When Chinatsu Ayase saw Rika Kawasaki walk into the restaurant private room, casually unbuttoning her high-quality dark grey long coat and pulling it open…
Although this wasn’t the first time she had seen this man named Kaoru Hoshitani—whether through the private investigator’s photos or the profile she glimpsed from afar on a date last time.
But when the other party was fully revealed before her eyes in such a posture and at such close range, that overly direct, unreserved stunning impact still made her slightly widen her pale grey eyes, her breath hitching imperceptibly for a second.
She saw that beauty leaning weakly against the woman’s broad and solid chest behind him, as if all strength had been drained from his body.
His eyelids seemed heavy as lead, half-closed weakly, and his thick, long eyelashes cast a tired shadow under his eyes, obscuring whatever expression might be in them.
However, in stark contrast to this obvious weakness were the two unnatural patches of bright crimson on his cheeks, like drunkenness or a high fever, spreading to the corners of his eyes and the tips of his ears, adding a strange and fragile “good complexion” to his originally pale face.
It was like a precious flower that blooms with near-death brilliance after being broken by wind and rain.
His lips were slightly parted, panting in small breaths, the moist petals darker than usual and slightly swollen.
Kaoru Hoshitani’s appearance was already blessed, exquisite to the point of unreality.
At this moment, for some reason, he presented a heartbreaking sense of sickness and brokenness, as if he had been subjected to excessive demands.
That delicate chin, the slightly furrowed brow, the few strands of soft black hair sticking to his forehead and neck after sweating—all of it spoke of some unspeakable “encounter.”
This extreme purity and innocence, interwoven with the obvious feeling of being ravaged, formed a fatal contradictory charm, enough to instantly arouse a strong desire for protection in any woman who saw it and…
More secretly, a possessive desire to crush him completely in one’s arms and carefully taste this fragility.
And when Chinatsu Ayase’s gaze followed that beautiful neck line down and glimpsed Kaoru Hoshitani’s neck, which should have been smooth as a swan, the impatience and doubt in her heart due to their arrival nearly an hour and a half late was instantly replaced by another understanding.
Even if she had no actual experience before this, she could completely understand why the two were in this state and why they were tardy.
She saw that fair and delicate skin covered with deep and shallow, shocking marks.
There were fresh red marks, like those left by forceful sucking or biting; bruises turning dark, as if gripped hard by fingers; and some ambiguous, blurred marks, layered over each other, spreading all the way below the clavicle half-hidden by his collar. It was simply “ghastly.”
Anyone seeing this would not misunderstand the origin of these traces.
‘Ms. Saita is probably… still working hard at the company for her new job right now, isn’t she?’
Chinatsu Ayase thought indifferently, while the profile of Aina Saiten working seriously in the office appeared before her eyes.
A trace of extremely fleeting, almost uncapturable sympathy skimmed across the lake of her heart like a dragonfly touching water, but was soon covered by a clearer contempt for Kaoru Hoshitani.
‘I didn’t expect these two to start from the morning… truly impatient.’
In her view, no matter how heavenly his appearance, the man before her eyes snuggling in another woman’s arms with a neck full of cheating marks was, in the end, just a “male slut” fooling around with someone else behind his devoted girlfriend’s back.
Gold on the outside, rot on the inside.
However, what puzzled Chinatsu Ayase was that her sister, Rika Kawasaki, who had always been cold to men—or even sneered at them—would fall for this kind of trash so obsessively.
Is it really just greed for this rare shell?
She observed Rika Kawasaki quietly.
She saw that after her sister sat down, one hand remained firmly around the waist of the man in her arms, and the other rested casually on the back of the chair, a relaxed posture that revealed absolute possession.
And her gaze fell on Kaoru Hoshitani’s lowered side profile most of the time.
In those grey eyes that were always sharp, cold, or aggressive, there was now a kind of nearly clumsy focus and… tenderness that Chinatsu Ayase had never seen before?
Although that tenderness was mixed with unquestionable control, the “care” revealed within it was real.
Rika Kawasaki clearly had true feelings for this man, or at least some strong emotion very close to “true feelings.” This confused Chinatsu Ayase even more.
She didn’t believe that a promiscuous man with only looks and bad morals could so easily tie down Rika Kawasaki’s heart and make her show such rare emotions.
Behind this matter, there must be deeper reasons or entanglements she didn’t know yet…
“It’s okay, Sister, don’t mind it.”
Chinatsu Ayase quickly adjusted her expression, putting that impeccable, understanding smile back on her face, as if she didn’t care about their awkward lateness at all.
“Shall I have the waiter start serving the dishes now? By the way, does Brother-in-law… have any dietary restrictions or anything he particularly likes?”
Her gaze turned to Kaoru Hoshitani, naturally tossing out the title “Brother-in-law” again, while asking carefully, playing the role of a thoughtful “Younger Sister.”
“Hmm…”
Hearing Chinatsu Ayase ask about Kaoru Hoshitani’s dietary restrictions, Rika Kawasaki actually froze for a moment.
She frowned slightly, her gaze landing on the sweat-dampened temples of the person in her arms.
She really didn’t know what this little man couldn’t eat.
Their brief and intense intersection didn’t seem to involve such a daily level.
She only knew the taste of his body, the frequency of his trembling, the tone of his crying, but she didn’t know if he hated cilantro or was allergic to seafood.
However, this problem was simple and crude for her to solve—just order more dishes. If he didn’t like this one, there would always be one he liked.
So she raised her hand to signal the waiter waiting by the door, took the menu, barely looked at the prices, and quickly added several exquisite and delicious-looking dishes with different flavors, making the already rich menu even more extravagant.
In the gap waiting for the food, the silence in the private room was a bit subtle.
Rika Kawasaki also seemed to feel a bit thirsty. She reached out and took the ice water already poured in front of her, drinking it all in one gulp.
The cool liquid slid down her throat, slightly relieving the residual heat in her body.
She poured another half cup, then slightly adjusted Kaoru Hoshitani, who had been leaning limply in her arms, so he could lean against her chest and sit on her lap in a more “proper” posture—although this posture was still undeniably intimate.
Then, she picked up the water, brought it to Kaoru Hoshitani’s unusually colored lips, tried to feed him a little, and ordered in a low, husky voice:
“Drink.”
Chinatsu Ayase, sitting opposite, took in the interaction that was intimate yet domineering, dependent yet submissive, and couldn’t help but raise her carefully trimmed eyebrows slightly.
This natural caring attitude appearing on Rika Kawasaki was surprising enough in itself.
However, the next second, something even more surprising happened.
She saw Kaoru Hoshitani’s lips part extremely slightly after being touched by the rim of the cup, allowing a little ice water to flow into his mouth.
But he held it for a moment, neither swallowing nor reacting further.
Immediately after, those beautiful brows furrowed tighter, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he actually let that mouthful of water flow slowly out from the corner of his mouth intact, carrying a trace of imperceptible resistance, sliding down his chin and dripping onto Rika Kawasaki’s arm wrapped around his waist.
This was clearly intentional, a silent defiance.
“This…”
Chinatsu Ayase revealed a bit of appropriately timed surprise and looked up at Rika Kawasaki.
Sure enough, she found her sister’s expression instantly darkened. The rare softness from before vanished, and a storm gathered in her grey eyes.
Rika Kawasaki specially brought Kaoru Hoshitani to meet Chinatsu Ayase today.
Besides needing an “excuse” to come out, deep down, she might have harbored a tiny bit of secret, almost childish showing-off mentality.
She wanted to hear this nominal sister call Kaoru Hoshitani “Brother-in-law” to her face, as if this could “stamp and confirm” her ownership to some extent and give this twisted relationship a trace of twisted “legitimacy” in front of a third person.
But now, the little man in her arms obviously didn’t intend to humor her, and was even using this passive method to silently resist her and undermine her.
“Drink it.”
Rika Kawasaki brought the cup close again. This time, her tone still sounded flat, but it was already soaked with a cold and clear warning, like undercurrents surging beneath a frozen lake surface.
She could tolerate some of his little temper tantrums and resistance in private; that could even stimulate her desire for conquest to some extent.
But outside, especially in front of someone she knew, this public disobedience that embarrassed her was something she absolutely could not accept.
This challenged her unquestionable authority.
As for Kaoru Hoshitani, facing this woman who had forcibly violated him in his and Aina’s home just a few hours ago, and then brought him here like a kidnapping to play a “couple” in front of others, his heart was only filled with churning disgust and humiliation.
Why should he cooperate with her to act out this disgusting scene?
Why should he play a docile “Brother-in-law” in front of this “sister” who looked like she had deep schemes?
So, he used the strength he could gather at this moment—weak but incredibly clear—to squeeze out a word full of contempt and finality from between his teeth.
The voice wasn’t loud, but it was like a slap, crisply hitting Rika Kawasaki’s face:
“Get lost…”
This word echoed clearly in the elegantly decorated private room.
Chinatsu Ayase gasped appropriately, then immediately lowered her head to hide the gleam of mixed interest and mockery that flashed in her eyes, but her surprise and “shock” had been fully conveyed to Rika Kawasaki.
Feeling the gaze from across the table, seemingly waiting for her reaction, Rika Kawasaki’s face instantly became extremely grim.
It was a mix of shame and anger from being offended, embarrassment from damaged authority, and a deeper stinging pain brought by Kaoru Hoshitani’s rejection.
Her grey eyes narrowed dangerously, the last trace of warmth inside vanishing completely.
The next second, she didn’t try to persuade or threaten with words anymore.
She directly picked up the cup of water, took a large mouthful herself, then clamped her other hand fiercely on the back of Kaoru Hoshitani’s head to prevent any possible dodging, and kissed him ruthlessly with a punishing intent, forcing that mouthful of water over.
This kiss had no tenderness to speak of; it was full of aggression and unquestionable control, more like a humiliating “feeding” and punishment.
“Mmph! Cough, cough…”
Caught off guard, Kaoru Hoshitani choked and let out a short whimpering sound. His already weak body struggled violently once, but like a moth falling into a spiderweb, it was in vain.
He was forced to tilt his head back, his swan-like beautiful neck completely exposed.
The fragile Adam’s apple rolled and slid painfully under the skin, and in the end, unable to resist, he swallowed that mouthful of water along with the woman’s domineering breath.
Only when she felt the little man in her arms tense up from suffocation and stimulation, about to reach his limit, did Rika Kawasaki end this punishing kiss.
She pulled back slightly, watching Kaoru Hoshitani gasping for breath miserably in big mouthfuls like a fish out of water, tears seeping from the corners of his eyes due to the physiological stimulation.
Her thumb wiped away the water stains and suspicious silver threads spilling from the corner of his mouth with a hint of roughness.
Then, she turned her head slightly, pressed her burning lips against Kaoru Hoshitani’s ear, which was so delicate it looked like it could break, and whispered word by word in a low, threatening voice that only the two of them could hear, hot breath spraying on his sensitive ear:
“If you dare throw a tantrum again and embarrass me… we’re skipping dinner and going straight to a hotel. I’ll make you thoroughly remember how to be obedient.”
The implication in her words was naked and cruel, leaving no room for negotiation.