𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 | Jay

17

Y/n and Jay knew this was just the beginning. Their plan was set, and they were ready to face their past and let Mary suffer the consequences of her betrayal.

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They stood there, hands intertwined. Y/n in a blouse and black pants. Jay wore a dark blue suit."We can do this," Jay whispered, squeezing the girl's hand. She lifted her eyes from the floor and looked at him.
Now there was no turning back. Now all the world would know about their plans. Both knew that a crowd of journalists and other hotel owners awaited them behind the still closed door. They hoped Mary was there too.

Y/n looked forward to that traitor's face when she learned her plans to pit Jay and Y/n against each other hadn't worked. The betrayal of Mary and her family had only bound the two closer.

When the door opened, they let go of their hands.
When Y/n's bodyguard and father's best friend gave her a nod, the girl stepped forward. "You can it little one," said the man.

The girl stepped into the room and she immediately had to squint her eyes. The camera flashes irritated her. She heard her name from everywhere but she didn't react and went up the stairs to the small stage. She took the microphone in her hand and the audience in the small hall fell silent.

"Good evening. I am pleased that you accepted my invitation and came here tonight. It is the first time that I am standing here in my father's place. As his successor, I promise that I will do everything to continue running our hotels. I am the first female CEO and very young and I can understand that not everyone has confidence in me but I can assure you: I have learned from the best and I will not let anyone destroy what my father died for."With the last sentence, her eyes finally caught Mary, who was sitting next to her parents and also looking at her. With a sense of satisfaction, Y/n realized that all three seemed nervous.

"Since someone is trying to destroy me by any means necessary, I've made a decision. And I have to disappoint you, the one who wants to destroy me is not Park Jongseong. He met the same fate as me. Everyone knows we weren't best friends and our family were long time rivals. Thanks to a wonderful friend, we found out we're not that different after all."She paused and smiled defiantly at Mary, who couldn't hold her gaze."We decided to work together. The two best rival hotel chains become one team."After these words chaos broke out. Jay came on stage as well.

Cameras flashed, journalists jumped out of their seats and rushed to the stage. The securities had trouble keeping them off the stage.

Jay put his hand on the girl's back. "I'm proud of you," he whispered. She smiled contentedly. That was exactly what she wanted. Her eyes were fixed on the Choi family, who were whispering to each other. They hurriedly left the room."They don't stand a chance against us," Y/n said contentedly, looking after them triumphantly.

"Hey," Jay said softly, pointing to a man who was in the corner of the room watching what was happening."Who is this?". Y/n followed his gaze. She narrowed her eyes, "That's...Smith," she replied."What is he doing here?" Jay wanted to know. Y/n shrugged her shoulders.

"We have to sign the contract," Jay said then. His manager took them to the table and the chaos in the room settled.All cameras were trained on her."You first," the girl grinned. Jay shook his head "Lady's first".Y/n picked up the pen and took a deep breath. "I hope my parents wouldn't kill me if they experienced this." Jay grinned and picked up the pen after the girl signed. He also signed the contract. When he put down the pen, applause erupted. The cameras flashed again.

"You will now have to answer some questions," the manager informed and the two nodded.They left the stage and stood in front of the door, which should now be used as an interview location.

While Jay was answering the first question, the girl's gaze fell on Smith again, who was now standing closer than before.
Why was he here?Why was he wearing his hood?

She watched his hand move behind his back.
Adrenaline shot through her blood as she realized what he was up to.
She grabbed Jay's hand and turned to her bodyguard "that guy has a gun," she told him.Eric reacted quickly, but Smith had also recognized that he had been blown. He quickly drew his gun.

When Y/n heard the shots, she froze.She pictured her father lying on the floor again. There was blood all around him."Go away," Eric yelled, but Y/n was in a trance.She was ripped away. She was pulled through the door into the hallway and stumbled after it. Her thoughts slowly became clear again.

"Shit you almost got shot! What's the matter with you?" Jay asked. She looked at him "I...I couldn't"."What could you not?". She swallowed and looked into Jay's eyes. "I couldn't move. For a brief moment I wanted him to shoot me. I wanted to go to Mom and Dad," she stammered."It's okay," Jay whispered, rubbing her back soothingly. "We're safe. Eric will take us home and we'll be safe there."Y/n tried to gather herself and control her breath. The tears stung her eyes, but she wanted to be strong. She didn't want to let fear get the better of her. Jay and Eric stood by her side, and that gave her comfort.

"Thank you," she murmured softly to Eric, who had also appeared. "Thank you for protecting us. I don't know what I would have done without you."Eric smiled slightly and stroked her hair. "It's my job to protect you. I won't let anything happen to you."The bodyguard's words calmed Y/n a little. She felt safer around him and knew he would do his best to protect her. After the death of her father, Eric vowed to protect his best friend's daughter, even if it cost him his own life. He wanted to fulfill this wish of his best friend.

Together they made their way to the exit of the venue, being careful.When they were finally outside, the fresh air filled her lungs and helped calm her further. Eric led them to a nearby vehicle. They got in and Eric got behind the wheel.

The way home was marked by a tense silence. Y/n stared out the window while Jay held her hand. The images of her father, whom she saw in the last moments of his life, would not let her go. The sadness and loss were present again, and it took a lot of effort not to burst into tears.

The gates of her family's estate closed behind the car. As they got out, Eric walked them to the door."I will request better security for you and the estates. I can't take responsibility for something like this happening. I'm sorry Y/n," Eric said.Y/n nodded "thanks Eric. Thank you for everything".The man smiled "I'll leave you alone now. If something is wrong, contact me immediately."The two nodded and went into the house. Y/n turned on the alarm system when Eric left the property.Now if someone entered the property, they would see it.

"Are you okay Princess?" Jay asked. The girl nodded, "I'm glad we're officially partners now. Have you seen the faces of the Chois?It was worth it," she grinned. Jay shook his head in amusement "you're so hot when you're mean". "I hope you know that I'm not easy to work with," the girl remarked. Jay nodded "oh yeah I know that. I will do anything to please you, my princess.""Good," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

The girl looked around and sighed, "The house is so quiet without dad. He brought so much life to the rooms."Jay nodded "I know what you mean. It's also so empty without my parents.""We could change that," he remarked with a grin. The girl looked at him indignantly "I'm 19 Jay!". He shrugged, "there were younger mothers." She looked at him in disbelief and shook her head in amusement "are you in such a hurry?".

Jay wrapped his arms around the girl's back and pulled her to him. "I can wait. I'll wait. I want you ready. After all, I don't have to give birth to the child. We take our time. When we get used to each other we can talk about it again. I'm sorry if this is all going too fast. I just wanted to say that I have nothing against children. I'm ready to gift you a family."The girl smiled. She wondered how it was possible that she was so lucky with Jay. "Thank you," she whispered, placing her lips on his.

The prospect of a family of her own with him made her heart beat faster with joy.They slowly broke their kiss and looked into each other's eyes.Y/n felt a surge of gratitude for this man who showed her so much love and understanding. Her past, her losses and her fears seemed unimportant at that moment.And as she held herself in Jay's arms, she realized she was ready to let go of the pain of her past and embrace a future of love and happiness. She would start a new chapter together with Jay.Her love was strong enough to overcome any challenge and she knew that together they could overcome any obstacle.

But while they lingered in their embraces, fate seemed to be spinning its threads, bringing a new twist to their story.

Suddenly the phone rang, startling her. Y/n broke away from Jay and grabbed her cell phone that was lying on the table. She shuddered when she saw the caller. It was a name she hadn't heard in years—a name tied to her past that could mess things up.

She answered the call with shaking hands and put the phone to her ear. A familiar but long-forgotten voice came on the other side of the line. It was someone she thought she would never hear from again.

In that moment, Y/n knew her life had been turned upside down once again.