d a y  n i n e----------------------------*

Mandarin Palace, Beijing, China 11:50 A.M.

Thunder let out its rage which startled Miala awake. The skies were cloudy and so was her head. What was it she was going to do today?

She wasn’t the least ecstatic without Luhan in the picture. Maybe if the rain started falling, her eyes would soon reflect it too. She whimpered, pulling the covers to her embrace.

Waking up from a nightmare didn’t seem any better as memories of yesterday flooded her mind.

Miala’s POV

“I’m engaged to be married.”

The meal turned quiet thereon. Even Luhan’s cousin who was trying to keep the conversation alive with random topics couldn’t save the dire atmosphere. It got worse when she had to leave first because her boss had additional tasks. Now it was just me and him.

…

Each time I try to open up a conversation, it seemed to be shut down by Luhan’s blank gaze directed at me. So basically, the only sound made was the clacking of the utensils and soft chewing.

After a while, it was time to go back to the hotel and even then the situation didn’t get any better.

“Luhan..”

“Oppa?”

“Why are you so…unusually quiet” I said in almost a whisper. Breaking the silence felt like a crime. But nothing. There wasn’t any reply. I realized we were going the wrong way since we were supposed to make a turn in the corner. He kept on going straight ahead.

“Luhan?”

“Luhan, we-“ I caught up to him and tugged the back of his shirt and almost toppled back when he turned abruptly with an unreadable expression. He seemed angry but his eyes told something different. They were softly gazing at me as he held my wrist.

“Why…why didn’t you think to tell me?”

“I-I..” That caught me off guard. By now he should have verbally insulted me if he was angry. But instead I got a question. A question I naively answered without a second thought.

“I didn’t think it was important. I thought-“  he sighed and smiled a bit sarcastically, frustratingly- ruffling his hair, letting my wrist go in the process.

“You thought? You. That’s the thing heiress, YOU only think about yourself. You think the world revolves around you but it doesn’t. It ing doesn’t” a lump started to grow in my throat.

There they are- when all the while I thought I was prepared for his sharp mouth.

Luhan waved a taxi over and told the driver the hotel’s address. He turned to me and motioned mockingly, “You’re carriage awaits heiress.”

My mind went blank. The next thing I knew, I was in the cab, watching the male figure fade away as the vehicle drove by.

-END-

The heiress was strayed away from her thoughts when she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door.

“Miss? Are you up? Should I pre-order your daily brunch?” It was her assistant.

“Yes please, thank you Mr. Kim!” Miala called out. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. This could be her last day. There’s nothing here for her now and so she wanted this day to at least be a happy.

I should buy souvenirs for dad and mom and my friends! And the help at home too. She nodded and got up to change into her outfit.

Miala poked the dessert in front of her- it didn’t seem all that sweet right now. She kept peeking if Luhan would come out of those kitchen doors to bring out food but he didn’t. There was no sign of him.  

Is he sick? She called the manager over to ask.

“He called for a day off. Luhan rarely does that so I let him; poor boy must not be feeling well. Then again, he comes in sometimes even if he’s sick” The man smiled, bowed, and then left.

Guess he doesn’t really wanna see my face huh? She puffed air into her bangs.

She got into the car while one of Mr. Kim’s assistants loaded her purchases in the trunk. It was 5 in the afternoon and she was tired from all the shopping. Nonetheless, it made her f