(BL) Mafia Love; He who falls the hardest loses-Chapter 54: Ethan

Just when his mind began to sink into the depth of thoughts he wanted to avoid at all costs, there was a soft knock on the door with a pattern he had gotten used to. Without hesitation, he invited the person to recognize the knock to be that of his secretary, Satomi.

She smiled her signature warm smile showing a deep dimple on the sides of her cheeks but pulled back to reality with that smile, he could not help but remember someone who had a single slight dimple.

The man’s dimple would most likely only show when he was with someone he cared for after all, that was the only way to bring out that well-hidden dimple.

He looked down at the screen of his phone before he was forced to look up again when he heard the sound of his secretary approaching. Even in the heels she wore, her footsteps were almost too quiet to belong to a regular untrained person but Haruki’s sharp ears caught her movement.

Her smile only broadened when she met his gaze. "You seem so deep in thought," she said her warm voice filling his ears.

"Yeah, I am but I am sure you came here to remind me that I do not have time for any of that, right?" Haruki asked her as he glanced at the tablet she held.

"Yes, I am," she replied her voice sounding a bit serious now but she still maintained her smile. "You are late for the meeting and I have been knocking for more than five minutes," she told him her brightness dimming notably.

Haruki raised his head to the wall clock embedded in the wall on the wall behind her. He had thought she was bluffing but she was right. Had he been staring at his phone thinking about the most useless thing and issue in the entire world when he had an important meeting?

He felt a strong urge for the first time in a long time to hit himself across the cheeks as he rose from the seat. He walked hurriedly to her and said, "Next time, call me."

"Mhh, I will."

He followed her out of the office now in calm dignified steps. The meeting was long but it was certainly not boring to the chairman he was now. After all, could there be anything boring about discussing money-making?

As soon as the meeting was over, he met Kiyoshi waiting for him in his office. "I spoke with all the people I could about avoiding airing the news. The police began investigating the case because of the news that was aired."

"Did you find out why the news was aired?" Haruki asked him. There had to be a tip with adequate evidence to make someone air news about a case the police were not even investigating.

"Yes, I think the CEO is an acquaintance of the man’s father and he is trying to persuade others to air the news but with all I did, I don’t think they would."

"How close are they?" Haruki asked. The man’s father was an acquaintance of his father and he did not see the need to inform Haruki when his son went missing in Haruki’s hotel how close could he be with someone else to use that person instead?

"College classmates," Kiyoshi replied already having all the necessary information on his mind.

Haruki sighed as he sat down on the sofa in the sitting area of his office. He tried so hard to remain calm but he could not help but run his fingers through his hair with a deep sigh.

"I want all the information I can get on who the man’s son is and what he loved doing," Haruki said.

"I don’t have enough of that right now but I will in an hour."

"Okay, an hour."

Haruki had other things to handle in that one hour while Kiyoshi was busy.

When Kiyoshi finally returned with all the information he could get along with pictures, Haruki was hit with how serious the issue was. They were not dealing with a spoilt second-generation rich kid who loves fun with women and drinks.

The missing man, whose name was Ethan Sergei, was a very reputable man who took a year’s vacation away from his job as a professor at a prestigious university. He was a young genius.

From the pictures he posted on his private social media account he had, there were pictures of him visiting teahouses, and temples, going hiking and many other normal tourist activities and he was alone most of the time.

Haruki who had planned to expose his dirty scandals, found out there was no dirty scandal to post about the young man. He was someone respectable and unless he was kidnapped to a red-light district – he looked so clean and admirable – it was hard to imagine him in such a place.

He began to feel his head throbbing painfully. Most of the people who went missing had things they were too embarrassed about, one the hotel kept quiet about but this was someone who lived an exemplary life.

His hobbies were very simple and clean . . . "Stop," Haruki stopped his assistant on a slide. He kept gazing at the picture as a rush of hope ran through his veins. "What are his hobbies?"

"From what I gathered," Kiyoshi began, moving to the next slide. "He loved car drifting although a more private one, . . ."

"Call Souta over before you continue, he has to arrive in the next thirty minutes or he will lose a fingernail," Haruki interrupted. Souta, his eldest granduncle’s son owned a drift track. They had to start from the weirdest place such a well-behaved genius could be.

Kiyoshi took the order and hurriedly called Souta over. After the call, he proceeded to provide the information he had about the man. The other hobbies Ethan, the missing man had were, wine tasting and equestrian sports and Haruki had Kiyoshi call those who were deeply involved in such.

Souta arrived shortly after Kiyoshi finished presenting the information he got about Ethan. He was panting a bit showing he had been forced to run over by the threat.

He met Haruki’s gaze with a bit of arrogance but his arrogance was nothing like that of his younger brother who loved to follow his arrogant father’s footsteps.

"Are you a good drifter?" Haruki went straight to the point not giving the man enough time to settle down on the sofa he was offered.

"Of course, I am!" with so much pride in his voice, the man responded raising shoulders.

"I don’t think you could beat me in a race though," Haruki murmured as though he was very confident about that.

"Hmm . . ." the man began but he could not continue as he met Haruki’s gaze.

"It is okay if we do a race to decide?"

"That will be fun," the man’s eyes lit up at the prospect of playing his favourite sport with Haruki. He was just like a child that found a new playmate.

"Is Jake a good drifter?" Haruki asked calmly after Kiyoshi served them both hot coffee.

"No!" the man shouted excitedly. "I do way better than him on the track, he can’t even control his wheels and I have better cars."

"Hmm . . ." Haruki said thoughtfully. "Do you think I should get a new car if I want to compete with Sato?"

Souta paused in shock and shook his head. "Sato is dangerous he has no rule on the track and it would be too dangerous for you to get involved with him."

"Ah," Haruki said slightly patting his lips as he nodded thoughtfully. "I heard a new good drifter came to town, I was wondering if I should organize a race," Haruki said sounding like he would in any of his birthday parties.

"Who is the person?" Souta leaned forward in his seat attentively meeting Haruki’s gaze.

"I think you must have met he has been around for a while now and has been on the track a few times I guess. I am not quite sure of how well he drifts as I am new in the drifting world."

"After a good race, I will be able to tell if he is," Souta’s excitement seemed to skyrocket as he moved forward on the sofa.

"Ethan, did win a race against him?" Haruki said naturally as he lifted the cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip while looking at Souta.

"How can he win? I won," Souta began but froze to find out he had answered too hastily.

"Then, where is Ethan?"

Souta cleared his throat as he realized how dumb he was to think he was the right person for Haruki to ask about picking a new hobby.

He bit the inside of his lips and his gaze dropped. He pushed his frame – which seemed to reduce in size with every second that passed – backwards on the sofa.

"When did you race against him?"

Souta pressed his lips together and only bowed his head deeper refusing to say a word.

"I will give you five minutes to answer me or I will pass this over to Ren or Kiyoshi. You might not believe it but Kiyoshi is way worse."

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