Love vs Rich #6

"Hold on here," Tiro said, "we can’t just fire her just for some small mistake."

"He’s right," Yaki joins in, "and besides, she’s only new to this work so I think we should let her off."

"Let her off?!" Carly yelled, "look at what she did to my shirt."

"It’s only a small problem Carly, you don’t have to make a big fuss over it," he said raising his voice. She became upset and looks away from him with fiery eyes. He shakes his head and turns her around.

"I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yell at you but don’t worry, I’ll buy you a better and prettier shirt than this one."

"Promise."

"I promise." Carly puts on her smiling face and hugs him.

"Umm…you want to wash off first before you both go?" Tiro asked her. She nodded and follows Tiro to the bathroom. Malory smiles and whispered under her breath, "You deserve it."

Outside of the pub, Ka Lu sits on a bench, crying. Pa burst through the door and immediately rushes to her side.

"What happened?"

"Malory pushed me and I accidentally spill the soup on one of the special guest."

"What?! That bitch?! I knew it! I knew it from the start!"

"What do you mean?"

"Malory doesn’t like you, that’s what! Darn, if she’s here right this minute, I will strangle her!"

"But she does have a soft side for you guys."

"No she doesn’t. The only reason why she said those things is because she doesn’t want other people to be better than her. She thought that she’s the best singer and that she can bring more crowds than anybody. I’m just lucky to get this job before she came in." Pa looks at her and reassures her that it isn’t her fault.

"Come on Ka Lu; let’s go inside before Mr. Frank yells at us." She nodded and they both enter the pub.

Back in the pub, Yaki and Carly are ready to leave when Mr. Frank hands them a gift.

"What’s this for?"Yaki said with surprise.

"Those are just gifts for all the trouble I have caused."

"Come on Mr. Frank, you can’t be serious."

"No, no, keep it."

"Alright," he said and he examines the box. Carly was about to open it but Mr. Frank stops her and said, "Don’t open it yet. Give it to the one you love on their birthday." Carly stops and nods her head, showing that she understand.

"Did you guys know," Mr. Frank continues, "that if you know someone’s birthday without any reminder, then they’re your true love?"

"I never heard of that," Yaki said cocking an eyebrow. "What’s in here anyway?"

"Oh, I can’t tell you. You’ll have to find out by yourself. I’m sure that you both knew each other’s birthday right?" Yaki and Carly looks at each other and laugh but was unsure.

"Well, thanks for the gift Mr. Frank," and they both left.

"That’s one problem fix," he said to himself, "now to fix the other." He went to find Ka Lu and find her in the dressing room.

"Ka Lu, I’m here to talk about the problem this night."

"Oh that. I’m sorry Mr. Frank, I wouldn’t do it again. Please don’t fire me."

"Don’t worry child, I won’t fire you."

"But you have to," interrupted a familiar voice. They all turn and for sure, it’s Malory walking through the door.

"She ruined the meeting with your special guest and you’re keeping her."

"Of course toothpick, what do you want?" Pa said hotly.

"I want her out that’s all."

"Ka Lu doesn’t deserve to get out. The one that deserve it is…"

"Pa, please stop," Ka Lu begged and she stop saying another word.

"What? Now you want to play innocent little girl?"

"Quiet Malory," said a voice. She looks behind her to see Tiro coming in the room.

"Why are you standing up for her?! Aren’t you forgetting we’re dating?!"

"But this time you’ve gone too far! I cannot let you stomp everybody like Godzilla!"

"You," but she pause for a moment and flashes an angry look.

"Oh, I know now. You like her, don’t you?"

"No I don’t."

"Then why protect her?"

"Then shall I explain what really happened?" Her eyes widen and no more words can come out of her mouth.

"Fine," she concluded, "she can stay but you and I are over." She storms out of the room and slams the door.

"Well at least that’s settle," Mr. Frank said shaking his head, "and Ka Lu, just never let that happen again o.k."

"Alright," and everybody resume to their work for the rest of the night.

At the mansion, Yaki drove his car on the pavement and enters the mansion. He was muttering something when he spots Tyno on the sofa, reading.

"What are you doing? Aren’t you supposed to do paperwork?"

"No, I’m done."

"Oh." He went up the stairs until Tyno stops him by calling his name.

"What is it Tyno?"

"How was it?" Yaki looks at him, confused.

"I mean, how was the meeting at Mr. Frank’s pub?"

"Oh that," Yaki said surprised, "it was a disaster."

"Really? Why?"

"Someone spill soup and wine on my fiancé."

"Really? And let me guess, Ka Lu is working there." Yaki looks at him with amazement.

"How did you know?"

"Wild guess, since you were muttering about revenge on her."

"She almost got me into court."

"And who told you not to mind your own business."

"Now you’re siding with her."

"Hey, I’ve been your brother all your life. You can’t lie to me." Yaki couldn’t say anything more and stood there like a lost child.

"Tell you what, how about I go with you tomorrow, if you have spare time."

"Sure," he said and continues upstairs to his bedroom.

The next night, Yaki and Tyno went into pub. Mr. Frank was surprise to see them and gesture them to a table. They sit at the table and requested for some singers to sing for them but Mr. Frank became nervous.

"You see boys," he tells them, "many of my singers are absent today."

"Don’t worry, you still have some singers left right? So just choose those to see if we like it."

"Alright," and he went backstage to the dressing. In there, Malory is playing her makeup.

"Malory."

"Yes," she said in her cheerful voice.

"I need you to go out stage and sing for my guest."

"You mean Yaki!"

"Yes."

"Oh my god, I’ll gladly – hic – do it.

"What’s that hic sound?"

"Oh it’s – hic – nothing – hic – sir."

"You have the hiccups? Oh my, you cannot sing tonight."

"Hic – why not?"

"Because it’ll ruin my pub’s reputation."

"No, no, I – hic – can sing. Please – hic –let me sing. I’ll try – hic – to hold it."

"Fine but if that hiccup gets out of control, then you’ll be pull off the stage immediately."

"Don’t worry – hic – I wouldn’t disappoint you."

Meanwhile, Ka Lu is getting out of the kitchen with a tray full of food. She was surprise when Yaki came from the right and backs off, acting like she is going to spill it on him.

"Whoa, you have to watch out or you’ll spill those foods on me."

"Are you disrespecting me again?"

"Hey, show some respect. If it weren’t for me, you would’ve lost your job."

"Why would you care if I lose job?"

"I just don’t want to see you and your family begging for money out there." Ka Lu became flush with anger but decided to put it aside and move on but he puts his hand before her to sop her.

"What do you want now?"

"Um…do you know where the bathroom is?" She pointed to the door on the left and he enters it. She smiles and walks away quickly. Seconds later, girls started to scream from the room Yaki enter and he quickly gets out and shuts the door.

"Darn her."

Tyno listen to Pa sings on the stage, her voice like a piano.

"Great voice," He concluded, "but I think she’s a little old." Yaki came back from the restroom and sits back down. Tyno looks at his sullen face.

"What happen to you?"

"Don’t want to talk about it."

"No really, what happened?"

"Are we here to work or are we here to have fun?" He became silent and continues to watch Pa.

During that time, Ka Lu was exhausted and leans on a counter to rest. She looks at Pa sing and she suddenly feels like she wanted to sing. Then before she knows it, she begins to sing along with her. When she sings she doesn’t know the world around but only her voice sing with her. Once Pa finishes her song, she picks up the empty tray to resume her work but she meets Tiro instead. He looks at her with amazement in his eyes.

"Is there anything I can help you Tiro?" He ignores her question and said, "You’re a really good at singing." She then knew that he was standing behind her the whole time, listening to her sing.

"No need to be embarrass Ka Lu, you do sound great." Ka Lu didn’t say anything put resume to her work but before she could pick up the tray, Tiro takes her hand and lead her to the dressing room. He picks up her guitar and a sheet with lyrics on them.

"Can you sing that for me?" Ka Lu looks at the lyrics and as soon as Tiro play his guitar, she sings, her voice like sweet nectar and fluent like a breeze. When she’s done, the door burst open and Malory stands outside the doorway, hiccupping and looking from Tiro to Ka Lu then back at Tiro. She stomps towards Tiro and rages, "Why – hic – are you with – hic – her?"

"I could be with anyone I want." Ka Lu ran out the door to avoid the heated conversation.

"But we’re - hic – still dating."

"I thought that you said we’re over already."

"Hic – I did?"

"Yes, just yesterday can’t you remember? For now on, I can be with any girl I like and you can’t interfere." He starts to walk out the room but stop and turn around to face her.

"I think you shouldn’t sing today because that hiccup is getting annoying." Her eyes follow him walking out the door with hatred and she went to get ready.

Back at the table, Yaki and Tyno were drinking water and talking to Mr. Frank. The curtain opens and bright lights pour down on the stage. Malory stands in the middle and starts to dance and sing. People start to dance with heron the dance floor, cheering for her. She hiccup a couple of times but nobody notice because she will pull the microphone away from her before she hiccup and she looks awkward doing it. Mr. Frank looks down in humiliation while Yaki and Tyno continue to watch her performance. He sees Tiro by the counter and rushes to his side.

"Tiro," he called. Tiro looks at his father.

"What is it?"

"I want you to pull her off the stage now!"

"But she’s our last singer, if we pull her off now there will be confusion."

"I don’t care, just pull her off the stage and replace her." Tiro thinks for a while and his eyes starts to light up.

"Dad, you have to trust me."

"Trust you on what?"

"I’m going to pick a random person to replace her."

"Go ahead; I don’t care as long as hiccup girl is off the stage." Tiro nodded and quickly runs to find that person.

Outside of the pub, Ka Lu’s heart pounded very fast for she panic when Malory sees her with Tiro. Pa comes out of the pub and went to sit by her.

"What’s wrong?" Pa asked her.

"Oh nothing."

"It’s Malory, isn’t."

"No it’s not Malory."

"Then who?" Ka Lu hesitated before she breath out "Tiro."

"Oh, so it’s Tiro," she said excitedly, "What did he do to you, huh?"

"He caught me singing a while ago and tells me to sing his lyrics for him."

"Oh, you’re lucky! Not everybody gets to sing the songs he wrote."

"Why, haven’t you sung one of his songs before?"

"Well I did once like three years ago but that was when we don’t have any more songs to sing. He’s a really nice, care free person back then until he went to pursuit his career at the sweet voice corporation, then he came back never the same person. He doesn’t want to talk to anybody, not even his father. It’s not until Malory was hired and they both started dating. She was a sweet girl then but now she became a tyrant who lust for power and more crowds." Ka Lu laughs and hugs her, forgetting all her troubles. Pa hugs her back in response. The door open and Tiro quickly runs to Ka Lu’s side.

"Ka Lu," he called. She looks at him and asks him what he wants.

"Ka Lu, I wanted you to go upstage and sing."

"What but I’m a waitress. I can’t sing on stage."

"Come on Ka Lu, this may be your chance," Pa said excitedly.

"But other times I have sung was just for fun, not in front of an audience."

"Ka Lu, don’t worry," Tiro said, "It’s not that hard. Just think as if you singing to your family." She wasn’t sure what to do.

"Come on Ka Lu," Pa pleaded.

What would my mother do, she thinks to herself. With courage, she answered, "I’ll do it."

On the stage inside the pub, Malory’s hiccup was getting worse. The people hear her hiccup on the second verse but they thought it was part of the song except for Yaki and Tyno who knows what is really happening. The people start to notice it when she hiccups four times in a row during the chorus. They all yell boo and tell her to get off the stage. She continues to sing but was stop my Tiro who cue them to turn off them music. He snatches the microphone from her and speaks into it.

"Sorry folks, we’re just testing Malory’s new way of singing but it seems like it isn’t working well." The people laugh at his lie and Malory gets off the stage with a frown.

"Now to fulfill your desire for tonight, I would like to introduce one of our new singer. Please give a round of applause for her." The crowds clap their hands as Malory, Tyno and Mr. Frank are curious about the new singer. Tiro motion her to come and Ka Lu walks slowly up the stage. The crowds were awe by her beauty. She wears a sleeveless pearl white dress that touches the ground with diamonds sparkling from the dress. She wears long white gloves with crystal earrings and her hair is tie to a bun but her bangs still hangs loosely. Tyno and Mr. Frank were surprise by her beauty except for Yaki who is still eating his dinner, not paying any attention at all. Malory doesn’t know what to think, to be surprise or mad. Tyno immediately recognize Ka Lu in the white dress and was shaking Yaki’s arm.

"Hey Yaki, it’s Ka Lu!"

"It can’t be her," he said in his assuring voice.

"It is Ka Lu!" Mr. Frank exclaims when he looks harder, "So that’s who my son picks! Go Ka Lu, do your best!" Yaki looks up from his dinner to see if they’re speaking the truth and his eyes widen, not believing it. His mind starts to race saying that it can’t be her but yet, it was her alright.

"Do your best," Tiro whispered in her ears before he hands her the microphone. Ka Lu became nervous, not knowing which song to sing or which song she’s singing. The music starts and she recognize the melody as Tiro’s song. She looks up at him and smiles knowing that he had taken care of everything. She sang on the stage and her voice was carrying throughout the room. The crowds dance to the beat and Malory storms out to the dressing room. Yaki stares at her beauty and listening to her beautiful voice. His heart started to pound slowly just like the time when Ka Lu poured iodine on his wound. Even though she was finish singing, her voice still echoes in his head. It was when Tiro snaps his back to earth my pinching him and tells him that they have to go home. They said goodbye to Mr. Frank and left the pub. Mr. Frank calls Tiro and tells him that he wants to meet Ka Lu at his office.