"Come again?" Carlene dropped her secateurs from pruning her bonsai.

"I said I am getting married." Joe raised his determined chin. She just stared at him, speechless for very long time before,

"Thank God! Who's the lucky girl?" Now it was his turn to be surprised. He just stared at his mother, agape.

"You'll meet her soon, Mama. Listen, she doesn't belong to our circle but--"

"Since when did I teach you to be a snob, Yuan Chang?" She cut him off. "If you love her and she's a decent woman then there's no problem. Let her into your circle then. Is this the major change that Jia Hua was talking about the other night? Then I am so glad honey!" She ranted nonstop and hugged him. "If I am mad about something, it's because you didn't introduce her to us sooner." She tapped his cheek no-so-gently and went back to her bonsai collection.

"You're not. . .angry?" He asked awkwardly.

"I've been dreaming about having grandchildren for quite sometime now." She replied nonchalantly. "And now, my prayers are answered. Why should I be angry? When are we going to meet her?"

"Tonight." Before he can react, Carlene rang the small bell from the pocket of her apron. A few seconds later, Butler Yi appeared, a uniformed help behind him.

"You rang, Madam?" He even panted slightly.

"Yes. Yi, I want you to call Valerie." Valerie's the head of her staff in her foundation and acts as her girl friday too.

"Right away, Madam." He bowed. "Anything else?"

She waved a hand. "No. Thank you, Yi."

When her whole staff appeared after an hour or so, his mother, like a storm, organized a dinner party fit for a royalty. He almost forgot dinner parties and etiquette and charity would be her forte.

"Ma..." He placed a hand on her shoulder. He wanted her to stop. There was nothing to celebrate.

"Yeah! I was looking for you. By the way, what's her name? I can't believe I forgot to ask that."

He was a bit distracted. "Yi Chen, Ariel Lin Yi Chen." He replied absently. "And Ma, I just wanted you to meet her. Not scare her. Why are you throwing a party all of a sudden?" He asked, looking at the number of people moving back and forth to arrange everything for the party.

"A-ariel. . .Lin?" He even thought Carlene shuddered a little before she went a little pale.

"Ma? Ni mei shi ba?" He guided her to the nearby sunroom and ordered a help to bring them some water.

***********************************************************************

"Are you serious?" He asked. He can't believe what his wife's telling him.

"How can I joke about this serious matter, En Qi? Tell me this is just a joke! Old man Yamato won't forgive us!" She paced frantically in front of her husband.

"Hui Wen, calm down." He sighed. Carlene told him that their son's getting married. That's good news. He's not getting any younger and he don't want him to continue his flamboyant ways with women. It's the right time to settle down. But the woman Joe wants to marry is the only granddaughter of his biggest benefactor. One of the richest men in Asia and probably the richest in Japan.

Yamato Toshiya's one shrewd businessman. But the old man's the only person who gave him a chance to prove his worth. Yamato Industries financed the first business that he built, the Cheng Security Agency. And it started it all. Though he had long given up that particular business when his venture to the hospitality industry became sucessful, he still owe it to the old man. And even if he's tied to the wheelchair now, the heads of the biggest businesses in Japan still look up to him as a role model of the trading world.

Many years ago, Yamato Saika, Toshiya's only daughter met Andrew Lin Jiang Guo during an Ikebana competition she attended in Taiwan. She lead a sheltered and a charmed life under her father's influence and meeting the renegade amateur car racer fuelled the rebellion that's long been kept. Of course, Toshiya prohibited the relationship. He didn't send Saika to the best schools in the world to marry a poorer-than-dirt man. He was grooming someone for his daughter. But Saika was bent on going against her father. Toshiya disowned Saika when she married Andrew. And he didn't make it any easier for them. No company would accept the couple no matter how hard they tried. He should know. He was the one being groomed to marry Saika. He was thankful it didn't materialize or he couldn't have married the love of his life.

And just the other night, the old man called him to ask for his help. To say he was surprised was an understatement. Since when that the high and mighty Yamato Toshiya asked for help?

"Let us go meet your future daughter-in-law Hui Wen." He hugged her briefly to soothe her. "It's not proper to let a Yamato wait." He straightened an invisible crease on his suit and guided her out of their room.

***********************************************************************

She was in the middle of the bed, fetal position. Staring blankly on the sickening white wall of her tiny room. The the walls seemed to be closing in on her and it was suffocating. The diamond ring on her finger glistened in the dimly-lighted room. She made the biggest mistake of her life by dealing with Joseph Yuan or Joe Cheng or whoever he is.

[flashback]

"Do you honor your word?" He asked in a voice just above whisper.

"O-of course." She said reluctantly. "I do."

[end of flashback]

And she maybe a lot of things but she's definitely not someone who backs out. She knew she's doomed. And he'll not marry her because he loves her. That's out of the question. He'll marry her because he want to slap the truth in her face. She can't believe everyone around her were lying to her. Ella. Manager Wu. Joseph.

She ignored the slight knock on the door hoping that the person behind it would just go away. But Saika's head poke in the small opening a minute later. She walked inside when she saw that she was awake. She placed the big white box she was carrying on top of the bed beside her. She could almost guess what's inside.

"Someone brought this for you." She opened the box and it revealed a beautiful dress. "Wow! It's so pretty!" Saika exclaimed and lifted it from the box. The gold and silver threading created a graceful scallop design on the flowing gown. The gold-tone beads trim the sweetheart neckline of the strapless dress. How could she forget that she's meeting his parents now? An idea came to her mind and placed the dress inside the box and kicked it under the bed.

"I have to go get ready, Okasan. I'll be meeting my future in-laws tonight."

"W-what?"