Chapter 18
The thing about Shannon was that she refused to be anything other than a main character in the story of life. But whether
she was the plucky underdog heroine or the charismatic villain, it was never quite clear.
What was clear—undeniable in fact—was that Shannon Shoo was one hell of a player.
Born in an illegal maternity center somewhere in the San Gabriel Valley, Shannon was not an only girl with six brothers, as
she often claimed. Her family consisted just of her and her Vietnamese immigrant mother, who was the little third of a successful businessman based in Chongqing. This man sent money to them every month until she was six, when he was purged
in a corruption sweep by the Chinese government. They never heard from him again.
Despite this early pitfall, Shannon was blessed with main-character energy starting from a young age. In elementary school,
she got rid of her mother’s abusive boyfriend by planting underwear photos of herself in his car and then calling the police.
As a teenager, she ran a massive bling ring that looted the Hollywood Hills, except this one was never caught.
The definition of an odd beauty with her massive eyes, paper-white skin, and sharp V-shaped face, Shannon gained a significant following on social media as the quintessential Asian baby girl partying around Los Angeles with the young elite.
(Back in their early twenties, she even occasionally shared a bump or two with April in various fabulous washrooms .
. . though neither would ever admit to remembering that.) Leveraging her success in online content, she found her way into the Silicon Beach tech crowd, on-and-off dating the original coder of Airbnb, a sweet bear of a man who adored and adorned her.
All-expenses-paid trips to Ibiza, Holbox, and the Maldives were the norm. VIP tables were mid; Shannon did not show up unless
there was a VIP balcony, with cute bodyguards and an adjoining private ensuite for shits and giggles. Private meals catered
by Michelin chefs were typical weeknight fare.
So when Sunbern rather insultingly mistook her for a bottle girl that fateful evening in DTLA seven years ago, Shannon’s first
instinct was to steal his credit card and buy something incriminating on the dark web. But upon realizing who he was, she
decided instead to play along, even though her coder boyfriend and his friends were just on the other side of the rooftop
bar. She pretended to laugh at his dumb joke about “pretty husbands” and gave him her number.
Of course Shannon knew about Sunbern’s infamous family. Forget about new monied tech bros; the Sun Clan had the kind of dynastic
wealth that could topple regimes. But as she thought about how lame his joke was, she also found herself somewhat charmed
by his innocence. Perhaps, she had thought to herself, I could be the next Mrs. Roses Sun!
But Shannon too had been naive. She had no idea what the Suns were actually like, so she was horrified when she discovered
the worst thing about them.
The worst thing about the Sun Clan was not that they were a pack of socially awkward narcissists, or even that they essentially
ran an environmental terrorism corporation.
It was that they were boring.
The Suns were a people who only knew how to fight about money, so that they had no idea how to enjoy it. Being with them was
like watching lead paint dry, so boring that it was harmful to Shannon’s health. As she saw it, wealth was not just wasted
upon them; it was the source of all their collective misery and strife.
But Shannon was happy to relieve them of their curse. And if all went according to plan, that Sunfang Trust would be hers
in a matter of days.
“Aw, c’mon, Mooncakes!” Sunbern groaned as he rapped against her metal gate. “I just wanna hold you and feel my baby. Lemme
in!”
Bored, Shannon was reclining on her love seat a room away from the entrance. “Sunbern, you know what SANTI said,” she called
out. “No physical contact now that I’m showing!”
Locked out, Sunbern face-palmed. He had thought that introducing Shannon to his mother was a necessary formality, but he never
expected just how well they would get along. So well that Hyacinth not only brought Shannon into the fold of her cult, but
now the two of them were equally as brainwashed by that weirdo SANTI!
“Can’t I at least see you?” Sunbern whined. There was a pause, then he heard the pitter-patter of feet as Shannon rounded
a corner to appear at her front door, wearing a black satin robe.
“Happy now?” Shannon asked, peering through the metal mesh.
“No, I’m not!” Sunbern said with a pout. “How can I be? Listen, Mooncakes, I love that you and my mom are getting along and
all, but this is all going too far! Why am I being shut out?”
“I, I, I!” Shannon repeated, mimicking Sunbern perfectly.
“Do you ever listen to yourself? All you care about is what you want. What about what I want? For too long, everything has been about you, Sunbern. That is what MiNT Wellness taught me, how to reclaim my Sense of Self.” She patted her belly through her robe as she gave a moony smile.
“Actually, SANTI created a new term just for me and the baby. He calls it Sense of Selves! Isn’t that cute? ”
Sunbern let out a defeated moan. “That’s brilliant. Can I at least know if it’s a boy or a girl? It’s been four months, you
should be able to tell, right?”
Shannon shook her head. “Not even I know. SANTI forbids it.”
“SANTI, SANTI, SANTI,” Sunbern jeered, doing a less successful imitation of her. “Wayward’s baby shower is this weekend. How
are we going to avoid physical contact up there in the same house?”
“I already made a request that we have separate bedrooms,” Shannon replied cheerfully. “Now, it’s time for my nap. Off you
go!”
“You’ve really thought of everything, haven’t you?” Sunbern said forlornly. “Could we at least take a selfie? You know, for
our socials?”
Shannon swung open the gate, leaning just close enough to him so that he could snap the photo on his phone. Switching on,
the two of them flashed megawatt smiles as they pointed at her belly, looking ever the elated soon-to-be parents.
Just as quickly, Shannon closed the gate and slammed the door in his face. “See you in Big Bear!” she called through it.
As he exited Shannon’s building, Sunbern paused in front of a parked blue Tesla to post the selfie of them. Instantly, countless
likes and comments ding-ding-dinged on his phone like a winning slot machine. But he walked away rejected and alone.
Inside, Shannon deadbolted the door. She was unbothered.
Unlike Sunbern, who could always fall back on his name, she came from nothing.
Her reputation and her brand meant everything to her.
So when his leaked audio about her “Grateful Pussy Syndrome” went viral and made her the laughingstock of incels and meme queens everywhere, she vowed to herself that the only reason she would ever get back with him was to exact revenge .
. . against him and indeed everyone who played a part in humiliating her.
“Is he gone?” A soft voice interrupted her thoughts.
She turned around to fall into Fenix’s arms. “Yes, finally.” They kissed deeply.
Shannon had met Fenix not long after she started dating Sunbern, though she only started dating Fenix after leaving the former
all-American model. The difference between the two men was night and day. Whereas Sunbern was all bluster and fanfare, Fenix
was stoic and meditative. Comparably beautiful as he was to Sunbern, Fenix fulfilled a part of Shannon that the other man
could never.
“I’m glad to be back,” Fenix said with a shy smile.
“Oh, it’s been so boring without you!” Shannon teased, tapping him on the nose. Pulling him by the hand, she led him back
into her bedroom.
Fenix fell backward onto her bed, propping himself up with his elbows. “Somehow I don’t believe you. When I left, I figured
you’d be running this place by the time I returned. Seems like I wasn’t far off.”
“Okay, fine,” Shannon giggled. “There’s been some amusing moments.” She fell down onto the bed next to him. “All for the greater
good, of course.”
“Of course.” Fenix ran a finger down her shoulder, tracing it past her waist, resting his hand on her shapely hip, giving
it an appreciative squeeze. But his brow was furrowed.
Shannon tapped him on his temple. “What’s going on in there? Having second thoughts? You shouldn’t. Those people don’t even
know who you are.”
Fenix sighed. “No, I’m just in awe of everything you’ve pulled off. You’re an incredible woman, Shannon.”
Shannon leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Remember what I told you when we fell in love?”
“You told me you had unfinished business.”
“Yes, and you’ve supported me every step of that way. And once I’m done, you and I will have everything we deserve.”
With that, Shannon and Fenix kissed again, deeper this time. Moaning, wanting him, needing him, Shannon parted her black robe
as Fenix stood up, unbuckling his pants.
Enamored, Shannon gazed upon his manhood as it grew erect before them. She pulled him down on top of her, cherishing the feeling
of his smooth, lean body over hers.
The two lovers merged into one.
As April drove toward her in-laws’ house, she saw that Cristiano was waiting for her, standing alert on the front porch. In
her belly, the baby landed a hard kick.
When she parked in the driveway, he was already opening her door, blocking her way. She looked up at him. “Could you move?”
“Where do you keep going?” Cristiano asked. His tone was hard and accusatory. “Who do you keep meeting with?”
“Cristiano, get the fuck out of my way,” April said through clenched teeth.
Cristiano released the door and she rushed past him into the house. He chased after her.
Inside, she tried to run into Meadow’s bedroom but he was faster than her, planting himself in front of the hallway, his long