Tokyo, 2 AM. The city's pulse threv through Damon's veins like a bad habit. He leaned against the velvet rope, surveying his kingdom: the Red Spider nightclub. The bass thumped, a heartbeat echoing the darkness he owned.
That's when he saw her – Yui. A flash of fiery hair, a snarky smile, and eyes that dared him to look away. She was trouble, this one.
"Damon-kun, your VIPs are waiting," his bartender, Kiki, whispered.
Damon's gaze lingered on Yui. "Tell them to wait."
Yui, oblivious to the danger lurking, strode towards him. "Hey, you the manager? I need to talk to you about the club's design. It's...wow."
Damon raised an eyebrow. "Wow?"
She laughed, a husky sound. "Not impressed, huh? That's okay. I'm here to change that."
Yui's confidence was intoxicating. Damon leaned in, his voice low. "Change it? You think you can handle the Red Spider's design?"
Yui didn't flinch. "I'm not just any designer. I'm Yui Nakamura. I've worked with top brands in Tokyo. Your club's a mess, but I can fix it."
Damon's lips curled into a smirk. "A mess, huh? This club's the hottest ticket in Shinjuku."
Yui rolled her eyes. "Exactly. You're stuck in the 90s. Let me modernize it."
Kiki slid between them, a warning glance at Damon. "Damon-kun, maybe hear her out?"
Damon's gaze never left Yui. "Okay, Yui-chan. You've got one shot. Pitch me."
Yui grinned, pulling out her tablet. "Neon accents, minimalism, and a killer bar – trust me."
As she spoke, Damon's phone buzzed. A text from an old "friend":
_You touch Yui, you're dead._
Damon's smile froze. Who was this and how did they know??
Damon's eyes narrowed, his smile still plastered on. "Okay, Yui-chan, you're on. But if you mess this up, you're out." He glanced at Kiki. "Make sure she gets access to everything."
Yui nodded, launching into a rapid-fire pitch, her words spilling out like a neon-lit waterfall. Damon pretended to listen, his mind elsewhere – who was behind that text? And how did they know about Yui?
As Yui gestured to her tablet, her sleeve slipped, revealing a small tattoo of a snake coiled around her wrist. Damon's eyes flicked to it, a spark of curiosity igniting. What was Yui hiding?
Kiki caught his gaze, her eyes darting to Yui, then back to him. A silent warning.
Yui finished her pitch, beaming. "So, what do you think?"
Damon leaned back, his expression unreadable. "I think... we'll see." He stood, his movement abrupt. "Kiki, show Yui around. I'll be... making calls."
As he stalked off, Yui's grin faltered.
Kiki grabbed Yui's arm, steering her towards the bar. "Don't mind him, Yui-chan. Damon's just... intense." She nodded to the bartender. "Hey, Toshi, get Yui a drink. She's working with us now."
Toshi's eyebrows shot up, but he slid a glass across the counter. "Welcome to Red Spider. What'll you have?"
Yui hesitated, then smiled. "Surprise me."
As Toshi mixed her drink, Kiki leaned in. "So, what's the plan? You really think you can revamp this place?"
Yui's eyes sparkled. "Plan? Kiki-chan, I've got a whole vision board in my head. Neon jungle, Tokyo vibes, and a bar that'll make people cry."
Kiki laughed, her voice husky. "Sounds like a challenge. But be careful, Yui. Damon's got... complicated friends."
Yui's grin never slipped. "I'm not scared of complicated. I'm from Tokyo."
Toshi slid a glowing blue cocktail across the counter. "Your drink, Yui-chan. Don't drink it too fast, yeah?"
Yui picked it up, her eyes meeting Kiki's. "To Red Spider's rebirth."
As they clipped glasses, a figure slipped into the shadows near the VIP lounge. Watching. Waiting.
Damon's phone buzzed again: _You have 24 hours to get Yui out. Or else._
His jaw clenched.
Yui sipped the glowing blue cocktail, her eyes widening. "Wow, Toshi, this is insane!" The drink tasted like a fusion of lychee and smoke, with an electric undertone that made her toes curl.
Kiki laughed, nudging her. "Toshi's a magician, right? Alright, let's get you started. Damon's got you booked on a design meeting tomorrow at 2 PM. Can you have concepts ready?"
Yui nodded, her mind racing. "Got it. I'll have something fire by then."
As they wrapped up, Damon's voice cut through the music, low and urgent. "Kiki, my office. Now."
Kiki's expression turned serious. She squeezed Yui's arm. "Stay out of trouble, yeah?"
Yui watched her go, curiosity piqued. What was going on?
Toshi leaned in, his voice a whisper. "Hey, Yui-chan? Be careful around Damon. He's... not just a club owner."
Yui raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Toshi glanced around, then leaned closer. "He's got connections. Deep ones. Like, _shinobi_ deep."
Yui's eyes sparkled. A secret? This just got interesting.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number: _He's playing you. Don't trust anyone at Red Spider._
Yui's smile froze. Her instincts screamed warning, but her gut said otherwise. She tucked her phone away, her expression neutral.
Toshi was watching her, a question in his eyes. Yui smiled, playing it cool. "Just a Tokyo friend, checking in."
He nodded, wiping the counter. "Gotcha. You heading out?"
Yui glanced at her watch. 1 AM. "Yeah, I need to crunch some numbers before tomorrow's meeting."
Toshi jerked his chin towards the back. "Use Damon's office. Wi-Fi's better."
Yui hesitated, then nodded. "Thanks, Toshi."
As she slipped into Damon's office, the door swung shut behind her. The room was sleek, with a giant window overlooking Shinjuku's neon chaos. She booted up her laptop, her eyes scanning the room. Where would Damon hide something...
Her gaze landed on a small framed photo on his desk. Damon with a girl – no, a woman with a fierce smile and Yui's own eyes.
Yui's breath caught. That was her sister, Akira.
Suddenly, the lights flickered. The room plunged into darkness. A hand clamped over her mouth.
Damon's voice was low, his breath on her ear. "You don't know when to stop, do you?" The hand over her mouth was warm, firm, and somehow familiar.
Yui's heart raced, but she didn't struggle. Instead, she bit down – hard.
Damon cursed, releasing her. "Yui, what the...!"
She spun, her eyes adjusting to the dark. Damon's outline loomed, rubbing his hand.
"What are you doing here?" he growled.
Yui's anger flared. "I could ask you the same! Why do you have a photo of Akira?"
Silence. Then, "You know Akira?"
Yui's laugh was bitter. "She's my sister. What's going on, Damon?"
The room stayed dark, but she sensed him moving closer. "Akira's... been missing. I've been looking for her."
Yui's anger turned to confusion. "Missing? Akira's—"
The lights flickered back. Damon's eyes locked on hers, intense. "Akira's in danger. And you just walked into the lion's den."
Yui's phone buzzed again. The same unknown number: _You have 1 hour to leave Red Spider. Or Akira dies._
Damon's face turned grim as he read the message over Yui's shoulder. "They're watching. We need to move."
Yui's mind spun. Akira's in danger, and I'm stuck in this mess. "What do they want with Akira?"
Damon's jaw clenched. "No idea. But I know someone who might." He grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the office. "Come on."
They burst into the club, music still pounding. Kiki was waiting, a backpack slugged over her shoulder. "Ready."
Damon's eyes narrowed. "Kiki, take Yui to the safehouse. I'll handle this."
Kiki nodded, but Yui dug in her heels. "No way. I'm not leaving without Akira."
Damon's grip tightened. "You'll get her killed. Let's go."
As they hit the alley, a black SUV screeched to a stop. The window rolled down – Toshi, with a gun in his hand. "Get in. Now."
Yui's eyes widened. Toshi's a...?