by Kailin Gow
“No!” Leo cried running to him. “Uncle, so sorry about everything. Please don’t die. You’re the only family I have left!”
Chapter 23
2 Weeks later
Zara
Zara settled into her new office at the Hong Kong police department and once again felt her heart grow heavy at the loss of Peter. Although his body wasn’t recovered from the site he was killed, for some reason it had disappeared just as mysteriously as Leo’s uncle being shot, they still held a memorial for him. Zara was heartbroken, realizing too late that she truly loved Peter. The weekend at Brockshire was magical, and she had fallen in love with Peter without a doubt then. His memorial service had been difficult, and while the entire Hong Kong force had come to show their respects, Zara had felt alone and lost.
That had been two weeks ago, and even with her new promotion, she had difficulty forcing a smile to all who congratulated her.
A rap at the door drew her attention. “Leo,” she said with the same forced smile she offered everyone. “What brings you here?”
She hadn’t seen him since the funeral.
He shrugged. “Just getting back to normal life.”
“Despite the loss of your uncle, you must be relieved it’s all over. Not to mention not having me following you around everywhere.”
With everything that had happened, she’d almost forgotten what it’d been like being around him. Seeing him, she suddenly realized just how much she’d missed him.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I was getting used to having you around all the time.” He looked around the new office that still had several unpacked boxes. “How ‘bout some coffee?”
“Oh,” she said with a relieved sigh. “I could really go for a good cup of coffee. My promotion hasn’t improved the quality of coffee here.”
They strolled in comfortable silence to the nearby coffee shop and, once there, Zara sat at a corner table while Leo headed to the counter to buy two mega cups of coffee.
“Perfect,” she said when he handed her the oversized cup.
“How have you been doing?”
“There hasn’t been a night that I haven’t woken up with a vision of Peter falling back dead. I can’t forget it. Peter. It’s one thing to lose someone you love, but to actually see it… it’s such a nightmare. Well, you would know, right?”
Leo nodded his understanding.
“This new promotion has kept me busy though,” she went on. “As you could see from the state of my office, I haven’t even had time to empty my boxes yet. I’m busy, busy, busy as the head of this new unit, and I like it that way. The busier I am, the less time I have to think about other things.”
Reaching for her hand, Leo said, “He spoke often about you.”
“Peter?”
Leo nodded. “He wanted me to stay away from you. He really loved you. Said he envisioned his life with you.”
“He was a very good man, and I just didn’t appreciate him enough. In the end, though, I realized too late how much I cared for him.”
“I know I’m not Peter… Tell you the truth, I wasn’t really a fan, but...”
“Jealous?” Zara said with the first sincere smile on her lips since Peter’s death.
“Maybe a tad.” Leo gave her hand a squeeze. “Look, I know I could never replace him, I mean, he was a decent guy. I mean, to stand up for his father even in light of the illegal activities he was involved in… well, I know it must have been difficult.”
They stared into their coffee cups for a silent moment.
“And of course, he saved our lives,” Leo said quietly. “I’ll never forget that.”
“Me neither.”
“And I’ll always be grateful for everything you’ve done for me. I know it was just all part of your job, but…”
“I’ve enjoyed working with you, Leo.”
“Good,” he said with a warm smile. He emptied his cup of coffee and gently set the large cup down. “I’d like to see you.”
Zara didn’t know what to say.
“Could we have dinner tonight?”
“Yes, but I must warn you, I’m still feeling fragile.”
“I can take it.”
“Fine then.”
“Come to my place, eight o’clock. I’ve been working on a new dish and I can’t wait to share it with someone.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “You’ll see, it’s absolutely to die for.”
His lips were soft, and she welcomed his touch.
They left the coffee shop and walked slowly down the street. She’d draped her hand through the crook of his arm, a motion that seemed so natural, yet platonic.
She liked the feel of him, his strength, his warmth.
“It isn’t over,” he softly said into her ear.
Staring straight ahead, she maintained a cool and unmoved expression, but her blood ran cold. His tone wasn’t loving or teasing; it was deathly cold.
“Smile and look amused by my loving attention, but be aware; they’re watching us. Uncle Qingshan was right. He was just a pawn. I’m just a pawn. I’ve been going through his stuff and I have so much to show you. Everything you know to be safe and comfortable is about to change.”
Epilogue
Lord Brock – At Brockshire
“You can bring him out of the room now,” Lord Brock called out. “It’s safe.”
Two men dressed in black helped a man dressed in a plush velvet navy blue robe walk out of a room hidden behind the library bookcase.
Lord Brock removed his tie and his suit jacket, settling down into his favorite leather sofa. An antique piece that had been in the family for hundreds of years.
“It’s a little early to make an appearance anywhere, but for now, you can’t show your face anywhere. If you do, you’d be dead for sure.”
The man in the robe stared straight ahead, his eyes unflinching, unemotional.
“Good thing my men got to you before they did, retrieving you from the scene before they could make sure you would never talk.”
Lord Brock poured himself some whiskey and took a stiff drink. “And once again, I was able to find a way out of any situation. Two weeks in jail for accepting bribes, then poof, all the proof disappears, and I’m a free man again. I told you, these men who I work with are powerful. They are in the highest echelon of all walks. If they knew I had saved you and was harboring you, nurturing you back to life; they would go after me, too. But as long as I’m still valuable to them. As long as I could still carry out my function, I live.”
“I feel dead,” an emotionless voice said. “I’d rather be dead if I can’t have my life back and have to remain hiding away from the world who think I’m dead.”
“What do you intend to do? Show yourself?” Lord Brock said. “They held a funeral for you already, and she’s already moved on. Your little ex-fiance. Quite a test of love you put her through, with your death and all. She proved to be quite faithful and quite in love with you in the end. A true match for you, worthy of your love, son,” Lord Brock said.
“It wasn’t a test, Dad,” Peter said. “She truly thought I’d died. I thought I’d died, but thanks to you, I was grabbed by your men right when Quinshan was shot. Handy, Dad, handy. That’s how you deal with “proof”? I didn’t think you were capable, but now I know you are. Zara was right. She has an amazing instinct. Always has. I can’t wait to see her again.”
“You can’t let her know you’re alive.”
“Then it isn’t worth being alive, isn’t it?” Peter said. “What if I suddenly make a resurrection from the dead?”
“You’re an idiot, Peter. It would mean the death of you, me, and her.”
“Her?” Peter asked. “Why?”
“Don’t you get it, dense boy? They could’ve killed her in the factory that time she was kidnapped. They could have killed Leopold Lee anytime, especially since his uncle had access to him all the time. The reason why Leopold Lee and Zara are alive still is because of you, Peter. Because you’re my son,
and I want you to succeed. You cared for Zara, so she lives. And Leopold Lee is your case. Your responsibility to keep alive, so he lives.”
“Why Dad?” Peter asked.
“Because,” Lord Brock said, “A father will do everything for his son, including being sworn to secrecy into a society so ancient yet so powerful, it would ensure the legacy of their sons for generations to come. You’re expected to take over my spot when I die, Peter. To carry out my role until your death, and then it passes on to your son and then to his.
“What is this society you speak of?” Peter asked. “What if I refuse to be part of it?”
“I can’t tell you until it’s time, and if you refuse to be part of it, you will find that you have no choice. Every road you take, every path you try will lead you right back to them.”
“I can’t be with Zara?” Peter asked.
“No, she’s a Zee, an oppose to the society back in the time of the Qi Dynasty. It’s not meant to be, and if you push it, you will find, you and her are destined to become enemies.”
“
This is the end of UNASSUMED
*****
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