Chapter 165 – Aunt Akina
POV - (Akina)
Yohenbe Bank.
It was nearing evening.
The sun was already setting behind the horizon of glass skyscrapers, and its last rays were streaming through the panoramic windows of the office on the fifty-first floor, bathing the interior in cool, golden-gray tones.
The beautiful Akina sat in her chair, gazing at the city below without really seeing it.
The building’s exterior was pure European minimalism: clean lines, steel, glass — the almost sterile elegance of Swiss and German financial giants, but inside, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Singaporean discipline reigned on the lower floors — biometrics, instant access control, zero tolerance for tardiness and chaos.
The hallways were designed in the Japanese style: subdued lighting, soft acoustic panels, absolute silence in which even footsteps sounded muted.
The meeting rooms operated to a Korean rhythm — quick decisions, a rigid hierarchy, and results taking precedence over lengthy discussions.
The American spirit manifested itself in aggressive investment strategies, a willingness to take calculated risks, and a cult of efficiency, while the Chinese element was the deepest and most invisible: long-term planning decades into the future, complex networks of trust, patience, and the ability to wait for the moment when a rival makes a mistake on their own.
Yohenbe Bank absorbed all of this and discarded everything that was weak.
It wasn’t the largest, but it was considered one of the best private banks in the world.
At the very top, behind double doors made of ebony and frosted glass, was the office of the sole owner and president.
- (Akina). "Phew..."
Akina sat back in her chair.
Her gray hair was pulled back into a high, slightly disheveled updo with a voluminous bun on top of her head.
A few soft strands fell loosely across her face and shoulders.
On her nose were thin glasses with light-colored frames.
Her gray eyes now looked tired and irritated.
Her thin eyebrows were slightly arched.
Her lips were pressed together.
She wore a dark, fitted jacket, a light-colored blouse with a deep neckline, and a form-fitting skirt made of stretchy leather.
Around her neck were delicate chains; on her wrist, a minimalist bracelet.
Even when tired, she looked expensive, dangerous, and completely out of reach.
- (Akina). "Shit..."
The reason for her dissatisfaction was simple.
Work.
Too much work.
The day had started at five in the morning.
She spent the first forty minutes alone with her monitors, tracking the opening of the Asian markets: Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong.
Then came a tense call with the Hong Kong office regarding a problematic commercial real estate deal.
At 7:10 a.m. — a video conference with London.
The British were once again trying to push for a more aggressive strategy in the energy sector.
- (Akina). "..."
Akina listened silently for exactly nine minutes, after which she closed the topic with a single short sentence.
The decision was made.
Next... no further discussion.
From 8:00 a.m. to noon, there were internal meetings: risk management, private banking, compliance, and internal audit.
Each meeting was matter-of-fact, quick, and left absolutely no room for empty talk.
- (Akina). "..."
Akina didn’t raise her voice... she didn’t need to.
A single glance from her gray eyes peering out from behind her glasses was enough to make even the most experienced analysts begin to formulate their thoughts more clearly and concisely.
Around 1:00 p.m., she personally led a three-hour meeting with representatives of a major sovereign wealth fund from the Middle East.
No breaks and no unnecessary compliments.
Just terms, guarantees, limits of liability, and numbers.
By the time the guests left, the basic agreements had already been reached.
- (Akina). "Unprincipled bastards..."
After lunch, which she had skipped again - the most tedious part began: approving credit limits, reviewing transactions that the system had automatically escalated to her level, another tense call from New York, and a brief but harsh conversation with the head of the Singapore office regarding new regulatory pressure.
By evening, her temple was already throbbing dully.
Akina took off her glasses, ran her fingers along her bridge, and put them back on.
A strand of gray hair brushed lightly against her cheek.
She looked down at the city below and thought of only one thing: the day wasn’t over yet, and she had almost no energy left.
(I’m so sick of all this...)
The gray-haired beauty finally leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a few seconds.
(I need to take a vacation... preferably for at least a month.)
She had almost allowed herself to imagine the silence when the office door quietly swung open.
Standing in the doorway was her right-hand woman, a young and pretty girl with a tomboy haircut, Soyun.
- (Soyun). "Miss Akina... May I come in?"
Akina slowly opened her eyes and nodded.
- (Akina). "Come in."
Soyun stepped closer but stopped a few steps away from the desk — as always, keeping her distance.
- (Soyun). "Everything has been finalized regarding the credit line for the ’Bakaero’ group. The lawyers have already put their final signatures on it. Risk management has confirmed the terms. I’ve also resolved the issue with the currency swap that the Singapore office raised yesterday. The recalculation has been done, and the client is satisfied."
Akina listened in silence, tapping her fingers on the armrest.
- (Akina). "All right, Soyun... Well done. Good work, as always."
Soyun nodded almost imperceptibly.
- (Soyun). "Thank you, Miss."
Akina looked at her more closely.
- (Akina). "What about the new location for the headquarters? Have you looked at options in that city?"
Soyun pressed her lips together slightly.
- (Soyun). "Still in the works. It’s really tough finding available lots there. Most suitable locations are either already under long-term leases or have restrictions on building height and use. I need a little more time to find decent options without unnecessary risks."
Akina nodded slowly.
- (Akina). "Okay..."
She fell silent for a second, then added more calmly:
- (Akina). "You’re free for the day. Leila will drive me home. Go get some rest."
Soyun bowed briefly once more.
- (Soyun). "Thank you, Miss Akina. Have a good evening."
She turned and quietly left the office, closing the door behind her.
- (Akina). "..."
(Phew... Now that we’ve settled things with "Bakaero," there’s no point in continuing to deal with the rest.)
As soon as Soyun left, Akina decided to call it a day; the mature, gray-haired beauty left the remaining work for tomorrow, since she had... more important matters to attend to.
(Well, now...)
She picked up the laptop that was nearby and pulled it closer to her, and a few minutes later, a two-minute video appeared on her screen.
It wasn’t very high quality and had been made by an amateur, but that wasn’t particularly important to the alluring woman.
- (Akina). "..."
With a neutral expression, she watched the video, which showed two athletic men who were... fighting against each other.
One man was about two meters tall, heavily built, and had dark-blond hair; he was closer to forty years old, while the other was roughly below average in height and build.
What was quite unexpected was that the second guy looked quite young... very young, as if he were about 13–15 years old.
There were quite a few people around them watching the match and loudly cheering on the fighters.
The venue itself resembled something like an underground arena.
It was truly a strange sight.
On the surface, it looked like a fight between David and Goliath, but in reality... it was even more incredible.
(~boom)
- (Akina). "..."
Shortly afterward, the video showed a large man kneeling, half-dead, with his head bowed, seemingly unable to lift it.
His hands were shattered and bleeding.
- (Spectators in the arena). YES!!!..."
The fight was over, and the winner was... the young boy.
In the video, the young boy stood facing the defeated man... confidently and menacingly.
From head to toe, the winner was covered in... blood.
His dark, tousled hair clung to his face; the muscles on his body were taut and looked unrealistically bulky for his age.
His eyes burned like red flames, and a simply insane, ear-to-ear... grin was frozen on his face — one that would send chills down anyone’s spine.
- (Akina). "..."
There wasn’t a shred of pity, fatigue, or doubt in the young man’s smile or his entire demeanor.
It seemed as though the very embodiment of death stood before the camera — a creature that nothing could stop.
- (Akina). "Domination..."
(~keyboard sound)
As soon as the video showed the young man in full height, Akina paused the video and began examining him in detail.
(His hair, eyes, facial features, overall build, and that gaze... Without a doubt, this is...)
Akina had no doubt about what she was seeing on the screen...
- (Akina). "You... Hehe... Hehehe... HEHEHE♡♡!!..."
In an instant, the face of the gray-haired, mature beauty took on the same appearance as the young man in the video, but there was still a difference.
- (Akina). "Mom is thrilled♡♡."
The young boy’s face was angry and aggressive, while Akina had a look of love and slight obsession on her face.
- (Akina). "Another video for my collection. Mom is so happy♡."
The woman’s demeanor changed dramatically, and it seemed that with every second she spent looking at the young man’s image, her stress slowly subsided.
- (Akina). "Mom misses her sweet little son so much. Maybe I’ll pay him a surprise visit and... Hehe♡."
The more she looked at him, the more the flame of her desires burst forth from within.
- (Akina). "Soyun has already left, and Leila won’t come into the office without my permission... Maybe I should ’have fun’ a little before heading home, hehe?"
The beauty’s hand began to slowly slide downward until her fingers found a certain spot under her skirt.
- (Akina). "It’s been a long time since I’ve done ’this’ in the office, hehe♡... Well then, shall we begin?"
(Soon... Very soon...)
Akina began to "relieve her stress," shouting out a single name.
- (Akina). "Yohen... Yohen..."
Yohen, that was the boy’s name in the video, at least that’s what Akina called him; to the rest of the world, he was known as...
- (Akina). "Yohen♡... I want so badly to see you again... Wait, no. That’s not right. You have a different name now. I’m sorry, my dear... Your mom wants to see you again..."
Yohen, that was the boy’s name for the first few days after his birth, but later it was changed, and he became... Sohen.
- (Akina). "Sohen... My darling, Sohen... Just wait a little longer, and you, Minju, and I... will be a family again♡."
Akina couldn’t wait for that incredible day to come.
- (Akina). "HEHEHEHE♡..."