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)
But this battle. . .it isn’t about Chanel anyway. I know that now. It’s not even about his killing Romeo or Yan. Not anymore.
Moni’s face flashed in my mind.
This is about protecting my new life.
I let out a slow breath and loosened my grip on Soaring Precious just enough to ease the tension in my hand. The rage that bubbled in my chest began to fade, replaced by something steadier, stronger.
I thought of Moni some more.
Her warmth, her strength, her unapologetic determination to stand beside me no matter what the odds. I thought of the way her voice softened when she whispered my name, the way her lips curved into a smile that could cut through even the darkest nights.
I didn’t need to fight for vengeance or guilt or ghosts anymore.
I needed to fight for her.
For us.
Calm, I shifted my gaze to where my father stood beneath the Great White Blossom.
The tree was legendary, its branches heavy with pure white petals that never fell, no matter the season or weather. Tonight, the blossoms glowed faintly under the moonlight. Its massive white trunk stood firm, the bark smooth and pale as bone.
My father’s expression was one of triumph, his arms folded as he watched me with the arrogance of a man who believed he’d already won.
You think you got in my bed? Jokes on you, old man. I don’t care that you have Chanel’s body out here.
His gaze met my calm one and his expression faltered.
I won’t play your game.
I didn’t know what he saw in that moment, but I knew what I felt—peace and clear purpose.
There was no fury in my stance, no hatred in my gaze.
Just resolve.
His frown deepened, the cracks in his confidence spreading as he studied me.
I was sure he had expected me to crumble, to lose myself in the chaos he had created. Instead, he was met with the one thing he couldn’t understand—strength born not of fear or hatred, but love.
I’m my father’s son but I’m also my mother’s son too.
Then the crows came.
Hundreds of them—all midnight black feathers and sharp beaks.
They swooped down from the shadows of the night sky. Their harsh cries cut through the wind like jagged shards of glass.
First, they swarmed the tree, beating their black wings furiously.
I quirked my brows.
Then, one by one, the crows landed on the Great White’s branches until the pristine white of the blossoms was swallowed by the inky mass of their feathers, making the tree appear darkly foreboding.
finally, I accepted what I’d always knew to be true whenever I saw them.
Romeo and Chanel are here. . .along with the rest of their ancestors. I don’t know if it’s true or not but that’s what I would like to believe.
I returned my view to my father.
He shifted beneath the tree and flicked his gaze upward as the crows stared down at him.
For the first time that night, I saw it.
Fear.
It was fleeting, a flicker in his eyes, but it was there.
Returning his gaze to mine, he walked away from the tree and approached Chanel’s body.
I tightened my grip on Soaring Precious and raised its point to the sky, readying myself for any attack.
Of course he didn’t come closer, but he did stop right next to Chanel.
People began to appear and settle into the stands.
Sun Tzu’s teachings filled my head.
He will win who knows when to fight—and when not to.
My father wanted me to lose control, to charge at him in a blind rage. He wanted to strip me of the discipline that had been drilled into me since I was a child.
But I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.
You will make the first move, old man.
He pointed to Chanel. “This is your true Mountain Mistress.”
I knew better than to rise to that bait.
His expression twisted into a smirk when he saw I wasn’t reacting the way he wanted. His next move was uncharacteristic—a sign that he was unraveling as much as I was.
To my shock, he unbuckled his pants with one hand as the other held Imperial Lament.
I raised my eyebrows.
What the fuck?
Time seemed to slow as he pulled his cock out and fully turned to Chanel’s lifeless body.
A collective gasp came from the newly forming crowd.
And then he pissed on Chanel’s dead body.
Wow.
The sound was loud, vulgar, a desecration that rebounded through the arena. The urine streamed down her already decayed form, pooling at the base of the chair.
The sight was nauseating, but it was his face that seared itself into my memory—his smug, twisted grin, the satisfaction in his eyes as if he’d accomplished something great.
And that stance of his—even though he was peeing—was one that said he hoped I would charge for him while doing it.
Nice try, Father.
I glanced at the crowd and saw that Moni, Chen, and Duck hadn’t arrived yet—but Dima was there. He was the only man who rose from his seat, clearly pissed off at what Leo was doing to our best friend’s dead body.