Sakura gained control of herself and moved out of his embrace. She took a few steps back, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. Then she found herself bumping against Sebastian and in his arms. She panicked and glanced up to see azure-blue eyes gazing down at her. There was both pain and pleasure in those beautiful eyes.
Sakura bit her lip and wanted to cry out in outrage. Why here? Why now?
She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready to meet them again. She hadn’t prepared herself—both mentally and emotionally. Both of them had affected her too much last spring after they’d confessed their love for her. She herself had fallen in love—not with just one of them, but with both. How could a woman fall in love with two men at the same time? Even more shocking when those men were brothers!
She freed herself from his arms and stood in the middle, tears in her eyes. She had to get away.
Suddenly, Tristan appeared before her, his face only a few inches from hers. He grinned. “Interesting,” he said. “Is that your idea, Mr. Tachibana? The two different eye colors?”
Mr. Tachibana cocked his head to one side and was about to say something when Logan said, “One blue eye and one gray eye. They look oddly familiar, don’t you think, Tristan?”
“God, you guys are annoying,” Hayden said and then turned to Sakura. “Come on. Mom and Dad are waiting.”
“Sakura!” Conrad said, watching her. “Why did you leave us?”
Sakura wanted to cry when she saw Conrad’s upset face. She didn’t know what to say and suddenly felt awfully hot and dizzy. “I’m sorry. I…I have to go and change.”
Confused, she started walking away. As she headed toward the dressing room, she noted the brothers were following her again. Couldn’t they just leave her be?
She glanced to her right and saw Sebastian, Hayden, and Conrad behind her, following her but at the same time keeping a good distance. On her right, she saw Darcy, Logan, and Tristan following her, also keeping a good distance. She felt like she had six bodyguards with her and felt awfully trapped.
She glanced ahead of her. Yes! Thank God! People! So many people. Busy people going about everywhere. It was backstage after all.
That was when Jane appeared. Thank goodness! Sakura rushed up to her friend, her heart pounding. She knew there was a slim chance she’d be able to escape, and she’d take it if it killed her.
“What’s wrong?” Jane asked the moment she saw Sakura’s pale face.
Suddenly, a bunch of people rushed around them, and Sakura took that chance. “Don’t tell them who I am, okay?” She hastily lifted her feet one by one and took the damn heels off. Barefoot, and a lot more comfortable, she begged Jane, “Please, I beg you. Don’t tell them anything about me. I’ll explain later.”
She handed Jane the shoes and then dashed away, her person blocked by hundreds of people, hiding her from the brothers’ view. She raced toward the exit, shoved the door open, and then sprinted down the stairs. That was close, she thought and continued running.
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 with 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.”