Page 10

RAVEN

I left my residence on Kaito’s estate; the driver took me to my weekly visit back home, but today, there was a heavy weight in the pit of my stomach.

Today was the last day I could go over to watch our fighter train before his match, and hopefully, what I saw today would be better than the last time I’d come.

I had been confined to my house since the night Kaito and I had argued, except for these weekly visits.

That was just how Kaito was—cruel. His punishment with telling me my family’s fighter needed to win the next round or we’d lose the family estate, then not giving me the freedom to come to my family’s dojo often enough to ensure that could happen, was impossibly unfair.

Thankfully, Sydney could fill in when I was unable to get here. However, even though she was here day in and day out, training with Touma—our fighter— as of last week, he hadn’t improved to where I was confident he could win.

I needed things to be different this week. We were only a few days away from the match, and so much was riding on this. More than any of them knew.

My steps felt heavy as I walked up from the car into the grounds of our property.

I went straight to my room in the main house and changed.

I kept my workout gear here to ensure nothing would happen to it.

I wouldn’t put it past him to have certain personal effects of mine removed from my wardrobe, preventing me from being able to participate here as well.

I walked into the dojo a few minutes later to see Sydney and Touma already beginning their warm-ups. We had a few more students besides him who had lingered after Father’s passing, but most of the fighters we’d had when he was alive moved on to more prestigious dojos after he died.

I had my worry that he wouldn’t be good enough to win this fight. I had neglected to inform Sydney about the new arrangement Kaito had imposed on me. I had tried to get him to see reason on numerous occasions these past two months, but he’d denied me at every turn.

As I watched Touma go through his drills in the dojo, I felt sick to my stomach. He was good. Against most fighters, he would have an easy time winning, but if I knew Kaito, he had some sort of trick up his sleeve. He was one to set the odds in his favor.

“Again!” I shouted across the dojo.

I could tell my tone was anxious from the looks my sister and everyone else here gave me.

But they didn’t know what was at stake. They would never know, if I could help it.

It was my job as the oldest sister to do everything in my power to protect my family.

If that meant selling myself to the devil, I would do it.

If that meant hurting someone else so they wouldn’t get hurt, I would do it.

But knowing that they were in a much more dire situation because of my actions? It was eating me alive.

Yet I still didn’t regret that night I’d spent with AJ.

Maybe it was selfish of me to feel that way, knowing the impact it had afterward, but I would make it right.

I had to make it right. The alternative was having my sisters be forced to leave the safety of our home and live in his estate.

No doubt they wouldn’t be allowed to stay with me based on his multiple insinuations during the past few weeks.

Sydney could handle herself; she had been raised in the dojo and would take care of anyone who tried to mess with her.

But Regan … she was the soft one of us. Quiet, sweet, and always willing to help us out with anything if we let her.

I hated the way Kaito looked at her. It made my skin crawl.

“Raven, are you sure you’re not pushing him a bit too hard? The match isn’t too far away. Having him exhausted won’t help his odds,” Sydney said as she came over next to me to watch as Touma started his drills all over again with a different student.

“He has to be perfect,” I said as I studied him punching and kicking his training partner.

“If he were any more ready for this fight, he should go pro. It would be safer, and there would be just as much money, if not more, in it for him than what we’re offering,” Sydney muttered under her breath.

I ignored her comment, but my mind eased. She wasn’t wrong. He was in great shape. It was the minor movements that he lacked refinement in; otherwise, I found no flaws in his drills.

I watched him spar for over two hours. By the end, all of us were exhausted.

I found myself lingering for as long as possible in my old home. I took an extra-long hot shower before I got back into the clothes I had come here in. Pausing before I left, I looked around my old room. So many great memories here, even during the sad times.

And soon, we might lose it forever.

My thoughts became clouded as I walked down the hall and into the main living room. Regan was nowhere to be found. She must be out with her friends. Sydney was sitting on the couch, staring right at me.

“Come and sit awhile, sister. We need to have a chat,” she said as she patted the couch next to her.

I sighed and walked over, taking a seat sideways so we could face each other. “What do you want to talk about?”

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you mean? Don’t play coy, Raven.

There is something going on that’s made you basically freak out on Touma these past few weeks.

The man has been working his ass off, and he’s doing very well.

Perfection isn’t something you ever pushed for in the past.”

That’s because I didn’t have my sisters’ lives in my hands.

I frowned at her, trying to play it off, not wanting to let her in on what was really going on.

“That’s not true. You should know, especially after half the students left with our father’s passing, that having any of our fighters not win right now will only drive potential new students away.”

“I call bullshit,” Sydney said, not giving an inch.

“Sister, language,” I scolded.

Our father never liked us swearing—something that had become a habit of mine—and I’d remind my sisters of that whenever I heard them slip up.

“Don’t treat me like a child, Raven. Whatever it is, I can handle it. So, tell me, what is really going on?”

I wasn’t going to deflect any longer, and as much as I wished they could remain in ignorance, it wouldn’t be fair for them to be left in the dark in case things did go wrong.

“There is more than only money and reputation at stake in the next fight,” I said as I steeled myself for her reaction.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her head tilting in confusion.

“I did something that angered Kaito, to the point that he changed the terms of our engagement.” I clenched my hands. I could feel my body getting anxious, remembering the meeting I had with him, how he’d hit me and shoved me around.

“What did he change?” Sydney leaned forward, and she placed a hand over my clenched fist. “Sister, what has he done now?”

I took a deep breath and decided to come clean at this point.

“He has placed the ownership of the estate on the table. No longer is the title guaranteed with our marriage. If Touma doesn’t win his next match, we will lose all of this. And you and Regan will move into Kaito’s home.”

Sydney’s eyes widened with horror. Then I felt her hand roughly wrap around mine and squeeze it. “That is not going to fucking happen!” she growled.

I was surprised at the intensity I saw in her dark eyes.

“He will win, and then we won’t have to worry about the land deed being with him anymore.

You could cancel the marriage agreement!

” Sydney jumped up from the couch and paced around the coffee table—her telltale sign that she was forming a plot for something.

And that never ended up with a good outcome.

“Sister, stop whatever it is you are thinking. There is no point in focusing beyond the match until we know the outcome. But if we lose, you have to promise me you’ll always look out for Regan when I cannot.”

“We’re not going to lose!” Sydney snapped.

I admired her determination and confidence because I was severely lacking in the latter. I was about to say something else when the front door opened and Regan’s light voice called through the house.

“I’m home!”

Sydney and I both froze and looked at each other as Regan came walking into the living room. She was wearing a super-pretty light-lavender dress with her hair up in a loose bun. Soft makeup accentuated her green eyes. She looked so much like our mother that it stole my breath away.

“Raven! I’m so happy you’re still here! I was afraid I’d missed you.” She came over and sat next to me on the couch, giving me a hug.

I hugged her back, uncertain if I should tell her about the risk of losing our home this week.

“You know I wouldn’t leave without getting to see you. Were you out running errands?”

She blushed and fidgeted with her hands. “Well, I don’t know if I would call it errands, but I was out getting some more books when I bumped into the guy I have a crush on, and he took me to coffee after. It was so much fun! He was a complete gentleman and even opened doors for me.”

I glanced over at Sydney, who was holding back a laugh at how thrilled our sister was. To be young and in love for the first time was something to be celebrated. Except I knew that if the match went poorly, Kaito would make sure she never saw that poor boy again.

“That’s very exciting, Regan. I hope he continues to treat you well, if you are going to be seeing him again?” I looked back over at her and gave her as much of a smile as I could.

“Mmhmm! We are going to go out again on Friday. Oh! I almost forgot. I have a book for you to take home. I think you’ll really love this one. Let me go retrieve it for you!” With that, Regan hopped up and hurried down the hall toward her room.

Sydney sat back down and finally chuckled about the whole thing, and I couldn’t help but smile at her.

How I miss this …