't think she'd get pregnant after just one time and besides,the doctor at the hospital had told her she was safe. But what could she do other than wait expectantly to love and cherish that child. It was a mistake but would definitely be her consolation. She was a black woman in an Asian country and knew well that her child would suffer the color discrimination in the future but right now, she needed a new job. She had been dropped from the previous one because she was pregnant she understood, because moving heavy cargos wasn't a fit job for a pregnant young woman. It wasnt even a job for a woman in the first place yet she needed the money to pay the rent,buy groceries,get some baby items and save for taking care of her son in the future. She was almost due. She used to think pregnancy would make her ugly but it made her glow even more instead. This child wasn't a mistake rather a blessing to her and she didn't care what anyone else thought.. it's wasn't her fault she got raped by her boss's son. She didn't write her destiny and couldn't rewrite her past. What had happened had happened and it's for reasons like avoiding the controversy in their first-class wealth world that was filled with alot of paparazzis from the press and media that made her leave Beijing and relocate to macao when she found out she was pregnant and they had rejected her.. honestly the Tang family had treated her badly and she was a little happy her son wouldn't have to grow up with such selfish people who looked down on others.. someone had ask her if she would be able to forgive when they came begging later in life but she didn't even have an answer to that. Honestly what was the point of forgiveness? They had already stripped her off everything, her dream, future, education, source of livelihood,dignity and public personality.. she was still the trending hot topic on everyone's lips in Beijing. "The black slut who frames CEO Tang with bastard child"

Those people were high and mighty and threatened to make her disappear if she didn't leave the Tang family alone.. they weren't even remorsed for the shameful thing their son had done to her. And worst is that Tang Yi blamed her and said she had tricked and drugged him.. she remembered the look of disgust and spiteful words from him the last time they saw each other and she hoped it would really be the last time. Tang Yi was a heartless man and even though she had worked as a house servant for the Tang family, she had never one day dreamnt of getting close to him not to talk of getting in his bed but he had done her such evil and still had guts to accuse of her master minding the act. That man was cold and heartless.

"Baby...It's you and mommy alone and against the world" she rubbed her tummy in circular motions.

"We'll survive this.. the storm will pass one day" she said.. she didn't want to cry even though her heart was breaking inside.. she felt sorry for her unborn son. Sorry he had to come into the word through such circumstances.. but she was going to do everything within his power to protect him,love him and keep him safe.

The doorbell rang while liliana was in the bathroom, she had been tidying up the little apartment. the maintainance guy had just left and although he charged her very high fees, she could now atleast have running water and something cozy to live in.

"I'm coming" she said wondering who it was. There was a little pang of fear lingering somewhere in her chest. was it the Tang family who had found her? but she made sure no one knew where she had disappeared from Beijing to. She cautiously opened the door bracing herself for any surprised but the only surprise she came face to face with was small eyed grandma with a wide smile on her face and a strawberry pie in her hands.

"Hello..." she smiled back at the grandma awkwardly sighing from relive.

"Hi, i'm Mrs Yu but You can call me grandma Yu.." she said keeping her bright smile on. even the wrinkles that came with the aging could not defeat the fact that the woman who seemed to be in her late 50s and early 60s had been a beauty during her youth and was aging gracefully.

"Hello grandma please come in" Liliana's smile grew from awkward to genuinely welcoming as she stepped aside and allowed the older woman enter her small home.

"please sit...I'll make you some tea" liliana said as she quickly went to the open kitchen to make some chinese tea for the older woman.

"such a nice young lady. she'll make a good wife for Ah chen" Mrs Yu thought to herself. Although marriage between people of different race wasn't so common there she had seen too much of the world to know better judging people by their skin color. Besides marriage didn't have anything to do with skin color or appearance.

"it's not much but i hope you enjoy it Grandma" Liliana handed to cup of tea to mrs Yu with a smile.

"thank you dear..." Mrs Yu smiled taking a sip of the freshly brewed tea.

"Hmmm it tastes really nice and the flavor really warms the tongue" she smiled.

"I'm glad grandma likes you" she Liliana replied. she was still standing.

"Come, come sit with me" Grandma held Liliana's hand as she sat beside the older lady. watching the two from afar, you'd think they had know each other for long or were related. the only questionable difference was liliana was their skin colors and features.

"So what's the story of the adorable little jewel in your tummy.

Liliana looked down at her tummy and Her beautiful smile turned into a sad one.

"I'm sorry..." even without saying a word mrs Yu could understand the painful emotions on the young woman's face.

"i was raped.." liliana trailed off and the memories of that night came rushing back into her head. she could still feel the weight of his body pressed against hers. she could still feel him tearing her apart, she could hear her own sobs and begging that fell on deaf ears. She could hear his foot steps as he walked out after he was done with her.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Mrs Yu wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder.

maybe talking about it could help. maybe she would be able to relive the burden and hurt off her mind.

In tears, she narrated her ordeal to mrs Yu. The tang family was one of the most powerful second generation family and that was well known across China.

"The Tang family is indeed a pack of demons, and know Tang wen shi had a major role to play in all of this" She said and something in her mind boiled with anger.

"I had to leave for the sake of my child."

"you did the right thing. just like i did years ago. I'm sorry you had to pass through all this" she comforted Liliana.

"i promise,I'll take care of you and the baby. you can move in with me. my house is big enough for us all" Mrs Yu assured Liliana.

30 years ago, the Tang family had also almost destroyed her life. She ran into hiding and started her life afresh. She had tend to move on but everytime she looked at her son Chennai, she couldn't help but reminisce the memory but atleast it no longer hurt like it did then. It was no longer so fresh on her mind,To her Tang Shi yang was dead.

she was going to take care of this young woman and her child. she would not let her suffer like she did 30years ago.

A few weeks after Liliana had moved in to stay with mrs Yu, she felt the motherly love and warmth she hadn't feel for months where everyone had abandoned her. Mrs Yu treated her and the baby in her womb like they were practically blood related. She was truely a kind-hearted woman. Mrs Yu had been talking about her son who was a medical doctor in the US and since Chinese new year was drawing in, she said he was going to come home soon.

On the day before New year's Eve, Liliana accompanied Mrs Yu to go do some new year shopping for decoration and cooking, she even said she was going to get some baby things, Mrs Yu believed so much that the child was going to be a bit and she had been filling the baby's designated room with clothes and toys meant for baby boys.

"which color do you fancy most?" Mrs Yu asked as she picked up two baby winter knitted sweaters and showed it to Liliana . one was white while the other was green.

"The white one" Liliana smiled as she looked around.

"can you manage to check the decoration section?" Mrs Yu asked unsure whether to let Liliana go alone. she was cautious because Liliana was heavy and almost due and labour could come at anytime.

"yes.. what should I check for?" Liliana nodded and asked.

"uhm.. table decorations and some new teacup sets" Mrs Yu said as she excitedly went through baby stuff.

"okay" Liliana said and walked away.

Liliana smiled at how excited Mrs Yu seemed to be for the unborn baby.

"hey baby.. I said it was going to be me and you ,just us but it seems you have a new family now, A wonderful grandma who is expecting you with a heart full of love, genuine love so be good and come easily okay" Liliana said while rubbing her tummy gently as she smiled through her tears.

She picked up a set of decorations and they slipped out of her hands and fell. she bent to pick them but but found it difficult to do so with her protruding stomach. As she tried picking it up again, a pale skinned hand picked it up before she could and when she looked up, she was shocked to find Huang Jingtang, Tang yi's cousin standing there smiling with the decorations extended towards her.

"xiexie(thank you)" she had picked up the habit of saying thank you to Chinese people in their own language. this way wether that person could understand English or not, they could understand what she was saying.

"Liliana..." Jingtang called and as he moved closer to her, she moved away. A few months ago, she would have stayed still to see what he would have done,A few months ago,she had an innocent crush on him, A few months ago, the same night Tang yi found out about it and asked her and when she admitted it, she was forced down to the ground and raped on Tang yi's home office floor, A few months ago she was forced to leave Beijing and move to Macao,to hide and protect herself and her baby. Now a few months later, she bumped into that person whom admiring had got her into trouble so she was staying as far as she could because good-looking men were trouble. from Jingtang to Tang yi.