MasukWhen she’d been married to Vaughn, her life had been full of drama. There was always some woman out there wanting to steal her husband. But now, as a divorced woman, she found that life was rather boring. Maybe it was because she no longer had to worry about working or making money.Her family was wealthy, but that didn’t bring her much comfort. In the end, she was basically jobless, with not much to her name except that property in the Maldives. If she’d learned anything in life, it was to never rely on anyone ever again—and that trouble seemed to follow her everywhere she went. She was even afraid to step out of the house now.This morning, she woke up very early. She hadn’t slept much to begin with. She’d thought about what happened in Tokyo—Kyouka and his sister, that stupid Eric who seemed to show up at the worst possible times. And then her ex-husband, whom she naturally didn’t want to see. Her life was filled with people who could either hurt her or had already hurt her in the
There was no one else in the house when Bella arrived. She had checked the living room, the library, the private lounge, and even the study, where her father and older brother usually spent most of their time at home. They must have been off working somewhere. Well, too bad. She had actually brought them something—just a few snacks she’d picked up from Japan.It was mostly guilt that compelled her to do something nice for them. After all, she was only able to travel and live comfortably because of their support. And she’d been giving them the cold shoulder ever since she moved back in after the divorce. Sure, she’d been going through a lot, but she could have at least tried to show some gratitude. She only realized how rude she had been now that she was clear-headed (and had almost gotten killed, thanks to Eric).Bella placed the bag of chips, sweets, and chocolates in the kitchen and grabbed a drink for herself. She went upstairs to her room, humming a tune under her breath. She froz
The drive back to the villa is silent. While Kyouka is probably thinking of more ways to convince his sister to come back home, Bella is preoccupied with how she would face Vaughn. If she’d known that calling him at that time wouldn’t have helped her, she would have just relied on Eric—despite how useless the billionaire had been as well.She wonders how the scene would play out: Eric and Vaughn in the same room, breathing the same air. How entertaining that would be. When the car finally pulls up in front of Kyouka’s residence, Bella hesitates for a moment before stepping out and following the Yakuza leader inside.Eric and Vaughn are settled in the living room. Vaughn sits with his legs crossed, taking slow drags from a cigarette, while Eric signs a few papers under Ayato’s watchful eye. Bella is more surprised to see the two coexisting peacefully than by her ex-husband’s smoking. Vaughn didn’t smoke; he couldn’t stand the smell and was always quick to lecture about how harmful it w
Even though no one had made a move to hurt her or force her into anything, Bella was still uneasy. The further Kyouka led her through the house, the more she became aware of just how many people lived there. All were strong men clad in Japanese-style outfits; some even carried katanas. It was the kind of scene one only saw in movies—too unreal. Bella might have been fascinated by the entire setup if her life weren’t hanging by a thread. One wrong move, and she might just cease to exist.Kyouka was clearly the youngest, yet he commanded the most respect. The men bowed to him, offering a chorused greeting. The young man, already accustomed to this, hardly reacted. He led Bella through a set of double doors into a bare room. A futon was laid on the ground, and a table and stool sat in one corner.“This is my sister's room,” Kyouka said. How that had anything to do with Bella, she didn’t know.“It’s... pretty.”“There used to be more here—a dresser, photos on the wall. My sister loved art
Bella was thrown roughly into the backseat of a Jeep. A piece of cloth had been stuffed into her mouth while in the elevator. Strangely enough, nobody made a move to rescue her as she was taken out of the hotel.They drove for two hours straight, and Bella counted down every agonizing minute. The Jeep pulled up in front of a Japanese-style villa. She was brought to her feet and led forward. The house had few furnishings, mostly carved from expensive wood. Instead of chairs, they had stools and low tables. Bella hardly had time to admire the decor before she was shoved in front of a door.Akira whispered to her in a low tone, "If you want to get through this with your limbs intact, you better behave. Speak only when spoken to."This guy clearly wasn't joking. Feeling afraid for her limbs, Bella obediently kept quiet even as the gag was taken out of her mouth.Three men dressed in black kimonos with dragon patterns approached. Akira bowed to one of them and whispered something in Japane
"So, what you're telling me is, your life is currently in grave danger, and Eric is responsible?"Bella was certain she hadn't explicitly blamed Eric for what happened, though it was indeed his fault. Vaughn had always been hateful toward the other billionaire. They shared a mutual dislike and found any reason to go at each other's throats. She couldn’t be bothered with it. "Tell Silas about it. He’ll come get me.""I can come get you. I’ll have the jet ready—it’ll only be a few hours.""Vaughn, for the last time, I don’t want you here! Stay away!""Then why did you call me if you—""Are you stupid?! I already said I don’t know any other number except yours. I left my phone back at my place, so I have no means of reaching out to Silas by myself. Do me one favor: tell Silas about it. I’ll repay you."Bella was almost certain Vaughn was rolling his eyes at her words. He was always dismissive of her like this, and it pissed her off to no end. Honestly, she’d planned to never have anythin







