Hidden Secrets

Chapter 53

Yaten snapped out of his trance when another shot rang out. His weapon was quickly unholstered and ready to fire. Taiki, releasing his grip on Kenji, also scanned the room. Yaten swiftly passed him in the direction of the gunfire, and Taiki followed closely behind.

At the staircase leading to the cellar vaults, Yaten came to a halt. With his gun raised, he nodded at his brother. The pulses of both brothers had escalated rapidly as they cautiously descended. Yaten peered around the corner, and upon seeing Seiya on the floor, he rushed forward.

Within seconds, he was crouched by Seiya's side, hurriedly inspecting him for injuries. Seiya had pressed his hands onto his thighs, gritting his teeth in pain. "Seiya, damn it, what happened?" Yaten inquired.

"Rubeus, that miserable piece of filth, shot me in the leg... Go after him, Yaten. I heard more shots just now; maybe Ren needs help. I'll manage," Seiya grunted.

Yaten gave a terse nod and rushed on. He knew there was no time to waste. Yaten was familiar with these cellar vaults from his teenage years, often using them to secretly meet with Mina. Therefore, he knew precisely that two of these passages led outside the estate. The security measures here were laughable to Yaten, and he never thought Kenji would even acknowledge their existence. Rubeus fleeing in this direction played into Yaten's hands, but the challenge was determining which path Rubeus had chosen.

Yaten hurried through the dim passages of the cellar vaults, senses heightened as he sought to locate and catch up with Rubeus. The sound of his own footsteps echoed through the empty halls, accompanied by the frantic thud of his heart. At each fork, he briefly paused to listen, but there was nothing to be heard except for his own breath.

Meanwhile, Taiki had improvised a makeshift bandage around Seiya's leg. Since the projectile was still embedded, Seiya couldn't avoid a visit to the doctor. Some of Yaten's men, drawn by the sound of gunfire, had also arrived. Taiki assigned two of them to escort Seiya to the car. "I'll manage; go after Yaten. Usagi is the top priority," Seiya panted, gripping the railing.

"Out of the question. The two of them will take you to the car. You can't do anything right now. They're already chasing Rubeus with at least 15 men. You get yourself checked, and I'll see if I can still catch Kenji somewhere," Taiki declared decisively

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Usagi regained consciousness in a dimly lit room. It was dark, and she felt dizzy as she sat up. She was on a mat on the floor, covered with a tattered blanket. A feeble fire burned in a dilapidated fireplace, casting a faint glow and providing minimal warmth.

"Oh, look who's finally awake," a woman's voice intruded into Usagi's ears, freezing her in place. She turned her head to find Mimete sitting casually on a sturdy wooden table in the shadows. Her feigned friendliness mirrored precisely what she had continuously tried to instill in Usagi.

"Where am I?" Usagi asked, scanning the dim room again. Besides the table, a chair, and her mat, there was nothing else.

"That doesn't matter, and it's entirely irrelevant to you. Once Rubeus is back, we'll take you out of Tokyo, and once your child is born, we'll have achieved our goals. I wonder what Kenji plans to do with you afterward," Mimete said sharply.

A shiver ran down Usagi's spine. She didn't know what awaited her, so she decided to be more cautious. "What have I done to you? Why are you doing this to me?" she murmured, intimidated.

Mimete sprang up and approached a few steps closer. With a rough grip, she seized Usagi's chin and pulled it upward. "You're still so innocent and clueless; it's almost cute," Mimete sneered. Usagi wrested herself from Mimete's claws and slid frantically backward against the wall. Her heart pounded with fear, and a flutter of panic stirred in her upper abdomen. Usagi decided that she needed more information. What had happened after she entered Kenji's office? She could barely remember anything.