Chapter 1
Rain fell in sheets behind the nightclub.
She shouldn't have taken the alley.
She definitely shouldn't have heard the gunshot.
But what truly ruined her life was this—
She looked up.
And locked eyes with Ren Takahashi.
He stood beneath the flickering neon sign, black suit immaculate despite the rain. A man knelt before him, bleeding onto wet concrete.
Ren didn't look angry.
He didn't look rushed.
He looked calm.
Too calm.
Her breath caught.
He noticed.
Their eyes met — hers wide with horror, his unreadable.
She stepped back.
Wrong move.
"Bring her," Ren said quietly.
That was it.
No shouting.
No panic.
Just a command.
Later — Inside His Car
She expected to die.
Instead, she sat across from him in the backseat of a sleek black car.
Silent.
Shaking.
Ren watched her.
Not like prey.
Not exactly.
He studied her like something unexpected.
"You saw something you shouldn't have," he said evenly.
"I—I won't tell anyone."
His gaze dropped to her trembling hands.
Weakness.
He hated weakness.
But something twisted in his chest.
Annoying.
"I know your father, he owes my family money," Ren continued calmly. "A significant amount."
Her face paled.
"And now," he added, adjusting his cufflinks, "you owe me silence."
She swallowed. "What does that mean?"
He held her gaze.
"You will marry me."
The words didn't sound like a proposal.
They sounded like a verdict.
Ren's POV (Hidden Truth)
He should eliminate loose ends.
That is how this world works.
But when she gasped softly at the word marriage…
When her eyes filled with disbelief…
He felt something unfamiliar.
Possessive.
Not because she was useful.
Not because of strategy.
Because when she looked at him with fear—
He wanted to erase the world that put it there.
He clenched his jaw.
Weakness disgusted him.
So why did hers make him want to protect it?
He looked away first.
The Marriage Announcement
The next morning.
Tatami room. Clan elders seated.
She stands beside him in borrowed white.
Small.
Fragile.
He notices everything.
The way her fingers curl into her sleeve.
The way she avoids his eyes.
The way she refuses to cry.
That refusal?
He respects it.
"She will be my wife," Ren announces.
An elder questions him.
"A witness is a liability."
Ren's gaze turns lethal.
"She is mine."
The room falls silent.
He didn't mean it the way it sounded.
But the possessiveness in his voice shocks even him.
Later — Their Bedroom
Large.
Cold.
Too quiet.
She stands near the door, unsure.
He removes his jacket slowly.
Controlled.
Measured.
He walks toward her.
She stiffens.
He notices.
He always notices.
Ren stops before touching her.
"Look at me."
She hesitates.
Then does.
Fear again.
His jaw tightens.
"I will not touch you unless you ask," he says quietly.
Her surprise is obvious.
"But understand this."
He steps closer — close enough that she can feel his warmth.
"You belong to me now."
His hand lifts—
He brushes a strand of wet hair from her face.
Slow.
Gentle.
Too gentle for a man like him.
And that is when he knows.
He's already lost control.
The mansion was larger than anything she had ever imagined. Polished floors reflected the dim glow of lanterns, hallways stretching like veins through a palace of cold opulence. She clutched her thin coat tighter, trying to feel warmth where none existed.
Ren walked beside her, every step measured, his presence overwhelming. Even his silence was a statement: I am in control. You are not.
"You will have your room prepared," he said quietly, eyes on hers the whole time. "Eat when you are told. Sleep when you are told. Speak only when spoken to. Understand?"
"Yes," she whispered, barely meeting his gaze.
"Good." He paused in front of a sliding door, traditional wood framed with paper panels. "Your room."
It was small. Minimalist. Japanese elegance, but stark. A single low bed, a polished floor, a small desk. Nothing else.
She swallowed, unsure whether to feel relief or despair.
Dinner with the Clan
Later, she was led to the dining room. Clan elders sat in perfect rows. Ren at the head of the table, as if the world began and ended with him.
"She will eat," Ren announced simply. One of the elders glanced at her, eyebrows raised.
"I…" Her voice trembled. "I don't…"
"You will eat," Ren repeated. His tone left no room for argument.
She obeyed, hands shaking as she picked up the chopsticks. Every bite was measured, quiet. She felt like prey in a gilded cage.
Ren didn't eat. He watched her. His dark gaze made her pulse quicken. Not fear. Something else. Something sharp and unsettling.
The First Night Tension
Night fell. The mansion was silent but for the distant drip of rain and the occasional shuffle of servants preparing the next day's arrangements. She stood before her sliding door, hesitant.
Ren appeared behind her, silent as a shadow.
"You will sleep in your room," he said. Not a request. A command.
"I—I know," she stammered.
He studied her, his eyes dark pools of unreadable emotion. Then he stepped closer, close enough that she could feel his warmth. Too close.
"Do you understand what it means… to be mine?" he asked quietly, voice low, dangerous.
She nodded, barely able to breathe.
He reached out, almost brushing her shoulder. She froze. His hand lingered, deliberate, almost testing her reaction.
"I will not touch you we're married," he said, but the edge in his voice suggested he could not guarantee his control.
Her heart raced. Every instinct screamed at her to step back. But something about the way he moved, controlled, confident… made it impossible.
"You belong to me," he whispered again, soft but possessing every inch of her attention.
Ren's Hidden Struggle
He turned away first, hiding the storm he felt inside.
He should not be affected. She was supposed to be a witness, a liability, a pawn.
Yet, every small quiver, every hesitant glance, every tremble of her hands—it tore at him.
Weakness disgusted him. Yet hers… stirred something he did not understand, something dangerous.
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to remember: this is not love. This is control. This is business.
But the image of her, small and fragile, staring up at him with fear and wonder… he couldn't erase it from his mind.