August 5th, 2025
At Tachibana-Kawasaki Global Headquarters - 4 hours ago.
The air inside the Tachibana-Kawasaki Global Headquarters was sterile and cold, the kind of silence only broken by the ticking of a luxury wall clock and the distant hum of
Tokyo's chaos beyond the towering glass windows. Ruth sat behind her marble executive desk, legs crossed, her posture as polished and sharp as the black heels that tapped ever so slightly against the hardwood.
The door opened, and in walked her parents, Marko and Christine Tachibana.
"Mother. Father," Ruth greeted, forcing a tight, polite smile as she rose from her chair. "What a surprise."
Christine smiled faintly, but Marko's expression was a mirror of concern.
"We need to talk," Marko said without pleasantries.
Ruth tilted her head, pretending to appear gracious. "About what?"
"It's about Leo," Christine said softly, clutching her purse like it held her nerves. "He called us last night. He's worried, Ruth."
Marko stepped forward, voice firmer. "He said you've been cold. Distant. Like you're somewhere else even when you're with him, you're always on your own, you don't act like a partner and wife to him, you keep secrets to him. He's starting to believe… you don't love him."
Ruth blinked slowly. A pause filled the room like a growing shadow.
"That man and his emotions," she said dryly, turning toward her glass wall, staring down at Tokyo's skyline.
"Hey!" Marko barked. "You don't toy with people's feelings, young lady."
"I'm not toying with anything," Ruth snapped, turning her head slightly. "I made it clear to Leo, before the marriage, what kind of woman I am. I never lied."
Christine's eyes narrowed. "But you married him, Ruth. Doesn't that mean something?"
"I married him for the family's future," Ruth answered flatly.
Marko's face darkened. "Our future? Or your own twisted version of it?"
Ruth didn't answer.
Christine took a step forward, concern etched deeply in her brow. "Is it true what he said, Ruth?
"That you don't really love him?"
Silence.
Marko slammed a hand down on her desk, rattling the silver penholder. "Say something!"
"I don't," Ruth said finally, her voice calm but emotionless. "I don't love him."
Christine gasped, covering her mouth.
Marko paced the room, rubbing his temple. "Then why, damn it, did you marry him?"
"I told you," Ruth said, now rising slowly, walking toward the window again. "For the future. For the power of our family."
"What future?" Christine whispered. "One built on lies?"
"I had to think practically. I always do," Ruth said.
Marko turned on her, rage boiling beneath his disappointment. "You're using him! You're using the Kawasaki family!"
"I did what I had to do," Ruth said quietly.
"For what?" Christine asked again, her voice trembling. "Is it really just about business? Or is there something more?"
Ruth closed her eyes for a moment, composing herself, then turned around.
"I need control. I need power. Stability. A legacy. I need all the pieces in the right place."
"And Leo is just a pawn?" Marko challenged.
"He was willing," Ruth replied coldly.
"No, he was in love," Christine said. "And now I see it. You never were."
"I'm a Kawasaki," Ruth said. "I was never allowed to follow emotions. You raised me that way, didn't you?"
Christine's face fell. "We raised you to be strong. Not heartless."
Marko let out a bitter laugh. "My God, what would Lionel say if he knew?"
"He's just an old dog," Ruth said dismissively.
That's when Marko's patience snapped. "Enough! This isn't ambition anymore, Ruth. This is cruelty."
Ruth narrowed her eyes. "You always said I'd make a great leader. You just never imagined what I'd have to become to be one."
Marko stared at her in silence, his disappointment now a deep sadness.
"You're no longer the daughter I once knew," he said.
"I haven't been her in a long time," Ruth replied.
Christine turned, tears brimming in her eyes. "We didn't come here to fight. We came here to understand. But I don't know if I can anymore."
Ruth looked down, lips pursed.
"I'm sorry if my choices hurt him," she said, voice low. "But I've made them. And I'll live with them."
Marko and Christine exchanged a long, heartbroken glance.
Then, without another word, they left.
Ruth returned to the window, watching their car disappear below.
Her hands trembled for just a second.
Then she straightened her blazer.
Everything was still in motion. And she would not stop. Not until everything was set.
And everything was finally hers, even Ian's life.