Master of his Heart

1

Chapter 1

Christian Akechi watched all the women at the reception of his older brother's wedding. He was not like either his brother or father when it came to women and his tastes. At near twenty-one now, he knew what he wanted in life, and that was not to be bothered or hindered by the family's curse. He knew the dark desires were there, and he fought them on a daily basis. He was determined that he was not going to fall down the same rabbit hole that the others did.

He would find a good woman that could fit into his life to carry one the family name and help with the creation of his own line, but he didn't see the need to actually fall in love with her. There really was no place for that in his life. He knew that if he fell in one thing, he could fall in another. There was no reason to fail in any of it. At least that was what he thought. Love was a weakness of sorts. He saw it in his father, knowing that his mother was the weakness for his father. He now saw it in his brother and the relationship he had with his wife. Christian just didn't think it was all that important to allow into his life.

His father, who openly adored his mother, was staring at her, shocked at the moment. Whatever she had told him was one of those things that left the older man stunned. It seemed that only his mother could do that to the older Akechi. His father was the oldest son of his generation. He had been born and bred to take over the company and keep up its growth and prosperity. Christian's older brother Nathan was the same, but his father had not only kept up the growth but tripled it. Christian now had a place within the company at the top as well. He knew he could easily have something else in the long run, but for now, he would help with the day-to-day things that he was good at.

Nathan could be as cutthroat as their father, but Christian was more the one to wine and dine with his own type of charm. He was good at what he did. Much like his father, he could weasel out any secrets that someone was trying to hide often with hardly any effort on his part. He did not have the look of the family despite the name. He looked more like his mother, Serafina, and he acted more like her as well. She was the one who wielded the most power in the family, and everyone in the family knew it as well.

As he looked at his brother and father, he knew that this was never going to happen for him or to him. This was nothing that he wanted out of life. A giant wedding to welcome the newest member Kathleen to the family. He just stood on the sidelines and waited for a decent time he could go back home and watch something on tv. This was not something he even wanted to be at. He didn't mind huge functions. He had been raised going to them. He just wasn't comfortable here, knowing that the women were looking to him now as he was the next male in the line.

His father was the one who surprised him by joining him at his side. There was very little to show that he was this man's son in looked but the graceful elegance that the older man had was passed down to his second son. "Looking for your next victim?" Mitsuhide asked as he looked at Christian, who was looking over the crowd of people there before them.

"Victim? Hardly." Christian replied with a chuckle that was like the older man in ways. His eyes were not smiling, though. Not like the older man. He was watching his father now. "Looked like mom dropped a bomb on you a few minutes ago."

"She did," Mitsuhide said. "A huge one."

"Well?" Christian asked.

"Your mother is also pregnant," Mitsuhide said as he now watched his second son and the one he had deemed the most like his mother in ways as he processed that information.

"Also?" Christian asked.

"Well, you did know that Nathan and Kathleen are expecting as well." Mitsuhide chuckled. "You weren't off the mark earlier."

"I know I wasn't," Christian stated. "But mom?"

"I know," Mitsuhide said as he shook his head and he thought about the situation some more. "Just wait until you have to deal with this."

"I won't have to," Christian stated as he looked at his father. "I don't foresee that I will fall under the same curse that you and Nate have fallen into. It doesn't seem necessary to live with."

"Oh, you don't?" Mitsuhide chuckled, looking at his son. He knew there was one time he felt the same. It wasn't surprising that one or more of his children would also see the fakeness of the relationships around them and not want to join their ranks, "And how pray tell do you plan on avoiding it?"

"I don't think that falling in love should consume you. So I just won't." Christian stated as he looked around the room again. "I think I need to go help Cassie out. That guy seems to be hanging on her."

"Go help your sister then," Mitsuhide replied as he watched the young man walk in the direction of his daughter. Christian was nothing short of impressive. Through his looks were more of his Italian descent that he got from his mother. He was his son as well. Not as lean as Mitsuhide was, Christian was more built to be the thing that caught women's eyes. Mitsuhide smiled as he watched the people in the room all turn and glance at his son. "I am sorry to say you won't escape much of anything, my boy. It is never really our choice in the first place."

"Who are you talking to?" Mark asked as he looked up to his father. As the youngest of the clan, he was also the one no one really knew yet. He was Christian's clone in looks, but he had more of an Akechi temperament.

"Your brother though he does not need to know what I said," Mitsuhide said as he ruffled the younger boy's hair. "He is in for an awakening that we all have to go through even though we do try to fight it."

"What awakening?" Mark asked as he looked up to his father.

"The one that we would do anything literally for the woman we were meant to be with. Hiding yourself and fighting it will do no real good. Nate learned. Chris will too soon enough." Mitsuhide answered as he looked through the room again and saw the man in question and his oldest daughter now getting ready to fight as they often did. The two were always at each other's throats, but they would defend each other without hesitation. Mitsuhide smiled at the two.

"Will I have to go through it?" Mark asked as he looked at his brother and sister getting ready to come to blows which was also a normal thing. Though they both seemed to realize where they were and calmed themselves down.

"We all do." Mitsuhide said with a grin that could only mean he was pleased with the outcome of the day, "We all do. Christian might think it will be on his terms, but he has to learn that it is not in his control. It is in fickle fates instead. He will never see it coming."