[center][url=https://fontmeme.com/cursive-fonts/][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190211/a8864efcbba534078a2eb3bfb13e0a81.png[/img][/url][/center]

The rise of the sun always left streaks across the bedroom. The windows of the 28th-floor penthouse were tilted in such a way that it almost had a prism effect in the morning, scattering rainbows on the beige walls and giving the giant dragon on the tapestry a multi-colored mustache. They used to be a symbol of love. A symbol of the things the woman in the bed thought were still good and honorable in this life. Now, they were just a reminder of how fleeting things could be. They had been that way for a couple months now.

The woman was tempted remain in her silken cocoon for just a little while longer, but the buzzing of her phone indicated that there was business to attend to. She slowly kicked off the bold red covers and ambled to the walk-in closet. She debated making her caller wait the appropriate two hours necessary for her to get completely ready for the day, but it was a close friend. There was no need. She cast off her pyjamas and quickly grabbed a pair of grey shorts and a red tank top, throwing it over herself without a thought. Moving to the master bathroom, a quick rinse of her face and a scrunchie twist left her ready to face her caller. At least as ready as she wanted. Good timing too, because the elevator moved fast in this building.

Shandra Zhao stepped out towards the expansive living room that offered another stellar view of New York City. At least, the part that could be seen without the larger skyscrapers blocking the view. Still, the development on this site had gone well. Condos were starting to fill up, giving more cover to the true activities that JinXiong Holdings was really involved with. This would make a fifth building that would be bringing in cash, and a fifth building to offer the cover she needed for now.

The doorbell buzzed and a quick check of the security camera footage on her phone confirmed the identity of her visitor. She pressed a button. granting entry to a man in his late 20s wearing a well-tailored black pinstripe suit and a red and gold striped tie who walked in. His black hair was slicked back and he adjusted an Apple Watch on his wrist as he entered.

[color=#BF1D1D]"Well shit, Matt. If I had known you were going to go full corporate on me this morning, I would have at least put on a bra,"[/color] Shandra commented as she sat on her chaise lounge. [color=#BF1D1D]"Taking this role a little too seriously, huh?"[/color]

Haibin Fa, or Matt to his friends and colleagues, took a seat opposite his more dressed-down boss. "Hey, you are the one who appointed me to this position. I intend to take it as seriously as it needs to be."

[color=#BF1D1D]"Pfft. Yeah, I believe that."[/color]

Matt shrugged and leaned back. "Well of course you aren't going to believe that, but that doesn't mean the rest of the triad won't. Give me something here, Shan."

Matt's boss waved him off. [color=#BF1D1D]"All right, all right, all right. You are doing a good job looking the part. And acting the part, I guess. Where's your sister at?"[/color]

The man sighed. "No clue. Mel went out around 10 pm and all I got after that was a snapchat message this morning of her, a Puerto Rican man and what looked to be a mechanical bull."

Shandra laughed. [color=#BF1D1D]"That's my girl. Probably doing a better job gathering information than you are."[/color] The woman stood back up. [color=#BF1D1D]"I'm going to make a smoothie. You want one?"[/color]

Matt straightened his tie. "No thanks, I ate. Plus I don't want blueberry juice on this suit."

Shandra shrugged and headed toward the gleaming metallic kitchen, intent on pulling the ninja blender out of the shadows and onto the island. She started rummaging in the fridge for various ingredients. [color=#BF1D1D]"So I assume since you are waking me this early, you have good news to bring me? I mean, you didn't have the courtesy to bring breakfast, so it has to be something important, right? Something that could not have just been texted to me?"[/color]

Matt cleared his throat. "Yes, well, it is rather important. Maybe not to your immediate goal, but at the very least it should help potentially clear out some brush."

Shandra dumped a banana and some chocolate soy milk into the blender, and moved towards the peanut butter. [color=#BF1D1D]"I'm listening."[/color]

The young man pulled a card out of his suit pocket and continued. "Well, this came yesterday at our Alphabet City front. It's an invitation to the Silk Petal's grand reopening."

The glob of peanut butter fell off the spoon and into the murky drink. [color=#BF1D1D]"The Bustamantes' casino? They actually finished that thing? I thought my dad put enough red tape on it that it would take another few years? I think he did it just because he hated the name."[/color]

Matt shook his head. "Not enough it would seem. Diabla has everything set and ready to go, and it looks like the invitations are going out across the underworld. The heads of all five families are expected to be there, and that includes you."

Shandra slammed her hands on the table. [color=#BF1D1D]"Well shit. Tell the money crews in Edison and Atlantic City that revenue may be down until we get this sorted out. She really got everything squared away, huh? Shit! That's supposed to be our racket."[/color] She uttered some unintelligible curses in Mandarin and tossed the soy milk back in the fridge. [color=#BF1D1D]"So why is she having the other families over for this? Just to gloat? Rub it in my face that she got her crown jewel back up and running?"[/color]

"I don't know why Catalina is throwing this party," Matt admitted. "But I do know that if you want to try and pump some information out of the other families as to what happened to your father, this is a golden opportunity to do so. You will have a shot at Catalina. You will have a shot at the Irish, the Russians, the Italians, you can cover a lot of ground in one night if you go to this thing. So if you want to... must you run that blender while I am talking?!?"

Shandra mouthed she couldn't hear Matt as the blender whirred to life. It didn't take long for the ninja to do its work, and she soon was pouring out a PB Banana smoothie into a tall mug. [color=#BF1D1D]"Yeah, I don't want to be thinking too hard on an empty stomach.[/color] She walked back over to the living room area and sat back down on the couch. [color=#BF1D1D]"So what you are saying is, the benefits outweigh me having to make nice to Catalina. Especially in a setting with a lot of people where no funny business can be tried."[/color]

Matt nodded. "Not only that, word on the street is that you are running scared after what happened to Sonny. Making an appearance at a place like this, in the full Shimmering Dragon attire that you are known for, will be a good show of strength. Let the other families know that not only is what happened to Sonny not going to affect Triad business, it will make it more efficient, more ruthless and more powerful than ever before."

A tear almost fell into Shandra's smoothie as she heard Matt's speech. [color=#BF1D1D]"This is why I like you, Matt. You're always good at making sense sound like a blockbuster."[/color] She sighed and set the breakfast down on the coffee table. [color=#BF1D1D]"I am getting really tired of going to a different apartment every night. It is no way to run a business."[/color] She leaned back. [color=#BF1D1D]"All right, I will do it. When is the party?"[/color]

Matt rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, that's the thing. Because you've been on the move so much, it appears that the invitation get to us with much time..."

[color=#BF1D1D]"Spit it out, Matt."[/color]

"It's tonight."

Shandra rolled her eyes. [color=#BF1D1D]"Fucking seriously?"[/color] She sighed. [color=#BF1D1D]"Fine. Tell Mei-Lin I'll be by the compound in a couple hours to start preparing. Have Gary and Fan there and tell them this needs to go all out. If I'm going to try and upstage Diabla at her own event, I need to be a fucking knockout. And then maybe we can get down to some real business talk. Because when I find out which one of those assholes did my father wrong like that, heads are going to fucking roll."[/color]

Matt nodded. "Understood."

[color=#BF1D1D]"And I want you there with me. And Melanie. Tell her she's got bigger parties to go to tonight. And if things go well, then we can celebrate later."[/color] Shandra winked as if Matt needed any explanation to what that meant.

"Consider it done."

[color=#BF1D1D]"Good."[/color] The smoothie found its way back towards Shandra's mouth. [color=#BF1D1D]"Now let me drink my smoothie in peace."[/color] Matt nodded and headed towards the door, departing and leaving the head of the Golden Dragon Triad alone in her latest temporary dwelling.

[color=#BF1D1D]"Fuck, this had better be worth it."[/color]