No matter how much mental preparation Kaoru Hoshitani did or how many seemingly reliable promises he received, Rika Kawasaki had left an indelible mark on the deepest part of his heart.
That mark usually remained dormant and quiet, but the moment it touched any information related to that woman, it would instantly awaken, searing his nerves like a red-hot branding iron.
At this moment, the mere news that “that woman has already arrived in Tokyo” caused him to tremble uncontrollably.
‘Will she really care about the fact that I am her mother’s secretary…?’
Kaoru Hoshitani placed a giant question mark over his own thoughts.
Given what he knew about that Yellow-Haired Woman, was there anything she wouldn’t do?
That woman never played by the rules and never cared about regulations or consequences.
If she wanted something, she would use any means necessary to get it; if she wanted to do something, she would complete it regardless of the cost.
If Rika Kawasaki really went crazy and spread those videos and photographs…
Kaoru Hoshitani did not dare to think further.
Just the flashes of those images in his mind were enough to make his entire body turn ice-cold.
If those things were made public, seen by Aina, seen by everyone… his life would probably be over.
Therefore, he did not dare to gamble.
He especially could not go to see Rika Kawasaki alone; he knew that woman’s methods all too well.
If he faced that powerful woman alone while she was on the verge of fury and hunger, he feared he would be caught just like the countless times before.
He would be pressed down, subjected to her whims until his consciousness blurred.
After three days, he would likely turn into a Male Pig who only knew how to beg for pleasure beneath a woman, completely losing himself, sinking entirely into that suffocating euphoria.
But he could not tell anyone else about this. He couldn’t tell Aina, and he couldn’t tell anyone else.
This secret had to rot in his own stomach.
Consequently, Kaoru Hoshitani could only place his Hope in the only Third Party who knew about this — Chinatsu Tsukuse.
“Help… help me… Miss Tsukuse…”
His voice was hoarse and broken, carrying a distinct sob. Every word sounded as if it were being squeezed out of his throat with great difficulty.
Those Little Deer Eyes were filled with mist, the rims of his eyes were red, and his wet eyelashes clumped together. He looked as fragile as a piece of glass about to shatter.
Chinatsu Tsukuse looked at those mist-filled Little Deer Eyes, at that face pale with fear, and at those slightly trembling pink lips. Her Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily as she swallowed hard.
A strange light flashed in her grey eyes.
In that light, there was surprise, pity, and a deep sense of possessiveness that even she had not yet fully realized.
However, she quickly concealed that abnormality, and a determined, reliable expression appeared on her face. She spoke, her voice gentle and certain.
“Okay… I will send a message telling Sister to come here directly. I will stay with you.”
“Th… thank… thank you…”
Kaoru Hoshitani, who had originally been able to hold back his tears, felt his tightly wound emotions instantly burst after hearing that someone was willing to help him.
Tears fell like broken pearls, rolling down his cheeks one by one, dripping onto his collar and spreading into small, dark wet stains.
Looking at him in this state, something stirred in a corner of Chinatsu Tsukuse’s heart.
Just as she had done last time in the Dining Room booth, she stood up quietly, walked to the coffee table, and pulled several soft tissues from the box.
Then she walked back to the Living Room Sofa and sat down next to Kaoru Hoshitani.
This time, the distance was even closer than before, close enough to clearly feel the warm breath emanating from him.
She handed him the tissues while her other hand gently wrapped around his shoulder in a comforting gesture.
The movement was natural and soft, as if she were merely a kind friend providing solace.
Kaoru Hoshitani was currently immersed in a complex mix of fear and relief, and he did not notice this small “boundary crossing” at all.
He took the tissues and wiped his tears haphazardly, his shoulders still trembling slightly.
Chinatsu Tsukuse quietly felt the softness in her arms — that body was warm and soft, carrying a faint fragrance that made her never want to let go once touched.
She turned her head slightly, her gaze falling on Kaoru Hoshitani’s lowered profile.
Small teardrops still hung from his thick eyelashes, the tip of his nose was red, and his lips were slightly parted.
His entire being radiated a fragile beauty that made one want to cherish him, but also to possess him.
She freed one hand, took out her Mobile Phone, and sent a message to her Sister.
“Sister, you should just come back to the Company directly from the airport. Brother-in-law and I are in Mother’s Office right now.”
After sending it, she looked at the line of text on the screen, the corners of her mouth curling into a faint arc.
Then, she raised her phone and, while the weeping Kaoru Hoshitani was completely oblivious, used the front camera to take a Photograph.
In the Photograph, Chinatsu Tsukuse was clearly looking at the lens, wearing a meaningful smile that carried a hint of provocation.
And in her arms, she was naturally holding the still-crying, defenseless Kaoru Hoshitani.
His face was buried against her shoulder, revealing only a small portion of his profile, but the image was ambiguous enough to spark endless imagination.
She looked at the Photograph on the phone screen, a deep light flashing in her eyes.
‘Never mind… I shouldn’t send this to Sister, or I’ll definitely be killed.’
She thought silently to herself.
‘I just wonder what kind of expression Sister will have when I eventually send her a photo of Brother-in-law and me being so affectionate…’
She put away her phone and refocused her attention on Kaoru Hoshitani, who was still sobbing softly in her arms.
Her hand patted his shoulder gently, her voice tender.
“It’s okay, Mr. Hoshitani. With me here, Sister won’t dare to act recklessly.”
……
Meanwhile, at Tokyo Haneda Airport.
Rika Kawasaki had just stepped off the plane.
The moment she turned on her Mobile Phone and the signal was restored, she saw the message from Chinatsu Tsukuse.
“Come straight back to the Company from the airport!”
She frowned, a flicker of doubt passing through her grey eyes, but she still gave the instruction to the driver who had come to meet her.
That little man was at the Company right now? Did Mother call him there? Why would Mother see him?
But she did not think too much about it.
At this moment, the only thought occupying her entire mind was to see that little man immediately.
Along the way, she watched the Tokyo streetscape flash past the window, her fingers unconsciously tapping the car door handle.
That mixture of anticipation and agitation made her heart beat several steps faster than usual.
Roughly half an hour later, the car stopped below the Izumise Headquarters.
Rika Kawasaki got out, strode into the building, and headed directly for the private elevator leading to the top floor.
The elevator rose steadily.
Watching the numbers jumping on the display, she took a deep breath, trying to make herself look calmer.
But the flame that had been suppressed deep in her lower abdomen for five days was already starting to blaze, nearly burning her Rationality to ashes.
Ding—
The elevator doors opened. She walked quickly through the Corridor and arrived in front of the familiar office Door.
Without knocking, she pushed the Door open directly.
Her grey eyes, in almost an instant, locked onto those reddish Little Deer Eyes of the little man sitting on the sofa.
In that moment, Rika Kawasaki felt her breath hitch.
Five days.
A full five days.
The emotions she had endured for nearly one week now erupted like a volcano that had been suppressed for too long.
It was a complex mixture of desire, possessiveness, anxiety, and anger, nearly drowning her Rationality completely.
Ignoring the fact that Chinatsu Tsukuse was sitting right there, she took a large step forward, intending to pounce on Kaoru Hoshitani — she wanted to pull him into her arms, to feel the temperature of his body, and to use those moist pink lips to temporarily soothe the blazing heat deep in her abdomen.
However—
She stopped instantly.
Because she saw that Kaoru Hoshitani actually hid behind her cheap stepsister.
That little man, the one she missed day and night and wanted to claim as her own, was currently shrinking behind Chinatsu Tsukuse, looking at her timidly with those tear-drenched Little Deer Eyes as if he were looking at some terrifying beast.
Rika Kawasaki’s eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous light flashing within her grey pupils.
“Ahem, Sister.”
A soft voice rang out, breaking the suffocating silence.
Chinatsu Tsukuse cleared her throat, a perfectly calm smile on her face.
“Let’s have a good talk.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she looked up at her Sister.
Rika Kawasaki looked at her as well.
Two pairs of incredibly similar grey eyes met at that moment.
The air seemed to freeze.
Only the faint hum of the air conditioner and the gurgling of the filtered water in the corner fish tank remained in the office.
The sunlight still spilled warmly onto the floor, but at this moment, the light seemed to carry a layer of coldness.
At the point where their gazes met, sparks seemed to fly from the violent collision…
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