“Stop your bullshit, Jackson. I don’t want to hear any of that!” Taylor croaks, losing all the energy that suddenly left his body.

Jackson remains under his suave facade and continues whatever he wants to say. He grabs one of the bottled perfumes from Taylor’s collection on his dressing table “I have known you since we were a child. You were always interested in something you didn’t have, something your parents couldn’t buy with their money. Because that’s what we are; obsessing with something we don’t have until we get it."

."...That’s why- “Jackson takes off the bottle cape to sniff the scent of the perfume “you befriended Noah. Your driver’s son. You are interested in his life; how it felt to sleep on the rickety bed and visit their humble abode, how it felt playing with handmade toys, eat homemade food, live a normal life without dealing with status and money fights, acquainted with someone who won’t be taking advantage of you, must be nice, huh?” Jackson gives a few sprays of the perfume on his suit. But regardless, deep down in your heart, you still envy him because he has everything you don’t. he even success build Roseate with his own”

Jackson puts back the bottle in its place, fixing it until it is perfectly placed as if untouched. “Same with your dear lover. You are curious; ‘oh how does it feel to date a normal guy? Recreating rom-com dramas with going on dates and other cliché kinds of stuff. What it feels like being with someone without bound by contract paper’ and when you start enjoying your newfound excitement, you will be like ‘oh, it must be love. This is love!’” Jackson chuckles dryly, loosening his tie on his neck, “people like us won’t understand ‘love’, Taylor. Because we have never tasted something like that since we were a child. We were just curious. Like a person who wants to know whether or not God exists, they will enter the church, and if they’re still not sure they will walk out from there and try another way. Now you are dating someone to know what love feels like and you still can’t find what you’ve been searching for. Is that the time for you to walk out?

Taylor bites his lip to resist screaming in Jackson’s face, telling him to shut his mouth. However, he doesn’t want to make the entire house awake and know what happened. 

No matter how livid he is at Jackson, still and all, Taylor’s life is dancing on his palm. He is the only one who can help him to find who took the scandalous pictures and save his career. Taylor buried his pride in the pit of his darkest side and let Jackson win this time. “You may say anything that would make you sleep better at night, but you should know if this news leaks out, I’m not the only one who would sink to the bottom, you would be dragged down with me”

Jackson chokes his own laugh. "As if those reporters dare to write news against me, unlike you, I’m the decision maker in my company. If I said A, they shall do A. But you? Not only you don't have any share in your own company, you also proudly refuse the position your parents gave you. What can you do if the newspaper highlighted that ‘Taylor Kim, the new rising abstract painter, caught having an affair with a commoner, cheating on his multi-billionaire fiance’?”

“I don’t care what you are trying to say to make me waver. But stop talking like you know me. What if I really love him?” Taylor returns to his haughty expression as he gives Jackson a challenging look.

Jackson lets out a tired sigh. “I'm done with your behaviour, Taylor. I really don’t want to do this. But let us make it clear in a professional way, since you always consider me nothing more than your business partner. I offer you two choices; first, just consider it as your opportunity to cut out our cursed relationship, and let people in this country know who the person you really love is, I won’t meddle with it and I will make sure my mom won’t either, you can live happily with him, run away or something, live your life like a normal person and in return, you will get love what you’ve been searching.”

Jackson raises his second fingers, “Or second, you will take my help to clean this mess, continuing our engagement, but you should end whatever bullshit between you and your lover, because I won’t clean the same mess twice!”

After the following pause, Jackson sighs as if the whole conversation drains his energy more than Taylor’s himself. “Now, I’m giving you a chance to cut our damn relationship. Just tell me you choose him over me and I will walk away from this room as a stranger and I will make sure this is the last time you will see me. Just tell me one one-sentence, Tay, and we end this. Come on, it’s all in your hand”

Taylor stares at him under his lashes. Despite how terrible their relationship is, Taylor knows him well enough to know Jackson is serious about his word. He is everything but a liar. He can keep his word. There’s a determination in his eyes, but also a glint of agony that Taylor can’t pinpoint the reason for. It should be easy to be answered, but Taylor can’t bring himself to say it. Something holding him back.

/Is he ready to let go of the dream he has been building all this time? Is he able to stand by his own feet without Jackson’s support?/

No, Taylor couldn't even reach his success without Jackson’s power. The exhibition was sponsored by him and the curators that make reviews of his works were also someone he had paid. The interviews by the magazine are also thanks to his connections. His mother is right, he is no one without him. As much as he wants to be with Oliver, he also can’t give up all the privileges he gets with his engagement with Jackson. Maybe Jackson is right, both of them are indeed greedy.

Jackson gives him a lopsided smile as he stands up “See, I told you we are similar” then he makes his way out and leaves Taylor who still can’t find his word