The Unwanted Gift
That level of detail was not the sort of thing love overlooked.
As a result, inside Jiyu’s wardrobe drawer, the round metal cookie tin was packed with colorful ribbons. Yet none of those ribbons were especially pretty.
“Ugh, these ribbons are so tacky it’s ridiculous. I’m not one of those children who worships their parents. Still, what can I say? All the other kids in the neighborhood do it, so if you refuse, you won’t be invited to play.”
Jiyu nodded without understanding a word, half her mind drifting. Love spoke Korean so that she could catch half the meaning and miss the other.
Aiden pressed a gentle hand to the purple bruise blooming above Jiyu’s left eyebrow and spread ointment over it. Jiyu had been rushed to the ER after a mild concussion, leaving a lump at the back of her head and the bruise on her forehead. Miraculously, nothing else had been broken.
“Ugh, that bruise is going to take more than a week to fade. It’s lucky it’s no worse, but anyone who sees it will assume you’re being beaten at home.”
She clicked her tongue in irritation.
“…Ouch.”
Jiyu tried to twist away from the merciless fingers. Aiden caught her chin and turned her back to him.
“Just hold still. The bruise cream is what makes it disappear. Especially when you have school starting in a couple of days. Sigh. Still, there’s some good that came out of it…”
After the accident, Lauren Hamilton had apologized to Aiden and invited them both home for the first day of school, promising to finish the play-date they had started.
Astor School and Alton School stood across the street from each other, a century-old tradition of elite private academies. Astor was all-girls, Alton all-boys, yet the headmasters differed only in name and the foundations were identical.
Students attended classes separately but shared everything else—swimming pool, sports center, large library, after-school programs, and club activities. Cultural festivals and homecomings were organized together by the parent associations. Both schools had produced generations of society leaders and offered the best of single-sex and co-ed education. In the Upper East Side, they were among the very top tier.
On the first day of school, the gates of Astor and Alton were already chaotic when pickup time arrived for the nursery and elementary students. Parents spilled onto the sidewalk, chatting and blocking traffic as they waited.
On the first day, the pickup process took longer because of the extra safety measures. Parents had to register with the school in advance, and homeroom teachers personally verified every child before handing them over.
Aiden, dressed in full designer from head to toe, grabbed Jiyu’s wrist the moment she stepped out and pulled her toward Fifth Avenue.
“Jiyu, hurry up. Hunter’s waiting!”
Her voice was bright and urgent. Jiyu’s face drained of color. She wanted to refuse but swallowed the impulse, biting her trembling lower lip until it hurt. She could not risk the stares of the crowded parents outside the school. Which was scarier—Hunter Hamilton’s gaze or that of a stranger?
Since the concussion and hospital visit, Hunter had become something far more terrifying than a midnight ghost to Jiyu. Aiden had no idea.
She tried to slow her steps with a weak shake of her head, but Aiden’s dull sense of a child’s reaction had her gripping the slender wrist and forcing a path through the crowd.
The moment they rounded the corner onto Fifth Avenue, Lauren Hamilton appeared, holding Hunter’s hand. While the mothers exchanged warm greetings, Hunter’s clear blue eyes burned with barely contained anger as he stared at Jiyu. She backed away in a cold tremor. Lauren placed a firm hand on his shoulder and pushed him forward.
“Hunter Hamilton. You said you had something to say to Jiyu.”
Lauren’s voice was smooth and unyielding.
Hunter, legs braced, finally stumbled forward and planted himself in front of Jiyu. She flinched and ducked behind her mother. Aiden tugged her along anyway.
When the two children stood facing each other, Hunter stared past Jiyu’s crown and muttered bitterly,
“…Sorry.”
Lauren pressed his shoulder again.
“And?”
Hunter turned his face away with a heavy sigh.
“Forgive me.”
“And?”
He thrust something into her hand.
“This is my apology gift.”
Jiyu startled, stepping back without thinking. Hunter’s expression soured. Aiden seized Jiyu’s arm and shoved the gift toward him.
Jiyu’s eyes dropped to the small package. A beautifully wrapped book.
“Oh…”
Her lips parted in surprise. It was the newest title in the unicorn series she loved. Her tense shoulders eased a fraction. She toyed with the tiny fingers clutching the book.
“Jiyu, what do you say when someone gives you a gift?”
Aiden poked her in the back.
“…Thank you.”
Jiyu managed the words, voice small and practiced. Hunter spun away and looked up at Lauren.
“Is that it? Now let me go play. Rex took everyone else to the Central Park playground without me.”
But Lauren shook her head, face stern.
“No. Today you’ll have a play-date with Jiyu at home. Behave like a gentleman, Hunter Hamilton. Or you’ll find yourself banned from the playground again.”
She gave Aiden a meaningful nod. The two children hurried after her, heading toward the apartment on Eighty-first Street.
Hunter, unable to contain his fury, let out a low growl from his throat and stomped his foot.
Jiyu clutched the book to her chest and hurried after Aiden’s retreating figure, leaving Hunter alone with her.
Hunter’s face was still flushed when he caught up with them. Then he suddenly grabbed Jiyu’s arm. She startled and stopped walking.
He glanced around to make sure the adults weren’t watching, then leaned close to her ear.
“I really hate you, Jiyu Parker.”
His anger poured out in a steady stream, each word deliberate.
Jiyu rubbed her throbbing forehead, swallowed another sob of injustice, and kept walking without a word. She hated him too, but she lacked the courage to say it aloud.
***
“Rosa, take the children down to the playroom on the lower floor.”
The moment they reached Hamilton Residence, Lauren instructed the nanny.
“Yes, Mrs. Hamilton.”
The elderly Hispanic nanny nodded, taking Hunter’s bag.
Aiden drew in a startled breath and asked Lauren,
“Is the lower floor part of Hunter’s house too?”
Lauren gave a casual nod. The Hamilton Residence used all three top floors of the apartment building.
“The floor below is our family floor. There are staff quarters beneath that.”
Aiden’s mouth fell open.
“Then… this penthouse floor—whose is it?”
Lauren shrugged one shoulder.
“We use it for events—the grand hall, formal dining room, reception room, study, and guest suites.”
“I see…”
Aiden’s eyes swept the panoramic view through the floor-to-ceiling windows—terrace, Central Park, and the Hudson River beyond. The open space, decorated with art and antique furniture, was clearly the grand hall Lauren had mentioned.
“Then while the children play, shall we step out to the terrace and have some tea?”
“Yes, please! Terrace!”
Aiden nodded vigorously and forced a fawning smile.
Lauren turned with elegant poise toward Hunter, who was still sulking.
“Hunter, Jiyu says she loves books. Why don’t you show her your library in the playroom?”
It sounded like a gentle suggestion, yet it was a firm command.
Hunter swatted away Lauren’s hand as if it were annoying. Lauren gave Rosa a meaningful glance to take the children downstairs.
Even after they reached the penthouse, Jiyu stayed pressed against the wall so no one would notice her. Only then did curiosity and hunger finally flicker in her eyes. A library…? So there were books?
Rosa took both children’s hands and led them down the spiral staircase that connected the family floor to the lower levels. Hunter, face twisted in stubborn anger, yanked free from Rosa’s grasp and raced ahead of them.