Kim Yongsun blinked continuously when she was greeted by a captivating beauty at the door of the penthouse on the top floor. She had ethereal visuals with her well-balanced and delicate facial features. Her enviable large, round eyes were adorably bleary, framed by fluttering eyelashes, the most entrancing facial feature on her small face. Her adorable and drowsy charm was strengthened by her tousled hair tied up in a messy bun, revealing her pale and flawless neck. Her gaze fell on her elegant shoulder, bared carelessly due to the largeness of her see-through dress shirt.

The injured manager realised that someone else had caught Byulyi holding her so intimately and she wanted to be set down. Byulyi ignored her request, cradling the embarrassed woman close to her.

“Moonshine, you’re here,” greeted the sleepy beauty. Her tired gaze fell on the foreign woman in her arms and she became alert. “Is that my patient?”

Yongsun’s eyes widened slightly at Byulyi’s nickname, turning to look at the platinum-haired woman who was holding her like her bride. Byulyi rolled her eyes, barging into the apartment. The mahogany door opened to uncluttered and airy living room, painted in a soft, neutral colour, a soothing backdrop.

A plush and luxurious sectional sofa of grey was adorned with soft throw pillows in a mix of black or white and subtle patterns.  A stylish, dark grey coffee table sat in front of the sofa, its sleek design complementing the overall aesthetic. The personal yard through the floor-to-celling windows that took the entire wall looked perfect to raise an active dog.

“Is the bedroom set up?” Byulyi asked nonchalantly.

“Of course, CEO Moonbyul. It is as per your orders,” mocked the exhausted doctor, yawning again. She covered with her hand. “Put her on the bed. I want to examine my patient.”

The CEO did not need any urging as she strode to the end of the corridor, decorated with tasteful art pieces and entered an expansive bedroom that was the very size of the rooftop apartment that she was renting.

The walls of the bedroom were painted in a soothing shade of light lavender. Silky, flowing curtains in a pale ivory colour framed the large windows. A grand, king-sized bed was adorned with plush, silky sheets in a delicate shade of powder blue. The bedspread, crafted from the finest satin, complements the pastel colour scheme of lavender and ivory. Pillows of various sizes, covered in lavish fabrics, were neatly arranged against the headboard.

Yongsun was impressed by the tasteful decorations of the bedroom. Her gaze drawn to the medical monitoring equipment set up near the bed. She felt like she had just entered a lavish private room of a hospital.

Byulyi crossed the bedroom boldly to the large bed in the middle, her footsteps muted by the cream-clouded carpet. She set the injured Yongsun gently on the bed, careful not to jostle her too much. The older woman let out a sinful moan instinctively, blushing fiercely when she felt like she was sinking into soft, fluffy clouds. The fragrance of fresh sheets filling her nostrils.

The change of elevation sent her head spinning and her face contorted.

“Unnie, are you OK?” Byulyi asked gently when she noticed her fleeting frown. The bitter taste of distress weaved into the irresistible clean scent of lemon and bergamot added to Yongsun’s unease.

“Just a headache, Byul,” replied Yongsun at once, drawn in by the deep concern in her surprisingly azure eyes. She tried to smile but it came out as an ugly wince.

“I’ll get ice,” offered the silver-haired CEO when she realised that her presence could not ease Yongsun’s discomfort. After all, she wasn’t her mate.

Byulyi’s gaze fell on the doctor when she righted herself. “Ah, I forgot my manners,” stated the CEO, running her hand through her silver hair absently. She was so consumed by her worry for Yongsun that she ignored everything else. She gestured to the elfin beauty next to her. “Unnie, this is Dr Irene Bae, one of my personal physicians. She stays in this building too.”

“Dr Bae,” greeted Yongsun respectfully, her stomach knotted at the sight of this beautiful and sophisticated elfin doctor standing very close to Byulyi. “I’m Solar Kim.”

“Ms Kim, you’re a polite one, aren’t you?” Dr Bae smiled attractively. She had a charisma that drew others to her. “How did you get this impolite woman to address you with an honorific?” She jerked a thumb at the grumpy CEO. “Let me examine you once I get this troublemaker out of our hair.” She turned to look Byulyi impatiently. “Aren’t you going to get ice, Moonshine? Go ahead then.”

The proud and dominant CEO did not react to her rude dismissal. She simply obeyed the doctor and did her bidding.

“That’s a first,” remarked Dr Bae under her breath, part-amused and part-confused. She was expecting a challenge from the silver-haired alpha. She glanced at Yongsun speculatively, wondering if she was the source of the change. Dr Bae resumed her professional self and began her examination, asking Yongsun questions about her injury. She hummed in acknowledgment as she helped the injured woman to remove the make-shift neck support after snapping on rubber gloves. Her brows winged upwards when she realised that the neck support turned out to be a Thom Browne dinner jacket. “What a wastrel,” groused Dr Bae, shaking her head lightly. She checked her neck and head closely. “A bruise on the right cheek and another one above your left temple.”

Yongsun nodded.

Dr Bae checked Yongsun’s eyes with a penlight and frowned.

“Moonbyul is right,” sighed the elfin doctor, meeting Yongsun’s gaze. “Ms Kim, you’re experiencing a mild concussion. We need to observe you for the next twelve hours to ensure that you’re fine. I’ll also set a canula first just in case you present other symptoms like vomiting.”

Yongsun grimaced at once. “Dr Bae, may I go home soon?”

The beautiful doctor shook her head lightly. “The symptoms of a minor concussion could worsen at any moment,” explained Dr Bae matter-of-fact, observing the manager closely. “Why don’t you ask CEO Moonbyul for help?”

The manager sighed, shifting uneasily in bed. “I’ll talk to Byul then.”

“Byul huh,” parroted Dr Bae curiously, studying her patient for several moments. She prepared for the minor procedure. “This is going to sting a little, Ms Kim,” stated the doctor as she sat next to her. She set the canula on her forearm swiftly and placed a tape to hold it to her skin. “This is precautionary, Ms Kim. If you became too queasy, we could relieve your symptoms with medicine.”

“Thank you, Dr Bae. Thank you for going to the trouble of treating me.”

“You’re so polite, Ms Kim. Will you teach that ingrate some manners?” The exhausted doctor sighed, discarding the used items into a bio-hazard bag. “She’s even worse now.”

“Do you mean Byul?” Yongsun asked, curiously. She did not know enough of Byulyi to come to that conclusion. She had observed the interactions between Byulyi and her men in the pub and noticed that she treated others very aloofly.

“The one and only,” added Dr Bae, her lips on a cusp of smile.

Yongsun averted her gaze and mumbled. “Dr Bae, this is only our third meeting—”

“—Well, if this was the third date in other countries, it is good enough to invite for a nightcap.” Dr Bae winked at her patient playfully. “And here comes the ice,” mused the elfin doctor, mirth in her brown eyes.

The handsome platinum-haired woman returned to the bedroom carrying a large icebox effortlessly and set it next to the bed. “How is Unnie?”

“Mild concussion. She needs to be monitored for twelve hours. You know the drill,” stated Dr Bae casually.

“And Unnie’s cheek?” Byuly asked flatly, her eyes narrowing at the doctor’s nonchalance. Her heckles rose at the thought that Dr Bae had conducted a slipshod examination.

“Simply just a superficial bruise, Moonshine—”

“—Will you be serious?” Byulyi hissed, scowling.

Irene’s eyes enlarged before she genuinely looked at the combative and irritated silver-haired woman standing between the bed and her.

Silence stretched between the doctor and the CEO awkwardly. Dr Bae finally compromised when she understood the reason for her friend’s grumpiness. “Moonbyul, I’m a doctor first before anything else,” spoke the lovely petite doctor, holding her gazes steadily. “I forgive you for believing that I would be so unprofessional. I have already given Ms Kim a throughout preliminary examination and conclude that she is suffering from a mild concussion after bumping her head. The rest of the bruises are superficial. I could perform an X-ray if you doubt my expertise—”

“—Dr Bae, thank you for your wonderful service,” interjected Yongsun respectfully, noticing their antagonistic body postures. She did not want to be a cause of a fight. A headache was building from the exchange of harsh words.

Byulyi noticed the pallor of Yongsun’s face and frowned. “Unnie, I’m sorry.” She approached the bed slowly, her head bowed, her eyes gleaming with worry.

Irene sighed, shaking her head when she saw the profound fixation of Byulyi on the patient, as if her universe only had the blonde omega. Was her long-time friend aware of her intense possessiveness?

“I’ll leave the puppy to handle the care of Ms Kim,” quipped Irene, yawning again. “Is she coming over soon?”

Byulyi glanced and the doctor and nodded mutedly. She contemplated for several moments before she met the gaze of the doctor. “Thank you, Bae-chu.”

Irene harrumphed. “Finally, grouchy Moonshine. Don’t be a stranger. I’ll let myself out now.” She exited the bedroom smoothly, closing the door behind her.

“Bae-chu?” Yongsun echoed, stiffening in the bed.

Byulyi smiled faintly, her nose scrunched charmingly. She sat on the chair that Irene had vacated. “What’s wrong, Unnie? Dr Bae is spoken for.” She studied the pale and tired woman and her heart ached.  Her silver brows furrowed as she brushed the errant lock of hair away from Yongsun’s face.

The older woman closed her eyes to savour that sweet casual touch, the lines on her face relaxing. How she wished time could just stop. This felt so right. She chose to enjoy the sheer perfection that her universe had fallen in place and that serenity in her soul that surged through her system like a calm, balmy breeze.

Yongsun knew that she was just avoiding the issue; there were plenty of questions to ask, uncomfortable ones that would shatter this flimsy façade of harmony between she and the beautiful platinum-haired woman. There was that heated argument outside of her rooftop apartment that remained unresolved, plaguing them in the back of their minds. For now, she chose to savour the attentive care of the anxious silver-haired alpha whose irresistible and clean scent of lemon and bergamot was affected by the bitter taste of distress. She knew that if she wanted to wrestle control back from the CEO, the latter would concede at once.

The CEO did not break the companionable silence, watching over her quietly. She took out a cold pack from the ice box after several moments. “Unnie, I will need to press the cold pack to your cheek.” She looked apologetic.

“It’s OK, Byul.” Yongsun reached for her hand and guided the cold pack to her swollen cheek. She winced at the cold compress but gripped Byulyi’s hand firmly to prevent the younger woman from withdrawing it at the sight of her pain. “Lesson number one of a parent,” joked Yongsun, meeting the worried gaze of the handsome alpha. “Sometimes, you just need to ignore the pain of your pup and do what is best for them.”

Byulyi smiled faintly, mirth dancing in her eyes. “Unnie, are you accusing me of being too protective of you?”

Yongsun rolled her eyes. “I’m not accusing you, Byul.” She paused for a moment and noted the surprise in her eyes. Ah, the CEO was conscious of her protective ways. “Byul, you’re protective of me.” She sighed, scratching the side of her nose. “Anyway, our son might be very mature but you’ll have to discipline him one day. You’ll have to bear with the pain and do what’s best for him.”

The silver-haired woman nodded attentively. A lump of emotions formed in . “Unnie, thank you for raising our son so well.” She coughed, trying to hide the surge of emotions at Yongsun’s willingness to allow her into Dopul’s life. Tears welled in her blue eyes. “I…I have so many questions.”

The sight of a strong woman’s tears clawed deeply into Yongsun’s heart. She could not imagine the depth of emotions that the younger woman was experiencing. She always had the assumption that alphas were less susceptible to intense emotions but it didn’t seemed the case for Byulyi, an archetype of a stoic and dominant alpha.

“Me too.” Yongsun answered, staring deeply into her eyes. From the way that Byulyi had stiffened, Yongsun knew that she understood her true meaning. She sighed wearily, hating to destroy this serenity. However, her worries about this dangerous woman still plagued her mind. “Why were you outside the staff waiting area?”

The affection in Byulyi’s gaze vanished at once. “I was speaking to GM Ahn about remuneration of the private performance. We took a while to come to an agreement,” explained Byulyi evasively. “Anyway, I was walking out of his office when I caught your scent of distress.” Her silver brows contracted at the memory of her panic. So many things could have happened in a pub. Her heart was pounding so hard, it almost leapt out of .

“The office is on the other end of the corridor, Byul,” mused Yongsun.

The CEO dipped her head at once. “It was.” She became silent and waited for her real question but the older woman did not voice it out. “Let me answer the true question that you had, Unnie,” huffed Byulyi. “I was not stalking you.” Her gaze became distant. “Unnie had emphasised that we had no special relationship on our last meeting.” She forced a smile on her face. “Naturally, I kept away.”

Yongsun’s stomach writhed at Byulyi’s casual confirmation. She averted her gaze at once. “Was that what you were doing?”

Byulyi gripped her soft chin and coaxed the older woman to meet her gaze. “Yongsun, I’m a lot of things but I don’t force myself on others.”

Yongsun found herself completely lost in those mesmerising blue eyes that were alive with irritation. Her heart fluttered wildly at her exquisite beauty and natural charm. She subconsciously extended her hand to touch Byulyi cheek, surprising the younger woman. “You’re too honourable and proud for that,” uttered Yongsun, enchanted, most to herself.

Those sapphire eyes enlarged dramatically as she backed away like a terrified lamb. She released Yongsun’s chin at once, trying to create more distance between them.

The manager somehow summoned her courage and Byulyi’s cheek, marvelling at her silkiness of her skin. Her generous lips curled into a radiant smile when the terrified younger woman paused, inhaling sharply. She seemed to resign to her fate, closing her eyes and leaning into her palm. A gentle storm brewed within Yongsun’s soul, stirring foreign and tender emotions.

“I…I forgot to thank you for helping me with the chores,” quipped Yongsun, blushing fiercely. “You really shouldn’t have bother yourself with them.” She felt horrid for the harsh and baseless accusations that she made against Byulyi. Upon reflection, she realised that she was acting on sheer fear, a fear of the unknown and the truth staring back at her.

Byulyi’s eyes sprang open and focused on her. Her eyes were in the hue of soothing, tropical waters. “Did my help allow you to rest more?”

Yongsun nodded gingerly. “Yes.”

“Great,” smiled Byulyi, her nose scrunched. Her face brightened with that charming, lazy lop-sided smile that was very devastating on unguarded hearts. “That was all I wanted.” She lifted a shoulder absently. “It was really nothing. I’m happy to help.”

The single-parent omega started at Byulyi uncomprehendingly like a puzzle she could not figure out. Byulyi’s actions were illogical. Why would an attractive, powerful heir of an influential chaebol wish to help her? She was nothing remarkable, just the youngest daughter from a middle-class family who had to work hard to get into a university. After the birth of Dopul, she was a single mother, thrown out on the streets without a penny to her name, spurned and exploited by the rest of the society. Somehow, she had managed to become a manager of a modestly popular idol from a small and unknown company in the music industry.

“I didn’t choose to give birth to Dopul for you to feel indebted to me, Byul.”

The smell of distress was so pungent that Yongsun had to hold her breath. The angular jaws of Byulyi tightened. The CEO, remembering that Yongsun was injured, took a another deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Eventually, Byulyi was no longer producing that much distress pheromones and the older woman could breathe properly again.

“Yongsun, why would you think that way?” Byulyi asked in a huff, exasperated. She hated that Yongsun believed they had a transactional relationship, just like most of the relationships in her life. “Why would I be indebted to you, Yongsun? I would have to know you after that wonderful night. Since I didn’t know you, why would I believe that you might be pregnant with my pup?” The upset alpha ran a hand through her hair, agitated. “Gods, you say the most infuriating things!”

“And you’re equally infuriating, Moon Byulyi!” Yongsun snapped at her, losing her patience completely. Her mind was foggy and she was exhausted from a day of work.

The eyes of Byulyi widened as she pointed to herself. Her voice dropped into a whisper. “I’m infuriating?”

“Yes, Moon Byulyi,” snarled Yongsun, upset. “You’re always so determined to protect me, but I have never wanted it—”

“—Forgive me for possessing old fashion chivalry,” sneered Byulyi, her face contorted with irritation. “Don’t you even know the consequences if he wasn’t behind bars? If he cannot have you, he will destroy you so that you won’t have a chance to ruin his reputation. And the Nam and his wife that you felt so bad about? They would just throw you under the bus because the reputation of the clan takes priority.”

“Of course, you would know how the Nam would react,” stated Yongsun sarcastically. “You’re just like him.”

Byulyi laughed dryly, seeing the truth in her words. “Yes, Yongsun. I’m just like them.” She straightened herself to her full height. “I’m the only heir to one of the most powerful and militant chaebol, the Moon.”

Yongsun frowned, disliking that self-deprecation. Even though her mind was hazy, that self-awareness and self-deprecation were traits that made her very different from her former boyfriend. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed, her shoulder slumping. “I’m sorry, Byul. I didn’t think my words through. You aren’t like him.” She recalled how Byulyi fought valiantly against her rut and the allure of the date drug running in Yongsun’s bloodstream to offer her a choice.

The CEO’s brows furrowed, surprised. She dismissed it at once, shaking her head. “Does it even matter?”

Yongsun felt awful at the comparison and she lowered her head.

Byulyi scrubbed her face with a hand tiredly. “Yongsun, it’s fine. I shouldn’t even be upset at you because you did not want my protection.” She looked defeated, looking away. “I’ll refrain from now on.” She bowed her head curtly.

The manager ought to be delighted that Byulyi was finally respecting her wishes, but she felt dreadfully hollow, as if the sun would never rise again. “Byul,” uttered Yongsun emotionally.

The CEO raised her head and their gaze met and clung. It felt like an impossible task to let this beautiful omega go her own way. She ran her hand through her silver hair and sighed. “All my life, I was raised to be rational and objective and not make emotion-driven decision. When I realise that your drunk landlord had a spare key to your apartment and was exploited you, I lost myself completely to rage.” She pinched her bridge of her nose, shaking her head. “Tonight, I couldn’t even play up the façade of a rich Casanova who was happy to be single again when I met you. I even lost control of myself when I learnt that you’re hurt.”

“Byul.” Yongsun did not know how to comfort this tortured younger woman spilling her heart to her.

“What the hell are you doing to me, Kim Yongsun?” Tears welled in the eyes of Byulyi as she glared at the reclining woman.

The manager was lost for words. She was a coward when she refused to see that they had a special relationship. She had never considered seeing it from Byulyi’s perspective and realised that whatever unique bond that was developing between them scared her as much.

A timer went off suddenly, startling Yongsun. Byulyi simply turned off the timer and placed the cold pack in the ice box. “I’ll ice your cheek again soon, Yongsun,” spoke Byulyi, breaking the silence.

Yongsun bowed her head. “Thank you.”

Tension had become so palpable in the air that Yongsun could almost taste it. This confrontation had simply added to her discomfort. She started to feel more nauseated, bile rising from her stomach.

Byulyi noticed her