“You’re late,” Hayden said to Darcy the moment his brother walked into the living area of the apartment.

Darcy eyed Hayden and noted he was dressed a bit more formal than his casual jeans and T-shirt. He looked as though he were about to go out.

“Heading out somewhere?” Darcy asked. “I thought we were going to talk about Sakura.”

“Lady Suzuki invited us for lunch this morning, and you can’t refuse. Our dear brother Nicolas already accepted.”

“Then he can go by himself or with Sebastian,” Darcy said, brushing past his brother into the living area.

Tristan greeted him by hooking his arm around Darcy’s neck in affection. “And let you miss out on all the fun? By the way, you haven’t yet met Akira, Sosuke’s younger sister.” He chuckled. “She’s one hot chick.”

Darcy scowled at his brother. “Not interested.”

Nicolas, who was just entering the room at that moment, said, “Whether you’re interested or not, you’re coming to lunch with us. Lady Suzuki has already prepared us the meal. It’s impolite to refuse her invitation.”

Darcy shoved Tristan away from him and headed over to the sofa. He collapsed on the soft cushions and sighed. “Fine, I’m coming, but afterward, we have to discuss Sakura.”

Sebastian, who was standing by the French door, staring out at the cherry blossom outside in their courtyard, said, “Beth told us last night Ned lives in New York.”

At this, Darcy shot up and queried, “Does he know where she is?”

Sebastian turned and said, “We don’t know. We’re meeting him next Sunday. Hopefully, he can help us.”

Darcy nodded, and Conrad said, “I bet he knows where she is. She just can’t run off by herself.”

“Why couldn’t he meet us today?” Logan asked from the other side of the room.

“He’s busy,” Nicolas said. “Beth said he’s running a gallery or something with a co-owner.”

“I’m not surprised since he’s a painter,” Hayden said, nodding.

“All right, we better go down,” Nicolas said, heading to the door.

“What’s the hurry, Nicolas?” Logan teased. “Or are you eager to see Akira? Hum, or should I call her Akira-chan?”

Nicolas frowned at him and said calmly, “Akira has nothing to do with me.”

“Damn right,” Tristan chimed in. “Or didn’t you see how upset she was with Nicolas at the way he treated her? You are such a ruthless bastard, Nicolas. You’ll never get the girl that way. She hates your guts. And she called you baka. Isn’t that like a swear word in Japanese?”

Logan laughed. “It means fool or stupid and a whole lot of nasty things.”

Nicolas’s scowl darkened and snapped, “We’re leaving now.”

Sebastian just shook his head as he followed Nicolas out the door. Darcy reluctantly got up from the sofa, and he and Conrad followed suit.

Hayden said, “What are you guys waiting for? We better go.”

“Coming,” Logan and Tristan said in unison and all three left the apartment.

It was only a few moments later they were at the front door of Haruka’s apartment. Sosuke, who was dressed in a dark yukata, greeted them with a warm smile and, one by one, allowed the brothers to enter after they’d taken off their shoes. In the living area, Haruka, who was also in a light-blue yukata, came over and bowed her head slightly at the brothers.

“Konnichiwa gozaimasu, everyone,” she said.

The brothers bowed their heads and returned her greeting. “Konnichiwa gozaimasu.”

Akira, who was standing to one side of the room, watched Nicolas as he lifted his head. She blushed when he turned his attention to her.

To Nicolas’s surprise, he found he couldn’t quite tear his gaze from her. She was rather enchanting wearing that floral yukata. “Akira,” he said, his throat just that little bit dry all of a sudden. “Konnichiwa.”

Akira held her head high and replied, “Nicolas.”

Haruka took the brothers into their formal dining room next to the living area. There, the place was designed very much like a traditional Japanese house, with a low, long dining table and a series of soft, comfy cushions on the floor.

Akira indicated for them to take their seats and said, “I hope you like Japanese food and that the low seating will not be too uncomfortable.”

Tristan made himself cozy next to Akira and said, “Not too uncomfortable at all. We’ll get used to it.” He grinned at her.

Conrad looked heavenward and thought it didn’t take Tristan long to start flirting. Logan took a seat beside Tristan and Hayden along that same side. Nicolas took the seat beside Sosuke, and Sebastian took a seat to the left of Nicolas. Darcy placed himself between Sebastian and Conrad, whilst Hayden took the cushion beside Logan.

Haruka took the head of the table and thus commenced their lunch. Tristan continued once everyone was seated. “Although it would be nice if next time we dine, we wear a yukata as well.”

Logan laughed. “Hm, I quite like the idea.”

“I have many,” Sosuke chimed in. “I will give you a few of mine if you’re interested. And it’s my birthday next week.”

Akira said, “And here I thought you weren’t going to do anything, considering you’re turning quite ancient and aren’t yet married with kids. I thought you’d be embarrassed at the thought of throwing yourself a birthday party.”

Tristan couldn’t help himself and laughed loudly. “Well put, Akira-chan. Very well put. Our dear Nicolas is just as ancient and still hasn’t yet found himself a wife, let alone produced some little darlings to chase after. I myself would love to have little darlings to chase after.”

“Considering the way you’re going, Tristan,” Nicolas said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you already have those little darlings you didn’t know about.”

Tristan, who was sipping his green tea, nearly choked on the hot liquid.

Akira hid her laughter behind a cupped hand, and Logan patted his brother on the shoulder. “Nicolas is probably too old for any beauty to fall for him now.”

“Really?” Akira said softly, gazing at Nicolas under her long lashes. “Well, that is too bad.”

Logan continued. “As for you, bro, if you do have any little darlings, I’d only be too glad to welcome them into the family. Hm, I think the oldest would have to be around five by now.”

Tristan couldn’t help himself and laughed. He took everything in stride.

It was then a Japanese housekeeper and a maid entered the room with the dishes. By the time they had finished placing everything on the table, it was covered with food. There was miso soup in a small china bowl for every one of them. In the middle of the table were grilled fish, sashimi of fresh salmon and tuna, tempura of fish, prawns, and sweet potatoes, fresh salad with homemade dressing sauce, stir-fried vegetables with teriyaki sauce, and an assortment of yakitori and pickled vegetables. 

“Mina,” Haruka said, “please enjoy.”

Everyone nodded and dug in. The brothers found they enjoyed the food tremendously.

It was nearer to the end of the meal when Haruka finally asked, “Nicolas-san, I have been wondering about that girl from last night.”

In unison, Sebastian and Darcy lifted their heads to look at Haruka. Sosuke noticed this and raised his brows in surprise at the reaction.

Nicolas said, “The girl in the finale?”

“The one that ran off,” Akira put in. “With Oba-chan’s necklace and Mr. Tachibana’s gown.”

“She’s not a thief,” Conrad said firmly from the other side of the table. “She was running away from us.”

Haruka frowned at this and said, “Why?”

“It’s a family affair,” Sebastian said. “Why do you want to know about her?”

“A family affair?” Akira cocked her head to one side. “It seems you’re all worried about her very much.”

Hayden nodded. “She was our adoptive sister. Something happened last year and…”

“We’re still looking into the case,” Nicolas said. “I understand you want your jewels back, and I promise to do whatever is in our power to get them back to you.”

Haruka just smiled and shook her head. “It’s not the necklace I’m worried about. Please, just find her, this sister of yours.”

Sebastian and his brothers didn’t miss the tears that seemed to swell quite quickly within Haruka’s eyes. She couldn’t help herself and dabbed her eyes with the back of her sleeves.

“I’m sorry. Something is in my eyes,” she said quickly as she got up. “Please excuse me.”

She left the room in a hurry as the brothers watched her go.

Akira said, “Excuse me,” and then followed her aunt out of the room.

Sosuke said, “Please enjoy the meal. Oba-chan isn’t feeling very well lately.”

The brothers nodded and continued with their meals. It was half an hour later when the brothers thanked Haruka for lunch and left.

“She was crying,” Conrad said as they walked up the stairs back to the third-floor apartment.

“Sosuke said she isn’t well lately,” Logan supplied. “She’s probably just tired.”

Sebastian, however, wasn’t convinced. He’d seen the look on her face when they mentioned Sakura’s name. Then there had been last night in the conference room, when she’d asked about Sakura and how she was related to them. Something was nagging at him, and he knew he had to find out. It was just his nature.

Back at the apartment, Beth made them coffee and chocolate cake for afternoon tea. None of the brothers bothered with coffee or cake, since they were so full from their recent lunch. They headed straight to work, discussing last night and Sakura. It was half an hour later when the request Nicolas had put through to his team came back via email.

“We’ve got it,” he said loudly.

Darcy, who was sitting on the sofa, quickly got up and rushed over to Nicolas.

“Put it up on the big screen,” Sebastian said.

Hayden pulled down the white screen whilst Logan prepared the projector. Tristan quickly shut all the curtains in the room to darken the place.

Nicolas opened the file and pushed the play button. In seconds, the white screen lit up with flicks of the fashion show from last night. The brothers watch intensely, looking for any clues they might find that could help them find Sakura.

On screen, there were images of the show hall, with people everywhere. There were backstage staff going about doing their thing, and in the corridors, there were guests walking about.

“We have to go backstage,” Sebastian said.

Nicolas nodded and fast-forwarded until they came to the backstage scene. Thank goodness for the cameramen they had hired for the occasion and for Hayden to have suggested the idea there might be shots of Sakura there somewhere early that morning.

It was at the backstage scene they found Jane directing many of staff under her.

“Isn’t that Luke’s sister?” Conrad asked Sebastian.

“Hm.” Sebastian nodded. “She works for Mr. Tachibana.”

They watched on in silence, their eyes glued to the screen. It was a few moments later when a blond girl walked into the organized chaos of backstage. As the view of the screen scanned around, it stopped with her standing beside Jane.

“Pause!” Darcy shouted. “It’s Sakura.”

They went past that scene, and Nicolas had to rewind. They went through again, and just as Sakura walked in, Nicolas quickly clicked on the pause button.

There she stood with Jane, a folder in her arms, smiling, her eyes bright and her face flushed. She was beautiful in her blouse and long shirt. The brothers watched as if they couldn’t believe it.

So it was real after all, Sebastian thought. Last night hadn’t been a mere figment of his imagination. She had been there, and they had met. He drew out a shaky breath as his hands shook just a little. He felt relieved and elated, and his heart raced at the prospect that soon, they’d find her—really find her.

Darcy’s hands were shaking and he couldn’t stop the tremor within his being either. She was real on the screen. She’d been there at the hotel last night. She’d been that close to him in elevator, and now it gutted him that he hadn’t realized it had been her at the time. How he wished he’d grabbed her in his arms and shut the elevator door before she could escape. But alas, that wasn’t to be, for she had escaped.

The brothers silently watched her for a few moments, taking in her look and how much she’d changed in the past year. She was slimmer now, her face more elegant and refined. One could say she had grown into an even more beautiful woman.

“Shall we move on?” Nicolas asked.

The brothers nodded, and Nicolas pushed the play button. The scene shifted to guests entering the hall and then to the corridors and the entrance of the hotel. There were lots of scenes with random people doing random things, until the screen came back to backstage. In the distance that wasn’t the focus of the camera, the brothers could just make out Sakura being pulled by a makeup artist, which she resisted, and placed in one of the chairs.

The scene cut to random models showing off her gowns and some still sitting in the chairs that a couple of makeup artists were working at. Then it flicked to Akira waving and smiling at the camera. She did the Korean version of a love heart with her hands and then laughed merrily. This was then cut to Mr. Tachibana doing his final touches on one of the models. He was showing off his gown on the girl and showed the camera of the intricate design of his work. Then it cut to a very close shot of candy floss-pink hair with a pair of hands working on the cherry blossom flowers. The camera zoomed out and came to focus on Sakura’s face instead.

The brothers sucked in their breath in unison as they glued their eyes on the screen. She didn’t at all look pleased with what the people were doing to her.

“I’m not supposed to be here,” she said clearly. No one was listening to her, however. “Jane, I have to get Jane. Please, I have to go.”

“She knows Jane,” Hayden said abruptly.

Nicolas paused at the scene where Sakura was trying to get out of makeup.

“Does that mean Sakura works for Jane?” Conrad asked curiously. “Seb, Luke might know.”

“I’ll give him a call,” Sebastian said. “Now move on. We might learn something else.”

At Nicolas’s nod, the screen continued. It was an hour later when they came to the stage again where the modelling began. In the background, they noted Haruka and Sosuke in the crowd. Luke was just behind them. There were, of course, Tara and Alaina entering the room late, dressed to the nines. Then they saw themselves on the screen, here and there with their parents.

The show began and the music started. It wasn’t long when they saw Akira striding elegantly along the runway, showing her jewelry and Mr. Tachibana’s gown. She posed seductively at the end and gazed smolderingly at the camera. Then she winked, and Nicolas found himself responding. His heart skipped a beat and his throat became dry.

Tristan did the wolf whistle, and Nicolas frowned at his brother. Of course, Tristan didn’t see Nicolas’s glare, nor did any of this brothers because they were glued to the screen as the next slight figure appeared on the runway.

It was Sakura, dressed in that amazing gown. She made her way up to the camera. During her short walk, it was as if she were lost in her own dreamland. She looked serene and absolutely exquisite. She stopped at the end of the runway, and then her posture changed. The brothers knew immediately that she had seen them.

She looked hesitant, as if she didn’t know what to do next. Then she hastily turned and walked back. It wasn’t long before they saw Mr. Tachibana come out again with her by his side. The brothers could tell she wasn’t pleased with this and she wanted to run. After the applause and bow, the scene was cut short.

“That’s it?” Conrad asked Nicolas.

“Nope,” Nicolas said, looking at the screen on the laptop. “There’s still a little more to go.”

The buzzing and blank screen was still on, and then it flipped to the chaos of backstage again. They saw Hayden and Darcy running across the length of the room. Then it was Sakura who gave her shoes to Jane. Then it was Nicolas running after them, who banged into Akira. And then the camera went out.

“Huh!” Tristan said. “You killed the camera, Nicolas.”

“Sakura gave her shoes to Jane,” Nicolas said. “She lied about not knowing Sakura.”

“It looks like I need to call Luke ASAP,” Sebastian said and pulled out his cell phone.

* * * * *