Taylor stares at his mirror reflection. On the dressing table, he puts his phone with a screen still displaying the news article about his exhibition a few days ago with the headline; ‘Taylor Kim, a new rising abstract painter, gains a lot of praise from reputable International curators’. 

Taylor puts his earrings on both his ears, fixing his Gucci shirt while still looking blankly at the mirror. He is wearing light make-up only to make his skin seem not too dry in cold weather. He doesn’t bother to style his hair or match his shirts and his pants. His bitter expression doesn’t even faze when a sudden knock is heard from the door.

His mother’s face peeks from the crack “Hurry! Don’t make him wait,” She orders firmly, not even giving a chance to Taylor’s answer.

“He can wait forever,” Taylor mutters to himself.

Taylor walks out of his room to the living room when he finds his mom busying herself with serving her guest an expensive herbal tea and cake she just made. In any other circumstances, Taylor rarely finds his mother entering the kitchen, she can't cook, only moderately good at baking - although, still arguable if Taylor compares the taste with Oliver's cake. Furthermore, it's only happened once in a blue moon when Mrs Kim will personally prepare the serving instead of letting the maids do it for her. That's when a certain person comes.

The very person who doesn't even bother to give the food a glance.

Taylor rolls his eyes at his fiancee's attitude.

Oliver is right, Jackson is a spoiled kid

As Jackson notices Taylor’s presence coming from the hallway, he immediately stands up. Jackson nods awkwardly to Taylor’s mom, who is still rearranging the food and other snacks for him to eat while waiting for his son. “We will go first, Mrs Kim” he informs in an honorific manner that is rare to be found in him.

Taylor’s mom looks over his shoulder to follow Jackson’s gaze and finds her son’s stony face. She has grown accustomed to that expression, still better than her son's other rebelling antics that would give her headaches. Ignoring Taylor's boredom face, Mrs Kim smiles sweetly at his son’s fiancee. “Oh right, be careful Jackson. Have fun both of you~” she beams with her saccharine expression.

Taylor walks wordlessly and Jackson follows him without being told, like a dog in the presence of his owner.

Taylor doesn’t look at his mom and proceeds past her, promptly grabbing a food container from the kitchen counter. Jackson, who followed him and thought he would walk to the front door now regards him in confusion and instinctively ceases his steps.

Taylor puts all his mother’s cake that she served on the table into it.

Jackson is about to open his mouth, but Taylor beats him. “Here, my mother baked it just for you. At least show her you will eat it even just for courtesy” he shoves the food container to Jackson’s chest and walks to the door, ignoring both of his mother’s and his fiancee’s dumbfounded look.

A fancy restaurant with a fancy meal and fancy people is definitely far from Taylor’s preference. He always thinks it’s stupid to pay a thousand hundred dollars for a plate of foods that even will be gone in one bite, that plates and everything on it won’t cost half of its real price, he wonders where the rest of the money for, is that for paid the scenery of exquisite interior? Or is it to pay for the privilege of eating together with other rich and influential people? That’s ridiculous.

people actually paid for what?

Prestige?

Taylor looks at the chunk of meat on his plate, it is literally one bite-size, sprinkled with caviar and a slice of truffle and unrecognisable green puree smeared on the plate, reminding him of one of his paintings. He can see the oil dripping with the bloodstain from the meat. He stares at it disgustingly before he lifts his head to find Jackson eating, savouring every bite from his plate.

“Are you going to eat your food or just stare at me with that look?” Jackson asks without even sparing him a look

Taylor snorts, “What look?” he asks innocently.

Jackson wipes his mouth with a napkin elegantly before leaning back to his chair, pierces him down with his unimpressed stare “Like you are going to throw up on my face or something”

Taylor chuckles mockingly “Can you blame me? Your food choice is disgusting”

Jackson holds his gaze before continuing his eating  “You will hate everything no matter what food I will eat. You just simply hate to eat with me” he raised his eyebrows seeming to be satisfied after stating matters factly.

Taylor stares at his lap with a faint smile, Jackson is right, he just simply hates him whatever his food choice is.

Savouring bite after bite in unsettling silence, Jackson gives up. He loosens his tie as he dresses straightly from the office. “So why do you ask to have lunch with me?”

“What? I can’t have lunch with my fiance?” Taylor raises one of his thick eyebrows, challenging him, and gives him a condescending sneer as if he is just throwing his best joke of the day.

Jackson laughs bitterly, leaning on his chair comfortably. “I rescheduled my meeting for this. Don’t I at least deserve a little honesty here?”

Taylor knows, he said that not to purposely flatter him, Jackson indeed will do everything for a simple appointment with him. Taylor rubs his index finger against his chin, pulling up a sly smirk on his lips “I want to talk about business”

Jackson glances at him before focusing back on the wine he is about to sip. “It surprised me you didn’t mention business right away we sat”

Taylor scoffs, playing with the edge of the embroidery napkin beside his plate “I let you savour your disgusting lunch first”

Jackson is still unfazed by Taylor’s insult remark, “I’m grateful, but just as you know, your disgusting plate cost 3 thousand dollars”

“That’s what makes it disgusting,” Taylor interjects without missing a beat. Jackson purposely cuts the meat and eats it in front of Taylor’s face to annoy him.

“Yeah? So what kind of food do you like?” he smirks after swallowing the entire chunk of meat that he shoves into his mouth, satisfied with Taylor’s look of disgust.

Taylor shrugs, averting his eyes from the intimidating stares of his fiancee “KFC?”

Jackson snorts “whatever. Tell me what your business is with me”

Taylor takes off the napkin on his lap and throws it on the table before straightening his back “Put me, my paints as well as my latest exhibition in the magazines”

Jackson hasn’t said anything for a while before he puts his fork and knife on both sides of his plate and looks at him, “You want me to ask the magazine companies to make an article about you and your work”

Taylor simply nods and sips his wine.

“Why? Doesn’t everyone already know well about you and your exhibition lately?” Jackson leans in, asking with his inquisitive big round eyes, and Taylor hates how those innocent bright eyes are possessed by a cunning man like him.

“It will die down eventually, I want them to keep talking about me. Puts me on headlines, involving me in their discussions,” Taylor refuses to look at Jackson’s judgemental gaze. He looks at the window instead. “Every single one of them” he adds almost in a whisper.

“I almost forget how greedy you can be '' He laughs dryly and then lifts his wine glass to swirl the liquid inside “Is it because Roseate will launch their winter collection soon? You don’t want him to beat you, you don’t want him to steal your spotlight, do you?” Jackson’s smirks grow wider, enjoying how Taylor’s face hardened with every word he spewed.

Taylor resists the urge to punch that feign innocent face. God, he really hates Jackson.

“It has nothing to do with him” He clenches his fists under the table before taking a deep breath. “just do what I told you,” he demands.

“You efficiently take advantage of our engagement very well,” Jackson mutters and sips his drink. His eyes don’t leave the man before him.

Taylor scoffs and looks away, “Our families' business aside, it doesn’t give me a single advantage to marry you. At least I will take what’s left”

He fails to catch a glint of pain in Jackson’s expression that he covers excellently under his cold facade. As Jackson doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, Taylor assumes he already understands what he should do.

Taylor fixes his shirt and grabs his pouch “I’ll take a cab. Thanks for your time anyway” he saunters away without giving him a second glance.

Jackson fishes his phone inside his suit pocket and dials his secretary's number. Reaching the media is not a big deal, Jackson considered the request from his fiancee this time as easy as ordering flowers in a florist, simply can be done in a one-call “…. Make sure he is on every cover of those magazines. Make him the main topic”