Chapter 1
Be MineIT’S BEEN THREE MONTHS SINCE THEIR WEDDING. They have been living under the same roof since, but Yuri could count with her fingers of how often she’d seen her husband. Not that she really wants to see him around though. It was preferrable for her if he was not around even more often, not that she actually hated spending time with him or anything; she could tell that he wasn’t sure what to do with her as much as she does with him so she did her best to avoid being around him unnecessarily, but there were times when she’d have to interact with him and she couldn’t do much about it.
Her husband was a 32-year-old billionaire entrepreneur – rich, smart and extremely good looking, anyone would want to be married to the once one of the most eligible bachelors in East Asia. He was sought after by every fair maiden from around the globe, yet he had settled down and married none other than Cha Yuri, a simple girl whose life revolved around the hospital and her patients. She was – quote and unquote – the luckiest girl in the whole wide world, but that’s not how she felt at all. Sure, he was handsome and rich, but she'd rather be with an average man living with an average salary than be in a loveless marriage.
Tonight was one of the nights where she’d have to stick close to her husband for the sake of the public. Her in-laws were hosting their annual charity dinner and Yuri was expected at the event arm-in-arm with her husband. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to attend anything with him, but she has yet to get herself used to the whole luxury parties plus his presence itself.
She faked a smile as she greeted the guests the best she could. She was getting good at it despite only learning the act three months ago. Even when she was wearing a mask over her face, the guests were able to recognize her easily; it’s obviously due to the fact that her husband was by her side and no mask or costume could ever disguise or cover his good looks. She doubted they’d recognize her in person, much less with a mask on, if it weren’t for his presence.
When the last elderly couple had left them to their own devices, Yuri let out a sigh. She hated crowds and being paraded in one felt even worse. She looked around the premise full of guests wearing colorful clothes and all kinds of masks over their faces in distaste, eager to leave as soon as possible.
“Suffocating, isn't it?” whispered a husky voice by her ear, almost making her jump in surprise. She did not notice her husband leaning closer than he already was. “We will leave in a bit.”
Yuri nodded, surprised that her husband even noticed her discomfort. Or could it be that he was in a rush for something else as well? She decided to ask him this to which he replied, “No, but I’m not fond of crowds. My mother is well aware of this so she won’t be stopping us from leaving earlier than we should.”
“Oh.”
That was a fact Yuri didn’t know about him. She thought he’d be used to the large crowds by now considering his fame and nature of work, but it seemed she was wrong. Yet again, what does she know about him aside from his name and the things the articles wrote about him on the internet?
“Kris darling,” called a voice and Yuri looked up to see her mother-in-law approaching them with a huge smile on her face. She looked beautiful in a lilac purple gown and she was the only one without a mask. “Your father has some guests he wanted to introduce to you.”
Kris let out a barely noticeable sigh and nodded, glancing at Yuri for a second before pulling her along. Yuri was not so happy about being attached to the hip with him, but she didn’t let go of his arm and simply followed along. Again, she stood next to him as her father-in-law introduced some seemingly important people to her husband.
“It’s nice meeting you,” she heard Kris respond as they shook hands.
“And this is my daughter-in-law, Cha Yuri.” Kris’ father proudly introduced to the men. “She’s a third-year resident in general surgery at Seoul Medical Center.”
“Wow, you got yourself a doctor in the family, sir. You must be really proud," one of the man said with a laugh before bowing his head at her in greeting. "It’s nice meeting you, Mrs. Wu.”
She put on her best smile and greeted the men, trying not to cringe at being addressed so despite the numerous times of hearing people call her Mrs. Wu ever since they got married. She still felt awkward at her new title, but to keep up with reputation, she managed a smile and a greeting each time. They briefly spoke about her job at the hospital before the topic turned to her husband and his empire.
“Papa!” cried a voice then and the conversation around the gentlemen seized as an infant girl, followed by a middle aged lady, rushed towards Kris and jumped into his arms, giggling when she was lifted high up into the air and kissed on the cheeks.
Papa.
Kris Wu, her husband, was a father to a 2-year-old little girl who looked like an ethereal angel. She was fair skinned, red cheeked and has long black hair; she was like a little doll with features that reminded her of Snow White. Sophia Wu was the result of a forbidden relationship he had with one of his previous lovers, a Chinese-American woman who was supposedly against all of Madam Wu's wishes for a daughter-in-law to be, and whose mother up and left her the moment she was born. Yuri remembered reading about it in the news – “Youngest billionaire caught in a scandal, dumped by girlfriend and now a father” – or something like that.
She had felt sorry for him then as it seemed that he had been unaware of the pregnancy and was now left to care for a child he did not know the existence of. She imagined that he would grow angry and abandon the child, probably use his business empire as an excuse to get out of raising a baby – yet there he was with a smile on his face as he carried his princess and allowed her to tug at his neatly combed hair in front of other businessmen and a crowd full of important guests.
"Are you having fun?" she heard him ask
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