Silence fell in the study as Matsuzaki was at a lost of words. Tsubaki's gaze was so intense that he dropped his head in guilt. Seeing him behaving like that, Tsubaki knew that the news about Ren had gotten into an accident had some degree of truth.
"Matsuzaki, please tell me," Tsubaki asked again. She couldn't conceal the panic in her voice. Her hands were tightly clutching the edge of the table for support. The tips of her fingers turned white. "Is Ren safe? What's actually happening? Where is he?"
"Madam... Master is..."
Matsuzaki sighed inwardly. He didn't have the heart to hide anything when the lady in front of him was on the verge of crying. His Master had forbade him from telling his wife anything that would cause her to worry but this wasn't an ideal situation to do so.
Forgive me, Master!
"Actually, Master indeed was supposed to ride the helicopter but Hibiki had sensed something was off when the usual pilot has been changed to a new one. Plus, the pilot's behavior was quite strange. To avoid from alerting the eyes who might be watching them, Hibiki and Master switched clothes before Master jumping off the helicopter. They have subdued the pilot so he didn't have any choice but to follow their plan."
Matsuzaki started to recount of what had happened until now. He paused for a moment to catch his breath. After hearing the story from Matsuzaki, Tsubaki's tensed face had started to ease up. She loosened her grip on the edge of the table.
"Then, Ren is safe right?"
For Tsubaki, her husband's safety was her priority. Anything else could wait for later. She looked so relief as her dimmed eyes started to brighten. A small smile graced her face.
Matsuzaki reluctantly nodded. He hadn't told her the worst part yet.
"Master is safe... but something happened to him when he disguised as Hibiki."
Tsubaki's smile disappeared in an instant. "What... what now?"
Isn't he supposed to be safe?
What does that mean?
"A group of men followed him, thinking he was Hibiki. It was clear that someone was targeting both Master and Hibiki. Master was injured during the fight. Luckily, Mr. Gensai arrived within a short time. Master is now with Mr. Gensai, laying low while observing the situation. This is a tricky time to suddenly appear."
Tsubaki felt like her life span had been shortened because of her anxiety and fear. Matsuzaki had confirming that Ren was indeed safe but as long as she couldn't see him with her own eyes, Tsubaki couldn't stay still. The media had already surrounded the building of Fuse Corporation, demanding answers from them.
"His injuries... are they serious?" Tsubaki wasn't sure how she could utter the words when her lips couldn't stop trembling.
"No. Master has been treated." Matsuzaki replied hurriedly. "He didn't have any major injury."
It's okay... He's okay...
"Do you already know who's targeting him?" Tsubaki changed her focus to the perpetrator. If she continued to think of him, she wouldn't know how to stay calm. As she spoke, a face appeared in her mind. Even before Matsuzaki answered, she mentioned a name. "It is Mr. Sagara?"
Matsuzaki nodded quickly, confirming her suspicion. "Master has been trying to oust Mr. Sagara and his cronies since a long time ago. He has found the perfect time to unveil their crimes but they acted faster. Mr. Sagara is panic-stricken because he could no longer trying to take control of Z-Tech using Wada Natsuo's incapability. He also knows it's only about time before Master kicked him out of Fuse Corporation."
"So, he wanted to murder my husband?" Tsubaki's eyes frosted with layers of ice.
"Yes..."
The temperature inside the study dropped once Matsuzaki admitting to it. The look on Tsubaki's face was no longer gentle. It was cold to the point of reminding Matsuzaki to his Master's chilly face. While his Madam's icy-cold expression wasn't as intimidating as his Master's, it was already enough to send chills down his spine.
This couple is really terrifying!
"The shareholders' meeting is tomorrow, right?" Tsubaki asked after a moment of silence. "Who would be acting as the head if Ren's not here? The Vice President?"
"Old Madam Fuse should be coming as she is the adviser of the company. They would discuss it at the company."
Those old men must be wanting to push Grandma to place someone new in power even though the search had not stopped.
"I'm not supposed to contact Ren at this moment, nor could I go to him right?" Tsubaki was already aware of the answer yet she couldn't help herself from asking. There was faint trace of hope when she stared at Matsuzaki with her glistening eyes.
She wanted to see him before her. To make sure that he was really safe and sound.
"I'm sorry, Madam."
Matsuzaki's reply extinguished the last of her hopes.