Juri

I narrowed my gaze as I studied the two. 

Nari frowned. "But you don't need to go that far to marry her. Can't you see how much it hurts me to see you two together? What about the times we've spent together?" She put her hands on his, covering her face with her other hand as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

What a snake.

Juwon diverted his gaze and gritted his teeth, "I'm not saying I regret what we've shared, but I need to take my relationship with Juri seriously. We need to end this before someone finds out."

How long exactly has this been happening under my nose? The news shuttered me, and suddenly, the echoes in the restaurant grew very very quiet.

"But," she started. "I just found out that I'm pregnant. We can't end it like this." My eyes widened, as did his. At that moment, I was too lost in my thoughts to even process what Juwon had to say.

She was pregnant too?!

The news hung in the air like a heavy curtain, plunging my world into utter darkness.

A violent tremble seized my body, shaking me from the inside out. It was a suffocating mix of fury and shattering grief, making it hard to breathe. Turning to Sunjae, I suddenly didn't care who he was or what he thought of me as my hands gripped his tailored suit. I tried to stop the shaking, but my knuckles just turned white, trembling even harder as I held back my tears.

Sunjae

A few minutes ago

After ordering, Taeho started talking about how the board members' trust in me would grow if I ended up in a serious relationship, as my fingers slowly tapped the table.

He folded his arms, "Are you even listening to me? I think Chairman Lee might even end up calling because of all the dates you've been missing," he said.

I reached for my phone, which was supposed to be in my pocket but wasn't.

"I'll be back," I said and stood up.

"Where are you going?" he asked

"I left my phone in the car."

He sighed in defeat, probably because I wasn't paying attention to him.

Before making it to the exit, I turned the corner and stopped in my tracks. My eyes widened upon seeing the woman from earlier hiding behind a wall.

We almost bumped into each other.

My brows furrowed, annoyed, "What are you--" she looked up at me and immediately took my hand and pulled me towards her. Staring down at her in confusion, I muttered, "You--", she pressed her index finger against her lips.

"Shh," she said, and my frown deepened. What was wrong with this woman? She ignored the look on my face and peeked out the wall again, clearly occupied with something.

My gaze rested on her face once again. I had already gotten a good look at her earlier, but the longer I stared, the more I could point out unique features. Like the mole on her left earlobe, her dark, long eyelashes, and that she smelled like lavender that felt powdery and sweet. Almost like her scent was giving me a floral hug.

My eyes moved down to her lips. Her lips were full and a tinted pink color. However, she was biting her lower lip, signifying that she was tensed. I stared down at them, cringing at the thought of her hurting her lip. She was frowning deeply as well, as she paid attention to whomever she was spying on.

A woman with a high-pitched voice spoke up, snapping me back to reality, "I just found out that I'm pregnant. We can't end it like this."

My brows twitched slightly, leading me to turn my attention from scrutinizing her to assessing the situation. Her eyes widened upon hearing that, and she began violently trembling. Widening my eyes, all I could do was continue to stare as she broke down.

Perhaps I should leave.

My attempt to create distance between us failed as she immediately grabbed hold of my blazor and squeezed it until her knuckles turned white. Each second that passed made her tremble even more.

Should I call an ambulance? Is this normal?

I cleared my throat, not knowing what to do or say. After a moment that felt like hours, she took a deep breath and looked up at me as she released her grip on my now wrinkled blazor. My gaze narrowed as I tried to read her face. Surprisingly, there were no tears at all. She was mad.

Very mad.

"Those little spineless Judases," she muttered, her words felt like poison.

My eyes widened. I've never heard that before. Nor have I ever seen a woman behave like that in such a situation. I'd expect her to cry or at least freeze.

She clenched her teeth and almost bolted out of our now hiding place to confront them, and I unconsciously caught her by her arm to stop her. Her eyes shot back at me, her face filled with anger, sadness, and betrayal. I braced for a struggle but she didn't fight. Instead, she went eerily still.

"You're being impulsive," I said, and she stopped and just stared back at me. She looked down at my hand and then at me.

It all finally made sense about why she was rushing to get here and agreed to go up with us.

This was clearly a case of adultery.

"This has nothing to do with you. I didn't ask for your help." She didn't scream or struggle. Her voice was unnervingly level.

"I know," I said, and I stared into her eyes as she narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Then move," she commanded but I didn't. Not because I cared about her or what was going on, but because if anything, I hated it when there was a scene in my presence.

Whether I was involved or not.

"I said move," she commanded, her voice rose slightly.

That was probably her last warning.

I sighed and stepped back. This wasn't worth it. However, I did not want a scene in my presence. I cocked my head as I studied her subtle demeanor.

"Look around. Keep in mind about the place you're currently in. This isn't a bar."

Her jaw tightened as her eyes scanned the place. Despite how eerily calm she was after violently shaking earlier, I could still see the sadness and betrayal in her eyes.

"Whatever I decide to do doesn't concern you." she shot back as she glanced back at me, her doe eyes narrowing.

Placing my hands in my pockets, "Do as you please." I said, challenging her as I stepped back again.

She clenched her fists as she locked eyes with me, neither of us wanting to back down. Her mind seemed to wonder for a moment before she let out a sigh of defeat.

Without a word, she turned to her heal ans stormed towards the receptionist.

"I'd like to have my bags back, please," she said with a contrasting demeanor from a few seconds ago. Once she received her stuff, she turned to me, and we locked eyes again. With eyelids that rested normally on her face, she turned her head and gritted her jaw before storming off. 

My eyes followed her through the bay windows as she waved for a cab and immediately disappeared into the car.

What an incredibly intriguing woman.