Chapter 43

“Let’s go to the old mansion,” Ryo said as he stood up from the couch. Still in costume, he strode out of the trailer and into the waiting Bentley. Since earning his own money, Ryo rarely visited the old mansion. It lacked the warmth of a home he experienced with Ellie’s and her family’s. Soji, his grandfather’s butler, opened the main door for him. They were expecting him. It only means they’re already aware of what’s happening with Ellie.

“Young Master, Master is waiting for you at the Clan hall.” Soji stated as he bowed his head.

With long and steady strides, Ryo walked towards the fourth basement of the mansion. Yellow fluorescent lights illuminated the cold corridors. A metal door was at the end of the hall. A man used to guard this door, but with technology, various biometric scans replaced it. Ryo stood at a distance for a retina and facial scan. Then he put his palm on a sensor to scan his prints. Only then did the door open.

Isamu sat on a chair at the end of the hall. Ryo took the seat to his right. A man, dressed in black, kneeled in front of them.

“Why did we come to this?” was what Ryo said. His eyes looked at the kneeling man with no emotion. The person did not answer but bowed his body lower, kissing the ground. His body shivered. Ryo waited for almost a minute and when he did not get an answer, he demanded, “Answer me!” His voice bounced to the cold walls.

The other Clan members who stood at the periphery shuddered at the sound of Ryo’s voice. Cold, unreadable, and menacing aura replaced his usual flamboyant and easy-going aura. They all knew Ryo hated violence. He distanced himself from the organization and ventured into acting because of this. But everyone in the room felt shivers run down their backs in fear. They kept their eyes down and avoided eye contact.

“Ma-ma-master, I’m sorry. I-I-I did not do the j-j-job well,” the kneeling person stuttered. “I should have done the job myself, but I slacked off and had somebody else do it.”

Silence prevailed in the room. After a while, the wailing of a man in pain filled everyone’s ears. Ryo had kicked the man, sending him flying across the room. “Now, my woman had to suffer for your incompetence!” Ryo could feel his muscles tremble as he suppressed his fury.

Meanwhile, Isamu watched the whole spectacle with a slight smile on his face. Despite his grandson’s position about what the Clan is, and it represented, he knew he could take on the mantle. “Enough!” his deep voice stopped Ryo from further venting his anger. “Turning him to a pulp won’t change anything. We need to secure Ellie and stop this from escalating.”

He stood up from his seat and the people from the periphery pulled their backs to stand in attention. “To those of you who looked down on Elizabeth. Eat whatever prejudice you have. She and only she will be the mistress of this house. Those in opposition, this is your chance to deflect from the group.”

Everyone stood rooted to the ground. They knew of that woman. Some of them have seen her, others only heard snippets of information about her from her guards. Of all the women Ryo dated, she’s the only one Isamu acknowledged. It’s true some of them look down on her. She’s not Japanese after all and does not have the birth and social status to be on par with the Matsudas.

Only a fool would deflect from the Clan. With all the crimes they have committed, only the Clan’s protection kept them alive. Apart from the Matsudas, they have no other kin. They were born for the Clan and would die for it. So, they had to swallow whatever prejudice they had and accept the future matriarch.

If there’s any consolation, they heard nothing but good things about the woman. Those who have worked with her had nothing but good words to say about her and her family.

Blood stained the floor when Ryo and his grandfather left. The man was a breath away from death. His colleagues lifted him off the floor and brought him to one of the closed doors for treatment. He did not die today, but he was not sure about tomorrow. He knew his life depended on the life and safety of the woman called Ellie. It’s too late for regrets now. All he could do was pray. Pray nothing bad happens to her.

Had he known the Matsudas value her this much, he would not have cut corners. He should have known better. Ryo had been with various women, but he did not use the Clan. For this woman, he had asked his colleagues to stand guard and protect her. Top level assassins were doing bodyguard work for her. He underestimated his mission, that’s for sure. And now, he’s here fighting for his life and hoping against hope nothing bad happens to her.

It was Ryo’s longest four-hour flight of his life. Anyone who saw him could tell something’s eating him. His hands fidgeted. He kept shifting his seating position like he’s sitting on a cactus. It’s his second serving of scotch. Every second felt like an infinity.

The calm sky was the stark contrast of the storm of emotion Ryo felt. The second serving of scotch did nothing to soothe his nerves at all. His heart continued to race against his chest. Taking deep breaths helped neither. Ellie’s face kept popping up in his mind. She must be scared right now. Haru reported Ellie had to close her when an incognito reporter harassed her and her staff. Haru and his team controlled the situation, but it shook Ellie.

That reporter incident was only the tip of the iceberg. While his team controlled traditional media, the social media is a different monster. With close to 80 million social media users, and not much censorship in place, bashers had a feast day. Ellie became the subject of memes and a victim of trial by publicity. Nameless trolls spun various stories about her. She’s painted as a two-timing slut and a criminal.

Each comment was a knife on Ryo’s chest. He’s had his fair share of bashing and he knew how depressing it could get. What more for Ellie? She’s not used to this kind of life at all.

It must have scared her. Was she crying? The thought alone was already unbearable. All it took was a few words from Diana to crumble Ellie’s world.

It was almost sun up when Ryo arrived in Baguio City. Clutching on his copies of Ellie’s keys, he strode to the kitchen’s backdoor. The silence of her kitchen was unsettling. At this hour, this room used to be hum with life. The ambient sound of her electric mixer accompanied her as she baked. There would be occasional clanging of pans and trays. A thin dust of powder floated in the air. And the smell of chocolate infused the air. But not today. The electric mixer did not hum. There was no floating cloud of flour in the air. The kitchen smelled of disinfectant and not of chocolate. Everything was spick and span. All life in the room vanished.

His feet treaded up the spiral staircase. With trembling hands, he inserted the key in the doorknob. He had not yet turned the knob when it opened from the inside.

There in front of him stood Ellie. Two dark shadows under her eyes told him she has not slept. Dullness replaced the brilliance of her skin. Her pink lips were pale. Her round eyes looked at him with surprise.

It had been a hellish 24-hour for her. She tried to live her life as normal, but the disruptions were too much. No matter how opposed she was to the idea, she had to close her shop. She did not want her customers, Beth, and Maya, put in danger because of her. Everything inside her revolted at the unfairness of the situation. She did nothing wrong, but people liked her crucified. They did not care about her side of the story. All they wanted was her head on a stake.

Her world crumbled in less than 24-hours and she could do nothing about it. She waited for the storm to be over, but there was no sign of it stopping soon. Her life became a butt of jokes. In less than 24-hours she became the vengeful two-timing bitch everyone took turns to stab.

“Ryo?” she asked with her shaky voice. Her hands rubbed her eyes and looked at him once again. She had been thinking about him all night. All she wanted was to have him beside her. She missed his protective presence.

When he did not vanish in front of her, she threw herself at him. Hugged him and poured her heart out. He was all she wanted, and he’s there standing in front of her like a dream come true.