"We're all just a bunch of addicts,
struggling with our drug of choice."

Thoughts of you and me keep passing by
Like ships in the night, we never collide.
- No One Compares To You by Jack and Jack.

AUTUMN

Over the Indian Ocean.

HE SLAMMED HER against the wall. Hard.
As his plump lips traced the soft skin of her neck, she ground herself impossibly closer to him. He nibbled her tingling earlobe, hands shifting to her arched waist.

Her back was to the wall, yet all she could feel was him. Firm muscles under fair skin. She couldn't understand how a man she just met knew exactly how to touch her. She was reeling, drunk off of his inebriating scent.
She moaned as he pressed hungry kisses to her throat, surprised at the tenor of her own voice. She sounded desperate, craving for his touch when she barely knew him.

Adroitly sliding his palm from her knee to the inside of her warm thigh, he enjoyed the feeling of having her so ready for him when he hadn't even started. That was the power he had over her, a light graze of her skin had her aching for more.

She wanted him, and he knew it.

"You're so sexy, Aphrodite," he breathed, tone raspy—

The sharp snap of her secretary's fingers brought her back to reality.

"Miss Kang?" he nudged her slightly, studying her reminiscing face, "I can't believe you're still dreaming about your little vacation escapade."

"I'm not," she brushed off his third attempt to chide her, "and for heaven's sake, that word makes it sound so obscene. Stop using it."

"Sure, Miss Kang," he scoffed. She narrowed her eyes at her personal assistant, daring him to continue. He did anyways, "What should I call it then? A one-month-stand?"

"Min Yoongi, for the very last time-" she began to reprimand the older man, unfortunately getting interrupted by a flight attendant offering them a drink.

"A Rosé, if that's available," Ambrosia ordered, adjusting the lapels of her pristine rose pink business suit.

Yoongi ordered a coke, making her chuckle at the contrast between them.

He handed her a tablet, an array of various sober colours on the screen, "Miss Cha needed your opinion on these. Her new commission is a celebrity wedding in Greece, but she's unsure of what decor she should use."

Ambrosia scanned the colours carefully, allowing the stories each of them had to tell to captivate her senses. The shades didn't just flash through her mind like a movie, she could physically feel them. The way one feels a cool winter breeze or a warm summer loo.

She could picture the Corinthian pillars, the ivory and manganese architecture and the sanctity of an altar to the most minute detail.

"Get me on the phone with Iseul," she ordered, gears in her mind clicking into place. As soon as the phone was handed to her, she greeted her beloved senior, "Iseul, ma'am, I really appreciate you asking me for my opinion. I highly recommend going for a warm shade of white, preferably slightly towards the orange side of the spectrum. It'll cut through the cool white and blue of the venue."

Her suggestion was recognised with appreciation from the other end, making her smile. She loved making her role model proud.

"Is there anything else on my schedule for this year?" she cut the call, tapping her stylus on the black screen. Her shoulders slacked as she raised her eyebrows at him.

"No, Miss Kang. The commission at the Kingdom of Sykaria will be your last for this year," Yoongi replied, a sheepish expression taking over his usual sleepy one.

"You're kidding me, right? You know that I can't do one wedding in six months. It's ridiculous," she glared at her assistant, "Plus I haven't even recieved the contract for that one."

"And you know you've overworked yourself too much last year," he began the same spiel she'd been hearing nearly everyday, "As your friend, I don't think it's right for you to push yourself so much—"

"Which is exactly why I let you parcel me off on vacation for a month, Yoongi," she sighed, pressing the bridge of her button nose, "Just add another comission, okay? How can we be so sure that they'll let me sign the contract?"

"Ma'am, trust me. I've been your assistant for how long now? Four years? Five? Long enough to know you well, I'm sure. This is a lot bigger than anything you've done before. You're going to love this," he consoled the agitated twenty-four year old, as more of a friend than secretary, "They were amazed by your work in London, so they called me immediately. That CEO whose wedding you planned happened to be a very close friend of the Prince of Sykaria. He complimented you quite a bit, so the Royal Family wants to meet you before signing the contract."

"Ah, I remember. That was fun, wasn't it?" She recalled. Probably one of the best events she'd ever organised, she'd recieved tonnes of commissions thanks to it, "Anyways, whether I get the job or not, I don't care. Fix me up with another event in Sykaria. That's an order, Yoongi."

Sighing, she slacked her shoulders. She closed her tired eyes, allowing her mind to go back to Adonis, the whirlwind of a summer romance she just came back to reality from. They'd slept together the day after their crazed drinking competition, something the otherwise reserved Kang Ambrosia would've never done. She chose to blame the lively atmosphere of her hometown.

She'd then gone on to spend the rest of the month jumping from hotel to hotel with a man who gave the name Adonis a new meaning.

She found it incredibly difficult to respond to a name apart from her own for a whole month, but did anyways. Under the clause of not wanting to lead the man on, she'd kept it a secret, going by a childhood nickname, one that usually remained forgotten to her too.

She was at the peak of her career as one of the world's best wedding planners. Her identity would be one quick Google search away.

The young woman spent nearly every night in a new hotel. She had zero time for hooking up with random strangers, forget maintaining a relationship.

SHE MANAGED TO CATCH a few winks before the six-hour long flight landed in the capital city of Sykaria, Sykaria City. Ambrosia smoothened her white skirt down as she picked up her only carry on, an ivory white handbag. Yoongi walked with her, always maintaining a foot's distance.

She picked her glossy white suitcase off the conveyor belt and began pulling it behind her. This would be considered as absolutely absurd, especially in her field of work and popularity, but she hated having work done for her.

The meeting with the Royal Family wasn't until late evening, giving her a few hours to prepare for it. Having sent Yoongi off to his hotel room to find her a few more commissions, she changed out of her uncomfortable airport clothing, tossing her sadistic six-inch high heels away first.

She lay down on the colossal bed, enjoying the richness of the expensive sheets. Brought up in a poor family, she adored luxury. It was probably the only thing that romanticized her anymore.

She rummaged through her purse for the little beige paper napkin with a very special combination of numbers on it. Removing it, she gazed at the perfect cursive handwriting.

Adonis-xxxxxxxxxx
This has just started, my goddess. I'll always come back home.

She groaned upon reading it. That little scrap of paper from the sixth hotel they'd stayed in had been weighing her bag down for a couple of days, but her heart for a week. She had absolutely no intention of calling him.

Pulling out her tablet and stylus, she steeled her nerves back to work. She started reading about the heir to the throne of Sykaria.

Enclosed in the email she'd recieved a few weeks ago, were the details of her prospective project. The stepping down of King Park Changmin in November, followed by the coronation of his eldest son in December.

A coronation?

She was a wedding planner, who did organise the occasional get-together or other small scale events, but this was huge. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, something people don't even get to witness in their entire lifetime.

Maybe Yoongi was right, this was bigger than anything she'd been offered before. Probably even bigger than the time she'd taken on five weddings, each with a span of barely a day in between. That had been the most exhausting, yet the most gratifying six months of her work life.

Yet, she felt as though this would easily top that.

Being a powerful businesswoman, she was thorough with the ropes. Always, always do a background check on your new clients.
She would've normally done this weeks ago, but her beloved secretary had banned her from doing anything remotely related to work. Thanks to this—and the fact that she steered clear off politics—she didn't even know what her new clients looked like.

Mentally abusing Yoongi, she opened her browser. Typing out the prince's name, she was just about to hit enter when the butt of her abuses barged into her room.

"Miss Kang, they're pre-poning your meeting with the Royal Family! I just got the call, it's in half an hour," he shouted, hands in his hair as he ran around the room in a frenzied panic. Seeing him, one would think he was the one who'd actually have to speak to the Royals, not her.

"Calm down, Yoongi," she got up and patted her secretary's head, speaking in a soothing tone, "When should we leave?"

"Now," he looked into her eyes and nodded firmly, expression grave.

Yoongi got down to work with booking an appropriate form of transport while she began fixing her appearance. Flinging the bathrobe away to some remote corner of her suite, she ripped open her suitcase.

Pulling on a full sleeved black dress, she simpered. The cuffed shoulders combined with the gold buttons made this dress classy, even though it was a bit short. Black was a colour she rarely wore, but Yoongi convinced her to put aside her archetypal all-whites and adopt a dew colour palette. The suggestion was promptly rebuffed, but in no mood to argue, she allowed him to pack a single black dress.

She stuffed a bag full of cosmetics into her secretary's hands as they made their way down to the lobby. This kind of an emergency called for doing her makeup in the cab.

They got into the BMW, instructing the driver to step on it.

"So, I read the email," she began, putting some concealer under her permanently dark eyebags, "Maybe, uh, maybe you're—"

"I was right, wasn't I?" Yoongi cut the agitated girl off, grinning as though it was his birthday.

She rolled her eyes, holding a hand out, "Pass me my mascara wand."

Her secretary, who practically had her entire routine memorised, frowned, "You use mascara in the end, Ambrosia."

"But I want to use it now," she argued, tone getting slightly more authoritative than usual, "I'm going to gouge your eyes out."

"Focus on doing your eyeliner," he stuck his tongue out at her.

Grumbling under her breath, she drew the compact mirror closer to her face, concentrating on getting that wing perfect.
Just as she flicked her wrist for the very last time, to make that tiny triangle as sharp as possible, the car swerved.

"What the hell!?" She shouted, her hand dragging a line of black ink across her face.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am," the cab driver apologised repeatedly, suppressing his laughter upon seeing her unique makeup.

"Do we have any—" she began to ask Yoongi, biting her lip to keep from screaming at the driver. Mid day Sykarian traffic was not under his control.

"No makeup remover," the older man cut her off, searching for a suitable alternative.
Groaning loudly, she grabbed a bunch of tissues, rubbing her sensitive skin vigorously. She couldn't possibly appear in front of the Royal Family with a black mark which looked like something a very annoyed yet OCD octopus would've created.

By the time the accursed driver stopped outside the gates of the Royal palace, she'd managed to get the situation moderately under control using nearly a tonne of concealer and powder.

Having tidied up her overall appearance, she gathered her cascading brown hair into a neat, classy bun. She looked up at the gates of the Royal palace, a symbol of beauty and power. They opened once she gave her identity and purpose of visiting.

The absolutely beautiful architecture of the palace gardens had captured her mind as they drove down the driveway.

The white columns with gold trim held up a beautiful ibis white pavillion. This place was every event planners dream. Kang Ambrosia would gladly kill to plan a wedding here. The beyond gorgeous cobbled pathway amongst the white lilies would make the perfect aisle, with just the addition of some mason jars filled with tiny fairy lights.

She must've stood there for a few minutes, simply gawking at the marvellous verandah, until her secretary shook her back to reality for possibly the sixth time that day.

After a quick security check, the pair strode into the residential wing of the royal palace, accompanied by who seemed like the royal guards. Both dressed in armour inappropriate for the sweltering June humidity, they showed them through a long corridor. The monotonous sound of their heavy strides were given a fresher appeal with the constant clacking of her heels against the parchment marble flooring.
She admired the decor of the place, simple, yet classy. It was definitely not what someone would've expected the Royal palace to look like.

Finally stopping outside a pair of shiny wooden doors, the guards did an about-turn.

"His Majesty, King Changmin wishes to see Miss Kang Ambrosia in his private chambers," the taller one of the two announced.

"First time at the palace, eh?" The shorter, thinner one winked. She frowned at him, for she had been keeping a strong facade, not letting the magnitude of the event she had to take on, show. She was certain she looked confident.

"I'm a clairvoyant, miss," he pulled his cheeks up into a proud grin, "Nothing ever gets past me."

"As a matter of fact, yeah," Ambrosia admitted, his smile proving to be a source of comfort.

"Oh, please, Hoseok. You're not psychic," the first guard rolled his eyes, clearly used to hearing his companion speak this way.

"I can tell that you standing here and bickering with me is going to get the two of us in a butt-load of trouble with Jeongguk," the one undoubtedly called Hoseok shrugged, as though saying something obvious made him a prophet, "Miss Ambrosia, please head inside. The king will be there soon."

Nodding, Yoongi and Ambrosia made their way through the huge mahogany doors, entering a large living room. It was warm, cosy and homely, even. Couches were arranged in a circular pattern around a coffee table.

The two stood side by side for about ten minutes until Ambrosia began to get antsy. She embarked on a tour of the chamber, admiring the little antiques placed on chests of wooden drawers. Intricate metallic artefacts, small photo frames with pictures of younger king accompanied by his two sons, the princes in various countries, surrounded by diplomats adorned the already regal room.

"Announcing the arrival of His Highness, King Changmin!" A sudden voice shocked the event planner out of her admiration. She turned towards the source of the sound, bowing down without even seeing the king spoken of.

Eyes lowered and hands stiff in front of her, she remained rigid. She was anxious, nerves on edge. She had been in the presence of important people before, but this was a totally different ball game. He was a king, the sole ruler of a nation.

"You may both rise." The same voice ordered, probably once the king had taken his seat. Gingerly straightening her upper body to greet King Changmin, she kept her eyes lowered.

"Take a seat, Miss Ambrosia," he offered in a deep, fruity voice. She complied, sitting on a small chair opposite to the king's armchair. Tightly pressing her legs together, she entwined her fingers tight enough for it to hurt. She needed to concentrate her agitation somewhere.

The guards standing by his side happened to be the same duo who'd lead her here.

"I do apologize for preponing our meeting on such short notice. There was a little bit of a hassle because my son just came back from a holiday," he began, "I hope you have been informed of the events by now, Miss Ambrosia," he pulled the golden crown off his head and placed it on the coffee table. She finally gathered the courage to look up at him.

He was what she would imagine a normal king would look like, except the fact that he was barely in his late forties. He seemed so casual, so easygoing, that if she saw him on the street, she would've assumed he was one of those typical father-of-two, wearing bermuda shorts with loud printed shirts kind of men. Fortunately, here he was clad in a beige business suit with a black shirt underneath. The combination was powerful, contrasting with the softness of his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"That's not an issue at all, Your Majesty," she brushed away a lock of hair which picked now to come undone, "and yes, I am familiar with the task."

"Good, good. I had attended the Moon family wedding you orchestrated in London. Everything was so well though out, to the tiniest detail. I was deeply impressed," he crossed his legs, hands in his lap, "The ascension of my beloved son to the throne is very, very important to Sykaria. I understand that you aren't used to this kind of an event, but we're willing to take that risk. Mr Moon and his wife have showered you with enough good words to make me think that you are capable of taking on this task."

She smiled in hopes of not coming off as too overbearing, "Thank you, Your Highness. I absolutely understand how vital such an event is for Sykaria. I would be honoured to have such an opportunity."

"It's yours then. Namjoon, bring the contract, please," he turned around and gestured to the taller guard, Hoseok's companion.

Immediately fetching a glossy black file from a nearby desk, Namjoon placed it on the coffee table they were seated at. Sending her a little reassuring nod, Hoseok smiled from behind the king's armchair.

"Miss Kang, I understand that you have been travelling all day today, and are surely, uh—what does this generation call it? Hoseok?" The king scratched his salt-and-pepper hair, a clear sign of age. His guard quickly swooped down and whispered a couple of words in his ear. The king mumbled in agreement, waving Hoseok away, "Ah, yes. Jet lagged. So, Miss Ambrosia, I would like you to give you all of today to read the contract and get back to us."

"Not at all, Your Majesty. I'm already sure I want to do this, but I'll be here by tomorrow morning with my answer," Ambrosia bowed her head slightly, maintaining a composed expression.

"Good. You are free to leave now, but I'll be expecting you here before eleven tomorrow," he stood up, the guards behind him assuming attention position.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," she stood up, knees shaking. The king held his hand out, which she shook promptly, "It's been a privilege to speak with you, Your Highness."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Kang," he turned to his guards, "Namjoon, Hoseok, escort Miss Ambrosia out, please. Send for my secretary too."

Bowing down more times for it to be polite anymore, Ambrosia left the room closely followed by her trembling secretary.
She released a breath she didn't even notice she was holding once the doors to the king's chamber closed. Unclenching her now aching fingers, she breathed a sigh of relief. The worst was over, and she was certain she'd made a good first impression. She felt Yoongi put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing softly.

"Do you still want me to find you another commission?" He asked.

"Hell no. Instead, ring up Iseul and have her send me a list of florists, musicians, the light guys, caterers...you know the drill. Make a list of the world's best yourself. I need it by today evening. Get down to work," she ordered, snapping her fingers as walked down the same hallway.

As she continued giving her secretary orders, she could hear her escorts snickering between themselves. She stopped talking for a second, paying heed to their hushed conversation.

"—and I told you she was an exacting woman, didn't I?" Hoseok seemed to be mumbling, to which Namjoon disgruntled in response.
They clearly didn't notice the subject of their gab-fest eavesdropping on them, so she decided to drop the idea of interrupting.

She continued walking straight, brushing a questioning Yoongi off. Foot in front of foot, they reached the porch of the palace.
They got into their halted cab, instructing the driver to go slow. A repeat of the eyeliner episode was not something Ambrosia—or anyone—needed.

At the far end of the driveway, at the security checkpoint, there seemed to be a huge procession commencing. She had to squint out of the windshield of the cab to make out what was happening. A silver haired man was exiting a huge limousine once the gates of the palace had closed. His back profile looked like that of a young person, a sharp contrast against his strikingly bright hair, white in the sun. Smiling and waving at the ground constrained by a line of security personnel, he blew kisses into the air.

Definitely a celebrity, she thought.

She shrugged. Ambrosia had left her obsession with movie stars, singers, idols, media stars and public figures the day she'd begun working at the age of fourteen. She was too busy to keep up with the times anyways.

Cracking her knuckles, she whipped out her tablet and stylus, trying to pen the ideas rushing through her mind faster than a cheetah chasing his prey, down.

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, something that would undoubtedly turn her world upside down. She wasn't going to let this go.

Author's note.

There's the first chapter, and the introduction of our heroine: Kang Ambrosia. She's a really deep character, trust me. Once you get to know her the way I do now, I promise you, you'll be beyond in love with her.
Just a little tip: Ambrosia is pronounced as "ahm-bro-sheeya".

That steamy scene took an unbelievable amount of time to get to where it is. I had a few friends read it, then ran it by a couple of random classmates and finally scrapped it and rewrote it. It was CRAZY.

Tag 5 people who should read this book!

Drop your theories here(this is something I'm gonna ask every chapter, cause I dunno. Why not?)

What do you think will happen?

What do you think Jimin's role is?

Whose coronation is it?

Again, vote if you like what you're reading. I really love speaking to y'all, so leave me a little comment <3

Here's a sneak peek of chapter 2(I drooled.)

You did too, didn't you?