I sit at my desk, staring at the screen of my laptop. A message from Kung Min glares back at me, its implications heavy in the air. A truce offer. A high-stakes poker game after the official poker games. Negotiations for territory and an end to hostilities.

I drum my fingers on the polished wood as I consider the proposal. It’s tradition, this annual game. A neutral ground where the various families come together, ostensibly for business, but really to size each other up, to test the waters of alliances and enmities. The tension is palpable, and I can’t shake the feeling that something is off.