[Jake's POV]
By three p.m., the Outer Harbour was entirely under the control of the Golden Koi. Ethan and I had systematically bought out, intimidated, or physically removed the last remnants of the Black Lotus street-level operations. The vacuum had been filled.
When we returned to the mahjong parlor, the atmosphere was electric. The soldiers who had been preparing for a bloody turf war were now counting stacks of protection money from territories they hadn't controlled in five years.
I left Ethan in the counting room to oversee the integration of the new recruits and took the private elevator up to the penthouse.
Li was sitting at the black marble dining table, a heavy, ornate envelope resting on the polished surface in front of her. The envelope was made of thick, textured black paper, sealed with dark red wax stamped with the image of a coiled dragon.
She looked up as I entered, her expression grim.
