[4] GLADIOLUS : THE HEIRESS

M-6

Chapter 6: The blooming flowers
"Please take care of me."

The sound of horse galloping echoed at the horse lane on a fine Saturday. Y/N was spending her time with her best friend, Star the horse.

Y/N yelled some words while hitting her horse's bottom to fasten the horse. Horse riding was one of her favorite hobby besides shooting. She spend most of her free time with Star, sometimes to release her stress from everything.

She saw Jay and another man standing near the horse lane and went towards where they were standing but with a steady space. "Easy girl, easy." She caressed the horse's neck so that it wont attack Jay.

She pulled the reign making the horse stop. "Y/N." He greeted. "What brings you here, Jay?" She asked while hoping down the horse. "It's about the substances in the vile. The result was out." He answered.

Y/N looked at Jay and at the man beside him. "Bring her to her stable and feed her. After that you can call it a day." She commanded making the man nodded and escort the horse to his stable as Y/N and Jay walked out from the lane.

"So?" Y/N opened the conversation while washing her hands looking at the right hand man. "The substance is known as killing drug and the drug had no smell at all. When someone took the drug, it will spread within seconds into the organs and nerves making them stop functioning and straight to death." He explained.

They continue walk towards the car that bought them there. "So that boy decided to took his life rather than telling me the truth." She laughed bitterly. "Is the drug used by the enemy that kidnapped me?" She asked.

Jay nodded his head. "They have been using that drug to kill and use it for taking information. I heard that there's no antidote for the drug." Y/N nodded in understand.

"Gather everyone, we are going to have a short meeting."

Once she arrived in the office, Y/N waste no time sitting at the head of the table with her men full around the long meeting table.

"So, do all of you have what I want?" She asked hands on her chin looking at them one by one. Suddenly none of them have guts to speak up even they have what Y/N wanted. "Did all of you went to stitch your mouth? Why no one talk?!" She half yelled.

"We have tracked the enemy that kidnapped you and hey are close to us than we expect, Miss. I suspect one of their men went to your school." One man stood up explained. "Did you get the name?" Y/N asked looking straight at him. "I'm sorry, Miss. We couldn't catch who was behind it all. That's all we get from tracking."

"We also noticed that there were a skull tattoo behind his ear." One man spoke referring to the young boy who killed himself. He passed Y/N the printed picture. Her eyes scanned through it. "Talking about this skull, it's his clan's sign. But why can't I remember anything about this skull." She paused. "Is there any of them escaped that night?"

"There were some of them escaped that night but they were badly injured. I don't think they survived enough." Said Jay. Y/N sighed nodding her head. Suddenly someone knocked on the meeting room door. "Come in." She responded.

It was her dad's right hand man, Mr. Joo. "Miss Y/N, your father request to see you." Then the man went out after sending the massage. "Meeting dismiss." She said standing up walking out towards the room.

"You called me, father?" She asked while closing the door behind. She looked at his father who was closing his eyes resting on the chair. "Father? Are you okay?" Her father opened his eyes smiling at his daughter.

"Y/N, I have a request and I hope that you will willingly accept it, it's for your own good." He said to her who was sitting down on the chair. "You kind of making me nervous but of course." She answered. Even how hard the request is, she will accept it no matter what because she loves his father.

She knows that her father was getting weak day by day as she saw him constantly taking the pills and looking paler than usual.

"I arranged you to get married." He blurted. Y/N let out a small gasp looking at his father. "Marry? Aren't I still young for that?" She asked. "I thought you will accept it no matter what?" He fired back at Y/N. "It's a promise when I did back during my young days so I don't like breaking promises."

She rolled her eyes making him chuckled at the response. "I didn't say I'm not accepting. Well, if you say so, who is my husband?" She asked straight to the point.

"My best friend's son." He eyed Y/N trying to get her the hint who will it be.

Y/N narrowed her eyes looking at her father. Sure he has a lot of best friend in mafias clan but there's only one particular. As soon as she get the answer, she leaned back on the chair with racing heart.

"Choi Hyunsuk?"

Her father giggled, "Yes, but the wedding will be after both of you finish your school. I don't want to distract you in your Mafia studies." His father stopped. "I trust that he will guide you to become the leader of the Lee Empire." He continued.

She was in confusion. Out of people why Choi Hyunsuk? The most wanted boy in the school and the alpha of Treasure and Choi Empire. 

Mr. Lee noticed that her daughter was staring off when he announced the name. "Y/N?" Her eyes flickered turning to her father. "Yes?" He smiled, "Are you not satisfied with my choice? Or do you want Mr. Seo's son?" He joked.

"I rather marry Mr. Choi's son!" She grunted. "You know how much I hate Seo Kangmin. He is a nuisance!" She whined at his father who knew her hatred towards Kangmin who always bother her in school. As annoying as Junkyu and Jihoon are, Kangmin was much worse in Y/N's opinion.

He laughed out loud at her daughter's reaction. At once, he sighed and grabbed Y/N's hand caressed it with love. "Thank you, Y/N for accepting it willingly. You are a lovely daughter are you."

Y/N smiled at him. "Anything for you father, anything."

On Monday, school went on as usual. But not for Y/N. All she wanted was to see Hyunsuk and talk about the thing that was going to happen between them however she felt so tense. 

She arrived at the cafeteria and saw the group of boys talking to each other. She cleared her throat and push away her nervous feeling and went up to them. Junghwan who happened to sit facing where Y/N stood bulged his eyes. "Y/N." He whispered.

Y/N slowly tapped Hyunsuk's shoulder that made him turn around with surprised face. "I need to talk to you." She said then lead the way without waiting for him. Eventually he caught up with her through the way towards the school's rooftop.

The breeze up there calmly blew the both of their hair while Y/N had her hair tied up in a ponytail. She was leaning her arms on the rail while looked at the view of city from up there. 

"You know that we're going to get engaged right?" She spoke as soon as she felt Hyunsuk was behind her. Hyunsuk let out a hummed. "If you don't want to, we can call it off." He said. "No." She objected almost immediately, "It's just that, I never had friends before. The news of me that is going to get engage quite a big shock for me." 

She slowly turned around facing him and bowed. Hyunsuk's eyes widened and quickly held her shoulder to get her stand yet Y/N didn't even budge. 

"Please take care of me." 

He stunned, not knowing what to answer. Hence, Y/N slowly stood up straight. Hyunsuk took the action by slowly take her hand and caressed the back of it. They stood in silence with his eyes bore into each others' orbs that answered her plead.

"I will."