Chapter 23

The silence was unbearable. It was as if someone hit pause and was frozen, unable to move. Unlike the movies, there was no skip or rewind button.

"What's going on?!" Cameron yelled out as he couldn't believe what he was looking at.

Joel and Rylie untangled their arms and could only look downwards at the floor. They couldn't bring themselves to make eye contact with Cameron. They tried opening their mouths to speak, but nothing came out.

He stepped forward, pushing them for an answer. They could've given him any reason, any excuse, something he could work with, but they remained silent.

"Why aren't you guys saying anything? I can't believe…when did you…uggghhh!"

Cameron didn't know what he wanted. It was a mix of emotions and he had so many questions. He wanted to tell them off and vent his frustration. He wanted to ask when they started seeing each other and if it was the reason him and Rylie didn't work out. But he felt that knowing Joel, he would never do something like that and anything that developed would've been after. But there was a tiny seed of doubt.

He threw his hands up into the air in frustration. He needed to get out of there to cool down. He turned to leave and seeing this, Joel finally snapped to his senses and ran forward to block his path.

"Wait, Cam!"

"What?" Cameron mumbled while avoiding eye contact.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this but it's not what you think. Me and Rylie fully intended to tell you today. We were trying to find the right time. Nothing happened while you two were hanging out. All of this came after, just recently. We swear!"

"You shouldn't have waited this long to tell me. Why do all of you treat me like a child…"

"It's not that Cam, you mean a lot to us and…"

"Stop! I don't want to hear anymore!" He turned around and dashed out of Joel's unit.

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"Our boss is Charles Kim."

"I don't know anyone by that name…" Emilia responded with a confused look.

"You, of all people, should," said one of the men in black.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Emilia clutched her bag tightly to her side and kept her eyes on the men in front. She had heard the car doors click after she got in and she was sure it couldn't be opened from the inside. Her internal alarms were going off in her head.

'What have I gotten myself into…'

They stopped at the back entrance of a large corporate building, approximately 20 storeys high. She couldn't see the name of the company but felt a wave of dread.

She followed the men inside down a long and quiet hallway towards a single elevator. Instead of pushing a button, they pulled out a key card and tapped it on a sensor.

The ride up was silent, Emilia was too scared to breathe. Whoever this man was, he was important. Important enough to have an elevator that goes straight to his office on the top floor.

As the doors opened, she stepped into a waiting area that connected to another hallway that led to a set of large mahogany double doors. One of the men knocked on the door to signal they had arrived.

"Let her in," said a muffled voice on the other side.

The men each opened a door for her and motioned Emilia to head inside. Once she did, they shut the door, and she assumed they were standing guard outside.

She saw an older man in his late 50's seated behind a desk at the end of the room. He finished what he was writing before glancing up at her. Without a word, he motioned with his head for her to take a seat on the sofa. She did as she was told and glanced around the room.

There were various paintings and expensive works of art scattered around the room. She wasn't an expert, but she could tell all the pieces weren't just everyday décor. She could've sworn she saw similar pieces in museums she's visited in the past. 

"I wonder if they're real…" she muttered.

"Yes, they are. I'm glad you can tell the difference." The man was standing across the table from her now and sat down opposite her.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know you were finished," she said with a bow.

"My name is Emilia and I've been told you were looking for me?"

"Yes, I called for you. I'm Charles Kim."

She nodded but still had a confused look on her face. Was she supposed to know who he was?

"I'm surprised you don't recognize me, most people do. Maybe if I mention my son, you might get a better picture."

"Your son?"

"My son James."

Emilia heard him but her brain took some time to process the situation. Her and James never talked about their families, but he had alluded to it. Now it all made sense.

"I'm sorry Mr. Kim, I had no idea. James never mentioned you."

"Not surprising. The boy never did like talking about me…" he muttered.

"Girl, I have some questions for you."

"What kind…?" She asked nervously.

"I understand you two have been spending quite some time together. As his father, I want what's best for him. What are you studying?"

"I'm in journalism school and working part-time."

"What do your parents do?"

"They…is this really necessary?"

He raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest.

"Is it not a parent's job to make sure the person he's seeing is fit for his child?"

"I…I guess. Well, my father's a financial analyst and my mother was an author before she passed away."

"I'm sorry for your loss but as things stand, I think it's best if you and my son don't see each other anymore."

She immediately stood up in shock.

"What? Why not?!"

He remained calm, as if expecting her outburst.

"Because you're both from two different worlds and only one of you would benefit."

Before she could argue, he called the guards that were outside back in.

"Everything okay boss?"

"Escort Ms. Yoon home."

They nodded and motioned towards the door. She opened her mouth to speak but saw that he had already turned his back to her and looking out the window.

"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Kim," she bowed towards him and followed the guards.

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"Uggghhh, this is so frustrating!" Emilia yelled into the phone.

"I bet being frustrated is a lot better than feeling guilty," sighed Rylie on the other side.

"Don't beat yourself up too much. You can't help who you have feelings for. These things happen."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to hurt other people in the process. Em, am I in the wrong?"

"I don't think you are Ry. Of course, everyone will see it differently, but from an objective point of view, you didn't start anything with Cameron. You were getting to know him and you guys didn't have chemistry. You never promised him anything. Now stop moping around, it's not going to change anything."

"I know but I didn't want to break up a friendship. One where they were like brothers," Rylie sighed.

"Okay first of all, stop blaming yourself! Yes, you played a part in it, but Joel is just as guilty as you are! You should be talking about it with him because he made the first move," Emilia teased.

"I know and we have," Rylie nervously chuckled.

"And you've told me three times!"

"Oops? You should just tell me to shut up. Like right now. We were supposed to talk about James. You're even staying over at his place! You can't tell me nothing happened!"

Silence on the other line.

"EM!" Rylie screamed, "Tell me all the juicy details."

"Okay, okay! But after, I have to tell you about meeting his dad too…"