Hidden Secrets

Chapter 41

Yaten's facial expression completely unraveled. Overwhelmed, he stared at his blonde sister-in-law. Then he started another video. "Are you really sure that was the voice you spoke to?" he stammered. Usagi nodded. "Yes, without a doubt. That probably means my sister is still alive."

Yaten's face had turned chalky white by now. "What did she say? I mean exactly! Remember, every word could be important!" he suddenly pressed her. Usagi thought for a moment, closed her eyes, and tried to recall the brief phone call. "At first, she wanted to know if I was okay, if Kenji had done anything to me... Then she said she had expected Taiki to be a good man. When I asked her if she was my sister, her response was only that Minako Tsukino was dead... from then on, she was brief. I should give my number to Rei. She would contact me in a few weeks, and then we would meet... Oh, and at some point, she also said that the whole damn old men's group should go to hell."

The last sentence elicited a grin from Yaten. "That's definitely my Mina. Always in battle mode for justice." "But what did she mean by that?" Usagi asked, still not fully understanding all the connections. "The old men are Kenji Tsukino, Hiroshi Chiba, and Kakashi Kou, my father. Until a few years ago, they collectively formed the top of Tokyo. You're probably already familiar with the superficial business, but it goes much deeper than it appears on the surface. Drugs, smuggling, money laundering, forced prostitution, and even human trafficking are part of their daily business, just as endless sessions and negotiations... and precisely this part Mina tried to undermine, sometimes with smaller, sometimes with larger successes. I'll stop my explanations here. I'm sorry, Serena, but let Tai explain the whole mess; it would take too long to explain everything to you. I... I have to go now... Don't do anything stupid and stay in the apartment. I have to attend a meeting for a few hours," said Yaten, suddenly seeming to be in a hurry.

At that moment, Usagi realized that behind Yaten's often cool facade, there must be a softer core. Her gaze followed him as he left the apartment.

Hardly had the door closed behind him when Yaten sank to the floor against the wall, his head resting on his knees. He needed to process all the new information. Minako was alive. This information echoed through his mind over and over. He had been right all along. She was alive, even though she was probably now married to Chiba. It was as if a ton of weight had fallen off his shoulders. He wiped away a few tears with the back of his hand and tried to regain control.

Yaten needed a few minutes to pull himself back up on his feet.

After some consideration, he took out his phone. He scrolled through his contacts, and soon he found the number he needed. Setsuna. She was on-site. It had to be her to create a better picture of Mrs. Chiba; even though he already knew, he needed further confirmation. It rang several times, but eventually, he reached the voicemail. "Suna, I want you to call me back as soon as you hear this. It's important!" His voice sounded urgent, and Yaten hoped that Setsuna would react soon, although he was aware of the time difference. It was the middle of the night for her now.

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Taiki sat alone in his spacious office; the walls around him seemed to press in on his thoughts. Despite having several contracts to review, his concentration was gone, and his mind kept drifting back to Amy, whom he hadn't even properly bid farewell. A sense of incompleteness weighed on him, heightened by the fact that he didn't know what she was doing at the moment. He wondered if she had already arrived in Switzerland.

His fingers slid over the display of his phone, where he had pulled up a picture of Amy. The memory of her smile brought both comfort and pain. A pang of longing ran through him, and his heart contracted painfully. The impulse to call her was held back by the clear memory of her words – she needed time for herself, and he respected that, even though it plunged his thoughts into a whirlwind of uncertainty.