I am busy with life! But today, it felt like writing. Lol. To think, I had a bad day at work. But it's all better now. :D We move on from stupid things. :D

Anyway, I just came back from a 2 week vacation from the Philippines and Thailand~ :D #brokenow

I just finished writing this and didn't bother to see if it makes since since I am going to sleep soon. 

Please enjoy. :D

Chapter Thirty

When Jessica woke up the morning after her father held a press conference regarding his resignation and transferring most of his asset to Jessica, his daughter, it still felt surreal. She was one of the youngest, richest, and most powerful woman in all of Korea --- one of the few in the world. She didn’t know what to do; her father simply told her that he would be coming up with a great team to be with her most of the time at work and they would be assisting her. She was a student and more. Much more.She felt like a kid, lost in a big shopping mall and didn’t know where she was nor what she should do nor how she should react. Why couldn’t her life be normal?

Whilst this question ran in her mind, she looked at the empty space next to her --- the space her lover slept in. She realized she didn’t really want to be normal. If she was, Tiffany wouldn’t be there. She wouldn’t be there. So she had to face all of these consequences that approached her. If her grandfather had an issue with her love for Tiffany, she would keep her. She was more of a family to her than him anyway. If she was made to choose --- given this was a life or death situation --- she would pick Tiffany. All her life, her grandfather was more of a boss or a mentor than family.

Yes. This was all for their future.

But why was it even with this kind of thinking, she wasn’t happy? She felt so vulnerable. Even though she had all this wealth and resources, she still felt like a kid. She couldn’t just decide to dislike her grandfather because no matter what happened, he was family. There was no picking between that two. There was still love. Plus, she was who she was and she would never take ‘no’ for an answer. Not from anyone she cared about.

So even if her grandfather was so close-minded on this, she would try to make him realize that whatever happened right now was for the better --- even if that meant her father quit. She just had to fill in his shoes much earlier than expected. That was right. Ever since she was young, she was groomed to be that anyway, so might as well take it in.

When Tiffany called for Jessica, it broke her train of thoughts, pulling her back. “You’re gonna be late if you don’t start moving.”

She looked at Tiffany, who was now standing by the foot of the bed. Gosh. She was worth it. She knew this girl in front of her was worth all the worry in the world, but at the same time she felt bad that she was keeping things from her. Although, had Tiffany known what was going on, she would be saddened and that would be the last thing she wanted for Tiffany to feel. She loved her so much that she didn’t mind all this headache, the sleepless nights, or the fatigue.

There was something inside of her that told her that it wasn’t right to hide things though. She knew that. But why should she include Tiffany when she wouldn’t even be able to help?There was no point, she justified. “Sorry,” Jessica said as she got out of bed.

“Sorry? Huh?”

Jessica gave her a soft smile as she patted the crown of her girlfriend’s head. “Nothing.”

“Weirdo.”

Jessica giggled. “But you love this weirdo.”

“Undeniably.”

*******

“Honey, I have reached out to the people that will be your support in the company. These people are trust-worthy. They will guide you and protect you from any harm --- that includes your grandfather, the media, or even the board of directors.”

“Thank, Dad,” she said whilst sighing. “Is it really needed though? I’m sure Grandpa isn’t really going to do anything to me.”

“We don’t know that. Especially with current circumstances, even Tiffany is now a stockholder. He obviously doesn’t like that.”

That was right. Tiffany now has assets in the company, but she didn’t know how to explain things to Tiffany without her knowing what was happening internally. When she found out it was her father that decided to simply do this just in case her grandfather was going to oppress her. She asked her father not to mention it to Tiffany just yet since she didn’t want her to be worried --- she was doing her best to be accepted at a prestigious university in New York so there was no way Jessica would let her girlfriend be worried about anything else but school. “Dad, you’re keeping your promise right?”

“About?”

“Not telling Tiffany anything.”

“Well, of course. But Jessica, I don’t think we can hide it for too long. I mean, when tax season comes up, she will need to declare all her assets. How are we able to hide that?”

“We’ll cross the bridge when we have to,” she simply replied. Truthfully, she would be able to just say it was a present from her father, but then how would she justify that her father just gave her girlfriend millions of dollars? If she didn’t explain to Tiffany that it was to protect their relationship and that her father wouldn’t want Tiffany vulnerable to anything, it wouldn’t make sense. What was worse is she couldn’t even talk to anybody about it. She was sure if she talked to Hyomin about it, she would share it with Sunny and then everybody and their mothers would know. It simply was saying she was in a relationship with a girl to the whole world. Please. That was the last thing she needed. Honestly speaking, she still cared so much about their company and their worth. She knew if she stained their name even more, they would take a massive loss on their company, and that wasn’t something she would allow because it wasn’t just her that was affected. She also had to think about the people that they employ. It wasn’t just her stomach that needs food, the twenty-two thousand employees and their families also need that support.

“Urgh!” she grunted out of nowhere. Why was it so hard? Why did she had to pick between Tiffany and her family and business? Why couldn’t she be herself and be happy without even affecting anybody? This feeling of loneliness, it was scary because even though there were so many people around her, she felt lost. How could she find peace?

“Are you alright?” her father asked.

“Yeah.I’m sorry, I just feel…” she paused and didn’t continue. She just didn’t know how to express herself.The thing was, her family had always been there, but at the same time, they never really were like this. Their relationship was so straightforward that it was awkward to talk to her father more than their usual. Especially this topic of her girlfriend.

“It’s okay, Honey.” He chuckled and then continued, “Who’s your father?”

“You.”

“Exactly. I’ll fix it for you. We’ll deal with this together.Your mother’s very concerned that you’ll end up being too stressed.”

“You guys talk?” she asked in a surprised talk.

“Well, I’m still in the process of hiring a personal assistant.I no longer have a secretary, remember? So I have to talk to your mother.”

“Dad,” Jessica called with a soft smile on her face. “I hope you guys can fix things. Really.”

“If your mother will forgive me.”

“I’m sure she will.I mean, unlike you, she hasn’t really dated since your separation.”

“Well, I know I dated, but nothing like with what your mother and I had.”

“I think you should be saying that to Mom,” she giggled a little. She wasn’t the only one with problems. Even her parents, the very people that were defending her from every pain that was out there, had their own sets of problems. Hopefully things could get better for all of them, but for now, she should go back to working.

*******

“Hi Jessi!” her girlfriend merrily greeted as she walked in their home. She was welcomed with a hug and kisses. “I missed you. How come you didn’t come to school today? I figured to not bug you with text messages since I know you’re busy.”

“I’m sorry,” she answered with a frown on her face. “It’s really just been hectic that I didn’t even realize it was time to go home.”

With a soft smile on Tiffany’s face, she then said, “you’ve been so apologetic lately, it’s making me wonder if you’re cheating on me.”

Jessica just laughed at the joke and said, “With what time? If I had the luxury to have time to date someone else, I’d just spend it with you. You know that.” It was great that despite Tiffany turning down the proposal, it seemed as though nothing changed. They were still able to joke around and show affection to each other. It was the great thing about this relationship --- there was understanding.

“I was just kidding,” was said accompanied by a giggle.”Anyway, let’s go eat. Taeyeon brought pizza and some chicken wings, is that fine?”

“Of course,” she said as she gave her girlfriend another kiss on the lips before letting her go to walk together to the dining area.

As they were preparing for dinner, Taeyeon walked out of the room and greeted Jessica. “Hey, how was work?”

“Same old,” Jessica answered with a soft smile on her face. “Tiring.” Because it explained everything that happened perfectly. She had a lot of documents to review, countless meetings to attend --- even her bathroom break was timed and on the schedule. It was because she was the new majority stockholder, a lot of  their shareholders, directors, and executive still pay her visits to greet her and get themselves acquainted with her. At this point, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she would be running the business in just ten years. But she actually didn’t mind it all. If this was something that will pave her future --- her future with Tiffany --- she didn’t mind all these meetings and overtime.

“Well, that’s what happens when you’re a working student.” Taeyeon then placed a folder on the edge of the dining table. “These are from your professors by the way. Although, like you said, I wasn’t able to get in touch with your Economics professors. I’ll reach out to her teaching aide.”

“Thanks. That’ll help me a lot,” she said as she took a seat. “Let’s eat.”

“Yeah, I’m starving,” Taeyeon then looked at Tiffany. “Do you need help?” As she watched Tiffany carry utensils to be put on the table, a pitcher of water, and three canned sodas.

“No, no, no. I got this. You already brought the food,” she answered with a smile as she vehemently shook her head. There wasn’t really a need since it was easy to prepare and she was really just carrying their drinks.

“Anyway, Jessica,” Taeyeon called, “How are you able to still be a student when you don’t even go to school anymore? Do you just email your professors your work? I’m surprised they’re still acknowledging you.”

As she was grabbing food, “Well, my parents did a small donation,” she simply answered nonchalantly like it was the most common thing.

“No wonder,” Taeyeon nodded as she grabbed the glass of water in front of her. “You know, there was a rumor your family paid for a new building. How true is that?”

“Not true,” she said flatly.

“Uh-huh,” her best friend answered, knowing full well it wasn’t the case.

“Don’t believe me if you want, but that’s the truth.”

“Stop talking and start eating.” Tiffany interrupted. “We’re all busy with our exams and final thesis on some subjects so there’s no time for chit-chat.”

Jessica groaned. “Why do you have to remind me about that?!” Aside from work, despite the donation, Jessica knew she couldn’t excuse herself from school work no matter what. There were still workloads she couldn’t finish, and also school load she should start on; if only she had the time to do all of them.

Tiffany then sighed. “Well, sometimes, you need reminding. And can you stop bugging Taeyeon to go to your professors? I can do that for you.”

“I know you’re busy though.” Jessica pouted.

Tiffany raised a brow at her girlfriend and said, “And Taeyeon’s not?”

“But I’d rather her than you. She’s my best friend so she can lose an hour for me. I know you’re busy and you still have some things to complete for your transfer to New York for your master’s degree.” Jessica rebutted. Her girlfriend simply scoffed and said nothing. “Fany-ah, you know you’re my priority, right?” she asked with a huge smile on her face. Tiffany didn’t say anything but simply looked at her with a soft smile on her face. Jessica then continued and said, “I love you.”

“Ew. Can you stop, please?” Taeyeon said jokingly.

“Right? Jessica doesn’t have a clue. I mean, she says these things with a straight face, but still very clueless.” Tiffany finished with a sigh. “She seems so innocent but not at the same time. And it’s annoying, isn’t it?” Based on Tiffany’s voice, it seemed as though she really was annoyed with something, but Jessica wasn’t so sure since there wasn’t something to be upset about so she passed it on as good acting.

“Woah. Why are you both ganging up on me? I know you guys hang out more, but hey, I am your girlfriend,” she said as she looked at Tiffany and then moved her gaze to Taeyeon and continued, “I am your best friend. So please, stop ganging up on me. They already do that at work.” She had to do that as a joke. Because if there was something in Tiffany’s words, it wouldn’t be great timing to start something now. She couldn’t be starting a fight, right? Plus, if she inquired about it and it turned out to be nothing, wouldn’t it feel awkward? So it probably wasn’t anything since Tiffany was still talking to her anyway.

“And there she goes, pulling the ‘I am adulting so hard, I have a job’ card. But you know what, it’s all good.” Taeyeon said as she raised her hand in a surrendering manner. “Tiffany is on my side so I know I’ll win.”

“Sadly, that’s true. Tiffany’s my everything.” She looked at Tiffany, smiling at her girlfriend. But for some reason, Tiffany wore the same smile as earlier. Empty. Like a great facade. Something so beautiful, but scary. Was it something she did or say? Was there something wrong? It was as though Tiffany wasn’t all there. As though her mind wasn’t completely processing what was happening. Or maybe it was just Jessica. Maybe she was just thinking too much. The blonde didn’t know what it was, but it scared her. Like her gut feeling was telling her something was wrong. That her thoughts somehow be correct. It was as though something was urging her to ask Tiffany what was wrong, but at the same time, she couldn’t ask the question because she had a feeling she wouldn’t like the answer. Or the answer could potentially hurt her.

But there was nothing she did wrong. If she thought about it, there really wasn’t anything. She was at work the whole time and just got home. Her girlfriend was fine even when she walked in and even dinner time. It might just be her hormones that was getting the better of her --- of the both of them.

She had to ask her though. No matter what, she had to be an grown-up and find out if something was bugging her girlfriend or if she had to apologize for something she may or may not have done. “Is something the matter?” she asked as she reached for Tiffany’s hand and then softly caressing it. “Are you not feeling well?”

With a soft smile, she simply shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong.”