Emperor of Havoc: Chapter 20

The days blur into an endless, monotonous rhythm of meetings, phone calls, and whispered conversations in corners.

Papa has been in and out of the hospital for tests, each absence leaving a void in the Ishida-kai that I’m expected to fill. He’s still who everyone looks to for direction, but now, more than ever, I feel the weight of his legacy pressing down on me. That and the eyes of “his’ people looking at me, wondering if and when they’ll become “my’ people.

Takeshi’s a shadow in my periphery—a constant, unsettling presence that I can’t shake.

It’s been a week since that night in the mansion. We haven’t spoken. We’ve barely even shared space, passing each other in the halls like warring ghosts. Okay, I’m the warring ghost and he’s just maddening, placid indifference. Part of me is grateful for it. The other part, the part I don’t want to acknowledge?

…It aches for his attention and his chaos, even as I try to convince myself otherwise.

I’m sitting at the long, polished table in one of the conference rooms with Ryu, Nina, and a few other trusted captains. The air is muddied with unspoken concerns as we go over contingency plans for Papa’s leadership should his health take a turn for the worse.

It’s a conversation no one wants to have, especially not me. But it’s necessary. The Ishida-kai can’t afford uncertainty.

“We need to talk about your husband,” Ryu says. His arms are crossed over his chest, his usual scowl deeper under the weight of the discussion.

I nod, my fingers drumming lightly against the tabletop. “We need to solidify the chain of command. Papa’s made it clear that I’m his successor, but there are some allies who will question my authority without him around to back it up.”

“Takeshi’s presence doesn’t help,” Nina adds softly but firmly. Technically, she’s always just been my translator. But she’s been in the thick of it with our family for so long—more than a decade—that not only is she essentially an Ishida, she also knows what the fuck she’s talking about.

Because of this, I’ve officially made her one of my advisors. She’s seated beside me, her dark hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. Her blue eyes flick to mine, sharp and calculating.

“The lower ranks are curious about him, intrigued by what he might bring to the table. And of course…”

“He’s a man?” I sign, my lips twisting.

“He’s trouble,” Ryu growls. “A wild card. We can’t trust him.”

“Which is why we need to be careful,” I interject firmly, waiting for Nina to translate for the captains who don’t speak sign language. “We’ll keep him close, but not so close that he gains any real influence. For now, he’s just a pawn in the alliance between our families. An accessory. Nothing more.”

Nina arches a brow, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “An accessory, huh?” she says, switching to Russian as she does when we’re around those who don’t speak it and she wants to communicate something secret to me. “Is that what we’re calling him now?”

She gives me a knowing wink that brings a flush to my cheeks.

A few days ago, Nina walked into my room as I was getting out of the shower—nothing surprising about that, she’s seen me without clothes on a hundred times.

What she hasn’t ever seen are the vicious, brutal hickies that that motherfucker left all over my goddamn body, to the point where Nina was at first legitimately concerned that someone had beaten me with a length of chain.

I shoot her a sharp look. “That’s exactly what he is,” I sign back.

“Sure,” she says, her tone teasing. “Because there’s zero chemistry between you two.”

I roll my eyes. “Drop the Russian. Japanese, please.”

She sighs as I turn back to the table and ask one of my captains to go over some new distribution ideas he’d brought up earlier.

Ryu leans in from my other side.

“You know that my Russian isn’t so shit that I can’t pick up on gossip like that, yes?”

I feel my face burning as I glance at him. “Nina is just teasing,” I sign sharply. “There’s not a bit of truth to it.”

Ryu snorts, his lips twitching in what might be the closest thing to a smile I’ve ever seen him make. “Good. The last thing we need is you getting distracted by that jackass.”

“I’m not distracted,” I sign back, though the heat rising to my cheeks betrays me. I clear my throat. “Let’s focus. We need to ensure that if Papa’s condition worsens, there’s no doubt about who’s in charge.”

The conversation shifts back to contingency plans but my mind keeps wandering. Nina’s words stick with me, irritatingly persistent.

Chemistry.

Please.

She has no idea what she’s talking about. Whatever this thing is between Takeshi and me, it’s not chemistry. It’s…darker. More savage. Primal.

And it scares the shit out of me.

The truth is, he does distract me—not in the way Nina meant, but in one that’s far more dangerous. His presence is a constant reminder of the darkness I’ve always carried, the part of me that craves control and chaos in equal measure but that I’ve tried to bury for years.

The sound of the conference room door opening snaps me out of my thoughts. My heart sinks as Takeshi strides fluidly and confidently into the room, dressed in a crisp black suit that highlights the lines of his lean, powerful frame. He’s got this way of wearing suits with this air of disdain that somehow makes him even hotter.

Damn him.

His gaze sweeps over the room, landing on me with an intensity that makes my breath catch.

“Am I interrupting?” he asks, his tone smooth if edged with amusement.

Ryu stiffens beside me. “This is a private meeting.”

Takeshi ignores him. “Katarina,” he says, his focus entirely on me and his voice softening slightly. “A word?”

“We’re busy,” Rya grunts.

“Wife,” Takeshi growls, louder this time, grabbing the full attention of the room. “A word.”

Ryu shoves his chair back, rising to his feet. “You’ve got a lot of nerve⁠—”

“Enough,” I sign, cutting him off. I stand, smoothing my hands down over my skirt as I level a glare at Takeshi. “Make it quick.”

Takeshi’s smirk deepens, but he doesn’t say anything as he steps aside, gesturing for me to follow him. I hesitate for a moment, glancing at Nina and Ryu. Nina gives me a subtle nod; Ryu looks like he’s seconds away from putting his fist through Takeshi’s face,

With a sigh, I follow Takeshi out, my heels clicking on the polished floor. He leads me down a hall and into one of the smaller meeting rooms, closing the door behind us.

The tension between us is palpable as he turns to face me. For a moment, neither of us speaks, the silence stretching on like a taut wire ready to snap.

Finally, I bring my hands up. “What do you want?”

His gaze darkens and his smirk fades as he steps closer. “You’ve been busy,” he says, his voice low. “Meeting with your captains, making plans. I’m impressed.”

“I don’t need your approval,” I sign back sharply. “This is my family. You’re just⁠—”

“An accessory,” he finishes for me, his tone mocking. “You said that earlier, didn’t you?”

I freeze, my stomach dropping. “You were eavesdropping?”

“I’m…thorough,” he says with a shrug. “Don’t worry, princess. I’m not offended. I know what this is.”

“Do you?” I ask, my hands trembling slightly.

He steps closer, looming over me. “You’re scared of me,” he murmurs, his tone almost tender. “But you’re also drawn to me. You can’t help it…can you?”

I swallow hard, my pulse racing. “You’re delusional.”

His lips curl into a slow, dangerous smile. “Maybe I just see you more clearly than anyone else does.”

For a moment, his words leave me unable to breathe, my chest tight under the weight of his gaze. Then I force myself to meet his challenge head-on.

“You don’t know me,” I motion firmly. “You never will.”

His smile widens, sending a shiver down my spine. “We’ll see about that.”

Before I can respond he leaves, the door clicking shut behind him. I’m left standing there, my hands trembling as I press them against the edge of the table to steady myself.

He’s right: I am scared of him. But it’s not just fear, it’s something darker and more dangerous.

That terrifies me even more.