Chapter Fifty-One Abby

We'd moved to the kitchen.

I helped Nathan's mom and sister clean up the dining room. Justin was on his phone, listening to his father and his brother.

The air in the Zhou family home was electric, the kind of charged atmosphere that made my skin tingle despite the calm facade I held. Kenny and Nathan stood a mere breath apart in the dimly lit living room, two titans locked in a silent battle before words became their weapons. I busied myself with plates and busywork, pretending I wasn't listening, pretending I couldn't understand.

"Whole family needs to be in the loop," Nathan's voice was firm as he addressed his father. "Abby too."

I pretended to adjust a vase on the kitchen counter, feigning disinterest. My heart hammered against my ribcage; they were discussing me, and yet, I had to play the part of the clueless outsider.

Their argument erupted into Mandarin, rapid and sharp like the exchange of gunfire. Despite my role as the ignorant American girl, I understood every syllable they fired at each other. Being fluent in Mandarin wasn't just a line on my FBI resume; it was the reason I was here, embedded within the heart of the Golden Serpents.

"Her presence here is unnecessary," Kenny retorted, his stance rigid.

"Times are changing," Nathan countered, his tone slicing through the tension. "Abby's not just some girl next door. She's capable, smart."

I stayed rooted to the spot, inwardly translating and memorizing every word while outwardly maintaining an aura of obliviousness. The rest of the family listened intently, not interrupting. Nathan's insistence on my inclusion sent a dangerous thrill through me, but I couldn't afford the luxury of letting emotions cloud my judgment.

Not when every move was critical.

Their debate continued, a verbal dance of power and persuasion. I tried not to notice the way Nathan's jaw tensed with passion or the fire igniting in Kenny's eyes; these were not men you wanted to cross, and yet, here I was, standing in the crossfire, playing a game that could cost me everything.

"Enough," Kenny finally declared, signaling the end of their private duel. The Mandarin ceased, and English filled the space between us once more.

"Fine," he conceded, eyes locking with mine for a fleeting moment. "But once she's in, there's no turning back."

Nathan gave me a look that held a thousand unspoken promises, and I felt a shiver of something forbidden stir within me. In this world of shadows and danger, I was about to become a part of the very fabric I had been sent to unravel.

The air in the Zhou family home crackled with an intensity that didn't need Mandarin to be understood. Kenny's sigh cut through it like a switchblade, sharp and final. We were all standing around the kitchen island when Kenny Zhou spoke directly to me.

"Abby, listen closely," he said, switching to English with a deliberateness that told me my days of playing the ignorant outsider were over. "Once you're privy to this, you become part of our world—with no escape."

Nathan's gaze fixed on me, heavy and inscrutable. "She's not going anywhere." His words hung between us, loaded with a meaning I couldn't decipher.

I swallowed hard, the weight of my new reality settling on my shoulders like a lead cloak.

This was it—the point of no return.

"My son Alex has been undermining us," Kenny revealed, his voice low and laced with betrayal. "He's responsible for the attacks."

Evelyn's hands flew to her mouth, tears spilling over like a dam breached by heartache. Lily wrapped an arm around her, whispering comforts that seemed too frail against the gravity of the accusation.

"Not Alex," Justin blurted out, shaking his head so fiercely I half-expected him to lose balance. His arm was in a sling, there was a dark cut across his forehead, a bruise blooming on his neck. But he was okay. He would get better. "Sure, he's a prick, but come on, he doesn't have the brains for this kind of play."

"Be that as it may," Kenny continued, his eyes sweeping over us, "he's made his move. And we need to make ours."

"Ba, I'm telling you–"

"I don't care what you're telling me," the Serpent said. "Your silence speaks volumes, too."

Fuck, things were about to go horribly wrong…

…or right, if I played my cards properly.

"Actually, Nathan and I have been thinking," I started, my voice cutting through the fog of shock and disbelief like a knife. Every eye in the room turned to me, and for a second, that familiar flutter of anxiety tickled my insides. But then Nathan's gaze met mine—the same dark eyes that could harden into obsidian when he was called to action—and I saw something else.

Pride. It steadied me.

"We've got other options on the table. Plans that might help us get ahead of this mess," I said. "We've been doing a lot of thinking, a lot of research, and we think we need to approach things a little differently."

"Abby's right," Nathan chimed in, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "We've been too reactive. It's time to take control."

"And what are you proposing?" Kenny asked, looking at Nathan.

But Nathan…he looked at me. "Abby?"

"I think…" I paused, wondering if this was the right move. I didn't want them to think I was too smart for my own good–but I needed in, and there was no better way to prove my allegiance to the family than playing a part. "We need to make sure that Alex was actually responsible," I continued. "This is more complicated than that–but it's definitely personal. Nathan and I talked and ruled out a power play from the Cranes or any other enemy; whoever it is wants to focus on you, Mr. Zhou."

Kenny listened, his face unreadable, while we dissected each possibility, prodding at weak spots and bolstering strengths. Every so often, Nathan would throw in a comment or an idea, and I couldn't help but be drawn to him. The way his lips quirked up slightly when I made a particularly good point, the intensity in his stare—it was all kind of...electrifying.

I liked helping him.

I wanted his approval.

"Enough," Kenny finally declared, breaking the strategic spell woven around us. "We move forward with caution. Our security needs to be tighter than ever. Each of you—all of you—will have an increase in protection."

He glanced around the room, his eyes settling on each of us like a benediction—or a warning. "And we're going to start having weekly dinners. Family dinners, where we can touch base, make sure we're all on the same page."

"Family dinners?" Justin muttered, his brows raised almost comically high. "What are we, the Brady Bunch?"

"If that's what it takes for me to actually get to know my children, yes," Kenny said, an edge to his voice I hadn't expected.

I looked at Nathan, who nodded slightly, a silent promise passing between us. We were in this together—against a common enemy, forging alliances that were as dangerous as they were necessary. And somewhere between the scheming and the fear, I realized that the line between duty and desire was blurring, threatening to disappear entirely.

"Agreed," Nathan's voice was the first to break the silence that had settled over us like a thick fog. Around the room, nods followed suit, a silent chorus of assent.

"Then it's done," Kenny said, his tone final. He gave us all a curt nod and then gestured towards the door. "Dinner is finished, and you're all free to make your way to your own homes. I need to talk to my wife."

One by one, we collected our belongings—the sounds of zippers closing and leather creaking filled the space with mundane normalcy. It was almost easy to forget the dark undercurrents swirling beneath this family's surface. Almost.

As we moved toward the exit, Evelyn stood by the doorway, her silhouette framed against the warm glow of the hallway light. Her eyes met mine for a moment, a spark of something unreadable flickering within their depths before she turned her attention to the others. She kissed each of her children on the cheek, whispering words like sacred blessings. "I love you," she told them, her voice a soft melody against the harshness of our world.

Then her hand shot out, quick as a viper, and latched onto Nathan's arm. "Nathan," she said in Mandarin, her tone suddenly serious, "you're going to marry her, aren't you?"

I pretended to check my chipping nail polish, my breath catching in my throat. I couldn't exactly let them know that I spoke Mandarin right then.

His eyes never left mine as he spoke the word that would change everything. "Yes."

But of course I couldn't speak Mandarin, at least not as far as he knew. So I offered him a smile and what I hoped was a quizzical look.

Evelyn released him, giving me a smile that held a lifetime of understanding, and I wondered if she, too, knew what it was like to have her heart pulled in two opposite directions.

"Good," she said in English, but her eyes—those knowing, depthless pools—seemed to say so much more. "It was so, so nice to meet you, Abby."

"You too, Mrs. Zhou," I replied. "See you soon."

Nathan walked over to me, taking my hand in his, bringing it to his mouth and kissing it.

"Let's get you home, Abby," he murmured against my skin, sending a shiver up my spine.

As I followed him down the winding corridors and out onto the lamp-lit streets of San Francisco, I couldn't help but replay that single, damning word over and over in my mind. Yes. He had said yes.

And we were going home.

And for the first time, damn him, it definitely felt like it was home.