Edna is wearing a strapless dress that is peach in color. Her boobs are almost popping out of the cups of the dress and the slit is so high, that it stops at her waist. She looks into the mirror and turns around to catch her look at different angles, she doesn't know if she likes this or not. "This is just perfect. " Anna comments with a satisfied twinkle in her eyes. "You think so?" Edna twists around to catch the reflection of her bare back in the mirror. " The color matches your perfect skin and your beautiful legs are on display. " Anna adds. " This is going to make heads turn. ""I don't want to make heads turn, I am married. "Edna reminds her, just in case she has forgotten. "I didn't miss that, MRS Jackson, I am just trying to introduce you to a little bit of fun. " Anna defends herself. "Yeah, right. " Edna rolls her eyes. She returns her focus to the mirror and admires the dress even more closely. You know, Anna is right, the dress is indeed beautiful, but very much on
Edna takes out her phone and starts to go through her Instagram. She giggles at some of the funny contents and proceeds to leave a like on posts that impress her. But Instagram is one of the things that she is not allowed to do. Not that she doesn't have social media accounts or something, but managers are paid to operate it for her. To get less bored with her life, she opened an account under a pseudonym. And with that, she has been able to navigate through her serious life. She is watching a skit when her screen suddenly freezes. Her heart tightens as she sees an unregistered number appear on screen. Her number isn't something that just anyone has or can get, and that means that this person calling has got to be someone important. Given the seriousness of the matter, she sits up and swipes the answer icon. She places the phone over her ear. "Hello?" Her voice is steady, unlike her nerves. " Edna, it's me. "She recognizes the voice on the spot. It's Malik, she knows his voice
"Malik?" Edna is mortified. He was the last person that she was expecting to see here as she doesn't know if she is happy to see him. "What are you doing here?" She questions him. "The same as you. " He laughs. " Exploring the fun side of a new city. " He is still speaking when someone else comes and sits beside her too, it's Young. She is falling apart right now. It's this a kind of scheme or something? They all came up with this beautiful plan to come and waylay them. "You guys have got to be kidding me. " She groans. " Trust me, Anna won't be drilled to see you guys.""Don't worry about Anna. We aren't here for her, we are here to make sure that you are okay. " Young tells her. "I'm fine. " She insists. " This isn't the first time that I have been in a club. "" In a new city, that can be overwhelming. " Young points out. Malik and Young think that something about this is somehow funny, but she doesn't. She is madly upset that they would do this to her. She knows that Anna
Edna looks around, maybe someone would be able to notice that she is in danger. Her scared eyes scan the room, but she can't find anyone she knows. The strangers around her are so high and having a good time that they can't notice she is in danger. The waiter returns with the drink. He enters and drops it beside Edna. She is looking at him, praying that he looks at her also, but it doesn't happen. It's like he is deliberately avoiding her gaze and all he does is drop her order and get the hell out of the place. Edna is helpless with different thoughts going through her head. Her eyes are watery, she doesn't know what she has done to deserve this. Just when she is losing hope, she sees Malik coming and her heart grows light again. She expects him to deeply frown and make a big scene, but he doesn't. He instead keeps a straight face and walks into the VIP section. He walks past the guards and seats beside Edna. "Are you okay, babe?" He asks. He doesn't wait for her to answer
Malik sights Dimore and Kim sneaking away through the corner of his eyes but he doesn't say anything. Something snaps on the inside of him, but he doesn't panic, he remains calm. Edna saw nothing because her head is against his chest and her eyes are shut. It's better that way because she would probably go nuts if she knows that her bodyguard and assistant watched him kiss her. Malik knows that he shouldn't have kissed her, but it's so hard to control emotions that have been bottled up for so long. He doesn't regret kissing her, but he is going to be mad at himself if she gets in trouble because they go off and say something to someone. He is going to handle them, he is going to find a way to fix this one. He is still deep in thoughts with a buzzing sound from his pocket that almost jars him. He dips his hand into his pocket and takes out his phone. Oh, it's Young, they probably haven't seen them around. He swipes the call icon across to the side of the screen and places it aga
Edna never thought that it would be this emotional when she is to leave Korea. Her eyes start to let the tears flow and after hugging every member of the family, she felt the same way she did when she hugged her own family and left to get married to Keith. She hugs Anna the longest and she would have sworn that she had a sniff and whimper, Anna is emotional that she is leaving. When they stop hugging Edna notices Anna's red eyes and the residue of tears in them and she can't help but tear up herself. "You know, I never thought that I would say this ever in my life, but I want to swap you for those bucket-headed brothers of mine. " Anna confesses with a laugh even though she has tears pouring down her face. That's the comic relief that everyone has been waiting for and they all burst into laughter. " Well, I have a very huge house, you can come to visit. " She tells her. " Maybe. " Anna shrugs. " If I get a break from school, I will come and spend a few days with you. "She pu
After driving for some time, they get to Ellicott City, where Edna's parents live. It's a very good neighborhood. The houses are huge and it's a very peaceful place. Edna pulls the car to the side of the road, beside a house covered in Orange paint. The house is a one-story building and it's very elegant, like the ones around it. "That's a very nice place that your family has got here. " Malik comments. "Yeah, your Dad bought it for us." Edna reveals as she takes off the seatbelt. " From the house to the car, to the very socks my dad would be putting on right now. "There is a stiff smile on her face which makes it hard for Malik to tell if she is just being sarcastic or very angry. "Let's just go and meet your people, shall we?" He quickly changes the topic. Both of them come down from the car and she presses the button to lock it up. They walk side by side to the front door and Edna braces herself as she knocks on the door. After knocking like twice, the door flings open and
The phone won't stop buzzing in his pocket, but Malik won't answer it. Not until he gets to the car. It's his father calling him and it's not that he is too scared to pick up, it's that he doesn't want Edna or any of her family members to hear the conversation he is going to have with his father because he knows that it's going to be intense. He knows the exact reason his father is calling, but he wasn't expecting the call to come now. He thought it would come when he is in his hotel, at night so that he would speak to his father with all confidence. He gets to the car, unlocks it, and jumps into the driver's seat. He takes out the phone from his pocket and slides the answer icon to the side. " You better have a damn good reason for refusing to pick my call all this time, Malik. " His father fumes from the other side of the phone. Even though his father sounds so angry, Malik is not moved an inch. " And I am sure that you have a good reason for calling me because I have been v
EpilogueMalik is tired, he has hardly slept for more than two hours in the past three days. The reason is that he is putting together the last of his affairs. After all, he is moving to Italy. He has done a lot in the past days which includes making peace with his father's enemies, Tide and Devan gold. It wasn't easy making peace with them, but he did. He paid for their damages and informed them that Jacksons' company is now under new management. He also proposed business deals to them and from what he saw, he will run the company more successfully. He is also discussing a change of name for the company, he wants it to bear his mother's name because she deserves it. He can't forget his brother too. Even though his brother has been the biggest asshole, he was still his brother and for that, he has made a huge donation to a rehabilitation program, Edna did the same. As for his father, he is still mourning the "loss" of his business, but he is not going to suffer. He still has a
Malik has never felt more nervous in his life. He was bold when he told Edna that he wanted to talk with her parents. He was bold when she told him that they are ready to meet with him. He was bold when he drove to the restaurant one fine evening from his hotel room, but the moment he saw her intimidating father, he lost all his courage and his heart fell to the pit of his stomach like a deflated balloon. Her mother didn't see him, she is reading through the menu and talks to her husband, who has locked eyes with Malik. He still feels the impact of the man's punch from the night before. He smooths his hair back, adjusts his jacket, and walks into the restaurant. It's not full, that's because this isn't New York. "Hello. " He says to both of them but he doesn't take his seat. Edna's mother frowns and drops the menu back on the table. Her father only nods at him, that's it. He feels pain so heavy in the back of his throat, but he composes himself. He can't believe that they hav
Both Edna and Malik knew that this was coming after all Malik was just spitting all the unknown facts at him. Edna feels a rumbling in her stomach and she feels like it's just her baby getting scared too. Malik drops the papers in his hand and for the first time, he smiles. He smiles at his father's misery and he even laughs at it. "Well, Dad, you have always thought we were fucking, turns out we were. " He grins like he is fucking proud of himself. "What?!" "I'm responsible, Dad. " Malik breaks it down. " At least it's still your grandchild. "Mister Jackson jumps up to his feet as if his chair just caught flames and he points a finger at Edna. The flames in his eyes are so hot that she is scared she is going to get scaled. "You!!" He screams. " I have always known that you are a good-for-nothing piece of shit, I should have killed you when I had the chance. "Even with all his angry bursts, he doesn't go close to Edna and Malik just leaves him alone to go rant. " I took you
Edna feels like she has just melted into her chair, all numb from her head to the heels of her toes. "What?!" Her voice is so small that it doesn't sound like hers at all. Malik doesn't give her any answer, he is having a staring contest with his father. The tension is tight in the air, they won't say a word to each other. Malik looks calmer but his father looks like he is a bomb that is going to go off any time soon. Edna swallows down an imaginary lump in her throat but she still doesn't feel better, it's suffocating. " Malik. " She turns to him. " I don't understand what you are saying. "He turns to her and gives her hand a little squeeze. " Don't worry, it's all going to be cleared in a few minutes. "She nods and keeps calm, she believes him. He turns to his father and that glare returns back to its place. He leans back against his chair, but not his father. " We are listening, Dad. " He shrugs. " Why did you do it? Why did you kill your favorite son?"" Malik, boy. " Hi
True to Malik's word, a call comes in from the front desk that someone is waiting for her at the reception. It's a good thing that she has put on her clothes and gotten prepared for the person who would be picking her up. She locks up her room and walks to the elevator. As the elevator lowers to the ground, she wonders what Malik is up to. She gets out of the elevator and walks into the reception. There are a lot of people there, but when she sees Rollins, she knows that it's him. Maybe because he is putting on such a fine suit or because she has seen him a few times with Malik, he is one of the few people that work directly for Malik and not his father. He smiles and walks up to her and bows to her respectfully. " Good morning. " He greets. " Good morning." She answers with a very bright smile. " This way, ma'am. " He leads her out of the hotel and towards the parking lot. She sights the white SUV even before they get close to it. He walks ahead of her and opens the door for
Edna's face turns white as Anna's confession is not something that she saw coming. Anna too never wanted the marriage? She didn't want to get married to Malik? That's wild. Anna laughs when she sees how surprised Edna is and she walks to the edge of the bed and sits on it. She crosses her legs over each other and pulls a pillow close to her. She glances at Edna and she understands that she wants to sit beside her. She does too and now they are so close that they can feel each other's body heat. " But did you really believe that those tears were real?" Anna laughs. "Yeah, I have been so worried about you. " Edna says. " I have always wanted to call you but if I left you would still be mad at all of us. ""Nah. " She waves off. " It's kind of a huge relief for me too, so it's all good. "Edna is so confused right now. "But you were so excited about getting married. " Edna can't let this go so easily. "No, I pretended to be so happy because I wanted to make my parents happy. " S
It looks like a war front in here as everyone is yelling words around and pointing fingers at each other. Malik steps down from the altar and walks down the aisle. He pushes the door open and walks out, no one stops him. Ramona rushes after him after she gets over the shock, but Edna can't. She is too frozen to move. Edna is calmly holding onto herself. She feels like everyone is going to notice how fast her heart is beating against her chest and they are going to know that she had something to do with this. He said he loves her, he told someone that he loves her. She feels terrible that Anna isn't going to get married again, but Malik said he loves her. Anna lets out a scream of agony. And falls to the ground. Edna rushes to her side and holds her up. Her family rushes to her side and her brothers take her in their arms. Her mother is crying with her, wiping her daughter's tears instead of hers. Her father looks mad, the angriest that Edna has ever seen and she watches him loo
The knocks come again and it is just as loud and terrifying as thunder. "Malik, open the fucking door, I need to speak to you. " His father sounds angry. He beats against the door with his fist and Edna fearfully watches the door quiver as if there is an earthquake. Malik is perfectly calm and doesn't move an inch to get to the door. Mister Jackson doesn't go away and each time he knocks, it's louder than the last one. He is somehow convinced that Malik is inside his room and he is not leaving until he speaks to him. Edna is so scared that she is tempted to walk to the door and open it. She will then fall on her knees and explain to Mister Jackson that it's not what he thinks. There is a slight chance that he would listen and that means she is presently just overreacting, but there is a chance that he is going to make a big deal out of this since he already hates her. Since Malik isn't moving or saying a word, maybe it's better if she doesn't say anything too. Malik grabs her
Edna holds tightly to Malik's word. Her family thinks that she is crazy and now she has taken to the idea too, maybe she is really crazy – maybe a little bit. If not, what sane woman would go to attend the marriage ceremony pregnant for the groom and even though she is friends with the bride? She has never admitted it – she had kicked out the thought in her head too, it keeps coming back though – but she wishes that the wedding could be off so that she can have Malik to herself. She is happy for Anna and she would be even happier for her if she is going to be married to someone else, but it has to be Malik, right?She knows that a failed wedding ceremony is going to hurt Anna, but she still wants to give Malik a chance to come through as he said. His plan of coming through doesn't involve him going on with the wedding. She doesn't want to be the bad person in this case, but she can't just help it. Her father kills the engine and turns to her. He takes off his baseball cap and put