Chapter 11
Yejun sat back and watched the exchange before him, not all that interested in interrupting the flow of things. That wasn’t his purpose here anyway. He’d only come to be seen as a show of support to Lake.
Sort of like how Lake had only screwed their Firebird senseless the other day to make a point to the staff of FOX & SPARROW.
June had been so annoyed when he’d finished trying out his outfit choices, only to return and find out Lake had locked himself and Nix in one of the dressing rooms and refused to come out.
Everyone in the entire establishment—all three floors of it—had eventually been privy to what was really going on behind that closed door, since Lake had upped the ante, getting rougher and rougher with Nix until he was shouting the Imperial’s name in a hoarse voice that left nothing for the imagination.
Recalling how Nix had practically begged him to make it rough that night in the rain, Yejun pursed his lips.
He seemed to get off whenever Lake or West treated him like a sex object…
Nah.
June didn’t have to change. If anything, he was probably setting himself up to be the balm Nix needed whenever he was after something softer and sweeter. Yejun could be tender, could make that his angle. It wouldn’t be a lie.
Ever since he’d hurt him, Yejun only ever thought about treating Nix like the precious thing he was.
“Hey.” West elbowed him in the side and motioned with his chin to the Order members seated across the table.
“What was that?” Yejun didn’t bother apologizing for his obvious distraction.
“I asked if you’ve spoken with your parents yet.” Sif held his gaze unblinkingly, but it was impossible to tell if she found his inattention insulting or not.
They’d only just become high-standing members of the club, and the Order was already bowing before them.
It paid to be the next in line for the throne.
If they’d been anyone else, even with as much prestige and public sway as both he and West possessed, they wouldn’t be getting this level of respect.
They truly did owe it all to Lake.
Their standing in society.
And their relationship with Nix.
Lake had given them both, and Yejun made a mental note to properly thank his best friend later, realizing that he never really had in the past. For too long, they’d been considered a unit.
That’s why he and West had gotten so angry when Lake had brought Nix into this without consulting them.
But they weren’t just parts of a single whole. They had individual thoughts and needs.
Yejun feared he’d treated him much the same way his family had been treating him all these years, like an extension of themselves. That simply was not the case, no matter how close they were.
Not everything was about him.
That was a lesson Nix had taught him, and something he intended to work on and apply to every aspect of his life.
Was this…growth? Personal growth? Him?
Wow.
Where was someone to pat him on the back and call him a good boy?
Shit.
He snorted before he could help it and then cleared his throat when that gained him a few frowns around the table.
“I haven’t spoken to them about this directly,” he finally answered, “no.”
“You’re about to become the Sang family representative,” she reminded. “That’s no small feat.”
His mother had just removed herself from the table, citing her need to focus on her career. She’d assumed having her son take her place was enough to keep their family in power, and while she hadn’t been entirely incorrect about that, she hadn’t been one hundred percent correct either.
Yejun wouldn’t do anything to compromise the Sang name, but he was done living for the approval of others.
“I believe Mrs. Sang explained her reasoning for stepping aside when she submitted her resignation,” Lake drawled, leaning back in his chair at the head of the table and steepling his fingers. “Is there a reason to dwell on this, Sif?”
Before, they’d addressed most of the Order by last name to show respect, but he’d dropped that the second they’d walked through the doors a half hour ago.
No one had corrected him.
“I’m only trying to ensure everything runs smoothly,” she said with a fake smile that didn’t reach her teal eyes. “This is all new territory for us, after all. It’s been centuries since there was a member on the Order who also happened to rule the planet. That’s a lot of responsibility.”
“Especially for someone so young,” Iwon, a member only ten years older than June, added. “It’s my understanding that Sayda’s hope is you’ll have more time to focus on your studies with Lake taking the throne, not less. I tried to advise her against abdicating her seat here, and yet—”
“It’s funny,” Lake tapped his fingers against the mahogany surface of the long table they sat at, “you’re starting to sound like you’re trying to lecture us. But that can’t be the case, can it? What with my crowning coming up, and my taking over the head of this table.”
“You’re skipping over a few steps,” Orson, an older member, joined in the conversation. He was at the other end, though it was clear more than half of the table members had been ignoring him since the start of the meeting.
If he were as smart as he believed himself to be, he’d be busily kissing Lake’s ass right now in an attempt to return to his good graces, but of course, he’d never.
West rolled his eyes at Yejun’s side, no doubt thinking the same thing Yejun just had.
“Until your coronation, you’re not yet emperor. Don’t expect the planet to treat you as such.” Orson glanced around at the rest of the members. “As for taking control of the Order, that right is also only bestowed upon the emperor, if the emperor happens to be a member at the time.”
“You’re saying he shouldn’t be seated at the head of the table because there’s no physical crown on his noggin?” West snorted.
“Did you just use the word noggin?” Yejun laughed.
“This is not a light matter,” Orson stated tersely.
“Then stop making jokes.” He shrugged when that earned him a shocked look. “If we’re questioning anyone’s right to be here, don’t you think it should be yours?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“He’s right,” West said. “Everyone here knows you’re in my father’s pocket, and since he’s currently on probation while the Club investigates, I’m honestly shocked you haven’t been voted out.”
They’d heard Demetrious wasn’t allowed within one hundred yards of the Club House.
The information West had leaked was more than enough to strip him of his Essential membership altogether, but due to the Corleones having been a part of the organization for generations, they were giving him the dignity of an investigation.
It was also thanks to the few supporters Demetrious had left, like Orson, who’d demanded they not “destroy a man's reputation based solely on the made-up nonsense of a resentful son”.
With it still being Demons Passing, they’d no doubt have to wait until after the holiday had concluded before they were finally able to wave Demitrious goodbye for good, but they could survive a few more days.
That was about as much time his followers had left, too. Lake would uproot them the second he was able.
Starting with Orson, no doubt.
“Should we start the proceedings on that?” Lake suggested, almost as though reading June’s mind, then set a mocking grin on Orson. “Or would you find that inappropriate? Should we wait until after my coronation?”
“How dare you!” Orson leapt to his feet and slammed a fist down on the table hard enough to shake it. “You ungrateful—”
“Hedrix has been spotted!” Gerty, another known ally of Demitrious, suddenly announced.
She was staring at her multi-slate and quickly sent whatever message she’d just received to the center screen built into the table.
A second later, an image of Hendrix taken from a CCTV camera outside a train station appeared.
“Where is this?” Sif asked, setting the issue with Orson, and therefore Demitrious, aside—no doubt exactly as Gerty had hoped.
Even though they were privy to it, Yejun and the others didn’t bother calling them out. Demitrious was treading water at this point. There was nothing he could do to change his fate, so it didn’t matter how long they allowed him to maintain his membership in the Club.
It wouldn’t last, and his tight grip over how things were run here had already been demolished. The trust was gone, and it wasn’t coming back, which meant he was no longer the threat to them he’d once been.
They didn’t need him anymore, not with all of their goals nearly accomplished.
And now they were closer to catching that other rat, Hendrix?
Beautiful.
“Just outside of Landing Seven,” Gerty said.
“That’s on the other side of the planet,” West whistled. “He sure ran far.”
As far as one could without a passport or a working ID. They’d logged his identity on the No Fly list, so there was no chance of him making it off the planet. Honestly, the fact that he’d been able to figure out a way to travel all the way to Landing Seven was impressive.
Yejun would expect nothing less from the man, though.
They’d spoken at length about things with Nix last night and had come to the conclusion that all evidence still pointed in Hendrix’s direction.
Catching him meant they’d be able to force a confession out of him and take down whatever team of chemists he’d put together to create the poison, but he wasn’t any more of a threat than Demitrious was.
Less so, given the fact Hendrix didn’t have anyone left in his corner.
Hendrix had already lost everything. Even if he wanted to take them down for revenge, not only would he need to come all the way back here, he’d also need a means to do it.
With all of his personal possessions and homes on lockdown and being watched by various government and Essential sources, there was no way he could gain access to the types of weapons he’d need. Certainly not more poison.