Warning:  Allegations of date rape/coercion

Jin

"I heard you took your husband privileges a little early," Micha crooned at me over her cup of coffee. Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "And your little friend left so unexpectedly yesterday. She didn't even say goodbye to me."

"Why would she?" I countered, toying with my fork. What husband privileges was she talking about? "Is my father coming to breakfast or not?" I was only there because I had missed breakfast yesterday and was told that my father wanted to see me today.

"Oh, he'll be here," she said, still with that sickly smile.

A few moments later, the door opened, and my father ambled in, followed by Fiona. I frowned. What was this all about, and why did I have a bad feeling about this? I stood up when Fiona approached a seat at the table.

"At least you remember some of your manners," my father grumbled as he made his way to his seat. One of the servants helped him get comfortable. He turned his eyes to me. "We need to talk about the manners you forgot."

I slumped into my chair. "I don't know what you mean, sir."

"Tell them what you told me, Fiona," Micha said, her voice dripping with concern. "Tell us again what happened."

I turned to look at Fiona in her seat across from me. She cast me a nervous glance then quickly averted her eyes.

"What happened?" I asked her. I observed that she was twisting her hands together nervously.

"You know. I-I talked to Mrs. Kim--"

"Call me Mom, my dear," Micha interjected. She shot me a sneer. "It's only a matter of time, after all."

The red-haired girl nodded. "I talked to M-Mom yesterday because I missed breakfast." She glanced at me then looked down again. "I can't...say this."

I exhaled impatiently. "Can someone tell me what is going on?"

My father hit the table with his hand. "I will tell you then. You took advantage of this girl the other night by keeping her in your room."

"What?" I exclaimed, dumbfounded.

"Don't deny it," my father continued. "Several of the staff already confirmed it. She stayed in your room until the next day and, quite frankly, Seokjin, we all know the only reason you would have a girl in your room."

I turned to look at Fiona. "Fiona, what did you say happened?" She refused to look at me, and I became upset. "Look at me. What did you say?"

Micha sighed. "Don't bully the girl for speaking up. It is a delicate matter for a young lady such as Fiona to bring up, but I told her--"

"You told her?" I interrupted her. "You told her what? Did you tell her what to say? So that's why you mentioned husbandly privileges. Well, that's simply not true." I looked at my father. "I don't know what Micha instructed her to say, but I can tell you that nothing happened. I didn't...we didn't do anything. I was upset, and she stayed to talk to me, and I fell asleep. I might've kissed her." I turned to Fiona. "But that was only because I thought you were someone else. And that's where it stopped. She fell asleep on the bed, and I slept on the couch. That's what happened."

Fiona glanced at Micha, and I saw the look that passed between them. I could've sworn that Fiona was reluctant to continue, but Micha shot her a pointed look.

"Your reputation does precede you, son, and if Fiona is too polite to mention it, then I will," Micha announced.

"Because we all know you are not polite," I muttered, earning a scowl from Micha. Then her scowl faded into a sneer.

"Seokjin, you coerced Fiona--an innocent girl-- into having sex with you," my stepmother said.

"No!" I exclaimed. "Fiona, tell them what really happened."

"Leave the girl alone!" my father rumbled. "You need to own up to what you've done. Be a man, for heaven's sake. This is a very delicate matter, Seokjin. She is a well-bred young lady who is here under my protection. How am I supposed to tell her father that her virtue wasn't safe for even three days?"

"No! This is not true," I insisted. "I didn't do anything with her." I leaned over my plate. "You can't possibly believe I'd force myself on her. Fiona, tell them the truth about what happened." I saw that she was struggling with her composure, but one glance at Micha caused her to take a deep breath and look at me.

"You asked me to stay with you," she said, as if reciting lines. "You began kissing me and doing...things until I could no longer resist. I was a v-virgin, and--and...we had sex."

I stared at her, my mouth open.. I turned to my father. "No," was all I could say.

He frowned. "I wish I could believe you, but we all know your reputation. Aren't you infamous at your university for seducing women? That's right. I know all about it."

"My so-called reputation has nothing to do with this!" I protested.

My father ignored me. "Regardless, Fiona isn't one of your college floozies, she was an innocent girl in my care. Even the appearance of impropriety is enough."

"And speaking of college floozies, isn't that why your little friend left?" Micha added. "Because she knew what happened?"

I slammed my hand on the table. Everyone jumped. "Do not ever speak of Bella that way again!" I growled. I felt a hot plume of anger rising from my chest to my face. "All of this is ridiculous! I am being blamed for something that did not happen. I would never have slept with Fiona," I exclaimed, "because I am not even attracted to her--drunk or sober!"

Fiona gave a little whimper and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Stop that!" my father reprimanded me. "It doesn't matter what you say. I have already contacted Fred Gettis. We are moving up the wedding as soon as possible. I don't want any gossip to get out about how my son couldn't control himself."

I looked up at the ceiling in frustration. "This is insane," I mumbled. "I've died and ended up in some upside-down alternate world."

"And you wanted to make sure there was no proof that you took her virginity," Micha said, her voice full of venom. "Tell us, Fiona. What did he do?"

I stared at the trembling girl. "This is a fairy tale that you've invented, and I don't know why you're doing this. All I know is that someone is putting you up to this."

"You...you kissed me," she stuttered.

"Yes, I'll admit to that," I announced, looking toward my father. "I was drunk. But that's where it stopped. And I said that happened only because I was mistaken." I turned to her again. "I never wanted to kiss you. Not then, not now."

Her eyes looked hurt, but her quivering lip stiffened, and she took a deep breath and turned her head. "I don't know why he is lying, but I still love him. Even if he seduced me when I had been drinking, I am not angry with him. I was not forced into doing anything I didn't want to because he...he made me want those things."

"Fiona, don't," I said warningly.

"He made me feel things I'd never felt before. And we did things--he did things to me," she paused. "Then he took me into the shower to have sex so that...so that there would be no blood on the sheets, he said," she finished with a little sob.

I stood up, nearly knocking the chair over. "This is disgusting." I scowled at Fiona. "You are a pathetic liar, Miss Gettis. I wouldn't be in such a hurry to join this toxic family if I were you."

"Seokjin, that is enough!" my father yelled. "The wedding will be in four weeks. We wouldn't want any questions or gossip if she might be expecting."

I gave a bitter laugh. "Expecting? Only if she is the Virgin Mary because I did not have sex with her!" I spun on my heel and walked out of the room. I could hear my father commanding me to go back. I walked across the foyer and, in a moment of frustrated, childish anger, grabbed the large vase with the day's fresh flowers, and slammed it to the floor.

"Sir!" a maid came running toward me. "Are...are you okay?"

I nodded without looking at her. She motioned to someone else to come clean up, telling me to be careful with the broken shards as if I hadn't been the one to break the vase. I stepped over the mess and rushed upstairs to my room. The only thing on my mind was Bella. How would I ever explain this to her?