CHAPTER #14
Mr. Crane came home and saw the twins with their sister. "Take your masks off in the house!"
The twins obeyed, only to keep the peace for their sister.
"You've taken your sweet time to come home." Mr. Crane scolded his daughter.
"A nice to see you dear or I'm glad you're back, would've been nice Dad." Li Na said dismissively.
"Sit down all of you." Mr. Crane waited for them to do so. "Your mother and I are getting a divorce. I'll be marring my mistress and living with her. You three have met her in the past. Your mother has her own apartment closer to her office. You can live with her or remain here. I'll leave it up to you to discuss that with her."
Lu He was shaken to his core and extremely upset. He got up from the table and bolted upstairs, slamming his bedroom door. Li Na and Qihe remained seated.
Li Na looked at Qihe. "You already knew."
"There's more… are you going to tell her the bigger secret, or should I?" Qihe asked his father coldly.
Mr. Crane sighed, "do it. I'll see myself out."
"Coward!" Qihe shouted angrily.
Mr. Crane sprang forward and slapped him across the face, so hard it made Qihe's lip bleed. Li Na was shocked and jumped up, "Dad! STOP! He's not one of your men, he's your son!"
Lu He ran back down the stairs, hearing his sister screaming at their father. "What happened?"
"Dad just hit Qihe!"
Looking from his father to his brother, Lu He saw the bloody lip. "Dad?"
Mr. Crane took Qihe's shirt into a fist and brought his face inches from his son's. "I told you last time to watch your mouth! No one talks to me like that, not even my children. Understood?!"
"DAD let him go! What the hell?!" Li Na grabbed her father's arm. "What's wrong with you, he's a kid!"
Mr. Crane moved his face to Qihe's ear and whispered his threat. "Being called Mafia Boy, doesn't mean you are actually qualified to be in my organization. You can be replaced." Mr. Crane then let him go, shook off his daughter and left, slamming the front door closed.
"Qihe… are you okay?" Lu He asked in a shaky voice, as Li Na helped him into a chair.
"I'm fine. You two sit down and I'll tell you what he doesn't have the balls to say himself."
Both of his siblings sat down, worry all over their faces. That look turned to complete surprise, when he spilled the truth he'd been carrying for weeks.
"Dad has a son with his mistress. Xiang Shao is two years younger than Lu He and I. He's a nice kid, decent grades and great at basketball. He's scared of father. They live on the other side of town. Xiang Shao was being badly bullied and beaten up, but Dad was doing nothing to help him. I solved that problem myself. You two have never seen the way Dad truly is, until just now. That's who he really is… a low life thug with no honour."
Li Na got up and hugged Qihe. "I'm sorry you've been through so much bullshit while I've been away. Do you think Mom knows?"
"She already knew about the Mistress, so I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe that's why she's never here when he is." Qihe turned to Lu He. "I didn't tell you, because he should've and I didn't want to lie to you."
Lu He was shaken, his calm life shattered. Then he met his twin's eyes, "is that why you've been so angry all the time? Is it why you stopped talking to me… about everything?"
"Yes."
Getting up, Lu He hugged his twin too. "Come on, let's take care of your lip. I'm sorry too."
"None of this is on either of you and all on Dad. Little by little he's been trying to get me into his organization, even if he acts like he isn't."
Li Na's eyes grew wide, she suddenly knew what he wasn't saying, but had to be sure. "Lu He, I don't know why the food delivery isn't here yet. Can you go call them, here's the order I put in." As soon as her brother left to do that and get the first aide kit, she turned to her other brother. "Qihe… has Dad… has he had you kill anyone?"
Qihe's eyes met hers steadily. "Yes, while I was being a body guard for his business partner's daughter, when she got kidnapped by a triad gang called 14K. It was their life or mine. Lu He and Mom don't know and it will stay that way. I'll deal with that side of Dad, if it keeps you and my brothers safe."
Li Na began to cry. She'd escaped that life, because of her international acting and modelling, not realizing it would mean the twins might take her place. "Oh Qihe… I'm… so… sorry!"
Lu He came back, "Li Na, why are you crying?"
She sniffed and replied, "I've been away too long and I'm just sorry that things with dad have come to this. I should've protected you both from him."
Qihe held her shoulders, pushing her back from him. "I told you I'm fine. I can handle dad better than the two of you. Just stay out of it. And you did the right thing Li Na, neither Lu He nor I would've wanted you to be at the end of Dad's evilness or wrath."
Lu He hugged his sister, "he's right. I might not know everything that's going on, but it's a good thing that you aren't here for him to try and manipulate too. He's been forcing me to go on arranged dates, just to close business deals. I'm sure he's done the same with Qihe."
She nodded and accepted the tissues handed to her. "It's one of the reasons I started acting… to escape him doing that to me. Acting draws a lot of media attention, as you know. He couldn't force me into any dates, after that."
"I act and you're right, he doesn't ask me to do things often, especially if I'm working for a new role. But Qihe sticks to modelling and commercials only."
"Still, you two are very popular as Mafia Boy and Mask Man on social media. I hope that will keep dad in line. If not you two have to tell Mom."
"No." Qihe said calmly. "She cannot get involved, especially because of being a lawyer and having a security business. I told you before, I'll handle it."
"But…" Li Na sniffed.
Qihe stood up. "No and that's final. Food's here, let's eat. Lu He go get it." To his sister, he quickly added, "I'm okay, really. Have your visit and leave here before Dad tries to get you into an arranged marriage."
"Will me leaving this all on you… be okay? Is it really what you want?"
"I love you sister, even if I don't always show it. I love Lu He, Mom and even our half-brother. I'm Mafia Boy for a reason and nothing Dad does will ever hurt me, if it keeps all of you safe. All right?"
Lu He answered as he set the food on the table, "yes and we love you too."
They began to eat, sharing their food and talking about anything that was light hearted. Li Na shared the story of messing with Lu He at school, while he was trying to get a girl. It all sounded so normal, compared to the revelations of earlier that evening.
"I have a confession too…. Qihe please don't get mad… but when you were fighting all the time I told Dad."
Qihe slowly put down his chop sticks. "You… you of all people… how could you do that to me?"
"I didn't mean to… I didn't know he was going to hurt you. I-I thought he was going to find out why you were fighting." Lu He teared up. "Don't hate me!"
Li Na intervened. "Qihe you know Lu He wouldn't cause you pain like that intentionally. It was a misunderstanding."
Something in Qihe grew a little cold. Picking up his chop-sticks again, he stole the beef off his twin's plate. "You're a nosy asshat."
Lu He sighed in relief, "forgive me?"
"You're my twin, of course I do."
Li Na looked at her brothers, she wasn't sure if the rift between them had really been fixed. "So when do Lu He and I get to meet our half-brother?"
"How long are you in town?"
"Tomorrow and I fly back out the evening of the day after."
"Let me call him, it shouldn't be too late. I'll put him on speaker phone." Qihe chose the number from his contacts. "Xiang Shao, my sister Li Na and my twin Lu He know about you now. Dad announced that he's divorcing our mom and marrying yours. You're on speaker phone, so say hi to your half-siblings."
"Holy Shit!" Xiang Shao exclaimed, "Sorry! I mean… Hi everyone I'm Xiang Shao."
"Hello brother! We want to meet you and my sister only has tonight and tomorrow free."
"Um… Okay… can I come over tonight?… Wait is Dad still there?"
"No he's gone and won't be back tonight or anytime soon," Qihe answered.
"Why?"
Li Na took charge, "we'll explain when you get here. Qihe knows your address so I'll send a car. Pack to stay overnight."
"Oh… okay cool! See you guys soon!"
When Xiang Shao got out of the taxi and had the door opened to the house, he didn't know what to look at first; his sister, the twins or the interior of the house.
Before the twins could warn him, Li Na gave him a hug and kissed Xiang Shao on the mouth. To his credit he only had wide eyes.
Lu He groaned, "Li Na we told you to stop kissing us on the mouth! We don't do that here and it's weird!"
Xiang Shao blushed, "um as long as it's not in front of my girlfriend… You're beautiful sister!"
Qihe laughed, "don't encourage her!"
"Thank you and come on in… are you hungry, we have some left overs," Li Na ushered her half-brother deeper into the house.
"I'm fine thanks… this place is huge!" Xiang Shao marvelled. He turned in a circle and then his eyes landed on the twins. "You told me he looked identical… it's crazy how much is the same… except the hair. "
"Qihe also usually has torn up knuckles from fighting, my hands are never like that."
"He saved my ass a few times. I don't know how to fight. Mom won't let me learn. I've been told to stay under the radar, so to speak…. Who did you fight to get that lip?"
"Dad hit him. Has Dad… has he ever laid a hand on you?" Li Na asked with concern.
"No, never. He makes threats, then mom cries, then I behave. I barely can handle him yelling at me, I can't believe you took a hit from him. His hands are huge!" As he looked over them, Xiang Shao suddenly said, "WAIT! You're Lina … as in the actress who starred in Forbidden Nights in Tokyo! Holy shit… you're my sister… this is so AWESOME!"
Li Na laughed, "yes I am and you're cute. Want an autograph and a selfie with me?"
"Can I?" He asked suddenly shy.
"Twins put on your masks and we'll all take a picture together… let's do it against that wall." Li Na directed them. "Remember to hashtag it Mafia Boy, Mask Man and Lina Crane."
"So I can post it on social media?"
"Duh, of course you can, we're family after all."
When the initial awe of meeting his extended family dissipated, Xiang Shao listened to what had happened that night, before his arrival. Then they talked about acting and basketball, girls and school. Li Na opened a bottle of alcohol and made them all rum and cokes. Xiang Shao admitted it was his first time drinking and he was glad it was with them. He got drunk fast and the twins carried him into the guest room. Li Na put his backpack on a chair in the room and turned on the light in the ensuite bathroom. Then she closed the door behind herself and the twins. They went back downstairs to the living room.
"He's a nice kid, like you said Qihe. I'm glad I met him." Li Na said as she sunk into an easy chair.
"Agreed. Maybe we'll end up in the same high school with him, when he finally gets there," Lu He added.
"Might happen. Seems like dad hasn't tried to make him date anyone or get involved in any way with his business."
"That's a relief. At least us three know how to fight, he doesn't," Li Na sighed.
Lu He asked, "have you ever used those skills Li Na?"
"Not in real life, but it helped me land that action role in the movie I did last year."
"Right, I remember you were a cop or something."
"Secret Agent, but close enough. Knowing how to fight, helped when they were choreographing those scenes too." She yawned. "Sorry, I'm jet lagged."
"Go to bed, we'll be up early tomorrow anyway," Qihe suggested.
"Right. Want me to call your school and his, to say you won't be in?"
"Not for me, I've got a test."
"Can't give the school a reason to come down on me either. Ask Xiang Shao in the morning."
"Okay. Good night my favourite brothers!" Li Na sang and then went to her own room.
Lu He sighed, "Qihe?"
"What?"
"Do you really forgive me?"
"We're cool, relax. Since when can't you tell if I lie or not?"
"I… you're right…. Can we sleep in the same room again?"
Qihe rose an eyebrow at him, "what are we, six?"
"But… I've missed you." Lu He hung his head.
Qihe's heart tugged, so he got up and ruffled the hair on his twin's head. "Alright you child, I'll sleep in your room."
"Same bed?"
"If you snore, I'm elbowing you in the stomach."
"I don't snore!"
"Yes you do… sometimes."
"Really? I didn't know that."
"You sleep sounder then I do. You also fart really loud in the morning!"
Lu He laughed, "you do too and yours last longer than mine."
They teased each other back and forth, then cleaned up the take-out containers. Together they went to Lu He's room and brushed their teeth side by side. Lu He took a shower first and got into his pyjamas. He set up their gaming headsets and controllers while Qihe showered and changed too. They gamed for another two hours, before turning off the console and getting into bed.
"Qihe?"
"Hmm?"
"We'll be okay… with the divorce and everything, right?"
"Of course. Don't worry about it. Let's just finish this semester and start senior high school."
"Promise?"
"I forgot how much of a baby you can be."
"Shut up."
"Lu He go to sleep." Qihe waited for Lu He to roll over, so they could sleep back to back as they use to do as kids. In his mind he swore on his life, that he'd protect his siblings from their father and his mafia business.