Previously: Hilary is reminded by Kai that he does not want anyone other than Emily aware of their arrangement. When Hilary messages Emily, Emily reveals that she's already told other members of the family. Irritated and desperate, Hilary goes upstairs to meet with Kai in person to tell him the news. There she is met with a man who refuses to let her through.

Ever Been So Stressed, You Feel Like Crawling Out a Window?

Looking into his stern expression, I don't feel so bold anymore. My voice sounds small as I try to explain myself. "I have a message for you, and this guy wouldn't let me through."

"This guy," Kai says, his tone cracking like a whip, "is in charge of protecting my life and he's just supposed to let you in? Because you asked nicely and say you have a message for me?"

"It's really important,"

"I gave you a way to contact me,"

"This needed to be said in person."

Under his narrow glare, I feel like a child being chastised. It is clear that he is not impressed with my efforts.

"Then come along,"

Surprised that it is that easy, I follow him to his office in the back. Of all the offices that I pass, his is by far the largest. The wide windows, two on the wall to our right, and the one behind his desk allow for natural sunlight to create an airy feeling. Off to the right side is a sitting area, the furniture all neutral tans. Everything matches and is very professional, but there isn't a single personal item in sight.

Kai sits at the glass desk, legs crossed, watching me with a critical eye. I start when I notice his gaze. "Get on with it. What is so important that you needed to come up here?"

"Right," I say, taking my focus from my surroundings and dragging it to the issue that has caused so much trouble, "My cousin Emily, who you met earlier, told my two other cousins."

He takes a deep breath through his teeth. "You're making me regret this,"

"I told her that we're keeping it on the down-low," I argue, "and I thought that was enough of a hint. I guess not. Some people, right?" I laugh lightly at the end, as though we're both in on the joke.

He scowls. "Don't play it off like this is her fault. This was your plan, your mistake, and your slip up, one after the other."

Chafing under the annoyed and condescending tone he's taking with me, I snip, "I may have messed up but you're the one who agreed to it."

That probably isn't the right thing to say. I know it the second I say it but there are no take-backs.

He rises, eyes tightly trained on me as he walks over in smooth, even steps. Calm as he is, there is nothing left of the man I'd seen in the elevator; he's become every bit the man all those articles implied.

"Let's be clear, Hilary," my name slides from his mouth like a curse, "I was being kind. You have very little to offer me in terms of return but I didn't consider it when you came to me, told me you took my picture without my permission, and were off telling your family we're in a relationship that could ruin my name. I thought: well, this girl clearly has no life. Let her live a little."

I interject, protesting against the image he paints of me but he carries on without hindrance.

"All I asked is that you contain this. Tell your cousin whatever you want. But contain it."

"I tried. I told her."

"Obviously, not explicitly enough." He stands in front of me, bearing down. I know realistically I'm not in any physical danger, not in the middle of his office, but his previous threat echoes through my mind.

I'll ruin you.

I take a breath to say something when I'm interrupted by his bodyguard. He's down the hall but his voice carries back to us, louder than it needs to be to tell someone that Mr. Hiwatari is in a meeting and not to be disturbed. Around the interior glass walls of his office, we can see a group of men walking towards us, ignoring the tall, muscular man, much like I wish I could have.

This time Kai does curse, a low grumble that has me confused by his sudden absence as he backs away from me.

"I need to hide you," he says looking around.

With all the small furniture in the room, there was no way I could hide anywhere in here. Taking a chance, I went toward one of the windows behind his desk, bracing myself on the sill. "Help me up," I said, kicking off my heels.

"What?"

"Give me a leg up," I motioned toward the window and then down to my pencil skirt. Working quickly, I open the window, grateful my guess was correct.

"What are you doing?" Kai mutters as he lifts me by the hips. I have to make a point to ignore the points of contact where his hands' grip.

With my legs shaking under me, I step out of the open window. The ledge outside is plenty wide enough for me to step out and, keeping close to the building, I shuffle out of sight. His head follows me out, eyes wild.

"Shoo, you'll give me away," I whisper, taking deep breaths and avoiding looking down. The breeze up here is light, just enough to ruffle my hair, but I should be okay as long as I stay away from the edge.

At least, that's what I tell myself.

I keep my eyes focused on the sky. It seems so much bigger up here. Until this moment, I had forgotten what floor I'm on. Now, it's all I can think about.

An arm crosses in front of me, crushing me against the stone building. Startled, I look over to see Kai standing with his back toward the world, keeping me trapped between him and the wall. I can't read his stern expression, but his gaze is fixed firmly on me. Under his scrutiny, I'm unable to turn away, but I find I don't fear falling any longer; he is an immovable force.

It's at this moment I realize we probably just could have said I was a his assistant. No one would have thought twice about and I could have left without question.

From inside the office, we hear the men finally enter the office.

"I thought you said he was in a meeting?" One says, his gruff tone irritated.

"I believe he is...meeting them for lunch." Kai's guard answers. Then more firmly, "That's what I was trying to tell you."

"And this is the boy Soichiro is trusts? He's never where he's supposed to be, always taking off, doing whatever he wants."

Various agreements echo the sentiment before we hear their voices fade, leaving us in silence. Kai still doesn't move. I wait and wait for him to put some distance between us.

"I think they're gone," I whisper, waiting for him to let me go.

Carefully, Kai backs away from me taking my hand and helping me back inside. Once I am steady on my feet in his office, he jumps in behind me.

"How did you think of that?" He demands as I slid on my heels, which he'd thrown behind one of the chairs.

"Our floor's windows used to open but the company had them sealed when it was discovered that a couple was sneaking out there for some uh - fun time." I wiggle my brows to emphasize the message.

"You're not serious,"

"No, really. They were fired of course, but that's what happened. I just assumed that your windows wouldn't be sealed."

His mouth is a serious line across his face, arms crossed over his chest, as he stares me down. If I weren't scared of his reaction, his pout would be cute.

"And you just thought 'I'll jump out the window' with no regard for your safety?"

I shrug, throwing my hands up. "I knew the ledge was big enough and you said you needed to hide me,"

"Do you really never think?"

"I didn't want to cause you any more trouble. I promise I'm not always like this. I'm normally very logical."

He scoffs at that and it is my turn to pout. It is true. I'm never like this actually, but it seems where Kai is involved, I am all act first, think later. At least, I have the brains not to admit that to him.

"What you did was crazy and stupid," he says, pointing at the still open window. "But also, very brave."

I don't know what to say. 'Thanks' comes to mind, but so far he's called me a fool, crazy, and stupid. I want to avoid giving him the impression that I appreciate it.

Kai sighs. "I guess you've bought yourself some more time,"

"Huh?"

"Before I ruin you," he clarifies with a long-suffering look. "As long as no one else finds out about this, you're off the hook."

"Really?"

He lifts a single shoulder in a hopeless shrug. I want to shout in joy, happy to have survived another day.

"You're a lifesaver, Kai. You have no idea."

"You can go now,"

I turn, ready to be free. Truthfully, the idea that I'd just been standing on the verge of death is starting to catch up with me and I am about five seconds away from fainting if I think about it any harder.

Before I make it to his door, I stop, a thought occurring to me.

"Yes?" His bored voice intones from behind me.

I shift around carefully, hoping my face conveys the sheepishness that I feel. "Do you think it'd be possible for me to get an actual picture of you? And me. Together. Maybe?"

"Emily wants more proof?"

"She's the definition of difficult to please,"

He considers me carefully, his passive eyes giving away nothing. I am just about to give up and run away when he rises from his desk.

"How do you want this?"

Oh?

OH.

I stumble over my words and my feet as I walk back over to him, pulling my phone from my skirt pocket. "Maybe by the window, for the light?"

There are a few awkward moments as we arrange ourselves, neither of us entirely sure where to stand. With a complaining groan, he reaches out and swiftly grabs my wrist, twisting my body so that my back is pressed against his chest. He doesn't let go and instead moves his hand down so that it rests over my waist, holding me to him.

"Give me your phone," he demands.

Startled, I hand it to him without argument. He spends a few seconds setting up the camera and then holds it above us so that we're both in the picture.

Well, it's mostly just me in the frame. He's tall enough that his head is cut off. I can see his shoulder and the wisps of his darker hair at the nape of his neck, but not much else. Regardless, it's undeniably him and should be enough proof for Emily.

I smile, eyes toward the camera and hold my head at an angle, and try my hardest not to look too stiff and dazed. My face faults on the screen when I see him dip his head so that it rests just over my shoulder.

His magnetic eyes catch mine in the picture and I freeze. The screen clicks, recording the image. Once the picture is taken, he lets go of me and I have to quickly catch my balance before I fall. He messes with my phone for a moment and then hands it back to me, the picture saved as my home screen.

I look stupefied. He looks great, of course, but I look absolutely dumbstruck.

"Um," I say unsurely, "do you think that we could possibly - "

"No, that's the picture,"

I nod, slipping the phone back into my pocket.

"Don't you have a job to get back to?"

I look at the clock on his wall and gasp. I've been in his office for almost an hour. My lunch has long since ended and if anyone notices my absence, it could be a write-up. That would tarnish my perfect record with the company and I can kiss that promotion goodbye.

"I've got to go," I say, dashing out of the office. On the way, I pass his rather large bodyguard who seems equally surprised to see me. "Bye," I wave as I go, opening the door to the stairs, unwilling to wait for the elevator.

I descend as quickly and carefully as I can in my heels. Once I'm back on my floor, I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart and walk back to my desk. I stroll, evenly and slowly, as though I had just taken a brief break and not disappeared into a certain Man From Upstair's office.

Nobody looks up or gives me the time of day. They sit at their desks, focused on their lives, and have little regard for me or mine. The only person who reacts to my return is Brooklyn, who tilts his head in a secretive way when I pull out my office chair. I arch my brow in question, hoping that if I act like nothing is out of the usual, he'll believe it.

Instead, he puts his finger to his lips, tapping it there once, and then mimes as though he's zipping his lips shut and twisting the lock. His smile after is large.

I turn back to my computer, ready to focus on the work I have left. But even though I give it my best efforts, my thoughts are always diverted away. Some go to Brooklyn and his bizarre behavior, but most go to my phone that is practically burning in my pocket. And to Kai, The Man From Upstairs. My fake boyfriend.

Notes: I'll start putting the full chapter titles at the top, along with a reminder paragraph, just in case. Perhaps at some point, I'll go back and add the chapters to the previous chapters, haha. How is everyone? I hope you're okay.

I'll be updating next week. Let me know your thoughts on the story so far.