บท 10: Blue Rose
Hidden in the garden of Zhou Family was the beautiful green vines that vividly climbed out of the golden gate. The Chinese garden was filled with red peonies that bloomed beautifully in its season. Inside the place was the current head of Pandora, the person who is none other than the one and only Madam Zhou, the widow with four daughters. From behind her was the beautiful young lady who was dressed in her bright red qipao. The vividness of her crimson silk was akin to her burning emotions that was always hidden beneath her cool face.
"Mama," Ilyana called as she walked from behind her mother to take a seat beside her. She noticed how her mother appeared to be in a daze while holding to the small teacup that fully fit her hand. "You called for me?" It was rare for her mother to call for her thus her tone of questioning was a little awkward.
Madam Zhou turned her head to look at her daughter. It was only a day ago when she had announced that she would be searching for the best heir to continue Pandora and how Ilyana wouldn't be her only choice. She thought her beautiful eldest daughter will be extremely furious but in the bright morning there was a gentle smile over her lips that made her appeared as if she was looking forward to something very exciting that made her dance on tiptoes.
"I want you to take care of a problem," Madam Zhou settled the brown envelope in front of her for her to stare.
Slowly, Ilyana reached out her hand. Her red fingernail took out the white document that was inside the paper and she slowly read the letter that was penned in English. Being able to speak three language fluently, Ilyana spoke what she read aloud in English, "To you dear Mr. Vernon, I hope my letter have greeted you in great health and happiness. I know that our last meeting had ended in a bad note but I do hope deeply that you could understand my urgent plea to ask you in taking care of my precious treasure. I know to some people my treasure doesn't worth that much but you out of all people would know its value best than anyone. I hope you can take care of it and protect it in my stead."
Finished reading what she had seen, Ilyana's eyes lifted to her mother. One of her eyebrow raised on its own as she knows who Mr. Vernon is. "Mama did you steal the letter of the Blue Rose?"
The Pandoras are known to protect the people of Shanghai. They would do anything if it means to protect their own people from the westerners. However, in the beginning the people of Shanghai had never really hated the westerners.
The hatred started three decades ago when the westerners began to make groups, calling themselves the "controller" of Shanghai who rules over the locals. The Chinese who saw their own people attacked and harmed by those groups of westerners began to feel fury for the foreigners who trample over them to steal their freedom and even abuse them in their home country.
Now, most of those groups are gone since Pandoras gain stronger power and control over Shanghai. Since Pandora took control over all the trades, they were forced to work under Pandora and slowly loses their authority they were once proud, leaving them penniless.
However even after Pandora's success, there was a few western groups that still remain strong in Shanghai. One of those are the Blue Rose, the Russian mafias who had always clashes with Pandora as their biggest rival.
Mr. Vernon in particular, is the head of Vernon Family, in other word, the head of the Blue Rose.
"Steal? I didn't steal, I borrowed them." Her mother looked at her with a twisted smile. Ilyana knows that smile meant nothing good as the curls of her mother's lips were even higher than usual. "You know how our post office is all over Shanghai and whenever Blue Rose receive a mail of send a mail, we will be one of the very first ones to know the content of it."
"That's rude mama. Pandora and the Blue Rose had always been against each other but they have long changed their ways," Ilyana pulled the seat beside her mom and crossed her leg on top of the other as she sat down. "They even move to the West side of Shanghai to protect their own people. I don't think they would do anything stupid enough to end the long ten years of friendship that had just been achieved."
Her mother sighed. She pushed herself to stand and took the sharp round garden scissors to then walk over the Peonies that had covered the garden's walls. While staring at the ripe flowers, Madam Zhou spoke her thoughts, "You don't understand Ilyana, I have nothing against the Blue Rose. They are indeed the thorns to my side but I wouldn't get rid of them simply because they have been an eyesore. I will get rid of them when they actually did harm our people."
"And you are saying how this letter is related to their plan of harming our people?" Ilyana brought the letter above her head when suddenly someone took ahold of it.
A frown immediately etched on Ilyana's forehead and it grew even tight her when she turned her face to find the young man whose face bears some similarities to her. Especially their pointed chin and sharp straight nose. Maybe it was also the mole near their eyes except Samuel's mole was located on the far corner of his upper right eye unlike hers that were under her left eye.
"I know you are a bit slow but it seems that you really don't understand what's written here, JieJie," said Samuel Zhou, her cousin and also the real asshole to Ilyana's life. He stood behind her, seemingly liking the idea that he was taller than her, who was sitting down.
If there was one cousin Ilyana would love to kill, it would be Samuel Zhou.
Samuel flapped the envelope he had snatched from her and grinned as he stated, "This letter itself is the proof that Blue Rose is planning to attack us."
"Oh really, so now they are speaking in codes? Then why don't they speak in Russian instead of English? I think that would be a far better code than this," Ilyana narrowed her eyes as she could see how Samuel was confident, something that brings her even more skepticism.
"Grand Auntie asked us to find the people who are responsible for the selling of those potent opium and at the same time when those drugs are being produced, this letter come," Samuel tapped the words written in it, his finger landed on the word 'treasure'. "You see here? This person spoke about treasure, I think it is safe to say that they are speaking about the new type of opium that they want to sell."
"This letter is not enough," Ilyana shook her head and pressed her thumb on the space between her eyebrows. "I think you two should know this, but Blue Rose doesn't want to go against us either. They are laying low because they want to avoid problems as much as possible."
"You trust Blue Rose?" Scoffed Samuel who had stared into her as if she had gone mad. "They could say they want to avoid problems perhaps deep down they hold a grudge against us for taking over Shanghai."
"That grudge will cost them lives of their own people, no one would be so irrational that they would try to attack us knowing they will lose," Ilyana responded back to him in a clipped tone. "I know you want to take care of this matter as soon as possible, Samuel but barking like a dog at the wrong tree will only result you in a loss."
Samuel's eyebrows quickly knitted together. He felt offended with how Ilyana had called him a dog subtly, something she always did whenever she describe the people outside her own family.
She turned around to look at her mother's eyes. It was difficult to ever know what crossed her mother's face especially when her lips were pressed in a faint smile to just appear polite. She hated her mother's gaze as she know how much fun she was having in seeing Ilyana have to defend herself from her utterly foolish Samuel.
It wasn't that she feared the Blue Rose or that she trust them. To Ilyana, Shanghai's peace was the most important objective, and she would do anything if it means to keep the happiness of her people. As Blue Rose had been laying low, trying to keep a low profile to accuse them of attacking Shanghai by selling opium was utterly foolish. She didn't want to see Blue Rose's letter of rage as they felt betrayed for her out of the blue accusation.
Samuel, however, didn't seem to be satisfied in this. He wanted to pin the problem on Blue Rose, who in his eyes were an eyesore, "And what evidence do you have to say Blue Rose won't hurt us? They aren't loyal like our men. They haven't uttered an oath that say they wouldn't harm Pandora."
With her eyebrows raised, Ilyana crossed her arms, "What evidence do you have other than this letter that could confirm Blue Rose had been sending Opium and starting their trade here?"
Under the table, Samuel's fists tightened to the point they could hear the sound of a clicking bone.
"I don't see how this will end," sighed Madam Zhou. She settled her teacup above the stone coaster and hummed a song while seemingly thinking of a plan. She then smiled when an ingenious plan entered her mind. "Then go and find the evidences. Ilyana can bring evidence that Blue Rose had indeed been keeping their peace pact and Samuel, you can bring evidence that they indeed started the trade."
"Mother," Ilyana frowned as she didn't see how this was a good plan. "If Blue Rose knows we are snooping under their nose and accuse them blindly, they wouldn't be happy."
"The pact that I made with Blue Rose said that the pact will only be broken when one of us harmed each other. I don't see how finding evidence is harming them," the lukewarm attitude shown by her made Ilyana to turn speechless. But she wasn't the only one who was speechless as when she turned her head aside, she found Samuel who seemed to be as annoyed as her.
"Madam," said Samuel to gather her mother's attention once again, "If we let go this chance now, we won't get anymore chance to confront Blue Rose." He insisted, wanting to quickly blame Blue Rose and Ilyana knew it was because of her mother's word the previous night.
There was no one who wasn't aware of Samuel's deep jealousy against her as he also want to rule Pandora, believing he was the one who should be leading than a mere woman. But his haste would cost people's life which made Ilyana unsettled.
"I can confront Blue Rose anytime I want. But to accuse them without an evidence will be foolish," her mother crossed her fingers and placed her elbow on the table with a wide smile. Ilyana could feel the air in the room turning tense with the pressure her mother showed with her calm smile. "Ilyana, Samuel. I want to see evidence on my table, the fastest one win and the person who could end the trade of opium will receive their rightful reward as my heir. Don't you think that's fair enough?"
Fair? Ilyana scoffed inwardly. Her mother had never been fair. She had always planned everything on her own and use everyone around her whether it's her subordinates or her own daughters as her pawn.
Ilyana pushed herself from the chair and stared at her mother. There had only been one thing that she wanted to do against her mother as a rebel: beating her mother in her own game.
"Alright then," Ilyana's long black fingernail sharply clicked on the glass table as she rested them on the surface. "I just need to prove my words right?"
Madam Zhou nodded her head.
"Well then have a good day, Boss." Ilyana turned away, her anger was clear in her eyes but Madam Zhou was unbothered. She simply looked at Samuel and tilted her face, "You aren't going? You want Ilyana to bring the evidence before you?"
"No damn way. I promise I will bring the evidence first to you, Grand Auntie. Trust Samuel," Samuel uttered for Madam Zhou to simply look at him with the unchanging expression. He cursed under his breath as he pushed himself from the chair and rushed outside of the room, chasing after Ilyana who was walking on the hallway.
Alone, Madam Zhou covered her lips that had created the darkest smile that were filled with twisted goal.
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