Aria didn't even get halfway down the hallway before her phone buzzed with a notification.
JEON JUNGKOOK REQUESTED ACCESS TO YOUR PROJECT FILES.
Of course he did.
The man couldn't breathe without trying to get ahead of her.
She stopped walking, turned on her heel, and marched right back into the meeting room they'd set up for the joint project. Their teams were already gathering around the long table, looking like they'd rather jump out a window than deal with the two most competitive CEOs in the country.
Jungkook walked in two seconds later.
Perfect timing, like he planned it.
Annoying as usual.
Their eyes met. Sparks. Tension. A whole fire hazard.
"Before we start," Aria said, voice sharp, "stop sending access requests to my files."
Jungkook didn't blink. "Before you start, tell your system to stop rejecting me. It's embarrassing for you at this point."
A few of the employees winced like children watching their parents fight.
Aria folded her arms. "You're not getting early access. This is a partnership, not a charity."
"And yet," Jungkook said, sliding into his chair, "you walked into my building asking for help."
"I walked into your building because investors forced me," she snapped. "Trust me, I'd rather fight a bear."
"Better chance of winning too," he muttered.
She heard it.
He knew she heard it.
Their teams quietly pretended to suffocate to avoid laughing.
Aria leaned forward across the table. "You want to compete? Fine. Let's make something clear."
Jungkook mirrored her movement, elbows on the table, face infuriatingly unreadable. "Go ahead."
"I'm not here to be second to you," she said. "Not in sales. Not in strategy. Not in anything."
Jungkook's lips twitched. Almost a smile, almost an insult. "You've always been second, Aria. I just happen to be the one in front."
Yeah, she wanted to toss a chair at him.
But instead she smiled – sharp, confident, dangerous. "Funny. Last quarter said otherwise."
He blinked.
Just a tiny crack in the perfect CEO mask.
Her favorite moment of the day.
Their teams began presenting, but honestly? The real battle was happening across the table.
Eye contact that felt like they were daring each other to breathe wrong.
Accusations hidden in polite corporate phrasing.
Compliments that sounded like threats.
And yet…
Small sparks kept cutting through the hostility.
The way Jungkook's voice dipped whenever he said her name.
The way Aria's eyes lingered half a second longer when he loosened his tie.
The way neither could look away for too long.
It was a warzone with… feelings they both pretended didn't exist.
Halfway through the meeting, Jungkook spoke up.
"We'll need both companies to share the R&D reports today."
Aria lifted a brow. "Today? You're moving fast."
"I always move fast," he said smoothly. "You're welcome to try catching up."
"You'd trip if I did."
"I'd like to see you try."
Their teams actually stopped breathing for a second.
The tension was ridiculous.
As the meeting wrapped up, Aria closed her laptop. "Final point. I want access to your prototype results. No delays."
"You'll get them," Jungkook replied, "if you're willing to sign a confidentiality clause."
"Send it."
"I already did," he said, pocketing his phone. "Check your email."
She opened it.
And froze.
The clause wasn't a simple confidentiality agreement.
It locked both CEOs into a shared liability clause.
Meaning if one failed… they both crashed.
Her eyes shot up. "You think I'm signing this?"
Jungkook met her glare head-on. "If you want this partnership to work, yes."
"You're insane."
"Possibly," he said. "Sign it anyway."
The room was dead silent.
Aria's voice dropped low. "If I sign this with you and something goes wrong… we both go down."
"Exactly."
"Why would you risk that?"
His eyes flicked to her lips, just for a split second, before he forced them back up.
"Because I don't lose."
Aria took a step closer. "And what if this time, you do?"
She watched his jaw tighten, just slightly.
"Then I'll take you down with me" said Jungkook
Her heart did something stupid.
Her brain screamed at it to shut up.
She picked up the tablet. "No. Not yet. I'm not signing until I see the prototype."
"You'll get it at five," Jungkook said.
"Then I'll decide."
She turned to leave.
"Aria."
She stopped.
Didn't turn.
His voice was low. "Try to keep up."
She didn't answer. She just walked out.
And the second she stepped out of the building,
her phone buzzed with a notification.
URGENT: JEON INDUSTRIES PROTOTYPE LEAKED TO PRESS.
CEO ARIA SUSPECTED.
Her blood ran cold.
A trap.
A setup.
Or something much, much worse.
.