Reo’s dark eyes locked on mine.
And then to my utter surprise, slowly—deliberately—he looked down. His gaze tracked my white sheer blouse, the delicate flash of black lace beneath it, the black pencil skirt that hugged my hips like a second skin, my legs, and then finally the red Louboutins.
Then—like he remembered where we were—Reo snapped his eyes back up to mine, cleared his throat, and straightened slightly. “Nyomi.”
Just my name, but there was something behind it. A beat of acknowledgment. Maybe even respect. Maybe more.
I smiled, soft and polite. “I don’t want to disturb you all. I just wanted to check on Kenji. For aquickminute.”
Come on, Reo. These bitches are hating on me. Let them know who I am?
He tilted his head. The bandage on his face shifted slightly when he smirked. “You want to come in? Or do you want the Dragon to come out?”
“Come in.”
The royal court snickered.
Reo paid them no mind. “That’s fine, but only if you promise me this.”
Behind me, someonegasped. The sound was almost cartoonish in its disbelief—like royalty had just been insulted in church.
Oh shit. . .am I going to be the first woman to enter Kenji’s war room?
I raised a brow. “O-kay. . .what do you want me to promise?”
Reo’s smirk deepened, just a little. “Please, convince the Dragon to go to bed. We’re all exhausted, and he won’t listen to us. At this point I believe that onlyyoucan help us.”
From behind, one of the Royal Courthuffed—loud and sharp.
I fought the smirk threatening to crack across my face. “I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you.” Reo nodded once, and then stepped aside.
That tiny shift of his body—the space he made for me—was all I needed.
Permission granted.
And just like that, I crossed the threshold.
Chaos erupted behind me.
The maybe-baby mamasnappedsomething in Japanese, her tone gone shrill and angry. Her court joined in—a cacophony of sharp syllables and disbelief.
Reo didn’t flinch. In fact, he appeared absolutely annoyed.
I didn’t look back. But God, it was hard not to turn around and stick out my tongue like I was back in high school.
Instead, I walked inside.
And behind me, their fury only got louder and made the moment even sweeter as I heard more movement and now Reo responding in annoyed bursts of Japanese.
Chapter twenty-three
The Softest Weapon
Nyomi
The moment I stepped into the Dragon’s war room, the air changed.
