Every Kind of Way

Under Pressure

I've had a rough couple of years. My parents and Song died. Engfa left me alone with Grandmother and now I'm the owner and CEO of a company I never wanted. Being rich doesn't necessarily mean you have responsibilities. You could have won the lottery and basically just live with what you have without affecting other people. Being part of a royal family did mean you had certain responsibilities to society, but that only happened when you were in line for the throne. Funny how things can change in the blink of an eye. 

A few years ago, I had everything I ever wanted and my only worry was that I played the next song at piano class correctly. Now I have to worry that if I make even the smallest mistake the whole company could be in jeopardy and hundreds of people would be laid off. Being a CEO is not that bad. It is a lot of work, but I can handle the amount, plus the people that work for me are very diligent. Grandmother made sure of that before she gave up the reign of the company. Every time we have to hire someone new, it is exhausting. They have to be the perfect fit; we can't hire just anybody.

We have spent weeks looking for the perfect worker. They practically had to be Einstein in order to join the company. When I saw the resumes all of them seemed competent enough, but for some reason I was drawn to this one girl. She didn't have any work experience, but she studied in the same high school and university as me. She also studied marketing a few years after I graduated which meant she knew what she was doing. I handed her resume over to Noi. Noi looked at me in disbelief.

Noi: "Are you sure, boss?" I nodded and dismissed her. 

Everyone was so afraid of me. That's exactly what I wanted. I didn't want anyone to think I was not good enough to handle the pressure so I made my image to them as someone they should fear and they did. While the company was running smoothly with a few kinks here and there, my relationship with Grandmother was getting worse and worse. She placed a lot of pressure on me, understandably, but she also seemed to forget that I'm only 24 years old and I barely know what I want in my life.

After graduating from the college, the first thing I did was taking over the company which was a bit hectic at first, but now everything is under control. Grandmother's next brilliant idea was that I should marry and start having kids. Who in their right mind can think about that when I have all these things to do? The idea of getting married never actually crossed my mind. I barely had time to process my parents' death. 

All the responsibilities came down on P'Fa when our parents were gone and she never wanted them, but that wasn't the reason why she left me and Song alone. She left because Grandmother found out about her relationship with Charlotte. Grandmother is very conservative. We have to follow all the rules and anything that goes against them is prohibited. The idea of Engfa being a lesbian and also dating an Austin was too much. Grandmother asking her to dump Charlotte and marry a man was all Engfa needed to hear in order to grab her things and leave. She wasn't the only one. Charlotte left too.

Grandmother didn't even try searching for her. She acted as if Engfa never existed. Now the pressure was all on Song. Song didn't mind it at all. At first it seemed as if everything could be handled by Song, and she was almost ready to take over the company. That's when the police called us.

Song was coming back home from the company when a car crashed into them causing the van to flip. Song was rushed to the hospital, but since we weren't contacted in time she died from her injuries. Grandmother dropped the phone when she heard what happened and started sobbing uncontrollably. She started yelling Song's name and I didn't even have to ask what happened. I had already realized that I was completely alone. No parents, no siblings, just me, Grandmother and a business I never thought I would have to lead.

All it takes is one moment, one single event that can change everything for a person. For me, it was three events and they all happened within a couple of months. What was left of my heart I hid away. I smiled when I was angry, sad and every other emotion. And when I was happy... Who am I kidding? I haven't been happy since I was 12.