"That"s it?""En."
"Is that really it?"
"Yes, sweetheart."
Tsubaki got up from Ren, she looked at him in suspicions. Her head tilted slightly, her eyes narrowed with a hint of wariness in them. Seeing how serious she appeared at this moment, Ren couldn"t help but laugh.
"Why? Don"t you believe me?" Ren propped himself up on an elbow, the corners of his lips hung up.
"Yes! You didn"t say anything afterward!" Tsubaki crossed her hands, she was obviously displeased. "You stopped telling me after the confession! How did I react? Did I accept you right away?"
"Hm... Ha," Ren let out a laugh. He extended his hand and pulled her back to his side. "It"s already late. Go to sleep first. I"ll continue some other day."
"No..."
Tsubaki tried to resist but her husband didn"t allow her to have another say. He firmly locked her in his embrace, refusing her from escaping as he stroked her hair. As time pa.s.sed, her struggle lessened and she finally fell asleep. Once he heard her breath turned steady, Ren loosened his hold on her a little to avoid from suffocating his wife.
A funny smile spread on his face as he recalled her dissatisfaction. He really stopped the story there on purpose.
He wasn"t ready to tell her how embarra.s.sing the situation had become. After he blurted out the confession, Tsubaki was so surprised it made him blushed as he never did in his entire life. He tried playing it cool by saying they should hurry and return home but as always, she would surprise him back.
"Silly! I"ve been waiting for so long for you to confess to me! Ren, I love you too."
That was how she replied back to him. She had even laughed at the sight of him froze on the ground with all of his limbs went stiff. It was she who initiated to take his hand and pull him back to return home. Her words followed as he silently walked by her side with his face still flushed like a schoolboy who had just got together with his crush.
"So, now, I"m your lover, alright?"
She was the cool one back then! How could he admit that he had lost?
Ren"s smile widened as a sense of belonging spread in his heart. He looked down, seeing how peaceful she was in her sleep. His fingertips lightly traced the outline of her nose before they fell on her lips.
"Well," Ren whispered in the quiet night. His dark eyes were clouded with a layer of tenderness. "I won"t tell you how cool you were back then. I"m not going to lose face again, okay?"
Ren laughed again before he leaned down and pressed a kiss on her forehead. Then, he went to sleep with peacefulness enveloped his heart as he embraced her to sleep.
As the soft morning light started slipping through the crack of the curtains, the husband and wife slowly woken up from their sleep. Their breakfast had already been prepared by the time they went downstairs. Once they were done eating, Hibiki arrived to get them. He secretly eyed his Boss" satisfied expression and deemed that today he might wouldn"t need to suffer another round of overtime.
"En? You said you would meet Miss Esumi today?" Ren diverted his attention from his schedule, he looked at his wife who was holding her phone right in front of her.
"Yes. Do you think it"s okay?" Tsubaki placed her phone back in her purse.
"It"s alright to me but, are you really ready to meet Mr. Saito and ask him the truth?" His brows furrowed, he couldn"t help but feel restless as he tried to imagine his wife"s encounter with the man later. "If you aren"t ready, we could postpone it to another day."
"No, I"m alright. I will meet him today," replied Tsubaki with a resolute smile. She had made up her mind to confront Saito Hajime as soon as she could so she wouldn"t back down from it without a clear reason.
Ren knew he couldn"t persuade his wife otherwise. In the end, he could only smile helplessly.
"Alright, I believe you would sort out this matter properly," Ren typed on his tablet and pressed a few keys before he returned his attention to Tsubaki. "I"ve sent you what Akashi has found regarding him. Read the doc.u.ments first. They could be used as evidence if he tried to deny anything."
"Okay~" Tsubaki heard notifications rang from her phone. Without looking at them, she knew it was the doc.u.ments her husband mentioned.
"But..."
"En?" Tsubaki stared at Ren"s side profile. He was looking out of the car window at his side. Her brows arched in a question.
"I don"t think he would mean harm to you," Ren crossed his arms, he looked deep in thought before he continued speaking, "Even though he really didn"t want you to seek for the truth as the note has stated, it might be because he understood how the truth would impact you. And, from looking at how he lived his life so far, there were no traces of shady dealings even for a bit. He"s a really an upright man."
Tsubaki pondered for a moment, she nodded in agreement. Even though she hadn"t had any chance to have a close interaction with Saito Hajime, from the stories Kanako had told her, it was obvious the man was just a man of law. Even though he wanted to deceive them with his appearance, why did he boldly appeared in front of her since he knew she would get to know the truth eventually?
"I"ll meet Kanako at a private dining room," Tsubaki took her handbag, getting ready to get off of the car. They had arrived at the bakery. "I"ll call you if anything happens."
"Okay." Ren patted her head and smiled, trying to ease her nerves. "Be careful."
"Alright."
Tsubaki pecked his lips once before she quickly fled from the car. Ren was dumbfounded. He had just wanted to hug her yet she already left as soon as she could. He laughed helplessly. Once he saw she had entered the bakery safely, he instructed Hibiki to head to the company.
In the afternoon, Kaede drove Tsubaki to the designated restaurant where she would meet Kanako. Since it was already lunch hour, the tables inside the restaurant were already filled by men and women who dressed in expensive outfits. This place was suggested by Kanako so Tsubaki wasn"t surprised to see the interior of the restaurant which outrightly smelled money. There were even tables outside for the customers who wanted to enjoy the beautiful scenery surrounding the restaurant.
"h.e.l.lo, I"m here under Miss Esumi"s reservation," Tsubaki approached the cashier at the counter. He was a young man, not much older than Satsuki.
"Please wait for a minute, miss," The waiter returned her smile politely before he went to check the reservation. "A waiter will bring you to Room No. 5. Please wait inside."
"Thank you."
Another young waiter led Tsubaki to the room. They pa.s.sed the large dining hall and went straight to the hallway where the private dining rooms were located. The brightly lit hallway appeared radiant yet it couldn"t help in calming her heart.
The room which Kanako booked was a 4-person dining room. Tsubaki sat at one of the chairs, she glanced at her surroundings. It was no different from the 5-star hotel"s restaurant where Ren would occasionally bring her. She didn"t need to guess that each dish here came with a high price.
The waiter poured a gla.s.s of water for Tsubaki before leaving. Tsubaki took a sip to moisten her parched throat. She waited for a few minutes before the door was opened from the outside. A familiar face came in her line of sight.
"I"m sorry for being late," Kanako quickly stepped inside the room. Before she took a seat, she began to interrogate her friend. "He"s waiting outside. Do you want me to pretend that I"ve forgotten something in the car? I have deliberately left my favorite lipstick in the car."
Tsubaki didn"t know whether she wanted to laugh or cry hearing Kanako"s plan. She gestured for her to sit. "Just tell him to come here. It"s not like I want to hide anything."
"En... alright."
Kanako called Saito Hajime and immediately told him to come inside the restaurant. She didn"t forget to ask him to retrieve the lipstick for her. It was essential when she wanted to reapply her lipstick after her meal later.
Within a few minutes, the man came under the guidance of the same waiter who led Tsubaki earlier. He cast an indifferent gaze to Tsubaki before he went to Kanako"s side. He placed the lipstick on the table.
"Is there anything else you need, Miss?" His cold voice echoed in the small dining room. His posture remained straightened, making him appeared bulkier than usual.
"Sit down," Tsubaki took the opportunity to speak. She calmly looked at the stoic man. "I have a few things to ask you."
"What could a mere bodyguard do to help you, Mrs. Fuse?" Saito Hajime lightly turned his head toward Tsubaki, she could see a faint smile hung on his thin lips. "I don"t see any danger in this private room."
"You should already know what I want to ask you about," Under the man"s cold gaze, Tsubaki kept being level-headed. This man was quite similar to her husband. Their cold aura was to mask their warm nature which they only showed to the person closed to them.
Saito Hajime paused to think before a tiny smirk curved on his face. "If that"s what your lady needs, I shall heed to your request."
Kanako stood up the moment Saito Hajime pulled out a chair beside her seat. She stared at the two people, as she was weighing her thoughts. "Well, I"ll wait outside. It seems that what you need to talk about is private."
"I don"t mind you know about it, Kanako," Tsubaki smiled gratefully to her friend. "But, I"m not sure whether Mr. Saito would agree. What do you say, Mr. Saito?"
"I have nothing to hide from Miss," The man answered perfunctorily. His eyes were still cold and indifferent when he looked at Kanako who was waiting for his answer. "If you wanted to hear it, please take your sit back."
"Then, I won"t hold back," replied Kanako at once. She sat down beside Tsubaki.
Two waiters came to deliver food. Kanako had ordered them when she called to book the room. A spread of delicious food was waiting to be indulged yet none of them have the mood to eat.
In the side, Kanako looked nervously at Tsubaki and Saito Hajime who were currently staring at each other without showing any sign to speak.
"I won"t beat around the bush, Mr. Saito. Were you the one who slipped this note inside my bag the other day?"
Tsubaki finally broke the silence. She took the small paper from her bag and placed it in front of the man. The paper was slightly crumpled but the message on its surface was still clear.
Without batting an eyelid, Saito Hajime nodded. "It was me."
Tsubaki was amused to hear such a direct admission. Her husband was right. A man like Saito Hajime was actually waiting for the right time to disclose this matter. He wasn"t a bad guy in this situation. He was just silently observing the situation around him before making a move.
"Is the truth that you mentioned regarding my birth parents?" At this point, Tsubaki decided it was useless to dilly-dallying. She wanted to ask why did he was so concerned about her knowing the truth yet she thought it would be best to start with her father and mother. "Did you know Fujioka Masami and Saeki Takahisa?"
Silence ensued in the room once the question fell. The man"s eyes finally showing a hint of emotion. Tsubaki could tell it was sorrow, the feeling she had been accustomed to since the day she knew she wasn"t her adopted parents" birth daughter. Since then, whenever she needed to face her past, sorrow would inevitably build in her heart.
After what seemed a long period of silence, the man finally spoke. His voice was much lower than before. The sharpness of his eyes lessened as he focused on the woman sitting opposite him.
"Saeki Takahisa is my deceased uncle."
His honest confession shocked Tsubaki. Her eyed dilated and her lips parted.
The time stopped ticking.
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