"The man arrived alone," pointed out Massimo, my Consigliere, best friend, and advisor. That made me smile with pleasure, and I thought about my final offer: fifty million dollars, unrestricted passage from Nevada to Washington state, access to ports and shipments. All of this in exchange for weapons, drugs, and his withdrawal of support in the midst of the war we would wage—a war in which I needed the others to be left isolated, without anyone extending a helping hand when I came without hesitation to kill him.
"Do you think he'll accept?" I asked my friend, and he looked at me with a furrowed brow.
"The man isn't foolish; he knows it's a profitable deal with you. But he's one of those who follow ridiculous codes, so he'll want guarantees. As for that, I'm afraid I can't read minds. He's quite unpredictable in his actions. Most of the time, he follows the council's decisions, but there are moments when he acts on his impulses," he explained matter-of-factly. "Discovering his affair and his illegitimate child... It was a stroke of luck. Especially since he's always watched his back."
"But I suppose after so many years, his guard has come down," I added for him, and we exchanged knowing smiles.
We walked to the bistro-style restaurant by Lake Tahoe, the neutral ground where we had chosen to discuss our business. He was there, sitting, sipping on a glass of whisky. His men, upon seeing me, assumed defensive positions, which made me smile. It was typical for them.
He tended to have a shrewd, cruel gaze, but after saving my sister's life in a fire that left part of my face burned, I appeared like a monster, a beast capable of devouring everything in my path. So, Massimo stayed at a prudent distance, and I took a seat with the man of the moment.
"Well, I see you're interested in doing business. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered having you travel here," I spoke before sitting down and signaled the waiter to come over. When he approached, I ordered, "The same as the gentleman."
"Well, I like that you don't beat around the bush, Alessio. Tell me what you want from me, what you offer, and based on that, I'll seriously consider whether to lend my support or not," he said with seriousness, without a hint of fear.
The Japanese man was well-versed in business, astute, with much more experience than me. Nevertheless, he wasn't a fool who could be easily swayed.
"Alright, I want control over the arms and drug trade in the western part of the country. Provide me with a significant number of arms, ammunition, and in the event of a conflict, withhold assistance from my enemies," I got straight to the point, "without interfering."
The man furrowed his brow before smiling.
"Why would I even consider doing business with you?"
"For two reasons: I'll give you fifty million dollars upfront as a guarantee for the first tons of drugs and the weapons I require. Additionally, you'll have a partner who will help you make money through sales and provide you unrestricted passage from Nevada to Washington, with access to ports and shipments, all properly notified, of course," I laid out everything without hesitation and looked at him with a hint of suspicion.
It was a tempting offer; one he couldn't just easily dismiss.
"Have you thoroughly studied this plan?"
"Don't take me for a fool, Hiroshi. I know perfectly well what I want and what I'm offering. Now, if you have any modifications, then consult with whoever you consult and let me know. If it's within my possibilities, we'll incorporate it into the agreement," I said. "But here's the thing: don't test my patience or waste my time. You have one week to provide a response. Silence will be taken as a refusal, and we won't have any issues."
"We won't have issues, but crossing state borders and accessing your territory will become much more problematic, am I wrong?"
"Not at all. Just one last warning, from one boss to another: don't use this as a manipulation tactic. Otherwise, I'll ensure that even your dirtiest secret, or perhaps your most beautiful one, sees the light of day. It would be quite interesting to witness that. However, I do believe you're a very intelligent man," I retorted before standing up, taking the whisky that had just arrived, and offering him a smile.
He must have had an idea that I was referring to his daughter Amaya, so he looked at me with anger. I left him there, alone with his thoughts. The curious thing was, I never thought that I'd call for a test of loyalty that would involve marrying one of his daughters. So, as if the most delicious plans were beginning to form in my mind, I scheduled a series of meetings for the next three weeks to get to know them all and choose a bride who suited me.
This would give me time to study my prey.
Hiroshi had two legitimate daughters with his wife.
Dai and Ima Yagami. The first was ambitious, shrewd, intelligent, and according to reports from my infiltrators, she advised her father in business matters. She held power within the clan, and the council held her in high esteem. She was also a fighter, a combatant, and quite ruthless. As such, she was automatically excluded from my marriage plans, as she would destroy me at the first opportunity to turn my machinery in service of the Yakuza.
Ima was a spoiled rich girl, someone who only wanted money to squander as she pleased. She lived from one trip to another, immersed in a world of fashion and luxury. She was a doll in every sense of the word, with numerous surgeries that made her look stunning, yet empty more than anything else. She would undoubtedly be a total annoyance.
However, the bastard child, Amaya, was completely different from the others. She was calm, simple, dedicated to her studies, and not involved in her father's world. She seemed to want a quiet life, a simple life, a life where she could achieve her dreams.
She intrigued me so much that I spied on her activities in the library, how she helped foreign children improve their language skills to speak more fluently and harmoniously. She was magnificent in more ways than one. She didn't possess a conventional beauty, the kind I was accustomed to seeing; she was simply beautiful, and that was enough. The funny thing was that she didn't realize it herself.
I noticed two men, one perhaps a bit older than me, who didn't approach her but couldn't take his eyes off her, as well as a boy around her age who was more careful, more cautious in displaying his attention toward her. It was as if she had captivated them. I wondered if the bastard who took her innocence away realized what prize he had let slip through his fingers.
The curious thing about how the world works is that I didn't expect her to wander close to the shelves where I was hiding, giving me a glorious moment to observe her and interact with her. It was pleasant to get to know her thoughts to the point of release.
"You guys don't meet women's expectations because you don't even make an effort to do the basics required for it," she argued astutely. "You only put in some effort at the beginning, when you want to get what you want from a woman, but then... You don't do anything else. You leave most of the work, most of the burden, to them... Women end up not only holding the foundations of relationships but also doing most of the work to make things function, while men only contribute financially and often end up hiding them like dirty secrets."
She stopped her diatribe when she realized she was saying more than she intended. I understood her situation.
"Don't worry, I understand your perspective to a certain extent," I said calmly. "It was a pleasure meeting you. I'll look for books on aliens; they should be interesting to understand."
With that, I left, trying to avoid her gaze. However, I ended up being a voyeur and followed her to the university residences. There, I saw her enter and disappear into her world. Finally, I returned to my world. Massimo was in the van, and I noticed his sidelong smile, but he didn't say anything.
"Let's head back home. I have a lot to plan," I stated.
"Which of the women are you going to marry?" he asked jokingly before starting the engine.
"We'll see, we'll see what destiny has in store for me."
The most intelligent thing I could do was to choose the weakest daughter, the one I could manipulate to my liking. But something deep within me told me it would be dangerous because she reminded me too much of the good things that would be destroyed. However, something deep in my chest wanted to claim her—I didn't understand why.
I just wanted Amaya to be mine.
"You must be joking, Mom," I told my mother after hearing the request she made. She wasn't just asking me to set aside my beliefs, but to give a chance to a man who spoke of righteousness, rights, values, and more, yet lacked respect for his own family through an affair. Moreover, he led one of the criminal organizations causing the most harm to the world.This was outrageous!"No, I'm really letting you know, your father wants to see you, and you should go. The meeting is going to happen, whether you want it or not, and for me, the best thing you could do is approach your father without him being forced to do it," she answered seriously, with a touch of concern in her voice. "He... He wants to mend things, Amaya, so just give him a chance.""I'm sorry, but a person who keeps me as his dirty secret doesn't deserve a chance," I replied and hung up on my mother as quickly as I could, tired of even considering that she might be insistent. Before my father no longer directly interfered in
"This has to be a nightmare...""If it's any consolation, little sister, he's doing it to protect you," Hiro said.The look he got from our father silenced him immediately, enough for him to turn his face away."What are you talking about?""When we get to Los Angeles, we'll talk about everything, I promise you, suki," my father replied, and I furrowed my brow.I shook my head; I was somewhat afraid, and I didn't miss the serious look Hiro gave Hiroshi. It made me wonder if it was something natural, usual, for the oyabun to be so expressive and affectionate. I didn't want to inquire, so I just looked out the window until we reached San Francisco. To my complete astonishment, my mother was waiting at the door with a large suitcase and a handbag."Why are we going home?" I questioned the man of all my troubles."Because your mother wants to see you before we board the plane, and we also came for some of your things," he explained, narrowing his eyes."I need all my assignments, everythi
If anything in this life had surprised me, it was Amaya's appearance in that dress, looking as fabulous as she could and completely unaware of her attractiveness. I glanced at the favored Yagami girls; both wore expressions of consternation. I could guess their thoughts quite well: the more superficial one was probably thinking she had competition for attention, while the power-hungry one assumed she had another rival in the succession line.That made me smile. However, when I saw her stop next to her brother, who surprisingly had his arm linked with hers as a clear sign of respect and acceptance, I heard the most interesting conversation of my life because it revealed something that was in the report: the girl could speak more than one language.Her response in flawless Italian not only surprised my chatty soldiers but also caught the attention of the rest of the community. I remained silent to see what would happen, but I gave a stern look to the idiots who had opened their mouths.
"She... She's not a daughter from my marriage, but the circumstances of her conception are not a relevant topic in light of the fact that she carries my blood, Yakuza blood, and as such, she falls under its mantle and protection," he retorted with utmost seriousness and clarity, emphasizing an intriguing point, a point not beyond comprehension: Amaya was his daughter and had the same rights as the rest. "The process of changing her name, as well as bestowing upon her a new surname, will conclude shortly, and she will officially become a Yagami."The man's wife was boiling with anger, twisted to the point of being shaken entirely. Her daughters were the epitome of modesty, yet they reached out to comfort their mother, while Hiro held his younger sister who seemed on the verge of fainting. With those words, the table fell into silence, and the council members stood to give a small bow to the girl who was on the brink of tears. With that, she had sealed the poor girl's fate, so it was wi
The presentation was a complete nightmare for me.There was no way to lie about it, especially not after the disaster that unfolded.My father had not only revealed the fact that he had fathered me outside of his marriage, which in itself was an expression of wanting to marginalize me in front of everyone, but he had also made a public declaration that they would protect me no matter what, which meant I had to adhere to certain principles that I knew nothing about.I felt completely out of sorts, out of my own skin.It was a complete disaster, much bigger than I had expected, and I was nervous, especially after he announced that a member of the Camorra, the most violent Italian mafia of all, would marry one of his daughters. This, after the announcement of my paternity, included me and meant an even greater disaster.I didn't want to get involved in this world, I wanted nothing to do with either side, I just wanted to live my life in peace, far away from everything and everyone. So wh
"I... I give them my blessing," he replied, and I felt the wound of betrayal.The Camorra boss took my hands and turned me with infinite delicacy so that I would look at him. The man wasn't ugly; he was tall, somewhat blond, and had imposing green eyes that stood out against his handsome features. The only thing that obstructed the view was the mask, but it wasn't something ugly or extravagant.However, that's what made him intimidating to the rest, and when he fixed his gaze on mine, I felt as if I had been firmly ensnared, with a kind of deep magnetism that put me on guard."Ore to kekkon shite kure."He said it in a difficult pronunciation, but it shook me to the core.I just looked at him, I didn't know for how long, but it was a long time because Hiro cleared his throat, and then he asked again:"Cho ni narou.""I... " I looked at my father for a moment, and he nodded firmly, so I closed my eyes tightly and squeezed his hands. "Yes."People applauded, some without much enthusiasm
Her reaction to my words was as if she had been stabbed."Doesn't your daughter have any idea how the Yakuza operates?" I asked Hiroshi incredulously."Don't get involved in this..." the man retorted defiantly.I shook my head, crossed my arms, and cut him off with an icy stare."She agreed to be my wife, my woman, interamente mia, so I have every right in the world to ask, to know how ignorant she is of her origins," I replied sternly.I wasn't sure if it was the tone, I used that frightened her or the realization that things went much further than what had been told to her. I just saw Amaya become dizzy from the impact of it all, so I quickly held her and helped her sit down.She was trembling, her hands cold and sweaty."Are you okay? Do you need anything?" I asked immediately."I..."She looked conflicted, and then her father approached, which made her react."Suki...""I want you to answer him. Come on, tell him what you don't have the courage to tell me, tell him what you've ref
Hiro led me through some corridors, turning left, and Hiroshi's wife watched the scene with anger, which annoyed me. I didn't bother letting her know that, to me, she was like an annoying insect, and she had a lot to lose. Maybe too much, which made her the most composed woman in the world."What happened to her?" she asked."She got overwhelmed," her father replied. "Maybe she hasn't been eating well; she tends to skip breakfast at university, and we brought her straight here..."This made the woman look at him with a red face, as if she were engulfed in flames."She's going to university?""Not now, Nyoko, it's not the time," he snapped, and Hiro opened a door."She'll be comfortable here; I'll call the family doctor. He should be downstairs with the other guests," he announced and then left so that his father and I could enter.I laid Amaya on an impressive bed with carved wooden posts. The bed and pillows were covered in imported Egyptian cotton, which pleased me, and I positioned