#truly this is the highlight of my day NAY my week

[artofhitjim]

I love your hourly comics and made a tiny one in class inspired by you

Hdlshslshslsjsld OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS SO DELIGHTFUL THANKS YOU?!? hope your thesis is in fact going well ❤️❤️❤️

[scapegrace74-blog]

Ginger Snap, Chapter 2

A/N I am breaking probably the only rule I gave myself when I started writing fanfic, which was Don’t Ever Post a WIP.  But lord knows I’m not immune to peer pressure and the narcotic that is reader feedback, so here it is, the second chapter of what is now an open-ended modern AU story about Jamie the Chef and Claire the Kitchen Disaster.  Still a first person Claire POV, so I apologize in advance for any stray pronouns.

For the first chapter, I recommend reading it on Ao3, since I’ve made some minor edits since I first posted it on Tumblr.  See above re. not planning on posting a WIP.

Oh, and funny story.  When I decided to check the location of the real Ginger Snap catering company in Edinburgh, it was squished between “FrazersOnline” and “McKenzie Flooring”.  If that’s not kismet, I don’t know what is.  The location I describe below, however, is based on a catering venue here in Ottawa called Urban Element, where I’ve attended a few team-building events.  I have yet to set anything on fire, though.

I checked my phone for the third time, confirming I wasn’t lost.  

Frank and I moved to Edinburgh over the summer, just in time for him to start his position as Associate Professor of History at the University of Edinburgh. Despite our years spent in America, neither of us cared overmuch for driving, so we chose a flat (or rather, Frank chose a flat and I concurred) not far from campus.  Therefore, this was the first time I’d ventured as far afield as Leith, a maritime enclave just to the north of the capital that couldn’t seem to decide if it wanted to be grittily working class or artistically hip. 

When I finally reached the address, I had to smile.  No main street pretensions or non-descript commercial frontage for Ginger Snap Catering.  Before me stood a two-story red brick fire station, still emblazoned with the crest of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services.  The two massive truck bays were now enclosed by see-through doors that could be drawn back on a sunny day.  Through these a warm yellow light could be seen, spilling onto the grey, damp pavement.

A petite woman with dark hair manned the small reception area, a red-haired toddler clinging to her like a marsupial.  She held a phone to one ear while simultaneously pacing the polished concrete floor.  I stood as unobtrusively as possible near the door, but in such an open space it was impossible not to overhear her side of the conversation.

“... they willna take ‘im back until ‘is fever goes down...  aye, an hour ago when I picked him up but it hasn’t... nay, i dinna think it’s... tis jus’ terrible timing with two weddings t’morrow... Could ye?  Och, I owe ye Mrs. Fitz, a million times o’er... Anytime, we’ll be here.  Alright, soon.”

The speaker turned to me, the harried look of a working mother sharpening her already honed features.

“I apologize fer keeping ye waiting.  What can I do fer ye t’day?”

Before I could respond, the young boy, probably no older than two, began to fuss, rubbing his flushed cheek against his mother’s shoulder.

“Och, mo ghille, Mam kens ye’re poorly.  Mrs. Fitz is coming as fast as she may.”

Unable to quell my instinct to diagnose and then cure, I spoke up.  

“I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation.  Based on his age and the way he’s holding his head, it may be an ear infection.”  At the woman’s penetrating look, I hastened to explain: “I’m a doctor.  Would you mind if I took a closer look?”

Permission granted, I carefully palpated the boy under the jaw and peered as best I could without an otoscope into the offending ear canal.  Confident in my diagnosis, I recommended treatment with a warm compress, an over-the-counter analgesic ear drop, and children’s paracetamol to control his fever.  If, after twenty-four hours the symptoms had not improved, they could consider seeing his pediatrician for antibiotics, but these were only truly necessary for a persistent infection.

“Och, ye ‘ave no idea what a relief it is tae hear ye say so, lass.  He’s my first bairn, ye ken, an’ I can ne’er tell if I’m over-reacting or being negligent.   Can ye say thank ye tae the nice doctor, Wee Jamie?”

My stomach jumped.  “Wee Jamie?  Is he related by chance to Jamie Fraser?”

“Aye, tis his nephew.  I’m Jamie’s sister, Jenny.  Ye ken my brother, then?”

The pieces fell into place, and my insides settled.

“We’ve spoken before,” I explained.  “I’m Claire Beauchamp.  You and your brother helped me with a dinner party emergency last Tuesday.  I came to return your market bags, and to thank you again for coming to my aid during my hour of need.”

Jenny and I spoke for another ten minutes, sharing the superficial narratives of two strangers brought together by circumstance.  She was warm and thistly by turns, and I felt a longing for the honesty of female friendship that I’d given up when we left Boston.  Eventually a matronly woman arrived to collect Wee Jamie.  I carefully wrote down the exact names and dosages of my prescribed remedy.

After Mrs. Fitz and Wee Jamie had left, it occurred to me that Jenny needed to get back to work.  I’d accomplished what I’d set out to do, even if I hadn’t thanked Jamie himself.   As I began to make my goodbyes, however, Jenny interjected. “If ye’re no’ in a rush, why dinna ye join our afternoon cooking class?  My brother will be demonstrating how tae make quiche.  Tis the least we can do, after ye helped Wee Jamie.”

Which was how I found myself standing behind one of six cooking stations arranged across the fire station’s main area, a bright red apron covering my black slacks and saffron turtleneck.  My impetuous curls were slowly breaking ranks from where I’d slicked them into a bun that morning.  I worried I looked like a human Pez dispenser.

I glanced at the workstation immediately to my left.  A slight woman who I guessed to be roughly my own age was engrossed in her phone, a cheeky smirk playing on her berried lips.  Her strawberry blond hair was swept into an effortless chignon that made me twitch with envy.  She looked up from her screen and caught me looking her way.

“Geillis Duncan,” she said, offering a well-manicured hand.

“Claire Beauchamp.  Pleased to meet you.”

“Is it yer first time taking a class, Claire?”  At my nod, she leaned in and whispered conspiratorially: “Ye’re in for a treat.”

Before I could enquire what she meant, a murmur amongst the other students (all women, save one) was accompanied by the heavy tread of work boots on polished concrete and a familiar Scottish burr.

“Good afternoon, everyone.  Thank ye fer joining me on this dreich Scottish day.  I ken a few of ye are new, so let’s start with a brief overview of yer stations and some basic safety reminders, before we tackle the quiche.”

Today Jamie was wearing a pair of olive pants that tapered down his endless legs and a technical shirt that clung valiantly to his upper body.  He looked like he’d just stepped off the nearest rock climbing pitch.  I wondered if he owned anything that answered to the name of a professional wardrobe, but I couldn’t deny that he looked impressive, in an athleisure sort of way.

“See what I mean?” Geillis hissed at me as Jamie made his way to the front of the hall, speaking now about optimal burner temperatures.  “That man is a dozen kinds of yes.”

I concentrated on each step of the ostensibly simple recipe.  Pie crust had been the previous week’s assignment, so I had only to blind bake the prepared dough already at my workstation.  Once I had the crust centered exactly in the pie pan, pierced with a fork in orderly rows and placed in the oven, I rushed to catch up with the others.  I’d missed Jamie’s instructions regarding pan frying the bacon, so I increased the flame, thinking I could make up a little time.  The fatty meat crackled pleasingly as I set it in the lightly greased pan.  I was inordinately proud of myself.

Things went very badly, very fast.  First, my eyes wouldn’t stop watering as I meticulously peeled then dissected the onion into near-transparent crescents. Tears obscured my vision and I tried to wipe them away without contaminating my hands.  To my left I could make out Geillis skillfully cracking eggs into a glass bowl, her pie crust already elegantly filled with crispy morsels of bacon and caramelized onion bits.  

A vague sense of having forgotten something important tickled my mind.  My pie crust!  Grabbing a silicone glove (I wasn’t making that mistake twice) I rushed to the wall oven and extracted the pan.  Giddy with relief, I saw the dough was only a little dark around the edges.  

Before I could return victorious to my station, Jamie uttered a Scottish noise of alarm from his vantage at the front of the class.   We both rushed across the room to where my rashers of bacon now resembled blackened shoe laces obscured by a heavy veil of smoke.  With practiced ease, Jamie lifted the entire skillet into the adjacent sink and turned on the cold water.  A cloud of steam enveloped his head, highlighting his auburn curls.  I bit my lip as he looked my way in amusement.

“I hope ye werena planning on serving quiche to yer faculty guests t’night, Ms. Beauchamp?”

I stood meekly next to Geillis for the remainder of the class, no longer trusted around open flame without adult supervision.   She graciously allowed me to extract her quiche when it was done baking.  It looked like a magazine cover.  Meanwhile, my workstation looked like the scene of an industrial accident.

While we were waiting for her quiche to cook, Geillis and I got to know each other a little better.  She was a Highland lass from up near Inverness.  Married to a wealthy older man, her life sounded like an endless quest for diversion.  Despite this, or because of it, she had a sharp-witted frankness that I appreciated.  She was also a hard-core gossip.

“Wee besom,” she remarked with a nod towards a blond girl who was currently monopolizing Jamie’s attention with endless questions punctuated by manufactured giggles and flicks of her pin-straight hair.  “Tha’s Laoghaire Mackenzie of the Mackenzie brewing dynasty.  They’ve a live-in cook, so there’s only one reason she attends these classes, and it isna for the quiche.”

I watched Jamie laugh over something the girl said, mineral eyes alight and his perfect white teeth on display.  I suppose I couldn’t blame her.  I wasn’t here for the quiche either.

The interminable ninety minute lesson finally ended.  I thanked Geillis profusely and we exchanged numbers before she rushed off for her reiki treatment.  Gathering my trench coat and purse, I tried to slink away without calling any further attention to myself.

“Ms. Beauchamp!”

I cursed under my breath, then turned to face him.

“Please, call me Claire.  After I nearly burned down your place of business, we should probably be on a first name basis.”

Jamie chuckled. It sounded more natural and lived-in than his earlier response to Laoghaire, but I was likely fooling myself.

“Och, wha’s a cooking demonstration wi’out a wee bit of drama.  Will ye be joining us next week?  We’ll be making ceviche, sae I willna need tae put the fire brigade on stand-by.”

“Bastard,” I replied to his cheeky smirk.  “Alas, I don’t think I’m cut out to be a cook.  It appears to be the one science I can’t master.”

“Cooking isna a science, Claire,” he explained with sincere intensity.  “Tis an art.  Perhaps tha’s the root of yer struggle.”

“Perhaps it is.  But in that case, I may as well give up now.  I haven’t an artistic bone in my body.”

His languorous perusal of said body lit a different kind of flame in my belly.  Geillis was right; he really was a dozen kinds of yes.

“I canna say as I agree.  Come back any time if ye’d like tae try again.”

I blushed, thoroughly discomfited by his blatant flirting.  He knew about Frank.  He’d fled from him onto my fire escape, for Christ’s sake!  Maybe when you looked like James Fraser, every interaction with a woman was merely a chance to hone your craft.  Or maybe he was truly ignorant of his effect.

“I’ll take that under advisement.  Thank you again, Jamie.”

“Until the next time, Arsonist.”

[old-hyper-super-clover]

Omoi yo Hitotsu no Nare

Feelings, become One

Part 2 of 2

find part one here

Writer's block is being rough on me, so the only thing I was able to create lately was a short story of my MC Clover and Leviathan. It shows their adorable friendship as they experience an idol live show together.

Enjoy 🧡

"Wooaah... I can't believe I'm really here..."

Her mouth opened wide, Clover looked at the Tokyo Dome with big, sparkling eyes. Taking in the astonishing view, her heart was beating fast already. "Look at how many people are here...!"

Levi gave a nod. "It's impressive, isn't it? Normally I would hate being surrounded by so many people, but it's different for such events. Everyone came for the one and same reason."

Clover's lips curled into a smile.

"To cherish what we love."

When making their way to the entrance for their seating section, the mass of people grew denser the closer they got to the Dome. Eventually, Clover had troubles staying next to Levi's side, which let anxiety to rise within her. She was afraid of getting separated, especially since she hasn't taken Solomon's translation potion yet. The sorcerer warned that the magic could wear off a little too soon, so Clover wanted to drink it right before the live would start.

Hence her panic, as suddenly it seemed like a literal train of people crossing their path would separate her from her demon friend.

"L-levi!!" she screamed on impulse while fiddling to grab his coat's sleeve.

"Uwah, Clover!" Levi huffed, turning towards her in irritation. Being used to go to events all alone, he had kind of forgot for a second that he should match his pace with Clover's.

But even now as he had slowed down, the girl wouldn't let go of his clothes.

"U-uhm... I panic when getting separated in places I've never been to..." Clover explained as she noticed Levi's confusion. "It calms me when I feel you're here by my side, so..." she gently tugged on his sleeve while unintentionally giving him her biggest pleading face. "Could we stay like this? Just until we're at our seats of course."

A little flustered, Levi played it cool and gave a shrug. "S-sure, if you feel safer that way..."

And so, the two continued their way, the demon hiding how soft this whole ordeal had made him inside, while Clover was following along like a mildly frightened puppy.

Once inside the hall, Levi and Clover had no troubles finding their seats. Thus, they were quickly established, and while the Otaku explained some insider facts about the Tokyo Dome (that he might have googled beforehand as he was afraid to sit there in awkward silence), the hall was steadily filling with more and more fans.

The anticipation was almost painful, Clover really had to put energy into calming herself down. Especially since Levi wasn't a help at all. He was a strong fan of idols, so naturally his hype was increasing at least as much.

The two were almost bouncing in their seats, as finally, the lights dimmed, and a live orchestra started playing the anime's main theme...

Talking about the full concert would truly be a task too big for this little story (even though I could surely gush about it for hours straight).

But there were a few highlights worth mentioning.

Beforehand, Clover had been worrying over whether her shy personality would allow her to cheer and sing with all she had. But when the idols appeared on stage, all doubts were blown away immediately. Crying in overwhelming happiness, she sang along and shouted from the top of her lungs to Aqours' songs, Leviathan of course doing the same next to her.

They were enjoying themselves so much.

There wasn't a single moment where they weren't.

Oh, well, maybe there was a split second for Levi.

One of the idols had a call and response which animated the crowd to hug a person next to you.

And so, while Levi was preparing emotionally to ask Clover for a hug, said idol called out her catch phrase. But as Levi turned to his human friend, he saw how Clover was turned to the person on the other side.

It appeared the stranger next to her had asked her for a hug, and, awkward but nice as she was, Clover couldn't reject the request.

It broke her heart into pieces as she quickly turned the other way around afterwards, checking on Levi and seeing his disappointed expression.

"Don't worry sweetie, you'll get a hug too!!" She called out and wrapped her arms around him with almost too much force.

"I've been planning to give you a biiig hug since we started practising the call and responses...!"

Gosh, I really want to fangirl about these amazing idols for longer, but I will not torture you with that.

But there is one last event I have to address.

About in the middle of the live show, the girls were dressed in the outfits for a very special song.

A song they have been avoiding to perform after a member broke into tears in the middle of the performance.

Still, there she was, Rikyako, next to a piano once again.

And let me tell you, the crowd was going WILD. Levi and Clover were by far not the only one's in awe over how on the big screens, you could see how Rikyako was giving her fellow members a confident nod.

Then she started playing while the others were beginning to sing the song "Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare".

Clover was already in tears at this point, proud to see Rikyako was about to conquer this piano piece once more.

Then, however, Rikyako suddenly stood up, but the music was continuing to play a soft piano medley.

Visibly at the edge of tears, too, the pianist made her way to her friends, and by now Levi (and probably all other fans) have lost it as well.

Rikyako, as well as the other eight members, had gathered on the central stage, to then put their hands together, their eyes glistening in determination.

"Sh-she's joining the performance?!" Levi squealed.

"No way!!" Clover cried. "This is so cute oh my lord I cAN'T-!"

And they sang, the performance now officially beginning. It was a song about being connected, being there for each other. There couldn't have been a more fitting gesture to show this than bringing the pianist, once struggling, into the performance.

And while Clover listened in to their singing, to the message they conveyed...

She truly understood what had been going on the last few weeks.

"Kakegae no nai hibi o sugoshitetanda"

'I was amid days that could never be replaced'

She was down, broken, had felt miserable.

She had been trying to hide it, deal with it in her own.

But her friends had known.

And they've been by her side.

"Imasara wakatta hitori janai."

'I finally realized I'm not alone'

Even when she had somewhat pushed them away, they where there.

Somehow it occurred to her only now that their small gestures, everything up to the invitation to this live show,

They haven't been coincidences,

But were doing this explicitly to cheer her up.

Clover turned her head to look at Leviathan.

"Kakegae no nai hibi o tsumi kasanete"

'Those irreplaceable days continued on'

And to her surprise, Levi had been looking at her, too.

When their eyes met, he smiled.

A small smile, but warm and gentle.

So, with hot tears rolling down her cheeks,

Clover smiled back.

"Imasara wakatta..."

'I finally realized...'

The girls on stage grabbed each others hand, And so did Levi bashfully move his hand to link his pinky finger with Clover's.

They exchanged a tiny nod.

"... hitori janai!"

'... I'm not alone!'

And went to cheer their hearts out for the rest of the live show, too. Connected by the hands they did not part until the end.

Late in the evening, the oldest brother Lucifer was waiting at the portal to the human world to welcome the two back.

While Levi was looking fine, he was shocked to see Clover with swollen red eyes, tired as if having run a marathon just now.

"Are you alright?" Lucifer raised an eyebrow, mustering the girl.

Having only like five percent left of her voice, Clover assured him that she was more than fine.

"I cried so much" she laughed in a hoarse voice. "It was amazing."

"You really cried SO much more than I did lol"

The avatar of Pride didn't quite understand the connection between "crying lots" and this being "amazing", but he saw how truly satisfied both of them were, so a content smile spread on his lips as well.

"Then let us head home" Lucifer said. "It appears both of you could use a good night's sleep."

At the house of Lamentation, Levi had checked his D.D.D., and something must have prompted him to hurry back home as he had left the two to walk alone for a bit.

Clover took this opportunity to address the oldest brother in this quieter moment.

"Lucifer? Thank you for letting us go to the human world today. It means a lot to me."

Eyeing her sparkling expression, Lucifer couldn't but let out a happy exhale.

"I am glad your spirits have lifted. I was displeased to see you in this saddened state, but it seems like my brothers took great care of you."

Clover smiled, watching how Levi was urging to open the mansion's door.

"They really did."

The smile seemed to be contagious, as soon, Lucifer wore it too.

"However, you should thank Levi thrice as much. You don't want to know what measures he took to convince me to let you two go out today."

The girl's eyes widened, glistening with gratitude.

"Yes, I will."

And so she dashed after the avatar of Envy.

She reached him in the entrance hall, where he was arguing with Mammon over whatever.

As soon as this had been resolved, Clover dashed into Levi to hug him yet another time.

"E-eh?! Seriously, Clover, y-you can't just hug people whenever you like-"

"Thank you, Levi" she interrupted him in a gentle tone. "I'll never forget this."

Blushing, Levi returned the embrace.

"It wasn't much, really..." He mumbled bashfully.

But Clover shook her head.

"No, I mean it." She mumbled into his clothing.

"I'll never forget your kindness."

And with that, she pulled back...

But placed a sweet, little kiss of gratitude on his cheek before quickly making her leave.

"Good night, Levia-tan!"

Holding the place where her lips had touched him, the demon looked after her.

"Good... night..." he mumbled in a baffled response.

But ultimately, he smiled, knowing that he, the anti-social, shut-in Otaku, had not only managed to cheer someone up,

but also felt how he had grown closer to a person very dear to him.

----------------

Here's a link to the song's performance in case anyone wants to watch the one for 'Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare' (and there are a bunch more of Aqours, go support them they're precious 🥺)

[chilling-seavey]

Anything But Mine (d.s.) - Chapter Eight

A/N Daniel isn’t really in the next few chapters but be patient...each interaction between smaller characters play important roles into the plot ;)

Saturday, October 12th, 2019

October 12th couldn't come soon enough. It was the day Callum was flying in for a visit. The twins hadn't spoken in weeks and Florence missed her brother terribly. When he said he was flying into the city, he told her he was bringing someone with him. Filled with curiosity, Florence was almost bouncing off the walls. She spent that morning preparing the apartment nicely and even dressed up a little. Since the place was so small, Callum would be staying at a hotel across the street, but she still wanted him to think she had it all together. Plus, she had to impress his guest. Whoever it was.

Sometime between mid to late-afternoon, there was a knock at the door. Clementine was sitting on the living room floor in her pink dress and looked towards the door at the noise. Florence ran down the hallway and opened the door hurriedly, taking her brother into her arms the second she saw him. Callum wrapped his arms around her back and picked her up off the floor a little.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Florence squealed, separating from him after a moment, her hands on his arms. She only then noticed the boy slightly behind Callum. He had deep natural brown hair, streaked with blonde that was set in a coiffed style away from his face. When his eyes met hers, she was startled by the vibrant blue that stared back at her. His full lips broke into a charismatic smile and he rested his arm on Callum's shoulder.

"Flora, this is Ivan. My boyfriend." Callum said slowly, as if he was nervous to hear her response.

Florence's eyes widened. After dating and being heartbroken by Aidan, she never expected Callum to want to go down that path again, but she was so happy he was comfortable enough – even in LA with their parents – to be true to himself.

"Lovely to meet you." Florence beamed.

"You as well." Ivan smiled, a hint of some European accent braided in his voice.

"Well, come on in." Florence gestured them farther into the apartment. Clementine was crawling down the hallway and Florence went to pick her up but Callum swooped in and picked her up himself.

"My sweet niece." Callum beamed, pressing kisses to her chubby cheek. "I missed you!"

"She's beautiful." Ivan smiled, reaching a finger out to tickle her stomach. Clementine shrieked with laughter, curling into Callum.

"Isn't she?" Callum held her securely.

"How was the flight?" Florence asked, sitting on the couch.

"It was fine." Callum shrugged, placing Clementine on the living room rug and kneeled down with her. "How are you holding up? I'm sorry I couldn't come back earlier."

"Yeah." Florence looked down at her hands in her lap. "It was really hard for the first few days – weeks even."

She caught Ivan's concerned gaze from the floor, Clementine holding onto his index finger and trying to put it in her mouth. "My boyfriend left me." Florence explained quickly.

"Oh no, I'm sorry." Ivan frowned.

"He was a-" Callum covered Clementine's ears, "fucking asshole anyway."

When he removed his hands Clementine giggled, still holding onto Ivan's finger. Florence chuckled lightly at Callum's bluntness.

"But I've been fine now. Grayson has been around a lot. He's really amazing and Clementine really likes him." Florence felt herself smiling again at only the thought of him.

"Ah, yes, the infamous boy. Nay, man." Callum teased.

"Callum George!" Florence gasped, cheeks flaring red. Ivan laughed.

"I haven't even met the guy and I know he's better than Matt." Callum shrugged. "So go on about him all you want. Besides, I like knowing someone out here is making you happy."

"I like knowing someone out there is making you happy." Florence winked. It was Callum's turn to blush as Ivan beamed, looking between the twins. Florence watched as her twin brother stared at his boy with nothing but admiration in his eyes and it made her smile. She truly was glad that Callum had found someone genuine to keep him busy, as he lived so far away in the world of luxury and their ridiculous parents, without his twin sister to keep him sane. Florence and Callum continued talking about their past months. When Clementine finally let go of his finger, Ivan reached across the rug to grab the colourful plastic rings, setting them in front of the nine-month-old. She wasn't interested in that as she had seen a glint of his silver necklace under his hoodie. Clementine climbed onto his lap. Florence looked over at her daughter just as she took two fistfuls of Ivan's sweater and pulled herself to her feet on her own, standing between his crossed legs.

"Oh my God!" Florence gasped.

"What?!" Callum and Ivan both jumped.

"She's never done that before!" Florence clasped her hands to her mouth. "She did that all on her own?!" she asked Ivan.

"Yeah. I wasn't even touching her." Ivan smiled, now holding her up gently by the waist. Clementine reached for his necklace with her tiny thumb and forefinger.

"Oh my God, I'm gonna cry." Florence whimpered, getting up from the couch and scooping up her daughter.

"My niece is so smart." Callum boasted, leaning back with his hands on the floor behind him. Clementine whined, reaching for Ivan again.

"I'm popular with the young crowd." Ivan smirked. Florence set her back on her feet and she fell back into Ivan's arms. Callum shuffled over and tickled her sides, making the baby laugh loudly.

"What time are we going out for dinner?" Florence asked, joining them on the rug.

"We told my brother that we'd meet at the restaurant for 6." Ivan said, still holding the baby as she played with his hoodie strings.

"Your brother?" Florence looked towards Callum.

"Yeah. He lives in the city, so Ivan hasn't seen him in a while either. We figured we'd all go out together. If that's okay with you." Callum said.

"Yes, of course. That's fine." Florence nodded. She took out her phone and checked the time; 4:56. "I should get the baby ready to go."

"I'll help." Callum offered, grabbing the baby from Ivan and standing up. The DiCaprio twins headed to the nursery and Ivan excused himself to the bathroom.

Once alone, Callum jumped on the opportunity to ask his sister what she thought of his partner.

"He seems really amazing, Cal." Florence answered honestly. Callum had Clementine on the change table, getting her freshened up before their dinner.

"Really?" Callum asked nervously.

Florence set her hand on her brother's shoulder, "Really. I'm so proud of you."

"Proud of me?" Callum frowned. "Why?"

"After all the stuff with Aidan I wasn't sure how you'd move on from that."

At the sound of his name, Callum tensed a little.

Florence continued, "But you're really finding yourself and feeling comfortable enough to go out and find someone who you like and who likes you and who treats you right. I want you to be happy."

Callum smiled at her, "Thank you."

"How are you holding up with mother and father?" Florence passed him the dress and he started getting the baby into it.

"I'm at school a lot and I stay late as often as I can. And I'm at Ivan's as much as I can too. They don't know about him of course." Callum explained.

"Do his parents?"

"They do. I haven't met them though. They live in Spain."

"That's the accent." Florence snapped her fingers. "I knew I recognized it."

Callum laughed, "You should have. Our childhood piano teacher had the thickest Spanish accent."

"Oh my God, I totally forgot about that!" Florence snickered at the memory, shaking her head. Callum picked up Clementine, setting her on his hip.

"And I'm expecting to meet Grayson at some point this week too." Callum winked.

"We aren't even dating." Florence mumbled.

"Yet." Callum patted her cheek on his way to the door.

Ivan was sitting in the living room again when they left the nursery. Right away, the boys started getting their shoes on. Florence worked on gathering the diaper bag, Clementine's food, and the stroller before getting herself into her shoes. Callum buckled Clementine in her stroller and they all headed out.

It was only a five-minute walk to the restaurant. It was a sunny evening and the sun was only just starting to dip behind the skyscrapers of downtown Toronto. Callum and Ivan walked ahead of Florence, hand in hand. It made her smile. It felt so good to see her brother happy.

The restaurant was eccentric; mosaic stained glass and antique objects placed around the dining room. It was a staple Toronto restaurant – Callum said he had suggested it as Ivan had never been before. Callum had made the reservation, so he checked them in at the host stand. Clementine peered around the bustling area with wide eyes from her stroller, so many random antique objects for the baby to admire. Ivan seemed to be doing the same.

"Someone from your party is already here. Right this way." The hostess led them through the tightly packed restaurant, under the skylight that was shaded by fake ivy strands that were laced throughout the ceiling. As they approached their table, Ivan ran ahead to meet the boy that had jumped up from his chair.

"That's my boy!" they both screamed youthfully, embracing each other tightly. They quickly greeted each other in Spanish before they turned to Callum and Florence. 

Florence was surprised to see Ivan's carbon copy standing next to him. She had never seen twins who looked so identical. Grayson and his brother were identical but somehow looked nothing alike. This was almost overwhelming. Even still, Ivan's twin brother had softly styled hair – less dramatic than Ivan's intense coif – and rounder cheeks, but still the same blonde highlights and cheeky grin.

"Emilio, this is Callum. I've told you about him. And that's his twin sister Florence and her daughter Clementine." Ivan introduced, one arm around his brother's shoulders.

"Hey." Emilio smiled, going up on his tip-toes a bit to see into the stroller. Clementine stared right back at him, her fingers in her mouth.

The group sat down at their table, one set of twins on either side. Callum was across from Ivan and almost right away their hands were together on top of the table. Clementine was in a high chair at the head of the table.

"How old is she?" Emilio asked.

"Nine months." Florence responded, velcroing the bib around her daughter's neck.

"She's beautiful."

"Thanks." Florence blushed a little, never knowing what to say when people said that to her. Clementine took the green plastic spoon from the table and stuck it in her mouth. Emilio smiled at her, making the baby shriek with laughter.

"You're so loud, Clemmy." Florence chuckled, opening the baby food jar before peeling the spoon from her daughter's tight grip. She gave the puree a quick stir before offering a scoop to the baby. Florence peeked over at Emilio who had his menu open but was still making faces at the baby.

“So what are you doing here in the city while your brother is in LA?" Florence asked him.

"I'm a student at University of Toronto." Emilio said, finally looking towards her. She couldn't help but admire his ocean blue eyes. They contrasted his dark hair beautifully. "I'm majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish Studies."

"That's cool. Psychology always interested me in high school." Florence tried to clean up Clementine's mouth with the edge of the spoon.

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet." Emilio nodded. “Ivan and I first went to LA together but it wasn’t really my vibe. Plus UofT had some good reviews so I figured I’d give it a go. My brother wanted to stay in LA for modelling.”

“You look like more of the modelling type than him.” Florence blurted out.

“Oh really?” Emilio snorted.

“Just saying.” Florence played it off cooly, quickly feeding Clementine another spoonful.

“What do you do out here?” Emilio asked her.

Florence hesitated, "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I mean, I don't go to school and I don't have a job. So, nothing.”

"Oh."

"I don't have anyone to take care of Clementine so I stay at home with her. Callum helps me pay for the apartment and I have a couple friends here that help out when I need it too."

"Do you want to go to school?"

"Yeah. I was going to go to university for architecture."

"Now that's cool."

Florence couldn't help but laugh.

“If you guys are done flirting, we’re about to order.” Ivan called.

“We weren’t flirting!” Florence gaped.

“Your blushing says otherwise.” Ivan smirked playfully.

“Oh, leave her alone, babe.” Callum laughed. Emilio hid his pink cheeks behind his menu. Florence bit her lip, scraping the bottom of the jar before giving Clementine the last bite.

The waiter came over and they placed their orders; Florence having to scan the menu quickly as she had been preoccupied with the baby. Once the waiter left, Florence passed her a plastic set of keys to play with.

“So, Florence,” Ivan started, “tell me some savage stories of Callum as a kid.”

“Savage?” Florence laughed. “I don’t know about that. Savage wasn’t quite our lifestyle.”

“Disappointing.” Emilio tisked.

“Tell us about it.” Callum rolled his eyes.

“Well,” Florence thought for a moment, “our parents were really strict so honestly there’s nothing very good. But in the last year of high school, Callum and I threw a massive party while they were out of town.”

“How was that?” Ivan prodded.

“Someone almost broke our father’s prized award, our parents came home early and busted us, and Florence got knocked up.” Callum answered for her. Ivan and Emilio laughed loudly.

“Callum George.” Florence said through her teeth. She then retaliated with, “Callum punched a guy in the face within the first couple weeks of moving here.”

“Now that’s pretty savage.” Emilio nodded.

“He was harassing...” Callum stopped mid sentence, his gaze falling to the table.

“One of our friends.” Florence continued for him, taking his hand in hers under the table. “So he deserved it.”

“That’s pretty savage and all but no one can beat Emilio’s roof jump three years ago.” Ivan boasted.

“Roof jump?!” Florence gaped at the boy across the table from her.

“He almost broke his back!” Ivan added.

“Okay, it wasn’t that bad.” Emilio scoffed. “I jumped from the roof of our LA house we were staying at into the pool. Just couldn’t walk for a few days. No big deal.”

“Holy shit.” Florence breathed. “You definitely beat our story.”

“And that was only one.” Emilio chuckled. Clementine threw the keys on the table and he picked them up for her.

“We always got into trouble.” Ivan finished.

“Never us. We were forbidden.” Callum said.

“I can tell just by the way you talk about your parents.” Ivan replied softly. He then directed to Florence, “We were raised in a poor family just outside Barcelona so we could run around and do anything really.”

“And now you’re living in LA and Toronto and are successful.” Florence said.

“Yep.” Emilio smiled. He and his brother high fived. Dinner arrived to their table a few minutes later and they all ate in silence for a bit. Clementine started getting fussy so Florence picked her up out of the high chair and sat her on her lap, bouncing her on her knee a bit to keep her entertained. Even still, Clementine shifted uncomfortably, whining on the verge of tears.

“Here, I’ll take her for a walk.” Callum offered, setting his napkin on the table and pulling the baby to him.

"No, Cal, you have to eat." Florence protested lightly.

"It’s alright. I can eat later. I missed my girl." Callum got up from the table, Clementine calming down quickly in his arms. "We’re gonna go look at the pretty things?" he cooed to her.

"I'm coming too!" Ivan jumped up and they walked off together. Florence smiled lightly and looked back to Emilio. He had pasta sauce over his face like Clementine did. They made eye contact and he froze guiltily for a second before they laughed and he grabbed his napkin. They fell into a momentary silence.

"How is it for you, living so far away from your brother?" Florence asked.

"It's really hard." Emilio admitted, absentmindedly stirring the pasta around his plate with his fork. "I can't sleep sometimes even. It's ridiculous honestly, we've been living on our own about a year now and it's still no easier than the first day."

"I feel the same way." Florence agreed. "I have some friends out here. But Callum was always my go-to and my best friend."

"I have a few friends here I guess but I rarely ever see them. We're not close. Everyone else is in Spain."

"Can you believe that the only 'friends' I have out here are Callum's ex-boyfriend's family and his friends?" Florence snorted.

"That's rough." Emilio chuckled.

“Apart from one but...yeah...it’s a little weird.”

Emilio simply smiled at her. 

"We should stay in touch." Florence said. "When we miss our brothers we can cry and watch movies together."

"I like that idea." Emilio agreed. He took out his phone and passed it across the table to her. Florence typed in her number and handed it back to him just as the rest of their group returned.

"Mama!" Clementine squealed, reaching to her from Callum's arms.

"I don't know how you do it." Florence said to her brother as she took her daughter from him. Clementine was sat on her lap and reached onto the table. Florence pushed anything potentially dangerous out of reach, tuning into the conversation that was arising once again.

They finished on a good note, dessert shared amongst the four – Clementine even had a bite – and soon it was time to leave. Ivan hugged his brother goodbye; they would be seeing each other the following day for some much needed quality time. Emilio hugged Callum and Florence goodbye too. Florence could have sworn hers lingered a bit longer than necessary but she wasn't complaining. Callum and Ivan parted ways to their hotel and Florence was left to go home alone again. Clementine was fast asleep by then and she was tucked into bed minutes later.

When Florence finally returned to her bedroom for the night, her phone was flashing from her bedside table. She walked over and sat on the side of her bed as she opened the text message.

It was really nice meeting you tonight. I can't wait to see you again.

[jack-andthestalk]

Our Son, Arc II, Unreachable Chapter 13.

With thanks to @balfeheughlywed she has the patience of a saint. @notevenjokingfic for allowing me to test her patience and @ladyviolethummingbird for explaining her confusion. These gals rock. I want to thank @missclairebelle because she helped me plot some of what is about to unfold here at the very beginning of this Arc. Thank you to you all for continuing to read, love the anons, still haven't got through them all. The reaction this story creates blows me away. 

Jamie's monosyllabic voice recording answered. "Hi, this is Jamie, leave a message after the beep.”

Plummeting my heart into my shoes. Again. 

 Where are you?

  ____

Willie wriggled impatiently within my grasp bringing my attention back to him.

“dinna hold my hand mama! We’re past the gate.” He rolled his eyes dramatically, cheeks burning the same crimson Jamie’s did when he was embarrassed.

 With one final tug, he broke free and ran up the school path. "What about my kiss?" I shouted after him, prodding myself in the cheek and pouting my lips slightly. Willie rolled his eyes for a second time but dutifully ran back and kissed me quickly.

“See ye later mama” he bellowed as he pushed the school door open and let it bang noisily behind him. I tutted in my mind as I saw him drag his bag haphazardly behind him down the glass corridor.

 Glancing back down at my phone I willed it to ring. It had been three days since the book arrived and after foolishly waiting until the next day to contact Jamie for fear I would draw attention to him.  I tried his number with all attempts to reach him falling flat.   My chest felt bruised from the hard thrum of my heart against it, persistent and unusually fast. It was so unlike him.

 Since our return to Boston, Jamie had phoned religiously. I had only taken his call on the first occasion and passed the phone to Willie for all the others.

 I walked quickly back to the house, I still had a few hours before my shift at the hospital.

 My mind raced with possibilities of why he had turned his phone off, what had caused him to stop ringing Willie? No matter what had happened since our return to Scotland Jamie had rung consistently. A guilty feeling tugged at my insides. Maybe if I had taken his calls, instead of fobbing the phone on to Willie, I might have some idea where he was, what was happening. I should have trusted him. The other part of my brain tried to comfort me, you couldn’t have known, he didn’t tell you.

 I hadn't planned on ignoring him as I had; the first call once we returned had thrown me. I expected something totally different from him, needed it. Instead, he had turned everything on its head and left me reeling.  

 The idea of Jamie with Geneva was hurtful; beyond hurtful given what she had conspired to do to our family but even after Dougal confirmed it. Something inside of me kept a glimmer of hope, or maybe something more akin to trust that Jamie wouldn't do that. He was honorable, not just with me, with his family, his friends. Apart from getting with me at Jenny’s wedding, he had never appeared to be a man that would cheat and to cheat so blatantly.

 Even then he had ended things with Laoghaire before we slept together. It was no excuse, but there was a pull between us, a pull so strong I would have done the same in his shoes had our roles been reversed, no man would keep me from Jamie, and a voice inside my head was telling me that no woman would keep me from him.

 So when he phoned on our first evening back in Boston, I had imagined for him to have a reason, an excuse. I hadn’t predicted the vagueness on the other end of the phone. There was no doubt about his nerves, his voice was clearly shaking, but he lacked any words to tell me what the hell was happening there, never mind what was happening with Geneva Dunsany.  

 The tremor in his voice should have told me he wanted to say more than he did, but I was so angry, so much had happened in forty-eight hours. I didn’t hear what I should have.

 “Ye went back early”, he had said cautiously.

 It hadn’t been what I was expecting. My mouth incapable of speech had hung agape as  I stood in my kitchen, clenching the hem of my sweater with such vigour I thought it might rip.

 He took my silence for what it was and began to speak again.

 “Jenny told me.”

 I presumed he meant Jenny had told him I had gone back to Boston early.

 He cleared his throat and hesitantly, all most painfully said “Claire –”

 I had waited, holding out for something, words of comfort anything that would ease the ache in my chest at what I had been led to believe about him and Geneva.

 Jenny had told him, he knew what I believed or was led to, he knew the pain and humiliation I had felt since she had answered his phone and laughed seductively, before telling me that Jamie couldn’t come to the phone.

 If she could have conjured up an image and hurled it down the line to me that night it would have been her curled around his hips, holding his phone in the air while she threw her head back and laughed at my stupidity.

 I had gone to bed that night in a mixture of alcohol, rage and broken-hearted tears. In the morning I had stilled my mind and my heart and told myself that Geneva Dunsany was capable of these types of games and so much more, promising myself that Jamie would have an explanation.

 Jenny had arrived with coffee and pancakes from Ellen, and reassured me as only she could that Geneva was a desperate slapper and “Jamie wouldna risk the clap to lie with her.”

 I snorted into my coffee, my heart slowly unwinding to its normal rhythm when she took my hand and said: "honestly Claire, Jamie is too in love with ye to want another woman, its nay true and he will tell ye."

 Later on, showered and ready for the day I was wrestling with Willie to dress him when Dougal Mc Kenzie had knocked on my door. “A word lass?” was all he had said before barging past me.

 Shooting me his most sympathetic smile and telling me clearly and without preamble that Geneva had phoned him to tell him of my late night call.

 “How truly sorry she was that ye should find out in such a way. She and Jamie would never want to hurt ye.”

 Shoulders straight and head held high. I had merely asked him to leave before emptying the contents of my stomach down the toilet.

  Twenty-four hours later and back in the safety of my galley kitchen in Boston, Jamie’s name flashing on my screen with the same urgency that would draw me to answer it without hesitation, without a conscious thought but the need to hear him tell me it wasn’t true. I wanted to curl into the shelter of his shoulder and have him tell me there was no one but me, that Geneva Dunsany had robbed his phone and Dougal Mc Kenzie had not spoken an honest word in all his life. It hadn’t gone down like that.

 “Claire I – “

 Please make it better.

 “Remember what I asked ye?”

 Was he serious? That just on a whim, on a promise I had made before I heard directly he was sleeping with someone else. He wanted me to honour my promises?

 When he had asked that, I thought he meant trust him not to get arrested, trust him to come back, trust him to love me. God, I didn't think he was asking me to fucking trust him to insanity.

 “Can – you – explain? I had hissed out between gritted teeth.

 A pause that went on too long, because if he could explain this nightmare, he shouldn't need time.

 I heard him take a large intake of breath, and something like a sniff, maybe a sob. I didn't move didn't flinch. Waited with bated breath to hear what he had to say.

 His words were choked with emotion; I didn’t need to see his face to know it was buried into his palm.

 “I – love – you.” He had all but whispered, slow and precise, for a minute I had taken it as a balm before I realised that wasn’t what I asked.

 I had asked him to explain, and he couldn’t. Wouldn’t.

 Loving me wasn’t the issue, had he fucked her?  Could he tell me what the hell was happening?

 “I need more than that Jamie.” My tone did not broker argument; he knew he had one chance before I was gone from this conversation.

 "Right now - I canna say anything other than that Claire." Each word punctuated angrily, and his breath was brimming with frustration.

 I had said nothing other than “I will put Willie on; I have nothing more to say.”

 ____

 That had been seven weeks ago, I refused each and every one of his calls, handing the phone to our son. Willie blurting out the highlights of his day, ranging from “and then Johnny said let’s put a straw in the milk – " to "I dinna like Julie sitting beside me Da, she smells like flowers it makes me sneeze." I had no idea what Jamie advised on his end, and I tried to walk into another room. This way it would be easier. Each evening Willie returned the phone with the same message. "Da says he loves ye.”

 Up until the book arriving I would grind my teeth or clench my fingernails into my palm to stop myself retorting "tell your father I said to fuck right off." I never would but the fear of it blurting out of my hot-tempered mouth was a risk I had to prepare for.

 Now I would give anything to have him ring, wanting to know he was ok, that I believed him, that I loved him too.

  After dropping Willie to school and safely ensconced inside my living room I was desperate for any information I could find on Hellwater, anything that might fill in the gaps of what Jamie was doing. Sitting bow legged on my living room floor, laptop cradled precariously between my legs, I typed in Hellwater and almost held my breath as I waited on the page to populate with search results.

Nothing glaringly criminal jumped out at me, Hellwater’s official webpage, media articles discussing the estate and its history, and various Olympic games news reports that mentioned Hellwater for training and breeding of horses. I knew from Jenny that some of these high bred horses had originated from Jamie and was the main reason why William Dunsany had been so taken with Jamie.

Below all these articles was one solely focused on Lord William Dunsany himself, again nothing stood out as new information, he had inherited his title, the Dunsany family had held Hellwater estate for generations, and in the past ten years, they had won numerous awards for being the most accomplished equestrian centre in Europe.

Under personal history it listed William Dunsany as married with three children. I knew of only two daughters. Gordon. One son? I hadn’t heard of him. I opened a second tab and typed in the name. The first link that popped up on my screen was an article detailing the death of Gordon Dunsany almost six years ago. The only son of Lord and Lady Ellesmere, died tragically while abroad in Panama. Very little else apart from listing his previous employment as financial controller of Hellwater estates. So Geneva had taken over from her brother?

Typing Geneva's name into the browser was much less satisfying, and certainly no mention of her untimely demise. Instead, it showed a few images of her pictured at some D list royal events, a few polo matches and more recently at a charity gala in aid of injured jockeys.

I noted the date was the same night Dougal Mc Kenzie had come for dinner and subsequently the night I went on to hear her high pitched giggle on Jamie's phone. I searched up all images of the charity gala, but Jamie was either not photographed or didn't attend. He certainly had no word of attending a fundraiser, but he had said so little about what he was doing in Hellwater, him not mentioning it wasn't significant.

The second article in a financial publication mentioned Geneva taking on the position of financial controller at Hellwater; it was dated one year after her brother died. Listing her educational background which all seemed to be science-based. If the article was accurate, she had very little accounting or financial training.

A weird sense of sadness passed over me at the tragedy which had befallen the Dunsany's, leading to Geneva having to leave everything she had pursued to fill her dead brother's shoes. My mind stretched to wonder how a family who had been through such heartache could be so underhanded in their dealings with Jamie, knowing it separated him from his family.

I was just about to close the article down when I noticed a third link detailing the recent upsurgence in Hellwater business ranking. It also consisted of a paragraph with information on the new state of the art, equestrian centre that would commence construction this year with a budget of over 10 million sterling at its disposal.

A sprig of jealousy tightened over my heart as it occurred to me that I had wholly underestimated Geneva Dunsany in terms of her ability within her job and also in her want of Jamie.

My phone vibrated on the floor beside me, and I almost keeled over in my haste to answer it. My heart sank when I saw Jenny’s name flash up on my screen.

"Hi, Jen," I said feigning brightness. I knew how worried the Frasers had been about Jamie, I couldn’t even attempt or want to tell them what I had discovered in the past three days. Brian would be back in ICU and Jamie would never forgive himself.

“Claire – “

She sounded like she had been running. “Are you alright Jenny, what’s wrong?”

“Oh my god” –  she said more urgently than I had ever heard her speak – “ have ye seen any UK news?"

I scrunched my nose up in confusion before she all but shouted.

 “Turn on yer UK news!" I hastily scrambled across the floor to my TV, fingers slipping as I tried to think of a channel that had good coverage of British news reports, settling on BBC news and waiting for the screen to adjust.

My eyes blinked, once and then again as I made sure it was Hellwater grounds I was staring at. Two uniformed officers standing guard outside the main gates, one talking casually into their radio transceiver.

A red banner at the bottom of the screen read. Lord William Dunsany and his daughter Geneva Dunsany have been arrested in an early dawn raid at their Hellwater estate, this morning.

A bead of sweat ran down my neck as I waited for the news banner to update.

Lord Dunsany and his daughter have been charged under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and were under investigation by HM Revenue and Customs Police and Criminal Evidence team.

Suddenly the picture above the banner changed, and Geneva Dunsany appeared on the screen handcuffed and been led from her home by several plain closed policemen.Her father following closely behind her.

Her head bowed to hide her face as she was guided through a maze of photographers and television crews.

A report stood in front of the Hellwater estate, holding a finger to her ear in anticipation of a question from the news-desk. Her British accent was bright and chirpy as she detailed the little information that could be released at this time.

The arrest is said to be in connection with one of the largest tax fraud cases the HMRC has investigated in recent years. Both intrusive surveillance and property surveillance had been practiced under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, and it is believed the Dunsany’s have been under investigation by the HMRC for some time. The Dunsany family have declined to comment at this stage.

My legs gave way, and I fell back awkwardly against the couch. I could still hear Jenny's voice asking if I was there from the phone on the floor.

[businessboostertoday]

In Asia Business is about people

Highlights from living and working in Asia and why business is about people

One of the highlights of my working life has been when I had the opportunity to work in Asia for a year. Why? It all started on a regular working day when the head of my company in Boston called me into a meeting room together with the head of international business relations if the firm. I wondered what this meeting will be about. Right then and there was when my life would change 180 degrees around. I had worked hard over the past 4 years and showed the nay-sayers that I can do the job even though at that time I did not have an accounting degree. But that did not stop me.

I worked even harder to learn, took upon another master degree studies to boost my accounting and auditing knowledge but most importantly, I learned and did my best to grow the client relationships and audit fees, and I spoke up at times when others would not dare to do so. “Why?” Because I wanted things at my company to become better and knew that change can be a good thing. Consequently, I was offered to go on a working assignment to Asia as one of the highest performing employees in the Boston office. And I was the first woman at that time 10 years ago.

Inner gut feeling

That was truly a WOW moment and I gladly accepted. “It was that inner gut feeling inside of me that told me if you are offered an opportunity to move out of your comfort zone that could broaden your horizon even further, then do it. I knew that if one door opens, another one would open.” Having grown up in Germany and moving to the US was already a first step outside my comfort zone, but I was never afraid to do it, and it was one of the few decisions of my life that pushed me to grow. My curiosity about people, culture and business was stronger than my fear. And because of my drive and goals to get a job in the US as an international student, I landed one and became a CPA with one of the top 8 accounting firms of the country.

Only a few years after putting my feet on the American soil did I get the best offer of my life: Working and living in Hong Kong.

A few months later after sorting out visa issues, lots of paperwork, and planning, I arrived in Hong Kong airport. I remember it was August, hot, and me with only two suitcases that barely fit into my hotel room. In Hong Kong I have experienced the smallest of all hotel rooms in my life and the biggest amount of taxis. Hong Kong is a very hilly city on an island and cars are tremendously expensive to own, so everybody either uses the bus or subway to get to work or walks or takes a cab. Cheapest and fastest way to get around hilly Hong Kong island is by cab.

First work assignment

My first work assignment stop after only a week in the Hong Kong office was China, and for that I needed again a visa. I was fortunate to meet some fellow American co-workers in the office who helped me not only get my visa for China but an accommodation within 2 weeks’ time. Real estate agents are clustered on every street in Hong Kong and expatriate life on Hong Kong island is attractive. How do you manage and go about working in China? Not without a team of Cantonese and Mandarin speaking co-workers. Why? Because rural China is where we would go.

To a factory in the middle of the country where nobody speaks English and you have to rely on your co-workers to be able to communicate. Turns out that our Hong Kong staff was not as strong of speaking the Mandarin or let alone some of the other Chinese dialects people speak in Guangdong province, and that is when we needed support from our China office of Mandarin speaking business people. Auditing a Chinese company was a true challenge. Why? Because the situation tested my patience of working in China.

Getting a few important questions answered by a factory worker on their internal control system took over 1 hour-with 2 translators: from my English language into Cantonese and from Cantonese into Mandarin to ask a question and the same back to get the answer; but as an auditor in business I knew I had to ask a question slightly different to make sure that the factory worker understood my question properly and to ensure that the answer made sense. Patience is the one thing I learned during these 6 weeks on this project in China. What else made working in China a big Wow moment? It was the people of our Chinese office.

Most driven, loyal and diligent and hard-working people

The Chinese people were the most driven, loyal and diligent and hard-working people I have ever met throughout my working career. They never complained or hesitated to do any type of work- even photocopies- when it was required to get the job done. They wanted to learn, and they wanted to learn from me. I remember one of the audit partners of the Chinese office came to me and asked me to teach her American Accounting principles so she can better understand and audit.

Really good at learning rules

I was amazed because this was an accomplished lady and partner with tons of experience in Chinese Accounting , but little did she know about American accounting rules. What I admired about her is that she was not afraid to ask for help and admitted when she did not know something. The Chinese curiosity to learn and improve themselves at work was extraordinary. One thing I notices is that they were really good at learning rules, but what they had a hard time with is thinking outside the box, so I had to teach them what that first of all means. “In accounting, rules are important, but when it comes to understanding a company, their strategy and the vision, one can not only go by rules but by applying strategic thinking to come up with different valuable solutions to a problem.”

Communication

Business happens in China when you go out with the CEO or CFO of a company for a nice lunch or dinner. Communication and making foreigners like myself welcome is rule number one. Therefore, as a business person coming from the West, you have to understand that building relationships and doing business in China and Asia is key.

People need to get to know you so they can trust you, and patience is important. As a business person, I was highly respected when coming to rural China to do business with them, because they knew and understood my expertise of American accounting standards which they lacked. If you can demonstrate to them such expertise and knowledge they respect you not only as a person but as a savvy business person. Aside form auditing one of the biggest Casinos in Asia, I found that Hong Kong in particular is a very fast paced and fast moving city. The government encourages people to invest not only in stocks and bonds but especially in real estate.

Encouraged and rewarded by the government

Young people stay with their parents and at home until they have saved up and worked hard so they can afford to buy an apartment. Real estate is expensive in Hong Kong, but again, investing in real estate is encouraged and rewarded by the government with attractive loans and tax incentives too. The other interesting observations I have made when living in Hong Kong is that it is an energetic and vibrant city with businesses being set up fast and entrepreneurial ideas being implemented at high speed.

The most important part is that business is done again with people you trust and the connections you have. While working in Hong Kong, China and Singapore, I noted that people do work long hours but that does not necessarily mean they work efficiently. People take 2-hour lunches to meet with potential business leads, or just take time to foster the team experience when on a project together.

Dinner is equally important to get together and talk about business and to socialize, so a working day is a long day, but it is filled with building relationships and social gatherings as well. Being German I have learned that you work hard but also play hard, and Germans like excellence when it comes to efficiency. At work, you have to deal with people, same like in life, the only difference in Hong Kong was that at work people value friendship more whereas in Germany, people differentiate and consider work to be work, and after work you meet up with friends, therefore, dividing your social life from your work life.

Go out for dinner to socialize

People at my work in the Hong Kong and China office however spend all day with their co-workers and after work even go out for dinner to socialize with them. This is partly because of the living conditions at home -being in a small apartment with a big family and no individual space. The space to enjoy is given when you go out after work where you can freely socialize. The other side is that again, your co-workers are not just co-workers but play a larger role in working life: You build relationships in your business life and that starts when you are an employee.

Those who start their own business after having worked in corporate know they can rely on the business connections and relationships they have built over the years. “What would you do if you were given opportunities in business and life to grow? To me this journey of moving from Germany to the US to Asia, and to live and work on 3 continents has set me up to become the business savvy entrepreneur that I am today.

Relationships across the globe

Building relationships across the globe and following through, coupled with my curiosity to constantly improve what I do not know has propelled me into becoming a better version of me. “ As a coach you need to understand people, as a speaker you need to connect with people, and as the co-owner of this global magazine for entrepreneurs, you have the ability to reach and impact the lives and businesses of many driven entrepreneurs whose message need to be seen and heard. The world has become my home and the people around the world close friends and business partners. So, next time you face a major business challenge, don’t hesitate to go for it, because life is way too short to be afraid of failure.

In business and life, you either grow or die, and the experiences you make and the way you make other people feel is far more important than playing it safe. “Nothing you do in business is 100% safe. It takes courage to try something new, it takes confidence to believe in yourself and it takes your action to create success!”

The post In Asia Business is about people appeared first on Business Booster Today.

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Thrive Max - Grow Muscles Bigger Than Ever Naturally!

What are the cons?

On the off chance that you have not purchased Thrive Max yet but rather in the event that you have chosen to nay it at that point hold up a minute! Do you know whether it alright for you or not and do you know whether it is detailed for you nor not! All things considered, every one of the men shouldn't utilize this recipe. There are the accompanying focuses that you should recollect in the event that you will utilize this supplement:

Keep in mind forget that the muscle building supplements are only for the grown-ups and these are not for the youngsters thus each one of those men who are more youthful than 18 years of age ought not experiment with this recipe.

Truth be told, the females shouldn't utilize it but rather it has quite recently been detailed for the men, if the females are likewise inspired by building their, uncles then they should discover some other arrangement yet not this one.

In the event that you have any significant ailment with respect to your bones or even your muscles then you should not experiment with this recipe. Actually, you should visit the specialist at that point and he would disclose to you the correct arrangement.

You are not in the least expected to over devour this supplement yet in actuality you should take the suitable amount as prescribed by the maker.

How to utilize Thrive Max?

On the off chance that you have the perplexity in regards to the best approach to utilize those supplement at that point don't stress at all since it is truly easy to utilize it. Thrive Max is really accessible as pills and thee pills can be brought with the assistance of new water. You should take these pills twice every day and one pill at one time. On the off chance that you need to utilize this item securely then you should not over devour it and you ought to watch the progressions occurring in your body uniformly. In the event that you feel that it is causing the negative effects then you should cease it and you ought to talk about the issue with the specialist. Furthermore, you are required to utilize this supplement regularly. In the event that you utilize it for a day or two and will skin it for next two days then how you will get the outcomes! Henceforth in the event that you need to get the best yield then you are required to utilize it in an appropriate way and concurring the directions given by the maker.

How to purchase Thrive Max?

You will likewise be worried to know where to purchase Thrive Max! All things considered, you can purchase this recipe from the official site of the organization as it were. Over yonder, you will be told about the well ordered process and by following that straightforward procedure, you will at long last make the request. When you will make the request, you will get the supplement in your grasp inside 3 to 4 days. Moreover, you are given diverse arrangements like on the off chance that you will arrange more packs of this supplement, you will get more rebate. Bear in mind to observe the terms and states of this Thrive Max item. Those terms and conditions are really settled to maintain a strategic distance from any debate between the organization and the clients later on. Those terms contains numerous essential things like the data about the discounts approach, the security arrangement and different other such things. You will discover the way toward requesting this muscle building process truly basic and you will get this item without looking through the business sectors.

For what reason to lean toward Thrive Max?

You would be amazed to think about the reasons for what reason to favor Thrive Max. All things considered, there is totally the common creation of this supplement and a large portion of the general population depend on this supplement since it is sheltered to utilize and it doesn't cause any reaction. Furthermore, when you contrast the consequences of this supplement and that of any pharmaceutical item, you feel that it creates enduring outcome. You would have heard that unwavering mindsets always win in the end. Those pharmaceutical items may working inside a feeble yet those outcomes are generally brief. Subsequently on the off chance that you need a perpetual change in your body and appearance then I figure you should utilize Thrive Max as it were. Another motivation behind why the vast majority of the men favor the muscle building recipe is that it is sensible. You don't need to spend your cash in utilizing any SCAM item or costly item however you should just and just purchase Thrive Max in the event that you truly need to expand the extent of your muscles. When you will have utilized one container of those supplement, you will likewise lean toward it and you will get it over and over.

Who ought not utilize it?

You should read about the directions given by the maker in detail with the goal that you become acquainted with about the class of individuals who ought not utilize this supplement. In reality, there are a few people who are having any issue in the joint or they are unusual. That is the reason they can't do the activity. Those individuals ought not utilize Thrive Max in light of the fact that it won't not utilize helpful for them. In the event that you need to utilize this items then him practice is an absolute necessity and you realize that strange individuals can't take the activity. Likewise, it is an item that is only for the men and consequently the women ought not utilize this muscle building recipe. There are a few women who additionally need to construct their muscles. They should utilize the muscle building items that are particular identified with the nature and the hormones of female bodies. In the event that you are utilizing some other muscle building recipe effectively, and, after its all said and done you ought not experiment with Thrive Max muscle building item since taking two delivers at the same time of a similar sort can be terrible for your wellbeing. Thus these are a few people who ought not utilize this muscle building recipe.

Where to get it?

In the event that you have an enthusiasm for purchasing Thrive Max then you ought to recollect that you can't go anyplace in the market. You can just request it through the site of the organization that it is running formally. When you will visit that site, you will take in more about the highlights of this item and even you will have the capacity to investigate the valuing and the markdown bargains. Henceforth you should go to that site and even you ought to speak with the organization through their client bolster on the off chance that you have any inquiry.

My own involvement with Thrive Max:

At first, when I began utilizing Thrive Max, I was very little content with t in light of the fact that for two weeks, I didn't get any outcome yet at the same time I carried on utilizing this recipe and after that I began feeling the considerable changes. I felt that my body was getting more grounded and my stamina was enhancing step by step. Prior to that, I used to feel tired soon in the rec center however after the utilization of this muscle building supplement, I didn't get tied regardless of the possibility that I performed extremely intense activities in the exercise center. I have been utilizing this supplement consistently and I feel truly new and dynamic. It is really the supplement that has fabricated my built as well as even it has made me crisp rationally and it has enhanced my emotional episodes. Constantly, I feel extremely propelled and also certain and I cheerfully go to the exercise center. In basic words, Thrive Max has made me a total and strong man. I would truly prescribe this supplement to each one of those guys who are occupied with expanding their muscle estimate.

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