Three days.
Three hopeless days. I’ll just be transferred from one prison to another.
Because of the despairing feelings, I take too long to respond, and Jo Yoon-ha kicks my shin.
“I’m sorry,” the words burst over my lips. “I was thinking of what it will be like there.”
“Are you worried about anything?” he asks, and it makes me really focus on his face. That’s twice he’s picked up that I’m upset.
His eyes are focused on me, and when I meet his gaze, I feel apprehension slither down my spine.
This is a man. A foreign man. I haven’t even kissed a boy yet. How will I deal with a man?
Jo Yoon-ha kicks me again, and I almost flinch but instead shift in the chair. “I’m just worried about the cultural differences,” I admit a partial truth.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ve been studying everything I could find about your culture. I don’t expect you to change or to adopt my culture. We’ll find a middle ground to make it work.”
“Thank you.”
“Lake, we need to... shit, sorry,” I hear another man’s voice.
“Sorry about that. I have to go, but I’ll see you in three days.” I nod, feeling relieved that the call is coming to an end. “Have a safe flight.”
“Thank you.”
The call ends, and Jo Yoon-ha grabs the phone from my hand before slapping the side of my head.
“You better learn how to act before we land in America or I’ll have your mother send to a place you’ll never find her.”
I want to jump up and lash out at her, but fear for my mother has me gripping the sides of the chair and keeping still.
“You should be happy. You get to marry a handsome, wealthy man instead of living in the slums with your mother.”
When she leaves, locking the door behind her, I wrap my arms around myself. I miss my life before Chairman Park. Although I worked hard and had to do my homework at midnight, it was at least my own life.Chapter 1LakeI take a seat at a table while I wait for the pizza order. Staring outside, my mind goes back to this afternoon.
I know Falcon and Mason are upset with the way things played out at the airfield, and believe me, I am too, but right now my hands are tied.
Until Mr. Park returns to South Korea, I have to be careful. Right now, he has all the power, but once he has invested and the marriage has been officiated, that will all change.
I’ve found out as much as I could about the Park family. I know Mr. Park is divorced from Lee’s mother, and the woman he brought along on the business trip is his mistress who he has a son with.
Something has been niggling at the back of my mind, and the only thing I can contribute it to is that the tone of text messages from Lee just doesn’t match the video calls I’ve had with her.
Maybe she’s just shy talking face to face?
I shake my head and think back to our last video call. Her eyes kept darting up as if something was distracting her attention.
She could’ve been watching the time.
I let out a soft chuckle and murmur, “You’re probably imagining things.” I’m just on edge because of everything that’s been happening with Layla and Kingsley.
I lean back in the chair and pull my phone out. Scrolling to Lee’s number, I press dial and bring the phone to my ear.
When it goes to voicemail, I say, “Hey, Lee. I just wanted to hear if you and your family checked into the hotel okay. I’ll see you tomorrow at the country club.”
After I end the call, I cringe when I remember I forgot to speak to her with honorifics. I let out a sigh, and can only hope she won’t be offended.
When my order is ready, I get up and collect it, then head out to the car.
Hey, at least I know there’s nothing wrong with my car after Mason checked it out for me, and that the whistling sound I’ve been hearing was probably my imagination. Getting into Mason’s car, I set the pizza boxes on the passenger seat. I pull on the safety belt, then start the engine before I drive back to the Academy.
A smile forms around my mouth when I think how beautiful Lee looked in person. Damn, I thought Kingsley was short, but even with heels on, Lee’s head barely reached past my shoulder. She wore a simple black dress which flared from her hips and her hair hung loose past her shoulders. Actually, beautiful doesn’t begin to describe her.
I’ll see her tomorrow at the country club, where our parents will sit down to discuss some of the terms for the deal and our marriage.
The deal. I grimace, really hating the word. There’s no way I’ll marry Lee if she doesn’t agree to it one hundred percent. Honestly, it worries me whether she’s being forced into this marriage, or whether she had a choice like I did.