Maid for the Billionaire (14 page)

The click of the limo door shutting hung
heavy in the quiet interior. The vehicle pulled smoothly away from
the entrance of the Aman Hotel with no destination announced. Abby
had worn tan slacks and a conservative light blue blouse in an
effort to be comfortable yet appropriately dressed for wherever
they were headed.

"Where are you taking me?" Abby asked and
cringed at the fear evident in her voice.

"Consider it a field trip," Zhang said,
amused by her own joke, but Abby didn't join in her humor. Zhang
regarded her with some impatience. "Stop looking so terrified.
You're in no danger. You'll be back at your hotel long before
Dominic finishes up his meetings for the day."

Abby took a calming breath. Panicking now
wasn’t going to help anyone. This wasn’t about her; it was about
Dominic. If Zhang had wanted to hurt her, she wouldn’t have allowed
Scott and his men to tag along. Even under Jake’s questionable
instructions, Abby doubted they’d let anything happen to her on
this outing. They’d still have to answer to Dominic if she failed
to return. Somehow that thought didn’t bring Abby much comfort.
"You can't blame me for being scared."

Zhang nodded her head slowly in agreement and
looked out the window. Her manicured fingernails tapped lightly on
the hard surface of a small, built in table. "Actually, your fear
confirms your intelligence and your presence is still an
amazement."

Abby clasped and unclasped her hands before
she caught herself doing it and forced herself into stillness. "You
said you had something to show me. Something that was
important."

"How did you get so brave, little school
teacher?" Zhang asked looking across at her again.

Abby answered without skipping a beat.
“Teaching in an inner city school is not for the easily
intimidated.” Putting the day into that perspective, Abby began to
relax. Sure, she was in a foreign country being driven off to who
knew where with a woman she wasn’t sure she could trust, but her
life had been just as much at risk the last time she’d broken up a
fight between two angry teenagers only to discover that one of them
had been carrying a knife. Somehow working with troubled teens had
always seemed worth the risk.
Some things simply were. Like
today.

“Then why do you do it?” Zhang asked as if
the answer to this held the answer to many other questions.

“Because what I do is important. Because if I
don't reach those children, there is a good chance that no one else
will.”

Zhang looked both surprised and pleased with
Abby’s answer. “Then you will understand what I am going to show
you.”

They left the tourist area behind. Central
Beijing was an interesting mixture of tall glass buildings and
patches of trees. Its modern structures bustled with people like
New York City, but the streets were wider and the crowd’s attire
conformed more than it shocked.

Zhang’s tour took Abby through the University
of Beijing area. Zhang explained each scene they came across. The
limo paused near a group of Chinese women sitting outside on the
grass of the campus. “There are over one hundred colleges and
universities in Beijing,” Zhang said. “Many of the young in the
city, both men and women, are furthering their education and now
have futures that are filled with endless possibilities. Education
is the key to independence for women especially.”

Abby admitted her prior misconception. “I had
no idea how modern Beijing was. I’m so used to the tourist
posters.”

Zhang didn’t look at all surprised. She waved
a dismissive hand at Abby’s distant homeland. “Many Americans
picture China that way. Yes, we are committed to our culture and
traditions, but we also have a new appreciation for modernization.
Unfortunately, like your country, we are changing so quickly that
not all of our decisions are wise ones. For example, Beijing now
struggles with the same sand storms that once afflicted your
western states. Outside of the cities, many still rely solely on
agriculture for survival. This has caused an erosion of our top
soils. Something must change, but for those who rely on farming and
raising animals, the old ways are their only means of survival.
Real change will only come if we make a commitment to educating and
employing more of them.”

The limo headed out of the city. The wide
paved roads narrowed into dirt roads that wound through the
mountains. “How far are we going?” Abby asked.

Zhang shrugged. “A little over an hour
outside of the city. There is someone I’d like you to meet. She
owns the only store in Saun Li.”

They passed a small farmhouse, a simple white
rectangular structure with a red tiled roof. Its only distinctive
farm feature was the assortment of small animals scattered across
its lawn and the rocky hill beside it. A donkey grazed, loose, in
the sparse vegetation on the other side of the road.

Had the drive been for any other reason, Abby
would have asked to have the car pull over. In the distance she
could see a man sitting on a rock watching a small flock of sheep.
His dark blue shirt and tan pants were not what she imagined a
rural shepherd would wear.

Zhang noted her interest and said, “His name
is Xin Yui. He splits his time between his work in the city and his
parents’ farm. Some rural families are allowed more than one child,
but he bears the full responsibility of his parents. If he is
lucky, his city job will allow him to afford to move his parents
into the city with him, although I doubt they will go willingly.
Their family has been on that land for many generations.”

With some disappointment, Abby watched the
small farm disappear from view. “You sound like you know him.”

“I was born in this area,” Zhang said curtly
and turned away from the window, away from her memories. “Wen Chan
is one I have brought you to meet. She went to just enough
university to learn how to start a small business. The money she
makes from her store feeds her entire family and allowed her to
leave her abusive husband. In the past, poverty would have kept her
with him with no choices.”

The mountain road widened and smoothed the
closer they came to a small town that seemed to appear out of
nowhere. No more than twenty buildings made up the cluster of
dwellings Zhang had called a town. In the center of it stood a
small outdoor food market and an unassuming storefront with a
hand-painted sign that Abby guessed was Wen’s family name. Men and
women gathered to talk near the store.

A woman in a plain cotton brown blouse and
pants stood in the doorway of the store watching the limo park.
Zhang instructed her driver and men to wait with the vehicles. Abby
followed her out onto the hard dirt of the road.

The shopkeeper ushered them into her small
shop and spoke to Zhang quickly in Mandarin. Her affection for her
famous guest spoke of a familiarity that surprised Abby. The store
was neat and clean, but little more than a few rows of shelves of
food and basic necessities.

Abby bowed her head slightly in greeting. The
woman greeted her in Mandarin. Abby answered her in the common
language of China. “Nin hao.”

Zhang spun to look at her from across the
aisle of the small market. She switched over to Mandarin herself
and asked, "You speak Mandarin?"

Abby gave a humble shrug and answered in that
language. "A little."

"Why?" Zhang asked.

"I teach English to students from many
countries. I like to study languages." Abby was what she called
street proficient in seven languages. Her mastery was not
university level, but she could understand and utilize many simple
phrases and this talent often allowed her to assist non-English
speaking families when translators were unavailable. It had been
one such grateful family who had welcomed her into their home and
given her basic lessons in the language they called simplified
Chinese.

The shop keeper said, "You are very
good."

Zhang said, "Your mastery of the tones is
impressive."

Abby had received the same compliment from
some of the parents of her Chinese students. Her vocabulary was
limited, but she did have a good ear for what she called the music
of languages. The challenge in learning Mandarin had been that the
same word could mean several things if it the speaker changed which
part of the word they stressed. Luckily her self-appointed tutors
had been patient. "I speak only a little," Abby said, "but thank
you."

At Zhang’s prompting, Wen Chan slowly spoke
of how the education she’d received had freed her and allowed her
to build this life for herself and her family. She looked at Zhang
several times during the sad, but inspirational story and Abby
suspected that she wanted to thank Zhang for her involvement. Abby
wasn’t able to translate every word of the story, but she
understood enough to be able to ask clarifying questions.

Zhang grudgingly admitted, "You're not what I
expected from an American woman."

Abby switched back to English when she could
not find the correct words to express her thoughts. "I think we
both learned today that stereotypes are often wrong. I bet many
Americans aren’t aware of the cultural changes that are sweeping
your country."

Zhang translated for the shop woman then
added in English, "Now that you have seen our need. Will you help
us?"

With the pressure of both women looking at
her, Abby squirmed. "What are you asking me to do?"

Zhang spoke in rapid Mandarin to the
shopkeeper, promising to return soon. Abby followed her lead and
used what little she knew to thank the woman for the tour. Without
answering Abby’s question, Zhang led the way back to the limo, much
to the obvious relief of Scott and his men.

Zhang waited until the vehicles had pulled
back onto the mountain road before she said, "Although women have
broken through many social barriers in the city, funding for
educating women in the rural communities is still rare. I am
determined to change that."

"I thought your universities were free?” Abby
asked in surprise.

“Free is still too expensive for those who
must work to survive. Primary education has been mandated for all,
but families still withdraw their daughters when it is legal to do
so. Even rural families who wish for more for their daughters,
cannot afford to send them away to school. Someone must pay for
them to eat, for a place for them to live. Yes, free can still be
very expensive.”

Abby thought of the shop keeper she’d just
met with a deeper understanding of her achievements. “Are you
talking about a scholarship fund? You want me to ask Dominic to
make a contribution to one?"

"It has to be more sweeping than that." Zhang
said. "To make a real impact it would have to be National, set up
by the government, and with maintainable funding. Dominic is in a
rare position of asking our government to do just that. He could
add this to his negotiations. It is within his power to touch the
lives of many women who would otherwise continue to struggle in
poverty."

"Why don't you talk to him, Zhang? He would
listen to you." Abby said.

"I've tried," Zhang said in disgust. "Dominic
has never cared about the people in any country he has dealt with.
He came here for the money and power, not to facilitate a social
change. But you -- you have his ear. He might listen to you as he
has listened to no one before."

"Forgive me, Zhang, but I think you’ve gotten
misinformation as far as I am concerned. I’ve known Dominic less
than a week. He’s not going to make any business decisions based on
my opinion.” The words hurt as even Abby said them, but hadn’t
Dominic just warned her not to read too much into their short
affair?

Zhang pinned her with piercing black eyes
that missed nothing. One of her eyebrows rose doubtfully. “I didn’t
take you for a fool, Abigail Dartley. Don’t take me for one.
Dominic doesn’t mix his women with his business. He made an
exception for you. Don’t underestimate your importance to him.
Perhaps he hasn’t said the words to you yet, but by bringing you
here, he has already made an announcement to the world.”

Oh, how Abby wanted to believe that, but she
knew the truth. “What he announced, Zhang, was that he doesn’t like
to be alone when he is sad. He’s mourning the death of his
father.”

Zhang clearly didn’t believe her. “Is that
what you’ve been doing all week? Helping him mourn?”

Abby turned sharply toward Zhang, her tone
turning cold. “That’s really none of your business, is it?”

Unperturbed, Zhang continued on smoothly,
“Oh, but it is. Your relationship is very much my business. Your
link to Dominic has given you, whether you want it or not, a role
in the cultural revolution of China. Whatever you decide will
impact the future of many.”

“So, no pressure.” Abby muttered to herself.
Could this be real? How had Abby gone from struggling beneath the
responsibility of raising one sibling to shouldering potential
blame for the lack of adequate education for billions of women? It
was almost too much for her to wrap her mind around. “What are you
actually asking for? You want Dominic to negotiate for a national
government scholarship for women?”

"Yes, and to fund the program by donating
five percent of Coirisi Enterprises' annual profit."

Abby looked out the window. The mountain
quickly disappeared behind them. Soon they’d be back on a major
modern highway, heading back to the hotel. She wondered how
Dominic’s talks were going that day. Tonight there could be no
excuses. She would have to tell him everything and let the chips
fall as they would.

Dominic was not going to be happy when he
heard about Scott. There was a good chance he was going to be less
than thrilled that she’d left the city with someone who might very
well be a business rival. She had only Zhang’s word that what she
said was true.