8: Unspoken Tensions

Point of View: Beatrice

I found myself counting the hours that night. The weight of my impending marriage to Ryuu Morunaga pressed down on me, suffocating every thought and movement. 

The fear of what awaited—restrictions, control, and the loss of freedom that came with being the wife of a mafia man—clung to me like a shadow I couldn’t escape.  

As the night dragged on, my thoughts kept circling back to Suniza Morunaga. Why wasn’t she here for her son’s wedding? Her absence left me uneasy, gnawing at the edges of my resolve. Was I destined for the same fate? 

Would I be confined, cut off, and stripped of the independence I had taken for granted?  

By two in the morning, I couldn’t take it anymore. The weight on my chest had grown unbearable, and the suffocating silence of my room felt like it was closing in. 

I slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb the Morunaga men, and made my way through the darkened house toward the kitchen.  

I needed something—anything—to distract myself. A glass of water, a brief escape. From the window, the soft glow of the moon illuminated the ocean, its waves lapping gently against the shore. For a fleeting moment, the sight offered a hint of serenity, a reminder of the world outside this gilded cage.  

I was so lost in the rhythmic dance of the waves that I didn’t notice the figure behind me until a deep, rough voice broke through the silence.  

Startled, I jumped, my heart racing as I spun around, pressing myself against the counter. My hand instinctively flew to my chest, where I could feel the wild thrum of my heartbeat beneath trembling fingers. 

In the dim light, Ryuu’s silhouette emerged, broad and imposing. He was wearing only a pair of sleep pants, and even in the faint glow of the moonlight, the sculpted lines of his torso were impossible to miss. 

A shaky breath escaped my lips before I could stop it.  

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath, more to myself than to him.  

Ryuu’s deep, resonant laugh filled the space, his amusement unmistakable. His smirk carried the same air of smug confidence that always seemed to follow him.  

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, though the glint in his eyes suggested otherwise.  

Suppressing my irritation, I moved toward the door, eager to escape. But he was standing just enough in the way to make it clear I wouldn’t leave so easily.  

“I was going to the living room,” I murmured, clutching my glass of water a little tighter as I brushed past him. 

My shoulder grazed his chest, and the contact sent an unwelcome warmth rushing through me.  

I hated the way his presence unsettled me. After four years of living among men, I thought myself immune to such things. Yet here I was, my cheeks flushing against my will at the sight of him.  

When I reached the large sofa in the living room and sank into it, Ryuu followed without hesitation. 

He sat beside me, too close for comfort, and before I could protest, he grabbed my ankles, pulling my legs into his lap.  

“Excuse me?” I said sharply, trying to pull my feet back, but his grip was firm.  

Ignoring me, he reached for the remote, turning on the TV with a casual ease. 

His hands moved to my calves, kneading the muscles with deliberate pressure, and I froze at the unexpected sensation.  

“What are you doing?” My tone was clipped, and my voice wavered with both confusion and frustration as I tried again to pull away.  

“I’m helping you relax,” he replied, his voice maddeningly calm. “I don’t want my fiancée looking exhausted on our big day.”  

His nonchalant tone made it sound as though this were the most natural thing in the world. I pushed against his grip again, but his hands didn’t falter, his confidence only growing as my resistance waned.  

“Why did you even agree to this marriage?” I muttered, crossing my arms and letting out an exasperated huff.  

He didn’t look at me, his eyes fixed on the TV. Still, I pressed on, needing some outlet for my frustration.  

“I’m guessing it’s for the sake of your business,” I said, my words laced with mockery. “Marrying the only granddaughter of Giorgio Carbone must be good for your reputation. And I’m sure your company will benefit from taking over my father’s share in the family restaurants. Your construction business may be a façade, but your loyalty to your father’s demands is impressive.”  

Ryuu’s hands stilled for a moment before resuming their work, but the air around us grew cold.  

“You assume I’m doing this out of loyalty to my father?” he asked, his voice sharp and low. His expression darkened, the sharp lines of his jaw tightening as his eyes finally met mine.  

“Why else would you? Or are you telling me this was your idea? That it’s you forcing me into this marriage?”  

His entire demeanor shifted, the tension in his body hardening into something fierce and unrelenting.  

“No.”  

The single word was clipped, his tone icy. His gaze bored into me with an intensity that made my pulse quicken, though whether it was from fear or something else entirely, I couldn’t say.  

I held his gaze, refusing to flinch under the weight of it, even as the space between us felt like it was closing in. 

Ryuu Morunaga was a man who thrived on control, and for all my defiance, I couldn’t help but feel like I was losing the upper hand.