"Tell her not to fall for him! This is a business deal, not some stupid love marriage!"

Kiara froze at the top of the stairs as her father's voice reached her. Her heart hammered against her chest. What was this strange feeling?

She had heard similar words so many times before. She shouldn't be feeling this shocked. She should be used to making and losing friends right? She had been doing it all her life because of her dad's business deals. Why was she so anxious this time?

If it came to that, she should be able to give Sehun up as easily as she had given up friends before. But why did she feel like this time it wasn't going to be that easy for her? Was it because she was just getting warm to the situation and this was too sudden? Shouldn't it be all the more easier then - to give it all up?

She needed to be careful. Because she hadn't forgotten...how it felt like to be separated from someone you grew too close to. She hadn't forgotten that one firm attachment and how it had hurt her when she had to let go. She didn't want to get hurt like that again. She needed to be careful.

Kiara took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She heard her mother's footsteps coming up the stairs and sprinted to her room. She had to calm herself down before her mother saw her in that state. She quickly got into the bathroom and locked the door. She fervently splashed water onto her face. The water was ice cold and felt rather good even if it stung her face.

Kiara took her time in the bathroom. She brushed, washed her face again, changed into her night suit. It was a baby blue tank top with blue shorts that stopped somewhere in the middle of her thighs. After she changed, she emerged from the bathroom to find her mother sitting on her bed.

"Mamma?", she said, "Anything up?"

"No baby.", her mom replied, smiling slightly, "I just wanted to talk to you. We haven't had a proper talk in quite some time." Kiara slowly walked to her bed and sat down next to her mother. She had a feeling she knew what this was about.

"Kiara honey?", her mother called after a moment of silence.

"Yes mamma?", Kiara replied in a low voice. She tried to keep her voice as normal as possible as she waited for the question to spill from her mother's lips.

"What do you think of Sehun?"

Kiara let out a soft sigh. There it was. Harden your heart, Kiara honey. Now you have to lie like never before.

"He's okay, mamma.", Kiara said, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders, "We get along pretty well."

"You just get along?", her mother asked, hesitation and doubt evident on her voice.

"Yeah... We need to get along to manage the company, right?", Kiara asked, keeping her voice calm, "We get along fine. We can handle the company when the time comes." She heard her mother sigh.

"What if your father decided to find some other suitor for you?", Kiara's mother asked her abruptly.

Kiara felt her heart skip a beat. So this is what's it's all about. Dad is changing my suitor. But why? What's wrong with Sehun?

 "Dad is breaking the arrangement with the Ohs?", Kiara asked, trying to keep her voice devoid of any emotions.

"Not yet.", she heard her mother reply, "But apparently your father has not finalized the arrangement with the Ohs. The Ohs have agreed but your father is still indecisive. He... He believes that he can find someone better... Someone who can give our company better monetary support."

"Oh! So this is about the amount of money the groom can bring in.", Kiara muttered dryly, "Why am I not surprised?"

Mrs. Kim glanced at her. "You wouldn't mind if your father fixed you up with someone else?", she asked her daughter.

Kiara felt like a thousand daggers were piercing her heart. Stop right there Kiara! You can't feel! You're not allowed to feel! Feeling will only make this more difficult! "It's for the company, mamma.", she heard herself say, "I gotta do what I gotta do."

"You're father doesn't want you getting too close to Sehun.", her mother sighed.

"Not a problem.", Kiara mumbled.

"Honey!", Kiara's mother finally let the desperation seep into her voice, "You don't have to force yourself to do this!"

Kiara felt her heart cry out in despair at her mother's voice. She wanted nothing more than to hug her mother tight and tell her that it wouldn't be easy for her this time, because, perhaps she had already made the mistake of getting attached. She had thought that for once this was something permanent. How silly she had been to hope so!

She wanted to tell her mother how he had promised to take care of her. How he had promised to be the type of husband that she wanted. How he had saved her number in his phone as 'My baby.' How he made her feel all warm when he held her hand. How he had told her that he felt protective towards her.

She wanted to spill all this to her mother. She wanted to tell her mother that she couldn't be happy with anyone but him now. Kiara was inexperienced in love. She didn't know whether what she felt right now was love or not. All she knew was that a hole drilled into her heart every time she thought of having to leave him.

Tell her not to fall for him. Why couldn't her dad have told her this sooner? Would it have made a difference though? I think I fell for him the day I met him.

But that was