Chapter 19: Blackmail

As I was about to dig into the contents of the envelop, I suddenly felt a pair of arms sneak up from beside me and pull me against his hard awaiting chest.

Engulfed in a wave of blissful cologne, I felt him pull me into a deep embrace. The sensation of him resting his lips close to my earlobe electrified every fiber on my body.

"Just know that I don't want to do this..." Tae Hyun whispered in an alluring tone, his hot breath gliding along my earlobe, leaving me to feel much weaker in his hold than I'd like to be.

Shit shit shit! Snap out of it you bimbo!

My mind screamed out in terror, and with all of my force and self-control that I could muster, I pushed him out of the way, breathing hard and hot with embarrassment. "Don't touch me!"

Tae Hyun laughed pleasingly at himself and it seemed like he relished the deep flush on my cheeks. Fully satisfied with himself and my reaction to his impromptu hold, he gave a murmur of approval and nodded his head, pointing with a small gesture of his head to the envelope and probing me to open it.

I knew at that moment I should have just stopped and throw the envelop in his handsome face. I knew that I shouldn't have opened it because of that smug look and arrogant stand that he was displaying. Every tingling fiber in my body was warning me not to open it.

But for some reason, I didn't trust myself and curiosity won me over. I ripped it open and started to read it contents.

HOLY. MOLY. MOTHER. OF. QUACKING. DUCKS.

I could still feel the words glaring at me, taunting me and laughing at me even when I had averted my eyes to face Tae Hyun's honey brown orbs – 'LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST RESTAURANT LATTE MEMORIES. The reason the lawsuit was filled was due to the completely inadequate staff experience that my client had received, resulting in a scalded hand...'

I didn't read the remaining content of the lawsuit because I dropped the paper in absolute shock and my hazel eyes bulged out of its socket. My only solace to calm my frenzied and shook up nerves was breathing. I kept breathing hard and rapidly that I was practically hyperventilating from just reading the paper.

This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this can't be happening. I kept reciting in my terrified mind as I gazed into the royal scumbag's amused and particularly laughing eyes, fearing for what was going to do next.

I continued to gape unblinkingly at him, somehow expecting to him say something.

He smiled an innocently and simply shrugged, placing both hands into his trench coat pocket to warm them up. He seemed extremely entertained and amused that he was particularly having the time of his life right now, gloating over his successful attempt to receive such a reaction from me.

THAT SCHEMING BASTARD!

"Holy....crap... W - What does this mean...?" I managed to squeak out, no longer putting up the facade of being the empowered independent woman I was putting up earlier when I was rejecting him.

I began to tremble in shock, so much that I could collapse any moment. Oh Chaerin, how wrong you were... The crown prince is a gentleman my ass! He is practically blackmailing me right now!

"Exactly as what it said." It was his turn now to huff his chest and gloat over my demise. He lifted up his hand for me to see the red patch that I had 'accidentally' poured boiling hot coffee over. "Look at this! You're the one who went all psycho and did to me first!" he began to complain like he was in pain, but in actual fact, it didn't really look that bad.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WAS BEING AN ASS IN THE FIRST PLACE!" I screamed back at him to defend myself. I couldn't take any more crap from today, it was already a shit day to begin with and prince charming just had to come in on his white horse and trot all over particularly making my day to the ultimate from of pure shit.

"Anyhow." I waved his hand around and continue carelessly with his explanation with that lawsuit meant – even though I knew his objective very well in the pit of my heart. "As you can see, I am filing a lawsuit against your friend's restaurant. Seeing that I am, after all, the crown prince. If this were to get leaked out to media as well, then wouldn't your friend's business crumble? I am sure you know the very extent of the royal family influence."

"THAT'S DIRTY!" I hollered back at him, I won't take this lying down. I wanted so badly to punch his face there and there, take off my shoes and whack his head until he bled to death and wrap him in a garbage bag and throw him out into the freezing sea – but then, I remembered the bodyguards. There was no way a meek frail petite girl like me could take on 4 men and get out alive.

"That's not dirty, it's playing with all the cards you have." He countered back sarcastically. "I knew that if I were to file a lawsuit directly at you, you still wouldn't agree to it. So, I had to change my cards to my advantage and force the canon upon your friend instead, you know like a hostage. The queen, my mother saw my burn today and I did not even utter one word about you being the culprit and placed the blame on my servants. I wonder what would happen if she found out..." He teased, smiling the vilest smirk of all.

"You w – wouldn't..." I mumbled, I could feel the sweat forming on my forehead.

"Yes I would." He stated firmly, his gaze unwavering and full of determination to prove his point. His voice was soft but there was steel treading beneath it. He was being gentle with me but I could also detect something else in the demeanor of his tone. "I told you, I would do anything to rise up as King for the sake of the royal family and the nation. So if you don't cooperate with me, I would gladly strike you down along with me."

"Go find some other girl to do your bidding!" I cried out, frustrated that I wasn't able to do anything else in the current moment or even come up with valid words to counter his attack.

He heaved a sigh, shaking his head like he was disappointed in me for not seeing the severity of the matter and understanding it. "I told you, Queen dowager herself has specifically arranged for you to marry me. I didn't want to do this, and I tried to reason with you but being the stubborn person you are, you refused again and again. But seriously, don't you gain from this as well? Your family secured, your future secured, everything that you ever wanted. Wealth, fame, power, and status – all are for yours to take. Just accept it, and we can happily come to an agreement."

His voice was soft but stern. I was just about to retort back but there was just something about the undercurrent of his voice that had me doing double takes – like he was trying to tell me not to make things worse because he didn't want to have to resort to doing certain things that I would not be a fan of.

When I didn't reply, he sighed even further. Tears started to well up in my eyes. Why? Why do these things only happen to me? I was driven to a corner; this was my every end and I resented it. Upon seeing my shimmering tears threatening to fall, I noticed his gaze soften for a while then change back to his strong intense stare. "I will tell my mother that you have accepted the proposal, but the decision is ultimately yours. Think about it, you gain more than you lose."

He turned abruptly and headed for his vehicle, and quickly entered it and in a flash, his ride zoomed down the streets and into the main road, out of my sight. I heaved a sigh of relief when he left, feeling the ability to breathe freely again until I hear the sound of paper fluttering on the ground.

I stared at the paper for a few seconds and groaned out loudly before shouting on the top of voice in frustration.

"THAT SCHEMING DEVIOUS SON OF A BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!"