Novels by Rurouni Kenshin

That night, Alexander stood at the dock, gazing at the small boat he was about to pilot. It wasn't the luxury yacht he used to command, just a simple motorboat with a small cabin for passengers. Which meant it would be far easier to handle.He had prepared in advance, wearing the most decent clothes Kyle owned to look presentable. Upon boarding, he first inspected every piece of equipment to ensure everything was in working order. Mr. Hendricks had also provided him with a route map and brief instructions beforehand.After confirming everything was in order, Alexander waited for the client while standing at the helm, gazing at the controls. A strange sense of nostalgia washed over him as he stood on this small vessel. His mind drifted back to the first time his mentor had trusted him to pilot a boat. He'd been just fifteen years old then, and the boat they'd used for his first trial run had been exactly this type."It's been so long," Alexander murmured to himself.After all these yea

With whatever meager savings Isabella had managed to set aside, Alexander opened a warm soup stall at the intersection in front of the alley. He didn't rent a shop, just placed an old cart he had refurbished himself at the roadside, complete with a fresh coat of paint and wooden shelves he'd built with his own hands.Just as Isabella had predicted, people loved Alexander's soup. Some even said it tasted like something from a Michelin-starred restaurant. In no time at all, the humble street cart became a local sensation. Every day, Alexander sold out completely. People would already be gathered and waiting before he even arrived.Alexander smiled faintly every time he saw the line forming in front of his cart. This wasn't his first time building something from nothing. He had built his business empire through sheer grit and strategy. Now, he was rebuilding, starting with a street-side soup cart.With money finally coming in, Alexander began providing for the household. Slowly but surel

Alexander walked back toward the narrow alley where Kyle's rented shack stood. In his hands, he carried several plastic bags of groceries. The money Victoria had given him, money meant to pay for prayers for his own death, he had used to buy something far more useful.To Alexander Sterling, that sum was pocket change, utterly inconsequential. But to a destitute family like Kyle's, it was a small fortune, enough to keep them going for days.Alexander bought fresh vegetables and fruits. He bought chicken and a bit of beef, along with soft, fresh loaves of bread,not the stale, rock-hard discount loaves Isabella usually set on their rickety table."You're back," Isabella said as Alexander stepped into the ramshackle house.Alexander nodded. He walked over to the wobbly wooden table and set the bags down."I picked up a few things," he said.Isabella approached. She opened one of the bags, and her eyes went wide.Fresh vegetables. Fruits. Meat. Bread."This..." Isabella stared at Alexander

Several days had passed since Alexander awoke in Kyle's body. And throughout that time, he remained confined to the house, trapped between four squalid walls that now constituted his home. His body was still too frail for much activity. Occasionally, violent tremors seized him without warning, the lingering aftermath of the addiction still clawing at this system. He would shiver, break out in cold sweats, and feel an overwhelming craving for just one more dose. But every time the urge surfaced, he clenched his fists and endured it.Alexander was a man of immense dignity. He was determined not to become Kyle.At first, Isabella and Lily remained deeply cautious. But as the days passed, the man before them kept exhibiting behaviors Kyle had never once shown.Alexander washed the dishes, something Kyle would never have stooped to do. He tidied the house, swept the floors, and even attempted to patch the leaky roof with scrap sheet metal he found out back. He spoke gently to Isabella and

Alexander stared at Lily, the little girl frozen before him, her eyes wide with sheer terror. Her tiny frame was trembling, her chest heaving like a cornered animal trying to disappear into the shadows.And then, Kyle's memories of Lily came flooding back, not just indifference, but outright hatred. Kyle despised Lily simply because she was born a girl. Alexander saw flashes of what he had done: the screaming tantrum after her birth, Kyle raging at Isabella. "Why did you give me a daughter? I wanted a son!" He had hurled everything within reach against the walls, while Isabella clutched Lily to her chest and bit back her sobs.Then came another memory, Kyle's obsession with turning Lily into a boy. He had hacked off all her hair until she was nearly bald, not for hygiene, but because he couldn't stand the sight of his child looking like the girl she was.Alexander looked at Lily, his emotions churning. She actually had a sweet face, warm, honey-brown eyes like Isabella's, and clear, d

Alexander studied Isabella for a long moment, completely at a loss for words. Up close, he finally noticed just how gaunt and sallow she truly was, and the faint, fading bruise at her temple. Kyle's handiwork, no doubt. Her heartbreakingly frail frame was his doing, too.Isabella had endured so much misery alone, all to protect her daughter from her own husband. A man who made garbage look dignified."Kyle..." After a beat of heavy silence, her voice came again, trembling and barely held together. "I promise you... I'll work even harder. I can take in more sewing. I'll find another part-time job too. I swear, I'll make more money than I ever did before."Her hands were shaking, but she desperately pressed them against the hem of her shirt to still them."I'll scrape together as much as I can and give it all to you. Just please, don't hand our daughter over to that nightclub boss. Please, Kyle. Don't ruin her future. I'm begging you—"Alexander lifted his chin, forcing his eyes to meet