CHAPTER 4

FAMILY SECRETS 

She stood alone, surrounded by the lavish emptiness of the suite. Jian’s threatening gesture, the revelation of the dark past—was almost too much. She huddled on the soft couch, the silk seeping through skin like an extra thickness of skin, calming and suffocating. She placed the black feather paper down, its light an ironic joke on the blackness that descended upon her life.

The lines burned in her mind—"The game has truly begun. Your secrets are no longer yours."

My secrets? What did he know? What did he need? And what would he do in order to make them happen?

The fear existed side by side with an evolving sense of anger—a hot anger against Jian and against the father of hers, whose lust for power had brought on the storm. She could recall Seojun, that worried face of his, and the last-minute statements he had made before he vanished—statements that had created a harrowing image of the evil power plays involved. She herself was in moral hazard, but in the stream of fear, something had burned up—a spark of resistance, a refusal to surrender, an intention to hit back.

She would not be made a stake in Jian's game of risk. She would play the game. The question was: "how?" The barely audible ticking noise of the corner room provided another shot of adrenaline. She wasn't in the room by herself. The surveillance system was still active. The game, as Jian said, had actually begun.

(CHAEWON PHONE RINGS)

"He's dead." The announcement hung in the room, Chaewon staring intently at the telephone.

"Your father... had an unfortunate accident," Jian said in a low voice that lacked compassion. The words hung in the air.

"Accident? How?" Chaewon's voice was dripping with barely suppressed anger. "Don't even try to sugar-coat the facts, Jian. You murdered him!"

her father's lawyer, stammering, not quite able to take in the full impact of the news.

"An accident," the lawyer choked. "A terrible accident. He fell from his balcony."

The news came like an arrow of poison, directly targeting her already weak health. The arranged wedding, the unsettling revelations, then this. It was too much for her.

The door creaked as he stood in the frame. He entered, his body drinking in the light. He stood with an impassive mask, as if the news had not shaken him, nor did he expect anything other. He stood motionless in front of the window, gazing over the city, his dark presence strikingly set against the warm illumination of city streets.

"Your father… suffered an unfortunate accident," Jian said, his voice little more than a whisper, with no trace of compassion. "A sad end for the long and… ambitious life he lived."

"Accident?" Chaewon's voice teetered on the border of snapping with repressed anger. "Don't even believe for a moment that you can make excuses for that, Jian. You had him murdered!"

His eyes sparkled as he turned. "To blame someone for something with no evidence is…not productive, miss. Naturally, of course you should sorrow clouds judgment. ESPECIALLY when someone is facing loss of their principal source of bargaining power."

“Proceed. Use your leverage? Think that you have? That I am at your mercy?” She spat the words out, with anger barely being held back. It boils within her.

“Let us simply say the playing field is no longer the way I once knew. The game’s rules have been rewritten. And I, dear Chaewon, find myself in the position of establishing those rules.” Jian said.

He held out the document with its sharp edges contrasting with his black suit. "Your father's will is somewhat complex. There are conditions of which you were unaware, loopholes which I am uniquely equipped to exploit. This document assures your full cooperation. Sign, and you will have everything your heart could possibly wish for, in moderation. Refuse, and your fate will be worse than the loss of your father. Consider carefully, your choices are limited."

She stared ahead of herself, lost in thoughts. "And what then, should I not obey?"

There was a threatening quality to Jian's smile. "You will soon realize just how extensive my power is. And just how far I will go in order for you to obey. The game, Chaewon, is not over. It is only just beginning. And now I shall make the rules."

"You're a monster," she breathed, the statement barely above a whisper compared with the storm in turmoil inside.

“Sentimentality is something I'm not able to indulge in,” Jian declared, his voice as cold as the marble floor beneath her feet.

"What is this document for, anyway?" Chaewon asked, trying not to let panic rise inside of her.

Jian leaned forward, his eyes glinting. "It transfers your father's assets to me. It protects you from unwanted claims. It secures your ongoing cooperation. It is protection for us both, my love. It is an agreement for mutual benefit and advantage."

“Mutually beneficial? You call what just transpired mutually beneficial? You killed my father!" Chaewon replied, in great distress.

"Grief clouds judgment. Consider the other choice. Left unprotected by me, your life could become unpleasant. Serve it to say that some will not be content with your current position. Those who will attempt to take advantage of your lack of protection."

"Who?" she asked interrogatively with defiance in her tone.

His smile growing unsavory, his eyes narrowing. "Let's just say that the world of high finance is not as pleasant as one might think. Sharks lurk in the dark waters of your father's business. They don't usually have a choice as to who they take down with them, either. I'm granting you protection. It's an insurance policy on something far worse than grieving. This deal assures your survival."

"Survival, I assume, at what cost?" she demanded, with determination renewed in the tone of her voice.

Patience wore thin with Jian. The soothing quality of his voice fell away. "The cost of living, Chaewon, is typically very high. Given the alternatives. I believe that I am making an amenable proposal. Think it over. The choice is yours. Sign on with this document and have your future secured in place, or refuse and bear what punishment is beyond anything you can possibly envision. Time is short. Sharks are closing in."

"I will not sign," she declared firmly, the determination in her voice contrasting with the inner turmoil.

Jian's eyes narrowed. "Very well. Then I will ensure that you understand the severity of your decision. The game just began, Chaewon. You will learn to play on my terms. And rest assured, the penalty for loss is far worse than anything your father could have envisioned. We will just have to wait to observe how stubborn you will be when faced with the full extent of your decision. Your fate, after all, is now fully in my power."