All the wrong places episode 9

🌼ALL THE WRONG PLACES🌼
🌻EPISODE NINE🌻

Jin Starck stood on the balcony of the mezzanine floor of
the elegant ballroom of White Rock Mansion, one of the
estates owned by Starck Corp. in Illinois. He was dressed in
a black tuxedo and a black leather mask over his eyes. His
dark copper brown hair was combed back neatly, without a
strand of out of place. Like everything he does… nothing
must be out of place.
The Morg-n-Murphies, a prominent political family in
Chicago, held an exclusive masquerade party in honor of its
matriarch’s sixtieth birthday and the privacy of their hotel
property was most suitable for the event. It was outside the
city, large enough to house its two hundred guests
privately, but not too big to have to share it with other
people.

Some of the guests who could not travel back to the city
opted to stay in one of the hotel rooms.
The family hosting the event was too important, with
their patriarch aiming for the presidency, Jin could not leave
anything to chance. He had to make sure everything was
handled properly with strict adherence to Starck quality. The
guests in attendance all belonged to big corporations, the
elite, and other prominent families in the country. He,
himself, received a personal invitation.
The party was in full swing and everything was going
well. He watched from the balcony like a hawk, ensuring
that nothing would go out of proportion. He did not always
micro manage but there are events like this, small in size
but huge in impact, that required his full attention. And he
wanted to make sure no one could say anything negative
about his property. Especially White Rock, which was one of
his personal favorites.
His phone rang and he recognized it as the number from
their reception.
“Yes?”
“Sir, there’s a guest here, who’s asking for a room,” the
receptionist said. “And we’ve already booked all our
available rooms beforehand.”
“Tell them we’re having an exclusive event.”
“Yes, sir. She’s one of the guests. Unfortunately, her car
broke down on the way here, that’s why she was late. She
doesn’t have a car to take her back to the city. She needed
a room for the night.”
Sometimes, situations like this happen, when they have a
hundred percent occupancy. That’s why he had made
arrangements with a nearby inn. He can send them guests
he could no longer accommodate in his property.

“You know what to do,” he said in an irritated tone. “You
didn’t have to call me. We’ve made arrangements with
Brooklyn Inn for the guests we could no longer
accommodate.”
“Um, yes, sir, I know. But I thought you might want to
make an exception,” the reception said nervously.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because she’s a delegate from Adams Industries. And I
know… Mister Adams is your brother-in-law. I wanted to ask
if… anyway, I’ll call Brooklyn Inn right away, Sir.”
“Who is this guest?”
“Julianne Sanders, Sir.”
Jin’s breath got caught in his throat. His pulse suddenly
hammered for a reason he could not identify. No woman had
ever made him feel nervous before. Well… except one. But
that was a long time ago. Jin refused to admit that she still
has the same effect on him now.
He fell silent for a while.
“Sir?”
He took a deep breath. He didn’t know what he was
saying until he actually heard himself say it.

“Give her the Founders’ suite.”
“Sir? But that’s reserved for… you.”
“Yeah, so I guess I’ll be sleeping in my office tonight!” he
muttered humorlessly. “Tell the guys to get my stuff out of
there. Clean the room. I want it to be impeccable.”
“Sir, yes, sir.”
Jin heaved a sigh and tried to calm down his nerves. He
motioned for the waiter to give him a whiskey. He needed
alcohol. He wasn’t thinking straight! He hadn’t rested,
monitoring this event and he just gave up his access to a
nice California king-sized bed, his refuge after the long
hours of non-stop work.
He couldn’t remember why all of a sudden he had
given up his suite just so she could have a place to stay in
for the night. He didn’t know why the thought of sending her
away to Brooklyn Inn in the middle of the night seemed
unacceptable for him.
His eyes suddenly went to the entrance of the ballroom,
as if something suddenly magnetized them to take a peek
there.

He saw her enter the room in a simple black, silk,
strapless gown. Her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail
behind her head. She was wearing a lace mask on half of
her face. He immediately recognized her. Damn! He would
recognize her everywhere even if she wore a full eye-mask.
Suddenly, it made sense why he gave up his luxurious
accommodations for the night for her.
He couldn’t bear to have her travel a few miles to
Brooklyn Inn in the hotel car. He couldn’t bear for her not to
have the best accommodations money could buy. For him,
she still seemed like the fragile crystal ball, that looked too
beautiful not to protect and shelter.
She’s no longer your crystal ball! She’s not yours to
protect! She’s not yours to shelter!
The moment she entered the ballroom, eyes followed
her. Men looked up from their drinks, even away their own dates just to get a glimpse of the sultry siren that just
entered the room.
Her skin was a flawless, creamy white against the
black silk. She didn’t wear any sparkling jewelry. No earring,
no necklace. No sparkling diamond or gold. That night of his
supposed engagement party, she wore a dazzling diamond
necklace. It was a very expensive piece that belonged to
Adrienne. He knew because he helped Justin pick it out one
day when the man just felt like giving his wife a present.
Doesn’t she have her own jewelry? Or wasn’t she
contented with her own stuff, she had to borrow someone
else’s?
She approached the Morg-ns and the Murphies.
Immediately, Missis Morg-n, the birthday celebrant, hugged
her as if she’s known her for a long time. Of course. Julianne
Sanders belonged to a prominent family herself. She must
have been well-acquainted with many of the people present
here tonight.

Jin watched her every move. He took note of who she
was approaching, who she was talking to. He noticed that
she was mostly speaking to the elderlies. She was subtly
avoiding the male guests, even though many of them
attempted to approach her.
Is she dating someone? She doesn’t seem interested
in any of the men making a move on her.
Julianne Sanders didn’t look fancy or luxurious in the
way she dressed tonight. She was simple but elegant. She
was intriguing and captivating. Jin didn’t realize it, but he
had spent the last thirty minutes just watching her like a
hawk. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was enchanted by her—
like he had been seven years ago.
She still looked the same beautiful woman he’d fallen
in love with. But something about her seemed different. She
looked more serious now, and she laughed less often than
she used to when she was younger. There was a deep hunger in her, like she had a mission and she would do
anything to accomplish it.
I wonder what else she would want in life. She was an
heiress, she had everything she needed, she could have
everything she wanted.

She was now talking to a tall, handsome gentleman.
He was holding her for more than five minutes. Something
in,side Jin stirred. It was an emotion he could not pinpoint. All
he knew was that he wanted to go down there and sweep
the ballroom floor using the guy’s face.
Finally, she excused herself from the guy who seemed
reluctant to let her go. Of course. She didn’t even cover her
full face, it would be difficult not to notice how beautiful she
was. The guy was trying to get lucky.
She went to the ladies’ room. Jin counted the minutes.
She was there for exactly five. On her way to the middle of
the floor, a man stood in front of her, stopping her short on
her tracks. Jin saw the expression on her face. She looked
shocked and then she looked furious.
The guy was talking to her and Julianne was just
looking up at him with a haughty expression on her face, as
if she could not wait for him to finish his monologue. Then
finally she spoke to him with an eyebrow shot up. The guy
talked back with a hand gesture. It seemed that they were
arguing. Finally, Julianne turned away but he was quick to
pull her by the elbow. Julianne raised an angry brow at him
and snatched her elbow away. The guy was persistent.
Jin felt uncomfortable from where he was standing. It
was already past midnight and maybe the guy already had
too much to drink. Julianne looked like she wanted to get
away but he was not letting her. Somehow, he felt she
needed rescuing.

He didn’t think for second. He almost ran towards the
ballroom, hoping he would not be too late to help her.
When he reached closer to them, he could hear that
they were arguing.
“You could have anything you wanted in life, you
never even had to work for a day!” Jin heard the guy saying.
“I’m okay, I don’t need you!” Julianne’s voice was low
but firm. “Or your money!”
“You don’t know that! Look at you now! Struggling.
Getting paid peanuts and at the mercy of your rich cousin!”
“Please! Do not throw insult on the goodness of my
cousin and his wife! They are gracious and kind. Unlike you.
And I can tell you, my fate now is a lot better than what it
could have been if our wedding pushed through.”
Jin stopped on his tracks.
Wedding?

Suddenly, it occurred to him, that this man was
Julianne’s ex-fiancé. The man she cheated on—with him!
“You don’t know that, sweetheart. I could have given
you the moon and the stars. But instead, you chose to let
yourself be corrupted by whoever you f-cked in your illicit
adventures in Europe!”
Jin stole a sideward glance towards them. She didn’t
notice him as she had all her attention focused on the man
who was so bent up in ruining her evening. He saw her take
a deep breath, as if she was trying her best not to lose her
calm. It was evident that the guy already had too much to
drink. Jin stood behind him, with his back on them,
pretending to just drink his whiskey.
“With all due respect, Mister McAllister, I didn’t need
you to take me to the moon and the stars. My feet were
doing just fine planted firmly on the ground. And for your
information, anybody is a lot better than you are! Now,
please excuse me!”
“Go on. I know you’re here to work, not to socialize.

It’s way past your son’s bedtime and you should have been
with him. But instead, you’re here, still trying to make ends
meet. Poor kid. I guess he won’t have the same bright future
like the rest of his cousins, huh. All because of your stupid
mistakes!”
Jin couldn’t help turning around. It took all his will to
stop himself from dragging the man outside by his throat.
How dare him talk about Jared like that? In fact, how
dare him talk about Jared at all?!
Jin saw Julianne bite her l-ips. She looked down on the
floor and refused to talk back at him.
Why does she let this assh-le talk down on her like
that?
He decided he’s had enough.
He placed a heavy arm on the guy’s shoulder, which
startled the latter. The guy looked up at him. He was a few
inches shorter than him. But Jin immediately recognized
him.
She was engaged to Patrick McAllister? Well, I can’t
say that wasn’t a good match.
Patrick McAllister was one of the most eligible
bachelors in the country. He belonged to a powerful, political
clan. His family had been in politics for decades and he was
eyeing a seat in the senate himself. He was rich. He was
powerful. He was a good-looking guy.
And yet she still chose to cheat on him with a small-
time painter in Paris, struggling to sell his arts for a living?
What was she thinking?
“Excuse me?” Patrick McAllister raised an irritated
brow at him.

“I think you’ve already had too much to drink, Mister
McAllister,” Jin said. “And it’s my turn to ask the lady to
dance.”
Patrick McAllister simply laughed. “Sure! Knock
yourself out. Anyway, I think Miss Sanders is on the lookout
for another rich man to restore her status in the crème de la
crème.”
Another man and woman went to their side, and Jin
recognized them to be part of the McAllister family. They
looked at Julianne once and they whispered something to
each other, obviously talking about her.
Of course! The shame of breaking an engagement!
In his mind, Jin could not blame Patrick McAllister and
his family to be so vindictive towards Julianne. She deserved
it for cheating on him. But a bigger part of him wanted to
punch all of Patrick McAllister’s teeth down his throat for
belittling her and talking down on her so publicly. The least
he could have done was avoid her.
“I believe I asked her to dance. Excuse us,” Jin said
firmly and without giving her a chance to argue, he took
Julianne’s hand and pulled her towards the dancefloor.
She didn’t resist him this time. She swayed in his
arms, while she looked down, refusing to look him in the
eye.
Looking down at her, he felt like all the wounds in his
heart had been opened raw. He felt what it was like seven
years ago, when she left him without a trace of her real
identity.
He was still so angry at her. A part of him wanted to
punish her so she would feel the same pain that she had
caused him. Maybe it was nothing different from the way
Patrick McAllister felt now when he saw her again. The pain
she left when she cheated on McAllister and broke the
engagement resurfaced, like it only happened yesterday.

What is it with this woman? Does she plan to leave a
trail of broken hearts wherever she went? Does that give
her a kick?
Finally, she looked up at him. Her beautiful eyes were
unmasked. They were crystal blue, the most beautiful he’s
ever seen. And right now, they looked like they were shining
with tears that Jin felt his non-existent heart almost breaking
for her. He felt the urge to pull her into his arms, whisper
into her ears and assure her that everything was going to be
okay.
Be careful, Starck! She’s an enchantress! And she’s
already broken your heart and your spirit once.
“Your ex-fiancé doesn’t look like he’s already moved
on,” he said in a low voice.
She bit her lip but she didn’t say a word.
Is that guilt?
“You, on the other hand, looked completely unaffected
by him,” he continued. “Obviously, he felt stronger emotions
for you during the relationsh¡p.”
Again, she bit her lip but kept quiet.
Damn! When will I ever get this woman to tell me the
truth?
“Why did he say that you’re looking to restore your
status as a socialite? Does he think that your family has a
lower status than his?”
She heaved a sigh and looked away, but still she
didn’t speak. She just swayed along with him, looking
relieved that he had saved her from her awkward encounter
with her ex-fiancé.

Damn! When will I get her to say… anything at all?
“Fine, if you don’t want to talk, let’s just dance.” His
voice was low and sober. He did not disguise the irritation
he felt. It was obvious, she was using him to get away from
Patrick McAllister. Perhaps, making him a little bit jealous as
well, because Patrick McAllister was still standing on the
side of the dance floor, watching them with murder in his
eyes.
I would be jealous too if I saw her in the arms of
another man!
Then he heard his thoughts.
Whoa! Hold up there! Why would I be jealous if this
enchantress was in the arms of another man?
I’m over her! I’ve spent years mourning because she
broke my heart. And that heart does not exist anymore!
Jin slightly pulled her closer towards him. She did not
offer resistance. He closed his eyes and savored her scent
for a moment. He could almost feel her heart beating wildly
against his chest.
She still feels and smells the same… like everything
happened only yesterday!
But he remembered, she still broke his heart—made
him the beast he is now. And for that, she deserved to be
punished.
Julianne started to pull away from him.
“Thank you,” she said in a weak voice. She lacked the
feistiness she showed towards Patrick McAllister a while ago.
She even refused to look him in the eye. And Jin didn’t know
whether to feel good or bad about that.
While she bit back at McAllister, she seemed calm,
almost deadpan towards him.
Don’t I stir any feeling within her? Don’t I deserve
even a hint of strong emotions from this woman?
Was she a total fraud? Was our past a total lie?
Jin tried to keep ahold of his feelings. While Julianne
remained unaffected by him, she was stirring unwanted
emotions within him, driving him crazy like no woman has
ever done in the past seven years.
Many women had tried to catch his attention, did all
sorts of tricks to get his affection. They had all failed. And
yet, Julianne Sanders was slowly pushing him towards the
edge of his sanity by doing absolutely nothing, not even
uttering a word!
“It’s getting late. I need to go back to my room now,”
she said looking at his shoulder, then over it… anywhere
other than his eyes.
Jin looked around and realized that more than half of
the guests have left the ballroom. Patrick McAllister though,
was still standing in the table near the exit. He was with two
other men, but Jin knew he was only half-listening to their
conversation. He kept glancing over at their direction,
watching Julianne’s every move.
“I’ll walk you to your room,” Jin said.
She shook her head. “No, no. That’s not necessary.
I’ll…”
“I’ll walk you to your room,” Jin repeated firmly.

“That’s not negotiable.”
She opened her mouth for a moment, as if she was
going to argue. Jin waited with a raised brow. Finally, he was
going to see a show of emotion from her.
But she bit her lip and looked down on the floor again.
Then she nodded slightly. Although he was glad that she
agreed to him esc-rting her out of the ballroom, he was
frustrated because he knew that she only agreed because
she didn’t want an argument—or further conversation with
him.
She just wanted to do it and get it over with!
Jin took her elbow gently and led her away from the
ballroom. He deliberately went the way opposite to where
McAllister was. He did not like the way McAllister was
looking at her. The man looked like he wanted to hurt her.
Like he wasn’t done with her yet.
He couldn’t understand why, but Jin suddenly felt like
he should be protecting her.
He told himself that no matter what happened
between them in the past, she’s now a part of his family.
She was Justin’s flesh and blood.
Adrienne would be devastated if something happened
to her.
They walked out of the ballroom and into the elevators
in silence. Jin wondered what she was thinking about. He
wanted to hear her thoughts, decipher her emotions.
Funny because with most women he’d been with, he
didn’t want them to talk at all. He couldn’t wait for them to
shut up. But with Julianne, he wanted to pick her brain,
know her thoughts. He wanted to know everything she was
thinking about, hear her utter a word—any word!
They reached the top floor and Jin led her to the last
room on the end of the hall. A bellman was waiting for them.
He greeted them cheerfully and handed Jin two key cards
before leaving.
Jin looked down at Julianne’s beautiful face, waiting for
her to look up and look him in the eye. He waited for what
felt like forever for her to slowly glance up at him. Finally,
their eyes met.
Damn! Why did she have to be so darned beautiful?
And why does she have to be Justin’s cousin?
“May I have the key cards please?” she asked.
He handed it to her, still watching her expression.
“Thank you,” she said in a low voice, devoid of
emotions.

Why does she have to be cold all of a sudden?
This woman was warmth and sunshine when I met
her.
“That’s all you’re going to say?” he asked in a voice
that matched her arctic demeanor.
“I have nothing else to say,” she replied, looking away
from him.
“You have a lot of things to say to me,” he said. “You
owe me a lot of explanation.”
“I owe you nothing,” she countered. Even when she
was provoked, there was no fire in her voice. At most, she
sounded bored and Jin couldn’t help feeling even more
frustrated.
“That was Patrick McAllister. Your ex-fiancé. The guy
you cheated on with me,” he said, hoping to get her mad
enough so she would blow her top and show a little bit more
feelings.
But she fell silent again.
“He looked like he’s still not over you. How long had
you been together? Why did you cheat on him?” Jin
continued provoking her.

She took a deep breath but instead of answering back,
she said, “It’s late Mister Starck. Thank you for your
kindness in walking me up my room. But I need to retire for
the night.”
“Jin,” he said.
“What?” She looked up at him. Her beautiful crystal
blue eyes may be clear, but they still shaded any emotion
she might be feeling.
Or maybe she just feels nothing for me!
“Call me Jin,” he said in a low, serious voice. He was
slowly losing control of his own emotions. “Or maybe you
should call me Jas, so you would remember what we used
have.”
She didn’t say anything, but her flawless creamy skin
instantly turned red.
Jin couldn’t hold it anymore. He was angry that she
seemed so unaffected by him, while he suddenly realized
that she was able to shatter every control he had on his
emotions by simply doing nothing. He was angry at himself
because he thought he taught himself to get over her and
completely forget about her.
But here he was again, feeling like she only left him
yesterday.
“Or perhaps I should just remind you,” he said to her.
And without warning, he held her on either side of her
neck, gently pulled her towards him and crushed his l-ips
down on hers. The first shot of her l-ips against his stopped
time. He stood there frozen, breathing in the sweet scent of
her, feeling the velvet softness of her skin.
It was one k-ss but it felt like it lasted for an eternity.
And maybe he was imagining it, but he felt her l-ips move
against his. She was k-ssing him back. He let go of all
control, all inhibitions. He deepened the k-ss, like it was his
sole mission to invade her soul, ignite her senses. He pulled
her closer to him, afraid to break their connection, afraid
that this temporary lack of judgment, this lapse of sanity
won’t last for long.
His hands went to her hair and he gently tugged at
the black ribbon of her ponytail, releasing her soft blonde
waves. He had always liked her hair down.

No other woman could ignite his passion like this. No
one could make him feel scared that this wasn’t real… that
this wasn’t meant to last.
Then suddenly, he felt her hands against his chest,
and she gave him a strong push away from her.
He reluctantly let her go. He stared at her beautiful
face. Her eyes were a darker shade of blue and her cheeks
were a shade of crimson red. She tried to catch her breath.
“Please stop!” she said to him.
“Stop what? k-ssing you? Ravaging your l-ips?” he
asked. “May I remind you that you were ardently k-ssing me
back?”
He saw her eyes flare. He was so distracted by it, that
he didn’t see her right hand flying. It landed on his left
cheek with a force that sent his face sideways.
Jin didn’t mind the sting on his cheek. In his mind, he
finally saw that fire that she was trying so hærd to hide from
him. He was finally able to stir strong emotions from her.
And moreover, he could still feel the warmth that her l-ips
left on his when she k-ssed him back.
She wasn’t entirely unaffected by me like she wanted
me to believe!
“Please go!” she said, trying to control her voice. “It
would be a shame for me to call the hotel security on you…
here in your own hotel property!”
Call the security on me? Seriously?
But the look on her face told him she was dead
serious.
The nerve of this woman!
Jin took a step back and composed himself. He took
ahold of his emotions before he dragged her in,side the room
and finished what he started.
“Alright, Arabella. As you wish,” he breathed. “I will
leave. But first, you must enter your room safely. And never
open it for anyone. No matter who knocks or tries to break it
down, you do not open it for anyone. Do you understand?”
“How dare you tell me…” she started protesting.

“Do you understand?” he repeated more firmly. “While
you’re here in my property, I am duty-bound to protect
you.”
“No one will visit me at this hour,” she said.
“Your ex-fiancé looked like he wasn’t done with you
yet,” he muttered under his breath. “I will not let him on this
floor. I will be watching through the cameras. Unless you
want him to…”
“Finish that sentence, Mister Starck. And you will find
my left hand imprinted on your right cheek this time!”
“Jin,” he said. “I told you to call me Jin. Unless you
want me to finish what I started barely five minutes ago.”
She was livid, he could see it in her eyes. But she
composed herself quickly. Then she turned around, swiped
the key card and opened the door. She closed it behind her
without another word.
Jin stood outside her door, recalling the k-ss they just
shared.

One k-ss… was enough to make him remember the
wounds of the past. It was enough for him to remember how
he became a selfish, ruthless assh-le. It was enough to
bring back emotions he had long forgotten. It was enough
for him to remember the heart he thought he no longer has.
For the first time in years, he felt a twist in his
stomach, and a pounding in,side his ribcage.
One k-ss. It was not enough.
In this head, he made a promise.
I’m older and wiser this time! She won’t be able to
twist my head with her stupid lies and false stories
anymore.
But damn!
One k-ss will never be enough!