The Mafiosa's Thorn

Council

Jia stirs up from bed. She covers a yawn while adjusting her eyes. Her heart weighs the same since her fiancé is now "gone." The stress that Jian was behind it makes her worry for his safety. What would their grandmother do if it was leaked out?

He wakes up from the couch after feeling her distress.

He holds her tight. "She will never know."

"I'm sorry for putting you through this."

He shakes his head. "It was the only way. I would do it all over again to make sure you're safe."

She cracks a small grin before it disappears. "What should I do now?"

"Stay here until it's over. I will take care of the rest from here."

She grips his hands. "We can run away together."

"That won't work. The Triad is like an octopus with a long reach. It's best for me to take charge so nothing will hurt you."

"Why? Why did you want to be the leader of this horrible group?"

"Because I and the others can change it from the inside out. Heroin is poisoning some of our community so I will change that. Treatment for addicts while charging top price for the rich. And I won't repeat her mistakes. I will uplift the ambitious with respect and appreciation to take over after me."

Hearing his confidence gives her more stress. "What will happen to us when the time comes?"

"You will live your life separately from mine. We will still meet, but I will never tell you what I'm doing. The less you know, the better."

Tears crawl down her face. Her eyes tell him to not leave her life.

He wipes her face with a nearby tissue. "You deserve to run free, brown hare. Tortoise will be just fine."

His twin's arms wrap around him. She digs her nails into his shirt to keep him there. He fights the tears from breaking free. Silence gives them company.

He kisses the side of her head before gently pushing her hands down and away. "I will leave a man with you and tell nainai that you're sick. I will be at the council meeting today with the other Triad subordinates from China. I will garner them to my side so it can go off without a hitch."

"Just....be careful," she whispers.

He nods before getting ready for the meeting. A nice black suit fits his muscular body frame. His eyes look forward to pulling the rug out from his grandmother...

The Lazy Panda's reception area has several sharply dressed Chinese men from the provinces of Beijing and Hong Kong. Jian informs his grandmother that Jia wasn't feeling well which she accepts.

The meeting starts with the rapping of Xianmoa's cane on the table. The men hush while holding back the question of the bandage on her cheek. And about Yuxan who's also recuperating from El Segador's attacks.

She updates them on the new inclusion of cocaine given up by Signora Orchidea. The expected profits widen their eyes in disbelief.

"Weisheme (Why)?" one sub leader asks the intention of the mafia queen.

"You guanxi ma?" (Does it matter?) Xianmao responds. "We will be able to recruit more members to the Triad's legacy."

The sub leader from Hong Kong silences himself. However...

"I think recruiting masses would hurt us in the long run."

Everyone stares at Jian for his statement. Their eyes tell him to apologize right away.

"Do you not care about our legacy?" the eldest leader threatens him.

Jian plants his feet firm. "Without proper protocols, they will create blunders that will be impossible to fix. for us. They will poison our legacy like gu (a toxin comprised of different venoms)."

The Panda laughs. "So that's your Magna Cum Laude degree in action?"

The others laugh nervously to avoid being a target. The mockery rattles him, but he keeps still.

"Please listen, nainai-"

Her cane goes for the back of his leg, but he steps backward to avoid the swing. A blanket of tension pins itself to the atmosphere. What he did created cracks in her armor.

"Forgive me, Lady Xianmao. I just want to offer ideas-"

"Nonsense! You have no permission-"

His darkened eyes shake her heart. A close resemblance to El Segador,  but as a dragon that wants to devour her whole. Some of the men pat their sweat off their faces.

Before she can motion Yuxan to take care of him, Jian bows with his head to the floor.

"Duibuqi (Forgive me). I will not do this again."

She taps her Panda earrings to keep them still. "If you ever do that again, your life will be over."

"I understand!" before bowing several times to her. He hopes his actions would manifest into more allies for the coup. He stands back up to be by her side. His lips quiet while reading the room.

Xianmao clears her throat before resuming their business. "As I was saying, recruitment will spike in our favor. However, I think that proper training must be implemented. We can't be too large that we don't what the other hand is doing."

The men nod in agreement. Even though she stole Jian's idea, he lets her have this moment. Pushing too much would end his plan.

The meeting concludes with a lovely lunch of fried rice, Monk Jumps Over The Wall soup (a dish meant for emperors), and fresh salads accompanied by Chinese blossom wine.

The elder leader is as kind as she would be to her subordinates. Pouring them wine while catching up with their personal lives. Jian puts distance between him and her as he marks his target. Someone that briefly smiled when he stood up to her.

He slips a prepared note into his jacket to meet at a bar later that night. "It's nice to see you again, Hei. How's everything with your family?"

The sub leader of Hong Kong with short hair greets him with a smile. "My daughter has been mastering the violin.....Hey. That was quite a stunt you pulled."

Instead of a face of horror, it is a smile of pride.

"I should have watched my words."

"Nonsense. I share the same sentiment as you."

"I do have to get going, but let's meet up for dinner later. My treat."

The men shake hands. Hei feels something in the palm that he slips into his pocket. "Looking forward to it."

Jian leaves the restaurant to avoid an earful from Xianmao. He texts her that he will continue his search for the rogue Triad members.

A delivery boy passes by him with a box. The fishy odor couldn't be ignored along with the movements inside it. The young teen brings it to Xianmao who's confused by the situation.

She signs for it since curiosity got the best of her. She takes it to the kitchen and unwraps the box. Inside is bunched up newspapers with something that makes her take a step back. The head of a striped bass along with a gleeful rat that's gnawing away at it.

Her cane shakes from her rage at Orchidea. The mafia would always send a fish as a message: "You will be sleeping with the fishes." The rat symbolizing Richie who she's recently helping to overthrow that arrogant woman.

Her rage turns into a smile. She takes out a phone and relays to Richie that Bianca is onto him. She recommends him to weaken Orchidea's heart to collect the financial data she holds.  Not even a moment of hesitation from the receiver. He says he will get things started when things calm down a bit.

She hangs up the call. She's stupid for declaring a war on me. Especially since El Segador's identity is out in the open. Just wait, you whore. I will gladly stick my cane into both of your eyes.