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goldendynastys · 5 months

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castles crumbing (pt. 1) | ksm

summary: molly usher had the world in the palm of her hands, endless money and a family reputation that would save her no matter what. the young woman had everything. until one day, her father made a deal with the devil, a deal that put her in the forefront. now she had nothing, except being forced into an eventual marriage to kim seungmin, the most dangerous member of the mafia who was not afraid to get his hands bloody and would do anything to protect molly.

pairing: kim seungmin x fem!oc rating/genre: 18+, MDNI | mafia au, arranged relationship, enemies to lovers, yandere, angst, fluff, eventual smut word count: 21.3k warning/tags: manipulation, yandere, obsession, alcohol usage, violence, organized crime, molly is a rich bitch, toxic family dynamics, betrayal, weapons, seungmin is possessive of molly, comedic interactions, suggestive content, inspired by the fall of the house of usher, i think that’s it but if i miss anything please let me know (i’m new at this), hope you all enjoy reading! <3

disclaimer: all members of Stray Kids are faces and name claims for this story. this is entirely a work of fiction and by no means is meant to be a projection, judgment, or representation of real-life people. any scenarios or representations of the people and places mentioned in works are not representative of real life scenarios.

this story will be written in 3rd POV in which the oc has a name and faceclaim. i understand that the majority of people prefer x reader (and i completely respect that), but i just wanted to give a warning so people know what to expect before reading this story or if they want to avoid it entirely. please do not attack me, as i do prefer writing with names and faceclaims sometimes and i just want to write what i want to write. any hate comments will be blocked.

sadie sink as molly usher

chapter one: a wolf in sheep’s clothing (next →)

When Molly Usher was only seven years old, she knew what her family meant to the world and what the world meant to them. She was sitting in her first grade classroom and listened as different kids talked about their families and what they believed their parents did for work. Granted, the majority of the families were in the same line of business, but they each had different jobs and did different things, so it was always an interesting topic of discussion.

No one had asked Molly what her parents did, even though she was a part of the conversation. When she tried to share, a student shut her down by saying, “we know what your parents do for work, Molly. Your family is bigger than all of our’s and some of our parents work for your parents, so you don’t need to share.”

It was at that moment that everything started to make sense to Molly Usher. Why her parents were always pestering her about looking presentable, why they scolded her every time she said something rude or improper, why they told her to be better than everyone else in school and in sports. They wanted her to best, to uphold the Usher reputation and be the perfect daughter she could be. After all, their family had built their empire from the ground up and gained fame from all of the work that they did. They could not risk losing that within a matter of a few seconds, especially something that took years to build.

And from there on out, Molly began to live by the message her parents had been feeding to her ever since she learned how to speak. She never complained about the ugly dresses she had to wear, finding ways to make it more fashionable and suitable for her taste. She always spoke eloquently to her peers and teachers, and even began to try harder in her class. Despite only being seven years old, Molly made sure she got perfect scores on the homework and made sure she knew all of the answers to her teacher’s questions.

And this behavior became embedded within her mind as the years went on. Molly began to juggle harder classwork and extracurricular activities ranging from captain of the volleyball team to president of the debate club and the humanitarian organization her high school had. Nevertheless, she still ranked the highest student in her graduating class and got into some of the best schools in the country. All thanks to that one student in her first grade class who reminded her who the Usher family was (and her parents, of course). Those two things changed the trajectory of her life for the better.

With all the hard work and ambition Molly had, she was seen as the best and strongest Usher child, something she wanted ever since she understood the competition amongst the Usher siblings when she was nine. John Usher, her father, never outwardly said he had a favorite child, but Molly could tell he was lying by the discreet look he had in his eyes. Everyone was oblivious to it except for Molly and her mother, Katherine.

He wanted to have a favorite child, a child he knew would carry on the Usher dynasty and uphold the family name with no cracks within it. With an empire with that much power, who wouldn’t? He needed reassurance that everything he worked for wouldn’t fall once handed over to the next person. So, John watched his children in silence, scoping out who was the most hardworking out of all of them and how willing they were to be the best and uphold the Usher name. Some children were completely oblivious, while others caught on and played into the game. Molly was one of them, but she knew how to play it right so that she would become her father’s favorite and be the next successor of the Usher dynasty.

And so, Molly did whatever it took to be on top. So what if she didn't necessarily have a “normal” childhood? She’d much rather be working towards something important that would play a significant role in her future than do something unproductive and stupid with her peers. Granted, Molly did enjoy going out to clubs wearing the most expensive clothes she could find, but it was only once in a blue moon. The majority of the time, she just put her head down and got to work. As she got older, the work paid off greatly.

Molly graduated at the top of her class in university and obtained her business degree with flying colors. Now, at the age of twenty-two going on twenty-three, she was about to start her own business, one that interested her greatly and was going to help people around the world. Quite frankly, it was better than anything else her siblings had been working on. Their passion projects were . . . cute, to say the least. But it didn’t bring pride to the Usher name, it was only for their benefit and they were doing it to make themselves look good, not the family. Sure, their father would fund the business and help them out, but he wouldn’t be proud of the work that they were doing.

And that was precisely why Molly went in a different direction; she created a business that not only piqued her interest, but one that would bring change to the world and had the Usher name behind it. It was a genius idea, an idea her less intelligent siblings could not come up with on their own (Molly did love them, but it was the truth. It wasn’t her fault the intelligence gene was passed down to her). It would bring about more pride and good omens to the Usher name, and the young woman so proud of what she had accomplished. She did it all by herself (with the assistance of her father’s money, of course), designing the whole business and contacting the right people to work with. Her dream was about to come into fruition.

Molly stood in an office located in the Usher headquarters. It was a massive building with many floors and offices for her father and other employees to work in. She was able to take over one of the floors and use it for business planning, to which she was very grateful for. She needed those rooms to host meetings, get her products together the right way, and just having a space to get work done. There was a lot that went into starting a business, as Molly learned through countless hours of planning and crying, so she was going to take whatever she could (besides her father’s money) to get it up and running.

But she got everything done, like she always did. It was only a matter of putting the final pieces together and scheduling a press conference so important investors and news reporters could be in attendance to cover the entire event. Molly sat at the office desk, reading through emails and sorting through the remaining paperwork she hadn’t gotten to yet. She was almost done for the evening, just tying up some final things before her driver came and escorted her home. There was one final task Molly had to do before she left, which was already about to get done now that one of her assistants, Aubrey, had come walking through the door.

“We’re all set for the launch event next week, there are just some final forms you have to fill out that I can scan and send back so you can get your brand officially trademarked. This is so exciting, Molly!” Aubrey exclaimed as she placed the papers on the desk.

Molly only smiled as she skimmed through the documents and began to fill them out. They were just agreements she and the trademark representatives went over a few weeks ago, it was only a matter of the youngest Usher actually filling them out so they could be approved and processed. She handed them back to Aubrey once she was done. “Yay!” the woman spoke excitedly. “You’re almost there! We just have to get the conference room fixed up for next week and finalize the clothes. It’s going to be amazing, you should be proud of yourself, Molly!”

“Thank you! I’m really looking forward to this. I thought it would be a no-go given the complications of finding the right investors and getting the clothes looking pretty and organized, but we pushed through,” Molly smiled, thinking back to how this project had a rough start but was able to get back on stable ground after figuring out some details.

“You pushed through. This was all you — we just helped you make sure your head didn’t fall off!” Audrey laughed. “But seriously, your dedication to this project is admirable. In a few weeks, you are going to be helping women all around the world get what they need — clothes, food and water, books for school. This work and ensuring half of the profits the company makes goes towards women in need is truly remarkable. You are going to change the world, Molly Usher.”

She couldn’t help but blush at the comment. It was true that the business she was building was going to leave an impact — it was something Molly had wanted to do for quite some time now. Despite coming from wealth and of a high class, she wanted to give back to the world in any way she could. Several years later, she was able to launch something that could help people, especially women, in need and assist them in whatever they needed help with.

Of course, there were other companies that did this line of work and commitment, but Molly wanted to go about it differently. She had heard horror stories of how companies made a promise to donate to charity or help those who were suffering, but completely lied about it and took all of the money they made and invested in the business. Molly didn’t want to do that, she wanted to ensure that half of the profits that were made from selling the clothes were given back to the community, which is why she did countless hours of research to make sure the investors and other people she were to work with were reputable. Negotiating a fair contract was another challenging part, hence why starting this business took her longer than expected.

Even after the long hours and days where it felt like the business wasn’t going to make it, Molly still managed to get everything organized and pushed through the rough patches. Now, she was only a week away from the initial launch and she was more than thrilled. Not only because she would finally get the hard part over with, but because it would bring great reputation to the Usher name. Bettering their reputation would make her father proud and she could finally be seen as his favorite child. Once she had that, the world was her oyster and Molly could finally gain a sense of peace.

“Thank you, Aubrey. You’re too kind to me, you and the rest of the team did amazing work, too. Give yourself some credit for my sanity,” Molly laughed. “Seriously, you helped me so much. I haven’t been the easiest person to work with on this project, so your commitment to me and the company just means a lot to me.”

Aubrey shrugged her shoulders. “It’s business, honey. We’re all going to get angry from time to time, it’s a natural part of life,” she reassured the girl. “Your passion and admiration for me and the other employees was what made us stay. And we will continue to work with you for as long as you let us. Now, let me get these documents forwarded so you can go home and rest. You need a break.”

And she was right. Molly had been so focused on the business and building it for the past few not months, working long days and even coming in on the weekend to get work done. Now that the final tweaks were quieting down, she could finally take a weekend to herself and do whatever she wanted. The free time she now had left her dumbfounded: what was she going to do? She could sleep, for one, or read some books she had been meaning to read when she had the chance. She could hang out with her father and see what he was up to.

Molly seemed to get an answer to her question, however, once her phone started to ring. She glanced down at the screen and noticed her friend, Serena, was calling. She briefly looked at Aubrey, who gave her two thumbs up and began to walk out of the room with the documents. Molly smiled as she brought the phone to her ear. “Hey Serena, how are you?”

“Um, I don’t know. I guess I’m happy ‘cause my best friend has officially started her own business!” Serena screamed, squealing over the phone. Molly couldn’t help but start laughing at her friend who was super excited for her. “You did it! All the heavy lifting is done! You’re officially a CEO, how fucking sick is that?!”

Molly only laughed. “There’s still so much work I’m going to have to do, but yes, the business is official and is going to be announced within a few weeks. I fucking did it, Serena.”

“Yes you fucking did! You did it, congratulations. I am so so proud of you, you worked your ass off and you deserve this so much. Molly Usher, CEO. That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” Serena congratulated the woman. “We have to celebrate. What are you doing tonight?”

Molly began to gather her purse and make her way out of the office. “Um, I’m not sure. I was going to stay in and catch up on some sleep, or watch a movie with my cat, I haven’t decided yet.”

“Hmm, I’m thinking no. Molls, we have to celebrate this! You haven’t gone out in ages and what better way to celebrate than going to the club and partying?!” Serena suggested. “Come on, the girls and I miss you so much. We want to have a night that’s all about you, to honor the hard work you’ve been doing. Please? I’ll pick you up and drive you home, even if we end up crashing at my place. You don’t even have to lift a finger. Just for tonight, and I’ll let you catch up on sleep and watch a movie with Morella the rest of the weekend. That sound good?”

Molly playfully rolled her eyes as she unlocked her car. She gave it some serious thought before eventually agreeing to her friend’s plan. “Deal. But my one ask is that you come to my house before so we can all get ready together. We haven’t done one of those in a while, either.”

Serena squealed once more and clapped her hands together. “Yay! That would be so much fun. Okay, I’ll let Ester and Camille know to come to my house first and then we’ll drive to your’s. I cannot wait, this is going to be so much fun! I have to get my shit together, I love you, talk to you soon. Bye!”

“Love you too!” Molly called out, and then the call disconnected. She laughed at her best friend. She had always been thankful she had someone like Serena in her life, someone who pushed her to do things even when she didn’t really want to for the sake of going out of her comfort zone. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she would rather go out with her friends than stay in for the night.

She was glad she said yes to Serena, and Molly had a good feeling about tonight. She had no idea why, but she was optimistic that it would be a night none of them would forget. The Usher woman turned on her car and began to drive home, excited to share the good news with her father and friends, and to celebrate everything she had been working for.

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Music started to blare from the speaker Esther brought from her house. It was imported from a luxury brand in Paris, a Christmas gift from her mother when she went there on a holiday trip by herself. It was a great speaker, as the entire group used to listen to music whenever they got ready to go out or were just spending the night together.

Camille came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but flared pants, trying to figure out what bra and top to wear. “I feel like my areolas look weird. One looks smaller and the other looks too big. Am I crazy, or . . .”

Esther rolled her eyes while she finished applying her makeup. “Yes. The girl you’re going to sleep with does not give a fuck about what your aeorelas look like. You’re fine, just decide on a top and stick with it, we have to leave soon.”

Camille turned towards Molly and Serena, who were smoothing out their dresses. “What do you think?”

Molly turned around and smiled at her friend. “I think you are beautiful the way you are, your areolas are fine. Our bodies are meant to look different, so really, there’s no standard of how they should look. You’ll be fine, Camille,” she reassured, to which the other woman gave her a sympathetic smile. “And I say the pink one. It’s sparkly and it goes well with your orange pants. Which are so adorable, by the way.”

“Thank you! I got them from this store in California. Only three hundred dollars, what a steal!” Camille smiled and then ran into the bathroom to quickly get dressed.

Molly only laughed and looked at herself in the mirror. She decided to wear a short silver dress that was covered in sequins and had an open back. She was supposed to wear it to a New Year’s Eve party but ended up going with another one because of how “short” it was (Molly was a little too uptight back then when it came to her clothes). She didn’t care much about it now, as long as she looked and felt good, she didn’t care what it looked like. Molly finished putting in her earrings and touching up her red lipstick.

“Can I just say that you look hot as fuck?” Serena commented, causing Molly to blush and for Esther and Camille to cheer in agreement. She wrapped her arms around the redhead’s shoulders. “That dress looks amazing on you. I told you you should’ve worn it to that New Year’s party!”

“Thank you. You know how stingy I was back then, I hated how short it was. But tonight is a fun night and I want to look sexy while doing so,” Molly laughed. “You look amazing too. The Chanel dress with the sneakers is such a cute and trendy look, I’m obsessed.”

“Yeah, but it’s nothing compared to how you look. I just threw this on at the last minute, you look gorgeous and sexy. Everyone is going to be looking at you, and one of them might be lucky enough to go home with you tonight!” Serena exclaimed, to which everyone cheered in unison while Molly laughed it off. “I’m serious, you’re going to catch some serious dick tonight. Or pussy, whatever makes you feel comfortable and good. As long as they’re not ugly, then we do not give a fuck.”

“Or a criminal! Haven’t you heard? So many members of the mafia are taking women and forcing them to be their wives, it’s scary. You have to make sure the guy you’re gonna fuck isn’t going to try and kidnap you. That’s all I’m saying,” Esther commented.

Molly couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Ester’s concern for her and the group’s safety was understandable, as there have been stories on the news of women going missing presumably because of mafia members and their “hunt” to find the perfect woman for them. It was scary for sure, and Molly made sure to carry an extra can of pepper spray whenever she left somewhere late, but they did not have to worry. After all, she was the daughter of John Usher, one of the most powerful businessmen in the world who had many resources that would be able to find either one of them if they were to ever be kidnapped.

“I appreciate the concern, Esther. I do, but we are going to be fine. Camille’s bringing her pepper spray, Serena’s dad forced her to have the police on speed dial, and I have my pepper spray too. Plus, my dad’s one of the most powerful people in the world. If something were to happen, he would be able to find all of us in a matter of no time. It’s okay to be scared because what’s happening is fucked up, but I think we will be okay. We’ll just be careful with who we talk to,” Molly reassured her friend, wrapping her arms around her shoulders to give her a hug. “You look beautiful — the blue eyeshadow compliments your hair and outfit very well.”

Esther smiled and placed her hand over Molly’s. “Thanks, Molls. I want to make sure we’re safe. You just never know who’s out there.”

Before she had the chance to respond, Camille stepped out from the bathroom and gave a twirl for everyone to show off her outfit, “Okay, I think I’m ready to head out. You were right about the color — it really does stand out!” Camille announced.

“I am too. I ordered our Uber a bit ago and it should be here in . . . shit, three minutes. Are we all ready?” Serena asked as she linked one of her arm’s with Molly and the other with Esther.

The women looked at each other and all shrugged their shoulders. They looked ready, and they looked hot as fuck. It was rare that they all got to hang out with each other, as Molly threw herself into starting her business while the others were busy building their careers. To have a special night where they could dress up and go out into the city was truly exciting for all of them. They definitely needed a night like this, especially after all the hard work they had been doing.

They unlinked their arms once they remembered they needed their coats to keep them warm, in which they threw them on and began to walk out of Molly’s room. As the redhead was about to walk out of the door, she saw her father sitting in one of the living rooms, presumably reading emails on his phone. A small smile arose on her face as she quietly knocked on the wall to get his attention. He looked up from his phone and smiled as well. “Ah, my little entrepreneur is at home before ten o’clock. How have you been?”

“I’ve been good, Dad. Finally got all the documents signed and forwarded to the right people — Audrey said the launch can happen within the next week or so!” Molly clapped her hands together.

John Usher’s smile faltered slightly once she said those words. He remained happy for the sake of the conversation. “That’s amazing, you should be extremely proud of yourself. You are going to bring great press and news to the Usher name,” he complimented. “But, there’s one small thing . . .” Confusion started to arise on Molly’s face, her heart falling to her stomach. “W-What? What do you mean by one small thing . . . what the hell happened, Dad?”

“It’s nothing major, uh . . . one of our investor’s pulled out. Said he got a better opportunity for another company, better rates,” John admitted.

Molly’s stomach dropped completely. Anger began to take over as she looked at her father, her hands forming into fists. “Which one was it? Why the fuck did he pull out?”

“It was Simon Hollingsworth—”

“That bastard! That fucking bastard, I knew he was a snake and was going to pull out when shit hit the fan. What a coward,” Molly spat. She began to slowly hyperventilate, becoming more and more angry as the truth began to settle in. “What does this mean? Do I not get to launch the business next week? I swear I—”

“You can still have a launch next week, it might be a little harder because of the dropout. But there’s some investors I can talk to who I’ve grown close with and—” John started but was cut off by Molly shaking her head. “Molly, I can help you out. Getting investors this late in the game won’t work, but I can convince them to invest because they know me. Don’t you want that?”

“I don’t want your help. You said I had to do this on our own, you told all of us that. I don’t want to be the only one who got help from you, I don’t want to get shit from them at Christmas saying how they never got Daddy’s help and taking jabs at me. Especially Enzo, he’s always loved to tease me because I’m the youngest,” Molly explained.

Her father shook his head, showing that he understood what she meant. Molly could feel tears start to prick her eyes and she held them back immediately; she didn’t want to ruin her makeup or show her dad that she was going to cry. She could feel his hands rest on her arms to try and reassure her. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. I shouldn’t have said anything, I ruined your night and I’m sorry. Go have fun with your friends and we can talk about this tomorrow, okay?”

Molly nodded her head slowly. As much as she wanted to try and forget about this, there was no way she would be able to. Perhaps getting drunk at the club would help take her mind off it, that seemed like a good solution. “Okay, I’ll do that.”

“Good, because you deserve to have this night for yourself,” John reassured his daughter, planting a small kiss on her forehead. “Go have fun, Molly Dolly. But don’t do anything too dangerous — just make sure you can get home safely!”

She gave him a smile and laughed. “I’ll try. See you later, Dad.”

Molly ran outside to her friends, who were starting to get into the Uber. Serena waited outside with a concerned expression on her face. “Hey, is everything okay? We figured we’d wait outside so you two can talk and so the Uber doesn’t drive away. You guys okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just . . . nevermind. I’m not going to think about it until tomorrow. Right now, all I’m thinking about is having a fun night with my girls and getting drunk as fuck. So let's go before the bar gets crowded and people try to make us pay for their drinks,” Molly reassured her friend, who giggled at her words. The two made their way into the Uber, and the four were off.

While Molly tried to have a good time, she couldn’t help but think about the evil investor who decided to drop out. She was screwed, as Mr. Hollingsworth invested the most money into the launch and business as a whole. Molly had no idea what the hell she was going to do, but she decided to shake it off as much as she could. Tonight was supposed to be a fun night with her friends, to celebrate all that she had achieved. She could forget about it for one night and then get back to work tomorrow. One night off would not kill you, as Audrey constantly reminded her.

Molly shook her head and smiled at the girls, who were listening to whatever song was playing on the radio. She laughed and started to sing with them, hoping this energy would remain consistent throughout the entire night: just pure happiness and bliss.

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Music blared loudly throughout the club as Molly and Esther danced together. The club was filled with multi-colored lights flashing through the place and people dancing the night away. Everyone was either too drunk or too high to care about what they were doing, and even the sober ones were just happy to be in a fun environment.

Camille and Serena had returned from the bar, carrying four shot glasses that were filled with what appeared to be tequila. The girls squealed as they each took a glass, clinking them together and throwing it in their mouths. The alcohol burned in Molly’s mouth, but it went away after she took a sip of her gin and tonic, and she was swaying to the music with a smile on her face.

The DJ decided to change the song to a more modern, more upbeat song that everyone seemed to know and love, because the crowd began to cheer and move onto the dance floor. Serena took another sip of her drink and grabbed Molly’s hand, while Esther grabbed Camille’s. “Come on ladies, I love this song and we have to all dance together!”

They entered the sea of people and began to dance to the song. Others decided to join them and the dancing became more fun for everyone. Some people decided to do extreme dance moves, which was entertaining to watch, but the majority of it was just everyone dancing calmly to the music. It was a great song choice; everyone (including Molly) seemed to know the lyrics and were shouting them loudly. The energy that radiated within the club was powerful, powerful and fun.

The women continued to dance to the other songs that came on, which were also upbeat and popular, and did not have a care in the world. Molly was enjoying herself, just letting her body sway to the music. It wasn’t until Serena tapped her shoulder that Molly stopped dancing completely and came back to reality. “That guy has been staring at you for the past, like, ten minutes. Hasn’t taken his eyes off of you since we started dancing.”

“I think he wants to fuck you!” Camille shouted as well.

Molly playfully rolled her eyes and looked out into the distance. It wasn’t hard to spot the man that was looking at her — he had dark hair and wore a nice leather jacket, a drink in his hands that he brought up to his lips as she continued to stare at Molly, not breaking eye contact. He was cute for sure, the way his hair sat nicely on his head and how he stood with confidence. Molly was definitely intrigued, to say the least. She gave him a small wave and he responded with a curt nod, causing the four women to start giggling.

“You have to go talk to him, Molls! He’s totally into you, and he’s hot too!” Esther exclaimed. “If all goes south, we’ll back you up for sure!”

“Yeah, if he’s a prick I’ll punch him in the face and steal his credit card,” Camille added.

Molly laughed once more and shook her head. “If he wants to talk, he can come to me. I’m not chasing after him, I don’t have time for that bullshit!”

She glanced at him once more, in which he stared right back at her. Molly motioned for him to join the group with her hand, hoping he would get the hint and come join them. Within a matter of seconds, he pushed himself off of the wall and started to walk towards them, placing his glass down at the bar.

“Holy shit, it worked! How do I look?” Molly asked.

“Like a million bucks, babe. You got this, we’ll be right over there if you need us. If it goes wrong, just text us or rub your nose. Yeah, yeah rub it so we know if it’s going badly. We’ll come rescue you,” Serena answered.

Esther and Camille agreed with her words, and Molly nodded her head. “Okay, wipe my nose if it’s bad, got it. Shit, he’s almost over here.”

The three began to walk in the opposite direction, reassuring the Usher woman that everything would go smoothly; Esther and Camille even decided to imitate sex positions to tease Molly, which she flipped them off, causing all four of them to laugh.

Molly turned around to see the man now only being a few feet away. A smile arose on her face once he was right in front of her, while a small smile arose on his. “Hi,” he broke the ice by speaking first. “You and your friends seem to be having fun.”

“Hi,” Molly responded, dragging out the word (either from her nerves or the alcohol; she couldn’t tell). “We are, the music is great and the alcohol is just . . . spectacular.”

The man laughed. “I bet, it’s a great night to be out. I was actually about to leave, but then I saw you dancing and decided that I wanted to talk to you. I mean, how could I leave without at least trying to talk to the prettiest girl in the room?”

Molly laughed and playfully rolled her eyes once more. “Aw, thanks. Do you use that line on all the women you talk to?”

He shook his head. “I don’t, believe it or not. Normally I just try and talk to them about their drinks or music. Simple, easy way to start a conversation. But with you, I just thought of that on the spot.”

“Sure,” Molly laughed.

“I’m serious! I never say that unless I’m looking for a drink to be thrown in my face. I mean it, my first attempt at flirting with a girl when I was like . . . what, eighteen? I called her pretty and she threw her Fireball in my face. My eyes burned for days after that,” he explained.

“Oh, so you admit that you’re flirting with me? I mean, you said you learned from that mistake and don’t usually do it when you flirt now . . .” Molly asked with a smile on her face, the alcohol starting to kick in a little more.

He shrugged his shoulders, causing her to giggle. “All right, you caught me. I am flirting with you. If you want to throw a drink in my face, do it now so I can get it over with. And please, for the love of God, do not use Fireball.”

Molly laughed once more and shook her head. “No, no, no! I like that you’re flirting with me, you’re honestly super cute! Like, super cute. I’m glad you’re flirting with me . . . you didn’t tell me your name. No wait, let me guess . . . Michael.”

“Close! Well . . . not close at all, actually, but I applaud your effort. It’s Seungmin,” he introduced himself.

Molly nodded and took the man’s hand into her own to shake (normally she wouldn’t do this sort of thing, but the alcohol was getting to her, once again). “Seungmin, it’s nice to meet you. You have a really cool name. Can I ask what it means?”

“Thank you, I get that a lot. It means quick and clever in Korean,” he explained. “And your name is . . .”

“Molly. People often make jokes about how my name means drugs, because of the drug Molly. I wanted to beat you to the punch because I’ve heard it so many times,” she explained, finishing up her drink and setting it down on the nearest table.

Seungmin shook his head. “I was gonna say your name means star of the sea, or beloved, or even brave warrior. Your name has many meanings, it’s pretty. A pretty name for a pretty woman, don’t you think?”

Molly could feel her cheeks start to become warm and flush with a light pink color, as no one has said anything like that to her in a while. “Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I already knew I was hot as fuck, but hearing the real meaning behind my name is really cool too.”

“Yeah, that too,” Seungmin laughed.

The two stood in silence for a brief moment, the music getting louder and making it harder for them to hear one another. Seungmin was attractive, to say the least, with his dark hair and confident posture. He was taller than Molly, that was for certain, but not too tall to a point where she could barely see his face or hear his words. No, he was the perfect height, in her opinion. His brown eyes were so innocent, but held much strength at the same time.

Molly couldn’t help but stare at him, admiring who he was as a person and studying his features, until someone bumped into her unexpectedly. Another man had been having too much fun dancing and accidentally danced right into Molly, who fell forward and onto Seungmin. Luckily, he caught her without hesitation and wrapped his arms on her waist, pulling her close to him while he sent a harsh glare at the man. “Watch where you’re going, asshole!” He shouted.

“Fuck off!” he spat at Seungmin, shaking his head while he returned to the dance floor.

Molly gave him the middle finger and rolled her eyes. The man did not see, but she really didn’t care. He was acting like a dick and someone had to let him know that his behavior was not okay, nor was it cool. Seungmin couldn’t help but laugh, which caused her to giggle as well. She couldn’t help but rest her hands on his chest as she turned to face him. “Is it really a good club night if some random asshole bumps into you?”

“No, I don’t think so. But it does not give them the right to act like a dick. As long as they apologize, then it’ll make for a fun club story,” Seungmin explained.

“True. Or if he spilled a drink on me, then an actual fight would have broken out. Did you know that this dress cost me almost 2500 dollars?! Well, I should say it cost my dad 2500, but still. Ruining an expensive dress is one of the worst things you can do at a club, especially if it’s one of mine,” Molly ranted.

“2500 is honestly not that much for a dress. Pricey, for sure, but where I go shopping, I’ve seen scarves cost way more than that. Scarves, Molly. Literal scarves,” Seungmin explained.

“Oh, really? Well, what stores do you shop at? I must not be going to the good ones if all I’m seeing are prices between a grand and three grand,” Molly asked, impulsively wrapping her arms around Seungmin’s neck.

“I can’t remember the names, they’re very obscure, but I guess I’ll have to take you to them myself and show you around. After all, we want only the best dresses and accessories for Miss Molly, don’t we?” He joked, his grip on her waist getting a bit tighter in a more protective manner.

Molly couldn’t help but giggle at the way he spoke, nodding her head. “Indeed we do, Mr. Seungmin.”

He smiled while tucking a strand of hair out of her face. She was able to get a better look at his eyes, realizing how pretty they actually were. How pretty Seungmin was. He was very pretty to Molly, and she would’ve told him that if she had not consumed that much alcohol. She didn’t want him to think that she was lying, that it was only said because she was tipsy. So she stared at him deeply, eventually bringing a hand up to his cheek to caress it.

Their silence was interrupted by Serena, Esther, and Camille, who came sprinting towards the two with their bags and jackets. “We really hate to interrupt, but we have to go. Camille has an important family event tomorrow and her mom wants her home in half an hour.”

“And my dad’s pissed because I forgot to submit something for a work project I’m working on,” Esther added. “I know it’s super early, but we have to go if we don’t want to get in serious trouble.”

Their comments took Molly back by surprise, but she slowly nodded her head. As much as she didn’t want to leave Seungmin just yet, she didn’t want to let her friends leave without her, especially since they came as a group and it was their night out. “O-Okay, yeah sure, let’s head out. Did you grab my purse and jacket from the lockers? I can order us an Uber—”

“Yes I grabbed your things and I already ordered the Uber. Here,” Serena gently handed Molly her purse and jacket. “It should be here within a few minutes, so we should just wait by the entrance.”

Molly nodded her head. “Okay, I’ll be right behind you,” she reassured her friends. She sadly turned to Seungmin with an embarrassed look on her face. “Look, I didn’t expect for us to leave so early, I’m so sorry. I have to go, but I really enjoyed talking to you. Is there any way I can get your number? I want to talk to you more, if that’s okay.”

“Yeah, absolutely. Hey uh, I know we just met and all, but I can drive you home if you want? Our night doesn’t have to end because your friends are leaving, you know. We can go back to my place and I can take you home whenever you want. It’s up to you, but if you don’t want to go, you have another option,” Seungmin suggested.

Molly hesitated. She knew it would be better if she left with her friends to ensure they got home safely (and herself too, of course), but she also didn’t want to leave Seungmin just yet. She wanted to keep talking, to leave with him just like her friends wanted her to do while they were getting ready. Who knows when they would be able to talk again? She had no idea what the hell he did for a living, and with Molly’s company launching soon, she was going to be very busy within the next few weeks. She wanted to make the most of tonight, to have fun and do spontaneous things.

The Usher woman nodded her head. “Okay, as much as I really want to go with you, how do I know you aren’t planning to kill me? I mean, it’s one of the basic horror movie plots where the girl goes off with this guy and then boom: he stabs her multiple times or shoots her right in the head. So how do I know you aren’t planning to kill me?”

Seungmin chuckled. “You make a good point, but I promise you that I am not going to murder you. You can check my pockets and my car for any murder weapons if that makes you feel comfortable. I’ll have my GPS on so you know I’m taking you back to my place the way I normally go. But again, if you really don’t want to, we don’t have to. You can always give me your number and we can meet another time.”

Molly hesitated once more. She stared at Seungmin for a brief moment before making her final decision. She was probably going to regret this in the morning, but all she wanted to do was keep talking to Seungmin and hearing more of what he wanted to say. She wasn’t ready to give that up yet, and besides, her friends wanted her to meet someone tonight, so shouldn’t they be happy that she was going home with a really cute guy?

She sighed and nodded her head. “All right, I’ll go with you. But, if you try to kill me, my father will make sure you get the worst prison sentence and make sure that everyone knows how much of an evil person you are. Just letting you know now.”

“Understood, Miss Molly,” he nodded his head in a joking manner. Seungmin placed Molly’s jacket over her shoulders and handed her the small Prada purse she brought, taking her hand into his. “Come on, let's tell your friends what you’re doing so they know what’s happening.”

Seungmin guided Molly through the club, holding her hand both gently and tightly. It didn’t take them long to reach the exit, in which all three of Molly’s friends were entering the Uber. Serena stopped moving once she saw her standing with Seungmin, a bit confused. “Are you coming with us?”

“I’m going to hang out with my new friend some more, okay? I’ll text you my location so you know where I am in case anything happens!” Molly shouted. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Of course! Have a fun night and treat my girl right, Molly’s new friend!” Serena shouted.

“Yeah, use protection and don’t be too loud!” Esther laughed, causing Camille and Serena to laugh as well while Molly buried her face in Seungmin’s arm in embarrassment.

“I’m going to kill you all!” Molly shouted.

Camille and Esther’s only response was to mimic sexual positions and facial expressions, while Serena sent a heart made with her hands. Their Uber left within a few minutes, in which Seungmin began to walk Molly towards his car.

“I’m really sorry about them. They just like to tease me sometimes,” Molly apologized.

Seungmin shook his head in a reassuring manner. “My friends would be the same way if they saw me here with you, so I get it. They would probably do a lot worse. But they don’t have to worry: I know what I’m doing when it comes to treating you right, if you know what I mean,” he winked.

Molly could feel her cheeks start to get warm again, and she couldn’t help but playfully roll her eyes with a smile on her face. Seungmin caught on and laughed as he unlocked his car, which appeared to be a black sports car that looked very expensive. Molly gawked at the design. “Holy shit, this car looks so cool. What kind is it?”

“Mercedes-Maybach Exelero. I wanted a Bugatti or Ferrari, but the designs looked awful, so I chose this one. It’s kinda cool, right?” Seungmin asked, opening the passenger door for Molly and helping her get inside.

“It’s so fucking cool, like holy shit! And I thought the car I was driving was chique, but it’s nothing compared to this,” Molly exclaimed. “I love it, it’s seriously the sickest car I’ve been in. Or seen, really. You have good taste, Mr. Seungmin.”

“Why thank you, Miss Molly,” he bowed, to which the woman laughed. “I’ll show you the gadgets that come along with it once I turn it on, yeah?”

Molly nodded her head enthusiastically as Seungmin closed the door and made his way to the driver’s side. Within seconds, he turned on the car and began to drive out of the parking garage, intertwining his free hand with Molly’s as he did.

──────────────────────

The drive to Seungmin’s apartment was quick, but eventful at the same time. Somehow, he managed to make a short trip more fun than one would normally expect from a quick car ride. Since his car was so new, he showed Molly all of the cool features it had and even played some of her favorite music to keep her happy and entertained. Normally, she’d be bored out of her mind when men talked about their cars, but the way Seungmin did it, it was so interesting and it made Molly want to learn more.

Seungmin’s hand was intertwined with her’s the entire car ride home, gently stroking her thumb every now and then. It was comforting, Molly was glad he didn’t let go. She didn’t know why he was being so nice to her, especially since they just met only a few hours ago. Maybe it was because he wanted to have sex or he was just a nice person, but she was glad that he was making this whole experience fun for the both of them.

Music played quietly as the two made their way through the city, a playlist dedicated to a mixture of songs. Pop, R&B, Soft Rock — it was all fitting for the night they were having. Seungmin occasionally spoke up, asking Molly what her favorite type of music was and if she liked any of the songs on his playlist. She explained that she liked everything, from old music to more popular, modern songs like the one on his playlist. Other than that, it was mainly quiet between the two.

It didn’t bother Molly how silent it was. Normally, she hated it when she just met someone and there was awkward silence that couldn’t be escaped. But with Seungmin, it was just different for some reason. She didn’t mind it at all, it was quite peaceful. His presence kept her calm and just made her feel like their interactions weren’t like the awkward ones she experienced before, which was very refreshing.

After what felt like a long but short period of time in the car, Seungmin pulled into the parking garage of a luxury apartment building. He only stopped to show the guard his I.D. to prove that he lived in the building, and then he effortlessly backed into a spot closest to the entrance, with his hand still intertwined with Molly’s.

“See if I were the one driving, I’d park the farthest away from everyone so I wouldn’t hit anyone when pulling in. And it would’ve taken me twenty times to get in the lines evenly,” Molly blurted out, slowly realizing that she sounded kind of stupid and nervous when she announced that.

Seungmin laughed at her comment and opened his door. “Good thing I was driving, then,” he said. Right when Molly was about to open the door, he spoke up. “Stay right there.”

He quickly jogged over to the passenger side and opened the door for her, which made her laugh and playfully roll her eyes. “What a gentleman,” she told him as she reached out and grabbed his hand.

“My mother always said that a man should always come to the door if he’s taking a lady on a date and to always open the car door for her. I try to live by what she tells me,” Seungmin explained.

Molly nodded her head and the two made their way through the garage. She couldn’t help but notice all the expensive cars that sat next to each other; Teslas, Bugattis, Bentleys, Ferraris and Jaguars all lined up next to each other. She had never seen these many expensive vehicles in one place. Sure, she saw them at business events she attended with her father or for networking purposes, but that was different. That was at a public event with many people coming in from different places, this was from people all living in the same apartment building.

She brushed off that thought and focused her attention to the beautiful lobby that they just entered. Both the floor and walls were made of stone, many paintings hanging from the wall and furniture that looked as if it was imported from many different countries. The bellman greeted Seungmin and Molly, who both said hello to him as they walked by. He guided the woman into the elevator and pressed the top button. It took her a moment to realize that they were going to the top floor, which meant that Seungmin lived in a penthouse apartment. Holy shit.

Molly looked up at the man, who looked a little concerned with her current facial expression. “You okay?” He asked, gently rubbing his thumb over her hand.

“Uh, yeah. I just . . . I didn’t realize you lived in the penthouse. Like, the top floor of this entire apartment building. It’s great, I just . . . it caught me off guard completely,” Molly sheepishly explained.

“Oh, yeah, I do. A lot of people look at me funny whenever I press the button, assuming it’s my father’s. But whenever I tell them that I live alone, they get shocked like you do. The only difference is that when they do it, it’s annoying. But with you, it’s cute,” Seungmin explained, causing Molly to lightly hit his shoulder and for him to laugh.

“It’s not cute, I was just surprised. And very impressed, by the way. You’ll have to tell me what kind of work you’re in that allows you to have this sort of lifestyle,” she explained.

The elevator had brought them up to the top floor and the doors had started to open slowly. Molly followed Seungmin as he guided through the long hallway, admiring the walls and the paintings that hung on them. Some were old, given the nature of the colors and what the paintings were, but they were mostly modern. Decorated with abstract details that proved they were painted within the past few years. Molly stared at them in awe while Seungmin watched her slightly while he opened the door to his apartment.

Apartment was beginning to sound like an understatement now that they had arrived. It was more of a penthouse, a mini mansion, as Molly saw it. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and under it was a nice table filled with Red Tulips placed in the center of it. A huge staircase stood a few feet behind it, with a home office to the right of it. On the other stood a small area where coats and jackets could be placed. Many pairs of shoes and some expensive, chique-looking jackets hung from the wall. Molly snapped back into reality once she saw Seungmin taking his shoes off, prompting her to do the same.

She followed the man into the living room, and that was when Molly let her jaw drop. “Wow,” she whispered while staring at the large windows in front of her. The entire city lit up on the other side of the windows, a remarkable view to have. A balcony was stretched out on the other side as well, filled with nice chairs, tables, and plants. It was truly beautiful, the way everything came together.

The light from outside reflected nicely into the living room, which was adorned with a nice couch and coffee table. A flat screen TV hung nicely on the wall amongst the other photos Seungmin had placed there, mainly of himself, his family, and friends. Behind the couch stood the kitchen, which had a refrigerator and typical kitchen attire. Even then, it still looked flawless and something out of a rich catalog. And that was only a small fraction of the penthouse; there were still more Molly had yet to see, and she was even more intrigued now that she had gotten a basic introduction.

“Your apartment — penthouse, it’s just . . . wow. It’s marvelous. I mean, the way you set up the balcony and how the city lights reflect perfectly into the living room and kitchen . . . it’s stunning,” Molly complimented as she continued to look out the windows and explore the area a bit more.

“Thank you. I hired contractors to make the windows bigger — wanted to see more of the city. My whole place really is the same as this: simple decor, but that’s what makes it stand out,” Seungmin explained. “I can show you the rest of my apartment if you’d like. Fair warning, my bedroom’s a bit messy. Haven’t gotten a chance to do my laundry yet.”

“Absolutely. I’ve never seen a penthouse like yours before. Most of the ones I’ve been to were very old fashioned and lacked modernism — probably because the people living in them were much older. So yes, I would love to see what else you have done to this place,” Molly answered enthusiastically, clapping her hands together with a smile.

Right when Molly was about to walk down the hallway, Seungmin’s voice made her stop and turn around. “Do you want something to drink? I have beer, red and white wine, vodka, some sodas, and water.”

Molly returned to the kitchen to see the man rummaging through his cabinets to find glasses for them. He quickly opened the fridge to show you his arrangement of beverages, and she couldn’t help but giggle at how neat and organized they were. “Hm… I think I’ll have your white wine. I think this occasion calls for some wine, don’t you think?”

Seungmin only shrugged his shoulders. “I’d say so. I only have wine when I have guests coming over, and since you are a guest, I’d agree.”

Before he could grab some wine glasses, Molly took the bottle and held it close to her chest. “Why use glasses when we can just drink out of the bottle? We aren’t expecting anyone else, are we? Why waste two perfectly clean glasses when we can just share? It’s better for your electricity bill if you don’t run the dishwasher, you know.”

Seungmin laughed as he took the bottle from her grasp and grabbed a wine opener. He handed it back to Molly once it was open, to which she gladly took and placed her lips to the bottle with a smile. He couldn’t help but smile as well once she handed him the bottle. “I think it tastes better out of the bottle, don’t you think?” Molly asked.

“Oh, most definitely,” Seungmin answered, taking a sip as well. “Good decision on your part, Miss Molly.”

“Thank you, Mr. Seungmin,” she thanked the man. It was then that Molly realized she wanted to see more of the penthouse and decided to walk out of the kitchen into the hallway. “Come along, you can show me all the wonders and secrets that live within your home.”

She could hear him grab the wine bottle and trail behind. Molly turned a corner and was met with a glass door, a long pool on the other side and a hot tub on one end. Molly stared at it in awe, quickly opening the door and walking along the side. The water was as clear as ever, the lights from above reflecting nicely over it. She placed the tips of her fingers in, only to be met with the cool temperature of the water, causing her to pull it away quickly. “This is so cool, you can see the entire city here as well. Like, holy shit.”

“Thank you. I added it in ‘cause I had this extra space and wanted a pool that wasn’t outside, that way I can go swimming anytime I want,” Seungmin explained. There was a brief period of silence between them until he decided to speak up again. “Do you like to swim?”

“Of course, it’s super fun. When I was younger, my family and I always went to this fancy beach resort and my father had to physically take me out of the pool sometimes because I refused to get out. We don’t go as much, but my friends and I are planning to go to Cabo San Lucas in the summer when we can all get the time off of work,” Molly explained. “We went to the Bahamas one year and they were all obsessed with tanning and did not want to swim in the ocean or the hotel pool. Which I get, but it was so annoying ‘cause I wanted to swim with them so badly.”

“Who would want to pass up swimming in the warm ocean water? I wouldn't,” Seungmin asked.

“That’s what I said!” The woman exclaimed. “I love tanning as much as the next person, but we’re in the Bahamas for fuck’s sake, we can swim for at least an hour or two and then go back to tanning.”

“Exactly!” He agreed. “Can I ask what you do for work? It must be hard for you all to get the same week off, but I’m curious as to what your job is? You seem like you work hard and are passionate about what you do.”

Molly took a minute to respond, gently taking the wine bottle out of Seungmin’s grasp and bringing it to her lips. She took a long sip and placed it on the ground between them. “I am currently in the process of launching my new company. I’ve been working on it for months, many meetings and documents to sign, but I’m finally in the end stages of getting it out there.”

Seungmin nodded his head, impressed by her work. “That is very inspiring. Better than any work that I’ve done, really.”

Molly gave him a look, one that indicated that whatever work he did was not better than what she was doing. He literally lived in a penthouse that overlooked the city, how would his work not be inspiring or better than her’s? He only laughed and shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, okay. I do have a good job, I do, but you just seem more driven and passionate than I am, therefore it makes your work better than mine. What is your company going to do?”

“It’s a clothing store. Not as high end as Chanel or Louis Vuitton, but not necessarily cheap, either. I think the prices are fair, and it’s a regular clothing store that sells sweaters, jeans, sportswear, and business attire. A clothing store for women of all ages, really,” Molly explained. “Half of the proceeds will go to women in need. Both here and in other countries around the world, whatever they need most. Food, clothes, books, education supplies, shelter, menstrual projects — you name it, we’ll provide it. The other half will go to employees to ensure they all get paid fairly and equally.”

Seungmin whistled, to which Molly playfully rolled her eyes and smiled. “I guess I was right: you are very driven and very passionate,” he commented. “But that is truly impressive and inspiring, Molly. You are going to change the world, we need more people like you, who care for others.”

“Thank you. It’s all because of my dad, really. Without his help, I wouldn’t have been able to start this as quickly as I did. I’m super grateful for him and I hope I can make him proud,” Molly added.

“He definitely will be. I mean, he did help you and invest in this idea, no? If he’s not proud, then he can go to hell. I know he’s your dad and all, but it’s the truth,” he stated.

“Yeah, he did, but that doesn’t always mean he’ll be proud. There were some businesses my siblings started or things they were working on that weren’t successful, and he just got disappointed. I honestly think he started liking them less,” Molly admitted, taking another sip of wine to make herself stop talking. She was definitely scaring Seungmin with all of her words and stories. He was probably thinking of ways to get her to leave as quickly as possible.

But the man only nodded his head and took a sip of wine as well. He seemed to be intrigued by what she had to say. “That sucks. It’s not their fault the projects didn’t go well, they can’t predict shit like that. How many siblings do you have?”

“Five, with me being the youngest. So there are six of us in total, and my dad makes seven. We all have different moms, except for my oldest brother and sister,” Molly answered. “Some of their projects and businesses were successful, while the others weren’t. My dad makes a deal with us, basically giving us the money to start our projects and we have to make sure they go well, to keep up with our family name and status.”

“Holy shit, that’s definitely not a lot of weight to be carrying around on your shoulders,” Seungmin responded sarcastically, to which Molly nodded her head in agreement with a small smile. “You must be pretty well off if he’s able to provide that much money to all of you.”

“Yeah. Perks of being a daughter of the CEO of Fortunato Industries, I guess.”

A puzzled look appeared on Seungmin’s face as he processed Molly’s words. It took him a minute to understand what she said and his eyes widened once he realized who she and her family were. “Wait a minute . . . you’re John Usher’s daughter? As in, the John Usher? The CEO of Fortunato Industries and other investments related to it? Oh my God, that’s why you look so familiar—”

“Yes, yes that man is my father and he is the CEO of Fortunato Industries,” Molly laughed, standing up from the ground and making her way back into the penthouse. “I think I have shared enough about me for you to get the full picture of who I am.”

“Mmm, I don’t think so. All I know is that your name is Molly Usher, you’re beautiful as hell, and you’re launching your own business soon. There’s more to you than just that,” Seungmin refuted, standing up as well. “And I would like to know more.”

“Well, you’re going to have to show me around your home more if you want to learn more about me,” Molly smirked as she opened the door and walked out, with Seungmin trailing right behind her.

She made her way through the hallway, admiring the walls and the other rooms that stood there. By the looks of them, one appeared to be an at-home gym filled with treadmills, weights, and other exercise machines. The other room looked like an at-home movie theater, filled with a large screen and a few rows of reclining leather chairs. Molly looked at them in awe and turned to Seungmin, who had a small smirk on his face.

“Clearly, this is my gym and movie theater. This was all here when I bought the place, with the exception of some gym equipment my friend recommended I get. I workout sometimes and watch my movies here if I want the movie theater experience without wanting to leave my place,” Seungmin explained. “Down this hallway is my living room, where I just have guests sit and talk if the kitchen gets too crowded.”

Molly followed the man down the hallway, revealing a living room on the other side. It was big, the ceiling higher than any of the other rooms she had been in. A grand piano sat in the corner with some picture frames sitting on top. Inside them were photos of Seungmin, from when he was younger and more current ones. He stood with what appeared to be his family, and the others were of him and his friends. Seungmin looked happy, surrounded by love and support from both his friends and family.

She looked up to see some more photos decorated on the walls, mainly of Seungmin and his family. There was a portrait of him that looked like it was done just recently, his posture and emotionless facial expression screamed power and status. He looked handsome, even Molly could feel herself blushing as she stared at it longer.

“Like what you see?” Seungmin smirked.

“Shut up! I just like it. The artist did a really nice job for you . . .” Molly trailed off, noticing that his name was engraved at the bottom of the frame. Kim Seungmin, it read. She was glad to have finally learned his full name, it suited him. “I was just reading your name on the frame, it’s very cool the way it’s etched in.”

“Sure. You can admit that you were staring at me ‘cause you think I’m cute, I won’t judge,” he responded, to which she playfully hit his shoulder and he continued to laugh some more. It was then that Seungmin made the bold decision to lace his fingers with hers and guide her out of the room. “Come, there’s other rooms I want you to see.”

Molly followed the man through the hallway, briefly looking into the fancy dining room filled with fine china and a long wooden table. Seungmin claimed it was the most boring room out of his entire penthouse, and though Molly disagreed, she just nodded her head.

They approached another staircase, much smaller and more modern than the one near the front door. It didn’t take them long to reach the second floor, in which there was a much longer hallway filled with multiple rooms. Seungmin started with the closest one, which was just a supply closet filled with tissues, toilet paper, towels, and band aids amongst other things. There was a gaming room, filled with a chair and big monitors. Molly couldn’t help but giggle at the site of it. “I like your game setup, do you get to play often?”

“Sometimes,” Seungmin shrugged. “I get busy with work, but sometimes I’ll hop on after a long day or when all my friends want to play with me. I can show you how to play, if you want. Probably not tonight, since no one will be on this late.”

“Sure. I’ve never played them before, but I’ve always thought they were so interesting. I’d love to learn,” she admitted as she admired the room and its bright colors some more.

“Then I will be happy to teach you. I’m the best out of all my friends, but don’t tell them I said that,” he joked, making her laugh.

Seungmin led the way towards the other rooms. There was a big bathroom, a nice shower and big bathtub in the corner, and two sinks within it. One of the guest bedrooms was also there that looked as if it was the master bedroom because of how big it was. A queen-sized bed, a small couch, and a nice TV that hung from the wall made up the space of the room. It was simple, but so elegant at the same time.

The other guest bedrooms had the same set up, except with a different color scheme and bigger windows than the first one. Another closet was next to those bedrooms as well, mainly filled with different medicines like Advil or Tylenol, along with extra bottles of shampoo and conditioner for guests or even Seungmin in case he ran out. It wasn’t until they approached the end of the hallway that Molly became very intrigued. Double doors stood next to each other, and Seungmin reached out to open both of them, revealing his room on the other side.

It was much nicer than the guest bedrooms, Molly would admit. They were nice rooms, of course, but Seungmin’s room was by far the best. His king-sized bed adorned by black and white sheets made it look expensive and chique. A big TV stood at the opposite side, sitting on top of a small dresser. Molly noticed the closet behind it and gasped, making her way towards it. She stared in awe once she opened the door, revealing a walk-in closet filled with a lot of designer clothes and accessories.

“I love walk-in closets! I have one myself, but I just love seeing other people’s closets! This is so cool,” Molly exclaimed. Her eyebrows furrowed a bit once she stared at the other side of it, which was completely cleared out. “How come this side is so empty? I mean, why don't you use the entire closet for your things?”

“Oh, I just got rid of a bunch of clothes and things I didn’t want anymore. I’ll have to go shopping soon, but I have more than enough clothes,” Seungmin explained, clearing his throat. She only nodded her head while she continued to look at all the brands Seungmin had in his closet. Prada, Dior, Chanel, Versace — this man definitely had a great sense of style. Not as good as her’s, that was for sure, but it was nice to know that he cared about his appearance and wanted to look good.

The array of watches and earrings that sat in one of the jewelry cases also caught her eye. Some of them were from the same brand her father and brothers had, but the earrings were surprising. “I didn’t know you had your ears pierced, that’s pretty cool. Do you wear earrings often?”

Seungmin leaned against the doorframe and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Occasionally. I have a lot, but the only ones I really show off are my two conch piercings and a small lip piercing, which I got because I lost a bet. It’s pretty cool, but it hurt like a motherfucker when I first got it done.”

“A lip ring? Interesting, it suits you. You’ll have to show me what it looks like,” Molly commented as she brushed past the man. She made her way to the big windows, arguably her second favorite part about the room (the first being the walk-in closet, of course). She admired the view of the city from this part of the penthouse, as it overlooked the other apartment buildings and could get a better picture of the streets below. Molly loved Seungmin’s place — it was everything she ever wanted in a home. Sure, there were a few things she’d change, but overall it was a beautiful home that Molly wanted to have some day.

Seungmin stood beside Molly, admiring the view like she was. Except, he was more focused on her and couldn’t help but stare at her in admiration, wanting to understand her thoughts and what she looked like when she was so focused on something. She looked beautiful, there was no doubt about that. The way her wavy hair fell onto her shoulders and how there were small freckles on her face that could only be seen if you looked closely. She had such grace and elegance within her when she spoke, so careful and thoughtful with her words. He wanted to know more about how she viewed the world and what else she was passionate about. Lucky for him, he was going to have all the time in the world to learn about that very soon.

“You have a beautiful home, Kim Seungmin,” Molly broke the silence, causing the man to snap out of his thoughts and turn towards her. “It’s so cool, between the gym and the pool and your awesome bedroom. The whole design of the place is beautiful. I hope to have a place like yours someday.”

“Thank you, Molly Usher. I am sure you will. By the looks of your business and your commitment to it, you definitely will,” Seungmin thanked her.

“Not so sure about that,” Molly began. She debated on whether or not she should continue what she was saying, as she had just met this man and did not want to overshare nor set herself up for failure, but she decided that she did not care. “One of the investors pulled out at the last minute, so I’m not sure how I am going to get the money within a week and sustain it long term. If nothing works out, then a series of unfortunate events will occur, and yeah, getting a place like this won’t be on the cards for me.”

“Oh, shit. Molly, that’s terrible—”

“It’s okay, I don’t really want to talk about it right now. I shouldn’t have said anything, I’m sorry,” Molly quickly apologized.

Seungmin shook his head. “Don’t apologize, I’m sure everything will work out on its own. Not that that message helps or anything, but I think you’re going to be okay.”

“Thank you,” Molly smiled kindly, returning her gaze towards the window and continued to look at the city.

It was quiet for a few moments, until Seungmin stood right behind Molly and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. Butterflies arose in her stomach once he rested his chin on her shoulder and took one of her hands into his. “If you look this way, you can start to see the outside of the city and into the other towns that surround it,” he spoke gently.

She looked closely at the city and, just as he said, saw the lights coming from the smaller homes that stood outside of it. “Oh my God, that is amazing. It’s so beautiful. I can’t even imagine what it’s like at sunrise and sunset. I bet it’s stunning,” she said.

“Hmm,” was the only sound that came out of Seungmin’s mouth. The man was now only focused on Molly and her dress, as he carefully hooked his fingers under one of the straps and let it fall down her arm. Her breath hitched, both in nervousness and desire; it had been a while since she had been this close to someone, so she did not know how to react. It was not until Seungmin started to place gentle kisses on her shoulder and collarbone that Molly began to feel less anxious, letting her eyes close and moving her head to give Seungmin more access to her neck, which he was happy about.

He began to kiss on her neck softly, making Molly throw her head back slightly. Seungmin then started to suck her neck in a slightly harsh way, attempting to leave marks on it, especially on the spot that was very sensitive. Before he did so, he turned Molly around so that she was facing him, and pressed his lips to hers. She eagerly kissed back, placing her hands on his cheeks as they did.

They continued to make out until Seungmin went back to kissing her neck, only more harshly this time so he could leave hickeys on her neck. Molly closed her eyes and let out soft moans once he started to reach the sensitive area, resting a hand on his shoulder. Her moans became louder, however, once Seungmin decided to squeeze her breast, in which she couldn’t hold back trying to be quiet.

“S-Seungmin,” Molly managed to get out, smiling as he continued to kiss her neck. “You’re going to leave marks on my neck, everyone will see them.”

“So? Let them see, let them know how well I took care of you tonight,” he mumbled, leaving some final kisses on her neck before moving to her lips, in which she kissed back immediately. His hand made its way to her breast again as they continued kissing, in which Molly moaned louder, causing Seungmin to smirk into their kiss. “You sure are enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yes. Y-You’re making me feel so good, Seungmin,” she stuttered out, making him groan at the way she said his name.

They continued to make out for what felt like hours until Seungmin pulled away, gently pecking her lips once more before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Molly couldn’t help but giggle, her cheeks becoming red as she continued to stare at him. She gently took his hand and held it in her own, placing it right over her heart. Seungmin couldn’t help himself and pressed another kiss on her lips, and Molly did the same to him once he pulled away.

Seungmin took Molly’s hand and led her over to his bed, sitting her down on the end while he took a few steps back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I know you said that you didn’t want to talk about this earlier, but . . . I think I found a way for your business to go on successfully. I thought about it when I showed you the towns outside the city, and I wanted to hear your thoughts.”

Molly couldn’t help but get excited at his idea. She was running out of time and solutions, so she was open to any suggestions or ideas anyone had. Her eyes widened as she nodded her head. “Yeah, absolutely. Please share your thoughts because I am desperate and running out of things I can do. So please, share.”

The man stopped himself before speaking. Rather than standing away, Seungmin brought himself to Molly, sitting beside her and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and placing a hand on her cheek. “Be with me,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. What did he mean? A relationship? Friends-with-benefits? She only stared at Seungmin and gently rested her hand on top of the one that held her cheek. “What? What do you mean?”

He took a deep breath before speaking. “I’m not the best with words, so I’ll try to explain what I mean,” Seungmin started. “I have a lot of money. Clearly, from what you’ve seen. That money isn’t going anywhere, and there will be more to come in the future for sure. Take me on as one of your investors, I’ve learned a lot from the business I am in and know a good project when I see it. Let me help you with this, I can make sure your company has enough money and you won’t lose anything. All I ask is that you be with me. A relationship, if you will. I know we just met, but I really like you and I think this could work. We’ll get to know each other and I’ll take you out on fun dates and I’ll make you feel good, in any way you want. I know this is a lot and seems . . . insane, but I promise you won’t regret this. It’ll be great for both of us, you more than me. What do you think?”

A million thoughts flooded Molly’s mind, she had no idea what to think. She needed an investor, badly. And finding another one so late in the process was going to be challenging, nearly impossible. A man with a lot of wealth was offering to help her, a quick solution that she needed. The only thing he wanted was to be with her, to be in a relationship together and fall in love. Seungmin was kind, from what Molly could tell. He was kind, funny, cute — everything she wanted in a partner. Though she didn’t know him well, the time they were spending together was much fun and she believed it would be the same as they continued to see each other. She could picture how everything would play out, and she honestly really liked what she saw.

But there was another part of Molly that wanted to say no. She didn’t want their relationship to be merely transactional, she didn’t want Seungmin to resent her over the years because of the money he invested in her company, especially if it wasn’t successful. Molly also didn’t want to bring work into her relationship; she wanted to keep them separate for the sake of her sanity. If she took Seungmin on as both a boyfriend and an investor, the boundary lines would start to blur and then it could negatively impact their relationship, and she didn’t want that.

Molly placed her hands on top of Seungmin’s and sweetly smiled at him. “Oh Seungmin, you’re too kind, but I can’t accept your offer. It’s not that I don’t want to be with you, I had such a fun time tonight and you can probably tell from . . . what we just did, yeah. But I just, I don’t want us to hate each other in case my company doesn’t go well and I don’t want to bring work into my personal life, and vice versa,” Molly explained. “But you’re so kind and so generous, I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, and he couldn’t help but smile as he began to rub his thumb over her fingers. “I understand, I just wanted to offer. No worries.”

“I know, and for that you are so kind and thoughtful. It means so much to me,” Molly reassured him. “I do want to see you again, though. I had such a great time tonight and I want to do everything you said you wanted to do with me, even more than that. I can see us working out too, even though we just met. Would that be okay?”

Seungmin nodded his head, his lips curving into a small smile. “I would really like that, Miss Usher.”

“Perfect! We will figure out a date to meet again, Mr. Kim,” Molly exclaimed. She decided to stand up, helping Seungmin up as well by grabbing his hands. They stared at each other for a while as they let the silence fill the space between them. Molly couldn’t help but giggle as the man continued to look at her. “Why are you staring at me?”

He only shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Admiring your beauty, I guess.”

The woman playfully rolled her eyes. “Sure,” she spoke. “I hate to end the party, but I think I should get home. It’s pretty late and it’s the first weekend in a while where I don’t have a million things to do, so I just want to get home and relax. Do you think you could order me an Uber?”

“Let me drive you. I didn’t drink much tonight and I wouldn’t want you to take a car alone this late at night,” Seungmin answered. “I’ll walk us downstairs and then we can find my keys, okay?”

“Okay,” Molly whispered.

Right when she was about to make her way to the door, Seungmin gently grabbed her arm and turned her around, pressing a long kiss on her lips. She couldn’t help but giggle as he continued to kiss her, leaving one last peck before pulling away. “What was that for?”

“Just ‘cause I wanted to,” Seungmin shrugged.

She rolled her eyes with the biggest smile on her face and made her way to the door. Molly was about to open the door until she heard Seungmin sigh behind her. Confused, she turned around to see him standing on the other side, running his hands through his hair. “Is everything okay, Seungmin?” Molly asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I just . . . yeah, I can’t do this anymore. I was going to wait until the next time we saw each other, but that could be weeks and I’m getting impatient,” Seungmin explained. He sighed while she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “About my offer . . . you actually don’t have a choice in this situation.”

It was as if something had shifted in the room. The once innocent, caring atmosphere the two shared turned rotten, more dangerous and deadly. Molly shifted uncomfortably, crossing her arms over chest. “What? What . . . What do you mean, exactly? I just gave you my answer, and now you’re saying I don’t have a choice?”

“Look,” he spoke sternly, his demeanor changing completely. He was more assertive, stronger than before. Seungmin didn’t seem angry, not like he was going to get violent or shout (Molly hoped not). He just seemed to be more . . . dominant. Like he wanted to take control of the situation and was holding himself back before. Now that he didn’t have to, he was just letting his real self shine through, which was unexpected and a bit frightening. “Your father is one of the most powerful men in his line of work and quite frankly, the world. Don’t you think so?”

Molly shook her head. “What does that have to do with anything?” “It has a lot to do with this, actually. See, with the power your dad has comes a great reputation to uphold. I mean, if everyone found out about how awful John Usher really was and the terrible things he did to get to the top, he’d be in jail for life. And the Usher name would bring nothing but shame and disgust,” Seungmin explained. “Your father would’ve done anything to protect his name, to have a clean record. And he has been able to do that, courtesy of the previous mafia leader, Kwon Dae-Hyun.”

Molly furrowed her eyebrows more. She could barely say anything due to how confused she was. “What the fuck—”

“No swearing,” Seungmin cut her off. “A pretty mouth like your’s shouldn’t be saying ugly words like that. We’ll talk about that more later. As I was saying, your father made a deal with Kwon Dae-Hyun many years before you were born. Dae-Hyun would protect John, Fortunato, and his family from any bad press that would come their way. Make sure he won every lawsuit he faced and kept his record clean. The only things Dae-Hyun wanted was that he help him and the mafia with whatever they needed, and that one of his daughters marry the new leader of the mafia when the time comes. To make their alliance stronger.”

She could feel her heart shatter into a million pieces, her stomach now in knots and her eyes glossy with tears. “No, no that’s not true. You’re lying. My father would never do such a thing, he would never do that to my sisters, especially not me. H-He wouldn’t.”

Seungmin shook his head. “Ah, but he did. Yeah, your dad’s a selfish piece of shit and would do anything to protect his prestige image. After everything he did to obtain Fortunato, there was no way he was passing up an opportunity like this.”

“So my dad just sold me off to you in order to protect the Usher name? No, that doesn’t sound like him. He’s always told me to put myself and my work before a man. He wouldn’t force me to marry someone, let alone the mafia leader. Whatever fucked up angle you’re trying to get at, it’s not working,” Molly spat, her hands now in fists and turning red with anger.

“I’m not trying to get at any angle, I’m just telling you the truth,” Seungmin said, trying to act innocent. “See, I’m not the leader of the mafia by any means. When Dae-Hyun wanted to step down, he held a competition for his members to see who would be the next mafia leader. I was close to winning, but my friend Chan beat me out fair and square. Part of our work was to learn about you, since one of us would be taking you as our wife, but Chan wasn’t interested. Mainly because he has a girlfriend he’s madly in love with. He declined that part of the deal after he won, and I decided to take matters into my own hands. For my and your dad’s sake, since he wouldn’t want to risk losing everything he built.”

“What the fuck—”

“Again, stop swearing, or else I’ll have to punish you for misbehaving,” Seungmin cut her off. “I went to your dad with some information I had on him and Fortunato, the horrible things both he and the company have done and what they are still doing. I made him a deal: I keep all of this a secret so long as I get to marry you. He agreed once he figured out I was a part of Dae-Hyun’s mafia, probably because he trusted me. So yeah, that’s how we ended up here. It’s wonderful, don’t you think?”

Molly was at a loss of words. She didn’t know what to do. Part of her wanted to rip Seungmin’s throat out for bringing her to his home and lying straight to her face, for making such a horrible deal with her father. The other part of her wanted to throttle him for lying about her dad. There was no way John Usher would do that to his children, let alone his youngest daughter. Sure, the man had weird ways of showing his love and had favorites, but he would never do something as awful as that. Why would Seungmin say such a thing? Probably to scare the shit out of Molly and make her his property, of course.

She only stared at the man, who had a small smirk on his face and with his arms crossed over his chest. She wanted to punch him in the face right then and there, make him bleed and lose his front teeth. Molly refrained and only sent him glares, shaking her head. “I don’t believe you, you’re lying. I’m not going to marry you, hell I don’t even like you anymore. You knew everything about me and still pretended like you didn’t know me? Bringing me to your home? And now you’re lying about my family? I honestly don’t know which is worse,” Molly

spat. “Might as well go ask him myself, right? Oh and don’t worry, I’ll make sure your life will be a living hell after what you did to me.”

“You would do anything to make your father proud, wouldn’t you?”

His words made Molly stop in her tracks. She turned around and glared at Seungmin once more. “Don’t do that, don’t use my family against me to make me want to stay with you.”

“I’m not. I’m just saying, you’re the type of person to do anything to make your family proud. Great grades and extracurriculars all throughout high school and college. You’re the youngest of six, and you’re working your ass off to start your own company because you know it’ll make your dad proud. That you’ll stand out amongst your five siblings,” Seungmin explained. “Your father must know about your little investor problem, yes?”

“Yeah. What does this have to do with anything?” Molly questioned.

“Well, I think your father would be quite proud of you in this scenario,” Seungmin answered, causing Molly to furrow her eyebrows and almost walk away from the conversation entirely. “He would be so happy to hear that you found an investor at the last minute, someone with a lot of money to give and power to use. Having me as an investor will bring you more and more opportunities than you can imagine, and no doubt make the company more successful. Your father would be so proud that his youngest heir came about to be such a successful entrepreneur.”

Molly only rolled her eyes, as she did not believe anything that came from Seungmin’s mouth. What he said next, however, made her start to question her decision. “Your siblings would be so envious of you, and they wouldn’t be able to hold your fuck up against you because you fixed it. They’d be angry that the youngest daughter got everything: the glory, the respect, the attention, and being your father’s favorite child. They’d leave you alone for good, wouldn’t they?”

Before Molly could retort, Seungmin continued to speak. “And wouldn’t your father be happy to hear that his youngest daughter was married off to such a great man? A handsome, wealthy young man who can provide you a home and financial security? Someone who has the same status as the Usher’s, if not more? Surely men in your circle have no idea what they’re doing with their lives and waste their parents’ money as if it’s nothing. Who knows where they’ll end up in a few years, and if they can be a good asset to you and your family?”

Molly bit her tongue and stared at Seungmin. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of being right. His points were correct, she did want to make her family proud and her father always talked about how when the time was right, she should marry a man who had a lot of ambition and power. The way Seungmin explained it to her, by agreeing to this deal, she could make her father more proud of her than he already was. Marrying someone with a lot of money and power and finding a solution to her problem all on her own and with someone who can help make her company more popular. Being his favorite child and finally earning some respect from her older siblings, Molly realized that perhaps Seungmin was right.

But there was another part of her that still thought Seungmin was lying, that there was something he wasn’t telling her. Her father wouldn’t do something like that, he wouldn’t sell her off to a random stranger in exchange for protecting the family name. He had his faults for sure and was not perfect by any means, but he wouldn’t do such a terrible thing, especially to one of his children. Something was wrong about this whole ordeal, Molly believed. There was something she was missing, and she couldn’t figure out what.

But if Molly were to enter this “agreement” with Seungmin, she would get to the bottom of it before it was too late.

She turned her back to Seungmin, who started walking towards her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. He brought his lips to her ear. “Be with me,” he whispered. Seungmin took one of Molly’s hands and held it in his, intertwining their fingers. “I can make you happy, give you a wonderful life that you deserve. We can be happy together and you can make your family proud. I’ll love you until the end of time. Just be with me, Angel.”

His touch was soft, one that Molly knew she shouldn’t like and crave, but she did anyway. Seungmin was warm, and his embrace made her feel safe. Like he actually meant the words that he whispered in her ear. His words were like honey even though they were filled with poison. Sweet at first, but would slowly drain the life out of the woman she once was. It was a tempting offer: to live in a grand penthouse and have everything she wanted right at her fingertips. To marry and love an attractive man who promised to love and cherish her as well.

If Molly didn’t know what she knew now, she would’ve accepted Seungmin’s offer in a heartbeat. But now, she would do anything to never see him again.

And for that to actually happen, she would have to play along with his little game. Act like she wanted to be with him and run the second she got the chance. Run for the hills and tell her father everything, and make Seungmin’s life a living Hell. That wouldn’t be so hard to achieve; he seemed smart, but Molly Usher was smarter. She would figure out how to get away and forget about this situation for good, even if it took a little bit of acting and time.

“Okay,” Molly whispered, slightly leaning into Seungmin’s touch.

He hummed in response and turned Molly so that she was now looking at him. He kissed her gently and for a few seconds before pulling away. “Good girl, I knew you would make the right decision,” he told her, pecking her lips once more. “It’s getting late and you’ve had a very stressful day. Why don’t we wash up and go to bed, yeah?”

She only nodded her head. Seungmin sat Molly down at the edge of his bed and went into his closet. He returned within seconds with a pair of black pajama bottoms and a gray t-shirt, presumably his. He set them down on her lap. “I don’t have any clothes here for you yet, so you can just wear mine for tonight. Tomorrow we’ll go out for brunch and then do some clothes shopping for you. Maybe go ring shopping as well?”

The thought of shopping for wedding rings made Molly want to vomit, but she just nodded her head and gave him a small smile. Seungmin smiled as well. “Great. You can get changed in the bathroom and brush your teeth, I put out an extra just for you.”

“Thank you,” she thanked him softly as she made her way to the bathroom.

Molly immediately shut the door and locked it to ensure her privacy. She didn’t want Seungmin coming in and stealing a look while she was naked, she couldn’t risk it with how insane he was acting. She unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor, the cool air hitting her body. She threw on the t-shirt and bottoms and then picked up the toothbrush that sat next to the sink.

It didn’t take Molly too long to brush her teeth, she just wanted to make sure her teeth were clean and her breath didn’t smell like too much alcohol. Once she was finished, she picked up her dress and opened the door, nervously walking towards the bed. She could feel Seungmin’s eyes on her the entire time with a smirk on his face. He seemed to enjoy seeing Molly in his clothes, probably a possessive thing, knowing that she was his and no one else’s. His gaze made her uncomfortable, but she tried her best to ignore it.

“On second thought, maybe we won’t go clothes shopping tomorrow. You look so good in mine,” Seungmin joked. “Kidding, kidding, but you can wear mine as often as you want.”

Molly laughed, a laugh she used whenever she had to pretend something was funny or had no idea what was going on. She didn’t say anything in response and instead climbed under the covers of the bed. His sheets were soft and would eventually provide Molly with warmth the longer she slept in it. His mattress was soft, too, which made it easier for her to get comfortable.

It didn’t take long for Seungmin to wash up, either, and he was walking back towards the bed within a matter of minutes. She could feel him get under the covers behind her. What caught her off guard, however, was when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. As much as Molly wanted to fight him off, she was too tired and did not want to start an argument with the man. Instead, she just rested her hands on top of his and tried her best to fall asleep.

“Goodnight, baby,” Seungmin whispered, planting a soft kiss on her neck. “We’re going to have such a beautiful life together.”

His words made her stomach churn, but she brushed it off and tried to fall asleep. “Goodnight,” she mumbled.

Silence filled the room after she finished speaking. And although Molly was scared shitless, she knew she would get out of this. She just had to make it through the night and then she could escape

tomorrow morning. In twenty four hours, this day would become a distant memory and Molly could focus on relaxing and launching her business. It was just a little bump in the road, but she had Seungmin right where she wanted him, and she would be back to normal in no time.

Little did Molly know, Kim Seungmin knew exactly what she was planning. He didn’t know the full extent of it, but he could tell she was lying straight through her teeth. He knew her willingness to agree to this so suddenly was odd, and it was then that he realized what she was doing. Luckily for him, Seungmin had a plan in mind, a plan that would confirm his suspicions and ensure that Molly didn’t run away from him. She was a smart woman for sure, it was one of the things he liked most about her, but Seungmin was a clever bastard. A clever bastard that no one could outsmart, not even Molly.

He knew he was in for a rude awakening when he would wake up in the morning, but for now, Seungmin wanted to enjoy these few minutes of peace with his new girlfriend (fiancé? future wife? He had no idea what to call her) while he could. And so, he drifted off to sleep, holding Molly securely in his arms not only to make sure she didn’t run away, but to provide her comfort and warmth as well.

──────────────────────

The moment Molly could feel the sunlight in her eyes, she knew she had to run. She barely slept the night before, her anxiety levels higher than ever because of the situation with Seungmin. She had no idea what he was going to do, he was unpredictable and she had to be alert at all times. Thus, it was hard for her to really fall asleep. Molly dozed off here and there, but always woke up in the middle of the night to make sure she was safe.

This time, however, she fell asleep until the sun came out, which was good considering how much she kept waking up. Seungmin was still fast asleep, his grip on Molly tight, groaning slightly whenever she tried to move away from him and just held her tighter. Luckily, Molly was able to move his arms off of her body and made it so he was hugging her pillow. That way, he wouldn’t wake up and wonder where she went off to. It took her a bit, since his grip was still pretty strong, but she managed to get out of it.

With that, Molly immediately found her dress on the floor and changed back into it as she possibly could. She did not want to wear Seungmin’s clothes anymore, it felt strange to wear them knowing what he did to her just a few hours ago. Despite it being so early in the morning, Molly would rather wear her dress than be in his clothes any longer. She felt a bit better once she slipped it back on.

Molly tiptoed quietly to the door, opening it so it didn’t make a sound. Seungmin stirred in his sleep, but didn’t open his eyes once. She sighed in relief as she opened it more to let herself out, shutting it quietly and making a beeline for the staircase. She made sure to move quickly but quietly, that way she didn’t make a lot of noise and wouldn’t disturb Seungmin. After wandering the hallways for what felt like several minutes, she managed to find the living room and front door. Her purse still sat on the wall with the coats and shoes, and her heels and jacket were there as well. Sighing in relief once more, Molly grabbed her belongings and opened the front door quietly.

Once it was closed, she bolted for the elevator at the end of the hallway. She slipped on her jacket and managed to find her phone, which thankfully hadn’t died overnight. Molly sent a text to her friends that read SOS. Talk to you later. As she approached the elevator, she pressed the button multiple times to make sure it would open. She began to order an Uber in the meantime, frantically pressing the buttons as she did. The Uber was successfully ordered and then the elevator door opened. With her mind slightly eased, Molly stepped in and collected herself.

While she made her way down to the lobby, she put on her high heels and wrapped her coat around her body. That way, Molly could still uphold her status and not look like a psychopath running around the building. The elevator had stopped on a few floors to let people on, but Seungmin was not where to be found. As long as he wasn’t awake, Molly did not care how many stops they had to make.

The elevator had finally gotten to the bottom floor, in which Molly was the first one out. She followed the crowds of people, hoping they were heading towards the exit like she was. Some of them were, while the others just wandered off to different places. As Molly followed the crowd, she noticed a young man walking towards the elevator. He looked the same age as Seungmin: dark hair, lean build. His eyes were the most alluring, something about them made them stand out as his best physical feature. They briefly made eye contact, the man giving her a smirk as she passed by. Molly didn’t have time to react, she just walked faster once she saw the exit and her Uber waiting right at the door.

She didn’t hesitate to climb into the vehicle, verifying the driver the second she shut the door. Within seconds, they were leaving the building and making their way onto the main road.

Molly wondered what would happen now. Surely her father would be outraged, outraged at the fact that someone put her in danger and was lying about him. The police would be called immediately, and a restraining order would be placed against Seungmin, and she would never have to see him again. Then, his life would slowly get worse and worse. No money, no penthouse, nowhere to run and no one to go to. His life would fall apart, and after everything that happened yesterday, he deserved every awful thing that was coming his way.

Traveling from the city to the suburbs always took longer than expected. Despite being so close, it was always busy between the traffic and construction being done, so it took longer to travel from place to place. Molly didn’t mind; the drive helped soothe her mind and she was able to think more clearly and rationalize her thoughts, instead of frantically thinking. She watched the cars and the houses she drove by to help time go by faster.

Almost a half an hour had passed, and Molly was finally on her street. Knowing that she was closer to home made her feel even more relaxed, because she knew that she was safe and everything would be fixed within the next day or so. Still, the nerves ran through her body as she tried to figure out how she was going to tell her father what happened. What he would do to make it end, how this would play out going forward. Molly just wanted to make sure this was all squared away in an efficient manner, she didn’t want this to linger for months and constantly be worrying about what Seungmin or his gang would do. Her mind began to race as the car pulled up to the gate, in which Molly showed her face to the guard and the gates opened within seconds.

The driver pulled all the way up to the front door, and Molly immediately jumped out. As she made her way to the door, the driver began to speak. “You have a beautiful home.”

She turned to the man, who looked about the age of her father, perhaps a bit younger. Molly gave him a sympathetic smile. It was simple acts of kindness that always made her heart warm. “Thank you,” she whispered. The man only nodded his head and began to drive off, leaving Molly all to her lonesome. She took a deep breath before opening the door; her father never bothered to lock it, especially when they had the gate to protect them from anyone trying to break in. Molly never understood ever since she was a child, but never questioned it because her father was “in charge” and “could do whatever he wanted.” His words now made her roll her eyes, but it was just who he was, and Molly never doubted her father. Not when he had always been correct and successful.

The house felt still, as if no one was there. It was early in the morning, so perhaps her father was still sleeping. He was normally an early riser, waking up before the sun rose in the sky, so it would be strange if he was still asleep. Either way, she had to wake him up to tell him about what happened and how she needed his help. It didn’t matter if he would get upset, he’d understand why once she explained what happened.

Right when Molly was going to go upstairs, she saw Bertha, one of the maids her father hired a while ago, cleaning the kitchen. She approached the woman calmly. “Good morning, Bertha. I was just wondering if you’ve seen my dad at all?”

“Good morning, Molly,” Bertha greeted. “Your father is in his study, with Sylvia. Apparently working on something for the company, I don’t know. They don’t tell me anything.”

Molly couldn’t help but laugh. “They barely tell me anything, either. But thank you so much,” she thanked the woman, who gave her a kind smile in return.

The youngest Usher walked through the numerous hallways that filled the manor, almost like a maze. It didn’t take her long to find the two large doors that divided her father’s study from everything else. Molly considered knocking on it, but after giving it some thought, she just decided to open it. What Molly didn’t expect to see was her father making out with Sylvia, his third wife. Molly gasped and covered her eyes, while Sylvia gasped and immediately stepped away from John, who gasped as well and was a little pissed off.

“Jesus, Molly! Haven’t you heard of knocking?” Her father scolded, groaning in frustration.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you would be doing . . . that. But we have bigger things to worry about,” Molly explained. “We have to call the police.”

Both Sylvia and John looked concerned, their frustration towards the woman now going away once they saw how scared she looked. “Let us have a moment, Sylvia. I’ll tell you what happened after we talk,” John whispered to the older woman.

She only nodded her head and made her way out of the study. Before she left, she placed a hand on Molly’s shoulder and gently rubbed it as her way of showing support. She placed her hand on top of Sylvia’s and quickly pulled away so that she could leave the office. Once the door was shut, her father began to speak. “What the hell is going on? What are you doing here so early? I thought you went home with Serena? Also . . . why is your neck all purple and red?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Molly rolled her eyes. “I met a guy at the club last night and he was really nice. So nice that I decided to go back to his place. We were talking and he was really nice and then . . . then he offered to be a new investor in my business? In e-exchange for me to his . . . girlfriend, I don’t know. I told him no, but then he explained to me that I didn’t have a choice.”

Her father furrowed his eyebrows. “What? What does that even mean—”

“He explained that he made a deal with you. He claimed he had some bad information about you and would leak it to the press if you didn’t give him what he wanted, which was my hand in marriage,” Molly cut him off. “I told him that he was lying. I mean, he has to be. I stayed the night ‘cause I didn’t want to make him more upset, but I bolted the second I woke up. That’s why I’m here: we need to call the police and get this squared away.”

John looked stunned, unable to say a word. He looked as if he was guilty, guilty for what happened. Molly caught on and an uneasy feeling arose in her stomach, but she brushed it off once her father began to talk. “He . . . what? Who does this guy think he is? I’ll call Gary down at the station and get this sorted out. Targeting my youngest daughter and threatening to tell the public lies about me? No, he’s going to pay the price for that bullshit he tried to pull.”

“I know, that’s what I said! I knew this guy had to be lying, there’s no way he knows information about our family,” Molly exclaimed, running a hand through her hair. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her father. “Are you going to call Gary now?”

“Yes. Can you pass me my phone there? It’s charging on the table,” John asked and quietly thanked her once she handed it to him. He started to call Gary, and after a few rings, both he and Molly sighed in relief. “Gary, hey. How are you? I’m sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but I have to report an incident that happened with my daughter last night. Yeah, it’s pretty scary. Says she was with some guy who said I made a deal with him. If I let him marry Molly, then he won’t tell the world about all the bad stuff I’ve done and how awful of a person I am. Crazy, right?”

A sense of relief washed over Molly as she listened to them talk. This would be figured out and she would never have to see Seungmin again, and he would be in his own personal Hell. Hearing that brought a sinister smile onto Molly’s face.

She snapped out of her thoughts once her dad called for her attention. He placed his hand over the speakers of the phone. “What was the guy’s name? The one who told you all of that stuff?”

“Kim Seungmin. And I highly suggest hanging up the phone now unless you want things to get ugly. Or my friend can do it for you, he knows a thing or two about hacking into phones.”

The familiar voice made Molly’s stomach drop and chills run up her arms. Her father looked appalled, scared at what had just happened. His phone was still next to his ear, but he jolted once he saw that the phone call had ended abruptly. He nervously gulped as he continued to stare at the door. Molly didn’t even want to turn around and see who was standing there, but she wasn’t a coward, and so she turned her head with an angered expression on her face and her arms crossed over her chest.

As expected, Kim Seungmin stood at the doorway, his figure leaning against the frame. A smirk sat on his face, his hands shoved into his pockets. What took Molly by surprise was the gun sitting comfortably on his waist. Her chest tightened in fear, worried he would use it against them. She backed away from the door, all the way to where her father’s desk sat. Seungmin took this as an invitation to walk in, sauntering over to the oldest and youngest Usher.

“How the fuck did you find me?” Molly spat, placing her hand over a stapler in case Seungmin got any closer.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I may or may not have had my friend put a tracking device in your phone. And he got into the computer system here so I could get in without having to stop for the guard. He’s really great at hacking, I don’t even know how he does it. I also had my other friend come by my place to let me know if you had left or not. I’ll give you some credit, sneaking out while I was asleep and being quiet, it was a smart idea. You’re a smart girl, it’s one of the things I like most about you. You just forgot that I’m me, and I’ll always find you, no matter where you go,” Seungmin explained. “It’s a shame, I was really looking forward to sleeping in and cuddling with you before we went shopping, but you just had to misbehave, didn’t you?”

Molly almost lunged at him with the stapler, but he backed up before she could hit him. He snickered and held his hands up in surrender. “Woah, careful there, Angel. You’re already in trouble for acting like a brat, but you’ll be in much more if you try to hurt me. I’ll admit, this attitude of yours is cute, but it’s not going to serve you well in the long run, so stop acting out unless you want to get punished.”

“What the fuck do you want with me?!” Molly spat, her face becoming red with anger. “I told my dad everything, so you’re going to jail. Worse, even. The cops already know and they’ll be on their way soon, and you’re so fucked. And now you have nowhere to run.”

A confused look fell on Seungmin’s face, but then something clicked in his head, and another smirk arose on his face. “Oh shit, you didn’t tell her, did you, John?” He snickered once more, causing Molly to become confused and turn towards her dad for an answer. His face was still, that guilty look back on his face from when Molly first told him what happened. Seungmin caught onto this and smirked once more. “Shit, you didn’t tell her. Well, she didn’t believe me when I told her, so she might actually listen if it’s coming from you. Go on, John. Tell her about the deal we made.”

Silence filled the room, Molly looking at her father with a pleading look. He didn’t look away from Seungmin, his hands curling into fists as he sent him a nasty glare. “I said . . . I said you could have her when she turned 25, not now. You know the agreement, why are you breaking it now?”

Molly’s eyes widened with fear and anger, tears glossing in her eyes. She couldn’t believe what her father just said — all this time, she thought Seungmin was lying, that he would never do something like this to her. But it was all a lie, a lie she could not believe was real. No, it was impossible. Why would her father do such a thing? What could be so important that he would compromise his own daughter in order to keep himself safe? Matter of fact, why was it even on the table? Why wasn’t John’s first instinct to pay off Seungmin or get the police involved? Why didn’t he protect Molly first, why was she the scapegoat? It made no sense. Her father wasn’t an evil man . . . he just couldn’t be.

“Yeah, about that, actually . . . I changed my mind,” Seungmin explained. “I was going to wait, but then I saw Molly walking out of your building one day, and she just looked so beautiful. So beautiful that I couldn’t have other men looking at her, letting them think they had a chance with what was rightfully mine. So I went to the club and brought her home. I wanted her now and didn’t want to wait. And if there’s one thing you should know about me, John, I always get what I want.”

“You sick bastard—” John started. He too was about to throw a punch or something hard at Seungmin, but stopped himself once he raised his gun and backed up, causing John to surrender immediately.

“Am I really that sick for taking what’s mine? Or is it you, with all the shit you pulled in the past to get where you are today. Don’t forget, John, I know everything about you, and have no problem exposing you to the public for the piece of shit you really are,” Seungmin asked, his gun still pointed at John. He brought it down, however, once he saw Molly’s concerned face pleading with him to stop. “I own you now, so you do as I say. Let me have Molly and I won’t say anything about you. Or refuse, and I’ll leak the information and make Molly mine anyways. Either way, she’s coming home with me, so the choice is yours. I don’t give a fuck about what happens to you.”

Molly turned to her father, tears falling down her face. She wanted him to do something — he could change everything now and she wouldn’t bat an eye. Pay Seungmin off with money or whatever he wanted, anything that wasn’t her life. John Usher was a powerful man who could do anything, he could make the right decision now and save his daughter, his own blood from letting this happen. How bad was the information, anyways? Couldn’t their family sue for false information and win, therefore saving their image? There had to be another way out, one where no one would get hurt.

She stared at her father and waited for him to speak. He only stared at Seungmin, who had a smirk on his face, which made Molly want to punch and kick him repeatedly. She gave her father another look, a pleading one asking him to do something. He only looked at her with an emotionless expression. “That won’t be necessary,” John spoke quietly. “There must’ve been a misunderstanding on my part. I am sure you and Molly will be very happy together, all I ask is that you just treat her right.”

It was as if her heart had shattered into a million pieces. She couldn’t believe what happened, what her father agreed to. More tears began to fall down Molly’s face, her sadness turning into anger the more she looked at him. She was too stunned to say anything; she didn’t know whether or not she should scream or cry, to beg her father to fix this mess. But she remained still, because it was all too much. And in all honesty, Molly never wanted to speak to her father again.

“Right decision, John,” Seungmin told him. He wrapped his arms around Molly’s waist and pulled her back into his chest. “Come on, Angel,” he whispered in her ear, gently kissing her cheek. “Let's go home.”

Molly glared at her father one final time before leaving the study. Right when Seungmin was going to slip his hand into hers and guide her out of the room, she pushed him off harshly and walked out on her own. She heard Sylvia call out her name multiple times, but she just blocked it out and continued to walk away.

She had no idea what to do. Her mind was racing, both in anger and in fear. Everything Molly Usher once knew was gone, her whole life a lie. All of her hardwork and dedication she put into her projects meant nothing, because it was all going to be taken away from her now that she was forced to marry Seungmin. Who knows what he would be like, how he would treat her and what he would force her to do. Would he let her go outside? Would she be able to see her friends again? Would she be able to still work, or would she have to be a housewife until the day she died? The thoughts raced in Molly’s head and she had no idea what to do, how to feel.

The world around her seemed different than before. It was off, like it had been tainted with darkness, a new truth had fallen out and the world had shifted on his axis. The people she thought she knew were nothing but lying cowards, nefarious people hiding by an innocent exterior. How could Molly trust anyone after what happened? How could she look at everyone the way she used to?

Today proved that the world was not as great as people made it out to be. The innocence she once had was now gone and no way of returning. And now, Molly Usher would have to embrace this change. She would have to get used to life with Seungmin, pretend like everything was perfect on the outside and never let anyone know what went on behind closed doors. She would have to accept that her father was a selfish, horrible man, and not the perfect person she made him out to be. She would have to accept her fate, because there was no way she could change it.

Actually . . . screw that. Molly Usher did not settle. She would not settle for a life she did not want, certainly with a man who treated her as a possession. No, she was going to make Seungmin and her father’s life a living Hell for what they did to her. And she didn’t care about how they would react, she was going to do it anyway. Anything to get back at them and to get her life back.

She was an Usher, after all, and Usher’s don’t wait for something to be given to them. They take it, no matter how hard it is or what they have to do in order to get it.

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