Chapter 228 - Talk

"No, I don't dislike you looking at me. In fact, I quite like it…"

Eh? EH? EEEEEEEEEH?

Excitement struggled to burst out of Ara's chest upon hearing this. It felt the same as someone who suddenly stumbled upon a gold mine. Heat crept up her cheeks too as her brain finally processed what was going on.

Was this the proverbial confession time?

Ara wanted to know and she was very thrilled it was finally happening. Then again she realized she was sticking out like a sore thumb, being the biggest third wheel in the history of the Suzukis.  Feeling awkward after the initial delight her silver-grey eyes turned to her brother and then to the now speechless secretary.

Asou Chiaki looked like she had also finally realized what she just said and what Aki had replied to it, and a telltale blush colored her cheeks in spite of her shocked expression. But then, she grasped that she just indirectly confessed that she was looking at him and clamored to correct things – at least on her terms.

"What are you talking about?" she scoffed.

Chiaki looked and sounded like she really would like to choke this momentary lapse of emotion, and pretend that the accidental blurting of her real feelings didn't happen. She was going to run away again, and so Ara turned to her brother to see what he was going to do.

"Oh? What am I talking about? I wonder…" Aki began with a derisive laugh as he scratched the side of his head.

Ara's chest that was bursting with excitement fell as disappointment at her brother washed over her like a cold shower.

Idiot.

She was going to give her brother a beating for letting this perfect chance slide so easily like that. Or so she thought when Aki spoke again.

"I wonder until when are you going to pretend there's nothing going on between us," he suddenly added which made both women stop and stare at him again – Chiaki in shock while Ara looked up at him in approval accompanied by a thumb's up.

Chiaki, on the other hand, was still trying to be stubborn and pretend ignorance.

"Gee Pres, chill. Don't let the joke go too far. I got along with it because I didn't want your uncle to cause trouble again," she said nervously, her eyes turning away from him as if she was scared to see how he'd react.

"Who said I was joking?" Aki countered, giving the women no choice but look at him again.

Silence reigned in the car after that until Ara spoke. She had surreptitiously fished out her phone from her bag and called her husband.

"Darling, is my new security following me home?" she asked after Ryuu picked up her call.

"Yes they are," Ryuu answered, and his voice sent pleasant waves in her heart. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing bad. I'll tell you about it later. Could you tell them I'm getting off my brother's car and send me home?" she asked, making her brother look at her with gratitude, while Chiaki looked at her in panic.

"Okay," Ryuu said and Ara ended the call immediately.

"Ara, what are you talking about? It's dangerous for you to be alone," the secretary said worriedly, but the younger Suzuki shook her head.

"It's alright. The security Ryuu got for me will pick me up and take me to Denenchofu. They're just behind us," she said indicating the two black sedans that had been following them since they left the shopping mall.

Ara knew that her brother recognized her new security detail, and was at peace with leaving her with them. The agency was after all, the best in Japan.

"But you can't leave!" Chiaki sounded desperate now.

It was obvious that she didn't want to be left alone with Aki, which made the older Suzuki look upset.

"Why not? Am I a beast that's going to devour you when she leaves?" he said grumpily, making Chiaki realize she was being a stubborn idiot.

The car had stopped by that time on the side of the road, and Aki shifted on his seat. "I'm going out of the car. Follow me when you're ready to talk – but Chiaki, we will talk today."

The older Suzuki opened the door and got out.

Ashamed at how she'd been acting, Chiaki looked down, and Ara gave her hand a squeeze.

"Talk it out. End it today so you won't have to deal with it anymore,"Ara told her.

"It's not that easy," Chiaki said but Ara cut her off again.

"It's easy. Just say yes or no. Whether you take him or turn him down, it doesn't matter. As long as it's what you want,"Ara said as she smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry about my brother. He won't take it personally. You will still be working well with him. Just make sure you choose what your heart wants."

Ara gave Chiaki's hand one last squeeze before she got out of the car. She saw her brother by the side of the road who gave her a smile when their eyes met. She gave him a fist – an encouraging gesture before turning towards another black car that stopped just behind Aki's Toyota Century.

A man in a black sit was waiting for her with the door open, and she waved at her brother before getting in the car. Inside, as she settled in the comfortable seat, Ara continued to look at the car in front and realized that Chiaki still hadn't come out.

Oh well…

When she asked Chiaki out, she really meant to arrange something so she and her brother could finally spend time out of work to sort out their personal matters. However, even she was surprised by the way things had gone so fast today.

The presence of Maki Yuuka who had grilled them with her sharp senses was a huge contributing factor. But it was all for the best. If they didn't run into her today, Chiaki and Aki would still be running around circles right now and who knew for how long.

"Ma'am? Should we go?" one of the security personnel asked, and Ara nodded.

The car started almost immediately, and Ara followed her brother's car with her sight until she couldn't see them anymore.

Good luck…