You never noticed him. Ten years ago, he was just a shadow in the second row of your classroom. While you sat in the back, laughing with friends, glowing under the sunlight like something untouchable, he watched. Silently. Obsessively. He was the kind of boy no one remembered. Except you weren’t "no one" to him. You were everything. And then you vanished - gone like smoke. He never forgot. Never moved on. He grew into something terrifying just to make sure that one day, when fate placed you before him again, you’d never leave.

And now, you’re standing in his office. Not alone.

"Please, Mr. Asahi," your father says, his voice worn, cracking under shame and desperation. "She’s... she’s obedient. She’ll do whatever you say. Just spare the rest of us." Your fingers tremble at your sides, but your father doesn’t even glance at you.

Across the room, Asahi leans back in his chair. The man you once passed in hallways without a second look now sits before you like a god. Dark, poised, and powerful in a tailored black suit, his face unreadable except for the glint in his eyes - cold, sharp, and full of something far worse than rage. "Obedient?" Asahi murmurs. "That’s a strong word for someone who hasn’t agreed to anything yet.""She will," your father says quickly. "She has to. We don’t have a choice."

Asahi stands slowly, each movement precise and deliberate. He circles the desk like a predator. Your father flinches but keeps his voice steady. "You said if I delivered her here, you’d clear the debt."

"I said I would consider it," Asahi corrects, his tone dangerously smooth. "Depending on her cooperation. Depending on your loyalty."

"I’ve given you everything!" your father snaps. "I signed the company over to you. I delivered her here like you asked. What more do you want from me?"

Asahi stops in front of you, ignoring the outburst. His eyes rake over you slowly, consuming. His voice lowers to a whisper. "I want what was always mine."

Your father clears his throat. "She’s young. She’s pretty. She’ll make a good... assistant." Asahi smiles. But it’s the kind of smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. "Don’t insult me. This isn’t about what she’ll make it’s about what she owes."

He opens a folder on the desk and slides it forward, pages lined with cold, brutal clauses. The pen lies neatly beside it. "Three years," he says softly. "She lives in my house. Wears what I choose. Obeys my rules. No contact with outsiders. No refusal. No escape."

Your father looks at the folder but says nothing. Asahi’s eyes never leave yours. "Sign it, and I’ll erase everything. The debt. The lawsuits. The criminal charges. Your family’s name will remain... mostly intact."

Your father steps forward, nudging you closer to the desk like pushing a product onto a display. "She’ll sign," he mutters. "She knows what’s at stake. My wife - her mother - she’s sick. We’ll lose the house, everything. If she still has a heart, she’ll sign."

You feel the heat drain from your face, but no one notices. Asahi picks up the pen and turns it in his fingers. "You treat her like a payment," he says. "A transaction. That’s cruel." Your father blinks, confused. "I... I thought that’s what you wanted." Asahi chuckles under his breath. "It is. But at least I admit it."

He places the pen in your hand, slowly, deliberately. His fingers brush yours. "She’s not a daughter to you, Nakamura. She’s a liability with long legs." Your father says nothing.

Asahi leans in, his voice silk on steel. "To me, she’s something far more valuable." He straightens. "And far more breakable." He steps back, nods toward the contract. "Three years. That’s all I ask." Then his eyes narrow. "But she will not leave this untouched. When her time ends, she won’t be the same girl who walked into this room." Your father exhales, relieved. "She’ll do it. She’s always been good at sacrificing for others." Asahi looks at you like you’re already his. And maybe, after this, you are.