Kissed by the Baddest Bidder - Heartbreak by Business (1st Story)

Chapter 15- The Doomed Dinner

We enter Soryu's condo awaiting the group to enter the dining room. Puppy is polite to me, but scowls momentarily at Eisuke then recovers with a carefree smile. He leads us in and hands Eisuke a glass of red wine, me a bottle of water. As we are seated the group folds into the room, tight expressions on our faces.

Baba comes to kiss me on the cheek before sitting down. Everyone else sends smiles and takes their places. Although no words have been exchanged the air is a thick fog of tension. I inhale sharply and the main course is served.

"How's Blip?" Soryu asks breaking the atmosphere and starting conversation.

"Blip's great, Eisuke and I went shopping today! We got some great stuff and soon I'll discover the sex" I say beaming while looking down blushing.

"You went with him?" Ota asks, brushing his hair away from his chin his haraguro side in full show.

"Ota..." Soryu warns.

"No Sor, the kids right. Cookie you're opening yourself up for a world of hurt kid." Mamoru mutters.

I stand from the table. I don't want to be in this position. "I'm going to..."

Eisuke puts a warm hand on my shoulder and pulls me to sit down. He pulls me close and whispers, "I was expecting this, sit back down baby."

A silence spreads over the table, a mechanical cycle of fork to mouth fills the room.

"So, why did you invite us here?" Baba sneers, getting down to business.

"I wanted to apologise to everyone but especially Violet what I did to hurt her was unforgivable. Tears brim my eyes as he begins, and I turn my face away. He holds my cheek bringing my eyes back to his, "I want you to hear this." he says with compassion I didn't think could come from Eisuke Ichinomiya.

"I want to tell you my business..." he sighs, "my brothers...that I've made some bad mistakes recently."

"You hurt her kid, you didn't do shit to us." Mamoru growls.

"You guys left" Eisuke resorts, reminding me of a petulant child.

"We chose her" Baba says without emotion.

I keep my head down. Tears rolling down my cheeks, we were a dysfunctional family to begin with but this isn't us.

I bite my lip and raise my head. Baba looks shocked and stands to hug me. I wrap my arms around him, mumbling gently.

"If go to him now you'll only get broken Violet. I hate to say this but it's almost acceptable to put yourself through that, but it's not just you anymore. " Ota says as Baba sits down.

I freeze. Shocked at his statement the tears dry, "What are you trying to say?"

The men are taken back by my tone but Ota stands his ground. "I'm trying to say that to be a good mum-"

"Go back to your dog women Ota because you have the maturity of my pinky finger. Not to mention you know nothing about being a parent." I sneer my hormones heating my head.

The men around the table still, and out the corner of my eye I see Soryu's underling retreat back into another room. "You wouldn't have that reaction unless you were worried about him playing yo-yo with you too." he resorts.

"Enough." Eisuke and Soryu say at once.

"You aren't in charge anymore Eisuke." Soryu glares.

"And you are?" Eisuke replies.

Soryu and Eisuke just stare at one another their eyes in a locked position, challenging one another.

"This isn't us." I whisper.

"No, it's not but what can we do kid? We just don't want him hurting you. Why do you think we left? We chose you over him because we care about you, you're like the glue that keeps this group together Violet." Mamoru says calmly puffing at a cigarette.

There was a huge elephant in the room and I just wanted someone to come out and say it already, "You can't expect her to forgive you" and be done with it.

"I won't let her take you back" Baba says out of the blue.

Eisuke's head swivels around meeting Baba's direction.

"Why? I mean it's not like you have a choice but why?" Eisuke says trying to control himself. From under the table I see him balling his fists together tightly.

I take his hand and unravel his fingers. Before I can pull away he grabs it, holding my hand like teenagers under the table of a classroom.

It seems to give him strength, "I want my group back." Eisuke announces. "And that includes my wife."

It is met by silence and until Soryu breaks the ice, "Are you leaving her?" he asks, with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes." Eisuke says, looking guilty.

"What about the business deal?" Baba says growling slightly.

Eisuke turns to look at me, "You told them?" he asks shocked and I turn crimson.

"Yeah well it was either that or she ended up drowning in too many tears." Baba resorts angrily. "So don't you-"

"-I know." Eisuke interrupts, "-I know how much I hurt her Baba." Eisuke says keeping his head down, shame chiselled into his face.

"Maybe we could forgive him" Ota says sharply. "But only if she comes back, you never hurt her again and you tell that cat woman where to go!"

The men all nod in agreement. Soryu turns to me, "Is that what you want?" he asks gently and I nod. "I want my family back." I announce. The men look toward me with a look of adoration.

"See kid when you say stuff like that..." Mamoru trails off a hint of emotion in his voice, he stands and retrieves some whiskey.

Soryu scowls, "Hey! That's the good stuff!"

"Yeah.." Mamoru says, "The family's back together! For all tens and purposes..." he says with a wink in my direction.

"That's just an excuse to rob me of my nice stuff..." Soryu growls, pulling out his gun.

"Alright Sor, put in down" Baba says laughing.

The night continues like this, the air filled with good humour and insults. Although the betrayal still sits on everyone's shoulders, we move past it trying to put it behind us.