Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
At just fourteen, Lei fought for his life on a blood-soaked stage, sword in hand, defeating thirty-six men determined to kill him. Years later, he rules the East with ruthless precision, his heart consumed by a singular mission—destroy the man who murdered the love of his life.
But when Monique—fiercely independent and haunted by her own scars—steps into Lei’s world, she shatters his carefully built walls. She’s a fighter, a survivor, and the first person bold enough to challenge Lei’s power while stirring the shadows inside him.
What begins as a reluctant alliance sparks into a connection that neither can deny.
But their growing bond comes with a cost.With a murderous enemy lurking in the darkness, Lei must decide what’s truly worth fighting for, cruel vengeance or the possibility of new love.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Prologue
Kill Them All
Lei
Several Years Ago
The full moon glowed over me and the rest of the men who’d come to fight to the death.
Can I do it? Or. . .will I die?
On the stage, thirty-six men stood behind the red line, waiting to kill me.
I was only fourteen years old.
My opponents were much older. Some were in their twenties. Others were in their fifties. Muscle stacked many of them. They gripped swords and axes, guns and meat cleavers. Unlike me, they’d fought in this ceremony before.
One bulky man in front swung a huge, spiked ball from a chain. He curved his lips into a smile and studied me, probably assessing the best points on my body to bash spikes into.
My heart boomed in my chest.
But on my face, I put on a mask of confidence.
Like me, they’d trained most of their life to succeed in this moment.
Only one person would leave this stage.
Whoever did would take the throne from my father and rule the East.
Somewhere behind me, a baby cried.
I glanced over my shoulder.
The massive audience watched me and whispered amongst themselves.
Every resident in the East had come, bearing offerings of incense and rice wine, flowers and prayers of hope written with blood on gold joss paper. It was a sea of different shades of blue. Old and young. Married and single. Kids played between their parent’s legs, not understanding the severity of this evening. Multiple generations of families waited for the ceremony.
I won’t embarrass my father. I won’t bring pain to my mother. I won’t disappoint my family.
When my father created our gang, the Four Aces, he came up with the initiation ceremony. I’d only been a toddler at the time, yet Father planned to make me prove myself to everyone.
Just because I was his son didn’t mean I deserved to take over.
In East Paradise, a man’s social status and authority were directly tied to his willingness and ability to defend his loved ones and property. To allow someone to disrespect you and get away with it, would be to become nothing.
I will not die. I will win.
I gripped my father’s sword—the Baoteng Saber. It meant Soaring Precious in Chinese.
Many centuries past, an Imperial Sword Master crafted Soaring Precious during the Qing Dynasty and the reign of the Qianlong emperor. Ornate leaves covered the white jade handle. The steel blade curved and was decorated with inlaid gold, silver, and copper.
Five years ago, a London billionaire went to an auction at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. There, the billionaire bought the sword for his collection. He paid seven million dollars.
The next evening, my father and his assassins woke the billionaire up in the middle of the night. My father had sat on the edge of the bed and sipped a cup of tea. Smiling at the man’s sleeping wife, my father politely offered to hold the sword for him.
And the billionaire gave him Soaring Precious with no hesitation.
I am my father’s son.
I pulled Soaring Precious out of its intricately embellished sheath.
I am strength.
Gulping down fear, I took in the exquisite blade. Since in my father’s possession, lots of blood had stained it.
Tonight, I hoped to God that I could paint the sword with death, too.
I am power.
I slung the sheath down. It fell to the ground.
One of the thirty-sex men snickered.
I am victory.
I snapped the sword to my side and got in a proper fighting stance.
A young girl shrieked, “Be careful, Lei!”
Another person shushed her.
Nervous, I glanced back at the audience.
They won’t see me die. I won’t dishonor my father in front of his men.
The top ranks and positions sat in the front rows with their wives and children.
The Four Aces had a set hierarchy.
My father served as the Mountain Master—the highest power in the East.
His brother, Song was the Deputy Mountain Master. Uncle Song forbid his wife to come, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to handle it if I was killed.
However, my cousins Chen and Duck sat next to him. Worry crossed both of their faces. Chen bit his nails—a nervous habit that annoyed the hell out of his mother. Last night, my cousins tried to sneak me out of Paradise. I’d refused their help and told them to go home. However, right before they left, I made Chen promise that he would watch over my strays—ten street dogs that I kept in the back of the estates and secretly took care of.
Ham was next to Uncle Song, served as the Incense Master, and handled operations.
Jay was next to him and held position as the Vanguard. Basically, he was a high-level personal assistant that could kill a man in seconds.
Then, there was Guan. He was the Red Pole—the military commander. When it was time for war, he oversaw defensive and offensive operations.
My father’s sister, Min, was the White Paper Fan. Aunt Min managed legitimate financial and business decisions. She sat at the end with tears running down her face. Her fingers shook in her lap as she gripped her handkerchief.