All the Wrong Places

by Jerilee Kaye

  When she turned around, she noticed that something was very different with her house. She had an open kitchen, which was one of the very first things she sees when she enters the door. Now, her kitchen is gone. And her living room looked hyperextended. It was huge. There was a new cream colored U-shaped sofa in the middle of the room, in front of the fireplace, which also looked bigger than the last time she saw it. There was a piano and a huge shelf on the place where her staircase to the bedroom used to be.

  She walked further into the house and she gasped when she turned to the right and found that the house had been three times bigger than it was before. She realized that this was the house next door. Janis was working on merging the two houses together.

  There was a big dining table made of white wood, with matching white chairs with gold trimmings. There was a glass door framed by white wood on the left side. She opened it and saw a huge kitchen with a marble countertop, built-in cooker, range and side by side fridge.

  She turned to Jin. “What did you do?”

  He walked over to her slowly, measuring her reaction.

  “I know how much you love this place. So, I bought the house and the house next door. Then… I commissioned people to work twenty-four seven to merge the two units into one.”

  “How many bedrooms is this now?”

  “Six.”

  “What would I do with a six-bedroom house?”

  He shrugged. “Anything you want.”

  “Jin, I cannot afford this.”

  “I’m not asking you for anything. The whole estate is yours. Gatwick had all the papers drawn up, waiting for your signature.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was confronted with all sorts of her emotions inside. She shook her head. “I can’t… I can’t accept this!” She turned away from him. “Give me a week. I’m moving out…”

  Immediately, he was behind her, pulling her into a hug.

  “God, Arabella! Why? Why won’t you accept anything from me?” his voice was low, guttural. He sounded like he was crying.

  She shook her head. “You don’t owe me anything. I don’t deserve it!”

  “Yes, you do!” he spun her around. She saw frustration written all over his face. “You deserve the world and I want to give it to you! But you keep pushing me away. Every single time, Arabella. Why?”

  She bit her lip. She wanted to answer but she couldn’t find her voice.

  “Why did you let me think that you cheated on McAllister with me? Why did you let me think I was just a game to you? That you were even capable of cheating?” he asked. The tone of his voice was desperate. “You were engaged to McAllister by an arranged marriage! You were never even in a relationship with him. There were plenty of chances for you to tell me that, but you didn’t. You allowed me to think that this was all just a game to you. Why didn’t you tell me that your father disinherited you? That you’re no longer the sheltered, privileged heiress you once were?”

  “Would you have pursued me if you found out I was poor and had nothing on my name?”

  “It wouldn’t even matter to me, Arabella! I didn’t know you were an heiress when I met you. But while I was planning on proposing to you, you were planning on escaping me! You ran. And you didn’t give me a chance to help you… to save you. And I would have saved you, Arabella. Years ago. I would have saved you from your father and from McAllister.”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t know that. I was scared that if I stayed with you, they would make sure you suffer for it. And I couldn’t do that to you!”

  She saw the tears in his eyes. He took a deep, labored breath. “And yet, you allowed me to think over and over that you chose another man over me.”

  “I chose you,” she breathed.

  He pulled her into his arms. “I know that now. You chose to protect me. And you suffered a lot in return. Now, I regret the days I spent being mad at you for leaving me. I realized that I should have looked harder for you! Those times I was nursing my broken heart, were the times you needed me the most! I wish I could have been there when you were pregnant with Jared. I wish I could have helped you when your father kicked you out.

  “You were alone, scared and pregnant. God, Arabella! I should have known. You should have looked for me. If you mentioned the name I gave you to Justin, Adrienne, maybe even Mason or Gian, they would have known it was me. Jas Mathieu wasn’t a made-up name I gave you to protect my real identity. It’s my alias, my pseudonym. And almost everyone in our families knew that. If you told any of them, they would tell me. And I would have come for you!”

  “I didn’t want them to know your name,” she sobbed. “Because they would hunt you down and beat the hell out of you. I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

  “And yet you made me believe you didn’t choose me—over and over. Please, Arabella. Stop rejecting me. Let me right all the wrongs that happened to us in the past. Allow me to make up for the times you needed me and I wasn’t there for you.”

  She shook her head. “And then what? We still don’t have a future together, Jin. And I deserve better than that.”

  He pulled away from her. She could see anger flaring in his eyes. “We have a future together. You just don’t want it!”

  She shook her head. “I’m not going to be your mistress!”

  He blinked back at her. When before he looked angry, now he looked confused. “Wait… what?”

  “I can’t be your mistress,” she repeated.

  “And who told you you were going to be?”

  “Vanessa,” she replied. “She came here last week. She talked to me. She told me that you’ve enforced your engagement. She said you were going to announce it soon.”

  His eyes widened. He looked like he had no idea what she was talking about.

  “She even spoke about the heirloom engagement ring, which you got from your grandmother,” Julianne said. “And you said to me last week that you wanted to talk to me about us, our arrangement. The next day, Vanessa came to tell me that she accepts our future arrangement. She would be your wife, and I would be the mistress. She said she didn’t mind as long as she’s the legitimate wife. But I should think about my future with you.” Julianne shook her head. “I did think about it. And I decided I can’t be your mistress, Jin. I’d rather be the wife of a poor man, than a mistress of the king of the world.”

  “Is that why you haven’t been answering my calls for days?”

  She bit her lip but didn’t answer.

  “Damn it!” he cursed and snatched her into his arms. His lips descended towards her and he took her lips in a ravishing—punishing kiss. Julianne put her hands on his chest and pushed him away.

  “Jin, I can’t…”

  He gave her a rueful smile and pulled her back into his arms. She pushed him again.

  “Jin, I’m serious.”

  “So am I,” he said. “Have I ever given you any indication that I was going to make you my mistress?”

  “Jin, if you do not honor your engagement, you will be taken out of Round Ten.”

  “So?” he asked. He really looked like it doesn’t bother him. “Then I start my own Round. I’ll call it Round Eleven or Twelve. Pick a number.”

  “Jin!”

  He laughed. “I was never engaged to Vanessa. Her father proposed an alliance through marriage. I agreed and I gave my word that that agreement would be finalized through an engagement. During that supposed proposal party, you came back into my life.” He shook his head. “The minute I saw you again, I changed my mind. I couldn’t propose to her.”

  “Why?”

  “Because seven years ago, I already made up my mind about what kind of life I was going to have. I decided on having the kind of marriage that my father has with my mother. The same kind that Justin has with Adrienne. I wasn’t settling for anything less. When you left me, I lost hope that I would still have that blissful married life. So, I made bad decisions without taking my heart into consideration.

  “Then… all that change
d that night. When you appeared in that party, I was reminded of the kind of marriage I wanted to have. And I saw a chance for me to have that again. From that moment on, I had no intention of marrying Vanessa Bernard anymore. I can’t. I won’t. I’m not gonna settle for anyone less than the woman I’ve chained my heart to seven years ago.”

  Tears rolled down Julianne’s cheeks as she listened to him. If he wasn’t holding her, she was positive she would have fallen to the floor already.

  “Jin… I can’t give you the business advantage that she could. I have nothing to offer you at all.”

  He smiled. “I’m smart, and I already have more money than I could care to count. I don’t need any more business advantages than what I already have.”

  “But her family will retaliate. You will lose a lot of money.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her lips gently. “And in return I get you and Jared—I get the world.”

  “Are you sure I’m worth it?”

  He wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks. “You’re worth the whole universe, and I don’t think I deserve even a single star on it.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her lips thoroughly. After the kiss, he leaned his head against hers and sucked in a deep breath.

  “Are you… sure?” she asked between tears.

  He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “I’m pretty damn sure, ma belle.”

  Suddenly, his phone beeped. He pulled away from her to check it. He smiled as he read the message on the screen. Then he put his phone back in his pocket and turned back to her. “I told you last time that I have something to tell you but I didn’t want to tell you on the phone.”

  “Yeah, I thought you were going to tell me that you were going to marry Vanessa but you still wanted to keep me as your mistress.”

  He shook his head. “Quite far from your theory, love.”

  “What is it then?”

  “I’m not sure what your reaction was going to be, but I’ll try anyway,” he said.

  He took her hand and pulled her towards the backdoor to her garden. She realized that it was already sunset and the skies were slowly getting dark. But what took her breath away was the whole backyard itself.

  It still had the vertical garden that they made together. But the rest of it was totally different. Her backyard was at least five times bigger than it used to be. It was combined with the backyard of the house next door, plus, Jin also purchased the vacant lot behind them.

  It was covered in grass and landscaped beautifully. There was a pool covered in floating candles and a beautiful gazebo with a dining table and chairs. The table was set for two and there were lighted candles and roses in the middle. Near the pool, was a trampoline. Julianne had no doubt, Jared mentioned this to Jin.

  There was a landscaped walkway after the gazebo.

  “Where does this lead to?” she asked.

  “Why don’t you see for yourself?” he asked back.

  Julianne slowly walked the pathway and what she saw almost made her fall to her feet. She gasped and suddenly, tears started rolling down her cheeks once again.

  “Oh my God, Jin…” was all she could say.

  30.

  “I couldn’t destroy it,” Jin said behind Julianne. “After what happened between us there, I just couldn’t bear the thought of breaking it down.”

  She turned around to face him. His eyes looked teary as well.

  “Like you, The Arabella belongs here,” he whispered.

  Julianne stared at the familiar glasshouse that used to sit in the gardens of White Rock Hotel.

  She couldn’t find the words. She turned around and threw herself in Jin’s arms. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

  “Why?” she asked looking up at him. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Is it not obvious?” he asked back. “I’m making it easier for you to have a life with me. This is going to be our home here in Chicago. I want you and Jared to be here. And if you will allow it, I would like to live here with you.”

  “Why? Why me?”

  He took her hand in his and put it in his chest to where his heart is. “Because you captured this from the moment I laid eyes on you. I didn’t believe that love at first sight was possible at all. But the moment I saw you, I went out of my skull. I instantly fell in love with you.” He pulled her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. “When you left, I was devastated. I changed into this—mean, ruthless man, even I do not recognize.

  “And now that you’re back, I realized what happened to me. I was broken beyond repair for anyone—but you. I am sorry. But I admit that when I found you again, I was so angry. When I came back to the States to confront you, I wanted you to feel the pain of what you did to me. I wanted you to feel sorry for choosing another man over me. I was being selfish. I wanted revenge—and at the same time, I wanted to possess your body one last time so I could finally get you out of my system.

  “But after we’d been together that night—in The Arabella—I couldn’t bear the thought of hurting you. I wanted to see you smile, laugh… I wanted to see happiness shine through your eyes. I realized that after all these years, I was still very much in love with you. And I couldn’t stay angry at you.

  “I wanted to give you plenty of reasons to stay with me, more than I wanted you to feel sorry about leaving me. I wanted to see you happy more than I wanted to make you feel the pain I felt when you fled my studio that night,” he shook his head. “I would rather die first than cause you pain or sorrow.”

  He kissed her lips, tasting her tears in them. He leaned his forehead against hers and then he breathed, “I love you, Arabella. I am incapable of loving another woman. And I would rather lose everything, even my family’s legacy, than lose you or Jared. I love you so much. Even if you do not love me back, I will wait. I will wait until the day that you could love me, feel for me—even half of what I feel for you. That’s more than enough!”

  Julianne couldn’t speak. She just kept on crying, listening to what Jin was saying to her. She was happy to hear him say he loves her, but at the same time, she was scared because he’s risking so much for her.

  She looked into his eyes. He had been crying too. Gone was the devilish look, the expression of arrogance or the devil may care attitude he usually sported. He looked humbled, open and sincere, like he was baring his soul in front of her.

  “Jin…” she whispered. “You’re risking too much.”

  “I don’t care,” he said. “Round Ten can kick Starck Corp. out of their circle. I’ll just move on. Keep doing what I do best. A foundation like ours would take years of mismanagement and more than a dozen of bad decisions to fail.”

  “But you wanted to be number one in the world. Choosing me will hold you back.”

  “So, I stay number two for a long time. So what? One day, the McKenzies will make a mistake and I will be there, breathing down their necks.” He shook his head. “It was very wrong for me to use marriage as a leverage to up my game. If you hadn’t showed up at that party, I would have made the biggest mistake of my life. You saved me from a life of misery.”

  He kissed her lips again. Then he looked into her eyes and said, “Damn, I love you so much!”

  In spite of her tears, she giggled. Then she leaned forward and kissed him. She savored that kiss. She poured all the love she has in her heart for him. Then she whispered, “I love you too.”

  He gently pulled away from her. “What did you say?”

  She bit her lip and smiled at him shyly. “You heard it.”

  “I did. But I want you to say it again.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want to hear it again. Just to convince myself that it was real. That I didn’t just dream it.”

  She pulled away from him. Then she started walking towards the glasshouse. She felt him pull her by the waist, spinning her around so she could face him again.

  “Say it,” he insisted.

  “I already said it.”

 
“Please, love. I need to hear it.”

  Finally, she decided to relent and tiptoed so she could kiss him again. Then she looked into his eyes and said, “I love you. I don’t have any more legacies or inheritances to give away to prove that I love you. But if I did, I would give them up for you too.”

  He smiled at her widely. “I don’t want anything, love. Just you, and our son,” he said. “And of course, more kids in the future.”

  Then he gave her a long, passionate kiss, while he held her captive in his arms.

  When she pulled away, she was positive that she was blushing from head to feet. She took a step away from him and started walking down the path towards The Arabella.

  “Come on. I want to see her again,” she said, referring to the glasshouse.

  When she opened the glasshouse, she was mesmerized. There were spotlights inside. Butterflies made of glass were hanging from the ceiling, reflecting the lights. It was full of roses in bloom. Trees with leaves of different colors line up the glass walls to obscure the view from outside. Flowers lined up the pathways that led to the table, the fountain and the bar. The same sofa they made love in sat in the middle, under a four-post canopy frame with white curtains. It looked like they have a bedroom in the middle of a garden.

  She turned to him. “You added a curtain?”

  “Well, in case you want to secure our privacy even more while we—you know.” He winked at her.

  She laughed. Then she turned away from him to hide her blush. Just looking at the sofa now made her want to do things in it already.

  He hugged her from behind. She felt him kiss her neck, gently nipping at her skin.

  “I wanted to replace that with a bigger bed,” he whispered. “But every time I look at it, I’m reminded of that night we got trapped here. So, I couldn’t let it go. I’m sentimental that way.”

  “No. It’s perfect the way it is.”

  He turned her around to face him. She could see love shining in his eyes and she hoped he could see the love in hers.

  “There’s one thing I have been meaning to ask you. The most important thing that I couldn’t discuss over the phone when you asked me about it.”