The Family Business

Chapter 9: Play Fire with Controversy

Missing: Alison Tàiyáng?

In the wake of the recent events starting from the terrorist attacks to the Tàiyáng family-owned establishments, to the reveal of the relationship between Althea Tàiyáng and Jade Yuèliàng, and to the most exorbitant wedding that has happened in the last and maybe next one hundred years, people are wondering, where exactly is Alison Tàiyáng? The last public appearance made by the Tàiyáng Inc. CEO and eldest daughter of the Tàiyáng family was in Taiwan where she closed three deals for the Tàiyáng Inc. with its new Taiwanese and Korean investors.

[Alison] Tàiyáng was last pictured boarding her private jet at the Taoyuan International Airport at ten in the evening Taiwan time for her flight back to New York and was never seen in public again. Sources further confirmed the absence of the former CEO from her office since the start of the attacks, where her parents Felix and Eleanor Tàiyáng had taken over. The absence even extended to her own sister's wedding in Paris, last week.

Guests who were present at the event chose not to comment about the matter but the press confirmed that Alison Tàiyáng wasn't there. The Tàiyáng sisters are known to have a very close relationship, as disclosed in their 2015 exclusive with CatCo Worldwide Media, [they revealed that since Althea became a Tàiyáng and was taken to live in the mansion, Ali has been the best sister ever.] The two were proven inseparable even after Ali succeeded her father as the CEO just last year, so it would be next to unnatural for Alison Tàiyáng to miss her own sister's wedding.

More questions still stand; Was the disappearance of Alison Tàiyáng voluntary? Why would the former CEO abandon her position? Do the wedding and the merger relates to the prior disappearance? What does Althea Tàiyáng have to do with her sister's absence?

"What are you reading?" Mac asked as she wrapped her arms around Ali's waist. It was early in the morning and Ali's eyebrows are already closely knitted together as she scrolls on a mini-monitor.

"People are already noticing my extended absence and they're relating it to Althea." Ali heavily sighed, dumping the monitor in front of her to lean further against her girlfriend.

"What do you think we should do? Their flight back here is today right?"

"I still don't know. She just surpassed one of the major hurdles of her life and now this? I don't think I can put her through it anymore, Mac." Ali said, turning around to face Mac who let her sit by one of the bar stools.

"What do you have in mind?" Mac asked. She knows if this is only about Ali herself, if the decision wouldn't affect anyone else especially Althea, Ali would've gladly continued with the hiding. But Ali's tone has been changing over the past months and Mac knows it's only a matter of time before she realizes that they could never hide forever.

"I'm thinking of going home -"

"Babe - "

"Please, hear me out first. Okay?"

"Sure, of course." Mac smiled, reaching out to hold Ali's hand.

"Thanks, so here's my proposition -"

The news about Jade and Mitch being taken to the hospital from a breathless Eve Teschmacher at two in the morning, was enough even for the restless and sleepless Althea Tàiyáng, still in her dress shirt and pants to go running out of the hotel. Eve said two patrolling opera guards found their unconscious bodies around quarter to two. Althea didn't bother waking everyone up and left with Eve and Milan right away. Althea was silently blaming herself all the way to the hospital where Jade was brought because if she didn't leave her behind she shouldn't have been attacked. Althea might have been able to do something to keep her safe. But Althea was too self-absorbed to think about the possibilities.