"We are really sorry, Oye-ssi. We can't help you." The festival committee rejected him plainly.
"But I came here under your special invitation! You guys are responsible for me!" Oye gritted his teeth.
"The committee has already explained to you that your invitation has been canceled. We are willing to pay for your airline tickets." The staff from the festival committee said expressionlessly.
"HOW CAN YOU TREAT ME LIKE THIS!!!" Oye yelled.
"Oye-ssi, if you plan on creating a scene here, we will call the security." The staff threatened.
"YOU WILL CALL THE SECURITY ON ME?" Oye was completely enraged.
The staff quickly pressed a button and security arrived. They dragged Oye away and threw him out of the venue.
Oye glared at the glass door. "Just you wait! I will show you your place soon!"
Everything was going well for him until the scandal of him being a married woman's kept man resurfaced. The photos of him with that he had spent a fortune on to be destroyed were going viral on social media.
The festival committee had found out about it. As the majority of the members of the committee, this time were South Koreans, who loathed people involved in such scandals, like any other Asian did, the committee informed him that they were removing him from the special guest list.
The committee also withdrew his accommodation, food, and other expenses they were to pay for him to stay till the festival ended. They canceled the hotel room they booked for him and asked him to leave without any further pay.
Oye wasn't okay with the arrangement. Even though the committee was civil enough to let him stay till the evening and even pay for his flight tickets, he felt that they were being shitty for asking him to leave just like that.
He went to the festival committee office to convince them that all the scandals were rumors spread by his haters and that the photos were photoshopped. But they stood firm on their stand and didn't budge.
They clearly told him that whether the scandal was just a rumor or not, they couldn't keep him as a special guest as it might taint the image of a scholarly festival like the Asian Literature Festival.
But Oye was still unwilling to give up. His attendance at the festival could have brought him so many benefits. The festival would have been the perfect stepping stone for him.
He had a grand plan on how to use the fame he gained through being the special guest at the festival. If the plan had worked, he would be one of the most celebrated authors around the globe.
Oye walked back and forth in front of the closed door. He had to find a way to go back in. But it was nearly impossible because his special pass was already canceled and he didn't have an agency backing him.
He thought deeply and hard to find a way to get back inside. "Cade! Yes, Cade! He can get me in!" His eyes lit up at the idea.
"I need to find Cade. As long as I act pitifully and ask him for help, he will surely take me in. He could even get his company to support me." Oye smirked, complimenting himself for coming up with such a brilliant plan.
"Cade, I know that you are still hung up on me. There is no way you would marry someone else. This is your chance to prove your love to me." He said to himself, remembering the days Cade used to be obedient to him.
"If you help in this situation, I will surely marry you. Once I marry you, I will have your parents transfer all their assets to my name and I will become a billionaire! When that day comes, I will teach all these bastards who looked down on me a lesson."
"I will not let the person behind all this go as well." Oye clenched his fits.
He wanted to find who was the one who brought up the scandal that he had buried deep into the ground.
Back then, when the scandal broke out, he was kicked out of the publishing house and bad luck had become his partner. He had to whore himself out to have the scandal hidden away and to get more opportunities.
He had tried really hard to get where he was two days ago. Yet, the scandal had once again drowned his efforts.
✨✨✨
Nara hissed in pain as she sat down. She slowly took off the heels that she had been wearing since morning. As expected, the back of her heel was wounded from the new pair of heels.
The Korean executives had been at the festival. As a staff in charge of the stall and an executive from the Thailand branch, she had to wear formal clothing, including heels.
She had been walking the whole day along with the other executives and her leg was aching like hell.
"Here you go" She heard a male voice and looked up to see Chot standing in front of her with a band-aid.
"Thank you Kha" She smiled gratefully at him and took the band-aid.
Chot sat next to her while she was putting on the band-aid over her wound. He hadn't helped her out of goodwill. He did it purposely to get close to her.
He had heard from Few about how Nara and Tanu seemed hostile towards Cade's husband and had been trying to find the identity of the man. Few also told him how the two of them had ruined Cade's ex-boyfriend's reputation for hurting Cade.
He didn't want the same to happen to his friend. So, he wanted to test the waters first.
His initial plan was to approach Tanu. But the latter seemed to be on guard against them, so he decided to approach Nara, who was friendlier towards them.
"Do you guys have any plans tonight?" He asked.
"No" She shook her head.
"Well, we heard that there is a sauna nearby and the girls wanted to try it out. We all are going. Since you guys have no other plans, why don't you three join us?" He suggested.
Nara was really excited at the suggestion. She was more than willing to go and try the saunas of South Korea. "Wait a minute, Phi. Let me ask the other two."
Just as she took her phone to call, Tanu walked over.
"It's good that you are here." She said to her friend. "P' Chot and others are going to try out the sauna here. He asked if we wanted to tag along."
Tanu paused for a minute. Even though he was not really fond of using public bathrooms, as an ardent K drama fan, he really wanted to try out the sauna. "I am in."
"Cade!" Tanu called out spotting Cade making his way to them. "How about we go to sauna tonight with P' Chot and others?" He asked as Cade got near.
Cade glanced at the cunning older guy. "No. I am not coming. You two go ahead. The festival committee has called for an urgent meeting. I need to attend that."
Chot cursed the festival committee internally for ruining his plans.
Chot smiled internally. Two down, one more to go. He thought in mind.
YOU ARE READING
Arranged... With Love...
RandomCade was someone who believed in love after marriage. That was why he agreed readily when they arranged him to get married to the son of their business partner. But he wasn't expecting to get his heart broken on the day of his wedding.
