White Tiger

currently stands includes the building on the Peak—’
    ‘Wait a minute, the whole building ?’
    ‘Let her finish, Emma, then ask,’ Mr Chen said.
    I sat back. But the whole building?
    ‘The building on the Peak, the office building in Central, the office building in Wan Chai, and the apartment buildings in North Point and Happy Valley. The house in London, the house on the Earthly Plane at Wudangshan, the hutong in Beijing—’
    Gold cut in. ‘That courtyard house was reclaimed for development and demolished. I told you that, Jade.’
    ‘Yes, that’s right, I forgot.’ Jade drew a line on the paper, then glared at Gold. ‘You should have fought harder.’
    Mr Chen waved one hand impatiently. ‘It was inevitable. It was right next to the Palace. I’m surprised we lasted that long. Continue.’
    Jade raised the paper again. ‘Other sundry items such as the cars, securities holdings totalling about a hundred and fifty million Hong Kong dollars, cash of…’ She pulled out another piece of paper. ‘About fifty million, but the major assets are the properties.’
    I quietly vowed that the fortune would be even larger when I handed it to Simone.
    ‘Jade and Gold will help you to manage the assets and run the Mountain when I’m gone,’ Mr Chen said.
    ‘Wait a minute, back up there,’ I said. ‘Run the Mountain?’
    ‘Somebody has to do it while I’m gone.’
    ‘No way !’ I shouted. ‘I’ve never been there, and as far as I know I can’t even go! I don’t know anything about running the blasted Mountain! Get the Generals to do it!’
    ‘The Generals will have their hands full running the Northern Heavens,’ Mr Chen said. ‘They should be okay for a while. I’m sure a quarter of the sky won’t fall down without me.’
    ‘The Northern Heavens may not fall, but they could be a bit lower when you return, my Lord,’ Gold said, his boyish face alight with grim humour. ‘I suggest the Generals defer to Lady Emma as well.’
    ‘Good idea,’ Mr Chen said. ‘Jade and Gold will come to you for advice, Emma. I’m sure the three of you will be quite capable of administering everything in my absence.’ He looked around the table, then back to me. ‘Emma, after I am gone, you will have Regency. You will rule in Simone’s name until either she has majority or I return. I know I only mentioned you caring for her, but this is part of the responsibility.’
    Everybody stared at him, speechless.
    He didn’t seem to notice our reaction. ‘If fortune is on our side, you should have at least two more years before I go. We have plenty of time to bring you up tospeed with the management of the family assets and the Mountain. And when I am gone, you will be Regent.’
    ‘My Lord, this is highly unusual.’ Jade shuffled the papers. ‘You can only offer Regency to one who is family by either blood or marriage.’
    Mr Chen gazed silently at me for a long time. Then he looked down at his hands. ‘If I could, I would marry Emma in a second.’ He looked into my eyes again; his own were full of pain. ‘I know she feels the same way. But I cannot marry a woman I cannot even touch. It would not be legitimate; the Celestial would not permit it.’
    ‘You’re killing me, John,’ I said. ‘You know how I feel. I would marry you in a second too.’
    ‘Can you Raise her, my Lord?’ Leo said. ‘If you can, then you should.’
    ‘Much as I would like to, I cannot. Right now I do not have the ability, and frankly neither does she. But Lady Emma certainly has the potential. In fact she has more potential than anyone I have seen in centuries, apart from Simone. I like to think that the two women I love most in the world will find the Tao together.’
    Everybody at the table was silent. Finally Leo spoke softly. ‘I wish I could be around to see it.’
    Mr Chen rose. He stood motionless and gazed intensely at me. Everything went still. It was as if the entire Universe held its breath.
    Mr Chen put one hand on the table in front of him. His voice became loud and firm. ‘I swear that one day I will marry you, Emma Donahoe. I will return, and I will find you, and I will Raise you, and I will take you to live on my Mountain, and you will be mine. This I swear as Xuan Wu, Xuan Tian Shang Di.’
    Jade and Gold shot to their feet. Gold knocked his chair over. They stood shocked and silent, staring at Mr Chen. Jade turned to me, her eyes wide and her mouth open.
    Mr Chen smiled slightly and sat.
    ‘What was all