Page 17 of Shifting Gears

I would try to convince him of that exact sentiment when we spoke. He had to understand it hadn’t been my doing. Sure, I might have let him lead me away from the scene, but maybe Kaito’s men hadn’t been coherent enough to see that part.

We came to a stop in front of the grand doors to his primary home, and I took one final deep breath to calm my nerves as much as possible as Royce exited the car and opened my door for me. I stepped out, standing straight and keeping my shoulders back and chin high as I made my way into his home.

“Mr. Yamazaki is expecting you in his office,” Royce stated as I took my shoes off in the entryway.

I nodded and proceeded to walk through room after room until I got to the open doors of his office. As I entered, the doors were closed behind me. I stood still as I looked around the room for him.

Kaito Yamazaki was a stunning-looking yet cruel man. He had angular features that would be the envy of any J-pop star, with thick, slicked-back black hair and golden eyes that could unnerve any prominent politician.

He was standing at a large window that overlooked the grounds at the back of his estate.

“Come here, Raven.”

His words were innocent yet cold. But the energy in the room remained calm.

I took tentative steps toward him, only stopping a few feet away from him as he raised his hand at me.

“Kaito, you wanted to see me?”

He smiled and turned, walking right up to me, our chests almost touching. I tensed as he reached a hand up and stroked the side of my cheek in an unusual and gentle way. Then his hand trailed around my neck.

“Kaito?”

I felt his hand clench, and suddenly, I was slammed up against the wall next to the window, pinned by his hand firmly gripping my throat. The breath knocked out of me as he brought his other hand across my cheek. The slap was loud in the large room.

I stood there, shocked, as he lowered his head toward my ear.

“The next time I send for you and you don’t immediately come, you’ll be far worse off than you are right now. You no longer have the option to disobey me, Raven. You belong to me. This little stunt you pulled with having someone fight my men so you could what, try to come up with a way to get out of the deal you had so desperately struck? Not going to help you in any kind of way you think it might.”

My eyes went wide. I tried to speak, but he applied more pressure around my throat, cutting off my words.

“Shh. No, you don’t get to speak. I’ve overlooked so many minor transgressions with you these past months, but that ends now,” he said with a sneer as he reached into his pocket and dragged out a folded document and tapped it against the side of my face. “This is the deed for your family estate that I told you would go to your sisters upon our marriage. Except, with your actions last night, that deal is no longer on the table. If you want to save your family legacy, Little Bird, you’ll have to fight for it. The next match, your fighter must win, or the estate belongs to me. And don’t worry; we can always move your precioussisters in here. There is plenty of space. You have two months to prepare,darling.” He laughed as he tucked the document back into his pocket.

I trembled in his grasp, the lack of air beginning to have an effect on me. He gleefully looked into my eyes for another second before releasing his grasp, and I slid to the floor, rubbing the spots that I was sure would sport bruises tomorrow.

“Kaito, please! That wasn’t the deal. My marriage to you was for the payoff of the fighting debts and for the deed to my family estate! You gave me your word!” I begged.

He glared down at me, and I quickly continued while I had the chance.

“The man last night was a nobody! He was at the bar when your men came in, roughly grabbed me, and caused a scene, practically dragging me out. He thought they were trying to take me against my will and intervened. After the fight, he disappeared, and I went home to my family. I promise I wasn’t being defiant. Kaito, please, be reasonable!”

He leaned down, gripped my hair, and yanked my head back. “I don’t care. The fact was, you were supposed to come to me last night and chose not to. Your actions have consequences. Keep talking, and let’s see what other privileges you lose. Now, get out of my sight. I don’t want to see you until the next event.”

With that, he shoved me away from him and walked out of his office, leaving Royce standing next to the open doors, waiting to take me from the main estate once more.

I sat in silence on the drive to one of the smaller secondary residences—the home he had designated for me.

This fresh change to our agreement had an air of doom hovering over me. Our fighter was good, but was he good enough to win his next match?

As that question settled in me, my mind wandered to someone else who could fight with a fire I’d seen in very fewmen. And as I walked into my home and sat down in my living room, I pulled out my phone and looked at the piece of paper he had given me.

AJ.

CHAPTER 7

AJ

TWO MONTHS LATER

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