The sky over Seoul was a bit too foggy as Hena walked into Madam Seo's penthouse office, uninvited and unafraid. She wore a crisp white blouse tucked into a black skirt, her hair pulled back in a braid—elegant but fierce. The scent of lavender filled the room, masking the tension thick in the air.
Madam Seo sat behind her mahogany desk, legs crossed, fingers tapping the armrest of her chair. Her expression was unreadable, but the silence between them was cold enough to cut through stone.
"I didn't expect you to come," Madam Seo said flatly.
"You summoned me," Hena replied with a smirk. "I was curious what trash you'd spew this time."
Madam Seo's lip curled. "Still disrespectful, I see. I thought you'd matured, but clearly, all you've learned is how to stir up scandals."
"I learned from the best," Hena said with biting sarcasm. "So, what's this final offer of yours?"
Madam Seo reached into her drawer and slid a black folder across the desk. "A new identity. A clean record. Five million dollars in international accounts. Disappear. Live a life of luxury far away from here. No more war. No more shame."
Hena didn't even touch the folder. She laughed—sharp and bitter. "So you're offering me hush money and exile?"
"I'm offering you freedom," Madam Seo said. "Because if you stay, I will destroy you. You have no allies. No power. And soon, no credibility."
"No allies?" Hena said, leaning in. "You're so busy playing queen you didn't even notice your army is gone. Your son has turned against you. Hara is no longer under your spell. And your empire is already cracking."
Madam Seo's eyes flared. "You ungrateful little—"
"No," Hena interrupted coldly. "You're the ungrateful one. You stole my life. My name. My inheritance. You turned my sister against me. You let me suffer while you wore the crown. And now you expect me to vanish just because you're scared your lies will collapse?"
Madam Seo stood up sharply. "I raised Hara. I built this empire. And I'll die before I hand it over to an orphan with a mouth full of insults."
"I'm not an orphan," Hena snapped. "I'm your biggest mistake. And I'm here to reclaim what's mine."
"You want a name? Take a grave marker," Madam Seo spat. "You're nobody. You will always be nobody."
Hena took a step closer, her voice rising. "Then why are you so desperate to make me disappear? Because deep down, you know I've already won."
Furious, Madam Seo slammed her hand against the desk. "Guards!"
Two security officers entered swiftly, eyes darting between the two women.
"Remove her," Madam Seo ordered, her voice trembling with rage. "Now!"
As the guards grabbed Hena's arms, she didn't fight them. She just laughed—loud, unfiltered, triumphant.
"You're shaking," she called over her shoulder. "Must be hard watching your kingdom rot from within!"
"Get out!" Madam Seo screamed, her face twisted in fury.
"See you in court, stepmother," Hena hissed before the doors slammed shut behind her.
---
Meanwhile, in an old villa on the outskirts of Seoul, Seo Jun-ho shuffled through dusty boxes in a locked storage room—one that once belonged to his late grandfather.
He pulled out a worn leather briefcase, its brass clasp rusted with time. Inside, he found documents—some faded, others intact.
His breath caught as he found a sealed envelope marked: For legal purposes: The twin heirs of Kang Dae-hyun and Seo Yoon-jin.
Jun-ho opened it slowly.
Inside were notarized birth records, early custody agreements, and handwritten notes from their biological father stating both Seo Hena and Seo Hara were equal legal heirs—not one, but two.
"So it's true," Jun-ho whispered. "She did steal everything."
He sat back in shock, piecing it all together. Madam Seo had lied not only to the world, but to her own children. She had taken advantage of a fractured family, manipulating the system to place only Hara as the legal heir while erasing Hena's identity completely.
Jun-ho's fingers trembled as he held the documents close. "It's over for her."
He pulled out his phone and dialed Hena.
She answered quickly. "Jun-ho?"
"I found it," he said. "Proof. Birth records. Signed documents from your father. You and Hara are both legal heirs."
There was a pause. Then Hena's quiet voice responded, "You just helped me win the war."
---
Back at the penthouse, Madam Seo sat alone, a glass of whiskey in her hand, staring at her reflection in the tall mirror by the window.
Her empire was crumbling. The children she had manipulated were slipping through her fingers. And now, the one girl she dismissed as insignificant had become the very sword pointed at her throat.
But she wasn't finished—not yet.
As the sun dipped below the skyline, she whispered to herself, "Let them come. I've survived worse."
But for the first time… she didn't sound so sure.