Finally, Ivy sighs. “What do you suggest?”
Tony thinks for a moment. “Opus 69 Number 1.”
“You know it’s also called ‘L’Adieu,’ right?”
“Not that one,” I say. “I’m not playing this to say goodbye to her.”
Tony frowns. “Okay, you’re right.” Katherine makes a small noise, and he rubs her back idly. “How about Opus 69 Number 2? That’s ‘Deux Valses.’ And really pretty. Not too difficult, either.”
Ivy shakes her head. “Waltz in A minor. Other than the one in C-sharp minor, it’s Yuna’s favorite.”
Now we’re getting somewhere! “Great! Let’s do that one. But, um… Is it Yuna’s favorite because it’s the most difficult one?” That wouldn’t surprise me. I remember her fingers blurring over the keys…
“Actually, it’s the easiest, technique-wise. But it requires some delicate handling. Otherwise you end up sounding like a stiff child learning a piece beyond his skill level. And you have to finish the entire piece in under two minutes and thirty seconds or so, because otherwise it’s going to be too slow.”
Two and a half minutes to make my case. I can do that. I clench my fists in a “let’s get going” gesture. “Got it. When can we start? Because now seems really good.”
Chapter Fifty-Six
Yuna
Mom heads back to Korea after a week. I stay behind to spend more time with Ivy and the twins, but I quit staying cooped up in the suite after the confrontation with Declan. He stopped trying to contact me, and I need to get on with my life.
Still, resentment and disappointment swell inside me from time to time. Why am I mad at him? I really shouldn’t care at all. He didn’t want me enough to try harder. He only hung out in the lobby so he could say he was sorry, but once he realized it was going to be too much work to repair our relationship, he ghosted me. For three weeks now.
Come on, Yuna. You know guys can be like that.
Men like Tony and his brothers are so rare, they’re priceless. If I found one like that, I’d hang on to him. No, not just hang on. I’d drag him to the closest courthouse and marry the man. Put a ring on it, as the Americans say.
At least Eugene cancelled the venue Ms. Hong reserved. He doesn’t need me to marry in a hurry to cover up the bad publicity. That’s what Hae Min’s PR team is for, and if they can’t spin it to make it sound good, they’re too incompetent to continue to work for the family.
Which is a huge relief. I’m not going to show up at my own wedding without a groom. And most definitely not in some dress Ms. Hong picked out.
I want to get married somewhere warm and sunny with lots of breeze and water. And my wedding gown is going to be custom-made and so gorgeous that angels will weep.
Mom thinks my wants are not only reasonable but most logical, especially since they match her grand ambition for what the ceremony should be like.
I spread out reports from the Ivy Foundation on the coffee table in front of me in the suite and review them with care. Eugene delegated the foundation to one of his assistants, but many of the decisions have been left pending without my authorization. And I can’t make smart choices without all the facts and data.
I munch on a ham and cheese sandwich for a light lunch and sign off on most of them, asking for more information and analysis on four. The rest get a big fat no.
Ms. Kim takes all the papers from the table and sorts them to be sent to the foundation’s headquarters. I bend my neck and twist around a little bit to unkink. My phone buzzes.
–Ivy: Can you come over and help with the twins? Tony’s gone to see the manager over at Z, and they’re being fussy. Not even Nelly can seem to calm them down. Maybe want their favorite auntie if they can’t have their daddy.
I smile. Of course I’m her babies’ favorite auntie. Hell yeah.
Mr. Choi drives me to Ivy’s. Ms. Kim tags along. I’m going to need help with the mountain of toys I’ve ordered for my honorary nephew and niece. I’ve been trying to make up for all the nice things I couldn’t buy them while my accounts were frozen.
“Oh my God, you shouldn’t have!” Ivy says when I walk in with Mr. Choi and Ms. Kim. We’re all carrying bags and bags of gifts. Mom’s spies leave once they place the bags on the floor. They trust Ivy.
“They aren’t for you, so you don’t get a say,” I respond breezily. “I want to know what Sebastian and Katherine have to say.”
“They can’t say anything yet.”
“But they will soon. They’re pure geniuses! Did you know Sebastian can already play ‘Chopsticks’?”
“Oh my God, stop. You were holding his fingers.”