“It was originally my mother’s share. Don’t you feel the least bit sorry for using it as part of a deal?”

“I gave you enough. You shouldn’t be too greedy. There’s a reason people say, ‘Stretch your legs only as far as the bed will stretch them.'”

He said it proudly, as if he’d done her a great favor.

“How generous. I could almost cry.”

“Don’t forget – the value of the shares you get depends on how well you handle things.”

“Sure. But Chairman – there’s one thing you should understand. Whatever else you may interfere with, the matter of having a child is between him and me. Stay out of it.”

“Such a smart mouth. Just wait until you have a child – then watch where Beom Yuhyeon’s fortune ends up.”

“Ha…”

She was so disgusted that she couldn’t say another word. When she suddenly got up to leave the study, his sharp, cutting words came flying at her back.

“You married for money too, didn’t you? Though maybe with a spoonful of love thrown in.”

The words pierced her heart. Marrying for money – well, she was no different, an opportunist herself. She was in no position to give advice to others.

As she left the study and turned the corner, she saw Yuhyeon.

Judging by the coat he was wearing, he seemed to want to leave as soon as possible.

But it was Soo-min who wanted to leave as well.

Soo-min linked her arm with his and rushed out.

The car promptly pulled out of the mansion.

Soo-min carefully opened her mouth to speak to Yuhyeon.

“Is it true that you want to invest in my uncle’s company?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know how much the investment will be, but please don’t put in too much money.”

“Are you afraid that I might fail in the investment?”

She had heard that once he decided on an investment, he would move funds in the trillions. Frankly speaking, she was worried.

“The Jaewon Group is venturing into a completely new business.”

The thought of him taking unreasonable risks was a burden to her.

“Don’t worry, Soo-min.”

There was nothing more she could say. Soo-min looked out the window. Yuhyeon’s face appeared in the reflection of the car’s glass.

Whether he was doing it consciously or just enjoying the look on her face, she couldn’t really tell. But for the moment, his look didn’t bother her.

He was a stiff, cold man, but in front of her relatives, he had played the role of a warm, devoted husband perfectly.

‘What can I do for Yuhyeon?’

He needed nothing from her. Or… maybe just one thing – s*x.

A subtle warmth began to spread through her body.

The rich scent brushing the tip of her nose was uniquely his – Yuhyeon’s own scent.

‘I want to breathe it in more… God, I’m losing it.’

Soo-min leaned her head against the car window.

At that moment, she felt a firm hand slip between her fingers. Startled, she turned to look beside her.

Long, beautiful fingers had intertwined with hers, fitting snugly between her own. Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest.

There was no need to be affectionate – no one was watching… But then her eyes met the Chief Secretary’s in the rearview mirror. The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly.

Her face flushed with embarrassment.

She tried to pull her hand away, but he only gripped it tighter.

***

‘Ah, it’s night again.’

The memory of having s*x with Yuhyeon the other night suddenly popped into her head. Her body tensed for no reason.

‘Are we going to sleep in the same bed every night? No… Since we only have s*x when I want to, we’ll probably use separate rooms, right?’

She was exhausted.

One night of s*x felt like it had drained her for days – her body felt heavy and sluggish.

“Hey…”

“Go to sleep. I have things to do.”

“Aren’t you tired?”

“I took a nap during the day.”

It sounded like a lie. His eyes looked tired, but he said he had a lot of work to do.

On his way to the study, Sumin went into the bedroom and collapsed on the bed.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, she suddenly remembered the “initials”. She shook her head violently.

“Is there no other way to take a closer look?”

A steamy R-rated scene flashed through her mind. The only way she could think of was to climb on top of him, undress him, and touch him.

Gasp!

‘I-I’m insane…‘

H-How could she…

She had never imagined herself taking the lead – climbing on top of a man, undressing him and caressing him.

She thought such wandering thoughts would keep her awake all night, but her tired eyes closed gently.

***

Yuhyeon was in a low mood.

“Have a child.”

Chairman Go was a slippery man—far greedier than what Yuhyeon’s research had revealed.

“A child… Even if you waited all your life, one would never come.

The first thing Yuhyeon did when he turned twenty was to have a vasectomy.

The lesson he learned from his tragedy-filled home was to never have children.

Being the son of the man who killed his wife-that burden was enough for Yuhyeon to carry alone.

Even though that man wasn’t his biological father, Yuhyeon had no desire to leave his bloodline in this world.

He rested his feet on the couch and closed his eyes.

But the more he tried to fall asleep, the clearer Soo-min’s pale face became in his mind – the way she had come out of Chairman Go’s study, looking shaken.

His nerves were on edge.

‘I feel like… I missed something important…’

Yuhyeon opened a drawer and started going through the Jaewon Group’s financial statements from the past few years.

***

‘Mmm… what time is it?’

She turned her head and saw the LED clock on the nightstand—it read 3 a.m.

She reached for the space next to her, but it was cold.

‘Is Yuhyeon still working?’

Thirsty, she got up and left the master bedroom. As she walked through the eerily quiet hallway, her footsteps suddenly stopped in front of the study.

She couldn’t believe that her feet had brought her to Yuhyeon’s study without her noticing.

“Why did I come here? He’s either working… or sleeping.”

Just as she was about to turn around, she heard a strange noise.

It was definitely Yuhyeon’s voice coming through the door – but it sounded different than usual.

As if he was in the middle of a nightmare, it came out as a painful groan.

Click.

Soo-min opened the door gently.

There he was – Yuhyeon, curled up on the sofa.

“Ugh…”

He let out a painful moan and Soo-min, startled, quickly rushed to his side.

Closer, she could see the sweat soaking his hair. Her heart ached at the sight.

He couldn’t move, as if paralyzed in a nightmare, his breath hot and labored.

The pain etched into his face reminded her so much of Junhwan – it hurt even more to watch.

“Yuhyeon…”

Just as Soo-min reached out to wake him up, strange words slipped out of his mouth.

“Ugh…”

“…Ah…”

Whatever he was dreaming, it was causing him deep pain. Soo-min felt like her heart was shrinking in her chest.

“Yuhyeon…”

Unable to watch him suffer any longer, Soo-min grabbed his shoulder and shook him.

At that moment, his eyes opened – and the world turned around.

“Ah…”

In the blink of an eye, their positions had changed.

He had grabbed Soo-min’s wrist with one hand. The furrow in his brow showed that he was deeply displeased.

He muttered a curse under his breath, but it was too quiet for her to hear.

There was a flicker of surprise in his expression. She could tell that he had been taken by surprise. She felt sorry for him.

“Did you hear anything?”

“No, nothing at all.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. You just… seemed to be having a bad dream, so I tried to wake you up.”

Yuhyeon quietly let go of her hand and moved away from her.

“Please try not to touch me while I’m sleeping. I might hurt you accidentally.”

“Okay. I will.”

Soo-min stood up. She was about to go back to the bedroom when he grabbed her wrist again.

“I just wanted to sleep… but I don’t think I can.”

“Yuhyeon…”

“I need to have s*x. Right now.”

The way he said it—it was cold, emotionless.

“R-right now?”

“Yes.”

Physical intimacy was part of their contract—but only when Soo-min wanted it.

“Am I what you need right now?”

“I do. Desperately.”

Her body was still tired from the s*x two nights ago, but she really hoped it would stop his nightmares. That was the truth. His intense gaze rained down on her like a storm.

“Then… let’s go to bed. Ah!”

Yuhyeon slipped his arm between her thighs and lifted her up, laying her back down on the sofa she had just been resting on.

“Here.”

His lips crashed against hers. The moment her mouth opened, his thick tongue pushed in, rough and demanding.

“…Mmph!”