Chapter 160

William Lee’s Townhome
Bologna, Italy


Pan Jin’s knee bounced, nervously, watching in the mirror as Evie did her hair for her. The dress they gave her cost more than she’d make in five years, and she was feeling extremely out of her element in it.

“Do not be so nervous, Dear,” Evie said. “It is just the opera, nothing major. You do not need to speak Italian to understand the it and feel the emotion in your soul.”

The young woman nodded, her index fingers tapping against the back of the mobile phone in her hands.

“The Emperor of Japan and the Prince and Princess will be at the opera, yes?” Pan Jin asked.

“They will,” Evie confirmed. “From what I understand, it was your idea to have my son face the demon of his past.”

“Yes, but the President of the Italian Republic and her wife was not my idea,” Pan Jin continued. “Or the President of France. Royalty from Spain, Finland, Monaco, Sweden, England, Andorra… I don’t even know where Andorra is!”

Evie chuckled, shaking her head; the young woman was as endearing and innocent as Seon Rain. “The easiest way to hide someone that has a target on them, just as William Lee and Myo Mi-Sun do, is in a highly secure event with more royalty and political figures at it than a Wikipedia page. You all will be safe there, enjoy yourself, and just smile pretty on the carpet.”

The phone in Pan Jin’s lap started ringing again and the young woman silenced it.

“Your mother still?” Evie asked.

Pan Jin nodded. “Mother is not happy with me in the least,” she said. “I tried to tell her that I’m working, but she doesn’t believe me. She thinks I’m sneaking around behind her back doing something illicit, that’s where the money is coming from in her mind.”

When the phone rang again, Evie snatched the phone from Pan Jin’s hands.

“Bonjour!” Evie greeted after answering it.

“Uh, who in the hell is this?!” Pan Jin’s mother demanded.

“This is a Madame Blanchar.”

“Who?”

“Your daughter works for me,” Evie said in a clipped tone. “We are preparing for a very important event, one you are interrupting with your incessant calling-”

“No. I want my daughter’s ass back home in twenty minutes otherwise she’ll regret it. You tell that little b*tch to get home, now.”

Evie looked at Pan Jin; tears flooded the young woman’s eyes. “That will be a little difficult considering your daughter is readying to go to an event in Europe where King and Queens, Presidents and Prime Ministers will be present.”

“Wait, what?”

Pan Jin gasped, her eyes wide.

“We would appreciate it if you would stop calling and harassing your daughter while she is working,” Evie scolded. “Remember, your daughter is the sole reason why there is a roof over your head, and if you wish to keep one there I would heed my warning. Adieu,” she said before hanging up, then powered off the mobile phone.

Pan Jin’s eyes were wide; no one had stood up and defended her like that before. “What… Why did you do that?!”

Evie tenderly caressed Pan Jin’s head, wiping away the tear that rolled down the young woman’s cheek. “Because no mother should speak like that to or of her child,” she whispered with a soft smile. “You are an unbelievably intelligent young woman that is freakishly observant with deduction skills that are even more impressive than mine. I have never said this before, to anyone, not even my own children, but you would make an unbelievably talented agent for any agency. Never sell yourself short because you do not think you are worthy of more.”

Pan Jin hastily wiped away the tear that rolled down her cheek. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,” she stammered, and before she could stop herself, she wrapped her arms around Evie’s waist and hugged her tight.

Evie stood with her hands up, not entirely sure what to do.

“Um, did something happen?” Rain asked, joining them now that she had finished getting ready in another room. “You can touch her, Madame Blanchar. I know you are not a touchy person, a trait your eldest child got from his father I had assumed. It isn’t a sign of weakness to show emotion. I’ve been trying, in vane I fear, to get Kita to loosen up that annoying trait he got from his parents. Just something else to keep working at.”

“Good luck with that,” Evie said, caressing Pan Jin’s back reassuringly. “Kita has always been like that, even when he was a young boy. He has always been very reserved like his father. Lula is much like me, my precious Lucien is the perfect combination of his parents, but Kita, I thought, was like his father.”

“Isn’t he?” Pan Jin asked, looking up at Evie.

Evie shrugged then nodded. “Yes and no. There is a hidden side to him, one that is indisputably like his mother. Bravo for bringing that out in him,” she said, looking to Seon Rain. “You look beautiful, ChouChou.”

Rain blushed. “Thank you. Mister Augustin is much too generous with me. You both look lovely.”

Pan Jin wore a light grey, sleeveless French crepe organza gown with extensive sparkly diamond-like crystals on the bodice and a belt around the waist. Her hair was pulled back into a quiffed bun with a silver diamond headband. It was the first time she’d ever worn something like that, and she thought it was over the top until Evie joined her.

The tall, statuesque Frenchwoman looked stunning in the sparkly, pink puff sleeve gown she wore. The back was extremely low cut with a simple tie that rested between her shoulders to keep the gown from slipping off her shoulders since it was low cut in the front. With her heels on, Evie towered over the young Korean women with her.

Evie finished Pan Jin’s hair for her, securing the silver and diamond headband on her head. “Yes, he is. William is as well. That gown looks beautiful on you.”

Rain blushed and smoothed her hands down the front of the gown she wore.

The Japanese indigo dye heavy silk floor length gown had a corset top that was covered in extensive small light blue topazes set in gold. The corset flattened her smaller breasts but gave her the appearance of womanly curves. Extensive shimmering sapphire embroidery covered the rest of the gown in flowers and filigree. Cutouts on the fronts of her legs were covered in nude illusion fabric decorated with matching sapphire embroidery, giving her an even curvier appearance.

A long, wide train trailed behind her and was just as heavily decorated with matching embroidery; it was detachable for dancing, Will explained. It would give a regal look on the red carpet, but allow for comfort at dinner.

Pan Jin dried her eyes then turned to her boss with a smile and her eyes widened. “Whoa. You look amazing,” she said. “Can you do my makeup like yours?”

Rain blushed. “I watched a few tutorial videos on how to get the perfect smoky eye. You don’t think it’s too dark?”

She shook her head. “No, you look amazing. You’ll render him breathless again.”

That was a loaded statement.

“What do you mean?” Rain asked, grabbing a brush so she could do Pan Jin’s eyeshadow.

She shrugged. “I wasn’t there the last time you were dressed up like this, but Will and Lucien told me that Kita was so stunned when you walked out in your dress that his jaw hit the floor.”

Rain blushed. “Yeah, it was embarrassing. Maybe I should text him a picture first so I don’t do that to him again.”

Pan Jin looked at her. “It doesn’t matter what you wear,” she whispered. “You constantly render Mister Kita breathless every time you walk in the room, Ma’am. And tonight will be just like all the other times. You look beautiful.”

“So do you, President,” Rain said with a bow. “I am so happy you are joining us tonight. I’m so nervous about all of the royals and political figures that will be there that I need my friends with me,” she teased.

“Me too!” Pan Jin said. “I’m glad I’m not the only one… Wait, I’m your friend?!” she gasped.

Rain nodded then hugged her and Pan Jin returned the embrace; they both needed a reassuring hug because they were going to an unfamiliar environment with politicians and royalty.

It was totally different than movie stars and musicians.

Evie stood back, finishing her hair, splitting her attention between the two young women that were giggling and talking, and what she was doing.

The young women amused her when they were together; they were so much alike that it was uncanny. When Dae-Ho got in the mix, the three were like watching her own children banter and interact, in a sense.

If Evie didn’t any better, she’d swear they were…

“Oh,” Evie gasped, looking at them with wide eyes.