“There’s a connection between us,” he says.

Goro is just about able to stop her face from crumbling. Her father… finally acknowledging her. If she had to die to make it happen, maybe it was all worth it.

“Yes,” she agrees.

His thumb drunkenly swipes against her whisky-wet lips.

“I’m your—” she starts, cut off by Shido’s thumb pressing its way into her mouth. He pushes past her teeth, pushes down her tongue, feeling his way around her.

“Good evening, sir,” she says, letting her eyes rise and focus on the man in front of her. It’s hard not to let the surprise show on her face.

Shido is not the composed man she’s come to expect. There’s a stack of legal papers scattered across his desk, alongside a half-melted bag of ice and a blister pack of codeine. Not to mention the black eye blooming across his face.