A/N: Lo and behold! Another chapter just in time for Christmas! Hope everyone's holiday season is going alright! Now let's get into the chapter!
6:53 AM JT
Darek opened his eyes and let out a deep sigh, crossing his arms over his chest with a pout. It was nighttime and the plane was dark so other passengers could sleep. This felt like the hundredth time he tried to fall asleep in the past hour in his seat and he still couldn't get it. It was rather upsetting to Darek because he hoped to sneak a few moments of peace to himself, but so far to no avail. His body felt heavy and tired, but his brain was too active to slow down. It held him hostage to his thoughts, and Darek couldn't sleep like that. If I can't sleep now, then I'll just wait 'til I get to Zuo's to catch a damn break, he thought with another huff as he massaged his temples.
Darek's restlessness stemmed from him thinking about his breakup, all thanks to Seymour's prying. It brought up sore emotions Darek buried long ago, like the memory of the dinner with Jade's folks:
Darek gripped the steering wheel as he slowed down to stop at an intersection, seeing a red light in his lane. He leaned back in his car seat and adjusted the sleeves on his wrists, then moved to prop up his collar. Darek's left leg quickly bounced in place as he lightly scratched his beard.
Jade shook her head in mock pity, holding in a small laugh at Darek's nervous antics. "Stop stressing," she said with a comforting smile.
"I'm not," Darek replied, his eyes not leaving the road.
"I see it all over your face, D," Jade cocked her head to her boyfriend. She placed her hand on his shoulder and rubbed it in circles. "Relax, they'll like you."
Jade's soothing touch extinguished Darek's urge to bounce his leg any longer as he looked her over in the passenger's seat. She wore a short-sleeved collared green qipao going to her knees. Jade's shoes were green flats to match her dress. Her dark shoulder-length hair was tied back into a small bun. She had on a little foundation, mascara, and a pink shade of lipstick. Jade wasn't the type of woman to wear makeup a lot (which Darek was fine with), but for tonight he felt some pride in seeing a different side of her beauty. The lookover helped take his mind off his anxiety as he grabbed Jade's thigh and gave it a light squeeze. Just as the light turned green, Darek turned his attention back to the road and pressed the gas pedal.
Darek and Jade were on their way to Golden Blossom Buffet, one of the fanciest Chinese restaurants in the city. There, they would meet Jade's family and introduce themselves as an official couple. They had been dating for nine months now, and Jade felt comfortable enough to let her parents know she was seeing a special someone. They were excited by the news because they (mainly Jade's mother) had been pestering Jade about getting a boyfriend for the longest time. They were happy to hear their daughter giving details about the guy who was making her happy, like the fact that he was Chinese guy making good money in America. It even put the premature prospect of Jade getting married and having kids into her parent's minds, so they set up a day to come together to get to know the mystery man.
When Jade first asked Darek about the possibility of the family arrangement two weeks before, the latter couldn't help slightly wincing at the news. He wasn't that interested in seeing Jade's folks—based on her description of them, the young man had a feeling her parents and he would butt heads. But Jade insisted that wouldn't be the case and that she'd be there to defend him. So Darek hesitantly agreed, knowing it would make Jade happy. But now, his mind raced through the possibilities of there being a disaster at the table. Even with Jade's consolation, Darek avidly fought the bundling nerves in his gut.
"So who's all gonna be there?" Darek asked to break the silence, tapping his thumb along the steering wheel.
Jade looked into the air and tapped the side of her chin. "Well, my dad and mom for sure, and two of my uncles."
"Your uncles?"
"Yeah. One's an archaeologist who works at the university downtown and another runs an antique store downtown," Jade explained. "Does Uncle's Rare Finds ring a bell to you?"
Darek stared off in the distance for a few moments, then shook his head. "Never heard of it."
"That's fine," Jade nonchalantly waved off.
Finally, Darek pulled up to the parking lot of the Golden Blossom Buffet. There were five wide lanes of parking spaces on the left side of the restaurant, where most openings were already filled up with cars. They were a few lights set up that illuminated the lot. Darek moved his car around into the third row of cars and pulled into a space. "We're here," he announced with a low sigh as he set the gear into park and unlocked his doors.
Jade was the first to get out the car and closed the door behind her. She put her head on the car's roof and gave a longing look to her boyfriend as he also stepped out. Darek's dark hair was combed back in a fade undercut. His dress shirt, suit jacket, and pants were all black. He wore a silver watch on his left wrist, a silver chain around his neck, and a matching silver stud earring on his right lobe. Jade walked from around the passenger's side to stand beside her boyfriend, faintly catching a whiff of his cologne—sandalwood, with a hint of spice. "You ready?" she asked, playfully bumping her hips into his.
Darek quirked an eye down at Jade. A smirk slowly spread across his face as his hand came down on Jade's backside to give it a firm smack and pull her body to be flush against him. "Are you?" he leaned in her ear to huskily respond.
A blush quickly decorated Jade's cheeks as she pushed herself off him. "Hey!" she growled and punched him in his side.
Darek held his side and slightly stumbled back. "Ow," he said sarcastically. His toned body absorbed much of the blow and push so it hardly affected him. "Couldn't help myself," Darek gently laughed.
Jade pointed a stern finger up at him. "You better not do that when we get inside."
"That's why I did it out here, where there's no one around but us," Darek responded, looking around himself to make sure he was correct. His answer and cool nonchalant behavior caused Jade to cross her arms and throw a skeptical look at Darek. Her unamused expression caused Darek to relax his grin into a more serious look. "Tch, I was joking," he exasperatedly stated with a roll of his eyes, stuffing his hands into his pockets like he was a child getting scolded.
Jade looked left and right to make sure Darek's observations were correct, then turned back to him with a pout. "You're lucky no one saw that," she said as she rubbed her slightly sore behind.
"It's a compliment," Darek coolly replied. His eyes leered over Jade's figure as he took her by the waist and pulled her flush to his body. "You are gonna save some for me later, right Hot Stuff?" he asked with a suggestive eyebrow.
Jade grinned at Darek's advances and lightly smoothed out his suit jacket with her hands. "Mm, we'll see," she said. With how sharply her boyfriend was dressed, Jade couldn't deny that she held a similar feeling for him. It wasn't every day that Darek looked so nice. "Now let's go before my people get worried."
"Yeah, yeah," Darek said softly as he sulked off after Jade across the parking lot and finally into the restaurant.
The inside entrance was a short hallway decorated with painted red walls, clear chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and Asian-inspired artwork placed on the walls. Some customers were sitting on the benches against the wall with devices in their hands signaling the time they would have to wait to be seated. On one side of the wall was a large fish tank where fish, lobsters, and even octopi swam and coexisted peacefully in clean waters. The sounds of plates clattering, talking, and light music can be heard in the distance somewhere. With the number of people waiting for their food combined with the sounds of loud but muffled conversations going on from the inside of the restaurant, it sounded to be a full evening at the Golden Blossom Buffet.
"Busy night tonight," Darek lowly commented as he looked to pass by the waiting line of people to be seated.
Jade nodded. "My uncle has a reservation so luckily we don't need to wait."
"Good, cuz I really don't feel like waiting half an hour to be seated," Darek said.
"And another thing," Jade spoke with a finger pointed at him. "Whatever happens, try to keep your cool."
Darek spared her a funny look and slightly cocked his head to the side. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"C'mon Darek. You're a damn master at losing your cool at almost anything."
"I don't lose my cool."
"Yes, you do," Jade corrected. Darek's brow furrowed at this and Jade pointed to his dimming look. "See?"
"Whatever," he flippantly responded with a roll of his eyes and waved off the remark with his hand.
Jade and Darek reached the end of the hallway and came to a large counter with a computer on the top facing away from incoming customers. There was a dark-haired woman in a white dress shirt and a black apron tied to her waist. Her back was turned to Jade and Darek speaking to three other waiters in front of her.
"-and make sure when you're cleaning out the tank, you-" the woman said. She trailed off in her words seeing fingers pointing behind her.
When the couple reached the counter, one of the waiters noticed this and pointed past the woman to catch her attention. She turned around to see the couple standing there and her brown eyes lit up. "Good evening! Welcome to the Golden Blossom Buffet!" she exclaimed with a welcoming grin. "My name is Tracey, I'm the main hostess for tonight! How many people will be dining with us?"
"We're joining a table of six. They're supposed to be here already," Jade said.
"And can I get the name of that reservation?" asked Tracey as she started typing in on a computer before her on the desk.
"Jackie Chan."
Tracey typed in the names on the computer and did some clicking around with her mouse. When she saw the mentioned name in the system, her eyes lit up in confirmation. "Yes, I see it. Follow me," she said as she steps out from behind the desk and walks off into the restaurant to locate the table.
Jade and Darek trailed as close as they could behind the woman as they walked on the right side of the aisle before moving in and around tables. Now that the couple was inside, they could see that the restaurant really was full that evening as they had to watch out for other waiters coming through with trays of food ready to be served to tables. Then there were customers either heading toward their assigned tables or moving around to go to the bathroom. There were even a few rowdy kids running around and horse-playing like they were on a playground. One small boy no older than seven was chasing another boy from the bathroom at full speed when he tripped over his shoelaces and fell on his stomach right in front of Tracey. When he picked up his head to look up at him, the child was met with a worried look from Jade and Tracey and a frown from Darek.
"Oops!" Tracey said and extended a hand down to help the boy up. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" the boy exclaimed with a toothy grin as he simply wiped his knees off and scurried off to catch up to his friend.
"Sorry about that. Your table is right this way," Tracey bowed her head apologetically as she kept moving.
"[Damn kid,]" Darek mumbled in Cantonese. He was met with a dirty look from Jade who overheard him. "What?" he hissed.
"Tch, like you've never been rowdy as a kid," she retorted.
"At his age, I would've gotten my ass handed to me if I acted out like that in public," Darek bit back. Jade simply turned her head to shake her head at her boyfriend's stubbornness as she kept walking.
The three adults went into the farther end of the restaurant and Jade's eyes lit up once her eyes laid on a table full of a familiar group of people. "Hey! There they are!" Jade excitedly pointed them out. In the distance towards the farther end of the restaurant, there was a table with four adults sitting down—three men and one woman all dressed in their best, sitting idly by and talking amongst themselves.
"Yep! Table 36!" Tracey called out as she made a beeline to that table.
Darek swallowed down a gulp as Jade raised her arm to catch the attention of her family. It didn't take long for one of the men to look up in Jade's direction, caught up by her movements. His eyes slightly narrowed before perking up in delight and recognizing her face. The man signaled to the others at the table and then pointed to the arriving Jade and her date.
Here we go, Darek thought as he saw how happy the other three grown-ups were once they saw Jade as well. He quietly followed behind his girlfriend as she briskly made her way to the table.
"Hey guys! Sorry we're late!" Jade called with a small wave.
"Jade!" all the adults greeted in return with wide smiles.
The woman, Jade's mother, got up from her chair and was the first to walk forward and give Jade a big hug. She had dark brown hair styled in a bob and gold earrings dangling from her ears. She wore foundation, stenciled brows, and a dark red shade of lipstick. The woman had a light purple turtleneck dress with long sleeves that came down below her knees. Jade's mother pulls away to look her daughter up and down. The smile on her face grew wider as she gazed approvingly at Jade's attire and makeup. "My goodness, you look so beautiful!" she marveled with a proud smile.
"I try my best," Jade answered with a smile and lightly smoothed back her hair, glad of her mother's approval.
"Glad you could make it!" the middle-aged man known as Jade's father said as Jade move to hug him as well. He was wearing a black suit jacket, matching suit pants, and a blue tie. His hair had some grays in his combover style. The father's eyes cast past her to slightly crank up his head at Darek, whose hands were in his pockets awkwardly watching the family embrace and hug each other. The older man quickly scanned Darek's muscled build, his clothes, and his studded earring all with an inquisitive look. The appearance he had in mind of Jade's boyfriend greatly contrasted with who was standing in front of him. If Jade's father had passed the man on the street and didn't know better, he would've assumed the boyfriend was a troublemaker. Just then the father happened to lock eyes with Darek, both catching each other's full attention.
Darek was the first to extend the greeting by making a slow and awkward bow to his senior. "Er, hi," he mumbled.
"So you are the man Jade is seeing, yes?" Jade's father asked, bowing to Darek in return and stuck out his hand.
Darek took his hand from his pockets and firmly shook the older man's hand. "Yup, call me Darek."
"I am Shen, Jade's father. Glad you could come, Darek," Shen greeted. He gestured to the shorter woman who joined his side, and Darek bowed to her as well. "This is my wife and Jade's mother, Cecilia."
"It's an honor to meet you," Cecilia bowed and looked up to Darek with a pressed grin. "How tall are you?"
"Er, 183 centimeters."
"Wow, you're tall! And very handsome," she swooned.
Jade then placed her hand on the man in blue's shoulders as a gesture for Darek to address him next. "D, this is my uncle Jackie," she introduced.
Jackie stepped forward to stick out his hand to shake Darek's. "It is very nice meeting you," he said. He had on a light blue long-sleeved dress shirt, black slacks, and a matching suit jacket, with a black watch on his left wrist. His dark hair was slightly parted in a neat-cut style with grays occasionally here and there.
"Likewise," Darek gave a small nod of acknowledgment.
Jade placed her hands on an elder man's shoulders who was standing near his seat. He was the only adult not to move forward to greet her boyfriend. He wore a green sport coat with padded elbows, a yellow bow tie, a yellow vest underneath, and blue jeans. "This is Uncle," she said.
Darek slightly hesitated in his bow to the elder. "Uncle... ?" he trailed off waiting for a proper name to address him by.
"We've always just called him Uncle," Jackie added with a simple shrug.
"Is that a problem?" Uncle asked with an expression almost daring Darek to challenge him.
"D wasn't trying to offend you, Uncle," Jade reassured with a friendly pat on his back.
"Yeah, s'not a big deal, er, Uncle," Darek answered ineptly as he bowed to Uncle. He did his best to hide the crinkle in his face as his nose happened to catch a whiff of garlic from him.
"They're the last guests to arrive?" Tracey asked Jackie as she pointed to Jade and Darek.
"Yes," Jackie nodded.
"Great! I will send some waiters back to the table so the two of you can order," Tracey said to Darek and Jade.
"And where is our food? Uncle is starving!" Uncle unhappily exclaimed.
"Apologies sir. Your orders are still being prepared. It should be out within ten minutes," Tracey stated matter-of-factly to Uncle and the other adults.
"Okay, thank you so much!" Jackie replied gratefully, and Tracey gave him a proud smile before walking off to attend to her business.
"Service is veeeery slow! Uncle will be a pile of bones and dust before food comes!" the old man called out as he looked around the empty table.
"It shouldn't take long," Shen comforted.
"How long has it been since you ordered?" asked Jade to the other adults as she sat down and picked up a menu to skim through.
"Over ten minutes now," Jackie replied as he looked down at his watch.
"I didn't even notice. We were chatting away so much that time has just flown by!" Cecilia quipped.
"Let's see... " Jade hummed with a decisive finger on her chin. "There's so much good stuff here I honestly don't know what to get."
"You could get the spicy beef bulgogi. It's basically Korean barbecue," he said from Jade's left and pointed to the food on Jade's menu. "Or the xiaolongbao."
"Ooh, xiaolongbao! Can't believe I missed that!" Jade lightly squealed and shot him a grin. "Are you gonna get that?"
"Nah. I've already made up my mind about what I want," Darek said with a shake of his head.
Jade's eyes widened in slight surprise. "But we just sat down."
"Well, I sat down before you did, so I had more time to look at the menu and pick what I want."
Jade's face fell hearing Darek's smug tone and seeing the shit-eating grin that spread across his face. Of course, he'd give such a know-it-all answer. "Smartass," she mumbled to him out of her parent's earshot, though she couldn't stop herself from letting out a small giggle.
"That's me," Darek confidently stated with a wink.
Just then, two waiters came to the table holding a collection of six dishes in their combined hands. "We have a salad, jiaozi, mapo tofu, stir-fried rice, steamed broccoli, and wonton soup for Table 36, right?" one of the waiters said and gestured his head to the group.
Shen, Cecilia, Jackie, and Uncle's heads perked up smelling the food and eagerly nodded. "Finally!" Uncle grumpily called.
"Sorry for the wait!" the second waiter said.
Cecilia half-raised her hand to the waiter holding the salad. "The salad is for me."
"My uncle and I ordered the jiaozi," Jackie called.
"And I remember you wanted the steamed broccoli and he the mapo tofu," the first waiter nodded to confirm as he handed them their plates and the silverware.
"Yes, thank you," Jackie said.
"I requested the wonton soup," Shen said.
"This is what's out for now," the first waiter said after the six plates of food were distributed to the appropriate customers. "The lobster tail, Peking duck, pho, and sashimi are still being prepared as the kitchen was a little behind on the ingredients. It should be out within the next five to ten minutes."
"Thank you," Shen said before diving into his food.
"And for our newest guests, do you have something in mind now or do you still need time to decide?" the second waiter as they pulled their notepads out ready to write.
"I'll order," Darek said. "I'll have the char siu with chow mein on the side, the sliced wagyu medium rare, baked salmon, and Heineken."
"Okay," the first waiter worked to scribble everything short-handed on his paper. He moved to Jade as he was on his last line. "And you, miss?"
"Any day now, slowpoke," Darek lowly chuckled.
"Shush!" Jade swatted at his arm with the menu before looking at it again. "I'll have the beef bulgogi and the xiaolongbao... then a California sushi roll, strawberry cheesecake, and a Coke."
"Alrighty! Your orders should take no longer than 15 minutes to be served. I'll be back to get you two your drinks," the first waiter said and the two of them left the table.
"So, Darek... " Shen said, lightly clearing his throat to gather his attention said as he scooped a wonton in his mouth to eat. Darek picked up his eyes from the menu to look directly at Shen, who was scooping a wonton into his mouth. The table remained quiet for a moment for the man to finish chewing and get his word out. "You are Chinese, right?" he asked attentively.
Wasted no time jumping to it, huh? Darek thought, showing no change in his facial expression. "Yeah," he curtly nodded.
"What's your full name?"
"Darek Du."
"Are you an American or are you from overseas?" Cecilia was next to ask as she mixed around her salad.
"I'm a citizen, but I wasn't born here."
"Are you from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macau... ?" inquired Jackie.
"I was born in Guangzhou and moved to Hong Kong when I was three."
"Mm! You don't even have an accent!" Cecilia marveled with a raised brow. "You do speak Cantonese, right?"
Darek nodded. "I'm fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English."
Jackie, Shen, and Cecilia nodded their heads at this information with slightly positive looks. "That's good," Shen said.
"Then you wouldn't mind if we could all speak in Cantonese?" Cecilia asked with a hopeful eye.
Darek gave her a nonchalant shrug. "[Why not?]" came his Cantonese response.
Just then, one of the waiters from earlier came by with one glass of Coke and the other of an orange-colored beer. "Your soda and your beer," he said with a smile.
"Thanks," Jade said just as the waiter left.
"[How old are you?]" Jackie asked Darek.
"[22.]"
"[What's your blood type?]"
"[Why does that matter?]" Jade gave a quizzical look to her mother at her question.
"[It's an important factor of dating,]" Cecilia stated in an obvious manner, then turned back to Darek. "[And how much do you weigh?]"
Darek looked up in the air in thought as he took a drink. "[I think O plus and around 76 kilograms,]" he said with a bout of uncertainty.
"[Do you live here or did you fly in?]" Shen asked.
"[I'm local.]"
"[How long have you lived here?]"
"[Since I was 18.]"
"[What do you do?]"
"[I own a car dealership.]"
"[Hmph! Car salesmen are nothing but shaaaady people!]" Uncle stuck his nose in the air and haughtily crossed his arms to declare.
"[Uncle please!]" Jackie scolded his uncle.
"[My business is legit, nothing shady about it,]" Darek reassured Uncle with an assured headshake. Uncle merely scoffed and glared him down as his response.
"[You own a dealership here? In San Francisco?]" Jackie asked.
"[Yup, Dragon Auto on Grove Boulevard.]"
"[What kinds of cars do you sell?]" Shen questioned.
"[Rolls Royce, BMW, Benz, Porsches... ]"
"[How much do you make a year?]" Cecilia asked.
"[Over 80 grand.]"
Shen and Cecilia let out a simultaneous roused hum. "[What does your commission look like?]" Cecilia continued to inquire while taking a sip of her wine.
"[25%.]"
"[And how long have you owned your business?]" Jackie asked and ate a bite of his broccoli.
"[S'been almost four years now.]"
"[That's impressive for your age,]" Shen commented. "[Do you have a degree in business?]"
"[Er, no,]" Darek responded, feeling a light nervous prick creep up his neck.
"[Then you are still in college?]" Shen pressed.
"[I... never went. After I graduated senior high, I got a job and started working,]" Darek slowly clarified.
"[Did you fail your entrance exams?]" Uncle asked.
"[Could you or your parents not afford college?]" Jackie inquired.
"[Somethin' like that,]" Darek hesitantly nodded to answer Jackie. "[My father wasn't always around and I had to find ways to support myself.]"
Darek was careful to observe the expressions of Jade's folks as they reacted to his answer. Jackie's face appeared relaxed, almost like he was okay with what Darek said and wasn't going to judge him. Uncle's face was grumpy with a sense of disparity in his eyes, which Darek wrote off as a cranky old man thing. However, he could detect a sense of discomfort and disappointment from Jade's parents. Knew it, Darek thought with a frown. He wasn't even being all the way truthful as he only gave a somewhat falsified summary of his answers. But seeing Shen's and Cecilia's faces now was a good indicator of how they could react if Darek was more honest with his past, which he wasn't trying to be.
Just then, the second waiter from before wheeled in some more plates on a three-shelved serving cart. "Here with the Peking duck, lobster tail, sashimi, and pho for you four," she announced as she grabbed plates to place them on the table for the adults to grab what was theirs. The server then went onto the second shelf to pull out some more dishes to pass to Jade and Darek. "And I believe the California sushi roll, baked salmon, and chow mein are for you two?"
"Thank you so much," Jackie said to the waiter and he passed the Peking duck to Uncle and the pho to himself. Darek leaned over to grab the plates of chow mein and baked salmon for himself, then moved to give Jade her sushi.
"[So you said your father "wasn't always around",]" Cecilia spoke as she began cutting up some of her lobster with her fork and knife. "[So then, your mother was a single parent? Where was she?]"
"[Yeah she was. She died when I was nine,]" Darek bluntly disclosed as he brought up some chow mein to his mouth to eat.
Shen's expression then turned serious as he cleared his throat of the chewed-up piece of wonton that nearly got lodged in it. "[My condolences,]" he said.
There was a gentle clatter at the table as Cecilia nearly dropped her silverware onto her plate. Her face dimmed in shock as she took a moment to process the heavy piece of information. It didn't help that her daughter threw an aggrieved glance at her from across the table. "[I am sorry. I didn't mean to pry like that,]" she said to Darek with a respectful bob of her head.
Darek shook his head and held up his hands. "[It's fine,]" he disregarded with a wave and ate up a slice of his salmon. It was almost amusing for him to see the emotions of Jade and her folks take a hit while he still ate his food, speaking of his mother's death like he would the weather.
"[When my parents passed, Uncle was the one who took me in and raised me, so I understand,]" Jackie warmly gestured to Uncle to prove his point.
"[And my parents sent me to America for Jackie and Uncle for a couple of years,]" Jade chimed in and stuffed sushi into her mouth.
Darek quietly nodded at Jade with a blank look, ignoring the jealous feeling growing in his chest. What a damn happy family, he thought with a frown.
"[Did you have any grandparents, aunts, or anyone else you consider like a family?]" Shen worked to break the awkwardness at the table as he drank his beer.
"[I had a handful of aunts and uncles who stepped in every now and then,]" Darek looked in the air to think.
"[And what were they like?]" asked Jackie.
"[Uhm, they're... ]" Darek let out a nervous chuckle and attempted a half-shrug as he ate more of his chow mein. "[They're something. Definitely, er ... an interesting bunch.]"
"Like Seymour?" Jade funnily egged on with her head in her hand. Darek felt the heat rise to his face as he remembered that Seymour was the only member of his family that Jade personally met.
"Yeah, like him," Darek uneasily said. He met the eyes of the other adults to clarify. "[He's one of my uncles who stepped up to take care of me. We're close in age so I stayed with him from when I was in junior high to when I graduated senior high.]"
"[And what does Seymour do?]" Uncle asked with a suspicious brow.
"[He, uh... ]" Darek quietly trailed off, doing his best to quickly make up a cover story. "[... works on planes.]"
"[Does he travel a lot?]" Jackie asked.
"[Sometimes.]"
Cecilia nodded while she sipped more of her wine. "[Does he make good money?]"
"[He made enough to support the both of us with plenty of food, shelter, clothes, all that.]"
"[Then it is good that you had some family to grow up with. Family is a very valuable thing to have in this world,]" Shen nodded as he looked around the table at each family member. "[When I was young, my father said to me something I've carried with me since then: 'The family is one of nature's masterpieces.]"
"[That's a real nice quote of live by,]" Darek dryly answered.
"[Does Seymour or any of your other family live here also?]" Jackie asked, finishing his plate of broccoli.
"[Seymour lives in Boston, but he comes by sometimes. As for the others, some are in Hong Kong now and some are elsewhere,]" Darek nonchalantly answered.
Uncle looked back and forth between Darek and Jade with a meticulous glint in his eye. He had remained quiet for most of the dinner at this point, choosing to only eat his food because he had an unfriendly feeling about Darek. Despite the young man's history, the money he makes, or how Jade seemed to be satisfied with him, Uncle simply couldn't bring himself to be as impressed with Darek as his family were. From the moment Darek sauntered up to the table behind Jade as she greeted the family, Uncle felt something off about the man that made him want to tell his great-niece to leave the man alone and find a better, more responsible-looking guy. This "Darek" here looked to be only a troublemaker looking to waste theirs and Jade's time. "[How did you two meet?]" the elder man abruptly asked and pointed a finger at him and Jade.
Jade and Darek traded glances before looking back at Uncle. Jade's cheeks flushed at the memory while Darek continued eating his food. "[A friend of a friend,]" she said, doing her best to hide her snicker.
Jackie's eyebrows lifted at his niece in the middle of him eating his meal. "[A friend of a friend?]" he repeated.
"[Yeah, similar friend groups. And we happened to work out at the same gym every now and then, so we were kinda familiar already,]" Jade drank her soda and nodded. There was a lot more to the story than she was willing to let on, but for the sake of the dinner, it was best not to go into detail. "[Can't believe it'll be a year next month,]" she proudly smiled at Darek.
"[Do you live together?]" Cecilia asked.
Darek and Jade quickly shook their heads. "[Of course not!]" Jade nervously chuckled. She had a feeling of where her mother was heading with that kind of question.
"[She has her place and I have mine,]" Darek added.
"[So are you two... ?]" Cecilia started to ask, her voice quivering with an uncomfortable tone as she took a bite of her sashimi. She quietly cleared her throat, prolonging the pause and causing the other guests at the table to face her. The woman uneasily bobbed her head back and forth and moved her hands unconsciously moved in a circle. "Er... "
"[Are they what?]" Jackie asked.
Darek ticked his head at Cecilia with an expecting look, doing his best not to snicker at her sheepishness. He knew exactly what Jade's mother was alluding to—premarital sex. He just wanted to see if she'd publicly asked that kind of personal question. Darek himself was no stranger to hearing inappropriate topics like sex being publicly discussed when it came to his family. By now, he'd built a sort of immunity to it so he wasn't as embarrassed as Jade was, making it all more humorous to see her on his left not eating and staring awkwardly at her mother struggling to find her words.
Cecilia let out a sigh and quickly shook her head with a recovering smile. "[Never mind,]" she said.
Jade let out a breath of relief and felt a giant weight off her shoulders. Oh, thank God, she thought as she ate another piece of her sushi roll.
"[Have you ever married before?]" Cecilia asked Darek. "[Do you have any kids?]"
A content Darek shook his head. "[Nope, and no.]"
"[Do you plans for marriage and kids in the future?]" Shen asked in a slight hopeful tone as he looked at the couple.
"Um... " Darek looked on at Shen in surprise midway into him picking up some salmon with his chopsticks. He honestly shouldn't have been surprised at this kind of question as it's also not something he's never heard of before with his own family. "[... we haven't talked about that,]" he muttered loud enough for the table to hear.
"[Yeah, too soon,]" Jade shook her head.
"[What do you mean "too soon"? You've been together for a year already, right?]" Cecilia pointed out and gently tapped at her wrist to Jade. "[What are you waiting for? Time's ticking.]"
"[Mom!]" Jade hissed out while making the cut-it-out hand motion at her neck.
"[You're my only child Jade, and I'm not getting any younger,]" Cecilia lightly scolded as she gulped down her wine. "[I'd like to see some little ones running around while I'm still here.]"
Jade bowed her head in shame at the table. "[Dear God, make it stop,]" she moaned to herself.
"[To be fair, they are a little young for marriage,]" Jackie chimed in.
"[Ceci and I were married around Jade's age and we are still going strong,]" Shen countered.
"[American youth of today are veeeeery different than Hong Kong youth of the olden days,]" Uncle sternly piped up to mention as he ate his tofu. "[There is no rush for Jade to get married aaaaanytime soon.]"
"[Thank you Uncle,]" Jade sighed in her relief. Darek silently snickered behind his fist.
"[What exactly was it about Jade that you became interested in her?]" Shen asked.
"[She's got lots of spunk and drive, she's headstrong,]" Darek admitted with a simple shrug as he took a drink. He snuck a smug glance at his girl, who was blushing away at his positive words. "[She's also not afraid to voice her thoughts whenever she wants to.]"
"[Sounds like Jade,]" Jackie proudly winked at his niece.
"[Jade keeps me on my toes and gets on me when I need it, and I like that in a woman,]" Darek replied, subtly moving his hand under the table to playfully squeeze his girlfriend's thigh. Jade withheld a gasp and a shocked reaction as her hand shot down to grab his wrist from moving any further, all while still smiling at her family.
"[That's wonderful to hear,]" Cecilia beamed at the couple.
Uncle's glare increased towards Darek, as he was still not trusting his appearance. The other adults who engaged with him weren't making the older man any happier. The ends of his thin lips curled into a deeper frown as he crossed his arms against his chest. Jade's boyfriend just up and down looked and reeked of trouble, from his dark hair, his clothes, the look in his eyes, and even the earring on his right ear. Uncle was aware he was the only one at the table displeased with the man, and he was set to prove why. "[Have you ever been arrested?]" the elder abruptly asked with folded hands.
Darek's hand loosened from Jade's thigh and he looked directly at Uncle. "[Excuse me?]" he asked with wide eyes, dropping his hand from Jade to his leg.
"[Are you a criminal?]" Uncle edged.
Darek's lips straightened out into a firm line as he narrowed his gaze at the old man. Old fuckin' bastard just had to ruin it, he thought, feeling his anger flare inside of himself. Once the question was reworded, the adults now turned to look at Darek awaiting his answer. He felt the heat gather and prick at his neck and shook his head. "[I'm not a criminal,]" he coolly responded and took another drink.
"[How does Uncle know you are telling the truth?]"
"[Why would I lie about that?]"
"[You are shady car salesman! You tell Uncle!]" the old man blurted out the accusation as he fixed his glasses back on his face. "[Uncle can see your thuggish tattoos from here!]"
"Uncle!" Jackie placed a hand on his elder's shoulder as if to hold him back.
Darek was taken aback by this and looked down at himself to see that somehow his sleeves had rolled back some to faintly see the tattoos showing on his skin. He moved to cover it up, but Uncle's callout drew the attention of Jade's parents and Jackie to look at the marks as well. "[Tattoos are just that-]" Darek asserted as he hastily pulled back his sleeve, then lightly pulled at his collar and shirt to show off more of his tattoos mid-sentence. "[-tattoos. They don't mean anything.]"
Shen and Cecilia gasped at the exposed skin and the designs etched on Darek's body. It was quite the bold move that neither parent expected given their traditional upbringing. "Oh my!" Cecilia gasped.
"[Darek, Uncle, please, let's just calm down,]" Jackie spoke up.
However, Uncle wasn't willing to back down yet. "[And your earring?]" he croaked and pointed to the small silver hoop earring on his lobe.
"[It's an earring, for God's sake! So what?]" argued Darek.
"[It's not like D's in a gang or anything,]" Jade spoke up in her boyfriend's defense. "[Lots of guys in America have earrings and tattoos, it's no big deal.]"
"[Do you have a tattoo?]" Shen sharply asked her.
"[What? No!]"
"[Jade... ]" Cecilia said with a warning tone and tilted her head to her daughter.
"[I don't!]" Jade strongly denied and shook her head.
Uncle hastily shrugged off Jackie's hand from his shoulder, his eyes still focused on Darek. "[You may fool everyone else, but you cannot fool Uncle!]"
"[I'm not the bad guy you think I am!]" Darek called. "[I don't need to lie to anyone here about anything.]"
"[Sounds like something compulsive liar would say!]"
"[Please, forgive his outburst,]" Shen awkwardly bowed his head to Darek and shook his hands to politely dismiss Uncle. "[I'm sure his... reaction is coming from a good place.]"
"[Oh really?]" Darek deadpanned with a raised brow and defensively crossed his arms.
"[Stop!]" Jade hissed out a warning as she elbowed her boyfriend.
"[You're taking his side?!]" Darek quickly hissed back and gestured his head to Uncle. "[Your uncle doesn't know a thing about me, but he's accusing me of being a ex-con just because I have tattoos, an earring, and I sell nice cars for a living.]"
"[You have to be respectful, Uncle,]" Jackie firmly scolded. "[You cannot judge a book by its cover.]"
"[Uncle has gotten far in life doing so,]" Uncle stubbornly declared with a finger. "[He does not need to look deep to see lowlife thug sitting at the table!]"
"["Lowlife thug"?]" Darek parroted in disbelief.
"[Hey! Darek's a good guy!]" Jade countered with a hand on the table.
"[That is what you think,]" came Uncle's reply.
"[Well, yeah, as his girlfriend I know,]" Jade flippantly said.
"[Jade, respect your elders,]" Shen warned with a stern finger. "[Uncle is just concerned like any responsible adult would be.]"
"[You also feel like if I'm some "lowlife thug" leading your daughter down a path of crime, Mr. Chan?]" Darek shot a serious look at Shen.
Shen gave a startled look at Darek and hastily shook his head. "[Wha-? That is not what I'm saying!]" he sputtered out.
"[I'm not saying Uncle can't be concerned, Dad, but Uncle insisting that Darek's a "thug" based off some tattoos is mean. Especially when he's saying he isn't,]" Jade said.
"[I have to agree with Jade,]" Jackie finally spoke up. This earned him a slap on the forehead from Uncle. "[Ow!]"
"[You side with delinquent punk over your uncle?!]" Uncle barked.
"[I am not siding with anyone! I am trying to keep the peace!]" Jackie near-shouted. Frankly, he was surprised by how quickly the conversation turned heated. Even he was feeling the heat rise to his face, prompting him to let out a deep sigh to relax and find the words to speak. All eyes were now turned to Jackie awaiting his next words. "[Personally I am not someone who's fond of tattoos, but it is not my place to judge anyone who has one. It is unfair to judge and name-call Darek and make assumptions about him and his life from his appearance.]"
"[Thank you, Uncle Jackie,]" Jade breathed out, but her sense of relief was stopped cold by Jackie snapping his head to her.
"[And while I am not excusing Uncle's behavior, I will say I know him enough to know where he is coming from,]" Jackie gently started. "[You are the only child of your mother and father. You're my niece, and you're Uncle's great-niece.]"
"[I thought Uncle was our cousin?]" Shen turned to Cecilia to ask. Her answer was a sharp "sh!" and a firm elbow to his ribs.
"[You mean a lot to all of us because you are family. We all love you very much and we are proud of the young woman you've grown up to be,]" Jackie said with a smile. "[That being said, we ask questions to get to know your boyfriend and to know the two of you as a couple. The last thing any of us would want is for him to hurt you and make you sad, or even lead you somewhere you shouldn't, right?]"
Jade couldn't help hiding her smile at Jackie's words, for they were enough for the young woman to lower her defenses. If anyone knew how to keep her level-headed, it was her uncle Jackie. "[Yeah, guess you're right,]" she said with a small shrug.
"[Please understand, Darek. We do not bring you here to offend or insult you,]" Cecilia implored the man. "[We just want to make sure our daughter is well taken care of.]"
"[I love and respect Jade just as much as you do as your daughter and you as her niece,]" Darek announced to the parents and uncles. "[Trust me when I say I wouldn't do anything to harm her.]"
"[Do you trust me Uncle?]" Jade looked at her still-fuming elder. The old man cast a look of doubt at Jade but kept silent. Jade continued. "[If I knew D was a criminal, I would've never brought him here to you to meet him. I wouldn't have even given him a chance. But I trust and love Darek very much. He gets me and he makes me happy,]" she said, taking her hand to hold her boyfriend's hand dearly. "[And if he makes me happy, then that's all that matters, right?]"
Uncle let out a deep sigh. As hardened as he was, Jade's speech softened him enough to make him settle down. He only huffed to himself; he didn't have to say anything for Jade to see that he couldn't argue with her. He mumbled some curses in Cantonese and rubbed the back of his neck. "I do not mean to make you unhappy, Jade. If you are happy, I am happy," Uncle lowly spat in English, officially ending the subject.
Suddenly, more waiters came to the table with another serving tray full of plates of food. "Alright, we have the char siu, xiaolongbao, beef bulgogi, wagyu, strawberry cheesecake, and chocolate ice cream ready to be served."
"[Just in time!]" Jackie cheered with an easy smile because the incoming food signaled that the conversation was now over. "[Now let's enjoy the rest of the night.]"
"Right, the food," Jade exhaled at the sight and smell of her food come to the table. The server handed her her orders and she passed Darek's orders to him. She picked up her chopsticks to grab a piece of the beef and popped it into her mouth. "Mm! So good!" she happily hummed.
"[Some of my lobster got cold]," Cecilia muttered her complaint as she ate more of her food.
Darek was the only one not eating as he simply glared into his chow mein while he stirred his food around. He was still salty about the argument, which cost him the want to converse much for the rest of the night. Jade was the only one who noticed this, so she used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of beef and offered it to Darek. From the carefree look on her face, she didn't seem to be bothered by the argument anymore. "You know you want some," she playfully said as she wagged it in a figure-eight motion.
In the past (especially in one-on-one time), Darek would've entertained Jade by eating whatever she offered, maybe even encouraging her to continue if she could. It was fun that way. But here and right after the argument was abruptly brought to a close, Darek wasn't feeling it. "[Eat your food. I'm fine,]" he quietly but sharply objected with a shake of his head. He figured it was best to hold his tongue for now and try to make it through the rest of the night to save face for himself.
Jade let out a small sigh as she popped the beef into her mouth, then continued to finish her meal. Darek's near-silence and curt order spoke volumes about how upset he was right now. This is exactly what I was afraid of, she thought as she reached out to rub the back of her boyfriend's shoulder.
Darek's pride wouldn't let him admit it to Seymour before, but the family dinner was a sour memory for him. He hated when his gut feeling was right; he knew the dinner would turn disastrous. While Darek's mental exterior was tough and hardened; deep down, he really wanted the night to go well. He wanted to like Jade's parents and uncles and have a grand old time talking and getting to know them. A small part of him even graced the idea of him being fully accepted by Jade's family, flaws and all, and getting the loving family experience Darek never had growing up.
Immediately after these thoughts appeared in his mind, Darek's nose scrunched up in his disgust and he quickly shook his head. "Nah," he whispered. That was all nothing but wishful thinking, and Darek learned a long time ago that reality was a much better world than fantasy. Fantasy did nothing but get one's hopes up in dreams while reality was a much more grounded place where he could be as cynical as he wants. Sure it was a harsher kind of world, but Darek was no stranger to that because it kept his hopes and expectations in check. The only regret Darek didn't have was lying to Jade and her family about his criminal record. While he was technically telling the truth about him not being a criminal at the time, Darek had committed some crimes in his younger days like shoplifting and auto theft. But those crimes were long wiped from his record and he left that part of his past alone, so why tell Jade or anyone else?
Darek looked at the time on his phone and frowned. "Why is this flight so damn long?" he muttered and pinched the bridge of his nose. The stress of the reunion due in mere hours for some reason put so much physical pressure on Darek that he couldn't shake. Considering that this was going to be the first time in many years that he would be celebrating the Lunar New Year with his aunts, uncles, and cousins, it made sense. But the mere thought of everyone living under one roof was enough to give Darek a headache, causing the man to lightly massage his temples. If there's some higher power listening out there, he thought as he finally laid back down on his makeshift bed, fixing his comforter. -now's the time to give me as much protection as you can.
9:23 AM PT, San Francisco, United States
"I want e'erybody to meet in room 201 for mornin' huddle," Ice clearly announced as he leaned into the intercom microphone. "We got a coupla' things to discuss 'fore we open."
He let the button go with a subtle click and laid back in Darek's office chair, stifling a yawn behind his hand in his chair. He wore a plain grey sweatshirt, black pants, and black shoes, a lazy style for the workday. The blond's hooded eyes lazily moved over to his companion DJ, who was gathering some paperwork from their boss' desk and writing down some shorthand notes from some computer files he pulled up. He wore a black dress shirt with black slacks, opting for a more casual but professional look. "Slow morning, eh, Deej?" Ice drew out. The large man's eyes didn't meet his friend's but he nodded and took a long drink of his coffee.
It was 10 minutes before the dealership opened, meaning it was time for a short staff meeting, a morning huddle Darek liked to call it. Darek usually held these morning huddles twice a week running from 5 to 10 minutes long going on about whatever needed to be addressed. This morning as Darek's second-in-command, Ice was in charge of the huddle. Currently, he and DJ were in their boss' office gathering notes from their boss to address the employees. Cobra was not present in the building at the moment; as arranged from the previous night, he had to check Darek's property before he would clock in in the afternoon.
"Ya done yet?" Ice dully asked.
"Be patient," came DJ's response as he continued his scribbling.
"By the time you finish, the workday's gonna be over."
"You wanna write?" DJ pushed his notes and pen over to the blond.
"Bruh, you almost done!" Ice pointed to the paper.
"Exactly. Now shut up and lemme finish," DJ muttered as he snatched the paper and pen back and continued writing.
Ice got up from his seat and grabbed the clipboard from the table to flip through it. He was aware he had a lot of responsibilities as the makeshift leader of Dragon Auto, like he did every year in Darek's absence. It wasn't that he didn't like being in charge. Ice enjoyed it every now and then; the key phrase was "every now and then". "Test drives, inventory, finances, checking auto service techs, staff training, inventory," Ice read aloud through the list of things for the day.
"You said inventory twice," DJ monotonously responded.
"That's what it says!" Ice said and pointed to the paper. "D-Man's got us workin' like a dog!"
"Least we gettin' bonuses from it."
"True, but still."
"You'll be a'ight," said DJ with a funny smirk. He then got up and offered out his now-finished written notes to Ice. "Here."
"Finally!" Ice exclaimed with relief as he moved to the door to open it. "Now let's get goin'."
With that, DJ grabbed the few papers left from the desk and walked across the room to join Ice. Since the two were already on the second floor of the building, it didn't take long for the guys to walk down the hall and take a right to the farthest door. When Ice opened it, he and DJ were met with the faces of the many employees either sitting in seats or standing by the walls.
"Mornin' y'all. Apologies for the delay," Ice greeted with a head nod to the audience as he and DJ walked to the front of the room. The blond then clapped his hands and rubbed them together in a semi-excited manner. "A'ight, so today-"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," a voice in the crowd curtly spoke up to interrupt. The blond looked up to glare at the owner of the voice, for he knew exactly who was talking. There was a white guy with short, curly strawberry blond hair sitting with his hand half-raised wearing a black suit jacket, a white dress shirt, and khakis. His face squeezed in confusion as he stared at Ice. "You can't just up and start huddle without the boss, Dwayne," the man informatively declared.
"If you'd lemme have the floor, Cameron," Ice snapped back at the man with a deep scowl. "I'm sayin' th' boss' out for two weeks on vacay, so I'm in charge 'til then an' DJ and Cobra'll be behind me. Don't interrupt me."
Cameron scoffed and rolled his eyes at the news. "You're our boss for two weeks?" he sneered.
"I just said that."
"And who made that decision?"
"Darek did," Ice flatly said with an icy stare. "Gotta problem wit' it?"
Ice didn't like Cameron much, and the same was said for Cameron about Ice. The men were opposites of each other; Ice saw Cameron as a try-hard and obnoxious while Cameron thought of Ice as lazy and ignorant, and that he was only getting by in the company through Darek's saving grace. The men had a workplace rivalry where they would work to one-up each other in sales, customers, and whatever else they could brag about. What incited the feud (in Ice's perspective) was that Cameron was hired as a sales rep only 10 months ago, and Darek held much respect for him because he was cooperative and was consistent made great sales. Ice's complaints about Cameron, in turn, led Darek to assume he was being foolish for starting fights in the workplace. Ice's ego took a hit knowing his boss sided with a corny stranger over his appointed second-in-command.
Cameron narrowed his gaze at Ice and took a long drink of coffee from the mug he held. His brown eyes looked like he had a thousand different retorts to Ice's words. When his cup finally left his lips, Cameron pursed them together and gave the smaller blond an expecting look. The room was quiet and filled with tense air, which was expected from their history. "You think you can run the place?" he finally asked.
Ice's brow twitched and his frown deepened into a hard glare. This lil bitch, he thought as he bared his teeth to hold the want to curse Cameron out. "It ain't a matter of thinking, I know. And D knows too, that's why I'm here. You keep talkin' back while I got the floor and I'll write you up. Got that?"
Cameron's eyes shot open and his jaw momentarily went slack. "Write me up?" he repeated in slight amusement.
"I didn't stutter."
Cameron then pursed his lips together and slowly nodded. The blond gave a small shrug and brought his cup to his lips again. "Sure thing... boss," saying the last word mockingly.
"That's what I thought," Ice said, choosing to ignore Cameron's mockery as he cleared his throat and looked down at his clipboard. "Now, Darek's out for two weeks and I'm runnin' things 'til he gets back. Don't think 'cuz he ain't around that you can slack off 'cuz I'll let him know everything that's goin' on. So y'all be on your best behavior and act like Darek's still here, hear me?" Ice ordered, and there were small sounds of 'yes', 'uh-huh', and nods from the crowd of workers. The blond continued. "Good. Now before we open, I gotta few thangs Darek left me to address. As y'all know, this month's goal for all reps to make at least 15 sales are still ongoing. Judging from the data, we're 30% of the way which's great. If we keep it up, we'll reach that goal in no time."
Cameron lowly snorted out of Ice's earshot and shook his head. "Hmph, "we"," he air-quoted. A couple of employees around him heard the comment and held their chuckles so Ice or DJ wouldn't hear them.
"We got new models of BMWs, Rolls Royce's, Audis, and Porsches shipped in two days ago ready for display, so the ones sitting in the main lobby need to be moved out and parked in the main lot by noon. Aaaaand... " Ice flipped a page in the clipboard and skimmed through DJ's notes. "I think that's it. If y'all got any questions, don't be 'fraid to ask me. E'erybody but Cameron are dismissed."
Cameron was one of the first to get up from his seat to head to the door once the meeting was headed to a close. When his name was called, he halted in his steps and fully turned back to face the blond. "Me?" Cameron asked and pointed his thumb at his chest. He was irked that he had to stay behind while everyone else was free to start their work day.
"Yeah. I needa have a word with you real quick," Ice sharply ordered and motioned to him with his finger.
The sales rep let out a small chuckle as he sat back in his seat. "Go 'head Dwayne," Cameron mocked.
"Darek ain't here to defend you, so I'd advise you to mind your biz and stay outta my way," came Ice's request. It was now just him, Cameron, and DJ in the room, giving the shorter man more verbal freedom to directly address the sales rep. "I ain't afraid to fire your sorry ass."
"Whenever I clock in, I do nothing but work and mind my business. And you can't fire me without a valid reason."
"I can, for bein' a bitchy l'il kiss ass."
Cameron was quick to shake his head. "That's not me, that's you. How else did you of all people here get to play boss while Darek's gone?" he retorted and confidently sat up to look Ice directly in his eyes. "And me doing what I'm supposed to while I'm at work isn't me "kissing ass", it's called doing my job. Maybe you should try doing yours some time and see where it gets you."
"The fuck you just say to me?!" Ice near-shouted as he slammed his hands on the table.
"Stop it! Both of you," DJ harshly ordered as he reached out to hold Ice's shoulder. DJ didn't have much of a personal issue with Cameron, but the audacity of his jab and the patronizing tone irritated DJ as well. As the unsaid mediator of the confrontation, the larger man decided now would be the moment to cut tensions while they were alright high. DJ could practically see the steam coming from Ice's head as he held back his friend. "Chill," the large man said, more towards Ice in a calmer manner.
Ice pushed out a deep breath from his chest and closed his eyes, allowing himself to let go of his ire and return to his more professional self. He hadn't even realized how quickly he had lost his cool if not for DJ's hand resting on him. "I'm only gonna say this once," Ice slowly started as he held up a finger to show in Cameron's face. "If ya know what's good for you, do not fuck with me," the blond's green eyes dangerously flashed open as he hissed. "You stay in yo' lane and I'll stay in mine, you know what I'm sayin'?"
"Loud and clear," Cameron said with a pressed smile.
"Cool. Now skedaddle," Ice snapped with a dismissive wave of his hand. Cameron wasted no time giving a two-fingered salute to both men before strolling out of the room. "Can't stand that l'il bitch," Ice muttered with a shake of his head once the sales rep was officially out of earshot.
"I getchu, but you gotta let this slide," DJ advised. "The most you can do is just pass it on to D-Man."
Just then, Ice felt his back pocket vibrate and heard the sounds of muffled music go off from there. His mood quickly shifted as he took the phone from his pocket to look at the familiar caller ID. "Whaddup, Cob?" the blond answered as he put the phone on speaker.
"Yo," Cobra wheezed. He was shallowly breathing on the line, something that DJ subtly picked up with a suspicious frown as he exchanged looks with Ice. "We gotta huge problem."
DJ frowned as he was the first to subtly pick up on Cobra's strange breathing patterns and way of speaking. He exchanged looks with Ice then looked back to the phone. "Whatchu talkin' 'bout?" Ice asked with brows furrowed.
"You need to sit down for this."
"Sit down"? The hell?" Ice and DJ then traded funny looks and nervously laughed off the suggestion. "What's got you so spooked this early in th' day?"
A/N: [Cantonese]
I was going to reveal what the cliffhanger was, but I thought it'd be more fun if I just left it off for suspense purposes. :3 The next chapter will be Darek FINALLY reaching Hong Kong (long time I know) and going to Zuo's house, where the real family drama will begin!
For my Gemstone readers, don't fret because another chapter is on the way! I can't exactly tell how soon as of now. All I know is that I'm well over halfway through finishing it up!
Stay tuned!