Strive to Succeed

By Cherrill Clough

Rachel Anderson is stunning to look at, dresses beautifully, and has a warm personality with a winning smile.
Having worked in a top job in finance in Brisbane, answered an advert for a similar job at the Gold Coast, she was successful.
When she met young entrepreneur James Sergeant, her new boss, he asked if she would take on the challenge learning to read, write, and speak Chinese. Business was now in the Chinese market, and they needed a front person who could speak fluently. Rachel took on the challenge within three months, doing as James had asked.
When they arrived in Hong Kong for a charity function, James introduced her to his best friend, Blake. Fireworks were definitely going off between the two of them. Blake had started a charity for kids off the streets in Hong Kong.
When he arrived three years prior, he found kids being kicked, pushed, and beaten to move on from shop fronts in the morning where they slept, not one person offering a cent to get food. Blake was horrified by this, so he decided to do something about it, endearing himself to the Chinese people.
Blake had set up a display of what he had envisaged for the kids off the streets, with the crme de la crme of China attending the function. They paid millions toward this dream of this young Australian who wanted to do good for their unwanted children.
During the following twelve months, his dream came to fruition, and as did his love for Rachel. He and James discussed their situation of both loving the same girl. James knew he would have to bow out gracefully. This story is heartfelt and gives good relations between two totally different countries as well as how people can come together for the right cause. Look after the children. They are our future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Nov 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499024753

Cherrill Clough

Hello, I am originally from New Zealand but have spent the last thirty-three years in Australia. I was an airbrush artist for thirty-eight years, doing photo restoration and portrait colouring; in Real Estate for twenty-three years; and in between, I opened a small restaurant in the Regional City of Maryborough, where I still reside, and loved it. I can say it was the most enjoyable time in my life. I opened my own real estate agency in 2003 and closed in 2013 to retire at seventy and continue writing wholesome family stories for easy reading. I am an avid reader myself and enjoy Sundays to sit with a good book. Enjoy. —Cherrill Clough

Book preview

Chapter one

I t is a very windy but sunny day in Spring and driving along in her sports car with the roof down, letting the wind blow through her long blonde hair, almost clearing away her troubles, Rachel Anderson is thinking ‘ sometimes it takes a miracle to meet Mr Right .’ She has just broken up from a very unhappy engagement. Owen was always so good, caring and heaps of fun in the beginning, but he’d changed so much during the last six months. Rachel never knew who was coming home, Mr Nice Guy or the terrifying stranger she didn’t know at all. He would scream right into her face before he shook her and whacked her around, and it was hard to not show the marks sometimes, as the makeup would only cover so much. It wasn’t that he was taking drugs or whatever, as she had never seen him in that situation, but he always seemed to want to fight over any little thing, then it started to get personal in regards to her body shape, so she thought it would be better to finish the relationship, than try to work out all the problems she never understood in the first place.

She left their apartment with all her belongings, put a goodbye explanation note on the table along with her beautiful engagement ring sitting in its box on top for Owen to get when he arrived home from yet another of his out of town trips tonight. All the troubles seem to start with these trips. Owen never discussed what he did, or where he was going, and she just had to accept it, but it was the difference in his temperament that she couldn’t understand, and had put up with it long enough, she thought. Owen had tried to get in touch with her for weeks, harassing and threatening her continually, until the only thing she could do is consider moving away, and have a whole new start. She had already changed her cell number and had her parent’s home phone changed, now all she had to do was work out where she was moving to, and find another job.

Rachel had contacted a large Finance Company at the Gold Coast, only one and a half hours from her parent’s home in Brisbane, so they’d be able to come down as well as Tonia, her younger sister. The application was for a Finance Officer to work with Banks, Credit and Building Societies. This had been her field in Brisbane, and she had risen to the top in a short time, as she had studied the subject at university. The company where she worked had asked her to reconsider leaving, but the troubles with Owen were just not going away, and this was her best option.

Rachel had been to the Gold Coast the week before for her interview, and the answer she had hoped for came on Wednesday. While she was there she looked at apartments overlooking the beach, as surfing was what she enjoyed, plus she was really good at it. When she had found the right one, she wrote a cheque immediately for her bond and first two weeks rent while with the Agent, making her moving in day, today, Saturday. She asked the Agent to arrange to give the key to the Harvey Norman men who would be delivering all her new furniture and Manchester on Friday, and she would be arriving on Saturday, around mid morning.

The Agent was very helpful and offered to open the unit in the morning for her she also provided milk, bread, butter, tea, coffee and biscuits for her for when she arrived. ‘Not all agents are that caring’ she thought to herself, but Cherie seemed to be different from all the other agents she had met, she seemed to care about her situation, and was there to help. Her friends from work said they were sad to see her go, as she had been with the company five years, and were all like best buddies, but they understood the circumstances. Many times they had seen Rachel come to the office with thick makeup on to hide her bruises, but no one would comment, so they were pleased she had finally got the courage to leave Owen, and get her life back on track.

They had put on a lovely surprise farewell party yesterday, and had all put in and bought a matching pair of large crystal table lamps. She was quite overcome when they gave her the present to unwrap in a huge box, but she knew it was for her new apartment, and she would make them really stand out with the beautiful furniture she had just bought. Thank you all, they are a gift I will treasure always she said to them all.

When she arrived home last night after work, where she had been staying since leaving Owen’s apartment, she showed her parents the wonderful gifts and her parents are so proud. Her sister Tonia had walked in at the same time.

Wow!! Where did you get those fabulous lamps from?

My colleagues from the office gave me a surprise going away party today and these wonderful lamps.

Well you really deserve them Rache you have worked so hard for those people and you’re so popular with everyone. They sure are a great gift

Thanks Tonia.

Thought I’d pop down to your new apartment on Sunday to help you get it all together, hang pictures, or whatever.

Tonia, that would be great, thanks. Bring your surfboard too I’m just straight across from the beach, so we might have a bit of a surf together.

I sure will Rache, do you have a view?

The best Tonia, I’m on the eight floor looking directly over the beach.

Wow!! That must be costing you a packet!!

It is, but I can afford it, and I really wanted the view

Their parents, Peter and Alice, are happy the girls had always got on together, and are always there for each other. There is only two years between them, Tonia, a brunette, twenty three, is a hairdresser and beauty therapist, very attractive and bouncy and Rachel is the attractive older level headed sister who always got a kick out of listening to her sister’s ramblings on any subject, but mostly current boyfriends. They really have a wonderful close relationship, and could tell each other anything, the way it should be.

Rachel is just pulling into the underground car park that serviced the ‘Surfside Apartments’ she will be living in. She had told the agent she would be arriving at ten thirty, and Cherie had the apartment open, the salt air billowing the opaque, soft fabric curtains into the room. It had a welcoming feeling and the furniture had been well placed by the furniture men. There are a few things she would change, but on the whole, it is perfect. She had bought a kettle when she had shopped at Harvey Normans, and left it in the apartment when she paid the rent, now filled it, and enjoyed a nice coffee Cherie had put in the pantry, along with tea bags, biscuits, sugar and milk in the fridge. She pulled out Cherie’s card from her wallet, rang her, and asked what time she finished work, Cherie said two pm.

Would you like to come and have a cuppa with me Cherie?

That would be lovely thank you Rachel. How about two thirty?

Perfect, I’ll see you then. Bye Cherie would be about twenty eight, and as she hadn’t seen a wedding ring, thought she may be single. It would be nice to have someone to talk to, as it can be lonely living on your own, so a few new friends wouldn’t go astray. She would also like to pay her for the groceries she had purchased, nothing is cheap these days.

Rachel pottered around and went through the sets of sheets, doonas and pillows, for both bedrooms. She made up the bed in her room overlooking the sea, then the same in the spare room. She had furnished them both differently, but her taste in furniture is impeccable, and soon the whole place started to get that lived in feeling. After she had set the lounge the way she wanted it, she noticed the men had tuned in the big screen TV she had purchased, and turned it on. ‘What a great picture’ she thought. ‘It makes you feel you are actually there.’

It is just after midday and she decided to walk along to the mall and see if she could see some designer cushions to put on the couches. She had chosen a soft tone almost beige and wanted a bit of colour, so thought she would wander down and see what she could find. She was blown away with what she saw in the shops, beautiful dress shops, jewellers and of course things she was out to buy. She found exactly what she was looking for and bought orange and sage green cushions four of each as well as a multi coloured throw rug to hang over the back corner of the lounge. There is a great oil painting on canvas she had noticed, also with heaps of colour, it is close up of a bird of paradise flower, just the colours she is looking for. The canvas is quite large, but she struggled back to the apartment arms stretching to carry the bags and frameless canvas painting. When she opened the door, she just threw the bags of cushions in, carried the oil canvas in, knowing exactly where she would hang it. She is overjoyed with her choices, and when she put the cushions on the couches, plus the throw, the whole living area came to life, like she knew it would.

At two thirty Cherie arrived and Rachel is glad of her company. They seemed to hit it off straight away, and Cherie told Rachel she liked her as soon as she had met her, and is why she had no qualms about buying her some things to start off her larder. Cherie is amazed at the difference the cushions have made, and the beautiful painting Rachel had already hung in its preferred place, brightening up the room with colour.

Heavens Rachel, you sure have a way with colour and design

I have always enjoyed nice things Cherie. Mum and Dad have always had lovely things, and it just carried on to me.

Well the Owner would be so pleased to see this place so beautifully decked out.

Thank you for that Cherie.

They talked about heaps of things during the next two hours, then Cherie said her boyfriend Mark would be picking her up at seven to go out for dinner, she had better get home and ready for her night out. Rachel walked her to the elevator and said goodbye, and to enjoy her evening, then went back inside and lay on the couch watching the surf rolling over the sand. ‘How relaxing’ she thought to herself. She felt she is now in her right place.

Rachel awoke Sunday morning listening to the waves crashing on the shore. It is of course foreign to her, but she knew she would soon get used to it. She looked at the bedside clock, it is only seven am, so decided to make a cuppa, and take it back to bed. She opened the drapes, so she could see the ocean from her bed, and became engrossed in a book she had recently started. She really liked mystery stories, and this one was most intriguing. At nine o’clock she decided to rise and have her shower, as she wasn’t sure what time Tonia would turn up, ‘knowing her, she will already be on her way’ she thought.

Just as she was walking from the bathroom there is the knock on the door, and her darling sister is standing there, with her arms full of goodies. Rachel helped her in, wondering how she managed to carry them all from the car, let alone push the button on the lift. Mum sent you some stuff to get you started she said. They will be down next week to visit, if that’s alright.

Good old Mum, she never lets us down, does she? Of course they can come down next weekend. You all can. I have the second bedroom fitted out with a queen bed and furniture, and you can hop in with me, or sleep on the couch. said Rachel.

That will be great Rache, thanks

Alice had gone all out. There are tins of all sorts of things and general things you would normally use. Rachel is a good cook, therefore her mother put in all the essentials she would need to help her get her pantry together.

I don’t know how you managed to carry all this up on your own Tonia.

With great difficulty and sore arms she said with a smile.

Nearly lost the lot when I was trying to knock on your door she laughed. Wow!! Rache, you have done a marvellous job, you really don’t need me to give you a hand you’ve already done it all. Your furniture is gorgeous. Mum will be asking Dad to change hers, when she sees all this lovely stuff.

There are a few things I need a hand with Tonia, so I kept these for when you came down, they are a bit awkward for me by myself.

Look at that view!! Wow!! It’s amazing exclaimed Tonia, in her passionate, cheerful manner, which always bought a smile to Rachel. Wow!! was always her favourite describing word from her childhood days.

The view is fabulous, that’s why I chose this apartment.

You’ll have to get some binoculars to perv on the guys over on the beach said Tonia cheekily.

You don’t change Tonia, you are just such fun to be around

I know. She replied, and they both laughed.

They hung the heavy framed paintings Rachel had kept for Tonia to help her with, and the large beautifully framed glamour portrait of herself, done two years prior. It is a stunning photo. Rachel had it done for Owen as a gift, but when she left, she brought it with her.

After hanging the pictures Rachel said, How about some lunch Tonia. Do want a sandwich, or would you like to eat out at the Mall along the road?

I would like to go to the Mall if that’s okay Rache.

The Mall it is then and they collected their bags and set off. They talked as sisters do. Rachel asked her how the salon she worked in was going.

We are continually booked Rache, and I have now got my own area, as I am always being asked for to do different procedures. Penny said she has never worked with anyone so dedicated to the job, and gave me thirty dollars a week rise, last week, but I didn’t say anything, as you were so hyped up over moving here, I didn’t want to rain on your parade. Our work ethics must run in our genes eh! she laughed.

Tonia that’s amazing, you really do deserve that accolade, she is right, you do give one hundred and ten percent to what you do, and now it’s paying off for you. Great stuff sis.

They found a lovely outdoor café and went inside to order. Rachel had a quiche with green salad and Tonia, meat pie, chips with gravy. As the café is licensed Rachel shouted a glass of champagne each to celebrate her move and Tonia’s good news.

They sat at a table outside in the Mall and watched all the people and tourists walking by. There are some strange outfits remarked Tonia.

Well Tonia it is somewhat a tourist Mecca here, so guess we should expect some unusual outfits

It was like a passing parade, they enjoyed watching while eating their lunch. After lunch they went for a stroll along the Main Beach and it was really quite full for this time of the year. They asked a couple of guys what the water is like and they said warm actually.

Do you want to have a surf today Tonia, or next weekend, or will we just chill out instead?

I like the idea of chill out thanks Rache.

Great, we can sit on the beach for a while, then, go back to the mall for a coffee, how does that sound?

Like a great day with my sister, that’s what it sounds like Rache!

I love you too Tonia, and really love that you have come down to keep me company on my first day here.

I will always be here when you need me Rache, always.

They walked slowly along the beach oohing and aahing at different things they saw, and having a laugh at others. All in all, it is a great day for them both.

It is four thirty when Rachel waved Tonia goodbye, then went back up to her apartment. She’d had a lovely day with Tonia and is ready for a shower to get all the sand and salt air from her hair. She wanted to relax before she prepared something small for dinner, and is looking forward to her favourite show Dancing With The Stars on her new large flat screen TV, knowing it will look fabulous. Her dining table is placed where she could eat and watch TV, as she never enjoyed eating a meal from her lap, all hunched over, so is pleased the TV is placed so she could see it from both dining and lounge rooms.

After a long leisurely shower, where she washed her long golden locks, she wanted it shiny for her first day at the new office. She felt she had to make a good first impression, as this office is more superior to the one where she had worked in Brisbane. After blow drying her hair, she went out to the lounge, switching on the TV, as it is only half and hour until her program started. She went into the kitchen and proceeded to whisk up a cheese, onion and tomato omelette to enjoy, before relaxing on the couch. As she is eating, she is making little noises of pleasure from the omelette and green salad she’d made. It is just so tasty! Her program is just starting when she went to the couch with a glass of wine, to enjoy after her meal.

By ten o’clock she is ready for bed, and looking forward to the new day ahead, so she switched off the lamps she so admired, and went off to bed. Tonia had rung to say she was home safely, and all seemed good in her world now.

Rachel arose at seven am, put on her very attractive navy blue suit she wore to the office. She believed, you dressed for the job you are in, and her idea is a smart tailored suit with fitted skirt to the knee, with plain navy stiletto shoes. Rachel isn’t tall, but taller than average she thought of herself, and of course the stilettos gave her more height. She always presented well, attractive, and fresh when she went to work. She had a passion for brooches, and had quite a few, today she had chosen a gold bow with matching drop gold earrings. She looked in the full mirror, behind her bedroom door, admiring what she saw. She had put her hair in huge rollers earlier, and when taken out and brushed it, she had large gold curls falling over her shoulders and down her back. She grabbed her bag and went down to her car, arriving at the office ten minutes later.

When she walked into the reception, she told the girl who she is and she rang through to the boss, who was there in seconds. Welcome Rachel, it is lovely to have you here with us. I will show you to your office. James Sergeant will be with you in a while. He has read your resume, phoned your last employer, and received resounding comments about you, and has another position he would like for you. It’s quite a bit more challenging, but from what he was told, he feels it would be of more interest to you.

Thank you Mrs Byrne, that sounds quite intriguing.

Call me Marge Rachel, everyone else does.

Thank you Marge.

She had left Rachel in a very spruce office with two arm chairs, a couch and a very lovely mahogany desk, with a computer and printer at one end. Rachel sat on one of the comfy arm chairs while she waited. It would have been five minutes on when James Sergeant walked in, after knocking on the door. He is a handsome man, with a full head of neatly styled dark hair, about thirty five, she thought, wearing a charcoal pinstriped suit, deep maroon tie with a light blue business shirt. He walked straight across the spacious office, his hand out to introduce himself, with a huge smile across his attractive face. Rachel couldn’t help but smile back. He seemed to have an infectious personality oozing from him, she noticed in just those couple of minutes she had met him. ‘Suave, sophisticated and friendly’ she thought to herself. Her nervous tension seemed to just dissipate.

He asked her Well Rachel, how do you like your new office?

My office she managed to gulp out I thought I was sitting in your office Mr Sergeant.

Well no, it’s yours, and please call me James, but never Jim.

Why not Jim? she asked.

"Because it’s what they call my father, and I don’t have a good relationship with him.

In the finance field I feel James is more upstanding than Jim."

I definitely agree with that James. she said.

James sat down in the other arm chair, after ringing through to reception for a coffee for them.

I would like to discuss a position with you Rachel that we have been considering for some time. This is highly confidential, and your last employer told me you are the height of discretion, and that’s who we want for this particular job. You will be put on a very rewarding salary, and there will be bonuses as the job progresses. This has to do with deals throughout China, and we would like you to take a course in Chinese, probably Cantonese, which is the most common language of the many that are there. We will pay for the courses, and any travel needed to bring everything into fruition for you Rachel. I will be working closely with you on this project, but I feel we have the right person for the job in you. I look at you, and your personal presentation could not be bettered, so you have done well for yourself.

Thank you James.

There is a knock at the door and the young receptionist came in.

Thank you Myra.

You are welcome sir.

She put two china mugs of coffee on the coffee table between the chairs and a plate of biscuits, then, left the room with a smile to both of them.

Nice girl Myra, she is doing so well. We took her on straight from school, and she has proved to be a worthy employee.

That’s a nice thing to say James do you ever reward her, other than say how good she is?

I have never thought about it, but I will now, thank you Rachel. I can see we will get along splendidly.

I think so too James.

They drank their coffees while James outlined what he wanted Rachel to do. It would eventually involve Rachel going to China, possibly with him, and sit in on meetings, all to do with finance on large multimillion plus, business deals. Rachel was in awe of this, all on her first day, and is now going to receive a huge salary, more than she had dreamed of, but no doubt it would cut into her private life, there again, she really had no personal life, only her family, and they would fit in when they could. After they had discussed everything thoroughly, for an hour, James stood up, and asked if she is prepared for this new task, and she said she is thrilled to be so highly regarded and asked Where do I go for Chinese lessons?

I will arrange for you to have a private tutor. I think that would be better than you trying to do night school or such. I will get on the phone today, now I know you are fine with this, we will get started. Learning Chinese will be a great advantage for you.

Thank you, James. This is an amazing journey for me to look forward to. I won’t let you down.

That, I believe Rachel, from what I know from your former boss. He couldn’t speak highly enough of you.

Thank you again James for this opportunity.

You are most welcome Rachel

They shook hands and James left the office and Rachel fell back into the seat, totally blown away with the good fortune put upon her. She is happy, and would be pleased to tell her parents the good news.

The company had a large lunch room, where everyone seemed to congregate, and there were a fair few of them. When she was shown in by Marge all the staff smiled and thought how attractive she is yet so unaffected and friendly. They knew she has just been given an amazing opportunity that a couple of them had hoped to get, but no one showed any animosity toward her. She is friendly, and they are glad to meet her. There are about the same amount of men as woman, and the ladies she quickly realised are mostly secretaries or personal assistants. They all knew as soon as they met Rachel she is the right person for the job, she ate her lunch and just chatted along with everyone else who sat with her.

After lunch she had very little to do, so looked up the computer for things about China and learning Chinese. It’s quite fascinating, she thought, but looks somewhat difficult although sure she would sort it out quite quickly with a tutor. At four thirty Marge came in and said they closed the office at four thirty, and for her to go home.

The only ones staying are the sales people and they stay until five thirty she said. You will do plenty of overtime in the future Rachel, so take the early days while you can.

Thanks Marge. And she packed her bag and left for the day.

Chapter two

T he apartment is fresh, as she had left the windows slightly ajar to let the sea breeze in during the day. She decided to go for a surf seeing it wasn’t even five o’clock and put on her suit, grabbed her board, she had waxed a few days ago, and went across to the water. ‘There’s something about surfing that makes you feel free’ she thought, ‘a bit like sky diving or gliding,’ but she preferred to be on the ground. She was a very good surfer, and there are some beaut waves. She is really enjoying the rhythm she had managed to attain on these large waves. There are quite a few surfers out still, and they are quite surprised how good this new girl, they had never seen before, is. A couple of the guys sidled up to her introducing themselves, and asked where she had learned to surf so well, so she talked to them and is pleased she had made some friends on the surfing circuit. They don’t usually talk easily, but she is good, and they all wondered if she is some champion they hadn’t met.

No guy’s I just happen to like the sport, so moved here to be able to do it in my leisure time.

Welcome Rachel, we enjoy good surfers, and you sure can surf.

Thanks guys, I’d better go in, as it’s starting to get dark. I might run into you again soon. See you later.

Bye Rachel they all called back.

She showered off on the beach, wrapped herself in a towel then walked across the street with her board, to her apartment. ‘That was so cool’ she thought to herself. ‘Just for those guys to think I was good enough to talk to. I’m amazed.’ It is just on six when she walked through the door and her phone was ringing.

Hi Mum, I’m fine thanks, just been for a surf. Yes, I had an unbelievable day thanks and she told her mother what was going on in her life, how well she was received by her work mates and the conversation went on for about an hour. In the end she said she needed to get some tea on, and they ended what had been a happy and highly excited conversation on both sides. She went in to her kitchen and cooked up a wok of fresh vegetables and sat at the table while watching TV, enjoying every mouthful.

James had managed to get a very nice young man to tutor her in Chinese and is pleased she is able to catch on so fast. In only three weeks of tutoring and she is writing symbols and understanding the writing and speaking it quite well. James would come in sometimes and listen and watch as Yong would correct her. ‘It won’t take as long as I expected’ thought James, she really is an amazing person. James had decided after talking it out with Rachel, all he would like her to do is concentrate on learning Chinese, and she could do it all day, during work hours. Yong is quite happy to be there. He is an International student in Australia to learn English, so they are virtually helping each other, and it is certainly working out well, they thought about another full on month and she should be almost fluent, the way she is learning. Rachel is really enjoying learning this new language, knowing this would put her in good stead with the world market. China is right up there these days, and definitely is the one to watch. Companies in Australia are sending things there to be made, and there is a lot going on between the world and China, so this is very beneficial to Rachel, and she knows it.

During the weekends she would enjoy the company of her parents, when they came to stay, and of course Tonia is there nearly every weekend. Rachel had even introduced her to her surfing buddies, who are pretty impressed with her as well. There is a real friendship going on, and everyone is just so good to know. Cherie had come around a few times for a coffee after work and her boyfriend Mark had come around with her a couple of times. He seemed to be a nice guy and worked on a large building site in Surfers Paradise.

There is a new Las Vegas style show on at Jupiter’s Casino, and Rachel thought she would like to see it, so phoned her parents and Tonia to come down and they would all see it on Saturday night. She hadn’t done much at all really during her first two months, but had become very good at Chinese. Her surfing skills are on the high list as well, and she is really happy with life now. James had been over in China a couple of times, and came back and had some interesting talk sessions with her. She wondered if he is gay, as he never seemed to be with anyone, or go anywhere, but work or something work related, and Marge said he isn’t married, so he is a mystery man really. She rang him and said her family are coming down in the weekend to go to the show at the Casino, and would he like to join them all for dinner and the show. She was blown away when he said he would very much enjoy that, and they made the necessary arrangements.

Yong is still around doing a few things like checking her written letters she sent to businesses in China, and reading the ones returning to her. James had asked the