Chapter 44 - 48
Akio POV
Osaka, Japan
The car door opens. I climb out, and I march to the mountainous staircase with my jacket billowing behind me. I look up at an opulent set of posts and lintels that support the main building, boosting the large and gently curved roof, double-tiered with coloured tiles, constituting more than half of the size of the whole edifice. The slightly curved eaves extend far beyond the walls, covering the expansive verandas. The giant-sized door is wide open.
After entering a network of hallways, I reach a place with multiple rooms that have moveable screens as interior sliding doors, consisting of wooden frames with translucent paper.
I stop at the expansive screen flanked by guards.
I unlace my boots, taking them off to place them aside.
I return to the entrance. The one guard slides the screen open, granting me entry.
I walk inside with my face turned to the floor in deference as I reach the end of the room. The oyabun is enthroned on an ornate chair. I kneel before him, bowing before I straighten until my back is ironed flat.
"Why are you here instead of Botan?"
I keep my hands flat on my thighs, my gaze fixated on the ground. "He sent me in his stead. He’s overseeing a transfer from the east coast. The cargo is secured with geo-tracking, but Botan insists, since he doesn’t trust the Iranians."
The silence that follows is like a noose around my neck, strangling me slowly.
"You lie well," he says with a chilling calm. "Because I already know that the cargo arrived several hours ago. I commend you for showing loyalty to your superior. All I want to know is why you felt the need to lie. What is Botan really doing?"