𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐗

Kindling Embers

> Hi y'all! Thank u sm for the nice comments. Thanks for being patient.

> Here's the next chapter for you all and PLEASE NOTE that this picks up back in the present day immediately after Chapter 1 and FLASHBACKS ARE OVER. 

> Things are getting interesting. :)

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**Three Years, Two Months and Fifteen Days Later** (Yes, She Was Counting This Time)

He was in the house. And she had run away.

The sunlight was getting warmer on her chilled skin in the garden. This spot. Her secret spot. The place she had only shared with him. The place where she met Jungkook for secret rendezvouses. Memories of that one week three years ago were washing over her. A week that had shown her the stranger she had fell in love with and the stranger who had cracked open her heart. A week that changed her, made her stronger, made her slower to trust any man. But never him. Never again. She had almost saved herself and her family from a catastrophe at his hands, she would not let that happen again.

Inhaling deeply and squaring her shoulders, she got up and walked back to the house, promising no weakness to be visible, not again.

She saw Kim Namjoon standing in front of her father's study now, probably to stop any more eavesdroppers. He saw her, and gave her a polite nod which she returned just as politely. She had no ill feelings towards him, since she remembered him speaking up for her. Neither was she surprised that a man like him had stayed on with that greedy bastard for as long as he had. He was loyal and it was a trait she respected.

Almost past the doors now, she stopped when she heard Anatoly's voice call out to her. "Come here for a moment, принцесса."

Chaeyoung closed her eyes and called for strength before pasting a smile on her face and went to him, linking her arm with his. "Anything for you, my favorite uncle."

"I'm your only uncle," Anatoly grinned with pleasure. They had had this same conversation a million times over the years and Chaeyoung still saw him delight whenever she called him her favorite. He was such a sweetheart.

Her genuine smile soon fled her face, replaced with a cordial one as they entered the study and closed the door behind them. The room was occupied by her father, who was still seated on his chair, and Jeon Jungkook, who stood by the window, hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall, his casual stance belying the shrewdness of his gaze as he studied her. Keeping her face neutral, she took a seat on a cushioned chair in the middle of the room, disentangling her arm from Anatoly, as he stood by her father.

"Chaeyoung," her father spoke from the desk, "you remember Jeon Jungkook?"

"Barely," she spoke loudly, her eyes challenging his scrutinizing gaze. He just raised an eyebrow.

"He was at the house three years ago. Remember us talking about the Korean Captain? He is the one."

He hardly was the one by any stretch of imagination but she made a non-committal sound. His eyes narrowed slightly, but nothing else changed in his demeanor.

Anatoly slowly came forward, his face apprehensive and her heart clenched. Uh-oh. This was bad, very bad. She didn't know whatever this was, but it was  not  good news.

"принцесса," he began. "There is something important we have to talk about."

"Okay," she said, voice fraught with trepidation. That line was a dead give-away. And since Jungkook was very much present in the room, whatever it was had something to do with him, she was certain of that.