In another part of Mountain Ridge, Takahashi Senzo was facing workers from the main depot of the Takahashi Corporation. His face was clouded and thunderous as he looked at the small tracker found in a shipping container.

The group of people around him were nervous as they waited in silence for the verdict. Everyone knew that though Chairman Takahashi looked like a civil businessman, his means were cruel, and he did not leave witnesses.

"Have you received feedback on other undistributed shipments?" He turned to his special assistant.

"Yes. I have had people check on freight in transit or at ports. Multiple trackers have been found on our shipments. However, the old cargo held by the ports authorities for longer does not have signs of any GPS trackers or other forms of tampering." The assistant responded.

The warehouse personnel shivered in fear because they had an understanding of the flow of the goods. If multiple shipments around the world were affected, it could only mean that the trackers were installed at the point of release.

"Chairman Takahashi, we have always followed your protocols when handling goods. There is no way anyone could have tampered with the shipments under our watch." The manager spoke up.

Chairman Takahashi had very stringent and unusual conventions for handling merchandise. The warehouse personnel were not allowed to check the goods or modify the packaging before sending the freight out. They were only supposed to receive and hold the goods before forwarding them through the transportation department.

No one asked questions about the strict control and management of the shipments because it was not uncommon for large companies to move their less-than-legal merchandise by hiding the goods with regular freight. It was a well-known practice.

People working in the logistics industry knew better than to dig deeper than the surface when handling cargo. The Takahashi shipping operations had proceeded smoothly without a hitch for years, allowing the workers to relax. Unfortunately, the new problem would mean they were all in danger.

"An investigation will be carried out to root out bad seeds. I cannot run an operation if I cannot trust you to handle a simple matter like handling and moving a few items." Chairman Takahashi said before turning to his assistant. "Let's go."

As the two people left, the warehouse crew took a deep breath and exhaled. They were probably safe. The investigation would probably affect their lives for a while, but they would probably be fine since the chairman did not take immediate action.

He was not a patient man. If he suspected any of them, they would probably not even get a chance to breathe.

"Chairman Takahashi, would you like for me to assign a special investigator?" The assistant asked as the driver started the car and drove out of the industrial parking lot.

"Just send someone in casually. It was not done by any of them. But they need to be reminded not to mess with the protocols." Senzo responded.

"Understood." The assistant noted down the matter.

Chairman Takahashi looked through the window into the Mountain Ridge nightscape. His eyes narrowed with a bloodthirsty air. He did not need to mull over the situation to identify the culprit responsible for tracking his shipments.

He had underestimated his little nephew.

The young man had a careless and carefree image, and it caused him to think that he was only a small schemer. He assumed with a little money, he could keep Kaito under control. However, it seemed like his intentions for coming to Mountain Ridge were not simple.

He remembered the incident over ten years ago. His father had claimed that Kaito had come to visit him in his office. However, there was no evidence to suggest the occurrence of such a matter.

It opened an opportunity for him to take over the company from his father. He never thought about that incident after getting what he wanted. His father was senile, and an investigation was carried out to prove no one had entered his office.

But now, it seemed that he overlooked significant danger. If Kaito could come into a commercial building with high security without detection, he could not be a simple man. Furthermore, he was only seventeen then… If his assumptions were correct, his nephew was more dangerous now.

"Reach out to our best contact in special intelligence. I want to know everything about my nephew." Chairman Takahashi told his assistant.

He had only carried out a casual investigation on Kaito after the initial return. If his current thoughts were correct, then his nephew was deeply hidden. He could not take action casually without information. He needed to plan with care.

"Understood."

"While you are at it, check on that Yamazaki girl." Chairman Takahashi added.

He casually speculated that it was too much of a coincidence for the two people to return to Mountain Ridge together. Moreover, they seemed to be in an intimate relationship. But he dismissed the thought because of his arrogance.

Now, he needed to consider the fact he was careless due to his hubris.

In Le Burlesque, Chiharu stood some distance from the men's restroom. She looked nervous as she kept checking if someone was coming. Unfortunately, she did notice two people huddled around a corner close to the service entrance with mischief in their eyes.

As soon as Arai stepped out of the bathroom, she looked at him with apparent excitement and a little anxiety. It was clear she had mixed feelings towards the man before her.

"Riki, why did you come back?" She asked with a tremble in a voice.

"You know why I came back." He replied. "But I seem to have made a mistake."

Arai turned to walk back to the nightclub. He could not face the woman he had thought about day and night for the past three years. When he looked at her, he could only picture her with the other man.

No, he was now the other man.

The thought made him sick to his stomach. When they were together, he thought that it was a forever kind of relationship. It was not an epic love, but they were perfect for each other. But suddenly, she was someone else's wife.

Chiharu reached for his arm to stop him. "You did not make a mistake. I didn't know that you would return for me. I wish things were different."

The soft tone and pleading gaze caused Arai to pause. "But things are not different."

"I was just under a lot of pressure after I joined the company. I could not fight for our future. I am sorry." Chiharu said.

Arai Riki's face changed. "Were you forced to marry that Kazuo? Just tell me."

Chiharu seemed to hesitate as if struggling with a burdensome secret. Unfortunately, before she spoke, Kazuo appeared in the corridor with a worried look. His face darkened at the scene before him because it looked like a man was harassing his wife.

He pulled Chiharu to his side. "Are you alright? Is this person bothering you?"

Chiharu felt a little annoyed because she did not manage to set a good trap.

She wanted to give herself an exit strategy from the Yamazaki family if it turned out she could not have a child. As long as Riki thinks she lost their child and her reproductive capacity due to Kazuo's machinations, he would welcome her back, regardless of what happened afterwards.

"No, he was asking for help. Let's go back inside." There would be other chances.

As she walked away, she did not forget to throw a longing look over her shoulder.

The two people watching the scene from a short distance away felt amused by the incident.

"It seems that things will implode even without intervention." Akira giggled.

"That sister-in-law of yours is a dangerous character. She has no conscience." Kaito sighed.

"I know, right? It's none of our business anyway." Akira then looked at Kaito with some shyness in her eyes. "It's late. Take me home."

Kaito stared at Akira with unsettled shock, and his hands stretched to hold her by her shoulder. "Do you know the meaning of what you just said?"

Akira's face reddened even more with bashfulness. It had taken all her courage to say those words to Kaito. She never thought there would be a day she would ever be so brazen. Still, she could not stand the surprise on his face.

"It's fine if you are not interested." She huffed while turning her nose in the air.