Just look at her, I think as she walks inside the next morning, her bodyguard/chauffeur and assistant following. She’s in a bright pink dress and shoes with tall, skinny heels. All grown up, confident and in control.
“Good morning.” She smiles, while her people settle down on their usual couch in the living room.
“Good morning.”
Should I tell her about what her mother tried to do?
Lady Min didn’t ask me to keep it quiet, but what she wants wouldn’t be my top concern anyway. The problem is, telling Yuna about my dinner might cause her some pain. Yuna’s sensitive about how her family paid at least one ex-boyfriend off, and I don’t want to upset her for no reason. There’s no way Lady Min can do anything to make me not want to be with Yuna, so why bring it up? I’m not holding what her mom did against her, because—unlike Lady Min—I’m broad-minded like that.
Mr. Choi is looking at me like I’ve committed treason. He definitely heard from Yuna’s mom, and he doesn’t approve. Why else would he look so unhappy?
And same for Ms. Kim, who’s doing a better job of hiding it. Somebody should tell her if she purses her mouth, it makes her look a little bit like a puffer fish.
After breakfast and coffee, Yuna pulls out her personal phone and checks her messages. The sight reminds me of the call I had with Chantel.
“Yuna, can you call my accountant and have him send thirty K to Chantel?”
Yuna jerks her head up. “You want your accountant to send how much?”
“Thirty thousand. Dollars.”
Her eyebrows pull together. “For Ella’s wedding?”
“Oh, hell no. No. Chantel got into a car accident, and she needs some money to get a new car.”
“That’s what insurance is for.” Her voice is stiff.
That sounds…unusually cold. But then, Yuna’s only interaction with my family is Ella, which was a total shit show. Plus, Yuna’s family is probably insured up to their eyeballs. “First, Ella’s the bad one in the family, not Chantel. And the insurance payout won’t be enough for her to get a new car. Depreciation and all that.”
“Did the insurance company call you?”
“No. She did.” The way she’s interrogating me is weird. What’s going on in that pretty head?
She sighs, her face tight. “I was wondering how I was going to bring this up, but…” She pulls her lips in, like she’s about to confess to having toilet paper trailing out of her underwear at a party.
“Bring what up?” I prompt her when she’s quiet for too long.
“Declan, Chantel isn’t a good person. Ella and Chantel are both awful.”
Although part of me believes that Yuna will have a good reason for saying that, my defenses go up. Chantel is the only person who ever helped me without expecting anything in return. She’s always uncomfortable when I give her gifts.
“How can you say that?” I work hard to keep my tone even. “You’ve never met Chantel.”
“Actually, I have.” She taps on her phone. “Listen.”
I do. And hear two voices, unmistakably Chantel’s and Ella’s. As the recording plays, my stomach starts to feel like it’s sloshing with acid. I grip my phone until I think I can hear it creak under the pressure.
The worst isn’t what Ella’s saying. I expect her to be hateful. But Chantel… It feels like the ground is shifting under me, and I feel sick.
“How did you get this? When?”
Yuna looks uncomfortable as she clears her throat. “Last Sunday. After a facial with Mom, they showed up at the spa. They were talking, and I happened to record it.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
I spoke so nicely to Chantel last night. Like a stupid dumbass. How she must’ve laughed after the call. Bitch!
I want to direct my ire at Yuna, even though my rational side knows she isn’t at fault. She didn’t make Chantel and Ella say what they said. And if it weren’t for Yuna, I’d still be in the dark. And Chantel would be thirty thousand dollars richer.