Neon Lights

THIRTY ONE

"The four Laws of Power,  as presented to you by the daughter of a literal criminal mastermind" I clicked on the first slide, he did the cute thing with his shirt.

Alexander Moon Ga asking for a power 101 from me was funny enough- he was a chaebol and for all my family history I'd never held that much power in my hands but for him to remind me earlier that morning he needed the presentation was, ethereal. While Gul had been raised within the fanily to be the next heir Alexander had been cast outside to nannies and boarding schools, he knew enough to say the right things to the press and board meetings but never enough to run an empire. I didn't know, either- but I knew more about power than he did- the golden child of what was one of the most ruthless Heads of the Family, raised to take over some day. It'd taken me a few hours to complete making the slideshow and that he was paying actual attention mattered to me.

There were four pillars to power- Lorenzo had taught me this- a team, fear and respect, illusion and grandiose and hands on skills. It was this simple and this conplicated- and while in the Family establishing these was done by duels and a constitution,  the Moon Ga world was different. New. Uncharted,  for us both.

The presentation took an hour or more, give or take- he asked questions that I was surprised to have easy answers to- when it came to it I was Lorenzo's daughter,  I'd lived one and I'd die one, there was no killing that part of me. He was wonderfully curious, I was surprisingly knowledgeable and yes he'd been right- this is what I was born for, strategy and blades. We had a coffee break and moved to the drawing board, presentation was over, it was scheming time.

I was good at this, too good, and he looked at me like I was the best thing to ever happen to him. He'd allowed me as much information as he could, I'd spent hours analyzing, watching through, coming up with the perfect teams by data, with schedules and dates. Hours, it took hours into midnight to, as he put it, prep him for the throne.

"What were your parents like?"

It was the first time he'd asked about my personal life, I happily indulged him.

"My father was a force of nature. He was the type to walk in and all heads turn, the type that commanded attention by breathing. My mother, I don't know. She preferred white powder to people, including me"

"Golden Child?"

"Well to my father I was basically the only. He loved me as much as a man like him could love, I don't know if my mother even knew I existed. To the Family, no. I was the next , leader? That wasn't always a good thing to most people. I went through a lot"

He nod, the stars twinkled in the horizon and I curled into him. We were snuggled in my bed, curtains drawn for the floor to ceiling windows to allow light in and we both smelled like him. I'd never gotten used to it- being in his arms like this- but I liked it. He swallowed me into his build, much bigger, and I nested into him like a little bird. He was warm and I liked it. He was- and I liked it.

"My dad hated me and my mom ordered a hit in the name of love."

I smiled "we won the lottery with our parents."

He nod, his chin brushed my cheek, I liked it.

"Make free time on my schedule, let's go back to the beachouse"

"Maybe in three months, you spent all your available free time today."

He groaned, I thought it was cute

"Thank you to Laila for ordering that hit, it led us here."

I nod. We watched, in silence. This is how it would be between us, till the end. We weren't used to constant company, days together would kill us, I'd see him in the office then drive back home- I had a little apartment in the city for this- when he was free enough we'd spend as much time as possible. Sometimes , when he needed me, he'd call me at wee hours and we'd spend minutes listening to each other's silence. Sometimes he'd call me as my boss, I'd reply as his PA and we'd go on with our lives. Sometimes he dragged me into meetings to 'take notes', then we'd gossip everyone we decided we didn't like and assess the information together. It was something akin to a secret relationship,  one that worked- the press too focused on the child that he'd promised to care for in private and his broken engagement.

Nights after that, months, he stopped needing to call me for every
inconvenience and challenge, he'd learned to solve them and I liked him for that. I had my wrist tattooed and favored open finger gloves, spent more time with the gang and stolen nights with him, days in skirts playing PA. He established himself, beautifully, Laila would be so proud- in months the Moon Ga Group was back to the Woo days glory, which means he got busier, which meant stealing cuddles at the back of his car and a lot of jet rides. It felt- surreal- like I was alive, like I was on top of the world. It was final year for Sara and Kenji- I did get them those internships and jobs at the Moon Ga because why else would I fraternize with the boss? Nepotism. Liam, Jun and I had one more year to go, we made a show of hating on the graduates but threw them the party they deserved. They spent nights in my apartment, I in theirs and Alexander and I, like the creatures of the night that we were- found our space between car backseats and the House in the city and sometimes,  when he felt bold enough- his office in really late nights. It was enough for us to stay cuddled up, or watching him paint, or teaching him to cook more than beef stew. Or simply watching the sky, finding new ways to be , together. He let me live for him and I let him love through me.  It was, good. Life was as good as it could get, which meant the only way to go from there was down.

Alexander Moon Ga kissed me- the first time- on the night he got re- engaged to Li A-Ra.

I wasn't mad about it, our relationship hadn't been like that- and I knew this would be the end. This was how it was always meant to be- he'd marry for business and produce the next Moon Gas. He told me after it'd happened, I congratulated him. It was engagement,  not marriage- but when they said their vows we'd have to cut ties like this. I'd always be his friend- but reality was reality and this was reality. He'd postpone the wedding till my time was up. I smiled at that, it was the best he could do and I appreciated that.

We'd been, cuddly, over our situationship- fully clothed. The comfort of companionship had been enough for us, and when he had to leave because 'biology things' I nod and thought nothing of it. He hadn't tried to kiss me, once, and I'd been fine with that.

This night, fingers over the back of my neck and his breath warming my skin- he let his lips take mine between them- slowly, softly. I'm not one to describe this kind of thing- really- but I can tell you it was, warm. Heady, it made me dizzy, the way he moved with me, so delicately, so softly, so- painfully. Like he'd die if he didn't. Like everything hinged on this one moment, with his fingers in my hair and his body solid and rigid against me- so warm. I didn't kiss him back, this felt like something he needed to say, I listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat under my fingertips,  he said what he needed to say with the movement of his chin and I listened. I heard him, I always heard him. He was my Alexander,  how could I not? He lay his chin on my shoulder and I held him, his tears spotting my dress.

"You should've married me. You should've done the dumb thing and married me"

I traced the lines of his shoulder blades, my beautiful man.

"I'm spending my forever with you. For you, you're getting the rest of my life. That's the best I could do, love. "

"I want it to be you. Why can't it be you?"

I combed my fingers through his hair- he had this. He'd get used to it, if he gave her a chance, they could be something okay if not happy. He'd get used to going to bed with her, they'd raise a family together, they'd be partners. Open mind, he could do this.

"I don't know what I'll do, when you're gone"

"You'll be alright. You have everything you need"

"All I need is you"

I asked if oxygen was a joke to him. He chuckled, his lips found mine again and this time I wrapped my arms over his neck, kissed him back. He whispered my name between us, I swallowed every sound we made and the Moon sunk with his teeth on my skin- I did beg for more. He gave it, generously, painfully, blissfully.

I was so in love it was stupid.

He didn't leave my bed the day after. Or the night. I chased him out with the morning light, he said he'd have me evicted.

He gave me this look- getting in his car- this look that told me he knew like I knew.

This was the end. This had to be the end.