Offer To The CEO

Wednesday, continued …

Anna, quietly said "Come let us head into the lounge so I can sit before everyone else arrives."

As soon as Anna finished speaking, Alecia looked up and noticed James. She had to ask "Who is that?"

"Alecia, this is my baby brother James. He is over with my sisters-in-law and my nieces and nephews, for a visit. James is in his last year at University completing a Nursing degree."

Alecia, blushed, but as the well brought up girl she appeared to be, she reached out her right hand and said in English "Hello James, my name is Alecia Yao."

James, Anna realised looked somewhat smitten at the young girl, but he reached out and shook her hand replying somewhat quietly for him "Hello Alecia, it is nice to meet you."

James turned to Anna and said "Sister, you need to sit down", and helped her to sit on a bench just along the corridor.

Anna turned quietly, "James, be careful she is only sixteen-years-old, and I understand that she was sexually assaulted about six months ago. I do not know more than that."

"Anna, I am not stupid. I can tell when someone is hurting psychologically. She has a similar look to what you had a couple of times when you were with Lu Jinhu, and we are taught to identify people that might have psychological issues in my degree, in case they require intensive assistance. She looks like she needs someone just to talk to her. Let me do that for a few minutes. I promise she will be safe with me."

"Fine."

James moved over and lead Alecia away, while Amanda came and sat with Anna, the two of them simply talking about work waiting for Rebecca and Rosemary. A couple of minutes later, Amanda looked up and neither James nor Alecia were in sight.

Amanda asked in a worried voice "Did you see where they went?"

Anna turned to her friend "Amanda, let it be. James, as I said is doing a nursing degree in Australia. He commented that Alecia looked like she needed to talk to someone. He promised me that he would simply talk to her and that she would be alright."

Amanda, spat out "You are kidding me. Tan will kill me."

Anna, being as calm as she could "Amanda, I am guessing she has not really talked to anyone about anything."

"Tan has her seeing counsellors to help her, but the always tell us that she talks about what she wants and is OK."

"Amanda when do teenagers ever tell adults the truth about what is really going on in their lives and how they feel. I suspect that she is only going through with the motions to please you and Tan, rather than being serious about it. When I first saw her she had a look of hurt in her eyes, like there was something that she cannot and has not dealt with, but that look changed when she saw James."

"How in the world do you know that?" asked an exasperated Amanda

"Amanda, you know the types of litigation type work I was involved with in Australia at times required representing children. At times, often with teenagers I got the work because, if we are realistic, I was not much older than them. But you have to learn to read their non-verbal cues about matters as even though they know you are their lawyer they do not trust the law and lawyers. They can tell you more than their words."

After pausing, and seeming Amanda was calming down Anna continued quietly "Look we will give them a few minutes to talk once Rebecca and Rosemary arrive, before locating them and going out. She will be safe, remember that."

With that the two of them drifted off into talking about work matters waiting for Rosemary and Rebecca to arrive and James and Alecia to come back.

Around ten minutes later Rebecca and Rosemary, came walking along the corridor as loud as could be, talking about having a great girls night out tonight. The paused when they saw Anna and Amanda sitting on a bench in the foyer.

Rebecca called out "Well are we ready to go have fun tonight?"

Amanda and Anna looked at each other, and Amanda pulled out her phone and dialled Alecia's mobile, while Anna said "We just have to wait a couple of minutes."