13. Family Drama
Chapter thirteen
Family Drama
Lei
There was a suffocating tension at the table that silenced all and even stopped everyone from eating.
Monique put her glass down.
The air grew thick and heavy, each breath feeling like a conscious effort.
Every face at the table was a portrait of unease—eyes darted but no one made direct eye contact, and mouths were pressed into thin, tight lines.
I should have probably told Monique that she was a huge part of my father's plan.
However, so much had happened and amidst the chaos and tensions, there simply wasn't a right moment to bring it up.
But was there ever going to be a right moment?
Besides, I still wasn't sure how I felt about it, which was why I made a point to not think about it.
All I knew was that in this short time she had inexplicably become a force in my life. The way her laughter echoed in my ears long after it had faded, the warmth of her touch lingering on my skin, the way her mere presence could calm the raging storm inside me.
It was all magnetic—the pull she had on me.
When she spoke, I found myself hanging onto every word. I'd catch myself watching her when she wasn't looking, tracing the curve of her lips, the way her eyes sparkled when she was passionate about something.
But, it wasn't love.
At least, I didn't think it was.
Love was a word that I did not throw around casually.
Yet. . .this felt different, more profound.
How could I reveal that her fate was entwined with mine in ways she couldn't yet comprehend?
That in my father's mind, she was not just an outsider in this intricate game but a central piece?
Yan rolled her eyes at me. “As usual, you have allowed Father to twist and turn you around at his will.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Have I?”
“You fell for the exact woman that he has carefully planned for you to be with.”
Tension gathered in my shoulders. “My growing feelings for Monique have nothing to do with Father—”
“He gave her to you—”
“He did not. I came to her—”
“Due to Father—”
“Yes but not in the way that you think.”
“Oh. Of course, Lei.” Yan loudly chuckled. “God gave him a sign and she arrived? You track her due to Father's locket and that is how you meet her? Be smarter. brother.”
I placed my hands on the table and threaded my fingers. “Father has clearly caught you up on everything. But what do you know that I don't?”
“You know our father is smart and manipulative. You think he would just hand over Lotus Blossom to a woman he just met for a few hours,” Yan pointed at me. “You are better than this.”
I gritted my teeth.
Yan turned to Monique. “Where did you meet Father?”
“No. No.” I shook my head. “Monique, you don't have to answer my sister.”
“It is fine.” Under the table, she placed her hand on my lap and looked at Yan. “I met Leo in Glory's China Town.”
“What an incredible coincidence.” Some of the champagne spilled as Yan gestured with her glass. “Tell me, why were you there in the first place?”
“My dad lived in Leo's old apartment building and I was there to see him but he never answered the phone so I was pacing outside by—”
“A tree where my Father meditated to God, praying for the right one to come to him. What a great story to tell the East.” Yan outrageously pointed at Monique. “Look, the woman that God delivered to our beloved old Mountain Master.”
I stirred.
Yan laughed. “Such a shocking coincidence that Monique's Father happened to be living in our old apartment building. I bet it was our exact apartment.”
Monique shrugged. “I don't know if it was.”
“How did your father even come to live there?” Yan leaned her head to the side. “Tell me, did he happen to meet a nice Chinese woman who he fell in love with and just so happened to have him move in with her?”
Monique blinked. “Y-yes, but. . .that was over a year—”
“Of course it was. My father needed the next Mountain Mistress—one that would be worthy enough to stand in front of his people. It would have probably taken him two years to find you.”
Chen widened his eyes.
What? No.
Yan set her glass down and crossed her arms over her chest. “And why did you need your father, Monique? I bet there was a connection to our father in some way.”
I spoke through clenched teeth, “You don't have to answer her.”
“But she wants to.” Yan bobbed her head. “She wants to know if she has been manipulated even if you don't care.”
Monique's expression went stern. “My father took money from a Glory casino—”
“And there we go.” Yan laughed. “Doesn't his old employer own a casino, Lei? Is that not another interesting coincidence?”
Monique shook her head. “But, when I told Leo about the problem, he seemed like he didn't know. He even asked Uncle Song about—”
“Did you know that my uncle and Father had dreamed about being actors when they were young? They love to make reality a big theatrical play.”
Chen turned his face to me as if wanting to further discuss this new information.
I shook my head.
As far as I was concerned, right or not, I didn't care. If my Father had orchestrated this whole meeting with Monique then so fucking be it.
I hated him.
I wanted to kill him.
But Monique's entrance into my life had erased the pain.
Whether the gift of her came from him or God, I would not give her back.
Monique still appeared shocked. “Okay, but. . .I had on this Cookie Monster pajama top with blue and I think that's what—”
“Where did you get those pajamas from?” Yan grinned at her. “I bet you didn't buy them.”
Chen looked at Monique. “Did you?”
My nerves flared.
Monique's hand trembled on my leg. “No. My sisters and I received them from a charity six months ago with other boxes of clothes. Hearts and Harmony Outreach.”
Yan pointed to Chen. “Give the charity name to that idiot and I bet when he does some digging you will find that Four Aces own that charity.”
Monique blinked. “No.”
“Yes.” Yan’s smirk grew even wider, savoring the discomfort she was causing at the table. “It's all a game to our father, Monique. He has orchestrated every single move and you were just a very big pawn in his grand scheme.”
“Enough.” I unthreaded my fingers, moved them under the table, and placed one on Monique's hand. “You didn't come here to help me. Therefore, you came to what? Unravel Father's plan?”
“And am I doing that?”
“I don't care what Father did or didn't do. What I care about is right here, right now.”
She held up one finger. “But this new element surely changes everything.”
“It changes nothing.” I scowled.
“Your feelings for her are fabricated.”
I sneered. “You still have not explained why you came to visit us today.”
“Our father has always believed in the power of fate and destiny. But sometimes, he believes he can give fate a nudge in the direction he wants. I don't know when he spotted Monique long ago but—”
“What do you want?”
“When I returned to Paradise City, I thought I wanted to save Father.” A cruel smile spread on her face. “I rushed to him with my men. Armed. Ready. All eager give their lives to save him.”
I should have been focused on Yan but I found myself gazing at Monique to check her reaction.
There, she sat with her full lips slightly parted, her beautiful brown eyes searching for something—perhaps a sliver of doubt in Yan's, a speck of clarity amidst the muddy waters of intrigue and deception. It pained me to see her caught in this crossfire.
We'll have to talk about this and more later?
“But as I was rushing to Father's side,” Yan continued, “I remembered all the ways he had manipulated everyone. You. Me.”
Slowly, everyone else began to return to eating. Meanwhile, Chen typed into his phone.
Yan gazed down at her bird’s nest soup and then put her view on Monique. “Do you have siblings?”
Monique looked at her. “I do. Three sisters.”
“Did your father ever have you practice fighting against your sisters?”
“No.”
“Mine did.” Yan sighed. “I remember one day when I was ten years old, I did my best and put all of my energy to beating Lei. I showed no mercy. Do you remember that day, Lei?”
I did my best to not think of that moment. “I remember.”
“You were eight.”
I gritted my teeth.
“You laid on the ground, bruised and beaten.” The humor on Yan's face cracked. “I screamed and celebrated, so happy that finally I beat my brother. And do you remember what Father did?”
“I remember.”
Yan spread her hands out. “Tell the table, Mountain Master.”
“It is your story.”
She stared at Monique. “Father slapped me so hard I fell to the ground and then he stomped my left arm and then my right. Broke them.”
Monique widened her eyes.
“I learned that day, that I was never to beat my brother because he was the one to rule the East.” Yan's voice cracked. “Father only ever truly favored one of us. He never cared about me the way he cared about you. All those years, I just wanted to be his favorite. To earn his respect. His love. But in the end, it was always about you.”
A wave of guilt washed over me. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. Yan had suffered too, just like I had.
We were both pawns in our father's grand scheme—both scarred by his abuse.
Still, I leaned back and watched her, knowing that this sad voyage down memory lane would get somewhere eventually.
“Father confirmed that fact, when he told me he was giving the new Mountain Mistress, Lotus Blossom. My mother's home.” Yan's voice grew stronger, more defiant. “In that moment, I thought to myself, why save him?”
Chen and I exchanged glances.
Some relief came.
I cleared my throat. “You're saying that you won't get in my way?”
“Not when it comes to our Father.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“When it comes to Father. . .do what you want. I will be at that final feast, watching with a huge smile on my face, hoping you break his arms the same way he did mine.”
But there was more.
I studied her. “And?”
Yan tilted her head, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “And, while I won't interfere with your desire to deal with Father, you need to understand one thing—Lotus Blossom is mine.”
Chen shifted in his seat, the muscles in his jaw tensing.
Monique's hand tightened around mine beneath the table as she leaned my way and whispered. “If she wants it, she can have it.”
She can't. The house will not be enough.
I sneered at Yan. “I'm sure you have more than enough of his property—”
“I do, but none of it is in the East.”
“He didn't want you there.”
“I know.” Challenge flashed in Yan's eyes. “But, about that. . .”
I frowned.
“I want the East too.”
And there we go. The final reason why she came. . .to take the throne.
Rage rose within me. “Are you still on that same goal? Did you not learn from the last time?”
“I will respect Father's wishes while he still walks this planet, but when he lets out his last breath. . .”
“Then, you will get back on your plane and leave.”
“I will not, Lei.” She glared. “Do you even want to rule the East anymore?”
That I didn't know but I surely wouldn't put the East in her hands—ones that were so cruel and violent due to all of my Father's abuse.
Our people deserved better.
“All Chanel had to do was wear a tight, short skirt and she could get you to sign any deal with the West.” Yan gave me a disgusted look. “And when she showed a little cleavage you damn sure gave away all of the East's riches.”
“That's enough.”
“I'm glad Father killed Romeo and her—”
“Enough!”
She went mute, her eyes blazing with a rage so intense that her men seemed ready to lunge across the table and attack.
I smiled mockingly at them, daring them to take me on, relishing in the thought of ripping them apart.
Fortunately, none of the other guests noticed the sudden eruption as our table was engulfed in an icy silence.
I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure and maintain my stance as the Mountain Master. “Unfortunately, you will have to earn the East if you want it, Yan. I will not hand it to you on a silver platter.”
She smirked. “I wouldn't want it any other way.”
“Yet, I am no longer eight. Those days of your beating me are over.” I gestured to her pitiful men. “And I don't care how many planes of men you brought here, the East's army is bigger and the Diamond Syndicate will help when necessary.”
“The East's army will not follow you.” Yan pointed to Monique. “Not when you bring her into the palace. So dark and no hair. She will never be accepted. Father surely has gone crazy.”
Rage roared through me.
Fast, I rose from the table, my chair scraping the floor and causing a hushed silence to fall over the space.
All around us, feast guests went silent and rose too, bowing their heads. Chen, Duck, Hu, and Monique hurried up too.
Even Yan and her men followed. Meanwhile, a wicked smirk remained on her face.
I watched Yan. “Leave.”
She blinked and looked up. Shock covered her face. “What did you say?”
“Leave before I fucking kill you and your men.”
“How dare you? I am an honored guest and high member of the Four Aces—”
“You'll be dead if you remain.”
Chen cleared his throat. “Lei, with all that is going on, we should show a united front to—”
“Get her out of here before I fucking slice her head off.” My eyes remained locked with Yan's.
The past resentments and years of manipulation from our Father had created a chasm that could no longer be bridged.
Clearly, her plan had been to sit at the table and be disrespectful all night. The old me probably would have let her, needing to keep a fake image for all the guests.
The East could not know about the family's internal conflict.
However, her insulting Monique would not be allowed.
I sneered. “Why are you still standing there?”
Yan's face turned a shade redder. “Are you really going to dishonor me by throwing me out like this?”
“Leave.”
Hu left his stance and pulled out his sword.
Duck followed, taking out his knives from hidden parts of his robe.
Yan's piercing gaze swept over the table, challenging anyone who dared meet her eyes.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Then, with a swift flick of her wrist, she signaled her men.
The subtle rustle of their dark suits and the clinking of their hidden weaponry were the only sounds as they made a synchronized exit from the table.
I lowered back onto the throne.
My heart still thundered.
The guests hesitated briefly, before returning to their own seats.
Though the guests attempted to pick up their conversations, the force of the interruption was evident. They exchanged awkward laughs and stole quick glances in our direction. I could sense the electric undercurrent of excitement among them. To many, this was a rare glimpse into the shadows of a powerful family, a real-life drama unfolding right before their eyes.
Whispers snaked their way around the room, insidious and inescapable.
Words like scandal , power struggle , and betrayal floated to my ears.
I caught the occasional sympathetic look, but many more were tinged with morbid curiosity or barely concealed glee.
I had always been a topic of discussion in the East, but this would be uncharted territory.
Chen's voice went barely above a whisper. “This isn't just gossip, Lei. This is a live show for them and we're the main act.”
I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of every gaze on that mountain. “She needed to be shown her place.”
“But at what cost?” Chen pressed. “Look at them. They're whispering, speculating. This will have repercussions.”
I barely registered his warning as my attention instead, was completely drawn to Monique. I could see the distress on her face, the confusion in her eyes. This was not how I had wanted our evening to go. She'd been thrown into the depths of my family's complex dynamics, and I could only imagine the turmoil she felt.
I reached my hand under the table and squeezed hers. “Are you okay?”
Monique nodded. “It's just. . .a lot to take in.”
Chen's phone vibrated. He picked it up and let out a long sigh.
I frowned. “What?”
“Hearts and Harmony Outreach is under St. Benedict's Hope Foundation.” Chen put his phone up. “Another coincidence.”
The line of my jaw twitched.
Monique turned to me. “And the Four Aces own St. Benedict's Hope Foundation?”
“My mother started it. Once she died, my father. . .he typically spent almost every day separating donations and anything else they required.”
Monique stared down at her food as if no longer hungry. “When my mom passed, they helped pay for the funeral. I remember thinking Jo had filled out some form for them to do it.”
Chen eyed her. “Did she?”
Monique shook her head. “Three months later, we happened to be talking about how much I appreciated the help and that was when we realized that Jo never did an application. Meanwhile she thought I did. Therefore. . .we assumed Mom must have done it. . .”
Chen's fingers shook as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Then. . .every now and then, when times really got bad. . .boxes of food or clothes would be delivered.” Monique widened her eyes. “By men in blue shirts and jeans.”
Goddamn it, Father.
Monique continued, “We still struggled at times, but it was those moments where all hope was lost. . .when the boxes would come. . .”
Duck spoke for the first time in a while, “Uncle Leo was probably making sure you could toughen out stressful situations and only helped when absolutely necessary.”
But how long was my Father watching Monique?