Frozen Rose (Langa x reader)

Chapter 99

(Y/n)'s POV

Awkward tension hung in the air like an old, gloomy painting. The only thing of vibrance seemed to be this fragrant dish in front of me, its plating reminiscent of a work of art. The woman had no qualms about anything in this situation, calmly eating her premium cut steak.

Her guards had freed my mum, who was none the wiser when she woke up in a park. Apart from a slight rash on her wrists and mild concussion, she had not seemed to remember her kidnapping.

"The food here is amazing, isn't it?" she exclaimed.
"Mmhmm," replied Langa.
"Will you at least tell us your name?" I asked.
"Oh! I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name's Yamaguchi Aoi."
"Yamaguchi? As in Yamaguchi Productions?"

She inclined her head in a nod. Her father, I assumed, was most likely the president. Not many could rival Yamaguchi Productions when it came to the entertainment industry. It somewhat baffled me that I was sitting in front of a possible heiress.

"So? What's your story?"
"It's a rather boring one," she answered.
"I'd still like to hear it."
"...it happened many years ago. Aino- Adam, your uncle, and I were best friends. We thought we had a lasting friendship. We thought our intense love for skateboarding would keep it alive."

Langa and I waited eagerly for her to continue. She took a slow sip of wine from her glass, a contemplative smile pulling at her lips.

"I...fell in love with your uncle. He was sweet and strong. I fell for him more every day. What I didn't know was that Adam had feelings for me. His father found out and manipulated the situation to his advantage."
"What did he do?"
"He asked to meet me, knew I was weak and could not oppose him. He wanted me to make Adam believe I was also in love with him, wanted me to become his girlfriend so he could set up an arranged marriage."
"So you agreed."
"Yes...I did. I couldn't disagree, not when he threatened to take down my family. I played with Adam's feelings but not knowing how to handle the stress, I turned to drugs and gangs. I'm not sure where your uncle got the idea but that was when he decided he wanted to become the leader of a yakuza group."

I clenched my fists, growing ever more interested in her past. Her past was connected to my uncle, whose past I had never truly known. I had always idolised him as a hero, never considering the fact that he had had problems of his own.

"Adam soon found out that my feelings were fake, that I was just 'playing' him. His father made sure to name me as the culprit, saying I threatened to take down his empire if he didn't let me toy with his only son."
"And Adam believed him?"
"Yes, he did. He hated me for it, hated that despite being friends, I had only wanted him for his 'power'. He began distancing himself from your uncle too, who he believed tried to help me."
"I'm confused though. What does this have to do with you challenging Adam to a beef? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

She shot me a 'tsk', as if chastising a child for being impatient. I shrugged, refusing to give in to her scolding. Though she was telling us her story, she had not given a reason for her actions and I was unwilling to yield to this woman who had so nonchalantly kidnapped my mum.

"I explained the situation to Adam. Angered, he turned in some crucial documents to my father's competitors. I had confessed everything despite the risk and he almost ruined my father," she spat.
"...as bad as that is and as much as I'd hate to sympathise with him, I could understand why he'd feel that way."
"How dare you-"
"I'm not dismissing your pain as nothing. Of course it's hard to make a good choice when no good choices are given but you could've made a better choice today. You didn't have to kidnap my mum. All you had to do was ask."
"Sweetie, not everyone can be a saint like you."
"You're mistaken if you think I'm a saint."

She didn't stop me as I stood up, pulling Langa along with me. I thanked her for the meal before taking my leave. All was silent as the elevator doors shut and we began to descend down the building.

I stared at the sun that was beginning to set, allowing the beatific light to calm my mind. Aoi had been in pain and I had been quick to point out her mistake for taking my mum. Had I been wrong in doing so?

"Thanks for coming with me."

I inclined my head in farewell, turning around to leave. He didn't bother stopping me, not even when Cherry almost crashed into me whilst rounding a corner holding a few bags of groceries, catching sight of Langa as he did so.

The pink-haired male acknowledged him before I took a few bags with my good hand. Cherry gave them up after I shot him a glare. He clearly had too many bags and I wasn't going to accompany him without doing so much as carrying a few.

"Detecting feelings of gratitude and affection," Carla exclaimed.
"Be quiet, Carla. You're not programmed to detect emotions," Cherry commanded, going slightly red.
"Don't worry, Kaoru. I love you too."

He rolled his eyes though I caught sight of the small smile he was determined to keep me from noticing. We were heading to his home. The walk was peaceful, even when the night dwellers began flooding the streets. I enjoyed the city sights.

When we arrived, my eyes wandered around the large property. Though I had been here a few times before, it never ceased to amaze me how modern yet traditional this mansion-like house was.

"Take these to the kitchen. I'm going to go take a shower. I expect you to tell me what happened when we're making dinner."
"Kaoru-"

He walked off before I could protest. A sigh escaped my lips, wondering how he knew that something odd had occurred. He had a strange way of acting like a parent-friend.