The Rise of the White Lotus

Upon hearing that question, Louis Lu furrowed his brows as his interest was piqued. Therefore, behind the wall at the entrance of the kitchen, he leaned his back against the wall and decided to eavesdrop. In the next second, he stood rooted to the floor upon hearing a very familiar voice of the woman he would never forget.

As their conversation went on and Victoria Tang described her inner thoughts about him, his expression never changed, not even once. Even when she told Lexi that he was the weirdest then to her, came to be the kindest, nothing seemed to faze him… not until Victoria Tang mentioned about being pregnant.

In an instant, Louis Lu turned his head to his shoulder as if, if he does so, he would see the occurrence inside the kitchen. Soon, their conversation about Louis Lu was interrupted when the smell of something burning embraced their nostrils.

He could hear their voices as the two ladies in the kitchen panicked as the food was meant for the guy named Vin. Louis Lu heard in between their conversation that Vincent Tang was in the guest room sleeping. Thus, when Lexi and Victoria Tang's conversation diverted into something uninteresting about Ethan Lu, he wordlessly left his spot and headed to the guest room to meet the guy named Vin.

****

Soon, the time had arrived and Ethan Lu made it thirty minutes before eight. Of course, the moment he arrived, Lexi was like a little girl in love as she tended to him and prepared him some appetizers to eat before he freshened up.

Currently, Lexi, Ethan Lu, and the mother and son duo were silently sitting around the living area. None of them uttered a single word for a while as the ticking of the clock was the only noise that could be heard around the whole villa.

Normally, they wouldn't wait for someone to arrive on time. Alas, it was Louis Lu they were talking about and when he gave a time, he would surely arrive sharply. Aside from Victoria Tang who felt that every passing second lasted a minute, Lexi and Ethan Lu shared the same anxiousness for some unknown reason.

They were akin to a pair of worried parents waiting for the board exam result of their child. Regardless, this was the moment of truth and both hoped for the best for this little broken yet holding on family.

When the clock hit eight o'clock, the doorbell rang which startled Lexi and Ethan Lu that it nearly made them jolt from their seats.

"I'll get it." Clearing his throat, Ethan Lu finally broke his silence as he unhurriedly strode towards the entrance. On the other hand, Victoria Tang's nervousness was nearing its peak as the moment of truth finally arrived.

Her hands trembled as sweat broke on her back and palms. Thankfully, a little hand held onto her hands that magically stopped its shaking. Shifting her gaze to Vincent Tang's adorable little face, Victoria Tang's nervousness slightly reduced by half.

"Thank you, Darling." Placing a peck on top of her son's head, Victoria Tang seemed she was asking for some courage from her son with that kiss.

"Mommy, are you scared?" Innocently blinking his worried eyes, little Vincent Tang harmlessly inquired as he never saw his mother have such a reaction.

"No, baby. As long as my little Vin is here, Mommy will not be scared." Giving her child a reassuring smile, Victoria Tang lovingly patted her son's head before taking a deep breath.

Meanwhile, Lexi's gaze softened as she watched this scene. Surely, Victoria Tang's source of strength was her child that keeps her moving forward. She wondered if she would be a good mother to her children when the time comes.

"Yo, Lou! How have you been?" Opening the main door, Ethan Lu's eyes immediately landed on the stoic front of Louis Lu. Alas, by the tone of his voice, he sounded a little awkward. If Louis Lu didn't know what was already coming right at him, he would be suspicious at that very second.

"Good." Short and precise as ever, Louis Lu responded and didn't give another opening to prolong this unnecessary greeting.

"Really? How's new york? You won't charge me for asking you to have dinner with us right?" Ignoring the obvious disinterest for a conversation, Ethan Lu wanted to stall some more time so the ladies inside could have some extra time to prepare.

"Depends on if it's not as important as you claimed it to be."

"Tch," Clicking his tongue, Ethan Lu could not believe his ears upon hearing his cousin's shameless remarks. "Of course it is important! Come in."

****

Ethan Lu leads the way while Louis Lu slowly followed from behind. Their pace was slower than usual yet, Louis Lu also followed Ethan Lu's pace. Soon, when they arrived at the living area, Victoria Tang abruptly stood up from her seat as she caught a glimpse of Louis Lu.

"Uh…" Scratching his temple using his index finger, Ethan Lu didn't know where to stop. He turned to Louis Lu's direction but to his surprise, his cousin had no change of expression on his unchanging front while he peered at Victoria Tang and then to the little guy hiding behind her.

"Lou…" Soft and meek, Victoria Tang called out but Louis Lu just stared at her without any human emotion.

"Mommy, is he also my uncle?" For some reason, little Vincent Tang was afraid of the aura Louis Lu was emitting. Unlike Ethan Lu, for a kid like him, he already sensed the security by his light and bright aura. But in contrast, Louis Lu seemed like he was some kind of highly intelligent robot that was unable to express any human emotion.

"No, darling." Without breaking the eye contact between her and Louis Lu, Victoria Tang tightly grasped the side of her dress. "He's not your uncle but your father." Taking advantage of the courage she received from her child, Victoria Tang grit her teeth before she opened her mouth and revealed Louis Lu's identity to her son.