CHAPTER 3

A DANGEROUS CONFESSION 

This is like the graveyard here," whispered Chaewon.

Suddenly came the thud of a knock against the thick oak door. Chaewon's heart skipped—it couldn't possibly be Jian, not yet. She needed time, desperately, to process the shocking news of what the locket contained.

"Who is there?" She yelled, her voice laced with fear.

"It's me," the voice said familiarly. She felt relief flood through her.

Relief washed over her body. She slowly opened the door to find Seojun standing in front of her, he look worried. There was no easy grin on his face, replaced by hard resolve that sent shivers down her body.

"Chaewon," he calls, in an urgent voice. "I had to see you. I've learned something troubling about Jian."

"I see," she replied, pulling the locket from her pocket. "I found this in his desk drawer. A hidden compartment."

Seojun's eyes went big as he stared at the locket. "This… This is more than unsettling. This changes everything. I've been over Jian's background, and what I've been able to learn is worse than a scandalous past. This locket. This is connected to something so much greater."

"How? Bigger, what do you mean?" She spoke with a shaky voice.

“Chaewon, he is up to something so much worse—a massive crime operation. Jian is more involved than anyone imagines. He is playing with fire, and you are in the middle of it.”

"What is he doing? What is he involved in?" Chaewon asked with keen interest and fear.

He came closer, barely above a whisper. "It involves power and control. And something far darker. I have reason to suspect that he's been involved in so much more than business."

“Illegal activities, terrible things, things that disturb on a deep level. This locket. it is like the key to all those things."

"And now you're in the middle of it." Seojun said with a down-bent face.

“But what am I to do with all of this?" She reached toward him, her voice weighted with growing unease. Her fear was tangible, icy tension in the stomach.

"What did you learn?" Chaewon demanded, her voice raced with fear and anger.

“Everything, he said, his face hard. His family, Jian's family. They're all part of this. This is not so much a marriage as it is a stake in some game.” Seojun replied.

"I don't know what to believe," Chaewon whispered, trapped and overwhelmed.

“Beware: This is not a matter of some ordinary business deal. This is power and control… something worse. He is possibly planning something that is disastrous.” Seojun said.

"I don't know what to believe," she whispered, "Is all of this real?"

He placed his hand on Chaewon's arm. "I understand that this is not easy to believe. But this is not some cheap revelation. This is a conspiracy of significant size. And one that I am certain was created specifically to keep you in the dark."

The soft clicking sound came from the direction of the corner of the room. They both froze, glancing all the way. Seojun wrinkled his eyebrow and instinctively felt in the pocket of his pants.

"We're watched," Seojun whispered urgently, his eyes watching wildly around the room. "We must leave now." Ahead of both of them, one of the doors swung open. Jian stood in the entrance, his usual impassive visage twisted in cold fury. Beside him stood several of his men—tall, heavy men. The sumptuous suite suddenly felt like a trap. "So," Jian said low and menacingly, and the room became silent. "My bride has been revealing secrets to others. How disappointing, and how predictable."

Seojun blocked Chaewon, defiance blazing in his eyes. "You will not pull this off, Jian. What you have done, what you are planning… you will be caught."

"Exposed? By whom? Your detective skills? My dear Seojun, you've brought to light something bigger than anything in your imagination”

The ensuing battle was brief, brutal, and terrifying. Jian's men moved with ruthless efficiency, overpowering Seojun in spite of the wildness of his struggles. Chaewon watched in horror, unable to move. She could do no more than scream as Seojun was dragged from the room, his struggles overwhelmed by the sheer power of their arms. As they approached her, one short, cryptic message was tossed carelessly onto the floor--a black feather on a sheet of paper.

The paper read: “The game has truly begun. Your secrets are no longer yours.”

Chaewon stood alone, the heavy quiet of the pricey suite filled with only her. The black feather, threatening in colour, lay on the floor, a threaten reminder of the deadly game she'd wandered into inadvertently. The cold face of Jian, with that faintest glimmer of triumph and beneath it something evil in nature, seemed to pursue her even as he'd left. The gravity of what happened—the betrayal, the kidnappings, the conspiracy pressed down on her, heavier than the silk of her bridesmaids' dress. She was isolated, alone, and very much in the hands of one man whom she'd only begun to learn about, one man whose true character was far worse than what she had ever imagined.

Jian's voice, cold as the marble that was beneath her feet, echoed in the opulent suite.

"What a pity. I was hoping for a shared association. But sometimes one must resort to persuasion. Your obedience will be continued, Chaewon. Disobedience will have far worse consequences than you possibly can imagine." His eyes twinkled.

"Damn it all to hell!" Chaewon slammed her fist on the sofa, the silk upholstery hardly muffling it's sound. The room, as rich as it was, feels oppressive and felt like a tomb.

"He knew," she clapped in disgust, bending down and grabbing the discarded black feather, its light taunting the staggering weight of fear. "He knew all along."

"Knew what?" a voice cut across the silence. Jian was standing in the doorway, his shape a cold shadow.

"On Seojun's inquiry, you monster!" She hit back, her anger shaking her voice. "Where did you take him?"

Jian's smile was ruthless and cold. "My dear Chaewon, you're mistaken. Seojun was in the way only. He knew too many things. His loyalty, misguided though it is… admirable. Misguided loyalty is weakness. Weakness is so easy to manipulate."

“You're a monster!” She yelled, her voice cracking.

"Sentiment is something that has no place in my life," Jian's voice became dull and unfeeling. "Now, what are the terms of our alliance?"

"Partnership?" She scoffed, with all rejection in every sentence. "You think I'm supposed to work with you after what you have done? After having Seojun kidnapped?"

“Cooperation is not optional, Chaewon. Coordination is the path before you. And if you do not cooperate, there will be repercussions. Repercussions that are greater than you are capable of conceiving. Understand?” Jian said.

"Never," she breathed with a surge of defiance in her voice. "I will never work with you."

Jian's own smile was cold, "We shall see.”