Some truths cut deeper than betrayal.
The storm didn't wait for warning.
It arrived in the form of a black envelope, slid under the penthouse door at dawn. No stamp. No name. Just a red seal — shaped like a coiled dragon biting its own tail.
Zhou broke it open.
Inside were four words and a photo.
"The past isn't buried."
The photo showed a man. Tired eyes. Graying hair. A scar above the left brow.
Huang Yifeng.
Alive.
Zhou stared at the image long after Li Chen had confirmed it was recent — dated just three weeks ago in Hong Kong. The man who was supposed to be dead. The traitor. AiLi's father.
He hadn't just survived.
He had been watching.
AiLi sat on the edge of the bed, the photo trembling in her hands.
"That's him," she whispered. "He's alive…"
Zhou didn't answer. His jaw was clenched too tight.
"When can I see him?" she asked.
"You can't."
"Why not?"
"Because he's not who you think he is." Zhou stood, pacing. "This isn't some tearful reunion. That man nearly brought my family's empire to its knees."
AiLi rose. "And yet your family married me, his daughter."
Zhou turned to her, eyes burning. "You think that was my choice?"
"No. But this is." She held up the photo. "He's my father, Zhou. I deserve the truth. From his lips."
Silence.
Then:
"You'll get it," Zhou said. "But not alone. We do this my way."
They met in an old temple outside Hong Kong.
Zhou controlled the entry. Li Chen swept the grounds. Snipers on rooftops. Every precaution in place.
Still, AiLi's heart thundered when she saw him.
Huang Yifeng.
He walked slowly, a cane in one hand, a weathered envelope in the other. His eyes — her eyes — lit up when they met hers.
"My little peach," he murmured. "You've grown."
AiLi couldn't speak. She didn't trust her voice not to crack.
Zhou stayed close. Watching. Measuring.
"Why now?" he asked. "Why reveal yourself?"
Huang smiled, slow and sad. "Because the ones who tried to kill me failed — but they'll try again. This time through her."
AiLi stepped forward. "Tell me the truth. About you. About my blood."
Huang took a breath, then said:
"I was your mother's first love. But I was also your grandfather's most trusted enforcer. Until I discovered the secret behind the Deng empire. The trafficking. The assassinations. The coups. I wanted out. I tried to expose it."
Zhou's fists clenched. "Liar."
Huang turned to him. "You were a boy when I disappeared. You saw what they let you see. What they fed you. But I have proof."
He handed AiLi the envelope.
Inside were documents. Names. Locations. Bank trails.
Zhou's face went pale.
"This…" he muttered. "If this is real…"
"It is," Huang said. "That's why they buried me. And why they chose my daughter — to bind my blood back into silence."
AiLi's knees weakened.
"You're saying I was a… trap?"
"No." Huang looked at her. "You were a message. But now, you can be the weapon."
That night, back at the penthouse, AiLi sat alone on the balcony.
Zhou joined her after a long silence.
"If you believe him," she said softly, "you'll have to destroy your own family."
He stared at the skyline. Then at her.
"I don't believe in blood anymore," he whispered. "I believe in you."
She looked at him. "And what if I choose to side with him?"
A pause.
Zhou's hand closed around hers.
"Then I'll protect you. Even from myself."