Page 56 of Ruin

The thought of losing him shot fear to my chest and burned.

Jiro spat to the side and then strode from the room, his sons following. It showed he had respected my father enough to not continue this right then. I dropped my hold on Josh and looked to Uncle Akio, who moved around his chair and pushed it in. He dipped his head. “I am sorry for your loss, Wolf.”

“Thank you.”

He left without another word, his only son following after him. My other cousins stayed until I released them with a remark of speaking about business later. The room quieted until Josh turned to me, a stormy expression on his face. “I hate your uncle.”

A warm smile lifted my lips. Reaching out, I slid my hand to the side of his neck. “Thank you for looking out for me. He’s not very liked by many.”

“Good. He’s a dick, and I’ll always have your back.”

Would he though?

While he understood my family dealt with illegal businesses, I wasn’t sure if he really comprehended how much trouble that brought to the Takahashi family. There were many out there who wanted the trade we had and would do anything to get it, meaning my life was always at risk. It was why Ryo didn’t leave my side unless asked, and I already knew he would be standing outside those doors. He would have heard everything and run in if something happened. I could defend myself easily against the family, but the other people interested in the business would bring many to take me out.

It had happened before, and no doubt it would happen again. I didn’t like the thought of Josh being in the middle of my mess when he could get caught up in the crossfire and be harmed.

A storm was coming now that Father had passed. Some competitors would think it the ideal situation to move in and try to take what was ours. I had to be cautious, even more so now.

Maybe the right thing to do was to send Josh away. Not only him, but Mother, my cousins—Jiro’s daughters—and Mimi. I needed to make sure they were safe before the thunderclouds hit.

So why did the thought of having Josh leave hurt my heart?

For the first time, I didn’t know what to do.

“Hey,” Josh uttered, stepping closer to me.

I blinked and met his gaze.

“Where did you just go?” he asked, reading me so well.

Smirking, I shook my head. “Nowhere really.”

“What do you need?”

You.

Only you.

The realisation had my eyes widening. I didn’t understand how it happened so quickly, but I was well on my way into falling for Joshua.

“What?” Josh demanded, his hands tightening on my waist.

Shaking my head, I ran my hands down to his stomach and rested my forehead against his chest. “Nothing.”

“Taro,” he growled in the back of his throat. I loved it.

“Joshua,” I replied with a smile.

“Babe, what’s goin’ on?”

“Honestly, I’m finding everything a lot to take in right at this moment.” The family, the business, my father’s death, and my feelings for Josh.

“Then don’t.”

A chuckle fell from me. “If only it was that easy.”

“It is. Take today for yourself. No one will think bad of you for it. Shit, every boss has time off. You have people at your back to help you. Let them.”

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