The crack of the whip sounded again. Karen, who was sitting in the corner against the wall, bent her knees and buried her face in the gap as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands were clasped tightly together.
The wicked woman's laughter echoed in her ears. Karen felt a sharp pain in her leg; she rubbed at the reddened skin that bore a long wound, as if it had been split down her leg.
She rolled to the side when the whip struck her back, then it struck her face and Karen tasted blood in her mouth. She also felt the whip lash across her head. Reaching back, Karen held her head and felt something wet there.
Karen brought her own hand forward and stared at the palm that was now red before finally closing her eyes.
Even then, the orphanage head refused to call a doctor and only slapped on a bandage. As a result Karen was left with a small scar on her head that reminded her of that past.
Waking up, Karen realized she had another nightmare. Her heart pounded hard as she looked at her own hands and blinked several times.
Her palms were clean, with no blood. Only the memory of the recurring nightmare remained. Karen didn't know why. The incident had been so long ago, yet she could still remember it vividly.
Karen closed her eyes for a moment and controlled her breathing a few times. She sighed softly and wiped her sweat before glancing outside. She lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes for a while.
Karen knew there was no medicine for her nightmares. Therefore nothing could heal them and she would never be able to wake from them.
---
Karen was certain someone was following her. It didn't mean she was famous or that it was just a feeling. She simply knew she was being followed, and it wasn't pleasant. Many thoughts churned through her mind.
Why was she being followed? Who was tailing her? For what purpose and how long had they been following Karen? There was no point in following Karen. She was poor and an orphan. There was no benefit—except...
Swallowing her saliva, Karen, who was now amid the club's bustle, scanned her surroundings carefully once more. She squinted as she looked toward a man in a corner.
That man immediately turned his body and looked elsewhere while swaying stiffly and sipping his drink.
Karen thought quickly. She took a deep breath and slipped away until she disappeared down a corridor. She changed out of her work clothes into ordinary clothes and tied her hair before leaving through the back door.
Tokio wouldn't mind if she disappeared for a little while. Once out of the club she breathed a sigh of relief and began walking away from the building when she felt her hair stand on end. Curious, Karen stopped on the sidewalk and took out a small mirror.
She aimed the tiny mirror behind her and realized there was a figure following her. It could be the same person or someone different. The thought made her whole body shiver and she quickened her pace.
The stalker quickened his pace too, so Karen could hear his footsteps. She had made a mistake running off alone; she should have stayed at the bar and reported this to Tokio and let his henchmen handle it.
But regretting it wouldn't help. She could only speed up, and at an intersection she ran into someone.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry…" she said without looking up, shifting aside, intending to leave as quickly as possible.
But instead the person grabbed her arm, holding Karen back, and when she looked up she saw Aaron's face, smiling coldly.
"Skipping work?"
Karen pulled her arm away and glanced back angrily. "Let go of me. I have somewhere to be."
"Where to?" Aaron asked, eyebrows raised.
"Someone's following me. I have to—What are you doing?!" Karen snapped angrily when Aaron rudely pulled her arm so her body was backed against the man behind him.
Aaron tilted his chin forward and Karen saw a man walking away from them, moving along the street Karen had just passed.
Karen realized another man stood nearby. He held a small curved dagger with a skull decoration on its pommel and a leather handle.
His expression was flat, but Karen could see a cold glint in his eyes. The stranger returned and nodded, then whispered something into Aaron's ear so Karen couldn't hear.
The man who returned had a friendlier face like Ken's but seemed very closed-off and mysterious. Karen knew these two must be Aaron's guards or personal bodyguards.
She could tell by how they carried themselves. Aaron nodded when he heard the whisper and released Karen's hand. Karen took the chance at once.
She rubbed her hands and stepped forward, looking at Aaron with a flat expression. "So, do you know who's following me?"
"He's a detective I hired," he replied softly, folding his arms across his chest.
"To tail me?" Karen guessed, not the least surprised by his behavior.
"Yes. I want to know everything about you, Miss Leichster."
Karen felt a bad premonition when he addressed her as Miss Leichster instead of Karen. Somehow, it seemed Aaron knew about her past—perhaps things she herself didn't know.
That made Karen uneasy. She didn't like it; she hated it. What good would it do Aaron to know where she came from? What did he want from her?
Karen had already rejected him, said no. Aaron was clever, so he should know Karen had no interest in him. Why hire a detective? It was pointless.
"Everything?" Karen echoed blandly, sighing. "What do you mean everything? You don't even know anything about me."
"Oh, I might know more about you than you know about yourself," Aaron said with an unmistakably mocking smile.
Karen's guess seemed correct, but she did not let any expression show; she kept her face blank, uninterested. If Aaron was right, she had to find out.
"Oh yeah? How could you know me better when we've only known each other for less than two months?" she sneered softly.
"Do you know how powerful money can be?"
"Of course. What would you be, Mr. Tokugawa, without money?"
Aaron replied sweetly, "Sorry to disappoint you, but even without money I'm still Aaron Tokugawa, a famous tycoon."
That made Karen's antipathy toward him—and toward the wealthy—grow. They were arrogant and thought money could buy everything. They belittled and trampled others in the name of power.
Unfortunately they forgot that some things couldn't be bought. Karen was one of them. No matter how much Aaron offered, she would rather die than sell herself.
Sighing, Karen turned and walked back the way she came, while Aaron chose to follow. Karen kept silent and continued walking, ignoring his presence by staring at the pavement.
"Your hand isn't healed yet, I suppose," Aaron guessed from behind.
"You can see for yourself," Karen replied flatly, without emotion.
"You probably haven't had it checked," Aaron said confidently; when Karen didn't answer he gave a crooked smile. "Are you planning to ignore me, Karen?"
Karen stopped suddenly, causing several men behind them to go silent—except Aaron, who wore a bored grin. She looked at him with annoyance.
"Stop calling me like we're close."
"I can't wait for the day we are very close," he said.
"I won't. Can't you leave me alone like I left you alone?" Karen asked again.
Aaron shrugged helplessly. "Sadly, that's impossible. I've never been rejected by a woman. So conquering you is a new challenge for me."
"I'm not a woman you can buy, Aaron," Karen emphasized, saying his name with disgust. Aaron pursed his lips and clicked his tongue.
"Unfortunately, there's no woman who can't be bought. And you are no exception."
"Then sorry to disappoint you, but I will never hand myself over to a man like you."
Karen felt she had said enough; she was tired of talking. Normally reserved, she preferred silence. She went back to ignoring Aaron.
Aaron raised an eyebrow when he heard her words. He was convinced Karen found him repulsive. Perhaps he would score an F in her eyes. It's interesting because every woman he had ever met had always been 'satisfied' by him. Aaron didn't make a wrong choice. Karen was a new challenge to him. But he could not allow her to keep wounding his pride. There would be a price for Karen; she had hurt him too often. But he would not demand it today. He would make her pay with interest.
He intended to start by seeking authority to ban Karen from leaving Japan and to destroy the orphanage where she lived. Then Aaron would wait for the day she would kneel before him. Aaron could hardly wait for that day.
---
Karen didn't understand Aaron Tokugawa's way of thinking at all. He seemed unable to accept the word 'no' and he clearly had no shame. No matter how many times Karen said "no," he kept offering to buy her.
And the detective followed her openly after she realized he was tailing her. That disgusted her. She couldn't go to Debet's Hall to pay the remaining passport fee because the detective would tell Aaron. Aaron would then know Karen was an undocumented resident of Japan.
Karen didn't even believe the detective when he said he knew more about her than she did. It was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. How could he know when Karen herself didn't know?
But she had to figure out how to stop the detective from following her. She didn't care who had hired him. Karen was Karen and she hated being followed. So when the detective was in the corner of the lower floor, Karen quickly told the bartender she was being followed.
She didn't say it was Aaron's man. It wasn't necessary. The bartender told Jehd, who shrugged and two club guards dragged the man away.
Karen quickly changed clothes and left through the main entrance. She knew the detective would be stationed at the back door. Her guess was right. While the man waited, Karen headed home before going to Debet's Hall.
She knocked on the door and the man who was usually on duty stared at Karen sharply. "You're here?"
"Tell him I will make the payment."
The door opened and Karen stepped inside. But she didn't see the men who usually held weapons. Nor the old man who usually sat on the sofa. Instead, the room was dim and the only light came from a lamp next to a chair.
Karen heard a soft sob behind her and furrowed her brow in confusion. Somehow she knew something was wrong.
And to her surprise, Aaron was there. He was kneeling on one knee with his hands clasped together in front of his face. He smiled sweetly at Karen. The yellow lamp light made him seem devilish.
Karen stepped back a step in shock but was blocked by the wall; when she turned she looked at one of the guards. That cold face.
"Move," Karen told the man. But he didn't move an inch.
"I said move!"
"It's useless, Karen," Aaron said, breaking the silence with his slow voice that chilled the air. "Toma will not move unless I order him."
Karen turned aside and looked at him with disgust. "Where is everyone?"
"They are here," Aaron replied. "Only… with slightly different conditions."
"Did you kill them?"
"No. They're still alive. One of my men is guarding this place now."
"So that's why you own this place now," Karen said.
Aaron snorted and shook his head. He pointed to the chair in front of him with his index finger. "Sit, Karen."
Karen refused firmly. She folded her arms across her chest.
"I insist," Aaron said again, but Karen didn't respond.
Aaron raised one arm and Toma grabbed Karen's arm and forced her down on the sofa. When she resisted, Toma held her shoulders so hard she felt they might break.
Aaron must have heard her whimper because he immediately told Toma to stop. Karen lifted one arm and rubbed her shoulder. They were all visible in the lamp's light.
Aaron stared at Karen's shoulder for a long moment. "Did Toma hurt you?"
"On your orders," she added.
The man looked relieved before nodding. "I miss your sarcastic tongue, Karen. But enough fooling around. I came to see you."
"To see me? Don't be ridiculous. Your detective could be fooled by me," Karen said.
Aaron laughed harshly. "Do you think I would ever let you go, Karen?"
"What do you mean?" Karen knit her brows as she stared sharply at him.
"I knew you would come here sooner or later. That's why I sent my men to blend in around you."
"You must be lying."
"No. I did assign Eji to watch you. And the detective is currently behind the door. You never could deceive me, Karen."
"I don't believe you," she hissed, disgusted.
Aaron nodded, seeming bored by her disbelief. "Whatever. You'll find out when you leave this room. But the fact is, you are already inside my plan. Your escape attempt will never work."
"You're crazy," she whispered.
"I want you, Karen. Whether you like it or not, you will be mine."
"I refuse."
Aaron closed his eyes briefly before raising one hand and the room suddenly lit up. He looked to the side and saw the guards standing in a neat row in the corner.
They seemed to have wounds all over and Karen saw the friendly-faced man, presumably Eji, standing beside them. Karen looked back at Aaron.
"What do you mean showing this to me?"
"I don't intend to make you like them if you want to know," Aaron replied.
"Thanks."
"But I intend to put you in prison," Aaron added, satisfied.
Karen blinked in shock then smiled coldly. "And how do you plan to report that?"
Aaron seemed to think for a moment before chuckling. "How about… an illegal immigrant case?"
THUD! Karen's heart seemed to stop for a moment and her face went pale. Her hand unconsciously tightened on her clothing. Aaron watched that movement and nodded.
"You..? What…?" Karen lost her words while the man was clearly pleased with her reaction.
Aaron decided to corner Karen that day. He knew she could break free from his grip at any moment. Fortunately for him, he had assigned Eji to tail Karen; otherwise the detective would have lost his job.
When Aaron received a call from Eji that Karen had tricked the detective, he laughed out loud. The woman wasn't ordinary. She was clever and brilliant. But unfortunately, Aaron could anticipate her moves.
Aaron had booked a room at a nearby hotel so it was easy for him to come here and wait for Karen. His arrival wasn't expected by the old man. But resisting Aaron was impossible when Toma and Eji were by his side.
Aaron's plan went smoothly as he instructed Toma to watch the old man until his men were fit again. Unfortunately, when Aaron arrived they intended to take revenge. That was a fatal mistake.
"I have kindly given Toma to guard you and this is the thanks I get?" Aaron said flatly as he looked at the heap of injured men at his feet.
Aaron crouched, stared at the man sharply, then smiled coldly. "I could kill you right now. But I won't, because I have other guests."
Standing, he looked at them all.
"Act normal. I don't want any mistakes here. Your lives are in my hands."
And because Aaron didn't want Karen to suspect anything, he ordered the doorman who normally served Karen to do his job, then turned off the lights so the woman would be close enough that Toma could block the door.
Everything went as Aaron expected. Karen fell into the trap and Eji watched them so they wouldn't cause trouble. Aaron watched the paleness and color drain from Karen's face.
He knew Karen would choose prison. The woman was too proud to be his plaything. And Aaron didn't want Karen to lose now, not when he still held many cards about her past. But hearing the woman say it herself, would be much different. So he threw out the ultimatum,
"Choose, Karen. Me, or prison?"