ROOM 7
Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Second Day
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Yuri didn't sleep again.
The sun rose over Manila, gray and indifferent, filtering through the curtains of his bedroom. He lay on the bed, still in his clothes from the day before, the ring still on his finger, the empty space beside him still cold. His phone was shattered on the floor. He hadn't bothered to pick it up. He hadn't bothered to do anything.
His mother knocked at 7 AM. "Yuri? Breakfast is ready."
He didn't answer.
She knocked again. "Yuri."
"I'm not hungry."
A pause. Then: "Your father wants to see you. In his study."
He closed his eyes. "Tell him I'll be there."
Her footsteps faded down the hall.
He sat up. His head was pounding. His hands were still bandaged. The cut on his finger had stopped bleeding, but the wound was still raw. He looked at the ring on his hand. Gold. Simple. Expensive. The ring Jay had slipped onto his finger at the altar. The ring she'd watched him put on hers.
She'd thrown hers away. He'd seen it in the street, glittering under the streetlight, before it rolled into the drain. He hadn't tried to stop her. He hadn't tried to stop any of it.
He stood up. Walked to the bathroom. Splashed water on his face. Stared at his reflection. The man looking back at him was a stranger. Dark circles under his eyes. Hollow cheeks. Empty gaze.
He didn't recognize himself.
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Part One: The Study
His father was waiting.
The study was at the end of the hall. Dark wood. Heavy curtains. A fire burning in the hearth. His father sat behind the desk, reading something on his phone, his face grim.
Yuri walked in. Didn't sit.
"You look terrible," his father said.
"I feel terrible."
His father set the phone down. "Keifer called this morning."
Yuri's jaw tightened. "What did he want?"
"He wanted to know if you'd made a decision."
Yuri crossed his arms. "There's no decision to make."
His father stood. Walked around the desk. Stopped in front of him. "Yuri. Listen to me."
"I'm listening."
"You can't win this. He's thought of everything. Every move you make, he's already three steps ahead."
Yuri's hands curled into fists. "Then I'll go four steps."
His father shook his head. "There are no steps left. The money is gone. The accounts are frozen. The investors are pulling out." He paused. "Your mother had to use her personal credit card to buy groceries this morning."
Yuri went still. "What?"
"Keifer didn't just take your money. He took ours. The family accounts. The trust funds. Everything."
Yuri stared at him. "That's not possible."
His father walked to the window. Looked out at the garden. The flowers were still there. White roses. The ones they'd planted for the wedding.
"He's been planning this for months. Years, maybe. Ever since you first looked at Jay. Ever since he saw the way you watched her."
Yuri's throat tightened. "I never—"
"Don't lie to me." His father turned. His eyes were hard. "I've watched you pine after that girl since college. I've watched you compare every woman to her. I've watched you destroy yourself trying to be someone she could love."
Yuri's voice cracked. "Father—"
"And when you couldn't have her, you tried to force her." His father's voice was low. Heavy. "You threatened her family. You blackmailed her father. You made her marry you in a church, in front of God, in front of everyone who loves her."
Yuri looked at the floor. "I know what I did."
"Then you know why this is happening."
He looked up. His father's face was tired. His eyes were red. He looked old.
"Keifer isn't going to stop," his father said. "He's going to keep taking. Keep destroying. Keep pushing. Until you break."
Yuri's hands were shaking. "Then I'll break."
His father walked to him. Put his hand on his shoulder. "You're already broken, son. You just haven't admitted it yet."
He walked out. The door closed behind him.
Yuri stood in the study. The fire crackled. The curtains swayed. The room was warm.
He was cold.
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Part Two: The Office
He went to work anyway.
The building was quiet. The halls were empty. His office was on the top floor. Glass walls. A view of the city. A desk covered in papers and reports and projections.
He sat down. Stared at the wall.
The door opened. His assistant walked in. "Mr. Hanamitchi?"
"What?"
She held out a stack of papers. "These need your signature."
He took them. Didn't look at them. Signed where she pointed. Handed them back.
She hesitated. "There's something else."
"What?"
She shifted her weight. "The board is meeting this afternoon. They're discussing the merger. They're—" She stopped.
"They're what?"
She looked at the floor. "They're considering removing you as CEO."
He stared at her. "On what grounds?"
She swallowed. "On the grounds that your recent actions have compromised the company's stability."
He laughed. It was hollow. "My recent actions."
She nodded. Didn't look up.
He stood up. Walked to the window. The city spread out below. The same city. The same streets. The same buildings. Everything looked the same. Everything was different.
"Tell them I'll be there."
She nodded. Walked out. The door closed.
He stood at the window. His reflection stared back at him. Hollow. Empty. Broken.
He didn't recognize himself.
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Part Three: The Boardroom
The boardroom was full.
Executives. Lawyers. Accountants. His father sat at the head of the table. His mother sat beside him. Her eyes were red. She'd been crying again.
Yuri walked in. Took his seat. His hands were steady. His face was calm.
"Let's begin," his father said.
The meeting lasted two hours. Numbers. Projections. Legal documents. They talked about the merger. About the partnership. About the future.
They talked about him.
"The board has concerns," one of the executives said. "About Mr. Hanamitchi's judgment. About his recent decisions. About his fitness to lead."
Yuri didn't say anything.
"These concerns are not unfounded," another executive added. "The threats made against the Mariano family. The coercion. The blackmail."
Yuri's jaw tightened.
"These actions have put the company at risk. They have damaged our reputation. They have—"
"I did what I had to do."
The room went quiet. Everyone looked at him.
"I did what I had to do," he said again. "To protect this family. To protect this company."
His father leaned forward. "By threatening another family? By forcing a woman to marry you?"
Yuri looked at him. "She agreed."
"She agreed because you gave her no choice."
The room was silent. The clock on the wall ticked.
"I'm not stepping down," Yuri said.
His father nodded. "No one asked you to."
The meeting continued. Yuri signed documents. Nodded. Didn't speak.
When it was over, his father pulled him aside.
"Yuri."
"Father."
"Keifer called again."
Yuri's hands curled into fists. "What did he say?"
His father's face was grim. "He said the next move is yours. He said he's done taking. Now it's your turn to give."
Yuri stared at him. "Give what?"
His father looked at him. At his son. At the man he had raised.
"Everything," he said.
He walked away. The door closed.
Yuri stood in the hallway. Alone.
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Part Four: The Second Visit
Keifer came that night.
Yuri was in his study. The lights were dim. The fire was low. He was sitting in the dark, staring at the wall, the ring still on his finger.
The door opened. Keifer walked in. He didn't turn on the lights. He didn't need to.
"You're back," Yuri said.
Keifer stood in front of him. "I told you. I'm not going anywhere."
Yuri looked up. "What do you want from me?"
Keifer knelt. His face was inches from Yuri's. "I want you to suffer."
Yuri laughed. It was hollow. "I'm already suffering."
"No." Keifer shook his head. "This isn't suffering. This is discomfort. This is inconvenience. Suffering is what she felt when she walked down the aisle toward you. Suffering is what she felt when she said vows she didn't mean. Suffering is what she felt when she realized she couldn't escape."
Yuri's throat tightened. "Keifer—"
"I'm not done." Keifer's voice was low. Cold. "You took her from me. You took her from her family. You took her from her life. And for what?" He paused. "For a fantasy. For a dream that was never going to come true."
Yuri looked at the floor. "I loved her."
Keifer grabbed his chin. Forced him to look up. "No. You didn't. You wanted her. There's a difference."
Yuri stared at him. At the fury in his eyes. At the pain behind it.
"You love her," Yuri said.
Keifer's voice was barely a whisper. "More than my own life."
He let go. Stood up. Walked to the door.
"Keifer."
He stopped. Didn't turn.
"I'll sign the annulment."
Keifer turned. Looked at him. "When?"
Yuri stood up. His legs were shaking. His hands were shaking. His voice was steady.
"Tomorrow. I'll call my lawyers. I'll sign whatever they put in front of me."
Keifer stared at him. "Why?"
Yuri looked at the ring on his finger. Gold. Simple. Expensive.
"Because I'm tired," he said. "Because I can't do this anymore. Because—" He stopped.
Keifer waited.
"Because she deserves to be happy."
Keifer walked to him. Stopped in front of him. His face was close.
"She does," he said. "And you're going to make sure she is."
Yuri nodded. "I will."
Keifer walked to the door. Stopped.
"Yuri."
"Yeah."
"If you change your mind—"
"I won't."
Keifer looked at him for a long moment. Then he nodded. Walked out.
The door closed.
Yuri stood in the study. The fire crackled. The curtains swayed. The room was warm.
He took off the ring. Looked at it. Gold. Simple. Expensive.
He set it on the desk.
Walked to his room. Lay down. Closed his eyes.
He slept.
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End of Chapter Fifty-Nine