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A loud echo reverberated through the penthouse as the front door was slammed. The person who had forcibly pulled the door shut was the owner of the hotel, Eisuke Ichinomiya. One look on his normally emotionless face and it was clear to that that something was wrong. Something very bad could be the only reason for him to be that angry. His brows were furrowed to the point that they almost touched.
He was half way up to his suite when his best friend Soryu caught up with him. Soryu planted himself in the center of the stairs as a human door. "This isn’t like you at all,“ he said calmly. His dark eyes falling to the billionaire’s face.
"Let’s go to your office and you can tell me what has you so angry.”
Eisuke wasn’t one to lose his cool. Of all the bidders, he and Soryu were regarded as the most calm and level-headed of the bunch. Today that calm had evaporated leaving him a bitter husk of his former self. He didn’t want to talk to Soryu though, in fact, he didn’t want to talk to anyone. His arm flew out and his firm hand pushed against the mobster’s chest in an attempt to escape.
“Now, you can hit me if it will make you feel better, but the longer we stand here the greater the chances that the others will show up. Then you’ll have to talk to all of us.” Soryu read Eisuke’s face and tried to get his friend to talk alone with him in a quieter place that the communal space. He knew that if Mamoru started asking questions, he’d figure it out. Good cops, even the lazy ones, could get to the heart of a matter easily. That left Baba and Ota. They were Eisuke’s friends but they liked to joke around and this was not a time to have them teasing the boss about something. He placed his hand on Eisuke’s shoulder. "Come on,“ he urged.
A deep exhalation was released as Eisuke angry agreed to letting Soryu lead him to his suite. After the two men took seats opposite one another, drinks were poured. It was not all that common for Eisuke to drink whiskey midday. His haunted eyes looked to a recent addition on his desk, an engagement photo of Tame and himself. He could not bear to look at her face and violently slammed the picture face down on the desk.
Soryu’s eyes widened as the glass from the picture frame shattered and splintered. He cared about Tame. A look of wonder drew over his face. Was she hurt? Oh god, don’t say she died, he thought. He knew how much the woman meant to Eisuke and how much he loved her. Had something bad happened to her and was that what made him angry? "Eisuke, talk to me. Where is Tame?”
“She’s… she left me. She’s cheating on me. I don’t know,” he rambled on. between the anger of being betrayed and the hurt of losing her, he didn’t have the strength to say more.
Soryu’s head shook in disbelief. He had seen his friend fight to save Tame’s life, fought to help save her family home and even fought to keep an ex-boyfriend from nearly abducting her. It confused him as to why Eisuke was not fighting now. Why was he suffering like a lost child? "Where is your fighting spirit?“ He reached for his cell phone but before he could dial it, Eisuke looked up.
"She stole it from me when I watched her with that guy down in the lobby,” he said. "I was going down to check with the manager about the casino for Baba’s birthday party, when I saw them. She was holding holding hands with him. Her face was glowing. I can’t…,“ he paused. "I can’t tell you the last time she smiled like that with me.”
Soryu sat like a statue, listening to his friend. He hadn’t put his phone away, as if he might yet still need it. His face remained calm. If what Eisuke said was true, he’d make the problem go away.
Another round of shots was poured as he continued to tell Soryu what had happened. "As I stood there watching, she never once turned to notice me. Her attention was on the man she was with. He took out a small box from his pocket and I could see what it was. He proposed to her.“ It was then that the facade of being strong crumbled like a brick wall that had been smashed by a tank. Tears welled in his eyes and just as quick, rolled down his normally stoic face. "I could hear her excitement. It was too late, I couldn’t say anything to them.”
Soryu had never seen this side of his friend. He was the only one who had truly thought Tame and Eisuke would be together forever. Everything about the situation seemed so out of character. Tame utterly adored and cherished the very ground Eisuke walked on. With no other option, Soryu dialed a number on his phone. "I need to see the lobby surveillance.“ Then he placed a second call, or rather he silently paged Tame. He stood up, fixing his suit and tie. "You gonna be alright for a minute?” His voice was calm and steady despite having just learned that his best friend’s fiance may have cheated on him.
Eisuke nodded. He hated that he had lost the love of his life, but he would be okay. "Yeah, I’ll just drink until I can forget her,“ he said. He had already forgotten that she was more than just his fiance but also an employee in his hotel. Drinking away might not be as easy as he thought.
Soryu made it to the front door just as Tame was walking in. "Oh, uhm, good afternoon, Soryu. I sorta hoped it had been Eisuke who had paged me.” Her happy smile began to fade away when she notice only the two of them seemed to be here. "I really need to talk to him,“ she said quietly.
Soryu pointed up the stairs before he stepped out the door. He looked back over his shoulder towards Tame, "he already knows. Don’t hurt him any more. He may seem unbreakable, but he’s not.”
Her face contorted and her head canted to the side. What did Soryu mean that Eisuke knew? Eisuke, the only man she loved, why did Soryu think thank she would hurt him? So many jumbled thoughts rushed through her mind. She sprinted up the stairs like a ninja to find Eisuke. As she looked around their home, she heard noises coming from the office. A light wrapping noise filled the space before she opened the door. "Eisuke, you here,’ she called out questioningly.
‘Tame, what are you doing her?“ He hadn’t been sure she would come back here. His eyes widened as a horrible thought crossed his mind. "Did you come back to rub it in my face and finish ripping out my heart,” he asked angrily. In a swift violent motion, Eisuke rose to his feet and grabbed Tame’s arms.
A gasp of shock and pain flew out of her mouth. He had never been violent with her before. She shook in his embrace. "What do you mean, Eisuke? I don’t know what you mean,“ she said as she choked on a deep sadness. Tears streaked down her face.
"Who is he?” Eisuke demanded answers from his fiance. "You can put away the tears. I saw you with him.“ He tightened his grip on her arm. A certain sense of danger filled his eyes.
"Wait!” Her eyes widened with realization of what Eisuke saw. "Please let go of my arms so we can sit and talk. You misunderstood what you saw,“ she pleaded.
He wanted this to be the truth, but he trusted what he saw more than what she might say. He released her and fell back into his seat.
She walked around the desk slowly and knelt on the floor at his feet. She didn’t even hesitate as her smooth shins planted over splinters of broken glass. "That man you saw, came to tell me that my little sister is pregnant and,” she said as she sniffled. "He wanted to see if you’d give him your blessing to marry her.“
"What about that ring that he gave you? I saw it Tame! I saw him propose to you,” he shouted. He grabbed her hand as if to show her. What he found there was not a new ring, but the 7.9 carat red diamond engagement ring he had given her.
She reached out her sinewy arm and pressed her finger to his cheek. Long tapered fingers wiped away his tears. "He was only showing me the ring, he wasn’t proposing to me at all. You are the only man I love. You are the only man I plan to ever marry, Eisuke.“ She lifted up on her knees and tugged his face closer to her own. Her soft lips pressed into his softly. "But if you hadn’t been such a jealous baby, you might have came over and found out all of this on your own,” she teased.
He lifted her from the floor and placed her in his lap. "If I am jealous it’s only because I love you so much. You do this to me, princess, only you.“