You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me
1581 Words
When Garie arrived at their family’s estate, she parked her car in the huge parking garage and made her way into the house. There she was immediately welcomed by their butler Benjamin.
“Good evening, Miss Margareth welcome home.”
“Benjamin, where is Uncle Michael?” She asked.
“He is in his office Miss,” Benjamin answered.
“Okay, I still have my stuff in my car. Please send someone to pick them up and brought up to my room.“ She told him.
“Certainly miss.”
Garie smiled and patted Benjamin’s shoulder before she jogged toward her uncle’s office. When she came in front of the office, she just barged inside without knocking. Michael looked up from the document in his hands and gave his niece a deadpan look.
“You’re already an adult Margareth, when will you ever learn how to knock?” He asked.
Garie ignored him and went to occupy one of the chairs in front of her uncle’s desk.
“I need to talk to you about something.” She said.
Michael dropped the document and looked at Garie intently.
“I do too. Let me speak first.” He said and Garie nodded.
“I want you to handle this month’s new hire training department of Beauford Medica.” He told her.
Garie pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows.
“Why there? Why me? I’m not even in the medical profession. Not that I am complaining but asking.” She asked.
“As usual Beauford Medica will conduct training for the newly hired internists and surgeons. I should be supervising it but I have so much on my plate right now. You’ll just be the project head as I have someone brought here to help with the training.” Michael said.
“Okay, seems fair. Who am I going to work with?” Garie asked.
“He’s one of the youngest general surgeons in Southeast Asia, and he’s highly recommended by his hospital and every other hospital that he worked in, including those from America. I believe –“
Benjamin stopped talking when Garie held her hand up.
“Southeast Asia? Is it someone we both know? Let me guess, from Suzhou?” She asked and Benjamin smirked.
“So you know he became a doctor.”
Garie gaped at her uncle.
“Seriously? Jin Qiang? That apathetic lanky kid that likes to boss me around? I am telling you Uncle if he is anything like how he was before I might as well stick to the museum. I don’t plan to be his servant.” Garie ranted not realizing that someone else had just come into the office.
Michael internally chuckled as he looked at his niece and then towards James who stood behind Garie with his arms crossed over his chest.
“He goes by James now, and he seemed to grow up into a fine young man. And also master Zhang wanted him to be more exposed in Seekers business as he might be taking over after –“
“Uncle you also know how much old man Zhang bloody scares me. And now you’re telling me, his most beloved grandson will train our new doctors as we train him in Seekers business. Even when we were kids he already resembled his grandfather, and now he’ll take after him.” She whined, cutting off her uncle.
“I assure you, I am nowhere like my grandpa.”
Garie froze when he heard a deep voice behind her. She then shot up from her seat and turned around. There she saw a tall Chinese man wearing ripped jeans and a black hoodie. His hair was still damp and his wide shoulders were emphasized as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Her eyes then went up to his face and she can tell that he retained the innocent look on his face, but there is still a hint of indifference. But what caught her eyes were his cute cupid bow lips. When James narrowed his eyes on her, Garie cleared her throat and glared at her uncle.
“We haven’t seen each other for so long and yet you have so many things to say about me behind my back,” James said as he took a step towards Garie.
Hearing him speak again, Garie turned towards him and gave him a deadpan look.
“You didn’t exactly leave a good impression, Zhang Jin Qiang.” Garie hissed.
“That’s strange; I have nothing but good memories of you.”
“That’s because you had fun while you bullied me around!”
“I beg to differ.”
“Huh! Let me tell you this Jin Qiang, you are on my turf now. I am not the crybaby that I used to be. So I won’t let you bully me anymore!”
“You are my boss now, so don’t worry. And by the way, please call me James. I prefer that now instead of Jin Qiang.”
“Don’t bloody tell me what to do!”
Michael just let out a sigh as James and Garie bicker. Feng Hu on the other hand just stood there and grin as he watches his boss getting yelled at by a woman. It’s a rare sight indeed.
After getting yelled at by Garie, James cannot help but smile when he saw how her cheeks flushed in annoyance.
“Are you enjoying this? You do like annoying me!” She asked but James just smiled.
“He liked being yelled at in a very different manner.” Feng Hu said, and then everyone’s eyes looked at him.
“And why is that?” Garie asked him.
“He was used to women screaming his name out of admiration, but right now you scream at him to the point that you can pull out a knife and stab him; it is priceless.” Feng Hu said, smiling.
Garie narrowed her eyes at the taller Chinese guy behind James. He was wearing all black clothing and sunglasses.
“And you are?” She asked him.
“Hua Feng Hu. Young master Zhang’s bodyguard.” He introduced himself with a bow, but Garie waved him off.
“We don’t do that here. Call me Garie.” Garie told him and smiled.
Seeing that she smiled at his bodyguard made James sulk. Then Michael stood up.
“Why don’t we have dinner first?” He said and then he led everyone towards the dining area.
While they were eating, Garie cannot help but send glares at James. Then she remembered the reason why she came home.
“Before I forget, Uncle Milton sent me something from Turkmenistan,” Garie said and both Michael and James stopped eating and looked at her.
“Turkmenistan? What is he doing there? I thought he’d be going to Turkey.” Michael said and then he turned towards James.
“What did your grandfather say about this?” Michael asked.
“I know they found a clue that pointed at Turkey,” James said.
Garie then looked at them.
“You two knew about Uncle Milton’s expedition?” She asked and James nodded.
“And you also know what he’s looking for?” She asked again and James nodded making her huff.
“And here I am unaware.” She grumbled stabbing her food with a fork.
“What did Milton send you?” Michael asked and Garie looked at him.
“A jade tablet.”
“Have you managed to decode it?” Michael asked her and then Garie gave him a questioning look.
“How did you know there is something on the tablet that needed decoding?” She asked and then Michael heaved a deep sigh and dropped his fork.
“The last time I talked to Milton he told me he is in search of a jade tablet that has ancient writings that can be a clue to finding the Lost Artifact.” He explained.
“So I was right then. The tablet is a clue, and you are still searching for that artifact. Well, it won’t be helpful at the moment as the inscriptions are way too old for my brain. But what I noticed was the glyph that looked like lotus and sun which I know meant cure and immortality.” She said.
“You know about that?” James asked and Garie looked at him with an arched eyebrow.
“Should I not?” She asked.
“It’s not that. The topic regarding the cure and immortality is something the heads of the Seekers only know about.” James said and then Garie cleared her throat.
“Well, it looks like you are not the only one who has a grandfather that loves sharing his knowledge,” Garie said and James smiled.
“If you can’t decode it, why don’t you take James with you to the museum and have him take a look,” Michael said and Garie looked at him.
“Okay, but I’ll be inviting Levi as well. I need a second opinion.” Garie said and went back to eating her dinner.
“By the way, for the time that James is working in our hospital, he’ll be staying with you in your apartment,” Michael said and then both Garie and James choked on their drink.
“You‘ve got to be kidding me!”
- Writer
