Pachinko Noa Novels & Stories

"He’s about to find out how fast a paper trail can turn into a funeral." "Print it," Lina ordered. "Every name. Every cent. I want a mountain of evidence." "The printer's gonna melt at this rate." The progress bar on the screen froze halfway. Lina’s jaw tightened. "Noah?" "Relax. It’s just the handshake." Noah didn't look up. "Come on, you greedy bastard. Take the bait." The bar turned neon green. "Naked," Noah breathed, a jagged grin splitting his face. "Takahashi is officially naked."

The neon sign buzzed faintly over the glass windows, casting a pink glow across the old diner booths. Chloe sat with her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee that had long gone cold. Her stomach churned with nerves, but she forced herself to stay seated, repeating silently, You owe him this. The bell above the door jingled. Noah walked in, tall and casual in a dark jacket, scanning the room until his eyes landed on her. His mouth curved into that familiar lopsided grin as he approached.

he echoed, and leaving looked like a new skill he was practicing and not hating. Inside, Noah lay on the floor doing a math problem the size of a small country. “It’s beautiful,” he said without looking up. “What is?” “How one piece fixes the next if you don’t get greedy.” “I’m stealing that,” I said. “For your job?” “For my life,” I said. We ate leftover lumpia and drank water like good patients and read the comments under his portrait until one of them mentioned his eyelashes and we both decided the internet had been fed enough for one day.

When he sits up, panting with the effort of his shift, I gasp, and I’m not the only one. Iniko looks nothing like the small man he was in his first life. Now, he looks large and muscular, someone who could rival Ancalagon in size and strength. I watch as Iniko closes his eyes and takes a deep breath of air, then he looks right at me. “Mate!” I turn and look behind me, certain he’s looking at someone else. Everyone behind me is staring at me. Holy shit! Iniko just called me his mate.

“I’ll take the blue. Matches the ice in my veins, right?” He picked up a ping pong ball, rolling between his long fingers. He looked entirely too sober, too focused, and way too handsome in the dim, neon light. “You know, Khione,” he said, leaning over the table so his face would level with mine. “Most people would be smart enough to quit while they’re behind. But you? You just love a scene.” “I am not making a scene,” I stammered, reaching for a ball. It rolled away from my clumsy fingers, and Noah caught it before it hits the floor, holding it just out of my reach.

“Now about those pancakes.” Chuckling, I nodded and we headed out of the bathroom. Going into the kitchen, I pulled on an apron and looked at the time. It was one in the afternoon and a perfect time to make pancakes. I quickly whipped up a batch and Finn sat at the bar, scrolling through his phone. I had made four pancakes when Noah stepped into the room. He was drenched in sweat and looked like he had been exercising. Looking over at us, he wrinkled his nose. “Pancakes? For lunch? Seriously?”

My eyes brimmed with tears as I came to realize, Noah was a member of the Snakes and Ladders. **Enjoying the chapter? Do leave a review, I'm sure you weren't expecting that 😏 Follow my Instagram @chimdi_jane_samuel ~Jane♥️

No difficult conversations. No mention of her father. Just noodles, quiet music playing somewhere in the background, and Mona occasionally making pleased noises over the food. Kane watched her take another bite. "Good?" She nodded. "Very." "Adam will be pleased." "He should be. This is amazing." Kane smiled. Mona nudged his knee beneath the counter. "You know, you have a very nice life." "I know." "Fancy apartment." "Penthouse." "Whatever." She waved her chopsticks.

I went anyway. The house was already packed when I arrived. The air hit me first—thick, humid, smelling of grill smoke, cheap beer, and a thousand different perfumes and colognes. Music was vibrating through the walls, a physical thump against my chest that was both disorienting and familiar. I worked my way toward the back door, squeezing past bodies crammed into the kitchen and hallways, seeking a pocket of air and space outside. The second I stepped onto the patio, I saw him. Noah was at a table, body leaned back in the chair, focused as he broke down a blunt with easy, practiced movements. The string lights draped along the fence threw a soft yellow glow over his skin.

On Norton's birthday, the gift I'd bought in Snowcall arrived right on schedule. Elvis and I had picked it out together. They were cufflinks from a luxury brand Norton particularly liked. Norton was thrilled with the present, but Caesar's expression darkened the moment he saw the cufflinks. He knocked over his drink, and the bottle shattered on the floor. When he saw those cufflinks, Caesar had a gut feeling that there was someone else in my life now. Still, he remained confident that I belonged to him and was just throwing a tantrum.