Making eye contact with my problems until they resolve themselves (or become even bigger problems!)

The street below is a river of cars as the sunsets on the horizon. I stand at the window, dressed in another gown Oliveri designed, this one a light blue slip, hanging by delicate strings off my shoulders. It flows to my ankles, a soft satin against my skin. Other than the ring on my finger, the only other jewelry given to me is tear-drop earrings. In the reflection of the window, I see Giancarlo still fussing about Kai's head as they put the final touches on us before we descend from the penthouse of the hotel Romero booked for us. Most of the guests have already arrived and are waiting for us in the ballroom on the first floor.

"I'm not sure there's much you can do there," I say lightly, turning away from the window and stepping up to adjust Kai's already perfect tie. Kai watches me closely, gaze jumping from my face to my hands as I dust the invisible lint from his suit.

Gian frowns, glaring at the misbehaving gray hair. "No, there never was,"

"Credit to you for trying,"

He comes around behind me, lowering his face to judge Kai from my perspective. "Eh," he says, tilting his head, "he'll do,"

I smile. "He certainly does for me," I'm not entirely sure anyone's paying that close attention to us or looking for holes in our guise. It's just better to act like they are so that I stay 'On' as long as people are around

I've started to divide my time into two categories. Surrounded as we are by Giancarlo and Olivier and their staff as they prep us for the evening ahead, I'm On. I've clocked-in, my shift has started and it's time to get to work.

There's a knock at the door. Rick, already standing guard, cracks it open to check before allowing Romero to enter fully. The mood for the day's been mostly serious, falling heavy over everyone, especially those of us who are aware of the true situation.

Unusually somber, Romero greets me with a kiss on both cheeks. He shakes Kai's hand, settling the other on his shoulder, and asks, "Are you ready?"

Kai nods once.

"Um," I speak up, realizing this is my last chance to have Kai alone for probably the rest of the evening, "can I have a moment with my fiancée, please?"

There's a tittering about the room that sounds generally positive and people begin putting what they were doing down. Kai and Romero exchange a look before Romero shrugs, gliding back towards the door.

"Only for a moment, dear, you have people waiting,"

Only Rick remains, looking to Kai for direction. Receiving the single nod of approval, Rick shuts the door behind him and we're officially alone for the first time since the early hours of the morning. Kai turns to me, silently questioning my actions.

When we're alone and it's just us behind closed doors, I can be Off. We can return to our natural way of treating each other. Whatever that is, exactly.

I step away, relaxing the smile that I try to keep when we're in front of others. "I just wanted to check in with you before we go down there," I say, sitting on one of the two couches in the room. "Have you figured out what your grandfather's planned?"

That along, with many other questions, plagued me most of the night. I know Kai wouldn't let it go either. At my question, his blank face breaks into a frown. "No, I haven't. And we're out of time," He sits across from me with a frustrated sigh. "Are you sure you're not forgetting anything Salima said?"

I shake my head. "No. She talked about school, mentioned her dress for the party, and then she just asked a lot of questions about us,"

"What did you say?"

I give him a bored look at the slight hitch of alarm in his voice. "The amount of doubt you have in me at this point is astounding, and frankly, I'm over it. Considering the task you've given me, I think I've done a good job so far,"

"Are you looking for praise?"

"A little wouldn't hurt,"

Now he's the one with the unamused expression.

Laughing lightly, I mutter, "I'll take that as a no, then,"

It's hard to have a natural conversation when I know a dozen people are standing just outside the door, and another several dozen downstairs. The pressure to still perform as the perfect girlfriend is great. During the two weeks, in which Romero arranged this entire celebration of engagement, I've been working on myself and my public image. Never once did I question if it was enough. I equated it to studying for an exam that had a presentation portion at the end. Now, with this mystery question of his grandfather hanging over us, I feel like I've studied all the wrong chapters.

I look around the room as if the answer is just going to appear in a flash of light or wrapped in pretty paper and gifted to us by a flying man in a red suit. Not likely.

Sighing deeply, I shrug. "Mariah and I can get Salima alone. If we say the right things, maybe she'll let some more slip?"

He considers this, brow arching in contemplation. "At this point, it's our only option,"

"Mariah can be very persuasive,"

I receive the same nod as Rick. "Is that all you wanted?" he asks.

It's the only thing I can think of. Now I'm just stalling for time. "Is there anything you expect from me tonight?"

"Keep doing what you've been doing," Kai says, standing up. He holds out his right arm, hooked at the elbow. "Even Romero says that you're doing better than he thought you would,"

"Is that actual compliment? Perhaps we should tell Romero to have an ambulance on standby. Wouldn't want your death to ruin our evening," My smile is genuine as I rise to meet him, our elbows hooking around each other.

I'm grateful for all the practicing we've done as we exit the room into a crowded hallway. Our gaits match perfectly, Kai leading us towards the elevator as the fabric of my dress swishes around my ankles. The last people we pass are Olivier and Gian, their clever eyes following their friend. They'll finish cleaning up here and then join us downstairs as Kai's guests.

Only Rick and Romero join us in the elevator, standing in front of us.

I turn to Kai. "If Giancarlo and Olivier are friends of yours from school, why don't they know the truth about us?"

"Only those who are absolutely necessary know the truth," Kai answers, "Gian and Olivier also aren't the best at keeping secrets."

"Even for you?"

He laughs to himself. "Alcohol and the promise of a warm body don't care about who's secret it is,"

"Oh,"

"Besides, their loyalty will always be to each other first. It's just how it is,"

"Like how your loyalty will always be with Yuriy Ivanov first, despite what trouble he gets into?"

Silence reigns in the seconds after my comment. Kai turns to look at me, and even Romero looks over his shoulder with a shocked expression.

"I've been doing some reading," I offer as an explanation. "I'm sure it's all rumors, of course,"

Romero guffaws, facing front again.

"Yes," Kai answer, looking pointedly at Romero, "he has my loyalty,"

There are other questions I want to ask, but their delicate nature keeps me from pursuing them as the elevator arrives on the first floor and opens. Rick steps out first, eyes moving discreetly about as Kai and I follow next, and Romero trails just behind. My hand grips tighter onto Kai as I lean into him. His inherent steadiness serves me well.

Light and sound pour out from the ballroom. Behind the overlapping conversations is a lively band. My eyes are not prepared for the entire scene, even once we're standing in the doorway. Chandeliers line the ornate ceiling of the room in two rows all the way to the back of the massive room. All around the outside are large circular tables with white table cloths, decorated with beautiful centerpieces and place settings. At the center is a dance floor which is currently being used for mingling. It feels more like a dream than anything else I've experienced before.

"It's like a movie," I whisper. My gaze glides from one thing to the next, trying to take it all in.

The band slows to a stop as people begin to notice our arrival. Light applause and the tinkling of champagne glasses ripple up from the crowd. We wait in the doorway as the applause dies out and Kai takes a moment to welcome everyone, thanking them for making the trip, and introducing me once again. Much like the initial announcement, his voice rings hollow with empty words.

It takes me by surprise that I can tell when he's being insecure now. It's usually when he's talking too much.

Still, I stare up at him with dreamy eyes. admiring the way the light shines on his profile, emphasizing the sharp angles of his face. Somehow, he's mastered the art of always being perfectly posed for a picture, aware that he's constantly being looked at. And not just looked at, but observed.

Giancarlo managed to do something with the back of his hair, the shorter ends gelled into submission. His lashes are long and dark, framing his eyes, normally shadowed with concealed thoughts. Or just shadowed with exhaustion. Tonight, he forces a light into them, projecting a cheerfulness I know he doesn't feel.

It's strange. I know I'm supposed to be pretending right now, putting myself in my 'On' mode, but I feel honestly happy at the moment. Content standing at his side and helping him win over the people tonight. Each of us is capable in our own areas. Together, we're unstoppable.

Once his speech is over, the band begins to play again. We're approached by men and women, couples and families, all eager to congratulate Kai. I'm eternally grateful for Mariah's forethought in reviewing names with me last night. No one expects me to know or even remember their name but it adds to our believability that I can turn to Kai and say, "Oh, this is who you were speaking about? So nice to put a face to the name,"

I can tell me likes it, too. It gives them the idea that Kai spares more than two seconds of thought once they're out of sight.

People call me charming, down-to-earth, and sweet. They say all of this to Kai, as though it were their final approval he was waiting for. Despite the obvious disregard, I smile and cling to his side.

One man claps Kai on the shoulder with a hardy laugh. "I didn't even know you were looking,"

Kai's tense eyes narrow on the man's hand. Seeing the potential danger of the situation, I lean in closer to get the man's attention. "Neither did I. I was taken completely by surprise, but he managed to convince me somehow." Then I reach out my hand for his, forcing him to remove it from Kai's shoulder. To give Kai a moment to relax, I hold onto the conversation for a moment, asking various questions about his trip into the city and where they're visiting from. Small talk is easy as long as you keep the sharing of information light.

As we move on, I hear the man's wife say, "She's very nice," to which I cheer internally.

The man replies, "Sure, but I'm still confused how she was able to collar him," which has me cringing. For multiple reasons. Kai doesn't react to the comments and it's difficult to tell if he even heard them. In fact, it's beginning to look like he's not hearing very much.

"Are you okay?" I ask after pulling him aside.

"I hate big gatherings," he answers. "I especially hate being the center of them,"

I think back to my parent's house and the party there. I thought his aversion was to having a mother fawning over him, but maybe it was just people instead. He did look more at ease talking to Max and Michael and then Judy and Emily, but even that got to him eventually.

Kai's an introvert, there's no question about it. But I didn't realize how short his social battery actually is and we still have the rest of the night ahead of us.

I scan the room, looking for any familiar face that might put him at ease. It's difficult to see through the sea of moving people, but eventually my eyes land on the bright pink hair that stands from the crowd, and the timing couldn't be more perfect.

"Come on,"

The crowd parts easily around us, mainly because people tend to get out of Kai's way. We finally reach them and for a moment, I'm distracted by the couple. 'Beautiful' doesn't even begin to cover the two of them together. Mariah stands next to Rei in a deep blue dress, contouring to her curvy figure. Her contrasting hair is thick and wavy, settling over her shoulder. Rei's more discreet in a simple formal coat. Looking closely, though, I note patterned imprinted on the black fabric. It's a small detail but adds a lot.

"Wow," I say. There's nothing else to add.

Nothing else is needed. Mariah moves, the slit in the dress sliding even further to reveal more of her toned leg. "Thank you,"

"Has it had the desired effect?"

Her devious eyes sweep the room, finding their target immediately. Kai's aunt stands next to her purple-haired husband, nursing a nearly empty glass of champagne. She sneers when she sees us looking and turns away. "I'd say so," Mariah says, wiggling her fingers in a mock greeting.

Rei takes her hand in his and lowers it. "Stop bullying the poor elites," he chides. There's a pleasing charm to his voice and it's obvious he's more amused than anything. "I didn't expect to see you so early this evening," he continues with us. Mariah also tears her gaze away from her unfavored irritant. "Figured we'd be your last stop of the tour,"

"Yes, well, I need to barrow Mariah and I figured you can watch him," I nod towards Kai, "and make sure nobody tips him over the edge,"

"I am not a child that needs to be sat," Kai mutters.

Unnoticed, another man appears at Kai's shoulder. He greets us quickly before pulling Kai into a one-sided conversation. Kai's jaw clenches, prepared to endure the next five minutes of social torture. I send Rei a worried look.

He nods. "I'll take care of it,"

Leaving Kai with a level-headed adult, I take Mariah by the hand and lead her away.

"What are we doing," she asks with an excited giggle.

"A little espionage," I respond over my shoulder. "Salima knows something about Soichiro and his plans for tonight. We're going to try to get it out of her,"

Mariah points us in the right direction and we find Salima easily. She stands out from the crowd only because she's clearly not enjoying it as she sits alone at one of the tables, slouched over with only her hand to support her head. Her eyes light up as Mariah and I break away from the crowd coming towards her.

"You look like you can use some company," Mariah says as she lifts three flutes from a passing tray. Salima and I each take one and together the three of us clink in a toast to the night.

She takes a sip, hugging Mariah gratefully. "I'm bored out my mind," she tells her, before turning to me. In that instant, her eyes widen, probably remembering what this party is for. I try to smile as if it's no big deal. She waves it off, settling a hand on my shoulder. "No offense to you, of course. It's just the same people as always."

"Yeah, I get it,"

"You're not boring. It's just the people here,"

"Of course,"

Mariah's eyes bounce between the two of us as she waits for the awkwardness to leave. When the lingering silence lasts too long, she speaks up for me. Leveling the younger girl with an impish stare. "So, Salima, tell me all the gossip,"

Salima's eyes shoot to me for a moment. "Nothing to report," she shrugs.

"Really?" Mariah presses. "All these people here and you don't have one secret to fill Hilary in on?"

She scans the room. "No, not a one," she draws the words out.

Through the crowd, I can see her mother, whose eyes have landed on us. Her flat eyes and sour expression give me the impression that she's not absolutely thrilled someone's keeping her daughter company. I can sense the enmity she has for me and Mariah from across the room. Even as I turn away, I can still feel the heat from her glower climbing up my back and leaving a bitter taste on my tongue. Looking at Salima, I can't imagine what it's like to live with that constantly.

"Oh, well," I sigh. "Worth a shot,"

Mariah drives the conversation in another direction, sharing a drawn-out story of a woman who cornered her a Rei to ask if Rei would consider catering outside of Kai. The way Mariah tells it, the woman was practically begging, repeatedly asking in new ways and inventive ways.

"I felt bad but there's no way Rei would leave Kai at this time," Mariah laughs.

Still smiling at Mariah's imitations, I ask, "But wouldn't it be smart for Rei to branch out. He wants to have his own business one day, right?" I know I've heard her talk about it before. They're only over at Kai's a few nights a week. Realistically, Rei could have other clients.

Mariah nods. "Yeah, someday. But for now, it's just Kai, per our agreement,"

I tilt my head.

"You don't know?" Salima asks. Unlike her mother's, her expression hasn't jumped immediately to suspicion. She's simply confused.

That's good. I can work with confusion. "I guess I just never thought of it. Just happy to have them in my life," I laugh, bonking myself on the head with the heel of my hand.

"Yeah," Salima says, looking to Mariah for confirmation of the gap in my information, "Kai likes his privacy,"

"And he doesn't share well," Mariah adds.

Salima laughs at that. It's a laugh I recognize; that of one family member tired of the other's crap. The fact that Salima would feel the same way about Kai as I feel about Emily draws me closer to her. It's one thing we have in common at least. "No, he certainly doesn't share," she mutters into her glass.

"Hilary,"

I take a deep breath. Speaking of cousins.

"Queen," I say as I turn around with a tense smile on my face, "and King. How are you?"

"Tired and bored," Queen says. They don't look tired in the least. In fact, they look like the most put-together people here in their matching suits; Queen's black and King's white. The only difference is that King wears a white shirt under his while Queen wears just a mesh last, revealing the creamy skin of her chest down to her navel where the coat closes.

"Then let me introduce you to the most interesting people here," I step aside to let them see Mariah and Salima. I repeat the names for everyone, expecting they'll greet each other and then King and Queen will move on.

The four of them stare at each other passively, each waiting for another to make the first move. The tension rises but I seem to be the only one who feels it. Finally, Salima smiles.

"We've met before," she says.

"Oh?" Queen blinks, arching a brow.

"When I was a child," she clarifies, "You both were walking the runway for Salvador, the Brazilian designer. That was about ten years ago, though, so I don't think you'd remember. It's been a while."

Queen glares.

Mariah jumps in. "Oh, you were models?"

"We retired young," King answers.

"Yeah, it's not an industry for the old," Mariah nods with understanding.

"We're hardly -" Queen breaks off with a tight grin. "Never mind. We were just coming to say hello,"

King picks up, "And ask how you found our gift?" His knowing smile lingers gently as he looks at me through the fringe of his white bangs.

Kai let me take all the presents from my family's party back to my place. They were nice and I personally enjoyed open each one of them. King and Queen's book of castles was definitely...something. I'd try to look up if Kai had any kind of history with castles in Europe, but found absolutely nothing. Based on that, I think King was just sending me on a goose chase.

"It was fine," I say.

"And did Kai like it?"

I hate how a single question can send me spiraling. "Kai hardly has the time to peruse a picture book," I reply.

King nods. I still get the feeling he knows more than me, despite how ludicrous that idea is.

"Look what the cat dragged in,"

Mariah turns with excitement at the new voice, arms opening to bring Julia close, squeezing the life from her. Despite this, Julia smiles, lowering her head to Mariah's shoulders and return the hug. Her bright green eyes remain open and they find me.

In-person, Julia is everything I imagined and more. Realistically, I should be threatened. She's known Kai for well over ten years; since they were teenagers. Mariah loves her. She's smart and beautiful and accomplished. Not to mention, Soichiro's first choice for Kai. I should hate the fact that she's here.

Yet, I don't get the sense of competition from her. Or at least, she's not competing with me.

Not that I'm someone to compete with.

This is fake. It's all fake.

Mariah finally relents, releasing the taller woman from her hold. Julia's next stop is a quick hug with Salima. There's a warm familiarity between them and Julia takes a moment to ask about her life, checking on her mother and brother, and school. And finally, "How's -" a lift of the eyebrow, "you know?"

Salima ducks, blushing the slightest bit before pronouncing 'you know' as good.

Julia moves on to me. "I've heard a lot," she says, pulling me into a hug.

"Probably not as much as I have," I return. I'm trying to match her energy but there's an ease about her – the comfort of being experienced in these circles. Or it's just who she is naturally: confident and calm.

"I doubt that," she answers, winking. In wonder, my gaze shifts to Mariah. Who's been talking about me?

Julia's hand reaches out towards Queen as she introduces herself. Queen refuses the hand with a tight smile, sharing a laughing glance with King about it.

Julia's bright smile tips down a little. "Oh, you guys are matching?" She points between their suits, "That's so cute. My twin brother and I used to match as well. But we haven't done that since we were children. We just outgrew it, you know?"

Before she can retort, King puts a hand on Queens's shoulder, turning her away. "If you'll excuse us," he says, a hint of malice in his voice.

Julia rolls her eyes, circling back around so that she's facing the group. "I assume those were your guests?" She asks me, "Cousins, right?"

I nod. "How'd you know?"

"The way this group talks, don't get used to secrets," Julia answers, laughing with Mariah. "Except for you," she says to me.

My thoughts and eyes cast to Salima, worried Julia is going to expose our secret.

"Kai just snuck you in on us. I guess he knew if we got the chance, we'd warn you what an idiot he is," she continues, nudging Mariah. "Too late now."

Relieved, I laugh with them. I want to ask her more but I can't think of a clever way with Salima standing right there. It's best just to wait until later. Still smiling, I look over Julia's shoulder, trying to track where Queen and King are running off to. In the process, my eyes lock on a head of purple hair that towers over most of the crowd.

"What is Boris doing here?"

The words are from my mouth before I can think to stop them. I know for sure I hadn't seen his name on the guest list. Kai and Romero would have had an earful if I had.

Mariah does me the favor of sneering in his direction, but Salima just sighs. "Grandfather had a meeting with him earlier. He invited him to stay since he was already here."

It takes a moment to process what she's said, but when the words finally sink in, I'm stunned. I seek out Mariah to see if she caught the same thing I did and based on her wide eyes, full of surprise, she did.

I set the empty glass I've been holding on the table next to us. Now, we only have to get away from Salima without her noticing that she's being excluded.

"Salima, you wouldn't mind keeping Raul company would you?" Julia asks. "He's alone tonight and you know how some of these mothers can be if they see an unaccompanied, single man in their presence."

Salima shrugs. "Yeah, sure,"

"Great! Come with me," She plucks Salima's hand from her side and drags her into the crowd. Over her shoulder, she winks.

"She's quick," I say, watching them go.

"Yep," Mariah agrees. Then she grabs my hand and pulls me in. We cross the room, dodging around people with quick, silly smiles as we make our way over to Kai. Thankfully, Rei's done his job and has Kai cornered, blocked off from the crowd. They're in what looks to be a very serious conversation with two other guests and I abrupt stop with I notice one of the new arrivals is Yuriy.

Don't be stupid, I tell myself. Thankfully, the other is Max.

Mariah jerks me along anyway, pushing Rei out of the way for us to join their group. "We heard something," she says.

"Candle girl," Yuriy says in a grand welcome, but I ignore it as Kai's attention comes to me.

"Boris wasn't on the guest list,"

"Boris is here?" It seems there's one thing Yuriy and I can agree on, judging from how his tone went from light teasing to downright indignant in a matter of seconds. He turns to look through the crowd before seeing what I saw and coming back with a disgusted groan.

"What's that have to do with anything?" Kai asks.

"Salima said that he's here because he had a meeting with your grandfather before the party," I explain. "Here. He had a meeting here, at the hotel."

Light comes to Kai's eyes. "He has a room,"

"That's what I think,"

Kai moves, cutting through the crowd. "Wait here," he says to us. Somehow, he's able to make it all the way out of the doors of the ballroom without a single person stopping him. As he exits, Julia rejoins us, watching him disappear.

She crosses her arms over her chest. "What's going on?"

"We think Kai's grandfather is planning something and that he has a room in the hotel," Mariah gives her a quick rundown of our evening.

"So, where's he going?"

I shrug cluelessly. "He didn't exactly offer an explanation,"

"And you're all just standing here," she scoffs. She unfolds her arms and follows the same path as Kai. "That's ridiculous,"

Yuriy's the first to take off after her, his long legs catching up quickly and overtaking her. Mariah and I look at each other before we go along. At the last second, Mariah looks back her hand still held by Rei.

"Coming?" She asks.

Rei smiles, tilting his head to the side. "Not exactly my type of adventure. I'll stay here. Keep Max company," The mentioned blonde at his side nods in agreement He's been strangely silent the entire time, taking in the information. I add his name to the running list of people who know the truth.

Max grins as he slings an arm around Rei's shoulders. "I'll keep your man out of trouble,"

Mariah holds on a second longer and then releases his hand. "I'll be back," she promises.

"I'll be waiting," he replies.

Out of the ballroom, we turn left towards the lobby. The detail has put us behind the others but we can still see Yuriy and Julia up ahead as they linger at a corner. They whisper intensely to each other, heads leaning in close. Though my mind is filling with rumors I've read about them, and specifically him, I try to focus on the fact that Kai and Mariah trust them. This means they must be trustworthy and any contradicting feeling I get is just my own presumptions going haywire.

"What are we waiting for?" I ask when we get close.

Yuriy's pale eyes slide to me as though he's upset at our appearance. "Kai. He's speaking with the staff," he says.

I wish I could match his stare. However, within seconds, I can't stand it any longer and am forced to look away. Sure enough, Kai stands at the front desk. The woman he's speaking with hands him a card and he leaves, not towards the elevators but down the hall away from the ballroom.

The four of us follow in tow, walking briskly but without drawing much attention. Kai stops when he hears us coming. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like, Hiwatari," Julia whispers in reply, now that we're in the quiet hall far enough from the ballroom. "We're taking a stroll,"

"Why all four of you?"

"Rei and Max didn't want to come," Mariah offers, blinking innocently.

Kai looks ready to scream or strangle her. He does neither, exhaling through his nose and continuing on his way. "He's using a conference room,"

"Any idea what's inside?" Julia asks.

"Do I look like I'm psychic?"

"Sometimes it comes off that way," I answer truthfully. I lean back at his glare while Mariah and Julia laugh to themselves. "What? I'm right."

After following the numbers around a few corners, we come to a stop at the end of the hall in front of double doors. Kai looks around like he's in a spy movie though we didn't pass anyone on the way here, and puts the card in the reader. Anticipation pools in my throat, itching to get inside and find what Soichiro is hiding.

The light stays red. Still, Kai pulls uselessly at the handle. He tries the card again.

Yuriy steps forward. "Let me,"

"I know how a key card works," Kai says as Yuriy rips the card from his hands.

"Calm down, it's just a door," Yuriy smiles at him as he too slides the card. It blinks red. "Well."

Kai looks up at the redhead with a blank stare. The silent "I told you so" is obvious and yet so very childish.

"Now what," Julia asks, stepping between the two men and taking the card from Yuriy. Her intervention does nothing to stop them from staring each other down. Seriously, it's getting awkward.

"Wait," I pause, looking at the card. "Why would she give you a bad key? What did you tell her?"

Kai tears his gaze away from the taller man. "I told her that I am Kai Hiwatari and my grandfather asked me to drop something off in his room, but he didn't give me the key and I forgot the room number."

Under normal circumstances, I'm not sure if a receptionist would give out that information, but the Hiwatari's are a different breed, to say the least. Plus, it's Kai's party, so it seems like a reasonable excuse. And she gave him a card, fully expecting him to come this way.

"Maybe she just didn't scan it right," Mariah says. "It happens,"

It's possible, I think. Still, I'm unconvinced. Something feels off about the whole thing. There isn't a chance to pursue this thought, as we hear voices echo from down the hall, getting closer to us.

I turn to Kai in panic at recognizing one of the voices. "Is that Gideon?"

He nods.

"They're down here," Gideon says, hurried and eager, "I saw them.

Kai being here looks suspicious, to begin with, but all five of us is a dead giveaway that we're up to something. At the end of a hall in front of a locked door, there aren't many options to consider. I turn around, looking for any excuse, and behind me is a door labeled Stair Access; Fire Escape.

"Everyone," I call, opening the door. The white lights are glaringly different that the soft yellow in the halls. Mariah and Julia go through first, and then Yuriy. My hand comes up to block Kai.

"What?" he asks.

We're running out of time, I know. "They know we're here," I mutter, letting the door shut. From behind the door, I hear their utterance of dissent.

Without giving it much more thought, I turn Kai around and push him against the doorframe. Standing as tall as I can, I wrap my hand around the base of his head and pull him closer, pressing my mouth against his. Despite the lack of build-up or explanation, Kai follows my lead.

The kiss is fervent and animated. We make a big show of grasping and moaning and pulling on each other. My fingers slide from his neck into his hair and I all but maul him, trying to bring him closer and closer. His hands are on my waist or back or thigh. Somewhere. Everywhere.

"Oh!"

As soon as I hear the exclamation, I pull back. Fortunately, my red cheeks and wide eyes work for embarrassment as well as excitement. With a cry of shock, I hide my face in Kai's chest.

"Can we help you, Gideon?"

"What are you doing here? You have guests,"

"I didn't think they'd want to see this," Kai replies. "I could make a joke about dinner and a show, but they're a bit overdone, wouldn't you say,"

I pound my fist on his chest in a warning. He hugs me tighter. Unable to see Gideon's face, I listen closely to the tone of his voice.

"Fine," he grumbles. "Dinner is starting soon. Your guests will notice your absence."

"We'll be there in a minute after we finish here,"

I pound harder, the thump resulting in a low laugh. I peek out to see Gideon retreating, along with two goons from the security team. As soon as their gone, I push away from Kai, taking deep breaths. My face is still hot.

"You act like you didn't come up with that plan,"

"Yeah, well," I start. No words come up to provide an excuse for my embarrassment. I did just throw myself at him with no warning. "You can't complain about my problem-solving skills when they're the reason you hired me."

"If anyone should be complaining, it's us," Yuriy states as the three of them exit the stairwell. Somehow, he looks paler.

"You'll live," Kai responds.

"Oh, will I?"

"You're missing the bigger picture," Julia interrupts what was bound to be another snide remark from Kai. "We learned nothing,"

"Speak for yourself. I learned that Kai can be tossed around like a ragdoll by a girl half his size,"

Julia arches a single brow. "And what does that say about you?"

Yuriy scoffs, walking away. "How dare you. Kai is clearly subpar; you can't compare us,"

"What does that even mean?"

Julia shakes her head. "Ignore him,"

As a group, we get back to the ballroom just as Romero is having everyone take their seats for dinner. Mariah joins Rei and Max at their assigned table, while Julia and Yuriy leave for theirs. Kai takes my hand and leads me towards the main table at the back. Already seated are the members of Kai's family, from his grandfather to Salima, leaving two seats in the middle for us to face the rest of the room.

Someone passes Kai a microphone to give another speech to thank everyone once again. Dinner is served quickly and the room fills with the pleasant sound of tabletop conversations. The band plays, but it's slower than before. Our table is quiet, to say the least. Other than the sound of our silverware against plates, there's nothing to distract from how awkward we are. Salima keeps looking at me and smiling in a tight-lipped way. It would be nice to converse with her some more. The tense energy at the table simply won't allow for it.

Before dessert is served and we're relieved of this stress, Kai's grandfather stands. Until this point, I'd begun to hope – perhaps against all reason – that maybe I was wrong in my assumption. After all, I had no proof of his scheming. Just past behavior and a few misinterpreted words. The meeting room is questionable, but not conclusive. However, as he raises his glass and calls attention to himself, it's clear that whatever he's planned is now coming to fulfillment.

"I, too, would like to take this moment to thank everyone for their presence today in acknowledgment of my grandson's engagement," he begins to the ring of agreement from the crowd. "Family certainly is one of the most difficult and yet satisfying achievements we can have. I look at my family, sitting here with me, and think 'Yes, this mine. I created all of this,' and I feel...accomplished."

Sick is what I feel. I spare Kai a long-suffering glance. His face is as empty as ever, but there's a certain tension in his eyes as he watches his grandfather speak. My hand reaches over and takes his, lowering it under the table so that he knows that the comfort I'm offering is not for show but for him alone.

"With that being said, I would like to thank Ms Tachibana for all of her help in getting Kai to his point," he continues, turning his attention to me. "Only we know just how stubborn this young man can be. You've proven that with the right motivation, he's capable of anything,"

I try to smile for the crowd. Under the pressure of all the attention, especially Sochiro's, I feel my facade start to break.

"Now that we're here, I like to invite Kai's fiancée to say a few words for herself,"

I blink, seeking out Romero. He didn't tell me I'd have to prepare a speech. I find him by the entrance, looking just as blindsided by this announcement as I am.

"Not you, dear," Soichiro says. His sick smile turns my stomach even more. "Please, give your attention to my grandson's wife-to-be,"

With a grand wave, the doors open, and a beautiful girl with soft, pink hair walks in. She looks so small with the expanse of the entire room between us. She raises her head in the light of the chandeliers to reveal a sweet, heart-shaped face and soft features. She's delicate in a way that I could never be.

"Grandfather, what is this," Kai whispers harshly, clamping my hand in a vicelike grip. It hurts, but I don't try to pull away.

The crowd murmurs at the announcement, shocked expressions turning back and forth between her and me. Kai stands, yanking me up with him. Throwing down his napkin, he drags us from the table and all the way down the center of the room. His stride so strong and determined, I'm not sure if he's aware I'm still here. All I can see is his back as I'm led towards the exit.

Kai stops. The girl stands in the way, directly in the center of our path. No words pass between her and Kai but after a moment, she lowers her gaze, steps aside to clear the way. As we go, I look at her, trying to catch her eye.

She refuses to meet my gaze.

Hey, all! This was a fun chapter (imo). I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. As always, I'm interested in your thoughts and open to anything. Please feel free to drop a word or two or fifty in the reviews. Or don't. Love you readers anyway!

Please remember that next week I'm going on break, so there will be no update! I'll be back with the next chapter April 7th. And a few people have mentioned waiting around on the days that I do update, so I thought I should mention that I usually post between 9am and 11am PST, but if i can make it any earlier I will. I'll start using dates instead of days to make it easier to keep track.

Thanks for all the love! It's much appreciated. Take care until next time, Konix