2

“You all look very nice tonight.” Mr Park saunters to us and pats his eldest son on the shoulder. He’s an intimidating, tall, and muscular man, who doesn’t look like he’s in his fifties, but more of a handsome thirty. Jyeon takes after him fully, with black hair that looks nice styled up, or messy over his forehead and somehow boyish, deep darkest brown eyes, and sallow skin.

He stands like he’s the master of the universe, with a perfectly straight posture, and has an intimidating quality about him, especially when dressed in a black tux. If Jyeon ends up like him as a full grown man then OLO Corporation needn’t worry about having a commanding CEO at the helm to continue our family’s joint legacy. Smart, with killer instincts, and despite the classy and smooth appearance, Mr Park is known as a demon in business and should never be crossed. Jyeon is his mini me.

We all nod and smile, and I immediately shrivel to that nervous girl who starts fixing her appearance whenever he appears. Mr Park is not someone who seems warm and loving when you know him well and despite being my father’s best friend, I have never really built any kind of bond to him.

“Sohla? Sohla, darling?” My mother beckons to me from across the room and I exhale with relief, seeing my beautiful saviour looking for me to introduce to whatever women and girl are standing by her and curtsy quickly. An escape route so I can dodge Mr Park and his suffocating energy.

“My mother wants me.” I make my parting nod of respect his way and walk off at speed, loosening my limbs while escaping from whatever Mr Park was wanting and slide into my mother’s awaiting outstretched arm. The one soft and welcoming human in my life. My mother is the only reason I’m still sane. She married into rich and never started that way, so has retained the kindness and adorable personality of the preschool teacher she used to be. I love my mother beyond words.

“Darling, this is Lily masters and her daughter Olivia. They’re from England and over here on family business. You two are the same age and Olivia could use a little companionship for the next two weeks. I thought it would be nice to introduce you.”

I smile brightly at the sweet, freckled, red head, who’s beaming at me with a wide toothy gap in her teeth. She’s a little round in figure and much shorter than me but seems genuinely nice and bubbly. It’s rare in this society to find girls I get along with, so I am always looking for that girlfriend, envious of Jyeon’s’ friendship with Bryant. Most are afraid of my family name and power and some just want to use me to get close to Jyeon. Every girl under sixteen in this city all like Jyeon, because he’s good looking, rich, and has a powerful future ahead of him.

“How do you do? I’m Sohla Kim. It’s nice to meet you.” I mind my manners and reach out my hand for her to take, smiling brightly and am met with her own mother’s beaming smile, so like her daughters. People tell me I am a mirror image of mine, we are so alike that one day we will be twins.

“Ahhh Sohla, you’re the little one who is set to marry Jyeon Park, right? Olivia was so upset to learn that the handsome boy she met at golf practice last week was already taken. I can see why though; you look very much like your beautiful mother.”

Her words freeze the blood in my veins and my face stiffens even though I keep my smile in place. Hating how it’s all I am never known as, wherever I go. I’m not Sohla Kim, the pretty brunette with bright eyes, a warm, good smile, and a decent IQ. I’m Jyeon Park’s bride to be, overshadowed even as a child, and it’s all anyone ever cares about. I am worthless because I’m a girl and Jyeon is the Prince of this city, because his family are ranked as the fifth richest in this country…. I mean ours is too, but he’s a boy.

“Yes, that’s right. They have grown up together and we see Jyeon as our son already. Our families are very close. It’s only natural we chose him to keep Sohla happy as an adult.” My mother pats my back and gives me a squeeze and I am aware of the other girl’s bright and happy face now turning sour as she eyes me up and down. I have seen this look on girls many times before. The nasty turn. Once they know who I am and my relation to Jyeon, all friendliness dies.

In our world girls are raised to seek out the richest and most influential son to marry and make their families proud, while benefitting their wealth and status. It’s almost an obsession for some and Jyeon would happen to be in the platinum variety of future son in laws. No one marries for love anymore, it’s all about money. And it’s an immense personal failure and blow to a girl’s self esteem to not bag the Jyeon’s of our world.

“Must be nice to already have your future set and laid out. You can put your feet up and just focus on staying pretty and healthy.” Her words bite, her tone fake and high pitch cheerful. The other woman is still acting kind, but her words don’t fool me even if they pass under my mother’s naive radar.

“I’m not going to be a stay at home wife. I have shares in OLO Enterprises as the only child to my family. I intend to pick up my position at my father’s right hand when I finish with school and my studies.” That inner indignation that has always lived within me shows face, my tone a little condescending, and my mother clears her throat awkwardly. She is too soft in nature, but I am my father’s child under this sweet face.

“Yes, Sohla takes after her father in the brain department. She’s the top of her class and very academic. Her father has high hopes that one day she’s the vice president by Jyeon’s side.” My mother gushes proudly, being the one of our family who always struggled with school and lessons despite ending up as a teacher. But I am bilingual in four languages, have a photographic memory when it comes to most subjects and won awards in mathematics at a very young age. I’m not stupid or incapable. I’m ambitious and want to stand in our family company one day, doing something important for its future.

“Not just a pretty one then. How nice for you.” Lily Masters seems to develop a pinched expression and her coolness is overbearing. Even my mother picks up on it and gestures a passing server for some glasses of champagne as a distraction method. I stand tall and proud by her side and catch Olivia glaring at me. The kid is ugly and stupid. Jyeon wouldn’t look twice at her, even if she was the kid from the richest family in this country.

“Mother, Jyeon is looking for me, I have to go over there.” I point out towards my group who are now several more teens from Jyeon’s friendship circle and Yoonah looks lost standing aside while they talk. Looking for an out now the true nature of these women is on display. I don’t waste time on this kind of fake.

“Oh, yes. Go on then and don’t keep him waiting. Tell him I’ll come and wish him a happy birthday soon, my darling.” My mother lightly hugs me and sends me on my way. I walk proudly towards my little Yoonie to save him from isolation and catch the sight of the Park’s and my father heading my mother’s way. All three smile at me with genuine affection and pass by without interference.

“Ahhhh. Sohlllllllyyy bollly. Here you are, my sweet chicken. You look cute.” I’m grabbed around the shoulder with a muscular arm and hauled into a wide chest while my face is pinched and struggle to get out of Avery Wyatt’s annoying grip. Struggling and squirming while he pokes at me and pulls me around. He crushes me and laughs heartily at my protests. Another of my self-appointed big brothers.

“Avery, stop it.” I push at him to no avail because he’s a sixteen year old powerhouse who has the body of a much older man on steroids. “Let me go, you brute.” He has no cares about where we are or how to behave and as usual is the fooling around and chaotic energy in Jyeon’s group. He’s dumb as hell, but has a good heart and an overbearingly touchy feely way of showing affection.

I’m yanked out of his arms and pulled against a warm hard and wall like body, straightened up so fast it makes me dizzy and I lose my footing. Caught by the person who has just pulled me over. I turn just enough to catch Jyeon eyeing me over my shoulder, and he doesn’t look impressed at all. He pats down my dress, gestures with a chin nod at my hair and pushes me off of him coldly.

“Go fix yourself. My mother will go ape shit if she sees you guys acting like kids. Your finishing school classes are seeming pointless lately.” His expression is sour, and I scowl at him, sneering in an unladylike manner.

“I am a kid! I’m allowed to have a night off from being a flat and boring lady while I’m still only a child!” I pout back at his frosty tone, the urge to kick him in the shin mighty today with how cold and superior he’s being. This is how we are sometimes, and I think he hates that he does not intimidate me in the slightest.

Jyeon narrows his brow, his handsome face seemingly more mature when he gets all serious and sulky and I bite on my lip, anger rising because he can always make me feel so crap with very few sentences.

“Can you try not acting like this for my birthday. I don’t want to babysit. I do it all year round.” He lets me go and pushes me slightly away, slicing my heart with his words and I swallow the sudden urge to cry. Hating him for always making me feel like a nuisance child around him, when he used to be the one who carried me on his back and put band aids on my cut knees. Jyeon used to be the one to lift me over fences, hand me food, take care of me, and protect me from everything in the world.

If I was never pushed onto him in this manner then maybe we would still be close, and he wouldn’t constantly be separating us with his glacier mountain that he’s put between us.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take Yoonie and stay out of your way. We can hang out together and you’ll only have to babysit yourself.” I swing away and grab Yoonah’s hand, aware of the wide eyed baby way he’s watching us with that little crushed expression. He hates when we bicker and is too sweet and soft to ever know how to intervene. For a twelve year old, he’s more like a kid half that age at times and I pull him with me protectively. Using him to get away from Jyeon and simmer my bad mood caused by that arrogant attitude.

“She’s turning your brother into a little cry baby who follows her around like a puppy.” I hear one of his friend’s voices as we walk away and curb the urge to turn round and shout something insulting back. Pulling Yoonie, who follows without any resistance and head towards the buffet. Aware of eyes on us, so I stand taller and prouder and push down the immature and bolshy me.

“Shut up. Yoonah is fine, and she cares about him like he’s her own kid brother. Leave them alone. She’s doing me a favour by taking him away. They’re closer in age than we are so it’s natural he wants to be around her more than me.” Jyeon’s voice soothes my temper a little and I get a reminiscent glimpse of how caring he used to be. Before responsibility and hormones hit him.

Being sent to a public all boys school to focus on his future hardened him, but occasionally the deeper him shows face, especially if someone insults his little brother. He will never stand back and hear one bad word about Yoonie. Or me, at times. Jyeon is the only one allowed to be an ass to me as he doesn’t allow anyone else to be.

I glance back at Yoonah’s crestfallen expression, having heard them call him a cry baby, and give him a bright smile and pat him on his head lovingly. Putting on my brightest expression.

“Come on, cutie. Let’s get you some chocolate cake and ice cream. Then we can go eat it in the greenhouse and watch the fairy lights on the fountain.” I tug him along, glad to see the sadness break and he beams and speeds up his walk to follow me to the food.