Raymond slowly circled the man, his left hand out and relaxed with the palm pointed to his opponent. The other man simply observed, turning as Raymond did so, taking in the stance and slight muscles tenses of his movement. He knew Raymond well, and therefore had a better understanding of what to look for before the strike, but he had to admit his student was getting better at hiding his intent.<br/><br/>The man quickly, yet casually raised an arm to block Raymond’s kick, then moved in to counter, but realized that his student not only moved out of distance but also out of his direct line as well. It was such a pleasure to see them learn over time. The man smoothly slid to the side that Raymond retreated to and swept his legs out from him, landing Ray into a heap on his back.<br/><br/>To his credit, Raymond was back up and guarded before his teacher could capitalize further. “Good!” the man said, moving a few steps back and smiling “Very good! Keep your mind open to all possible lines of attack, though. What we do in life is rarely linear. Even an arrow must succumb to the wind!”. With a nod and an exhausted smile, Raymond bowed to his teacher deeply before standing “So, same time Monday Mr. Chan?” The man nodded, still eyeing Raymond. “It’s a shame you started so late, Raymond…you would have been special. Right now, not so much” He chuckled and threw the towel at Raymond as a surprise, but Raymond caught it easily.<em>’Fool me once, ya mean bastard!</em>he thought before showed his teacher out.<br/><br/>He watched the older man go, thinking on his words. His pride reared its ugly head, and he felt the urge to shout that he was great, but doused the fire with a slow easy breath. “Humility…” he whispered to himself. It was the hardest thing to find within him. His greatest enemy was the pride within himself. How else could he have taken the reins of Jacob Industries? How else could he have helped strong-arm relationships to bring them into the future? There was no seat for humility in the boardroom!<br/><br/>Besides, he was convinced that the only reason the guy got him down, was because he was thinking of the weekend ahead. Mike and Harri had invited him over for the weekend, and it would be a nice change of pace from his usual outings. He had no current significant other, mainly because it was hard to find someone to trust. Even though he kept his face out of the tabloids, the women that excited him were predators, and knew his face on sight. They’d angle for his money or favor without them even realizing it, so he just had to work with chicks who thought he was a sports star. He always went with it, since it was usually a promise of pussy in it for him, anyway. How could you explain market share to a ditzy chick who wanted nothing more than to suck your cock as you drove? You don’t.<br/><br/>After a shower, he got dressed in a lazy ensemble of comfortable beige dress pants, tank top t-shirt, and an unbuttoned melon green Tommy Bahama shirt. He chuckled at himself in the mirror, and then shrugged. What were the weekends for if you couldn’t look like an idiot from time to time? He grabbed the carry-on bag he packed, thinking he’d need a few extra clothes in case he fell off a horse…again. He was more into four wheels anyway, the proof found in his garage that housed his modest DB9 (http://photos.leftlanenews.com/photos/cars/aston-martin/big-images/aston-martin-db9-10_620.jpg).<br/><br/><hr/>The drive from the city was pleasant, his early start got him through the later traffic horrors on his side of town. Of course, a pleasant drive usually meant a tachometer close to the red and very angry drivers behind him, but he was taking it easy today. Only about 90 while on the highway, and then a slow crawl through the hills. He had to smile. The Darlings had pristine land, and Raymond couldn't help but be a little envious. There was money, and there was wealth, but not many people he knew were pure liquid. It was nice to have something to aspire to. People like him needed a rabbit to chase.<br/><br/>The gate was opened as he arrived. Security knew his car and face by now, and he threw them a salute as he drive past. He was early, but he wanted to catch up with the Darlings before their little soiree. After parking, he walked to a side entrance of the house usually reserved for those working the grounds. To him it was just an easier way to get into the house. "Hello...Avon calling" He said with a smirk.<br/>