All the Wrong Places

by Jerilee Kaye

  5.

  Tu es ravissante… J’adore… Je chérirai ce moment pour toujours… Restez avec moi…

  The words kept coming back to her as if she only heard them yesterday. Julianne would never forget that handsome face, that dark brown hair with reddish streaks and those riveting eyes. The look of devotion he used to give her, changed to a look of confusion and then finally to a look of anger.

  Julianne quickly sat up from the couch, scared that she would see that murderous look on the face of the man she once loved, the man she might still love until now.

  She struggled to catch her breath as she realized that she was surrounded by Gian, Justin and Adrienne. All had looks of worry on their faces. She scanned the rest of the room and relief washed over her when she realized that he was not with them.

  “Are you okay, Ian?” Adrienne asked her with teary eyes.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s probably just fatigue,” Julianne replied. “Wh-where are we?”

  “We’re in the prep room of the ballroom. Organizers use this room to stage the event and watch over the whole thing from an elevated area,” Adrienne replied.

  “Who-who carried me here?”

  “Jin. You fainted in front of him. He caught you and brought you up here.”

  “I know Jin could be quite scary. But this was by far the worst introduction he got in his life,” Justin chuckled.

  “Jin Starck,” Julianne whispered his name. She turned to Adrienne. “Your brother?”

  “In the flesh.” Adrienne smiled at her.

  How could this happen?

  Jin Starck looks exactly like Jas Mathieu! They are two different people, right? There was no way they could be the same person!

  On one of their dates, he drove a Peugeot. She saw the plate spelled J-A-S. Not J-I-N.

  How could he not be Jas Mathieu?

  Thoughts raced through Julianne’s mind, which made her dizzy again. She reached for the bottle of water that Gian was holding in his hand.

  “It’s a good thing Mom and Dad weren’t here,” Gian said in a tone meant to lighten up his sister’s mood. “They’ll probably think you’re pregnant again.”

  “Well, the good news is that they’ve already disinherited me. They can’t do it twice,” Julianne said bitterly.

  “This says a lot about me as a boss, you know. Is your job wearing you out?” Justin asked wearily.

  “Yeah, you do run a tight ship. But no, this was not work-related stress,” Julianne started standing up. She realized that she wasn’t wearing her sandals anymore.

  “Who removed my sandals?”

  “Jin did,” Adrienne replied. “I told him it wasn’t necessary, but he insisted that the fabric on the sofa was quite expensive.”

  “Which I found quite offensive, actually!” Justin retorted.

  “I told him that your shoes were probably more expensive than the fabric itself, but the guy’s just stubborn,” Gian added.

  “He removed my sandals?” Julianne asked, her heart pounding in her chest. “He literally took my sandals off my feet?”

  “As in he literally touched your feet, yes,” Gian replied, rolling his eyes.

  “Adrienne, what… what’s your brother’s full name?” Julianne asked.

  “Why?”

  “Just curious, that’s all.” Julianne tried to look calm and nonchalant. She was worried that they would suspect something.

  “Jin Adrien Starck,” Adrienne replied. “Oh, he has the same middle name as Jared! I only realized that now. Silly me.”

  Oh my God!

  Julianne knew exactly why Jin Starck removed her sandals in spite of Justin’s and Gian’s protests. It wasn’t because the sofa fabric was expensive. He was looking for her tattoo. A confirmation of her identity. Which could only mean one thing…

  Damn it! I was not the only one who used a fake name during our time in Paris!

  Jas Mathieu didn’t exist just like Arabella Adams. The man she actually fell in love with, the man she thought she might still be in love with… the father of her son is actually Jin Adrien Starck. Jas wasn’t his name. They were his initials.

  Adrienne started fixing Julianne’s slightly disheveled hair.

  “You need to compose yourself. We need to get out there. My Mom was quite concerned. Are you sure you’re okay now?”

  Julianne was okay. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to go back and see Jin Starck face to face.

  “Do… do I have to go back?” she asked.

  “Of course. A lot of very eligible bachelors were asking to be introduced to you. Besides, we wouldn’t want to miss my brother’s very public proposal to Vanessa Bernard.”

  Right. Vanessa Bernard.

  Julianne was now more convinced that she didn’t want to witness that.

  “I think I better head up.”

  “Are you sure?” Adrienne asked wearily. “Then I’ll come with you. I cannot have peace of mind and enjoy the party knowing that you’re not okay. I was the one who dragged you all the way to Paris.”

  Julianne felt guilty. She couldn’t deny Adrienne the chance to see her brother get engaged. Less than a decade ago, Adrienne thought her mother was the horrible bitch married to her biological father. Now that she found her real family, who were all amazing and wonderful to her, Julianne couldn’t let her miss any chance to spend special moments with them.

  “Oh no, no. It’s okay. I’ll go. But I don’t want to go up near the stage, okay? I must have caused quite a commotion when I fainted. I don’t really want to flag myself out there anymore. It’s embarrassing.”

  “I’ll stay with you. We can watch the whole thing from the balcony,” Gian volunteered. “I didn’t find any interesting girls out here tonight, either. We’ll just go down and congratulate the newly-engaged couple later.”

  Shit! How do I get out of that?

  I know! Faint. Again.

  Julianne thought her night was slowly getting worse.

  After ensuring that her hair was neat, she put on her sandals and stood up from the sofa. Gian took her arm and guided her to the doors that led to the balcony. From there, she could see the stage clearly, as well as the ballroom. She could spy on the guests without being noticed.

  She scanned the room quickly for any sign of Jin Starck. She found him near the stage, drinking champagne. His face was somber and he seemed lost in his thoughts. Julianne tried to remember the Jas Mathieu she met before. His eyes were always sparkling and he was quite charming. But Jin Starck… he looked like he had no reason to smile about.

  “Does… Jin Starck always look like that?” Julianne asked her brother.

  “Like what? Like he’s always on a warpath?”

  Julianne nodded.

  “Pretty much. I only met him a couple of years ago. And yeah, he’s not a particularly jolly fellow.”

  “He didn’t look… happy.”

  “He’s about to volunteer himself to a life of leg-shackling, what do you expect?” Gian laughed.

  “Where is Vanessa Bernard?”

  Gian scanned the room for a moment. Then he pointed to a woman in the center, surrounded by three other women. She was laughing and looked like she was having the time of her life. Julianne realized that she’d seen her before—the bitch in the bathroom who measured her from head to toe.

  She hasn’t met me yet and she already hated me. What if she finds out about my past with her fiancé? What about when they find out about Jared’s connection to Jin?

  Her thoughts were interrupted when the singer of the band called Adrienne’s mother. Arianna Starck stood in the middle of the stage, clutching the microphone to her chest.

  The she began her speech. “Tonight is a very special night for me. Indeed, I have lived a very colorful life. I am blessed with a wonderful family. My husband, Pierre… you have been my best friend from the moment I met you. You’ve helped me overcome all my obstacles from day one. I am so lucky to be in love with a man who’s not only my partner in life, but also my
partner in crime. I love you so much. Forever, my love…”

  There was a round of applause.

  “To Adrienne, my lovely daughter. I thank God every day that He brought you back into our lives. I cherish every moment we spend together. In you, I see myself many years ago. And I am so thankful that like me, you also are married to a man whose love for you is immeasurable. Justin, you are like a son to me. You know that I have chosen you for my lovely daughter from the moment she was born. I couldn’t have wished for a better son-in-law.”

  There was applause again.

  “To my grandchildren, who keep me young and happy every day. I thank the heavens for giving you to me. Jeffrey. Jaeden. Jaelynn…”

  Jared.

  Julianne thought her heart instantly broke at that moment. Tears peered through her eyes as she realized that this was her son’s family too. His own flesh and blood.

  Julianne’s parents couldn’t accept Jared. And now, his grandparents from the other side didn’t even know he existed.

  Julianne blinked back her tears and took a heavy breath, careful not to let her brother notice her misery.

  “Finally, to my son, Jin Adrien. You have been a very responsible man from the beginning. At a young age, you have taken reigns to our family business. You are very serious about life and I want you to know that you deserve happiness more than anyone. You will be embarking on a new journey and you know that you have your family’s full support. We will always stand by you in every decision you make. Good luck tonight, my love.”

  There was a louder applause. It seemed that everybody in appearance knew that this was Jin Starck’s night to propose to Vanessa Bernard.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to give the floor to my son, Jin Starck.”

  Everybody cheered while Jin slowly walked to the stage. Julianne watched him nervously, her heart pounding inside her chest.

  This is it. You’re going to watch the man you once loved propose to another woman.

  Julianne bit her lip to prevent herself from bawling.

  I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t be here.

  Jin was holding on to the microphone tightly. He was scanning the room, as if he was looking for someone. Vanessa Bernard smoothed her dress and hair, in anticipation of Jin’s proposal.

  Everybody waited for Jin to say something. But almost a minute had passed and he still didn’t utter a word.

  “Oh my God, this is getting embarrassing,” Gian said, but it was obvious he was on the verge of laughing. “Come on, dude. Say something.”

  Another minute passed and Jin still hadn’t said a word.

  “Anything!” Gian was getting frustrated too. Julianne clutched her brother’s arm as she braced herself for the words that Jin Starck was about to say.

  Finally, Jin took a deep breath and spoke, “I would like to congratulate my mother for a very successful book launch. Once again, she’s on the bestsellers’ list. If it’s not her, it’s actually my sister. I guess this family has always been inspired by romance. It’s built on love and happily ever afters.” People around the room clapped.

  Then Jin cleared his throat and continued, “I once believed that fairy tale romances and happy-ever-afters did exist in real life. I believed that there existed a love that can consume you… make your heart flutter in one second and break it in the next. I even believed in love at first sight. I believed that there can be only one soul meant for each of us. And if you find it, never let it go. Hold on to it. Cherish it.”

  There were cheers from the crowd. Vanessa smiled wildly.

  In fairness, that wasn’t a bad opening line for a proposal.

  And somehow, Julianne couldn’t help the feeling of her heart sinking.

  “I was once a fool for love too. I believed in giving your everything to one person and hope that person gives her everything back to you. And things will be built in perfection.”

  Jin Starck suddenly looked up to the balcony. Julianne was sure he was looking at her. She took a tiny step back, in an attempt to hide herself behind her brother’s back.

  “But that’s just… bull, isn’t it?” Jin muttered. His voice was low, but it was serious and thick with emotions. The room suddenly disappeared and Julianne felt that they were alone. The words he was speaking was directed at her.

  “Love can not only consume you. It can break you. Tear you apart. It can eat away all hopes for happiness that you may have. And in the end, you shouldn’t entrust yourself to another human being. You’re on your own. It’s better not to put your heart in anybody’s hand for they may surely crush it.”

  No cheers from the crowd. They were all in awe of the words that Jin was saying.

  “That speech isn’t exactly proposal-material,” Gian whispered.

  Jin tore his gaze from her. He turned to the crowd. “If you want to believe in fairy tale romances again, they still exist. In books. In fiction. So those of you who still haven’t grabbed a copy of my Mom’s book, Romancing Destiny, please head out to the bookstores now.”

  He then to turned to his mother, who looked quite stunned on the side of the stage. “Mother, thank you very much for all your love and everything you’ve taught me. You’ve raised me well. Dad, you’ve taught me well on how to handle our business. I promise you, Starck Corp will be at the top of this game under my reign. It may not happen today. But I promise you, it will happen in the future.” Pierre Starck raised his glass to his son.

  Jin turned to the crowd and raised his glass, “To the future.”

  “To the future,” the crowd said and they all drank their champagnes. All except Vanessa Bernard, who was looking impatient in her seat.

  After finishing his champagne, Jin went to his parents and kissed them. Then he walked down the stage towards Adrienne and Justin.

  “Okay. What just happened?” Gian asked. He too was dumbfounded.

  There was a huge commotion in the room now. People were abuzz. Vanessa looked upset in her seat. Arianna and Pierre Starck looked aghast.

  “He did not propose! He was supposed to propose, wasn’t he?” Gian asked. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know, Gian,” Julianne replied. “And I don’t care, really. I just met these people. Meanwhile, my son is waiting for me upstairs. Can you please escort me to my room?”

  “Oh, okay. I’m sure Adrienne will fill us in with all the details.”

  I need to get out of here. Not just in this hotel. But in this city!

  Julianne felt desperate now. She needed time to figure things out. She was certain that she would face Jin Starck once again, but she needed to compose herself first. She needed to think straight and plan ahead.

  God, what if he realizes that Jared is his son?

  She could almost taste panic in her mouth.

  Jin was already quite fond of Jared. He’s been calling the boy almost every other day.

  What if he realizes that his resemblance to Jared was no coincidence?

  Adrienne painted Jin as a very formidable man, who always got what he wanted. He was heartless. And tonight, he looked like he was ready to murder her.

  What if he realizes that he was Jared’s father and takes him away from her?

  Oh God! Please no!

  Julianne fought the urge to cry at the thought.

  Desperate for an escape, she dialed River’s number as soon as she entered her hotel room.

  “Make up an emergency and I will owe you a huge favor,” she said. She didn’t know why she called River for this, but it was too late to hang up the phone now.

  “Um, wh-what type of emergency?” River asked on the other end of the line.

  “Something that will make Justin send me on the flight back to Chicago in an hour.”

  There was silence on the other line. Then River said, “I will do it. But I will need an explanation later.”

  Julianne sighed. “Okay. Deal.”

  “See? I told you I’m your best friend,” River said chuckling. “See you soon.”

&n
bsp; Fifteen minutes later, Adrienne came barging into Julianne’s room, with Justin on her trail.

  “I don’t know what just happened!” Adrienne said. “Jin must be out of his mind!”

  “Well, it’s easy to change your mind about something your heart is not really into,” Justin pointed out.

  “The Bernards were quite upset. It’s not like Jin to do this. They were already expecting a proposal. Everybody in attendance was!”

  “Well, I suppose he could just have proposed and then broke it off later,” Justin said, pouring himself some wine. “At least to save the girl from embarrassment.”

  Justin’s phone rang. He turned around to pick it up.

  Julianne removed her sandals and slowly started packing her important stuff without Adrienne noticing. She was already preparing for her escape.

  “This is embarrassing. How could Jin suddenly change his mind on this? Vanessa must be crushed.”

  “Well, he’s always been quite ruthless. He doesn’t care much about women’s feelings. Why would Vanessa Bernard be any different?” Gian asked.

  “I know. But even my parents expected it. Mom gave him the ring as soon he came into the ballroom. He said he knows what to do with it already and we have nothing to worry about. Then… he just… bailed?”

  “I was there too, Yen. I was waiting for his proposal in the middle of that ridiculously bitter speech!” Gian agreed.

  “I know! And what’s that crap he said about believing in fairy tales once and then saying it’s all just bull?”

  “He decided to promote your mother’s book instead of proposing to Vanessa. I think he did quite well with that speech.” Gian laughed.

  “This is crazy!”

  “He came up to you after the speech. What did he say?” Gian asked.

  “He just kissed my forehead and said he loves me and he’s quite thankful that I’m his sister. Then he walked out of the room.”

  Julianne only half-listened to the conversation. No matter how interested she was, her eminent escape was more important. Justin, on the other hand, was looking upset in the corner of the room and she knew he was talking to River and listening to his made-up disaster that would soon require her attention.

  Justin finished his phone call, looking frustrated. “Ian, I am sorry. We have a huge problem with our shipment in Italy,” he said.