âTell me you are not leaving again.â Ni-naâs friend asked in a displeased tone as they watched her get ready to leave. They had only arrived at the spa and she was already leaving?
âIâm sorry, ladies.â Ni-na apologized.
âSorry? What happened to making it up to us for ditching us the last time? I mean you ditched us at the club and youâre doing it again after dragging us out?â Another displeased and infuriated young lady asked as she stared at Ni-na with incredulity. Her angry thundering silver eyes complimented her silvery hair locks. She sighed in disbelief. She picked up her champagne glass and took a sip from it.
âYouâre too much, Ni-Na.â She hissed.
Ni-na understood her friendsâ displeasure and she felt apologetic for it. âIâm sorry I have to leave, you know my brother-â
âThe legendary president Lee.â The silver-haired girl interjected with a roll of her eyes. âHeâs going to conduct an auction for you a few decades from now, and guess whatâs going to be the bidding piece?â She tilted her head towards Ni-na.
âMe?â Ni-na replied with a knowing smile. She has heard this far too many times not to know the answer.
.....
âYes, you! Heâs going to auction you away for free and heâd probably pay whoeverâs going to take you home because he would have successfully ruined your youthful days and thereâll be no one to marry you, and thereâll be no fun for you to catch.â She said while the other girls giggled.
âMy brother is not that bad, and Iâll let him know you said, hi.â
âI didnât say hi and none of us is.â She rolled her eyes but Ni-na sweetly smiled at her. She understood her friendâs annoyance and she was to blame for it. She had invited them out, and again she was leaving.
âSpeak for yourself, baby.â A sharp voice said from behind them. Ni-na turned towards the sound of the clicking heels approaching them. She was the latecomer they had been waiting for before Dan-Hanâs call came in. She glanced at Ni-Na as she took her seat. âTell your handsome brother....â
âCousin.â The silver-haired, angry girl corrected.
âCousin whatever.â She mockingly glared at her friend before glancing back at Ni-na. âTell your handsome cousin I said hi, and also that I like him a lot.â She winked.
âOf course, you do.â The first girl chipped.
âShouldnât I? You all can keep pretending but I know you all dream of him just like me. President Lee is so manly. Heâs my typical alpha male. Domineering, powerful, handsome and rich. Heâs my type of man, and Iâm not the only one saying this, the whole country is. Our lovely prince charming.â She purred while the others giggled at her theatrics. Ni-Na didnât miss the swooned look in the eyes of her other friends. She has repeatedly heard this every time they hanged-out. Even in school, they wouldnât stop talking about her handsome and powerful cousin and she couldnât be more proud.
âAlpha male indeed.â She said. âWait till you see him in the presence of my future sister-in-law. Your image of him will be destroyed and your broken hearts will be all over the floor. Heâs worse than a gamma maleâ
âSo itâs true, huh? President Lee is really dating?â The silver-haired girl asked.
âOf course itâs true. President Lee is not just dating, heâs a kept boyfriend and my beautiful sister-in-law is my current mission for the day. I have to take care of her and bond with her.â She gleefully told them. She felt happy knowing Dan-Han trusted her with Eun-sun.
Ni-Na couldnât help but chuckle when she saw the hurt and disappointed look on their faces. They had all turned green with envy. âForget about my brother, ladies. Heâs taken and you lot are too young for him.â She advised them. As much as she loved hearing them swoon over Dan-Han, it was sometimes tiring, because they kept hoarding her to fix them up with him even though they were so much younger than him. Thankfully, heâs dating someone now, all the madness can finally stop.
âToo young for him? Are you being a hypocrite, Ni-Na? Havenât you been in love with Master-â
âShut up!â Ni-Na quickly interjected while the girls giggled.
Her silver-haired friend tsked and shook her head. âI wonder what your lovely brother would do when he finds out you fancy his -â
âShut up, you brat.â Ni-Naâs face reddened with embarrassment. She picked up her bag and turned to leave. She couldnât handle all this teasing.
âCompensation!â The three ladies echoed at the same time. Ni-na glanced at them with shocked surprise. They were all from rich homes with heavy spending accounts yet they were going to bother her for this.
She shook her head and sighed. âYouâre all so stingy.â
âWhatever you say, as long as you pay for our beauty treatment then weâre fine.â
âFine, Iâll pay.â Ni-Na agreed. She knew there was no way theyâd let her go without her paying.
âThe boss lady, herself!ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âNi-Na with the money bag!â
âMoney dripping Lee!â They hyped simultaneously, but Ni-Na wasnât flattered at all. This was a norm among them.
âYou girls are just fake.â She sighed and they all erupt into laughter.
Just as she was about to leave, one of them stopped her. It was her friend who had come late. âBefore you leave, I think thereâs something you should see at the couples lounge.â The girl said. Ni-Na stared at her with a curious frown. Couples Lounge?
âWhatâs going on there?â Ni-Na inquired.
âYoung master Kang.â The girl replied, gaining the attention of the girls.
âIn-Ha?â Ni-Na asked.
âYeah, and his ex.â The girl answered. Ni-Naâs face suddenly turned crestfallen. The girlsâ eyes went round as they looked at Ni-na.
In-Ha and his ex?
âJi-A?â Ni-Na asked with a deep frown.
âYeah.â
âIsnât that his stepmother?â Another of the girls asked, but Ni-Na wasnât paying attention to her.
âWhere did you see him?â Ni-Na inquired. Her tone and countenance had changed and her friends noticed.
âNi-Na, you still arenât-â
âWhere?!â She asked, her voice slightly raised a few notches higher.
âThey both entered the couple lounge.â The girl said, but Ni-Na was already storming off.
In-Ha and his ex?
Ni-Na didnât even have to know too much about this ex, because there had only one ex in In-Haâs life, and that was that golddigger he had almost made the mistake of marrying. What business could they have together?