"You're not going to win this case," Duncan Forrester told me.

"You don't understand," I argued. "I have to. You don't know this man. You don't know the crimes he's committed. I can't let that child stay with him."

"The mother trusted him. Why can't you?"

I laughed at Duncan's ignorance. Sun never trusted her father. Duncan never knew Sun. He doesn't know what she would want. "I can't let her grow up in that environment. Paik is an animal. He's responsible for sixty percent of the crime in South Korea. Why can't we use that against him?"

"You could try, but all that would do is gain you one hell of a powerful enemy. The Korean government isn't going to grant a child of their country to an American and take her away from their family. Is Woo-Jung Paik really someone you want on your bad side?"

"Duncan, I don't care. Kate said I could trust you. So I'm trusting you to get this done. What do I have to do to get custody of Ji Yeon?"

He takes a deep breath. "There's no way any social worker, Korean or not, is going to grant you custody, no matter what I do. You're not married. You're a full-time student with no source of income—,"

"I'm a twenty-six year old self-made millionaire. Is income really an issue?"

"It wouldn't be, if Paik didn't have twice the amount of income that you do."

"But Duncan—,"

"The fact of the matter is that in Korea, the male automatically takes custody. I know it's not fair, but that's how it works. The only way you're going to win is if you can get married, get a job, and strike some kind of deal with Paik. There's no way he's just going to grant you custody without getting something his way."

I grab my left temple and rub. "Is there any advantage I have in this?"

"You have Sun's will. She clearly states that you are the one granted custody in the situation of her death. There may be one other thing."

"And that is?"

"You and Paik have history. You were partners during your running of Samuels Investments. You never wronged him. You never forced him to do things your way when you clearly could have. The fact that Sun also named you her successor to managing director of Paik Heavy Industries—,"

"What!" I exclaim. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't know this?" Duncan asks, pulling Sun's will out of his bag and handing it to me.

I flip through the pages. I had only ever looked at the custody agreements. But there it is. Proof that I could potentially take over as the managing director of Paik Heavy Industries. I smile at the paper. "We've got him, Duncan. There's no way Paik would allow this. He would certainly grant me custody if I promised to give him this back."

"Woah, slow down," Duncan says. "This is still a matter of Korean law. You're not getting custody unless you adopt her. And you're not adopting her unless you're married and steadily employed.

I sink back into my chair. Easier said than done.

Back home, I slam into my couch and grab my laptop. Trying to win custody and keeping an expert GPA in med school is killing me. I open my folder on equine science and read over my homework.

"That you, Brown Eyes?" James asks. He's taken to living in my guest room since we got back, but most nights he ends up beside me in my bed, his nightmares of Juliet a continuous haunting.

"Yeah," I call to him, his voice having come from the kitchen. James wasn't the best cook, but he was better than me. I can't boil an egg.

"More homework?" he asks, coming out of the doorway and handing me a beer.

"You have no idea," I say, accepting the drink and taking a long gulp.

"Am I allowed to ask how the meeting went?"

I take a deep breath and place my laptop back on the coffee table. "I'm not gonna win." I say, admitting defeat for the first time.

"That's impossible!" James shouts. "You're so great with Eliza! And you're the only reason Cassidy lets Clementine stay over."

"Being good with kids isn't the reason," I explain. "It's because I'm unemployed."

James scoffs. "You're rich as hell."

"And because I'm not married," I say, and his face turns a bright red. I should have known this would embarrass James. He told me he had bought a ring for Juliet. He was going to marry her. I look at the picture of Boone and myself when we were toddlers. "Not like I'd ever find anyone, anyway."

There's a pause as I sip my beer. Then James says the last thing I ever expect him to. "What about me?"

My head shoots up. James is looking at me, his face still a bright red. I laugh. "Nice one," I joke.

"I ain't joking," he says, dead serious. He moves beside me on the couch. "I've been thinking about it for a while. We've been living together for four months and it works. We don't have to be physical or nothing. And if Cassidy thinks I've settled down, I'll get to see Clementine more often. Plus, think of the look on Freckle's face when we tell her."

I'm speechless. Finally, I find my voice. "This is an amazing gesture, James," I say. "But getting married doesn't just solve our problems. There are other complications and I still wouldn't have a job."

"I'll get a job. I'll get us some income." His face is no longer red. His gray eyes hold a determined look. "Brown Eyes, Sun trusted you to take care of her kid. You have to win." He gets off the couch and kneels down in front of me. "What do you say, Brown Eyes? Will you marry me?"