The engagement dinner was a cold, corporate transaction disguised as celebration.
Expensive wine.Fake smiles.Silent glares between Hana and Min-ho.
They sat across the long dining table, surrounded by family lawyers, shareholders, and gossip-hungry relatives.The entire city would know by morning.Kang Min-ho, heir of the Kang Conglomerate, was engaged.To a girl no one had seen in years.To a girl with a tarnished name and a tragic past.
It was all for show.A shield.An alliance.Nothing more.
After the final toast, Min-ho leaned over, voice like a blade."Let's get one thing straight, Seo Hana."
She met his glare head-on."I'm not your plaything, Kang Min-ho."
He smirked."Good. Because I don't do love stories. This is a contract marriage. You'll play the obedient wife in public, and in private, we stay out of each other's way."
Hana's jaw clenched."Fine by me."
"Good," he whispered."Then let's make it official."
He slid a thick stack of papers across the table.Pre-nup.Rules.Conditions.
Hana didn't flinch.She signed without reading.
Min-ho raised a brow."Not even curious?"
"I don't need to be," she snapped."I'm not here for your money, Mr. Kang. I'm here to protect what's mine."
For a moment, something flickered in his cold gaze.Respect?Or was it just boredom?
Hana didn't care.She stood, shoulders squared.
"From today, we're partners, Kang Min-ho. Nothing more. Nothing less."
And as she walked away from the table, she heard him chuckle softly.
"Interesting indeed."