Unless she’s a damn shapeshifter, that’s not the woman we tortured.
My gaze flicks over every inch of her petite frame, taking in the white dress that’s pretty fucking short and the flats on her feet.
As my sight locks on her stunning face, I can’t find any trace of the woman I beat up. Then, for a fleeting second, her eyes meet mine, and shock shudders through me.
That’s one thing I’ll never forget. The fear in her eyes.
Holy shit.
“This is Yuki, my daughter,” Tanaka says. “After she healed from being tortured by you, we reversed the process that made her look like a man. It was no longer needed after you learned the secret that she isn’t Ryo.” Again, Tanaka smirks, a gleam in his eyes. “But I had the world fooled for over a decade.”
Jesus Christ. This poor woman had to pretend to be a man for such a long period of time? Fuck, the procedures she must’ve undergone from a young age.
This is easily the most insane and cruel treatment of a human being I’ve heard of in my life.
Tanaka snaps at his daughter, and for a moment her eyes drift shut as if he’s just given her an impossible task to perform.
She takes a few steps closer to me, and when she moves down to her knees, every muscle in my body tenses.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Vitale,” she says, her voice trembling. “I shouldn’t have stared at your brother and his wife when they visited the club. Because of me, this war has started, and I ask for forgiveness so it will end.”
A violent tremor shudders through me, and I can’t keep the growl out of my tone when I say, “Get up.”
She quickly scrambles to her feet but keeps her head bowed.
I can’t believe her father made her apologize to me after what I did to her. That’s next-level fucked up.
Angry, my eyes flick to Tanaka, where the fucker is sitting on the couch like it’s his throne. “Yuki isn’t the one who owes me an apology.” I take a step toward Tanaka, and it has Yuki flinching hard. Looking at her bastard of a father, I continue, “Your men hurt my brother and killed my guards. You will apologize on their behalf.”
“No apology will make this better,” Tanaka says, refusing to give me what I want. “The men are dead, and your brother survived.” His eyes flick between Yuki and me. “There’s a way we can stop this war that’s taking up too much of my time.”
“And what would that be?” I mutter, my patience wearing thin.
Tanaka smirks at me. “Marry my daughter.”
There’s no way a father can be this cruel.
Looking at Yuki, I notice her hands are fisted so tight at her sides, her knuckles are white.
Then I glance at Christiano. He shrugs, silently telling me this is my choice to make.
Growing up in the Cosa Nostra, I always knew an arranged marriage might be in my future. It worked for Uncle Angelo and Uncle Damiano, so I’m not against it.
But I can see it’s the last thing Yuki wants.
Turning my angry gaze back to Tanaka, I say, “Yuki will never agree to this.”Not after I beat her to within an inch of her life.
“She doesn’t have a choice.”
Slowly, I let out a breath while fighting not to lose my shit with this man. My eyes flick to Yuki again, and addressing her, I ask, “How do you feel about all of this?”
She cringes backward, and it has Tanaka angrily barking at her in Japanese.
Her head lifts, and when her eyes meet mine, there’s so much fear I can feel it vibrate between us. Her lips part, but no words come out, which has Tanaka shouting again.
I’m just about to tell him to shut the fuck up when Yuki says, “I would be honored to marry you, Mr. Vitale. It’s the least I can do to help restore peace between the Yakuza and the Cosa Nostra.”
I let out a heavy breath, and when I shake my head, Tanaka barks out an order in Japanese that has panic washing over Yuki’s features while she takes a few steps backward.
