16. Hold My Tiara!
Chapter sixteen
Hold My Tiara!
Moni
After napping for several hours, I woke up next to Lei, who, oddly, was fully dressed.
Once I got him up, we showered together and he mentioned that earlier he had completed a quick task before joining me in sleep. However, he refused to tell me what it was.
What did Lei do?
Anyway, none of that mattered now as I stepped out of the helicopter and took in the new sight of Lotus Blossom.
What the hell is going on right now? Who did all of this to Lotus Blossom?
Lei left the helicopter and got on my left. “Damn it.”
I wasn't sure if I had truly woken up from my sleep.
Naw. There’s no way.
I turned to him. “Am I still dreaming?”
With a frown, Lei scanned the new festivities and decor placed all over the property. “Unfortunately, you are awake.”
Shit.
“But. . .who did this?”
He let out a long sigh. “This has my aunts’ names all over it.”
“Oh.” I turned to look back at the scene around us and my breath caught in my throat.
While Lei and I slept, Aunt Min and Aunt Suzi had been very busy.
Lotus Blossom was now a carnival of wonders.
At the entrance stood a beautiful carousel, unlike any I'd ever seen. It was ocean-themed, with elegantly crafted seahorses painted in various shades of blue and turquoise. The detail was astonishing—each seahorse had glittery scales that shimmered in the sunlight, their manes flowing like ocean waves. Coral patterns adorned the carousel's base.
Currently, People stood at the top of ladders painting a few of the white mermaids brown.
Alrighty, I like the inclusion. . .but like. . .did we need a carousel for the cookout?
And speaking of mermaids, there were actual mermaids on the property.
Lei and I directed our gazes toward the two massive, adult-sized glass aquariums flanking the steps that lead to the porch.
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
In the tank on the right, a gorgeous black woman swam gracefully, her mermaid tail shimmering in hues of gold and blue. She moved with such fluidity and grace that she seemed to be part of the water itself.
Two crows landed on the edge of the tank and gazed at her.
On the left, a beautiful Chinese woman waved at us from the top of her tank. She must have been getting a quick breath of oxygen. Then, soon she was back in the water, doing these striking circles. Her hair rippled in the water.
“I. . .” I held up one finger. “So. . .”
And that was when the orchestra began to play.
What the fuck?
I blinked and moved my view to the back of the house. While I could not see the orchestra, I sure could hear them. The music swelled and filled the air, each instrument blending together to create a symphony of breathtaking sound.
The strings sang sweetly.
The brass blared triumphantly and the percussion added a lively beat.
“I’m sorry, Moni.” Lei rubbed his forehead. “I forgot that my aunts would go too far, so much was going on when we left.”
“Oh no.” I shook my head. “It’s. . .nice.”
“They are ruining the cookout.”
“Well. . .they’re not ruining it. . .exactly.” I walked off toward the back to get a good look at the orchestra.
Please say the musicians have regular clothes on and aren’t dressed as mermaids too.
Lei followed. “I should put them back in the dungeon.”
“No. No. Leave them alone—”
“Why the hell are there mermaids all over the place—”
“Maybe, they thought my sisters liked them.”
“Do they?”
“Well. . .they don’t hate mermaids.” I continued forward. “It’s more like. . .when they see all of this, they will just be. . .slightly confused.”
“I’m sure that’s an understatement.”
We left the view of the swimming mermaids and got to the back.
The sound of hammering began to rise over the orchestra music.
What is going on back here?
We rounded the corner and the source of the noise became clear.
At least twenty workers in blue assembled a large stage in the back garden. The framework was nearly complete with spotlights.
A stage for a cookout? Is someone performing?
On the right side of the stage, two magnificent trophies gleamed in the sunlight. One was nearly as tall as me and had a hand shooting up in the air, holding a gem studded spatula.
The second trophy was half the size and this hand only gave a thumbs up.
“O-kay.” I continued to take everything in. “So. . .the stage must be for the grilling competition.”
Adjacent to the stage were two extravagant food stations. Kitchen staff hurried around, placing down all sorts of culinary equipment and fresh ingredients.
A sigh of relief left me when I spotted the orchestra.
Good. They have regular clothes on.
Each musician wore blue tuxedos, including the women. And it was clearly Lei’s special orchestra because they had those blindfolds over their eyes.
Next to them, Aunt Min and Aunt Suzi stood, dressed in these flowing blue ball gowns.
Diamond crowns sat on top of their heads.
Are they going to a ball afterwards?
I gazed down at my blue sundress, feeling absolutely underdressed.
Lei sneered. “There are the trouble makers.”
“Be nice.”
He prowled forward.
Aunt Suzi glanced over her shoulder and spotted us. Her eyes lit up with excitement and she headed over, her gown shimmering with each step. “Moni! Lei! You’re just in time to see the final preparations!”
Lei yelled, “Get all of this shit out of here!”
Aunt Suzi shrieked in shock. “What?!”
Aunt Min turned around. “Did you call all of this shit ? Why I ought to pull your pants down, bend you over my knee, and smack that little bottom with my sword.”
I smirked.
Lei continued forward, “This is not a seven-year old’s mermaid birthday party this is a cookout.”
Aunt Suzi held out her hands. “Everyone loves mermaids at all ages—”
“Get all of this out of here. You’re going to scare her sisters away—”
“Scare?” Aunt Suzi stepped back like she’d been slapped. “How dare you? We are going to thrill them. Give them dreams of magic and—”
“It is a cookout. We just need tables, chairs—”
“No. No.” Aunt Min shook her head then gestured for one of the waiters on the side to come over—waiters that I had no idea had been standing over there in their glittery blue leotards and one foot seashell headdresses.
How the hell did I miss them?
Aunt Min pointed at the waiter who stepped forward. “Come and give the Mountain Master a dirty martini. He needs to relax.”
Lei took all of the ridiculously dressed men in. “Waiters?!”
Aunt Suzi grinned. “Who else will carry around the cocktails and hors d'oeuvre?”
“This is a cookout, not a gala—”
“A cookout can mean many things.” Aunt Suzi looked him up and down then checked me out. “When are you two going to change? You both look like you’re going to a picnic.”
“Aunt Suzi, a picnic and a cookout are very similar. Casual.” Lei gestured to the orchestra. “Get them out of here too—”
“We must have music—”
“We have it,” Lei said. “I was told by Chen that Rowe Street Mob requested an extra helicopter for the DJ.”
I widened my eyes. “What?”
Lei nodded at me. “Yeah.”
I rolled my eyes. “They need to chill out and stop requesting so much—”
“Oh, don’t worry. They’re not the ones being ridiculous right now.” Lei glared at his aunts.
“What does that mean?” Confusion hit Aunt Min’s face. “Surely, you are not referring to us.”
“Yes. I’m talking about you two.”
Aunt Suzi fanned herself with those perfectly manicured nails. Several diamond rings caught the light. “I mean really, Lei. I was expecting a huge thank you and even a little kiss on my cheek, but this response is outrageous. What could be the problem?”
“There are women swimming in front of the house—”
“A black woman too.” Aunt Suzi winked at me. “That was a bit difficult of a find, but I know Moni appreciates that extra touch if you don’t.”
Everyone turned to me.
“Well. . .” This silly smile spread across my face because in the end it was so outrageous I couldn’t help but smile. I would take diverse mermaids over a decapitated head any day. I shrugged. “You know what? The mermaids are here and swimming, Lei. Let’s just let it all flow.”
“Fine, but you two have to get rid of the orchestra, carousel, and these waiters.”
“They’re mermen.” Aunt Suzi crossed her arms over her chest. “And the only thing I will get rid of is the orchestra since a DJ is on the way but he better know good 70s classic rock and R&B or I will kill him.”
I blinked.
Is she serious about killing him?
While I hadn’t been in the East for a long time, I was starting to learn that when people made threats, they meant them.
Lei sneered. “You cannot kill the DJ. It is not our DJ, so if you do, it will start a war within the Syndicate. And you will get rid of the mermen!”
“I will not!”
I widened my eyes.
Aunt Suzi pointed at him. “You talk to me like this, after putting us in the dungeon?”
“If you don’t get rid of these mermen, you’re going back in the dungeon!”
“You and what army?” Aunt Suzi huffed and got into a fighting stance. “Sister, hold my tiara!”
“Oh no.” I got between them, right as Aunt Suzi started taking that tiara off her head and trying to get in front of Lei.
“Okay. Okay. We’re not going to fight. Please put the tiara back on, Aunt Suzi.” I scowled at Lei. “And you need to say sorry.”
He touched his chest. “Me?”
“Yes. You hurt their feelings—”
“They’re hurting my eyes with all this crazy stuff here—”
“Say sorry, Lei. It’s a mermaid cookout, so just get over it.”
“Thank you, Moni.” Aunt Suzi fixed the tiara on her head. “I’m glad you understand.”
“Well. . .” I faced her. “You did go too far.”
Aunt Suzi frowned.
“But I do appreciate it. Just understand that. . .when some of my family sees this, well. . .a few might laugh.”
“That’s fine.” Aunt Suzi shrugged. “Laughter is the tonic of any excellent party.”
Meanwhile, Lei remained stubborn. “I am not apologizing or they will keep doing this.”
I sucked my teeth. “Lei.”
Aunt Suzi spread her hands out. “After all that we have done today—”
“That is the problem.” Lei’s scowl deepened. “You got an invitation to a cookout, not an order to party plan.”
“Do not worry, sister.” Aunt Min waved him away. “We do not need an apology. Oh no. We perform our beautiful works in the name of a power that is greater than even the Mountain Master.”
Aunt Min frowned at him. “But one day he will say sorry. It is when we are long gone, buried in the ground six feet deep.”
Lei groaned in annoyance.
“That is when he will say sorry and thank you.” Aunt Min bobbed her head. “That is the moment he will have gratitude for what we have brought to his life and it will be too late.”
Aunt Suzi jabbed at the air. “Absolutely too late.”
The conversation was cut short by the unmistakable sound of helicopters approaching.
Everyone looked up and two dark blue helicopters came into view, carrying a massive blue box suspended by cables. And this box could have held at least three elephants.
“Ha!” Aunt Min pointed to it and narrowed her eyes. “The nerve of you, Lei, to say that we are going too far when you are planning something outrageous too.”
I eyed the giant box. “What's that, Lei?”
He nervously shrugged. “Small surprises for your sisters.”
I raised my eyebrows. “That doesn't look small at all.”
Aunt Suzi snickered. “Small, he says. I can’t wait to see how big it is.”
Super nosy, I headed back to the helipad to see if I could figure it out.
What the hell did Lei do while I was sleeping?
Aunt Min and Aunt Suzi came along, sashaying with those ball gowns.
Lei got to my side and kept my pace. “What are you doing?”
“What did you get my sisters?”
“You’ll see when I give them their presents.”
“Lei, they don’t need presents.”
“What?” Aunt Suzi chuckled. “They have to get presents. We’ve been shopping all day.”
“They do not need to get presents.” I quickened my steps. “The mermaids and all of this is enough. Plus the house is gift enough too—”
“Leo gave you the house. We never got a chance to give you and them anything.” Aunt Min increased her pace too. “And anyway, Moni, you should never block our presents. It is the gift giver that has the most fun. Do not take that away from us.”
Jesus Christ. I can see right now. Everyone is going to spoil the shit out of my sisters.
I wasn’t sure if that was good thing or not. Granted, my sisters and I had experienced some tough years.
Presents, doting aunts, and mermaids would be a nice change.
The helicopters carefully lowered the massive, heavy box to the ground.
We stopped a good twenty feet from where it had been placed and as the dust settled, I could see that the box had several enormous bows on the top.
The sheer size of it was almost comical.
My curiosity grew by the second. “Well? What’s inside?”
Lei smirked. “Patience, Moni.”
A set of workers approached the box from behind and began to work on the latches holding the container closed.
Once done, the helicopters landed, Chen, Duck, and Hu left one helicopter while my ladies-in-waiting left the other.
I could tell by their faces as they headed our way and passed the box that they knew exactly what was inside.
Somebody is going to tell me what’s in there?
Right as I was about to ask Thandi, Chen checked his watch. “I was told that Monique’s sisters will be here in less than two minutes.”
Oh shit.
Excitement burst through me and I forgot about the gift. “Really?”
“Yes.” Chen looked at Lei. “All three helicopters are heading this way. However. . .”
Lei eyed him. “Yes?”
“Banks called and explained that they will be bringing in Rowe Street Mob helicopters too and him as well as Marcelo will be a few minutes late.”
Alright now, Banks. Don’t start shit today.
Annoyed, I stepped to him. “Did Banks say why Marcelo and he would be late?”
Chen continued to look at Lei. “Apparently, Banks wanted to pick up two surprise guests.”
I could tell Lei was pissed with that news. He remained quiet, but his jaw clenched tight and his eyebrows furrowed.
The Mountain Master did not like surprises, especially ones that came to the East.
What the fuck, Banks? Who are the surprise guests? You better not be starting any shit.