Page 30 of Sweet Dominion

But. . .if that was true, then why did Leo hand me such a grotesque and traumatizing gift?

Think. What am I missing?

On one side, the severed head of his daughter, neatly placed in a box, was Leo’s way of showing me how serious he was about protecting Lei and me. It was a macabre demonstration of his commitment and a reminder of the brutal lengths he would go to ensure our and the East’s safety.

But there’s more to the gift. . .right? Could it have also been a horrific warning? Or was it worse than that? Was it a twisted test of my resolve or my ability to think under pressure?

Leo was a serial killer—a psychopath who thrived on death, control, and manipulation. Yet, he always was a goddamn genius who consistently made chess moves.

One would be crazy to think there wasn’t double or even triple meanings behind his gifting me the head. I damn sure had been paying attention and my intuition wouldn’t let me ignore the deeper possibilities of his grotesque action.

Yeah. . .this is some sick challenge. I bet. Lei said that nothing Leo does is just one thing.

So. . .if the severed head was truly a test, then. . .the thought of failing was not an option, not with a man like Leo. His twisted sense of loyalty meant that failure could be fatal.

And I really liked my head being on my neck.

Jesus Christ. . .maybe Leo does need to die.

I didn’t want to mourn Leo but I also didn’t want to fear for my life every day either, worrying about failing this test or that.

Poor Lei. This is a crazy ass father to have.

I blinked and began to piece together the true purpose of Leo’s possiblecrueltest for me today.

This test has to be bigger than about the tea ceremony.

I tried to enter Leo’s psychopathic head hoping I could understand his motivations and the reasoning behind the horrific gift.

Leo valued strength and cunning above all else.

Therefore. . .perhaps. . .he wanted to see if I could handle the pressure if I could make the hard decisions without flinching. Maybe that gift was a test to see if I was capable of playing his game and emerging victorious.

I don’t know if it is just that.

In the kitchen, my biggest question had been whether I should still perform the tea ceremony as planned or to tell Lei about his sister’s death immediately potentially ruining the day.

Of course, I decided not to do that.

The tea ceremony was a significant tradition, a symbol of respect and unity. Disrupting it would not only dishonor the customs of the East but could also undermine my future position.

On the other hand, keeping the truth from Lei even for ashortwhile, felt like a complete betrayal. Lei deserved to know about his sister’s death and withholding such devastating news felt wrong on afundamentallevel.

Had it been one of my sisters killed. . .I would not have given two shits about a tea ceremony.

But that was me.

And this was some insane test that could trigger my own death.

Would revealing the truth to Lei now show weakness?

Would it demonstrate to Leo that I was unable to compartmentalize, to prioritize the greater good over personal emotions?

Was that the test?

Even more, did Leo want to see me struggle, to wrestle with this impossible decision?

If anything I knew he was watching, waiting to see how I would handle the pressure. His chilling gaze had remained on me the entire time of the ceremony.

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