The Billionaire and the Runaway Bride by Nadia Lee

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Yuna

“Wow. This is where you live?” Declan whistles as he pulls up in front of Ivy and Tony’s home.

“It isn’t really my place. It’s Ivy’s. I’m just renting a room.”

“They rent out rooms?”

Okay, I guess that sounded sort of weird. People who can afford mansions don’t want mansion-mates. “Well, only to me. I’m a special case. Soul sister, remember? The rent is whatever an apartment would charge.”

That only seems to confuse him more. “Why don’t they just let you live there for free if you’re a soul sister?”

“Because I’m supposed to prove to Eugene I can support myself. Living rent-free at Ivy’s place wouldn’t do that.”

Declan shakes his head. “Your brother’s weird. It would’ve been easier to just let you marry who you want.”

“Thank you! We should totally make a billboard with that on it, you in your underwear, and put it outside Eugene’s office. Subliminal message.”

“I think it’s too in your face to be subliminal,” Declan says with a laugh. Then he sobers. “You sure you’re going to be okay?”

I get why he’s worried. All the way down the drive, I’ve been getting jitterier and jitterier, like a cow that’s been zapped by a cattle prod once too often. Mom has that effect on me sometimes, and this is one such occasion. But I don’t have time to explain. I need to shower, put on makeup, do my hair and make myself presentable before her driver arrives.

And I better look freakin’ amazing when I see her. Otherwise I’ll hear endless lectures. Plus she’ll probably tell Eugene that I’m not able to take care of myself. I have to remember that she and Dad put him up to this marry-or-else deal.

“Positive.” I lean closer and give Declan a quick kiss. The timing sucks, but it’s better to deal with Mom now than make her wait. She’s not good at waiting. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you later!”

“Okay. Call if you need anything,” he says, sounding slightly worried.

I dash into the house without responding. I’m his assistant. I’m not supposed to call him when I need something. He’s supposed to call me when he needs something.

If I had a minute to spare, I would have told him so.

I’m making a mental note to do just that when a thought strikes me. Maybe he doesn’t consider me an assistant anymore. He said we’re in a relationship. So that makes us girlfriend and boyfriend.

I need to figure out exactly how that’s going to work, because I can’t stay in the States forever. His life is in L.A., while mine is in Korea. And long distance is so complicated.

But Declan… Well, he’s worth the effort. So we’ll make it work.

I take a super-fast shower, then blow-dry my hair. Argh. Why do I have to have so much hair? If only it were a short bob…

Okay, calm down. If it doesn’t fully dry in time, I’ll just spread some gel through it and put it up in a French twist. That’s always an elegant choice.

And I end up opting for that, because I have to do my face, too. Nothing less than full makeup will do, but there’s so, so little time…

I suddenly realize that my mouth looks slightly swollen. And there’s a red mark on my collarbone. At least Declan didn’t leave a mark on my neck. This limits my dress options, but I’m sure I can find something. I have to look my absolute best when I see my mother at the hotel, because that’s what I’m expected to look like in public.

A halter-neck Cong Tri dress in forest green. Golden strappy sandals with long, thin spikes for heels. Gold and jade jewelry. I swipe some bright red lipstick over my mouth, then pick out a super-dark red lip stain and dab it in the inner part of my lips for a quick gradient look. Hopefully this will hide any swelling. Mom doesn’t need to know I do hot adult activities. Besides, Declan is a topic I need to broach with some tact. Like…when she’s in a great mood.

Just when I stick a butterfly-shaped diamond pin into my hair to set it into an updo, my phone buzzes.

Mr. Choi,the screen reads.

Guilt at my inability to help him resurfaces. Is he calling to beg me to give in to Eugene because he can’t bear working in the hell of internal audit anymore? If so, I’m going to have to ask him to suck it up for a few more weeks.

I hit the speaker. “Mr. Choi. How are you?”

“Good afternoon, Ms. Hae.” His voice is calm and soothing, without the edge it gets when he’s tense or unhappy about something. Maybe he’s adjusting to internal audit better than I thought. “Your car is waiting.”

I blink. My car…? Does this mean…? I smile. Yes! He’s back! And he’s here!

Mom must’ve rescued him. She knows my preferences when it comes to staffing. If I’m going to be spied on—because they all report to my mother—I prefer that I get nice, likable spies.

“I’ll be right out!” I say.

I start to dash out, then jump back into my room because I need a purse. Yesterday’s purse is okay, although the yellow and purple Gucci would work better. But I don’t have the time to dump items back and forth.

Ah, who cares. Mom’s not going to know I have the perfect Gucci in my closet.

I walk out of the house, my step light. Mr. Choi is waiting for me in the driveway, standing in front of a spotless silver Mercedes. His suit is black and impeccable as always.

He opens the back door with a bow.

“Thank you. Good to see you again, Mr. Choi.”

“My pleasure, Ms. Hae. It’s lovely to see you again.” And he means it.

He drives the car toward the hotel.

“Is Ms. Kim here, too?” I ask, unable to suppress my curiosity. If Mom knew Mr. Choi was stuck in internal audit, she had to know Ms. Kim’s fate as well. I’m dying to discover just how many of Eugene’s evil deeds Mom has undone.

“She’s with your mother,” he responds.

Yay, Mom! “I’m sorry about the ordeal. Internal audit couldn’t have been fun.”

“It was nothing.”

Some people say that, while hinting with their tone that it was definitely something and that I owe them one. But some people only say what they mean. And Mr. Choi is the second type, which is why I like and trust him.

But regardless of what he says or how much he means it, I’m not going to forget that he had to suffer because of my decision. I’ll have to find a way to make it up to him somehow. Maybe a trip to someplace nice. Or a transfer to some division of his choice within the Hae Min Group after I’m married to the love of my life and Mom doesn’t need to spy on me anymore. I can make that happen by asking Dad when he’s in a particularly good mood.

Mr. Choi murmurs something into his lapel mic when we arrive at the hotel. A doorman comes over to open the door. I step out and follow Mr. Choi to the elevator.

Ms. Lim reserved the top floor, as she knows Mom’s preference. The entire floor is cordoned off, and only people with a room key can go up.

I tell myself to stay calm because Mom’s here for Ivy’s twins. She hasn’t had spies reporting all my moves to her since I left Korea, so she doesn’t know I slept with Declan. Mom only knows I’m in L.A. and wants to catch up. She might even suggest we go shopping later, in which case I’ll say yes and put everything on her credit card.

Mr. Choi opens the door to the corner suite. I step inside the luxuriously appointed room, complete with a grand piano, which is likely out of tune. Most hotel suite pianos are. I scan the room and stop when I spot Ms. Lim and Ms. Kim standing together in black suits, their hands folded in front of them. They bow, and I give Ms. Kim a small smile. I’ll need to do something nice for her, too.

And then I see my mother and grin with all the happiness in the world. I seriously adore her.

She’s seated at the coffee table, sipping tea out of a delicate porcelain cup.

Nobody would believe she just crossed the Pacific Ocean. Her dark blue Hobeika dress is wrinkle-free and drapes gorgeously over her toned body. Nude Gucci heels encase her slender feet, the toenails painted orchid pink. The makeup on her face is fresh and impeccable, and not a strand of hair is out of place on her auburn head, two shades darker than mine.

Mom places her teacup on the table and stands in a single motion as elegant and fluid as a ballerina. She steps forward, puts her hands on my shoulders and looks me over.

I smile under her scrutiny. It’s par for the course. Since my skin’s not in the best condition after my late night, the critique should come in…three…two…one…

“Oh my goodness, Yuna! When was your last facial?”

“A month ago,” I say lightly. Ms. Kim would know it more precisely, but I think an approximation is good enough for now.

“What? You’re too young to give up on yourself so soon!” Mom speaks as though I’ve been eating live cicadas for the last four weeks. “Women are like delicate flowers. You have to take care of yourself if you want to preserve youth and beauty.”

“Eugene left me no choice.” There! I’m throwing you under the bus, big brother! And I don’t even feel guilty about it, because it’s true. “I can’t do facials when I have no money.”

“I heard. I have no clue what he was thinking. I told him to get you married, not make you work. And with no funds! How are you supposed to maintain a proper appearance?” She looks me over again. “At least your dress isn’t old, although I think that purse could use an update. I’m sure we can find something better to match your outfit.”

I wrap myself around her arm. This is my chance to get my accounts unfrozen. I need some active plastic, ideally without a spending limit. And if Mom authorizes it, Eugene can’t do anything about it. It’s sort of cheating, but I don’t care. He only got to freeze my accounts because our parents probably didn’t know he’d go that far.

He should know what it feels like to have somebody crap on his plans.

“My purse can always use an update, Mom,” I say in my sweetest and most tragic voice. “But Eugene made sure I couldn’t do that. Do you know all my cards got declined just as I was about to buy some new dresses and shoes?”

Mom puts a hand to her forehead. “So embarrassing. And the clerk knew who you were, of course?”

“Of course! She addressed me as Ms. Hae the entire time. I wanted to die on the spot of humiliation.”

Mom squeezes her eyes shut for a moment. “Eugene should at least allow you to maintain dignity. How are you supposed to marry properly when your cards get declined like that in front of others? Was there anybody around?”

I lower my voice. “Young-shin from the Geum Yun Group.” The heiress didn’t see me, I don’t think. I only spotted her walking by with her entourage. But there’s no need to mention that. What’s important is that a member of the Geum Yun family was there—Mom and Young-shin’s mom have a seething rivalry going back at least ten years.

Mom shudders. “This will not do. At all. Well! I’m here now, and things are going to be different.”

“Why didn’t you make things different sooner?” I ask, relieved and smug that my plan is working. She’s so distracted she hasn’t mentioned those dossier pests, not even once.

“Because I’ve been busy. And I thought Eugene would do a good job, figuring out what makes you tick. After all, he’s closer to your age than me.”

“But older in spirit. And he doesn’t understand women at all.”

Mom laughs in female solidarity.

“So you aren’t busy now?” I ask, wondering how fully she’s committed to being on my team.

“No, I’m still…a little busy. It’s just…” She sighs. “We can talk about it later.”

Something’s weird. She isn’t as angry with Eugene as I expected, especially after I brought up the Geum Yun Group. Still, Mr. Choi and Ms. Kim are out of their hell assignments, plus—maybe—I’ll have full, unlimited access to funds. So I’m not going to complain too much.

“Anyway,” Mom says, “the very first order of business is to go get facials.”

“I thought you wanted to see the twins first.”

“Yes, yes, we’re going to do that, too, but I don’t think your skin can wait. It’s so…dreadful. It’s lost all its dewiness and has the texture of a dry sponge.” Mom sighs like somebody just asked her to un-bankrupt a company in the next two hours. “And we need to discuss possible men. I know many of the selected men have become unavailable, so I had Ms. Lim research substitutes.”

“Ms. Lim didn’t have to do that,” I say sweetly with a fake smile. Why does she have to be so damn competent? I need to find a good time to bring Declan up. And soon. I can’t be looking over husband candidates when I have a boyfriend.

“Of course she did. Your marriage is our utmost priority right now.” Mom’s voice is too firm and determined. And almost grim, which is new. She’s acting like if I don’t get married, Hae Min is going to go under.

Except I know that isn’t the case.

I cast a glance at Mr. Choi, but his eyes slide away. I realize that something nobody wants to talk about happened while I’ve been here in L.A. What the hell is it?

But absolutely nobody seems interested in sharing the information, not even Mom. She only gestures at Ms. Lim, who calls the concierge to make a spa appointment. Thankfully, the spa can’t take us right now, but they can tomorrow morning.

“American spas are so inconvenient,” Mom mutters.

I say nothing, since she’s irritated and there’s nothing I can say to cheer her up. If this were Korea, they’d find a way to accommodate her.

So Mom and I decide to see Ivy and Tony and their new twins and then go have dinner together afterward. And I plan to grill my mom—subtly, of course—until she tells me everything.