Chapter 8

Nari

By the time the driver had dropped Kwan and Zofia off, I was almost sober. Tae had asked me to stay over at his place, and I wanted to see his apartment, so I agreed. It didn't surprise me that he had an apartment in Canary Wharf.

"Thanks for organising tonight, Moonie," I said as we reached her street.

She gave me a sloppy kiss and grabbed my hand.

"Make sure the next time we meet up that you're not a virgin anymore," she whispered loudly with a giggle.

"I'm going to frikking kill you tomorrow," I said as I closed my eyes because there was no way Tae could have missed her words.

She pulled back and frowned at me. "What did I do?"

I sighed and kissed her cheek. "You can read my angry texts tomorrow and find out."

"Jason, can you please walk Miss Moonpie to her door?" Tae said as Moonpie struggled to open the door.

"Of course, sir," Jason said as he exited the car.

"Nice to meet you, Tae. Thanks for the lift, and make sure you take good care of my friend," she said before she began to giggle again.

Jason helped her out of the car, and as soon as the door closed, Tae took my seat belt off and dragged me onto his lap. I couldn't bring myself to look at him, and suddenly, I felt the urge to cry. My lips began to tremble as the feeling grew stronger.

"Do you want to break up with me now?" I asked as I rubbed the tear away that escaped through my tightly closed eyes.

"No, I want to marry you," he said softly as he touched my cheek.

My eyes flew open, and I stared into his dark hooded eyes. "W-what?" I stammered.

"I want to meet your family and speak to your Dad," he said. "Then I want to marry the fuck out of you."

I felt panic, joy, and shock before I paused to look at him. He was serious, and his eyes were so intense as he looked back at me.

"I know it's soon, Nari, but from the moment I met you, there was an inexplicable pull towards you, unlike anything I'd ever experienced. We were destined to meet," he said as his hand moved from my neck to cup my face.

I nodded before I spoke. "I felt it, too."

His face softened. "I want to do this right. You are the only woman for me."

My eyes widened because I realised he was serious. He hadn't drunk much at the bar or the club, so I knew he was stone-cold sober.

"You're serious about this—"

"More than anything in my life," he said, instantly cutting me off. "I wasn't planning this for tonight, but I'm glad I got my intentions out. I've thought of you constantly ever since I met you."

"But we only met on Monday," I said, confused because he talked as if he had waited for months, if not years.

Jason suddenly got into the car, and I tried to get off Tae's lap, but his arms clamped around me.

"No, don't move. I like you on my lap," he said with a wink.

"My first proper boyfriend in under a week, who is now my fiancé," I said before I shook my head in disbelief.

"Why don't I meet your family tomorrow, and we can pick out your ring afterwards?"

"You need to slow down. I'm still processing this," I said as I pushed my hand through his soft thick hair, but even as I said it, I felt the frisson of excitement burst in my stomach giving me butterflies. This felt like a dream.

"What do you think your Dad will say?"

"I haven't told him about you. He was always so keen to palm me off to some random man I didn't want to get his hopes up," I said as I frowned and wondered what my Dad's reaction would be.

My Mum was easygoing, but my Dad was a little stricter.

"You haven't mentioned me to your parents?"

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Have you mentioned me to yours?"

He grinned boyishly at me. "Fair point."

"You haven't spoken much about your parents," I said, trying to pry a little since they would be my future in-laws.

His smile waned.

"My Dad is a stuck-up surgeon, and my mother is normal," he said with restrained aggression.

"Oh, sorry," I said, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I'm over it, but thank you," he murmured.

A slow burn of anger built up inside me because Tae was so sweet, and his father sounded nothing like mine. My Dad supported all of us, not just financially but spiritually and emotionally. He deserved better than what he appeared to have received.

"Nonetheless, it would be good to meet your family, too," I said as I thought of my Dad.

I was sure he would want to meet his family if we were considering marriage. We remained silent as we held onto each other until we reached his apartment. The nightclub was a last-minute decision, and it was far too late to go home. I yawned as the car stopped in front of a swanky building.

Jason opened the door for us, and Tae swung my legs around before Jason helped me out. I shook my head when, seconds later, Tae yanked my hand out of his. He was sweet, but he most definitely had a touch of a psycho within him.

"Goodnight, Jason," I said as Tae began to drag me towards the doors. "It was nice knowing you," I shouted because who knew if I would be let out of his apartment again.

"Very funny," Tae drawled.

"It's a good thing that my friends know who I'm with," I snickered as we got on the lift.

"It won't do them much good if they don't know my surname," he said as he scanned a card and pushed a button on the lift.

"True, but there would be footage from the nightclub and any surrounding CCTV cameras."

"Which would be mysteriously blank," he said as he put his arms around me.

I eyed him suspiciously. "You sound far too confident. How many wives or fiancées have you had before me?"

He chuckled. "Only you, I couldn't go through this turmoil again."

I was about to question him when the lift doors opened up. I gasped and pushed away from him to step inside the most enormous apartment I'd ever seen in my life.

"Oh my God. This is like something where a celebrity would live," I exclaimed before I kicked my shoes off and ran inside.

"This is the largest couch I've ever seen. Why did you need one so—" I paused because I saw the dark early morning sky and a view of London.

The couch was forgotten as I walked towards the windows. My parents weren't wealthy like this, but we had a modest home which was almost paid off. In the current financial climate, that is as good as it gets. I hadn't realised how wealthy he was. The driver should have been a clue.

"Your home is beautiful, Tae," I said as I turned to find him standing close to where I'd kicked my shoes off.

He moved closer, and I saw that he had removed his shoes. When I glanced back at him, I saw that he was removing his jacket, which he had laid neatly over the back of the couch. He wore another crisp white shirt, which made his skin appear darker.

"Don't ever cut your hair short. I love it exactly as it is," I said as I turned to face him.

His lips curved upwards with the tiniest hint of a smile, but his eyes were predatory, and I held my breath as he moved closer.