unrivaled

chapter 38

“His father?” she asked.

“I don’t have any solid intel.” When she frowned at him, he knew she knew he was holding back.

“The rest of it Tae,” she told him, squaring her shoulders.

“His father is said to be considering offers to buy.  Most probable buyers, iNovis/ Kim family and…”

“The Choi group,” she interrupted him. 

He nodded as he saw her realize Alex's family power at play.

“NamJoon?” she continued, calculating the odds against Jin.

“Your board, “he caught himself, “His board is pressing him to move soon and is watching the stock value…” He left hanging the rest of the thought.

“Who does Jin have supporting him?” she asked, all her calculations all coming up sharply against Jin.

Tae looked at her intently and after a brief pause simply shook his head.

Dae's heart was racing, her brain in overdrive.  Jin was in deep trouble and all alone.  Her body was moving before she was even consciously aware of her decision.

She pulled away from Tae, muttering “I have to go.”

Taehyung reached and grasped her elbows, “Dae….wait.”

She jerked away from him, saying “You are not stopping me!  He needs me. I. AM. GOING.”

Tae smiled.  She was in full Kim SongDae mode now.  He pitied the people who dared try to oppose her. 

He sighed and pulled her close again.

“Dae, we have….” He checked his watch, “forty-five minutes before we leave for the airport.”

He turned her toward the door where he had placed the bags as she showered.  He waved toward the outfit he had hung on her door.

“Take a deep breath. Get dressed.  Get your essentials.  I have everything else ready.” He assured her.

“Tae, the apartment? My job?” she worried.

“The cute girl downstairs thinks I'm cute and is doing me a favor. She is taking care of everything.  Your “boss" knows there is a family emergency and that you have to leave.” He explained.

She flung herself at him and hugged him hard. “Oh Tae! I can always count on you.”

He hugged her hard in response, whispering, “Always!”

Just like that, the tears started.  He laughed at her and wiped them away.

“Let them out.  When we get home, you have some ass to kick!” he told her.

She gave a shaky laugh and pulled away to gather her travel documents and personal items. 

In the drawer with her passport she found the little book she bought for Tae, slipping it in her bag to share with him on the plane. 

She gathered her things and gave the flat a final check.  She followed Tae out the door, feeling more like her true self than she had since she left home.

Forty-two minutes later they were pulling onto the private airstrip where the iNovis corporate jet was waiting.

When she looked at him with raised eyebrows he merely shrugged and took her bags, nodding at her to board.

Dae boarded the familiar plane, greeting the air crew and settling in.  As they roared down the runway, she felt fear creep up on her.

What was she going to do to help Jin?  Would he resent her for stepping in? Would he be glad to see her? Would he kiss her madly like she dreamed he would?

She was close to being overwhelmed when once again Tae came to the rescue. 

He fixed her a diet coke and ice, leaned her seat back, covered her with a blanket and handed her a thick folder of documents and reports. 

She recognized Hobi's work immediately.  He had sent her everything she needed to review for meeting both boards. 

She found the small book and pressed it into Tae's hands.  “This is for you!  It was written perfectly for you!!” she told him.

He took it with a smile and left her to her work.  Curious he opened the book and was soon mesmerized by the words and images. 

He looked at the author’s name, tracing the letters with his long fingers.  Dae was right.  Taehyung found his thoughts, his fears expressed perfectly in those pages. 

He tucked the book into his breast pocket, snuggled next to his heart.  He had to find this author.  As soon as he and JK had this security leak cleared he would take personal time to answer these questions.  His heart would be uneasy until then.

Exhausted, he turned in his seat, reclining it and falling asleep quickly.

  Dae had watched him as he became engrossed in the book.  She was right, there was something so like him in those words and images. 

She stared at him, peaceful and beautiful in the low lights of the plane.  How she loved him and how lucky she was to have him on her side. 

His face was shadowed in exhaustion, she quietly slipped to cover him, brushing his hair out of his face.  He smiled in his sleep.  Blessed indeed.

Dae studied the reports for the first ten hours of the flight.  As the sun rose outside, she felt like she had absorbed the information and knew what she had to do. 

She pondered how to approach Joon. She fell asleep worrying about Jin wishing she could talk to him.

She came awake to a deep voice crooning her name and shaking her gently. She was sleeping so deeply she could not place where she was.  Slowly the shaking became harsher and the voice sterner.

“SongDae.  Wake Up. NOW!”

That sounded like Tae, but why was he in Paris? Slowly her brain began to function and she cracked one eye to find her best friend staring back at her.

“Let's go! Lots to do! Go wash up and change,” he ordered.

She dragged herself to the back of the plane, noting he had already changed.  He looked impeccable, even after hours of travel.  She grunted at the unfairness of it all.

She got to the private suite of the plane and found that he had unpacked one of the new suits they had just purchased.  All of her personal items were there for her to look her best. She smiled at his planning. 

He and Jimin were the two who would understand best the power of appearance. 

She winced as she thought of Jimin she needed to talk to him as soon as she could.

She sighed and turned to the task at hand. 

By the time the flight crew was preparing for landing she was seated next to Tae looking every inch the CEO of one of the most powerful companies in the country.