Akira and Ren sat beside each other on the couch that was situated at the right of Aya. The host also took a seat on her former spot.
"Have a drink", she offered to the couple as she took back her glass filled with wine and continued to indulge it.
Akira eyed the two untouched wine glasses on the table. Beside them was an opened bottle of Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru, one of the most expensive wines in the world. One bottle alone was worth forty thousand dollars. It was a proof of Aya and her family's unbelievable wealth.
The wine was something that Akira had never tasted before. But it was not because she or her family could not afford it. It might not be that obvious, but the Genjis could actually keep up with the Kameis when it came to their money.
She had never tried it before because she didn't actually drink. She had tried once to drink, but that was also her last. She was not really a fan of how alcohol tasted. She could not understand why people liked it so badly. In addition to that, she did not like the effects it could have on a person's body. She had seen enough of what alcohol could do on a person, that was thanks to Haru. With that, she promised to herself that she would never again allow her lips to touch alcohol.
However, today might be the day that she finally broke that commitment. Their current situation needed her to take a glass of that wine.
Ren mentioned earlier while they were in the car how important it was to make Aya believe that they were really wealthy businesspeople who were acquainted with the world of the elite.
For crazy rich people, expensive wines were a staple. With that, Akira, had to act as if she had been drinking such an expensive beverage for such a long time already.
Akira reached out for the bottle when Ren suddenly stopped her, "Are you sure you're going to drink? You had two glasses of Barbeito Vintage Terrantez last night." Ren had a worried expression on his face.
Akira had a blank look on her face. She was trying so hard to keep a collected composure. However, deep inside, she was truly startled, and that was for a couple of reasons.
First, she was surprised that Ren was actually knowledgeable about winery, especially the expensive ones. She knew the wine that Ren mentioned earlier. It was also one of the most expensive wines in the world. It is specifically made in Portugal.
She might not drink, but she knew people in their clan who did. Aside from Haru, who was the obvious alcoholic in the clan, her grandmother Aiko actually liked to drink wine every once in a while, after a long day or week of work. But she would usually only have a glass.
Akira had seen the different wines her grandmother liked to have. One of those was the Barbeito Vintage Terrantez that Red had mentioned.
It was really surprising to Akira to find out that Ren would be aware of it. Ren did not seem to be the wealthy type to Akira. After receiving his downpayment from them, she expected that Ren would go on a shopping spree, but to her surprise, Ren barely used the money they gave him.
He did not even buy a phone!
Instead, the first time he spent his money was for her. When they went out to shop for Akira's get up, he paid for all of it. Despite Akira's protest, he still insisted to pay. After that, they went to look for his clothes to wear.
Not only that, but as Ren stayed longer with them in the main mansion, Akira realized that he rarely asked for anything. He never complained about anything. He never questioned the food that was served to him nor the room where he was staying. Her grandmother offered to transfer him to a bigger and more luxurious room, but he politely declined it. He said that his current room was already enough for him.
Even Aiko was genuinely astonished. They had worked with multiple individuals for so many years already, and if there was one thing that they had been accustomed to, it was the fact that these people they hire always had high demands.
As Aiko would say, they were like hungry wolves. Yet Ren was the complete opposite of them. He was a first that Aiko and even the other clan members were shocked.
Because of that, Akira concluded that Ren was a simple person, which meant that he liked living a simplistic lifestyle, causing her to have more questions: If he just wanted to live a simple life, why work as a hired killer to get paid with huge amount of money? What did he intend to do with the money he got paid?
Akira still did not have the answers for these questions, but she could at least tell that Ren was indeed not the fancy type of person.
That was why she could not help but feel surprised inside that Ren would know such an expensive or luxurious item. Did he research beforehand? Did he expect that something like this would happen?
In addition to that, Akira could feel that he was genuinely worried about her. She remembered mentioning once to him that she didn't drink. Was it possible that he remembered it? Did he lie about Akira drinking last night so that she would not have to force herself to drink? Was he actually concerned about her?
It was actually hard to tell. The only way to know for sure was to ask him, but it was obviously impossible because they had an audience they were trying to deceive. And though Akira wanted to really know the answer, her pride would not allow herself to ask it to Ren.
She gave Ren a small but warm smile then replied, "It's fine, darling. I will only have a glass. It would be rude of me to decline Ms. Aya's offer."
She was not going to back out. She had already decided that she would do it.
Ren was silent for a short moment as he tried to analyze the look on Akira's face. Then, he said, "Alright. But just a glass then. You know that you do not have a good alcohol tolerance."
Just as when Akira was about to take the bottle of the expensive wine, Ren quickly grabbed it and poured into the two wine glasses on the table. He carefully handed the other one to Akira, "Here, darling."
Akira received it politely and thanked him. After handing the other glass to Akira, he took the other glass for himself.
With a calm look on her face, she took a sip of the expensive drink. She hoped that it would not taste as bad as her first-time drinking. To her surprise, the wine actually had a hint of sweetness as it hit the tip of her tongue. However, the sensation was slight, and it faded immediately. Then, on the aftertaste, she noticed a residual oily sensation on the middle back of her tongue, and after the drink passed through her throat, she felt an almost burning sensation that disappeared almost instantly. She could tell that it was the alcohol.
She took the drink with a straight face. She took another sip as cool as a cucumber, but in her mind, she was struggling. She did not really like it, but she had to finish what she started.
She gave Ren a side glance and he seemed to be holding up well. She wondered if he was truly fine. Or was he pretending like her?
"You are very considerate Mrs. Taira. It is all fine with me if you do not drink. I would genuinely understand, but since you already started it, then let's just enjoy ourselves."
Akira nodded in response and grinned at Aya.
"So, have you decided which of my paintings do you intend to purchase already?" Aya asked but her eyes were only directed to Ren.
It was Akira who answered the question, "Yes. We are taking the Asphyxia."
Aya stopped dead in her tracks. She froze as she held the glass still against her lips for a moment. Akira and Ren could see how shocked she was, and the pretend couple knew exactly why she responded that way.
One of the reasons why Aya would meet her clients was because she first wanted to assess whether they were worthy to take possession one of her works. For Aya, her paintings were not just a commodity to be sold. They were her masterpieces and each of her work held a deep meaning. She poured her heart and soul in creating her paintings. Every time she sold one of her works, it was like as if she was giving a part of her.
Asphyxia, was one of her oldest paintings. Yet no one dared to buy it. It was not a surprise to her. The painting was too 'dark' and 'weird' for the general population. In fact, it was even dubbed as 'scary'. But Aya knew better, after all, she was the one who created it. Asphyxia had a very deep meaning that she would not expect anyone to just get it. The only deserving people to have Asphyxia were those who genuinely understood its meaning and value.
It portrayed a woman covered in darkness as she was drowning and struggling to breathe. There were numerous hands pulling body her deeper in the water. It was so eerie that not a single client considered to purchase it, until Ren and Akira appeared.
"Did I hear it right? You said you want the Asphyxia?" Aya asked, still wearing the startled expression on her face.
Akira nodded, "Yes, you heard it right. My husband and I want the Asphyxia."
Aya eyed Akira. She was trying to gauge how serious Akira was with what she said. Looking straight at Akira's eyes, she could tell and feel that Akira was dead serious.
"May I ask why Asphyxia?"