CHAPTER 3: THE WHITE DRAGONS

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Sprawled at my feet was Melissa. All bruised and bloody, her eyes swollen, her nose broken, her lips puffy. I barely recognised her.

“What's the meaning of this?” I jumped to my feet and glared at the four of them, not bothering to conceal my anger any longer. Melissa was a friend. Okay, she was more than a friend. She was my lover. Not that I loved her. It was just...well, I had needs too. But most important, she was a White Dragon. And it irked me that one of my own had been treated like that.

Jordan rushed towards her. “She’s still alive.” I heard him tell me.

“Tsk, tsk. You were so busy getting it off with her that you had absolutely no idea what was going on, did you? Was it so good that it made you so blind to the fact that she was fucking you and the White Dragons at the same time? I don’t know, two women making out? It makes me sick!” Hung yeh hollered.

“Hung yeh, that was rather uncalled for,” Sandra jie intervened. He scowled at her but shut up all the same. Sandra jie was one person no one wanted to mess with her.

I clenched my fist and my nails dug into my skin. “What did you mean by she was fucking me and the White Dragons at the same time?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“She’s a cop.” Sandra jie turned to look at me. Her words were curt and brief.

“And you have proof.” I said.

Hung yeh threw a stack of photographs on the table. They scattered all over. From where I was standing, I could see that they all showed Melissa talking to a man I had not seen before. “Here’s your proof,” Hung yeh sniggered. “We did a check on the guy in the picture. He’s the superintendent of police. Your lover girl’s been playing with your body AND your mind.”

I snorted. “Is that all? I would think a simple matter like this hardly warrants such a meeting?” I was boiling with rage but I controlled it well. I knew they were doing this on purpose. Calling everybody together for a meeting, just so they could embarrass me. I knew they wanted to unravel me, to see me break down. I was not going to give them that pleasure. “Thank you for pointing it out to me. This is a matter for the White Dragons. I’ll take care of it from here,” I said calmly.

“This matter concerns all of us! You let a cop into our network!” Hung yeh yelled. I could see the veins throbbing in his neck.

“It seems to me you all have done your share.” My eyes rested on Melissa’s still body. “I will take over from here.”

I saw Hung yeh open his mouth to say something else but Sandra jie was much quicker. “I’m sure Terri knows what she’s doing and I’m sure she’ll present us with a plausible solution to the matter.”

I turned to Sandra jie and nodded my head in appreciation. “You will know when I’ve made my decision. Let’s go, Jordan.” Jordan already had Melissa in his arms. As we strode out of the house, I could feel their eyes boring into my back.

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“Revive her.” We were back at the headquarters of the White Dragons - the Double Pleasure Nightclub in Kowloon. Jordan threw a bucket of water over Melissa, drenching her from top to bottom. She woke with a coughing fit. I stood there in silence, just looking at her.

“T..Te..Terri,” she choked.

“You’re a cop.”

She didn’t reply. But she didn’t have to. Her hesitance had given her away.

“You betrayed me. You betrayed the White Dragons. How could you?”

“I was only doing my job.” Her voice was firm and unwavering.

I grabbed her face in rage. “And when we were together? Was that you doing your job as well?”

She shook her head free of my hand. But she didn’t answer me.

I moved to hold her head again. This time, more forcefully. “I’m just doing my job too.” I told her. Then I let go and turned to walk away.

“Terri, no. Don’t do this. I know how much you hate it. Look, we can strike a deal. Wrap up your operations and turn in the others. We’ll plead leniency on your behalf.” Melissa shouted. Her voice was starting to falter. She knew what I was capable of and I could sense her panic.

“It’s too late.”

“It’s not too late!” she screamed. “You can still turn back!” Her fear was becoming more and more apparent.

“I don’t ever want to see her again,” I said to Jordan. “Take care of it.”

“Noooooooo! Terri! Please!” I turned and walked away calmly, but in reality, I was desperately trying to block out Melissa’s screams of plea. I felt tears well up in my eyes and a drop trickled down my face. Goodbye Melissa.

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The events of the day had given me a mind-numbing migraine. Damn, I really hated myself. I hated everything about me. I hated my life, I hated my father for having given me this...this...’job’, I hated the way I had to live, how I had to project myself, how I didn’t even have the courage to confess to the one I love. Melissa’s words kept ringing in my ear. It’s not too late. You can still turn back. But it was too late. I could never turn back. There was a soft knock on my office door. I lifted my head from my hands. “Come in.”

Jordan walked in and sat down in front of me. “It’s done.”

I kept silent.

He continued. “Did you think it was wise though? She was a cop after all. We’re going to get a lot of heat from her kind now.”

“There was no other choice.” My reply was so soft, it was almost inaudible.

He nodded in understanding. “I’ll tell our people to watch their backs then.”

I first met Jordan Cheng the day I arrived back in Hong Kong. He was the one who greeted me at the airport. My own father was too busy to take time off to meet his only child. Later, when I was initiated into the business, my father assigned Jordan as my bodyguard. It was he who taught me all I had to know to survive in our world. He was cunning and tricky yet intelligent and street-smart. When I met him, he was 22 yet already a hardened triad ‘veteran’. He joined the White Dragons at 15 after dropping out of school. He had thought it was the coolest thing to do at that time. All that power and all those people looking up to you, afraid of you. I still remembered the irony in his laughter when he told me. But Jordan exemplified the triad. He was loyal. Very loyal. He never had to think twice if any of our own was in trouble. I trusted him and left most of the running of White Dragons' businesses to him. He helped me oversee the nightclubs, karaokes and gambling dens. After me, Jordan Cheng was the next most powerful person in the White Dragons.

“Thanks,” I said, as I buried my head into my hands again. Exhaustion overwhelmed me.

“You look tired. Why don’t I drive you home.” And I felt his arms around my shoulders, helping me off my seat.