I make it to my father’s house.
Though I’m late, so the whole breakfast thing is over and everyone has moved on to doing their chores.
Mio tells me that Akira is with Father in his office and invites me to join her while she trains.
“Not this time.” My attention is focused on the second story where my father’s office is.
My sister’s shoulders hunch and she fingers her bamboo sword. “Is something wrong, Onee-chan?”
“Nah,” I say absentmindedly.
“Are you mad at me because I agreed to marry the Russian?”
I break eye contact with the building and stare back at her. Sometimes, I forget just how delicate my little sister is, and I don’t only mean physically. Yes, she has soft cheekbones, a small nose and lips, and huge almond eyes, but she’s also fragile on the inside.
Despite her love for kendo, Mio is the type who bawls her eyes out while watching an emotional scene in a movie. She’s also a bit naive, always finding the best in people before the worst. No clue where she got that trait from, because everyone surrounding her is monstrous. My father is at the top of that list.
“No, of course not, Mio. I’m mad at Father, not you.”
“But I agreed to it. I’m fine with it.”
“You think you’re fine with it, but you don’t know those people or how dangerous they are.”
“I can take care of myself. I’m not a baby.”
It’s useless to tell her that she doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into. She might be sheltered, but she’s as determined and rigid as one of her damn swords. She takes after our bastard father.
So I’ll just work on resolving this from the background without getting her involved.
“Okay, fine.”
She narrows her eyes. “You’re brushing me off.”
“How could I do that to my cute little Mio?” I take her chin and shake her by it, causing her to smile before she pulls away.
“You’re doing it again, Nee-chan.”
“Doing what again?”
“Treating me like I’m a little girl.”
“Sorry. I guess you’ll always be my baby sister.”
“I’m grown up.”
“Yes, you are.” And that’s not a good thing. Knowing my father, he’ll eventually find a way to thrust her into a situation that will break her.
But not if I’m there for her.
“Nee-chan?”
“Yeah?”
“I…saw him.”
“Who?”
“The man Papa wants me to marry. His name is Damien Orlov and he’s a leader in the Bratva.”
“How the hell did you see him?”
“I just…did.”
“You don’t even go out, Mio.”
She bites her lower lip. “I do sometimes.”
“And? How did you see this Damien?”
“I happened to run into him.” I don’t miss the hesitation at the end or how her throat bobs with a swallow.
“Mio…did he do something to you?”
“He was big, Onee-chan. Like huge. He was bigger than anyone I’ve seen. He’s even bigger than Kai. I didn’t think anyone could be bigger than Kai.”
“That’s because you don’t know the world.”
“But I want to.” A spark shines in her eyes and she fingers her sword. “I need to, Nee-chan, and if I stay with Papa, I won’t be able to.”
“And you think marrying this Damien would be the magical solution?”
“No, but at least it would be my choice.”
It’s not. It’s Father’s choice, but I don’t get to tell her that as she excuses herself and leaves, her shoulders snapped in a line.
As soon as she disappears from view, I let my smile drop and take the steps two at a time until I reach my father’s office.
Ren stands in front of it wearing a suit without a tie. He touches his black dot earring when I come into view and glares at me.
I let my lips stretch into a taunting smile. “Are you here for Father or your lover?”
“Shut the fuck up,” he hisses, searching his surroundings. “And that psycho isn’t my lover.”
“Looked like it when he was cutting you up while doing…other things.”
“You obviously liked watching. Are you a psycho as well?”
“I could be, especially after what you did seven years ago. How does it feel to be helpless and at the mercy of someone stronger than you, Ren? Does it burn? Does it hurt? Do you feel like your insides will explode from frustration?”
“I’m not helpless. I can kill the bastard anytime I want.”
“And be killed by my father in return?”
“Maybe it’d be worth it to get rid of the vermin.”
“Maybe you’re lying to yourself, because if you wanted to kill Akira, you would’ve done so already.”
“Or maybe I’m biding my time.”
I place a hand on his shoulder and lean close enough to make his eyes widen and his mind probably question what I’m doing.
“I pity you for gaining Akira’s interest, Ren. I really do. But if you get in my way or threaten me and Sebastian again, whether solo or under your bosses’ orders, I’ll destroy you like you did me seven years ago. I fucking promise you that.”
“Am I included in that threat?” Kai’s suave voice cuts through the tension between me and Ren. I step back, but only after I know he’s gotten the message loud and clear.
Ren stiffens, probably wondering how much Kai has heard. I can tell he’s ashamed of his unorthodox liaisons with Akira. And on top of that, he’s aware that if my father’s second-in-command learns about it, he’ll definitely cut him to pieces.
“I don’t know.” I face Kai and cross my arms over my chest. “You saved my life, but you stole it away from me later, so it’s always a gray area with you. But if you get Sebastian involved again, I won’t hesitate to bury you, just as I will Ren.”
“You’re wise, Ojou-sama, but you might want to save that talk for the one who matters.” He motions at the door of the office.
With a deep breath, I knock, then go inside without waiting for approval.
The office is done in shades of green and brown. There are bookshelves stuffed with more antiques than actual books, and countless paintings and calligraphies decorate the walls. Kai once told me that my father got those priceless paintings from the black market and sometimes uses them as transaction money instead of actual cash.
Some of them have values that go into the hundreds of thousands. As a wedding gift, my father gave us calligraphy that cost millions of dollars.
I don’t know where Akira put it or if he even kept it. I’ve sure as hell never asked about it.
My father and my husband sit around the coffee table, drinking tea and talking animatedly in Japanese.
When they notice me, their conversation comes to halt. A bright spark shines in my future ex-husband’s eyes. He probably thinks I came here for him and to honor the deal we made seven years ago.
Well, he has another thing coming.
“Breakfast was half an hour ago, Naomi,” my father reprimands.
“She had an emergency, Hitori-san,” Akira lies on my behalf.
“Not really. I just don’t see why I should have breakfast with you when I hate you, Father.”
His cheeks redden and he grips the teacup tighter. If there’s anything Abe Hitori despises more than being defied, it’s being disrespected, especially in public where it’s considered a humiliation. Due to his control-freak tendencies and role in the Yakuza, he’s used to having his demands met.
“Do you have a death wish?” he grinds out.
Maybe that’s exactly what I have, because right now, pressure is building inside me. Or maybe it’s been festering there for years. Either way, it needs a release.
I need a release.
I need to finally drop the mask and be me again.
I need to be the Naomi who didn’t let anyone walk all over her, because that’s what her mom taught her.
“Akira and I need to talk,” I say.
“We already talked, dear wife, and you chose to disobey me, so I had Abe here send for your lover. We don’t want her to ruin our partnership, do we, Hitori-san?”
“Indeed, Mori-san.” My father glares at me. “You should’ve known better than to test us.”
My legs shake and it takes everything in me to not fall to the ground. “S-send for him? What do you mean by send for him?”
“It means he’s in our custody.” My father reaches for a remote and turns on the TV. I cease breathing when a cell comes into view.
And not just any cell.
The same cell that Sebastian and I were locked in seven years ago.
Only, this time, I’m not there. Sebastian is. Alone.
On the ground.
Unmoving.
Oh, God.
No, no, no…
For years, I had nightmares about this same scene every single night. In my dreams, I would miss him so much and have a moment of weakness and go to him. I would kiss him, touch him, sleep in his arms, but then my father and Akira would always kill him.
Right in front of me so I would learn a lesson.
The reason I had to resist Sebastian was for this exact reason. I preferred breaking and stomping all over my own heart so he wouldn’t end up in this position again.
I foolishly believed I could change things. That I could finally be with him despite everything.
But I’m late.
Too late.
My hands tremble and my eyes sting with unshed tears as I stare at the screen. A burning sensation rushes to the surface, threatening to spill over.
No. Please.
Please, Sebastian. You can’t leave me now after I finally found you again.
“He’s not dead,” Akira announces. “But he will be if you don’t keep your part of the deal.”
A tinge of relief expands in my chest, but it’s short-lived at the lurking threat behind Akira’s words.
I knew he disliked being threatened, that he hates not having the upper hand and the control that comes with it, but I pushed his buttons anyway and now he’s making me pay.
“Neither you nor anyone else will threaten my business, Naomi. Do you hear me?” My father points at the screen, at Sebastian’s inert body. “That little bastard should’ve died twenty-two years ago for his parents’ sin, but I spared his life for his grandparents’ money. Turns out, it was never worth it and he should’ve joined his thieving mother.”
I stare between Akira and my father, dumbfounded.
“I told you. It goes way back.” My husband motions at a calligraphy hidden by the plant in the corner of the office.
My eyes widen when I read the words in Japanese.
The weak are meat. The strong eat.
Those are the exact words on Sebastian’s Japanese tattoo. The same words that he lived by all this time—probably since he was a kid.
“You knew Sebastian’s parents?” I ask in a choked voice.
“Only his thieving mother.” My father takes a sip of his tea. “She was an assistant at one of our branches that we use as a front to ship illegal paintings. When she found out about that painting which was worth three million at the time, she got greedy and stole it right after the art expert announced its authenticity. She was smart enough to replace it with a forgery and we didn’t know until the buyer hired his expert and he told him it was a fake. We figured out she was the thief and hired the truck that hit them. The cause of death was a car accident. As easy as that.”
I stumble and catch myself at the last second. The reality of my father’s words hit me hard and fast. He killed Sebastian’s parents. My father is the reason he was orphaned at a young age and turned out the way he is now.
“You’re a monster! How could you do that to a child?”
“His mother stole from me. No one fucking steals from me.”
“But Sebastian was there! He was only six years old.”
“And he was supposed to die, too, but we used him to milk ransom money from his rich grandparents. Now, I’m thinking that wasn’t a very good idea. Don’t you agree, Mori-san?”
“No, probably not. We wouldn’t have been in this predicament if he’d died at that time. But then again, it wouldn’t be this much fun either.”
Fun.
Does he really think all of this is fun?
I’ll show him what fun is like.
“Are you going to get in line, Naomi?” my father asks in a calm tone. “Or should I finish off the life I spared?”
“I’ll do as you want. Let him go.” My voice is apathetic, but it’s not defeated. Sheer determination like I’ve never felt before pulses in my veins and flows through my raging bloodstream.
This time, it won’t go as they dictate.
“No. Not until Akira signs the contract he’s here for and you go back to Japan. And we make sure you’re not keeping in touch with him.”
“But that could take weeks!”
“So be it.” He raises his teacup to Akira, who returns the gesture.
I glare at them both, then turn around and leave.
As soon as I close the door behind me, I’m tempted to slide to the ground and weep.
That’s what I did seven years ago.
The day of my wedding, I locked myself in a closet and cried for hours.
But that didn’t bring me a solution. That didn’t let me live in peace or bring me back what I’d lost.
Action does. And it’s time I take it.
I stare at Ren and he stares right back, though warily. He touches his pierced ear, then the tattoos on his neck.
“What do you want, Ojou-sama?” he asks in a mocking tone, even though he’s clearly wary of me.
“A truce.”
“Ha. A truce? You just threatened me.”
“Which is why I’m asking for a truce.”
“And what makes you think I want it?”
“You have as much to lose in this as I do. Akira has the upper hand in your relationship, doesn’t he?”
His jaw clenches. “Are you sure this is you asking for a truce?”
“Yes. Because I understand what he can be like. He must’ve gathered all your weaknesses in a neat file that he uses to threaten you with whenever he thinks you’ve crossed a line. He’s controlling you and playing with you, and you hate it. After all, you’re a free spirit not meant to be shackled, caged, or controlled.”
Ren’s lips purse.
I step closer, softening my voice. “He doesn’t feel, Ren. Take it from me. I’ve lived with him for seven years. So when the fun he’s having with you is over, he’ll just toss you aside as if you never existed. By that time, he’ll make sure to break both your dignity and spirit so you have nothing left. And just like that, he’ll move on to his next pastime.”
Though Akira is capable of all of those things and more, he wouldn’t do that to Ren. I know it’s different with him—I can sense it—but I need to rile Ren up so he’s on my side. Besides, I was right about how much Ren hates Akira’s controlling nature. He was always a rebellious soul and my soon-to-be ex-husband is killing that part of him.
My father’s guard clenches and unclenches his fists before he releases a long sigh. “What do you want?”
“I’m glad you asked.”
I lean over to whisper the plan in his ear. After this, I have to pay a visit to the only people who will help Sebastian.
Even if it means throwing my dignity out the window for it.
