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Warning: Contains sensitive matters involving teens. Grammatical error. Long chapter.

Disclaimer: VF belongs to YA.

Chapter 8. The Dirty Little Secret

When Rikiya had told me that he'd wanted to invite his friend to our family dinner, I somehow knew he hadn't meant a regular friend. The way he had mentioned the word was an obvious telltale that whoever he'd wanted to invite was more than a friend.

I was both excited and worried. Not only it would be the first time any of the boys bringing a friend over since elementary school, but it would also be the first time I met their girlfriend. Or boyfriend. I didn't mind whichever. I wasn't sure, however, what this girlfriend (or boyfriend, I kept reminding myself) would say about the dynamic in the Asami family. Had Rikiya told this friend that his parents weren't the traditional mom-and-dad pair? Surely he wouldn't bother to bring home someone who would have trouble with that?

After spending years with Asami, I had -sort of- accepted that my relationship with Asami would be far from what other people considered normal. And no, it wasn't even about the same-gender-relationship issue. It was more about the way our relationship worked. Not only I knew nothing about what Asami did during the day, but he also kept me at a distance, especially in public. Not in the physical term. Oh, no, Asami had no problem showing a blatant public display of affection in front of the world. But he didn't exactly advertise us as a loving couple as well.

With a few rare exceptions, he didn't bring me to social events or dinner parties, preferring to ask a professional escort or one of his much younger staffs to accompany him whenever a companion was necessary. He didn't introduce me to his business associates or subordinates. He didn't invite anyone to our house and he didn't ask me to play host to his friends and colleagues, if he had any friends. He didn't mention a single word about me during every interview with those upscale magazines, even after they asked him a direct question about his personal life. He would happily fuck me in front of the prime minister himself if he so wanted, but there would be no tender caress or loving embrace whenever other people were around. I had a suspicion that he purposely made me look like a dirty secret that he had no intention to share to public.

To the outside world, I was of no importance in his life. My place was at home -or to be precise, at his bed- waiting and willing to serve in whatever capacity he deemed fit. In fact, I happened to know that most people saw me as nothing other than his bed warmer. 'Asami's bitch' was how they called me in the underworld. 'The boss' whore' was what his subordinates murmured to each other before they greeted me with a charmingly fake 'Asami-san'. More than once I had overheard them wondering how good my life had to be just by offering my ass to their boss. They speculated whether I had sold my body to give a better future for my bastard sons. Yes, I eavesdropped. No, I wasn't ashamed. I was a journalist and I had been an investigative photographer for quite some time. Being nosy was part of my job description. Finding things I didn't like to know was just occupational hazard.

In a way, despite how annoying it could be at times, this relationship actually worked for us. People didn't bother me too much because they didn't think I was important. I was just an ordinary freelance photographer with no big connection in the underworld, no wealth and no family name, who happened to be one of the lovers in his long list of flings. The fact that I was his only partner for more than a decade (at least, as far as I knew) was overruled by the fact that he devotedly kept me in a low profile. And thanks to that, I lived as normal life as one could expect when one had the most powerful man in the country, if not the region, as a husband. I worked a job, had drinks with friends, complained about the government and the economy, picked up my kids from school and other extracurricular activities, did my domestic duties, spent time with my kids, and went to sleep. You know, just the normal everyday stuffs every commoner took for granted.

If I could be honest, I didn't have the right to complain. This way, I get the benefits from both sides despite some minor sacrifices. We could raise our children together as a couple and I could still live my normal life without being affected by his power and wealth. So what if he didn't show me off to public? It wasn't like I enjoyed going to those high-class parties and events or playing host to some arrogant assholes, anyway. So, being Asami's 'dirty-little-secret' wasn't really a big sacrifice for me.

At least, it wasn't until today.

For some unexplainable reasons, I found that I desperately wanted this friend of Rikiya to know that Rikiya had a perfectly normal, happy, loving family, not a broken one as everyone seemed to believe. I wanted this girlfriend (or boyfriend!) to see that I wasn't the kept-whore like how people perceived me to be and Rikiya wasn't the bastard son whom Asami was forced to take in order to get into my pants. I wanted to give the best impression possible to this person whom I believed would make my boy's life wonderful.

So, I had taken a day off today. I had spent the entire morning making sure that the house was presentable enough for our guest. I had also prepared a heart-warming homemade Japanese food. And by ten past six in the afternoon, I had annoyed the hell out of Asami after calling him numerous times. I'd just wanted to make sure that he would be home on time to greet our boy's first girlfriend (or boyfriend!) but Asami had become so irritated that he'd started refusing to answer any more of my call.

Unfortunately, just like Asami, the rest didn't really share my enthusiasm. Nao had been in a bad mood for days and no matter how hard I'd prodded, he just wouldn't tell me the reason. Now, he was brooding in his room and stubbornly refused to join us downstairs. Kirishima and Suoh, having to assist Asami, would be late as well. Tao and Haruka had arrived a few minutes ago, but there was an air of wariness around them, as if they were expecting the stove to explode at any moment.

Mizuki was the only person who looked as thrilled as me at the prospect of meeting Rikiya's girlfriend. The two of us set the dining table together before doing a last check to make sure that everything was in its place. I gave her a tight bear hug as soon as we finished, showing her how much I appreciated her support in this.

"Thank you, little moon," I mumbled as I buried my face in my daughter's long blond hair.

Her laugh was full of merriment, soothing my nervous self a bit, as she struggled to get out of my suffocating embrace. Haruka smiled at us and even Tao seemed to slightly relax.

"Okaaay," I rubbed my palms together as I took a deep calming breath. "They'll be here any moment now."

Tao quickly stood up from where he was sitting on the sofa. "I will tell Nao to go down." Long time ago, I had forbid everyone from using the honorifics –sama behind my kids' name like they were a fucking royalty. Everyone could call my husband Asami-sama, if they wanted. But not my kids. I refused to let my kids grow up thinking that they were superior to everyone else simply because the people around them treated them as such.

My hand automatically reached out to grab Tao's forearm, stopping him before he could go up the stairs. "He is upset and he won't tell me what's wrong," I complained to him.

I was worried for Nao. He was usually a cheerful kid, not one who would dwell on things that made him angry or sad, so his behavior now was very unusual. Did he have any problem at school? Was he bullied? I couldn't imagine anyone would dare to bully my Nao. My youngest son might not be bulky, but he had learned enough martial arts since young and was more than capable to defend himself. And as far as I knew, he was very popular at school. Everyone seemed to love him. Then again, high school nowadays could be more dangerous than the underworld. I bit my bottom lip in concern; my head was full with thousands of terrifying reasons that might trigger Nao's recent mood, each one was worse than the previous one.

Tao didn't respond immediately, merely staring at my hand on his forearm for a second, as if wondering what my hand was doing there. Then, he shook his head slowly and patted my hand, which was squeezing his forearm so hard it might leave bruises if his body wasn't covered by layers of tough muscles. "I am sure it is nothing, Akihito. Maybe just some teenager stuffs."

Mizuki giggled from behind me. "I think, Nao-nii is just jealous, Dad. You know, because now Riki-nii has a girlfriend and he doesn't."

Wait, that kinda made sense, actually. Why hadn't I thought of that? The more I thought about it, the more probable it seemed to me. I was about to say something when I noticed the way Tao looking at Mizuki over my shoulder. My friend nodded his head a little as if approving of what Mizuki had said or done. And then, realizing that I was still there right in front of him, he looked down –I hated the fact that he was a head taller than me now– His right hand automatically moved to his chin, his forefinger slowly rubbing his bottom lips; it was his unconscious habit whenever he was lying to me. My eyes followed the simple movement of his fingers as a sinking feeling filled my gut.

"Don't worry, Akihito. I am sure everything is fine. I'll talk to him," was all Tao said before he turned and left.

Nao didn't even hear the rapid knocks on his door, drowning too deep in the music that was blaring through his headphone. He let the loud sound swirled in his head, pushing all the unnecessary thoughts to the furthest corner of his mind. Sitting on his bed, he rested his back against the headboard. His head rocked slowly as if in trance. His fingers absently tapped the pillow in sync with the rhythm. His eyes shut closed, providing another layer of protection between him and the big bad world.

The moment he realised that there was someone else in the room with him, it was too late. Instinctively, he rolled over the spacious king-size bed, trying to reach the side table where his gun was hidden inside the drawer. But the intruder was much faster, pulling him closer by the waist, pushing him face down into the mattress, grabbing the earphone away from his ears, capturing both his wrists and holding them hostage behind his back, all in the blink of an eye. His ass was up in the air, knees apart. And no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't move an inch.

A sudden gush of pain jolted through his body as his assailant forced Nao's hands up along his spine towards his shoulder blades. His joints screamed in protest but the attacker stopped right before it went too far. Another inch up and his arms would be dislocated from its sockets. Refusing to show even a moment of weakness, Nao gritted his teeth, not even a soft whimper escaped his mouth. His body tensed with fear as his mind wandered to his family downstairs. He fought again against his restraint but it was a futile attempt. The hands that were holding him down didn't loosen up even a bit.

Calm down, he thought. Think. But he wasn't the type who was good at thinking calmly. Do-first-think-later was more like his style. That was why he and his brother made such a good team. Rikiya did the thinking. He executed. Simple.

It was then when he felt that his captor was kneeling on the bed behind him, abruptly ending his useless contemplation session. The other man leaned and their body touched, Nao's back against a warm solid chest. Soft lips grazed the tip of his ear, sending electric tingles to his entire body. The smell of the cologne that was invading his nostril was familiar, giving a hint of whom his captor was even before the man opened his mouth.

"Quiet now, boy," Tao warned him in a whisper that was soft yet firm. The tone oozed authority and demanded his full obedience. And it worked every fucking time.

His struggle ceased as quickly as it had started. The grip on his wrists was still painfully tight, bending his arms to its maximum limit, but now he knew better than to fight it. He forced his body to relax, telling his brain to trust the older man even when Nao's natural instinct screamed at him to break free. Tao wouldn't hurt him unnecessarily. Slowly, his breathing evened out, no longer erratic, as panic left his body.

Tao didn't rush him. The older man waited patiently until Nao surrendered. Until he gave up all control to his trusted mentor.

"Good," Tao said finally, clearly pleased by how Nao had reacted to his command.

Since they were young, Tao had always handled him differently from his twin brother. With him, Tao had been quick to give physical restraint or punishment. He had to admit that he did learn things better that way, unlike his brother who preferred civilised discussion to absorb new knowledge. Nao didn't mind this vicious side of Tao at all. Truth be told, he thrived on this method. Feeling Tao's strength against his body always calmed him down. Obeying the older man's command muted all the voices inside his head. And tracing the bruises on his skin after that would remind him of his place. Here. With the people that he loved and cared about. Not in the dark la la land inside his noisy head.

Sometimes, it seemed as if Tao was enjoying their interaction as much as Nao. Not only as a way to drill lesson into his head, but also to share affection. But whenever Nao started to hope, the older man would do or say something ruthless just to put some distance back between them, and Nao would be reminded that Tao didn't see him as anything more than a boy whom Tao needed to teach and take care of. A pupil, for sure. A friend, maybe. A family, at most. But definitely not as an equal. Not like how a man would regard another man, moreover a love interest.

Just like a few days ago. When Nao had exploded during the meeting with the Takamiyas, he had expected some reactions from Tao. He didn't know what kind of reaction, but definitely something stronger than the detached reprimand that Tao had given him afterwards. Hell, even being disciplined was much better than that.

Nao wasn't blind, nor was he a fool. After years watching Tao, he knew that the older man had loved his dad for a long time. He wasn't about to compete with Tao's feeling for his dad because he was okay with that. More than okay, even. Everyone loved his dad. Damnit, he loved his dad more than anything. But, was it too much to ask for a little bit of space in the older man's heart? Even one hundredth of Tao's heart would be enough.

A thumb pressed a particular soft spot on his wrist, throwing him into a blinding agony. He almost screamed, but he managed to stop himself.

"I lost your attention for a while there, boy," Tao commented calmly. "Are you with me now?"

He nodded furiously.

"Then listen carefully. I want you to go downstairs and behave-"

Now, he shook his head with just as much strength. "I am not going to support that stupid treaty, Tao-niisan! I can't! My brother deserves much better than that kind of marriage!"

Tao didn't respond immediately. The room felt cold in its stillness as Nao waited anxiously for the upcoming argument. To his surprise, Tao merely shrugged. "You are always such a romantic dreamer, aren't you?"

Silent. It took Nao nearly a full minute to summon his courage and asked, all the while bracing himself for even a hint of disapproval, "Are you disappointed?"

The strong man behind him simply sighed. "You have never disappointed me, Nao. I don't see being a dreamer as a weakness. Mankind achieved many great things because someone had dreamt about it and wanted to make it happen. There is nothing wrong with that."

Nao didn't really believe it but he wasn't going to argue. Not now when his brain was on strike and his traitorous body was reacting in a way that it shouldn't to Tao's every touch. The heavy weight of the older man's body against his own did nothing to help his situation.

"I don't ask you to be best friends with that girl, boy."

"My brother deserves better than her," he insisted stubbornly. He couldn't imagine marrying someone he didn't love. Or allowing someone else to touch him the way Tao did. Or living the rest of his life with a person he didn't have any feeling for. He just…couldn't.

And if he couldn't, why did people think that his brother could? Or anyone else could?

As if Tao could hear his silent questions, the older man spoke in an almost absentminded way. "Our situation at the moment isn't really promising, Nao. Everyone is practically watching for your father to fall from grace. And if your father falls, everyone you know and love will fall with him. This marriage will strengthen our position. And as long as we can control it, it'll be fine. Your father and brother are doing their best to ensure that. Trust me, they don't like this any more than you do. I don't like this any more than you do. But a man needs to do what he has to do to protect what was his. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for your dad and your sister. Hell, do it for your brother who is denying his own feeling to buy us time. It isn't easy even without you sulking like this. Can't you be his support, instead of an additional burden?"

Nao actually spent a few minutes in silence mulling over Tao's straightforward speech. Tao let him take the time he needed to grasp his head around the idea. The older man had a point. And yeah, he guessed, he could do that. He still didn't like it. But he understood that it was for the greater good. For now.

"It won't be forever, boy," Tao added. The fingers around Nao's wrists made small soothing strokes against his back. The thin layer of shirt separating those long fingers from his skin annoyed him like a fly that kept circling around one's ear. He longed for Tao to touch his bare skin. He needed it as much as he needed air.

Yet, instead of saying it all out loud, he said, "We will destroy them all, won't we, Tao-niisan? All that stands in our path?"

The strength of the grip on his wrists lessened into a more bearable level. "We will, boy. I promise you that. And when it happens, you can do whatever you want to those who threaten the people that you love."

Well, he could do this. He would bow his head and fake a smile to those people that he hated. Just until they could find the mole and gather their strength to strike back. Slowly, he nodded against the cotton sheet.

Tao sighed, "Great. I am glad you understand. Now, go downstairs and smile. Behave yourself. Don't you ever dare make your dad worried like this again-"

"Or what?" his mouth moved without thinking. His voice slightly muffled by the mattress. Nao froze, shocked by his own audacity, regretting it even before the last word was completely out.

"Excuse me?" Tao's voice was cool. It wasn't a request to repeat whatever Nao had said, more like a challenge to see whether Nao would dare to continue what he was about to say or not.

He quickly gathered the last of his wits, rushing the rest of the words out of his lips before he freaked out. "Or what? What will you do if I make dad worried? Hit me? Whip me? Cane me?" Sleep around with boys whose name you can't even remember? he wanted to add but didn't. His laugh was a bit hysterical. "There is not much that you haven't done that can still scare me, Tao-niisan!"

The entire room had gone still in fear. He could hear his own heart beat in the echoing silence that wrapped the two of them. He didn't dare to breath. His instinct told him that he was poking a sleeping tiger and he wasn't even sure that he was ready to face the consequences. Clenching his jaw, he steeled himself for some verbal blows or even a physical one. So, when he felt a gentle brush of fingertips along his nape instead, he froze in shock.

'It was just a coincidental touch' was his first thought. But, it wasn't. Because Tao's fingers kept caressing his bare skin, barely making a contact and yet every ghostly trail left his body on fire. It wasn't really an intimate gesture but it aroused him like nothing else had done before. He stayed as still as a statue, practically stopped breathing, daring not to move even a muscle or else Tao might stop. And he didn't want Tao to stop.

Oh gods, please, don't let him stop, he prayed silently.

But the gods turned a deaf ear to him. The fingers left his skin and Nao instinctively lifted his head sideways, trying to get a better look of Tao, trying to see what had stopped the other man.

No. No. More. Please.

A plea was ready at the tip of his tongue when he realized that the older man had leaned even further. Those full lips that had haunted his countless dreams were just millimeters away from his own. The chaste kiss that followed was brief, barely a brush of lips for no more than a mere second. Most people wouldn't even count it as a kiss. But the simple touch had burnt his entire body, imprinting the action into his very core and throwing logic out of the window. By then, he was ready to do almost anything for this man. Damnit, he would sleep with this damn Takamiya girl if that was what Tao wanted, and he would feel no fucking regret.

Tao released him, leaving him lying there on his stomach. His brain was still processing when the older man replied in a low, detached, icy voice, "Or nothing."

Nothing. The worst punishment ever. The last thing he heard was the sound of a closing door as Tao left him alone.

I wasn't sure what I had expected when Rikiya'd asked for permission to invite his friend to our family dinner. But whatever I had expected, Takamiya Suzu certainly was NOT it.

My smile froze in place, completely fake and unnatural, as the beautiful young woman bowed and greeted me. Her voice was like caramel syrup, sweet and sticky. Her long black hair was salon-perfect. Her nails were beautifully manicured; each was decorated with a tiny shining stone that mimicked a diamond, sparkling under the bright lighting of my entryway. Every piece of branded garments and accessories on her body advertised her family wealth in big capital letters. I had never cared about brands and wealthy looks. I had nothing against it. But her entire appearance was just… too much for such a young woman, like someone who was laughing way too hard for a joke that wasn't even funny.

"Dad?" Rikiya asked, examining my reaction minutely as if he was wondering whether I would approve of his…girlfriend. I cringed at the word. Was this girl Rikiya's girlfriend? Really?

Rikiya was taller than his peers and he had a composure that always made him look more mature than his real age. People often assumed that my boy was 2-3 years older. Still, this girl seemed to be at least a few years older than that. There was nothing wrong with having an older woman as partner if it made my boy happy. But was Rikiya really happy? Was this what he truly want? Wasn't it too much of a coincidence for Rikiya and this Takamiya girl to fall in love with each other after their fathers' feud? What, was this a sort of Romeo and Juliet on the real? Or was this all Asami's doing?

I tried to remember what I knew about Takamiya Suzu, but I couldn't recall a thing. I had never thought that she was important when I'd investigated the Takamiyas. I'd assumed that she was nothing more than a shallow doll, a mere accessory to the Takamiya's household. Now, I was hoping that I had paid more attention to her details.

I observed the two of them together. Both didn't look nervous at all despite my intense scrutiny. She placed her hand casually at Rikiya's hip, while my son circled his arm around her slim waist. There was an air of familiarity between them as if they had done this small display of affection a thousand times. Their body touched, side-by-side, showing a united front and suddenly I felt like I was the outsider.

"Umm, Asami-san?" She asked me in an unsure voice.

I wasn't ready to answer her, though. I simply stood there, at the hallway towards the main entrance of my house, blocking this intruder from entering my sanctuary. A forced smile was still plastered on my face. I heard someone clearing his throat, most probably Tao but I couldn't be sure, and I looked around.

Everyone was staring at me, waiting, wondering, anticipating; body tensed as if they were preparing themselves for a massive explosion that could destroy Tokyo in a blink. I glared at Tao and Haruka, but they both gave me blank expressions, carefully showing no emotions whatsoever. Their poker faces were the telltale sign that they had known all along. Which meant, Asami had also known. And still, all of them had hid this fact from me. Fucking awesome. They could start counting their breaths now, because the moment I got my hands on them, they were so fucking dead.

A hand nudged my forearm and I looked down. Mizuki stood beside me, observing Takamiya Suzu with curiosity in her golden eyes.

"Your girlfriend is very pretty, Riki-nii," she finally commented with a cheeky grin. She looked up at me, "Don't you think so, Dad?"

I opened my mouth. Then, I thought better and shut it again. My brain was working overtime, trying to make sense of my situation while listing all the people that deserved to die today. I decided that I would start from my beloved husband, who was at the top of my hit list for very obvious reasons: he apparently knew whom our son's girlfriend was, he hadn't had the courtesy to give me a fucking warning, and he hadn't come home yet. I began to wonder whether Asami was trying to run away to save his sorry ass from my wrath. That bastard. He was so going to die tonight. Slowly. Painfully. Mercilessly.

But for now, I had a guest to entertain.

"Suzu-chan," my brain finally managed to form a word. After taking another deep breath to control my emotions, I continued, "Welcome. Please, make yourself at home."

She gave me a smile that made my skin crawl. It was a beautiful smile, no doubt about it, but it also felt very wrong in so many levels. I considered myself to be a good judge of character. I usually could see through the layers of façade and it had helped a lot in my line of work. I had learnt to trust my instinct. And right now, everything about this girl just screamed 'WRONG' to me, though I couldn't really explain what was wrong. She scared me.

"Thank you for inviting me to join your family dinner, Asami-san," she replied softly. Her expression was gentle and her behavior was polite. In a glance, this girl was the perfect picture of a Japanese woman. Yet, I couldn't convince myself.

I nodded and stepped aside to allow her to enter my house. Rikiya gave me a relief smile before leading his girlfriend towards the living room, his hand steady at the small of her back.

"Father isn't here yet, Dad?" He asked casually as he walked, clearly believing that the worst had passed. He had no idea.

"He said he will be late," I told him succinctly. "We shouldn't wait for him. Let's start dinner now."

Suzu was clearly hesitant. "But, Asami-san, won't Asami-sama get angry if we start eating without him?"

Thankfully, following a few steps behind me with Rikiya by her side, she couldn't see my frown.

"Oh don't worry, Suzu-chan. Asami-sama just needs to get over it," I gave a cynical answer, looking at her over my shoulder and showing a smile that didn't reach my eyes.

She looked taken aback by my tone, obviously thinking that it wasn't an appropriate way to address someone as powerful as Asami Ryuichi, the master of the house. Oh well, if she had a genuine feeling for my son, she would soon learn who the master of this house was.

I strode towards the dinning room. Tao and Haruka quickly moved away when I passed them, nearly jumping in fear as if I had an incurable disease and they might catch it if they got too close. Sending them a silent frown, I caught a glimpse of guilt in their eyes. Good. They better felt guilty. And afraid. Very. Afraid.

Nao was hovering a few steps away from the door that led into the dining room and when I got near, he took my hand in his and squeezed it. Surprised, I stared into those hazel eyes that mirrored mine, scrutinizing my youngest son who had finally agreed to come down and join us for dinner.

"I don't like her either," he whispered softly, his voice so low that no one else could hear him. He even kept his face away from the others so that no one would know that he was saying something to me. "I am sorry, Dad. I tried to talk to him but he wouldn't listen to me."

Everything finally clicked into place. This explained Nao's behavior for the past few days. Apparently, Nao had also known about Rikiya's new relationship. Whether Rikiya had told him or he had found out on his own, it didn't matter. What's important was that it had upset Nao and it wasn't because he was jealous. I knew my youngest son well enough to be able to catch a trail of confusion and uncertainty in his voice. It was clear that Nao wanted to support his brother's choice of a girlfriend; he had always backed Rikiya up for everything, even when he'd known it would bring the two of them into troubles. My sons' MO was very predictable. Rikiya would plan and make decision; Nao would execute the decision to the dot. The fact that his older brother had also made wrong choices every now and then, resulting to both of them being grounded, had never bothered Nao so far. That was how much Nao had trusted his twin brother. So, when now Nao suddenly felt that he couldn't agree with Rikiya's decision, it scared him to hell.

It scared me too, but I tried to hide it from my youngest son. Instead, I gave his hand a gentle squeeze in return, feeling stronger now just by having him near me.

I didn't play favorite with my children. God knew I loved them all. I always tried to be fair and I treated all of them equally. Each of them was special to me and there was nothing in this world that would change my love for them. But indeed, Nao was always closer to me than the others. Rikiya and Mizuki would come to Asami first whenever they had problems, but Nao would seek comfort from me first. He would sit beside me, leaning his body to my side and resting his head on my shoulder, and then he would rant about some nonsense. That was his way of asking for support. He didn't need advice or solution. He just needed intimacy to ensure him that he was loved, which I would readily provide.

And it always worked both ways. Ever since he was still a toddler, whenever I felt down or sad, he could somehow sense it, no matter how hard I tried to hide it, and he would give me a hug without question. His presence always calmed me in a way the others couldn't. And at the moment, I really appreciated his silent comfort.

I gave Nao a more encouraging smile, "I am sure Rikiya knows what he is doing."

I just hoped that I was right.

Tao's text message was short. But that one word described his husband's latest mood perfectly well.

'Murderous.'

Asami gave a resigned sigh as he put his personal phone back to his inside pocket. He knew this was coming but he was hoping that Akihito would be more…accepting. Although, being such a realistic person, Asami knew that Akihito easily accepting Rikiya's new relationship was a bit too much to ask. Oh well, a man could hope.

Despite what everyone thought, Akihito was incredibly smart. Naïve, perhaps. And righteous. But sharp. And curious. And stubborn. A terrible combination that made Akihito a very good journalist and also the very reason why Asami had a headache every now and then.

Asami hadn't expected even for a second that they could entirely hide the truth behind Rikiya's unexpected relationship from Akihito. Which was why he had suggested the cover story to be as close to the truth as possible and also why he had told Rikiya to introduce Suzu to Akihito sooner rather than later. If there was one thing that Asami had learnt after nearly a decade of marriage, it was that voluntarily giving his husband as much half-truth as possible would stop Akihito from sticking his cute nose where it didn't belong.

"Sir, Takamiya-san is here," Kirishima's voice brought his mind back to the matter in hand.

He turned to face his guest, offering a polite smile as he greeted her. "This is a pleasant surprise, Takamiya-san."

The lady smiled as she strode into his office. Even in her late fifties, Takamiya Sakurako was still as perfect as Asami had remembered. Her beauty hadn't faded, gracing her with an air of quite confidence that she hadn't had the last time they had met. She wore an elegant black dress suited for a lady of her standing. Her matching black heels made no sound on the carpeted floor. Her long hair, now peppered with silver, was pulled up in a simple arrangement and her face was barely touched by makeup. Still, her modest appearance looked much more sophisticated than her haute couture daughter.

"Ryuichi, please," she chuckled as she took the seat across of Asami. Her feline-like movement was graceful. "No need for such formalities. We are old friends, after all. And thank you for agreeing to meet me on such a short notice."

There was no sight of a wedding ring on any of her gloved finger, Asami had observed. And he could still recall a good detail of that diamond ring, having an intimate close up look just the night before her wedding day.

"Old friends," Asami carefully tested the words on his tongue. He waited for a sharp sting of hurt that had often followed when he had thought about her in those early days. But he felt nothing now. The pain had been washed away for years and what's left was nothing more than the happy memory of their young and carefree days. "Are we, Sakurako?"

Her gentle smile was as serene as ever, calming, soothing. Asami couldn't remember how many times that exact, same smile had relaxed him in the past. Many, many times.

"I was not the one who cut all ties, Ryuichi." Her voice was warm and light, but there was a hint of wistfulness there.

Kirishima came with a tray of tea and she turned her gaze away from Asami for a moment. He watched her profile as she talked softly to his trusted secretary. This was the woman who had changed his entire life. He had made a vow never to meet her again, and yet, here she was, sitting across of him after more than 30 years. God, had it been that long?

Now, Asami felt…kind of old.

"Thank you, Kei," she said to Kirishima, addressing the stiff secretary by his given name, just like the old times. "It is good to see you again."

"It has been a while," there was a brief pause, "Takamiya-san."

She laughed heartily. "God, Kei, you are still as rigid as always!"

Kirishima blinked. But without any other word, he bowed low and retreated to stand behind Asami.

"Some things will never change, it seems," she shook her head slowly, a small smile on her lips. Her black eyes found Asami's golden ones as she held him still under her intense scrutiny. There was a hint of fondness in her voice as she commented casually, "You haven't changed much yourself, Ryuichi. Age has treated you well. You look even better now than when you were younger."

He made a polite smile. "I had to be a very ugly young man if you said that an old man looks better than that."

She sighed. "There is nothing old about you."

"You look amazing yourself, Sakurako," he replied easily. "But as much as I love to reminisce about the past, I doubt you are asking for a meeting just because you suddenly feel nostalgic."

She snorted. The familiar sound reminded him of a time long forgotten. A time when the world was simple and love was merely an imaginary concept that he couldn't comprehend. A time when he had thought that he was invincible, bullet proof and unstoppable. A time that he had buried deep under layers of betrayals, deaths and dark truths. It was weird how fast we could be reminded of things we had thought we had forgotten given the right trigger.

"Kichiro told me about our daughter's relationship with your-" She frowned, clearly looking for the right term.

"Son?" He supplied dutifully.

Another of those familiar snorts. She had given him a lot of those snorts in the past. Especially when she had thought that he was being cynical about people. Or the world. Once upon a time, she had been the one who balanced him, the light to his dark side, the healthy reminder of all the good things in life. He hadn't exactly loved her like a lover, but he had respected her as the woman who had provided him with comfort.

"-your adopted son," she finally said.

He just nodded. As far as people knew, the twins were Akihito's sons who had been adopted into the Asami's family along with Akihito. The two of them had explained the intricacy of their relationship to the kids years ago, that Asami was actually their biological father and that it wouldn't change Akihito's love for them, blood ties or not. The kids had accepted it rather well. Their children's acceptance was the only thing that mattered to him and Akihito. And being Akihito's sons publicly made the twins less of a target in the eyes of his enemies. So, Asami didn't see the need to correct the misconception.

"And today, he came to my house to pick Suzu up for a…well, a date. A family dinner, he said. I have to admit he is such a polite and good boy. Very…charming. Very handsome. And he is clearly intelligent. He looks like a very promising young man. Not at all like what I imagined." She observed him as she continued, "He reminded me of the you long time ago."

There was time in the past when he would have felt guilty for lying to her. But that time had been long gone. Even before they had separated, he had quickly learnt to lie to her about almost everything without an ounce of guilt. Her father had wanted to keep her in the dark about their family's felonious affair. And Asami had never question Tsuji-san. The old man had practically taken Asami under his wings when he'd had absolutely nothing to offer in return and taught him everything he needed to know to survive. Sometimes, Asami still felt like he owed the old man his life, though Tsuji-san had died more than 30 long years ago, just three days before her wedding day.

"Funny," he said without losing a beat. "People usually claim that the boys were a bigger version of Akihito. Although Akihito would throw fits if he ever heard that. He hates the fact that the boys will soon outgrow him."

She stared at him without saying anything. After nearly a minute of thick silence, she sighed. "The hazel eyes may make people think that the boys are definitely his. And the high cheekbones. Perhaps also the lips. But the jaw is definitely yours. He also has your build. The way he talks or walks is what really reminds me of you, though; like he knows something I don't know and he thinks it is just polite not to tell me anything. It is…exasperating, honestly."

He laughed then. Something he hadn't done with anyone else other than Akihito and his children for a very long time. "What are you suggesting, Sakurako? That the boys are my spawn?"

"Are they not? Rikiya looks strangely like a mix between you and this Akihito. If I didn't know that Akihito is a man, I would say that he had given birth to those boys himself."

He didn't even lose a breath as he answered calmly, a good dose of firm certainty mixed with faked amusement in his voice, "As much as I want to entertain you with the idea, no, they are not mine. You should know better than anyone else how much I hate the notion of having children of my own."

The glint flashing in her eyes was hard to translate. But then she nodded slowly. "Yes, I do know. How can I forget that, Ryuichi?"

He ignored the rhetorical question. "So, how did you imagine the boy to be?" He asked out of curiosity than anything else.

She tilted her head, considering his question carefully. "I did a bit of investigation since Kichirou told me about the boy Suzu is now dating. And the man I hired reported that Rikiya is actually the son of someone you live with, someone…who serves you for…luxury. You know what I mean."

It was so Sakurako to try to be polite about everything and everyone. Coming from an old, wealthy family, she was raised to be a lady with impeccable manner.

"Sorry, I don't know what you mean. You need to be more specific than that, Sakurako," he teased just to make fun of her. He had forgotten how easily conversation had flowed between them. "Did you mean, a gold digger? A conman? A whore?"

She frowned, pursing her lips in annoyance, "Stop mocking me, Ryuichi. Anyway, I guess it is understandable to say that I had a very low expectation of the boy."

"You think he will use sex for his benefit, just like his sire?" His lips still curled into a lazy smirk.

"You are always so crude," she complained.

"As you are a prude," he replied easily, quickly falling into their old banter.

She blushed. The last time he had said that was right after he had describe his fantasy of her doing things that she wouldn't soberly do, in a very graphical detail. Yet, they both had known that she would do it anyway simply because, well, because she would have done anything to please him then. He remembered that she had blushed too that night. The arousing pink color had spread nicely to her bare breasts, encouraging him to elaborate an even more blatant description of what his twenty years old self had wanted to do to this beautiful woman in his arms. And given her reaction now, she was most probably remembering the same incident.

He was about to say something when his phone rang for what seemed to be the hundredth time today.

"Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story baby just say yes"

He let out a wry sigh. With a practiced ease, he took his phone from his pocket and glared at the screen as if he could stop the thing from ringing just by staring at it.

"He also messaged me at least a dozen times, Sir," Kirishima said quietly, knowing perfectly well who the caller was just by the fucking ring tone.

Asami wiped his eyes, praying to whatever deity out there to let him avoid Akihito's latest dramatic outburst. Of course, nothing that good would ever happen. Why couldn't Akihito accept the lie easily, like Sakurako had done? Surely, Takamiya Kichirou didn't have to go through this entire ordeal just to convince his wife that their daughter was now dating the son of his rival. Most probably, he had just informed her casually, told her to leave the two young lovebirds alone, and she had accepted it, just like that. No questions. No accusations. No headaches.

"What does he want now?" He murmured more to himself than to his secretary, although he knew perfectly well what had irked his husband.

Kirishima sent an uneasy glance towards Sakurako, but when Asami said nothing else, his secretary cleared his throat before answering, "He wants you to be home by 9.30PM…"

The way Kirishima ended the sentence told him that there was a continuation to that nonnegotiable demand.

"Damnit, Kirishima. Just tell me."

There was a long hesitancy before his secretary finally continued diplomatically, "…or we might need to get you a hotel room for tonight, Asami-sama."

Now was already 8.45PM.

Great. It wouldn't be the first time Akihito had kicked him out of the house. Once, he had come home after two days of business trip only to find that Akihito had hired the best security company in Tokyo to change all the locks without informing Asami. To be fair, he had kind of forgotten to let Akihito know that he would be gone for a while due to some emergency. When he'd found out that Akihito was mad enough to lock him out, he had tried to respect Akihito's wish, by staying away for a few days despite the urge to just tear the door apart. Even Mizuki hadn't been able to persuade Akihito to letting him into the house. Asami had sent flowers, gifts, and finally, a limited invitation to a private photography exhibition by a well-known artist along with a letter full of hand-written apology, before all had been forgiven. Forgiven, but never forgotten.

The phone died before it started ringing again, screaming that cheesy lyrics in his silent office.

"Call him before he gets a seizure. Tell him I am having a guest at the moment and that I will be home in an hour," he said finally. Then, reconsidering how Akihito might react to the news, he added hastily, "And tell him that…I will…make it up to him. Well, you know the drill."

Kirishima simply nodded and bowed before he left the room to do as told. Asami turned his attention back to Sakurako just to find the woman staring at him as if she just realized that he was one of the endangered species that needed protection. Like she was wondering what the hell this rare animal doing in a high floor office building in the middle of Tokyo, wearing expensive suits and drinking high quality whiskey.

"What?" he asked, bemused.

She said slowly, "Perhaps, I was wrong. Maybe…well, maybe, you did change, Ryuichi."

"I think it is perfectly reasonable for powerful men to have a few lovers. It is in their nature as much as a proof of their power," Suzu said gently with so much certainty as if her answer explained the basic law of gravity. "It will be much easier if one can accept this fact rather than to fight it. As long as the man can provide for them, I don't see any reason for the lovers to complain."

I didn't even know how our conversation had managed to turn into this subject.

"If they are really powerful, why do they need to prove anything to anyone?" Nao asked with a tone as gentle as Suzu's, smiling in the way most people would smile when they complimented someone that they cared about. But his eyes told a completely different story. "And claiming that it's in their nature is an insult to those men who can actually be in power and still not be an asshole."

I had been hoping that everyone could stay civil until it was time for Suzu to go home. Suzu, however, had made that simple goal extremely difficult to achieve. She was very respectful towards Rikiya and Tao, mostly polite with me, and generally friendly with Mizuki. But it was clear from the start that she looked down upon Haruka.

When I had asked my kids to help me serving dinner, she'd frowned disapprovingly. Sitting regally in a posture that would put the Emperor himself into shame, she turned into Haruka and asked, "Isn't serving dinner your duty as the Asamis' assistant, Ando-san?"

Suzu had made it into a question, keeping her expression casual and light, but her tone was as commanding as if she had expected Haruka to kneel in front of her. The entire room had fallen silent. Even Rikiya had stilled in shock.

Her arrogance was unbelievable. And here I thought no one could be more arrogant that my freaking husband. The fact that this ridiculous behavior had come from a twenty years old girl with nothing but her family name to brag about made it even more infuriating.

"Haruka isn't our family assistant, Suzu-san," I had told her sternly. "She is family."

Her bewildered expression had told me that the idea had puzzled her. But my own hardened expression had stopped her from saying another word. It had been awkward, but obediently my kids had moved to help putting the dishes on the table and offering tea as they had done so many times in the past.

I had hoped that we could leave it at that. But Nao had apparently taken offense and he had no trouble showing his irritation. Everyone knew that my youngest son inherited his father's overprotective streak. Nao was normally an easygoing boy, always smiling and laughing. But as soon as someone disturbed what he considered as his, he would become unreasonably aggressive. And to him, Suzu's rude remark towards Haruka was as an attack to his family.

By the time dinner was over, the tension had escalated to an unbearable degree. Trying to make everyone relax, I'd moved everyone to the living room. I had started a conversation by asking how Rikiya had met Suzu. But somehow, that small talk had evolved into one heated discussion between Suzu and Nao. Not that anyone was yelling or screaming. But the faked gentle tones and feigned smiles spoke louder than any shouting.

"Oh," Suzu tilted her head like a curious little bird. Her lips curved into an indulging smile one usually reserved for handling a toddler who couldn't even differentiate right from left. "And do you actually know anyone like that? Someone who is in power and not…acting like an asshole, as you nicely put it? Or was that just a naïve assumption?"

Nao's smile grew sweeter as his eyes turned colder. "Me? Naïve?"

"Nao, please," Rikiya muttered a stiff request, obviously wanting nothing more than to end the debate before blood was spilled. Metaphorically speaking, of course. I knew Nao wouldn't hurt anyone, moreover a girl.

Rikiya's plea was obviously a wrong move because Nao quickly directed his icy glare at his brother. His hazel eyes were blazing with annoyance. His body tensed as if he was hurt. If his mouth tightened any more, Nao might as well glue his lips permanently.

I could understand Nao's frustration. Suzu was one pompous girl. And I didn't like her sharing this powerful-men-has-the-right-for-multiple-lovers notion in front of the young Mizuki. Some people might be fine with it, and I guess it was their choice. But I wanted my kids to have enough self-respect not to accept being cheated simply because it would make their life easier. To me, money and status weren't the right reason to start an ménage a trois. Or any type of relationship, really.

Still, Suzu was a guest in our house and she was Rikiya's girlfriend, no matter how disappointing. That, and I realized that kicking her out of our house might not be the wisest way to approach this delicate situation with Takamiya Group. I was still angry with Asami for the lack of warning about Suzu, but I didn't want to cause unnecessary problem for the bastard either.

What does Rikiya see in her? For the hundredth time, the question popped in my mind. Did they truly love each other? I couldn't imagine loving someone as arrogant as Suzu. But perhaps other people also couldn't imagine loving someone as arrogant as Asami. My own husband was actually the complete opposite of a person one would want as son-in-law-to-be. My father had thrown fits when he had met Asami for the first time. So, who was I to judge, right?

But if this is all Asami's scheme, the bastard will regret the day he met me, I promised myself.

"Does anyone want dessert?" I asked in another effort to change the subject. We'd already had desserts right after dinner. But after making various excuses to stop their argument, I kinda run out of excuses.

"I want dessert, Dad!" Mizuki raised her hand cheerfully but even her voice sounded strained.

"Me too, Akihito," Tao added with an understanding look on his face. He didn't like sweet things so I knew he was just helping me to create distraction.

Apparently, Suzu didn't want to give up the subject yet. Her intense gaze fixed on Tao as he stood up to follow me to the kitchen.

"What do you think, Liu-san?" she asked softly. Her eyes, however, gleamed with twisted satisfaction.

Tao stilled on his way to me. "Excuse me?"

She sent him her best serene smile that made her look like those princess in historical dramas. "As the next leader of Baishe and one of the most influential person in Sion Group, it is safe to say that we can qualify you as one of those powerful men. Your opinion in this matter has more value rather than mine or Nao-san's."

I swore the room had gone a few degrees colder by the time Suzu was done with her short speech. Tao stared at the young girl as if she had no idea what she was talking about. But from the glint of amusement in her eyes, I knew that she knew exactly what she was talking about. I might not have done my research properly when I had investigated the Takamiyas, skipping anything about Suzu because I had thought that the girl was just another shallow doll. But from the way she had acted all afternoon, it was clear that she had done her homework better than me.

She investigated us, I realized grimly. She may not understand the complex dynamic between us, like when she thought that she could order Haruka around. But she has somehow learnt the power map between us, including everyone's weaknesses and strengths.

For one, she knew that although Asami didn't exactly declare his love for me in front of public, my opinion mattered to Asami and our children, which was why she was being polite to me; just polite enough not to offend her boyfriend or my husband, whom she believed to be the one who made the decisions in our family. However, she also knew that I didn't actually have power in the organisation so she didn't bother showing me the same respect she showed Rikiya or Tao.

She apparently also knew that Haruka's relationship with Asami wasn't as strong as with Tao, Kirishima or Suoh. Haruka might be closer to me rather than to Asami. In fact, in the beginning, I was the one who had been very persistent in treating Haruka as a family. So, in Suzu's view, Haruka had the least power here.

She was being friendly with Mizuki simply because she knew Rikiya and Asami wouldn't be happy if anyone mistreated the little princess. But in general, she didn't think Mizuki would have enough power to kick her ass. Most probably, she merely tolerated Mizuki until she could strengthen her position in the family.

She recognized Tao as the next leader of Baishe and she saw how much power he had to influence Sion Group in general. So, she treated Tao with a lot of respect. She'd obviously heard about Tao's habit of sleeping around, having a few lovers at a time and dumping them after a few days only to be replaced with a new set of pretty boys. Not that it was exactly a secret among polite society.

Nao, however, was an unidentified threat to her. It seemed that she still couldn't decide where to place Nao in the power pyramid. That was why she was still trying to be more or less polite even though she kept pushing Nao's limit.

Oh my god. She is testing the water. Like a wolf observing a group of goats to see which one is the weakest and easiest to catch. To kill. To eat.

And I'd thought that she was merely an accessory to the Takamiya household.

The realization sickened me. This girl scared me. The thought that Asami had let her entering our lives shocked my very core.

"Dad, are you okay?" Rikiya asked me carefully.

For the second time today, I found everyone staring at me. Tao had moved without me noticing. I was too busy analyzing Suzu, I guess. He was now standing beside me, his strong arm around my waist, steadying me. His body was warm against my shock-chilled skin. I looked up to see his worried face. My friend was frowning like he was ready to carry me princess-style to the nearest hospital.

"You are very pale, Akihito," he said. "You look like you are about to faint. Are you unwell?"

"I…"

What? What could I say without alerting Suzu?

I looked around and froze when my gaze landed on Suzu. She stared at my direction. Or was it at Tao? Or was it the both of us? Her eyes were full of excitement like she just found out that Channel suddenly had a clearing sale. What else did she just find out about us? What other weakness had we showed her?

I gripped Tao's arm, trying to convey silently that this girl was dangerous. That was when I heard a familiar deep baritone voice from the doorway.

"What's going on here?"

I could feel more than see that Tao was startled. He didn't jump at the sound of Asami's voice, of course. But the way his body went so still to the point it seemed like he stopped breathing was as revealing as if he was screaming his surprise like a little girl.

It took him a second to recover and then, in a slow and deliberate movement, he stepped away from me, carefully putting a few feet between us before bowing low in respect to my husband.

"Asami-sama," he greeted.

The others had bowed and murmured similar greetings with various title. But I didn't really pay them any attention. My mind was still occupied by the effort to find out what Suzu's next agenda was. There was no doubt in me that Takamiyas' main goal was to tear Sion Group apart. And the most efficient way to do it was by breaking the inside. The very foundation of Sion Group. Asami's inner circle. His friends and family. Our family.

"Akihito?" Asami asked when I didn't say anything to greet him. I looked up at him and the frown in his face quickly turned to one of concern. I had to look even worse than I felt. Because in a few long strides, he was standing beside me, his solid arms felt strong against my shoulders, his fingers automatically caressing my nape. "What happened?"

No one answered and I just shook my head. He turned towards Tao and repeated his question slowly in a voice colder than the cruelest winter in Siberia. "What. Happened?"

Tao opened his mouth to answer but before he could say anything, I lied, "Stop glaring! It is nothing. My low blood pressure, most probably. I must have moved too fast, I feel dizzy for a bit."

"The wall has more color than your face," he snapped. "And you are freezing. It can't be 'nothing'!"

He was worried. And most probably tired, as well. He had been working for more than 14 hours by now, most probably skipping lunch and dinner and surviving solely on tobacco, caffeine and alcohol. Logically, I could understand why he had snapped. But I wasn't known to be the most logical person in the planet. My irritation at him for failing to be home on time came back like a hurricane, causing destruction to everything that stood in its path, and it was amplified by the fact that he hadn't given me any warning about Suzu.

So, instead of welcoming him home with a warm smile like what any loving partner would do for their weary beloved, I yelled back at him, "Maybe if you were home on time, you would know what happened!"

He narrowed his eyes at me. Then, in a much more controlled voice, he said, "I am not going to argue with you when you look like you are about to drop dead at any moment."

To Nao, he said, "Go help your dad to the bedroom. He needs some rest."

Being a good host for one arrogant bitch like Suzu was more than what I could handle in one evening. I didn't need Asami to add his own domineering attitude into the mess. It was like pouring oil into fire. If I was angry before, now I was outraged with pure fury.

Fifteen years ago, I would have shouted back at him, yelling and protesting his egotistical self to my last breath. But having kids had transformed our relationship in more ways than one. There was no written rules or anything. But instinctively, our approach in expressing our disapproval at each other had evolved over the years.

The kids needed to learn to respect us as their parents and it wouldn't help if we didn't show respect to each other in front of them. I didn't call Asami 'Bastard' in front of the kids, for example, and he didn't call me 'Brat' or 'Boy', as well. Those had become an endearment that we used when the kids weren't around. We also tried to come as a united front and not to fight in front of them. Arguments were to be done in the safety of our bedroom or any other private places that we could find during any emergency disagreement.

But just like every other parents in the world, we still made blunders every now and then. Asami had a hard time controlling his arrogant self and still got the tendency to believe that he had the final say in everything. He thought that he knew what was best and I just needed to accept his decisions and moved on. I hated when he did this. But it was even more infuriating when he did it in front of the kids. Like the way he had done just now by commanding me to go to the bedroom with Nao and expecting me to just march like a good little soldier.

To be fair to him, I shouldn't have yelled at him about going home late. Accusing and pointing fingers at each other in front of the children (moreover a guest!) was a big no. But just like Asami had trouble controlling his haughty ass, I had trouble controlling my impulsive temperament.

Tonight, however, I wouldn't give in to the temptation of shouting back at him. Not because I didn't want to make the situation worse. And sadly, it was not because I had the conscience that our kids were in the room with us. Nope. My current reasoning was nothing chivalrous like that. In fact, I was beyond reasoning already.

I just had enough of people treating me like I was nothing but Asami's whore. It wasn't exactly rational, since it had never bothered me before. At some level, I could even understand that people seeing me as nothing but his whore actually gave me an advantage. It gave me the privacy that I wanted in my life, a sort of normalcy that was built from everyone undermining my existence in his life. But the fact that even Asami himself treated me like he could just bark an order and I would gladly jump to obey was just too much to handle.

So, just to spite him, I did the thing that Asami least expected me to do. I bowed to him, murmured a cool "In that case, good night, Asami-sama", turned around, walked away from the living room, went into our bedroom, and locked the door behind me. Let Asami and all his conflict with the Takamiyas or whoever it was be damned. He wanted a doll-like-kept-whore who would do nothing but obey his every command? He would get one.

It was childish, I knew. But, I had never claimed to be a perfect saint with no flaw.