SWNOVELXO Chapter 22: Friday Tension
The past three days blurred in deadlines, tension, and unspoken heat.
Kenji said nothing. Just operated with surgical precision. His silence cut sharper than words. Fuyumi kept it professional, at least on paper. No touches, no whispers.....just those glances. Knowing. Possessive.
Yua threw herself into the project.
Her calendar looked like a war map. Color-coded, every block a landmine. Her notes read like a manifesto. She even drafted a backup pitch. It wasn't for the client. It was to avoid Riku.
But Friday afternoon came. She had to call him in. No more stalling.
He stepped in, sleeves rolled, laptop tucked under one arm. Casual. Clean. Lethal.
He sat across from her, opened the deck. Quiet authority. Every move calculated. His forearms flexed as he typed, veins defined beneath taut skin. She caught herself staring.
Focus.
She looked back to the screen, but her body had other plans. Her heart kicked. Palms dampened. When he leaned in, pointing to a spacing flaw on a slide, his scent hit, clean, peppered, masculine. Sharp enough to slice.
Her gaze dropped.
Just for a second.
Not imagined. Not Monday's fantasy. The bulge in his tailored pants didn't lie.
She dragged her eyes up...too late. Caught her own flushed reflection in the glass.
Stupid.
He noticed. Of course he did. His eyes flicked to hers. One heartbeat. Then back to the screen.
Nothing said. Nothing ever was.
He let her burn.
By the time they wrapped, she couldn't recall a single deliverable.
He packed up.
"Thanks, Yua. I'll send the updated draft tonight."
"Of course," she said, voice strained, too thin.
He turned to leave when he heard.
"Be Careful, Rats start making their move"
He immediately understood and replied.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful. "
—
Secret Meeting,
Private boardroom. No cameras. Just knives.
Kenji walked in first. No greetings. No formalities. Just dropped his phone face-down on the table and faced the three board members.
"We kill the deal. We kill Riku."
No one looked shocked. They were already there in their heads.
Nomura exhaled slowly. "You're sure she's that deep in with him?"
Kenji didn't answer. He uncapped a marker, scrawled Riku's name on the whiteboard like it was a target.
"She made him Vice President within weeks. And gave him control of the project alone. That's not strategy. That's obsession."
The youngest man at the table frowned. "Yua's still the boss."
Kenji turned, voice low and sharp.
"And we're the ones who'll be jobless if she hands everything to him."
He clicked the cap back on, stepped forward.
"I'm not asking you to betray her. I'm telling you, if Riku stays, we go."
Nomura crossed his arms. "So what's your move?"
Kenji slid a folder across. Inside: dormant legal shares. Ownership logs.
"Sakomoto still has passive holdings. He's not divorced. He's a businessman with pride. And I'm going to make sure he knows his almost-ex-wife is fucking her new VP."
That landed.
One man scoffed. "What if it backfires?"
Kenji didn't blink.
"It won't. I'm meeting him Saturday. He thinks it's an investment pitch."
Nomura raised an eyebrow. "And you're going to drop this on him casually?"
Kenji's voice hardened.
"No. I'm going to hand him a loaded gun and walk away."
The third man....quiet till now....stood up. "I'm out. You do what you want. I won't get dragged into it."
He walked out. No one stopped him.
Kenji barely looked up.
"He'll come back. Once Riku starts bleeding."
Nomura smirked. "And if Riku doesn't fall?"
Kenji's smile was tight. Empty.
"Then I keep cutting until he does."
He stood.
"Let's see how well Yua protects her golden boy when the sharks start circling."
—
Vice President Office
Riku was just about to call it a day, stretching his neck and reaching for his jacket,
And that's when Fuyumi entered, heels sharp, sway deliberate. Like she was stalking prey.
She moved straight to Riku.
"Riku," she purred. "You have a minute?"
He paused. "Yeah."
She didn't waste time. Her fingers curled around his collar as she leaned in, mouth grazing his, then taking it. Hungry, fast. Like she'd been starving.
He didn't pull back.
When she broke the kiss, she slid onto his lap. Easy. Like she'd done it a thousand times.
She looked down at him with that wicked smile.
"Just wanted to let you know…" her voice dropped to a low hum, "…this weekend, I'm free."
He raised a brow. No reaction. No resistance.
"My husband's away for some business, some trip I didn't ask about, don't care to remember
Her fingers trailed along his chest, brushing imaginary lint.
"So if you want me… you can have me. All of me."
Riku only gave a faint nod. No smirk, no flirt. But he didn't say no.
"I'll give you a call"
Fuyumi stood, ran a finger along his jaw, and walked off, hips sharp, heels louder than they needed to be.
___
Author's Note:
Alright, let's not pretend....
What do you really want to see between Riku and Fuyumi tomorrow?
Another brush of temptation? A line crossed?
Do they give in completely… or does someone finally push back?
Tell me.... how far should they go?
Can Kenji really turn Sakomoto against them?
And if he does...will it ruin everything Yua and Riku are building?
What would you do in Riku's place?
I'm curious. Let me know your guesses.