CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The sound of the burglar alarm blares throughout the Wu household waking up Aiden and he immediately proceeds to cry, Kris falls off the bed and quickly fishes out a baseball bat from under the bed while Hana scampers out bed and quickly takes Aiden into her arms as the alarms continue to wail.

“Ow! Watch it!” someone shouts from downstairs and Kris looks over to his wife with the same horrified expression, “Stay here. Lock the door and call the police.” He tells her before he starts to make his way out of the room, bat ready to go full swing at the idiot intruder that decided to invade a Wu’s home of all people. Hana shushes Aiden before she grabs her phone and calls the police as she was instructed.

Meanwhile, Kris navigates his way throughout the dark house. He slowly makes his way through the house, sticking himself against the walls as he goes along. Eventually, he begins to ascend the stairs and catches sight of several silhouettes in the dark causing his heart race to suddenly race at the number of intruders. He simply just could not take them all, let’s be realistic: he was not invincible. “Damn it, you stepped on my shoes!” came a hiss from one of them, -to Kris- the intruders themselves seemed to be amateurs at this kind of job. They honestly looked like idiots wandering in the dark and if Kris opted for a gun, they would have been dead already.

The alarm slowly dies down and someone sighs, “Finally… that ring was killing my ears.”

“I think we’re going to get in trouble…” one of them says before he clumsily hits his knee against the coffee table. Another one of them trips in the dark and three of their heads suddenly disappear from Kris’s view followed by a loud thud, “Damn it, Sehun! Get off of me!”

Wait. Sehun? Kris tiptoes quickly to the other side of the room and hits his hand against the light switch, lighti

ng up the room and was met with his friends’ dumb faces. Xiumin was flat on the floor, Jongdae on top of him, and Sehun on top of Jongdae. Up against the wall was Tao and on the opposite wall was Lay, in the back going to the kitchen stood Kyungsoo, Jongin, Baekhyun, and Luhan looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

“WHAT THE ?!” Kris yells just as police sirens filled the air.

“I told you this was a bad idea…” Kyungsoo mumbles before loud banging sounds hit the door, “This is the police, we received a distress call! Open the door!”

Kyungsoo contemplates on his thoughts as to why he was here; when in the very first place it was him that went against his friends’ decisions of going off on a rendezvous visit to Kris in China. He was not supposed to be here; he was supposed to be in Seoul getting some sleep after a marathon of food shows from Food Network. He was not supposed to be sitting here –with these idiots that he called friends- with his head hung low in shame for such a reckless behaviour.

Nine met sat in the living room at three in the morning, the lights of the Wu household were on and flashes of red and blue peeked through the windows from the police cars parked outside. An officer stood before them with Kris on the side along with his wife that was holding their son. Officer Han Geng sighs at the gentlemen that were supposed to be of prestige position at one of the biggest companies known in the industry. “Sir, I suppose you know that its common sense that breaking and entering someone’s house is against the law.” He says and Sehun raises a finger to speak, “But Yifan is our friend and… isn’t there, like, a law of friendship that permits this?”

“Shut up, Sehun.” Kyungsoo snaps at him and Kris wanted to slap himself in the face. Officer Han Geng sighs once more, “There is no such thing Mr. Oh… in fact, I can detain you all for the night if Mr. Wu would order so. The disturbance you have caused in this neighbourhood and the distress that your carelessness has inflicted upon this family is punishable by the law.”

Kris sighs, “I think I’ll be the one to deal with them, Officer Han.” The officer turns to him, “Are you sure, Mr. Wu?” and Kris responds with a nod flashing an apologetic smile. Officer Han issues the nine men with one final warning before Kris accompanies him to the door, profusely asking for apologies for disturbing such a peaceful night. A bid of goodbye is heard before the door eerily closes and shuts and all of a sudden, it felt as if the whole room turned into a large freezer as cold shivers ran up and down their spines.

“Mama ~” Aiden coos with eyes half closed as he tightens his hold around his mother’s neck, “I’m sleepy”

“Okay…” Hana rubs his back soothingly before she begins to retreat upstairs, all the while nine eyes looked at her intently as if begging her not to leave at the moment but their stares fell upon dead shoulders as Hana finally disappears from sight along with the young boy leaving them with the wolf inside the cage. The sound of the door locking fills the dead silence and Kris turns back around with a cold stare, one that they had not seen for quite a while now. It was one of those stares that reminded Xiumin why he had constantly been avoiding Kris’s office before.

“Now…” he starts, “what the hell do you think you’re doing in my house at this hour?”

When Kyungsoo woke up the next day, the scent of waffles and fresh brewed coffee fills his nostrils but his sight was a different story. Kris was up early and was crossing his arms, standing over their group that had retreated to the family’s living room from the previous night. He remembers being thoroughly scolded by the chairman for breaking and entering; the whole fiasco had caused quite a ruckus that involved the police being called on them.

“Get up. Hana made breakfast.” His tone was cold as he then went ahead to the kitchen to help his wife set up the table. As they all start to get up, Aiden appears from the second floor slowly making his way down the stairs making sure to hold on to the railings. Upon seeing his uncles, he grins and waves his hand to greet them. Tao is awed and immediately rushes to pick the boy up in his arms, “I missed you, baby boy! Did you miss uncle Taozi?”

The rest proceed to cooing at the boy except for Sehun, Kai, Kyungsoo, and Jongdae.

“Breakfast is ready, guys” Hana appears with a smile and Aiden immediately holds out his arms to his mother. Like a line of children in the kindergarten, everyone followed Hana to the dining room where a judgmental looking Kris was waiting along with Suho and Chanyeol. Suho looked at them with a mixture of disappointment and anger, the aura he emitted was almost similar to Kris. Hana ignores the tension in the atmosphere with a smile; she sets down Aiden in his seat and claps her hands, “Let’s eat!”

It was weird to have breakfast in such a tensed atmosphere and Hana was not having any of it, so she kicks her husband’s foot under the table interrupting the frown on his face as he turns to look at her and she scrunches her brows at him. Hana takes a deep breath as she tears her eyes away from her husband and smiles at all their guests, “It’s been a while since you all came together like this, and it sure brings back a lot of memories”

“Yeah, only that we don’t get ourselves involved in crimes when we visit one another” Suho stresses, a tightly forced smile appearing on his face. “Actually…” Sehun sips on his orange juice before continuing, “We were planning on surprising Kris and I think the point of a surprise is to not let someone know that you’re coming”

“But I don’t think that you should go to the extent of breaking and entering” Chanyeol chuckles to which Baekhyun snorts, “Oh please, if you weren’t here already in China and you came with us, you would’ve been the first to break and enter”

“Moreover, I bet you would have been the one to suggest that idea” Jongin points the piece of bacon at him before taking a bite, Kris sips on his coffee before he asks “Speaking of which… who was the – “

“No cussing at the table, Yifan.” Hana cuts him off as she pours more milk for Aiden upon his plea for a refill. “Right…” Kris clears his throat, “so who was it?” all heads immediately turn to one person in particular who was casually chewing on a piece of bacon and poking at the waffles on his plate, upon noticing the pointed looks at him, he gasps dramatically and exclaims “I would never!”

Hana clasps her hands together gathering everyone’s attention, she breathes out and smiles, “Anyway ~” she starts “until when will you be guys in town?” Luhan glances as Joonmyeon and for a moment they exchange looks before the former answers with a shrug of his shoulder, “maybe until Monday?” and Kris was about to retort but Hana had spoken first with such vigor “Great! Why don’t we all go down by the lake house tomorrow and have a weekend barbecue?” “What?” his retort finally surfaces amidst the lit up faces of his friends around the table.

The lake house was always a mystery to everyone, they have heard Kris mention it once or twice in the past but never really paid much mind to it. All they knew was that it was a house by the lake that he had bought with his first paycheck and that it was a personal getaway when the going gets tough, but for it to be situated somewhere in China sure was a surprising fact considering that there are days before where he would be gone for a few hours from the office saying he’ll be at the lake house then he’d be back by noon. So to speak, he was technically flying from Seoul to China as if he was just driving down to some suburban village. On another note though, Kris is completely baffled by his wife’s sudden invitation to a weekend barbecue as a visit to the lake house was much more of a reward –and he doubts that any of them deserved it after what they had done last night.

“Lake house!” Aiden exclaims suddenly excited but his father finally speaks out, “Baobei, I don’t think that – ““Lake house!” Aiden exclaims again and for a moment, Kris looks at his son then at his wife that had those awful hopeful eyes that he hated so much in situations like these because then all he could do is just sigh in defeat.

“It’s settled then!” Hana glees turning to Aiden and squishing his cheeks together to which the boy laughs.

After breakfast, the guys had announced their leave and Hana had volunteered to walk them out since Aiden had asked for his dad’s company to the shower. One by one they bid their goodbyes to the woman of the household with Chen being the last, “I hope that you know what you’re doing, Hana” he pockets his hands and gives Hana a pressed smile to which she responds with a deep breath in, she nods her head “I still have to talk to his grandmother though so no plans are final.”

“You know,” Chen takes a peek behind him to ensure that his colleagues had all gone inside their respective vehicles, “she won’t stop until she gets to you and nor will Kyuhyun… they very well know that you’re the only one they can use to get to Kris and well, –God-forbid; Aiden too” Hana shakes her head, “I appreciate all of your help, Jongdae…”

The horn of Joonmyeon’s car calls out to him and he gives Hana a pat on the shoulder before turning on his heel to leave.

Hana finishes buttoning up the last of her husband’s shirt and she finishes up by smoothening out the chest area, Kris keeps his eyes on her and upon meeting his gaze she chuckles “What?” she asks him to which he frowns, “I can’t believe you invited them to the lake house”

“It’s going to be fun, baobei… besides, we didn’t get to celebrate your birthday because you had to be at the hospital” speaking of which, he had an upcoming doctor’s appointment that Hana had to take note of by next week. Although they were assured that he was no longer in the danger zone, they still needed to take extra precautions. Kris sighs as he wraps his arms around his wife’s waist, “Fine… it has been a while since we went out of town anyway”

Just before their lips could meet Aiden’s loud voice wrings throughout the house announcing that he was ready for school, Kris sighs with a shake of his head while Hana laughs “I have got to teach that kid about timing” Hana presses a quick kiss upon his cheek before breaking away from his grasp. “I’m heading over to the office after I drop him off” he informs, she turns to look at him as she puts on a necklace raising a brow up at him in question “You’re not due to come back until next week, remember?” Kris nods, he grabs his wristwatch from the drawer and latches it onto his wrist “Yeah but I’ll just do some checks to make sure the books are in order… you know how Chanyeol can be forgetful sometimes”

“I hope that you don’t run into her…” she quietly mutters under her breath silently hoping that the heavens hear her plea.

Upon arriving at the office, Hana was dumbfounded to find her desk empty with people going in and out of her space carrying stuff to another room which happened to be that of the Chairwoman’s. Her in-law then emerges from the door along with her assistant, she was signing off some papers when Hana approached her with a confused look “Erm… what’s going on?” she asks and the two women smile upon noticing her presence. The elder lady dismisses Hana’s secretary leaving them to talk, “Good morning, President Wu” she greets her granddaughter-in-law and Hana’s eyes almost pop out of her sockets, her jaw drops “W-what?”

“Yes Hana, you are the new president of CUBE… I’m having your things transferred before I make my formal announcement” she explains but try as Hana may, the information seemed too much to take at the moment. Never had she expected for this moment to come so early, she was still supposed to discuss a few things to the lady before the decision was finalized but apparently, there would be adjustments to be made to the plan.

Seeing the lack of reaction from the younger woman, the elder laughs since she had already expected such a scenario “Hana,” she places her hands on the dumbstruck female’s shoulders and guides her to the new office with a soft push, “you are going to be fine. You know all the ropes to this company and if ever you’re confused, Kris will be there to help you.”

Hana

I don’t know what came over me but the next thing I knew; tears were streaming down my face. Happiness? Confusion? Sadness? Fear? I did not know what these tears meant but it did spark a laugh out of my in-law, she seemed too amused with my state of surprise and now that I’m crying she seems to be even more overjoyed. I wipe away my tears sniffling in the process, “T-this is… H-how… I c-can’t…”

“Oh dear,” she chuckles, “you know of all the CEO’s I have passed down my title unto this is the first time I’ve seen someone cry” Of course, I must look so ridiculous right now but for some reason crying seems to be the only thing that expresses my mixed feelings at the moment. But I guess, whoever could have guessed that I would be put into such a position that could finally be of an equal to the man that I have married. “Thank you, ma’am” she smiles at me and holds out a hand which I accept for a formal handshake, it felt as if sealing a deal… but maybe because it was –it really was sealing a deal or a fate rather.

While the office was still getting set up, my secretary had started filling me in on all the necessary details that I would be needing to know, from names of the different board members to their respective family backgrounds and my in-law had sat down with us to help me get started. How I will get this all into my head, I don’t know but I will have to make do with what I can just until I can make the adjustments. There was going to be a lot of changes when next week starts with my first ever meeting with the board after my in-law makes the formal announcement to them and to the whole company, I would also be engaging in lessons and other advisories then there was also a warned swarm of interviews which I had the choice of whether or not I would be attending.

“You will be overlooking all operations in Asia and I would like to remind you…” the newly retired CEO gets up from her seat looking ready to leave for the day to let me get settled on my own, “these switches are usually the most vulnerable times for company, everyone will be looking to get your favor so I hope you’ve got good judgment. Smiles and good talks are not a basis for a person’s intentions, Hana”

I nod my head in understanding. I have lost count of how many times she has told me the same thing, even Kris has told me time and time again that the world they grew up in was a world that a commoner –such as myself- may never understand unless I walk in their shoes and now I think I am about to find out just how complicated such a world is. Becoming his wife had shown me pieces of his world but never gave me the full picture but perhaps this opportunity would allow me to look at the world through his eyes and it’s both exciting yet so frightening. She bids me a goodbye and good luck before finally leaving, I take a deep breath and turn to my secretary with a knowing look and she nods her head then asking “Brunch, ma’am?” and I nod to confirm.

As soon as she was out of the office and the last of the guys had moved in the remnants of my previous office I was finally alone to make a call, my heart slowed down at such an uncomfortable pace that it felt like having an anxiety attack –if this is what it felt like then good riddance! Flashes of scenarios ran through my head as I tried to play out how he would react to the news but before one could fully form, he had picked up “Hello?”

Oh God, I can’t even seem to speak! Come on, Hana you can do it! “Hey Love…”

“Is something wrong, Hana?” Of course, my voice is always a dead give-away whenever I have difficulty saying something to him. Taking a deep breath I drag my feet around the large space, “Um nothing at all! I uh… I just have some news for you”

“Uh okay? What is it?” I bit back my lip as I tried to form the proper sentence, “Are you sure you’re okay? Is someone in the room with you pointing a gun to your head?”

“No! Of course not! It’s just that… oh dear…” I take one last breath, “I got promoted”

Silence. Good? Bad? I have no idea but what I do know is that it takes a lot before anyone can make the Wu Yifan to go completely silent “Kris, did you –“

“What?”

Kris

“I got promoted”

Three words is not a lot to make the Wu Yifan go into complete silence however, such three words felt like huge boulders hitting me at the moment and although I am indeed trying to absorb the fact that my wife has just become a bonafide and legit Chief Executive Officer, my brain feels like it’s been frozen. Is this really happening? Wu Hana, my wife, my other half, the woman I come home to every single day, is now the CEO of CUBE?

“What?” Wait, so this means that the old woman had finally released her position and has also completed her decision of passing down all her shares to Hana? “You own CUBE…” I utter and Suho spits out his coffee making Luhan grimace in disgust as some of the liquid has splattered onto his sleeve. Oh yeah, I had completely forgotten that I was in a brunch meeting with these two.

“Is that bad?” she asks quite unsure, I run a hand through my hair still in a state of disbelief, “Oh my god, it’s… it’s not, you own fifty percent of CUBE, Hana!” all of a sudden she begins to sniffle and laugh awkwardly finally getting a smile out of me, “I’m so scared right now, Yifan”

“Do you have a schedule yet?” Luhan leans in against my side trying to listen to the conversation but I pull the phone way and push him back to his seat causing him to frown childishly, I’m too caught up with Hana at the moment to care though “No, not yet. So, I guess we finally have a good enough reason to celebrate at the lake house?” she laughs despite the fact that her anxiety was seeping through the cracks. The phone call ends shortly after she said that she needed to get settled in so I assumed that her office has been moved, a deep breath of air escapes my mouth and I lean back on my chair ignoring the questioning stares of my two colleagues at the moment. She sounded so scared and I wish I could tell her it was going to be easy but I did not want to lie to her, this was a scary world that she was diving into and the weight of the title that had suddenly been shoved into her hands was unimaginable.

How do you take someone who has never run a company by themselves and suddenly throw them onto the oncoming train of ownership?

“Kris.” Suho calls effectively cutting me off from my train of stalled thoughts, “Hana’s the CEO?” Luhan asks quite in disbelief himself. I pocket my phone and take a deep breath, as much as I want to be happy for her I’m becoming worried that this whole move had just pushed her into the spotlight of the most viable victim to pry upon.

“Suho, call Sehun and tell him I need some private bodyguards that can work at a distance maybe two or three will do” of course, Hana would never approve even if I try to explain the situation to her but I needed eyes on her now more than ever and maybe she will never understand but I know this will all be for the best, “once the news gets out that CUBE has replaced their head with someone new in the game, they’re going to take the first opportunity to take her out.”

Luhan nods his head in agreement tucking out his lower lip as he does, “True. So I see that you still have your game face after all these years in the business, Kris” I roll my eyes at him whereas he chuckles in return, “So much for keeping Hana out of the spotlight eh?” Suho comments to which I sigh, “Yeah… so much for that. Anyway, I have to go” I gather my wallet and key from the table and get up thus the doe-eyed man looks up at me in question as to where I was going, “I promised Aiden that I’d take him out for lunch”

“Ah yes,” Luhan breathes, “Daddy Kris has daddy duties to fulfil; see Suho, this is why I don’t want to become a father yet, I am far too young.” He shakes his head crossing his arms, I raised a brow at him “Young?”

“Luhan,” Suho calls him and takes a quick sip of his coffee, “You’re twenty-seven and pretty soon you’re thirty, the next thing you know you’re a lonely hobo living in a cave wishing you had married early.”

“Psh!” Luhan dismisses Suho’s prophetic speech finding it hard to believe although I doubt that it’s impossible because we never really know, “Suho, I may be twenty-seven by paper but this face” he circles his finger around his face to highlight it, “screams sixteen.” Considering that this argument has begun and may not end soon enough, I quietly take my exit from the place, they can handle it themselves besides I could really care less if Luhan’s delusion about his age is going over his head.