Krystal got a message asking her to immediately attend a meeting in the boardroom. Someone was in a real hurry, she though while she cancelled her lunch appointment with Amber. Not wanting to skip lunch altogether, she settled for a small sandwich as she bundled together the papers she had prepared and headed for the boardroom.

Sehun had wanted her to check out a new company he intended to buy. The case seemed much too straightforward as far as she was concerned, and she wondered why Sehun had bothered to ask for her help in the first place. Usually he made these decisions all by himself. Most likely he still felt bad about dumping that spy assignment on her, she chuckled.

Well, she had no intention of letting him off the hook just yet. Even though it smelled like a bad conscience that needed to be nursed, she was happy for the promotion he had given her. Sehun probably felt he had given her ample compensation for using her as bait. Still, the feeling of having been sold as a e still lurked in her mind - especially at night when she couldn't fill her mind with endless work.

As she strode into the boardroom she heard Sehun speaking to someone, but she couldn't quite make out who it was. There was something slightly familiar with the guest's voice, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly where she had heard that voice before.

"Ah, there you are, my dear," Sehun said at the other end of the room. "Close the door, will you?" She did as he asked and turned to greet his guest, before freezing solid as she met a pair of grey eyes she knew only too well.

"Miss Jung, meet my partner Kai Kim. Kai, this is Krystal Jung, my senior analyst," Sehun continued as if not realising his guests were staring daggers at each other. "Ah, of course, you've already met. How could I forget?" Sehun said in a tone that didn't convince any of them.

"What is she doing here?" Kai snarled at Sehun. "I thought you said you had fired her?"

"Now why would I do that? She's my best analyst, although her secretary skills are somewhat lacking," Sehun chuckled.

"She's what? An analyst? You told me she was a secretary?" Kai stared incomprehensively at Krystal. He frowned as he roamed his eyes over her formal business suit and her newly dyed, brownish hair, skilfully tamed into a tight coiffure with not a single strand of hair misplaced. "And she looked a lot different the last time I saw her as well."

"All right, it seems I have some explaining to do. No, stay here!" he commanded as Krystal turned away and headed for the door. "This concerns you as well, my dear."

"This is your mistress, isn't it, uncle? What would Emma say if she knew?"

"How dare you!" Krystal said icily while she prepared to scratch out Kai's eyes with her bare hands. "Sehun is my friend, although I'm beginning to reconsider the friendship now. Especially considering his relationship to you."

"Calm down both of you. Let me explain everything. I really thought you two hotheads would have calmed down by now and started behaving like adults, but it seems I have some explaining to do."

"What's to explain?" Krystal asked icily. "You sent me to investigate a fraud case involving a CEO. Only you forgot to tell me he was this precious nephew of yours."

"Uh well, yes. We've been worried about him for years. He has always been falling for the wrong kind of women and since he showed no interest in trying to locate the right woman, I decided to help him along."

"What fraud?" Kai interrupted. "Who said anything about fraud?"

"You told me to keep an eye on your own nephew? Did you seriously think he was a criminal or something? Or was it simply a trick to fool me?"

"Not exactly. I needed a good excuse to send him a woman I thought would be perfect for him, that's why. So I told you to investigate him while he thought he was doing me a favour by giving one of my secretaries a temporary job."

"Actually, you told me she seduced one of the married blokes and that you needed her out of the way for a while," Kai said coldly. "That should have given me a clue."

"He did what? Sehun, did you really tell him that?"

Sehun looked sheepishly for a few seconds. "But it worked," he started. "It worked really well. You were both aware of each other and you were hitting off really well. And if all the rumours have some truth in them, you have created a lot of steam lately."

Krystal ignored the blush that was threatening to colour her cheeks even warmer than they already were.

"You used me as bait, is what you did," she spoke louder now. Barely controlling the anger in her voice as she stated the obvious to Sehun. "Dangled me in front of him and just waiting for him to swallow. Like a damn carrot in front of a donkey. Now I understand why I had to wear those ghastly clothes. It was to make me resemble the loose women he usually prefers."

"Now wait a minute," Kai interrupted. "I can find my own women, thank you very much, uncle. There was no use in trying to steer me in a certain direction -- even if the bait was tempting." He gave Krystal a wink as he gave her a hot look. She didn't calm down one bit.

"I won't be treated like a fruit of any sort," she said angrily.

"Ahem, it's a vegetable, by the way," Kai interrupted.

"What?"

"The carrot. It's a vegetable."

"I don't care what it is. He's treating me like a guinea pig. To see how much skin it takes to get his nephew pumped up and ready to blow."

"Now wait a minute..." Kai exploded.

"Sit down, both of you," Sehun ordered. "I want you both to just sit tight and listen for a while. I've had quite enough of arguments from the both of you. That is why I arranged this meeting. I want to tell you the truth."

"About what?" Kai managed to say between clenched teeth as they reluctantly sat down in chairs as far away from each other as they could.

"About the assignment I gave Krystal."

"You sent her to spy on me. I already know that."

"Yes, I told her I suspected embezzlement and wanted her to take a look at it."

"Embezzlement? And you suspected me?"

"Of course," Krystal said har