No one dared to say anything when Alice Nakiri all but disappeared for weeks. After Ryo left for Canada, she spent days and nights locked up in his room, never letting anyone in to clean up or change the linens. When servants went to drop her meals off by the door, some said they heard sobbing coming from inside. And then one day, it all stopped.
The staff stared in disbelief as a rather collected-looking Alice suddenly remerged in the corridors as if nothing had ever happened. She picked up right where she left off and dove into her work with an almost terrifying vigor. Naturally, no one dared to say anything then either.
Alice sat on the cool steel counter in her lab, waiting for her pink vinaigrette to emulsify. It a rare moment of stillness in her day, and immediately her mind started to gravitate.
His body entangled with hers, the taste of his skin his lingering scent on the bedsheets... Whenever she started feeling like it was finally all behind her, these vivid images would flood her mind and bring her to her knees.
A part of her still couldn't believe what they had done that night.
For days, she could hardly get out of bed. No matter how much her head and body ached, she didn't touch the water and aspirin she knew he'd left for her–some last gesture of kindness, she thought.
She'd lie there staring at the ceiling, hoping that it'd all been a vivid dream. He was just gone to get her breakfast and would be there in a minute to scold her for staying in bed so late. Then she'd see the little bite marks scattered across her neck and chest, and one big one right on her left breast, and feel everything rushing back to her.
Others might see Ryo as emotionless and ruthlessly competitive, he even thought of himself that way, but Alice knew he was not a cruel person. That's why she never felt intimidated by him, even when they first met. So why would he do something like that? Leave her without saying a word. She couldn't remember exactly what drove her to it, but in the heat of the moment, something came over her. She knew she had to have him, and she could tell from the way he moved inside her that he wanted it as well.
But maybe sex was all it was to him. After it was over, he wanted nothing more to do with her.
She knew she should furious for the way he left things, but somehow, she couldn't get angry. All she could feel was an excruciating pain knocking the breath out of her. Even after all those years, she couldn't say for sure what he was to her all those years. Yet his sudden absence felt like the ground had caved down beneath her feet. The lethargic teen carrying her bags at school, the scrawny kid scolding crowds of hungry sailors, or the man fucking her so gently yet aggressively in his bed…every memory of him gnawed at her over and over. At night she'd finger herself aggressively, remembering his touch, and letting tears stream down her face as she whispered his name.
She didn't know how long she spent this way, as she'd long lost track of time, but slowly her senses started coming back to her. Then one morning, she noticed a small note folded behind the asprin bottle on the table.
Take something for your head. You have a meeting at 10.
Direct and unsentimental, just like him. She laughed aloud for the first time in what felt like eternity.
"You bastard…"
She'd missed the meeting weeks ago, but still something about the note flipped a switch inside of her.
She was Alice Nakiri, top molecular gastronomist and manager of a global enterprise, she had much more important things to do than wallow about some guy. If she wanted to prove she was better off without his help, she had to work hard. Now.
Montreal, weeks later–––
A group of topless men stood huddled in a circle, passing around a tin container.
"Pass me the ointment again, Collins. I missed a spot."
"No fucking way man. You used half the tub already. This was supposed to last us all winter."
"!?"
Everyone cursed under their breath. This was going to be a hell of a long year. Never in their entire careers have they found as much use for pain ointment as they had in the last few weeks.
They were middle-aged marine biologists for god's sake. Not pro-athletes.
Everyone was skeptical when the boss announced they were flying in a new head researcher from Japan, a young man in his twenties without a phD nor formal research experience, to lead their group of seasoned researchers selected from the top universities and research centers in the world. But then, he turned out to be an absolute beast.
The guy always looked bored and a little sloppy, but had a sense for marine life unlike anything they'd ever seen. By a single glance, he could gather things about a specimen that took the rest of them days of lab work to conclude. Not only that, his stamina was on short of terrifying. He would be the first to arrive on site every day. By the time everyone else made their call time at 7 am, he'd already be there. He'd work unflinchingly for hours, going between the kitchen and the lab, until everyone else had left. They just about killed themselves trying to keep up with him, but none could even come close.
Some people had started saying that the man might be an actual zombie. From the lifeless look on his face, to the bags under his eyes, to the fact that he never seemed to need any rest, nothing about this man suggested he was anything like a normal human being.
They knew he used to work directly under the heiress of Nakiri International. Though they never had the luck of meeting her in person, there were more than enough talk going around about how incredibly beautiful and brilliant she was, and how impossible she was to please. They'd also heard rumors saying the mistress and her aide might have had more than just a professional relationship. But after just one month with Ryo Kurokiba, they were certain no normal woman would want anything to do with such a crazy bastard.
"What's this I see?"
Everyone trembled when they heard the slow menacing voice behind them.
"Nothing Ryo! Just taking a break!" One of the guys said while scrambling to hide the ointment behind his back. Everyone else scrambled to put their lab coats back on.
They knew by now how much the boss despised any signs of weakness and fatigue.
"A break?" he snarled.
"No-I mean... we were discussing the results of our lab work!"
"I see...Good work. I better see the report on my desk after lunch."
The truth was Ryo didn't mind them taking a little break. They were about a month a head of schedule, but it was better to keep them on their toes. He'd learned this the hard way.
Life in Canada wasn't bad at all. The cold reminded him of his childhood in Scandinavia, but he now had a nice job and a steady roof over his head. He liked his job a lot too. It had challenge and prestige–it was everything the old headmaster had promised and more. He found himself to be a pretty good leader. With almost no effort, he had them limp in his hands like a bunch of spineless eels. It seemed all those years with Alice had made him just manipulative enough to run a tight ship without wasting his energy going berserk all the time.
Ryo picked up his lunch and went to eat it alone at his desk. He checked his phone. A few work emails, that was it.
Alice never called him once in the month he's been gone. He couldn't tell if he was disappointed or relieved. Either way, he had it coming. He had done the worst thing he could possibly do to her.
That night was the best and worst thing that ever happened to him. He still couldn't believe it. He lied awaked all night, holding her. He could still remember the sound of her soft breath and steady heartbeat as she slept soundly in his arms. It took all the strength he had to leave the way he did, but he knew it was for the best.
He knew Alice. As much as she pretended she was over him taking this job without asking her, he knew she'd never let it go until she pulled all the strings she could to get him back under her control. Her pride would've never her live it down if she didn't somehow prove she was–and would always be–the boss of him.
That was probably why she did what she did that night. All those years living under the same roof, she could've had him anytime she wanted, but she never wanted him that until she knew he was leaving. She was just too proud to accept that there was something she couldn't have for once. That was all. Without doing something to shatter this pride of hers, she would never let go, and he wouldn't be able to give up his stupid hope of ever being something more to her than a dutiful servant.
He knew she'd be furious with him and would probably never speak to him again. But Alice, despite appearances, was strong-minded. She wouldn't let anything keep her down for long. Soon enough, she'll come to see what happened as a drunken mistake and get on with her life.
And this seemed to be going exactly according to plan. Ryo had been secretly keeping in touch with one of the estate's housekeepers to make sure all the "household matters" were in order in his absence. Apparently, in the last month, Alice had already secured two new sponsorships and was nominated for one of the most prestigious awards in the food industry. So he was right. She was much better off without him.
This was exactly the outcome he wanted. Wasn't it? They both finally seemed to be on the right track.
Ryo kept himself busy from dawn to dusk, leaving no room in his head for troublesome thoughts. It shouldn't be so hard, given that he'd lived his whole life knowing not to get attached to nice things. But at night, and the world became quiet, all the memories came flooding back to him. He dreamt of her almost every night and wake up feeling guilty and horny a hell. Then he'd drag himself out of bed, throw his underwear in the wash, and take a long cold shower before starting the day again.
He was a dog unleashed, missing the scent of his master... He made the choice to be the bad guy and now he had to live with it. Maybe forever, but that was his price to pay.
After who knows how long, Ryo heard a soft knock at the door.
"Um...Kurokiba-san?"
"You can call me Ryo. That's what they do here."
"Sorry...I'm still getting used to it I guess."
"Suit yourself. What is it?"
A blue-haired girl walked in, fidgeting in her glasses and lab-coat. In her shaking hands was a small envelope.