I should have opened my eyes when the phone buzzed at three in the morning. But who in their right mind would check a text at that ungodly hour unless they were expecting the world to end? Half-asleep and buried under my blanket, I groaned and peeked at the screen with one eye barely open. It was Reina.
Reina:Report to the office. 3:00 AM sharp.
I blinked once. Then twice. My vision was too foggy, my mind too tired. Surely she didn't mean it. I dropped the phone back onto the nightstand and melted back into my pillow. It was just a dream. Yeah. Just a nightmare in text form.
When I opened my eyes again, morning sunlight was streaming through the curtains. 6:30 AM. I stretched, yawned, and lazily reached for my phone. That's when I saw it. Thirty missed calls. Ten unread messages. All from Takamura Reina.
My stomach twisted.
I scrolled through her messages with increasing dread:
Reina:Where the hell are you.
Reina:If you want to die so badly, I'll grant you the favor.
Reina:You belong to me. Get here.
Reina:NOW.
I dropped the phone again. The air felt colder. I stared at the ceiling, replaying my fatal mistake. I should have reported in. Now I was dead. Not figuratively. Literally. My funeral was probably being planned as I brushed my teeth.
At 7:00 AM, the screen lit up again. Another message. This one wasn't just angry. It reeked of fury distilled into words:
Reina:You really want to see how far I can go?
Reina:Run. If you can.
I didn't bother replying. What would I even say? Sorry I overslept? Sorry I valued sleep more than my life?
The Kagurazaka house was already buzzing. Hinata and I couldn't even make eye contact. The memory of last night, the warmth of her shoulder against mine, the way her hand lingered on my arm, still burned under my skin. She looked like she wanted to speak, but we both just blushed and turned away.
Nami stood by the door, arms crossed like a miniature detective, eyes narrowing at me. "You did something, didn't you?"
"I didn't!" I squeaked. "I mean.. I didn't do - do anything."
"Suspicious," she muttered.
Daichi-san came out of his room whistling, his entire aura glowing with smug energy. "Ahh, youth," he said, clapping me on the back so hard I nearly choked. "Something tells me my daughter won't be single much longer!"
"Daaaad!" Hinata screeched, face redder than a tomato.
Sayaka-san peeked out from the kitchen and giggled. "I should start preparing wedding plans early, just in case."
I bolted out the door before anyone could say another word.
When I arrived at the company, the air itself was different. The building loomed like a shadow, swallowing me whole as I stepped through the doors. Reina's secretary; new, young, clearly hired for her obedience rather than spine, stood waiting. Her hands trembled.
"You're... late," she whispered.
"I - I know. Where is she?"
"She's... waiting. And she's not smiling."
I didn't even make it to the elevator before the secretary backed away, disappearing down the hall. I walked alone. My footsteps echoed like war drums.
Reina was standing in her office like a phantom. Arms crossed. A heel tapping against the marble floor. The moment I entered, she turned.
"Three. In the. Morning." Her voice was cold, even. Deadly.
"I... I didn't think you were serious," I said, each word slicing my throat on its way out.
"You didn't think, period," she hissed. "You ignored me. You disobeyed. You defied me."
I took a step back. "Look, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to..."
"Silence."
The temperature dropped ten degrees. Her gaze locked onto mine, unblinking. The rage in her eyes was not just anger. It was betrayal. Control lost. Ego bruised. And now, vengeance.
She approached me slowly. Predatory. Measured.
Then, something shifted. The fury melted into something darker. Playful. Seductive. Her lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile.
"You know..." she whispered, her voice soft, almost amused, "I thought you were different. I thought you understood what you are."
"I - I don't understand."
"You're mine."
She raised her hand.
Something swung between her fingers. A collar. Black. Leather. Familiar.
My blood ran cold.
"I told you before," she said, almost sweetly. "You belong to me. You'll do whatever I ask. Even if it hurts. Even if it kills you."
I stumbled back. "No.... no way, I'm not putting that on."
"Do you have a choice?"
She stepped closer. Her perfume—soft, floral, deceptive, wrapped around me like a trap. Her fingers brushed my neck.
"You hesitated. That's permission."
She snapped the collar around my throat. My knees buckled. My heart nearly stopped.
"Now," she said, lips brushing my ear, "get to work, pet."
For the next few hours, I was a slave. No, worse than a slave. I was her punching bag. Her toy. Her disposable servant. She barked orders, berated my every move, called me every humiliating name in the dictionary. The collar itched. My back ached. My pride shattered.
I didn't know what hell looked like before today. But I had a pretty good idea now.
Around noon, the secretary entered with a small bento box. "A girl named Hinata left this for you," she said.
Just as she handed it over, Reina appeared like a ghost and snatched it from the secretary's hands.
"He doesn't need that," Reina said.
"Hey!" I stood up. "That's mine..."
Before I could say more, she picked up a piece of egg roll, smiled gently, and placed it near my lips.
"Open," she said, softly.
I hesitated. She leaned closer. Her eyes shimmered, not angry now, but soft, almost... tender. She sat on my lap, her knee brushing mine, her breath warm against my cheek.
"I said, open."
My lips parted slightly. She popped the bite in, her fingers brushing my mouth. I tasted warmth, homemade love, and somehow... her control.
She smiled.
"I'll feed you," she whispered. "Like a mother bird to her baby. Isn't that what pets need?"
I froze.
She took a bite herself, then leaned forward.
"Your turn," she murmured. Her lips inches away.
"No, wait..."
She pressed her lips to mine. Not a kiss. A forced feeding. Warm food passed between us. I sat paralyzed, too stunned to breathe.
The secretary turned bright red and silently exited the room.
Reina giggled, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "So cute when you're scared."
Then, like a switch, she pulled away, stood, and shouted, "Back to work!"
The afternoon passed in a blur of physical and emotional torture. My body moved, but my soul had left the building.
When the clock finally hit five, I staggered toward the exit. Each step felt like walking on nails.
But just before I reached the door, a hand grabbed my sleeve.
Reina.
She wasn't yelling this time. She wasn't smiling either.
Her eyes were empty. Lonely.
"You're leaving me," she said softly. "Again."
I looked at her. The tyrant. The monster. The lonely queen of this prison.
And I didn't know what to say.
Because somewhere deep inside, I wasn't sure if I still hated her...
Or if I was starting to fear that I didn't.