Remember all those bruises on Akihito? The cut on his forehead, his fractured rib; do you think Asami san did all that?""Possible," Kou muttered, sharing his friend's concern."Then, what should we do now?"Kou remained silent for a moment, choosing to stare at the smooth surface of his coffee table before looking up. His dark eyes narrowed, determined. "There's only one thing to do."Takato shook his friend's shoulder. "What?""We'll confront Asami directly."Xx Business as Usual xXThe next morning, Sion"Why do I have to go to work with you?" Akihito grumbled as he stepped out from the limousine at Sion's main entrance.Asami exited the car, buttoned his coat casually before ushering Akihito through the main door. "Your brother's proposal will be discussed at the meeting today. Don't you want to know the results?"Akihito looked at his own dark suit and tie before looking at his lover. "Yeah, but I can always get the results from Haru-nii, you know.""Of course," Asami answered smoothly. "But if his proposal is rejected, he will never get to know the reason for rejection.""You are a bastard, Asami." The photographer scowled.The walk across the foyer to the private elevator wasn't a comfortable process for Akihito. Asami's presence had the entire lobby frozen. Managers and Head of Departments rushed to greet him but the yakuza would never offer anything more than a curt nod. Akihito noticed both Kirishima and Toru had their fans too. The talented secretary had a few heads turned when he walked passed them while Toru was more popular among the young ladies.And they'll be wondering who's the young man standing next to the great Asami Ryuichi. Akihito thought miserably as they rode up to Asami's office in silence.The elevator stopped one floor before Asami's office and Akihito found himself ushered out of the elevator."We're not going to your office?""No," the yakuza answered, his palms outstretched.Kirishima placed a tag on Asami's hand. Looping the tag around Akihito's neck, he adjusted the strap before neatly tucking the string into the whites of his shirt to make it more presentable."What's this?""Your ID. With it, you can access every door in Sion," the yakuza answered easily. "Don't lose it."Akihito grabbed the tag, scrutinizing it. His unfamiliar passport photo stared right back at him. Where did the bastard get this photo?"So, where are we going?" Akihito asked when they stopped at a huge door."Meeting."Akihito managed to pull Asami aside before Kirishima pushed the door open. "You didn't say anything about me joining the meeting!" he said in a somewhat panicked voice.Flashing his usual smirk, the yakuza answered. "How are you going to know the final results of the discussion if you're not in the meeting?""You planned it all along." He accused, looking at the door that separated him and the meeting room. "I don't know anything about business meeting," Akihito continued, taking a step back. "I tell you what; I'll wait at your office. You can tell me the results later."His attempt to back off was rather unsuccessful with Toru standing right behind him. He bumped his back on Toru's torso, lost his balance and nearly fell. Toru steadied him before gently pushing him forward to Asami."Takaba sama, pardon me for interrupting." Kirishima pushed his spectacles up. "As the CEO of the companies, your attendance in the meeting is compulsory."The hell? Akihito's chance in protesting was halted when Kirishima pushed the door open abruptly.The meeting room was spacious, elegantly decorated with a long rectangular table made of wood that could at least fit twenty people. The installment of huge window panes made the meeting room looked even bigger. Eighteen black swivel chairs of the same size surrounded the table with an exception of the president's chair at the end of the table. Asami's chair was larger and taller compared to the rest, signifying the difference in power. Another president's chair, most probably Akihito's, had been placed next to Asami's.At least seven people sat around the table and all had their heads turned when Asami made his appearance. They stood up, bowing immediately."Asami sama, Takaba sama." They stood up, greeted and waited for Asami to take his seat.Akihito was pondering if he should sit next to Asami's intimidating leather chair when he realized that Toru had directed him right to the president's seat in the middle.I can't be sitting here, he thought, panicked. He looked at Asami who ignored him to occupy the chair next to the president's seat. Kirishima took his seat beside Asami and instructed his assistant, a pretty female in a power office suit to distribute the papers."Takaba sama, please have a seat," Toru said.Left without a choice, Akihito obliged. Gingerly, as though as the chair was laced with poison, he sat on it, prompting the other occupants to do the same. Akihito was expecting Toru to sit on his left but to his surprise, the guard stood next to Akihito, leaving the place for another bespectacled man."Ogawa at your assistance, Takaba sama," he introduced himself."Ogawa kun is my assistant and he handles affairs pertaining to your business interests," Kirishima introduced.Figures. He screamed Kirishima junior.Akihito nodded awkwardly and looked around. Only Suzuki Kenta, the middle aged man from Marukoshi looked familiar to Akihito. The rest of the attendees were mostly in their mid- thirties or early forties and they looked almost too serious as they waited for Akihito to begin.
Wait a fricking minute! Does that mean that the people in the meeting room were all managers to HIS stores?
He looked around again. Excluding Ogawa, there were seven people sitting around the table; which meant that Asami had bought him at least seven different properties. The photographer was aware of at least five - Marukoshi, The Fixer, Onsen, the boutique at Ginza and a camera shop. That meant that there were two that Akihito didn't have knowledge of.
He flashed his eyes at Asami. The yakuza took no notice of his stares. That bastard, I'll deal with him later.
Akihito noticed that the sudden change in seating arrangements caused more confusion among the meeting attendees. The change would mean a shift in power and most likely, they were unsure of who would be calling the shots in the meeting.
Thankfully, Asami waved his hand and Kirishima took it as a cue to begin.
"Gentlemen, let's begin," the secretary said and nodded at Ogawa. As expected of a man trained under Kirishima, Ogawa efficiently read the minutes of the previous meeting, followed by announcement of the agenda for the day.
"If none objected the minutes to the previous meeting, we shall begin with the first agenda on our list," Ogawa announced.
As if anyone dares to oppose the minutes, Akihito nearly snorted as he listened to the man in his late thirties present his financial reports on his clothing store at Ginza. It was difficult understanding the business jargons but he at least knew what it meant by profit margin. Seeing the man discussing about the apparel store reminded Akihito about Yuu, the boyish store assistant who flirted with Asami.
"Takaba sama, do you have anything that you wish to ask?" The manager asked once he finished presenting.
Akihito shifted in his seat. "Ah – yes, is Yuu still working there?"
Surprised by the question, the manager looked around before replying. "Yes, Takaba sama. Did Yuu do anything to upset you? Should I dismiss him?"
"No, no," Akihito said quickly before glancing at Asami. Obviously remembering the incident at the store all too well, the yakuza smirked. "I was merely asking."
The manager looked at Asami again and quickly sat when the crime lord nodded his head. As the men took turns to present their reports on Akihito's premises, the photographer remained silent, trying to take in as much as he could but it proved to be difficult since he had less to zero knowledge in finance and business.
The only thing Akihito found out was the two remaining stores that Asami had secretly bought under his name. Both were restaurants, a sushi bar and an Izakaya that Akihito favored whenever he hung out with Kou and Takato.
As the meeting went along, Akihito finally understood how nerve wracking it was to have Asami as an employer. He already knew that Asami was a difficult man to please. However, looking at how he grilled his employees made Akihito felt sorry for them. Asami grilled the managers for answers and offered them no chance to redeem themselves. He swore that the managers had their lives shortened by a few years after the meeting.
đang được dịch, vui lòng đợi..
