"Did someone ask you to harm my wife?"
The question fell in the oppressive room. Mr. Kurosawa's face turned paler and paler, his hands trembled greatly until he needed to grab on his knees to avoid embarrassing himself. The younger man's fiery gaze was filled with an explosive aura, locking onto his.
"About... that..."
"I'll give you 15 minutes..." Ren glanced once again at his watch. It was already close to 9 PM. If he wanted to return before Tsubaki got to bed, he should get moving soon. "Or 5. I do not dare to promise you anything once you've exceeded the time limit."
"President Fuse, I..." Once he heard his last sentence, Mr. Kurosawa tried to negotiate but Ren had already cut him off.
"And, no lies."
His voice was full of authority. This matter would end up as a bloody mess if he delayed any longer. As if resigning to his fate, he started telling his story while stuttering.
"Mr. Sagara... just called about you but... another day I received a call from an unknown man... He..." Mr. Kurosawa gulped, he didn't dare to look into the man's darkened eyes. He could hear the ringing inside his ears as his heart pounded profusely. "He asked about Tsubaki! About her origin!"
Ren narrowed his eyes, his intimidating vibe grew tremendous as second passed. He clenched his jaw as he tried to contain his anger. His hand that was holding the teacup shook as his grip turned tighter.
Although he felt suffocated staying in the room, Mr. Kurosawa kept his mouth and eyes shut closed.
Please... don't let him lash at me... The man silently prayed in his heart.
Crack!
The older man's eyes snapped open at the sound of glass shattered on the floor. What came into his line of sight was the image of the terrifying man with one of his hands dyed in red. Bits of white porcelain of the shattered teacup stuck on his wide palm.
Apparently he had held the teacup too tightly until it broke in his grip.
Mr. Kurosawa didn't dare to imagine if it was his neck in the place of the teacup.
"Oh..." Ren cast a blank gaze on his bleeding right hand, he calmly looked at the droplets of red blood dripping from the wound as if he wasn't affected by the pain. "Sorry, I has accidentally held it too tight."
Accidental? Did you call it accidental? Mr. Kurosawa screamed inwardly.
Ren reached out for the folded napkin on the table and quietly wiped the blood. The napkin was thoroughly soaked by the red dye, leaving a ghastly sight to Mr. Kurosawa. Seeing that his blood didn't stop flowing, Ren just let it be. He landed an indifferent gaze on the older man.
"Continue."
Sensing the murderous intent from the man's calm gaze, Mr. Kurosawa decided to just bite the bullet and tell the truth!
"As the village head... of course, I know that Hanada Tsubaki wasn't the biological child of the Hanada Couple... her origin has always been talked about in secret..."
His old mind was slowly recalling the events happening 5 years ago. The fear and anxiety in his eyes couldn't be masked anymore. He was truly scared of the devil sitting opposite him.
"When... I suddenly received the mysterious man's call, I originally thought that maybe... Tsubaki's real parents had finally wanted to take her back... but, the man just said to keep it a secret... then..."
Mr. Kurosawa pursed his lips, he hung his head low and stared at his trembling legs. The cold voice at the other side of the line was still ringing in his ears after all this time. Drops of sweat trickling down his forehead.
"The man... asked me to join hands with Yagi to... bring her to the abandoned warehouse in the village..."
"To do what?" Ren couldn't help but ask. This was a piece of new information for him. The beast in the depth of his heart that was filled with fury tried to break the shackles chaining him yet he forced himself to calm down. In a cool voice, he asked again, "What he wanted to do to her?"
"He... didn't say anything..."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! They... didn't reveal anything to me! Of course the man won't trust us! Believe me!"
Mr. Kurosawa closed his eyes again. If he mentioned what the mysterious man wanted to do to Tsubaki, he doubted he could leave this room alive tonight.
He wouldn't know, right?
Ren let out a cold chuckle devoid of any emotion. Mr. Kurosawa was stunned by his low laugh. His scalp went numb once he met the man's dark gaze.
What...
Ren looked over behind Mr. Kurosawa's shoulders, confusing the older man. Just when he was contemplating whether to turn around and see what had caught this man's attention, he heard loud noises and heavy footsteps coming from behind. As he could no longer contain his curiosity, he slowly switched his gaze to the sound.
His eyes widened in shock once he saw a familiar face of a man.
"Ya... Yagi... Takashi?"
Guarded heavily by a group of men in black suits, Yagi Takashi stepped weakly toward the dining room. A bulky man walked behind him. The bodyguard forcefully pressed the man's shoulders, forcing him to sit down beside Mr. Kurosawa.
"You... what are you..."
Mr. Kurosawa couldn't finish his sentence. He turned his gaze and looked at the calm man opposite him. A faint smirk hung on his thin lips. A trace of amusement flashed in his eyes as if he was enjoying the show unfolded in front of him.
"I just invited your old friend here," Ren glanced lazily at the man who had just appeared. "For you guys to catch up. After all, it has been long since the last time you guys met, right?"
Mr. Kurosawa clenched his fists under the table. This man was too well-prepared! He wanted to see if he would contradict what Yagi Takashi had said so he deliberately brought this unkempt man here.
"Tell me, what did the man want to do to Tsubaki?" Ren turned his question to the silent Yagi. A corner of his lips curled into a faint smirk. "I want to hear your answer."
Yagi averted his gaze from Mr. Kurosawa who was staring at him with warning evident in his eyes. He had experienced the mental torture from this formidable man so he wouldn't cooperate with the silent pleading emanated from Mr. Kurosawa.
It had been too long and he longed for freedom. He was just a greedy human who wanted to save himself.
"The man... he planned to..."
"Takashi!" Mr. Kurosawa hissed, tried to stop the stuttering Yagi yet the man paid him no heed.
As much as he wanted to escape from this suffocating situation, he knew there was no other way instead of telling the truth. He couldn't afford to lie as Ren could easily reveal it.
In the end, he spat out some words. "He wanted to confine her."
Ren knitted his eyebrows. His jaw went taut once he heard what Yagi had said. He clenched his hand into tight fists, the hand that was bleeding continued dripping blood on the floor.
"For what?"
His question was laced with the darkest menace.
Yagi shuddered, he quickly spoke again under such pressure. "He.. didn't say for what but... I heard his assistant said that there would be a group of doctors... ready to draw blood..."
Drawing blood?
Ren didn't need to guess anymore. The intention was so obvious.
"Then..." Ren glanced at Hibiki who stood not far from them. His assistant swiftly came to his side with a solemn expression. "Did you recognize any of this man?"
Hibiki brought out a stack of photos. He carefully placed them one by one on the table. The lights from the exquisite chandelier above them fell on the surfaces, bringing them on a clear view. After he was done, Hibiki took a step back and guarded behind Ren.
"Well, do you see anyone that you knew?" Ren tilted his head, he lazily swept his gaze over the two men.
By this time, both of them were looking at the photos.
As much as he didn't want to join, Mr. Kurosawa squinted his eyes alongside Yagi and stared at the photos. They were the faces he hadn't met before until his gaze landed on one of the photos placed at the furthest. His eyes widened slightly at the man's face.
Even Yagi showed the same reaction.
Sure enough. They would recognize him.
"You knew him?" Ren arched an eyebrow, waiting for their answer.
Both Yagi and Mr. Kurosawa looked at each other. With reluctance in their eyes, they nodded slightly.
"He was... the man who first met us," Mr. Kurosawa said weakly.
Ren hummed, he raised one of his hands, signaling something to Hibiki. The latter procured another photo from his breast pocket. He slowly put the photo down, right in the middle of the two men.
"How about him?"
Both them looked at the new photo. It was a photo of an older man dressed in expensive suit and carried dignified air around him. It could be said that this man would be around their ages yet nothing came to their minds.
In unison, Yagi and Mr. Kurosawa shook their heads.
Ren sneered, his smile turned more terrifying than earlier. He had expected the answer. The old snake won't casually showing his face around. But, because he was afraid of committing any error, he let his most trusted subordinate carrying the mission.
Ren stood up from the chair. He took a napkin and wiped the remaining blood clean. After giving instructions to Hibiki, he turned around and walked to the door. His action stunned Yagi and Mr. Kurosawa.
"You! Where are you going?" Mr. Kurosawa yelled in frustration. "How about my son? I've told you what you wanted to know! Don't mess with my son!"
His scream fell in deaf ears as Ren didn't show any signs of replying. He stepped out from the room, heading downstairs in unhurried manner.
"Master, your hand..."
Ren glanced at the bodyguard who walked by his side. He lifted up his hand, a long and narrow wound was formed on his palm. Even though the bleeding had stopped, stains of red dye were still apparent around the wound.
He sighed inwardly. Now, what should he tell his wife once she asked?
After forcing Toshiro to attend to his wound, Ren immediately went to the old house. His friend nagged at him because this time Ren was the one who was injured. Toshiro had thought he would need to treat Mr. Kurosawa tonight for fear of getting his head bashed as Yagi the other time. Ren looked at his friend in disdain before he left.
"Master, welcome back," Old Yuuzo greeted Ren's arrival at the front entrance.
"Where's my wife?" Ren took out his jacket and handed it to one of the maid waiting nearby. The big mansion was quiet since it was already close to 11 PM.
"Madam has retreated to the bedroom. The Old Madam and Miss Kasumi too had gone to sleep," Old Yuuzo reported as he walked behind Ren. Once he saw his Master's bandaged hand, he couldn't help but ask, "Pardon me, Master. What has happened to your hand?"
"Nothing much," Ren didn't feel like telling the truth. Now, he was just worried about his wife's reaction tomorrow morning. "I'll go to bed."
"Please rest well, Master," Old Yuuzo paused his steps and bowed his respect to Ren's retreating figure.
In the bedroom, Ren smiled faintly as he looked at his sleeping wife on the vast bed. She was lying on his side of the bed, her expression was serene. As her back was facing the floor-to-ceiling wall, the moonlight illuminated on her cast a soft glow all over her body.
She looked like a celestial maiden.
Ren sat carefully on the bed, leaning over her. Even though he felt bad for not coming home to her soon, at least she was sleeping so peacefully.
"I'm home, sweetheart," Ren whispered in the quiet bedroom. He rubbed her head gently before he landed a kiss on her forehead. A soft smile spread on his face as he stared at her fluttering eyelashes as if she was sensing his presence.
No matter how cold and indifferent he felt outside, all of those feelings would disappear once he was with her.
As the morning sun filtered through the curtains over the windows, a sleeping beauty slowly opened her eyes. A familiar warmth was enveloping her entire being, something that wasn't there when she fell asleep last night. She was in a trance before a sweet smile curled up on her lips.
She woke up in his arms, as he had promised.