Chapter 24 #2
But the face she relished the most was that of Roses Sun. The blindsided Sun matriarch looked to be having a rage stroke as
new veins spiderwebbed across her forehead. It was a delicious sight.
Fenix continued, “I should reintroduce myself to you all. My name is Fenix now. Fenix Sun. I would appreciate it if you called
me that from now on.”
Still, all that greeted him were mouths agape.
Finally Wayward cleared his throat. “Fenix, it’s nice to . . . I mean, hello!”
Lola spoke next. “So, this whole time, you all have been . . .” Her eyes moved from her mother, Tingting, then to her brother,
Fenix, then to Shannon, and finally resting upon Galahad Fang—flabbergasted by this constellation of deceit right under her
nose.
“We are sorry, Lola,” Galahad said, coyly winking at her. “If you want to linger after all of this, I can explain more.”
Lola glowered back at him. But then she nodded.
“How the hell are you involved in this, Mooncakes?” Sunbern demanded.
Shannon Shoo moved to Fenix’s side, and he put his arm around her. As they kissed, everyone collectively gasped again.
“Netflix could never,” Kat whispered to Bessie.
“Peak telenovela,” Bessie whispered back.
“Do you understand now, Sunbern?” Shannon asked.
Sunbern leaped up. “Hey, Feli—I mean, Fenix! Not cool, man!”
“Fenix and I got together while you and I were broken up,” Shannon said. “And I only pretended to get back with you, Sunbern.
I pretended a lot of things.” She gestured at her flat stomach.
Tingting acknowledged Shannon’s ruthlessness with a begrudging admiration.
When Fenix had told his mother that he was dating Sunbern’s ex-girlfriend and that she wanted to help their cause, Tingting at first considered Shannon to be too much of a showboat and a liability.
But despite Shannon’s overzealous nature, Tingting had to admit that the girl from South El Monte had proven herself worthy of their plot, especially by faking a pregnancy to infiltrate Hyacinth’s crazy cult and thereby protecting the Sunfang Trust for them.
Fenix held out a hand to Sunbern. “I’m sorry about this, but Shannon and I truly do love each other. I hope we can shake on
it, Sunbern. Man to man.”
“I hope you can take a punch, man to man!” Sunbern charged at Fenix, but Wayward and Hyacinth grabbed him, pulling him back.
“Isaac, stop! You’ve been hurt enough today!” Hyacinth begged.
“No one is hitting anyone!” Wayward ordered. “Sunbern, sit down!”
“We should be going,” Fenix said, suddenly looking regretful. “This is a big surprise, I know. I’m sorry.”
When Tingting spoke again, everyone jumped. “Do not apologize, Fenix.” All eyes were back on her, and she could feel the dread
emanating from them. Tingting continued, louder now. “These people do not deserve your apologies. They deserve everything
coming to them.”
“‘These people’?” Lola was staring at her mother with a look of absolute betrayal. “Mom, when you say ‘these people,’ are
you including me?” The baby cousin stood up, fuming. “Except you didn’t include me, did you? This whole time I’ve been chasing
shadows, only to find out that they’re all you!”
Tingting glanced in Lola’s direction dismissively. “Daughter, this does not concern you. This concerns your brother and the
Fang Clan. This is the business of legacy.”
Before Lola could reply, Roses interrupted.
“Tingting,” Roses said, staring at her sister-in-law with a venomous awe. “If you were always going to do this, if this was your plan all along . . . why did you have to manipulate and tear apart my family?”
“I think you just answered your own question, Roses,” Wayward said softly.
“Big Sister,” Tingting responded, “today I hand you a bouquet of poison thorns that I reaped from the unlucky seeds that you
yourself sowed when we were young. You and your low-born father stole from my family our heritage and our fortune, and now
I return to you this dishonor tenfold. Because of my lies and your stupidity, you have lost your daughter and both your grandchildren,
and the rest of your clan sees you as what you truly are.”
Jamaal nudged at Kat and Bessie. “Maybe we should leave for this part.”
Kat nudged him back. “No way.”
“Everyone should stay,” Tingting declared. “Everyone should see the real Roses Sun: a small, weak-minded woman whose only
true accomplishment in life was being born first to a thug who got lucky.”
Everyone winced. “Cono de la madre . . .” Bessie murmured to herself.
Roses stood up, but Wayward stepped in between her and Tingting. “Auntie Tingting,” he said, “is all of this really necessary?
You’ve gotten what you want.”
To his surprise, Fenix chimed in. “I agree with Weiwei, Mom. We are still family after all.”
“Exactly,” Wayward said, nodding at Fenix. “The Sunfang Trust isn’t worth all this!”
But Roses held up a hand, silencing both of her nephews.
“Well played, Tingting,” Roses seethed through her teeth. “But you of all people should know that I do not know how to lose.
Your dog Galahad should have just stabbed me with his sword, because I will not back down. Not from this!”
Tingting smiled, a smile that sent chills down Wayward’s spine. “I have something better than a sword for you, Big Sister. Consider it a token of hatred from the Fangs. A symbol of just how deep this hatred runs, and to what lengths we will go to demonstrate it.”
“What is it then?” Roses asked, her lips curled in a snarl.
Tingting began reaching into her handbag. “Intercepted seven years ago en route from Shanghai to Hong Kong, where the Fangs
still hold considerable influence.” Then there was the sound of her fingernails against metal. “While it was under your watch,
I might add.”
Wayward was leaning so far forward he might have tumbled into Tingting’s handbag. He could hardly believe what was about to
happen.
With a flourish, Tingting pulled out an old bronze urn, holding it up in Roses’s face.
Wilting, Roses closed her eyes.
Fenix recoiled. “What is that?” He had no idea.
It was Hyacinth who answered, standing back up and pointing. “It’s Big Boss Sun! It’s our father’s remains!”
“What the fuck!” Sunbern yelled, burying his face in his hands.
Wayward could only turn away, he was so stunned. He met eyes with Jamaal, who stared grimly back at him.
Tingting held the urn high above her head.
“Mom, what are you doing?” Lola gasped.
“I am stabbing Roses Sun,” replied Tingting.
The Fang matriarch threw the urn upon the hard ground. Its lid broke open, and Big Boss Sun’s ashes scattered everywhere.