YN'S POV:-

Rico kept me longer in the gym the following morning.

Not that I complained. In those extra forty minutes I practiced shooting, with Rico barking orders in my ear.

Honestly he just doesn't know how to stop.

Normally we'd be in the gun range after dinner sometimes followed by papa. Trust me that man knew how to put a bullet in a person's head with a blindfold on.

Rico wasn't bad either.

Years of practice, I guess.

Just as I promised Ariana, I was on my way to the hospital around nine in the morning, I know I should have come earlier.

On the way I picked up a bunch of bright orange tulips. I let the ribbon rest today.

Upon reaching the hospital room, and knocking Eunwoo opened the door, in his scrubs and an apron around his shoulders.

"I thought you were dead?" He says in a mock question.

Wow! What a way to greet them. I snort internally.

"Not yet." I grin sarcastically.

"Well...good to see you anyway." He smiles letting me in. Ariana was sitting on the couch looking sulky but rested. She was wearing a bright yellow printed summer dress and her arms were crossed over her chest.

Jungkook was still sleeping but the only change in the room was...Cara. She was weeping and the noise from her snotty cries could be heard.

Probably that's why Ariana was sulking.

And that sound seemed to irritate Ariana as she'd roll her eyes now and then. Well...she was rolling them continuously.

What is Cara even doing here?

I roll my eyes as well.

Well...I think it's time for her to fuck off. My inner girl snarls.

But I ignore her.

"Hey, Ariana. Good morning." I grinned making my presence known.

"What's with the choice of your flowers?" She eyes me suspiciously.

I shrug. "It's just to spite him."

Ariana grins but rolls her eyes once again as Cara sniffs louder. I follow her suit as I take out the flower from yesterday and put the new ones in.

"What are you doing here?" Cara asks forcefully to get up from the tool she was sitting in and almost storming over to me.

"Excuse me?" I crinkle my nose, at the sudden attack.

I mean, sister. Watch it! Have some respect for personal space, whatever.

Now that I see, Cara is not even that pretty. She's just got...big boobs.

And she looks particularly ugly when she's been crying.

"Well... you're excused." She snaps in her snotty

tear strained voice. It's weird. "It's because of you he's in a coma, isn't he?"

"Why don't you just leave and snot some cocaine and stay high like you're always?" A new voice says.

I glance at the direction only to see Aless poking his head out from the mass of blankets from the other bed.

Cara gasps. "What a brat, Eunwoo."

Ariana rolls her eyes again.

"Well, someone's gotta be a brat since you're so damn annoying, " Aless says with a roll of his eyes. "Don't you have a boob job appointment?"

"Aless." Eunwoo warns, a fatherly rage evident in his tone.

Cara gasps yet again.

"Well...tell her to leave." Aless reasons with a loud voice. "Unlike her, someone has a real life."

"Don't raise your voice, you brat!" Cara yells.

Aless stays quiet, for a moment. Almost surprised.

"What's your name again?" He asks. I bite my lip, trying hard not to laugh.

This kid is something.

I take a seat next to Ariana only to see she's trying to hold her urge to laugh as well.

"Disrespectful, is what this is!" Cara hisses.

"That can only mean, you have none." Aless snickers.

Ariana snorts trying to hold in to her laughter, I keep myself distracted with the orange tulips.

"Aless, enough." Eunwoo warns. "Apologize. She's older than you!"

"Uncle Jk says only to apologize when you're wrong and when you've hurt someone's self respect, since I did none, I won't." He says hotly, putting his head under the blankets again. "Just ask her to leave dad. She's annoying." He says, only now his voice is muffled by the blankets.

I knew he followed his uncle to an extent but it looks like he follows him more than a little too much.

"Aless be nice. She's our guest." Ariana says half heartedly, just to show that she's against Aless's bratty behaviour.

Getting no answer from Aless Cara rolls her eyes. "You seriously need to put a leash around his neck. That boy is going to have a ruined future I tell you." She hisses.

"Well...I'll take care of that, Cara." Eunwoo says. "I'm leaving for the surgery, you'll be okay, bunny?" He asks Ariana.

"Mmmhmm." Ariana hums.

"Alright." Eunwoo sighs. "Behave yourself, Aless." He says before putting on his trainers.

"Well... I need to go to the hotel, say can you drop me off?" Cara asks all the sight of her worry and tears fade.

"Uh..." Eunwoo looks at Ariana who gives him a vile eye, then he glances at me before answering, "Sure."

After they leave, Ariana sighs.

"What's with him?" I ask, nudging my head toward Aless.

"The usual." Ariana mutters. "You want a coffee?" She asks to get up from the sofa and walk over to a small door. I hadn't noticed these two doors before.

Inspiring what money can buy.

Moments later Ariana comes out with two cups of steaming coffee, handing one to me.

"So..." She asks.

"So?" I ask back.

"How's everything?"

"Uh...fine." I shrug. "I guess."

"It's final, then, huh?" She asks, sipping her coffee.

"What?"

"That you're not going back to the seoul?"

"For now." I murmur. "I have a life here and going back to the seoul would mean leaving everything behind."

"How's the diner coming along?" She asks.

"Fine." I say. "I am thinking about opening

another by the end of this year."

"That's nice." She smiles. "I'm happy you're growing."

"Thanks." I smile.

Ariana and I chatted some more and by a little time I felt the tension between us that loomed over yesterday was now thin and almost gone.

I asked Ariana if she needed a nap and she said she needed to go to the penthouse cause Audrey was alone with a babysitter. So I let her pass.

Aless was sleeping on the other bed and Ariana asked me to look over him, as well.

I said it'll be fine.

After Ariana leaves, I close the door and walk over to Jungkook 's bed. He looked a bit paler today than he did yesterday.

I sigh, taking a seat on the tool that was occupied by Cara some time ago.

Taking his hand between mine, it felt light. Weak.

"Hey." I whispered. "Do you like your flowers?" I asked him, but he stayed silent, asleep.

I mean doctors around are working on him for sixteen days now, and all they're saying is he'll get up when he wants to anywhere. I am hoping that he'll wake up just hearing me.

I doubt if he can hear me.

I press my cheek against our intertwined hands and smile sadly. "I hope you'd just wake up." I murmur. "You're making everybody sad."

I sigh. "Ariana says you don't want to wake up."

"I know you will cause you're strong and a fighter." I whisper. "Get up, will you? You've slept enough."

I bite my lower lip. "I didn't want to visit you at first you know? I felt too guilty that you got shot instead of me. I felt angry too cause at a point I felt that I was where I was because of you, because you hurt me."

"I don't want to lose you, Jungkook ." I whisper. "I am angry, yes. I haven't yet forgiven you. But I don't want to lose you. And you've still got a lot of ass kissing to do before I take you back. Eventually." I sigh.

Nothing changes, his heart rate remains the same, the only sound in the room is the steady drops of liquid falling in the plastic container in his IV to feed him through the pipe.

"Auntie, Yn. It's almost time for lunch." A voice shakes me awake. I hadn't realised when I fell asleep.

"Oh come on. Wake up!" Aless whines pulling on my arm.

"I'm up." I mumbled letting go of Jungkook 's hand.

"You feel sleepy while talking to Uncle Jk." He seoul walking over to the couch and picking up a container of noodles as he begins to eat with a chopstick.

"Who brought lunch?" I asked getting up and adjust Jungkook 's blanket around his unconscious body.

"I called the Japanese place." He shrugs. "They deliver."

"In a hospital?"

He frowns at me stopping mid chew as if saying 'are you serious?" "Why not?" He asks.

"It's a hospital." I point out with an eye roll.

"We pay them money." He says.

And I realised it's completely a waste of time and energy to argue with Aless.

And he's only what...seven and a half. Kids in this age barely understand the difference between b and d.

I shake my head as I take a seat beside him, and pick out the other container having a spicy ramen with egg.

"Why did you give me money to order lunch?"

"Dad." He says with a mouthful.

Oh. Okay. Stupid of me to ask that.

"I heard, you are learning to shoot, from uncle Rico." He says but it comes out like a question.

"Uh. Yeah. I am." I say picking on my egg. I don't like Japanese food.

The egg is not even fully boiled.

"Are you any good?" He asks.

"I'm pretty good." I say.

"Can you work a machine gun? Or a sniper?" He asks hopefully.

"No." I scowl. "Why would I want to learn how to work a machine gun or a sniper?"

"Cause it's fun." He rolls his eyes. "And a shotgun can barely save your life, out there."

"You know so much about what's out there." I say. "What about school? Are you any good?" I ask mimicking him.

"I'm plenty good." He smirks. "I don't know why people think I fail my classes cause I actually ace them."

Well... there's gotta be something he's bad at.

I mean he's only seven and a half.

"Maybe because you act like a brat?" I suggest.

"Or maybe people these days come with no working manual and common sense. I don't know." He shrugs, throwing his empty carton on the dustbin on the other side of the room, acting successfully.

I roll my eyes.

"So who's teaching you to shoot?" I ask poking my half boiled jiggly egg.

"Uncle Jk." He says. "He's teaching me everything so far."

"So you're having a vacation now?"

"No. Dad is filling out his proxy because training can't stop and I need to be ready."

"What do you need to be ready for?" I laugh. "You're only seven."

"But I won't be seven forever and the time is actually going by. And Uncle Diego is absolute shit at business. We had to overcome a loss of thirteen million because of him last year." He says seriously.

"That's a lot of money." I say. "Why was the loss?"

"Uncle Diego was sent to the port to collect these weapons. There were guns and grenades and bullets and what not. It was a huge shipment and it was illegal." He says, making his eyes pop out.

"So when it arrived at the port, uncle Diego had to receive them and check them out with three professional testers that had been sent along with him. If the products were good he was to bring them to the warehouse and if not he was to hand them over to the cops, you know the one who works for the family. But he didn't check them and shipped them to the warehouse. It was one third paid so the loss wasn't full. But almost three fourths of the products were useless." He shrugs. "The money is hard earned and it went in the drain."

"How do you know this?" I ask frowning. I mean things like that aren't usually shared with a kid no matter how much further in 'training' he is.

"Sometimes uncle Jk takes me to his meetings. That's how."

"Oh?" I frown. "Okay."

Aless slept again after lunch, so I talked with Jungkook some more. I complained about taking Ales to the meetings cause he was young and all these will only corrupt his innocence.

Even if he has left some of it.

And talked some more about how I wanted to open another diner. I wanted to make it a sweet shop. Just selling the best Italian deserts, freshly handmade.

And how I like the house he brought.

Ariana came a little after the evening. She was carrying Audrey in her arms followed by Eunwoo. Burgled them and the baby looked well rested.

"Thank you for giving me the day off, Yn." Ariana smiled once I was ready to leave. "The hospital was creeping me out."

"No problem." I smiled back.

"We were thinking about moving him back to the seoul." Eunwoo says. "It'll be easier to help him there."

I nodded but I couldn't hear the ping of sadness that came with that.

It would mean I wouldn't see him...well until he's up and healthy.

"I've talked with my colleagues and they are ready to take care of him and besides he could be shifted home if we transfer him to the seoul." Eunwoo says to Ariana. "Think that will be okay?”

"I think." Ariana says. "It'll mean less time in the hospital and he can be under constant watch."

I listen to everything they say about moving him back to the seoul. Obviously it's for his health recovery and all that. But it makes me want to cry too cause I really want to be close to him now that he's in a situation like that for me, but then again I can't just leave everything behind.

I am constantly being pulled by two sides: my heart and my brain.

If I let him go now I know I'll be guilty and my actions would be unjustified to a person who has almost lost his life for me. And if I go with him to the seoul that would mean an end to the life I created.

●●●●●●

Eight months later:

I sit in the plush chair of my new office going through the plate decorations for the next event that were delivered pastries for.

I had finally opened the pastry shop six months ago and so far it has been going out pretty well, thanks to the diner's reputation.

It's a bit smaller than the diner but it's working out pretty fine and just walking distance from the diner too. I barely managed to squeeze a little space for an office room in the sweet place given that after the renovation of the diner and the ever increasing customers we decided to shift my office and make more space for the sitting area.

The struggle was pretty less considered the first time and the condition and flow of customers were pretty well. The pressure only came when there was an order for a party or an event. Like now.

In one day we had to deliver two fifty fours of cannoli to this office event and I was short of pastry chefs.

The place was still new and I only had a total of ten people working in the kitchen including the two dish washers.

And given that the sweets had to be freshly made it was a bit hustle and the increasing customers didn't give anything to be relieved about.

I sighed, putting the stack of pictures on my desk and putting my head between my hands. I've been stressing out these days.

It must be something with being old. As Rico reminded me successfully almost everyday.

A knock on my door made me raise my head and look up.

Emma, one of the workers from the kitchen who was in her late fifties, was standing outside with a concerned expression. "You alright dear?" She asked.

"Just a little stressed." I mumbled.

"You need a coffee, maybe tea? Do you want me to stir it out for you?" She asked in a motherly time walking inside the office.

"No, I'm fine. It's just the order, tomorrow, you know? It's a lot of work." I shrug. "But we'll make it through.”"We do, don't we?" She smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder and giving me an encouraging squeeze.

Emma was one of the first workers of the sweet shop and she was the one working her bones out when we got an order for a thousand price of mini panettone with a cherry jam inside.

It was a lot of work during the Christmas season last time.

Nevertheless Emma brings me a cup of coffee with a fat layer of whipped cream on top and a couple of biscuits that she made fresh to display on the jar.

I thanked her and decided to call papa. It was almost lunch time and I just wanted to remind him. A couple of months ago papa was diagnosed with diabetes and I was hot on his heels so he can follow the diet.

His exercise was not an issue since he did it regularly but his eating habit was let's say a bit too much.

Papa picked up on the second ring, "Say, you called to remind me to have lunch?" He chuckled.

"Yes. I'll call someone to send your lunch to the office." I smiled.

"Can you pack some cookies too?"

"No." I said. "Nothing that has sugar."

"Come on." He whined.

"No, papa." I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me. "Did you drink the tea today?"

"Si." He sighed. "Il tè che sa di acqua confonde un lime."

(Tea that tastes like water mixed with lime.)

"E 'sano." I scolded. "I'll send your lunch. Don't overwork yourself."

(It's healthy)

"Si." He says "Rico is here too, he says he needs to eat lunch as well so you can send him over to the office."

"I will." I say before saying our goodbyes. I called Isa since she's managing the diner while I am here and told her to pack two full lunches and some sugar free cookies and send it over to the office.

Isa asks if she should send me lunch and I say I'll be there to eat in a little bit.

Tidying up my desk after I select the playing of the desert I call tell Emma that I'll be back after lunch and make my way to the diner.

Isa gives me a plate of pasta with loads of spinach. I had an obsession with baby spinach and I couldn't get enough of it.

Rico particularly cringed at the green leafy stuff whenever I ate in front of him.

"You're drowning in stress." Isa muttered, taking a seat across from me.

I shrug.

"It's with the order delivery isn't it?" She asked.

"Yeah." I nod. "It's a bit big if you ask me to do it over one night."

"But 'Marmellata' is the best there is. You'll work it through." Isa smiles cheekily.

Papa came with the name 'Marmellata' which in English means jam. Papa thought it was funny to name a sweet shop 'jam'. So I did and laughed it out over a glass of wine.

I shrug. "Probably, but it's going to be a long graveyard shift."

"I'll do this, you this deal and we'll go out to the club that's just opened." Isa proposes, her eyes glinting with mischief.

Isa and I, working and being almost the same age, have bonded over the opening month of 'Marmellata' and she also had this thing going on with Rico.

I doubt it was anything serious. They usually avoided eye contact in others' presence.

And Isa also had this good girl gone bad vibe in her and in the last six months I've spent some night hauling her drunk ass back to her apartment.

"I don't want to go to a club tomorrow night." I say eating my food. "I'm going to be dead tired by tomorrow morning."

"Then sleep in." She suggests. "You're the boss anyway. You hardly do any work." She rolls her eyes sarcastically.

"And we'll have some fun tomorrow night.

Maybe you'll find a hot guy to...you know eh... repair your mopey self." She looks at me like I am sour rotten milk.

I frown. "Mopey? You think I am mopey?"

She shrugs. "You just keep working and kill yourself in the gym." She says. "But that's all you do. You need a guy to give you the best orgy ever."

I roll my eyes at her bluntness. "You realise I am your boss, right? And that I can fire you anytime I want."

She rolls her eyes. "And I also know that you won't cause you're my only friend and you're boring to do that kind of stuff."

"Okay." I gave her a stern look.

"Come on." She whines. "I'm bored. I'll even pay for the stupid pink stuff you drink."

"It's called pink police." I smirk.

Isa laughs. "Come on, it'll be fun plus it's new."

"Please." She gives me that shiny puppy big eyes. "Please!”

"Okay. Okay. I'll come with you but you won't ditch me or get drunk."

"Okay. Fine. Tomorrow my only mission will be to set up with a hot daddy guy so you can have sex and forget the next morning." She squeals with glee.

I shake my head.

Honestly, I don't think this is a good idea.

I wore a short backless silver sequin dress with a halter-like neck. The skirt was pleated and flowy landing just below my hips.

Sometimes I feel really glad that I have hit the gym. My butt is really small these days, with the extra fat burned.

Sometimes I wish the fat in my boobs could burn too. I think as I look at myself in the full length mirror of my closet.

The dress had a thin cut down the middle of the chest area showing a bit of skin, giving it almost a sultry look.

My hair was kinda okay but that was me saying because I didn't want to do something fancy to it. I put on some black balance heels with thick straps.

If I am going to hit the dance floor, I might as well take precautions for the outcome.

I don't fancy being tripped over and breaking my neck tonight.

The dress was a joke gift from Rico. He thought it'd be funny to buy me a dress that made me look like an escort.

Different story for a different day.

And the dress was super shiny, catching light here and there, so the place it had only seen in its days was the back of my closet.

Besides, my clothes to try out at a club were limited so why not. I had kept my makeup a minimal to look less escort-ish with my eyes lined with a black liner pencil and mascara. Lips tinted with a nude shade.

"Less escort-ish." I mumbled putting a palm over my belly which was now confined within the right material of the dress.

Clubbing was fun, if you ask me...if I didn't have to run with Isa being drunk or ditching me for some hot 'daddy' guy as she refers to the older men.

She has this kink for guys much older than her. Not that I cringed or anything but she definitely had a fetish.

I was already late as it was. I was supposed to pick Isa up from her apartment at eight sharp but it was already eight-five. I walked leisurely down the stairs and went out of the house, thankfully not being spotted by Papa or Rico.

Both of them would throw a fit, if they found out I was going out wearing clothes like I was.

I mean, they're guys. What do they understand?

I am a twenty one going to be twenty two year old girl, single as much as hurtful that sounds was living in a huge butt house with my dad, and a nagging brother.

No matter how big their personalities were.

I rolled my eyes at that thought.

I definitely need to get laid.

I slipped inside the black Audi, where the driver was patiently waiting for me.

"Where to, miss?" He asked politely.

"Isa's apartment." I said before leaning against the cool leather covered headrest.

Within fifteen minutes I was in front of Isa's apartment and given my late arrival, I didn't have to bother to climb up all three floors to grab her down.

Isa was dressed in a strapless red dress that pushed up her boobs in a nice way, her arms crossed over her chest didn't help a bit for the passerby's imagination.

She was glaring at the vehicle before she slipped inside the car and flared at me.

"You're late." She snapped. "I've been waiting down here, dressed and letting all the men eye fuck me."

I shrug. "I never asked you to come down."

"Don't be rude." She hissed adjusting the top of her dress pushing out her boobs in place. "This dress is a bitch."

We arrived at this club called. "dell'inferno" and it was...well...not a place I'd like to go again once I am out of it.

The club literal translation was 'hell' and it was exactly that. Around the middle they had a polished dancing space and low couches lining up the opposite wall.

People enjoying their drinks were eating the sweaty bodies swaying on the dance floor, some with almost a disgusting desire in their eyes.

The other side of the dance floor was a 'U' shaped bar area with a big TV screen hanging by hinges showing the football match of some sort. The walls behind the 'U' shaped table was decorated with various bottles of the finest and most expensive alcohol and beverages.

There was a VIP lounge separated by floors though rails surrounded the upper walls in a circular way giving a good view to the dance floor directly beneath.

"Do you wanna dance?" Isa asked gleefully.

"Uh...no." I replied cause the looks men were giving were almost cringe worthy and thinking about someone looking at me while my hips were grinding someone else almost made me want to throw up. So I denied.

"Aw...come on. We'll have fun." Isa dragged me over to the polished wooden floor where people were throwing their arms and legs about, without a care of the world.

Just like that Isa left me for some guy she was playing her kitten looks against. I rolled my eyes and shimmied out before taking a seat on one of the high bar-stools.

"Hello, miss." A guy smiled. He was wearing a leather jacket over a plain white shirt. "What can I get you tonight?"

"Do you have sangria?" I asked. Over time I had grown quite fine over this drink. It was typically red wine and chopped fruits dipped into it.

Simple but it tasted good.

The guy nods before putting an empty glass in front of me and putting two scoops of mixed chopped fruit into the glass before pouring a generous amount of red wine.

"Thanks." I smiled.

"Most welcome, pretty lady." He smiled revealing a dimple on his left cheek.

That's cute. I gushed in my head, but he's probably younger than me.

The thought made me pout.

"Being lonely, are we?" A deeper voice came from behind me, making me shiver. I turned to look around a guy that I had never seen.

"It's fine." I replied thinking about the creepy way he sneaked up on my back.

The guy took a seat beside me on the stool, he was several years older than I was with a stubble growing on his face, a tie loosely tied around his neck and rest clothing resembling he had a prestigious position in a big office.

But strangely the stubble instead of making him look weird and careless only added to his panty dropping good looks. His eyes were a deeper shade of brown and hairs all black.

"I'm Daniel Rocci." He said.

"Yn." I said. "Yn De'Angelo."

The guy gave away a breathy laugh running his hand through his best combed hair messing up the style.

"Oh boy!" He muttered. "Not Mariano's daughter, are you?" He asked.

"Lo ." I answered. (The same)

"Italiano. Mi ." He nodded, ordering a drink for himself. He had a smile plastered to his face that I would go so far to say it was sexy

(Italian. I like it.)

"How do you know my Papa?" I asked to take a sip of my drink.

"We've met." He shrugs. "Nice man."

"He is." I answer.

A few seconds of silence follows before he talks again.

"You're quite the couple aren't you?" He asked with a weird glint in his eyes.

"Excuse me?" I frown at his weird look.

"I thought the romance was all over." He chuckled.

"Huh?" I ask. "What are you..."

Daniel nudged his head upward, I followed his gesture to look up only for my eyes to meet with a dark shade of olive and rage taking over them.

Well...how does he know? I mean how is anyone supposed to know? It was just the family involved in this stuff...me and Jungkook stuff I mean.

It was strictly family.

Jungkook stands griping the rail of the VIP lounge, anger clearly written over his face, dressed all in his black glory.

Well...Bring it on.

I think as I put the rim of my glass and gulp down the drink my eyes never leave his.

(TO BE CONTINUED)