Page 13 of Ruin

“Jia jun?”

“Yeah.”

“Head of house.”

“Rise, girls, and go with Ryo. I’ll have Katon bring you something to eat soon. Do not fear for anything.”

They bowed a couple more times and went with Ryo. Wolf moved to Mimi and me. I jolted a little when his hand landed on my waist. “Let’s eat,” he said. I turned back to the table and felt his hand slide to my lower back, guiding his sister and me back to our seats.

It was damn weird having a guy’s hand on my back, but I wasn’t going to make a fuss about it in front of everyone. Obviously, there were many rules and traditions in the house, and I knew I’d stuff up over something, probably kicking someone’s arse, but for now, I’d keep my mouth shut.

Respect for the guy who just pulled out my seat ran through me, despite my brows shooting high, wondering why the fuck he made such a gesture. If we had more time here, I could even come to like the man. That was if he stopped treating me like some woman, since he’d just tried to place a napkin on my lap.

I snatched it out of his hand and glared up at him. The prick smirked.

Maybe liking him as a person was not going to last long. I had a feeling he’d get on my nerves more than anything.

Chapter Four

Ruin

After dinner, Mimi and I stood in a library. I’d pulled her aside to see how she was, since she’d gone to see her father earlier. Pouring us a drink, her hands shook a little. I placed my palms on her shoulders. “Let me do that, babe.”

She handed me the bottle of bourbon and took the glass she’d already poured, stepping out of the way. After I got myself a couple of licks of straight Kentucky, I turned and leaned against the bar and watched her pace in front of me.

“I’m guessin’ it didn’t go well.”

She sucked back her drink and faced me. “He was sleeping when I went.”

“You didn’t get to speak with him then.”

Mimi rolled her eyes. “I suppose I could have talked to him while he slept.” I took on her irritation. She’d come here for one thing, and that was to sort shit out with her father before he kicked the bucket. Since it hadn’t happened, she was probably fretting over the thought. Her shoulders sagged. “Sorry.”

“It’s all good, honey. I get it.”

Mimi grazed her bottom lip with her top teeth. Usually that move would get my dick paying attention, but he was asleep. It proved Mimi wasn’t my one. God, it sucked, because I wanted to find her, and Mimi was a great woman. But honestly, now wasn’t the right time to be thinking any of this shit.

A change of subject was what was needed. “You’ve got a lot of people in the family.”

She laughed. “Yes, you could say that. Some still live in Japan. They refuse to…. Well, I guess they don’t like Australia or the US, where our other uncle resides over the Takahashi family that moved there.”

“What’s so different from there to here?”

“Everything. In Japan, they’re stricter than here.”

“Fuck.”

“Exactly. In a way, it was good Dad moved us here. Although, he was still strict. More with Taro since he is the family’s heir. If Taro ever spoke out of turn, he was punished.” Her lips thinned. “Really, I had the better end of the deal.”

“Doesn’t mean your turmoil is any less than his, Mimi. You were gonna be sold off like an item instead of a person.”

Mimi poured herself another drink. “Right. Some still do that in Japan. The main difference from here to there is how different the houses are. Traditionally, we should live in wooden houses with mat flooring and sliding doors. Rooms are divided by partitions of paper. Which makes things awkward when you can hear things going on in the other room.”

“You would have been young when you lived there, yeah?”

“I was, but Mother always went back to see her family and took Taro and me with her.”

“How is your mum?”

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