The brothers lost sight of Sakura and frantically searched about them.
"She's gone!" Sebastian shouted.
"The exit!" Darcy yelled and raced toward it, followed by Sebastian.
Logan took out his cell phone as he was running. "Nicolas! She escaped!"
Tristan, Conrad, and Hayden weren't far behind him as they dashed down the stairs, chasing after the woman who had run away from them last spring.
In the main lobby and standing with his parents, James and Brenda Princeton, Nicolas swore under his breath. "She got away," he told them.
James frowned and Brenda nearly broke down.
"We'll find her," Nicolas reassured them. Then he rushed away toward backstage. As he was running, he took out his headpiece and yelled into the mic, "Listen, it's your CEO Nicolas Princeton here. There's a woman on the loose. Don't let her escape. I repeat! Don't let her escape. And don't hurt her!"
He came to a stop backstage, looked around frantically, noted the exit door was wide open, and raced toward it. He was about to reach it when he slammed into a woman and fell on top of her.
"Baka!"
"Shit!" Nicolas swore and rolled himself up. He found himself sitting on top of the most exotic beauty he'd ever seen. He swallowed and nudged his glasses up the bridge of his fine nose, his heart beating out of control.
Nicolas's heart never beat out of control.
Akira glared at him. "Baka! You baka! How could you slam yourself into me like that? Now you've ruined the gown!"
Nicolas didn't have time for this. He had to help his brother catch Sakura. She was more important, and so he simply said, "Sorry," to Akira, got up, and ran across to the exit door.
Akira got up and harrumphed loudly. "Baka man!" she muttered under her breath.
Nicolas dialed Sebastian's number and yelled, "Where is she?"
Sakura had no idea where she was in this enormous hotel. She was lost. She puffed as she stood in the middle of some sort of corridor, searching about her, wondering where she was.
"I don't know where she is!" she heard Sebastian shouting from a good distance away.
Sakura swore under her breath and dashed down the corridor.
"Wait! She's here on the second floor. West wing!" Sebastian shouted into the phone.
Sakura took the chance and glanced behind her. She nearly shrieked out when she saw both Sebastian and Darcy sprinting toward her. They're fast.
She sprinted, and the brothers were only a few steps behind her.
"Sakura! Stop!" Sebastian shouted.
"Sakura!" Darcy yelled. "Please don't run away!"
Sakura wanted to cry. I'm sorry! But I don't want you guys in my life just yet. Not yet.
The brothers' hands were reaching out to her, their fingers inches from grabbing the material of her long gown. Then just like that, she dashed around the corner, out the door, and down the stairs. The brothers lost their chance, and she was gone.
Sakura sprinted down the stairs as fast as she could and then out the door into the spring sunshine. She sighed and then raced into the thick crowd, hiding her slender form from the brothers' eyes.
The brothers rushed out and were lost. She was gone from their sight. Sebastian took out his cell phone and called Nicolas. "She's gone," he said, pain echoing in his voice.
Darcy gritted his teeth. He'd lost her yet again, and he felt his heart aching painfully.
Tristan, Logan, Hayden, and Conrad came rushing out of the hotel at that moment, heaving in exertion.
"Where did she go?" Hayden asked.
"Sakura," Conrad said softly.
On the corner of the street, Sakura turned her head and peeked at the brothers standing there amongst the crowd, looking as if they'd lost all hope.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."
*
CHAPTER 9
Escaped
She was nuts! That, Sakura was very sure of. She was utterly and foolishly nuts. What made her think she'd get away from the Princeton brothers? What made her think they'd forget about her, especially after last spring, after what they'd been through?
She closed her eyes and felt tears burn within them.
What am I going to do now? she thought miserably. The brothers had found out she was here, living in New York. In fact, a mere stone's throw away from the hotel.
No. Don't think about that. It was the least of her worries. Now she had to figure out how she was going to get her handbag, which was still at the hotel. And of course, how the hell she was going to return this million-dollar gown and diamond necklace.
"You all right there, miss?"
Sakura flashed her eyes open at the inquiry. She managed to give the taxi driver a small smile.
"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks."
"Fashion show, is it?"
She nodded.
"Didn't have time to change, eh?" The driver chuckled.
"Yes, I was in such a rush," Sakura replied, noting they were driving through the familiar streets of Soho. A few moments later, they were outside the gallery.
"Can you wait here a moment?" she asked.
"Sure thing," the driver said.
"Thanks." Sakura rushed out into the street and through the door of Tanaka Gallery, her hands holding up her long skirt so she wouldn't trip over it.
"Holy shit!" Melissa greeted Sakura the moment she stepped into the threshold of the gallery.
"Is Ned in?" Sakura asked.
Melissa blinked. "How come you're dressed like that?"
Sakura didn't have the patience to answer Melissa, nor did she feel the need to explain what had just transpired.
"Is Ned in?" she asked again.
Melissa wanted to scream out, Bitch! to Sakura but managed to refrain herself from doing so.
"Upstairs," she said coldly.
Sakura didn't have time to register Melissa's cold glare. She hastily rushed up the stairs to the first floor where her loft was resided. She found Ned in the kitchen, making a cup of coffee. Toby was fast asleep on his basket on the other side of the room.
"Ned," Sakura called out.
Ned glanced up, and the moment he saw the look on her face, he knew something was up. The fact that she was wearing a designer gown and a million-dollar necklace didn't escape Ned's attention either.
He smiled gently and said, "They found you, eh?"
Sakura slowly nodded. "What am I going to do?"
"Not much," he said.
"That's not very helpful," Sakura retorted, crashing herself on a seat. Her body was still shaking from the encounter. She also felt a headache coming.
"Oh, damn, I forgot." She looked up to Ned. "The taxi driver is still waiting out front."
"You didn't have your bag with you?"
Sakura shook her head. "I was in such a rush. I didn't have time. Do you mind?"
Ned put his cup of coffee down and headed out the door even before Sakura could finish asking him.
Sakura decided to take the next few minutes to calm herself and gain her composure when she suddenly realized something. Oh, Mother of God! Her bag. What if the brothers went in search of her bag and found it? What if they dug through and found the whereabouts of her house and, more importantly, her new identity?
She rushed out of the chair and grabbed the phone. She dialed Jane's number and waited in dread.
After a few rings, it was picked up.
"Hello, Jane here."
"Jane!" Sakura shouted. She couldn't help herself. "Jane! It's me, Sakura."
A little pause and then, "Shit! Sakura, where the heck are you? I was looking all over for you. What happened back there?"
"Jane, please listen carefully. I need your help."
"My help? Wait, I don't understand. What happened? Why were those men chasing after you? I mean the Princeton brothers. I mean... Oh shit!"
"What? Jane? What's wrong?"
"They're here. I think they're searching for something... or someone."
 
; Sakura felt her heart leaping within her chest. "Jane, please listen carefully."
"Yeah? I'm listening," Jane said. "They're heading toward me, by the way.
Sakura noted Jane's voice was shaking. She said, "Jane, could you please find my bag and hide it? When you're finished, could you please drop it off here at the gallery?"
"Sure?" Jane said. "Is that all I have to do?"
"Yes, please. Don't let them find my bag. This is very important."
"And you sincerely promise you'll tell me what the hell is going on later?"
"Yes, I promise," Sakura replied.
"Then, my dear friend, I have to hang up because there's a hot Japanese guy heading my way, and it looks like he's about to eat me alive."
"Okay, thanks. Bye now." Sakura hung up and sighed. God, she sincerely hoped Jane would be all right.
Ned came back into the kitchen then and cocked his head to one side. "Tell me what happened."
Sakura bit her lip. "I've met them. Ned, I thought they'd forget about me. I thought Sakura didn't exist in their lives anymore. It's been a year."
Ned folded his arms across his chest. "What about you? Have you forgotten about them yet?"
Sakura managed to blush at the question. She shook her head.
"My advice, Sakura dear," Ned said, "is to listen to your heart and follow it."
"What do you mean by that?"
Ned took his now cold cup of coffee and headed downstairs to resume his work. "I notice a tear on the gown, Sakura," he said over his shoulder.
Sakura's heart skipped a beat. She glanced down, and sure enough, she saw a nice tear across the length of the gown.
"Shit!" she swore. She lifted the skirt and examined it closer. She wanted to die. She rushed across to her bedroom and began to change. Fifteen minutes later, with her pink hair still in its coiffure, though messier now, she sat on her bed and proceeded to sulk.
This is the worst day of my life, she thought. As if meeting the brothers wasn't bad enough, now the million-dollar gown was ruined.
Ned returned some moments later. He came to pat her on the shoulder. "Let's hear all of it, then."
Sakura looked up at him, her eyes brewing with fresh tears. Then she began her tale. It was twenty minutes later when she was finished, and by then, Melissa announced her presence by leaning her slim body against the doorframe.
"You look awful, Sakura," she said. "What's going on?"
Sakura said, "Nothing. Are you leaving now?"
Melissa frowned at the change in subject. Damn if she didn't want to know what happened to the beauty. But she hoped it was very, very awful and humiliating. Well, surely it must be humiliating. Otherwise, there wouldn't be tears in those two odd-colored eyes of Sakura's.
"Yeah," she finally said. "See you Monday."
Sakura nodded. Once Melissa reluctantly left, Ned proceeded to close up shop. He returned a couple minutes later to find Sakura still sulking miserably.
"What are you going to do?" Ned asked suddenly. "You can't keep running away."
Sakura sighed. "I know that." She laughed then. "I can't believe it. I only wanted to meet my biological mother, and now look where it got me. The brothers know I still exist and am in fact living right here in New York, a mere stone's throw from them. On top of that, I've managed to damage this million-dollar designer gown. Oh yeah, and I'm a criminal of the worst kind because surely they all think I've stolen this necklace."
Ned leaned closer to look at the pink diamond necklace in Sakura's hand. It was the most beautiful jewelry he'd ever seen and probably worth at the higher end of a million. As he inspected closer, he noted there was a very small diamond missing. He wondered if it had already been missing before Sakura wore it or if it were damaged when Sakura was running away from the brothers. Either way, he wasn't going to tell Sakura about it because she looked ready to commit suicide as it was. Hopefully, though, no one would notice it once Sakura had returned the jewelry to its proper owner.
He said, "Why don't you take a shower before Jane gets here?"
Sakura looked up at the older man who had treated her like his own daughter and nodded her head.
*
CHAPTER 10
Searching for Sakura
The tension in the room was so thick and hot it could be cut with a knife, and Jane swore there was murder within the Princeton brothers' eyes. They all stood there with their imposing stance, questioning the staff about a woman. Jane was pretty sure that particular woman they were inquiring about was her friend Sakura. Why, she wasn't sure. She just knew she had to get the whole story out of Sakura tonight. That was if she managed to get out of this inquisition alive.
Thank God she'd managed to hide Sakura's bag from the brothers before she was being herded--yes, there was no other word for it--the staff had been herded by the head of the Princeton Group himself, Mr. Nicolas Princeton, into this very large conference room.
Now she stood there, gazing up at the tall CEO, telling herself not to faint in front of him, or everyone else for that matter. Then there was her brother Luke, who was on the other side of the room, his arms folded across his chest, watching her.
On the opposite side stood the brooding Darcy. He looked angry and very likely wanted to kill somebody. Next to him was Hayden with his arms folded across his broad chest. On the sofa next to Mr. and Mrs. Princeton was Conrad, the youngest of the brothers, who looked very upset. Then there were Logan and Tristan. They were usually very jolly and happy. But at this very instant, they wanted to punch someone's face.
"Are you sure you haven't seen her?" Nicolas asked Jane again. "After the show?"
Jane swallowed, asking God to forgive her for her lies. "No, sir. I haven't."
"She gave you her shoes, did she?" Sebastian's voice boomed at her.
Jane swallowed again and glanced at her brother for assistance. Luke only sighed and shrugged his shoulders. No help there, she thought miserably.
"No, sir. I mean, yes, sir. She did, but that's only because I work backstage. She told me to take the shoes back." Again, she prayed to God for forgiveness.
Akira, who was sitting on the other side of the room, finally stood and said loudly, "Mr. Princeton, I would appreciate it if you let us all leave now. It appears none of us know who this girl is. We're tired. And all this"--she spread her arms out at the scene before them--"is baka! It's useless."
Nicolas turned his eyes to the woman he'd bumped into. He raised his brows as if it were only then he saw her. This annoyed Akira and she wanted to slap him in the face.
Nicolas cocked his head to one side and said, "It is not useless, Miss--"
"Akira," Akira supplied coldly. "And besides, shouldn't you be reporting this to the police? Surely, you're not a detective yourself? I mean, that girl had Oba-chan's necklace, for God's sake. It's worth in the millions. Why aren't you worried about that? It seems to me all you're worried about is that girl."
Tara made herself noticed then by saying, "She's a criminal. She has stolen a designer gown and a priceless necklace."
"Sakura is not a thief!" Darcy said coldly. His eyes were so dark that Tara felt a lump form in her throat.
Alaina snapped, "How do you know she's not a thief? For God's sake, Darcy, see her for who she really is."
Conrad looked at his sister and said coldly, "Sakura is nothing like that, and you know it, Alaina." He wanted to say it was her fault Sakura ran away in the first place but refrained himself by stalking out of the room. He was shaking from head to toe. They'd been so close. So very close, and Conrad was very pissed and upset they couldn't manage to prevent Sakura from leaving them again.
The mention of the name Sakura and the look on the brothers' faces caused Sosuke to turn to look at his aunt. He noted the paleness on her face and wondered if perhaps--
No, it couldn't be. The very idea was impossible. This world, however, though large, could be quite small. Perhaps, just perhaps, this Sakura was the Sakura Aunt Haruka was looking for? Per
haps this Sakura was Haruka's biological daughter? Yes, he could see it now. The light in her eyes, as if she'd found a precious belonging she'd always been searching for. And then the darkness that she'd lost it again.
He, too, noticed the moment Sakura stepped onto the catwalk during the fashion show. He noted how Haruka stiffened, as if she'd seen a ghost, and then she stood, her hand at the base of her throat, tears in her eyes. Sosuke wasn't blind. He knew and he felt it in his blood. Sakura was Haruka's biological daughter. And come hell or high water, he was going to get them together.
Thus, he turned to the blond with glasses now and gave her a hard look.
"You work for Mr. Tachibana, don't you?" he asked Jane.
Jane nodded nervously. At that moment, Jane noted three things about Sosuke that made her think naughty thoughts. He was Asian. He was hot. He was ruthless. And he made her want to kiss him.
Jane bit her lip and told herself to concentrate on the situation at hand. "Yes, sir?"
Sosuke frowned and nudged his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "A question or a statement?"
Jane didn't know her answer came out as question instead of fact. "I mean, yes, sir, I work for Mr. Tachibana."
"Then you must have the list of the models?"
Jane opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
"Err," Ms. Ruka said with her hand raised to get everyone's attention. "That's my job. I'm so sorry, Sosuke,"--she turned to Nicolas--"Mr. Princeton, but you see, she isn't our model. I mean, we didn't hire her. She was a replacement we found at the last minute."
Tristan looked heavenward in frustration. "And how the heck did you manage to get a model you didn't know to model for you?"
"It was my fault," Mr. Tachibana said. He sighed depressingly. "She looked so lovely. I just couldn't help myself. I mean, she was a piece of art. She was perfect. How was I supposed to know she meant to steal?"
This time it was Logan who looked heavenward with frustration. "For the love of God! How many times do we have to say it? Sakura isn't a thief."
"She's as saintly as a nun," Tristan said.
Haruka decided to speak up then. "This Sakura, what is she to you?" She posed this question to all the brothers at large.
It was Sebastian who said, "She was our adopted sister."
Haruka swallowed. Her hand tightened on her lap. She was about to ask more questions when Brenda finally said, "We adopted her from the orphanage." She wiped her tears with a tissue and sighed. James pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight.