[010] securing your future

                                  Alice was, like, ninety nine percent sure she had fucking destroyed Roman and Grace's already fragile relationship. And, for once, she hadn't even meant to do it on purpose. Alice didn't even know what she had been thinking by kissing Roman like that and actually enjoying it. That was the issue, she supposed. Alice hadn't been thinking at all and now she not only ruined Roman and Grace's relationship, but she was sure she had ruined her and Roman's friendship too. As pathetic as it definitely sounded, Roman was her only best friend since Alice had burned the bridges with her other friends and she couldn't lose him.

                                 But the thought of talking to Roman about it and figuring out their feelings made Alice want to jump out of her office window. So she was being a coward and ignoring all of Roman's calls until she could suck up enough courage to finally answer back.

                                Alice was burying herself with work, deciding that it'd be a very good distraction for herself. And it was. Alice was trying to organize the magazine and arrange interviews with up and coming fashion designers. Her issue with Harvey was still her most famous yet but Alice planned on doing bigger and better things with Moderne than her parents could've imagined. She was going to make the Kim name even greater than it already was, regardless of if her parents even believed in her or not.

                              "The Blanchet fashion line just debuted and we're going to be one of the first to use their clothing in the upcoming issue. Not even Vogue could be this lucky," Renee replied, hugging onto her clipboard while she spoke to Alice who was seated at her desk.

                              "It's a good thing my mother was friends with the very designers. Mm, have we finally managed to find a model for this newest issue? What happened to the one we had?" Alice asks, leaning back in her seat.

                              "I'm afraid she's going to be out of commission for the next nine months," Renee remarked, causing Alice to quickly catch on to what the mousy assistant meant by that.

                              "Fuck me," Alice groans, covering her head in her hands.

                              "Well, we could always arrange for Bella Hadid to do the cover shoot," Renee quickly suggests.

                              Alice thinks about it for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, sure. She'll be Plan B. Ha, no pun intended there. Is the Fashion is Revolutionary article almost finished?"

                              "Yes, I think it should be done by the end of this week," Renee nods.

                              "Perfect, perfect. I want Moderne to be more than just another fashion magazine. It should bleed into social issues and politics. That'll make us stand out from the rest, right?" Alice replied.

                              Alice didn't truly care about politics and the things going on in the world. But as long as she made it appear that way, that was what would help more people to buy the magazine. She was younger than her parents and she spent enough time on Twitter to know that the people were beginning to grow tired of tradition. They cared about looking woke and standing up for what was right without actually doing shit.

                             And so, Alice was willing to play right along with it.

                             "Yeah," Renee nods with a smile.

                              "Anything else?" Alice questioned.

                              "Um, your father's here," Renee stated, making Alice's heart sink in her chest.

                              She was still trying to figure out what she was going to say to Roman when she stopped hiding from him. She didn't need any more issues to add to her already heavy plate. But that was the thing about her parents - they continued to kick Alice while she was already down.

                              "Terrific. Did he even bother to give a reason why?" Alice sighed.

                              "He said he didn't need a reason to see his own daughter," Renee answered.

                              Another dry laugh leaves Alice's lips. If anyone else was saying that, it would've been endearing. But for Alice, it only made her dread the conversation even more. Was he too coming to give his own critiques and try to manage Alice? Or was he just going to belittle Alice and make her feel awful since that seemed to be his and her mother's favorite thing to do?

                              "You can go now," Alice nods her head in the direction of the door.

                               Renee just nods her head again before leaving, Iseul Kim soon walking into the office a minute later. Alice immediately remembers the last time she had seen her dad, which had been at Thanksgiving. It wasn't easy to forget when her dad had shoved her into a wall and basically scared her. Alice keeps her features neutral, however, since she didn't want her dad to think something was off with her. It's not like he'd comfort her even if he did have a suspicion. Instead, he'd tell her to suck it up and continue to work as always.

                                "It's good to see you busy at work. If I knew being here was going to make you clean up your act, I would've made you my assistant back when your mother and I were still in charge. Perhaps that would've kept you in line a lot sooner," Iseul notes, and it's the closest thing to a compliment that the man would ever give.

                                 "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I am very busy so... what are you here for?" Alice questioned, hoping he'd just get to the bottom of it already.

                                 "I just wanted to see what you were doing. And steal a moment of your time to tell you something," Iseul stated.

                                 "Did Mom send you here?" Alice questioned.

                                 "I haven't seen your mother all day. I was actually with Logan before I came here," her dad admits.

                                Alice shakes her head, glancing up at her dad with furrowed brows. "What were you doing with Logan?"

                               "Having lunch. You've heard of the concept, haven't you?" her father quips. Alice definitely knows where she gets her sarcasm from.

                               "But why? Was it about something important?" Alice pressed on.

                               Logan Roy and Iseul Kim were similar in the sense that they never did anything unless there was something in it for the both of them. If it didn't benefit them in some way, they didn't bother. That applied to work, friendships, even marriages. Her dad only married her mom because she came from a good and wealthy family, she was beautiful, and she was able to have kids, even if they only ended up with one disappointment. 

                              The point still stands... Even if Logan and Iseul were friends, they wouldn't talk unless they had something they wanted from each other.

                               "I know you, Dad. Don't lie to me... please," Alice persisted.

                               "Have you been talking to your friend Roman lately?" Iseul asks, changing the subject.

                               "No," Alice quickly answers, looking away from him. "I've been working so I haven't had the time to get in contact with him. Why?"

                               "You should. You and Roman are about to get a lot closer than before, trust me," Iseul chuckles and it's the first time Alice has seen him genuinely smile in a long time. She knows that couldn't be good for her.

                               "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Alice bluntly asks.

                               "It means that I'm securing your future because you're doing a lousy fucking job on your own," Iseul responds, equally as blunt as her.

                              Alice shakes her head as the realization slowly begins to dawn on her. "Are you setting me up with Roman so we could... fake date or something?"

                             "Oh, no. You two won't be pretending to date. You'll be getting married," Iseul remarked.

                             "What?!" Alice exclaimed.

                             "Logan and I have been planning this for a while. And with how close the two of you are, it already works out perfectly. Friends to lovers, you decide to make things official by tying the knot. It's spontaneous, sure, but with Roman being as... eccentric as he is, it all works out well," Iseul explains with a sigh. "No one would bother to ask questions about it. I used to think that you being friends with Roman would be the biggest mistake of your life. But now it's working out for the better."

                           "So that's just it? You went through with this decision and without even telling me?" Alice questioned. While she wasn't surprised since her parents had made decisions like this for her all the time, this was the last thing Alice wanted to hear right now.

                          This couldn't have come at a worst time too. Alice was still trying to figure out how to approach Roman about the kiss. And now she was going to have to talk to him about getting married. Alice felt as though her head was spinning. She also felt like she wanted to vomit into the nearest trash can.

                         "What's the point? It's happening regardless of whether or not you want it too. Besides, try to think of the advantages. Would you rather get married to a complete stranger? I don't think so. And it'll finally clean up your image. It's about time you stop acting like a whore and finally settle down. When the time comes, you'll see that this was the best decision you ever made," Iseul remarked.

                          And with that, her dad leaves the room. Alice's hands shake as she rushes to grab her phone, Roman's number being at the top of her call log. Her thumb hovers above her phone for a mere moment before she decides to bite the bullet and call him. Pressing the phone against her ear, Alice waits for Roman to pick up. For a moment, she expects him to not pick up. It's exactly what she deserves to. But then he does, and Alice feels her heart skip a beat. A part of her wishes he had just been a dick and ignore her - she deserved a taste of her own medicine. But Alice knew she had to get this done as soon as possible.

                        "What the fuck?" Roman answers.

                        "I've been busy," Alice weakly responds.

                        "Busy ignoring me? I've been trying to call you for days now," Roman replied.

                        I know, Alice wants to say. She had counted all 101 of Roman's missed calls.

                        "Look, I need to see you tonight. Can we meet at our usual spot?" Alice offered.

                        "Why should I go anywhere to meet with you when you can't even answer my calls?" Roman shot back at her.

                        "It's serious, Rome. Just do this one thing for me and I'll explain everything. I promise," Alice persisted.

                       The silence on Roman's end lasts for about ten seconds. But for Alice, it feels like an eternity. "Fine. I'll meet you there at seven, okay?"

                         "Okay. Look, Rome, I'm -," Alice began to say.

                         He hangs up the phone before she can finish. Which, again, Alice knows she deserves. But it doesn't ease the sting that comes from Roman's coldness. Roman hid his emotions the best he could, using twisted humor and perverted sex jokes to let others think he didn't feel a thing. But when he was done with you, you knew it. 

                           Alice sighs in defeat before setting her phone back down. She was feeling a little nervous about meeting up with Roman and talking to him about... everything. She bet that Roman had no clue about the plain his father and her parents had for them. So that was going to be another bomb that she'd have to drop on him.

                           Alice really just hoped that tonight didn't end up being a total disaster, or else she might just be forced to marry a man who might not want to be her friend anymore.

( 🥀💔🍸 )

word count: 2018
notes: was anyone expecting this little plot twist???