Juri

I stopped on my tracks and turned back to him, my heart skipping a beat at the low, stern rumble of his voice. I couldn't tell if I found his voice amusing or terrifying.

"You are already aware that we are planning to expand into homewear, correct?" he asked.

I eyed him carefully. Was this another Elyvion trivia round?

I nodded.

"You've already heard that I'm rumored to be the future successor of the Hwaon group, too, correct?"

Where was he going with this? He stopped twirling his pen and looked directly into my eyes as if to study me.

"How is your relationship after what happened on Saturday?" he asked, and my heart jumped to my chest. There it was.

I wasn't taken too much by surprise, though. There wasn't anyone who wouldn't be curious about what happened after that day. Even for the Ice King himself.

I fidgeted, twirling my fingers together in sheer embarrassment while biting my lower lip. His question ignited a huge wave of emotions that I tried hard to bury.

"Manager Kim?" he called out, and I snapped out of it and locked eyes with him again.

"Why are you asking?" I asked, my voice cracking as I tried hard not to make him see how upset I was.

"I'm not asking because I want to embarrass you," he replied coldly.

Dang it, he read right through me.

He continued, "I just need to confirm where you stand. After what happened, are you planning to get revenge?"

"Revenge?"

He bluntly laid everything down without skipping a beat, "You have an unfaithful boyfriend who has a child on the way with whom I believe is your friend. Judging by your personality, you may want to tear them apart, but you currently lack the leverage."

"Mr. Lee. We shouldn't mix personal matters with work. Please drop this topic."

I shut down, my voice rising subtly.

"This is a matter of work."

I narrowed my gaze as he stood up and shoved his hands into his tailored suit.

"Let me first explain the conglomerate issue," he continued, "Daehan Group uses old money, I want global expansion. You are a biracial manager who understands our local elite, but more importantly, your perspective is key to launching our homewear line. I want you to be our brand's future face."

I stared at him, my jaw slightly dropped. What was he on about? And he wasn't joking either.

"So you want me to model...?" I asked, my pitch unintentionally rising at the end.

He shook his head.

"No. More than that, I need a partner," he said as he slowly walked around the table and towards me. His steps were slow, intentional, and calculated.

My body slowly shifted towards his direction as I traced his every movement. He leaned down, his face stopping inches from mine as his piercing, sharp eyes met my gaze.

"Let's get married," he declared, his voice steady and his gaze still as cold as ice.

I stared at him, utterly bewildered. "What?"

My heart raced. Had I fallen into some sort of madness? I barely knew this man!

I blinked, utterly trapped by the sharp tilt of his eyes as he waited for my answer.

He leaned back, giving me space to stand up. I cleared my throat and immediately stood up from my seat. My eyes darted across his face, searching the flawless line of his jaw and the stillness of his mouth for any sign that this was a cruel joke.

"If this is a joke, Mr. Lee, then it's not funny at all."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze dropping to my lips as if he had physically misheard the words coming out of them, "Do I look like someone who would joke to you?"

My heart skipped a beat. He was dead serious. I stuttered, "B-But we barely even know each other. How could you casually ask me to marry you?"

Was this a chaebol thing?

He sighed, "Don't get it twisted, I'm not asking for your hand in marriage because I'm fond of you, I'm making a business proposal. Marry me for one year. You'll get armor against your friend and ex-boyfriend and total financial independence for the rest of your life, even after we divorce. I get a brilliant strategist, a bulletproof narrative for the board, and a way to prove my worth is built on talent, not his permission."

Taking a deep breath to clear my head, I realized that this was a good proposal.

A great one, in fact.

To be entirely honest, I didn't know how to orchestrate my revenge on Nari and Juwon. Nari always told me how she wanted to marry a rich, handsome man. So, if I married him, it'd be the perfect revenge. He was incredibly wealthy, powerful, and...drop-dead gorgeous.

"What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"I..." I paused and pushed up my glasses. Marrying a man with such a background like him also had it's downsides. What about his family? They obviously wouldn't accept me. And there's no definite way of telling how the world would react.

I took in a deep breath, "Will you be able to protect me?" I asked. For a split second, the sharp edge left his eyes, replaced by a blank, processing stillness.

I continued, "If I marry you, I'll be thrown into a completely different world. There's no telling the dangers that could follow. We never know how the world will see us. Plus, I don't even know what your family's like. What if they reject me? I don't come from the same background."

"Of course, they will reject you."

My brows furrowed.

"If I were doing this for my family, don't you think I would've married someone with the same background?"

He continued, "Further, do you truly think I'm not capable of protecting you?" he asked, his voice dropping to a cold, quiet, piercing register.

I gulped.

I don’t understand why I felt that way, but deep down, I knew this man would protect me. More than Juwon or Nari ever could. However, marrying a complete stranger was utter lunacy.

And yet…

I clenched my fists, my mind wringing as a new set of determination hit me.

La vie de loca

“Okay, I will marry you.”

A subtle smirk crossed his lips as he cocked his head.

“Do you understand that once you agree to marry me, there is no going back. I work fast.”

I nodded in determination. I didn’t want to think about it further because I knew I would later regret it. However, in the lowest valley, the only way from there is up. I understood that I was being impulsive, but revenge was the only thing I knew would keep me from losing my mind.

His gaze slowly glided to my trembling lips, and I bit into them as I tried to compose the adrenaline I felt. As I did, I noticed a slight twitch in his gaze.

Just then, Mrs. Min stepped into his office, and he immediately turned away.

“You may leave.”

He dismissed me with a cold tone. I bowed and immediately left, trying to compose the heat rushing to my cheeks.

Why was he staring at my lips like that?