A few days later, Joon Gi sat in the dark and tapped his fingers against an unfamiliar desk. Before him, Belize City lay in all its tropical glory. He could see the tops of the coconut trees waving in the dark lit sky. Rolling hills. The twinkling lights in warm houses.
The view was peaceful, relaxing.
Unfortunately, Joon was anything but.
A soft knock at the door broke the harsh silence. He stiffened, preparing himself. There was still hope, still a niggling, unwavering flame in his heart that insisted the person he would see when he turned this chair around wasn’t Tyler.
Joon planted his feet on the floor. Used the front of his foot to catapult the chair into a spin.
One second.
Two.
He slapped his leg down, breaking the movement. Forcing everything to a stop. The dim lighting that erupted from the city behind the window crept over the desk stacked with folders, over the floor, to a familiar face.
Familiar brown eyes.
Tyler’s.
“Joon?” His friend gasped. “What are you doing here?”
He shrugged and rose lazily. “Isn’t it obvious? This is a set-up.”
“B-but…” Tyler clutched a gift bag to his chest and looked behind him. “Where’s Grayson?”
“Oh, the old director is probably chilling in his bed, repenting for all his wrongs. You know bribery is a federal offense, but accepting bribes? That could get you terminated. I brought that fact to Grayson’s attention and he was kind enough to set up a meeting between me and his generous sponsor.”
Tyler’s trembling hand arched in the air before landing on his neck. The moonlight sliced over his pale skin, giving his entire body a silvery hue.
Joon Gi sneered. “Until the last second, I believed in you. Guess I really am a fool.”
“Joon, no. You don’t understand.”
“Explain it to me, Tyler. I’m listening.”
Tyler dropped to his knees, shaking so violently that the bag of money landed on the floor. Belizean dollars spilled everywhere. “It was Hanna.”
“Hanna? She asked you to do this?”
“No, not exactly.” Tyler’s hair flopped in front of his face. “She was so frustrated that Sky wasn’t giving in. You know how upset she gets when she loses. Sweet Treats was her prize. I just wanted to help.”
“So you bribed Grayson to make Hanna happy. Is that it?”
Tyler nodded solemnly.
“And that’s why you reported me for bribery? For her?”
Tyler’s head whipped up. “How do you know that?”
“Did Hanna hate me that much?” He scoffed. “I can’t believe this. You ruined my life!” He stabbed his chest. “You made me turn on my brother. You betrayed me… just to get with Hanna?”
“She wanted to break the engagement, but her parents wouldn’t let her. They’re so controlling. They want her to be the perfect daughter with the perfect husband. They didn’t want just any Korean man. Only a Kim would do.”
“So you did her dirty work to get me out of the way?”
“I’m sorry, man. I tried to get you out as soon as possible. I worked my butt off to change your judgment. Losing everything… that wasn’t a part of the plan.”
“What about Sun Gi? She got engaged to him right after that.”
Tyler’s gaze darted to the window.
“Ah.” Understanding dawned. “She played you, didn’t she? You realized after she’d had no intentions of running away from her parents’ rule, even if you laid out the red carpet for her.”
His voice heavy with remorse, Tyler cried, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know how to stop myself. I can’t breathe without her, Joon. I love her.” Tears streamed down his best friend’s face. “But I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”
“Then leave her.”
Tyler sniffed and looked up, eyes glassy. “What?”
“Leave Hanna.”
“But—”
“Also…” Joon strode to where Tyler was kneeling and stooped.
His friend looked up, hope in his eyes. “I’ll do it. I’ll let Hanna go. Then… you’ll forgive me?”
“I’m not here to offer a hand in friendship, Tyler. That ship has sailed.” He reached out and brushed the money into the gift bag. “In exchange for my silence on your little deal with Grayson, I’m taking this money and paying off Sweet Treat’s mortgage.”
Tyler clutched his hand. “I didn’t mean for it to get this messy, Joon. You have to believe me.”
“Goodbye, Tyler.” He stood and yanked his arm away. “Let’s not meet again.”