"I know. Brax told them that and said he was there, but because this involves his family, no one wants to believe him."
"So, what happened with the fundraiser money?"
"Proceeds were donated to charity. As they put it, they won't support a family who raised a bully and potential murderer."
I was left speechless and he smiled. "It's okay, Jewel. Guess it goes to show that anyone has the power to fuck up someone's life. People love you when you give your time and life to them, but when you need help, one small thing can prompt them to turn their backs on you. Who needs evidence? Just create a rumor. Talk shit and spread it around and boom. You're considered the devil’s advocate and don't deserve a chance of redemption to prove your innocence."
"That's why you want to sell your car," I whispered.
"I don't need a fancy car when my Mom is fighting every day to live. Luxurious things are only nice when you can share them with people you love. My mom worked hard and took a lot of bullshit to give me the privilege to enjoy this car. I should return the favor.”
"Does Zane know?" I asked.
"Nope."
"You guys haven't told Zane?!" I emphasized.
"My dad doesn't want Zane near Mom right now," Kage confessed.
"But they need to know the truth!" I argued.
"I know, Jewel...but my dad is having a tough time. He lost his job..." Kage trailed off.
"Don't tell me these fucking rumors reached your Dad's workplace, and they fired him?"
Kage’s lips quirked up, but he slowly nodded. "Whoever these people are, they basically want to make sure Zane regrets turning on them. Now Dad is unemployed, Brax is working his ass off to balance school and all the jobs he's picking up, and I can barely keep up with my classes from worrying. I can't handle stress like Brax. I freak out, and that leads to me being angry one day and depressed the next."
He reached out to grasp my hands, lifting them up to kiss them softly. I knew it was because I was trembling with rage and he wanted to calm me down, but I was so upset. This wasn't fair to anyone. Not to Braxton, Kage, their family, and especially not to Zane. One lie was going to wreck his entire family when he was trying to do a good deed. Why was no one else trying to see that?
"'I'm trying so hard to act like nothing is going on...but with the way it's going, I'm scared. Frightened even. I'm gonna need help, Jewel. I feel like I'm helpless. And…if we lose our mom...how can I forgive Zane? We did everything together. He promised to never leave me, yet he basically abandoned me. I know he was doing it to protect you, but that was closer to the end of the semester. He chose this path and now...it may break our entire family."
"Have you gone to see your mom?" I asked.
"No...I'm scared to go alone," he admitted as he tried to blink back tears.
"Can we go?"
He lifted his head to give me a shocked look. "But...but...we have school tomorrow. We can't go now."
"I need three hours of sleep and a glass of coffee to function. I'll be good. Let's go," I urged.
"Jewel yo-"
I cut him off with my lips, giving him a gentle kiss. Pressing my forehead against his, I whispered, "Kage, I'm your girlfriend, right?"
"Ya," he replied.
"Then can you let me support you? Your family is important to me, and there’s no way I'll be able to sleep until you see your mom."
He looked into my eyes and sighed. "If I say no, you're going to be all stubborn and lecture me, aren't you?"
"You're correct." I infused confidence into my voice as I replied.
That brought a smile to his face, and he slowly nodded. "Okay."
Alice.
"Yes, Jewel?"
Can you do me a favor?
"Just say the word. I'll get on it," Alice assured me. I smiled, giving her a mental nod.
Thanks, Alice. This will help make things better.
"Kage. You didn't need to come all this way. Don't you have school? You've been crying, haven't you? My motherly instinct tells me you have. Is the pretty girl your girlfriend? Have you been eating? You look like you lost weight. Is Brax not making sure you eat?"
"I'm fine, Mom. School is tiring and requires a lot of physical work. You know I lose weight easily. Braxton makes sure we eat, and no, I wasn't crying. There was something in my eyes. Yes, that's my girlfriend. Mom, Dad, this is Jewel Starfire. She's Charlotte's daughter," Kage explained.
I smiled and bowed my head in greeting to Kage's mom who was in bed and then to his stepdad who was sitting in the corner chair.
"Good evening," I said in Korean, trying to be respectful.
"Oh? She's Korean," Kage's mom exclaimed, looking pleased
"She doesn't look Korean," Kage's father pointed out.
"I'm half. I took more of my father's traits," I confessed.
"That's delightful." Kage's mother sighed. "Please, call me Diana. My husband is Taemin. I'm so honored to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Brax."
I blushed, wondering if she knew I was dating all three of her sons. Kage grinned, easily reading my expression. "They know you're dating all three of us, Jewel."
"Oh. Um...you're okay with that?" I asked hesitantly, looking between them.
"No worries here." Taemin shrugged, looking unconcerned.
"It's wonderful. At least I have one wonderful daughter-in-law. I don't need to worry about female drama." Diana sighed again.
Kage's face went bright red. "Eomma! We aren't engaged. Jeez," Kage mumbled, his Korean accent coming out.
"Minor details. Make sure you buy me the best hanbok to wear. I need front row seats, and your father has to walk Jewel up the aisle three times. It'll be a mixture of Korean and Western culture. Ah. It'll be so wonderful." Diana beamed at me, and Kage and Taemin gave me sympathetic looks.
"Sorry. Once my wife accepts someone, you're pretty much doomed." Taemin sighed.
"Hey. I accepted you and look. We got married. Not doomed yet." Diana giggled.
Taemin smiled back. "That's true."
"Don't worry honey. I have to work extra hard tomorrow at chemo, so I can live long enough to see my sons marry such a wonderful woman. Even her name is beautiful. Does that mean when she marries she'll be a Park because there's three of them? Hmm, three against three." Taemin rose up to sit next to Diana on the bed while she went on and on, and Kage walked back over to me.
"My mom sometimes gets lost in her imagination," he admitted, giving me a shy smile.
"She's adorable." I smiled at both of Kage's parents as they talked quietly.
"Jewel?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you," he whispered, pulling me into a hug. I hugged him back and decided it was time to do what I wanted to do.
"I haven't even given her my gift yet."
"Gift?" Kage asked, leaning back to give me a confused look.
I swiftly nodded before I leaned over to my left side to look at Diana and Taemin. "I have a gift for you, Diana."
"Me? I don't need anything. I have my family and real friends in my life." Diana gave me a broad smile.
"True, but I think this will help," I admitted. I turned to the door. "Alice. You can come in now."
The door opened, and Alice popped her head inside. "Finally! I thought I was going to die from loneliness." She sighed dramatically, and I rolled my eyes but giggled. I directed Kage to stand next to Taemin and moved back to stand at the end of the bed.
Alice held a gold wrapped box with a pink ribbon on it. "I got here on time! Good evening Park family. I've brought a gift on behalf of the Starfire family. Please accept it."
Alice bowed her head before she walked up to Diana's left side of the bed and presented the gift.
"What is it?" Diana asked, looking surprised by the present.
"You have to open it!" Alice beamed, walking back to stand next to me. I gave her a quick hug in greeting, and we watched Kage’s mom begin to open her present. Taemin and Kage seemed just as intrigued as Diana.
; She finished unwrapping the box and opened it up to see an envelope. She picked it up and frowned, appearing even more bewildered.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I think you should open it, honey," Taemin encouraged. Kage turned his gaze on me, and I gave him a sweet smile, hoping I looked innocent enough.
Diana opened the envelope and pulled out a brown sheet of paper. She opened it up, and her blue eyes scanned the paper as she read it out loud.
"Diana Park. We are happy to inform you that all...all of your medical treatment plans have been approved and paid...for? We will be upgrading your room...tomorrow...and you will start the gold standard plan for cancer patients. The success rate with such treatment method is 99%...we are excited to aid in your recovery back to excelled health.”
Tears rolled down Diana's cheeks as her hands that held the letter trembled uncontrollably. Taemin and Kage both looked at me, seeming completely shocked.
"When I was younger, I was in the hospital a lot. Aside from my seizures, I had a few scares myself, one of them being cancer. I didn't really wrap my mind around it back then, but I always tried to contribute a bit of my allowance whenever I could. My family was very involved, and when my Dad died, we invested the majority of the funds in this program. The reason why my mother had passed by, was to see how bad your condition was and if you'd be eligible for the fund. You were, but the fund only covers the basic treatment," I explained.
Alice nodded and continued. "Jewel asked me if I'd be able to talk with Mom and see if there was anything else we could do. Our Mom had Alzheimer's a few months ago, and thanks to the new medication and treatment that's supplied by the Cross family, her Alzheimer is almost eliminated. The Cross family has similar methods to help slowly remove cancer without aggressive methods like chemo. It's just expensive, that's why they never bring it up."
"When Gabriel, my older brother died, we'd gotten a lot of donations. Though we have savings to help us live rather comfortably, we put a large portion aside just in case we needed any medical assistance. So uh, basically, our family covered the rest of the expenses."
All three of them stood there with open jaws. "We just wanted to help. I know you just met my Mistress, and well me, her familiar. Oh...I'm a familiar by the way. Alice Starfire. Uh...we hope you aren't mad," Alice whispered, hiding behind me and poking her head out. I looked at all three of them and smiled.
"In my life, I experienced a lot of hospital trips and two funerals. The hardest part of it all is knowing the people who once supported you, leave you when you need them the most. It's thanks to your sons that I've survived my time at Brighten and that tower incident. Zane wasn't a bully or a part of it. Those bullies were trying to hurt me, and he took the blame. I don't know how bad things are with what's being spread, but please know, that your three sons are amazing people and would never hurt someone deliberately. Please accept our gift so one day we can dress you up in the nicest fabric for your hanbok." I bowed my head after I was finished speaking. Alice moved back to my side and bowed as well.
I closed my eyes, hoping I didn't offend them, and I heard slow footsteps. I slightly raised my head to see Taemin before me. Hesitantly, I looked up to see his tear-filled eyes and watched as he knelt to the ground, bowing his head to the floor. It was my turn to gawk at him. Kage made his way over and knelt to the ground, bowing his head to the floor as well.
"Thank you…thank you so much," Taemin cried.
"Thank you, Jewel," Kage whispered, his voice barely audible as he held back his sobs.
"Please, get up. Don't cry, both of you," I urged, kneeling down to rub their backs as they sobbed. Alice hurried over to Diana who was still staring at the letter, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks.
"They'll start tomorrow. 99% success rate. I'll...I will be cancer free. I'll see my sons become Mage Warriors and marry. Maybe even see my grandchildren...I'm going to live?" She forced the words out as she sobbed.
I lifted my head to see Alice nod, her own tears rolling down her cheeks. "Yup. Remember, we'll get you the best hanbok too," she whispered, leaning in to give her a hug. Taemin rose up and enveloped me in his arms, hugging me tightly as he wept into my shoulder. "Thank you for saving the love of my life. Thank you...so much," he whimpered as he continued to cry.
"She deserves it, and I hope you continue to make her happy," I replied. He pulled back and nodded before he moved to the other side of Diana's bed.
Alice pulled back and allowed them to hug, Diana sobbing uncontrollably with Taemin who continued to say how thankful he was. I looked to Kage who had stood from his kneeling position, and I opened my arms to him.
"Hug?" I asked quietly, remembering how I loved giving hugs when I was younger to cheer people up.
He chuckled before he walked into my arms, squeezing me tightly before he began to cry in earnest. "How?" he whispered.
"How what, Kage?"
"How do I repay you? I'd never make that kind of money, Jewel. Even if I sell my car, our house, my Brighten underwear."
I giggled at the last comment and leaned back to look into his glassy blue eyes.
"You don't need to repay me. All you have to do is show kindness to others and keep being you, Kage," I murmured.
He nodded and pulled me back into his warm embrace. "Thank you, Jewel. Just...thank you."
"Ya Logan, we had something to do and it ended super late. We're staying at a hotel. Not a love hotel like those crazy ones in movies. We're in a suite! Someone canceled last minute, so we were able to get an upgrade for free. It's cheap for one night, so I’d rather sleep here than deal with no sleep at all. Yes, I had fun. Yes. Kage is showering. Okay. I love you more. Bye." I grinned at the phone as the selfie of Logan and me stayed on the screen for a few seconds after the call ended.
We reserved a hotel room for the night, making sure it was close to the road to Brighten. We'd stayed at the hospital till two in the morning, chatting with Diana and Taemin. I explained everything that had happened, and Kage assisted me with the areas I couldn't remember.
We'd at least been able to clear Zane's name, but there was still the problem with Taemin’s job. I reassured them I'd think of something, but for now, they should focus on the treatments, and if they had any questions, my mom or Logan's mom would be able to assist.
Now we were relaxing in a suite, and though I'd been exhausted in the car, I felt wide awake after speaking with Logan.
I had wanted to call him to make sure he and the others knew where we were. In a relationship like ours, I wished to at least be open, and even if I didn't need to tell Logan or the others, I felt they deserved to know because it was a sign of respect in my mind.
"Was that Logan?"
My eyes lifted to see Kage walk out of the washroom, just a towel around his waist. Small, lingering water droplets rolled down his chiseled chest, and he was ruffling his hair with another towel, giving me a great view of his flexed biceps. I took a long, leisurely look down his frame like he was a piece of art in a gallery for sexy men.
I had to thank whatever powers were playing their role in granting me the chance to see the V of his abdominal muscles, and his six-pack I must have forgotten about because it was tugging my attention with force.
I bit my lip before I licked my lower lip, wondering how the rest of him looked under his white towel.
"Jewel?"
How did I last an entire semester without seeing Kage butt naked? Damn, are all three of the brothers hiding such chiseled bodies? Has he been working out?
"Jewel?"
I guess familiar training counts, right? Gotta walk around with a hawk on your arm or shoulder. How does that keep his abs so tight though? This seems far more complicated than I thought. Maybe he does secret ninja training and none of us know about it. That's it! Kage is a fucking ninja!
"Jewel? Earth to Jewel?" Kage waved his hand at me, and I blinked out of my thoughts.
"Kage, are you a ninja?" I asked.
"How did the
conversation go from me asking about Logan to me being a ninja?" he asked with a playful smirk.
"Um...it was a random thought. Ignore that." I brushed the topic off, realizing my throbbing pussy was messing with my logic and making me spew out nonsense. "Yes, that was Logan. Just wanted to tell them we were staying in a hotel tonight."
"Was he okay with it?" Kage asked.
"Yup! He asked if I had fun, which I did, and then he asked where you were. I said you were showering, and he said to make sure we reach home half an hour before we have to head to class."
"Half an hour, meaning Jewel needs her coffee or she'll kill everyone time. Got it," Kage replied with a nod, and I blushed.
"I'm not that bad?!" A hint of hesitation crept into my voice.
Kage gave me a look. "If you were a dragon, you would burn all of us to a crisp if you didn't have coffee before school. In fact, you'd burn the whole school and aim for world domination until you got a cup."
"I wouldn't mind burning the school down. I'd get away with it as a dragon, but I'd make sure no one was on campus. Make it a weekend or something. I wouldn't burn you guys to crisps though." I winked as I gave him my teeth-showing smile.
"Now she gives the innocent look of death," Kage mumbled. I giggled, standing up to walk over to him. I only wore a loose t-shirt, thankful that Kage kept a spare set of clothes in the car for emergencies.
"I'm innocent, Mr. Park," I hummed, doing my best not to sound needy. But having a front row seat to his almost naked body was making me excited in all the right places.
His eyes trailed down the thin white t-shirt, and he licked his lower lip at a teasingly slow pace that made me aware of my urge to do more than just talking.
With how hard my nipples felt against his shirt, I knew they were surely visible and doing their share of teasing.
When I reached him, I placed my hand on his chest, my eyes unable to move away from his blue ones. I was going to kiss him, but he beat me to it, impatiently kissing me so hard that I moaned just from the impact of our smooth lips.
I pressed my body against him, loving how warm his body was and shivered at how the remaining bits of water began to seep through my shirt.
Reflections of Me Page 8
