by Alexia Praks
Haruka took the brothers into their formal dining room next to the living area. There, the place was designed very much like a traditional Japanese house, with a low, long dining table and a series of soft, comfy cushions on the floor.
Akira indicated for them to take their seats and said, "I hope you like Japanese food and that the low seating will not be too uncomfortable."
Tristan made himself cozy next to Akira and said, "Not too uncomfortable at all. We'll get used to it." He grinned at her.
Conrad looked heavenward and thought it didn't take Tristan long to start flirting. Logan took a seat beside Tristan and Hayden along that same side. Nicolas took the seat beside Sosuke, and Sebastian took a seat to the left of Nicolas. Darcy placed himself between Sebastian and Conrad, whilst Hayden took the cushion beside Logan.
Haruka took the head of the table and thus commenced their lunch. Tristan continued once everyone was seated. "Although it would be nice if next time we dine, we wear a yukata as well."
Logan laughed. "Hm, I quite like the idea."
"I have many," Sosuke chimed in. "I will give you a few of mine if you're interested. And it's my birthday next week."
Akira said, "And here I thought you weren't going to do anything, considering you're turning quite ancient and aren't yet married with kids. I thought you'd be embarrassed at the thought of throwing yourself a birthday party."
Tristan couldn't help himself and laughed loudly. "Well put, Akira-chan. Very well put. Our dear Nicolas is just as ancient and still hasn't yet found himself a wife, let alone produced some little darlings to chase after. I myself would love to have little darlings to chase after."
"Considering the way you're going, Tristan," Nicolas said, "I wouldn't be surprised if you already have those little darlings you didn't know about."
Tristan, who was sipping his green tea, nearly choked on the hot liquid.
Akira hid her laughter behind a cupped hand, and Logan patted his brother on the shoulder. "Nicolas is probably too old for any beauty to fall for him now."
"Really?" Akira said softly, gazing at Nicolas under her long lashes. "Well, that is too bad."
Logan continued. "As for you, bro, if you do have any little darlings, I'd only be too glad to welcome them into the family. Hm, I think the oldest would have to be around five by now."
Tristan couldn't help himself and laughed. He took everything in stride.
It was then a Japanese housekeeper and a maid entered the room with the dishes. By the time they had finished placing everything on the table, it was covered with food. There was miso soup in a small china bowl for every one of them. In the middle of the table were grilled fish, sashimi of fresh salmon and tuna, tempura of fish, prawns, and sweet potatoes, fresh salad with homemade dressing sauce, stir-fried vegetables with teriyaki sauce, and an assortment of yakitori and pickled vegetables.
"Mina," Haruka said, "please enjoy."
Everyone nodded and dug in. The brothers found they enjoyed the food tremendously.
It was nearer to the end of the meal when Haruka finally asked, "Nicolas-san, I have been wondering about that girl from last night."
In unison, Sebastian and Darcy lifted their heads to look at Haruka. Sosuke noticed this and raised his brows in surprise at the reaction.
Nicolas said, "The girl in the finale?"
"The one that ran off," Akira put in. "With Oba-chan's necklace and Mr. Tachibana's gown."
"She's not a thief," Conrad said firmly from the other side of the table. "She was running away from us."
Haruka frowned at this and said, "Why?"
"It's a family affair," Sebastian said. "Why do you want to know about her?"
"A family affair?" Akira cocked her head to one side. "It seems you're all worried about her very much."
Hayden nodded. "She was our adoptive sister. Something happened last year and..."
"We're still looking into the case," Nicolas said. "I understand you want your jewels back, and I promise to do whatever is in our power to get them back to you."
Haruka just smiled and shook her head. "It's not the necklace I'm worried about. Please, just find her, this sister of yours."
Sebastian and his brothers didn't miss the tears that seemed to swell quite quickly within Haruka's eyes. She couldn't help herself and dabbed her eyes with the back of her sleeves.
"I'm sorry. Something is in my eyes," she said quickly as she got up. "Please excuse me."
She left the room in a hurry as the brothers watched her go.
Akira said, "Excuse me," and then followed her aunt out of the room.
Sosuke said, "Please enjoy the meal. Oba-chan isn't feeling very well lately."
The brothers nodded and continued with their meals. It was half an hour later when the brothers thanked Haruka for lunch and left.
"She was crying," Conrad said as they walked up the stairs back to the third-floor apartment.
"Sosuke said she isn't well lately," Logan supplied. "She's probably just tired."
Sebastian, however, wasn't convinced. He'd seen the look on her face when they mentioned Sakura's name. Then there had been last night in the conference room, when she'd asked about Sakura and how she was related to them. Something was nagging at him, and he knew he had to find out. It was just his nature.
Back at the apartment, Beth made them coffee and chocolate cake for afternoon tea. None of the brothers bothered with coffee or cake, since they were so full from their recent lunch. They headed straight to work, discussing last night and Sakura. It was half an hour later when the request Nicolas had put through to his team came back via email.
"We've got it," he said loudly.
Darcy, who was sitting on the sofa, quickly got up and rushed over to Nicolas.
"Put it up on the big screen," Sebastian said.
Hayden pulled down the white screen whilst Logan prepared the projector. Tristan quickly shut all the curtains in the room to darken the place.
Nicolas opened the file and pushed the play button. In seconds, the white screen lit up with flicks of the fashion show from last night. The brothers watch intensely, looking for any clues they might find that could help them find Sakura.
On screen, there were images of the show hall, with people everywhere. There were backstage staff going about doing their thing, and in the corridors, there were guests walking about.
"We have to go backstage," Sebastian said.
Nicolas nodded and fast-forwarded until they came to the backstage scene. Thank goodness for the cameramen they had hired for the occasion and for Hayden to have suggested the idea there might be shots of Sakura there somewhere early that morning.
It was at the backstage scene they found Jane directing many of staff under her.
"Isn't that Luke's sister?" Conrad asked Sebastian.
"Hm." Sebastian nodded. "She works for Mr. Tachibana."
They watched on in silence, their eyes glued to the screen. It was a few moments later when a blond girl walked into the organized chaos of backstage. As the view of the screen scanned around, it stopped with her standing beside Jane.
"Pause!" Darcy shouted. "It's Sakura."
They went past that scene, and Nicolas had to rewind. They went through again, and just as Sakura walked in, Nicolas quickly clicked on the pause button.
There she stood with Jane, a folder in her arms, smiling, her eyes bright and her face flushed. She was beautiful in her blouse and long shirt. The brothers watched as if they couldn't believe it.
So it was real after all, Sebastian thought. Last night hadn't been a mere figment of his imagination. She had been there, and they had met. He drew out a shaky breath as his hands shook just a little. He felt relieved and elated, and his heart raced at the prospect that soon, they'd find her--really find her.
Darcy's hands were shaking and he couldn't stop the tremor within his being either. She was real on the screen. She'd been there at the hotel last night. She'd been that close to him in elevator, and
now it gutted him that he hadn't realized it had been her at the time. How he wished he'd grabbed her in his arms and shut the elevator door before she could escape. But alas, that wasn't to be, for she had escaped.
The brothers silently watched her for a few moments, taking in her look and how much she'd changed in the past year. She was slimmer now, her face more elegant and refined. One could say she had grown into an even more beautiful woman.
"Shall we move on?" Nicolas asked.
The brothers nodded, and Nicolas pushed the play button. The scene shifted to guests entering the hall and then to the corridors and the entrance of the hotel. There were lots of scenes with random people doing random things, until the screen came back to backstage. In the distance that wasn't the focus of the camera, the brothers could just make out Sakura being pulled by a makeup artist, which she resisted, and placed in one of the chairs.
The scene cut to random models showing off her gowns and some still sitting in the chairs that a couple of makeup artists were working at. Then it flicked to Akira waving and smiling at the camera. She did the Korean version of a love heart with her hands and then laughed merrily. This was then cut to Mr. Tachibana doing his final touches on one of the models. He was showing off his gown on the girl and showed the camera of the intricate design of his work. Then it cut to a very close shot of candy floss-pink hair with a pair of hands working on the cherry blossom flowers. The camera zoomed out and came to focus on Sakura's face instead.
The brothers sucked in their breath in unison as they glued their eyes on the screen. She didn't at all look pleased with what the people were doing to her.
"I'm not supposed to be here," she said clearly. No one was listening to her, however. "Jane, I have to get Jane. Please, I have to go."
"She knows Jane," Hayden said abruptly.
Nicolas paused at the scene where Sakura was trying to get out of makeup.
"Does that mean Sakura works for Jane?" Conrad asked curiously. "Seb, Luke might know."
"I'll give him a call," Sebastian said. "Now move on. We might learn something else."
At Nicolas's nod, the screen continued. It was an hour later when they came to the stage again where the modelling began. In the background, they noted Haruka and Sosuke in the crowd. Luke was just behind them. There were, of course, Tara and Alaina entering the room late, dressed to the nines. Then they saw themselves on the screen, here and there with their parents.
The show began and the music started. It wasn't long when they saw Akira striding elegantly along the runway, showing her jewelry and Mr. Tachibana's gown. She posed seductively at the end and gazed smolderingly at the camera. Then she winked, and Nicolas found himself responding. His heart skipped a beat and his throat became dry.
Tristan did the wolf whistle, and Nicolas frowned at his brother. Of course, Tristan didn't see Nicolas's glare, nor did any of this brothers because they were glued to the screen as the next slight figure appeared on the runway.
It was Sakura, dressed in that amazing gown. She made her way up to the camera. During her short walk, it was as if she were lost in her own dreamland. She looked serene and absolutely exquisite. She stopped at the end of the runway, and then her posture changed. The brothers knew immediately that she had seen them.
She looked hesitant, as if she didn't know what to do next. Then she hastily turned and walked back. It wasn't long before they saw Mr. Tachibana come out again with her by his side. The brothers could tell she wasn't pleased with this and she wanted to run. After the applause and bow, the scene was cut short.
"That's it?" Conrad asked Nicolas.
"Nope," Nicolas said, looking at the screen on the laptop. "There's still a little more to go."
The buzzing and blank screen was still on, and then it flipped to the chaos of backstage again. They saw Hayden and Darcy running across the length of the room. Then it was Sakura who gave her shoes to Jane. Then it was Nicolas running after them, who banged into Akira. And then the camera went out.
"Huh!" Tristan said. "You killed the camera, Nicolas."
"Sakura gave her shoes to Jane," Nicolas said. "She lied about not knowing Sakura."
"It looks like I need to call Luke ASAP," Sebastian said and pulled out his cell phone.
*
CHAPTER 14
Mother and Daughter, First Meeting
Sakura had never felt so nervous in her life. Since she'd found out about the missing diamond last night when she did another inspection to make sure she hadn't damage it like the gown, she'd felt dreadful and wanted to cry. To replace that particular jewel would cost at least a couple hundred thousand, and Sakura just didn't have that type of money.
Again, she glanced at the exquisite jewelry sitting in a velvet box beside her bed, ready to be delivered today back to its owner, Lady Suzuki. With an active, imaginative artist mind like hers, she started wondering about the possibilities of Lady Suzuki's reactions. Suddenly, she panicked and became lightheaded. Oh God! She hoped the woman wouldn't throw her into jail or take her to court over the ordeal. She hoped they'd come up with an agreement. Though, to be honest, she really doubted that. A life in jail was what she imagined.
Her hands were shaking when she carefully shut the box and put it in her bag. A tentative knock came at the door, and Jane poked her head in.
Sakura glanced over her shoulder to give her friend a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
The moment Jane saw Sakura, she immediately hustled over, wispy blond hair flying about her. Her green eyes were large and teary as she pulled the younger girl into her arms and hugged her tight. She continuously patted Sakura on the shoulder, like she would a younger sister.
"Don't worry. Lady Suzuki isn't so heartless. She knows it's an accident. I told Mr. Suzuki, Lady Suzuki's nephew, last night about the necklace and that a diamond was missing. He didn't sound too concerned about that." She cocked her head to one side. "He sounded pleased, actually. Which is rather odd."
Sakura laughed brokenly. "Are you kidding me, Jane? I ran off with the precious necklace. On top of that, I've managed to damage it. How could Mr. Suzuki not be concerned when his aunt's million-dollar jewel is damaged? I'll only be too glad if they don't take me to court or throw me in jail."
Jane released her arms and sighed. "You're right. I don't actually know them that well. But... I don't know! I shouldn't have asked Mr. Tachibana for their number. I shouldn't have called Mr. Suzuki requesting this meeting. Shouldn't have at all."
Now it was Jane's turn to flutter and Sakura's turn to calm the woman down. "Don't be silly, Jane. Slow down and breathe slowly and deeply."
Jane nodded and brushed her hair from her face in annoyance.
"It was my idea after all." Sakura laughed brokenly, her stomach flipping with nervousness. "I have to return it regardless, in perfect condition or not. My conscience won't allow otherwise."
Jane agreed with a nod. "Well, come on, then." She pulled Sakura to her feet. "We don't want to be late now, do we? I heard Mr. Suzuki hates people who are late. Time is money for them, you know."
Sakura said quietly, "Yes, of course."
They were coming down the stairs to the ground floor, Sakura awkwardly carrying Mr. Tachibana's gown. As they passed through the gallery, Melissa called out, "Are you going out?"
Sakura turned to her sales assistant and said, "Yes. I have to return this to the owner."
Melissa eyed the wrapped gown and said with interest, "It looks like a piece of artwork."
Sakura nodded and waved at Jane for them to leave. "Just call if you need me. I won't be too long."
"Sure," Melissa said, pulling a face as she watched Sakura and Jane walk out the door.
The girls found a taxi, and Jane told the driver where to go the moment they hopped into the tight, musty compartment. They clicked on their belt as the driver maneuvered the car out into the street. Sakura was relaxing back in her seat, her hand fisted so tight her knuckles turned white when Jane's phone rang.<
br />
Jane jumped at the sudden sound and muttered incoherently. She picked up and found it was her brother.
"Great, what does he want now?" she muttered in annoyance. "I swear, Sakura, that brother of mine never forgets to ring me every time I come to see you. I told him we've got girl stuff to do."
Sakura asked, "Is that Luke now?"
Jane nodded and then turned her attention to her phone. "What's up, Luke?"
"We have a problem," came his greeting.
It wasn't long before Jane looked like she wanted to die as she listened to her brother, which worried Sakura. The taxi driver glanced at them with curiosity via his rearview mirror before returning his eyes to the road, which was now jam-packed with many other cars commuting about the city.
Slowly, Jane lowered the phone and turned her attention to Sakura, her face as pale as a ghost. She took a deep breath and finally was able to muster the courage to say, her voice shaking just a little, "You do know Luke works for Sebastian Princeton, right?"
Sakura blinked. Her heart did a free-fall. When the shocking news fully sank in, she paled and her eyes rounded in dread. She couldn't speak. She could only shake her head in response, as if to tell Jane that what the woman had just said couldn't be true. It just couldn't be true. The world couldn't be that small. Luke was working for Sebastian? No way!
Jane sighed. "Well, Luke works for Sebastian Princeton as his personal secretary. Saturday night at the hotel, you know he was there, right?"
Again, Sakura nodded.
"The Princeton brothers found out I'm Luke's sister and that I know you. Oh my God! I lied to them!" Jane paled. The thought that she'd lied to them, the powerful Princeton brothers, was way too much for her to bear. She was totally in deep shit now.
"What did Luke say?"
Jane took a deep breath and said, "They've asked to see Luke today... and me as well."
Sakura closed her eyes and felt herself shaking with dread. "Jane, you mustn't go see them. You mustn't."
"Of course I won't go see them." She paused, frowning darkly. "At least not yet. I can make up excuses, of course. But it's Luke I'm worried about. He couldn't lie to save his life."
"Please, call him back, Jane. I need to speak with him. I have to ask him not to tell the Princeton brothers where I am."
Jane gave her an apologetic look. "It's too late. He's heading to their apartment now. And to be honest, I haven't a clue where that is."
