Bound by Fate (or Fortune)

Chapter 1: Family Reunion

"Here,"

The woman finished zipping up her pants and took the shirt from Karina. "Thanks. So, should I come back tonight?"

Karina was too busy looking at her phone to pay any more attention to the half-naked woman in her room—which was certainly a first for her. Her father had sent her an email, not a text nor a call, requesting her presence tonight at their house. She flew in from New York City shortly afterward, but found herself lost on what to do next. Like most of his other communications with her, it lacked any detail or specificity on how to prepare herself.

Only to show up.

"Sorry," Karina set her phone down and looked up at her. What was her name again? "Probably not, I have some things I need to handle."

"Ah, well," she fixed her hair and leaned down to kiss Karina—only to find her lips against her cheek instead. "Call me if you're ever in town again,"

Karina watched her awkwardly shuffle out of the room and waited until she heard the lock click into place before she started to panic. She began pacing back and forth in her room, the clamminess of her hands bringing no comfort to her.

Dialing Ningning's number, Karina sat back down at the edge of her bed and closed her eyes to focus more on her breathing rather than what the hell her father could possibly want.

"Hello?"

"He wants to have dinner tonight,"

"Well, good afternoon to you too, sunshine." Ningning snorted. "Isn't that a good thing? You're always complaining about how you never see or spend time with him."

"Yeah, but it's never just dinner with him. The last time we had fucking dinner, he asked me to let my brother get the credit for my merger! My merger!"

"Karina, relax. You haven't been back to Seoul in how long? It's practically a holiday for your family. Speaking of which, when are you coming to see me?"

"Never," Karina flopped backward, her voice shaky. "He's going to grill me about that stint I pulled in Paris and then slow-cook me in the new oven he got installed for my mom last month."

Ningning couldn't resist the laugh that escaped her. "I've got to give it to you. You're definitely creative."

"This isn't funny! You're laughing and this is possibly the last phone call we're ever gonna have."

"Oh, please. Your mom will be there to protect you, so stop being such a pussy and start getting ready. I'll be expecting a call from hell once dinner is over! Now if you'll excuse me, my show is waiting for me."

"Fuck y—" Karina opened her mouth to speak but scowled once she heard the call drop.

She sat up straight again and looked at the steam-pressed blouses she hung up once she arrived at the hotel. Her father never liked it when she wore dresses. He said that wearing one made her different from the men in the room, and if there was one thing he wanted her to know, it was that she was better than all of them.

Far better than all of them.

Although their relationship was rocky for as long as Karina could remember, her father was protective. Fierce, even. But she failed to differentiate if he was protective over his eldest daughter or his reputation. She had spent her life walking the path he carved for her, but still, it often wasn't enough for him.

She graduated valedictorian of her high school class before being sent to the States, where she majored in business at Columbia and went on to obtain her MBA from Wharton. Within six years, she solidified the Yu family's reputation as hardworking, intelligent people.