Page 16 of Kai
Her lips parted, but no words emerged as she set her cup gently back onto its saucer. Akemi leaned back in her chair, her delicate hands resting lightly on its arms, and considered him with an expression he could not quite place -- an amalgamation of surprise, thoughtfulness, and perhaps a trace of melancholy.
"I have all that I could ever want," she said finally, her voice soft yet firm, as though this answer had been rehearsed so many times that it felt like truth. "A warm home, family, memories. What more could one wish for?" Yet her tone lacked conviction, and Kai could see the faint crease of doubt in her brow.
"That's not quite what I asked," he pressed gently, unwilling to let the moment slip away. "Not what you have, but if it makes you feel fulfilled. Truly happy."
She tilted her head slightly, a faint smile curving her lips but never reaching her eyes. "Happiness is such a fleeting thing, isn't it? A bird that rests in the branches for a moment, only to fly away when the wind changes. Contentment, though, is steady, like the roots of a tree. I have been content, Kai. Perhaps that is enough."
The answer settled between them, a delicate veil of uncertainty that neither dared to pierce. Kai realized her response might be the closest he would ever come to understanding her inner world -- a world shaped by quiet sacrifices and the weight of familial expectations.
"You deserve more than contentment," he said softly, almost to himself.
Akemi's gaze lingered on him, and for the briefest moment, her almond-shaped eyes filled with something that might have been longing -- or regret. Then she straightened, her composureimpeccable once more, and reached for the teapot. "Would you like another cup of tea?"
Kai hesitated, torn between pressing further and accepting her answer as the final word. "Yes, thank you," he said finally, though his thoughts churned like storm clouds. He watched her pour the tea, graceful and practiced, and wondered if the woman before him had ever dared to dream beyond the rigid roles assigned to her. He wondered if it was too late for her to try.
But he knew he wanted more. Seeing Maxie again had cemented that. When she handed him the cup, he opened his mouth to say something about it but decided against it. He had a long way to go before he could even consider calling her his own or expect her to forgive him.
*****
"She's here."
"What?" Maxie looked up distractedly from the box she was labeling. It was Monday and it meant several things. A trip to the back, the restocking to be finished, a delayed shipment and the fact that she had spent a restless night tossing and turning. She resented that she had to lather on foundation to hide the cracks and creases under her eyes. Damn him!
"The actress. The one with the very gorgeous Mr. Tanaka. She's asking for you."
Marjorie was hovering just inside the doorway, an avid look of interest on her plain face.
Maxie put the invoices back carefully and tried her best to school her expression. "Is she alone?"
The woman nodded.
"Is there a reason why Marjorie cannot attend to her needs?"
It was cowardly, but the last thing she wanted to do was to face the woman.
"She specifically asked for you."
"Okay, tell her I'll be right there."
"She doesn't look as if she is here to buy anything," Marjorie provided.
"Was that what she told you?"
"No. She's just standing there and not looking at anything. Want me to send her back?"
She started to say no but decided that would be the best plan. Whatever the woman had to say to her would best be said in privacy. And what would she want to say to her? "Send her in."
Marjorie melted away and left her standing there. The woman was beautiful, exotically beautiful, talented and just his type. She was Japanese as well.
It did not matter, she told herself fiercely. She had moved on and whatever Ms. Marie Sato had to say was of no interest to her.
She had just lowered herself in her chair when she came sailing in. A smug smile coated lips painted vermilion red. Maxie had enough fashion sense to admire the snug blue-green wool sweater worn over skintight leather pants. Her long black hair spilled over one shoulder artfully, causing her to wonder if she had just stepped from a stylist's chair.
"What a darling little office." She gushed. "And as neat as a pin." Almond-shaped eyes slid over Maxie from head to chest. "Kai was in such a hurry, we never got a chance to become acquainted." She draped herself gracefully on the chair in front of the desk. "He told me who you are of course." A flick of one delicate hand, with talon-like red nails dismissed that immediately. "Childhood lovers. How sweet. Anyway--" She crossed her legs, the leather whispering. "I saw the way you looked at him when we were here and I am here to tell you that he's mine."
"Oh?" Maxie felt the fist-sized ball getting bigger. The woman was even more beautiful than before.
Maxie leaned back in her chair, keeping her expression neutral as the woman's words hung in the air like a challenge. "I'm glad you took the time to clarify that," she replied, her voice measured and steady. "Though I'm not sure why you think it's necessary to come here to make such a declaration."
