It was my life now.
I set the recorder down gently, like it was something precious and fragile.
Because it was.
It was evidence ofthe before.
And I—sitting here in designer clothes, with guards outside my door and a dragon in my bed—I wasthe after.
I looked down at my notebook.
The work remained the same, even if everything else had changed.
I would still write Hiroko's story.
I would still explore Japan's sex industry.
But now I'd write it as someone who understood what it meant to be claimed, to be possessed, to surrender to something bigger and more dangerous than herself.
Now I'd write it as the Tiger.
The Dragon’s Heart.
And maybe that made me the right person to tell these stories after all.
My phone buzzed again.
It looked like one of those Scam Likely numbers.
I ignored the call and checked the time.
8:15 AM.
Oh shit. I’ve got fifteen minutes or the Dragon’s Roar is going to roar at me.
I quickly closed the book, pocketed my pen, and rose from my desk.
I’ll grab my tea and write more notes upstairs. With this spy on the island, it would be smart to stay close to Kenji and do as Reo wants.
I held my items with me and left the office.
Being that I still hadn't checked my natural hair stylist's messages, I pulled out my phone as I walked.
The guards fell into formation around me—one slightly ahead, two flanking.
More people were down on this level of the massive house. As we moved through the hallway, I noticed the shift in my status immediately.
A young woman in a crisp uniform was polishing a console table. She looked up as we passed, and her eyes widened slightly. She straightened and bowed her head. "Good morning."
I blinked. "Good morning."
She gave me a warm smile, and then returned to her work.
We turned a corner, and two more staff members were arranging fresh flowers in a massive vase.
Both stopped what they were doing the moment they saw me.
"Tiger-sama," one of them said softly, bowing.
