Chapter 28

“I think Mr. Shin has this vendetta against me,” Annie said after an abrupt silence that ensued between her and Yongguk.

“Why? What makes you say that?” he asked leaning closer towards her.

“Well, you know that time you took me to his office?” she asked. He nodded. “I may have walked in on him and another woman. I'm sure she's probably around my age but then what do I know? Plastic surgery is huge nowadays. Older women are starting to look young, if you know what I mean.” She laughed awkwardly. “Anyways, I think that he might think that I might expose his little secret or something...” She shrugged slightly.

“Wait, what do you mean by walking in...?” he furrowed his brows together.

“You know...” she said looking away.

Yongguk scoffed, catching on right away. “That's not surprising,” he muttered.

“I'm on the same boat as you,” she added. “This is like a real life melodrama!”

“It's worst than a melodrama,” Yongguk muttered.

“I wonder if Miranda knows,” Annie finally said.

“She probably does,” he pointed out.

“If she knows, then why is she still with him? I mean infidelity should be the main reason for divorcing or breaking up in any relationship.”

“This isn't any relationship,” Yongguk countered.

“Point taken,” Annie nodded slowly in understanding. “We're talking about a power couple with lots of money and publicity. If Mr. Shin's infidelity gets out, that means he has to kiss his business profits goodbye and Miranda won't get any sponsors for her charities. And worst, Daniel would constantly be in the middle of his parents' messy scandals.”

“Exactly,” Yongguk nodded in agreement. “Poor kid doesn't deserve this kind of drama.” He sighed rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand.

“That reminds me,” she spoke up. He then shifted his attention over to her. “I witnessed some tension with his parents and he happened to be in the room. Poor thing looked scared. I wanted to run over to him and hold him close but his mother dismissed me before I could even do anything.” she sighed. But, I think I know what I'll do.”

“Which is?” he finally asked, suddenly becoming interested.

“I'll stick around just for him,” Annie answered. “The Shins have major problems. I'd look like the bad guy if I just abandon Danny at a time like this.”

“But what if Shin tries to put the moves on you again?” Yongguk countered. “You do know what he's capable of, right Annie?”

“I know,” she replied. “I was just a little caught off guard but his sudden move on me today that I couldn't really defend myself. But I'll be fine, Bang. I promise.”

“Well, just so you're aware if he puts his hands on you again, don't hesitate to call me,” he said. “Would you do that for me?”

Annie nodded. “I promise I'll call you,” she said raising her right hand. “But I can ensure you it won't happen again.”

“Well you can't be too sure,” he scoffed. “I can't believe Danny has a pig like that for a father. It's pathetic.”

“Hey, you know what they say, 'You can't choose your family.'” Annie shrugged. “And besides, Danny doesn't know that side to his father quite yet.”

Himchan made his way into the upscale hotel and into the elevator to the assigned floor. Thoughts of Annie flooded his mind but he was too dazed and confused at his current task at hand to bring himself to call her. The room was 217. The usual room where the meeting would take place. Once he made it to the door, he gave it a secret knock before the person from inside answered.

“You made it,” she smiled in astonishment. For an older woman, she still looked stunning wearing black lace lingerie underneath a black silk robe. In turn, she moved out of the way for him to come inside. “I didn't think you'd come.”

“Well, here I am,” he muttered once he stepped inside and took off his jacket.

From the tone of his voice, she could already tell he was a little upset. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Examining his handsome face, she finally took note of his agitated expression. “You're upset, right? About earlier?” she said chuckling.

“What do you think?” he retorted back angrily prying her hands off him.

“Himchan, I did what I had to do,” she countered tilting his chin towards her so they were facing one another. “You should know better than to associate yourself with a girl like her.”

“Miranda,” he sighed, removing his face from her manicured hands.

“Don't tell me you're a softie for her already,” Miranda found herself laughing at how ridiculous this sounded.

“She did nothing wrong!” he found himself raising his voice. “You can sit there and talk down to me but I won't stand there watching you be condescending to her. She did nothing to deserve this, Miranda.”

“Well, well, well, I believe Himchan's met his match,” Miranda said smirking. “The nanny? Really? Out of all the girls in the world, Himchan?”

“Don't talk about her that way, Miranda,” he said through gritted teeth.

“I honestly think you can do so much better, I mean think about it, she's good for nothing,” she said examining her manicured hands. “I was actually thinking of letting her go but seeing that you're here caring for her. I might just keep her around for a bit longer...”

His eyes widened. “Miranda, what do you think you're doing...?”

“Look Himchan, there's something you should know,” she said, her expression darkening. “I'm a woman who doesn't like to share my toys and I'm not about to let some classless unfit girl come between us.”

“Hey! Where the hell have you been? Me and the boys have been worried sick about you!” Lucy exclaimed as soon as Annie stepped foot into the cafe. Even though she insisted she'll be fine taking the bus, Yongguk had insisted on giving her a ride anyways. She couldn't refuse since she was becoming a little exhausted after his eventful night.

“Yeah, we tried calling but no answer,” Daehyun added.

Youngjae took note of Annie's demeanor and shook his head at Lucy and Daehyun, who in turn gave him a knowing nod. “Are you okay?” he finally asked.

“I'm fine,” she said sighing. “Just a little parched, that's all.”

“I'll have one of the boys bring you some water,” Lucy stood up and called out, “Zelo! Jongup! Could one of you guys bring Annie a glass of water?”

“Right on it, noona!” Zelo called back.

“Thank you!” Lucy exclaimed in return then sat beside Annie. “Anyways, are you sure you're okay? You look a little pale.”

Annie's eyes widened and she reached up to touch her face. Turning to Daehyun and Youngjae, she asked, “Am I really? Crap, not again!”

“Whoa! Calm down! It's no big deal,” Youngjae assured her. “We're just concerned about you, that's all.”

“Annie, what happened?” Daehyun asked raising an eyebrow.

“I may have gotten myself into some big trouble...”

A/N: Hello again!!! Here's another update. My last one for today before I go off to work!!! As you all know, I'm sure you guys have seen some of this coming! As a matter of fact, I may have hinted about it but here you go! Enjoy! This is kind of like a filler chapter in a way. I'll try to work on more later... Enjoy! ^^