The Seoul skyline glittered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of their suite, a dazzling mix of ancient palaces and neon K-pop billboards. Sharon stood by the glass, arms crossed, but she wasn't seeing the view. All she could see was the ghost of a text message: Miss you, Tokyo boy.
Kenzo approached from behind, his voice soft. "Sharon. Talk to me." The CEO was gone. This was just the man.
She whirled around, eyes flashing. "Talk? Your ex texts you while we're... like that... and your solution is to ignore it? Who is she, Kenzo? The ancient history who still has a direct line to you?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "Nadia Hibana. We dated two years ago. She was a model who leaked my merger plans to a rival. I dumped her and blocked her everywhere. This?" He waved his phone. "She must have gotten a new number to send that. She's obsessed."
Sharon's laugh was sharp and bitter. "Obsessed? Or is there unfinished business? I saw your face. You were flustered. Let's be real, I'm your secretary. Your fake fiancée. A few kisses on a jet don't make me your girlfriend."
Her words cut deep. Kenzo closed the distance between them. "You're wrong. You're everything. The one who saved the company from a hack. The one who charmed my entire family. The one I can't stop thinking about at 3 a.m." His hand came up to cradle her cheek, his touch gentle. "Nadia is poison. You're the only thing that feels real."
She trembled under his touch but forced herself to pull away. "Prove it. Block her. Right now."
It was a test. Her walls were high.
Without a second of hesitation, he pulled out his phone, pulled up the number, and hit block with a final, dramatic tap. "Done. I'm yours."
But she just shook her head, grabbing her purse from a chair. "I need air. I'll see you at the summit dinner."
"Sharon—"
The hotel room door slammed shut, echoing in the silence and she was gone.
Grand Ballroom Merger Gala
The ballroom was a sea of crystal chandeliers, designer suits, and elegant gowns. Kenzo sat stone-faced at the Hayashi Tech table, a glass of sake remain untouched in front of him. His eyes scanned the crowd until he found her.
Across the room, Sharon was a vision in emerald silk, a dress she'd packed "just in case." She was laughing at something Leo Nakamura was saying. His rival, champagne flute in hand, was leaning in far too close.
"Sharon-chan," Nakamura said, his voice carrying just enough. "A woman like you is wasted on Hayashi. My Seoul branch needs a leader. I could use a partner." He winked, his hand settling on her elbow.
With a soft crack, the delicate fork in Kenzo's hand bent. Not again. He was on his feet, weaving through the tables with a predator's focus. By the time he reached them, Nakamura was whispering, "My yacht tomorrow? Just us."
"Get your hand off her," Kenzo growled, inserting himself physically between them. His voice was low but lethal. Heads turned at nearby tables.
Leo Nakamura just smirked. "The jealous CEO returns. Relax, Hayashi. She's a free agent."
Sharon flushed with embarrassment. "Kenzo, stop it—"
"No." He turned to her, his voice breaking, forgetting the crowd, the cameras, everything. "This fight isn't with him. It's with me. That text from Nadia felt like a gut punch, I get it. But the thought of losing you? That's the end for me. That's it."
Cameras flashed, capturing the raw, public confession.
Nakamura chuckled. "Drama queens. Enjoy your impending bankruptcy, Hayashi." He sauntered off, leaving them in a bubble of tense silence.
Sharon's eyes glistened with unshed tears, a mix of anger, hurt, and something else. "You humiliated me. You humiliated us."
"I'm desperate," he admitted, his voice rough. He couldn't do this here. Taking her hand, he pulled her through a side door onto a deserted terrace overlooking the city.
The cool night air hit them. "I'm desperate because I need you, Sharon. Not for patents or mergers." He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his inside jacket pocket, her resignation letter, carried like a curse. "Rip it and stay. Please."
Her breath hitched. Her fingers brushed his as she took the letter. For a moment, he thought he saw her soften. Then, with a sharp tear, she ripped it in two, then again, letting the pieces fall like confetti to the ground.
"Idiot," she whispered, a single tear tracing a path down her cheek. "You think I'd actually leave after all this?"
Hope surged in his chest. "Sharon—"
"But that's all this changes," she said, her voice firming, walls slamming back up. "I'll stay. As your secretary. Nothing more. We're done with the rest."
Before he could say another word, she turned and walked back inside, leaving him alone on the terrace with the shreds of his hope.
He returned to the ballroom, humiliated and hollow. He sank into his chair at the now empty table and grabbed a bottle of sake, pouring glass after glass. The world began to blur at the edges, the noise fading into a dull roar in his ears.
"Well, well. What do we have here?"
A familiar, silken voice cut through his haze. Nadia stood before him, dressed in a daring crimson gown, a playful smirk on her painted lips.
Kenzo didn't even look up. "Go away, Nadia."
She slid into the seat beside him, uninvited. "I saw your little scene. So dramatic. I always told you, Kenzo, you shouldn't date your secretary. It's so... messy for the company's image." Her tone was light, teasing.
He focused on pouring another drink, his movements awkward.
"Though," she purred, leaning closer, "you never had these problems with me. You never should have let me go."
He just gave a hollow, alcohol-fueled smile. It wasn't really him anymore.
"Okay, that's enough," Nadia said, her voice shifting from teasing to serious. She gently took the glass from his hand. "Let's get you out of here." She helped him stand, supporting his weight as she requested a car from a valet. "Where are you staying, Kenzo? Tell me your hotel."
He was too far gone to answer clearly, mumbling incoherently as she guided him into the back of the luxury sedan. As the car started moving through the neon-lit streets, Nadia looked at his slumped, miserable form. A glint of something like regret crossed her face. Maybe I caused all this.
Suddenly, Kenzo moved. His eyes, clouded with alcohol and pain, focused on her. In a swift, desperate motion, he grabbed her shoulders and crushed his lips against hers.