NABI

The last time she had gone through a breakup was way back in high school. But it wasn’t even that serious—or at least, she didn’t feel nearly as much as she did for Han Sungjae. He wasn’t even a good guy, and she was only realizing that now. It wasn’t because he was from a lower-class family. He just didn’t … really care for her. He was simply there when she wanted an escape.

He was different. Different in a way that … Nabi felt safe from the pain she was feeling at the moment. At the time, she wanted to escape everything that contained her all her life. She wanted to forget about her dad, and her fate as an heiress. All her life, she had been nothing but dedicated to Inha Corporation. She loved every second of it … with a passion.

That was until her father passed. He was the only person who saw her for what she was, not for what she was expected to be as an heiress. He treated her like a human being—his precious little daughter.

He used to always tell her that whatever it was that she may want to try as a career later, even if it didn’t have anything to do with the company, he was going to support her no matter what. But she was so devoted to her father that she didn’t want to try anything else but to be the heiress to Inha Corporation. She wanted to make him proud that way, she wanted to help him build the empire that he had been working hard for. She knew how much the company meant to him.

And then he was gone. Just like that.

Nabi wiped the tears on her face as she stared at her reflection at the mirror. Today, as instructed by her mother, she was going to visit the Byun’s to make a proposal regarding their previous agreement that never took place.

A few years back, she had met up with the heir of Byun group—Byun Baekbeom—and she was open to it, very much so. She thought he was a good guy, a very passionate heir to their company, just like her.

Too bad he passed … the same night.

She could still remember the shock that she felt. She had only met him once; she barely knew him in fact. But he was so young, and he died so suddenly.

“Are you ready yet? Are you sure you don’t want to make a formal invitation for a meeting with them?”

She turned to see her mother standing by the door of her walk-in closet. “Mom, I just don’t want them to feel uncomfortable. We haven’t been in touch with them since Baekbeom … I want to beat around the bush first before making it about business right away. I haven’t seen Mr. Byun in a long time since his son passed, and I don’t want to be that kind of person to remind him of an old agreement that relates to Baekbeom. It’s going to crush him.” She explained the best way that she could. She explained the way her father would have done it if he were still alive.

Her mother didn’t think the same way, however.

She was different than her late father.

All her mother cared about was their reputation, their power, their money. She could still recall her mother’s petty reaction upon learning about Byun Baekbeom’s death. She was furious because she felt cheated by the Byuns. Apparently, in her mother’s exact words at the time, there could have been some other ways to proceed with the merge, they still have another son after all. So, what if the other one died?

“Mom.” She sighed.

“Okay okay, fine. I’m just saying, if your father had listened to me three years ago and went on to send their living son next to see you instead and—”

“Mom—” Nabi scoffed in disbelief. “Do you hear yourself right now? They lost a family, and you were still thinking about business? The living son, as you call him—he had just lost his brother at the time, and you wanted him to go on a blind date with me? Like what—days? Weeks after his brother died?”

Without arguing any more, her mother just waved both hands in defeat and walked out—as if what she had said was nothing at all. Nabi followed and walked out of her closet. She watched as her mother took out a can of soda from her mini fridge next to her reading desk. “Mom, just trust me—I will handle this the best way I can. The way that … Dad would have handled it. Please trust me?” She asked, almost pleading.

“No. Your dad was too nice. I want you to go there and not beat around the bush because we can’t waste time. Tell them why you’re there, and how we’re there to save them. We have the upper hand in this situation, show them that. Do you understand me?”

“But Mom—”

“No buts. I don’t want them to be in any more trouble from the scandal before we take them in. This is us basically buying them off. Do you not understand that? Their business is declining rapidly everyday, and we need to do some serious damage control soon. No heart, just business, darling. Do as a say, that’s it. I am done talking to you about this, Lee Nabi.” Her mother ordered with a sharp tone before walking out of the bedroom with her drink.

Nabi just stood there completely dumbfounded. While her mother was also known to be an excellent businesswoman, her style was very different from her father. Her parents were like night and day—but it was also why they were such a good balance. But now the one of them was gone, she’d been finding herself behaving like her mother more—mostly because she was forced to.

No heart, just business, as her mother always said.

“Well, this is cute.”

Nabi tilted her head on one side, wondering if she had seen the familiar face somewhere. She came to Byun Group’s headquarters hoping to meet up with Byun Junho. But clearly, this guy isn’t him. This must be the son. The living son. Well, who else could it be? Now that she thought about it, the guy definitely resembled the late Byun Baekbeom. But also, he seemed to resemble another person that she—

Oh god.

Her eyes widen in realization, and she felt her body get stiff. It can’t be. She must be mistaken. She wished she was. But from the way the guy looked back at her knowingly, she feared to be absolutely right about this.

Do not panic.

Everything is going to be okay.

He won’t recognize her.

She looked totally different today compared to that day.

There was no way—

“It’s nice to see you looking professional today and not … all snotty anymore. Miss Snotty Girl.” The man complimented—if you’d call that a compliment.

“Excuse me?”

Instead of shaking her hand that’s already raised mid-air across the desk, the man just flopped back on his chair. Nabi replayed the words that just came out of his mouth, hoping she had misheard some of them. Did he just call her Miss Snotty Girl? Nobody has ever name-called her like that. Well, except when Sungjae would sarcastically call her Miss CEO when they would fight. But that didn’t count because she r