Jenna sat on the bed while Yohan sat on the only available chair.

Her movements were reserved and awkward but she wasn't hostile towards him. It was like having sex together was enough to change how she saw him.

Now she was more shy than she was cautious. Plus Yohan wasn't in the least bit violent towards her. He only wanted sex and she also enjoyed it. In fact, she wanted it too.

Right now they were just man and woman.

She took a bite out of the chips, 'What kind of atmosphere is this…' she wondered.

'...is this what normally happens after sex?'

It was her first time so she wasn't sure. Yohan was simply munching away.

'He eats so roughly… but I guess he deserves it with how hard he worked…' she observed him with secret glances, scanning his body until her eyes fell on his crotch.

'Would he want to do it again?' she bit her lower lip as she imagined Yohan's cock pounding into her pussy.

'No, it's already aching down there… I won't be able to survive another round of that…'

Her pussy twitched slightly, even as she shook the thought out of her head.

"Why did you call me back?" she asked, arms tightening defensively across her chest.

"So we can have a little conversation before you leave… Now that we are officially sex buddies, we should get to know each other at least,"

"Since when did I become your sex buddy?!" She asked, with wide eyes. "What happened today was…" her tone dipped low.

She couldn't bring herself to even say anything.

"What happened today was just… a misunderstanding," she finally said.

"That's not what you thought when it was happening," Yohan teased, forcing her to recall her reaction during their time together.

"You were telling me to 'give you more'... So what am I supposed to believe?" Yohan placed his hand on his jaw as if thinking.

Jenna's face turned red as she couldn't say anything to defend herself.

"But it isn't a bad thing, you know. To want something other than protecting Izumi,"

"Protecting lady Izumi is my purpose, there can be nothing compared to that," her tone became serious the moment Izumi was mentioned.

"I've told you before, I'm not going to let you hurt her," her hand twitched slightly, as if preparing to grab her blade.

Yohan noticed, 'So we haven't made any progress…'

He sighed, "I didn't even threaten her, I only said you are free to have a life outside your responsibilities. Izumi is out here living her own life, you should be doing the same,"

"That's none of your business," she replied fiercely, "I'll give my life for Lady Izumi"

Yohan shook his head as he was starting to see just how useless his efforts were.

'Is like she's completely in love with the girl, I can't even have a proper conversation with her…' he groaned.

'How will I convince her to help me, if she's like this?... I'll have to use Izumi, ' he reasoned.

Since that was what she cared about the most, that was definitely the right leverage.

But he couldn't just threaten her again. He'd tried that before, and while it forced her to obey in the moment, it hadn't earned him the one thing he actually needed—her trust.

And without her trust, there was no way he could take down Hatoru.

He needed Jenna to believe in him—his strength, his intentions—enough to side with him when the time came.

"Why don't I join you instead?" Yohan said.

"Join me?" Jenna repeated, her confusion justified.

"Yes. I'll join you in your quest to protect Izumi."

"I don't need your help," she shot back without hesitation.

"I think you do," Yohan countered smoothly. "If you really want what's best for Izumi, you should be accepting all the help you can get."

"But I can handle it myself. We don't need help from strangers," she insisted.

"Are you sure about that?" Yohan asked, leaning in slightly. "Are you sure you can protect her from any harm… including her grandfather?"

"Why would she need protection from her grandfather…?" Jenna murmured, brows creasing.

"Because he's a mob boss," Yohan replied simply. "What happens the day he wants something Izumi doesn't? What do you think happens then?"

He let the question hang—let her imagine the answer.

"He would force her," Yohan continued, voice low. "He's probably even done it a few times already. If you truly want to protect Izumi, you have to set her free from his control."

His words carried more weight the longer they echoed in her mind.

He was speculating—fishing—but the bait was taking hold.

"Think about it," he pressed. "Would Izumi ever be safe with Hatoru still in her life? His enemies will always target her. She'll never have peace. You know I'm right."

Jenna stared at him for several long, conflicted seconds.

"Even if that's true," she finally said, "Hatoru is a far better protector than you. Why would I leave him and side with you? He has the power and the resources to give Izumi a better life."

"That's not true." Yohan moved closer.

"I can take care of Izumi. I will. I have the resources, Jenna. All I need to do is take him down. You help me do that, and I can promise not just her safety—"

his gaze sharpened

"—but her freedom."

It was the first time Jenna had ever heard anything like this. She'd always assumed Izumi's future would fall neatly in line with her grandfather's plans. That was simply the way things were meant to be.

'But… what if he wasn't there?'

For the first time, she imagined Izumi choosing her own path—without asking for permission, without fear, without anyone pulling the strings. A life where Izumi wasn't trapped by the legacy she'd been born into.

And Jenna realized she could be the one to give her that gift.

Even if it wasn't for Yohan's sake… she had to consider doing it for Izumi.

She looked at Yohan again, studying him. There was something about him—something unpredictable, something that could new things happen.

And if anyone was going to topple the empire Hatoru had spent a lifetime building… it would have to be someone exactly like that.

'Maybe…'

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