Paul POV

Kayla snugged beneath my arm, we watched as a tall slim woman greeted Antonio with an alluring smooch.

Her complexion was warm in comparison to the gaze of her cold blue eyes, and the subtle smirk across her lips aligned exactly with how Antonio described her a few months ago.

"Are you having a good time, birthday boy?" She purred.

"Of course baby. The last of The Elite just arrived." He confirmed. "Paul, Kayla. This is my girlfriend, Alessandra Giordano."

Just as I was about to offer Alessandra my hand to shake, I grew both confused and weary noticing the silent yet intense exchange between her and Kayla.

"So we meet again." Alessandra grinned. "Though, it's probably best we don't pick up where we left off just yet. I don't want to ruin my love's special day."

Kayla scoffed, yet no words followed as she ferociously looked towards the Italian couple.

"I'm sorry, have you two met already?" I questioned.

"Just last night actually." Alessandra nodded. "Your girlfriend is quite the fighter."

My scrunched eyes grew round, my lips even parting as Kayla's intuition came to fruition.

"I'm a martial artist." Alessandra said to Kayla. "I've trained since I was a kid. Not many people can keep up with me, but you did effortlessly. You must train too?"

"I do." Kayla admitted. "Seeing how our worlds just conveniently collided, I take it you already know my story. After the murder of my best friend and your "love's" ex, I committed myself to training so I could defend myself should a psychopath try to harm me one day as well."

Alessandra smirked. "You've learned a lot in a year then. I'm impressed."

"And I'm surprised." Kayla sneered. "I thought martial artists had values they followed, yet you took a cheap shot at me. A sneak attack with a beer bottle isn't very upright."

"I'm just loyal and protective of those I cherish. You had my friend on her knees."

"Well your friend shouldn't have started a fight she wasn't prepared to finish."

"Wait, what?" Donnell questioned, looking towards Eva.

Annoyed, the Latina refused to make eye contact with him. Her glare was instead directed towards his ex, whom she was noticeably threatened by.

"Listen we obviously got off on the wrong foot." Alessandra giggled. "I'm sorry about last night. We are dating members of The Elite and I would love it if the three of us could be friends. How about us girls step away and get to know each other over a drink?"

"Mia bella, that's a great idea!" Antonio enthused. "As far as I'm concerned, you beautiful ladies are members of The Elite as well. That's means we're family, no?"

"And what's family, without a little drama?" Alessandra added.

The two laughed together, my jaw clenched as the atmosphere surrounding the group grew more and more tense with each second.

"What do you say?" Alessandra chimed.

"Sure." Kayla agreed, her lips tightly pressed together as she forced a smile.

I maintained my hold around Makayla's waist before she could take a step away from me and as she looked up to me, I silently communicated my concern and remorse.

"I'll be right back." She assured me, our lips connecting for a quick peck.

As I watched Kayla walk away, Alessandra locked arms with her. Eva followed the two, though it was obvious she wasn't happy about the peace treaty her friend was pursuing.

"Well it looks like the girls are going to get along, just fine?" Antonio joked, Chase and Spencer chortling as I directed a fierce glare at him.

"What the hell, Antonio? Did you have your girlfriend tail Kayla? Or do you expect me to believe all of this is a coincidence?"

"You heard it yourself. Alessandra didn't even start the fight, it was Donnell's girl."

Donnell sighed. "My bad, Paul. Eva's feelings towards me are a little intense..."

"So you're telling me the rare occasion my girlfriend goes to a sports bar, she ends up at the same spot as your girlfriends? And not only that, they even instigate a fight with her the day before your big birthday bash where they are likely to "meet" her?"

"Tell you what, flip that in reverse - Kayla is just as suspicious." Antonio replied. "You're right. The Kayla we know did not care to watch sports, and while she's always had a mouth on her she was never a fighter. So why don't you tell me, what was she really doing at that bar and why could she keep up with a trained martial artist so well?"

"You heard her. After the state she saw her friend in, why wouldn't she learn to defend herself?"

"Do you know who she was at the bar with?"

"No. If I had to guess though, she was probably with a colleague from her residency, but who knows? Maybe you can get that confirmation since your "bella" is apparently spying on her."

Antonio smirked. "You're being quite defensive right now."

"Of course I am. Alessandra may be doing the work, but its at your command. So you tell me, how else should I react when another man is keeping tabs on my woman and even instigating assault towards her? Huh?"

Hearing and seeing the rage that coated my heated face, the members of The Elite remained silent while Antonio calmly contemplated how to respond.

"Paul, I meant it when I said I wanted to start fresh and keep the past in the past." He stated, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I can see it, the way Kayla looks at you. It's like Alessandra with me. Her feelings towards you are sincere and fierce. She can do anything for you.

"As long as we continue to stay the course, look ahead, and you keep your girl under control - I see no reason to dig further into the past. However, if another incident takes place with my business and I detect even a slight whiff of Kayla's involvement, I won't look away a second time. And to be clear, this is not a warning brother. It's a threat."

I stepped closer to Antonio, my gaze firm as I looked into his emerald eyes.

"I agree, let's look ahead and move on from the past. However, since we're throwing threats out there, if your girlfriend ever lays a finger on Kayla again or should I "detect the slightest whiff" she's tailing her again, you and I will both discover just how much power comes with my name and the fury of the international resources backing me at AHS. Understood?"

Antonio sneered, nodding in agreement. "Let's have a peaceful future together then. Yeah?"

A smug smile spread across my lips, I allowed my silence to confirm our understanding before we were interrupted by two couples.

"Antonio!" His guest exclaimed. "Happy birthday!"

Like a pro, Antonio swiftly shifted from our professionally heated discussion and greeted his friends.

Chase and Spencer seemed to be familiar with the latest guests as well and while I anxiously watched the charming host put on a show from afar, Donnell stepped beside me.

"Hey. I um... I really am sorry about Eva. She knows Kayla was the reason I rejected her at first. I never thought she'd put hands on her though. Is Kayla okay? Was she hurt anywhere?"

My chest rising, I huffed as I turned to face him. "You know, this reaction is probably why Eva picked a fight with Kayla in the first place. Instead of worrying about my girlfriend, how about you pay attention to yours? She's obviously spiteful and wildly insecure about you."

He clicked his tongue. "Don't be an ass man. I'm trying to make peace. You think it's easy for me right now? Playing nice and watching you and Kayla like I wasn't betrayed?"

My head fell, as did my shoulders while I took a moment to get my attitude under control.

"I'm sorry." I sincerely apologized. "You're right."

"You are too." Donnell admitted. "I was so pressed on distracting myself after learning about you and Kayla dating, I jumped into things with Eva prematurely."

"Then why keep dating her?" I asked.

"Why do I do anything that involves The Elite?"

"Kayla's not your responsibility anymore though. Does he have something else on you?"

"I told you that day at the hospital, my hands are dirtied in blood too. My actions weren't just about protecting Makayla. I made bad decisions and consequences followed, obviously. It's on me to bare them, and the better my relationship is with Antonio the easier it is to do so."

"You'll never escape the guilt that's eating away at you then. You know that, right?"

"With how much I've witnessed and stayed silent about, I don't deserve to live any other way."

Despite his unfortunately reality, Donnell placed an accepting smile on his face as he patted my back and pushed the conversation forward.

"You're doing much better than me at protecting her by the way." He continued. "I hate the way you went about pursuing and dating Kayla behind my back but it turns out it was for the best. I don't know what it is, but AHS must have something that's keeping Antonio in check.

"Whether its been Makayla causing all this trouble or not, as long as she's not involved in any incidents in the future - she may be one of the only people I have ever witnessed Antonio look the other way for. Take advantage of that, and move on for real. There's still a bright future for the two of you, if you play it smart. Okay?"

I smirked. "You're being oddly supportive, right now."

Donnell nodded, even chuckling as I followed his gaze and we both stared at Kayla doing her best to socialize with Alessandra and Eva at the bar.

"It's nice seeing her like this again." He confessed. "She's back to her old self, and that puts a part of my heart at peace. Even if you're the root cause of her happiness, I'm glad to see her trusting and loving someone again. I'm happy to see her living with purpose again."

Understanding Donnell as a man who cherished Makayla, I stayed silent and allowed him to watch my girlfriend as he finally accepted the closure of their forsaken relationship.

"Paul, Donnell!"

My stomach turned hearing Sam's voice, and she was only feet away by time we spotted her.

"As always, you look amazing Sam." Donnell complimented her, my tall ex-girlfriend sporting a white sleeveless maxi dress.

The two shared a quick hug, before her and I awkwardly greeted each other with one as well.

"I wasn't sure I'd see you here tonight, Paul." Sam said, looking between Donnell and I. "I especially wasn't expecting to see the two of you together but I guess boys will by boys?"

"Moving on from the past is also just a really healthy thing to do." I sassed.

"I'm glad you feel that way." She sneered. "Starting Monday, I'll be an intern at AHS Group."

My lips parted, I was speechless as Donnell covered a sudden burst of laughter with his fist.

"Johnny and I agreed on the terms a little over an hour ago." Sam continued. "This shouldn't be that surprising to you, though. Surely you know he's been recruiting me for the past two years. After AHS' performance at the New England Legal Awards Ceremony, how could I refuse his latest offer? I'm one of Harvard's best students. It's only right I work for the best firm, no?"

"How is it you become more and more shameless every time I see you?" I scoffed.

She shrugged, her smile pretentious. "There's nothing shameless about putting yourself first. Especially when it becomes clear as a woman, you're all you've got in this misogynist world."

Drawing a deep breath, I let it settle as I accepted yet another unwanted reality I'd have to deal with going forward.

"Anyways, I thought it best I make you aware before we bump into each other at the office on Monday." She concluded. "I look forward to working with you, Associate Ahn."

As she walked past me, I closed my eyes in utter annoyance while Donnell burst into tears from cackling so hard.

"Okay, I feel a lot better after witnessing that!" He teased. "Honestly, that's what you get! Call me a hater, I don't care! After all the people you crossed to be with Kayla, something had to give at some point."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I murmured, my eyes rolled to the heavens when Kayla startled me.

"Is everything okay?" She asked. She was followed by Eva, who was already glaring at Sam from afar as she took her place beside Donnell. "What did she want?"

"Uh." I contemplated. "Let's talk about it when we get home."

Kayla brows furrowed, our attention was grabbed by Antonio's voice before she could press me for more information.

He gestured for the four of us to join him in a discussion, likely a networking opportunity for all of The Elite to benefit from.

Alongside Donnell and Eva, we went along with the introduction and we continued to socialize amongst The Elite and many others for nearly two hours.

The time flew by though, and the conversations seemed endless.

It was the peak of recruitment season for law interns, and many HLS students were eager to meet me with the hope of increasing their chance of getting scouted by AHS.

They were excited to meet Kayla as well. She had become quite known on social media as my girlfriend over the past few weeks, but she was also a successful Harvard alumni with a vastly growing medical network people were eager to become a part of.

By time we were ready to call it a night, Kayla and I had not had a single moment to ourselves.

We had networked so much, we could barely enjoy the free beverages provided by the host.

We babysat the drinks we started the night with, and then the champagne that accompanied the birthday boy's cake celebrations as we honored him with a toast.

It was nearly 10:00 PM and the night was starting to get rowdy, people dancing more and more as the drinks flowed and various drugs were subtly distributed amongst Antonio's guests.

"Are you sure you two can't stay longer?" Antonio asked.

Like the rest of the crew, he was certainly feeling the impact of the alcohol and whatever other substance was in his system.

"I'm sorry, man." I declined. "It's getting late and I need to get Kayla home. She has the morning shift at the hospital tomorrow."

"Is this what I have to look forward to?" Antonio teased, Alessandra snuggled up to his side. "I remember the night we first met, hell that and the first few months of the school year! You partied so hard, now you're all domestic and shit!"

"Facts!" Spencer slurred. Chase standing beside him, the two had gradually come around to accepting Kayla and I throughout the evening. "You used to get all the girls too."

"Used to?" Chase questioned. "Even with Kayla standing beside him, girls have been flirting with him all night. I have to admit, I don't miss competing with him at club."

"I guess you don't miss the competition with me and Antonio either then, huh?" Donnell joked.

"Naw, it's getting lonely." Spencer admitted. "Kayla, if you have any resident friends looking to date - put me on!"

"I don't know." Kayla replied as she hugged my side. "Your lifestyle doesn't suit a resident's. Are you willing to sober up and be boring like Paul? We're typically in bed by 10:00."

Sucking air through his teeth, we laughed at Spencer's expression as he confirmed he wasn't about that type of commitment just yet.

"Let us get more time with your man then at least?" Spencer continued. "Paul now that the past is behind us, can we go to the cigar lounge this week? We've missed you, man. It's been good to see you, tonight."

I nodded. "Of course. It'll be on me too. Okay?"

Accepting my gesture, the group said their goodbyes to Kayla and I before we made our exit.

We shared the elevator with other attendees that had decided to call it an early night as well, and two of them were my classmates. They had parked in the same garage as us too, and they talked with me until we were forced to go our separate ways.

The moment Kayla and I got to my car and I finally had her to myself, I pulled her into my arms and tightly embraced her.

"You worked hard, tonight. Thank you." I whispered in the top of her head. "Are you okay?"

"I'm exhausted and a little shaken up, but I'm fine."

Sighing, I looked down to my incredibly brave girlfriend.

"Aein, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I doubted you, and for what I said to you last night. Your instincts were right and I questioned them. I messed up, Kayla. I'm so sorry."

"Ho-seok baby, it's okay." She cooed, caressing my cheek as she grazed her thumb along its skin. "Nothing you said last night was unreasonable. Life's been good these past few weeks and we've been happy. It's normal that you want to be optimistic. It's normal that you don't want to be trapped in the past."

I shook my head. "That wasn't me being optimistic Kayla, nor was it me trying to move on from the past. That was me running away from the vary thing I promised to figure out with you if you gave me a chance."

I rested my forehead against hers, my hands shifting down to her hips.

"You were right, Kayla. I'm running away from my father too... I'm such a goddamn coward."

"Ho-seok, nothing about you is cowardly." She assured with a gentle smile. "You didn't exactly fall for a simple girl, and I have no idea what you said to Antonio but standing up to a man like him to protect me is incredibly brave of you. Give yourself some grace, and please know that I am so grateful for you and all you do for me. You're far from a coward. You're my hero."

Standing on her toes, she pressed her soft lips against mine as I embraced her warmth and the comfort she so easily bestowed upon me with her presence alone.

"Come on, we can debrief on the ride home." She tenderly advised.

Agreeing with her recommendation, I got Kayla settled in the passenger seat before we took off and drove along the busy Boston streets.

"So what went down when you talked with the girls over drinks? How was it?" I asked.

"Awkward, but I got what I needed." Kayla replied. "Eva is exactly how I expected she'd be the moment I bumped into her. Rich, spoiled, and entitled. Her life has practically been handed to her on a silver platter. Like you, she's a fellow inheritor of a fashion brand based in Spain. I'm sure we can tap Haneul for more information about her if we need to."

"And Alessandra?"

"A.K.A Alex." Kayla started. "She's the female version of Antonio. Attractive and smart but her charm is superficial. She's charismatic as well, and very good at distorting the truth. If I had not met her last night, she might have fooled me today. However, it's impossible to miss it now."

"What do you mean?"

"The look in her eyes when she drops her facade. Her life is one grand show. I don't think she feels emotions or understands remorse. She merely presents what she practices, and that's why she keeps rich dimwitted people like Eva around. They're easy to manipulate."

I sighed. "So to sum Alex up in one word, she's a psychopath?"

"Yup." Kayla confirmed. "And she's absolutely killed before. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she's killed for Antonio before. Her loyalty to him is borderline obsessive."

"I think you're right. When Antonio first told us about her, he hinted she likely led the execution of that gang leader out in Central."

Kayla gasped, turning her entire body towards me. "That was her?"

"Yeah, I think so. Crazy, right?"

Speechless, Kayla slowly looked ahead. "I guess I got lucky last night, huh? Alex could have killed me if she wanted to. I didn't know I was in that kind of danger at the time."

"No, Antonio wouldn't have allowed that. He wanted her to spook you in order to get control of the situation today."

"What did he say when you two talked?"

"Long story short, he wants to leave the past in the past. I think you and your team made him sweat and to protect his own sanity he's hellbent on pinning all of this on you since he can't find your team. He said as long as no more incidents happen with his business, he's ready to move on from it all."

"But the girls aren't going to stop, Ho-seok."

"Then you need to distance yourself from them entirely."

"What?" She questioned, my car stopped at a light. "But they're my friends."

"Not as long as they keep going after Antonio. You're compromised Kayla, and you're lucky a man as violent as him is choosing to let all the damage you've done to his business go so quietly. You know what he's capable of when you're his enemy."

She sighed, her shoulders drooping as she heard me out.

"Do you still want out of the revenge?" I asked.

"Of course." She confirmed. "It's just... I've been where my team is. It's lonely, and I told one of them I'd always be her friend no matter what. How can I just abandon her like this?"

I grabbed Kayla's hand, and placed a reassuring smile on my face.

"If you're talking about the person that supported us being together last night, something tells me she's understanding and that you both have simply chosen paths that are parting at this point in your lives."

"You're right." Kayla admitted. "I think she already knew this was the inevitable too. It was me who didn't want to believe it, and I almost compromised her last night being so delusional."

"Hey, wasn't it you who told me to give myself some grace? You should take your own advice." As she showed me a timid smile, I kissed the back of her hand. "Looks like we're both sorting things out day by day and as we've said many times, we'll get through it all together. Okay?"

She nodded in agreement as I leaned over the console and stole a quick smooch from her.

"There's still one more thing we have to debrief on, by the way." Makayla reminded me. "What did Sam say to you? You looked pretty spooked by time I got to you."

"Well." I paused, knowing Kayla might be more pissed off than I was. "Apparently, Johnny hired her as an intern at ASH today. She starts her role on Monday."

"What!" Makayla exclaimed. "Does he have a death wish?"

"Right?" I agreed. "But that's Johnny for you. He's a business man, and he doesn't let personal issues get in the way of his success. AHS recruits the best, and Sam's up there."

"Nope, I can't accept this." Kayla said, grabbing my phone. "I'll take care of this if you won't."

"Ya!" I chuckled as I attempted to get my phone back. "C'mon, we can't interfere with how he runs his office. He's still my supervisor, Kayla."

"And? You're the inheritor of the group, are you not?"

"Aein, that's not how this works! Do not call him!" Distracted by our playful ways, the car behind me honked when the light finally turned green."C'mon, please. Don't call him."

Though hesitant, Kayla respected my plea and set my phone down as I resumed the drive.

"Fine. I'll just call Madison, and have her deal with this instead."

"You know, you just might get your way then. Johnny does not say no to his fiancée."

"Exactly." She winked.

Winding down from our latest fit of laughter, Kayla was scrolling through her phone when we heard an incoming call being announced through my car speakers.

"It's your mom again." She observed. "You gonna answer the call this time?"

"Not right now." I decided.

"Babe, you've been dodging her calls as much as you've been avoiding your dad. I know she's not thrilled about me either but didn't you say she was a lot more empathetic than him? She's probably just really worried about you at this point, Ho-seok. You should answer it."

"I'll call her back when we get home. I don't know what she'll say, and I don't want you to get offended by what you might hear."

"You know damn well I don't understand Korean enough for that to be a thing."

I chuckled. "You'd be surprised how much you've picked up with that potty mouth of yours."

Kayla giggled since that was an undeniable truth. After all that time we spent with the gang in Korea, the insults that came with our playful banter were the only words she remembered.

"If you're that worried, the likelihood of her approval must be as low as your dad's. Huh?"

I nodded, only to hear Siri recite my mother's unexpected text message.

"What did she say?" Kayla asked, my lips parted. "I don't think I heard any cuss words."

Glancing at Makayla, I grinned as my mother presented me with an opportunity to man up and stop running away.

"When's the next time you're off?" I asked. "My mom, she wants us to visit her in Canada."

____

Author's Note: Hi ya'll! If you didn't already know, Wattpad is dealing with a glitch that isn't pushing notifications when writers publish updates. I planned to schedule two back to back updates but will be holding off until the issue is resolved. 

Nonetheless, back to the story! How do you think Ho-seok's mother is going to take to meeting Makayla? We all know Ho-seok is his mother's pride and joy, but he's also the thorn that his stepfather and step siblings can't stand! How do you think this introduction will play out?

Please remember to vote and comment! Thanks for the support!

- Zelene