Kiyohira has been waiting for this moment.
It"s been nearly a month since he invited Chisa to have lunch with him for the first time. For more than a month, he"s been keeping Rie confined in the bedroom. He told Ren and her father about the situation. There were Chisa"s people watching and waiting for Rie to come out. Ren has been keeping a watch on Chisa"s action and the hacker who was behind her.
"I will show it to you now." She gets back into his car. He looks at her with "confusion" before sitting on the driver"s seat. She places her phone in front of him. "Follow the directions."
"What"s this about?" He asks her quietly.
"You will know." She replies with excitement, "Divorce proceedings are taking too long. I know a better way to convince her to sign the papers. You will know when we reach there."
Honestly, she can"t wait anymore. Rie must be acting like this because she sent those photos and the recording. She should have let Kiyohira deal with Rie alone. Then, her method is better and faster. She"s sure that Kiyohira will remain by her side. "I will introduce you to my friends."
Her friends. He already knows who they are.
Two hours are gone. They stop the car on a quiet road. He walks beside her. The time is 11 PM. They walk for half an hour. She walks right into an alley. She stops in front of a metal door.
"Kiyohira, you might get shocked." She sounds proud. "But you won"t regret choosing me over her. There are things that only I can offer you. If you want more power, I can give it to you. There"s nothing impossible in my world."
"I am looking forward to seeing it." Kiyohira is honest. She smiles widely at him. The guard gives them a solemn nod. Kiyohira lets her lean closer to him. In the past month, they have held hands and hugged sometimes. He didn"t do anything more to her. Probably, that"s why she trusts him more.
She knocks on the door. Morikawa opens it. He furrows his brows when he sees Kiyohira standing beside her. "Has.h.i.+moto San, you..."
It"s so sudden that he can"t finish his words. There are guests inside. She was supposed to come alone.
"It"s alright, Morikawa." Chisa grins at Kiyohira. "He chose me over her."
Morikawa pinches his lips together. She shouldn"t have brought someone new suddenly. n.o.body is aware of this. Has.h.i.+moto Chisa has been making a lot of mistakes lately. Ever since Rie and Kiyohira got married, she hasn"t been acting like her usual self.
Chisa ignores him and pulls Kiyohira along with her. As they enter the house, Kiyohira taps the crown of his wrist.w.a.tch. Somewhere far away, the signal blinks twice on the screen.
The walk through the living room. He can hear the faint piano music in the air. He recognizes this piece - Beethoven"s Silence.
She pauses once. She turns around and looks into Kiyohira"s eyes. He hasn"t asked her any question. There"s silent acceptance in his eyes. She smiles foolishly and tiptoes to peck his lips. Kiyohira closes his eyes and inhales sharply. He didn"t expect that she would do that. He smiles at her "affectionately".
"Just a peck isn"t enough for me."
She blushes and turns away from him. It"s not enough for her either. Despite the way she looks and dresses up, she has never been with a man that way. n.o.body caught her eye except Kiyohira.
She pushes the door. Kiyohira has antic.i.p.ated for a long time. The missing piece is finally in front of him. He has never been prepared to see this.
Under the luxurious chandelier, the one who is playing the sad piano piece is only wearing golden chains. Shackled, there are bruises all over that young boy"s body. His eyes are soulless. The piano keys are covered with his blood.
Men and women from the elite cla.s.s of the society are sitting and drinking wine. They are laughing and chatting like there"s nothing wrong with the environment. They, who demand respects from the society, are unperturbed by the young men and women walking around with battered bodies. He hears the faint screams coming from behind the closed doors.
He did hear about people who provide escort services. There are strange clubs too. But this... what the h.e.l.l is this? Those young men and women"s eyes are empty. That gla.s.sy emptiness reminds him of Rie. That"s the look that he never wants to see in her eyes again.
"This is my world, Kiyohira." Chisa"s fingers slip between the gaps of his fingers. She squeezes her hand once. "I trust you fully. Kiyohira, I have realized that I have loved you for a long time. You are the only one who didn"t come to me with a hidden agenda."
A man in a blue suit walks to them. He is the same age as Imamura Ken, but he"s a lot different than his secretary. He bows to Chisa and Kiyohira. "Has.h.i.+moto San, you are always pleasing to the eyes."
Chisa smiles coldly. "Nis.h.i.+hara, you have done a good job."
After Miwako was gone, Nis.h.i.+hara Sotaro was chosen to take her place by her secretary Morikawa. He"s young but brilliant. Still, she can"t trust him. Morikawa and Nis.h.i.+hara can never come close to Miwako"s loyalty.
"Kiyohira, this is Nis.h.i.+hara Sotaro who handles this business in my absence." She finds Kiyohira calmer than she expected him to be. That makes her more confident of him. Kamiyama Kiyohira is different from average men. When he nearly killed her in the hospital ward, she saw the darkness in those eyes. She knows that he belongs to her ranks.
Kiyohira gives a subtle nod to Nis.h.i.+hara who smiles back politely. Nis.h.i.+hara looks at Morikawa. Morikawa sighs and gives him a nod.