Tsubaki stood up from her seat and turned her body to face the man with a mocking smile spread wide on his face. Old Master Kitaoji and Mr. Goto who were shocked with Kitaoji Masaru"s sudden appearance, felt disbelief with the heavy accusation thrown to the young lady."Don"t slander innocent people, Masaru!" Chairman Kitaoji yelled furiously to his grandson. "I don"t teach you to accuse people of something they don"t do."
"Innocent?" Kitaoji Masaru snickered. "An innocent woman wouldn"t be seen with a man as night fells later. More over, I could see how rich your sugar daddy was seeing the car he drove you home."
Tsubaki narrowed her eyes. She guessed that this a.s.shole had been secretly trailing and saw her with, unmistakably, Mr. Fuse together. She didn"t waver her gaze as she stared directly to Kitaoji Masaru. Slowly, she opened her mouth to speak, enunciating each word carefully.
"On what basis do you have to accuse me as someone"s kept woman? Just because you saw me exiting a luxury car at night?"
"So, you admit to it?" Kitaoji Masaru raised one of his eyebrows.
"I admit to you seeing me in a car with a man but I am not a mistress." She coolly uttered the words, didn"t look distress over such an accusation.
"Don"t make a fool out of yourself, Masaru." Old Master Kitaoji interrupted, ashamed with his grandson"s behaviour. "So what if you see Miss Hanada inside a car with a rich man? It"s her private life. You don"t have the right to meddle with her life."
"As long as the man isn"t engaged or married to another woman, I don"t see a problem with it." Mr. Goto voice out his opinion, backing Tsubaki up.
This idiot grandson of Mr. Kitaoji suddenly barged into their conversation and accused a person based on his own a.s.sumptions. His veins popped up, trying to suppress the urge to land a punch on the man"s smug face. He clenched his fists.
Kitaoji Masaru was taken aback with the backlash he received from his grandfather and one of his tenants. Fury blazed in his eyes as he suffered from the humilation.
"You rejected me for a richer man, I should have known." He crossed his arms. Eyes tried to challenge her steady gaze but she remained level-headed. It irritated him. "If not, you wouldn"t reject me."
What a delusional guy, Tsubaki sighed inwardly.
"So what if he"s richer than you?"
"You...!"
Tsubaki turned around to face Chairman Kitaoji. She didn"t want to be dragged along in Kitaoji Masaru"s delusion. She smiled apologetically to the old man. "I believe we should head back now, Mr. Chairman."
"I wanted to invite you both for lunch but..." Old Master Kitaoji glared at his grandson. "Anyway, please don"t worry about any issue. You guys can depend one me."
"Thank you Mr. Chairman." Both of them bowed before following the a.s.sistant to the main door.
"Miss Hanada!"
"Stop!"
Kitaoji Masaru could only swallow down his anger and humiliation. He had wanted to look down on her but now he had earned his grandfather"s wrath. The old man reprimanded him for behaving rudely to his guests.
He was never a bright person.
Tsubaki and Mr. Goto"s car ride home was filled with happiness. The issue had been resolved and it was clear that Chairman Kitaoji would strip any power off of his grandson for the time being. They didn"t have to worry about him creating troubles unnecessarily again.
"Ah! What a great day!" Mr. Goto looked extremely satisfied as he occasionally humming to the song from the radio. "Finally that brat has been taught lessons!"
Tsubaki laughed. She too was in a joyful mood. "I"m glad Chairman Kitaoji is a sensible man. It"s a pity that his grandson turned like that.
"Yeah. You could at least find a rotten apple in a basket full of the freshly picked ones."
Tsubaki nodded in agreement. A black sheep in a family wasn"t impossible to exist. She could only hope that Kitaoji Masaru would change to be a better man for the sake of his kind grandfather.
"Oh! Excuse me." Tsubaki muttered as her phone rang.
Mr. Fuse.
Her heart skipped a beat. She picked up the call and lowered down her voice.
"h.e.l.lo."
"Hi. Are you out somewhere?"
His mellow voice sent b.u.t.terflies fluttering in her stomach. She could imagine him smiling while talking to her. She unknowingly smiled, earning a curious glance from Mr. Goto.
"Yes. I have a business outside." She felt kind of awkward but it was a welcoming sensation.
"I"m calling to tell you that I"m going to the UK for a business trip. But I"d be there with you during Satsuki"s surgery."
"Okay." Tsubaki added quickly albeit feeling shy. "Be safe."
The man chuckled. "I"ll think of you day and night, till I come home. Good bye."
Tsubaki was left speechless. The man chuckled again and hung up the phone. After some time, she noticed that Mr. Goto was staring at her with a teasing smile.
"Your boyfriend?"
She blushed.