The Billionaire and the Runaway Bride

by Nadia Lee

  “Really?” I cut ties with them weeks ago and haven’t heard anything since. But then, I had their numbers blocked, and Benedict’s been swamped.

  “Yep. They were working at some charity, and decided the money to help the poor was there for the taking. A quick audit discovered it. Was fairly simple.”

  From the way her eyes are gleaming, I have a feeling she had something to do with the process. Maybe tipped the organization off. I have nothing against that—they both deserve to go to jail if they stole from people they were supposed to be helping.

  Since I don’t want to waste time thinking about them, I ask, “How many wedding catalogues did your mom mail us?”

  “Only three, which isn’t too bad. Came with some fabric samples, too. But I’m feeling lightheaded, so I need to rest for half an hour.”

  “Did you have anything for lunch?” She only had a small bowl of yogurt for breakfast. And she’s been very light with lunch too in the last couple of weeks.

  “I had a fruit salad,” she says, then sighs.

  I shake my head with mild exasperation. “I think you need more than that for lunch.”

  She looks up at me, wearing a pitiable expression that reminds me of a sad little puppy. “But I can’t. I’ve been busy.”

  “Why? I thought your mom’s army of assistants is doing the bulk of the work.”

  “But I have to pick out furniture and stuff.”

  “Furniture? For what?” I frown a little. As far as I know, she doesn’t have anything to furnish, and we aren’t buying a new home… Are we?

  “To furnish this house.”

  I look around a little. “Is there something wrong with the furniture we have? Actually, the more important question is, do you have to do that right now?”

  “It’s part of the wedding for a bride to bring new furniture and appliances for the home,” she says like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “When Eugene got married, his wife brought four trucks’ worth.”

  I laugh a little. “I don’t want four trucks’ worth of stuff. I just want you to relax and be happy. If you don’t like what we have, we can replace it after the wedding, not right now. Okay?”

  She nods.

  “Now that we’ve got that sorted out, can I please get you something to eat?”

  “No. I need to lose at least five more kilograms.”

  “Uh…what?”

  “Five kilos. That’s like a little over ten pounds. Cameras add twenty. I don’t want to look like bread dough in our wedding photos.”

  I shake my head. “Yuna, where are you going to find ten pounds to lose? And you’re perfect no matter what because you’re you. If you continue to diet and get smaller and smaller, I’m not even going to be able to see you on our wedding day because you’re just going to vanish.”

  She laughs. “No, I’m not.”

  “Oh yeah. I want my woman happy, not lightheaded. And if you’re worried about some mythical twenty pounds the cameras are going to add, I’ll show you how to pose so you look fabulous from every angle.”

  She looks skeptical.

  “I’m a model, babe. If there’s one thing I know, it’s posing for the camera. It’s all in the angles.”

  She nods. “Okay. Then…can I have a cheeseburger with fries?”

  I laugh. “Yes.”

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Yuna

  “Oh my God, why am I nervous?” I say, clenching and unclenching my trembling hands.

  “Because you’re too excited?” Pascal is watching me with a pleased smile.

  “You look like a fairytale princess,” Ivy says.

  “And that dress is to die for.” Jo sighs. “Declan’s going to fall in love with you all over again when he sees you.”

  The Monique Lhuillier wedding gown is divine. Mom got it for me, and it’s perfect. But then, she knows what I like. She also rented a giant yacht for the wedding, complete with helipad, so we can have a three-day Pacific cruise to nowhere to celebrate the occasion with our friends after it’s done.

  Right now, Mom and Dad and Eugene are busy greeting the guests. At least half are influential Koreans from our social circle, and my family’s handling them.

  I look at myself in the mirror in the huge cabin reserved for my use. My makeup is perfect, but it’s my eyes that shine like polished gemstones. I smile as happiness flutters in my belly.

  A photographer comes over and asks us girls to pose together for a photo.

  We do. No way am I going to not have enough photos to relive this day for the rest of my life.

  “I’m going to head out and get ready,” Ivy says. She’s playing the music for the ceremony.

  I hug her, happy she’s here and an integral part of the ceremony. “Thanks.”

  A few minutes after Ivy leaves, Nate sticks his head into the room. “Holy shit, Yuna. You are the bomb. Wow.”

  “Thank you!” I grin, thrilled. I’ve worked hard to look fabulous for the wedding.

  “Declan’s a lucky bastard. Anyway, it’s time. Your dad just stepped into the elevator.”

  I stand and go out with Nate escorting me. As we reach the elevator bank, the door opens and Dad’s inside waiting.

  “Yuna, my precious.”

  “Dad.” I smile and step inside, laying a hand on his arm. Ms. Kim helps with the train.

  The elevator moves back up to the upper deck, where the ceremony is taking place. Dad pats my hand.

  “Don’t forget, Yuna. No matter what, you’re my beloved child, and I’m on your side. You have the entire family behind you.”

  I lay my head on his solid shoulder briefly. Dad said the same thing last week too. He’s just nervous about having me move so far away. “I know. But don’t worry. Declan’s going to be wonderful.”

  When we reach the deck, I see Declan standing at the altar. He takes my breath away, stunning in his black tuxedo.

  Ivy starts “Here comes the Bride.”

  I take my first step toward Declan—to our shared future.

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  Declan

  –two years later

  I stand in the living room and stare out at the rising sun. I asked Yuna to come join me, but she told me she wanted to snooze for five more minutes.

  The Pacific at dawn is gorgeous. And the sun ascending in the sky is stunning, all that pale light piercing the dark blue vault of heaven.

  Something moves rapidly through the gold, orange and purple clouds. I squint. It’s faster than any bird and moves with an odd serpentine motion…

  Then I see something even weirder. It’s coming straight for me!

  Shit.

  I freeze, unable to run. I put my arms up in front of my face in a defensive gesture. But the window doesn’t shatter. Instead, something soft and cuddly bumps into me.

  I open my eyes and see a small pearlescent white dragon looking up at me, its wide, dark eyes intelligent and bright. I hug it out of reflex.

  “Hi,” I say.

  The dragon blinks. Damn, it’s cute!

  It puffs a breath and flaps its wings a couple of times. Then its gaze catches something beyond my shoulder. Yuna’s coming down the steps to join me, still in her nightgown.

  The dragon wriggles out of my hands and lunges toward Yuna with a loud cry. I don’t try to stop it because I can sense that it isn’t going to hurt her.

  Before I can see Yuna’s reaction, another dragon bumps into my chest and squeals. It’s pink, and it flutters its eyes sweetly.

  “You are simply too cute,” I say.

  The dragon grins, showing me little fangs. Then it leaps out of my arms and flies to Yuna, who laughs.

  “What are we going to name them?” she asks.

  “I don’t know.” I don’t want to pick just any two names.

  “Oh, oh, I have the best ones!” She snaps her fingers. “We should—”

  My phone alarm goes off, making it impossible for me to hear what she’s saying.

  “What?
” I ask.

  She starts to say it again, but then my damn alarm goes off again. Argh!

  “Declan, wake up.” Yuna’s voice penetrates my senses.

  “No, wait, you have to tell me…” I mumble, my eyes still closed.

  “Tell you what?”

  I open my eyes and see the view of the late-morning ocean. I’m on a couch. Must’ve fallen asleep after breakfast. “Oh, wow.” I sit up and shake my head a little. “Damn it, it was a dream.”

  “What kind of dream?” Yuna asks, looking at me from an armchair.

  “A silly one. Dragons flying inside our home without breaking the glass.”

  “Dragons?” She raises both eyebrows. “Inside our home?”

  “Well, they were small. I know, it doesn’t really follow.”

  “I don’t think dreams have to obey the laws of physics.” She picks up a slice of lemon from a plate balanced on her knee and sucks on the fruit.

  “Isn’t that super tart?” My face scrunches as I imagine what it must taste like.

  “Actually, it’s quite refreshing. I love it.” She smiles.

  Women love the weirdest things.

  “You ready for our video chat with Mom and Dad?” she says.

  Yuna’s parents can’t visit this summer, so we’re doing a Zoom call instead.

  We join the conference call. Her parents are already there, seated in their living room together. “Yuna! Declan!” Her mom waves.

  “You look a little sleepy,” her dad says.

  “Yes. I fell asleep before the call, but I’m awake now,” I say with a smile.

  Yuna sucks another slice of lemon.

  “So when is your next movie? I’m going to give free tickets to all of our employees and their families so they can go see it,” he says.

  I smile at his enthusiasm. He did that when my first movie came out. It did well, and I’m grateful for his support. “I don’t know yet, but I’ll let you know when I do.”

  “Tell us all about how you’ve been,” Yuna’s mom says. “You’ve been eating well? Sleeping well?”

  “I’ve been a little tired. I think I need to eat more fruit and vegetables,” Yuna says. “I’m craving citrus.”

  “Vitamin C deficiency.” Yuna’s dad frowns. “I’ll have Mr. Park send you some good hanyak, Yuna.”

  I shudder in pity. Hanyak is a traditional Korean herbal medicine, and is so bitter I almost literally can’t swallow the stuff. But her mom brought it last winter for both of us, then made us drink it every day for two months, saying it would help with creating the next generation. I didn’t have the heart to tell her science disagrees. A sperm has to meet an egg. Putting a father-to-be through inhuman torture for two months won’t do it.

  “Okay. Thank you,” Yuna says calmly.

  “So. Are you seeing anything unusual in your dreams?” Yuna’s mom asks.

  “No. I don’t think I’m dreaming these days. And if I do, I don’t remember,” Yuna says.

  Her mom looks thoroughly disappointed for some reason.

  And I hate seeing her let down. “I had a dream. A couple of dragons.”

  “Dragons!” Yuna’s mom lets out an actual squeal, something I never imagined she’d do.

  Yuna’s dad leans forward until his face takes up at least three-quarters of the screen. “Dragons! How many?”

  “Uh… Two? One white and one pink. They flew into my arms, then went to Yuna.”

  Yuna’s mom says something in Korean. I don’t understand it, but it seems like she’s very excited.

  “What’s the deal?” I say.

  “It’s a taemong!” she half shrieks.

  “A what mong?”

  “A birth dream, which you have when you’re pregnant or about to be.” Yuna explains it because her parents are too busy laughing and crying and hugging each other to tell me. “Traditionally it features something auspicious. Dragons definitely count. And two probably means twins, although I’m not a hundred percent sure because I don’t interpret dreams like this.”

  “When was your last…lady’s week?” Yuna’s mom asks.

  Lady’s week?

  “Um…” Yuna thinks for a moment. “Oh… It’s been two months!”

  Now Yuna’s mom and dad are hugging and jumping up and down like they just won Olympic gold medals.

  And my own heart is doing a massive cartwheel. “Oh my God. We’re pregnant.” I stare at the lemon she’s sucking on. “Of course!”

  Yuna’s mouth parts, as though it’s finally dawning on her. “We’re going to be parents,” she whispers, excitement sparkling in her eyes.

  “We are!” Letting out a loud whoop, I hug her tightly, with love. I have everything I could ever want in my arms.

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  Yuna

  –twenty-some years ago

  I’m so bored! Daddy is busy with some kind of meeting with American businesspeople, Mommy’s shopping with Ms. Lim and Ms. Go, and Eugene’s busy playing a video game.

  TV is boring, too. It’s all English. I don’t understand most of it. And I’ve been taking English lessons for three whole years! Eugene says it’s because I’m just a baby, which made me want to kick him. He speaks better than me because he’s had lessons for six years. That’s twice as long as me!

  So I sneak out of the suite and look for something to do at the hotel. I stare up at all the tall Americans. Their eyes and hair are so colorful.

  I wander around until I find a baby grand piano in a really big room. Nobody’s there, so I go over and open the lid. Then I sit on the bench and warm up with some scales.

  Then I play Schubert’s Impromptu Opus 90 Number 2, which I just mastered. The notes flow out, my hands moving fast. I have to be more creative with the pedal to compensate for my small hands and fingers.

  When I’m done, I smile. I didn’t mess up even once. And I played it at tempo, too.

  Somebody claps from behind me. I turn around and see a handsome American boy. He’s older, but I can’t tell if he’s older than my brother. Maybe not. He has dark hair, but not black like Eugene. And his eyes are…gray? Very different from anyone back home.

  “That was good,” he says.

  The compliment makes me feel buoyant enough to float in the air. “Thank you!”

  “Can you play it again?” he asks with a hopeful smile.

  Wow! He wants an encore! Hehehe. Happy with the request, I nod. “Yes.”

  As I turn to the piano, the door to the room opens. Ms. Lim is standing on the other side. She steps inside and sags a little.

  “Thank God you’re here, Ms. Hae,” she says in very polite Korean.

  “Where else would I be?” I say.

  “Your mother’s very worried about you. We need to go now.”

  I hesitate. I don’t really want to go. But I don’t want to make Mommy worry more, either.

  I turn to the boy. “I have to go,” I say in careful English, making sure to pronounce everything correctly. I wave goodbye.

  “Oh.” He looks disappointed, but he waves back.

  I hate seeing him let down. As Ms. Lim leads me away, I look at him over a shoulder and say, “But if I see you later, I’ll play Schubert for you again.”

  His expression doesn’t change, so I don’t know if he heard me. But I do hope I run into him again sometime.

  ——

  Thank you for reading The Billionaire and the Runaway Bride! I hope you enjoyed Yuna and Declan’s story.

  If you’d like a special bonus epilogue featuring more of Yuna and Declan, join my VIP List at http://www.nadialee.net/vip to get an exclusive launch-week epilogue. You’ll also receive other extras, sneak peeks, new book announcements, sales information and more!

  You might be thinking, Hey, I really want to know more about Yuna’s awesome friends!

  Then check out the following stories (in chronological order):

  Ryder and Paige:

  A Hollywood Deal [US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]

&nb
sp; A Hollywood Bride [US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]

  Ivy and Tony:

  Sins [US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]

  Secrets [US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]

  Mercy [US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]

  Court and Pascal:

  Stealing the Bride [US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]

  Nate and Evie:

  Marrying My Billionaire Boss [US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]

  Kim and Wyatt:

  Faking It with the Frenemy [US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]

  Edgar and Jo:

  Marrying My Billionaire Hookup [US :: UK :: Canada :: Australia]

  Turn the page for additional cultural notes (mentioned in the preface).

  Cultural Notes

  Note 1: The Envelopes

  “Leave my (son/daughter/boyfriend/girlfriend/fiance/fiancee)” is a classic scene in Korean chaebol or billionaire romances, especially when the heroine isn’t from a similar background. It can also happen when the guy isn’t rich. It usually involves throwing water at the other person and/or throwing an envelope with a cashier’s check inside. Sometimes the envelope contains the deed to a piece of real estate (usually a building in Seoul). The payoff is almost always in a white envelope.

  Note 2: Initials in Media

  In Korea, almost all media reports use initials. It’s because the bar for winning a defamation lawsuit is incredibly low in Korea. You can say the truth and still lose a defamation lawsuit.

  For example, a few years ago, a married man had an affair with a female coworker, a woman who knew the man was married with children. When the man’s wife found out, she filed for divorce and sent a huge cake in a clear box that read: “Happy birthday, Adulteress!” to the coworker at work. (FYI - Adultery is heavily frowned upon in Korea, to the point that it can work against you professionally. For example, you may not be chosen for promotions or special projects, your colleagues may not want to associate with you, etc.)

  The coworker sued the wife for defamation and won 1,000,000 Korean won in damages. However, the wife also sued the coworker for pain and suffering due to the adultery and won 8,000,000 Korean won in damages.