Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 101427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
A reading nook hugged one corner with velvet cushions and a tray for tea or wine.
A shelf lined one wall—blank but waiting.
He didn’t say anything.
I just stood there, stunned.
Not by the luxury.
But by what it meant.
Kenji had made sure there was space for me.
For my work.
For my passion.
No one I’d ever been with had done that. I’d had men buy me earrings and book trips. They all said they supported me, but they never made space for me.
“I’m to find out what books you may need to fill the shelves.”
My throat went tight. “Thank you. . .I’ll have a list tomorrow.”
“Excellent.”
We moved on, but I was still reeling from my writing room when we reached a corridor guarded by four men in matching suits. They stood like statues, barely blinking.
“What’s this room?”
Sako glanced at them, then at me. “That is the Dragon’s War Room.”
“Oh. . .” I lingered as we passed the War Room, my steps slowing just enough to earn a glance from one of the guards.
The air outside that door felt heavier. Whatever went on behind those walls wasn’t just business. It was vengeance. I tried not to stare, but I couldn’t help imagining what the room looked like—was it screens and maps, or guns and bullets?
Did Kenji pace when he planned?
Did he raise his voice?
Did he sit in silence while others shook around him?
My palms tingled, and I caught myself holding my breath. I didn’t even know what I wanted—to open the door or run from it. All I knew was, if the writing room had been a gift. . .this place was a dangerous secret.
Sako kept walking and then guided us upstairs.
I waited until we’d climbed the first flight of stairs, before I finally asked, “Have you worked for Kenji a long time?”
Sako gave a faint smile. “Yes. As soon as I was old enough to walk.”
“What? You started as a kid?”
“Yes. We basically grew up together. My father was his father’s butler. I grew up in service—polishing the Dragon’s shoes and folding napkins before I knew how to ride a bike.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded. “I used to bring Kenji tea when he was a boy. I cleaned all of his stuffed animals too.”
My eyebrows rose. “Kenji had stuffed animals?”
“His mother called them the snuggle bunch. Lots of rabbits, wolves, a dragon of course, lions, tigers.”
“No bears?”
“Only a koala bear.”
I chuckled.
“As a kid he never understood that I couldn’t play with him. Kenji would always make me sit and play with him whenever his father wasn’t watching.”
“Would you get in trouble?”
“No. His mother and my father always smiled and watched us.”
“And so. . .you continued to work for Kenji in his adult years?”
Sako’s expression softened. “Later, when he went abroad and played professional football, he asked his father if he could bring me along.”
My smile grew wider. “Wait, really? You were with him during his athlete phase?”
“I was.”
“Did you enjoy that?”
He actually chuckled. “It was an incredible amount of fun. The games. The shopping. The parties. The cities. He barely needed me to do anything back then, and he forced me to wear different suits not the proper uniform. Secretly. . .I think he just wanted me to. . .”
“To what?”
“To have fun.” Sako cleared his throat. “Anyway. . .when he later took over the empire, my job shifted to something more. . .serious.”
He paused at the next door but didn’t open it. Instead, he looked at me with a glint of dry amusement. “Hiro calls me the Monk of the Mansion.”
“Do you think that fits?”
“I suppose it does, although monks usually don’t keep Glocks next to their nightstand.”
Alright, Sako. So you stay ready for war too.
He gestured to all the doors around us. “The second level is for the Roar, Claws, and Fangs.”
“They are housed here, and not in the villas?”
“Exactly. If there is ever a time when you feel unsafe, and the Dragon nor I are near come to this level.”
“Okay.”
“The men stationed here are loyal. Deadly. They will protect you without hesitation.” Sako held up one finger. “However. . .go to the Fangs first, if possible.”
“Why the Fangs first and not the Claws?”
He exhaled like it pained him. “Because. . .the Claws sleep naked.”
I choked back a laugh.
Sako looked genuinely disapproving. “I have addressed it many times. They do not care. ‘Comfort over protocol,’ they always say.”
Well. . .I bet all of them are kind of fine as hell, so. . .I may go to the Claws first.
I chuckled to myself.
Sako returned us to the staircase.
The stairs spiraled, narrowing the higher we climbed.
We made it to the top.
The hallway was a masterpiece. Smoked glass panels glowed softly behind illuminated etched kanji in deep navy ink. The characters flowed in wild strokes.
Sako pointed to a huge door. “This is where the Dragon and you will sleep.”
Oh my. Let’s see what we have here.