"Que sera, sera."
—
Warning: might be sensitive to some. Stop reading if it's too much.
I don't want to get married," The young man said as he paced back and forth in his office. Eagle eyes watched him as he does so, feeling the conflict he was facing.
"Then refuse, Jungkook," Namjoon told the younger. A direct and simple answer and he knew the younger could've done so, yet looking at the younger now, he then thought it may not be as easy as that. "What did they say if you refuse to do it?"
"I did refuse, from the beginning. And a lot of times. But now my position's at stake, hyung. Everything I've done for this company will be out of my hands if I don't commit. My parents are really determined to have me marry her," Jungkook sat down on the sofa, facing the older. "I just... I just can't seem to trust the Manobans. Even if my father is a dear friend of the old man, I don't trust them."
The last sentence was delivered with the thought of his meeting with Olivia Manoban, whom he had a talk with for the first time when they visited the Manoban mansion for a dinner party.
"It is nice to finally meet the young Jeon," the woman, Olivia Manoban, spoke with elegance. Jungkook wasn't pleased to be there, but he had no choice but to give in to his mother's pleadings.
He thought he could make it quick, but the Manobans and his parents seemed to be not in the rush as they began to chatter among themselves in the dining table and outside the garden. That's where he found himself in the living room, taking interest in the pictures displayed.
And yes, the daughter was not there that night.
"That is Lalisa, the other twin," Olivia spoke when she saw him picking up a picture of a little girl from a wall shelf located in the far corner of the living room. Jungkook only stared at the picture for a little while, not averting his attention to the woman. He then placed the picture back on the shelf.
The woman picked up the other picture from the other side and showed it to the young man.
"This is your bride-to-be, Samarah," She told him as she presented him the picture. Jungkook smirked in amusement as he scanned the picture, seeing not much of a difference between the girls. Identical twins huh? If he didn't know they were twins just now, he would assume it's the same person.
"Madame," Jungkook finally voiced, lifting his face to look at the woman. "I didn't say I have finally agreed to this arrangement. No wedding is gonna push through without my approval."
"Of course, but we can already tell it's gonna end to that. Your parents have already met my daughter," the woman chuckled. "They love her. And I'm sure when you finally meet her, you'll love her too."
He almost rolled his eyes. He thought that this woman was getting way ahead of herself.
Jungkook's vision focused on a bigger picture hanged up on the wall. A picture of two little girls, smiling prettily at the camera. His gaze drifted from the one in the yellow dress to the one in the pink dress. "Which one is which?"
Olivia looked over at the picture he was referring to. "Samarah's the one in the pink dress."
"Where is the other twin? Lalisa is it?" He asked, now intrigued. He didn't know that the Manobans had twin daughters. He only knew of Samarah's existence.
"She died young in France. Car accident," the woman said and Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows together.
Oh.
"I'm sorry," he said, genuinely.
The woman nodded, "yes, poor child."
Silence fell upon them after, with Jungkook still had his eyes on the picture of the twins. They look lovely in the picture. Genuinely happy. His gaze shifted to Samarah. He had never met nor interacted with the girl before, but somehow he could tell that her smile in this particular picture was different compared to the ones he'd seen on the tabloids and magazines.
"You should soon agree. The sooner you do, the sooner we can start preparing," Jungkook's train of thoughts came to an end when the woman behind him spoke again. What a pushy woman! He could only think. She's determined to have this marriage happen.
He turned his body around, facing the woman. "You know Madame, if you push the arrangement continuously down my throat, I might actually tell you my answer right now. And unfortunately, my answer would not be in favor of you."
The woman smiled knowingly, which didn't sit well with Jungkook.
"If you say so, I'd talk to your father about this then. I'm sure he has a way of persuading you into agreeing," Olivia told him.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm simply saying, I'm looking forward to being your mother-in-law," She chuckled before leaving him there to ponder.
Jungkook paused his reminiscent of their first meeting, sighing in defeat. One thing he had realized then, Olivia is a manipulative woman. True to the woman's words, his father talked to him. And now his position is involved in the picture. "But I can't just give up on the things that I've worked hard on in the past few years. And Heejin, I can't give her up."
Silence engulfed them for a while, with the older just staring in pity at the younger as he was practically trapped in his situation.
"If only I could convince my parents not to trust them. They just wanted the money to save their failing company. Who knows what they could do in the future if this marriage pulls through," Jungkook continued, running his fingers through his hair as he thought about it. "I don't want it. I don't want this."
"Maybe I can help," Namjoon spoke, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. An idea came to him and he's hoping this could help the younger in the future.
"How?" Jungkook asked the older. "Can you prove that the Manobans won't bring anything good to us?"
Namjoon narrowed his eyes, deep in thought, before he shifted his gaze back on the younger. "Trust me, Jungkook."
~*~
"I quit."
There. Lisa has finally said it. The words that will end her treacherous acts. Was she firm with what she said? Kind of. Somehow, in the back of her mind, she's scared. But she knew she needed to stop this. As much as she wanted to help Mara now, she couldn't.
Not when she had committed a sin against her sister. One that half of her heart regretted doing, the part that is now swarmed with guilt, and one that her heart's other half will keep forever, all to herself. It was unforgivable, she knew, and her sister will hate her for it when she finds out. Even Jungkook will hate her too.
Yet now, she's gonna risk it. Her emotions took over that night, her selfish desires pushed her to the edge, and she can't do anything about it now except facing the consequences. If they will hate her, she will take it. Even from the man she loved. She knew he will hate her.
She simply loved the person. She simply loved him.
She let him feel her love even just for one night.
I'm sorry, Jungkook. And I'm sorry for loving the man you love, Mara. Forgive me.
Olivia stared at Lisa for a moment, before she cackled. Lisa took a deep breath as she watched her mother cackles with laughter, thinking her words were just a joke.
The woman's laughter died down, "that was a good laugh, my dear. The first that I had in a while."
"Forgive me but I'm serious, mother," Lisa said, keeping her voice calm and strong. This was a lot harder than she thought.
That was when Olivia's sinister smile faded.
"What did you say?"
Lisa dropped the black folder she once received from their first meeting on her mother's desk. "I'm backing out from this. It ends here."
Olivia slammed her hands on the desk harshly as she stood up with rage in her eyes as soon as Lisa said those words. Lisa almost stepped back, no doubt her fear got stronger for a second, remembering that same fire in her mother's eyes sixteen years ago, but she tried hard to stand her ground. She had to.
"You're not quitting this," Olivia bellowed.
Lisa shook her head no. "No. I'm not gonna be your puppet anymore. Mothe—"
"I said you're not quitting thi—"
"I am quitting whether you like it or not!" Lisa raised her voice, overpowering her mother's protests. She took a couple of steps back. "Enough, mother. Please."
"You said you wanted my forgiveness for what you did," Olivia spat, reminding her, as the woman's chest rises and falls deeply.
"I do," Lisa gulped down the lump in her throat. She does still. But with the way her mother is acting and treating her in the past months, she knew it's not gonna go anywhere to that point anymore. Especially with what she found out. That she's dead here. Well, she tried... and now she's tired. "I do, mother. But this is becoming too much already. It's been months since I started this and now it's becoming too much for me to handle. I can't do this anymore."
"And your sister? She's still in her hospital bed. Samarah is still in a coma! What now?! Huh?! Are you gonna do this to her? Leave her when she needed you the most?! Ruin her marriage by leaving suddenly and having Jeon Jungkook find out?! You want to ruin us all?! All because you've had enough?!" Olivia bellowed in anger. "Fine! Leave! The next thing you'll hear is all your Father's hard work going down and Mara becoming miserable!"
Damn it. She's using them now to blackmail her.
"Tell them the truth," Lisa rasped out and Olivia looked at her in disbelief.
"And what?"
"Telling them the truth is bette—"
"You think it's as easy as that now?!" Olivia cut her off. She raised her hand, stopping Lalisa when she was about to speak again. The woman breathed in and out, trying to regain her composure. Opening her eyes, staring straight at Lisa's form before her, she walked around her desk to come face to face with her daughter. "What you are suggesting is risky. I'm not having it! The discussion ends here."
"Mother," Lisa closed her eyes tightly, hurt.
What about me? She wanted to ask so badly. Can't the woman have a piece of sympathy, even if it's just for the people they are deceiving? Even not for her anymore, but the good people, the Jeons. For Jungkook.
Getting to know them, she knew then that they don't deserve this.
Olivia holds onto her shoulders, making Lisa open her eyes and look straight to her mother's manipulative ones.
"If you're not gonna do this for me anymore, then don't. But think about your sister. Your sister who had no idea of what we did. The future of her marriage lies in your hands now. It's your responsibility the moment you agreed to do this. Quit, and her marriage is no more. The love of her life will leave her. Do you want to be the reason for that? She will hate you for it. Us. Continue, and you're doing your sister a favor. One that I know she will be grateful," Olivia whispers to her, letting her hear every single word clearly. "Think about your father. All his hard work, the company, LSA will go down once more and this time no one will be able to save it. Do you think the Jeons will take it lightly? They will push us down and that could kill your father! He could die because of you this time!"
What?
The Jeons won't do that... would they? And her father, he's getting better now... but then... what if... he could die because of the truth? Because of her?
"Do you want that to happen? Lalisa look into my eyes and tell me, do you want that to happen?" Olivia lifted her chin to meet the girl's gaze. Fear. That's what Olivia saw. Just a little more push from her. "Think about this wisely. It isn't just about you and me anymore, It's about your father, the company, and everyone around you. It's about Samarah. Your twin sister."
Tears raced down Lisa's cheeks as she shook her head.
"Why would you do this?" Lisa could only respond as tears continued to fall. With all those risks at hand, why would her mother continue with this in the first place?
"Because I trust you wouldn't do this and do the job correctly. End it when Mara is ready to come back," Her mother said as the hold the woman had on her shoulders tightened. "Are we clear?"
Fck. Lisa hangs her head down as she bit her bottom lip. She hates to admit it, even though she had thought about it briefly before coming here, Olivia's words shot through her. Her barrier broke little by little until it completely shattered as she took in her mother's words. Her strength wavered and she almost lost her breath.
Mara. Her father. The Jeons. Jungkook.
Now she's doubting herself. The bravery she had inside slowly dissolved as she began to weigh the much bigger consequences. She wouldn't be able to take all of that. Could she?
"Your father's health is the most critical and most fragile here. I already told you what happened when LSA was on the brink of bankruptcy. He won't be able to take it if you push this through," She heard her mother added. "If you claim that you love your father, stop this foolishness at once Lalisa."
"My father," she breathed.
Father... I'm so sorry. Forgive me for this.
I have sinned by loving the man that my sister calls her husband. Will I add more?
And Jungkook... fck. I can't do this to him any longer too! I've been lying to him all this time. I've been deceiving him! He doesn't deserve this!
No!
She's torn. She's fcking torn in between. She couldn't do that to her sister, yet she doesn't want to continue her act around him anymore. And if she doesn't and the Jeons find out, her father's health will be at risk. It's a lot more complicated now. It's her family against the Jeons.
It's choosing between Samarah and Jungkook.
It's choosing between her beloved twin and the man who has her heart.
"I-I can't do this," Lisa sobbed as she covered her face with her palms.
My half and my heart. It's too cruel!
"I'll give you time," Olivia told her calmly this time. "I'll talk to you one more time. Think about this carefully."
Lisa staggered back weakly before she quickly turned around and ran towards the doors, opening them and leaving. Olivia looked on, the coldness in her eyes visible, yet the hot anger she felt was still there too.
For now, she knew she successfully manipulated the girl once again. It's clear to Olivia, the girl had already caught feelings for Mara's husband. That is why she doesn't want to continue anymore. The thought made her smirk a bit. What foolishness have you done, Lalisa? That was not part of what they have talked about.
"Madame," Secretary Ahn has finally come in.
"What?"
"The plan is still going well, madame," Secretary Ahn spoke. Yet deep down, Secretary Ahn was feeling awful as she saw how hurt the girl was as the girl stepped out of the office.
"She can't quit. And I know she wouldn't now. Not when I have used her sister and father against her," Olivia stated, going back to her seat. Once she did, her gaze fell upon the picture frame on her desk. Her son, the twins' brother. She picked it up and caressed it gently. "I admit, she has guts to tell me to stop this. But she only ended up disappointed."
Secretary Ahn watched the woman. Everything changed when the young master died. And now one of the twins suffers their mother's wrath. She couldn't forgive. Her heart had turned to stone the moment the tragedy happened sixteen years ago.
Poor girl.
"But Madame, don't you think your daughter is—" Secretary Ahn was cut off by Olivia's sudden glare towards her.
"Don't," Olivia warned and Secretary Ahn quickly bowed her head down. Olivia then looked back at the picture of her son. "You know exactly why I'm doing this Miss Ahn, I didn't tell Lalisa everything. I want every single part of this to fall into places perfectly. Then that's where I would finally stop. Do not convince me otherwise just because you feel pity for my daughter."
"I'm sorry, Madame," Secretary Ahn said. "I won't question it again."
Olivia's phone suddenly rang, the sound resonated loudly in the room. The woman put down the picture and picked up the call quickly upon seeing who the caller was.
"Hello?" Olivia said. As she listened to the other person, her harsh gaze started to cool down.
"Really?" She said as she stood up from her seat. Her gaze now holds astonishment in them.
"Yes, Madame." The person on the phone confirmed.
"I'll be there immediately."
~*~
"C-Chae..."
The black-haired girl was suddenly awake upon hearing the broken voice from the other line. She sat up quickly from the bed, not minding the groan that came from the man sleeping beside her, his arm tightening around her waist.
Yes. It's Park Jimin.
No. They're still not back together.
She and Park Jimin are just friends. That's the only thing she can offer him at the moment.
Them on the same bed? Just a friendly sleepover. They are, after all, just friends. Friends do sleepovers.
"Lis?" Chaeyoung called, immediately knowing that something could have happened. "What's wrong?"
"Where are y-you Chae?" Lisa whimpered from the other line. That made her worried immediately. Something's wrong.
"I'm at my newly bought apartment. The one I told you about. Where are you? Are you crying?" Chaeyoung asked.
"C-Can I come t-to you? I n-need you, Chae," Lisa cried and Chaeyoung was immediately out of the bed, removing Jimin's arm and was then on her feet.
"I'll come to pick you up," Chaeyoung said. "Tell me where you are."
"I don't know where I am," Lisa replied weakly.
"What?"
"I w-walked out of LSA and I j-just walked and walked. Now I d-don't know where I-I am. M-Maybe I'm not too f-far from the company b-building. There's a p-park here too."
"Okay, I'll try to find you. Hang in there, okay? I'll be there in a few minutes, I promise," Chae said as she started putting on her jacket.
"Is Jimin w-with you?"
"Uhhh," Chaeyoung hesitated, her eyes landed on the man sleeping comfortably on her new bed. "No. He's not with me."
Lisa knew better and believed her hesitation first. "I don't t-think I can f-face him right now, Chae. Please. I wouldn't know what h-he could do if he's w-with us."
What? What does her best friend mean?
"I'll get him out," The girl with raven hair quickly added. "Please tell me you're okay. I'll be there before you know it."
"Come quickly. P-Please." Lisa sniffed.
"I will. I promise," And the call ended.
Lisa brought down the phone on her lap. What could she do now? This is horrible. Chae was right from the beginning. She shouldn't have agreed to do this. But what can she do? She's foolish. She wanted her mother back, her old life and now what does she get? Nothing. Nothing but headache and heartache.
She was stupid. But could you blame her for wanting love? Love that she lost at a young age? Love from the woman she calls her mother. The forgiveness that she had longed for.
"What do I do now?" She cried out.
Continue pretending? Continue deceiving?
Is that really the only option left?
She can't quit? Does she have to do it longer?
Fck. What now? What should she do?
Ding! A message notification.
You received a message from Jungkook.
She wiped away her tears before opening her phone. Jungkook... he's probably back home now.
Jungkook:
Did you go to work, love?
Shutting her eyes shut and ignoring the feeling she got from the endearment, she composed herself, calming her breathing. She tried her best to reply as normal as she could.
Lisa:
I didn't. I just went out to buy something.
If she told him that she went to LSA, he might go there for sure. And she doesn't want that. She was about to close her phone when it started ringing and Jungkook's name appeared on the screen.
He's calling.
She hesitated in answering, but she still did, wanting to finish it quickly. If she won't answer, he might not stop. And she doesn't want to think about him right now. She couldn't.
"H-Hello?" She whispered.
"Hey love, where are you? You should've just stayed in bed and asked me to buy you what you wanted to buy. I'm home now," Jungkook told her from the other line. "I'll come to pick you up if you want? Are you done?"
"Uhm, I won't be able to come home quickly," she trapped her bottom lip in between her teeth as she tried to speak calmly with no stutter or sniffs coming from her. She wouldn't want him to know.
"Huh? Why?"
"Uhm, Chae wanted some girl time. I haven't seen her or have been with her in a while. I have to make it up to her," She excused, closing her eyes to stop the new batch of tears from falling. She looked up in the sky, it seems that the weather was gloomy today. Just like her.
"Oh," Jungkook could only say, the disappointment was not concealed from his voice. But he tried to be gentle in asking, "does it have to be today? Can you... you know? I mean, are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," she lied. "I'm perfectly okay."
"I'll come to pick you up tonight then? Tell me where you two are gonna be," he told her.
"O-Okay. We'll just be in her apartment," Lisa said as she kept her gaze down on her lap.
And that indirectly sealed her decision.
She's gonna have to continue.
I'm so sorry.
—
"Whatever will be, will be."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Just a clarification about the question, "Is Lisa pregnant now?"
Answer:
No. Involving a child in their situation would be too cruel not only for Mara and Jungkook but for Lisa as well. Sleeping together was already too much. In reality, you guys know it's wrong, right? Imagine the conflict she would have if she's with child. I want her to be happy too and there are other ways to do that.