CHAPTER 16

WOO BIN'S POV:

Gritting my teeth in pain, I watch as Ji-Hoo stitches up my leg. Even though he numbed the pain, the tugging of my skin makes me cringe. What an awesome week I've had… The woman I love won't speak to me, I've had to pretend to show interest in a woman I can't stand, I got ambushed and kidnapped getting out of my car by a mob of guys, I got shot, and then the woman I love turned super spy overnight. Some Mafia Prince I'm turning out to be. My emotions are way out of control lately. If I don't start focusing on our priorities I'm going to get myself or someone else killed.

"...I'm glad you are alright for the most part. We were really worried." Ji-Hoo says quietly. He glances up at me and I smile brightly at him.

"You honestly didn't think it would be that easy to get rid of me, did you?"

"You're lucky that he didn't kill you Woo Bin."

"Who needs luck when I have you two?"

"Be serious. After what happened at the bar the other night you should have stayed here. What if we hadn't been able to get to you?" He says in frustration. I hide my chuckle behind a cough. I know I shouldn't be teasing him like this but I am so relieved to be out of Miguel's cell that I can't help myself.

"I love you too Ji-Hoo-yah!" I say and pucker my lips in a mocking kiss.
Ji-Hoo just shakes his head in exasperation as he finishes attending to my wound.

"You're going to have to stay off your leg for a few days. Boo Ki and I can wrap up things here ourselves."

"You can't be serious! You don't expect me to stay in bed and let you guys do all the work do you?" I ask incredulously.

"Actually no. I figure since you need to rest, you can use the laptop and start looking into our target in London."

I groan and let my head fall back against the chair I'm sitting on. "Let me guess. That was Boo Ki's idea?"

"No. It's mine. As your doctor and your best friend, I'm not letting you out of this house again until we head to the airport."

That sounds like a challenge to me but I don't push him. He's got that pissed off look on his face and I know better than to make it worse. An angry Ji-Hoo is almost as scary as Jun Pyo's dragon of a mother.

"Where's Boo Ki? I need to talk to her." I ask instead. Ji-Hoo doesn't answer but instead pulls me up from my seat and helps me to my room. Once I'm settled in bed, I study my friend's expression. "Where is she?"

"...I'll worry about Boo Ki. You should get some sleep. DON'T get out of this bed. Once you've both had some rest, then you can talk."

"I don't want to sleep right now. I want to talk to her." I pout. I'm pouting? What the hell? What kind of drugs did he give me anyways?

"..." He just stares at me with his arms crossed.

"Fine." I grumble and slump against the pillows. I swear Ji-Hoo can be as bad as my mother sometimes.

(^_^)

JI-HOO POV:

I don't know what happened in that mansion tonight but something in Boo Ki snapped. I saw it as I watched them on the cameras. The moment Miguel almost killed Woo Bin, she changed. She became ruthless and the way she stalked towards that little girl… She wasn't the Boo Ki we know but fortunately something stopped her from hurting that girl. Once she managed to help me get Woo Bin inside our house, I could see she was about to fall apart. She was so pale. She left me alone to tend to Woo Bin but I've been worried about her the whole time.

Reaching her room, the door is open and I knock quietly. She stands at her window, her arms wrapped tightly around her thin frame. I can feel the remorse and guilt pouring off of her. Walking up to her, I pull her into a brotherly hug and I feel her relax gratefully in my arms.

I can tell she doesn't want to talk to me about it and that's fine …for now. I know I'm not her confidant but she is going to need to talk to someone about this soon.

"...Do you want to call Saia?" I quietly ask her. She shakes her head and pulls away.

"Thanks but no. Not now. I need to get some rest before I meet with Alejandro later. If he manages to find something useful on his dad, we need to act fast. Hopefully we can end this quickly before Sergio suspects what's going on. Especially now that his oldest son is dead."

"Are you going to tell Alejandro about Miguel?"

She swallows hard and nods her head. "Yes. I owe him that at least. Especially after everything he has done to help us."

"And Woo Bin?"

She sighs and turns away from me to sit on her bed. "Woo Bin I owe the most of all. I know I need to speak to him Ji-Hoo. And I will tonight after I get back. He needs some sleep first."

"...You're going to tell him ...everything?"

She nods and looks up at me. "I'm going to tell you both everything. I know I can trust you it's just... It's something that I'm ashamed of and something that will put your lives in danger. I just don't want to keep it from you guys anymore. It will explain a lot about what happened last night..." Her voice trails off into a whisper.

"...okay. I'll let you get some rest then."

"Ji-Hoo?"

"Mmhmm?" I stop before exiting her room and turn to look at her.

"Please don't tell Saia about last night. I want to tell her myself."

"I understand." I say with a nod and leave her room. The last thing I want is to upset Saia right now anyways. She's got enough to worry about with us here, watching over Yi-Jung, Jun Pyo, and now Ga-Eul & the baby.

Before I can knock on Woo Bin's door to check on him I hear his loud snores and shake my head in amusement. So much for his protests about sleeping.

(^_^)

SERGIO'S POV:

"Why haven't you and Angiolo been answering my calls?" I ask her angrily. I know that they are trying to protect themselves and don't care about leaving me out to dry. I keep reminding them though that we are in this together. There are only three of us left out of our nine member organization. We need to stick together to protect all of our interests. They don't see it that way however.

"I've been busy." A cold, feminine voice replies. She doesn't hide the irritation or the boredom in her tone.

"Why are you not more concerned about what's going on? There are only three of us left!"

"Kim Tae Mu may think he can sell us out for his freedom but if they have no proof that we've done anything wrong, then we don't have a problem."

"I've known Tae Mu for a long time. I don't believe he would sell us out. I think someone else is behind all of this."

"Like who?" She asks in exasperation. "All of us have made sure our tracks are covered in these matters. Those that have been arrested have been for things that aren't connected to us."

"Then what about the deaths? It's too much of a coincidence. Someone is trying to take us out."

"Who Sergio? Who could possibly know so much about us?"

"I believe Saia Caelum knows more than she lets on and after the death of her boyfriend she inherited a fortune from him. She now has the means to get revenge."

"You're being paranoid. We've been keeping an eye on every move she makes. Other than helping his son put Tae Mu behind bars, she hasn't made a move that warrants our concern."

"I still think we should do something about her."

"Like what? It's bad enough that Tae Mu killed two very public people close to her. If we do anything to her at this point it will only raise people's suspicions. That is the last thing we need right now."

"But-"

"Angiolo agrees with me. If you move to do anything against her, you will be completely on your own. We won't do anything to help you if it goes bad."

The line goes dead as she hangs up on me and I grit my teeth in frustration. Everything I have always wanted is within my grasp yet I can't shake this feeling that I'm next and things are getting ready to fall apart. I won't let it. I've fought too hard to get where I am now. I don't care what it takes.

My phone rings and I answer it with a smile. "Hello, my love. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling good today, my dear. I was wondering if we could go out to dinner, just the two of us. It's been such a long time Sergio." My wife quietly asks. She very rarely asks me for anything and after almost losing her to cancer I am willing to grant her anything she desires.

"Of course we can. I'm leaving my office now. I'll be home in 20 minutes and we can go where ever you like." Grabbing my coat, I exit my office and push my worries aside for the night. I haven't been as good of a father as I should have been or as good of a husband. It may be too late for my kids but it's time to start trying harder for my wife. I promised her the world and that's exactly what I intend to give her.

(^_^)

BOO KI'S POV:

"Everything I could find in my father's office is here on this external hard drive." Alejandro says as he hands it to me. "He's forged documents, laundered money, received political bribes… he really is an ass. Are you sure that the police won't just let him go?"

"I'm positive. I found a prosecutor that can't be bought." I say.

"What about my brother?"

I keep my face carefully blank but I don't know how I am going to break the news to him.

"I take it things didn't go exactly as planned last night?" he softly asks.

"No. They didn't. I'm sorry Alejandro but I had no choice. He almost killed Woo Bin." I answer softly and avert my gaze from his.

"It's not your fault. Miguel signed his own fate. I will mourn him because he was my brother but he was not a good man and the world is a better place with him gone. He's killed a lot of people. Don't regret what you did. You saved your friend's life."

I am grateful that he doesn't blame me but it doesn't lessen my feelings of regret.

(^_^)

Alejandro's words replay in my head as I return home. He makes it sound so easy but then again he has never killed anyone. How could he possibly know what it's like?

"How did it go?" Ji-Hoo asks as I come in. I hand him the hard drive with a weak smile.

"Good. We just need to give this to Prosecutor Moreno and we are all done here."

He smiles and nods at me. "Woo Bin is awake. He's been asking for you."

"Then I think it's time for that conversation." I might as well get it over quickly. I have no idea how they are going to respond to what I am about to say.

Woo Bin's face lights up the moment he sees me and my heart clenches in my chest. I have the strangest urge to let him wrap his arms around me and protect me from the world like he wants to. I want to tell him how much I love him but I can't do that yet. Not till I tell him the truth. I need to know if he will still feel the same once he finds out what I really am.

"Come here." Woo Bin says as he pats a spot beside him. I shake my head slowly and sit down in the chair next to his bed.

"I have something I need to tell you both and I need to be able to think clearly."

"So… I make it hard for you to think clearly?" He asks with a playful smirk. I can feel my face heat up but ignore his comment for now.

"I need you to listen to me and wait till I am finished before you say anything. Okay?"

His eyes are glowing at me as he nods, his smile never leaving his face and I see Ji-Hoo nod as well.

"You've heard of the Maeng family haven't you?" I ask Woo Bin and I watch as his smile quickly disappears to be replaced by first shock and then confusion. "I am the granddaughter of Maeng Jung Min, the head of the Maeng clan."

I watch with a sinking heart as the blood quickly drains from Woo Bin's face. He understands what that makes me.

"Who?" Ji-Hoo asks in confusion.

I start from the very beginning and explain what the Maeng family is for Ji-Hoo's benefit and also for them both to understand how my family operates. I tell them everything, including the order my grandfather gave for me to be raped. I even tell them about helping my step-brother Ji-Yong escape as well as my own escape from the family with the help of my Aunt Mo Ne. I do leave out the part where my aunt and I trained Saia to fight like us. We did it so she could protect herself. If she wants to tell Ji-Hoo someday, she will. She's never killed anybody and hopefully she will never have to.

Keeping my eyes resolutely fixed on a spot in the floor, I continue my story with everything I have done here as well as all the information I have acquired in regards to my family's activities in Italy with Angiolo Botticelli. I explain what happened at Miguel's house as well. As I finish, I deafening silence fills the room and I can hear Ji-Hoo shift in his chair but I'm too frightened to look at either of them. These men whose opinions mean the world to me, I don't think I can handle seeing their eyes full of judgment and disgust.

"Boo Ki look at me." Woo Bin says. I swallow the lump in my throat and keep my eyes on the floor. He shifts on the bed and I feel his hand on my cheek as he turns my face towards him. I close my eyes in fear.

"Please look at me Boo Ki." He pleads and I slowly open my eyes. I feel shock run down my spine at the look of pure love and concern on his face.

"You have been through so much, baby." He whispers softly. Releasing my face, he takes my hand and pulls me towards him. "Come here."

I sit down on the bed beside him and he pulls me into his arms, burying his face in my neck.

"Y-you don't hate me?" I stammer.

"Why would we hate you?" Ji-Hoo asks in confusion.

Woo Bin pulls away just far enough to look into my eyes. "You risked your life to break away from them and to make a new life for yourself. I am so proud of you honey for standing up for yourself."

"We both are." Ji-Hoo adds. I see the sincerity in both of their faces and feel my eyes start to burn. The relief that rushes throughout my body is overwhelming. Is it really this easy? How can they be so accepting of me?

Woo Bin lowers his mouth and places a soft kiss on my forehead. The sweetness of it breaks the walls around my heart and I choke on a strangled sob. All these years I have held in all my sadness and grief but I can't do it anymore. He doesn't say anything, just holds me tightly in his arms as I sob against his chest. I didn't think it was possible to love this man any more than I already did but tonight he proved me wrong.