participate

"You can try, sir," she replied with a haughty raise of her brow playing along with the jokes. It must be her imagination but there was a soft breathy exhale from her soulmate and the colours in his eyes flickered to life dancing with her words. "We'll see who'll be the one getting spanked."

There was a gasp from someone and she wasn't sure who made that sound. But her focus was already consumed by the clatter of the door as a waiter entered and served the first course with a haughty air.

It was foie gras sauteed and drenched in a sauce of white peach and grapes, a meal sweeter than it should be with the rich liver. Then a bed of raspberries, encased in a transparent ball served with heavy goat cheese and beet. And then sea urchin served wet, orange and shimmery with foam that she discovered tasted like squid and apples.

"They try to change expectations", Casper explained as they ate, their conversation had long switched towards food just as Oliver predicted. "From hot to cold and hard to soft. They want you guessing sometimes."

But each was a dish that felt too little for the wait, and they spent the time sipping on different alcohols that Casper ordered from a sommelier in pairing with their meal. The drink made her skin warm and it loosened the fear that tightened in her throat. It numbed some part of her sensitive soul, untangling the knots in her chest.

The conversation steered from stories, stupid ones. Something about her running into a bush and another about Oliver walking straight into a river. Some talk about grocery discounts and deals, things about goals and achievements. Then it veered.

"My family owns this place," Casper said at their fifth or sixth course, pigeon and God knows what. A mushy fruit puree and a savoury sauce that dripped of beef. He spoke with a soft rumble, casual and a little weird. "And a couple more around the world." He drank his alcohol, dropping it on the table. "I think you know that I come from a family richer than most."

"Casper's born from old, old money, probably has a princess or two in his bloodline," Oliver said, stabbing his pigeon straight in the heart. "Maybe even mafia." He grinned at her, waggling his brows and it made her laugh.

"A Korean monarch, and a Russian princess," Casper admitted with a smirk, taking her plate to cut her pigeon into clean bite-sized pieces for her. He'd removed the bones, soaked each piece in a good amount of sauce, divided everything into perfection. Always, always the loving gentleman. "Yakuza perhaps."

"And a thousand millionaires, and a hundred billionaires. Plenty of old fucking money," Oliver grouched. "Nothing like mine."

"Rich yes," Casper admitted toying with his own meal. "I am from a wealthy background. But they considered disowning me when I became a singer and didn't have a soulmate."

"But bro didn't give a flying fuck."

"Yes," Casper nodded with a shrug. "Dreams over blood. But I am still the only son of my parents, so my Mother begged the head to let me stay. They all truly believed that I would outgrow my obsession, thought I had a chance of taking over the company or something. I was good at what they needed me to do as well."

"Didn't expect the success, huh?" Amber grinned and Casper shook his head.

"Never, they wanted me in the office with a secretary after I failed. They also wanted me to have two children by this age and my face printed all over Forbes 30 under 30." He shrugged, placing her plate before her. "They didn't expect me to be printed all over Forbes for another reason entirely."

"So…" Her brows furrowed, her mind zeroing in on the things traditional Asian parents always seemed to want. "They want you to have children now?"

"Of course not." He shook his head, then exhaled. "Fuck that. Yeah, they want to see kids regardless of blood, just as long as their souls are linked to mine." And her traitorous mind whispered words into ears that didn't want to listen. He doesn't care if they're his kids or not…He doesn't want it to be his kids? "But I would never push you to listen to the demands of my family, and you shouldn't have to listen to them. But because they now know of your existence, they want to meet you."

"I'll go, of course, I'll go."

"This is different Ambrosia." He used her name, a symbol that what he spoke of was far beyond humorous. He caught her gaze in his, holding her there. "There's a test created by my grandmother. A ranking system, a sort of competition between the females. The soulmates of my cousins, the women of my generation." He pressed a palm to his forehead, laboured and angry. "They will want to test you."

"A test?" Her eyes widened.

"They're competing to get her money, a spot in her will as her successor. They're crazy for it, and with you now in the picture the winner can't officially claim the prize since you weren't tested. It's put on hold until you participate in their games." He groaned, running fingers through his hair the stress, bright and clear. He turned to her then, lips pursed into a thin line. "I guess I need you to show up and lose. Fail her test, show her you aren't the granddaughter she needs."

Her brows rose and she laughed. "Lose? Why can't I win?" A bemused chuckle escaped her lips. "What is the prize?"

"That's…The crazy part. This is going to sound insane." Casper rubbed his temples, meeting her eyes with a grim smile. "A percentage of one of the company's shares. Fucking stupid, but this time it's one of the biggest entertainment broadcasting companies in Korea. So this isn't as simple as you think."

"Shares? Broadcasting?" Amber blinked. "So, like—"

"We're talking 30 million in shares here. A spot in the board, a chance to vote, shit like that."

"30 fucking—" Her jaws dropped open and she exchanged a look with Oliver who seemed just as shock as she was.

"Yeah, more if you're with child," Casper said with a shrug as if they were just talking about a simple coffee shop. "It's a bloodbath. My mother told me that during her time there was even poison involved in the tests. Fuck, I will never bring you there if I could; I could get disowned for all I fucking care."

She went quiet at his words, not sure what to say. She couldn't let him get disowned just because of her…That would be the worst thing to do. Casper seemed too consumed by rage to see the drop of concern in her eyes, letting out a soft hiss between teeth.

There was no denying that he loved her. They just—

"But they'll come for you just to get you to play if I don't bring you soon. It's too much money, and my distant cousin was pissed as fuck when she couldn't gain access to the shares just because your existence was revealed in the news. It'll only be a matter of time before they kidnap you just to play." Casper groaned, shaking his head. "I've been giving them excuses to keep them away. But I can't keep doing this."

Crazy rich people.

"So you want me to meet your family, and then lose quickly in the game or fail the test that your grandmother created." Amber exhaled, incredulous at the sudden reveal of information. "I'm sure that's easy," she murmured. How hard could it be intentionally failing a test?

"It should be, I'm so sorry Amber—"

"No, of course, I'll go. It's your family." She smiled. "But what am I expected to do?"

"I'm not sure…They change all the time, and are only revealed on the day itself. They usually don't tell the men what they do, but I'll try to ask my mother for hints." He took her hand then with a grateful smile on his lips. "It shouldn't be too difficult to fail…Thank you, my love."

"You don't have to thank me Casp," she snorted. "Of course, I would have gone for you, and you know what maybe I can win—"

"Don't." Oliver's voice interrupted her, sharp and biting in the air. "I don't want you hurt under any circumstance not even for 30 fucking million." His words scared her, and so did the steel that glinted in his eyes, so very different from the sunny man she loved.

He loved her more than anything, that was the truth.

"Fine," she raised her hands in surrender and glanced at them. She frowned then, tilting her head to the side in a questioning gaze. "So was this the reason why the two of you have been acting strange all night?" The silence was palpable as they stared at her, surprise stark in their faces. Oliver's lips trembled and he licked them, nervous as his feet tapped to a rhythm that she'd been hearing for far too long.

"What do you mean?"

"The two of you have been acting all shifty," she emphasized on the last word. "You're both nervous. I've been sensing your anxiety all night. And I get it now for Casp, but it doesn't make sense for Liv." The more she spoke the more the words flowed and she found herself growing agitated and tingly with fear of the unknown. "I've learnt too much from badly hidden secrets. Whatever you're hiding from me and have been hiding for the past few months, tell me now."

"Sunshine…"

She grew angry at his blatant plea, and she knew without a doubt that they would cover themselves with more lies just to appease her. The emotions within her churned, more overwhelming than they usually were.

"Are you not happy with our relationship? Our family?"

"Of course not! Why would you say that?"

"Am I not satisfying you?" She couldn't help herself with the questions that haunted her brain. Questions that appeared only because insecurity ravaged her mind, a product of society. "Is this-is this about my body?"

"Amber, of course not, you're beautiful you'll always be to us—"

"Have you fallen out of love with me?"

"Amber!" Casper retorted; eyes wide as he shook his head vehemently. She'd gone too deep and too far, and even Amber knew that. She bent her head down just a little, ashamed at her own question. "How can you say that? Of course, not baby. Never."

"Then why," her voice trembled, her mind strangely and quickly emotional. "Why is our soul bond still broken?" They went quiet at her words, lips opening and closing and the anger rose in her body. Hot fire that begged to be spilt. "I can't see the sign all the time, there are times when it leaves for weeks and weeks, and then it comes back to haunt me. And I only see the colours in Casper's eyes."

"Amber—"

"Oliver," she turned to him then, eyes hard and sharp. "I know you don't like it when we have sex." His eyes widened and he froze, lips parting as he struggled to smile. "And that's okay," she soothed, not liking the desperation and sadness in his eyes as he fought to speak, tongue flopping about in his mouth. "I'm okay Liv, I don't mind truly. I don't see it as something bad. I really don't. B-but I see the sign when we have sex as if you're miles away from me, and it just I don't like it when you lie to me. You don't have to—"

"That's not true—" her soulmate choked, gasping at her words. "I didn't know you saw—I— My."

"And I'm okay, if the two of you have the lowest sex drive in the world. If the two of you think of this act as something animalistic or-God, I don't know-dirty? I really am okay with it. If you don't want to participate, if you don't want to have sex with me that's okay. Just be honest with me, please?" She begged.