Chaebol: Prince (COMPLETED - 2nd EDITING)

Chapter 14: Reboot (AMBW)

"Kiah, what are you doing here?" Her eyes blinked. She slowly resurfaced the hidden places in her mind. A small noticeable hint of tension accented her words.

"I'm here for a convention." She responded as if he really didn't deserve an answer to his question. She turned to excuse herself and proceeded to walk past Joon-Woo. There was no way she could deal with him right now. Kiah didn't want to see him or talk to him until her heart was ready to do so. Just because he showed up didn't dictate that she must interact with him.

After several moments of coaching herself to be strong and put him in his place, she stood and grabbed his arm. Kiah pulled him away from the table. She didn't notice the look of amusement on Jon's face as she hauled her ex from the restaurant to a place where they could speak away from the public.

"I know I don't have the right to question you. I know you don't want to see me, but I was shocked when I saw you sitting there laughing while enjoying what appeared to be an intimate conversation." Joon's face was bright red. Kiah had only seen him become fighting mad upset a few times. She knew just based on the look of frustration and anger on his face that he was super jealous and terribly angry. Her response only added fuel to the fire.

"Why do you care?" She said with a blank look on her face. After all the days and nights of missing him and watching herself dwindle, Kiah learned not to give a shit about what Joon thought or wanted. At one time in her life, she didn't want to continue living because the heartache of what he did to her was so heavy, it threatened to snuff out her life. When it really sunk in that he wasn't coming back to her, she had to be hospitalized because she lost herself.

There was no way she would allow him to just stroll up and act like they had been together this whole time. She would give him the same hell he gave her. He told her about all the stuff his father did to make his life miserable and she wanted to allow that to be a big enough excuse, but her mind wouldn't let him get away with all the suffering and pain she felt.

Kiah wasn't the same girl who loved him without any context for love or a relationship. She had a mean streak in her. He would pay before she gave him half a chance.

"What do you mean?" The question on his face told her that it was time to explain to him why his feelings meant nothing to her.

"I want to make something abundantly clear. I waited on you just like I promised. I didn't date. I didn't entertain any other man. I won't even allow another man to have my personal number even if it were work-related. You, on the other hand, had a whole fiancée selected by your parents. I don't know what happened between you and her. I tried to call you and she told me you didn't want me anymore and that you were getting married." The anger in her voice was surpassed by the anger on his face.

A raging tornado seemed to be swirling and building strength in his mind. Joon grabbed Kiah's arm and pulled her down a hall into a large empty room. He pressed her body up against the wall with his long well-toned form. She struggled against him, but to her surprise, he was nothing like the weak immature kid she once knew. The raw animalistic strength she felt caused a strange reaction. Her heart was thumping so hard she could hear and feel the beats thumping throughout her body.

Joon leaned his head down to rest on Kiah's shoulder. A short time of complete silence and zero movements were shared between them. Anger attempted to grow in her mind only to be defeated by a feeling that lay dormant for a long time. Something she thought was gone forever, reared its sleepy head and began to swirl around to every crevice of her body.

"Kiah. I swear on my own life. I did not marry anyone. My father tried his best to get me to marry into another wealthy family, but I refused. I refused to talk to the girl. I refused to meet her. I refused to even mention her name when they tried to introduce us. If I'm lying, I pray that God will strike me dead this very instant. I never betrayed your trust." The words ground their way out of his mouth as they flowed into her ear. His lips were so close to her that every time he spoke, she felt his lips lightly brush her skin.

The beating grew louder. There was no way he could be so close and not hear the beating of her heart. Her head fell back against the wall. She was unprepared for this. Nothing came to mind as her body began to think for itself. Every molecule in her was in danger of melting if she didn't figure out a way to free herself. Listening to his word and feeling the touch of his body left her weak and challenged her resolve.

Kiah wanted him. She knew she wanted him. But she decided he must work to regain what was lost. If she gave in so easy, she knew she would be angry with herself as well as Joon. He had to work hard to get back in her good graces.

"Okay, I'll accept your explanation. We can act like that never happened and move on from there. That doesn't change the hurt I've carried around for two years. It took me two years of no communication from you to make me question the love I had for you. I trusted and believed in you even though I wasn't able to hear your voice or say a word to you." Her voice fell on him as if ice cold water doused him. Joon took a step back as she spoke her peace.

"But Kiah..." He made an attempt to respond, but she was having none of that.

"Joon-Woo, whatever you feel for me has been tarnished in my eyes. You have no right to barge in as if all is well. If you wish to convince me of anything, you need to prove yourself to me. Don't think I will tailor my life to suit you. I've wasted four years being hurt by you. I won't do that again." Kiah spoke her peace and turned her back on him.

She hadn't felt so much confidence in a long time. The knowledge of not allowing him to get away with hurting her easily gave her a little boost. She quickly joined her dinner companion and assured him all was well. They fell back into easy conversation and behaved as if the man hadn't interrupted them. For the rest of the evening, Kiah's eyes twinkled as she marveled over the way she handled Joon. She tried to stay focused on Jon but found her mind wandering off from time to time.

*****

Kiah sensed his presence but refused to turn and acknowledge him. Joon stared at her as they retreated to the bar where they grabbed some seats while engaging in more conversation and laughter. The sight made him furious. He had to find out who the tall blond stranger was, and he had to do so before the man tried to taste the woman that he had claimed years ago.

Joon would go to hell and back to prevent any man from having her.

*****