10. The Importance of Tea
Chapter ten
The Importance of Tea
Monique
After all the shit that Leo told me, my skull had transformed into a pressure-cooker, steam building and building until it threatened to explode with all this overwhelming knowledge and understanding.
My thoughts buzzed and hummed in an endless loop, like a broken record stuck on repeat.
Mom and Jing were friends? The Aunts had been watching me along with Song and Leo?
Scattered thoughts clamored and churned. The noise in my head was deafening, drowning out any other sound in the world.
And don’t forget the fact that Leo basically confirmed that I’m related to Romeo and Chanel.
Now Lei was on his way, and honestly. . .I wasn’t sure I wanted my time with Leo to end just yet.
Fuck. This day is crazy.
We rushed down the first set of stairs and all I could do was try my best to keep up with Song and Leo as I held the photo album close to my chest.
By my side, Leo narrowed his eyes in frustration. “This is unacceptable. I wanted more time, Monique.”
“Well. . .after all those bombs you dropped on my mind. . .I want more time too.”
“Hmmm.” Leo nodded. “Then perhaps we should do plan B, brother.”
Up ahead, Song glanced over his shoulder. “We are not going to kidnap Monique.”
I blinked. “Say what?”
Leo continued to talk to Song. “We would bring her back tomorrow evening. No later than that. It would give me enough time to teach and show her everything.”
Annoyance laced Song’s voice. “We already voted against Plan B. Our sisters will not stand for it and neither will I.”
Leo rolled his eyes, which just appeared so odd on his very serious, psychotic face. “You three can never see the big picture.”
I gave Leo space. “No one is kidnapping me.”
He looked my way. “But, there’s so much about Palace politics and the workings of the East that you need to understand.”
“O-kay, but. . .email me everything.”
“I do have notebooks, but even with those, you must have me explain some of it face-to-face.”
Song shot Leo a disapproving look. “I said no to Plan B.”
I bobbed my head. “I’m with Song on this. Hell no to Plan B.”
“My son is strong and an amazing fighter. Lei understands blood and death. He is the man that anyone would want in war. As a ruler in the East, he will stand strong and protect all.” Leo sighed. “But, Monique, you will be the strategic mind behind your union with Lei—it’s crucial for you to understand that and take control.”
“Take control?”
“Of him. Yes.”
“Okay. Hold on.” I could barely keep up, both physically and mentally. “You think I am going to be the brains when it comes to ruling the East?”
“Not think, Monique. I know you will be.” Leo slowed down a little. “I know this is a lot to take in. But you have a keen mind—you’ll grasp it quicker than you think. You’re not just stepping into a position or even a marriage; you’re stepping into great power . And that will require preparation and lots of wisdom.”
“Listen. . .why do you two even have to do this battle? We wouldn’t even be on a time crunch and there would be no need for you to die or—”
“You don’t want me to die, Monique?”
I widened my eyes. “I. . .mean. . .well, look I’m not down for anybody dying and I know it will hurt Lei when he kills you. . .even if he doesn’t know it yet.”
“It will destroy him.” There was this deep sadness in his eyes. “Sometimes, I fear he may not be able to do it.”
“Then, why the battle? Why not you get some punishment like jail or—”
“No. No. No. I’ve been punished enough.” He frowned. “My Jing is gone. My lovely flower. My everything. I must die—”
“But, Leo—”
“I must die. To see Jing again. And even more important. . .”
I swallowed. “What?”
“I must die for Lei’s legacy to truly begin. With my being around, Lei’s control over the East will always be divided. Many of his men will still be my men. That is not good.”
We hit the second level and hurried down the hallway.
More of Leo’s men met us there, donning dark blue robes, wooden crosses, and sharp swords that gleamed in the light.
And all I could think about was Leo’s insistence on his own death.
Jesus Christ.
The gravity of his tone. . .it struck a chord deep within me.
Was it crazy that I understood, on a cerebral level, the reasons behind his plotting and killing—his twisted logic of sacrifice for the greater good, for Lei’s legacy?
He had killed my father.
That fact was undeniable.
Yet as much as I wanted to hate him for it, the reasons behind his actions gnawed at me, making hatred a complicated, heavy burden.
In Leo’s mind, had Dad done what he was supposed to. . .he would still be alive.
That’s so fucking hard to disagree with. How many times did I sit up at night wishing my own father were dead because of his abandoning us for women, liquor, and gambling?
And maybe my father did all of these things due to deeper reasons. He might have been in too much pain from my mother’s battle with cancer and didn’t know how to cope with it in a healthy way. His childhood had been rocky and dysfunctional. His father had also never been there.
Did he have somewhat reasonable excuses for abandoning us?
If he did, Leo didn’t care.
And. . .I hadn’t cared either.
Because when push came to shove and Mom needed someone, I was there. And I didn’t know how to raise kids or even pay bills, but I fucking figured that shit out anyway.
Why couldn’t Dad have done it too?
Leo’s men stopped us by the next set of stairs and peeked around to see if others were coming.
Leo raised his eyebrows. “What is this? Isn’t Lei in the tunnel?”
One of the men spoke, “He’s not, Grand Master. Somehow they got out of there quick.”
Leo rubbed his chin. “Love will make a man put a hole through solid rock and create a path that wasn’t there.”
Worry creased around the man’s eyes. “Lei is now outside with thirty men. Also, Chen got rid of the press—”
“Damn it.” Leo sneered. “We needed the tea ceremony documented. Why must they always mess up my plans?”
I looked at him. “Why did we need the tea ceremony?”
Leo’s expression softened. “Lei made a huge mistake yesterday by introducing you to the East so. . . abruptly .”
Song shrugged those bulky shoulders. “Lei had his reasons.”
Leo frowned. “What reasons?”
Song smiled my way. “My nephew is dizzy with love.”
“It should have been a gradual process.” Leo raised one finger in the air and began dotting his words. “It's about more than just making an appearance and showing how beautiful you are; it's about weaving you into the fabric of the East, step by step. Do you understand, Monique?”
“Yes.”
“Today’s tea ceremony was meant to be a significant step.” He paused, as if gauging my reaction. “I had invited press stations and magazines that have been strong advocates for diversity.”
“Oh.”
“They would not only get a first look at you but potentially be your biggest champions here in the East, which is crucial for gaining public favor. And you will need that public favor, if you really want to be a powerful Mountain Mistress.”
Now, I get it.
The weight of the missed opportunity settled on my shoulders.
How does Leo think so many steps ahead and cause so much chaos too?
Here was a man who had orchestrated his life and the lives of others like pieces on a chessboard, and he thought I was to be some sort of new queen in his game.
The realization both terrified and awed me.
Leo watched me process this. “This press conference was to lay the groundwork for your acceptance and authority here. Now do you see, Monique? This wasn’t about tea, but legitimacy and respect.”
“I completely understand.”
“Good.” Leo grinned. “Then, you agree with my needing to kidnap you now?”
“Oh God no.” I waved my hand and inched back.
“Give me a good reason why it would be a bad idea?”
“If I’m gone. . .Lei wouldn’t train for the battle or even focus on it. He would just run around Paradise City, scattered and exhausted, searching for me the whole time.”
“Damn it. Very smart.” Leo’s grin disappeared. “You are correct. I cannot kidnap you when we are this close to everything perfectly working out. Lei must be in top shape for this battle.”
Hey. . .whatever gets you to the concept of not taking me. . .
I thought about Leo’s plan again with the tea ceremony.
It had been meticulous, designed to intertwine my fate with the traditions and expectations of the East, solidifying my place not just by Lei's side, but in the hearts and minds of the people we would govern.
Now with the press gone and the ceremony not happening, my path forward seemed murkier and less certain.
Plus, I could not have any more people dying just because of them spouting their opinions of me online.
“We'll need to find another way to do the tea ceremony,” I said, more to myself than to Leo.
Yet, still he grinned. “We must.”
“I can figure something out.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can talk to Lei—”
“You have that much faith in your conversation with my son?”
“Well. . .what you’re saying makes sense—”
“He hates me, and thinks that I would kill you like I did with Chanel. Lei will not stand down from those facts, and he surely will not care about tea.”
“Lei also cannot tell me what to do or how I should do things. Yesterday, we agreed to his not Mountain Mastering me.”
Song laughed and Leo joined him.
I frowned. “We really did.”
Then, suddenly distant sounds of shouting and clashing metal reached ours ears.
Oh shit.
Song scowled at Leo. “I am sure that is now our sisters fighting my sons and their men. Are you happy with yourself?”
“I did not expect Lei to figure out where we were so quickly.” Leo stiffened and kept his focus on me. “I thought I had better control of the palace’s staff. It appears my son is plugging up the holes in his crew. We should have had another hour.”
I quirked my brows. “All for tea?”
“And more than that, Monique, I wanted a photo opportunity of you making, serving, and sipping tea in the traditional Eastern way with me, the Grand Mountain Master.”
I imagined that and this odd sadness came over me. “I may sound crazy, but I would have liked your teaching me how to do it.”
Leo smirked. “Never fear sounding crazy in the East, we’re all crazy here.”
“I’m starting to see that.”
“Anyway, this press moment would have shown everyone that not only do I approve of you as Lei’s new partner, but Jing would have too.”
“How?”
“They all know that I would have never allowed anyone to even step in her home, Lotus Blossom, without her acknowledgment.”
His words painted a picture of my carefully crafted debut to the East, a symbolic passing of the torch under the watchful eyes of Jing’s memory and his strategic planning.
Damn. Leo is a fucking beast with this strategy shit.
Leo sighed. “Meanwhile. . .yesterday. . .my son just flaunts you in front of the cameras, ‘Look at me. I’m so in love, and she’s gorgeous and all mine. Don’t even think about talking to her or I will kill you.’”
I blinked. “Well, I don’t think he said all that.”
To my shock, Song chuckled. “It was definitely that.”
Leo nodded. “His showing you off was not only his declaration of his love for you, but his warning to any men in the East who happened to see you and consider approaching.”
“You did that a lot with Jing.” Song smirked.
“Well, Lei is his father’s son.” Leo pointed at me. “But, you must be my daughter—smart and strategic.”
My breath hitched.
The way this damn day twisted and turned, I didn’t know if I would have any brain power left by the evening.
Leo continued, “If you really think that you can talk to my son, then you must buy us more time, Monique. Perhaps not today, but at least tomorrow.”
I thought about it.
“Don’t you want to do the tea ceremony too?”
I let out an exasperated breath. “I do, and not just to be in good favor with the East, but. . .because my acceptance would make Lei’s life easier with ruling after the battle.”
“There you go.” Leo bobbed his head. “And why would that make it all easier?”
“Because Lei still has to make things right with the South and West. He doesn’t need to now battle everyone in the East about me. Then, there’s Yan wanting to take the East after the battle—”
“What?!”
I blinked. “Yan. . .she said she was going to take the East.”
Song widened his eyes. “When?”
“On Mount Utopia.”
Leo’s voice rose, making me tremble. “My daughter said what?!”
There was this dark, cold cruelness that rose within his eyes—a black malevolent mist engulfing his irises.
Swirling.
Growing.
Deadly.
Almost demonic.
Had I not witnessed the change, I would have always thought his eyes were bottomless pits threatening to swallow me whole.
Now. . .I was looking at the man that had killed my father and all the others. I bet this was the face that even Chanel saw right before she died.
I just hoped I would never see this again because I was damn close to pissing myself.
Trembling fear pulsed in my veins, making me shiver.
He titled his head to the side. “Did you hear me, Monique?”
“Y-yes.”
“What did Yan say?”