A/N: This story has expanded more than I had expected... Mainly because I didn't expect the plot to have so many words from whence I had conceived it in my head... but putting it to words is just... O_O too long. lol! So... I've cut it into a few parts... This'll be more than two parts... :)) 

2

“Daddy, when are you going to visit us?” Soojung innocently asks, making the two adults dining with her pause in their actions. Taeyeon carefully sets his spoon down and shifts his full attention to his daughter, “I’m going to come visit you soon, sweetie.” He casts his ex-wife a sparing glance before he returns his gaze to his daughter, who is now pouting at him. He chuckles as he gently pats his daughter on the head before he resumes, “Daddy promises that he will visit his little princess and his queen.”

Soojung lets out a toothy grin upon hearing her father’s nickname for her while Sooyeon looks down on her plate with a blush tainting her cheeks. Taeyeon smiles back at his daughter before he furtively glances at his ex-wife. A sad smile creeps up his face upon seeing his wife’s failed attempt at hiding the flushing of her cheeks.

Dinner resumes with Soojung telling her father about her adventures in the office and how her mother has allowed her to look into the portfolios of new employees. Taeyeon listens intently as Sooyeon smiles on at her daughter’s animated gestures while she retells her experiences for the day.

+++

Soojung’s parents tuck her in after they spend their time reading her wonderful stories about princesses, castles, and fairy godmothers. But the child only falls asleep when her parents told her about their own childhood stories. “Good night, Soojung.” Taeyeon leans forward and kisses his daughter’s forehead before he moves to the door as Sooyeon plants a kiss on Soojung’s cheek. “Sleep well, sweetie,” Sooyeon mutters as she turns off the light and follows her ex-husband out the door, gently closing it.

A hand takes Sooyeon’s own and without much of a word, Taeyeon leads her down the hall to their room. He ushers her inside first, before following after her, locking the door as soon as he crosses the threshold. Sooyeon turns to him with a look of concern. “Taeyeon,” she speaks as she comes close to him, meeting his dark eyes. “How has everything been?”

The man pulls her into his arms and rests his head on her shoulder, making her stiffen. “I miss you. Everything’s been hard.” Sooyeon hugs him back, her body calming down in his embrace. “Have they found the masterminds, yet?” She feels him shake his head.

“No. They couldn’t find out who it was who tried to hurt you. I’m sorry I put you through this, Sooyeon.” Taeyeon replies as he tightens his grip on her. Sooyeon momentarily pulls away, tears b her eyes, “Oh, Taeyeon. It wasn’t your fault. If there’s anyone to blame, it should be the both of us. We were young and stupid at that time.” Taeyeon rests his forehead against hers, gently brushing Sooyeon’s tears with his fingers. “Baby, please don’t cry.” He kisses her lips in hopes of easing the pain she’s feeling.

They both stumble into the bed, Sooyeon kissing him back with longing and fervor. The dying cinders of their past rekindle their flames as memories begin to haunt them once more. As their clothes begin to disappear, Sooyeon recalls the events that have transpired.

She had grown up with Taeyeon; having met him since she had began to walk. They were best friends, both heirs to a great fortune and a promising future. Their families were close, their fathers often collaborating on business endeavors. And as the children grew up, they took an interest in the business. Taeyeon and Sooyeon would spend their childhood moments within the confines of either the Kim or the Jung buildings. Their parents supported their interests and had agreed to send them overseas to a special secondary school.

Taeyeon and Sooyeon, now in their early teens, were eager to study abroad and became even more ecstatic upon finding out that their fathers had invested in a shared apartment near their school. It had everything they needed and despite them having separate rooms within the unit, the two would invade each other’s rooms whenever one is stressed or scared. They innocently slept with one another until their senior year when both had gotten into a conversation about intimacy.

Sooyeon was sleeping soundly in her room when Taeyeon came in and slid next to her. She turned to ask him of his troubles and he told her about his pubescent problems, telling her of his uncontrollable urges whenever he sees her. It all started with innocent teenage talk until both had mutually decided to give each other their firsts. It became the night of their first kiss and their first time, but it soon escalated into a routine activity that became more heated during nights before their stressful examinations or project deadlines.

Their ual trysts went on until they finished university and continued when they began interning for their respective companies. The couple would work for each of their parents’ companies for six months and within the year, they have learned the ropes of their parents’ businesses and each other’s anatomies as well. The couple eventually got caught by Sooyeon’s father in one of their sessions in their shared office within the Jung building. Their parents had forced them to secretly get married when they later found out that Sooyeon was two weeks pregnant with Taeyeon’s child.

Their parents then sent them on a forced vacation at one of the Kim family’s estates outside the country to save their reputation and to keep the other rival companies from taking advantage of this vulnerability. The couple didn’t mind. They enjoyed their relationship and the anticipation of parenthood until little Soojung was born. Despite the measures that the family took to keep Taeyeon and Sooyeon’s marriage and first-born a secret, some rivals caught wind of the news and came up with schemes that endangered the young family.

One scheme had almost killed both mother and daughter, which got the couple to come to a mutual agreement to end their marriage for the sake of their own safety. Sooyeon had been scarred for life after that incident and she built her Tigress image after that event. The only people who made her weak in the knees were her ex-husband and daughter. Taeyeon had also changed into a serious man. He became more reserved and detached from everyone save for his daughter and ex-wife. The couple became distrustful of others, much to the distress of their own families. It could have been a perfect relationship had the world not been against them.  

It is on rare nights like these that the couple would be allowed to express their frustrations with their current lives on each other. Sooyeon usually ends up being unable to walk properly the next morning after a night of heated passion in Taeyeon’s mansion.

Sooyeon stirs from her slumber, body automatically snuggling up to the warmth beside her. She groans as her muscles register the soreness caused by last night’s adventures. Her groan awakens the other figure sleeping beside her, causing him to wind his arms around her form, pulling their bodies flush against each other. “Good morning,” Taeyeon croaks into her flesh, tickling her skin with his breath. She opens her eyes to find him staring at her. And before she can return his greeting, a knock resounds from the door.

“Mommy, Daddy…” Soojung’s sleepy voice catches their attention. “I’m hungry.” The c