Time had flown by faster than expected. Before Victor knew it, the evening of Asuna's dinner invitation had arrived.
Following the address she'd provided, Victor found himself standing before an impressive villa that seamlessly blended traditional Japanese architecture with sleek modern design. Though not quite as sprawling as his own estate, the property's prime location suggested its value might actually rival his manor.
He pressed the doorbell and waited barely a moment before the intercom crackled to life with Asuna's familiar voice.
"Mr. Stone, you're here! Please wait just a moment, I'll be right there!"
Victor stepped aside and leaned against one of the decorative stone pillars flanking the entrance, content to wait.
Two minutes later, the door swung open to reveal Asuna. She wore a simple white house dress that emphasized her youthful energy, and her long chestnut-brown hair fell casually around her waist, swaying with each step as she approached.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Victor waved off her apology. "I just got here. Though I have to admit, I didn't expect your place to be so close to mine."
It was maybe a fifteen-minute walk at most from his manor. The proximity was genuinely surprising.
Asuna nodded with a slight smile. "Yes, actually, proximity to your property was one of the reasons we bought this villa in the first place."
"Come on, I'll show you inside."
They passed through the iron gate, and Victor's eyes immediately took in the lush courtyard. An artificial lake roughly the size of a basketball court dominated the space, complete with a traditional pavilion built at its center. Carefully placed rockeries and elegant red pines added natural beauty to the already impressive landscape.
His attention was soon drawn to another figure approaching them, a beautiful woman in elegant clothes and impeccable makeup. Despite the careful cosmetics, however, Victor could still see the exhaustion and worry etched into her features.
"Mom! Why did you come out? How's Dad doing?"
Asuna hurried forward to meet the woman, concern evident in her voice.
The woman's expression softened. "Your father just fell asleep."
Then Kyoko Yuuki turned her attention to Victor, studying him with undisguised curiosity.
"So this is Mr. Stone? You really can't judge a book by its cover. Building a fortune worth over a hundred million at such a young age, that's quite impressive."
"You're too kind, ma'am."
Victor couldn't shake the strange feeling that she was examining him like a prospective son-in-law. The scrutiny in her gaze was unmistakable.
It must be my imagination, he told himself. After all, he and Asuna had only met a handful of times. No matter how eager a mother might be to see her daughter settled, she wouldn't seriously consider someone so unfamiliar.
Right?
Kyoko withdrew her gaze and turned to her daughter. "Asuna, take your guest to the living room. Dinner isn't quite ready yet, so you'll need to wait a little longer."
"Of course! Mr. Stone, please follow me."
In the spacious living room, Asuna moved with practiced efficiency, preparing a delicate tea service and pouring Victor a cup of fragrant black tea.
After a moment of contemplative silence, Victor finally voiced the question that had been nagging at him since he arrived.
"Your family seems to be dealing with some... difficulties?"
From the moment he'd stepped through the gate, something had felt off. For starters, this enormous villa housed only three people, mother, father, and daughter. No servants, no staff, no one else at all.
That alone struck him as deeply unusual. Any family wealthy enough to own a property like this would typically employ at least a few people to help maintain it and provide basic care.
Then there was what he'd overheard in Asuna's conversation with her mother, clear implications that her father was seriously ill.
"You're quite observant, Mr. Stone."
Asuna let out a soft sigh, sadness clouding her features.
"You're right. My family has... we've been going through some difficult times."
She paused, gathering her thoughts before continuing. "A few months ago, my father's company ran into serious financial trouble. We were on the verge of bankruptcy."
"I used the five hundred million you paid me for your manor to temporarily stabilize things, but it was barely enough to keep the company running. And even that's just a temporary solution."
Her voice grew quieter, more strained. "But our troubles didn't end there."
"Two months ago, my older brother was killed in a car accident. The news was... devastating. My father, who was already exhausted from the business struggles, collapsed from the shock. He fell seriously ill and still hasn't recovered. Right now, it's just my mother and me trying to hold everything together."
Victor felt a genuine pang of sympathy. What terrible luck.
The old saying came to mind: Misfortune only finds the unfortunate. This should have been a happy, harmonious family, yet in just a few short months, they'd been struck by one disaster after another.
"I'm truly sorry for your loss," Victor said quietly.
"Maybe..." Asuna's voice turned bitter. "Maybe this is karmic retribution."
"Retribution?" Victor frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Remember when I mentioned that several people died in your manor before you bought it?"
"Of course. Are you saying this is connected to that incident?"
"Yes."
"Could you explain?"
Asuna hesitated, then began her explanation. "When we first purchased your manor, the main castle wasn't nearly that large. It was expanded later to become what it is today."
"But during that expansion, the person in charge of purchasing construction materials deliberately bought inferior products to pocket the difference. The substandard materials eventually led to a catastrophic collapse."
Her hands trembled slightly as she continued. "Five workers were killed instantly, crushed by falling stone slabs and steel reinforcement bars."
"The purchasing manager was arrested, of course. But my father... he tried to cover up the accident to prevent it from damaging the company's reputation. He thought he could keep it quiet."
Victor's expression darkened as he listened.
"The problem was, my father didn't offer adequate compensation to the victims' families. They were furious, rightfully so, and the incident became public anyway. It even ended up in court."
"My father won the legal case in the end, but ever since then, his company has hemorrhaged money year after year."
"That's why I can't help but think that what's happening to us now, my brother's death, my father's illness, the business failures, it's all payment for what happened back then. Karma catching up with us."
Victor couldn't say whether karma was real, but he could definitely say that Asuna's father had made some spectacularly poor decisions.
When an accident like that occurred, covering it up was understandable from a business perspective, any company would want to minimize reputational damage. But if you were going to cover something up, the first and most crucial step was making sure everyone affected was fully compensated. Generously, even.
Otherwise, why would the victims' families stay silent?
Instead, Asuna's father had tried to hide the incident while shortchanging the families. It was the worst possible approach, like trying to save pennies while losing dollars. No wonder everything had fallen apart.
The company had nearly gone bankrupt as a direct result of his own foolish decisions.
Before Victor could formulate a response, Kyoko appeared in the doorway.
"Asuna, Mr. Stone, dinner is ready."
Asuna quickly wiped away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes, composing herself.
"Mr. Stone, let's go eat."
"After you."