The Billionaire and the Runaway Bride by Nadia Lee
Chapter Sixty-Five
Yuna
–twenty-some years ago
I’m so bored! Daddy is busy with some kind of meeting with American businesspeople, Mommy’s shopping with Ms. Lim and Ms. Go, and Eugene’s busy playing a video game.
TV is boring, too. It’s all English. I don’t understand most of it. And I’ve been taking English lessons for three whole years! Eugene says it’s because I’m just a baby, which made me want to kick him. He speaks better than me because he’s had lessons for six years. That’s twice as long as me!
So I sneak out of the suite and look for something to do at the hotel. I stare up at all the tall Americans. Their eyes and hair are so colorful.
I wander around until I find a baby grand piano in a really big room. Nobody’s there, so I go over and open the lid. Then I sit on the bench and warm up with some scales.
Then I play Schubert’s Impromptu Opus 90 Number 2, which I just mastered. The notes flow out, my hands moving fast. I have to be more creative with the pedal to compensate for my small hands and fingers.
When I’m done, I smile. I didn’t mess up even once. And I played it at tempo, too.
Somebody claps from behind me. I turn around and see a handsome American boy. He’s older, but I can’t tell if he’s older than my brother. Maybe not. He has dark hair, but not black like Eugene. And his eyes are…gray? Very different from anyone back home.
“That was good,” he says.
The compliment makes me feel buoyant enough to float in the air. “Thank you!”
“Can you play it again?” he asks with a hopeful smile.
Wow! He wants an encore! Hehehe. Happy with the request, I nod. “Yes.”
As I turn to the piano, the door to the room opens. Ms. Lim is standing on the other side. She steps inside and sags a little.
“Thank God you’re here, Ms. Hae,” she says in very polite Korean.
“Where else would I be?” I say.
“Your mother’s very worried about you. We need to go now.”
I hesitate. I don’t really want to go. But I don’t want to make Mommy worry more, either.
I turn to the boy. “I have to go,” I say in careful English, making sure to pronounce everything correctly. I wave goodbye.
“Oh.” He looks disappointed, but he waves back.
I hate seeing him let down. As Ms. Lim leads me away, I look at him over a shoulder and say, “But if I see you later, I’ll play Schubert for you again.”
His expression doesn’t change, so I don’t know if he heard me. But I do hope I run into him again sometime.
——
Thank you for reading The Billionaire and the Runaway Bride! I hope you enjoyed Yuna and Declan’s story.
If you’d like a special bonus epilogue featuring more of Yuna and Declan, join my VIP List at http://www.nadialee.net/vip to get an exclusive launch-week epilogue. You’ll also receive other extras, sneak peeks, new book announcements, sales information and more!
You might be thinking, Hey, I really want to know more about Yuna’s awesome friends!
Then check out the following stories (in chronological order):
Ryder and Paige:
A Hollywood Deal[US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]
A Hollywood Bride[US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]
Ivy and Tony:
Sins[US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]
Secrets[US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]
Mercy[US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]
Court and Pascal:
Stealing the Bride[US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]
Nate and Evie:
Marrying My Billionaire Boss[US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]
Kim and Wyatt:
Faking It with the Frenemy[US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]
Edgar and Jo:
Marrying My Billionaire Hookup[US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]
Turn the page for additional cultural notes (mentioned in the preface).