/0/18310/coverbig.jpg?v=c804b3c48d0fae8070c417b18942f016)
With a hurtful look, she continued to watch Ken, as he watched Yuki. How long will she continue watching him as he watched her from afar? "Ken, please allow me to be with you." Her voice was pleading, but his eyes were impassive. She tried one more time, "I love you." He stared at her, his blue eyes turning bluer at that moment, "Kana, I don't have the heart to love you back." He walked away, and she was left behind looking at his retreating shadow. With a defiant glare, she promised upon herself that no matter how he will push her away, she will chase after him. She knows that she's the only one who can mend his broken heart.
2008. 01. 01. 1:15AM.
She looked around her, her beautiful round eyes were wide and filled with confusion and fear at the sight of their mansion. It was a big and lively 3-storey Victorian mansion, with many rooms and lots of expensive furniture. Just before she went to bed, her mother even kissed her on the forehead, and told her to have a sweet dream on that New Year's eve.
She was exhausted from dancing and playing with her friends, who were children of her parent's friends, and they were all approximately have the same age with her. So, when her mother put her to bed a few minutes past midnight, she fell asleep straight away.
She began dreaming about a blue-eyed prince who rescued her from a flamed castle. She was being carried in the strong arms of the prince, and with her half-lidded eyes, she tried to touch him. But then, he vanished in thin air.
When she fully opened her eyes, she was lying on the grass. She stood up and looked around, and there. She saw their big house, surrounded by a large cloud of smoke and a raging mixture of red and blue flames.
She screamed, but no voice came out of her throat.
Her mother, her father, her dear brother! Everybody, where are they?
She walked towards the burning house, and she felt a sharp pain on her legs. She noticed that her left foot was bleeding. She became frightened at the sight of the blood, and began screaming for help.
"Help!"
----
2018. 10.15. 8:45PM
Kana woke up when she felt a sharp sting on her cheeks. "Ouch!"
She opened her eyes and found that Ken has just slapped her slightly, so as to awaken her.
She touched her cheeks, and looked at him sharply.
"You could have slapped me a little lighter, " she accused, still feeling the impact of his palm on her.
Ken looked at her indifferently, while he was tying his shoe lace.
"I did, several times. But it was only the last that was able to wake you up." He answered, and continued with what he was doing.
Kana eyed him, then she sat up.
How could she even fall asleep in this condition?
They were camped in a tent, in the middle of some forest in the Kumamoto prefecture. She and Ken have been on this assignment for more than a month, and tonight is when they will do the final verdict.
They have collected enough evidence that one of the government's official was using his position to embezzle the natural gold in the country. It was a hard task for them, because he was as careful as a rat. He had many decoys, and was never personally involved in any transaction.
However, he has one weakness.
Woman.
Kana used her feminine charms to get near him and obtain the proper information. Within two weeks of her providing him company and appropriate entertainment, he finally spilled all his secrets. She caught everything on the small recorder that was hidden inside her underwear.
When she delivered it to No. 1, their order was released. The man has to be executed, and his accomplices should be put in jail, by having the police learn about their illegal actions. The Shadows' boss did not believe that the official will change upon being sent to the prison, so his punishment is death.
The two of them shall deliver his sentence, in a manner that would look like a suicide.
"Get ready, " she glanced at him as he stood up, all ready for the battle up ahead. With the all-black attire and only his eyes were seen against the enveloping darkness of the night, Ken looked like an emissary of death.
A mouth-watering gorgeous God of death, for the record.
Kana shook her head to clear her mind of unnecessary thoughts at the moment. Yes, only at the moment.
For once this duty is over, she would go back again to plundering his image in her head, as she usually does on her spare time. Without a doubt, Kana is crazy in love with Ken.
She has made it known to him for countless of times in this previous year, but he had remained uninterested with her advances. His heart was like stone-cold, solid as rock and cold as an iceberg.
But she knew that it was just his facade.
She has watched him cry for a woman, so she knew that he has a proper heart that could feel pain and longing, and love.
And she has made it her sole purpose, aside from being a Shadow, to make him feel again.
Feel a woman's warmth and feel a woman's love, again.
Kana inhaled and exhaled, and once she firmly secured that she is fully covered and equipped with everything that she needs, she nodded towards Ken. He nodded back, and with a motion of his finger, they dashed out from the tent.
----
Mayor Shouta Yamaguchi was checking all his bank accounts to make sure that all the money from the latest transactions have been deposited. A wide grin formed on his mouth as he sat on the couch with a satisfied look on his face.
He is a man with good physical traits, because he believes that a good man does not only train his mind, but also his body. That is why he has learned kickboxing, and could play many kinds of indoor and outdoor sports. It was not only for his body, but those kinds of 'good' hobbies made him a role government official.
His good looks and good character were his charms that made him win in the election again for his second term. Nobody but him, and his very close allies, knew about his illegal activities. He even kept his activities a secret from his own family.
His wife believes that he is a good man, and his two children believe that he is a good father.
That is why he can continue doing his dark deeds without arousing suspicion from his family.
Ignorance is bliss, as they say.
With a contented look on his face, he asked for a cup of tea from the family's staff. Within seconds, the tea was brought to him. He took the tea and drank it readily. He then noticed that he began to feel dizzy, and when he realized what just happened, two shadows appeared in front of his eyes, towering over him like dark creatures.
He forced his eyes open.
"W-who the hell are you?" He stammered, and tried to stand on his own two feet.
Alas, something on the tea made him dizzy. But for some reason, it wasn't enough to make him unconscious.
"We are Shadows of the Wind, Mayor Yamaguchi."
The man spoke, and the mayor inched backwards. His eyes frantically searched for some weapons that he can use to defend himself.
Shadows of the Wind? He had heard that there are still some groups of paid assassins roaming around the country, but he never thought that he would be a target. He was always careful to cover all his tracks!
Then, he saw the baseball bat on one corner and made a run for it.
However, he stumbled on the tatami floor as his feet were kicked by the smaller person.
"D-damn it!" he hissed, and tried to get up.
The taller shadow stepped closer to him, and he backed away until he reached the corner of the room.
He began to sweat profusely.
"D-don't kill me. You don't have any proof that I'm doing something wrong." He said, for he knew that these organizations were paid to punish the corrupt government officials.
The taller man stopped on his tracks, and looked at the smaller person. The smaller person showed him an exquisitely-designed hairpin. His eyes widened in realization, and then it turned bloody red with hate.
He started to scream vile words, but surprisingly, he could not hear his own words. He shouted more and more, and noticed that the two were just standing there, towering over him and watching him with cold, murderous eyes.
It was the tea!
He started not to feel his own hands, then his feet. He looked at them with frightened eyes, as he tried his hardest to plead for his life. His carefully earned life.
However, he could not even feel his tongue.
The taller man walked towards him, and as he looked up to meet this gaze, he spotted for the first time that his eyes were surprisingly blue.
He would be killed by a damn foreigner?
Then, a sharp sting on his neck made him lose his consciousness.
----
They were born and marked to be together. Their love was thought to be one which could surpass any hindrance. However, Kana died. There was no foul-play seen on her demise. Ken was left devastated. However, Kana’s soul knew that she was not supposed to die so early. Her love for him was such that her soul refused to let go. She could not leave Ken, not that they just got married, and was about to start a family. But what could she do? How did she die?
She looked at him, a mixture of pain and suffering in her tear-streaked eyes. “Why? Why can’t you?” she asked, voice quivering in sheer confusion. Kaname touched her right cheek, languorously stroking it upwards until it reached the corner of her eye, and wiped the small bead of tear that was about to fall. How could he treat me so gently like this? And make me cry simultaneously? “Sachie, I can give you a lot of reasons, but it would be just excuses. All I can say is this is me, it’s either you take me as I am or…” his eyes were like arrows penetrating through her very soul. “I go out of this door. Once I go, I might not return…”
“I am here to give birth to your child, Mr. Iguchi. When my ovulation period is on its peak, I will let you know so we can have sex.” The cold, monotonous, and serious tone of Yuki Nakamura as she said those words to Eto Iguchi left him speechless. She is indeed attractive, and as a man, Eto was attracted to her at first sight. But her cold demeanor and uninterested glances she gave him made him unable to fathom her. He just turned 40, and his life as a man has just started. How could he have a warm romance with his wife who is as cold as ice? If he cannot find a way to break the ice, their lives might be broken. As Eto tried to get to know Yuki as much as he could, he realized that he was just seeing the tip of the iceberg. Sometimes, marriage is not the end of a love story. It is when a true love story begins – Elria.
“Hiro, I’m not lying, please believe me!” Ivy did not care about anybody else’s opinion of her, she only care about Hiro’s. He looked at her, disdain in his eyes. She felt her heart was torn into pieces. What did she ever do to deserve this? She bore him a child, but he denied it. Even her own father was not able to believe her. When all the evidence points out that she cheated on him, how would she be able to win his love back? “From now on, you will not get out of this house. You will only wait for me to come to you, as you owe me your heart, your body, and your soul. You will pleasure me until I get tired of you.” He said all the words slowly and deliberately, each word filled with vile meaning. It made her choke on her own tears, as she gradually accepted her fate.
Their first encounter was on a plane, but she was not aware. Then the second time they met, Ivy became a language tutor to Hiro, a rich and handsome Japanese businessman. Their encounter was not nice at the beginning, but their attraction to each other blossomed into a beautiful romance. It was an unregistered number and after a moment of hesitation, she answered it. “Yes?” “Come down in five minutes or I will go there to your room”. It was a crisp voice and Ivy thought for a while that it was a wrong caller. Then she remembered that radio announcer-like voice of Hiro Yamamoto and looked at the phone in surprise and anger. How did he know her number? “Mr. Yamamoto, you said I can have a rest today since I spent 9 hours with you last night. Are you going back on your word?” she inhaled deeply as she tried to calm herself down. She heard his breathing and thought that he really do have a sexy voice. “I changed my mind. I need some lessons now”, he said nonchalantly, and looked at his watch. “You have 4 minutes and 15 seconds remaining”. On the night that Hiro took Ivy home to meet his parents, a shocking truth about her past was revealed, and they were forced to forget about their romance and feelings to each other. How will they be able to fight for their love?
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
For ten years, Daniela showered her ex-husband with unwavering devotion, only to discover she was just his biggest joke. Feeling humiliated yet determined, she finally divorced him. Three months later, Daniela returned in grand style. She was now the hidden CEO of a leading brand, a sought-after designer, and a wealthy mining mogul—her success unveiled at her triumphant comeback. Her ex-husband’s entire family rushed over, desperate to beg for forgiveness and plead for another chance. Yet Daniela, now cherished by the famed Mr. Phillips, regarded them with icy disdain. "I’m out of your league."
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.