Falling For Sakura: A Secret Proposal (Part 1) (2 page)

Sebastian shook his head. “There’s nothing to forgive. I’ve come to see how you’re settling in the apartment. Please, if you needed anything, just inform the manager Mr. Smith. He’ll take care of everything.
 

Haruka chuckled. “Sebastian-san, I thank you for your wonderful hospitality. Might I thank you for the lovely design of the apartment as well? It is very much to my taste, especially my bedroom. How did you come up with such an idea? A mixture of Japanese and European décor.”
 

It was Sebastian’s turn to chuckle. “I stole the idea, so you shouldn’t thank me. After all, it was the decorators who did all the work. I just gave them my
thoughts.” He didn’t tell her it had been Sakura’s bedroom back at Princeton Mansion on St. Joseph Island that had inspired him.
 

“But still,” Haruka argued. “It was very kind of you to think of us Japanese. Oh dear, I am being a very bad hostess indeed. Please, I invite you to have tea with me. It’s Japanese tea, if you don’t mind.”
 

Sebastian stood. “I don’t mind at all.”
 

Haruka nodded. They both left the exotically designed private courtyard filled with cherry trees in full bloom on the ground floor of the building and entered the enormous lobby nearer to the front. They took the lift to the third level. A few moments later, they entered Haruka’s enormous, luxurious apartment that was classically designed and decorated.
 

“Baka!” They heard a feminine voice echo through the hallway. “Baka! Why does it have to be her who gets to wear Oba-chan’s precious necklace?”
 

Haruka glanced at her guest, hoping Sebastian didn’t mind the obvious loud argument happening in the house.
 

“It’s my niece Akira,” she explained. “I think she is still upset about the casting for the upcoming fashion show.”
 

Sebastian took off his shoes and nodded in understanding. “There’s another model Mr. Tachibana has enlisted to wear his finale?”
 

 “Yes,” Haruka said. “Sakura.”
 

Sebastian felt his heart skip a beat and glanced at Haruka.
 

“Her name is Sakura Taito,” Haruka said, leading Sebastian into the living room. “She’s very beautiful and
very famous, so I’ve heard. She will be wearing one of my precious pieces.”
 

“I see,” Sebastian murmured.
 

“Don’t look at me like that, Onii-chan.” They heard Akira snap. “I’m not jealous. So not jealous of her. I’m just pissed that she gets to wear Oba-chan’s necklace.”
 

“If she doesn’t wear that necklace, then who will?” the deep, manly voice of Sosuke Suzuki asked. “You?”
 

“Onii-chan!” Akira shouted.
 

“Dear me,” Haruka said the moment they were in the living room. “We have a guest.”
 

Akira Suzuki stopped her muttering immediately and smiled pleasantly at their guest. “Sebastian-san, how nice of you to visit us. When was the last time?” Akira cocked her head to one side. “Ah, two months ago. How shameful, Sebastian-san, considering the fact that you only live one floor above us and keep that beautiful view all to yourself. Not to mention the very private garden you have up there. Don’t tell me you don’t have one because I’ve seen the Sakura trees from the streets.”
 

Sebastian laughed. “You are welcome to use the private garden at the penthouse if you so wish. There’s no one to stop you.”
 

Akira pulled her face and flicked her short black hair. “How could I do that, Sebastian-san? Onii-chan would kill me.” She glanced at her older brother Sosuke, who was staring at her intensely. She secretly smiled as she watched him nudge his glasses up the bridge of his fine nose. She knew he was concerned about her wayward ways now that they were living here in New York. Sosuke needed to loosen up his uptight manner, even just a bit, she thought.
 

She continued. “Considering the fact that you have, what? Six other brothers living with you, and all still single.” She cocked her head to one side. “Hum, maybe I should really go up there and introduce myself.”
 

“Akira!” Sosuke said warningly.
 

Sebastian chuckled. He thought Sosuke was very much like Nicolas. It hadn’t surprised him at all that the two had gotten along so well since they first met and had become very good friends.  
 

Akira laughed. “Don’t worry, Onii-chan. I was only teasing. Besides, I’ve haven’t met any of them yet, except for Conrad-san. Ah, he seems awfully depressed all the time. Poor man.”
 

Sebastian thought Akira could say that again. Conrad hadn’t been himself since one year ago when Sakura had left them. In fact, none of them had ever been themselves again. Darcy had been the worst. Of course, Sebastian knew Darcy was deeply in love with Sakura, and he hadn’t taken the news very well.
 

“Now, now,” Haruka said. “Let us have tea.”
 

Sosuke came to sit on the slightly raised floor with his aunty, their guest Sebastian, and his sister Akira. He watched as Haruka expertly prepared the green tea. He noted the sad expression on her beautiful face even though she tried to hide it well. He knew her heart was aching to find her daughter Sakura.
 

Though this Sakura wasn’t in any way blood related to him, he had to help Haruka find her, because that was what the head of the family should do. Sosuke had been the head of the Suzuki family since three years ago when his uncle, Haruka’s husband, had died in a car accident. Sosuke had known it hadn’t been an accident because the
Suzukis were by far one of the wealthiest families in Japan, and they’d been targeted too many times to consider
that
particular accident
an accident
.
 

Sosuke turned to look out the window at the clear blue sky. Cherry blossom petals swirled about as they rained down from the Princetons’ private garden above. He knew the garden was particularly beautiful because he’d seen it by accident one day while he’d been exploring. Why the Princeton brothers had gone to such lengths to build such an exotic garden on top of the four-story building was beyond him. At the same time, however, it mesmerized him. Then he wondered if Sakura, Haruka’s daughter, would be as beautiful as the Sakura flower that was so loved by everyone. Now he simply couldn’t wait to find her and meet her in person. Sooner or later, they’d find her, and Sosuke smiled at the thought.
 

* * * * *

Sakura Tanaka, Lady of Beauty

It didn’t turn out right. It was supposed to be a dragon, but this piece of artwork looked more like a teddy bear gone seriously wrong than a dragon. Sakura Tanaka sighed in vexation as she put down the jug of hot milk. She’d just have to practice some more, she supposed.
 

She placed the two cups of coffee onto an antique silver tray and turned to her two guests, brother and sister Luke and Jane Hamilton, who were waiting patiently for their hot drinks.
 

“Sorry about that,” she said softly, placing the tray onto the coffee table before them. “My coffee art seems to have turned for the worse recently.”
 

“No worries,” Jane said, gladly taking a cup. “I’m not here for the art. I’m here for the coffee. It’s totally worth waiting for.” She inhaled the lovely aroma as she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her thick glasses were already fogged up from the hot steam. Jane didn’t care, however, and took a quick sip. The hot liquid burned her tongue, and she quickly swallowed. Then she huffed and puffed, sticking her tongue out to let it cool.
 

Sakura laughed at her friend’s reaction. This attracted Luke’s attention.
 

The man couldn’t help but gaze at her, taking in her exotic beauty. To say she was beautiful was an understatement, as there was nothing he could think of that could compare to her uniqueness. Her long tresses, an ombre of pale blond and brown, were braided loosely
and resting on the left side of her slender shoulders. The length reached all the way down to her waist. Her skin, smooth and porcelain white, begged to be caressed and touch. Then there were those eyes—the two different colors, one azure-blue and the other mauve-grey, so mysterious and intense, and they fascinated him so much he couldn’t stop staring. Those weren’t her real eye color, and Luke knew for a fact they must be brown. Though how dark and how deep he wasn’t sure.
 

This new obsession of his was to Luke’s mind merely an observation and nothing more. Luke liked to observe—that was what he told himself he was doing—observing and not gawking at Sakura Tanaka, the gallery owner, painter, and freelance photographer.  
 

Today she was wearing one of her long, flowing skirts and a peachy-white blouse she buttoned all the way up to her swanlike neck. The front of the pretty blouse also had frills, which added more femininity to her already elegant and feminine person.
 

To Luke, Sakura looked like a Victorian noble lady, refined and elegant and certainly to be valued like a precious diamond no commoner like himself could ever afford or touch. She should be put upon a pedestal to be marveled at with love and affection. That was what Sakura Tanaka was to Luke, and he was sure she gave the same impression to every other man who happened to catch a glimpse of her as well.
 

“Dear me, Jane,” Sakura said. “You should at least have waited until it cooled a bit. How’s your tongue?”
 

Jane pulled a face and nudged her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Blast it! It burns, Sakura! It burns.”
 

Sakura laughed again. “Who told you to hurry? No one’s going to steal your coffee.”
 

Luke said, “It’s a privilege to drink your coffee, Sakura. Those famous cafés up in Manhattan cannot compare. I’d gladly pay for mine if only you’d let me.”
 

“Don’t be silly!” She waved, frowning at him.
 

Gosh,
Luke thought,
she still looks pretty even with the frown on her face.
 

Sakura turned her attention to her friend, Luke Hamilton, who happened to come into her gallery six months ago, looking to buy some paintings and photographs for his boss, who he’d never named. The boss liked to keep his identity anonymous, Luke had told her when she happened to ask him one day. Sakura didn’t mind, just as long as this boss liked her paintings and photographs and bought them regularly. That was all she asked for, to keep her business afloat.
 

Then she turned her attention to Jane Hamilton. Her friend was in her late twenties, though she didn’t know the exact number because Jane was very sensitive about the subject. Sakura, however, secretly knew she was still a virgin, as was she. To be honest, Sakura was rather surprised she was still single since she was quite pretty with pale-blond hair and bright-green eyes. In fact, her eyes were so like the emerald gemstone that if anyone were to look closer, they’d be surprised at how beautiful and lively they could be. If only Jane were to discard her thick, very unfashionable glasses and wear contact lenses instead, Sakura knew for certain men would fall at her feet.  
 

Sakura watched as Jane
sipped her coffee, this time very slowly, savoring the beautiful flavor.
 

“Now then, are you so very sure I’m allowed to come tomorrow?” Sakura asked suddenly. “I mean, I’m not bothering you or anything?”
 

“Of course,” Jane put in immediately. “I’m an assistant of an assistant of Mr. Tachibana. I help organize everything. I’m the third boss behind the scene.” Then she muttered to herself, “If only they recognize my talent.”
 

Sakura didn’t hear that last bit as she was too busy thinking about something else. She felt her heart do a somersault at the thought that tomorrow she’d be able to
really
see her mother, Haruka Tanaka. She licked her lip and said, “I promise I won’t get into any mess. I mean, I won’t interfere with anything because I know how hectic it is backstage before the show.”
 

Jane nodded. “But you have to know
if
, and I mean only
if,
things get out of hand, I’ll need your help?”
 

Sakura nodded. “I understand. Of course I’ll help you in any way I can. Not that I know much about the backstage stuff though.”
 

“The Princeton Hotel is quite big,” Jane said absentmindedly, cocking her head to one side.
 

Sakura’s heart skipped a beat at the mentioning of the Princeton Hotel. She knew the event would be taking place there. She also knew Nicolas Princeton was now the CEO of Princeton group. It was hard to miss since it was all over the news for a couple of weeks.
 

Sakura wondered if Nicolas would be attending the fashion event tomorrow. What about the rest of the brothers? Would they be there, too? God! She hoped not. However, Sakura had already made up her mind that come hell or high water, she’d be there to meet her
biological mother in person. Nothing was going to stop her, not even the presence of the Princeton brothers—
her seven adoptive brothers.
 

“I would imagine there’d be lots of people there.” Jane continued. “Last I heard, there’s going to be at least two thousand guests there to see Mr. Tachibana’s spring-summer collections. Mind you, most of his collections are eveningwear, though there are some daywear and swimwear as well.”
 

“He designs for men, too,” Luke put in. “His taste is very top-notch. I was in his new department store a few weeks back with the boss.” By
the boss,
he meant Sebastian Princeton.