Valko was forced awake by the pale sunlight leaking through the hotel window, slicing across his neatly trimmed brows. He frowned, stretched, and sat up—only to realize too late that his movement had pressed down on a cascade of golden hair beside him.
Eri, naked and fast asleep, winced and groaned softly.
"Ouch…"
Valko didn't even bother to look at her. He sat up, rubbed his face, leaned against the wall, and reached for the nightstand. Within seconds, smoke filled the air—thick, bitter nicotine rising from between his fingers.
Eri let out a small sigh of disappointment. Her face twisted with irritation as she sat up, the sheets falling around her bare skin.
"You know I hate cigarette smoke in the morning, right?" she muttered, glaring at him.
Valko clicked his tongue in annoyance, not even glancing her way.
"Don't be fake. You smoke too. Don't act like you hate it."
Eri's eyes dimmed, her lips trembling just slightly. She lowered her gaze, her hand unconsciously touched her belly under the blanket. Whispering to herself so quietly that he couldn't hear.
"…But I quit…"
Valko didn't care. He didn't even pretend to listen.
"Stop lazing around," he barked. "Make me a coffee. You know I can't start my day without it."
His tone was sharp, commanding—like she was some hotel maid, not his lover.
Eri bit back her anger. She could feel the sting of humiliation in her chest, but her love for him—however foolish—kept her silent.
Wordlessly, she slid out from under the velvet blanket, revealing a body that could've graced any magazine cover—smooth, fair, and heartbreakingly vulnerable. She walked to the kitchen, still naked, and began preparing his coffee using the expensive machine he'd bought just for show.
Valko, meanwhile, grabbed the TV remote and turned on the morning financial news, like he did every day.
[...After three months of record-high prices, the global gold market has finally dropped from 200 million to 196 million per tael. Experts remain uncertain if this downward trend will continue. Domestic gold prices, however, have remained alarmingly high…]
Eri brought him the cup of coffee. He took a slow sip, eyes fixed on the screen.
[...In other news, SCJ Corporation's stock value has plummeted overnight, hitting its lowest point in years…]
The words hit him like a gunshot. Valko nearly spat his coffee out.
"What!?" he yelled, eyes bulging at the TV.
Eri rushed forward to grab the cup before he spilled it all over himself.
[After last week's massive food poisoning scandal involving SCJ Corporation and 163 hospitalized students from Seichou High, a shocking revelation has surfaced. Valko R. Jou—spokesperson for SCJ and Vice President of Jou Telecommunications—has been photographed in a compromising situation with none other than Haruna Kamakiri, the former CEO of SCJ, who was recently accused of being linked to the same food poisoning incident...]
Eri froze. Her hands trembled so violently she almost dropped the cup.
"No… That can't be…" she whispered. Her lips quivered, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Valko and… Haruna? Why her? Why her!?"
But Valko wasn't listening. His face had gone pale. His fingers tightened around the cup until it cracked slightly. The news anchor's voice kept drilling through the air:
[And to make matters worse—Valko Jou only recently made public his four-year marriage to Mina Kamakiri, Haruna's younger sister and the current CEO of SCJ. The scandal has caused outrage across social media, with protesters gathering outside SCJ headquarters, demanding accountability…]
Valko slammed the remote down, turning off the TV. His breathing grew ragged as he stared blankly at the floor.
"This can't be happening…" he muttered.
"I paid that guy off—he wasn't supposed to leak anything! How the hell did this—DAMN IT!"
He hurled the remote against the wall. It shattered.
Eri flinched. The man before her wasn't just angry—he was unraveling.
"Why… Why did you sleep with her?" Eri's voice was small, trembling.
He didn't answer. His eyes darted around wildly, as if trapped in a nightmare.
"If they find out… If they really find out…" he whispered. "Minh, you bastard… I'll kill you!"
Suddenly, his phone buzzed. Valko jumped. It was a text—from Tomi Kamakiri, Vice President of SCJ.
[Come to the Kamakiri estate immediately. Family meeting.]
That one short message made him go pale as a ghost.
If Tomi was calling a family meeting, it meant she was furious. Refusing wasn't an option—but showing up could very well be the end of him.
His hands shook. He muttered under his breath.
"What excuse… what the hell am I supposed to say…?"
Eri, on the verge of tears, tried to reach for him again.
"Valko, I'm talking to you! Why won't you answer me!?"
Her voice cracked into a scream. "WHY DID YOU SLEEP WITH HER!?"
Valko ignored her completely. He began throwing on his clothes, one piece at a time.
Eri grabbed his arm, desperate. "Don't walk away from me! You owe me an explanation!"
He spun on her, furious. "What the hell is your problem, woman!?"
She stumbled back, hurt but still not giving up. Tears welled in her eyes, mixing with anger.
"You already have me! I put up with the fact that you still love your wife—but how could you sleep with her sister?!" she cried.
"What kind of man does that!?"
Valko snapped. "Shut the hell up, you slut!"
His hand came down across her face, hard. The sound echoed through the room. Eri hit the floor, her cheek burning, her body limp.
He loomed over her, sneering.
"You think this was love? Don't fool yourself. You were just… entertainment. I paid, didn't I? So quit acting like a victim."
Eri laughed bitterly through her tears.
"So that's who you really are… I was a fool for ever loving a piece of trash like you!"
Valko scoffed, tightening his tie. He didn't even look at her as he spoke.
"From now on, you don't know me. Don't mention my name. Pack your stuff and go back to Canada by tonight. We're done."
Eri stared at him, trembling. Her hand unconsciously went to her stomach. The room spun around her.
Her voice broke.
"You're just going to… end it like that?"
But he didn't reply. He was already halfway to the door, muttering under his breath, trying to figure out how to survive the Kamakiri family meeting.
She caught his leg before he could leave. Tears streamed down her face as she clung to him.
"Please… Valko… don't go there. You can't fix this. Let's just run away, you and me. We can start over somewhere new. I'll do anything for you… just, please…"
"Hmph." He gave a cold, mocking laugh. Her words disgusted him. He kicked her hand away.
"Valko! Wait!" she screamed, crawling toward him. "Valko, please!"
He kept walking.
And then, through the sobs, she shouted the one truth she'd been hiding:
"VALKO! WAIT— I'M PREGNANT! IT'S YOUR CHILD!"
The world seemed to freeze. Valko stopped dead in his tracks. Eri's voice trembled, her tears soaking the floor.
"It's true… I'm carrying your child… please, don't leave…"
For a long, suffocating moment, silence filled the room. Then Valko turned, his expression cold as steel.
"Find someone else to be the father. I'm not interested."
Eri's breath hitched. "What…?"
He didn't look back again. The door opened.
"Wait—what did you just say!? Valko? VALKO!" she screamed after him, but he was already gone.
Only her broken sobs filled the empty hotel room.
---
That same morning, the atmosphere inside SCJ Corporation felt completely different. Ever since the recent scandal that had shaken the entire company, everyone had been working overtime to keep things together. But today, an even more explosive piece of gossip had spread through every floor like wildfire.
Whispers buzzed through every corner of the building, from interns to senior executives. The air was thick with scandal.
"Hey, have you heard the news? Kamakiri Mina's husband—Valko—has been fooling around with her own sister!"
"Of course I've heard! My God… how could he do something like that?"
"Poor Director Mina. I can't imagine how she's taking it."
"If that were me, I wouldn't even be able to look my sister in the face! Ugh, some people have no shame."
The gossip didn't stop even during work hours. And as fate would have it—speak of the devil—Mina herself appeared.
She entered the Planning Department office in a deep violet suit, perfectly tailored as always. Her calm steps and dignified aura contrasted sharply with the buzzing tension around her. Even as murmurs spread, she kept her head high. Everyone froze the moment she walked in. The office went dead silent. Employees jumped to their feet as if they'd just seen a ghost.
"G-Good morning, Director!"
Mina knew exactly what they'd been talking about. But she didn't care. With a faint, polite nod, she made her way toward her private office—until one timid employee hesitantly stepped forward.
"Um… Director… actually—"
Mina turned her head, one brow arched slightly.
"What is it, Ms. Hanh?"
"Ah, yes… Director… I—I just thought maybe you'd seen the article that came out this morning. I didn't mean to pry or anything, but… I was wondering how you were feeling about it…"
The poor girl was shaking so hard her voice cracked.
Mina's eyes softened slightly, lowering just a bit, as if she were deep in thought. The entire office—those inside and even the curious ones peeking from outside—held their breath. Was she heartbroken? Angry?
But then Mina smiled faintly.
"That… is nothing more than tabloid nonsense. Baseless rumors. Don't let it distract you from work."
"Ah—y-yes, ma'am!"
The staff exchanged surprised glances. And as Mina pressed a hand to her temple for a brief second—just to steady herself—and disappeared into her office, the whispers immediately returned.
"Did you see that? The way she touched her forehead?"
"She says she's fine, but she must be falling apart inside."
"Poor Director Mina… she's trying to hold herself together for the company."
The same timid employee's eyes watered.
"Poor Director… she must be so heartbroken…"
But little did they know—Behind that closed door, Mina was smiling. Calm. Satisfied. Not a trace of sadness crossed her face.
She sat down gracefully, poured herself a cup of tea, and savored its fragrance. As she stared into the swirling reflection in the cup, she began counting the seconds.
The rhythmic ticking echoed in her mind—steady, peaceful, deliberate.
Minutes later, the voice of an employee came from outside.
"Vice President, good morning!"
The hand holding Mina's teacup froze mid-air. She gently set it down, a faint smirk curving her lips.
"There you are…" she whispered.
A moment later, her office door opened.
"Director, the Vice President is here."
A woman in immaculate white business attire stepped inside, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She carried an albino crocodile-skin clutch—Kamakiri Tomi, the Vice President.
Her eyes swept the room before settling on Mina. The younger woman sat quietly, head slightly bowed. Then, slowly, Mina looked up—her beauty undiminished, but her eyes… empty, weary.
"Auntie…" she murmured.
Tomi's chest tightened. She, like everyone else, assumed Mina was utterly devastated by the scandal. But with so many eyes watching, she couldn't show emotion. So she simply said, softly.
"Come home with me, Mina."
---
Across the street, Shana stood watching. Before her loomed the Kamakiri family estate—a massive, fortress-like mansion built in traditional Japanese style, enclosed by towering walls and patrolled by guards.
Even from where she stood, Shana could feel a strange pressure radiating from the place—an invisible force trying to keep her out. She smirked, folding her arms.
"So, a spiritual barrier, huh? A guardian spirit god protecting the Kamakiri clan? Interesting… but unfortunately for you, that's nothing to me."
With a flick of her wrist, the enormous invisible face guarding the gate shuddered in fear and vanished. The barrier dissolved completely.
"Don't be afraid, lil god. I'm only here for a peek. Once I'm done, you can go back to watching over them."
Just then, several luxury cars—a Rolls-Royce and a crimson Maserati—pulled up to the gate. From them stepped Tomi and Mina, returning home far earlier than expected.
Shana whistled softly.
"Well, since I'm already here… why not see what kind of secrets this family's hiding?"
She snapped her fingers. In an instant, her entire body turned invisible to mortal eyes. Then, with a slow, confident stride, Shana walked straight into the Kamakiri estate.