"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
Trafficking in women That was the phrase I woke up to in the middle of an unfamiliar room, with a piercing headache and an immense desire to cry over the nightmare it could signify in my life. What was curious, though, was that in a few seconds of rational thinking, I became aware that something was in my arm. So, I focused my eyes and saw that I had an intravenous line in place. On instinct, I moved to remove it, fearing they had drugged me. However, a voice stopped me. “I wouldn't do that.” Turning to my right, I saw none other than my fiancé. He was leaning against the window, his body facing it, but his face oriented towards me. From that perspective, with the moonlight shining on his golden mask, he seemed like a creature of the night, a God of darkness who had come to take me away. My heart began to beat strongly, like a madman in search of comfort. “I...” “You fainted in the middle of the conversation we were having with your father, it happened quickly. How much did you
"Well, you'll know what you're doing, but having a child..." I shook my head at his audacity, his boldness, for abandoning him when I had been a child born out of wedlock. "I know very well what loyalty to the woman we share our bed with, the one who sleeps by our side for us to protect, entails. Our laws and customs prepared me for it, how we handle the details, frankly, dear father-in-law, is not entirely your concern." Wow. It was the second time he disarmed him. Hiroshi had no moral ground to say anything, question him, or reproach him. In the entire context, I didn't know what he was referring to, but I was pleased that he said something capable of freezing the illustrious oyabun of the Yakuza. "Very well..." "Can you leave us alone to talk? We were discussing the details of our agreement," the Camorra boss requested, and my father frowned at me. "Go, if anything happens, I'll kick him where it hurts," I said, making Alessio laugh genuinely, for the first time since I had
The look the girl gave me was one of complete bewilderment. "But..." "It's a warning, and as I told you, I don't like to repeat myself. The wedding will take place in two weeks, enough time for you to get your things in order before moving," I offered, but she stared at me as if I had given her the greatest insult. "You can't be telling me this..." "I've already told you, and how you interpret it doesn't change anything, Amaya. You will be my wife in two weeks, what happens after that will be of little consequence, but I'm giving you enough time to adjust whatever you need to. In other times, I would have taken you with me as soon as possible, and this discussion would have ended," I pointed out. "It's just that the fact that you think this is a type of discussion says a lot about the way you approach a merely informative conversation," she accused, and I liked seeing fire in her eyes. "It's a discussion in which I win." "Like all the ones you have?" "Well, I see you're not sl