Page 184 of Savage Throne
Aunt Min coughed as she held her teacup in mid-air.
Meanwhile, Duck got closer to the table, prepping himself to vault over the table and stop my father if necessary.
No one else moved.
Not the guards who lined the perimeter.
My father cleared his throat and picked up his glass of wine.
I curved my lips into a wicked smile. “Do you now knowyourplace, Father?”
His grip tightened on his glass, his knuckles whitening under the strain. For a man who thrived on control, he was showing more cracks than I’d expected.
Chen adjusted his glasses again, his lips pressed into a thin line as his gaze swept the table.
My father took a measured sip of wine.
I watched the way his lips curled around the rim of the glass. The wine was his armor now, something to savor while he thought of words to cut me like knives.
When he finally set the glass back down, the sound was sharp against the polished table, like a judge’s gavel sealing a grim verdict.
Here we go.
He leaned forward slightly, narrowing his eyes into a venomous scowl. “You are not the Mountain Master.”
His voice went cold.
Sharp.
Each syllable became a bullet aimed directly at my chest. “You’re aboy. A reckless, spoiled little bratty boy playing dress-up on hisfather’sthrone.”
His smirk widened and twisted with disgust. “And like any unruly, pitiful child, you’ll need to be disciplined.”
I quirked my brows.
“Perhaps I should take you over my knee, son and remind you whotrulyrules this table, this mountain, this family, and the East. Have some respect.”
I didn’t flinch.
I let his words settle, let them echo in the air around us, seeping into the cracks of his performance.
Then, slowly, I leaned forward, rested my elbows on the table, and met his glare head-on. “You forfeited any right tomyrespect long ago.”
“Lei. . .your Mountain Mistress looks too nice this evening to have your blood splattered on her crown and gown. Be mindful, Lei, and be silent. Our battle will come soon.”
“This feast is a surprise.”
My father raised his eyebrows. “A surprise?”
“I knew the food would be delicious and the decor extravagant. I guessed there would be a performance of some kind. Singers. Dancers.” I chuckled to myself. “But I never thought that I would get to see the final act ofyourdepressing play.”
Chen whispered to Duck. “Get ready.”
I pointed at my father. “The great Grand Mountain Master has been reduced to—adesperateold fool. A pathetic man grasping at his last shred of power, yearning to still be important. Is this what you wanted everyone to see tonight?”
My father subtly pushed his chair an inch back.
I doubt most had even noticed.
