As we pulled into Roy’s house, I couldn’t help but admire how beautiful it was. It looked like a palace. Even bigger than any house I had ever seen. How was it possible that people made houses this huge? How was it possible that anyone could afford something like this?

The driver parked the car at the entrance and opened my door after he opened Roy’s.

I kept looking around, amazed at the beautiful architecture that adored this house. It was amazing!

“Your home is so beautiful Mr. Roy” I said.

“You mean my parent’s home. None of this is really mine.” he said, with a hint of sadness in his voice. Roy Zhou really was a different person than I had originally thought. He seemed cold and mean but the more I learn about him, the more normal he seemed to me.

“Master…you are home early.” Ms. Han looked shocked to see me. “I finished work early.”

Her eyes drifted to me. I bowed.

“Ms. Han this is Kim Rin. She is going to be Leo’s personal assistant.”

“Nice to meet you” she lightly bowed. She was an older women. She also appeared to be korean too.

I bowed.

“Come now, Rin.” he led me through the hallway to the living room. If the house was stunning from the outside, it looked breathtaking from the inside.

“Honey?” I heard a women say. I turned quicker than I intended. Roy…was married?

She looked at him, waiting for him to tell her just what I was doing there.

“She will be assisting Leo. Speaking of which, where is he?” Roy asked as he looked around.

“He is in his bedroom”

“Please bring him, Ms. Han.”

“If it’s not to much to ask-..” I interrupted. All three of them looked at me. “I would like to see him in his room please.” I said. Roy nodded and asked Ms. Han to take me to him.

My heart was beating out of my chest. I could not believe that i was going to see Leo again. I could almost burst into tears.

“Rin!” Leo ran towards me as soon as he saw me. I gave him the biggest and tightest hug ever. My little boy..

“Leo-yah!” I cried. It had only been a few days but it felt like an eternity. How was I able to be away from him all these days? He was my entire life.

“Where were you Rinnie?” he asked me.

“I was…” i thought about it. I wanted to choose my words carefully. “I was so worried about you”

“I missed you and daddy” I felt his little hands tighten around me.

“Daddy misses you too. So much.”

He really did. Changsun was not the same ever since the day Leo was taken. Aside the scare he gave us all that night, he was not okay.

“Grandpa, auntie Keiko and uncle Ren also miss you so much.”

“Rinnie, why am I here? Why can’t I go home with the rest of you?”

“You don’t like it here Leo-yah?”

“I do…auntie Nana is nice and I like my uncle Roy but…I really miss you and daddy.”

“I know sweetheart. I know.” I hugged him again. “But guess what?” I whispered, trying to sound almost hopeful.

“Hm?”

“I am going to come everyday…”

“Really? Are you being serious Rinnie?” he perked up.

“Yes!”

 

When I had put Leo to sleep, I proceed to leave his room to talk to Roy. I hoped it remembered where Ms. Han had taken me so I wouldn’t get lost. This house was enormous.

I followed the sound of voices.

When I could make out who was speaking I froze.

 

“Roy I can’t keep doing this anymore. Do you really intend to go through with this? You are serious about raising this child? Don’t you think about how hard it is for me? To even consider raising another women’s child when I can’t even have my own?” I heard Nana crying. I put a hand over my mouth. Nana couldn’t have children?

“That is why I asked Rin to help, Nana. I do consider your feelings. I know how hard it is…however..Leo is my nephew. Your nephew. We need to do this” Roy calmly told her. She kept crying.

I turned around and started walking back to Leo’s room. My heart broke for her. To even imagine not being able to bear children was horrible.

 

I didn’t want to eavesdrop. I walked into what I thought was Leo’s bedroom. It was an office. There was so many rooms I couldn’t keep track of them. Luckily, Ms. Han was there.

“Ms. Han…am I glad to see you! I got lost trying to find Leo’s room.” I laughed nervously.

“Don’t worry, it happens to me and I’ve been here way before you were born, child.” she said and led me past the hall to the right place.

“Actually Ms. Han, Leo is asleep. I was hoping there was a phone I could use. I need to call for a taxi” I said. She shook her head. “I have clear instructions to let you know that Mr. Zhou will be giving you a ride back home.”

I almost choked. “N-no! How could he…no…he doesn’t need to do that!”

“Mr. Zhou insisted.” she said. She led me to the living room where he was sitting looking at his tablet.

“The young miss is ready to go home Mr. Zhou.” Ms. Han bowed and excused herself.

Roy didn’t look up. He kept looking down at the tablet. So focused on whatever it was that he was reading.

I fake coughed to get his attention. He snapped out of it and looked at me. He smiled. I felt chills going down my back.

“Rin…are you ready?”

“Mr. Roy you really don’t need to take me home. I can call a taxi–”

“I insist.” he interrupted me. Something about all this felt wrong.

I felt on edge not only because of the hug earlier but learning that he was married and that his wife couldn’t bear children was alot for one day.

As we drove, I remained quiet.

“How was it?” he broke the silence.

“Excuse me?”

“How was it seeing Leo again?”

“Oh..well you must imagine it was a breath of fresh air. He was so happy. To be able to hold him again….thank you for that again Mr. Roy.”

He nodded.

“There is one thing that I have been meaning to ask you.” he said and continued. “Will you consider moving in?”

My eyes widened. “M-moving in sir?”

“I don’t mind driving you but what happened today is not a common occurrence. I usually work long hours. I am afraid I won’t be able to drive you. I rather know you are safe under my care than having to worry if you made it home safe everynight. There’s also the convenience factor. If Leo is sick or anything of that sort.”

“Mr. Roy..”

“Won’t you please consider it?”

“I will think about it.” I said. “But..does your wife approve of me being there?” I decided to ask.

“She is fine. Nana is dealing with things at the moment. Don’t mind her.”

“Mr. Roy I don’t mean to sound nosy but I accidently heard what you were talking about with her”

“Ah. You did?” he gripped the steering wheel.

“I didn’t mean to…I really didn’t hear much”

“Thank you for you honesty Rin. Well as you heard, Nana has been struggling with that since we got married 3 years ago.”

“I see”

“It’s really hard for her to have Leo there. She thinks I will forget about wanting a real heir and focus all of my attention on Leo.”

“You told me that was your goal if Miss Ha Na chooses not to take Leo”

“That is a conversation for another day.” He smiled and changed the subject.

I was so distracted by our conversation that I didn’t even notice him pulling up to the Kim’s house.

“There is a nuisance outside.” his voice changed to a hateful one. Like the one he had when I first met him. I turned to see what he was referring to. There was Joon, outside smoking a cigarette.

“Do you have a curfew Rin?” he laughed unbelieving that Joon would wait for me at this time.

“If you mean that because Mr. Kim is outside, he is just taking a smoke break. Mr. Kim does like to smoke alot. He is not waiting for me…”

Roy smiled and opened the door to his side and walked to the other to open mine. I saw Joon’s eyes never looking away from us. I felt so uncomfortable.

“Thank you for everything Mr. Roy.” I bowed. He smiled and nodded.

“Go on” he said and I started walking inside. When I was about to walk past Joon, I heard Roy say, “Rin, you forgot this” he held up my bag high so I could see it. I ran back.

“Thanks!” I said as I grabbed it and bowed to excuse myself again. This time Roy said, “See you tomorrow.”

My ears felt hot. I wished that my face wasn’t red. How embarrassing!

 

“First name basis” Joon mocked when Rin was inside.

“Is that a problem?” Roy arrogantly smirked.

“Just what are you trying to do this time? Are you trying to take her away too?”

“Take her away. You talk as if you own her.” Roy was disgusted.

“She works for me.” Joon put out his cigarette. He hated Roy with a passion. He couldn’t keep himself calm around him.

“Without Leo what does she do?”

“That’s none of your business. Stay away from her or I won’t stay still.”

“I am not forcing her to do anything. She came to me on her own accord. All I did was offer her a job.”

“You don’t know her at all. She will try to do anything for my sake!”

Roy looked at him incredulously.

“How she is so enamored by you is beyond me…you don’t deserve her or her nobility towards you. You have not once treated her like the person she deserves to be treated. You couldn’t do that for my sister and you can’t do that for Rin”

“And you deserve her?” Joon was getting angry. “Have you fallen for her already?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I am a married man.”

“Even more despicable.” he started walking away. Before he left, he turn and said, “You are under the impression that I care too much about going to prison. Just know that I will fight to get Leo back. I will not back down to you”
 

RIN:

 

I had been out all day today. Before I went to retire to my room, I went to see Yoon Jae-san. He was aware that I had gone to see Roy Zhou. I told him what had happened, I wanted to keep him in the loop of things. Ofcourse, I didn’t tell him about the hug or about Nana’s situation. Those were things that no one needed to know.

All he told me was to be careful and that he was happy that I was able to be there for Leo until all this got figured out.

Once in my room, I decided to take a shower and relax. It was 9:45pm but I felt so tired. I wasn’t used to being out at all.

As I was getting ready to jump into bed, i heard a knock outside my door. I prayed with all me heart that it wasn’t Joon. Him and I were not a good terms since the day at the hospital. I could tell he was still mad from our interaction a few hours ago.

I put on my robe and went over to open the door. Sure enough, it was Joon. He was in his work clothes, just as I had seen him outside. His tie was loose and a few buttons were undone.

“Changsun-ssi”

I nodded and closed the door behind him. He went over to sit on my couch.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I too sat on the couch.

“Rin why would you accept a job proposal from that guy?” he went straight to the point. I looked down. I knew he would ask me it was just a matter of time.

“He offered that I could see Leo everyday. How could I say no to that?”

“You don’t believe that we will get him back do you?”

“That’s not it”

“Your actions sure say otherwise! You see him staying there long term thats why you took it! Who’s side are you on anyway!?”

“Stop yelling at me. I am doing this only thinking about Leo”

“How stupid do you think I am Rin!”

“Very!” I stopped myself. I couldn’t believe that I had just said that.

He sighed. “Look. I know where you are coming from…but you are just making it more convenient for that guy.”

“That’s your problem. You always focus your attention to everyone else but the one that actually matters! Today when I saw Leo he hugged me for hours until he fell asleep. He grabbed on to my clothes so hard even after he was asleep I had a hard time unclasping his hand from my shirt. I’m sure he is going to cry when he wakes up and realizies im not there! Don’t you and Miss Ha Na realize how cold you are being to that poor boy?!”

“Rin”

“I am going to move there Joon” my heart was beating so hard. I could not believe I was having this much confidence. He didn’t look the least bit happy with my comment. His jaw tightened and he said, “No you’re not”

“I am. I already talked to Yoon Jae-san about it. You can’t stop me. If you aren’t going to be there for him, I am. We need to accept the situation and do the best we can with what we have.”

“If you do that Roy will never give him back”

“So be it” I said. Joon’s eyes widened. “Why would I want him to come back to an arrogant father and a mother that cares more about herself?”

Joon grabbed my throat. It was obvious I had infuriated him. I had to speak up. I had grown tired of this situation.

“Take it back” he hissed.

I shook my head. His grip tightened and I was having a harder time breathing.

“You don’t know anything!” he threw me against the couch and made his way out of my room, slamming the door. I touched my neck and kept taking deep breaths. He was clearly affected by everything going on. He was beginning to loose it.

 

The next day what I feared happened. As I got ready to go to Roy’s house, i noticed a bruise on my neck. The paleness of my skin made the bruise look brighter and more noticeable.

I panicked. This was not good. At the time, it did seem like Joon had held me tight, but by neck stated otherwise. This was not going to look good to Roy. After all of the attempts I had made to convince Roy that Joon was a changed person. Everything was in vain.

I tried putting concealer. I did not work.

“What am I going to do?”

I went into my closet and dug out a small scarf. I tied it around my neck and it seemed to work. I covered the bruise for the most part. Roy would have to be very close to me to see it. He wouldn’t get that close to me again, right? I shook those thoughts out of my mind.

 

Roy said he would send a driver to pick me up.

When I entered the dining room everyone looked up at me.

“Good morning Rin. Are you heading out now?” Yoon Jae asked.

I nodded. “Yes, I am waiting for my ride.”

“Is Roy Zhou picking you up?” Ren asked. Joon kept eating. Not once looking up at me.

“His driver is.”

“Do you need us to go pick you up? We can if you need us to Rin” Keiko added. They were all so nice. It made me wonder why Joon wasn’t as caring as them. They all shared the same blood so why was he the one that always stood out as the rude one?

“It’s okay. I don’t know what time I will be heading back. Thanks for offering through” I smiled.

“Miss Rin you ride is here” Ms. Kwon came and let me know.

“Give Leo all of our love!” Keiko cried.

 

“Wait”

Before I could make it out of the door I heard footsteps following me. Joon grabbed my wrist an spun me around.

“Joon?”

“Why are you wearing that?” he asked, his eyes looking almost apologetic.

Maybe I was making excuses for him.

“I think you know the answer to that question.”

“Where do you come off with being so disrespectful?”

I glared at him. Me? Disrespectful? How dare he?

“Is it because Roy Zhou is interested in you?”

I blushed. Interested in me?

“W-What are you talking about?”

“I would become mouthy if a billionaire had my back too.”

“Let go of me” his grip on me tightened. Joon was turning more and more violent. I was actually scared of him. This is what everyone tried to warm me about. He was not sane by any means.

“Rin please…don’t go…” he suddenly changed his tone to a melancholic one.

“Joon!” Yoon Jae grabbed him and pulled him off me. “Get your head on straight! What the hell are you doing!?”

“He…he’s taking everything from me!”

“Stop it now Joon! You are looking like a crazy person!’

“Father…please tell her she can’t leave! She won’t listen to me!” he begged his father. It broke my heart to see Joon like this. I was beginning to think he was mentally unstable. My eyes became teary.

“Rin can make her own decisions Joon. She is not mine to control”

“Rin don’t leave me please…I will change…I won’t hurt you anymore” he looked over to me. I couldn’t meet his eyes.

Yoon Jae ordered Ren to help him control Joon.

I left as soon as I knew that Joon wasn’t going to follow me.

************************************



 

‘The driver witnessed an altercation happening outside of the Kim residence.” Roy’s secretary reported to him.

He raised a brow. “An altercation?”

“He was waiting for Miss Kim to come out. He said he saw Joon following her out. It seemed like he was yelling at her”

“He must be going crazy that Rin is leaving him. That good for nothing scumbag.” he scoffed.

“Kim Yoon Jae and the younger son helped restrain him.”

“That bad?”

“Yes. Apparently Miss Kim was crying the entire ride back to your house. Also–” he hesitated.

“Also?”

“I don’t know if this is a reach sir, but he said she was wearing a small scarf around her neck. He thought it was odd since it is summer.”

Roy sighed. “I will look into it, thanks Luhan. You many go.”

He excused himself.

 

It wasn’t crazy to think that Joon had hurt Rin. He was going to find out tonight.

 

RIN

 

“Rinnie…”

“Yes Leo?”

“How is Uncle Roy my uncle?”

I was shocked at the question. Leo was smart, he was aware of all the change that was going on. He was 7. Asking questions came second nature to him.

“He is your mother’s oppa.” I didn’t want to lie to him.

“My real mother?”

“Yes Leo.”

“I’ve never met her. Have you? Daddy never talked to me about her when I would ask.”

“I have met her…” I bit my lip. “She um..” I hesitated.

“It’s okay Rinnie. You don’t need to tell me anything about her. She is not here because she doesn’t want to be.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“Well if she wanted to…I would of already met her”

Leo was so mature for his age.

“Leo…”

“You are like my mom Rinnie. I wish you were my real mom” he said and hugged me. Those words…

They pierced my heart. Thats really how he felt about me?

“Why are you crying?” he looked up at me.

“It’s because…it’s because I love you with all my heart Leo. What you just said to me is so special”

He smiled and kissed my cheek. “If daddy didn’t get so angry, I would call you mommy” he whispered in my ear.