“He’s taking too long. What happens if he isn’t done by Sanhae?”
Good question. Kara glanced at her hand-comm. Chi-Qua was right. No one appeared on the dais to encourage him to improve his pacing. Then again, who had the gills to speak up to Lord Taron in public?
Just at the instant when Kara thought her plans might be swallowed up in the decaying coherence of an old man, the light of victory shined upon her. Ya-Li was wrong, or else he wanted Kara to be surprised. Lord Taron announced the rising stars midway through his toasts.
Three peers, each a few years older, received due recognition.
And then …
“For her elegance, youthful tenacity, and spirit to drive our future to unbounded potential,” Lord Taron said, “I salute the divine Miss Kara Syung, the newest visionary to join Nantou’s glorious team in Bio-Research and Engineering.”
His words were inviolate, though all of them were written by his great grandson. Her heart sprinted as Chi-Qua cheered in her ears and applause rose through the cavernous hall. Many glasses were raised at the table of Syung, and Kara’s eyes turned to her brothers.
Dae responded as expected. His jaw hung limp, as if someone killed his favorite pet before his eyes. He grabbed his glass but did not raise it. Lang hesitated, pivoted briefly to his brother, then back to Kara. His stare was full. No hiding, no evasion. And much to Kara’s shock, no anger or resentment.
He nodded. She read his lips. Well done. Then he raised his glass higher than all others at the table.
She thought his dismay would be a joyful part of her victory. This brother, who never apologized for threatening to kill the friend she loved as a sister, now congratulated her success. Most surprising? She was relieved and moved her lips as well. Thank you.
Her parents held out their glasses, which they shifted toward Kara, waiting for her to do the join. All three clinked.
No outward anger. No condescending stares. Right.
Theater for the masses. They’d hold their explosion until later.
“I’m proud of you,” Chi-Qua shouted in her ear. “From the mouth of the man himself. You can book any path you wish.”
Thirty seconds before midnight, Lord Taron’s eighty-year-old son intervened and announced the toasts would conclude after the welcoming of the new year. In the awkward countdown, the microphone picked up the old man telling his son, “Sanhae begins when I say it does! Cudfrucker.”
Barely restrained laughter and wide-eyed shock blended with the final countdown as a holowindow appeared behind the dais featuring a live aerial view of the Port of Pinchon and huge numbers overlaying it all. 10. 9. 8. 7.
When the countdown ended, everyone in the hall rose and shouted in unison:
“Sanhae!”
“Sanhae!”
“Sanhae!”
Delirium took hold, as hugs, kisses, and cheers dominated while fireworks erupted from stations all along the Isthmus of the Redeemer. The exultations continued nonstop for the next ten minutes, led on by triumphant blasts from The Lagos Unified Symphony.
Kara lost herself in the sheer joy of a victory she was certain would become legendary in the Syung family line. Anointed by Lord Taron; triumphant over the repeated blockades of her parents and brothers; intimidating to all who identified her as a new force rising through the ranks. She thought of the leverage tonight might buy, of how she’d push hard for an early end to the Baeks’ exile, and how she might no longer be left out of Father’s classified meetings with Lang and Dae.
It was a perfect victory. Too perfect.
At some level, Kara sensed it wasn’t going to be this clean cut. She remembered Chi-Qua’s warning during their picnic at Bongwoo Curl:
“You won’t win this for free.”
When the celebrating calmed and Lord Taron finished off the last of his toasts, most invited guests peeled away from their tables to mingle, some to go down one level for dancing. Kara’s father excused himself to have a few words with Lord Taron’s son, while Lang and Dae vanished before she realized it. Mother grabbed her by the wrist and asked her to remain seated. They were the only ones at the table.
“Are you happy, Kara?”
“I am, Honorable Mother.”
“Good. All your dreams come true. Your strategy was a success.”
That’s when Kara saw it. How did she miss it the first time?
“You knew.”
Li-Ann rolled her eyes. “Of course, I did. And your father, naturally. I’m always amazed how young ones believe their parents are amateurs to be duped. We learned of your plan some weeks ago. We debated our options but ultimately chose to allow you this gift.”
Kara wanted to laugh. “A gift? Mother, I earned this. I always wanted this, and I worked hard for it.”
“Yes, you did. You learned how to deceive, manipulate, and betray. What you did to Lang was unforgiveable. The way you held his secrets over our heads was despicable. You do not realize how close we came to exiling you from our household. Now that we have seen your true face, we know you cannot be trusted, so we never will again. Our love for you has not been shaken by our anger, but your word will always be subject to suspicion.”
Her stomach twisted tight, though she expected some sort of chastisement tonight.
“If you can’t trust me, why did you allow me to transfer?”
“Because we are Syung-Low, and we value our standing above all else. Kara, your betrayal of Lang had the ironic consequence of saving our family. He was on the verge of committing crimes that would have nullified all the past generations of Syung-Low. We were able to intervene, with the help of silent allies, to cleanse our connection to that hideous drug. For this, we are indebted.”
“You’re welcome. I think. Were there no sanctions for Lang?”
“His
