Chapter Sixteen Nathan

Ishould've been worried about work…not the fucking girl back in that apartment. I pushed open the heavy back door of Grant Avenue Florals, my hand automatically smoothing over the dragon ink that crawled across my skin beneath the fabric of my shirt. The bell above the front entrance chimed a soft welcome, an ironic contrast to the tension knotted in my gut. I needed to make sure everything was in order; every stem trimmed, every petal perfect.

It was paramount the shop showed no signs of last night's chaos…and that no one came with questions about the industrial composter I'd started in the middle of the night, containing our victim's corpse.

"Morning, Mr. Zhou," the clerk, Mr. Lao, greeted without missing a beat, watering the daisies with such casual normalcy you'd never guess blood had been spilled among these blooms just hours before.

"Morning," I replied, my voice betraying none of the storm brewing inside me. "How about I make us some tea?" I offered, mustering a smile that felt out of place on my lips.

"That would be lovely," he said, and I nodded, heading towards the small kitchenette tucked behind a curtain of hanging ivy.

With the kettle on, I let myself slip into the routine that always calmed the noise in my head. My fingers grazed the soft leaves of a peace lily as I checked for yellowing edges, the simple task grounding me.

With each plant I tended, a little more of the anxiety over leaving Abby unbound ebbed away. She wouldn't get out; not from my apartment, not with the locks I had installed and the security measures in place. This was my world – one of delicate orchids and brutal truths, and Abby, well, she was just another unexpected variable in a game I was born to play.

As the steam began to whistle, signaling the water was ready, I poured the hot liquid over the waiting teabags, their herbal scent mixing with the earthiness of damp soil and fresh blooms. The familiar comfort of the shop slowly stitched back my composure, thread by meticulous thread.

Abby would keep until this was handled. She had to. Because right now, all that mattered was maintaining my facade…and making sure no one knew I was the one who'd disappeared the girl who worked next door.

After delivering a cup of jasmine tea to Mr. Lao, I made my way through the verdant labyrinth, each step taken with practiced ease until I reached my private sanctuary—the small greenhouse at the back of the shop. It was here, among rows of exotic plants and flowers imported from every corner of the world, that I felt a semblance of peace. This was my retreat, my escape from the bloodstained legacy of the Golden Serpents.

The serenity shattered as I remembered last night's chaos, when Knuckles and Alex had barged in, dragging trouble into my haven. I had always asked them not to bring people here, where I ran away from the violence…and yet, the smell of disinfectant now made me wrinkle my nose, overpowering the scent of flowers.

I cursed under my breath, pacing between the potted ferns and blooming hibiscus. Alex always played it fast and loose, but Knuckles—damn him—should've known better. He understood what this space meant to me, how fiercely I protected it.

Yet they both had disregarded the sanctity of my rules without a second thought.

As the anger bubbled within me, I couldn't push away thoughts of Abby. The intensity we shared, the fire that burned between us—it had been real, undeniable. And then she saw me, saw the monster I tried to cage during those hours among the flora.

Saw the man who could kiss her breathless one moment and orchestrate violence the next.

It was all too much—a complication I didn't need. But instead of suspicion, instead of doubting her innocence, I blamed my own damn luck. Luck that had been on a steady decline lately, like a gambler on a losing streak, tossing dice and watching them roll snake eyes every damn time.

With a sigh, I adjusted a vine that threatened to overwhelm a neighboring plant, my touch gentle despite the turmoil inside. This wasn't about Abby; it was about me, about the life I led and the choices that came back to bite.

"Control," I muttered to myself, the word hanging in the humid air. I needed to regain control over the situation, over the shop, over my feelings for a woman who just days ago was a stranger.

And now? Now she was the wild card in my carefully constructed deck.

My prisoner…even if she was the one who had me in her clutches, whether she knew it or not.

If I was in control, she would already be dead.

Pulling out my phone, I texted one of my guys to keep an eye on the apartment. I couldn't afford distractions—not when there were moves to be made and pieces to put back in place. Abby would be safe; I'd see to that. But the rest? The rest was up to me and the game I was born into—a game that didn't play favorites, even for the heir apparent to the Golden Serpents.

And as I stood there, surrounded by the beauty that I'd built and the ugliness that I'd inherited, I knew the line between the two was blurring. For the first time in a long while, I was unsure which side I'd end up on when all was said and done.

The bell above the door to the shop chimed, a sound that once brought a sense of peace, now a herald of potential trouble. I turned sharply, my hand instinctively reaching under the counter for the gun I kept there as someone strode to the back, where only I was meant to tread. But it was just Alex, his silhouette filling the doorway, dark eyes scanning the shop before landing on me. He leaned against a shelf, arms crossed over his chest.

"Nice place you got here, Nathan," he said casually, though his gaze darted around with thinly veiled contempt. "Not exactly what I'd expect from the Serpent's Fang. I mean…flowers? Really?"

I ignored the jab. "What do you want, Alex?"

"Word on the street is some girl went missing from Fusion last night." He watched me closely, looking for a tell. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you? I figure Ba would tell me if we were dipping our toes into kidnapping."

My jaw tightened, but I kept my expression unreadable. "Why would I care about some girl from Fusion?"

"Because when something happens in our territory, it's bad for business if we don't know about it," he said, pushing off from the shelf and stepping closer. "Especially if it's one of ours who took her."

"Then I hope the Serpents had nothing to do with it," I replied coolly, meeting his gaze head-on, my heart betraying nothing of the chaos Abby's presence had wrought.

"Hope's cheap in our world," Alex shot back, a smirk playing on his lips. "Information's gold."

"Then go mine elsewhere," I said, my tone final. "This shop is clean, and I intend to keep it that way now that I've had to mop up the blood you spilled on the floor."

For a moment, we stood there, two brothers locked in a silent battle of wills. Then, as quickly as it had come, the tension broke. Alex shrugged, the smirk still in place.

"I don't get it, man."

"Get what?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"This," he gestured around the shop. "All these flowers, this…facade. You're not fooling anyone, especially not me."

I narrowed my eyes at him slightly. "What's your point, Alex?"

He shrugged, "Just saying, you're acting all high and mighty, but I can see it, Nate. You're getting soft. This place, pretending you're a businessman and not a killer…it's making you weak."

"Soft?" The word left my lips like a bullet, laced with a warning. "You sure about that?"

"Positive," he said, his confidence unwavering. "And let's be real, if you ever decide to step down—or if you slip up—I'd be more than happy to fill your shoes as heir to the Serpents."

I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to knock the smug look off his face. Alex always had a way of getting under my skin, knowing just how to prod at my defenses. But I couldn't let him see that.

"Keep dreaming, little brother," I retorted coldly. "I'm not going anywhere. And this place," I glanced around the shop, my gaze lingering on the orchids that thrived under my care, "it's more me than you'll ever understand."

"Whatever you say, big bro," Alex said with a nonchalant shrug. "Just remember, I'm always here if you need someone to take over the heavy lifting."

"Thanks for the offer, but I've got it covered." My tone was dismissive, but we both knew the conversation wasn't really about the shop or who was strongest. It was about power, legacy, and the unspoken tension that always simmered between us.

"Suit yourself," Alex said, pushing off from the counter. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, he slipped out the same way he came in, leaving me alone with the greenery and a growing unease. It was clear Alex wanted more than just answers; he wanted my seat at the table.

And if I wasn't careful, he might just get it.

I let out a long exhale and turned back to the plants that lined the shelves of my little sanctuary. It was always easier to deal with them than with people; they never wanted more from me than water and care, never eyed my position with hungry ambition.

The shop bell tinkled softly as Alex disappeared into the street beyond, the sound a sharp contrast to the pounding of my heart. I ran a hand over my face, feeling the stubble that had begun to form. I needed to stay focused, keep my game tight. If Alex sensed any weakness, any vulnerability, he would circle like a shark smelling blood in the water.

"Everything alright, Mr. Zhou?" The clerk's voice drifted from the front, laced with a note of concern that I quickly squashed.

"Fine," I called back, softer than I intended. "Just another day in paradise."

I checked the locks on the back door before making my way to the front of the shop. The clerk raised an eyebrow at me, but I just flashed him a grin that didn't reach my eyes.

"Let's keep those smiles up for the customers, eh?" I instructed, clapping him on the shoulder before stepping behind the counter to busy myself with reordering stock that didn't need reordering.

In the quiet moments, my mind wandered back to Abby, tied up in my apartment. She was a complication I hadn't anticipated, one that could unravel everything if not handled correctly. But there was something about her, something that made it hard to think of her as just another problem to be solved.

I shook my head, trying to dispel thoughts of her. This wasn't the time for distractions. I had a business to run, a reputation to uphold, and a brother who wouldn't hesitate to take it all away from me.

"Focus," I muttered under my breath, "keep it together, Nate."

The rest of the day passed in a blur of customers and phone calls, each one a reminder of the double life I led. And through it all, I couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that this was just the calm before the storm.