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He folded one last daisy for Millie. He hoped she would understand why he had to do it. Why he had to sell everyone out, even her. He hoped the police would be lenient on her. They wouldn’t charge the younger kids, he was sure of it. But he needed courage. He didn’t know if he could do it alone. It felt impossible, a larger-than-life undertaking that he had to shoulder alone, and he was so tired and so scared. All he wanted was one person, someone he’d connected with in the last few months, whether it be Aimes or Qiang Wen or TJ, to stand by him and tell him that, yes, he was doing the right thing. Someone who could help him show the fakeness of social media, prove that nothing was as it seemed. Someone who could hold his hand and tell him that he was doing the right thing. Because the one thing Xander was, was scared. He was piss-himself-in-his-pants-terrified, and he didn’t know if he could go through with it, but he must. He had to. For the first time, Xander was going to do the right thing.
Epilogue
VERA
“Aiya, not to the left! You covering up the word ‘teahouse’! Right a bit. Too much! Okay. Yes, there. Good.”
“I still think this is a terrible idea,” Selena says.
“Terrible,” Tilly agrees.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Robin says.
“Yeah, and we’d be helping her on the tech side of things,” Adi adds.
“That’s what I was worried about,” TJ mutters.
“I mean, she did uncover an entire human trafficking ring,” Aimes says, “so you should give her some credit.”
“Thank you, Aimes,” Vera says.
“Suck-up,” TJ says, without any real bite.
“I’m the suck-up?” Aimes says. “Who made her the sign?”
TJ stuffs his hands into his pockets and shrugs. “I didn’t have a choice.”
Riki and Oliver finish sticking on the sign and climb down their ladders. The group gaze up at the sign.
Vera clasps her hands to her chest. “Ah,” she says, “isn’t it beautiful?”
Above her shop, the sign now says:
Vera Wang’s World-Famous Teahouse and Private Investigator (Certified)
“Bit of a mouthful,” Winifred the jealous grouch says.
“Jealousy not look good on you,” Vera says tartly.
“Why would I be jealous? I have long line of customer every day coming in for my kimchi cheese croissant. I think if anyone is jealous, is you.”
Vera shoots her a dirty look, but before she can come up with a sharp retort, Sana says, “Well, good job, everyone. Time for some tea?”
“And maybe some of those kimchi cheese croissants?” Penxi says.
Vera glares at her. “Traitor.”
“Sorry. But they’re so good.” She turns to smile at her parents. “Right, Mama, Baba?”
“Yes,” they say. Their arms are linked with hers, as though they can’t bear to let go of her even for a second.
Winifred’s face is seventy percent grin. “I’ll go get them. Don’t you worry.”
Vera harrumphs. “All right, we best go inside then.”
The group, consisting of Vera, Penxi, Penxi’s parents, Sana, Riki, Julia, Emma, Oliver, Selena, Tilly, TJ, Qiang Wen, Robin, Adi, and Aimes, barely fits into the teahouse, but Oliver has brought extra tables and chairs, and they set them up outside. Winifred brings over tray after tray of pastries, and soon everyone is eating and chatting.
“You know,” Oliver says, “this case has grown so big I saw it on the front page of theNew York Timeswebsite.”