Chapter 174 - Not My Plan

Hua Ying tried to turn the handle again and again but it was stuck! With a panicky expression, he turned to Xie Eun and announced, "Chairwoman Xie, please trust me. This is not my doing! Look, I desperately needed the money and so I accepted the bribe. All I needed to do was invite you here and take some questionable pictures to smear your name. But please I am not someone who would stoop to such levels. Let me just call the maintenance people here."

Even as Xie Eun's eyes narrowed, Hua Ying had turned and was now using the house phone to try calling the security. Xie Eun looked at the cell phone in her hand which had no signal and sighed.. Really! This was too bothersome! Whoever planned this, did they take her for a fool and think that she would come here unprepared! What novices. Hua Ying returned to where Xie Eun stood impatiently and caught her hand in both of his, saying," I..I don't understand what has happened but the in-house phone is also disconnected. Chairwoman Xie, I really apologize.."

Xie Eun rolled her eyes at the man's whiny voice and ordered snappily,"Mr Hua, please stop all this and straighten your clothes. It seems whoever hired you did not really trust you so they took their own measured to make sure that their plan does not fail. With the room locked and the way your clothes are rumpled, you don't even need to do anything. Once the media sees this they will have quite a time with their imagination."

"Chairwoman Xie.." Hua Ying started to protest and come closer but the next moment he found a thin needle like blade pointed at his neck. His eyes widened in horror and he looked at XIe Eun stuttering, "Chairwoman Xie, please. I already told you that I meant you no harm. I was just bribed to create problems for your new campaign and ruin your reputation! Please don't do this!" He started to feel the cold sweat bead on his forehead as he saw the deadly intent in the woman. He had not expected this! He wondered if she was bluffing and if he should call her on her bluff. But before that, he had another question.. how was she able to smuggle this weapon in? The security here was very strict ad would not have allowed anyone to come here. 

Xie Eun smiled at his panic and said,"Mr Hua! Do you really think you are the only one who can bribe people? Yes weapons are not allowed inside. But the employees are not checked as seriously. Just like you bribed someone to lock this door, I bribed someone to hand me this once I was inside. And don't waste your breath about trying to convince me! You are really cunning, Hua Ying. You want to have your cake and eat it too! By creating a scandal with me you want to please the person who bribed you and by making yourself a poor victim in front of me, you want to keep your place as the ambassador safe also! You can't have it both ways Hua Ying. And now, I am really sorry.." 

The next minute, Hua Ying fell to the ground as he was hit on the side of his neck by the very ash tray that he had used for his cigarette. His head banging against the floor loudly caused a loud noise and Xie Eun winced on behalf of the poor man! It never paid to be a coward and greedy. You needed to be brave to fulfill your greed also.

Xie Eun glanced at the watch on her wrist and realized she would not have much time to escape and the paparazzi would be here soon. She inserted the blade into the thin space between the door and the frame and slowly cut through the lock. But she was only halfway there when the lock started to turn, alerting Xie Eun. She quickly moved, plastering herself against a wall so that she would be behind the door when it opened.. Her fingers around the blade tightened and this time she wondered what would happen. She did not want to have a confrontation as this could directly harm her baby. For Hua Ying, she had the advantage of surprise, but whoever entered now would see Hua Ying on the floor and would be ten times more alert.. 

The door started to close slowly and Xie Eun raised her hand to attack but before she could move much, an awfully familiar voice sounded, "Eun-a?" The fight flowing out of her, Xie Eun brought down needle and rushed out from behind the door, straight into her husband's arms. Her taut muscles ready to fight, loosened causing her to almost fall into her husband's arms. "Thank you for the weapon. " Like Cheng Mo, Xie Eun too had been uncomfortable about the meeting and messaged Yu Seok her feelings only to receive a curt reply. "Once you are near the private room, pretend to feel dizzy." And that is exactly what she had done. And in the next moment a stranger had come forward to 'help' her, handing her the thin needle carefully. 

Yu Seok patted her head and kissed her forehead, "Good girl! You knew what to do with your blade. And now we must leave." Xie Eun agreed with Yu Seok and nodding her head, let Yu Seok walk her outside. But instead of walking towards the main entrance, Yu Seok walked her towards a service elevator. Just as the door closed, Xie Eun watched another door on the opposite side open and a man walk out. Her eyes widened as she recognized this person and then her heart hardened. It seems she had been too kind and thus they had used this opportunity to create problems for her. But the question was why? Why was this person out to harm her. He would not gain anything by hurting her or her image! In fact, with their biggest backer gone, shouldn't this family have already left? With an arm around her, Yu Seok helped her into the car and just as they drove out, they saw a few media vans rushing in. 

Wolf glanced in the rear view mirror and shook his head at the poor sods who had failed their plan and were now going to be caught in a scandal. Did they really think that he would not be able to find out the real owner of The Imperial Crown. If only these people had not targeted Xie Eun he would have let them survive but now it seems they were too eager for their destruction. Well they could thank him later.

Yu Seok turned to glance at his wife who sat with her eyes closed and her fingers clenched. His hand went to hers and intertwined their fingers in gentle reassurance. XIe Eun smiled with her eyes still closed. She knew that with today's fiasco, her days ahead were going to be even more hectic but for now, she could simply breathe in her husband's presence, in their own small world. With her eyes closed, Xie Eun never realized that Yu Seok was not taking her towards their home but the car was driving in the opposite direction.

As her thoughts were in a whirlwind, a thought suddenly struck her. She opened her eyes and looked at her husband," Yu Seok. I need to clean up these messy people within a short time and in one fell swoop. So you need to help me think of something!"

Giving her a swift glance, Yu Seok agreed with an, "Of course."

It was then that Xie Eun realized that they were not on the road home. She frowned and looked at him, "Where are we going?"

"A surprise."

"When did you plan a surprise? And why?"

Yu Seok threw an ironic glance at his wife who had never asked questions before and said, "Do we really need a reason for a surprise?"

Xie Eun pursed her lips observed her husband carefully. He was a man of few words but she over time she had understood some of his nuances. Though he treated his words like treasure, he usually did not mind teasing her and coaxing her. But at present apart from his fingers which loosely held hers, his eyes were emitting a cold light and his jaw was clenched. Sudden realization struck her. Yu Seok was angry at this moment! Really really angry! But she could not think of a reason for this and finally wondered if he was angry because she had almost ruined his surprise.. Her brows furrowed and she tried to think of a way to soothe his anger. Something that she had never done before. She looked down at their hands and then back up to his face that was looking straight ahead at the road.. Turning over his hand, she quickly traced something over his palm with her index finger..