The tension in the room snapped when a massive, towering man walked in. He was over six and a half feet tall, built like a brick wall, with a jagged scar over his left eye and a cold, intimidating expression.
Ran instinctively stepped in front of Sayuri, thinking he was an intruder, but Sayuri broke the silence.
"Father."
Kiyonaga Matsumoto looked grim, his naturally fierce face looking even more terrifying than usual. He nodded curtly to his daughter. Ran and Serena were stunned; they never would have guessed their beautiful, elegant teacher had such a monstrous-looking father.
Kiyonaga ignored the guests and went to Sayuri's side, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Sayuri... are you sure about this? Marrying a man like that? There are plenty of real men at the precinct with some backbone!"
Toshihiko's face darkened. Being insulted to his face by his future father-in-law was a bitter pill to swallow. But Kiyonaga didn't care about the failing Takasugi family. He only agreed to the marriage because Sayuri had rejected every "strong" man he had introduced her to.
What Kiyonaga didn't know was that Sayuri only said yes to Toshihiko to escape her father's endless parade of muscle-bound cops. She wanted a handsome, charming man, not a human tank like her father.
I wish I had met Yuu sooner... Sayuri thought as she listened to her father's grumbling. If she had met him a few months ago, she never would have agreed to this. She would have happily been his mistress if she couldn't have him as a husband. At twenty-seven, she was still a virgin and a total sucker for a handsome face—she just had very high standards.
She wanted to call the whole thing off, and she knew her father would support her after the initial explosion of anger. But she didn't want to cause a public scandal for her family or her "friend" Kazumi.
Sayuri planned to go through with the ceremony and then talk to Toshihiko about a divorce immediately after. They hadn't even touched, so it wouldn't be hard. She figured Yuu would understand. And if he didn't... well, she'd just make him understand with her body.
She had no idea that her "best friend" and her groom were currently plotting her murder.
Kiyonaga's voice boomed through the room. "Sayuri, don't drink too much of that lemon tea. It's too sweet. It's bad for you." Even a hardened cop like him couldn't help but nag like a typical parent.
Sayuri, surprisingly, didn't argue. She set the can down obediently. Kiyonaga smiled—a terrifying sight—and left the room.
Everyone knew Sayuri loved lemon tea, but few knew that ever since she realized Toshihiko was the boy from her childhood, the "magic" had worn off. The adult Toshihiko was nothing like the brave boy she remembered. Life had made him weak and bitter.
A moment later, Serena realized her camera had died. She grabbed Ran and sprinted out to find spare batteries.
Suddenly, the bustling room was empty, leaving only Yuu and Sayuri.
The assistants had cleared out earlier. Yuu and Sayuri looked at each other. They barely knew each other, and the silence was becoming heavy.
But Sayuri wasn't about to let the moment go. Fueled by a sudden burst of courage, she walked to the door and turned the lock. Then, she turned and threw herself into Yuu's arms.
She hated the awkward silence, and she much preferred a seductive one.
Yuu smirked. He had seen this coming. He wrapped one arm around her slender waist and the other around her soft, white neck. He leaned in, his handsome face closing the distance until their noses touched.
Sayuri's heart hammered against her ribs as Yuu's hot mouth captured her gloss-covered lips.
She gasped at the unfamiliar sensation, her body trembling before she surrendered to the kiss. Yuu was a master at this by now. While Serena and Ran were easy, and Hitomi was a fun challenge, only the mature Serena (the mother) could really match him. Sayuri, despite being twenty-seven, was as pure as a sheet of white paper.
Her clumsy, inexperienced response only made Yuu more excited. She really is a virgin, he thought. He decided then and there that he wouldn't just save her life today—he was going to claim her right here, in her wedding dress.
She might never wear it again, so they might as well put it to good use.
Guided by Yuu, Sayuri's teeth parted, and her soft, pink tongue became his toy to do with as he pleased.