Mr Manoban's Daring Wife [Jenlisa]

Chapter 9: Once Upon a Time

Jennie knew it was unwise to meddle with Kai anymore. It was especially unwise to try to attack the apple of Kai's eyes, Krystal.

Krystal was heavily guarded and protected. If one dared to harm his beloved, they would suffer far more than they could afford.

Because the Kims were the third most powerful family in the country, no one dared to antagonize them.

The previous Jennie from two years ago was not afraid of the warning signs. She had constantly placed a target on the innocent Krystal's back. She went as far as slandering and bullying Krystal who never fought back.

In her spite, Jennie had dug deep into Krystal's background, then discovered something she shouldn't have.

When she tried to expose her discovery, Krystal quickly approached Kai first. And because it was the first time she ever asked for his help, Kai was more than willing to help her. It lead to Jennie's biggest downfall and the loss of something extremely precious and irreplaceable.

Jennie would never be able to forget the taunting and horrifying memory of Kai's disgusted stare when she begged him to stay with her. She was on her knees, clinging and grasping to him. And what did he do to the woman who made him the man he was today? He called security to brutally strip her on the streets.

She was huddled in front of the Kim Main Mansion and had to call a cab to go home. Luckily, it was night time and there was no paparazzi around to catch the humiliating sight. The word of what happened to her spread like wildfire. Within the span of a couple of hours, Jennie had lost everything.

"Jenjen, you're spacing out again." Kwon Jae Wook chided when he saw Jennie's blank stare.

"I'm sorry grandfather... I just have a lot in my mind." Jennie sheepishly said while taking a sip of the tea.

After ordering their food a while ago, the two were almost done eating.

"I can tell." He hummed, wiping his mouth with the cloth.

Jennie smiled at his bluntness. He wasn't the type of man to comfort people or offer them kind words. He showed his affection and kindness towards her in deliberate and small actions that were hard to catch without paying close attention.

She didn't mind his behavior.

"You're wearing quite professional clothes today." Kwon Jae Wook pointed out, staring at her white blouse and black pants.

"Yes, I was already expecting you might set me up in a meeting as usual when you invited me to a restaurant close to the corporation." Kwon Jae Wook laughed, the sound warm and hearty. "It seems you've already figured out my plans. But not today, my dear. It's nothing more than a casual lunch." He smiled, setting down his cup of tea.

Jennie slowly nodded and in the next thirty minutes, they had brief conversations on the last couple of days that Kwon Jae Wook was out of town.

- - - - -

After the lunch, Jennie went back home to repeat the same, mundane routine. There was nothing interesting in her life.

Two years ago, her life used to revolve around Kai and nothing else. Her schedule used to be filled with doing his paperwork, filing his contracts, creating his business plans, and wasting her entire day to help him run his company.

Jennie stepped out of the taxi and picked up her pace when she realized the sky was turning dark. The minute she stepped into the large lobby of Sky Arc Complex, the rain poured down.

From a tiny droplet to a storm as thunder rumbled in the distance, the rain became a harsh downpour.

Stepping into the elevators, Jennie was pleasantly surprised to see the same elevator hostess.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Kwon!" The woman greeted, bowing at her presence.

"Good afternoon to you as well." Jennie offered a warm smile to the elevator hostess who pressed the button to her floor.

"How was your day? I hope this job isn't that tiring." Jennie made small talk with the hostess who instantaneously replied back.

"It was alright, nothing out of the extraordinary! Aside from standing for a while, it's not as bad as my previous job." The elevator hostess happily explained.

Out of all of the wealthy people that walked in and out of her elevator, none of them bothered to smile and talk to her like Jennie.

She was really happy to have someone to talk to in such a boring and tiring job. Having to stand nearly all day was extremely tiring, but conversing with Jennie made her very energetic.

When she heard the rumors about Jennie and her the way she used to behave, she was a bit swayed by the opinions of other workers. But now that she had frequent talks with her, it seemed the rumors were nothing but simple gossips.

"Have a nice day, Ms. Kwon!" The hostess quickly said when the elevator door closed.

"Thank you, you too!" Jennie replied with a nod.

After keying in the complicated twenty letter passcode, scanning a thumb-pad, and then swiping the card key, Jennie walked into her spacious condo. Because her living room windows were so tall and wide, she could see the rain perfectly. The heavy rain created a very sorrowful and melancholy atmosphere.

Jennie removed her coat and set her bag down, then sat by the window to listen to the rain.

The sound of rain was so soothing, Jennie felt inclined to play a melody to accompany it. She stared at the polished, black piano sitting at the corner of the room, right beside the window.

It's been a couple of weeks since she had last played, but the rain created such a perfect setting, she knew she had to play it.

Jennie got up from her position and sat in front of the piano. Taking in a deep and composed breath of air, she closed her eyes. Following the tempo of the rain, she allowed her slender fingers to guide itself on the piano.

In a trance, she allowed herself to play all sorts of sorrowful pieces, starting with Mozart then ending with Beethoven. In her frenzy of playing the piano, her mind began to wander.

Once upon a time, she was a piano prodigy.

Before the birth of Kwon Jin Ah and the neglect of her mother, Jennie was an award-winning pianist whose performance awed the people into tears. She used to be surrounded by an endless array of trophies, banners, and awards dedicated to her. Any competition that she joined would be an effortless win.

When Kwon Jin Ah was discovered to also be a prodigy, Jennie was beyond ecstatic. Because she dearly loved her younger sister the minute she picked her up as a baby, she wanted to teach Jin Ah the art of the piano.

It was all fun and games until Jin Ah was compared to her older sister. Afterward, Jin Ah stopped playing the piano and locked herself in her room.

Jennie was heartbroken at the news and decided it was best to not outshine her younger sister. Thus, at the young age of fourteen, she placed her blooming career into a halt.

Stepping into the shadows, she allowed her younger sister to take the limelight.

And how did Kwon Jin Ah repay her? By purposefully showing off her parent's affection in front of Jennie who got none of it. Not only that, but Jin Ah had also chosen Krystal over her older sister.

"Never again..." Jennie muttered to herself when she felt the prickling pain of betrayal.

As the seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours, Jennie practiced from sunset to midnight. She played nonstop until her fingers were so sore, it could barely move.

She was so concentrated on the piano, she didn't notice her shaky hands and the cold sweat on her forehead. Soon, she collapsed onto the piano, her eyes watching the window. With the moonlight casting a pale light upon her translucent skin, she fell into a deep sleep plagued by nightmares.