“When he put his arms around me, and held me to his chest, everything in me settled. When he spoke into my ear, it all came loose again, as if his words evaporated the gravity of my mind.” Cybill Cain, Escape. (Chimera Club Stories #2)

Chapter Song: Every Second by BAEKHYUN

Everyone grew frantic after the announcement was made. People scurried with files clutched in their chests, words tumbling out of their mouths in heated phone calls, and organizers losing sleep over the rushed event. A great deal of journalists already pressed their suits down and straightened their shoulders, preparing for tonight’s event that would soon be the next biggest news in Seoul.

Mina’s delicate fingers brushing the powder over her lids contrasted greatly against the atmosphere, along with her girlfriend who brewed Mari’s tea at the side with slow, careful movements. They were turning her into perfection—the version that could proudly walk alongside the oh so great Park Chanyeol that the entirety of Seoul adored; the woman who looked beautiful and elegant enough to earn the right to be called his soon-to-be wife.

At least that’s what she thought. Mari expected Mina would dress her in Chanel or high end couture again, but instead her Mother knocked on the door, a modern yukata dress in her arms. The silk fabric had cherry blossoms woven into it, the collar tight and swirling up to just above her neck and the black sleeves long and flowy. The dress hugged her shape nicely and even gave off the illusion of curvy hips, Mari’s chest pushed forward with the height of her heels.

Her Mother turned her into the floor length mirror in front of them, and she gasped. She didn’t look like the grand woman people would expect Chanyeol’s fiance to be. Rather, she looked like Fujiwara Mariko—the Japanese heiress proud of her heritage and family name.

She didn’t have glitters or shimmering makeup, neither was her hair flowing down in elegant curves. They were tied up in a low bun with a traditional wooden hair pin that poked out like a stick with beads dangling on it, several baby hairs curled to frame her face. Her bangs were brushed down to perfection and her lips were painted a bright red that stood out in her pale skin, and Mari had never felt so tall, so powerful.

It reminded her that she didn’t have to change herself to be called his wife, because she held enough power for the both of them and it sparked in her fingers. The world could be hers and she could make people bend and break to her will, if only she knew how to. Mari became the exact embodiment of who she really was supposed to be, as a woman who could stand on her own and needed no man to uplift her image, and she wore her country and duty proud like a medal on her shoulders.

Today, she would not disappoint her Mother. Today, the world would change and so would her life. She’d make them proud, show the world who she was and what she was capable of, that her family are not people to be looked down, and it was an honor to have been the Fujiwara Heiress. And as the one and only true heir, Mari had to muster all her strength and make them proud.

Her Mother smiled softly behind her, squeezing Mari’s shoulders with glistening eyes. “You’ve grown up so much. You’re so beautiful.”

Mari closed her eyes. How long had she yearned for this—for the fondness of her Mother’s touch, the softness in her voice, the warmth of her presence that soothed her soul—the magic and love only a Mother could give to her child. It felt like a dream to finally have at least one wish fulfilled, and Mari looked back at her in gratefulness.

“Thank you, Mother,” she turned around and cupped her Mother’s face. Even with the black eye barely covered by the concealer and wrinkles appearing, she still remained youthful and radiant, perhaps even more dazzling than Mari could be. “How are you? Have you been doing well?”

“I’m okay, don’t worry about me. But what about you? I heard you went back to Japan,” she scanned Mari’s face and body for bruises, a frown knit on her face. “Your father didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“He didn’t make sense when I got there, but he seemed different,” she looked out the window, her voice growing inaudible and hesitant. Mari couldn’t fight back the chill that bit her arms, and she rubbed them up and down. “It felt like I didn’t even know him. He kept saying I was going to die.”

“Don’t think about it anymore. You’re father’s just crazy, that’s why I’m divorcing him. But don’t worry about it, things will be different now,” she spoke hurriedly, grabbing Mari out into the living room where Chanyeol leant against the wall.

Mari froze in her spot. She’d never get used to this, not even after a thousand moons and a hundred more sunrises. He was still as breathtakingly riveting as when she’d first saw him; his black suit with a rose on the pocket of his right hugging every muscle perfectly. His platinum hair had been slicked back perfectly with the sides grown out a little bit, but even with the slightly ruffled look compared to his usual clean-cut appearance, Chanyeol was still handsome.

He lazily raised a brow and pushed himself off the wall, the hardness of his biceps defined from when they uncrossed on his chest. Chanyeol looked her up and down with empty eyes and a forced smile, his hand extended for her to take.“You look beautiful.”

Mari tried not to shiver at the deepness of his voice. Instead, she slapped his hand away and picked up her purse from the counter, glaring at him on the way. “I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Well, this is going to be a fun night.”

***

Mari never expected a peaceful night, but she didn’t expect this as well. The building they held the event at had flashing lights everywhere, with celebrities and equally prominent businessmen waving at everyone that cheered on them from the crowd. Several news reporters pressed their earpieces into their ears while they spoke in front of the camera, and from afar, Mari was sure she saw Baekhyun guiding Mrs. Park inside.

They rerouted into the back of the building where there would be more privacy, and Mari had no choice but to loop her arms in Chanyeol’s. He smelled freshly of soap and a masculine woodsy perfume, although her attention was mostly on the matching ring he wore.

Mari tucked her other arm behind her back along with the purse, not wanting him to see that she wore both Baekhyun’s friendship bracelet and the fertility beads she got from Japan. Not that he’d notice anyway, because apparently his reflection from his perfectly polished shoes were a lot more interesting than what she wore.

The elevator doors opened. Mari’s eyes widened. At least two hundred people milled inside the area with champagnes in their hands that sparkled with gold jewelry, heads thrown back in laughter. Soft jazz music played in the background while glasses tinkled with one another, and a group of socialites Mari vaguely heard about smiled and waved at them.

Golden chandeliers hung up high like stars in the sky, spiralling down with diamond shaped bulbs. Several tables already had a full course meal laid on them, a separate dessert stand and a chocolate fountain frequented by giggling young women. Everyone glowed and blended perfectly with the lavish crowd, the perfect epitome of the usual high-class life.

They walked forwards with a smile. Chanyeol dropped his lips next to ear, his breath tickling her neck as he whispered. “How’s your acting skills?”

“I’m sure I can act as well as you did when you tricked me,” she spat out sweetly, batting her eyelashes to fight the growing heat in her belly. Mari raised her head to look him in the eye and resisted the urge to pull back when his head was still bent down and their noses nearly brushed. However, Chanyeol only stared back at her darkly, to which she responded with a smile she hoped looked adoring. “Isn’t that right, darling?”

“Careful, Mari. We’ve got a hundred pairs of eyes looking right at us,” True to his word, everyone stared at them when they made it to the front of the crowd, a mic passed down to Chanyeol. He tapped on it twice until it echoed, catching everyone’s attention. Mari tightened her hold on his bicep. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming to our party. I know it was unexpected and a little rushed, but Mari and I couldn’t wait,” he beamed, looking down at her in a faux fondly gaze. Mari wanted to roll her eyes. “We’re here to announce our engagement, a promise of an everlasting union built on our trust and love for each other.”

Liar. He passed the mic down to her. “It is in our highest hopes you’d all kindly celebrate and enjoy this fine day,” she said, her voice miraculously stable and firm enough. “My fiance and I have been waiting for this for such a long time now—it’s truly an honor to have our friends, colleagues, and loved ones with us tonight.”

“To the future,” Chanyeol raised his own glass of champagne before smirking down at her. Mari wanted to wipe that arrogant yet attractive look off of his face. “And to my fiance.”

“To our marriage.”

“Cheers!” everyone hollered back. They all sipped their champagne simultaneously, and when the music played, everyone went back to their own lives.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Chanyeol commented, exchanging his empty glass for an hors d’oeuvres from a waiter that whizzed by. “I hope you’ve done your homework, because we invited quite a lot of influential people today.”

“Have you done your homework?”

“I grew up with these people. I know who they are. If there’s any of us who need to worry about making an impression, it should be you,” he frowned for a moment. “But Baekhyun said something about flickering lights. Do camera flashes bother you?”

“Why, are you concerned?” she scoffed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at him. Mari had to keep her sanity in check if she didn’t want tabloids noticing and making fake news about them. She was smart enough to know people didn’t know her and appearing to such a figure like Chanyeol in South Korea out of all places, she did have to make an impression. “Worry about yourself. I can take care of myself.”

“It didn’t seem like it before, but whatever you say, Mari. I know we’re not on good terms, but I’m not as bad as you think. I’m human, too. If you want to get away, you can tell me.”

“I’m done with running away, so no thank you.”

“Hyung!” someone exclaimed, and Mari watched as a tall, well-built man with midnight hair came rushing to them. He was no exception to the luxury of the people, his clothing an evident designer brand and his wristwatch a sparkling gold with a huge dial. Mari blinked. Custom-made, it seemed, another display of wealth and power, but the grin and the way he embraced Chanyeol casually and perhaps a little too eagerly said otherwise. “I haven’t seen you since the gala in Paris! Man, we had such fun times.”

“Sehun, my little brother,” Chaneyol patted him on the back affectionately. Mari studied how his shoulders relaxed and a bright smile lit his face up at the sight of the young man, whose name was Sehun. They shared a teasing grin. “Ah, well, the bachelor life is long gone since I’m getting married now. Let me introduce to you my fiance, Fujiwara Mariko.”

Sehun looked even more handsome up close, his features sharp and angular, with full lips and a tall nose, but all those softened out when he smiled her way. Mari was sure her heart skipped a beat. How is everyone so beautiful here?

“A pleasure to meet you, Oh Sehun. I was thoroughly impressed by your One Book A Day project. The advocacy is truly inspiring; I am confident it’d help thousands of children.”

The One Book A Day project was a movement he launched last year where he encouraged everyone to donate books as he opened several local libraries in remote areas. Mari found it heartwarming that influential people like him (from what she’d studied in Yui’s files, Oh Sehun was another businessman whose family had been around a long time) weren’t all greedy and actually cared about bettering the world.

“Oh my gosh,” Sehun gushed after shaking her hand, his eyes shining with pride. “That project was probably my least noticed one, but it was my favorite. I’m surprised you heard about it.”

“Projects like those are the ones worth praising for. I’m really delighted to have known my fiance is friends with such a thoughtful young man.”

He straightened his tie, his cheeks dusted a fair shade of pink. “Thank you. Oh, and I’m Oh Sehun, by the way,” he tipped to the side, an awkward smile on his devilishly handsome features. “But if I may ask, when did you two meet? Chanyeol’s never talked about getting a girlfriend before, and I must say, I was astounded to know he was marrying one from the Fujiwara clan out of all people. I’ve heard nothing but praises of how your family business had been around for years—practically built Tokyo even.”

“Thank you for your kind words. My family and I are proud from how far we’ve come as well.”

“Still, Chanyeol-hyung really hit the lottery on this one, huh? I’ve heard you’re an intelligent woman too.”

“I really am extremely lucky with her,” Chanyeol piped up, sliding his arms around her waist. As if it couldn’t get worse, he gazed down at her affectionately, forcing her to look back at him the same way. She could only hope Sehun interpreted her narrowed eyes as something loving. “We kept our relationship a secret for a while because we didn’t want the press invading our privacy. It was best to keep it low for a while until we weren’t sure of each other yet. But now we’re getting married, I can’t wait to show the world how beautiful my fiance is.”

“Wow, you guys are so sweet,” Sehun chuckled, shaking his head to himself before he turned sullen. “If only I could find a love like that someday.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it, Mr. Oh. You’re young, smart, handsome, and successful. It would be impossible for anyone not to like you,” Mari carefully eyed the spectacled woman in the corner who, despite not wearing a smile and instead a permanent frown, still looked gorgeous in her red dress. “In fact, I noticed that stunning woman staring at you from afar. As I’ve said, it’s highly unlikely you won’t catch the attention of someone.”

Sehun followed her trail of sight, and he laughed when his eyes met with hers. “That’s not a potential lover! That’s my secretary,” he beckoned her over, and his secretary pushed her glasses higher up her nose before approaching them. She didn’t smile nor faltered once, and she looked like a dark storm with her steely gaze next to Sehun’s bright aura. However, it didn’t deter Sehun one bit as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as if proudly showing her off. “This is Shim Aera, my best friend and secretary!”

“Lovely meeting you both, and congratulations on your engagement, Mr. Park, Ms. Fujiwara,” she said monotonously. Mari gladly shook her hand, and she looked back in surprise when Aera switched to Japanese, her eyes glinting with amusement. “It’s an honor meeting you both, especially you Fujiwara-san. And my apologies for my boss’ informality, he keeps forgetting we’re not friends, especially not in the work field.”

Mari couldn’t help but giggle, glancing at Sehun’s dumbfounded expression. “I think your boss is cute.”

Aera peeked his way, the corners of her lips tilting up ever so slightly. “Well, I suppose he is.”

“Hey, are you guys talking about me?” Sehun shook her shoulder with a whine. Mari fought back a smile when the young heir pouted, making him look younger despite his towering height and intimidating features. “Aera, that’s unfair! You know I’m not that fluent in Japanese yet! Hyung, what were they ta