Giraffes gallop towards the railing for appetizing snacks. They lower their long necks down to munch on the apricot leaves held by the adult visitors of the Guangzhou Zoo. Chinese children in their arms laugh and look on with wonder.
Parents point out to their teens the endangered white lions. The male lion shakes its fluffy mane before lying near its identical mate. They nuzzle their snouts before resting on the grass.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A five-year-old boy with a curly top drinks from a bottle of water. His mother warns him not to drink too fast.
He coughs up from it going down the wrong pipe. A string of water reaches out. The tapping halts.
His mother pats his back and stops. She pulls her son behind her. Her body trembles.
The water landed near Xianmao's sandals. With some droplets on her toes. Yuxan quickly bends down to wipe her feet clean with a napkin. Her other guards swallow their fear of what she will do. Her eyes freeze the mother in place.
The single mom bows multiple times. "Duibuqi. Duibuqi. Duibuqi (I'm sorry). "
Her son clutches her dress from hearing the tears in her voice.
Other adults turn to what happened...and turn right back around. The Triad's symbol on the guard's wrist told them everything.
Tap. Tap. The Panda's approaching cane rattle the mother's core. Her breathing gets shallower than a puddle. Her son whimpers, but she shushes him while keeping her eyes forward.
She bows again. "Duib-"
Xianmao's unsheathed cane interrupts her. Her weapon of fear lays across the abdomen. She wasn't hit, but she feels her heart skipping several times. The edge of the cane sword makes her breath hitch. She tries to apologize again, but her body warns her to be silent.
The tap of the sword pushes her up to a standing position. Its flat edge meets near her jugular. Tears begin to flood her eyes, begging her for forgiveness.
"Q-Q-Q-Q-Qing (Please)."
Her broken voice reaches to the other parents. But they refuse to turn around. Lowered eyes of shame for being powerless to do anything to help her. Even with the number advantage, they would be crushed by the Triad's power. Images of their dead family flood their minds.
Although her son doesn't understand the situation, his feet freeze in place as he looks at his mom's face. Trying to be strong but failing.
The flat side turns to its sharp edge. The woman squeezes her eyes shut in anticipation.
The blade leaves her neck and is sheathed back into the holder. The grip on her wrist startles her.
A venomous smile frightens her. "Mashang likai (Leave, right now)."
She forces herself to nod. Xianmao walks away with her guards right behind her. The woman scoops her son up and runs through the nearest exit. As soon as they get into her car, she embraces her son with tears streaming down.
He embraces her with all that he can. "Meiguanxi (It's okay)."
"Wo ai ni, erzi (I love you, son)!"
Collecting herself as best as she could, she drives them back home.
--
People part like a flood from the elder Triad leader and her men. She enjoys the power she has over them. She sits on a bench to observe a particular animal. Her guards tell other people to walk the other way.
The three-foot white and black bear chews on some bamboo while resting against a tree. It's fat belly out for all to see.
Xianmao thinks through all that has happened recently. Ricardo's death was unfortunate, but she will still be on top. She smirks that Orchidea is still alive. A laugh comes out of her mouth.
She will be so upset when she finds out about the rules.
Besides the "consequence" section for striking another leader, gang warfare amongst organizations is a violation. Knowing Kelpy and Vmey, they will uphold the rules. There is a clear loophole to the rule...
She wouldn't choose that route. Even a dumb whore won't repeat the same mistake.
She smiles at the panda whose claws retract to cut down more bamboo. When push comes to shove, she's also dangerous.
She proved that when she took over the Triad from her father. All the other male candidates looked down on her, thinking she's unworthy of the role. Even her own father. She proved them wrong after killing a rival leader who sought to overthrow the Triad. Bringing his severed head as proof of the deed.
Her father finally smiled with pride and trained her as the next successor. The candidates humbly bowed to her and served her to the best of their capabilities. That changed when her father passed away from a heart attack.
Her first order as the Triad leader: eliminate the former candidates for looking down on her. Her men hacked them to pieces and threw them into the Pacific Ocean. For several decades, she maintained her grip on mainland China while also flying to the New York operations.
In New York, she met a handsome man with a scar tracing down his cheek. Her soon to be husband and father to her daughter. Their marriage wasn't out of love, but out of necessity to keep power within her family. Her husband wanted love, but she was too focused on her role.
He was the one who raised their daughter, Lihua (Lee-Kwah). Xianmao held her daughter with joy that she would be her next successor. However, her daughter would rebel against it. She couldn't find it in herself to harm anyone.
When she tried to pursue her dreams of being a photographer, Xianmao would pay her teacher to fail her on purpose at the threat of his life.
Lihua caught on and rebelled in the biggest manner possible: marrying and getting impregnated by someone outside the Triad. A humble businessman who always made her laugh with joy. She called her to inform her of the news after moving to the States.
Panda smacked her cane against a table. "You were supposed to carry on my legacy!"
"I'm not like you, mom. Find someone else. I still love you."
Years passed between them. When her husband died, she didn't shed a tear for the man she married. He served his purpose.
After her daughter and son-in-law passed away, she adopted her grandchildren with a clear goal: Raising Jia to take over the family business that Lihua gave up.
In her mind, Jian was just there to occupy space. There was no point in showering him with praise. All of it went to Jia. Until she told her she wanted no part of the Triad life.
Disappointment cracked across her face. Jian offered to help his grandmother, hoping to make her proud of him. And she took advantage of his nature. He worked relentlessly, but her eyes were always on bringing Jia back into the fold.
And now she is. Jian will do anything to protect her, but he will never obtain the role he wanted for so long. Ah, rules are delightful.
She gets up from the bench after admiring her favorite animal. "Yuxan!"
He runs over. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Organize a meeting for tonight. We will be leaving for New York shortly."
He nods and makes several calls.
Orchidea, let's see if you're willing to risk El Segador after you find out the loophole. I want to see those emerald eyes cry after losing your lover.