BY CHANCE NOT CHOICE: Marco's Choice - Moretti Brothers Series Book Two

by Sage Young

  “Marco, I want to hear what she has to say,” she said as she smiled softly at Kiyomi then turning her attention to Marco. He would see and feel her anger in her body language as she continued to speak. “This does affect my best friend and your sister-in-law.” Marco looked as Monica turned her attention from him back to Kiyomi and Takeo. “I need to speak with you, in private, Monica.” Marco’s tone was low and sharp. Monica knew he was angry by the way he pronounced her full name. “I need to use the ladies room. We can give you some time,” Kiyomi said as she began to stand. Takeo immediately grabbed the back of her chair to help her up. She smiled at him lovingly as they walked out of the room together.

  “Mo, we are getting the hell out of this country tonight. I don’t know what those two are into and frankly I don’t give a damn. What I do know is that this is a dangerous situation that you don’t need to be involved in…”

  “Marco, we don’t even know what the situation is or what she is asking of us; you never gave her a chance to explain.”

  “I didn’t need to hear her explanation. The samurai warrior gave us more information than we needed.” Marco said and Monica rolled her eyes.

  “Baby, I owe it to Victoria to at least hear what her sister has to say.”

  “We don’t even know if that’s really Victoria’s sister. It is widely publicized how wealthy Dominic and Victoria are and for all we know she could’ve had plastic surgery to try and scam money from my brother and Vic.”

  Marco’s comments caught Monica off guard. It never entered her mind that they could possibly be running a scam. She had allowed her emotions to overrule all rational thinking. Marco could see the fear on Monica’s face. He pulled her into an embrace. “It’s going to be okay Mo, but we‘re leaving here tomorrow.”

  “Marco, I know we don’t know anything about them, but we owe it to Victoria to it least hear them out and I promise that if anything sounds the least suspicious we will leave immediately. But I get a really good vibe from Kiyomi and I believe in my heart that she is Victoria’s sister.” Marco continued to rub Monica’s back as he held her in an embrace looking into her eyes. It was difficult to tell this woman no. “Alright. We will listen to their explanation but I will not allow them to put you in any type of danger. The samurai warrior is talking about leaving body bags all over the city and I will not have you a part of that.”

  “His name is Takeo. Please stop calling him samurai warrior and I think he was trying to get us to understand how strong his love is for Kiyomi. I just want to hear them out. We don’t have to make a decision tonight, we can sleep on it,” she said as Marco kissed her softly on the lips.

  “Okay, we will hear them out but I’m not making any promises, Mo.” She kissed him softly. “Thank you, baby.”

  Marco and Monica both turned towards the entrance, when Kiyomi and Takeo walked back into the room with another gentlemen following close behind. Monica immediately recognized the gentleman from her presentation. It was Jun Yamada, one of the Vice Presidents of Takahashi Corporation, and the son of CEO, Yoshi Yamada. Monica could tell that Takeo made Jun nervous. Jun looked at everyone gathered and gave a half grin that did not reach his eyes.

  “If you are having a private meeting, I don’t want to intrude,” Jun said with a smirk. Marco did not speak, but paid close attention to both men and their body language. The samurai warrior stiffened more than he had done previously which Marco didn’t think was possible. He had a very stern, almost menacing look as he stared at the other gentleman who had entered the room. “So are you guys talking business or possibly a secret coo to take over the company?” Jun joked as he sized up everyone in the room. There was only one person in the room he was not familiar with a tall white man who did not look happy to be there. “No, Jun, this isn’t a secret meeting. I was taking our newest business partner and her gentleman friend to dinner. You’re welcome to join us if you like,” Kiyomi said as she motioned her hand for him to sit. Jun nodded in response. “Maybe I’ll sit and have one drink. I am actually meeting friends here for dinner.”

  Jun looked over at the Takeo; he didn’t like his first cousin. They were very competitive children and Takeo was always faster, stronger, and smarter than he was. Luckily he was born to the right father and while Takeo’s father was a farmer, Jun’s father was CEO and part owner of one of the largest corporations in Japan. He looked over at Takeo with disdain. Takeo never once took his eyes off of Jun and returned that same look of disdain. “Kiyomi, I don’t think we need a security guard here while we sit and have a drink. I’m sure there is somewhere you can stand outside,” Jun said to Takeo as he motioned his hands towards the doorway. “I will be wherever Ms. Sato is, and don’t test me Jun,” he said in a stern low dark tone. The tone so stern that it caused Jun to flitch. Marco continued to watch the dynamics between the three individuals. “Takeo will stay wherever I am and you know that Jun. Now, are you going to join us for a drink or are you going to continue to be offensive?” Kiyomi chastised. “You really need to lighten up Ki, my cousin knows I mean no disrespect,” Jun said with a smirk as he stood to leave. He moved towards Kiyomi and tried to kiss her on the cheek but Takeo moved swiftly as he stood to separate Jun from Kiyomi. “Wow, cousin, you really need to bring it down a peg and stop taking your job so seriously. I was merely kissing my future wife on the cheek.”

  The sound of Takeo’s fist hitting Jun‘s jaw was so loud that it vibrated throughout the silent room instantly followed by Jun’s cries, causing his security team to come running. Marco instantly stood in front of Monica to shield her from what was coming next. Jun quickly regained his composure and stood in front of Takeo with his fist bald. “Leave us!” He yelled to his security team in Japanese without taking his eyes off of Takeo. He used his knuckle to wipe away the blood from his mouth. He continued to speak in Japanese as he spoke to Takeo. “Watch your back, cousin,” he said as he shook his jaw back and forth then brushing off his lapels to his suit. “Your time is coming,” Jun said to Takeo. The two men stood chest to chest. Takeo towering over him by four inches responded, “And I will be waiting cousin.” Jun took a step back, walked over to Kiyomi and kissed her on the cheek before leaving the room.

  Marco noticed the tears that wet Kiyomi’s face and the look she had was the same look that Victoria gave him when she cried over his brother. “I will give you both ten minutes to explain why you have pulled Monica into your family bullshit.” He had already decided in his mind that he would help them if he could, but he didn’t want Monica in any danger. Kiyomi looked into Takeo’s eyes and, in their language, pleaded with him to stay calm. She already knew there would be repercussions around him hitting Jun and they needed Marco and Monica’s help more than ever now. Takeo rubbed her face softly. “I will die before I let him hurt you.” “I know Takeo and that’s what scares me. Your fearlessness may end up getting you killed and then where will that leave me and our child?” Takeo looked into her eyes and knew that this situation was stressing her and he didn’t want to cause her or the baby any undue stress, but he also knew that he would probably have to kill not only Jun, but a few other individuals to get her and his unborn baby safely out of this country. “If everyone could please take a seat, I can explain everything,” Kiyomi asked as she sat.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Kiyomi continued to look at Takeo as everyone took their seat. She really needed him to stay calm if they were going to get out of this alive. “I think that I need to start at the beginning.” She looked at Takeo and smiled. “After some extensive digging, I found out that my mother was married to my father who was a very controlling man and very fond of other women. From what I could ascertain, my mother was going to leave my father because she found out he was having another affair. Before she had a chance to leave him she found out she was pregnant. Shortly after that, she was diagnosed with cancer. She decided to forgo treatment until after her baby was born. She then found out that she was having twins. My father was not very nice to my mother
and she knew she didn’t want him raising her babies because of his life style, so she asked her best friends to help. Halfway into the pregnancy she found out that the cancer was more aggressive than the doctors initially thought, so she put a plan in place to protect her babies even if she couldn’t be there for them. Her two best friends agreed to take one child each after the births. She never wanted my father to know that she was pregnant. When she began to show she tried to hide the pregnancy, but the weight with twins was more than she anticipated and was no longer able to keep it a secret. My father was so wrapped up in his business affairs and his mistresses that he really didn’t care. My mother made arrangements for her two best friends to legally adopt my sister and me through falsifying records that stated the whereabouts of the biological father were unknown. My father was away for weeks at a time. He knew she was pregnant but wasn’t aware that she had given birth. When he inquired about the baby...” Kiyomi paused and took a sip of her water. “My biological mother told him that her child died in child birth and presented him with forged medical records to back up her story. She also never told him about the cancer until it was too late. Shortly after our birth, our mother passed away. While my mother stayed in Florida, Victoria’s mother immediately moved to Philadelphia. Her adopted mother was a wealthy woman and was able to cover her tracks. He would have never known about me if it were not for one of my adoptive mother’s friends who knew part of the story and saw it as an opportunity for a financial windfall. The friend told my father that he had a daughter. My birth mother paid good money to cover her tracks with the medical records and adoption, but my father hired private investigators who were able to confirm that my adoptive mother had adopted a baby around the time that our mother gave birth but couldn’t verify that the child was truly his. So my father, being the brute he is, went to my adoptive mother’s house and used fear, intimidation, and lies to get her to tell him the truth. She admitted that I was his daughter but never revealed to him that there were actually twins born. DNA testing confirmed that I was indeed his child. My father is a very wealthy man but also very ruthless. Shortly after he found out about the baby, he also found out that a high-powered mobster was not happy about a business arrangement; a business deal gone badly. He decided a change was needed and we moved to Tokyo. My father changed both of our names and became a silent partner at Takahashi Corporation. He initially only owned twenty percent of the business, but after some bad business dealings on Mr. Yoshi’s part, father was able to gain a larger portion of the company, eventually becoming the majority owner of the company. This leads us to the problem I have today.”

  Kiyomi signaled the waiter. “Does anyone else want something to drink?” Both Takeo and Marco ordered drinks while Kiyomi and Monica continued to drink water. “I have never felt like I belonged here. I always felt like something was missing in my life and I wasn’t sure what until recently when I found out that I had a twin sister. Now I realize what was missing. I am thirty eight years old and have never married or even been in love until recently.” She turned and smiled at Takeo. “I am now madly in love with this man and carrying his child. Mr. Yoshi is a very manipulative and dangerous man who will do anything to regain control of Takahashi Corporation. My father is dying and his will states everything will be equally divided between all living heirs and if there are no living heirs then his shares will revert back to Mr. Yoshi; he will get everything. It’s a gentleman’s agreement that my father and Mr. Yoshi had when they were younger. My father believes he only has my younger half-sister and me. Mr. Yoshi thinks it’s just two of us standing in the way of him gaining total control of his company again. Because we…” she paused as she looked at Takeo then continued, “…know firsthand what Mr. Yoshi is capable of, he has had a few business acquaintances die from questionable causes. It is my fear that when my father dies Mr. Yoshi will make sure that my sister and I disappear.”

  Marco interrupted, “I’m still not sure how Monica can help. If this man is as dangerous as you say he is, why not just leave the country? I’m sure you have enough money that you can make a very comfortable life for yourself in the States.” “It’s not that simple, Mr. Moretti, because my father is a silent partner and no one knows outside of our family circle that my father owns the majority of the company. Mr. Yoshi is the face of the corporation, and as such, most of the country thinks that his family is in total control.” “Kiyomi, I’m still not understanding how I can help,” Monica said still confused. “I didn’t want to just show up on my sister’s doorstep proclaiming that I’m her long-lost sister. I needed someone close to her, who she trusted, to relate my story. I did not want her to feel pressured into doing anything she didn’t want to do. It was by chance that I located my sister, but it will be her choice if she wants to meet me. If you are willing to help, working with you on the pretense of our business arrangement will allow me to not only communicate with my sister but I will also be able to travel to the States without suspicion. I don’t want anyone, including my father, to know about Victoria’s existence until I have had a chance to talk to her. I was hoping you could be that conduit. I believe Mr. Yoshi would not hesitate to forcibly gain control of my family’s portion of the company, but now that there is another heir with children of her own, the company is now out of his reach and there is nothing he can do about that. But like any good business plan, I don’t want to leave anything to chance. I would love to make a public announcement before my father’s passing that not only do I have a twin sister, but that she is one of the heirs to Takahashi Corporation. I believe that the time is right for people to know who the actual owners of Takahashi are, but none of this will work unless Victoria is on board with our plan.” Kiyomi paused, allowing them to process everything she said. “Now, I’ve taken my ten minutes and I know this is a lot to take in right now, so please think about it and we will talk in the morning. Even if you decide not to help, Monica, your company will still get the contract with Takahashi because it’s well deserved.” She smiled at both of them and Monica could see Victoria in her smile. “I guess we better head home; I’m feeling really tired now.” Kiyomi stood and Takeo was right by her side. She walked over and shook Marco’s hand and gave Monica a hug. “We will speak tomorrow. Stay as long as you want. There will be a car waiting to take you to your apartment when you’re ready,” she whispered before she and Takeo walked out of the private room leaving Marco and Monica with astonished looks on their faces.

  Marco and Monica sat back at the table. The waiter appeared to see if they wanted to order dinner. It occurred to them, with all the excitement, they did not eat dinner. They decided to stay, eat, and have several drinks. While Marco kept his drink intake to two drinks, Monica had several, and the effects of the alcohol were evident, as they left the restaurant. During the drive back, Monica rested her head on Marco’s chest and went to sleep. When they pulled up in front of the building, Marco placed small kisses on her lips until she awoke. “We’re here baby. Are you okay to walk?” “I’m fine, just confused about this entire situation,” she said as she lifted her head off Marco’s chest. He cupped her face with one hand and brushed her misplaced hair with his other.

  “Don’t worry, we will figure this out. Are you ready?” he asked as he kissed her again softly. “Yes,” she said as she looked into the beautiful familiar gray eyes.

  The driver rounded the car to open the door. Marco got out first and turned to help Monica. As she stood, her footing was a little shaky. “Can’t hold your liquor huhh?” he asked as he smiled not waiting for a reply; he placed his hand at the small of her back. The feeling of his touch always sent a jolt of electricity throughout her body and tonight was no different. She looked at him and smiled. He leaned in, kissing her softly on the lips. She closed her eyes in anticipation for the familiar softness that she had grown accustom. They walked into the building and to the elevator without saying a word. When the elevator doors closed, Monica lunged into Marco’s arms and began to feverishly place kiss
es all over him. He knew and loved this side of her. She was a very sexual person, but when she drank, it tripled her sex drive.

  Marco captured her by her waist slowing down her actions. “Baby, maybe we should slow down…” he said as he looked at her then motioned her to the camera in the corner of the elevator’s ceiling. “…unless you want to give someone a show.” He teased her as she released him and used her hands to smooth down her dress that was slightly hiked up. “Maybe you are right, but you’re going to get it when we get to the room,” she said with a seductive smile. “I’m counting on it,” he said with a lustful look in his eyes as he grabbed her ass.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Once inside the apartment, Monica walked towards the bedroom. “I really need to take a shower; give me a few minutes and we will finish what we started in the elevators,” she said as she moved in close to kiss him; she could feel his manhood rising. She loved how he responded to her. She ran her hand slowly across his covered erection as she sashayed away heading for the bathroom. Marco watched the sway of her hips as she walked away. He walked over to the bar and poured a drink. Marco really needed to call his brother, but he first needed to clear his head, as he tried to process everything they were told tonight. He loosened his tie and heard the shower start.