Wrapped in Red Velvet

John walked the entire perimeter of the mansion, checking fences, cameras, guard stations—everything.

This place has four security stations. One at the entrance. One each on the east and west sides. And one on the northern end, overlooking the hill below. Two guards per station. Three more rotating between them with a Doberman, moving counterclockwise. That makes eleven guards and three dogs.

The fences were reinforced steel—industrial-grade. Cutting through them would require welding equipment, and even then, the dogs or cameras would detect you long before you made progress.

This isn’t a home. It’s a fortress designed to look like one. No one with any sense would try to force their way inside. The only threat in here is the staff. I need a full staff list. Background checks on every single one of them.

As he continued his patrol, John reached a section of the mansion with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Inside, Aria was practicing her dance moves. The room was lined with mirrored walls, music faintly audible even through the glass. Her movements were sharp and precise. Sweat clung to her skin, catching the light as she turned.

John watched silently for a moment, then knocked lightly on the glass. Aria noticed him through the mirror in front of her. “Come in,” she said, reaching for a towel to wipe the sweat from her face.

John stepped inside. “Sorry to interrupt your training.”

“It’s alright,” Aria replied. “I was about to take a break anyway.”

“You train like this every day?”

“Yes.” She gave a small shrug. “People look at me and think I’m naturally talented, genetically gifted. They don’t see the hours of workouts, practice, and the conditioning I do to stay at this level.” She gestured around the space. “There’s a dojo and a gym in this building too. You’re welcome to use them if you want. Maybe you can teach me some defensive moves.”

John’s attention drifted to the far wall, covered in framed images. “What’s that?” he asked.

She followed his gaze and smiled faintly. “That’s our memory wall. We put up photos of moments that matter to us—precious memories. When things get heavy, looking at them helps me recharge. Good energy.”

“Who’s who in these pictures?” John asked.

Aria smiled, stepping closer to the wall. “Okay, this one’s Rina when she was in gymnastics. That’s Mum and Dad with her.” She pointed to the next frame. “And this one’s Rina with Mum when she was pregnant—with me.”

She moved along the row. “That’s baby me, in Mum’s arms. This is me and Dad.” Her finger shifted again. “Rina in ballet class. Me and Dad at my school graduation. And this one—Rina and me during my first theatre play.”

Aria hesitated before gesturing to the bottom row. “These three are Rina in dance school, her high school graduation, and her first-place track race.”

John studied the last three images more carefully. In each one, Rina stood alone. In two, she wore what looked like a smile—but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Other than that first photo with your parents,” John said slowly, “I don’t see your mom or dad with Rina as much as I see them with you.”

Her smile dimmed. “Mum left when I was five. Dad was always traveling or busy. When he had time, he showed up for both of us.” She paused. “He just… happened to be busy whenever Rina had something going on.”

“Your mom divorced your dad?”

Aria shook her head. “She didn’t divorce him. She just left. She and Uncle Ben disappeared from our lives.” Her tone hardened. “I don’t want to talk about it—not like I remember much anyway.” She gestured quickly to another photo. “Look at this one—this is—”

She's changing the subject. Something happened between her mom, dad, and uncle. And why was her dad never there for Rina as much as Aria? Is it the older-child, younger-child thing or something else?

Aria stopped talking. John followed her gaze. She was staring at a picture of herself standing with three other girls, all smiling brightly for the camera. “That your former idol group? Red Rising?” he asked.

“The Red Rising,” Aria said, a quiet chuckle escaping her. “You did your research.” She nodded. “Yeah. That was my old group.”

“This one on the right is Miyu Asashina, the one on the left is Sena Fujimoto, and the one with her arm around me is Rika Murasaki,” Aria said. “I met Miyu and Sena at the agency, but Rika… she was my high school friend. My best friend. Sometimes she felt more like a sister than a friend.”

John studied the photo and noticed Rika's purple eyes. “Was Rika wearing purple contact lenses?”

Aria shook her head. “No. She had dark eyes, but when the camera flash hit them, they sometimes looked purple. We never really understood why—it just happened.”

“How did they disappear?” John asked quietly.

“Miyu was always the silent one,” Aria said. “She rarely talked in our group chat, so we didn’t think much of it at first. Sena was the opposite. Her last message said she had surprise news for us. News that never came.

We kept messaging her. Nothing. Then we went to her place—still nothing. We reported it to the police. That’s when we found out the same thing had happened to Miyu. Her boyfriend reported her missing.” She hesitated, her voice dropping. “And Rika… the last message I got from her was just two words. Be careful. That was it.”

Her eyes filled with tears. John waited a moment before speaking. “If you don’t mind me asking… is there anyone you’re suspicious of? Anyone who threatened you—or who you might’ve crossed?”

Aria shook her head slowly. “We never did anything to anyone. Why would someone want to hurt us?” Her voice cracked. “All I want is for them to be alive somewhere. Anywhere. So I can see them again.” She took a few steadying breaths and forced herself to calm down.

“I’m sorry,” John said gently. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m just trying to put the pieces together.” He took a step back. “I’ll leave you to your training. You’ve had enough of a break.” She let out a small chuckle.

“If you need anything, Aria,” he added, “you can ask me.” She looked at him, eyes searching. “Anything?”

He smiled faintly. “Depends on what you’re asking.”

“A warm embrace,” she said softly. “Do you offer those?”

John smirked. “I’ll have to check storage for that one.”

“Oh, you’re awful,” Aria laughed as John left her and headed toward the sisters’ office.

*****

John knocked on Rina’s door. “You may come in,” she said.

“Miss Kingsley—” John began, but Rina cut him off with a small smile.

“John, drop the formality. You’re going to be here for God knows how long, and I don’t want to be ‘Miss’ and ‘Mr.’ every time we talk. Come on, take a seat.”

They both sat down.

“Well?” she asked. “What do you think? Is your room acceptable? How’s the security?”

“The room is great,” John replied. “And the security is tight. I just need a list of the staff so I can run background checks.”

“That’s fine,” Rina said without hesitation. “I’ll send you their files. I’ll do anything for her safety.”

John studied her for a moment. “You love her, don’t you?”

Rina let out a short laugh. “What a silly question. What sister doesn’t love her younger sibling?” She paused. “The real question is how much I love her. And the answer is—very much.”

She leaned back slightly, her voice softening. “It may sound strange, but sometimes I love her more like my own child. Our mother ran off with our uncle when we were young. After that… I stopped being just a sister. Aria would come home from school and tell me about her day. I helped her with homework, walked her to class, held her hand, cheered for her. Even though we were only five years apart, she treated me like her mother—and I acted like one.”

John nodded slowly. “Tell me about your mother and your uncle. Did she divorce your father, or…?”

“She just left,” Rina said flatly. “No goodbye. No letter. Both of them disappeared at the same time. Our father searched everywhere and went to the police immediately, but there was never a trace. She didn’t even care enough to say farewell.”

She exhaled. “I’m sorry, John. Talking about my mother and uncle is… a headache, especially on your first day here. But I’ll say this and move on.”

She met his eyes. “If there’s anyone I’m suspicious of regarding what’s happening to Aria—it’s Uncle Benjamin. About seven years after he vanished, Father took over all his shares in the enterprise. They were business partners. If he’s alive… then maybe this is his way of getting back at us.”

“I appreciate the information,” John said. “I really do. Now I just need Aria’s schedule so I can prepare.”

“The closest engagement is the Bet Gala,” Rina replied. “Four days from now. She’s attending—and performing.”

Before John could respond, both of their phones started ringing at the same time.

“Hey, Mei, did you—”

“You’re not going to believe what just happened,” Mei cut in.

Across the room, Rina was already answering her own call. Her face drained of color. Without a word, she reached for the remote and turned on the television.

The news channel filled the screen. The anchor spoke solemnly. “It is with great sadness that we bring you this report—”

Mei’s voice came through the phone. “One of the missing idols—”

The anchor continued, “—Rika Murasaki has been found deceased. The police chief has confirmed that the body discovered this morning, wrapped in red velvet, is indeed hers.”