The Pawn

3 – Commodity

FACE held high, Akiku paced in the direction of her father’s office. She was told to see him after she heard him arrive a few minutes ago.

As she passed by the living room, two of her half-brothers were there. Jun, the eldest, sent her a disappointed look while the other, Cheng, was grinning.

She took a deep sigh before she knocked on the heavy wooden door of the head of the coven’s office. She gently opened the door when she heard his response.

Fang Chen stood up from the couch positioned between the two tall windows. The curtains were down since it was still midday.

Sunlight was the vampire’s kryptonite. No matter how old the vampire is, the sunlight still affects his well-being especially if he was made.

A natural-born vampire can withstand the heat but when exposed directly to the sun or UV rays, he will slowly burn and turn into ashes. However, a turned vampire, he will immediately disintegrate upon exposure.

It was not the case for Akiku. She will only have severe sunburn since she was a half-ling. Her mother was a human who died of childbirth. But she was given the gift of immortality like the rest of the vampire beings.

“Call for me when you are done with her,” Fang said before leaving the office. However, she did not forget to give Akiku a displeased glance. Her button nose twitched like she smelled bad food.

It has always been the case. The old woman cannot pretend to like the fruit of her beloved’s infidelity.

Fang Chen was her father’s beloved. She was the coven’s prince’s consort. She was also the biological mother of Jun and Cheng who were centuries older than Akiku.

Akiku remained standing even when she heard the door close. Her head was down and waited for her father, Chún Cheng, to acknowledge her presence.

“Do you have any idea what you have done?”

Despite the calm demeanor, Akiku knew that her father was at his wit’s end. He must have learned about what happened in the hotel yesterday.

She stayed silent. Responding to his question will only provoke him. At her age, she did not want to be physically assaulted by him or anyone in the coven. Her skin should stay unblemished so that she could do what she was supposed to do.

Despite the quick healing that the supernatural like her possessed, pain is still pain and the abrasion will take hours, if not days, for the injury to fully heal. Its emotional effect on her will remain no matter how long ago it happened.

“I received a call from the Smiths. They told me that you left him. His son was also assaulted.”

It will be of no use to answer him. Her father did not want to hear anything that yielded no good news.

“I want you to apologize to the Smiths. We need them.”

“If I may, Sir?” Akiku asked before she lifted her head.

The rounded but chinky, red eyes of the Prince of vampires were frowning. His yellow skin appeared more pale than it already was. It was due to the lack of exposure in the sun. Possibly jaundice, if he was human.

Many told her that she has a strong resemblance to her father aside from her gray eyes. She learned that she got them from her dead, human mother except for the red lining on her gray orbs.

The Prince of the Chún Xuètǒng or Pureblood Coven looked at her intently before he waved his hand to allow her to speak. Even without using words, a wave of a hand infused authority in his action.

“Sire, the Smiths are small fish. I have another candidate in mind who could be more useful to us.”

Chang Chen or Steven Chen to his colleagues raised his hand for the halfling to continue.

“I found out that they have been affiliated with a businessman named Felix Ferguson who has control over South America when it comes to Steel manufacturing.”

“And you have access to him?”

“Yes.”

“Deal with it.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Just like that, Akiku left his office.

The fiasco between her and the Smiths should not become an issue that her father can use against her. One failure should be solved with a better and bigger solution. Felix Ferguson will be her way out of this setback.

“Nothing’s shattered and your face is intact.”

Akiku did not stop when she heard the youngest male Chen of the Pureblood coven. She made her way to the patio leading to the gardens instead of her own room.

The gardens were the only place in the manor where she could find peace at this hour. She was the only immune person in the house that could withstand the heat, literally, when the sun was still out.

“You think you can avoid me, princess?”

Cheng was behind her. The man would not stop until he could get a reaction from her. Despite his age, he was still immature. If he was not a son of the coven leaders, he was a nobody. An unimportant member of the coven.

“The manor might be big but there is no place for me to not find you.” He pulled her arm before she could step into the sun. “You knew who is favored in this coven, halfling.”

“Yeah. We also knew who could bring money in this coven.” She said when she met his eyes.

Anger flashes in his red orbs. He raised his hand.

“A tainted skin will not get things done, Cheng. What will father say if he learns that you are the reason why I was not able to meet the clients?”

He gritted his teeth. He knew that Akiku had a point. He released a loud sigh after he put his hand down. He also removed his clutch on her arm.

“Right. After all, you need to work to be useful in this coven. That’s the only thing why you are still here.”

He straightened his suit before he looked ahead. A smile was plastered on his lips. He also put his hands on his sides.

She wanted to wipe the smirk off his face when he said that. However, he would know that he won this round. That he could get into her skin that easy.

“Of course. Without me working, this coven would crumble. This halfling has to work so that your ass will survive. Since that ass is useless.”

Akiku stepped back before he could grab her again. She went back inside the manor without looking back.

She kept her face devoid of emotion. She will not let the encounter with Cheng affect her in any way. He did not mention anything that she had not heard before. Altercation will not yield good results.

She was no child. She was no longer a child since she was ten. A period in her life when she learned that she has no one to depend on but herself.

“Stop dreaming, Akiku.” She muttered under her breath the moment she closed the door of her bedroom.

She locked the door and drew near the working table near the glass windows.

She pulled the curtains open to let the sunlight in. The heat made her feel better. It was the only consolation that reaffirmed her that she was different from everyone else in the manor. A huge difference that made them look down on her.

She opened the laptop and continued working on the Ferguson. She has to get him. Having him on her side would be an advantage.

Her back straightened when a familiar face popped up when she got the results from the search engine.

She clicked on the image and stared at the picture. She also read the articles. Akiku shook her head when she realized what she was doing.

“Stop it.” She mumbled under her breath. “You don’t need a distraction, Akiku.”

She exited everything and turned the laptop off. The momentum to work was gone.

The sun was still out when she went out of the bathroom after the shower. She has to leave the manor before dark. She knew that Chen would retaliate because he did not have the last word.

Wearing a lacy dress that reached half her thigh, she grabbed the keys to her car and the handbag where she hastily pushed the laptop.

“You must be on the way to get the job done.” Cheng hollered when she passed him by.

She made a face when she smelled the strong scent of iron in the air. He must be having his early dinner.

“So that you won’t starve.” She bellowed back to him.

“That’s because I don’t have to force myself in this family.”

“Shut up, Cheng.”

That was Jun who just came in. His hands were inside the pockets of his plaid trousers.

“Hey, brother. A drink perhaps?”

“Have you seen, Mother?” He asked instead.

“She has not come out of Father’s office.”

Jun nodded before he turned to Akiku who was about to make a beeline to the garage. “Where are you heading, Akiku?”

“Out.”

Just like that, she sprinted towards the car despite the four-inch stiletto in her feet.

Between brothers, she can tolerate Jun. He was civil towards her. He did not show her brotherly affection but he was never mean to her despite knowing that Akiku was a fruit of his father’s infidelity. However, for the rest of the family, she was just a means to a goal that they so wanted. Steven Chen was no exception.