CHAPTER 1:
'The number you dialed is currently not available. Please try your call later.'
Atobe slammed his phone down on the tiled floor where it landed with a loud clatter. He was angry. No, furious and incensed by Oshitari's audacity to ignore his calls.
It has come to his attention few minutes ago that the 'Guild' has finally obtained a court order to raid the Royal Garden – a first-class hotel he owned in Japan which actually runs a host club business for select major business partners.
Atobe admits it was illegal. His clients knew it was illegal. His male prostitutes whom he preferred calling 'hosts' were aware that the business was illegal. But nobody cared.
Not when money is enough to compensate the process of legalizing what the government has long been trying to suppress.
True. Rumors leading to investigations had emerged, but that was all. Nothing substantial came up which was enough to pin them down. As long as there is money, everything remained negotiable. Not to mention the fact that Atobe also had his claws on some government agents working for him.
"So this is just unbelievable!" he snapped, earning him collective flinch from his maids.
Atobe seemed to have an army of them and he especially loved the attention he gets every time he has one of those outbursts. He loves the fear he sees in their eyes. It makes him feel powerful; divine.
"Atobe-sama…" came the voice from one of his maids who has just entered the room.
Atobe regarded the maid with an annoyed look before averting his gaze to the male figure behind her.
"Leave us alone."
In an instant, the room was vacated by the unnecessary presence, namely, Atobe's servants.
"And to whom do I owe the honor of being summoned by the mighty Keigo Atobe?"
Atobe ignored the sarcasm and grabbed the bottle of Chardonnay left on a table. He poured himself a glass and gestured his visitor to do the same. The other guy did.
"We have a problem." Atobe said after a sip from his glass. He walked towards the glass window of the room overlooking the view of midnight Tokyo. He was angry, but he was a businessman. And experience taught him that calmness and discretion work wonders than outbursts which was what Atobe just did. It never got anything solved.
"A problem we can handle as always." came the reply. Without turning, Atobe could make up a smile behind the statement.
He turned to the man with a frown. "The guild's determined to get us this time."
"They always have."
"They've got a court order for a raid."
The room fell silent for a few seconds. Then Atobe heard a sigh from the other guy followed by a soft chuckle - one which lacked mirth.
"Finally."
Atobe gripped his glass. "This is a serious-"
"Of course. Isn't that why I'm here?"
Atobe snickered. Right. "Name your price."
Sunday 11:00 p.m. - Guild Headquarters
-Two hours after the raid-
"So… are we going to just sit down here and admire each other?"
Fuji Syusuke, Guild's special agent who headed the raid to Royal Garden two hours ago, sat across their prisoner. In as much as he'd like to commend his team for a perfect swipe on Royal Garden earlier, he couldn't. Not when they manage to catch only one culprit who was sitting across him; hands cuffed and GPS tracking device implant deactivated.
Yes. A GPS tracking device implanted by Atobe on his workers, apparently as an insurance of their loyalty and dedication on their jobs. As to the technicalities of those jobs, Fuji decided to find out soon enough.
"We've been here for an hour and twenty minutes and the only substantial thing you've given me is your name. Which, I was just informed is a fraud." Fuji continued, eyeing the guy across him in scrutiny.
"I already gave you my name."
Fuji smirked. "Or a fake that was given to you."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh believe me Kunimitsu Tezuka…You do know damn well what I'm talking about."
Silence.
Fuji sighed in exasperation. He leaned in, closing the gap between them by mere inches as he rested his elbows on the table separating them.
"Look. Let me make things easier. You tell me things about your business, and I mean everything about your damn host business, and I'm calling in a damn good lawyer for you."
For the first time, Fuji saw Tezuka smile, thought it resembled more like a smirk.
"Well?"
Tezuka placed his hands on the table, eyes remained fixed on Fuji's.
"Uncuff me."
Fuji frowned, glanced at Tezuka's cuffed wrists and snickered. "Even if I do you're still not getting away." he said, averting his look at the CCTV camera above them to emphasize his point. "You're being watched."
Tezuka shrugged. "So are you."
Fuji took the point with a nod. "Which is exactly why we both need to behave."
This time, Tezuka leaned down so that they were seated eye level with each other. Fuji didn't budge but felt the slow tightening of his chest as he realized how deep Tezuka's pair of hazel eyes was. At a closer range, Fuji thought they were intelligent. Not to mention dangerously calculating.
"Well I thought you want to hear everything."
"I do and I'm pretty sure that doesn't require me uncuffing you."
They stared at each other for a couple of seconds before Tezuka leaned away with a sigh.
"Well?"
"Fine. Bring me a lawyer." Tezuka said.
Fuji arched his brows as if admiring Tezuka's response. "Right away." he said with a smile before standing up and leaving the interrogation room.
"Okay. I know I called in for a lawyer but who the hell is she?" Fuji asked, eyeing the lady in a tight black suit who just entered their chief's office.
From their view outside, it seemed to Fuji that the woman was filling out some paper works that their department head Sanada had prepared. What he didn't like though was how their chief attended the woman oh so gently as if she's his wife.
"Beautiful huh…" Senggoku commended, grinning at Fuji like some kind of a crazed dog.
Fuji ignored him. True. The woman was beautiful; shoulder-length deep blue hair, pail complexion, lean body, alluring smile…but those were not the point.
"Something's off."
Senggoku leaned closer. "Off as in….off."
Fuji turned his attention to the guy who has always been so vocal about his crush on him and smiled. "Off as in, Back. Off. Now if you'll excuse me."
Fuji then headed to Sanada's office to meet the 'lawyer'. If she's there to speak for Tezuka's stead then might as well get the chance to know her a little bit.
"Seiichi. Yukimura Seiichi." Yukimura said, extending his hand for a handshake.
Fuji smiled and shook his hand. They were already outside Tezuka's interrogation room where they had just finished listening to the briefing done by Sanada.
"That was routinary, but you know how things work in here." Fuji said after the handshake.
"Of course agent Fuji. Protocols right?"
Fuji nodded. "Well, why don't we go ahead and have Tezuka-"
"About that…I'd certainly appreciate it if you let me in alone. I mean, I value the privacy of my clients."
Fuji smiled and cleared his throat. "I understand Ms. Yukimura but I'm not sure if I can give you the liberty to-"
"It's not a liberty agent Fuji. It's a human right. And if I'm not mistaken, you already did a preliminary interrogation on my client. Not to mention the fact that you suggested him to call a lawyer."
Fuji opened his mouth to say something, but found himself unable to. Yukimura had a point. No in fact she's right. He smiled and opened Tezuka's holding.
"Call me if you need anything."
Yukimura nodded. "I will."
"So I'm finally getting out." Tezuka said more like a statement of a fact.
Yukimura crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Hardly. In fact you're staying."
Tezuka nodded. "Fine then what are you doing here."
Yukimura spread his arms wide, looked at himself and raised a brow at Tezuka.
"Doing my job, obviously."
"Right. Your job. As in cross dressing."
"Uhuh."
Tezuka frowned. "How did you get in." he demanded.
"I gave the security guy a blow job. Is that even a question?" he asked, looking at Tezuka like he's some kind of a madman.
"Seriously…did you-"
"Damn Kunimitsu. You know I only do that to you so stop asking. We'll reserve the chat later but for now let's go down to business."
"I know they disabled the cameras and com but I'm pretty sure that guy over there," Tezuka motioned at the guy outside the glass divider of the room "..will clearly see us if you give me a head now."
Yukimura rolled his eyes and sighed. "Right now I'm attorney Seiichi Yukimura which means that I refuse to give in to your not-so-effective seduction."
Tezuka shrugged.
"Atobe wants to bring down the Guild."
Tezuka met Yukimura's eyes.
"I'm listening."
End of Chapter 1