Knock, knock, knock…
The dull, rhythmic sound of knocking broke the silence of the office.
This office, located on a higher floor of the Izumimori Building, was spacious and decorated in a cold, minimalist style.
The dark gray carpet absorbed most of the sound of footsteps.
Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the city’s skyline stretched endlessly.
The afternoon sunlight was sliced by the blinds into parallel bars of light, casting slanted shadows across the polished, dark, solid-wood desk.
Rika Kawasaki sat in a large, black, high-backed office chair, leaning slightly forward, her gray eyes fixed on the display screen in front of her.
Technically, she was only an Intern in the Market Department, but the company’s upper management had known her as the President’s daughter for a long time.
They knew the President was grooming her to be the Successor, so they naturally wouldn’t let her sit in a cubicle outside like a normal employee.
Today, she wore a form-fitting dark gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing the smooth lines of her forearms.
When she heard the knocking, she didn’t even move an eyebrow.
Her gaze remained locked on the screen, and she responded in her usual, flat voice without looking up, “Come in.”
The door was pushed open gently, and Chinatsu Ayase walked inside, silently closing the door behind her.
Chinatsu’s long black hair draped softly over her shoulders. Her gaze immediately fell on Rika behind the desk.
Seeing Rika still focused on her computer screen, not even sparing her a glance, a flicker of cold, suppressed hatred and resentment flashed deep within Chinatsu’s pale gray eyes—eyes that were identical to Rika’s—like a sudden crack beneath the surface of ice.
However, she masked these emotions perfectly.
Almost instantly, her face resumed its impeccable smile, one tinged with a hint of flattery and closeness.
“Sister,” she said.
She took a few steps forward and stopped a short distance from the desk.
Her voice was crisp, carrying just the right amount 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 to say hello.”
Rika’s fingers tapped the keyboard two more times before she finally seemed to pull a shred of attention away from her work.
Yet, she still did not look up. Her eyes didn’t even leave the screen as she asked in a tone even colder than before, one laced with the annoyance of being interrupted, “Is there something you need?”
If anyone else had heard this blunt questioning, they would have likely felt embarrassed or angry.
But the smile on Chinatsu’s face didn’t waver for a second, as if she were long accustomed to this treatment.
She acted as if she hadn’t noticed Rika’s distant and cold attitude at all.
Instead, her smile brightened slightly, and her tone became even gentler.
“Well… it’s nothing particularly important.” She tilted her head slightly, appearing as if she were reminiscing. “It’s just that… last time, didn’t I happen to run into you and… well, ‘Brother-in-law’?”
She intentionally emphasized the word ‘Brother-in-law’ and caught a quick glimpse of Rika’s expression.
“I didn’t have time to introduce myself properly back then, and I felt quite rude. So, I was wondering if I could invite you and Brother-in-law to dinner? It would be an official introduction. I don’t know if you… have the time, Sister?”
Only then did Rika’s fingers finally stop moving across the keyboard.
Her gaze shifted away from the cold glow of the computer screen for the first time, slowly lifting to meet Chinatsu’s face.
Her gaze was scrutinizing, sweeping over the girl’s features.
Chinatsu had inherited their father’s looks, which were almost too delicate and refined for a woman—a straight nose, beautifully shaped thin lips, and especially those pale gray eyes that shared the same origin as her own.
Right now, those eyes were filled with seemingly harmless expectation.
To be honest, Rika did not like being called “Sister” by Chinatsu Ayase.
However… the term “Brother-in-law” coming from Chinatsu’s mouth and pointing toward that small man didn’t cause her any repulsion.
In fact… it caused something deep within her cold heart to stir slightly, giving her an indescribable sense of satisfaction and possession.
Yet, a practical problem immediately rose to the surface of her mind.
Since Kaoru Hoshitani had used all his strength to slap her in that Villa a few days ago before fleeing without looking back, they hadn’t been in contact.
That resolute back and those eyes filled with resentment would occasionally invade her mind whenever she was alone.
She could find him, of course.
She knew where he lived. To him, she held absolute power and initiative.
As long as she wanted to, she could appear at the door of that small Apartment at any time.
But… she hesitated.
A strange emotion called “uncertainty” troubled her.
What should she say once she got there?
Apologize?
She wasn’t used to that, nor did she believe she was in the wrong.
Force him?
That would only seem to make things worse, stoking the fire of hatred in those Little Deer Eyes.
She realized she had actually started to care about his feelings and how he viewed her—this realization itself made Rika feel frustrated and confused.
She realized she had truly developed feelings for that delicate, beautiful, and stubborn little man that surpassed 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 a hint of hesitation for the first time.
This unfamiliar introspection and inner turmoil were unprecedented for her.
But regardless of her internal contradictions, one fact could not be denied.
Having not seen him for less than one week, her craving for Kaoru Hoshitani’s exquisite face and slender body grew like wild vines in her heart, reaching an almost unbearable level.
This was especially true because she had just tasted that ultimate, heavenly pleasure; she was currently at the peak of her addiction.
Late last night, in the silence of the night, she had lain in her large but empty bed.
A flicker of flame seemed to be restlessly dancing and burning deep within her body, bringing an irritating sense of emptiness and heat.
As she tossed and turned, images of their skin-to-skin contact surged up uncontrollably, so vivid they left her mouth dry.
If she didn’t feel that such behavior was too embarrassing and beneath her usual powerful image, she would have almost been unable to resist using her hand to soothe that agonizing desire—even though she had never had such a need in the past.
Therefore, Chinatsu’s current proposal was like a pillow being handed to someone who was falling asleep.
It gave her the perfect reason and excuse to see the little man who made her so flustered and obsessed.
Rika remained silent for a few seconds, her finger unconsciously tapping the smooth surface of the desk.
Her expression didn’t change much, but the sharp light in her gray eyes seemed to soften slightly.
“Then let’s make it tomorrow,” she finally spoke.
Her voice was still flat, but compared to the pure coldness from before, it seemed to hold a hint of… consideration.
A light immediately flashed in Chinatsu’s eyes, as if she were pleased that her plan had succeeded.
On the surface, however, she immediately showed a look of joy and quickly replied, “Great! Then I’ll go and book a suitable restaurant right away. Once it’s confirmed, I’ll send the time and location to you, Sister!”
“Okay.”
Rika gave a faint response, signaling her agreement.
Her gaze once again fell on Chinatsu’s face, which was wearing a bright smile.
Seeing this sister, who shared her bloodline but had always been distant, show a nearly ecstatic expression just because of a simple agreement, another layer of the ice-like shell around Rika’s heart seemed to melt silently.
She didn’t actually have many preconceived prejudices or malice toward this half-sister.
It was just that her nature regarding the binding of “family” was naturally very thin.
Combined with her complex upbringing, she was used to keeping everyone at a distance, and she had never thought about developing a close sisterly relationship with Chinatsu.
But perhaps it was because of Chinatsu’s continuous, cautious efforts to get close and please her lately… or perhaps it was because Kaoru Hoshitani’s appearance was like an unexpected beam of light shining into her closed world, unknowingly softening certain hard corners of her heart.
Rika herself hadn’t realized that her attitude toward Chinatsu was undergoing a very slow but real and subtle change.
“Then I won’t disturb your work any longer, Sister.”
Chinatsu bowed politely, a satisfied smile on her face.
She retreated from the office with light steps and gently closed the door.
The heavy solid-wood door shut again, isolating the inside from the outside.
The office returned to its previous silence, with only the low, continuous white noise of the central air conditioning.
Rika didn’t return to her work immediately.
She leaned back, sinking into the soft yet supportive high-backed chair.
As the chair tilted back slightly, she raised a hand and irritably ran it through her brilliant blonde hair.
Her gaze lost its focus, drifting toward the urban scenery outside, which was 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 a shred 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 that thought arose, it was like a stone thrown into a heart-shaped lake, sending out ripples that could not be calmed.
A trace of undetectable apprehension, along with the burning desire stirred up deep in her body—all sorts of complex emotions intertwined.
It caused a rare trace of softness, a look of near-distraction that even she didn’t notice, to surface on her cold brow.