"A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow."
— William Shakespeare

Seo Ara had logged in two full workweeks since she arrived, but she was only able to work normally for less than half of it.

With no follow up visits from The Lux's general manager and BYN Group's chairman, the excessive royal treatments, daily lunch invites, and never ending small talks finally dissipated three days ago.

Slightly behind her menial list of tasks, she was hoping to put in overtime tonight—on this lovely Friday evening when she would have the entire department to herself—but her next guest would prove her plans to be impossible.

Just as she looked over the morning meeting's agenda, a light knock on the door interrupted her brisk skimming.

"Director Seo? I'm sorry to bother, but I have a client waiting to speak with you. She said she wanted to go over the details of her upcoming wedding…?" one of the coordinators in training informed her.

Ara looked at the young employee questioningly. "Um, are you sure it's for me? I don't have a client meeting scheduled until later this afternoon," she answered, confused.

The auburn haired woman nodded, "That's what I thought as well, but yes, it's definitely for you."

"Okay…well what's her group name?" Ara replied as she browsed through her long list of clients and their respective events.

This time, the coordinator shrugged. "She wouldn't say. She said you'll know when you see her," the equally puzzled employee explained.

Ara released a quiet sigh. She wasn't very fond of these types of clients, nor did she have excess time to entertain them. "Alright, send her in I guess," she ordered, her mind deep in thought. She was certain she informed all her clienteles about her departure from Azure, and she definitely passed on all pending events to her successor prior to leaving the hotel, so the individual she was about to meet was truly a mystery.

|| …………… ||

As her office door opened and closed for the second time, Ara rose to her feet to greet her guest, but upon laying eyes on the slender woman in front of her, a broad grin quickly pulled on both corners of her lips.

"Sleek, monochromatic, contemporary…cold," her guest—an interior designer with an eye for style—commented as she scanned the catering director's office from one gray wall to another, "It suits you perfectly."

Ara released a soft chuckle and sat back down on her seat, much calmer than before. "Thanks, I had the exact same thought when I saw it. Anyway, should we move on to your upcoming wedding you wanted to discuss?" she replied with a smirk.

Her best friend of fifteen years held her head high with slightly pouted lips. "Well, since you tied the knot, my Arabian prince and I figured it's about time we do the same," she answered playfully and planted her bottom on the seat across from Ara's desk, intersecting one leg over the other. She then leaned back against the cushion and crossed her arms with somewhat furrowed brows. "But kidding aside, I just thought I'd drop by before you had the chance to ghost me—again," she continued with bitterness in her tone.

Ara let out a repentant sigh as she sank back on her chair. The past few weeks had been so hectic—so different from her old life—that she ended up ignoring her closest friend more times than her fingers and toes could count. "I am so sorry Chae," she began, feeling sincerely apologetic, "I've just been so busy with life lately."

"I know and I understand, but I'm still part of yours," Chaeyoung interrupted with frustration. She was well aware of the infinite challenges her best friend had dealt with her entire life—more specifically, her continuous struggle to satisfy the perpetual demands of her controlling mother—so the fact that Ara chose to deal with everything by herself made her feel useless. They had sworn to be each other's pillar of support shortly after becoming friends back in junior high, and it was a promise she was determined to keep at all cost.

"Oh, by the way, thanks for the invite," the grumpy interior designer added.

Once again, Ara sighed softly and looked at her friend with a troubled gaze. "Chae…it's not that I didn't want you there," she explained, "It wasn't a happy occasion. Hell, it wasn't even something you'd consider a wedding. It was literally just me, my mother, his grandfather, and him."

Chaeyoung met her eyes and held it there briefly before releasing a defeated breath. As much as she wanted to maintain her grudge, it would only make things more difficult for her best friend. She knew Ara already had too much on her plate—even though what exactly was on it remained a mystery to her. "Fine," Chaeyoung mumbled then flashed a forgiving smile. "So how's Lee Min Jung?" she continued, moving on to a new topic.

Hearing her stepsister's name, an instant grin appeared on Ara's lips. "Min Jung is doing great! She's just about done with her first trimester. The baby remains genderless, but he or she is very healthy," she answered happily.

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