Everything in this life comes with a cost.

Everything in this life comes with a cost. 

Su clan's first young lady. In the mind of Su Yin, this title always sounded 

more like a joke than anything else.

Sure, she had been lucky to be born into nobility, but her father was too weak to protect her from the ambitions of clan elders. Which meant that her status as the first young lady was nothing more than a gilded cage.

Another stroke of luck had been her meeting with her mentor and a role model—Kouzuki Maya. Student of Kouzuki Matriarch, this title changed her life considerably.

Sadly, due to numerous unwritten rules, her teacher couldn't interfere in her matters freely, so Yin still had to fight tooth and nail every step of the way to get back her freedom.

The next stroke of luck was meeting her best friend. Olivia was another role model in her life. Despite, arguably, an even worse family situation, the girl in question kept a cheerful front, an act of defiance against everything that tried to bring her down.

Yin felt both happy and concerned after seeing her friend smiling dreamily while looking at her phone. And her concern only grew after meeting the reason for that expression.

Michael Roah. Known womanizer, troublemaker, and scumbag in general. 

To put it simply, this guy was a problem. And, once more, the Su clan's first young lady was completely powerless to help her best friend. The scumbag was well-connected, having close ties with both Isabella Alvarez and Nicole Roah.

Neither of those two women would've been easy to deal with, even for someone backed by the full might of the Su clan, much less for someone like her.

And, once more, Su Yin could only grit her teeth and watch how her best friend would deal with the situation on her own.

***

"Sold," he said, clapping his hands. "From now on, you are the mistress of Kouzuki Shinji. Use this name freely. If you need something from the Kouzuki Clan, tell it to my advisor, Kouzuki Maya; she will accommodate your needs."

***

And just like that, she acquired yet another title, which changed her life once more, and Su Yin had no idea if this change would be for the better or for worse.

Paradoxically, the last week had been both the most relaxing and stressful in her short life.

The new title worked. All those arrogant elders, who refused to even acknowledge her previously, started to seek her out, trying to get into her good graces. All those schemes and plans she wasn't able to put into action due to a lack of funds or sufficient power turned out to be as easy as asking her mentor.

Her ambition to take over the Su clan wasn't an empty dream anymore. That much was clear.

But, like everything else, it came with a cost.

Two years. The young master put a time limit on her. Su Yin could only blame herself for being so overconfident. 

Why couldn't she say three or five years?

***

Michael Roah.

This person and his ever-changing antics made her head spin. One moment he could act like her friend's romantic lover, then change completely into a cold and calculating grandson of her mentor, only to change again, acting like a devil out for her soul or a raging beast barely held back by a flimsy chain.

Just what was he after?

***

Kouzuki Maya came to visit her twin's bar and brought Su Yin with her. This was a part of the Lady in White's routine, something Yin has long since gotten used to.

A moment of awkward stare down went by.

"Shinji. I'm sorry."

The Kouzuki Matriarch apologized, surprising Yin. A moment later, the shock of Su clan's first young lady grew exponentially as her mentor tried to bow down.

Only for the man in question to blink into existence by her side, preventing her from doing that.

"Grandma, that's too much."

Michael Roah, Long Tian, Kouzuki Shinji—whichever name the young master had chosen to use today, was there already.

And he wasn't alone.

Isabella Alvarez, donned in a Beijing-style royal purple qipao adorned with rich floral ornaments, was sitting at the same table as Kouzuki Miya, and they both looked at this situation with barely hidden amusement.

Su Yin couldn't help but feel envious of this woman. She was everything that Yin ever wanted to be. Strong, independent, and free.

'Not to mention how good that cheongsam looks on her figure.'

An errant thought flashed through her mind. Her physical appearance had always been a sore spot for Su Yin.

"But…"

"I trust you. But, please, do not try something like that again."

The continuation of the grandson-grandmother pair exchange brought her back.

"Will you say the same words to Hao as well?"

The lady in Black joined the conversation.

"No. I'll tell him that I will teach my kids to call him 'Elder Hao', while calling Frank Smith 'great-grandpa'."

"That's plain evil, Shinji/Tian. I approve."

Accompanied by the chorused words and followed by a bout of laughter, the young master led her mentor to the table.

Su Yin felt even more lost.

***

Su Yin continued to feel more and more lost with every passing moment.

She was standing by her mentor's side, listening to the conversation the three people sitting by the table had. Oh, she certainly recognized the words, but the entire meaning kept eluding her.

Three Families. Consolidation of power. Something about corporations. Names of people she heard about before.

The strangest thing was the manner in which this conversation was going. The young master asked pointed questions, and the Kouzuki twins responded with the possible solutions.

It was an absurd thought, and Su Yin knew that, yet it didn't look like he was being taught. More like…

'Two advisors consult their ruler.'

The only male voice present, calling her name, ended her train of thought.

"Yin."

"Young master?"

"What do you think?"

The question caught her off guard.

"I'm sorry, young master."

She bowed her head, praying her apology would work.

"I was asking if your estimate still holds."

"Yes."

Su Yin took a deep breath, fighting back the instinctual shiver under the scrutiny of those cold eyes.

"I will give you an additional year," he said, disregarding her bluff. "But I will expect a complete takeover."

"Yes, young master."

Once more, Yin felt conflicted. On one hand, she had gotten an extra year; on the other hand, she didn't know why, but it felt quite bitter.

Following this exchange, the conversation took another turn.

This time it was about the 'extra' side of the law.

Isabella Alvarez, who had been attentively listening so far, joined in. Which made Yin feel another bout of envy.

'When will I be able to join into a talk of this level?'

"Bella, this girl's name is Su Yin. Su clan's first young lady."

"Charmed."

Su Yin cursed herself for letting the momentary gap in her attention. It looked like she missed something important in their conversation.

"Yin, this is Isabella Alvarez," the young master continued. "The future Lady Long."

"It's an honor."

Despite feeling shocked by the dropped bombshell—and judging by the lack of surprise on the Kouzuki twins' faces, this was something they expected—Yin managed to respond in a timely manner.

"Dear…"

"We can talk about this later," the young master interrupted whatever that Alvarez woman was about to say. "For now, it's business talk."

"Yes, dear."

And another moment of envy took over Yin.

"Ladies, if I asked you to take over the criminal underbelly of this city with full support of the Three Families, of course, what would you do and how long would've it taken?"

Once more, no surprise or objection from either the Lady in Black or the Lady in White followed. 

'So that's why he wants me to take over Su clan.'

The final piece of the puzzle fell into place.

'He is serious.'

And here it was again. The smile of the devil, offering a deal. And what a deal it was!