CHAPTER 88

[Yoo-hoo! Sweetie, you’re doing so well, aren’t you? Who’s that hot brunette over there?]

Luca asked, giving her a cheek kiss. 

‘Hot brunette? Was he referring to Noah?’

[Ah, you saw him?]

[Of course, I did! Did you think you could be with a hot guy like that and not be noticed? Who is he? Did you meet him here? Are you carrying out our plan?]

[It’s not like that. He’s just a high school classmate. We ran into each other by chance here. Hey, did he happen to……?]

Minhee’s gaze wandered over Luca’s shoulder and eventually asked him a question.

[What? If the boss is here too?]

Minhee nodded, looking around. If Luca is here, then Taejun is here too.

[Yeah, he came, but as soon as he entered the reception area, he got snatched up by Lara Rosenburg.]

Luca scrunched up his face and pouted.

[Who’s Lara Rosenburg?]

[She’s the daughter of George Rosenburg, an early investor in TJH Capital. He gave Boss and Junhee a stake and a seat on the board when they started up, and he also invested some money, not a lot, but he’s an old hand on Wall Street with 30+ years of experience, so I guess just lending his name to the startup was pretty helpful.]

[I see…]

Minhee nodded.

[But he got his investment back a hundredfold, and with that money, he set up some kind of foundation in his daughter’s name. But there are rumors that Lara Rosenburg is acting like a boss, coming in and out of the company as she pleases].

[Boss?]

[Yeah. They say she’s interested in our boss and pretends to be friendly by hanging around next to him. Well, as you know, our boss isn’t the kind of guy who responds to every woman who comes his way, right?]

Minhee’s heart felt like it was rolling over a bump, then bouncing up.

[Really? What kind of girl is…… Lara Rosenburg?]

[Shh! Here they come, the boss and her. Don’t look back for now!]

Luca tugged on Minhee’s arm as she tried to turn around, pushing her behind him as he stepped forward to greet Taejun and Lara.

[Miss Rosenburg, it’s been a while. Boss, let me show you to your seat. This way.]

Frozen in place without even a glance back, Minhee made her way to Table 2. Apparently, Luca had managed to move Taejun’s seat to another table. She would have liked to sit at the same table as Taejun, but she couldn’t ignore Luca’s efforts to accommodate his heartbroken friend.

After exchanging a quick glance with the people already seated at Table 2, Minhee sat down at the empty seat and picked up the colorful menu on her plate. Pretending to read the menu, she sneaks a glance to see where Taejun is sitting, and Luca slides into the seat next to her.

[Whew! The boss seemed a little unhappy with the seating arrangement, but as soon as he got to the VIP table, he got cornered by King J and Junhee. Did I do well or what?]

Luca whispered and giggled. Minhee responded with a hollow, emotionless chuckle.

‘How handsome would Taejun look in a tuxedo? I wanted to see Junhee, my ultimate bias, as well.’

Just as she was craning her neck to peek at the VIP table, someone sat down in the empty seat next to Luca, blocking her view.

It was a woman in her early 30s, with reddish-brown hair cascading down in long waves. 

Her eyes were long and slightly upturned at the corners, and the rounded, soft contours of her face suggested that she was of Asian descent somewhere up there. This, combined with her hazel-coloured eyes, which were a mixture of green and brown, gave her a very exotic look. It wasn’t a classic beauty, but it was a unique beauty that was hard to forget once you saw it.

She wore a bold red dress with a V-shaped neckline that plunged down to her navel, but her slender figure and nonchalant, languid demeanor gave her an oddly decadent elegance, rather than vulgarity. The older, silver-haired man sitting next to her was also dressed in an impeccable tuxedo.

[Mr. Rosenburg, Miss Rosenburg. Nice to see you again.]

[Hello, Luca. Was this the best you could do with the seating arrangements?]

The woman’s British ‘posh’ accent had a languid, resonant quality to her voice as she spoke, casting a bored glance around the table. She clearly exhibited the mannerisms of the ‘high society’ that Minhee had encountered in Manhattan.

[This is the table Mr. Baek reserved for the company executives. However, Mr. Baek is seated at the VIP table, as a patron who donated over $50,000.]

Luca responded politely as he straightened his shoulders, but Lara didn’t even look at him, waving her thin fingers dismissively, like swatting away a fly.

Luca pressed his lips together, glancing at Minhee and rolling his eyes. Lara then gestured for a passing waiter to bring her a glass of champagne.

[Tone it down a bit. Tsk.]

George Rosenburg, who had been sitting next to her and looking at his phone without saying a word until then, scowled at her. Flinching at her father’s public rebuke in front of others, Lara pressed her lips together like a petulant child.

As soon as the waiter poured the champagne, Lara emptied it as quickly as he had poured it, then called the waiter back and ordered him to refill the glasses.

Minhee held her breath, covertly watching the scene, when she suddenly got startled by the voice of the emcee. The lights dimmed and a video appeared on the screen above the stage, explaining the purpose and process of the charity gala. 

The video ended with applause, and the lights came on brightly. Minhee craned her neck, searching for Taejun. Just then, she felt a presence in the empty seat to her right.

Whipping her head around, Minhee’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. The man, who was about to pull out a chair and sit down, saw Minhee looking up at him and asked in an awkward manner.

[Excuse me, is this seat taken?]

Minhee shook her head slowly. The man sighed in relief as he sat down.

[Thank goodness, it was dark and I thought I was in the wrong place. This is Table Two, the TJH Capital employees’ table, right?]

Minhee nodded wearily. It would have been better if it had been Taejun.

The man suddenly held out his hand. She hesitantly took his hand.

[Tyler Grant. I’m a research analyst. I don’t think I’ve seen you around the office. Which department are you in?]

[Oh, I’m-]

A long shadow fell over the man’s face as he faced Minhee. 

‘Whose shadow is this?’ 

Minhee tilted her head, and the man’s gaze drifted past her face, paling as his mouth fell open. Minhee blinked, still holding his hand.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

At the same time as the man dropped Minhee’s hand and stood up in a hurry, Luca, who was sitting on his left, jumped up with a gust of wind. Minhee flinched.

[Whoa. Luca, what’s wrong-]

Before she could finish, the familiar scent reached her nose. Whipping her head around, Minhee saw Taejun standing stiffly, signaling Luca with a nod and a pointed look. It was an expression Minhee had never seen on him before.

‘Is this the face he always has at the office? Or is he angry?’

The entire table froze for an instant. Luca visibly paled, and everyone seated at the table, except for the Rosenburgs and Minhee, stood up awkwardly. Taejun held up his palm.

[Sit down.]

The hairs on the back of Minhee’s neck stood on end after witnessing what Luca had described as a “growl” command. His voice wasn’t even loud, nor were his words lengthy, and his movements were restrained, yet the people at the table seemed to have heard the ominous rumble of a fierce beast.

As the people quietly returned to their seats, Luca, who had been rapidly scanning the room with wide eyes, slowly lowered himself back down. Taejun then frowned at Luca.

[Get up, Lopez.]

Luca jumped up, hastily pulling out the chair and gesturing politely for Taejun to sit.

[Please, have a seat, boss!]

Luca pushed the chair out for Taejun to sit and stepped aside, mouthed to Minhee.

[Sorry!]

Without looking back, Luca ran off to the VIP table where Taejun was sitting. Minhee took a deep breath, breathing in Taejun’s scent, and stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eye.

Taejun in a tuxedo was a sight to behold. The formal black tuxedo, usually associated with gentlemen, looked like a warrior’s armor on him.

His sharp, defined nose seemed even more pronounced, his shoulders were broad like mountains, and his already impressive frame seemed even taller. This man, embodying both power and authority, radiated a palpable aura of danger. As he met Minhee’s gaze, his eyes were filled with a deep, melting softness.

Minhee let out a shaky sigh. Even if he didn’t return her love, she just wanted to be by this man’s side.

‘I love him a lot, so maybe that’s all that matters?’

Just as Taejun seemed about to speak-

[TJ darling! Did you switch seats to sit next to me?]

The exaggerated British accent vibrated Minhee’s eardrums with feigned enthusiasm. Taejun briefly furrowed his brow before smoothing it out, turning his head towards Lara with a dry response.

[This was my original seat.]

[Doesn’t matter. What matters is that we’re together].