"Stop crying. I do not know who threatened you or what they threatened you with. But I already agreed to sell the painting to them while you and Heya were out. So can you stop crying now? I did not know you were this soft" Muchen added with a sad smile.
"Why would I be ha—" She paused and her eyes widened when her brain registered what he had just said.
"Paint...ing?" She stammered and looked up at him in surprise.
"How....how did... you know?"
"I was right after all. It was related to the painting."
He released her cupped chin and smoothened her hair like she was a child while her big eyes continued to stare at him in surprise.
"Do you know why it was easy for me to fall in love with you?" He suddenly asked her out of the blue.
Still in shock, she shook her head.
He guided her to sit back on the couch and began to say..
"You were so open. I felt that..you were the only one I could clearly read at first glance. All of your emotions were always really and obvious and so it was always easy for me to guess what was in your mind."
"It was also the same reason I refused to give up on you even when you tried to push me away every singe day. I knew your heart. I could read it. I could read you."
She froze under his piercing gaze as she quietly listened to him speak.
"Someone has been pestering me to sell the painting to them. All of a sudden, you were looking so sad and even asked me if I have ever thought about selling it. I figured it was related somehow."
Sara gasped and used both hands to cover her mouth as she began to cry even harder now.
"I"m sorry.. I am so sorry.. I should have told you about it as soon as possible but I did not know how to go about it. I am such a bad person." She said in between tears with her face buried in her palms.
She was too embarra.s.sed to look at him and she thought he was probably disappointed in her.
"I told you before that I like bad girls a lot" He whispered into her ear with a teasing smile plastered on his face but she was not in the mood for all of that.
"Babe.. Look at me." He raised her head so she would look into his eyes with her tear filled eyes.
"When I said I loved you.. I meant it. I am really glad you had the mind to tell me about it. I would have been hurt if you had hidden everything from me."
Sara sniffled a couple of times before saying in an unsteady voice.. "But I did not tell you about it..."
"You would have. I know you. And I trust you. What is a painting compared to your happiness?"
Sara felt even more disappointed in herself when she heard his last words. "It costs millions of dollars" She replied with a pout.
Muchen chuckled before adding. "Should I organise and auction event for you? With the way you are so popular now, you"ll be worth more than that painting if we put you up on stage. Trust me."
She managed to laugh before wrapping her hands around his neck in a hug.
It was a bit uncomfortable since they were both sitting so he stood up so they could both hug properly.
Since she could no longer wrap her arms around his neck, she moved to his waist. "I am sorry. It was stupid of me to hide it from you"
She could not still believe he had read her so easily.
It was less than twenty four hours since everything happened yet, he already knew.
"I know. I am sorry too for not protecting you properly. It was the reason I did not want to allow our relations.h.i.+p go public. We have not even gone public yet all these are happening. I am sorry I let you go through all these."
She shook her head to show that he was not supposed to be apologizing for that.
"Muchen?" She called gently.
It suddenly registered to him that she had been calling him by his name ever since and not his t.i.tle. He smiled before answering with an "hmm?"
"Why aren"t you asking me?"
"What?" He asked.
"What I was threatened with."
He was quiet for a while before he added.
"I don"t know. Do you want to tell me?"
He really did not know. But he felt she would not want to talk about it because it was probably related to how she had lived in the past and he did not want to push her into telling him what she did not want to say.
Her hands around his waist tightened. She also snuggled closer but remained quiet and did not say anything.
He took the hint and did not push further.
"Did you meet any of them?" He asked because he did not know who wanted the painting. They had been reaching him secretly through agencies who did not even know the person who wanted it. He believed if they threatened her then she must have met with them. It was the first step to know who wanted the painting and who dared to threaten his woman.
He would have started making plans to go after them immediately he noticed something was off with Sara, but he did not want to do anything that would probably put her in danger. It was the reason he simply decided to sell it ten times the original price.
She immediately shook her head. "I did not meet them. I did not meet any of them."
She thought it was better to leave it that way. She did not want Muchen to get involved with the members of the black.
He wanted to ask how they got through her but he simply let it slide.
"Do not worry sweetheart. I a.s.sure you... I won"t let them get away with this. I will look for whoever dared to threaten you and deal with the person."
"No!" Sara objected immediately and pulled away from the hug.
"Why?" He asked in surprise at her sudden outburst.
"Please... Do this for me. Just let them be." She pleaded with her still teary eyes.
He sighed and scratched his head. How was he supposed to just let the person be like that? They had threatened her for crying out loud!
He did not want to do anything now but that did not mean he would not do something later. What if they begin to see his family as easy and come threaten her with something else? He did not want her to be placed in a tough spot because of him again.
"Please Muchen. I beg of you. Don"t do anything." She took his hands and pleaded earnestly.
She knew how those people were. Whether it was the Blacks or the Jins. She did not want him to get involved with any of them.
If anyone should get involved, it was her.
"Fine. It"s okay. I won"t do anything" He a.s.sured her and pulled her into a hug again.
"Do you know who wants to purchase it?" She finally asked him after he agreed.
She felt him shake his head before saying "I have no idea."
She sighed deeply. The only people who came to her mind were the Jins.
She was going to find out if the painting had gone to the Jin family. And no matter what, she was not going to let Muchen sell it. It was the only thing she could do to appease her conscience and Muchen right now.
She had to meet whoever wanted it but first, there was one person she needed to meet right away, it was Jin Cherry. The girl in the same etiquette cla.s.s with her.
She was going to find out everything she wanted to know from her.
"Muchen?" She called again.
"Hmm..?"
"Do you trust me?"
He slowly pulled her away from the hug and looked at her eyes. "I do. Why?"
"Then...do not sell it yet."
His look turned to one of confusion. Right now, he could not read her or follow her train of thought.
"Why?"
She was about to say something when her phone rang.
When she checked to see it was a call from her father, she quickly answered it and heard her father"s worried voice asking her to come home.
He also told her her aunt was back. She wondered whether something bad had happened to her aunt and that was why he sounded worried.
After kissing Muchen goodbye and declining his offer for a drive, she hurried out.
She was grateful for her father"s call. It was a good excuse to leave without answering his question about why she did not want him to sell it yet.
Now, she was fully ready for the blacks.