Time had passed. The cut on her palm had faded away into a thin white line, and Princes Jihae was able to pour herself into work without feeling much of anything. The production of Best Placed Bets was running toward the finish line. She was damn proud of what Rotelle Entertainment, CS Productions and the staff, crew and talent had accomplished.
Rule Two—they must finish the film no matter what—remained firmly in place, because she always kept her word. While she avoided Colin as much as humanly possible, her team continued to work with his to make the most of their partnership.
Every day she went to work and pushed herself to exhaustion, then came home and collapsed into a restless sleep. Every day. That was how she had survived the last few months.
In the rare moments that her guard came down and she remembered she’d lost Colin, pain too monstrous to describe came crashing into her, paralyzing her. But that just motivated her to fall deeper into character and become Princess Jihae down to her soul. It was a good thing. Everything she was—her face, body, hands and heart—all felt numb from the cold. She was frozen solid, and her true self remained locked behind the thick, icy walls.
The old Jihae had trusted, hoped and loved, but Princess Jihae knew better. Trust, hope and love only led to heartbreak. Her childish hope that her parents loved her despite their distance, censure and neglect... It was so stupid of her. Her dream that she could belong to someone and have that someone belong to her. To love and be loved. A complete joke. She was alone. She had always been and always would be. Alone.
“Hey, girlfriend. Do you have a minute?” June asked as she stepped into the office.
“For you. Anytime.” Jihae did her best to smile for her friend. Her confidante. But it felt foreign and awkward on her face. “Come have a sit.”
June held out a bag she had been hiding behind her back. “Ta-da.”
A rusty, unnatural laugh rattled from her. “What is it?”
“Nigiri, baby. One of the staff went to Little Tokyo for lunch and was sweet enough to bring some sushi back for us.”
Jihae’s stomach roiled, but she smiled her distant, stiff smile again. “How nice of them.”
“Jihae-ya,” June said, switching to Korean. “You really need to eat. You’re going to make yourself sick pushing yourself like this.”
“And since when do I not push myself?”
“I know. You always ask a lot of yourself, but not like this. I could tell you’re not sleeping well, and you’re wasting away. I hardly ever see you eat.”
“I eat.” When she remembered, which was seldom. “Okay, okay. Give me those nigiri. I’ll eat them.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for condescending to eat the gourmet sushi presented right in front of your face.”
June’s trademark sarcasm pulled free a real smile from Jihae. “Thank you for the sushi. And thank you for taking care of me.”
“You’re very welcome.” She smiled back, relief shining on her face.
They ate in companionable silence, June piping up to make random, funny comments here and there. The sushi surprisingly wasn’t dry and flavorless, like all the other food she’d attempted to eat. She could actually taste the fresh fish and the perfect texture of the rice, and it was delicious. A thin string of warmth penetrated her icy wall, and an impossible thought occurred to Jihae.
Maybe, just maybe, she would come out of this okay. Not whole and strong, but at least, as a living person. She had lost so much of herself from her father’s betrayal and from Colin’s... She’d lost Colin. She’d begun to think that she would never be herself again. That the real Jihae would never emerge from behind the wall of Princess Jihae.
But this could be the first step. The first real smile. The first enjoyable meal. The first time she enjoyed someone else’s company since her world had collapsed. Maybe from this point on, she could take little steps to find herself again. To find satisfaction in her work, and to find whatever happiness she could find in her life.
“Thank you, June,” she said with affection.
June’s eyes widened in surprise and she smiled warmly at Jihae. “My absolute pleasure.”
“We should do this again soon.”
“Lunch? Nah. The next step to rehabilitation is getting you drunk.”
“I like that idea. We could get plastered and go kill it at a karaoke.”
“Now you’re talking.” June paused and looked straight into Jihae’s eyes. “Welcome back, friend. I missed you so much.”
The wrap party was one occasion when Jihae couldn’t avoid Colin. They’d done the film together. He had as much right to be there as she did. She chose a loose, draping column dress to hide her weight loss and wore her hair down in thick, shiny waves. Possibly the only good thing that came out of the whole mess was that she didn’t give a damn about what her father thought anymore.
He continued to threaten to fire her from her position for disobeying him, but he wasn’t going to risk the financial success he stood to gain from Best Placed Bets. Her guess was he would push her out of Rotelle Entertainment as soon as the project was over. Jihae huffed a humorless laugh. Too bad she was leaving before he could have the satisfaction of firing her. She’d stuck with Rotelle Entertainment to see this film through, but she had plans to start her own production company.
The moment she entered the party, she was surrounded by people, so she didn’t get a chance to see if Colin was there. It was for the best since she didn’t want to spend the whole evening wondering if and when she would bump in to him.
Everyone in the grand hall was in high spirits. From the direction to the acting, everything had been superbly done in the film. They were filled with confidence that it would really be something to behold once the editing was finished. In her years in the industry, Jihae had never quite seen anything like it.
While she held herself to rigid standards, working on Best Placed Bets had been an absolute pleasure. They’d all worked together as a team through the rare minor hitches, but most of the production process had fallen into place like well-carved puzzle pieces. It was an uncommon but satisfying experience. And being part of it all had truly been an honor.
“Jihae,” Ethan said, coming up to her with Kimberly beside him. “Congratulations. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with you.”
“Ditto.” Kimberly leaned in to hug her, and Jihae embraced her warmly.
“You guys did such wonderful jobs,” Jihae said. “I can’t tell you how proud I am, and how grateful I am that I had a chance to work with you both.”
“Thank you, Jihae,” Kimberly said with a watery smile. Then she cleared her throat. “Colin said he had a meeting, but he should be here any minute now.”
“Oh?” Jihae couldn’t think of anything to say beyond that.
The three of them weren’t able to continue their conversation much longer as Jihae got pulled this way and that. When she was able to disentangle herself from the throngs of happy, celebrating colleagues, she made for the bar like a woman on a mission. Despite her mental preparations and determination, she was a nervous wreck at the prospect of seeing Colin.
“Dirty martini. Extra olives, please,” she said to the bartender as she took an empty seat.
The others sitting at the bar seemed like the introverts of their group, seeking some alone time, which was perfect for her. She wanted to be alone with her beautiful martini for a few minutes. She took a sip of the bitter, briny cocktail and bit into the flesh of a salty olive. Her eyes closed shut. It was heavenly.
“Hennessy straight,” said a voice she recognized from her dreams.
Why had he approached her? She’d expected an awkward hello, but she hadn’t prepared herself to actually talk to Colin. She wasn’t ready, so she kept her eyes closed and silently chewed her olive.
“Jihae.”
Oh, God. She hated his beautiful voice. She hated the reflexive shiver that ran down her spine. She hated the thump of her broken heart. Get a grip, Princess. You can do this. She opened her eyes and slowly turned around. Colin was standing a few feet away, leaning against the bar.
“Congratulations on the wrap.” She forced her words through stiff lips. He had worked hard and deserved the compliment.
“Thank you. Congratulations to you, too.”
“Sure.” She took a significant gulp of her martini.
Meanwhile, she was trying very hard not to notice anything about him. How striking he looked in his slim, black suit and open-necked dress shirt. How elegant his long fingers looked wrapped around his glass. He’d lost weight. His boyishly handsome face was now sharp and edgy. The face of a man who had known pain and survived. She tried to notice none of it. He wasn’t hers anymore. Was never hers to begin with.
But she had something to relay to him, so she calmed her churning emotions.
“I want you to know that I’ve found some evidence connecting Rotelle Corporation to Yami. There were some suspicious activities in an overseas account belonging to one of Rotelle’s shell companies. My father hid his tracks well, but some forensics showed the money being transferred to an account here. It isn’t enough to put my father away, but it’ll be enough to keep him from coming after Hansol Corporation and your family again. I’ll make sure of that.”
“Thank you, Jihae.”
“No need to thank me. It’s the right thing to do.” Having said her piece, she was ready to find a dark hole to crawl into. She couldn’t bear to be near Colin anymore.
“You look lovely,” he said, his voice low and hesitant.
“Don’t.” Her numb frozen heart cracked and bled.
“Jihae, I just want to know that you’re okay.”
She froze as fury leaped to the surface. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. And she didn’t want to believe the tenderness in his eyes.
“No, you don’t get to see if I’m okay. What you get to do is stay away from me. I’m barely beginning to live again. You can’t pop back into my life and ask after me. You forfeited that right when you destroyed me.”
“I’m sorry. God, I didn’t mean to... I’m an idiot. I’m sorry.”
Enough. Jihae drained her drink and shot to her feet, but before she could storm off, Colin gave her a curt nod and strode off toward the opposite end of the hall. God help me. She wanted to run after him. Because despite everything, she still loved him with all her broken heart.
It was the night of Adelaide and Mike’s wedding rehearsal. His cousin held a special place in his heart and she was marrying a man who actually deserved her. Colin was happy for them but the feeling was dull and faded.
His world was devoid of Jihae, and he was hollowed out. Life had lost its vitality, and he merely endured and survived it. Not that he deserved anything more. He’d betrayed her and broken her trust so completely, he couldn’t even try to apologize to her again. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness. For months, he’d tortured himself with thoughts of should’ve, could’ve, would’ve. He should have done a million things differently. Maybe then, he’d still have Jihae in his life.
But it was too late for regrets. He had poured all his energy into finishing the production of Best Placed Bets. At the very least, he’d kept that promise to her. Now he would have something they’d created together to hold on to. To keep him afloat in an existence he could hardly stand.
Colin was Mike’s groomsman so his presence was mandatory, and there was no way he would ever let them down. Garrett and Natalie were the best man and the matron of honor respectively, so they had made the trip home from New York with their two daughters in tow. Colin’s sorrow and anguish were his to bear, and it was time to take care of the people who loved him.
The wedding party bustled around the small chapel like tiny figurines in a shoebox. While everything seemed chaotic, Adelaide’s wedding coordinator had the situation under tight control. If he remembered Garrett and Natalie’s wedding correctly, the woman was a genius at what she did.
He found Natalie standing near the edge of the commotion, holding an infant in her arms.
“Hey, there,” he said, giving her a one-armed hug and a peck on her cheek. Then he stole a peek at the sleeping angel, just three months old. “Does she have superpowers? How is she sleeping through this ruckus?”
“Riley sleeps through anything as long as I’m holding her. But the moment I put her down in her car seat, she’ll wake up in a second.”
“May I hold her for a bit?”
“Oh, my God. Yes, please. My arms are burning,” Natalie said as she gingerly transferred the little bundle into Colin’s waiting arms. “You’re a saint. Truly.”
“And where is my dear cousin while you carry his daughter to the point of exhaustion?”
“Why, he’s on the more difficult task of toddler duty.” She laughed lightly and pointed past his head. “Look over there.”
He spotted Garrett’s tall, broad form easily, made all the more prominent by the three-year-old on his shoulders. His cousin was leaning his head toward Mike to hear what was being said, but the bellowing commands of his preschooler seemed to make it difficult for him. Colin chuckled quietly, shaking his head.
“So Sophie still rules the household, I see.”
“Hey. That’s only because I allow her to.”
“What about Garrett?”
“Oh, no. He doesn’t get to rule. He’s putty in us women’s hands.”
Surprised laughter escaped his lips, and he worried he’d disturb the sleeping baby in his arms. Thankfully, Riley really could sleep through anything.
The rehearsal dinner was held on the Song family’s garden terrace. After the harried wedding rehearsal, the setting was perfectly intimate and peaceful. When Adelaide’s bridesmaids and Michael’s bickering parents left, the cousins relaxed into the evening. His grandmother finally stood and bid everyone good-night after a long, pointed look at Adelaide.
Garrett had put his two girls to bed at some point in the evening, and sat with his arm around his wife’s shoulder. And Adelaide and Mike held hands on the table and cast blushing glances at each other. Never had Colin missed Jihae more than he did now.
“Will you please stop making those lost-puppy-dog eyes, Colin?” Adelaide said. “It makes me want to fuss over you and shower you with affection.”
“Yeah. It’s pretty damn heartbreaking,” Garrett added.
“Screw you, dear cousins,” Colin replied mildly. But he was panicking inside. Of course, his family would know. They could see his suffering as clearly as he could see their happiness.
“Hal-muh-nee debriefed us on your truly mucked up situation. I can see why she enlisted all of us to help. You’re a mess, dear cousin,” Adelaide said gently. “I think it’s a Song family trait. When we fall in love, we love deeply. We love forever. You have to find a way to win her back.”
“That’s not possible. She would never forgive me. Nor should she.” Colin gave up trying to maintain a light mood. They would see through him, anyway.
“Just look at me and Garrett, man,” Mike chimed in. “We both messed things up so royally, we shouldn’t be sitting at this table with these amazing women by our sides.”
“But their capacity for love and forgiveness is greater than what we could possibly imagine,” Garrett said, his voice rough with emotion. “And I don’t know where I would be today if Natalie hadn’t taken me back.”
“Oh, honey.” Natalie kissed Garrett softly on his mouth and leaned her head against his shoulder. “It was the best decision I ever made.”
“Sometimes you have to forget about weighing things out, and just trust your gut instinct.” Adelaide linked her fingers through Mike’s. “If I hadn’t taken a leap of faith, I wouldn’t be the happy bride that I am.”
“Are you happy, baby?” Mike asked her with such tenderness in his eyes. “Because that’s all I ever wanted.”
“I am. So happy.” Adelaide cupped Mike’s cheek in her hand and he leaned into it. “And I can’t wait to start the rest of my life with you.”
“God, could you guys all stop being so goddamn happy for a second?” Colin raked his fingers through his hair. He was pleased for his cousins, but it reminded him of what could’ve been. It hurt to think about Jihae. “I thought you guys were doing some kind of intervention for me. Not rubbing salt into my wounded heart with your love fest.”
“We’re just showing you what you could have if you got over your guilt and focus on your love,” Adelaide said.
“What we’ve learned is that love makes us stupid brave. Maybe a little reckless, but mostly brave.” Garrett smiled as though being stupid in love was the greatest thing in the world. “That bravery could help you do anything.”
“What about the investigation?” Colin said, feeling terrifying hope spark to life inside him. “Aren’t we going to bring charges against Rotelle Corporation and Chairman Park?”
“Bring charges against the devious devil himself? I wish,” Garrett said. “But he was so thorough in covering up Rotelle’s involvement that our PI ran out of leads again. And Sylvia Taylor hasn’t made a peep. Jihae made it pretty clear that there will be no introduction to the talent agency, so she wisely gave up.”
“Besides, Hansol discovered the espionage scheme before permanent harm could be done. And Natalie and Garrett are doing great. Right, guys?” Adelaide said, giving her brother and sister-in-law a big thumbs-up. “We could leave the past in the past, Colin. If you love Jihae, we’ll stop the investigation against Rotelle Corporation. And I say this with Hal-muh-nee’s stamp of approval. We don’t need to go after her family and hurt her.”
“Do you love her?” Natalie asked gently.
“More than life,” Colin replied. He loved Jihae so much that every cell in his body ached to hold her again.
“Then go win her back.” Adelaide kicked him under the table. “Do the bravest, stupidest thing you can think of and overwhelm her with your love. She won’t be able to think past her love for you.”
“And we’re all here to help you,” Mike said. Everyone at the table nodded their support. “Just say the word and we’ll do whatever you ask.”
Emotion lodged itself in his throat, and Colin let himself weep for the first time after losing Jihae. But the tears were meant to cleanse away his guilt and regret, and prepare him to win back the woman he loved. Because if he knew anything, it was that he loved Jihae more than anything in the world and he would do everything in his power to make her happy. No matter what happened, he wanted her to know that he was hers and would always be hers. She deserved to know that his love was real.