27. Chapter Twenty-Seven Nathan

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Nathan

A nother family dinner…sooner than I would have liked.

My father was tightening his grip on all of us, intent on maintaining what control he had left in the wake of all the attacks on our business. I would have enjoyed the family dinners if they weren't always accompanied by dark, twisted meetings with my father…and by the lingering absence of both Alex and Justin.

The only thing that made them tolerable was Abby.

Leaning against the doorframe, I watched Abby move with grace among the bubbling pots, offering a gentle smile to my mother as they worked side by side. Lily flitted between them, her laughter ringing clear, a stark departure from the tension that clung to the rest of the house.

I should have been content in this moment, surrounded by the warmth of family connection—a rare respite from my dealings as part of the Serpents. But tranquility was rare these days, not with Ba's shadow looming over us, even when he wasn't present.

My gaze lingered on Abby; she played the part of my girlfriend perfectly, pretending to lack any care in the world. Seeing her like this, feigning innocence, the desire to protect her was overwhelming. I knew too well the darkness that touched those caught in the Serpents' coils. Ba wouldn't hesitate to use—or hurt—anyone to keep his empire strong, his enemies closer.

"Everything smells amazing, Ma," I called out, attempting to push aside the anxiety clawing at my thoughts.

"Thank you, baobei. You could join us and learn something," she teased, her voice carrying the familiar warmth that always seemed to make the room brighter.

I chuckled, but it didn't reach my eyes. A chill had settled deep within me, a constant companion since Alex disappeared. I couldn't shake the conviction that Alex hadn't betrayed us. If the Serpents weren't behind the attacks, then who was? And more importantly, what did they want with us?

"Maybe next time," I replied, my voice hollow. "Looks like you've got enough help for now."

Abby glanced my way, her eyes catching mine as I leaned against the doorframe. Her smile was a simple curve of lips, yet it struck deep within me, stirring a cocktail of emotions I couldn't indulge.

I wanted to despise her for the secrets I suspected she still kept, to push her away to protect her from the life I was ensnared in. But more than anything, I wanted to pull her close, to shield her with my own body from the storm I felt brewing on the horizon. My heart twisted at the thought that maybe, just maybe, I should tell her to run—to find safety with her father who could whisk her away from San Francisco, out of the Serpent's jaws.

But before a word could escape my lips, Ba's voice sliced through the momentary peace. "Is dinner not ready?"

"Actually," I interjected, forcing a casual grin as I pushed off the doorframe. "I'm sure it will be even more delicious with the extra care they're putting into it."

Ba's eyes narrowed at me, the flicker of annoyance in his gaze unmistakable. It was as if he could sense my newfound rebellion, taste the defiance I was barely keeping leashed.

"Helping hands make lighter work," I said, brushing past him to join Ma in the kitchen. The clinking of dishes punctuated the mounting tension as I took the steaming plates from her, our fingers briefly touching. Her smile was strained but warm—an anchor in the chaos.

As we laid out the meal on the table, I could feel the fractures in our family like cracks in thin ice. Justin's chair sat empty, a silent rebuke. Alex's absence was a gaping hole—a reminder that loyalty was a fragile thing, easily shattered.

It was a change, a seismic shift within me. I had always been the dutiful son, Ba's right hand. But now, as I looked around the table at the faces of my family, a deep anger boiled within me, focused squarely on the man who had sired me.

Ba—the Serpent—was the one tearing us apart, and the realization tasted like bile.

We gathered around the table, a cloud of steam from the dishes between us. Ma's laughter mingled with the clatter of chopsticks against porcelain. She was chatting with Lily and Abby, somehow still bright even with the tension. I marveled at her strength, her ability to sidestep Ba's dark moods as if dancing through shadows.

She didn't say a word about Justin or Alex, but the absence of my brothers hung heavy in the air, a silent storm cloud over our heads. It was breaking Ma's heart, I knew that much. The void where they should have been ate at me too—like acid, it gnawed at the edges of my conscience.

Ba finished his food with a final, deliberate bite, scraping his chopsticks across the bowl as he set them down. The sound seemed louder than it should have been, echoing off the walls and sucking the warmth from the room. He cleared his throat, a commanding rumble that drew eyes like a magnet.

The chatter died instantly, the air thickening until it felt like we were all submerged in deep water. Everyone's gaze fixed on Ba, even Ma's smile faltering as she anticipated what might come next. I clenched my jaw, the muscles working as I braced for the impact of whatever decree Ba was about to deliver.

Ba clasped his hands in front of him, and I could see the veins bulging slightly, a network of power and control that held our family in an iron grip.

"It's high time we closed ranks," he began, his voice steady and sure. The words were cold, formal, the prelude to something I knew carried weight. "That means it's time for both Abby and Lily's Triad initiation."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. A shiver passed through me, but not from the chill. Memories surged like a flood, dark and tumultuous, dragging me back to when I was fourteen.

I remembered Ba's return from Hong Kong, the way he had dragged me to a meeting with his men, my stomach churning with fear and a desperate need to please.

Take the vows , he had said then.

And I did, reciting them while trying to keep my voice from shaking. But it wasn't the vows that haunted me—it was what came after. The ritual was nothing compared to being handed a gun, the metal cold and heavy in my trembling hands.

Now make your bones , Ba had instructed, his eyes dark pits in the dim room. Prove you are one of us.

And I had.

With a shot that echoed louder than anything I'd ever heard, I crossed a line I could never uncross. The life I took that night was the first stone in a path leading straight to hell—a path I was still on.

I swallowed hard, pushing the memory into the depths of my past where it belonged. My hands curled into fists under the table, nails digging into my palms. Abby was ready, she'd seen the worst of me and this business…but Lily was innocent.

The cost was too high, and the blood spilled would never wash clean.

"Ba, I'm not sure if Lily is ready," I found my voice cutting through the thick tension that had enveloped the dining room. Everyone's eyes shifted to me, a mixture of relief and apprehension in their gazes.

Lily, who sat to my right, met my gaze with a fierce determination that was all her own. She was the youngest, yet there was a steel in her that even Ba couldn't bend.

"I can speak for myself, Nathan," she said, her voice steady despite the gravity of the situation. She turned to face our father, her posture straight and unyielding. "And I want nothing to do with the family business. I want to become a doctor. I want to help people, not…not this."

The words hung in the air, a bold statement of rebellion against the life we had been born into—a life that demanded loyalty and obedience above all else. I could barely suppress the fear that raged through my system, making my heart hammer and my stomach roil.

She was in danger.

We were all in danger…from him.

The silence that followed was deafening. I could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall, counting down the seconds to an explosion I knew was coming. Ba had always been a ticking time bomb, and defiance was the match that lit his fuse.

And then he exploded.

Ba stood so suddenly that his chair scraped loudly against the hardwood floor, clattered to the floor. His hands slammed down on the table, jolting the dishes and causing the silverware to clatter in discordant protest. A glass of water fell over, but Ba didn't give a damn; it just made his point clear, that he would leave all kinds of wreckage in his wake.

Lily and Ma flinched, a shared instinctual reaction to the years of living under Ba's volatile temper. Even I felt my body tense, ready to spring into action if needed.

But Abby, she didn't so much as twitch—in fact…she looked angry.

"Ungrateful," Ba spat out the word like it was poison. "Rebellious children." His voice was low and menacing, a growl of discontent aimed at us all. His eyes, dark and unfathomable, fixed on me. "Am I cursed? Is Nathan my only child who will ever be obedient?"

I wanted to shout, to rage against him with every fiber of my being. The words scorched the inside of my chest, a wildfire of anger that begged for release. But I couldn't. Speaking up would only put them all at risk; Ma, Lily, even Abby. I bit back the fury, swallowed it down like broken glass. It cut me up inside, but I remained silent.

The truth burned within me, aching to be set free—that I didn't want this either, that our father was cruel, that—

"How should I prepare?" Abby asked, her eyes locked on Ba's, unflinching.

I sucked in a breath, my heart pounding a wild rhythm against my ribs. The room seemed to contract, shrinking until there was nothing but the space between Abby and my father. Ba's gaze shifted toward her, and I could see it—the interest gleaming in his eyes, the satisfaction curling his lips into a half-smile.

It was like watching a predator eye its prey.

It scared the hell out of me.

This was the side of Ba that had always kept us in line, the side that could decide your fate with a look. And right now, he was looking at Abby as if she had just offered herself up on a silver platter. My hands clenched under the table, nails digging into my palms. I wanted to stand up, to pull her away from his gaze, from this whole damn situation.

Ba's rage seemed to dissolve as quickly as it had erupted, an unnerving calm settling over him like a storm passing. He righted his chair and sank back into his seat at the head of the table, fingers steepled before him as if nothing had disturbed the peace of our family dinner—even as the glass of water he'd knocked over started drip-drip-dripping on the floor.

"Abigail," he began, his voice now eerily serene, "you will be taken through a set of vows. Nathan will help you prepare."

I stiffened, my throat tightening. Helping Abby meant guiding her deeper into this twisted world—the very thing I'd been trying to protect her from. I met her gaze across the table, searching for any sign of hesitation, any trace of fear. But all I found was resolve. It made my chest ache.

Ba then turned his attention to Lily, who had shrunk back in her seat, her eyes wide with something that looked a lot like dread.

"You could learn something from Abby," he said sharply, the words like a whip crack in the tense air.

I hated what that meant—Abby was now in Ba's favor, and thus in his crosshairs. My sister might have been spared tonight's wrath, but Abby... she was stepping right into the line of fire.

I couldn't afford to let my guard down, not even for a second.

Not now that Ba had marked her as someone of interest.

The weight of that realization settled heavy on my shoulders, as cold and hard as the steel of a gun pressed against your temple. I had to stay close, to be vigilant. Because whether Ba realized it or not, by pulling Abby into our world, he wasn't just testing her—he was challenging me. And I knew then, with a certainty that sank deep into my bones, that I would do anything to keep her safe. Even if it meant standing up to the man I called father. Even if it meant risking everything.

The game had changed, and there was no turning back.