Lu Han’s POV

“Do you promise?” I asked her and she looked at me.

“Promise what?” She said.

“Do you promise that I’ll feel better when we reach the top?” I said and she only nodded.

“Definitely.” She said and flashed me her gorgeous smile.

I felt my heart flip for the first time today. She managed to make my body react to everything she did. Every movement she made.

 “Things will get better from here my . Broken promises are certainly your thing Ji Hyun.” I muttered and tossed polaroid of us on my desk. I swirled my chair around and reached out to grab a drink from my office’s mini bar. Taking a can of beer without much thought I opened it and placed on the coaster before I would dive into my paperworks again.

I was going through one of project proposals for next month when I heard my doors barging open. I looked up and rolled my eyes seeing Baek Hyun striding in clutching a piece of paper.

I was just about to ignore him when he slammed his fist onto my desk making me look back up at him.

“What the hell Hyung? You’re cutting off ten employees from my department!?” He complained and I stopped reading the project proposal to look back at him and smirk. He stood there impatiently with crossed arms tapping his foot on the oak wood flooring of my office.

“Budget restraints.” I muttered and he glared at me before shaking his head. He clearly did not believe my excuse.

“What budget restraints? My department sent your stocks through the roof. You and I know that perfectly. Cut your bull and tell my why the hell you are laying back ten people from my department!? If you are pissed off with me then take it out with me, not with my team members.” He threatened and I only sighed inwardly as I pinched my nose bridge.

Baek Hyun wasn’t dense, he knew that I was pissed with him, but he didn’t know why. I took a sip from my beer before standing up and made my way to casually sit on the edge of the table to face him.

“Fine. I saw you talking to Ji Hyun. I saw how you held her by the waist and it ticked me off.” I said telling him off. He seemed to be taken aback by what I said. But he only reached out to tap me on the shoulder, as if comforting me and I rounded my eyes in disbelief.

“Hyung. Have you talked to her since she came back? Not formal talk, but you know talked.” He asked me and I shrugged off his arm on my shoulder.

“No. In case you forgot, she doesn’t answer my calls. And the one time she did, all she managed to say was that she just got hitched to the guy that she truly loves. That wasn’t me Baek. She didn’t pick me.” I raged and he seemed taken aback by my outburst.

He took a step back but nevertheless was still calm. He backed into one of the lounge chairs that were in front of my desk and only looked me in the eye.

“Did you ever think that she could have possibly harbored feelings for you? Even once?” He asked me and I leaned against the edge of my desk knowing the answer to his question.

She didn’t harbor feelings for me. Having the need to bring her true love here while she did her covert operation proved enough for me. I was still thinking negatively about her when Baek spoke.

“You know what, don’t even answer my question. Just put out a notice that you are not laying back my people. Bye Hyung.” He hissed and stood up to step out of my office. I stared at his retreating figure biting my tongue to stop myself from stopping him.

Because no matter how pissed I was I still cared so much for her. I still wanted to know how she felt even if it was as clear as day how her feelings went for me.

Just before he could close the door I decided that I would just throw it out there. My relationship with Baek Hyun was already strained enough as it is. I wouldn’t get a chance like this again.

“How is she Baek?” I called out and he froze by door. Turning his head back to get a good hard look at me. I kept my gaze looking straight but still avoiding his eyes. I knew that he was sizing me up, he had to know where I was with the thought of her before answering me. That was clear in his actions.

“She’s happy. She’s happy with Hani. She’s as happy as any other person that got arranged to be married Hyung. She’s just making the best of it.” He said with pity in his voice. I looked him in the eyes and immediately gulped seeing how sincere he was.

He had to be lying right? He had to be joking. She wanted nothing to do with me. She left me. He had to be covering for her. Baek Hyun did like her at some point.

I heard him mutter something else but I was too spaced out to here. I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

“What was that?” I asked and he shook his head at me.

“Never mind. It’s not my right to tell you in the first place. It needs to come from Ji Hyun. Hyung, just… Ugh… Try looking back at what you two went through. You’ll see something there. I know you will.” He said and turned back to leave. I turned away from him and made my way back to my desk.

Just as I was about to sit down. I heard the door click but it didn’t click again. I raised an eyebrow and saw Baek looking incredulous at Jinah. She had a downcast expression, I gulped and wished that she wasn’t standing out of my office the whole time.

Baek Hyun greeted her then looked at me briefly before stepping out. When the door closed Jinah looked back at me and I immediately felt guilty. We were both arranged to marry each other and the least I could do was make her feel like she was wanted.

She spoke first to break the tension in the room.

“Lu. I-uh. I think I need to tell you that I understand? Yea. I understand. I understand and know about your past with Ms Kwon Ji Hyun. You don’t have to marry me just to please your grandfather.” She confessed and I gulped seeing how sincere she was.

I looked at her and saw how she was wringing her fingers out of some nervous bit that was probably playing in her head. I sighed and motioned her forward to sit on the chairs in front of me.

I didn’t know how to comfort her without getting her hopes up. Because honestly, her only purpose for me was to be my wife and seal a solid merger with their company. But it never made sense for my Abeoji to choose their company in particular. They weren’t that well- off but I remember that it was for wider opportunities, apparently they were close enough to some YG loyal clients and we would try to make them jump ship to us.

Regardless though, I needed to make her life all the more bearable.

“Jinah, you're my fiancée, I won’t end this engagement just like that. I’m sorry if you felt that way. It’s true, I go way back with Ji Hyun, but that’s all in the past. Let’s just concentrate on us alright?” I assured her and she looked up before biting her lip.

She nodded and stood up to make her way closer to me. My eyes rounded seeing how bold she was, when she was close enough to me she leaned against my desk. Seeing her long legs up close made me gulp the saliva that was building up in my mouth. She made me nervous, taking into account how demure she was since we first met.

“Okay, so uh, I know that our marriage is supposed to help you get some of YG Enterprises’ loyal clients. But I have something better in mind, SM and YG have an ongoing feud. It has been going on for too long, I suggest we end it.” She said and batted her eyelashes at me.

I stared at her a bit too long and shook my head taking in everything she said. End the feud? How? The only way you can actually end the feud between our families is to merge the two companies together. It was always a rivalry, and neither family would concede. The best possible solution was to merge us together.

I still wondering what she planned when she suddenly spoke.

“I know what you're thinking about. And marriage is not the only merger. We can buy stocks. Or better yet, buy enough stocks t