Chapter 26
Morning arrives quietly at the estate.
Too quietly.
Reina is in the study reviewing reports when Hayato enters.
His expression is wrong.
Controlled.
But tight.
"Something happened."
Her stomach sinks instantly.
"What happened?"
He hesitates.
That hesitation tells her everything.
"Say it."
Hayato places a phone on the desk.
A video plays.
The Video
A dim room.
Concrete walls.
One chair.
A young woman tied to it.
Her eyes red from crying.
Reina freezes.
"Yumi…"
Her closest friend from before the arranged marriage.
The one person who knew her life before the underworld.
Yumi sobs softly.
Then the camera shifts.
Kuroda steps into view.
Perfectly composed.
He looks directly into the camera.
But it feels like he's looking directly at Reina.
"You handled our meeting well."
"But you misunderstood something."
"War does not punish strategy."
"War punishes attachment."
He gently places a hand on Yumi's shoulder.
She flinches.
His voice remains calm.
"You are becoming a formidable player."
"So I removed a piece that might distract you."
The camera zooms slightly.
Yumi whispers weakly:
"Reina… please…"
Kuroda continues.
"Come alone."
"This time, no hidden teams."
"Or your friend will die slowly."
The screen goes black.
The room explodes.
Ren slams the desk so hard the wood cracks.
"No."
It's immediate.
Absolute.
"You are not going."
Reina's hands are shaking.
Not from fear.
From fury.
"He took her because of me."
"He took her because he wants you reckless."
Hayato speaks carefully:
"We can track the video metadata."
Ren nods sharply.
"Find him."
Reina looks between them.
"You won't find him in time."
Silence.
Everyone knows it's true.
Her chest feels tight.
Heavy.
Yumi wasn't part of this world.
She didn't choose this war.
Reina whispers:
"I can't let her die because of me."
Ren steps forward immediately.
"You won't."
His hands grip her shoulders firmly.
"You are not trading yourself."
Her voice cracks slightly.
"She's innocent."
"So are you."
"That's not true anymore."
That line lands like a blade.
Later.
In their room.
The tension between them is unbearable.
"You're thinking about going," Ren says quietly.
She doesn't answer.
Which is answer enough.
His voice lowers dangerously.
"If you walk into his hands, I will burn this entire city."
She meets his eyes.
"And if we do nothing, Yumi dies."
Silence.
Heavy.
Then Ren steps closer.
Too close.
"You think I would let you face him alone?"
Her heart pounds.
"You said I couldn't go."
"I said you won't go alone."
The shift is subtle.
But huge.
This is no longer protection.
This is partnership.
Ren gathers the inner circle.
Decision made.
They will fake compliance.
Reina will go.
But this time—
They turn Kuroda's trap into a battlefield.
Hayato warns:
"If he suspects backup, he'll kill the hostage immediately."
Reina answers calmly:
"Then we make sure he doesn't suspect it."
Ren watches her closely.
Because in that moment…
She looks less like a reluctant bride.
And more like the future queen of the underworld.
At kuroda's warehouse.
Yumi's wrists ache.
The rope is tight enough to hurt, but not enough to cut circulation.
That detail bothers her.
This isn't sloppy kidnapping.
This is professional restraint.
The room smells like oil and metal.
Industrial.
Somewhere underground.
Or near machinery.
Her breathing trembles.
She whispers to herself:
"Reina will come…"
But even as she says it, she knows something worse.
Reina will absolutely come.
And that terrifies her more than the kidnapping.
Two men stand outside the partially open metal door.
They think she's unconscious.
Their voices carry.
Low.
Annoyed.
One says:
"Why is the boss doing this personally?"
The other scoffs.
"Because she's the brain behind Takahashi now."
Yumi's eyes widen slightly.
Brain?
What?
The first guard continues.
"If she shows up tonight, the boss ends this whole war."
The second laughs quietly.
"She won't leave alive."
Yumi's stomach drops.
Then one of them says something that freezes her completely.
"Once she's dead, Takahashi will go feral."
"Exactly."
"And that's when the shipment moves."
Shipment?
"What shipment?" the first guard asks.
"The port one."
Yumi's heart starts racing.
"The weapons shipment?"
"Yeah. Midnight transfer. While Takahashi's distracted tearing the city apart."
Silence.
Then the first guard whistles softly.
"That's brutal."
"War is brutal."
Her mind spins.
Kuroda doesn't just want Reina dead.
He wants Ren emotionally destroyed.
So Ren loses control.
So the massive illegal weapons shipment can move through the port without interference.
Her kidnapping isn't just leverage.
It's part of a larger operation.
Yumi's heart pounds harder.
She has to remember every detail.
Every word.
Because if Reina comes…
Reina needs to know.
Footsteps approach.
The guards straighten immediately.
Kuroda's voice appears in the hallway.
Calm.
Measured.
"Is she awake?"
"No, boss."
He steps inside anyway.
Yumi keeps her breathing slow.
Eyes barely open.
Through her lashes she sees him.
Tall.
Cold.
Watching her carefully.
Then he says something terrifyingly quiet.
"Make sure Takahashi's bride sees the body."
Yumi's pulse almost gives her away.
Body.
He plans to kill her in front of Reina.
Not before.
Not after.
During.
A message.
Back at Ren's.
Reina is reviewing the rescue plan.
But something feels wrong.
Too obvious.
Too theatrical.
She whispers to Ren:
"He wants me to watch her die."
Ren's jaw tightens.
"That won't happen."
But she shakes her head slowly.
"No… that's not the real goal."
His eyes narrow.
"What is?"
She looks at the city skyline.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Then she murmurs:
"He wants you distracted."
That's when everything shifts.
Because suddenly—
This isn't just a rescue mission.
It's a diversion.