The silence that followed Lu Jinhai's words was heavy. It was broken only by the rhythmic *thud-thud-thud* of the helicopter blades on the roof above, a sound that felt like the ticking of a giant, metallic clock counting down to the end of Madam Lu's reign.
Madam Lu stood frozen at the head of the mahogany table. Her perfect, cold-mask of a face finally cracked, shock and fury radiated from her eyes as she stared at her son—the son she thought she had successfully chained to a private island half a world away. She had underestimated his reach, but more importantly, she had underestimated the lengths he would go to for the "Little Rabbit" who had stolen his heart.
"Jinhai?" Madam Lu's voice was sharp, trembling with a mixture of disbelief and authority. "What is the meaning of this intrusion? And how did you get past the security detail I personally assigned to—"
