Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Too crowded?
My gaze snapped to Monique’s hand as it rested on the table and she turned her hand ever so slightly toward me— an unmistakable declaration of her allegiance—and the diamond caught the light, casting fractured rainbows across the table.
I caught sight of the new ring adorning her finger.
My breath hitched.
The rest spotted it too.
However, Monique’s ladies-in-waiting exchanged knowing glances, which made me think that Lei had told them about this ring beforehand and possibly asked them for help.
Suzi gasped “Oh my! Lei, why didn’t you tell us you were going to ask her. I would have wanted to help. But oh my! Finally, a wedding in the East.”
Min, seated to my left, let out a soft sob. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “It’s so beautiful. It’s about time. This is what the East needed.”
Even Song gave a small nod of approval. “Good job, Lei.”
Months ago, I had dreamed of this moment—a union between Lei and Monique to solidify the future of the East.
But now, watching him sit there with that smug expression, the ring on her finger and her undeniable allegiance to him, I wasn’t so sure.
I glared at him.
And I wasn’t feeling selfishness.
It wasn’t jealousy either.
It wasn’t even the sense of betrayal that Lei had bypassed me to orchestrate this on his own.
It was something deeper.
Something darker.
You don’t deserve her, son.
I had spent a long-time forging Monique’s path to becoming not just a weapon, but a queen who could stand tall at the side of her Mountain Master.
She deserved the best—not some boy playing at being king.
She deserved a man who had not only sat on the throne but had built it, carved it from blood, death, and fire.
I thought this would be the right thing, but I’ve been wrong this whole time.
I stared at him across the table, my son, my heir, and the ungrateful bastard who had taken what I had so painstakingly created. My legacy, my plans for the East, and now Monique—all of it was slipping through my fingers and Lei was to blame.
He had shifted the chessboard, and now, the only move left to preserve the game was to remove the false king.
The orchestra’s upbeat melody rose.
I stared at Monique’s hand and that cursed ring.
I straightened my spine, steeling my resolve. I had always known sacrifice was necessary for power. Blood was the currency of the throne, and tonight, it seemed, I would have to pay it again.
For the East.
For my legacy.
For Monique.
She needed a ruler, not a boy.
Someone who had built the throne, not someone still learning to sit on it.
Someone who had ruined our moment.
Someone who had invited outsiders to a private ceremony.
The realization struck me—the future I had so carefully built wasn’t crumbling—it was being stolen, piece by piece, by the very heir I had once trusted.
And I bet he fucked her on the ground. Idiot. She deserved better.
I had spent time sharpening Monique but now she was a blade in someone else’s hand, and that was a betrayal I could never forgive.
Had he let us have our moment, perhaps I would be more logical about this. Therefore, this is his fault, not mine.
Lei smirked. He thought he’d won, but he had no idea. And that smirk wasn’t just a challenge—it was a gauntlet thrown across the table, daring me to strike first.
Then, maybe we will fight here, son.
Monique took Lei’s hand and I was sure the gesture was to calm him, but it just pissed me off.
Are you serious? You are my little monster. Where is the loyalty, Monique? He is disrespecting you and me.
It wasn’t just rage that burned in my chest—it was the bitter sting of irrelevance, the realization that she had chosen him over the man who had made her into a queen—a proper Mountain Mistress.
I’d given her the crown while he’d held onto a dead woman.
That’s okay, my little monster. Once this battle with my son is done. . .I’ll teach you, and it won’t just be the pleasure of my educated cock but it will be the wrath of my cock too.
From the corner of my eye, Jay returned to the table and sat down.
Chen looked around, surely waiting for his man to appear too, but I was certain Jay killed him to preserve the secret of Plan B.
When Jay lowered into his seat.
I glanced his way. “Is it done?”
“Yes, Grand Master.”
Chen scanned the space some more.
The man never came.
Scowling at me, Chen pulled out his phone and whispered into it.
Sorry, nephew but it’s too late. Everything is already in place.
Forming my mouth into the warmest smile I could manage, I reached for my glass and raised it in a toast. “To the new Mountain Mistress and her. . .very bold Mountain Master.”
Everyone grabbed their glasses and raised them.
Lei did not.
He just watched me with that calculated smirk.