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

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

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

Waking up in my father's family house after what was supposed to be a presentation dinner but turned into an engagement dinner was not how I would have ever wanted to spend a Saturday morning. It took me a while to fall asleep, perhaps too long, due to all the information bombarding my brain, but I became aware that nothing I did would change the course of my life; I had nothing left to do but cry. I needed to vent, but it wasn't the best moment, let alone the best place. My sisters made it clear to me when I arrived at the family breakfast, a breakfast where Hiro was the only one who smiled at me and gestured for me to sit beside him, while my father had not yet returned from whatever he was doing. "Crying causes dark circles, wrinkles your face, and weakens the nervous system, making you look like a child," mentioned my exuberant sister Ima. "But I suppose your education isn't based on the kind of strength required... What a shame." Then all three of them laughed with amusement,

They all exchanged glances in response to unspoken questions, and I could only sigh, tired of all the emotional turmoil that came with talking to my mother, maintaining that posture. It wasn't fair, so that's why I looked at one of my father's men and said: "Bring her here, and get some coffee and donuts for all of us, please." He nodded to the other bodyguard while everyone helped me sort, organize, and select the right gifts for the children. They didn't take more than twenty minutes to return, so when my mother entered and saw everything I had in my hands, she couldn't help but smile. "Is this for the library kids?" "Yes, it's for those kids... They need some light, and since they won't have their teacher anymore, I want to say goodbye in a nice way and leave them with tools that will help in their education," I pointed out without looking her in the eyes. "What do you want to talk about?" "Well, I see your father's influence is firmly established, but I would like to speak p