by Alexia Praks
Jane bustled in then, her blond hair flying around everywhere, her glasses haphazardly perched on her nose. Melissa snorted and wanted to laugh out loud at Jane’s unpleasant appearance. Sakura noticed and scowled darkly at the assistant.
“Hey, Ned,” Jane greeted, nudging up her glasses.
“Morning, Jane,” Ned replied. “Look after that one, won’t you? She could be quite wild and get into all sorts of mess. Should keep her under lock and chain, if you ask me.”
Lock and chain? On Sakura? Not a bad idea, Melissa thought. That one deserved to be imprisoned in a dark cell where no man would ever be able to lay eyes on her.
Yes, Melissa was envious of Sakura Tanaka. So envious in fact that sometimes she couldn’t even stand the thought of standing next to the oriental beauty.
Sakura said, “If I’m wild, then it’s all your fault.” She turned to Jane. “Let’s go. I don’t want you to be late for work.”
Jane nodded and said farewell to Ned, ignoring Melissa completely. As they headed out of the gallery into the beautiful spring morning outside, Jane said, “I don’t like your sales assistant.”
Sakura replied lightly, “Me either. But I had no choice at the time, since Megan left three months ago. I hope she’ll be back soon. I miss her.”
“Me, too,” Jane said. “I miss her cakes more, though.”
Sakura laughed. “You and your cakes.”
Jane giggled and nudged her glasses up her nose again.
Sakura noticed and said, “You know, you always look so uncomfortable wearing your glasses. Why don’t you go see an optometrist and ask for contacts instead?”
Jane raised her hand for a taxi. “I do have contacts,” she said as the car came to a stop before them. The girls slid in and put on their seatbelts.
“Then why don’t you wear them?” Sakura couldn’t help asking.
Jane turned to the driver and told him where to go and then turned back to her friend. “You think I should?”
“You have beautiful eyes, Jane. You should show them off more often.”
“Really?” Jane wasn’t so sure about that.
“Thanks for letting me tag along,” Sakura said.
“Thanks for offering to help,” Jane replied.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the Princeton Hotel, and the girls couldn’t help gasping in awe. People! There were people everywhere. People going in and coming out of the hotel, staff going about their jobs, backstage people lifting equipment from trucks, etc. It was loud and noisy and very busy.
Jane quickly got out of the taxi, followed by Sakura, whose eyes widened in anticipation. She’d never been to a fashion show before, and this first encounter really impressed her. She was amazed and greatly enjoyed herself observing her surroundings. Jane grabbed her arm and quickly dragged her to the front entrance.
Sakura was even more impressed once they were inside the main lobby. It literally took her breath away. Though outside the building was quite modern, inside was designed and decorated in a French-Georgian classical style with massive Greek-like columns. The walls and ceilings were designed and embossed with colorful gods, goddesses, and fairies. The floor was made of marble—cleaned, shiny, and very colorful. The main reception area was exquisite. The desk where eight receptionists stood was long and masculine and made of green and red marble. It also had the words Princeton Hotel embossed on it in big, bold lettering along with the company logo PG, which stood for Princeton Group, intertwining with each other.
It was even more crowded and busy in here than outside, with guests, staff, and other assorted people going about their business. Sakura was momentarily taken by surprise, and Jane had to nudge her to get her attention.
“Jane! Sakura!” they heard Luke shout from the distance.
The girls spotted him by the lounge, frantically waving at them.
“Luke,” Sakura said the moment they reached him. “What are you doing here?”
Luke’s eyes were bright as he gazed at Sakura. She was especially beautiful today, with her long hair down, her face flawless, and her clothing immaculate. He chuckled at the question, wondering if he should tell her his boss was actually Sebastian Princeton, one of the owners of this high-end hotel chain.
“Helping out as usual,” Jane remarked sourly. “Part of his job description.”
“Oh?” Sakura cocked her head to one side, wondering what type of job that was.
Jane grabbed Sakura’s arm again and dragged her off. “Sorry, Luke, we’re in a hurry.”
“See you later,” Sakura said, giving him a smile as they walked away.
Luke cherished that smile. He watched as the girls disappeared around the corner and out of his sight. He was about to follow them and suggest they have dinner tonight after work when he saw the Princeton brothers arriving through the front door.
* * * * *
The moment the six Princeton brothers stepped into the main lobby, the world stopped. Well, at least every person in the lobby had stopped what he was doing and simply stared in awe at the brothers. They were a sight to behold all right. The atmosphere was like that of a famous celebrity unexpectedly walking into a room, and indeed, the Princeton brothers were the celebrities in the business world.
Nicolas and Sebastian walked ahead, followed by Conrad, Hayden, Tristan, and Logan. They all were dressed immaculately in Armani suits. As they strode confidently across the length of the floor, every female in the lobby couldn’t help but gawk at the six handsome young men, praying they’d be the one to catch the men’s eyes, if only for a brief moment.
Logan chose that moment to wink at a few of the rich, pretty female guests, while Tristan, being the flirty one, blew a few kisses to a few of the females waving at them and giggling away excitedly.
Luke rushed up to them and politely greeted them.
“Luke,” Sebastian said the moment he spotted his PA. “Sorry to drag you into this, man, but we are very shorthanded. Your job is to look after the Suzuki family, Lady Haruka, and her nephew, Sosuke. Make sure they’re comfortable and get anything they want.”
“Of course,” Luke said, nodding. He understood his job perfectly. He was to be the Suzukis’ escort. After all, the Suzuki family was a very well-known noble and rich family from Japan, who owned the famous Jade Jewelry Corporation. They were renowned for their unique jewelry designs, and those were going to be in the show tonight, along with the famous designer Mr. Tachibana’s spring-summer collection.
“They should be arriving very soon,” Sebastian said, looking toward the door.
Nicolas checked his watch and said, “I’m having a quick meeting with Mr. Lloyd in my office in five minutes. Tell Sosuke I’m in my office when he arrives.”
Sebastian nodded, and Nicolas left them, walking briskly to the lift. Once Nicolas disappeared, Haruka, Sosuke, and Akira came through the front door. Sebastian paced over to them, along with his brothers and Luke.
“Sebastian-san,” Haruka greeted. “Ohayo.”
Sebastian bowed and his brothers followed suit.
“Ohayo,” Sebastian greeted.
“Sebastian-san, perhaps you should introduce your dear brother to us,” Akira suggested, smiling, sneaking a peek at Sosuke to see his reaction. She chuckled when she saw him frowning at her.
“Glad to,” Sebastian said and turned to his brothers. “This is Tristan, Logan, Hayden, and Conrad.”
Akira nodded and bowed her head to greet each one in turn.
“And this is Lady Haruka, her nephew Sosuke, who you’ve already met, and of course, Akira, Lady Haruka’s niece.”
Tristan took a step forward instantly and took Akira’s hand. “So glad to meet you, Akira,” he said.
Akira laughed, pleased. Sosuke scowled. Logan hid a smile. Sebastian shook his head. And Conrad looked heavenward, as if to say, There he goes again.
“This is Luke Hamilton,” Sebastian said. “He’ll be looking after you, Lady Haruka, Sosuke.”
“Thank you, Luk
e-san,” Haruka said, bowing her head politely at Luke.
Luke chuckled and bowed awkwardly.
“By the way, where’s Nicolas?” Sosuke asked.
“He’s up in his office,” Conrad supplied. “Said you should go and meet him there.”
“Thanks, Conrad-san,” Sosuke said. “Now if you all will excuse me.” He bowed and then headed toward the lift.
“Nicolas?” Akira said. “Is that your eldest brother, Sebastian-san?”
“Yes,” Sebastian replied.
“But he’s not as interesting as us,” Tristan put in, drawing Akira’s attention.
“He’s a bore,” Logan added, giving her a handsome smile.
Akira chuckled. “I’m not interested in boring men who are only interested in work.”
“Good for you, my dear,” Tristan said, winking at her.
During this time, on the other side of the lobby, Sosuke was just about to get into the lift when he bumped into somebody very hard as she was rushing out.
“I’m so sorry.”
Sosuke gained his composure and looked up. He sucked in his breath once he laid eyes on the exotic beauty with two different colored eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn’t as his brain was momentarily frozen.
The beauty politely smiled at him, thinking he might not have understood her considering the fact he looked rather foreign.
“What country are you from?” she asked.
Sosuke blinked. Did he really look that out of place here for her to have guessed he was a foreigner? He cleared his throat and said, “Japan.”
She seemed almost glad for him to have said that particular country. She bowed her head and said, “Moushiwake arimasen.”
Sosuke was impressed. She knew how to speak Japanese, and very well, too.
“Daijobuda yo,” he said, chuckling. “I can speak English just fine.”
The beauty lifted her head and blushed a becoming pink. Sosuke nearly choked on his breath, gazing at her. He’d always thought women with blond hair weren’t to his taste, but apparently that now had changed. And the fact that this woman wore two different contact lenses—one a sky blue and one an odd gray color, almost a pale lavender—only fascinated him even more.
“Then I’m sorry for bumping into you,” she said again, bowing her head. “I was in such a rush. I’m helping my friend out for the show, you see. She works backstage, and they’re shorthanded. It’s my first time, so I actually have no idea what I’m doing.” Then she laughed.
It was a beautiful laugh, and Sosuke found himself smiling at her with delight.
“Er,” he began, wanting to know what her name was.
“Here I am mumbling on about nonsense to you. Sorry about before, but I have to run,” she said and rushed off in the opposite direction.
Sosuke watched her pacing off, her heels clicking on the marble floor, her long hair swaying about her back as she rushed.
Back on the other side of the huge lobby, Akira said as she watched Sosuke walking into the lift, “Look at him, flirting with some blond while he tells me to stay put.” She turned to Tristan. “Do you think that’s fair?”
Tristan chuckled. “Nope. Not at all.”
“That blond looked familiar though,” Conrad said, cocking his head to one side. Even though she had her back to them and was a good distance away, he had the nagging feeling he’d seen her somewhere before. But for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out when and where.
“Well, I suppose I shan’t need looking after,” Akira said. “And I might have to hurry before Tachibana-sama gets upset with me being late for his show.” She turned to her aunty and gave her a tight hug. “I will see you after the show, Oba-chan.”
“Do your best, Akira-chan,” Haruka said softly.
“Yes,” Akira replied. Then she turned to the brothers. “Nice to meet you all.” She bowed at them, to which the brothers nodded back. Then she elegantly sailed away.
“That’s a model walk,” Tristan said to himself. He turned to Haruka. “Is she modeling for Mr. Tachibana?”
“Yes,” Haruka replied.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 5
Sebastian Princeton, Knight of Hearts
“Mr. Princeton, sir?”
Sebastian jolted back to reality with a start. He turned to look at the blond-haired, green-eyed woman with thick glasses addressing him.
“What is it?”
Jane Hamilton bit her lip and told herself to stop shaking so hard in front of the handsome billionaire who was scowling at her. She glanced up at him again, her eyes large. Oh shit! She shouldn’t have done that. He really did scare her, and she totally didn’t understand why every female in the world wanted to date him. Yes, he was very hot. Yes, he was very rich. And no, she didn’t find herself attracted to him in the very least, like every other female.
She took a deep breath and said, “Sir, I was told you wanted to inspect the stage.”
Sebastian sighed. He’d been in such deep thought moments ago that he’d forgotten about his request. Nicolas had asked him to inspect the stage, to make sure everything was fine. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings since they’d entered the hotel.
No, actually, he knew why. It was because of that blond woman Sosuke had bumped into when they arrived. Why had he found her so fascinating? Why couldn’t he stop himself from thinking about her? Even though she’d been at such a great distance from him. Even though he hadn’t at all seen her face. But her figure really did remind him of somebody. The long hair, though a pale golden-blond color, was also oddly familiar. Then there was the way in which she’d walked briskly away. It was her gait that attracted his attention. It was as if he’d seen that gait somewhere before, on someone he’d known very well.
God! Why couldn’t he get her out of his mind? The only woman who had ever done that to him was Sakura.
Suddenly, his heart ached.
Sakura! Sweetheart. Where are you?
“Sir?” Jane squeaked again.
Sebastian snapped his eyes to her. “Yes.”
“Should we go?” she asked meekly.
Sebastian nodded and strode ahead, leaving Jane to quietly follow him.
They came to the first floor and then into the great open space of the great hall where the show was going to take place. Staff were everywhere, setting up the scene, placing chairs along the rows, setting various equipment, and testing the lighting and sound.
“As you can see, sir, everything is going according to plan so far,” Jane said. “That’s our runway there.” She pointed to the long T-shaped raised platform in the middle of the great hall. There were bright white lights on all sides that would shine on the models as they did their catwalk, showing off the beautiful gowns and jewelry they wore.
“And the sound?” Sebastian asked.
“It’s good. It’s going to be classical Japanese music mixed with pop. I think it’s called Sakura Sakura.”
“What?” Sebastian snapped, turning his azure-blue eyes to Jane, his face tense.
Jane was taken by surprise by his abrupt query. She swallowed nervously and said, “It’s called Sakura Sakura.” Then she had to explain further, thinking he didn’t know or understand. “The song depicts springtime, when cherry blossoms bloom, sir.”
“Yes, of course. I know that,” Sebastian said. He took a deep breath then. Shit! Why was he in such a bad mood? Why was he so agitated?
Sakura. Her name kept ringing in his head. Sakura. Sakura. Sweetheart. Where are you?
“Please continue, Ms. Hamilton,” he said.
Jane blinked. Holy shit! He knew her name?
She cleared her throat. “Yes, of course, sir.”
She turned and led him to center stage. They were at the end of the raised runway when Jane’s phone insistently rang.
“Sorry, sir,” she said apologetically. She hastily turned on the phone. “Hello?”
“Jane, it’s me, Sakura.”
/>
Jane bit her lip and peeked up at Sebastian. “Where are you? Are you lost or something? Did you get that list from the wardrobe assistant?”
“I did. Where are you? I’m bringing it over.”
“I’m in the great hall on the first floor where the show is going to take place. Come quick. I have to get that list to Chris before he kills me.”
Jane heard her friend laugh. “It’s your fault, Jane. Now who said she’s very organized?”
“Don’t tease me. Not now. Please hurry.”
“All right. On my way.”
Jane sighed and hung up. “Sorry about that, sir. It was work.” She gave him another apologetic smile.
Sebastian simply nodded.
Jane phone rang again. She grunted under her breath. “Sorry, sir,” she said again to Sebastian.
“Take your time.” Sebastian turned and started walking away to inspect the stage.
Jane sighed in relief and turned her attention to her phone. “Yes?”
“Jane? Where the heck are you?”
Jane grunted under her breath. It was Adam Somerville, the backstage manager. After taking a frustrated sigh, she said nicely into the phone, “I’m with Mr. Princeton, Adam. What do you want?”
“Showing him around, are you? Why didn’t they ask me to do that instead?”
Jane thought he sounded pissed. He just loved to rub shoulders with the rich and famous. She took a bit of delight at the thought that he’d missed out.
“Did you want me for something?”
“Come backstage for a minute, will you? I need you here.”
“Okay. Be there in a few seconds.” She hung up and rushed to Sebastian, who was busy staring up at the lights.
“Sir?”
Sebastian turned to her. “Hmm?”
“I have to go backstage for a second. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time,” he replied, dismissing her.
Jane nodded and rushed away, her feet light.
Alone, Sebastian continued to look around him, though his mind was elsewhere.