Black Diamond

11. Chapter 11

Taeyong woke up to the feeling of Kamella’s warmth curled up against his side. Her arm was laying haphazardly across his bare chest. She sighed in her sleep, and the gust of air brushing against his arm made him smile before he even opened his eyes.

Sunlight streamed through the single window in her bedroom, covering the pale yellow walls in a soft morning glow that was cherry and bright. Taeyong took in his surroundings slowly, memories from the night before flooding his mind all at once.

There hadn’t been time for words after Kamella admitted her feelings to him. The overwhelming emotions that filled him from head to toe when Kamella said that she wanted him... it was new territory for Taeyong, but he didn’t regret a single thing.

Taeyong rolled onto his side to face the sleeping woman beside him. He would never admit it to Kamella, but he had watched her sleep the last time he had stayed over too. Everything about her was fascinating to him. She was just so different from him, in so many ways, that it made him want to uncover every single piece of her.

He gingerly reached out, his fingertips tracing the curves of her face, starting from her eyebrows and working his way down -- gliding over her eyelids, her graceful nose, her full, pouty lips, and finally, her jaw line and chin. He continued his path down to the column of her neck and paused at the dark kiss mark he left there, feeling proud of himself.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re happy about leaving bruises on me, Taeyong-ah,” Kamella’s morning voice was sultry as hell, and Taeyong already felt his heartbeat acting up. He looked up to find her watching him, an amused smirk on her beautiful face.

Even with no make-up, Kamella was lovely.

“...It’s my first time,” Taeyong admitted softly, feeling embarrassed by the admission.

Kamella nodded, “I can tell. This one won’t last very long. Unlike those,” She replied with a wink, caressing the bruises on Taeyong’s chest where she had marked her claim on him once again.

“Does yours hurt?” He asked her curiously, and Kamella immediately shook her head.

“This? Nah, it’s nothing. Feel free to rough me up however you’d like,” There was no mistaking the seductive lilt in her tone. If they were in an anime, Taeyong would probably faint from a nosebleed. Kamella was just too bold sometimes.

His cheeks heated, “Mella-yah, when you say things like that-”

“Like what?” She asked, feigning innocence, making Taeyong chuckle.

In response, he grabbed her by her shoulders and rolled them over so that Kamella was laying flat on her back. Kamella giggled, glad that he was getting braver, “Should I take you up on your offer?”

“If you can,” Kamella taunted, lifting an eyebrow. Taeyong bit his lips, leaning towards Kamella and-

KNOCK KNOCK!

They both froze at the sound of knocking on Kamella’s bedroom door. Kamella rolled her eyes and Taeyong snickered at her miffed expression, separating their bodies. When Kamella crawled out of bed and walked towards her bedroom door, Taeyong slid the covers up to his neck.

“Liv, get ready for your funeral,” Kamella ground out, throwing the door open to glare at her best friend, who sported the biggest -eating grin in the world.

“Oh, am I interrupting something?” She asked teased, knowing that she definitely interrupted something. “I thought you might be hung over so I made some breakfast!” Olivia explained, doing her best to peek around Kamella’s shoulder in the doorway. She managed to sneak a tiny peek of Taeyong, “Good morning, Ty!” She added slyly, and the male occupant in Kamella’s room murmured a shy “hello” in reply.

“Get out!” Kamella yelled, and Olivia released a peal of laughter, fleeing at the sound of Kamella’s aggravated tone.

“I expect you two at the table in ten minutes~!” Olivia replied in a sing-song voice, heading back towards the kitchen.

“Ugh, where does she get the energy?” Kamella grumbled, grabbing a sweatshirt from her clothing rack against the wall. Taeyong emerged from the blankets, watching Kamella pull the garment over her head.

She noticed his odd look, taking a seat at the edge of the bed beside him, “Why are you making that face?”

“Is this okay? Should we be acting this way in front of Liv-noona?” Taeyong questioned, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth in concern.

“Don’t worry. Trust me, she’s seen much worse,” Kamella assured him, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. She tugged gently, prompting him to climb out of bed too. “Oh! I forgot to give this to you.”

Kamella handed Taeyong two shopping bags, grinning at his curious look. To his surprise, they were gifts. One bag was full of clothes for him, and the second bag had two pairs of shoes in it -- all of the items were designer apparel.

“Mella-yah, this is-! Wow, there’s so much here,” Taeyong’s eyes grew wider and wider as he pulled out each item of clothing. Jeans, three shirts, socks, even a pair of PJs in all black, that was a perfect match to the set he had bought her in LA.

“I figured these could stay at my place, in case you forget something?” Kamella explained, her smile hopeful.

Taeyong smiled widely, nodding in agreement, already in the process of pulling the tags off the pajamas, “I’d like that.” He set the bags down for a second and rewarded her with a sweet kiss on her forehead for thinking of him, “Thank you.”

The two of them finally stepped out of Kamella’s bedroom, walking down the hallway hand-in-hand, in their matching pajamas.

Olivia clapped when they appeared, “Wow, you too look so good together!”

“Liv, shut up,” Kamella warned, but she couldn’t help the beaming smile that was on her face. Taeyong didn’t say anything but his face was getting redder by the second.

“Hahaha, Ty, don’t take it personally. I’m just giving you two a hard time. Have a seat! Try my famous hangover soup.” Olivia set the table, handing bowls of steaming rice to Taeyong and Kamella. She placed a giant, steaming bowl of hangover soup at the center of the table, complete with several side dishes. Taeyong was surprised to see the spread, since he assumed the two women would have American food for breakfast.

Olivia noticed his expression, “So while Mel works at a hotel, I’m a cook during the day. Grandma saw that I had an aptitude for it and taught me everything she knows. I turned it into my day job.”

Taeyong nodded in understanding, taking a spoonful of the hangover soup. It was wonderful. “Noona, this is amazing.”

“Thanks! That means a lot coming from you -- I’ve heard you can make some pretty great meals yourself.” Olivia complimented, sampling the soup herself. Kamella was already eating, not bothering to wait for the two of them.

Olivia was chatty during breakfast, retelling the tale of her night out with her client. While they ate, Taeyong’s cell phone rang, and he excused himself from the table. The second he was gone from view, Olivia leaned her elbows on the table and stared Kamella down. Kamella continued to eat, unbothered, until her best friend blocked her access to the small plate of kimchi.

“What, Liv?” Kamella frowned, glaring at her best friend.

Olivia waggled her eyebrows, “Sooooooo….?”

“So what?”

“Kamella Evette, you know damn well what I’m asking about.”

Kamella glanced over her shoulder before leaning forward and lowering her voice conspiratorially, “Nothing. Happened.”

“WHAT?” Olivia shouted in surprise. “You… I literally gave you two an entire night to yourselves, and you just wasted all my efforts. Are you serious?”

Kamella rolled her eyes at Olivia’s dramatic response, “He stopped me before we could go any further because I was drunk. He said he didn’t want to take advantage of me.”

Olivia’s expression softened, “That’s so sweet, but damn it, what the hell is wrong with him? If someone handed me a hottie on a platter with a little bubbly in their tummy, I’d be-”

Kamella laughed, “I know, right? If Ty ever comes to me after a night of drinking, I’ll have to send him home for his own safety.”

“You’d probably scare him, poor thing.” Olivia joked, making Kamella chuckle again. Taeyong returned to the kitchen to find the two roommates laughing quietly together. It seemed that no matter what age, women were always sharing secrets with one another.

“Mella-yah, I have a schedule in an hour, so I have to go back to the dorm,” He explained, with a slight pout. Kamella nodded, doing her best not to return the expression. It would make him feel bad about leaving.

“Don’t worry about your dishes, I’ll get them,” Olivia assured them both, and Taeyong gave her a grateful smile.

“Thank you for breakfast, Noona.”

Olivia waved him off, “It’s no problem! Just remember to pay me back the next time you come by.”

Kamella took Taeyong’s hand, tugging on it to get his attention, “You better go get ready,” She reminded him gently, and he agreed, disappearing back inside Kamella’s bedroom. Once he was dressed in his new clothes and ready to go, Kamella watched him put his shoes on at the door.

“What’s your schedule for today?”

“We have a photo shoot, some filming, and then there’s a group dinner tonight.” Taeyong recounted smoothly, tying his laces.

Kamella repeated the list in her mind, and nodded once she committed it to memory, “Have fun.”

Taeyong was at a loss of how he should say goodbye to her. Would it be weird if he kissed her goodbye? Would a hug be okay?

Kamella saw his thoughtful expression and chuckled inwardly. She wondered if Taeyong had any idea just how expressive he was. Making the decision for him, Kamella hugged her arms around his neck and pressed her lips softly to his cheek, “Don’t work too hard.”

“I feel like I should be saying that to you,” Taeyong replied sheepishly, winding his arms around her waist, “Try to get some rest between shifts, ok?”

Kamella nodded obediently, and the couple separated. Taeyong gave one final wave goodbye as he forced himself to turn around and walk away from Kamella’s arms. It was time to go back to real life.

He had called for a car to pick him up from Kamella’s place, and thankfully, it was downstairs waiting for him when he reached the lobby of the building. After a short drive back to his dorm, Taeyong walked in to find the entirety of NCT 127 staring at him expectantly in the living room, plus a few extra members. The only person missing was Haechan.

“Good morning, Taeyong-hyung!” Lucas called, in greeting. Taeyong tried to say a quick hello to the members and go directly to his room, but Johnny and Jaehyun blocked him from going any further down the hall, evil grins covering their features. The two members grabbed both of Taeyong’s arms and lifted him, planting him directly on the floor in front of the TV, allowing him to see all the faces of the members gathered on the couch.

“Should we send the kids out of the room?” Taeil asked in amusement, making the others laugh.

Taeyong blushed, shaking his head silently in response.

“Did you two get in a big fight after she left the hotel?” Jaehyun started off, but since Ten knew the answer, he replied instead of Taeyong.

“No, they made up instead,” Ten told them knowingly, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

A chorus of “Oooohhhh” filled the living room, and then the others turned back to Taeyong.

“So you two made up last night?” Johnny prodded, and Taeyong ran his fingers through his platinum colored hair, pushing out a breath. He should have expected this from the members, but it was never fun to be put on the spot like this.

“And probably this morning too!” Yuta added, snickering.

“Mella-yah and I apologized to each other last night,” Taeyong confirmed, fidgeting with his hands.

“Did I hear that correctly? ‘Mella-yah’? You’re so familiar with each other now,” Doyoung commented, immediately picking up on Taeyong’s use of Kamella’s new pet name.

“So… did anything else happen?” Jaehyun continued, knowing that it would take a little persuasion to get anything out of Taeyong. And by how flushed their leader’s face was getting, it appeared a lot of something happened.

“Are we really doing this right now?” Taeyong cried, in exasperation. He was already burning with embarrassment.

“Absolutely,” Jungwoo added, grinning impishly. “I have to know how badly you cheated on me, Taeyong-hyung!”

Mark leaned forward on the couch, “Taeyong-hyung, you spent the night out at Kamella-noona’s place, right? Were those other girls there too?”

Taeyong blinked in confusion, “What other girls?”

“The girls from the hotel? No, those girls are her employees.” Taeil replied, smartly.

“Speaking of employees, hyung,” Ten moved to the floor besides Taeyong, looping his left arm with Taeyong’s right arm, “Were you able to get Koko-ssi’s phone number for me?” He asked loudly, interrupting the side conversation.

“Whhaaattttt?” Doyoung shouted in surprise, shocked to hear Ten’s words.

Taeyong shook his head with a frown, “Mella-yah said that she’s not going to give it to you. She said she doesn’t trust you with her.”

Ten bit his thumb, pouting, “How can she treat me like that? After I sent you directly to her!”

“Was Susie-noona was there?” Johnny added, leaving Ten to pout on his own.

“Yeah, she was there. I found out another secret too,” Taeyong leaned closer to the others, lowering his voice, “Her real name isn’t Susie.”

“I knew it!” Johnny confirmed, as if he had known the truth since they met Kamella and her roommate, “What’s her real name?”

“Olivia-ssi.”

“Wow, that name suits her a lot more than I expected,” Jaehyun replied thoughtfully. The others nodded in agreement.

“So did you two… You know??” Doyoung asked, a little too eagerly.

Taeyong groaned, burying his head in hands, “Do we have to talk about this?”

“YES!” The others replied instantly, feeling no remorse for their leader whatsoever.

“...Mella-yah was drunk when I got to their place last night so we just… went to sleep.”

Yuta made a disappointed noise at the back of his throat, “Ahhhhhh, I’m sure she’s feeling unloved right now.”

Mark covered his mouth to hold in a laugh, “Maybe it’s a good thing, Hyung!”

Johnny shook his head, “Come on, Mark,” he chastised him in English, “It’s never a good thing.”

The older members froze at the sound of a door opening, glancing down the hall to see Haechan had finally emerged from his bedroom. He looked around at all the members gathered in the living room curiously, “Are we having a meeting? Isn’t our schedule coming up soon?”

Since the group’s maknae had appeared, they knew it was time to stop talking about Taeyong’s night out and move on with their day. Jaehyun and Johnny knelt down where Taeyong and Ten sat on the floor together.

“I want to know every detail later,” Johnny warned, and Jaehyun nodded eagerly. Taeyong sighed loudly, hoping the day would end already. He would never get s off of his back at this rate.

Later

After a successful and productive day, NCT 2018 piled into three vans and headed out for their team dinner at 8 pm. Doyoung had booked the back room at a BBQ restaurant, and promised everyone they could eat their fill. The members were buzzing with excitement at the idea of eating as much meat as possible.

Taeyong glanced at his cell phone and gave a forlorn sigh. He knew Kamella had to work at both of her jobs that day, but he hadn’t heard anything from her since lunch time.

Yuta heard Taeyong’s sigh and patted his shoulder comfortingly, “Don’t worry; I’m sure she’s working.”

Taeyong nodded, and decided to push those thoughts from his mind. Still, as they climbed out the van to file into the restaurant, he took a picture of the store front and sent it to her with a little note that said he was going to eat lots. He hoped she did too.

On the other side of Seoul, standing outside of the House of Cards, Kamella paused mid step from her texting notifications. She pulled her phone out of her bag, and grinned when she saw Taeyong’s picture of the restaurant where his team was having dinner. Perfect.

Sung Joon was on his way to pick her up from the club, accompanied by a friend whom he had said needed some dating advice. Kamella had never met the person before, but Sung Joon told her that his friend was a great guy. Not that Kamella really cared -- she’d get paid for her time either way.

Sung Joon’s dark blue Bentley pulled up at the curb, the expensive car grabbing the attention of the people waiting in line at the House of Cards. Sung Joon leaned over his friend in the passenger seat to get a good look at Kamella. She was sporting fiery, burnt orange locks that cascaded in waves to her shoulders. Her outfit was the perfect fall attire: an oversized burgundy sweater with a pair of tan shorts that showed off her thighs and legs, even with opaque black tights covering her skin. Kamella had completed the look with ankle boots that were the same color as her shorts. On her lips was a seductive wine colored lipstick.

“Hey beautiful. Were you waiting for me?” Sung Joon purred, making the other man in the car roll his eyes.

Kamella giggled, having the exact same reaction, “Just unlock the damn door so I can get food, Oppa.”

Sung Joon burst into laughter, hitting the button to unlock the back door. Kamella slid into the plush backseat, scooting to the middle so she could chat. Sung Joon’s attractive friend turned to her, holding his hand out. He was hot, she noticed, “I’m-”

“Oh, I know you! You’re Kim Young Kwang. I’ve seen your modeling pictures before!” Kamella replied in surprise, shaking the man’s hand firmly. “I’m Diamond. You’re the friend that needs dating advice? I can’t believe it.”

Young Kwang awarded Kamella with a warm smile, “And even though we’ve never met before, I’ve heard of you from Joon-ah.”

“Hyung, you weren’t supposed to tell her that,” Sung Joon chided, pulling away from the curb. “Where do you want to eat, my lovely Diamond?”

Kamella thought about all her favorite restaurants at first, but then she remembered Taeyong’s text. She couldn’t fight the mischievous smile on her face, “Let’s go somewhere casual tonight.”

“With you dressed like that? Are you sure?” Young Kwang questioned, looking Kamella over curiously.

“Absolutely! Oppa, I’ll give you directions.” Kamella explained, looking up the name and address of the restaurant. It was a bit further than Kamella had wanted to go tonight, but she was sure Sung Joon wouldn't care about driving that far.

“What kind of place are we going to?” Young Kwang wondered out loud.

“A place with lots of meat!” Kamella cheered, making the two older men laugh. Sung Joon put his foot on the gas, moving into the left lane.

“I should have known,” He replied knowingly, a smile spreading across his features.

“Diamond-ssi, Joon-ah told me that you taught him how to date. Do you think you can teach me too?”

“Not in the way that he learned, but I can help you, if that’s what you want.” Kamella avoided looking at Sung Joon at the mention of their past together. She wasn’t sure how much Young Kwang knew and she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea either.

“Oh? No more hands on learning?” Sung Joon teased, sticking his tongue out between his teeth.

“No, erted Oppa.” Kamella kissed her teeth, glaring at Sung Joon’s reflection in the rearview mirror. She turned back towards Young Kwang, “I’ll help you learn, but first, I need to see your abilities in person. Consider tonight our first date. You can just ignore Sung Joon-oppa.”

“Excuse me, Ms. Diamond, I’m paying for your food and your time, don’t I get some attention too?”

Kamella giggled, “Nope,” she replied, not missing a beat.

“Ouuuucchhh. Do you see how she treats me?”

The car ride over the restaurant was uneventful. Sung Joon was able to find a parking space directly beside the restaurant. Kamella saw three black vans parked directly at the curb, and smiled inwardly. Just as she had guessed, NCT 2018 was still there.

A bell signaled their entrance into the homey restaurant, and the owner greeted their small group warmly. Kamella spotted two servers dart into a door at the back of the main dining room, further proof that Taeyong and s were still eating at the resturant. In response Kamella asked her companions if they could take the table just a little ways away from that door.

Just as they took their seats, an older woman came came by to hand them a menu and gasped, “Woooooooooooow, what a beauty!” She commented, her hand hovering over Kamella’s curves in an S-shape. She even called over a different server, nodding her head towards the younger woman, “Do you see her proportions? Wow!”

At the back of the restaurant, the members of NCT were enjoying their food when Jisung heard the owner’s exclamation over the noise. He stood up and peeked out of the tiny windows that seperated the main dining area from their private room at the back.

“Hyung!” He called, motioning for someone, anyone, to come look with him. Jeno was closest, so he peeked out of the small window too. Kamella made sure she took the seat facing the private room for a better view.

“Whoa,” Jeno murmured, tugging Jaemin over to take a look.

“Why does she look so familiar to me?” Jisung wondered out loud, moving back to take his seat.

Lucas stood up to use the restroom, blinking curiously at the Dreamies who were peeking over the wall. He made it as far as the doorway when Kamella came into his direct line of vision. He stood stock still, dumbfounded to see her sitting there in the restaurant with two older men.

Much to his chagrin, Kamella boldy winked at him and gave a small wave. The Dreamies ducked down from their perch, each of them turning to Lucas in surprise.

Lucas spun on his heel, heading towards the set of tables at the back wall, where Taeyong sat with Jaehyun, Ten, and Yuta.

“Taeyong-hyung,” he whispered fiercely, hoping the managers didn’t notice him. Taeyong looked up from his bowl of rice, tilting his head curiously at Lucas’ hushed tone.

“What’s wrong?” Taeyong asked, clapping his hand on Lucas’ shoulder comfortingly.

“H-Hyung, don’t be mad, ok?” Lucas wasn’t sure how he was going to break the news to Taeyong, but he had to tell him that his girlfriend was on a date with two attractive men that he had never seen before.

“Xuxi, why are you making that face?” Ten questioned, looking between Lucas and Taeyong.

Taeyong shrugged, “He hasn’t told me why yet.”

“Just… Hyung, come with me.” Lucas led him over to the doorway, where Lucas motioned for Taeyong to copy his actions, peeking around the door frame.

Taeyong chuckled, doing as he was told, “Whatever it is, you could just tell me with words, I won’t be-” Taeyong cut himself off when his eyes landed on Kamella’s eye-catching hair and hazel circle lenses. Much as she had done to Lucas, she winked at Taeyong, this time blowing him a playful kiss with two fingers.

“Diamond, what are you looking at?” One of the men at the table asked her, turning around towards the door. Involuntarily, Taeyong grabbed Lucas by the collar and pulled him away from the door frame, both of them ducking from view. The Dreamies looked at their hyungs oddly, wondering what they were up to.

In the other room, Kamella snickered to herself, pulling her cell phone out of her bag. She quickly sent a text to Taeyong.

Surprise!

Taeyong felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and yanked it out to take a look. He looked down at the text and couldn’t help the wide smile spreading across his face.

What are you doing here, Mella-yah?

Kamella smiled at the text. She knew she hadn’t spoken to Taeyong since her lunch break at the hotel, and she felt bad for not contacting him sooner.

I’m spying on you, Ty. I had to make sure you weren’t lying about your company dinner, XP

Taeyong knew Kamella was joking with him, but it was a bit ironic, since she had shown up at the restaurant with two men escorting her.

Are you working right now?

Yes. Sung Joon-oppa brought me out to meet his friend. Are you jealous?

Of course.

The honest answer from Taeyong surprised her. She stared at her phone, wondering what he meant exactly. In seconds, another text came through.

They can be with you in public. We’re in the same place, but we can’t sit together.

Kamella’s expression softened as she looked at the message, knowing that Taeyong’s words were much truer than either of them would have liked. Still, that wouldn’t dampen her mood.

The babies have to be home by 10, right? Meet me then, by the dark blue car in the parking lot.

Taeyong glanced at the clock on his phone. It was 20 minutes until 10 o'clock now. He was sure the other members would want to drink once all the minors were sent home, which was a great cover for him stepping outside for a little while.

Like clockwork, the NCT Dream managers stood, “Well, it’s time to send all our babies home for bed.”

The Dreamies groaned, wanting to stay out just a little later, even as they gathered their belongings together. Meanwhile, in the main dining room, Kamella held her hand out in front of Sung Joon.

“Oppa,” Kamella made sure to keep her face as neutral as possible, “Give me your car keys.”

Sung Joon automatically handed the car keys over, lifting an eyebrow curiously, “For what?”

“I have to call the ‘office’ right away,” She replied, with a disarming smile. Sung Joon nodded, and Kamella excused herself from the table. At the same time, the Dreamies and their managers filed out of the back room, followed by Lucas, Ten, and Taeyong.

Taeyong made sure to turn his face away from Sung Joon, so that the older man wouldn’t recognize him. It had been a while since they had seen each other, so with his new hair color, and the purposeful way he hid his face, Sung Joon didn’t even notice Taeyong as they passed by the table.

As they stood at the curb saying good night to their younger members, Taeyong took his chance to sneak away. Once he rounded the edge of the building, he quickened his pace towards the row of parked cars beside it. He saw the blue car, and just as he was about to walk by it, the back door opened and Kamella’s bright hair appeared.

He climbed in the car and she pounced, crawling in his lap with a seductive smile.

“Taeyong,” She practically purred, slanting her lips over his. She wasted no time in peppering his mouth with kisses, “Did you miss me today?”

Taeyong nodded eagerly, returning her greeting with a fervent kiss of his own. His hand squeezed her upper thigh, making her shiver under his touch.

“I missed you too. I decided to come here because I wanted to see you as soon as possible.”

Taeyong smiled, “Aren’t you working right now?”

“I’m doing off-site work; it’ll be ok.” Kamella told him nonchalantly.

Taeyong couldn’t resist the snicker that escaped him before he cupped her cheek, pulling her back in to his lips. They could be discovered at any second, but that made their impromptu rendezvous even more exciting. Kamella knew they couldn’t stay in the car forever though. She had told Sung Joon that she was making a phone call, so realistically they only had five, maybe ten minutes, at the absolute most.

She leaned her forehead against Taeyong’s, breathing deeply to calm the erract beating of her heart, “We should go back inside.”

Taeyong nodded gently, touching her hair, “Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?”

“Nope,” Kamella grinned, “Feel free to tell me as many times as you’d like.”

Taeyong grinned, “You’re beautiful, Mella-yah.”

“Tell me again.”

Taeyong laughed, “You’re beautiful, gorgeous, pretty, and so cute, Mella-yah.” Kamella finally slid off of his lap, feeling heat rush to her cheeks. If she didn’t get away from him now, she wouldn’t let him leave the car.

The both climbed out of the vehicle, Taeyong helping Kamella out of the back seat. He looked down at their clasped hands, feeling a warmth envelope his chest. Unfortunately, Kamella slid her hand out of his.

“You go back first. Then, I’ll go in after you.”

Taeyong frowned at her instructions, but nodded anyway. He invaded her personal space once again to kiss her on the cheek, “Call me when you finally go home.”

Kamella smiled, giving Taeyong a mock salute, “I promise.”

She counted to twenty to give Taeyong plenty of time to get back inside the restaurant before she finally started walking back herself. Kamella was humming joyfully as she made her way back to front of the building, trying her best not to start skipping from excitement. Just as she rounded the corner of the building, she froze at the sight of a sleek black car parked at the curb.

“Diamond.”

It was the one voice she didn’t want to hear, especially not right now. She looked up into the honey colored orbs of her boss and absolutely didn’t like what she saw there. He looked livid.

“Dealer, what the are you doing here?” Kamella spat out unfiltered.

Dealer fixed her with a cool gaze, but the irritation rang loud and clear in his voice, “You have the nerve to ask me after all the you’ve pulled? Diamond, get in the car.”

“How did you find me here?”

“Your little worker bees told me. Don’t make me tell you again. Get. In. The. Car.”

Kamella narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest, “At least let me get my bag first.”

Dealer pushed out an annoyed breath, “Fine. Let’s go get your damn bag.”

Kamella’s brain was struggling to figure out a way to get away from Dealer without either her real Ace or her fake Ace getting caught in the cross-fire. Unfortunately, when she walked inside the restaurant, Taeyong was seated at the table with Sung Joon and Young Kwang, and it didn’t look like the conversation was going well. He must have gotten caught on his way back inside.

Sung Joon noticed the pair first, and at the sight of Dealer gripping Kamella’s arm tight enough to leave a bruise, he shot out of his seat, knocking his chair over from the motion.

“Oh, don’t get up. We won’t be staying,” Dealer explained snidely, while Kamella bent to pick her bag up from the chair she had occupied. She placed Sung Joon’s keys on the table, fixing him with a look that said ‘Please cooperate’.

“Who are you, ahjussi?” Taeyong asked, not liking the way the man was holding onto Kamella. She shook her head immediately, hoping Dealer didn’t notice him at all.

“I’m her Father.” Dealer replied sarcastically, and Kamella felt every bone in her body shiver from an unshakeable chill.

“Liar,” Sung Joon bit out in anger.

“Be glad she won’t let me hurt you,” Dealer muttered darkly, pulling on Kamella’s arm to accentuate his point, “Now, Diamond, we’re leaving. Say goodbye.”

“Bye,” Kamella’s voice sounded hollow even to her own ears.

Dealer turned away from the men, not bothering to say anything to anyone as he lead Kamella out. Sung Joon surged forward, rushing to the door, where he watched helplessly as Dealer shoved Kamella into his car, and sped off into the night.

“,” Sung Joon cursed, spinning on his heels to go back to the table. He grabbed his keys, pulling out money for the meal from his wallet. “Hyung, I have to go. Right now. Can you get home on your own?” He explained to Young Kwang, who agreed to finding his own way back immediately.

“Wait, who was that man? Was he actually Mella-yah’s appa?” Taeyong was sure Kamella had told him that she was an orphan, and he also knew she wasn’t half-Korean.

Sung Joon scoffed, “You actually believed that bull? Jesus, why did she make you, of all people, her Ace?”

Taeyong was losing his temper, not at all appreciating Sung Joon’s accusation, “Well, clearly she didn’t want to give you that title.”

Sung Joon ran his fingers through his hair, growling. He was getting more pissed off by the second, “I don’t have time for this. I’m going to save Kamella.”

Taeyong balked, his mind catching on Sung Joon’s words, “You’re going to ‘save’ her? If that man was dangerous, why the did you let her leave with him?!” He quickly hurried to the back room where the remaining NCT members were about to start drinking.

“Hey! We thought you left with the babies, Taeyong-ah!” Johnny commented, watching him run to scoop his jacket up from the floor.

“I have to go. I’ll be back at the dorm really late. Everyone make sure that no one gets left behind tonight.” Taeyong instructed, and before the others could ask anymore questions, he left as quickly as he arrived.

Sung Joon was already on his way out of the door, making Taeyong rush to follow the older man. They went directly to Sung Joon’s car, and before the other man could say anything to him, Taeyong had already climbed in and buckled his seat belt.

“Tell me everything you know about the man that took Mella-yah,” Taeyong ordered, just as Sung Joon started the car up.

End Chapter 11