by Eve Vaughn
Esther barely took in those words as the hot soup had scalded her through her clothing.
Ruth Ann wobbled to her feet but Esther managed to dodge the palm that came her way. She ran away from her mother and headed to her bedroom where she locked the door. The first thing she did was head to the closet where she pulled out an old shoebox where she had kept the cash she’d saved. Her brothers had been sending money every month for food and the upkeep of the house. Early on, Esther had figured out a way to budget the money to where all the bills would get paid and her mother would be properly fed and have money left over. Some months she was able to save even more, especially when her brothers were feeling particularly generous. Esther didn’t have a reason for squirreling away the money but maybe she subconsciously knew she’d need it for an emergency. She slowly counted the cash. There was close to five thousand dollars in her stash. It was more than enough to get a bus ticket out of here and find some place to live until she found a job.
The only problem with her plan was the snow. She was certain no cabs were running to get her to the bus station. She’d have to wait until the morning when all the roads were properly plowed to make her escape. Esther packed her bags and gathered her birth certificate and social security card which she thankfully had stashed with the money.
For the next hour, her mother banged on the door, screaming at her to come out. Esther stayed up all night, too keyed up to go to sleep because in the morning she would be free.
But just as she had started to establish a new life for herself in a new town, she met Mike. The man whom she thought was her Knight in Shining Armor had turned out to be her worst nightmare. As she lay on the kitchen floor feeling completely broken she realized more than anything, she wanted to live. She hadn’t escaped her mother only to die at the hands of a maniac who used her as his personal punching bag. She made a silent vow to herself that if she survived this night, come hell or high water she would escape.
Chapter Two
“It’s really over, isn’t it?” Shin-hye gave him an expectant look.
Matthias wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted him to say. Maybe she was seeking his forgiveness but he didn’t have any to give. “I suppose it is.”
“I had hoped we could part on more amicable terms.”
He shrugged. “Well, we don’t always get everything we want.”
Shin-hye seemed taken aback by his cool delivery. “Look, I know you may still be angry for the role I played in your ousting but, let’s be honest, you didn’t want to be there and I did. If you think about this rationally, I did you a favor. After all, you did get a very large settlement so it’s not like you’re walking away with nothing.”
Matthias raised a brow. After all that she’d done, it seemed as his ex-wife was trying to justify the things she’d done to absolve herself of any guilt she might be feeling. “So you did me a favor by smearing my name and trying to embarrass my family? For what? A little power? If it means that much to you then congratulations.”
She placed a tiny hand on his arm. It looked so delicate, a rare beauty that many men coveted. Everything about Shin-hye was small, giving her a fragile appearance. But behind that angelic face was a shark. Now that he saw her for who she really was, all he felt was mild disgust.
Though their marriage had been one of convenience, they’d tried to make it work. Matthias had even fallen in love with her a little and he thought that she had felt the same way, but he soon realized that the person Shin-hye loved more than anyone else was herself.
Matthias and Shin-hye’s grandfathers were friends who each headed modest pharmaceutical companies in South Korea. Since one of them had a daughter and the other a son there was an unspoken agreement that their children would marry when they were of age and the companies would merge.
Lim Eun-hee, Matthias’s mother, had other ideas. While studying abroad, she had met and fallen in love with Karl Lang, a German-American student who seemed to be as enamored with her as she was of him. They eventually married and Matthias was the result. Eun-hee's father, however, wasn’t supportive of the union and disowned his only child for ‘bringing disgrace’ on the family.
As it turned out, Karl was more than a little disappointed when he realized he was no longer wed to an heiress. It became a bone of contention in the marriage, especially since Karl was never able to hold down a job. Karl’s family was no help, in fact, they were hostile toward Eun-hee and her ‘half-breed- brat. Karl was verbally and sometimes physically abusive. Matthias had suffered the brunt of his father’s abuse whenever he attempted to step in.
Matthias watched helplessly as his mother worked and took care of their home for a man who clearly didn’t value her. And then one day, Karl decided he’d had enough and left her and Matthias for someone who he claimed wasn’t an embarrassment. They were virtually the same words his mother had heard from her own father. Matthias had felt so helpless, seeing his mother so broken after she’d given so much to a man who clearly didn’t deserve her.
Matthias had made a vow to be his mother’s protector, so he strived to do well in school so that he could earn a decent living so that he could take care of her. During his senior year of college, he learned that the grandfather he’d never met had been keeping tabs on him. In fact, the older man reached out to him through one of his subordinates, inviting him to South Korea for a visit. Matthias had at first rejected the offer but had changed his mind at the behest of his mother. Fortunately, Matthias was fluent in Korean because Eun-hee spoke it exclusively when they were alone. She wanted him to have ties to his roots which he was grateful for upon his first visit to her home country.
It was on Matthias’s first visit to South Korea that he met Shin-hye. It had become clear what his grandfather’s intentions were right away. Since he had no other heirs, he pinned his hopes on Matthias doing what his mother wouldn’t: uniting the Lim and Jung families. Matthias had certainly been attracted to Shin-hye, but marriage had been the furthest thing from his mind. He was only twenty-one and had plans of his own. Not wanting to be manipulated, he headed back to the States. However, his grandfather had sweetened the deal. If Matthias married the Jung heiress, he would be put in charge of the newly merged corporation and his mother would be welcomed back into the family. Though Eun-hee didn’t put any pressure on him, she was the reason Matthias had made the decision to take his grandfather’s deal. It had meant the world to her to be reunited with her father and back in her home country.
Now that she and his grandfather were gone, Matthias didn’t regret his decision. He supposed Shin-hye had done him a favor. His heart really wasn’t in running Lim Pharmaceuticals after his mother died but he hated the way she’d handled the situation. And as she pointed out, he was walking away with a huge settlement to go away peacefully. With that money, he was finally free.
“You have what you wanted from the beginning. And now with the divorce and I’ve signed over all my shares to you, no further contact between the two of us is necessary.”
Shin-hye took a step away from him as if his words had been of great offense. “I’m sorry, Matthias but you have to understand—”
He held up his hand. “I’m not interested in your explanation. Good luck with the company.” Matthias turned on his heel without waiting for her reply. He had to get home and pack so that he could get to the airport on time. He was finally going home.
~~~~~~
He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.
Tall, dark and handsome was much too common a phrase for someone of his superior masculine beauty. With ink-black wavy hair that he wore a little past his collar, eyes the color of liquid gold, a jawline that could cut glass and a pair of lips that seemed to be made specifically for kissing, he was the perfect human specimen. But it wasn’t simply his physical appearance that had him starring in her latest daydreams. He had a swagger that garnered attention and didn’t come from bravado or showing off. It came from a natural confidence that seemed to radiate th
roughout his entire being.
“You’re staring again.” Fiona nudged Esther out of her daze.
Esther straightened up. She thought she was being inconspicuous as she cleaned the counter. “Sorry.” She turned around and headed to the kitchen.
Fiona was on her heels. “I didn’t mean for you to run off, honey. I can’t blame you for staring. If I were thirty years younger, you’d better believe I would have made my move on him. Hell, if I was twenty years younger I might have to teach him a thing or two. You should go talk to him.”
Esther shook her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Looking was one thing, but actually talking to that beautiful creature was quite another issue. After all, it wasn’t as if she was in a position to pursue a relationship with anyone. Not to mention, he was a man who looked like he probably had his choice of women. It wasn’t likely that he’d give someone like her a second glance. Having been told most of her life that she was ugly and worthless, it was hard not to have those same negative feelings about herself. No, she was content to look and be satisfied with that.
He had been coming to the little tea shop Esther worked in for the past several days around the same time. He’d order a cup of earl grey and a slice of lemon pound cake. He always chose the table by the window and while he consumed his food, he’d casually scroll through his phone. He always left a generous tip.
“His name is Matthias.”
“Excuse me?”
Fiona rolled her eyes. “His name is Matthias Lang.”
Esther raised a brow. “How do you know that?”
“I looked at his credit card when he paid for his items. He’s been coming here for almost two weeks. He’s practically a regular. Maybe he’s new to the neighborhood. I didn’t notice a wedding ring and you two look to be around the same age so it wouldn’t hurt for you to make a friend or two.”
“Fiona, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but that’s not a good idea. You and I both know it’s not possible for me to be with anyone right now.”
Fiona waved her hand dismissively. “I didn’t say you two needed to elope, just talk. You help me out around the shop and then you keep yourself cooped up at the house. You rarely go out except to the occasional movie or to the library. That’s no life for someone so young. You should be out having fun, going to clubs and making stupid decisions. Hell, by the time I was your age, I had already divorced my second husband. I had a lover for every day of the week.”
“Really, Fiona?” Her friend was a bit of a free spirit, but Esther wouldn’t have guessed the older woman was that wild in her youth. It kind of made Esther wonder what her own life would have been like if she had been allowed a normal childhood and hadn’t been stupid enough to fall for Mike’s charms, leading her to become his virtual prisoner. To be quite honest, she didn’t really know how to be carefree.
“Absolutely. There’s nothing wrong with having a friend, sweetie. Especially after all you’ve been through. Go ahead and talk to him.”
“No. I can’t. Anyway, you’re assuming that he wants to be bothered. Maybe he comes here for the peace and quiet. I’m sure if he wanted company, he wouldn’t come here alone.”
“Hmm, we’ll see about that.” Fiona headed out the dining area with a determined gleam in her eyes.
“Oh, no,” Esther groaned. She followed the other woman in hopes that she could stop whatever zany plan Fiona had but she was too late. She slowly backed up to the counter and pretended to be busy taking inventory of the desserts.
“Hi, I’m Fiona, but you probably already knew that since it’s my name on the front of the shop. I notice you’ve been frequenting this place lately and I just wanted to say hello.” The establishment wasn’t that large and Fiona’s wasn’t exactly the quietest person so Esther heard every word. Without looking up she could follow the conversation.
“Nice to meet you, Fiona. Matthias.” His voice was so deep, Esther’s knees wobbled a bit. A voice like that with his looks, she was almost certain he could make a woman’s panties melt off with a single phrase.
“What brings you to my little shop? Are you new to the area?”
“Actually, I am. There aren’t many tea shops around the area and I heard this was a good one, plus I have a bit of a sweet tooth. I’m a fan of your lemon cake.”
“That was my great-grandmother’s recipe. It’s among one of the most popular items we sell, that and the chocolate zucchini bread.”
“The next time I come in, I’ll be sure to give it a try.”
“I know I’m being a bit nosey but are you by any chance married or seeing someone?”
He didn’t answer right away. As the silence stretched between him and Fiona, curiosity got the better of Esther, forcing her to look in their direction.
“No.” His answer as brief and an indication that he didn’t want to continue that line of questioning.
Fiona, however, seemed to be unfazed by his change in mood. “Well, if you ever need a friend, Esther over there doesn’t really get out that much. You two should chat.”
When he turned that golden gaze in her direction, she quickly looked away.
“Can Esther speak for herself?” he asked. She could still feel his gaze on her and it suddenly felt as if someone had turned up the heat in the room.
“Of course, she can. Esther, come over here, sweetie.”
Just then a couple walked into the shop, giving her the perfect excuse to decline. “I’m sorry but I have to take care of the customers.”
She should have known once Fiona got an idea in her head, it was hard to deter her. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of them. You go over to him.”
Matthias hadn’t taken his eyes off of her and there was no way she could gracefully walk away without being offensive. Taking a deep breath, she headed to his table. There was a slight tilt to his lips, but she wouldn’t exactly call it a smile. “Please have a seat.” He gestured to the chair across from him.
“Well, you two get to know each other and if you need anything, just holler.” She walked away with a smug grin on her face.
“I know Fiona can be a bit overwhelming at times, but if you’d rather be by yourself, I’ll understand.”
“I’m a big boy. If I didn’t want company, I would have politely declined. Please. Sit.”
Her heart beat a mile a minute as she pulled the chair up and sat down. It was one thing to admire him from afar but being this close to him was quite another thing. She caught a whiff of his cologne that was absolutely intoxicating. Part of her brain screamed that this was wrong, but the other part said there was no harm in just having an innocent conversation.
“Esther, right?”
Damn, he was gorgeous.
“Esther?”
“Huh?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine…it’s just, you’re very good-looking.” The words were out of her mouth before she realized she’d meant to keep that thought in her head inside of saying it out loud. She wanted the earth to open up and swallow her. “I’m sorry. You must think that I’m such a weirdo.”
He smiled, nearly blinding her with straight white teeth. Was there anything about this man that wasn’t perfect? “No. I don’t think you’re a weirdo. I appreciate your honesty. I admire that in a woman. So have you worked here long?”
She hesitated for a moment wondering how much she should tell him. “A few months. How about you? Since you’re new to the area, what brings you to this area?”
I recently relocated from overseas. My friend and I are going into business together.”
“That sounds interesting. What kind of business?”
Just then they were interrupted by his cell phone. He picked up and looked at the screen. “My apologies, but I have to take this.”
“I’ll give you your privacy.” She scooted away from the table but he held his hand up to halt her.
“This will be quick.” He pressed the answer button on his screen. “Hello?”
“No, she doesn’t!” Fiona yelled from across the room. “And yes, she’ll go out with you!”
“What do you say, Esther?” He smiled at her.
How could she say no after Fiona had practically backed her into a corner? And how could she say no to that smile? “Yes.”
They exchanged numbers and she watched as he walked out the door.
Fiona walked over to the table with a huge grin on her face. “Well that didn’t take long, did it?”
“I think I made a mistake. I’m going to have to cancel.”
“Oh no, you’re not. That man is a grade-A hunk. And if anyone deserves to get out have a little fun it’s you. Why ever would you possibly have reservations?”
“Maybe because I’m still married.”
Chapter Three
He lied.
While it was true that he was looking for a good place to get tea, the real reason Matthias had walked into Fiona’s Tea Den was her. He’d been on his way back from lunch with a client when he pulled up to a red light. As he casually glanced at his surroundings, a woman in a flowing multicolored skirt and a bright yellow shirt walked along the sidewalk. The colors really popped against her dark skin. Her hair was big and springy. He only got a side view of her face before he saw her head into the little shop he now frequented.
Matthias wasn’t sure what it was about her that made him want to get a closer look. Against his better judgment, he found a spot to park and headed into the shop. He was disappointed when he found that she was nowhere in sight. He would have walked out but was approached by an older woman with vibrant red hair. He didn’t want to embarrass himself so he ordered something. He did enjoy a nice cup of tea. His mother had been a fan and she used to take him to tea shops when he was younger. It had been their thing, tea, and cakes. As he sat down and waited for his order he noticed the woman on the street come from out the back. She was obviously an employee since she stood behind a counter writing something down in a ledger.
