"We're almost here, girls," Aunt Yan announced.
The black Chevrolet pulled up in front of the Global Commerce Building in the industrial district.
Elise looked confusedly at Amelia and Aunt Yan. "What are we here for?"
"Just picking up a few items from a friend of the Bauhinias," Aunt Yan explained. "Stay in the car."
Amelia looked at Elise. "We'll be quick, I promise. We'll fill you in on everything afterward."
With that, the young woman exited the car with her Aunt, and Elise heard the chirp of the Chevrolet being locked. Elise sighed—she'd never liked being alone before. Even though the Lau Residence seemed gigantic, there were always attendants and officials milling about. Crowds made her feel more secure and protected, especially when she was out in the city. It was her way of feeling integrated into the society she felt excluded from, shielded from the flaws Cantonesia had in her overly protected palace.
Meanwhile, Aunt Yan and Amelia had reached the front steps of the Global Commerce Building. The first rays of the sun were peeking out from over the array of mountains that bordered the horizon, and they illuminated the tip of the skyscraper. It was lightly covered in a thin mist one could only find in Cantonesia in the early mornings—a concoction of wispy clouds and smoke emissions from factories to the northeast.
Amelia was back where she belonged—in the heart of a concrete jungle. However, she'd never seen a serene view in Cantonesia when her home wasn't awake. It was almost ethereal—a city could do wonders without the constant shuffling of footsteps or angry honks everywhere you went. She breathed in the fresh air, not yet polluted by the smell of car emissions.
"Come on," Aunt Yan whispered. "There's not much time left."
Amelia gave her a reluctant nod, not wanting to leave the tranquil atmosphere of the sleeping Cantonesia just yet.
Aunt Yan and Amelia wordlessly walked up the building's silver, metallic front steps, swiped their cards at the gate in the vast lobby, then rode the elevator to the eighty-eighth floor.
Once they exited the elevator, they were greeted by a set of golden doors. Amelia sighed at them, disheartened. She touched the bauhinias engraved on the sparkling door handles and felt an unfamiliar ache spreading through her. This was home, after all. This was her past. And she felt strangely indebted to it. Whether she liked it or not, Ah Ba had constantly been there to dish out commands and assignments for her. Granted, he wasn't the best parent, but at least Amelia could run, dodge, and kick effortlessly because he'd pushed her to her limits.
And whether she liked it or not, Amelia could only follow orders, not give them out.
Ah Ba was gone now. So was her commander...and her trauma.
"Push the door open, Ah Kei. Stop staring at the handles—how many times have you been in here before?" Aunt Yan smirked, oblivious to the tumultuous storm brewing inside her niece.
The young woman did as she was told and threw open the ostentatious door. She gasped—all the bookshelves had been cleared, and the drapes were open. The morning sunlight flooded the room, shining on the specks of dust that lingered on the eerily empty shelves. All of Ah Ba's possessions had been evicted except two small, golden statues atop the grand mahogany desk and the black office chair.
"We had to clear out this space for you, of course. Do as you wish with the room—it's yours now." Aunt Yan whispered.
Amelia's brows furrowed. "Me?"
Aunt Yan rolled her eyes. "No, the people on the thirtieth floor. You're the heiress of the Bauhinias—this organization belongs to you now."
Amelia stuttered. "But—I was going to—"
"No buts. Why don't you look at the things your Ah Ba left for you."
The young woman walked over to the desk. The first item was a golden bauhinia, petals folded upwards as if stretching its arms toward the sun—another remembrance of Hong Kong. Typical Ah Ba, Amelia smiled ruefully.
The next statue was the golden dragon—one of Ah Ba's most coveted possessions. He'd treated it with the utmost care and had always felt that it represented his authority and totalitarian power over the Bauhinias. After all, dragons symbolized wealth and ruling power in ancient China—Ah Ba always respected tradition and culture.
Amelia scoffed at the dragon and threw it in the trash.
Aunt Yan laughed. "It's funny to see you so flippantly discard your father's most coveted object in this room. He's dedicated his entire inheritance to you since you're his sole heiress."
"He was always adamant about following in his ancestor's footsteps. That's the only reason he'd given me everything he owned," Amelia sighed. "The thing is, I don't want to carry his legacy. I never wanted to control everyone with an iron fist—that's only what I'd received. Ah Ba never talked about his past. I don't know if he was told to manage the Bauhinias in the brutal way he did or if he came up with the idea of tyranny on his own, but all I know is that it wasn't beneficial for me or anyone in our family. I want to break the cycle and know how to do it now."
Amelia closed her eyes briefly, though it seemed to last forever. She'd been aiming to get out of the Bauhinias all her life. That was because she didn't want Ah Ba to constantly hegemonize her and monitor her every move. Amelia didn't want to leave the rest of her family behind without a proper heir, though. The Bauhinias had to survive in some way or another.
And that way would be her from now on.
***
"There you are." Elise heaved a sigh of relief. "What was taking you both so long?"
"We'll explain once we get to the Bauhinias' headquarters," Amelia answered hurriedly. "I'm rebuilding my family, my organization, from the ground up, so you'd better help me."
Elise looked frantically at Aunt Yan for answers, unsure how to respond. However, the lady simply gestured to the Global Commerce Building. "Come along now," she whispered. "Cantonesia's starting to wake up—we don't want to risk too many people seeing you."
The three women traveled to the eighty-eighth floor of the building, where the entrance to the Bauhinias' headquarters was. Amelia pushed open the golden doors, commenting, "We need to get that painted a less conspicuous shade."
The young woman traipsed to Ah Ba's old desk and sat in the office chair. "Now that you know where the Bauhinias rest, you must sign the confidentiality pact. If you want to stay on the streets of Cantonesia and possibly travel elsewhere, I advise you to stick with us—you'll get yourself into bigger trouble if you fly solo. Understood?" Amelia looked at Elise intently.
"What choice do I have?" Elise answered. "I'll sign the pact."
"My, how the tables have turned," Amelia muttered.
"I heard that." Elise rolled her eyes.
"Moving on—" Amelia swiftly changed the subject and procured a sheet of paper and a quill. She'd seen her Ah Ba do this countless times. Elise scanned the document, furrowing her brows occasionally and nodding as she read.
After a few agonizing moments, Elise picked up the quill and signed on the dotted line at the bottom of the paper. "There, now I'm a part of the Bauhinias for life."
"Just making sure you read the fine print—there will be severe consequences if you break the pact," Amelia warned menacingly, and Elise nodded confidently.
"So, I take it that you're staying with the Bauhinias." Elise looked around the office, seeing a few of Amelia's trinkets sitting on the bare, wooden shelves.
"I don't have much choice," Amelia responded vaguely, "but I have plans."
"Do tell," Elise raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Aunt Yan gave the young woman a knowing smile.
"The Bauhinias will continue doing what we've done best. We will steal, lie, and commit other acts of crime—but these crimes will all have a good outcome in the end," Amelia started to explain.
"So...essentially, you're turning the Bauhinias into vigilantes instead of criminals?" Elise clarified.
"That's the gist of it. There's still a lot to work out, though. I won't be running the Bauhinias solo—I need advice and ideas from members of the organization. That's why you and Aunt Yan will be helping me make decisions and develop ideas," Amelia answered. "I've also taken Darling's words into account. No matter how she treated us, some of what she told us made sense. It won't help that she most likely will not be incarcerated for what she did to us, but we can try to take down as much corruption as we can with the Bauhinias and take extra measures with our equipment to keep the innocent out of harm's way while doing work."
"Sounds like a good plan." Elise applauded lightly. "I'm presuming our first mission is to finish what we started—returning all my father's stolen artifacts to the rightful museums."
"Easier said than done," Amelia scoffed. "First, we must break into the police headquarters again to retrieve the artifacts...."
Word Count: 1513
(A/N: Amelia and Elise's story isn't over yet! We still have the epilogue XD. By the way, thanks for so many reads, comments and votes! It makes my day to see them and know that my work is appreciated. Y'all are amazing :D)