Only yours

The Road Back to My Old Life

For nearly four weeks now, I had been holed up in Davao, trying to lose myself in my work, which wasn't too difficult thanks to my father. It was still a painstaking journey back to who I had been before Usagi, but slowly, I was falling back into my old patterns. Work and sex – that's what I had lived for, and that's what my life was filled with again.

The two women from the bar whom I had taken home last night were still lying naked in my bed, stretching in their sleep. I knew Maria would soon take care of them.

With one last look at the sleeping women, I slipped into my shirt and made my way to my office. A hot, black coffee was already waiting beside my laptop, just as I was used to. Maria was a good soul and knew exactly what I needed after a night like that.

I skimmed through the emails, and two immediately caught my attention. One was from my father, informing me of Saphir's trial date. End of May. That meant I could soon banish my brother and his atrocities from my life forever. I immediately added the date to my calendar.

The other email was from Haruka, and I hesitated for a moment before opening it. The subject line read: Activity Report / Ms. Tsukino January.

I was torn about whether I really wanted to read this email, but my curiosity won out.

Hello Boss,

As requested, I'm sending you an activity report. Three weeks ago, I arranged a therapy spot for Ms. Tsukino to help her deal with the events of the past months. Initially, she resisted, but now she attends the sessions regularly, two to three times a week. After the fourth session, she had several long conversations with Dr. Chiba and has since cut off contact with him. Additionally, I spoke with Mr. Sato and convinced him to keep the intern on to alleviate some of Ms. Tsukino's workload. She is on a good path to recovery.
Haruka

I stared at the few lines and couldn't help but be impressed. Haruka had everything under control. She was taking excellent care of the wreckage in Usagi's life, just as I had expected.

Usagi... I tried to push her out of my thoughts as best as I could. We both had to move forward. In the first two weeks of January, she had desperately tried to contact me. Countless calls I ignored and at least as many messages I deleted without reading. I just wanted to forget what had happened, rebuild my protective walls, and function again. Far away from all that emotional stuff that only made you weak.

The bright, bell-like laughter of a woman's voice reached me, followed by some whispering. The two were finally awake. Another reason to stay seated for a while. I didn't want to risk running into them. At first, I had set my rules stricter again, only one night per woman. That it was two women last night was a coincidence that didn't bother me. They loudly clattered down the stairs and called for me. I sipped my coffee and waited for Maria to show them the door. After all, I still had to pack for Europe.

Masaru continued to cover for me in Tokyo, allowing me to focus on everything else in Europe. Haruka's next email reached me about four weeks later, in February. Her report was relatively brief. It simply stated that Usagi was doing better and how things were progressing.

By now, I was in France, dealing with the local companies. There were still some construction defects, and the opening was scheduled for the end of the week. It would cost a fortune if we had to postpone it. I had settled into the presidential suite in the still-closed hotel when I came across her next message.

Activity Report Usagi Tsukino / March

Hello Boss,
Ms. T. is still doing well. The therapy has been reduced to once a week. However, Ms. T. still tries to reach you. She still feels the need to talk, though she didn't tell me what about. Sato mentioned to me that he plans to retire soon and is looking for a partner. With your consent, I would push Ms. T. more into his view.
Haruka