Page 104 of Mercy (The Sins Trilogy 3)
“You are?” I glance down. Mine looks fine. What makes her think I need a new one?
“Yes. All mothers of brides do it for their future sons-in-law.” She leads me out, with her entourage following.
TJ gets up from his desk outside my office and tags along with an indescribable look on his face.
Same here, buddy,I think. Where does she get her strange ideas?
The elevator is close and crowded with nine people, but we make it down okay. “I actually have a lot of suits,” I say as I open the door to the Cullinan and help her get in. She’s in a pair of very impractical stilettos.
“So? Suits are like purses. You can never have enough.”
This is awkward. She’s not at all deterred. Worse, she speaks with absolute conviction, just like she did with Mother. I don’t quite care for being on the receiving end.
Suji looks at TJ. “Just follow my people.”
His beard twitches. “Yes, ma’am.”
She turns to me expectantly. “I have just the thing in mind.”
“Thank you,” I say. “But it isn’t necessary.”
“Of course it is.”
Desperation is clawing in my gut. “I haven’t even thanked you for helping us with my mother or spending your free time planning our wedding. I can’t accept this gift.”
She laughs gently. “Yes, you can. I didn’t do it for you or Ivy. I heard everything I need to know from Mr. Kim. He is a very good eavesdropper, even though he doesn’t look it. But he’s a discreet little fly on the wall that remembers and regurgitates everything he hears.”
“I see.” Damn it. I knew the man was here to keep an eye on Yuna, but I should’ve also realized he was a spy that was paying very close attention to our private conversations. Thankfully we didn’t say too embarrassing or private in front of him…did we?
“Don’t worry. He signed a nondisclosure agreement. He’s a very discreet man.”
That’s good. Until he decides to betray us.
“And he won’t betray us. Both of his sons work for Hae Min.”
The woman’s a bit freaky. I don’t like people guessing my thoughts. “Mrs. Min—”
“Didn’t Ivy tell you I want to be called Mom?”
I almost choke. An embarrassing yearning and warmth rush through me. I haven’t used that word in the last eighteen years. I didn’t think I ever would after seeing my mother the last time in Tempérane. “But we don’t have that kind of relationship,” I say finally.
“We don’t at the moment. But we could.”
If she were anybody but the chairman of the Hae Min Group’s wife, I might’ve suspected she wanted to ingratiate herself with me. But Hae Min is bigger and worth more than my company. “Can you speak to me frankly so I can understand?”
“Yuna adores Ivy. Yuna had a twin sister she doesn’t know about. The child died within a week of birth.” The light in Suji’s dark eyes dims. “Although I knew the girl for only a week, that pain will never leave me. She’ll always be in my heart.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, but the words feel inadequate. I feel inadequate. What the hell do I know about comforting a mother who lost her child? I couldn’t even do it for my own mother.
Suji gives me a wan smile, her eyes misting. “It was a long time ago. Yuna doesn’t know, and her older brother doesn’t either. We don’t speak of the child because it’s painful for us—my husband and I. But somehow Yuna craves a sister. It’s as though she knows her twin’s gone, and she misses her.” Suji’s voice cracks. She pauses and takes a few deep breaths. “She said she wanted a sister just like her—who shares similar interests and talent. Don’t you think her late twin would’ve been like that?”
“Yes,” I murmur softly, wishing I knew how to react to her loss other than feeling terrible.
“I’m grateful for Ivy because she isn’t just a friend, but like a sister to Yuna. She was so excited after she met Ivy because she said she felt like she found the sister she always wanted. I met Ivy twice while they were studying at Curtis.”
I give her a shocked stare. “But you never said a word about it.”
“Mr. Kim told me Ivy doesn’t remember. I didn’t want to agitate her.” Suji gives me a gentle smile. “This isn’t about me. This is about her and her relationship with my daughter. And with you. Yuna told me you make Ivy happy.”
