Page 15 - BOOK inside pages as at Aug 8

The Robbery

“What do you want?” one of them demanded, raising his
voice at me. By underworld reckoning, we had trespassed into
Mr. Tan’s territory and were “looking for trouble”.
“Nothing much. We are here just to discuss business,” I
replied politely. Even in the world of organised crime, we had
our own code of conduct. Courtesy had its place, especially the
more senior one became.
Whenever we entered into someone else’s territory to
talk business, we tried to remain cool and not cause trouble
unless our intention was to pick a fight. In order to be allowed
into their territory, we had to play the game well and stay
composed.
At that juncture, Mr. Tan saw me and since he knew me
personally, he signaled to his men to allow me into his office.
“It’s okay, let him in,” he told his men in Cantonese. “I know
Sam.”
Sei Ngan Chai and I sat down in front of Mr. Tan and
his two bodyguards. There was only a table separating Mr.
Tan and the two of us. Sitting on the reclining chair in his
modestly furnished office, he looked relaxed.
However, the tone of his voice was far from friendly.
“What do you want?” Mr. Tan queried. Although he had
invited us in, I knew that he was not convinced that I was
there for any good reason. He wanted to know why I was
sent to meet him this time. In the past, his guards had rudely
sent off my men, but now Mr. Tan faced me. He knew I was Li
Chai’s henchman, the gang leader, and he knew that he could
not easily brush me off.
“It’s about the debt that you owe my boss Li Chai,” I
answered. “My men came to see you on a number of occasions
but were unable to collect the debt. This is not good as we are
supposed to be in business. In business, when we owe money,
we always return whatever we borrow from others. This time
I am here personally on behalf of Li Chai, and I will make
sure that we get back every single sen that you owe our boss.”
My tone was controlled. I was careful not to provoke Mr.
Tan to anger. All I wanted was to collect the debt and return
home safely. Then the job would be done, end of story! The last

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BOOK inside pages.indd 15 08/08/2018 05:43 PM