"There's going to be very painful moments in your life that will change your entire world in a matter of minutes. These moments will change you. Let them make you stronger, smarter, kinder. But don't you go and become someone that you're not. Cry. Scream if you want to. Then you straighten out that crown and keep it moving." - Brigitte
Chapter 19
"Let Bygones be Bygones"
People walked in and out of the hotel with such easiness. Some were entering with bags, others were leaving as one of the employees grabbed them a taxi and helped them with their bags. Most of the people leaving though she could easily see were soccer players considering the tournament had ended for some of the teams already. If the motor coach bus arriving in front of the hotel didn't give them away their similar dress code and sport bags in their hand could have been sufficient. Everyone seemed so casual, so naturally at ease. 'Perhaps because they truly are.' She thought before sighing. Everyone seemed fine except her.
She, on the other hand, stayed inside her car watching every movement that caught her attention. It would've been nice to be able to walk through the hotel doors casually with no care in the world but alas she knew without the need for trying that luck would not be on her side with this one. As of last night she had officially become what she in her own words called a social clown… Society called it a gossip icon. She sighed one more time. Her life was slowly becoming a nightmare. Reporters had swamped her apartment making her temporarily move out, appeared in one of the most important meetings of her career, and had taken over part of her office building. Her image had been hammered on social media and all for what? Was all of this worth it?
Last night had almost taken what truly mattered to her right now. In her night driven by bottles of wine the thought of leaving him had been present in her mind even if she knew deep down inside she wouldn't be able to go through with it. Nonetheless it took her several hours to get that thought out of her head by reminding herself that this was part of what she signed for when she accepted going back to him. This was only one more step she had to take in order to make this relationship work. It wasn't as if she hadn't known what she was getting into. And yet the same question kept coming to mind… Was he worth all of this? She was perfectly aware of what going back to him meant but that small fact didn't make this any easier to handle.
She took a deep breath as she saw her assistant walking back towards the car.
Suri opened the door bending down so she could see Sakura. "He's in the lobby."
Sakura nodded before getting out. There was no point in delaying this matter any longer.
~ o ~
To be awake in early hours of the day had never been a problem for him. He had accustomed his body to do so every day to train which helped him tremendously in a day like today when their coach decided to change their routine. They were to watch film first thing in the morning, eat breakfast as a team and then practice two hours earlier than usual. His excuse had been simple… the earlier they practice the more time they would have to recuperate at night. Not that it mattered much to him since he barely slept at night but considering he had been working all this time for this particular tournament he understood his coach's reasoning.
As soon as he reached the lobby, he walked towards the bar. Setting his backpack on the floor right next to him, he waited for one of the employees to pour him a glass of water and drank from it before setting it down on the bar. He looked at his watch and sighed. He still had forty five minutes to spare until the rest of his teammates would meet him in the lobby which also meant he had forty five minutes to think about what had plagued his mind last night. After just a couple of weeks he had another fight with Sakura over the phone.
"This is not something I want to talk over the phone." He clearly told her
"Syaoran-" she started saying but he interrupted her.
"No. I want to see you." He demanded.
"You're going to make me go all the way to the hotel?" she asked not believing he would truly confirm it.
"Yes!" He quickly answered. "You clearly don't want to speak over the phone either then might as well come over or give me your address and I'll go wherever you're at."
"You can't get out of the hotel!"
"Then I'll meet you here but we're talking about this Sakura face to face!" he demanded.
Rubbing his temple with his fingers he took a deep breath before thoughtfully rounding the top part of his glass of water with his finger. Sakura was indeed worst to deal with than his cousin Meiling. A couple of weeks ago he had a similar discussion with his friends regarding which girlfriend was worst to deal with… Sakura by far led the competition according to him. She had such a facility to infuriate him with mere words, or in this case lack of words, it was almost unbelievable to describe.
A young woman refilled his glass of water before reclining herself in a provocatively way on the bar in front of him. She smiled flirtatiously towards him before asking, "Why the long face hunk?"
Having a vast experience with women he only had to look at her once to know immediately what she was looking for. His history didn't help control women from throwing themselves at him whenever they could. Bored by her actions he sighed before taking a sip of his water and putting the glass down once again. "With all due respect, it's nothing that concerns you."
She smiled at him. "You can't be that worried about the game… You have everything you need to beat Japan. You have done it in the past."
He looked at her eyes and stared at her wondering how in the world he had ever been able to stomach all of this before. For years he met woman like these who didn't take long to figure out what they wanted, play with them, and then discarded them once he achieved what he wanted from them. Usually his little game wouldn't last long. A woman like this usually took him a week at the most. But after finding Sakura he had lost all interest in meeting other women and he knew why. Still, he was a famous soccer player. Even though he sometimes didn't like it he had learned to be a little more lenient towards these things. He smirked trying to be polite. "Have I?"
She nodded while keeping her smile.
"Do you like working for my father?" he curiously asked changing the subject.
The bar girl nodded. "He is one of the best bosses I have ever worked with although the same can't be said about his assistant."
To this he chuckled. "May I ask why?"
Confidently smiling she answered, "I believe she's a little arrogant and most of the time she doesn't know how to handle things correctly. Your father could do so much better having more reliable and loyal people around him."
This grasped his attention as he smiled at her. "You really think so? I've heard the company is doing a lot better since she started working for him. Revenues have increased more than thirty percent within the last five years."
She shook her head. "That's what some people say but I know better. You see this hotel? She could've done a better job with the opening dinner by inviting important people from the outside to join in but instead she decided to do the dinner with only the delegations assisting the event."
He nodded after hearing her and took another sip of his water. He felt her hand touch his as he set his glass down but didn't say anything.
"You know, if what they're saying around the news is true, you could also do so much better than her. It'd be a shame to waste your time on someone as close minded as her."
And there it was, what she truly wanted to say from the very beginning came out. He sighed and took her hand politely out of his. He finished drinking the rest of his water before putting the empty glass down. "Thanks for the water." He said before grabbing his bag from the floor and turning away from her.
The view that met him was unmistakable. Sakura was standing in front of the hotel doors with not a too happy face on which meant she had seeing everything. Or more precisely she had seeing when the girl touched his hand and he let her. She looked towards her left side before walking towards the elevator. Following her gaze, he saw a bunch of reporters looking through the restaurant glass waiting on him to make a move.
"Syaoran!"
He heard his name being called from behind and he turned to meet Mark. He waited for the captain to reach him. "We should talk about our strategy for when we play against Japan man. I mean, we have played them several times already. They probably know most of our plays right now. What do you think if we come up with new plays for this upcoming game?"
Syaoran frowned. He felt his captain's hand over his shoulder as he forced him to turn around while talking. "I think we're too late for that Mark. Besides, you know-"
Mark lowered his voice before saying, "Just go along with it or else Suri might kill me."
Syaoran looked at his captain before understanding. A man carrying a camera on his side passed them by as Syaoran quickly replied a little louder than usual, "I can always ask coach for the video and we can sit to analyze what we can work on better."
Mark led him to the back of the building. He remembered this corridor from when he asked Sakura to be his date for the opening ceremony dinner. As he reached the same room where he had found her, Suri turned around and sighed before smiling. "Finally! I wasn't sure if this was going to work."
"Did she ask you to do this?" he asked while getting Mark's hand out of his shoulder.
Suri handed him a door key before saying, "She's in room 403. I suggest you take the backdoor stairs instead of the elevator."
"I'll be waiting for you here. It won't be good if reporters see you walking out through the elevators. Don't take too long though. We do need to watch film and coach already said it was on the conference room this time before breakfast." Mark added.
He nodded taking the key from them and walking towards the stairs like Suri suggested. He walked through the corridor till he stood before the room. Taking a deep breath he put the key in and walked inside letting the door close itself after walking in.
Sakura stopped and took a deep breath before turning around and looking at him. "Is this something that will happen often after having an argument with you?
He put his hands in his pockets as he stared at her. Aside from being frustrated with this whole thing, the conversation he had with that girl added to his foul mood. "I'm not even sure why we're arguing to begin with. I mean other than the fact that you keep hiding things from me."
The tone in which he said those words told her he was indeed angry but after his little display downstairs this was not something she was willing to let go so easily. "Do I need to worry every time we argue about something Xiaolang?" she asked a little louder than she had meant.
He sighed and shook his head. "You know I would never do that, so why don't you tell what's going on? Why, after talking about this, you're still ignoring my calls?"
She turned from him and walked a few steps making sure to breathe in and out. One would think that, being a project manager and everything, she wouldn't have so much difficulty communicating her thoughts on something. Yet, what she was about to say dwelled on her for the entire night and was still giving her a headache this morning when she woke up and decided to go to the hotel after all. She finally stopped and looked at him. "There's no other way for me to say this but straight out so bear with me. I'm having trouble dealing with us."
"Why?" he asked in a serious tone.
He was pissed. She knew that much. In reality she wanted to be able to say she wanted her life to be just as peaceful as it had been before he stepped back into her life but she simply couldn't. One because she knew it wasn't completely true and second because she had already been through the pain of missing him once. "I've always like my privacy Syaoran. Even after becoming one of the most famous project managers in China my privacy has been respected and well kept. My life has never involved trying to hide from reporters or paparazzis or whoever decides to follow you around."
"It's just a matter of ignoring them." he said trying to reason with her.
"Is it?" she quickly asked already feeling a little defensive with having to explain her reason for her sudden disappearance yesterday. "I went last night to have a business meeting and found myself feeling as if I was walking down the red carpet for the Oscars."
Choi's words kept repeating themselves in his head the entire night. In a normal day and speaking of another woman he would've listened to his manager but with Sakura it was different. Although his words made sense to him, he felt inside he couldn't let her go. Then he remembered the reporter that had just passed him by a couple of minutes ago. He wouldn't be the only one that would try to make news out of his name or her name for that matter. A sudden need for air breached him as he heard her words. He shook his head as he looked away from her. "I'm sorry. That's not something I can control Sakura. I can give you many other things but that's not something I can do."
She stared at him silently before saying, "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty Syaoran. I know you can't control that but I'm asking you to understand how I feel. You grew slowly with it. The better you were inside the field the more famous you became and the more they followed you around. In my case, I hated all of it which is why I avoided dealing with reporters and appearing in tabloids whenever I had the chance."
Fear ran through his body like a rapid river. Last time, he was the one that decided to breakup yet the final decision had been hers when she left. This time, he knew he would never make that decision again yet she still held the final word. Given the position he was in, not been able to get out of the hotel impeded him from stopping her if she ever decided to leave again. He slowly walked towards her and hugged her. "I don't want to lose you."
His honesty tugged at her heart. His tight embrace made her smile a little as she hugged his waist and took a deep breath. A soft sandalwood musk scent invaded her senses as she relaxed in his arms. Her mind had been so confused last night she thought she would go crazy. "I'm not talking about breaking up Syaoran I just… I need you to understand. I need some time to handle this, to adapt. And the only way I know how to do this is walking away from all this madness for a little while until I figure out how to handle this on my own. This is not easy for me and you getting anxious and getting to your own conclusions is not helping me either."
He nodded before taking a deep breath. "Then take the time that you need. I just don't want us to grow apart again Sak. I care about you. I need to hear from you. You want to take time, that's fine with me but at least be honest with me on how you're doing."
She heard him and nodded in his embrace but wanting to stay close with him for a little bit longer didn't let go. A simple thought entered her mind… She was so ready for this tournament to be over. "Are you guys ready for the semis? I heard Japan won."
He smiled at her comment. "I'm making history next week. Don't blink as you watch me."
His comment made her chuckled. She loved even his arrogance. They were scheduled to play their semifinals tomorrow and finally, if they won, playing the finals next week. She searched his face till she found his lips and kissed him. This was all she needed.
When the kiss ended he softly said, "I didn't know you bought a house here."
She wanted to say many things about that. Feimei had already told her how he got last night when he tried to reach her but decided to wait. The time wasn't right yet so she simply smiled before saying, "You're the third person that knows."
"Who else knows besides Feimei?" he curiously asked. A nagging feeling started forming in the back of his head about this most recent discovery.
"Your sister Xiefa."
He nodded. There was still something strange about that but decided not to push her answer. She had just told him she needed time to deal with their relationship so he would honor her request by not adding something else to the plate. "Have you decided where to go yet?"
She shook her head and smiled while looking at him. "I have absolutely no idea where to go."
He smirked. "I'm fine as long as it has a comfortable bed in it."
She smirked as well. "If I remember correctly, you said you would behave."
"What are you talking about?" He innocently asked. "I'm only saying because I need to look towards my recuperation after this tournament. You know… making sure my ankle gets the needed rest before I start season."
She laughed. "Right… So what do you think of booking two rooms instead of one?"
He feigned a shock expression before saying, "Do you not trust me?"
She shrugged and innocently said, "I thought that perhaps, thinking about your recuperation and all, it would be better not to put you in any harms way or temptations for that matter."
He laughed and insisted, "I promise I'll behave. Would that do it?"
She laughed as well before kissing him again. If there was something that she knew she would never get tired of were his kisses. His soft lips pressing against hers was everything she needed to start her day in a better mood than the way it ended last night.
"I have to go. My teammates will probably wonder why I'm not in the lobby already."
She nodded and let him go glad that she was able to talk to him about some of her current concerns. Not that they were the only ones but the others could wait till after the tournament. She hated the fact that they had to deal with this now. Thinking about him, she was certain that even his arrogance was not enough to keep his mind occupied from worries about the tournament. He wasn't the captain but inside the field he was their leader.
Before leaving, he turned from the door to look at her. "One more thing, I want you to fire that girl at the bar."
Sakura questionable stared at him and chuckled. He truly couldn't be serious, right? "What? You didn't like her flirting?"
He stared at her back. "I'm serious Sak. You were present when my mother told me if I didn't like someone I could simply ask you to remove them from my sight. So, I want you to fire that girl."
She scoffed. "Keira is one of the best servers we have in this hotel. I can't just fire someone out of a whim."
He shrugged. "Then you can put her reason being she's badmouthing my family."
Sakura questionably stared at him. "Keira has always been a very loyal employee. She speaks very highly of your father and this hotel."
He simply stared at her. It was true that she didn't say anything bad about Xian but she made the mistake of insulting Sakura in front of him. Not to mention her flirtatious chat with him… "I want her out Sakura."
"Wait!" she called out. She provocatively smiled at him as she walked slowly toward him and snaked her arms around his neck. She reached up and kissed him slowly playing with his lower lip before sweetly asking, "Why don't you tell me what's truly bothering you and I'll see what I can do?"
He smirked. "Mmm… you know, that would've worked out on me seven years ago but thanks for the kiss. I truly enjoyed it." He said giving her a last quick kiss before detangling her arms out of his neck. "As for what you can do, you're temporarily replacing my father which means you can do whatever you want to." Smirking, he turned around to walk back towards his teammates once more.
She stared at his back as he walked away and narrowed her eyes. A small playful smile started forming itself on her face. It was true. Years ago it would've worked perfectly fine on him. Apparently she would have to find new ways to manipulate getting what she wanted out of him. She didn't know what pissed him off about Keira but he had never been someone who would do something out of a whim. Nonetheless Yelan had been very specific towards her son's needs. If he wanted the girl fired there was nothing she could do about it.
~ o ~
He felt a lot more at ease after talking to Sakura. Going back the same way he got in, he reached the room on the back and found Mark flirting with Suri. He cleared his throat to announce he had just gotten back which made Mark quickly untangled himself from his girlfriend. Syaoran smirked before looking at Suri. "Thanks again!"
Suri narrowed her eyes at him making it a little obvious she wasn't at all happy with being interrupted from the few minutes she had with her boyfriend. "Can you please stop making this a habit…?"
He sighed and rolled his eyes at her suggestion. It wasn't like he enjoyed having fights with Sakura so much that he picked which days he eagerly wanted to have one. Nonetheless he decided not to say anything remembering that having Suri at his side was a lot better than having her working against him. It still amazed him how much she had learned from Sakura. "Captain?" he sarcastically asked.
Mark nodded and looked at his girlfriend. "I'll see you around babe."
Suri sweetly smiled and nodded thinking the only reason why she went along with doing this was to actually have her boss in a good mood throughout the day. The reporters' incessant calls during the day yesterday had ruined Sakura's tolerance and without a doubt they brought hers and Kira's day down as well. There was no way she would go through the same pain today.
Her phone started ringing. She looked at the caller ID and saw the name of her boss on the screen. She quickly picked up. "He's already gone. I'll have the car ready." With that being said, she hung up and walked towards the back to bring the car in front of the hotel.
~ o ~
"Okay! So everyone good with your notes on their game?" their coach asked stopping the video tape that contained Spain vs Japan's game and looking at his group of athletes. They had spent an hour watching film on the other team and planning their counterattacks for their plays.
They all nodded.
"Good. Then we'll head over for breakfast now. After, you'll have fifteen minutes to get everything ready to head to the field. We leave at ten."
Syaoran closed his binder and put it on his bag. Unlike his teammates, he had come totally prepared to watch film and head out but then again they were a team. Even if he was ready to practice they all had to wait for each other to have their breakfast and then be on their way to the field.
They had their breakfast and, after a fifteen minute drive, they practiced as usual. The game was set to be played tomorrow and since they were playing the semi-finals against a team they had played countless of times already they had worked towards making new plays in case the old ones stopped working on them. It wasn't a matter of changing anything more like adding a few more plays and moves as a plan B. Having Syaoran back on the team, the coach decided to focus more on practicing their defense knowing their offense was practically taken care of.
A whistle was heard in the distance. "Good! Gather around." The coach said. He waited for the rest of the team to reach the middle of the field before saying, "Good job today on practice guys. Make sure to rest well tonight and be responsible with your bodies. We must stay focused. Eyes on the prize, got it?"
"Yes!" the team shouted.
"Alright on three, Go China!" the coach said before counting.
Their little cheer was their queue that practice was over. For the first time in a while Syaoran felt satisfied with how practice had ended. Everyone finally felt like they were fitting in the spaces according to him. Even the guys that usually started on the bench watching the game from the side seemed to understand the importance of always being prepared in case they were needed at some point in the game. Practice ran smoothly. Everyone focused on the new plays and seemed to understand them well which was essential to have a good execution of them when the game came.
While the team walked back to their locker room to shower, Syaoran grabbed his usual ten balls and centered them on the penalty line. He looked towards the net before kicking the first one to score. It was a habit of his to finish practice and always do the same.
"How's your ankle feeling?"
He looked towards his side and rolled his eyes looking at Tan's approaching form. "Do you really care?"
Tan watched him kick in the second ball before getting ready to hit the third. "I do. As an assistant coach I need to make sure our players are at their best."
Syaoran scoffed but nonetheless concentrated on kicking the ball towards the net. As his previous attempts he scored his third ball before looking at him. "Are you that concern that I achieve what you never could?"
Tan smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, one of these days that mouth of yours will bring you trouble. Then you'll remember this day."
He looked away and sighed already feeling annoyed with the conversation. He located his fourth ball in front of him. "What do you want Tan?"
"My question is sincere."
"That'll be the first." He said rolling his eyes once again. He looked towards the net and kicked the ball inside.
Tan shrugged. "Better late than never, I guess."
Syaoran looked at him once more. For some reason he couldn't quite put where this conversation was heading. Putting his hands on his waist he waited for Tan to continue.
"Look, I know I've given you enough reasons for you to think I don't care but I do. I'm not looking forward to history repeating itself."
"It's not." Syaoran said while staring at him. Obviously his mere presence was bothering him especially since he was getting in between his penalty kick shootout but waited for him to finish.
Tan smirked and shook his head. "I used to think like you, you know..." He sighed before saying, "You're ankle is not all you need for the rest of the tournament. Make sure you don't lose your focus. We're only two games away but the most important one is the one tomorrow."
He watched as Tan walked away after saying those words. The way he remembered, Tan had been the star four years ago. Everyone thought the team was good enough to reach the finals and yet it never happened. The moment they had needed him the most he ended up not playing at his best. At that time, Syaoran had to conform himself with watching most of the game from the bench. The emotions that he felt as he watched the team flunk that last game was indescribable but the game had been a lesson as well. He grasped from that experience what he needed to make sure history didn't repeat itself.
As he watched Tan's retreating form he realized for the first time Tan hadn't insulted him or even looked for a way to piss him off. His words hadn't come as a way to diminish his dream of winning that Cup but as a piece of advice from a man who once had all the means to reach what other's had thought was unreachable and lose everything to his overconfidence on himself. Four years ago they had been so close and yet one game had decided their fate. Sighing, he grabbed the next ball, set it in front of him, and kicked it inside the goal net. Contraire to Tan, he was going to make sure everything he had endured so far meant something.
~ o ~
Colored papers covered most of the coffee table space. Even though the wedding was set to take place the next year Tomoyo was bent on having everything perfect for that day. So choosing everything early was a must since, according to her, the quicker she picked things the easier it would be to finish planning her wedding. Picking things with enough time gave her a certain tranquility knowing that everything was taken care of on time. No surprises.
She picked a dark tone of pink paper and put it on the side of a light blue one. "Nope." Putting the paper aside, she picked another colored paper. This time it was a lime green tone.
"Aaaahhhh!"
A woman scream was heard throughout the hallway. Tomoyo quickly dropped both papers and got up. Noticing the scream had come from Meiling's room, she started running towards it. She quickly opened the door and found her jumping up and down on the same spot. Her face filled with excitement as she as she kept jumping up and down with her phone on her chest. "Meiling! Are you okay?"
"Tomoyo!" Meiling stopped jumping but kept her face with the same expression. "You won't believe who just called me."
Tomoyo frowned and smiled at her friend. "Who did?"
"Carli."
Tomoyo kept staring at her. Her dreamful overexcited eyes made her think that perhaps Meiling had finally gone crazy. I mean… she received a call from her assistant. What was so special about that? Nonetheless Tomoyo stayed silent and waited for her to indulge in her answer.
Meiling took a deep breath to calm her excitement before continuing. "Carli called me. Apparently Won wants me to model in his famous annual runway. Isn't that amazing?"
"Won? As in Taio Won?" Tomoyo asked.
"Yes! Isn't this amazing? Every year he chooses twelve models for his fashion show and guess who he considered to be part of those twelve this year? Me! Aaaahhhh!" Meiling couldn't contain her excitement once again. The more she thought about it the more ecstatic she felt. She was as thrilled as a kid was when receiving a Christmas present.
Tomoyo knew who Taio was perfectly well. She was happy for her friend considering this was a huge honor. It was well known in the fashion industry not any model could walk his runways. However there was one small problem with her news…
"When's the runway?" she timidly asked trying not to show her concern.
"Two weeks from now, which makes it perfect since I thought I would have to leave right after the tournament but seeing as it is here I can stay a little longer with Kyu. Isn't this amazing?"
Tomoyo nodded. "Speaking about Kyu, you do know that Taio is famous because of his women underwear…"
"Oh but that's not all he sells. I mean, the guy is a genius when it comes to making comfortable sexy clothing but he does other type of clothing as well. I can't wait. I should tell Carli to get me an appointment at the Spa to prepare for the shoot. Maybe even cut my hair so that the ends are healthy for the runway."
"Are you telling Kyu about this?" Tomoyo carefully asked. She was truly happy at the opportunity her friend was receiving but she wasn't too convinced that this was such a good idea. Given the facts, Taio was well known in the industry for his underwear line. He did have other lines aside from the underwear but the most famous ones where the undies. So most of his fashion shows would have a segment dedicated to that department. Hence why she didn't wanted Meiling to feel bad about it but at the same time she had a hunch it wasn't a great idea after all.
"Yes, yes…" She quickly dismissed Tomoyo's concern while clicking her speed dial no. 2. "Carli, please get me an appointment on the Spa either this week or the next."
Tomoyo overheard her friend and sighed. She thought that perhaps Meiling getting engaged would make her change some of her bad habits but by the way she was acting it was clear she wouldn't. One would think after last time she would've learned from her mistakes.
~ o ~
Sakura looked at the figures generated by the tournament so far. Analyzing had always been one of her favorite things aside from the planning. The tournament so far was doing really good. Merchandise had been selling more than what they had estimated because China had finally made it to semifinals. The player jerseys and posters had been selling like hot potato. She had to call the manufacturing company already to ask for an emergency order of the jerseys because of how fast they were selling.
The sound of the door opening and closing afterwards pause her entertainment for now as she glanced at Xiefa walking with a smile on her face. "I have a good and a bad news for you but I'll go with the bad one first."
As usual, whenever Xiefa came with news she offered both but always ended up deciding herself which one to break first. Sakura waited for her friend to continue but instead she received a newspaper that was given by her friend. Carefully she took it in her hands and opened it. The only thing that stood out from it was the title that read in bold letters Kaliu Corporation hires Michael Jefferson for New Luxury Hotel. She had a bad feeling last night when dinner ended and right now the newspaper confirmed her doubts.
"Don't dwell on it too much. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be." Xiefa simply said.
"Yeah." Sakura simply said not showing much emotion towards it. Deep down she was a little sad to know they had actually decided for the other person but there was not much she could do now. Not dwelling on it, like her friend suggested, was probably the best way for now. "And the good? I do hope they are truly good…"
Xiefa smirked. "Guess what I found?" She started walking through her office with an air that portrayed that whatever she was about to say was indeed something that Sakura would truly like.
Sakura shrugged but kept watching her friend closely. "What?"
"How much would you pay for that picture that made you so popular?" Xiefa deviously asked.
Sakura's ears were all Xiefa's right now. Her undivided attention had turned towards her friend with a small smile appearing on her face. She put her iPad down putting her elbows on the desk as if she were negotiating a new contract with a client. Since they both started working for the company they came up with this little guessing game to keep their minds occupied instead of being bored some days at the office. "What exactly are we talking about?"
Xiefa chuckled. "Put a price Sakura. I'm not making this one easy on you."
Sakura thought for mere seconds before saying, "Fifty."
Xiefa frowned questioning her friend's guess. "Fifty?"
"Thousand." Sakura finished.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… You're off Sakura." Xiefa said shaking her head.
Her reaction made Sakura raised a brow. "Really…?"
"My brother's past costs more than that. A lot more considering you were his only girlfriend and now are leading my father's company."
Sakura leaned back and crossed her arms in front of her thinking about this. "Is the amount inside the thousands?"
"It is."
"Seventy Five Thousand."
Xiefa chuckled and shook her head. "My, my… I can see you're out of practice."
Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes before giving up. "Fine, spill it."
Smirking, Xiefa said, "Your cousin received one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to sell that picture to Katherine."
Sakura had a feeling it had been her but not having any evidence decided to leave it be. A picture as personal as that one could only be given by people who had been close to her on that time and weren't okay with her relationship with Syaoran at the time which only left her with two options… her father or her cousin. "How do you know?"
"The beauty of having connections." Xiefa said while smiling. "It so happens that Meiling's manager, Carli, is a really good friend of your cousin's manager. They were texting the other days and apparently in one of her rampages her manager texted the picture of the check Katherine wrote to her for your picture telling Carli she wasn't too sure what to do with it."
Sakura stayed silent.
"But wait! This gets better. I wasn't too sure what the whole big deal of it was till I spoke with Carli. Apparently the last contract your cousin signed with the modeling company has a clause in it that states that Sayuri is an exclusive model for them. She can't receive income from any other sources that doesn't go through the company. Any contracts, deals, offers, social or income generating activities must go through the company."
She didn't need Xiefa to continue. The text was enough to confirm the check was given to her cousin which meant she didn't comply with her agreement. Inside her manager's fit because of the money received she had made the mistake of texting the check and letting Meiling's manager know of the situation. "Does your father know about this?"
"Did I not show you the newspaper first?" Xiefa asked before continuing. "Our company just lost a great deal due to wrong accusations towards your name. The picture is already in the lawyer's office. I'm merely informing you of the good news."
Sakura scoffed before laughing. Her friend was indeed a force to be reckoned with. "Remind me not to ever be on your bad side."
Xiefa smirked. "It's not my fault that some people are so careless. But I won't complain… some just make my day."
Sakura chuckled.
~ o ~
"You were so lucky to get that tip Katherine. The news is spreading so quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if the producer decided to make you one of the anchors soon."
"Thanks Yuri. My intuition never fails. After seeing her I just knew she was hiding who she really was." Katherine proudly said to one of her coworkers while fixing her hair looking at a small hand mirror. She took out a small lipstick to re-touch her makeup as well before closing the mirror and looking back at Yuri. "She may have been too good for other reporters but I knew sooner or later I would be able to catch her real game at this. Who knows… she may have even flirt her way up to that temporary president position."
"You think?" Yuri shocked asked her.
Katherine narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't put it past her. I've met her several times face to face, you know... Actually, now that I think about it, when I went to Japan to start working on Li's documental she was meeting with another man over there too."
"Really?" Yuri asked. "I can't believe it. She looked so careful and conservative."
Katherine scoffed. "I don't think the word conservative fits her, don't you think? After everything I've found out about her I'd say she's more cunning and sly than what she looks like."
Yuri took a deep breath and looked away. She saw their boss entering their floor and stood up to greet him. "Toshi. What a pleasant surprised to see you here." She said.
Katherine looked towards the door and gave a small bow to greet him as well. He wasn't alone, which she found strange considering Toshi never liked having meetings inside the office. If he were to have a meeting an outside place would do for him. About five more guys all well dressed up in their suits followed him as he swiftly closed the distance between them. "Toshi, how have you been?"
Toshi stood before her and bluntly said, "Katherine, we need to speak in private. Follow me to the office."
She was surprised by his bluntness but nonetheless followed him like he asked. Once inside, one of the guys accompanying him closed the door after all of them were inside.
Toshi looked straight at her. "I need the evidence you have for this Kinomoto news."
His words made her heartbeat raised. "The evidence?"
"You told me you have evidence for this before airing the news. It was the only reason why I allowed you to air it."
She was speechless. The wheels in her head started turning quickly trying to understand what was going on in here. "Yes. But why do you need it? I mean, I know you're my boss and everything but that's my piece. I researched everything."
Toshi narrowed his eyes at her. "Katherine, I will be very direct with this. Is your research complete?"
She frowned. "Off course. Why wouldn't it be?"
"Then put it all together and give everything to these men. They will take care of it from now on."
"What? Toshi, why would I do that? What's going on here?"
Toshi kept staring at her and without wavering said, "We're being sued by Li Corp."
"What? We're a news station. They can't sue us for doing our job."
Toshi walked towards her until he was in front of her and simply said, "Katherine, I do hope you have done your research completely like you are telling me. Li Xian's ruthless business demeanor is well known worldwide. He's not a man who would simply sue knowing he can't win a case."
Katherine scoffed and looked away. "I'm sure he's probably not the one that's suing. I bet you it's that woman. Now that she has temporary control of the company she's using it to destroy me for unmasking the truth behind her lies and facades."
"Whether it's her or not, we need everything you have on her so we can defend ours."
Katherine looked at him. "Ours?"
"If it's her, like you say, she's not suing only management she's suing the entire company as a whole."
She froze. Could she do that?
~ o ~
They had finished practice in the afternoon after going through all the new changes and strategies they planned after watching their rival's game. Although their coach gave them free time for a couple of hours they all had to eat dinner together in the hotel restaurant. So by unanimous decision they agreed on being at seven thirty in the lobby to eat dinner together. In a brave effort Eriol, who had always shared Sakura's opinion when it came to his other cousin Feimei, had invited Xiun to sit close to them. Gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Syaoran and he didn't approve of it either. Even though he had been able to treat Xiun with a little more friendliness it wasn't enough to share an entire meal with him.
Syaoran was done with his food in less than forty five minutes but stayed talking with his teammates while laughing at some jokes his other teammates made. He received a text and looked at the phone. A picture of a glass of wine along a pool adorned his screen with a message below,
*Care to join me?
He smiled, put away his phone and started to get up when he felt Eriol's hand stop him. He glanced back at his cousin.
Eriol shook his head. "Can you wait until everyone else is done eating?" He had seen the sender of the text and the message in it. Although he was happy for his cousin on getting back with Sakura, they were still in this tournament. The team needed to be united in all aspects if they wanted to finally win their first World Cup Tournament. For that they also needed all their players focused especially Syaoran.
He narrowed his eyes at his cousin but sat nonetheless and took out his phone to text back.
*Can the offer still stand for about an hour? I'm eating with the team.
He waited for her answer as he watched three dots in the screen meaning that she was replying back to him.
*The bottle still has three thirds of its drink in it. I guess you can call yourself lucky.
He smirked and put his phone away. "Don't tell me you're going to start nagging at me like a mother."
Eriol smirked and chuckled. In a low voice so that only Syaoran could hear he simply said, "I thought by now you had learned from your mistakes. She already made you lose a tournament I suggest you thread slowly this time before you end up screwing it again."
He rolled his eyes at Eriol's comment and took a deep breath.
~ o ~
Kyu walked through the hotel hallways in direction towards his room. Thinking about tomorrow, he stretch his neck and massaged his shoulder knowing once again they had the chance of touching that Cup with their hands. Four years ago the only one that had played the game had been Syaoran. This year they would all be defending their country's colors inside the field like they should've done four years ago.
He turned the last corner to see his girlfriend reclining against his room door. He smirked at the sight of her until he was right in front of her. "Couldn't sleep?"
She smiled. "How are you feeling?"
He took the key card out of his pocket and put it inside the slot to open his room. After letting Meiling get in he walked right after her and embraced her in a hug. "I'm ready. A lot better now that I'm seeing you here."
She chuckled. "I know I shouldn't be here but I couldn't resist."
"We still have forty five minutes till curfew. Besides, Xiun is downstairs meeting Feimei though don't tell Syaoran."
Meiling turned around to face her boyfriend and gave him a quick kiss. "It's not like he won't find out. Feimei will make sure he does just to state her point."
Kyu smirked. "Ah… Today at the dinner table it was awkward. Eriol tried to sit them down together. I think I haven't seeing Syaoran so quiet and menacing in a long time. Thank goodness the rest of the guys were able to lessen his mood."
Meiling frowned. "I thought they were getting better?"
Kyu shook his head and sighed. "They are… Apparently only inside the field though." He caressed her face before giving her another quick kiss. "So, to what do I owe the honor of this pleasant visit of yours the night before a game?"
Meiling smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair in the back of his neck. "I need to tell you something and at the same time ask."
Kyu smiling stared at her. He wasn't too sure this was a good thing or not. Years of knowing Meiling taught him that whenever she started dancing with a certain topic it was usually because he wouldn't like the outcome of this conversation.
"Okay, it so happens that I received a call today from my assistant."
"Carli… I thought you were off until the end of the tournament." Kyu said not liking at all to hear her assistant had contacted her on her supposedly vacation time.
"I am, but this was something that couldn't wait." Meiling quickly said trying to defend Carli out of her boyfriend's mind. She smiled at her boyfriend and at the same time trying to contain her excitement about this opportunity. "Apparently Taio Won is short one model for his upcoming runway. Beatrix from France was supposed to be in his fashion show but injured herself last week so he reached out to Carli to see if I could fill in her shoes instead. And so, Carli called me to let me know and check my availability."
Kyu stared at his girlfriend. No matter how much she tried to hide from him he still could see it in her face her eagerness to do this. "Taio Won? Didn't I buy you one of his lingerie's years ago?"
"You did." Meiling watched her boyfriend smile fading. She snaked her hands around his neck and touched her forehead against his shoulder trying to avoid his eyes. She knew he wouldn't like it but after what happened last time she figured out that perhaps if she let him know before time instead of letting him find out through other sources he would be more adamant to accept her work.
"Did you tell him you would do it?"
She shook her head. "I won't do it if you don't want me to." Sighing, she looked at him again and softly said, "But it's a great opportunity for me. It's a runway Kyu."
"Modeling lingerie?" he asked looking away to try to hide his dissatisfaction at the news.
"It's Taio Won and I still don't know what piece he wants me to model. I guess if Carli tells him I'm available he'll let me know about the piece but nothing is certain yet. He has other departments aside from his famous lingerie section."
Yeah… the guy had other departments but with Kyu's luck Meiling would probably end up modeling one of his lingerie's. Perhaps even the one with less cloth in it. Kyu looked back at Meiling. The last time they fought about her modeling career he had expressed to Meiling his distaste with the way she handled everything. For him being in a relationship with her hadn't been easy and part of the reason was because she made decisions and then hoped for the best with the repercussions. It had been a point he had made perfectly clear to her before their reconciliation but it still didn't make this any easier than before. He still hated whenever she wanted to make any of these pieces but at least she was trying to get his input before doing something. "And you want to be in that fashion show?"
"Yes." She quickly answered.
It took him a little while before finally giving in. "Fine. Then do it."
Surprised by his answered she asked him, "Really? It's okay with you?"
He touched his forehead against hers and nodded. "Don't ask me again though, I might change my mind."
She squealed excitedly before giving him a quick kiss once more. She couldn't believe he had said yes. She had feared his answer since she had come down from her high after receiving the news and realizing she had to tell Kyu before deciding. For the first time she had chosen on asking him before deciding and in reality it did made her feel better going towards her final decision.
~ o ~
When the doors opened, he saw her looking at the view with her glass in hand. She was wearing a black dress that wasn't too tight on her body but accentuated her figure. He smiled and put his hands in his pockets before approaching her. "What's the occasion?"
She turned to look at him walking towards her and smiled. "I wasn't aware an occasion was needed to drink wine."
He reached her and simply stood next to her reclining himself at the railings. "I can't drink wine with you while I'm in the tournament."
"Mmm… more for me then."
He chuckled. "The VIP pool room huh… kind of adventurous if you ask me. Are you inducing me into having a wild night with you?"
She raised her brow, "Don't dream of doing anything else in this place but relaxing and spending some time talking with me."
He frowned. "Talking?"
She conniving smiled at him. "You should know by now I am not as easy as any of those bimbos you've been with."
He chuckled. "Fair enough." He sighed before walking towards the pool. Sitting down on the edge, he put his sweats up a little and put his legs inside.
She watched him from behind and followed him before doing the same. She put her bottle on the side but kept her glass with her.
"While we're talking, like you want to, mind telling me who this Oliver I keep hearing about is?" he asked.
She turned her head to look at him and smirked. "Why? Do you feel threatened?"
He smirked as well before sarcastically answering, "Trembling with fear."
She chuckled. "He's one of the investors in charge of that project I told you on the phone yesterday."
He nodded. "How did it go? Did you get it?"
Sakura shook her head and sadly smiled. "Believe it or not he pulled a Makimasi on me."
He chuckled remembering that day. "Really? What is wrong with these people? Don't they respect you're working for someone already?"
"Apparently that's not good enough for them." she said while pouring a little bit more wine on her glass.
"Where was this one?" he asked.
Not looking at him she took a sip of her wine before answering, "England."
His heart stopped. He quickly looked at her and stared silently. He wasn't sure how to react after hearing her words. For the first time in his life he was completely speechless.
Sighing, she casually said to break the silence that had suddenly come between them, "Not that it matters much now. The deal fell off this morning when they signed another project manager to design and build their hotel."
After getting back from his shock he sighed. "It's their loss then."
She sadly smiled before taking another sip of her wine. "I guess it is."
He knew she wasn't over the whole incident at all. Since they first met each other he learned she liked to work hard for what she wanted and was usually used to getting it most of the time. He could see it in her eyes this project was something she had truly wanted and in the end hadn't gotten it. Perhaps because of him or perhaps because of the investors… it didn't matter. What mattered to him was that she was sad about this and he hated that. Trying to change the subject he insightfully said, "This pool brings back memories."
She smiled as she took his hand and entwined their fingers together. It had been a while since she had been this closed to him without a care to fill her mind. "I've never seen you as mad as I saw you that day at the pool."
He smirked. "You were lucky I was injured and couldn't walk quickly all the way to you."
She chuckled.
"Those idiots never stopped talking about you either come to think about it." He murmured but she caught his words without a problem.
"Hey! You were able to finish your training in less than the estimated time of recuperation. Don't complain about it."
He smirked. "If I remember correctly, I thought I told you I would make you pay for that one…"
She quickly looked at him but didn't have time to react as he pushed her into the water. She came up getting her now wet hair out of her face and angrily looking at him. "Syaoran!" She was completely soaked. Her black dress was drenched and to make it worst her glass of wine had been lost inside the water.
He laughed at her. "That's what you get for making my ankle hurt more than it used to at that time."
The way she remembered, she wasn't sorry at all for that time. The objective had been achieved which left nothing to apologized for. She smirked before chuckling and planning her revenge already. Swimming softly towards the other side of the pool to put some distance between them she started to unzip her dress. Slowly, she dragged it all the way under and took it off of her before throwing it outside leaving her in her completely sexy black underwear.
Syaoran laugh slowly started to fade away as he watched the whole scene scrutinizing all of her movements. He hadn't been with a woman from the moment he had arrived in China which made her little spectacle a little harder to bear. His famous smirk reached his face at the thought of his little vixen's tactics. Sakura had always known how to get him back good.
"I think this is more accurate to your memory of that day, isn't it?" she cunningly said loudly enough for him to hear her from the pool. The ferocity of his stare made her tremble with excitement.
Not thinking it twice, he got himself into the water and walked towards the middle of the pool where she was at. His stare never leaving her eyes as he reached her. No words were needed between them as he simply caressed her cheek before kissing her. He deepened the kiss tasting the remnants of alcohol in her lips while putting his hands around her waist and pulling her closer. He felt her arms around his neck and tightened his embrace. His lips found their way to her neck noticing how her breathing altered with each kiss he left on his way and hearing her small moan before finding her lips again. She made him feel so many things at the same time it was almost impossible for him to control his emotions but knowing it was her was enough for him to know when to stop.
He finished kissing her and kept his forehead against hers trying to catch his breath. He ran his fingers through her lips and softly smiled. "You do test my limits Sak."
She smirked while enjoying his touch. "Mmm… if you take your shirt off it would make us even."
He chuckled and shook his head. It took him many months to adapt to her cunning ways years ago. Learning the meaning behind her words had taken time but it had been necessary. Sakura had always been conniving. It wasn't her first time playing with fire and he knew it wouldn't be the last either. It was her way of testing the waters. "If I take my shirt off, I will definitely lose it. I'm not making the same mistake twice."
She kissed him softly before saying, "I never saw the mistake in it."
He smiled again as his hands made it back to her face. Slowly, he traced her cheek before tracing her lips once more with his fingers. He was happy. He closed his eyes before softly saying, "Thank you for coming back to me that day. I had truly given up till I saw you walk through that door."
Given up… she wasn't entirely sure if he was talking about the tournament or his career as an athlete but hearing his words made her smile. And yet the honesty behind them almost made her cry as she remembered the pain she saw through his eyes that day. She looked at him and kissed him again.
He smirked between kisses and asked, "Are you sure you're not looking to have a wild night with me?"
She laughed at his question but didn't let go. She stayed in his embrace enjoying the moment. They only had a couple of minutes before he would have to get back to his room because of his curfew and she intended to spend every second of them with him before he had to leave.
"You even made me drink alcohol after all… Not a good influence on me, love." He jokingly said.
She chuckled as she softly rubbed her cheek against his and whispered on his ear, "Are you complaining?"
His lips found their way into her neck as he kissed her neck softly to show his answer until he found her lips once more and answered, "Not at all." Before kissing her once more.
~ o ~
Her time visiting her boyfriend had been just what she needed. Being on Syaoran's company always soothed her inside and yet when the clock had reached ten they both had to part from each other. He went back to his room because of his curfew and she had decided to take what little time she had left of the day to take care of unfinished business.
She had asked Suri to send some clothing to the hotel since Syaoran had decided to ruin her dress by pushing her into the water. Not that she was complaining. Thinking about it made her smile. Syaoran had always known how to uplift her mood. He was a little irritating at times but sweet and caring at the same time. It was the reason she knew he must've felt awful last night. She had heard from Tomoyo, who in turn had heard from her fiancé, that he hadn't been able to sleep at all.
But it was because he was so caring that she needed to take care of herself first. She wasn't trying to be selfish at all, but it was something that she needed to do. When she had been with Jun, she would simply take a few days off or take advantage of whenever he was gone to reflect on her life. He simply took it no questions asked. He never minded at all as long as she stayed by his side.
Syaoran was different. Unlike Jun's lack of attention, Syaoran always took notice. He dared to demand more of her towards their relationship. She scoffed thinking about it. One would think he was the one that had been in a long relationship instead of her. She stopped her car in front of the hotel Suri had given her. Taking a deep breath she got out of her car and walked towards the front doors. There were still pages that needed to be turned and books that should've been closed years ago. She walked inside the hotel and looked around before walking towards the front desk. "I need to know if you have Sayuri Kinomoto staying at this hotel." She said to the front clerk.
"I'm sorry Miss but we're not allowed to give that sort of information out." The girl said.
"What are you doing here?"
She heard the question come from behind and turn around to find her cousin not too happily looking at her. "We need to talk."
She scoffed. "What makes you think I want to talk to you after the way you embarrassed me last time when you threw me out of the hotel?"
Sakura sternly looked at her. "We can talk here now or we can grab a secluded table at the restaurant. It's your choice but I warn you… you will not like what I have to say almost as much as others hearing it as well."
Sayuri scoffed and started walking away. The nerve of her cousin to even search for her in another hotel after everything what had happened last time between them.
"I know about the picture." Sakura loudly said so she could hear.
Sayuri stopped and grimaced. How the heck did she find out about that? Taking a deep breath, she turned once more towards her cousin. "There's too many people at the restaurant right now. The bar will have to do. I'm sure I'll need a drink anyways."
Sakura simply motioned for her to lead the way. After sitting down, they ordered their drinks and waited for them to arrive before Sakura broke the silence. "Why did you do it?"
Sayuri scoffed. "Do I not have enough reasons to do it?" She looked away before saying, "I was pissed."
Sakura kept looking at her and simply said, "We're not in high school anymore Sayuri. And I'm not the same person I was seven years ago."
Sayuri sarcastically smiled. "I think I was able to figure that out on my own when I went to visit you at your office. If uncle saw you now I don't think he would be able to contain his tears after watching all those years of sacrifices to give you a good education gone to waste."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sayuri-"
"Why are you here Sakura? What do you want? An apology?" Sayuri shrugged. "I'm not sorry. At all. Do you plan on throwing me out of this hotel as well because of that?"
Taking a deep breath to keep her cool, Sakura decided to ignore her words and said, "Perhaps you thought I would never be able to figure out that you were one of the people behind that picture." She shook her head. "Even though I knew it was probably you, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. But now that I am certain you were part of this scheme I'll entertain you a little further. Right now Channel 2 is being sued by Li Corp."
"What?" Sayuri widened her eyes. Was that even possible? To be able to sue an entire news company just because of breaking a story? She scoffed dismissing the possibility. There was no way to win that kind of lawsuit. I mean, reporters were entitled to give out news, right…? Then suddenly something didn't feel right. "How did you find out I had anything to do with this?"
"There's evidence of the payment you received from Katherine."
Sayuri stared at her cousin. She was certain she covered all her bases before making the deal. The check was not under her name, she still hadn't cashed it, Katherine had promised to make sure her name would never be involved in any of this. If there was evidence found, it meant her career could be over in mere seconds.
Sakura watched her cousin's face going through different emotions before saying, "You are right. I have changed during these years. So I will say what I came to say and then I'll give you a choice. As you are well aware I'm giving Syaoran a second chance. Knowing that he slept with you is something I had to accept with time but is not something I wish to be reminded off every single day. At the same time we have both grown up. I think it's time that we stop having resentful feelings towards each other and at least try to be amiable instead."
Sayuri softly shook her head and narrowed her eyes at her. "You never deserved him. What you put him through…"
Sakura started at her cousin after hearing her words. There was something nagging at the back of her mind after hearing her cousin speak. Her words were not ill spoken like they usually were. In fact, they sounded as if they were coming out of a wounded person. "Do you have feelings for Syaoran?"
Sayuri scoffed. "So my only two options are to leave him alone or you're involving my name on the lawsuit. Is there truly a choice that needs to be made?"
Sakura didn't miss the lack of answer on her question but let it go for this time. One more thing to think about before the end of this tournament. "There is. You haven't deposited the check yet. Get rid of it if you decide not to be involved in any of this."
"What good will that do? If you were this confident in coming in here to talk to me about this then it's because you probably have it already in your hands."
"You're right. I do. But I'll leave it up to you. Destroy it if you decide to stop looking for Syaoran. I won't use my copy unless you give me reason to." This been said, Sakura stood up and paid for both of their drinks before turning towards her cousin one last time. "One last thing… my father's sacrifices ended the moment I decided to leave. Circumstances have brought me where I am today. Still to this day, I don't regret my decision. This is my last warning Sayuri."
Sayuri stared at the retreating figure of her cousin walking out of the hotel. There truly was nothing she could do. Her cousin's question came to mind. She still had feelings for Syaoran. Even though after that night she had been hurt, she still felt something towards him. He had been her first love even if it had always been one sided. It was near impossible not to feel anything even when she was dating someone else.
~ o ~
"Syaoran…"
He turned on his bed.
"Syaoran!"
He must've been having a livid dream as he heard his name being called clearly. Still, he just turned around once more on his bed and adjusted his sheets to cover himself a little bit more. It wasn't until he felt a pillow hit his back that he realized the one calling him was Eriol. In a soggy voice he finally answered. "What?"
"Your phone!" Eriol loudly and clearly said.
He reached his night table for his phone. At two am in the morning he didn't even bother looking at the caller ID. He simply wanted the stupid thing to stop making a sound so he could go back to sleep. "Hello?"
"Syaoran?" a soft voice answered through his cell phone speaker.
"Katherine?" he looked at his watch which read two am in the morning and carefully sighed trying not to make Eriol be more irritated than what he already was. In a low voice he said, "You shouldn't be calling me at this hour."
"I had no choice. I wasn't even sure if you would answer."
He took a deep breath before running one hand through his face. "Not sure I should've answered either. What is it?"
"It's about your girlfriend."
Author's Note: Ahhh! I was hoping I could put this chapter before or on Thanksgiving weekend but with my family staying over it was impossible! So… sorry for the long wait! Well, here's chapter 19th. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you once again for reviewing my last chapter. I know it took a while but I was finally able to put it up. Hopefully you guys didn't have to wait a lot for this one. Honestly I saw that some of you told me the chapter was too short so made this one a little longer than usual for all of you. Let me know what you think!