Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 161615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 539(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 539(@300wpm)
Some truths weren’t meant to be solved.
Some were simply meant to be witnessed.
My grandmother used to say that the world had layers—one for the body, one for the mind, and one for the spirit that only opened when the person stopped pretending, they were in control.
Then, there were stories about déjà vu that wasn’t just coincidence, about odd dreams that arrived with warnings, about hearing one’s name in an empty room right before life changed direction.
I thought of synchronicities—meaningful coincidences—I'd brushed off before. Moments when the universe nudged me. The way 11:11 kept appearing on clocks, receipts, license plates—patterns that felt too deliberate to ignore.
The instinct to turn left instead of right and avoid something dangerous.
The sense that someone was standing behind me when no one was there.
This animal-shadow concept felt like that.
Bigger than logic.
Bigger than fear.
Bigger than me.
I exhaled slowly and let the truth settle. I wasn’t imagining shadows. I wasn’t unraveling. I was standing inside a world where some people walked with two silhouettes, and I was one of the few who could see the second shadow because. . .I truly loved Kenji and was his soul mate.
A strange validation warmed my chest.
Yet, I was still so confused and had even more questions that I honestly didn’t think would ever get answered, probably due to his mother’s secret lineage and how it seemed they really kept a lot of knowledge close to their chest.
And maybe understanding wasn’t the point.
Maybe accepting it was.
Hiro motioned ahead, grabbing my thoughts back to the moment. “The Personal Scales’ suite is close.”
I steadied myself. “Okay.”
My adrenaline picked up.
Chapter thirty-four
Mafia Gossip
Nyomi
We turned one last corner, and I felt the atmosphere change completely. The noise of the staff wing fell away. No more doors, no more carts, no more movement.
I did a quick glance back at the twins, hoping they still weren’t shaken up by what I’d said earlier.
They moved in perfect formation behind me—silent, synchronized, and professional.
But something had shifted.
Yuki's shoulders sat differently. Lower. Looser. The rigid tension from before had melted away.
That’s good at least.
Aki walked with his chin slightly lifted, and for just a heartbeat, his eyes met mine before sliding away.
Not cold.
Not distant.
Just. . .processing.
Neither of them smiled.
Neither offered reassurance.
They just walked.
Steady.
Present.
Still guarding me like they had been from the start.
And somehow, that was enough.
The tightness in my chest eased just a fraction as I turned back around.
They’re going to be okay.
I looked ahead at the long stretch of hallway, ending in a single, heavy door. “Is that the Scales’ suite?”
“Yes.”
“The women are pretty far from Kenji and all of you.”
“He likes to keep them away from all the mafia politics.”
The overhead lights were warm, but shadows pooled near the corners, stretching long along the baseboards.
“Have you ever been in their quarters, Hiro?”
“Back in Tokyo, but not since we’ve been here on the island. However, I imagine the suite is similar to the one in Tokyo.”
“Where do they live in Tokyo?”
“In my brother’s mansion.”
I blinked.
Oh no. That’s going to change.
My mind immediately conjured the image of me moving into Kenji’s sprawling Tokyo mansion with three women who were obsessed with him living down the hall.
Absolutely fucking not.
Kenji had given me the choice—to decide whether they stayed or went. And now, standing here, imagining a future where I shared a home with Hina, Mami, and Yuki. . .
The answer crystallized in my mind with perfect clarity.
They all may not be the spy. It may be one, two, or none, but regardless. . .they have to go. All three of them.
I couldn't start a new life with Kenji while he carried this baggage. I wouldn't wake up every morning knowing these women were somewhere in the mansion probably plotting ways to get close to him again.
No.
I'd tell him when the time was right
We walked on, the heavy door growing closer with each step.
And speaking of baggage. . .
Kiko’s face flashed in my head.
Kenji’s maybe-baby mama.
"Hiro. . ." I hesitated, then pushed forward. "Earlier in the war room, you said Kiko might be pregnant with your twins. Not Kenji’s. Is that. . .actually possible?"
His expression didn't change. "Yes."
"How sure are you?"
"Very. As I said before, my brother and I typically share women. I actually had her first. Told Kenji it would be a good time. He had her days later—said he was bored that night and figured why not. Then I had her once again."
Behind me, one of the twins made a soft sound—barely audible, but definitely there.
A snort.
My brain short-circuited. "So. . .you both. . ."
"Yes."
"In the same. . .timeframe?"
"Within the same week for sure." He shrugged. “She’s just set on the twins being my brother’s because of all the perks.”
We reached the door and stopped.
The heavy wood loomed in front of us, dark and imposing, but I couldn't focus on it. Not when my mind was spiraling through the implications of what Hiro had just told me.