MIMI

From all her years of knowing Kenji, she had never seen him around women. Nor had she seen such a vivid expression on his face before.

He loved her. Yet, he had rejected her.

She didn"t understand it. In most romance movies, wouldn"t the man, once he realized his feelings for the woman, confess his love?

Then they would marry and get hardcore dirty in the sheets.

That"s how it always ended!

While thinking, Mimi had forgotten the certain smiling man trailing behind her.

"Her name is Monica Macari. While her family"s not as rich or famous as the Hirogori, she was able to attend the same high school as Kenji."

Mimi was surprised at his sudden explanation and turned to look at Shen Jue. They knew one another since high school?

She couldn"t help but ask, "Then how long were they romantically involved with one another?"

To her father, Kenji was an important a.s.set to his company. There was no way he"d let his guard down and allow Kenji to get emotionally involved with anyone.

Shen Jue innocently shrugged, "Don"t know. If I were to guess, five or six years."

Mimi"s eyes went wide. Now she was really confused as to why he rejected her. If they had been together for so long and it was clear they both shared mutual feelings, then why?

Mimi could think of only one reason. Her father.

Recalling the words Kenji said before, she could guess their father forbid him from seeing her. With this in mind, Mimi grew silent. Shen Jue quietly observed her on the side and frowned.

"What is it?"

Mimi shook her head. "Nothing."

Shen Jue smiled and suddenly sighed heavily. "Well, I should return. Don"t want to make them suspicious."

Mimi was quiet but nodded her head.

Before he left, Shen Jue paused and reached a hand out to pat the girl on the head. She widened her eyes as her face turned stiff and she was lost in a daze. As if he didn"t notice her shocked expression, Shen Jue continued to smile.

"Don"t worry, I won"t ever leave you."

Stunned, Mimi glanced up and blinked her wide eyes. Shen Jue caressed her head one more time before walking away. Mimi continued to watch his figure until it disappeared down the hall. Slowly, she raised her hand to touch her head.

It felt cold.

…

As Mimi was returning to her table, someone suddenly reached out and yanked her aside. The moment she looked up, she blinked in surprise.

The corners of her lips curled up as she said, "My, my, what a surprise to see you here, Alec."

Alec looked down at the girl with gritted teeth. In a low voice, he whispered. "Mimi, whatever you and Shen Jue are planning, drop it."

Mimi gave him a faint glance that held no emotional fluctuations at all. It was as if the man, in her eyes, was not even as good as the air. She smiled coldly, her lovely face bearing a trace of wickedness.

"Oh? And why should I do that?"

"It"s wrong!" Alec snapped. "To do this here, at Mr. Odo"s event, are you even aware of what could happen to his reputation? Is it all worth it if you only end up hurting the people you care about?"

Mimi looked at him indifferently, and finally, her expression changed, a countenance of contempt. She emitted a gentle laugh; her eyes had a glint of cold as her mouth curled up slightly.

"Did you not say I was just like our father? If that"s the case, why should I care about what"s right or wrong? As long as I get what I want, what happens to myself and others shouldn"t matter."

Alec was stunned. He couldn"t believe the words he was hearing! These words did not belong to the fun, teasing girl he thought he knew. It was clear she had lost all sense of rhyme or reason.

Instead, she was acting like…a Hirogori.

Grasping the gravity of the situation, Alec"s grip tightened.

"Mimi, I didn"t mean…"

"But you did." She cut him off coldly.

Taking a deep breath, Alec gazed at his sister with deep eyes. "Mimi, listen to me. Whatever Shen Jue has told you, don"t listen to him. You may think you know what kind of person he is, but you don"t. You can"t understand, nor control a man like him."

A tiny wrinkle developed on Mimi"s brow.

Alec continued. "He may be supporting you now, but his intentions are not as simple as you think."

Mimi snorted. "You think I don"t know that? Whether he is manipulating me for his own personal gain, I don"t care. As long as my goal is accomplished that"s all that matters."

"Mimi…" Alec warned.

No longer wanting to talk with him, Mimi tugged her hand out of Alec"s grip.

"If you want to be a good big brother, stay out of my way."

With those parting words, Mimi left the young man alone.

…

At Lee Odo"s table, the old man was chatting joyously with the people around him. Although, from time to time, he would glance in a certain figure"s direction. Standing a few feet away from them was Tobias Itou.

From the beginning, the man silently drank his wine while gazing off in the distance. Although they were also businessmen, they lacked the imposing and formidable aura that Tobias Itou carried.

While they all conversed amongst themselves, the immense pressure of his aura made them extremely tense.

The gloomy look in his eyes, the dark air around him, the sharp angles of his furrowed brows and the thin line formed by his lips; all these signs were a loud declaration that he wasn"t happy.

However, his icy aura and cold demeanor leaned a hint of beauty. A few women standing by would glance in his direction with flushed and warm faces.

Lee Odo sighed quietly to himself when his eyes suddenly caught sight of a pet.i.te figure.

"Andras, my boy! Come here for a moment!"

Mimi had been returning to her seat when she suddenly heard Lee Odo call her name. Freezing in her spot, she turned to look at the old man with twitching brows.

Give her a break! She hardly had time to enjoy her night without Shen Jue being a creep, Alec badgering her and now Lee Odo calling her!

Holding back a heavy sigh, Mimi walked over to the group of old men, oblivious of the intense eyes of Tobias Itou gazing on her.