Chapter 4 - The Ghost of Yokohama
The clock on the mantelpiece chimed 3:00 AM as Claire finished writing the final line of translation onto a legal pad.
“It’s done,” she said, her voice raspy from exhaustion.
Gabriel, who had been sitting across from her in quiet vigilance, picked up the pad. His jaw tightened as he read the names.
“Vance Sterling,” Gabriel whispered, a dangerous storm gathering in his eyes. “My chief operating officer.”
“The cipher confirms Sterling was paid forty million dollars to forge customs manifests,” Claire explained, pointing to the margin notes. “He coordinated with Warren Pike to stage the raid tomorrow night at Berth 14. Pike was supposed to assassinate you at the Monarch Room so Sterling could take over the board before the federal authorities arrived.”
Gabriel set the paper down and looked at Claire. There was something raw and unshielded in his expression.
“My adoptive father, Lord Kenji Sato, took me in when I was an orphaned boy on the docks of Yokohama,” Gabriel said quietly. “He taught me honor. He taught me that strength without loyalty is just barbarism. When he died, he left me his empire, trusting me to bring it into the light. For five years, I have been weeding out the corruption in this city. And tonight, a woman nobody noticed saved his legacy.”
May you like
He walked over to where she sat and gently touched her shoulder. A jolt of electric warmth shot through Claire’s body. For years, she had felt discarded—mocked for her weight, dismissed by society, burdened by grief. But in Gabriel’s eyes, she saw nothing but reverence and fierce, undeniable attraction.
“You look exhausted,” Gabriel said softly. “Sleep in the guest suite tonight. Tomorrow, we show this city who you truly are.”
