Knock, knock, knock…
A dull and rhythmic knocking broke the original silence of the office.
This office, located on one of the higher floors of the Izumimori Building, was spacious and decorated in a cold, minimalist style. The deep gray carpet absorbed most of the sound of footsteps.
Outside the giant floor-to-ceiling windows lay the city’s continuous skyline, and the afternoon sunlight was sliced into parallel gratings by the blinds, casting diagonal shadows onto the polished, dark solid-wood desk.
Rika Kawasaki sat in a large, black, high-backed office chair, her body leaning slightly forward, her gray eyes staring intently at the screen in front of her.
Although, logically speaking, she was currently just an intern in the Marketing Department, the company’s upper management had long known her as the President’s daughter.
Knowing that the President intended to groom her as his successor, they naturally couldn’t let her sit in a cubicle outside with the regular employees like a real intern.
Today, she wore a slim-fit, dark gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing her smooth, shapely forearms.
Hearing the knock, she didn’t even move an eyebrow.
Her gaze remained locked on the screen, and she merely responded in her usual, flat voice without looking up.
“Come in.”
The door was pushed open gently, and Chinatsu Ayase walked in, silently closing the door behind her.
Black hair draped smoothly over Chinatsu Ayase’s shoulders.
Her gaze immediately fell upon Rika Kawasaki behind the desk.
Seeing the other woman still fully focused on the computer screen, not even sparing her one look, a sliver of cold, deliberately suppressed hatred and resentment flashed through the depths of her pale gray eyes — which were identical to Rika’s — like a fleeting crack beneath the surface of ice.
But all these emotions were perfectly restrained. Almost instantly, her face was once again covered with an impeccable smile, tinged with a hint of fawning and closeness.
“Sister,” she said.
She took a few steps forward and stopped a short distance from the desk. Her voice was crisp and filled with a well-timed sense of surprise.
“I just saw your car in the parking lot downstairs, so I knew you were at the company today. I thought I’d come by and say hello.”
Rika Kawasaki’s fingers tapped the keyboard two times before she finally seemed to pull a shred of attention away from her work.
However, she still didn’t look up, and her eyes didn’t even leave the screen.
She simply asked in a tone that was even colder than before, laced with the impatience of being disturbed.
“Is there something you need?”
Such a blunt interrogation would likely have caused anyone else embarrassment or anger.
But the smile on Chinatsu Ayase’s face didn’t falter in the slightest, as if she were already accustomed to this treatment.
She acted as if she hadn’t noticed Rika Kawasaki’s cold, distancing attitude at all.
Instead, her smile brightened a bit, and her voice grew even softer.
“Well… it’s nothing particularly important.” She tilted her head slightly, appearing as if she were reminiscing.
“It’s just… didn’t I happen to run into you and… well, ‘Brother-in-law’ the last time?”
She deliberately emphasized the word “Brother-in-law” and quickly glanced at Rika Kawasaki’s expression.
“At that time, I didn’t even have the chance to formally introduce myself. I felt it was a bit rude. So, I was thinking, could I treat you and Brother-in-law to a meal as a formal introduction? I wonder if you… have the time?”
Only then did Rika Kawasaki’s fingers finally stop tapping the keyboard entirely.
For the first time, her gaze shifted away from the flickering, cold light of the computer screen and slowly lifted, falling on Chinatsu Ayase’s face.
Her gaze was scrutinizing as it swept over the girl’s features, which were inherited from her biological father and were perhaps too delicate and refined for a woman — a straight nose, beautifully shaped thin lips, and especially those pale gray eyes from the same source as her own, which were now filled with seemingly harmless expectation.
To be honest, Rika Kawasaki didn’t like being called “Sister” by Chinatsu Ayase.
However… the title “Brother-in-law” coming from Chinatsu’s mouth and pointing toward that small man unexpectedly failed to provoke her usual repulsion.
In fact… it caused a slight stir somewhere deep in her cold heart, giving her an indescribable sense of possessiveness and satisfaction.
However, practical problems immediately surfaced in her mind.
Since that day at the villa, when Kaoru Hoshitani had used all his strength to slap her before fleeing without looking back, there had been no contact between them.
That resolute retreating figure and those eyes full of resentment would occasionally barge into her mind when she was alone.
Of course, she could go find him.
She knew where he lived. To him, she possessed absolute power and initiative. If she wanted to, she could appear at the door of that small apartment at any time.
But… she hesitated.
An unfamiliar emotion called “confusion” troubled her.
What should she say after going there? Apologize?
She wasn’t used to it, nor did she believe she was wrong. Force him?
That seemed like it would only make things worse, causing a deeper fire of hatred to burn in those little deer eyes.
She realized she had actually begun to care about his feelings and how he viewed her — the realization itself made Rika Kawasaki feel frustrated and confused.
She understood that she seemed to have truly developed feelings for that fragile, beautiful, and stubborn little man, feelings that transcended her initial desire for conquest and physical attraction.
And his hatred for her was like a cold mirror, making her reflect on her actions during this period with some hesitation for the first time.
This unfamiliar introspection and internal conflict were unprecedented for her.
But regardless of the contradictions in her heart, one fact was undeniable.
After not seeing him for less than one week, the longing for Kaoru Hoshitani’s exquisite face and slender body grew wildly in her heart like vines, reaching an almost unbearable level.
Especially since she had just tasted that ultimate, heavenly sensation, she was at the peak of her addiction.
Late last night, in the quiet of the darkness, she had lain in her large yet empty bed.
A small flame seemed to flicker and burn restlessly deep within her body, bringing a frustrating sense of void and heat.
As she tossed and turned, scenes of their physical intimacy surged up uncontrollably, so clear they made her throat go dry.
If she hadn’t felt that such behavior was too embarrassing and inconsistent with her usual strong image, she would have almost been unable to resist using her hand to soothe that agonizing craving, despite never having had such a need in the past.
Therefore, Chinatsu Ayase’s proposal at this moment was like someone handing her a pillow just as she was nodding off.
It gave her the perfect reason and excuse to see the little man who made her heart both troubled and enchanted.
Rika Kawasaki was silent for a few seconds, her finger unconsciously tapping the smooth tabletop.
Her expression still didn’t change, but in her gray eyes, the sharp light seemed to soften slightly.
“Let’s make it tomorrow, then.”
She finally spoke. Her voice was still flat, but compared to her previous pure coldness, it seemed to carry a bit more… of what could be called “consideration.”
A bright light immediately flashed in Chinatsu Ayase’s eyes, as if she were pleased that a scheme had succeeded.
But on the surface, she immediately showed a look of joy and hurriedly responded.
“Great! Then I’ll go book a suitable restaurant right away. Once it’s confirmed, I’ll send the time and location to you, Sister!”
“Mm.”
Rika Kawasaki gave a faint grunt of agreement. Her gaze once again fell on Chinatsu Ayase’s face, which wore a bright smile.
Watching this younger sister, who shared her bloodline but had always been distant, show a nearly ecstatic expression because of her simple agreement, the icy shell around Rika’s heart seemed to melt slightly.
She didn’t actually have many preconceived prejudices or malice toward this younger half-sister.
It was just that her nature was very indifferent toward the binding of family, and her complex upbringing had taught her to habitually keep everyone at a distance.
Naturally, she had never thought about developing a close sisterly relationship with Chinatsu Ayase.
But perhaps it was because of Chinatsu’s continuous, cautious attempts to approach and flatter her during this time, or perhaps… it was because Kaoru Hoshitani’s appearance was like an unexpected ray of light shining into her closed world, unconsciously softening some hardened corners of her heart.
Rika Kawasaki herself hadn’t realized that her attitude toward Chinatsu Ayase was undergoing a subtle, yet very real, change.
“Then I won’t disturb your work, Sister.”
Chinatsu Ayase bowed obediently with a satisfied smile on her face.
She walked out of the office with light steps and gently closed the door.
The heavy solid-wood door shut again, isolating the inside from the outside.
Silence returned to the office, broken only by the low, continuous white noise of the central air conditioning.
However, Rika Kawasaki didn’t immediately return to her work.
She leaned back, sinking into the soft yet supportive high-backed chair.
The back of the chair reclined slightly; she raised one hand and rubbed her brilliant blonde hair with some frustration.
Her gaze lost its focus as she looked out the window at the urban scenery sliced into strips by the blinds.
On the computer screen, the data curves concerning market profits and losses were still blinking silently, but they could no longer capture even half of her attention.
Her thoughts had already drifted far away, flying toward that slender figure with soft black hair and little deer eyes.
‘Tomorrow… I’ll be able to see him.’
Once this thought arose, it was like a stone thrown into a heart-lake, creating ripples that could not be stilled.
A trace of undetectable nervousness, as well as the burning desire stirred up from deep within her body — all sorts of complex emotions intertwined, causing a rare, almost dazed trace of softness to appear between her cold brows, one she hadn’t even noticed herself.