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“I shouldn’t have kept my identity a secret. It was cowardly and manipulative. I should have convinced her that she should work with me despite the fact that I’m a Song.” He looked down at his fisted hands. “Now I’m in love with her, but everything we have together has been built on my lies.”
“Does the girl know that you love her? Does she care for you?”
“I don’t know. I think she cares about me, but once she finds out who I am and what I’ve done, she’ll despise me for it.”
“If that is truly the only outcome, then why are you here?” she asked with a shrewd glint in her eyes. “You are here because you want to correct the mistakes you have made.”
“I do. I want to tell her the truth.”
“What is really holding you back?”
“I’m afraid I’ll lose her when I tell her the truth. Not only that, but I would be asking her to choose between me and her family. Her father would never allow her to be with me. If she stays me then she will lose her family and Rotelle Entertainment.”
“Is it fair to ask that of her?” his grandmother said.
“It won’t only be my deception I’ll reveal to her. To tell her the whole truth, I’ll have to tell her about her father’s attempts to sabotage Hansol and destroy Garrett’s marriage. Will she want to stay with her family knowing that? Maybe I won’t have to ask her to choose between me and her family.”
“Hmm. Don’t you think she might use her knowledge of your deception against our family? To let her father know that we are on his trail?”
“No. Absolutely not. Jihae is honest, fair and principled. She’ll never help her father, knowing what he had done. My gut told me from the beginning that she was innocent. And I have proof that she isn’t involved, if you still have doubts.”
“Yes, yes. I know what you overheard from her conversation with her father and how she refused to help Yami Corporation’s CFO. Besides, you don’t need to convince me of her innocence.”
“But I do, Hal-muh-nee. I want you and Uncle James, and the rest of the family, to accept her. She is truly an amazing person, but so lonely. Her family...they aren’t like us. They don’t love her and appreciate her like family should. She’s been neglected, controlled and used by them. I want her to become a part of our family and be loved as I have been. I want you to accept her as your own.”
“Colin, do you want to marry this girl? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“Yes. I want to marry her and make her happy. I want to beg for her forgiveness and make up for any hurt my lies will cause her when I tell her the truth.”
“Then is it fear? Is it only fear that is holding you back from telling her the truth?”
“You’re right. I’m so afraid of losing her, Grandmother. I can’t bear to even think about living my life without her in it. If I tell her, she might leave me. Maybe I want to delay the inevitable.”
“But you said you love her. Every day you continue to keep this secret, the more you are hurting her. Is that what you want? Is that the right way to love her?”
“I’ve been lying to myself that I’ll be able to let her go when the time comes. That neither of us is emotionally involved, and we’ll be able to walk away from each other without heartache. I’ve been so wrong.” He wiped both his hands down his face, hating himself a little. “If I love her, I have to give her the choice to leave or stay based on the whole truth. If she wants to leave me after I’ve told her everything, she has the right to make that choice. If by some miracle, she is willing to give me another chance, then that is her choice, as well. Telling her the truth and respecting her decision is the best way I can truly love her at this point.”
He pushed away the nagging thought that even if Jihae gave him another chance, her father wouldn’t back down easily. If Colin ever reached that point, he would fight the world for her as long as she stood beside him.
“Colin, I know you. You are a good man. You made a difficult choice based on the difficult situation you were placed in. I know that my desire to have you join Hansol has been a great source of stress and guilt for you. In that, I feel partially responsible for your decision to spy on Rotelle Corporation. I understand you did that to pay me back a debt you don’t owe me. You have done the best you can for our family.”
“None of this is your fault. It’s all mine. I had a choice and I made the wrong one. But now I understand what I have to do,” he said with determination. “Hal-muh-nee, will you do something for me?”
“Anything, my dear child.”
“If Jihae is willing to have me, will you promise to make her a part of our family?”
“If she will have us, then she will be family.” She reached out to squeeze Colin’s hand. “She will be my granddaughter.”
Twelve
Jihae ended the call on her cell with shaky hands and placed it on her desk with a clack. She knew her father was a ruthless businessman, but she never thought it possible that he would be willing to break the law to get what he wanted.
Her friends from Korea had gotten back to her with disturbing news. They’d dug up some stale rumors among the highest executives that Rotelle Corporation might have planted a spy in Hansol Corporation the previous year. It didn’t tell her how Yami Corp. was involved in the espionage, but her gut feeling said this was the secret her father had been keeping from her.
But why? Why would her father do this? He had more money than ten generations of his descendants could live off. Anything else he earned was superfluous other than for feeding his pride. Jihae froze. His pride.
She had a nagging feeling about the timing of the spy being planted. The rumors had sprung up almost a year and a half ago. Close to the time that Garrett Song had broken his engagement to Jihae.
