(( Hours later ))
The wedding ceremony had ended at this point.
Victor proceeded to pass through the thinning crowd toward the Bai family's private quarters where he had been summoned.
A hall of dark timber and jade screens was tucked behind the main pavilion.
Inside, the atmosphere was tense.
Bai Yong, Bai Ting Ting's father, stood by the carved altar in robes of deep indigo and silver clasped at his throat.
Beside him, Elder Madame Bai, their grandmother, sat on a high-backed chair of carved rosewood with her hands folded over a jade scepter.
Two other elders, Bai Rui and Bai Zhen, flanked the far side of the low council table with grim expressions.
Victor was ushered immediately to a stool beside Bai Xue, while the senior Bai family gathered in a semi-circle before the altar's pale lotus carvings.
