sweet like honey | bonten x reader

70: manipulation

"i know you worked for them, y/n. or should i call you honey?" the man you were with asked you.

"if you want to. i think it's a little early for pet names though." you replied with a shrug.

he let out a chuckle. he expected you to brush it off.

"you knew what i meant. you don't need to hide it anymore." he said, coming around to the front of his desk to stand directly in front of you.

you remained quiet as he leaned down, towering over you in attempt intimidate you. from where you were sitting, you could smell his cologne, a spicy sandalwood and saffron scent.

"it takes a lot of courage to be here, so i will forgive you for working for them as long as you take them down, too." he told you.

why's he talking to me like i wasn't forced to be there? you wondered as your eyes stared into his, but they didn't give anything away. his gaze was unyielding, much like your own.

whatever he thought the story was, you would let him think it.

"and how are you so sure i worked for them?" you asked, crossing your arms over your chest.

"you said you weren't ready to face the truth. a smart girl like you would not have her judgment clouded unless she was tied up with them. burning that bridge is a good start." he reasoned.

you hummed in acknowledgment.

"i can see you are still holding back though. you must have liked them quite a bit to be hesitating now."

"that's not true." you chuckled, trying to lighten the increasingly tense mood. he was not having it, though.

"it's not true, or do you don't want to admit it is? you don't need to keep up these lies anymore, y/n." he leaned forward, bringing his face closer to yours as he stared down at you. he was close enough that you could feel his breath fan your face.

it took every ounce of self control to not pull away and look off in disgust.

"i'm not lying."

he looked at you for a second longer before he pulled away, closing his eyes and shaking his head sadly.

"you poor girl. they had you fooled."

before you could protest, he said, "let me help you see the truth."

your mouth shut as you watched him lean back on his desk and grab some pictures and proceeded to set them down on your lap one at a time.

"you went on dates with them."

looking at the photo, you saw it was security camera footage of you and koko heading to the bathroom at the restaurant you ate at together.

"they took you shopping and bought you nice things."

the next photo he showed you was takeomi carrying your shopping bags for you while you laughed at something he said.

"they had you convinced you meant something to them."

in that one, you and kakucho were kissing on a park bench during the nighttime. you recognized that as the night you were taken to that love hotel.

"that man is kakucho, isn't he?" he asked, but he knew from your expression what the answer was already.

you swallowed hard looking at them, trying to absorb the information that moments you enjoyed weren't just viewed by the people involved.