Vengeance

Chapter 11

MARK

The whole week after his last meeting with Wendy, Mark busied himself with the wedding announcement preparations, much to Sunye's undeniable glee, but he let her be because if there's one thing he had learned well from his father it was to let women handle occassions like this and never ever meddle.

Besides he figured it would be the best time to rest himself as well, if his enemies were to move according to the recent data Jaebum had gathered, then it would serve him best well rested but perhaps the best part of such a week was spending more of his hours with Arin; his daughter was practically prancing around the house and along the halls of his office on the afternoons he was free enough to fetch her from the daycare. Her big curious eyes filled with mirth and innocence earning her affectionate smiles from everyone she meets.

Even Irene began teasing him, jealous that his mere prolonged presence around the house had Arin over the moon, but of course like every good thing that happens in his life such a thing wasn't meant to last as evidenced by one of his maids' hasty knock on his bedroom door, effectively cutting off his thoughts.

"Yes," Mark sighed as he finally clasped the latches of the watch Irene gave him on his birthday last year, today was the day the official announcement for their Korean wedding would be made and such a gift is essential for the press.

"The lady asks for your help with her dress, she says." the maid said, voice muffled against the wood of his door.

"Very well," Mark said as he picked up the deep violet blazer he was told to wear, apparently they need to be in coordinating outfits to solidify an image of a family, something he was sure would fool no one but Sunye herself. The woman seems stupidly hellbent on making everyone play the part she'd been stuck doing since she married Irene's father.

The maid gave a bow as he opened the door, her thumb quick to slide over the unassuming red gemstone pinned above her heart as a gesture of respect, like most of the people he have working for him, the maids were also members of the Mafia and sworn to unswerving loyalty to him. Such knowledge was only casually divulged to Irene and none to her parents.

"Mark, finally!" Irene exclaimed, spotting his reflection from the huge mirror on her sitting room, one of her arms bent awkwardly as she tried to hold the dress to her skin and the other on the counter to keep her steady.

"What's stupid with the dress today?" Mark playfully asked, despite the years she spent being dolled up for different occasions, Irene's still displeased with having to dress in such formal clothes and it seems that the clothing shares her whims as they malfunction in ways not even possible for majority of the population.

"Well for some reason this tight thing wanted to fight with this little runt over here," Irene said, pouting defiantly as she pointed at the protruding swell of her abdomen. Mark laughingly made his way behind her, hands replacing hers in holding the fabric steady, its deep violet color contrasting with Irene's pale skin wonderfully.

"Troublesome little fellow aren't you?" Mark chuckled at the sight of Irene's stomach bouncing slightly from the kicks the baby was giving, as if disagreeing.

"Just like her father," Irene quipped with an exaggerated sigh.

"Well... I may take some blame for that," he said effectively making her laugh, lilting sound filling the sitting room with tinkling melody.