Sherina's POV
.
.
My eyes snapped open. I bolted upright, my breath ragged, heart pounding against my ribs like a frantic drum. I sucked in a breath, sharp and uneven, tasting the faint tang of salt—had I been crying in my sleep?
It took a moment for my mind to catch up—to understand that I was awake, not sinking into that same suffocating dream. The dream I knew too well. The one that left me gasping as if I had truly been drowning.
When I finally breathed evenly again, I turned my head toward the window.
Sunlight had already spilled across the room, bright and intense, gilding the edges of the curtains and pressing heat against the floor.
It was a beautiful morning... the kind of morning that made endings feel too final.
My last day at the villa.
The cool tiles of the bathroom grounded me as I padded inside.
Mint burned my tongue as I brushed my teeth, the froth bitter in my mouth.
The shower hissed, steam curling around my bare shoulders, wrapping me in heat. But even there, even with my hair damp against my skin, my mind kept circling the same thought—
Today I'd be leaving.
And Leon would be the one driving me back.
He had offered to drive me to Edenia City since he was heading back himself.
I had refused politely, saying the train station was close to my home.
But the elders had been insistent, their eyes warm yet firm.
They said they would rest easier knowing I was with him.
And so, in the end, I let their decision stand.
I dressed carefully: a light white crop top, thin as air, that skimmed my skin and revealed the glint of my navel piercing; fitted jeans hugging the length of my legs; My hair was drawn into a high bun, baring the line of my neck. I slipped the strap of my shoulder bag over my arm, then caught my reflection in the mirror.
"Ready," I whispered to myself, a faint smile curling my lips.
A knock broke the moment. "Miss Sze, the master is waiting for you downstairs," came the calm, familiar voice.
I opened the door quickly. "Yes, I'm ready."
Mr. Kang stood there, straight-backed and formal, and I returned his polite nod before he led me down the wide staircase.
The scent of brewed coffee and faint tobacco clung to the air as we reached the ground floor.
Leon stood with the elders, the morning light catching in the smoke that curled from his hand.
A simple black shirt fit clean over his frame, an expensive watch glinting at his wrist.
His hair was an artful mess, the kind that looked unplanned but wasn't.
His eyes, when they found me, were steady—too steady—and held me as if they had been waiting for mine.
He brought the cigarette to his lips, the ember glowing briefly before he exhaled, letting the smoke drift lazily toward the ceiling.
But his eyes never left mine.
"Sherina, beautiful as always," Grandma Deliala's voice broke the moment, her arms warm as they wrapped around me.
"I bet any clothes would suit you perfectly," she added, eyes twinkling.
I laughed lightly, but my peripheral vision never left the man in black behind her.
Grandma patted my hand. "The city can be lonely. Come back whenever it feels too quiet."
"Thank you," I murmured, the words tasting heavier than they should.
.
.
Three hours later, the road's rhythm had lulled me to sleep.
When I woke, the car had left the open countryside behind.
Concrete walls rose outside the window, painted in the colors of the city's edges.
I stretched in the seat, a small yawn slipping out before I rubbed at my eyes.
The leather was warm beneath my fingertips.
In the front seat, Mr. Kang drove in silence, his attention fixed ahead.
Beside me, Leon's attention was buried in the glow of his laptop screen, fingers moving with sharp precision over the keys.
"Still busy, huh?" I murmured, mostly to myself, letting out a quiet sigh.
His typing stopped. As if my words had reached him, Leon looked up, closed the laptop, and set it aside.
"Sleepy?" he asked, eyes holding mine. "I didn't want to wake you. You looked tired."
"Yeah. I had a nightmare last night," I admitted without thinking.
His smirk was small, almost private.
"Me too." His gaze stayed on me, steady, unreadable, like he was searching for something I wasn't ready to give.
I broke the contact first, looking toward the front.
"You should rest. The backseat's comfortable."
He didn't answer right away. When I glanced back, his grin was already waiting for me.
"Can I take a rest at your place?" His tone was gentle, playful—eyes wide like a child asking for candy.
I frowned. "Nope."
"Please?" He batted his lashes, exaggerating the innocence.
"Why would you even want to?" I sighed.
"It's dangerous for a woman as beautiful as you to live alone in the city. If you need a man, I can be your man."
I scoffed, lips curling into a sarcastic smile. "Thanks, little brother, but I can handle myself just fine."
He froze, like the words had physically struck him. "Little brother, huh? Well then... as your little brother, I'll rest at your place. You wouldn't send your tired little brother home alone, right?"
"Give it up," I said flatly, crossing my arms.
He chuckled, palms raised in surrender. "Alright, alright."
Outside the window, the long, graceful bridge to the city stretched before us. Eventually, Mr. Kang turned the car into a narrow alley in the heart of the city. My apartment door stood halfway down, weathered but familiar.
"This is my stop," I said, smiling at Leon. "Thank you for the ride."
Leon slipped a cigarette into his mouth, the click of the lighter loud in the small space.
He inhaled deeply, eyes on me through the smoke.
"Sure you don't want me to walk you in?"
"No, it's fine. Mr. Kang will help me."
"Alright..." he said, his eyes lingering as I stepped out.
The door opened beside me, and I stepped out, the cold of the night wrapping around me again.
Mr. Kang retrieved my bag from the trunk and walked me to my door. We exchanged polite bows before I slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind me.
.
.
Leon's POV
.
.
The door shut behind her with a quiet click, but the sound went off like a gunshot in my chest.
I leaned back in my seat, cigarette between my lips, smoke curling lazily upward, blurring the world beyond the car's window.
The city outside moved like a painting, but my thoughts...
my thoughts were already with her—
inside that small apartment,
behind that locked door.
The more I thought of her, the deeper I sank.
Minho slid back into the driver's seat without a word, but I caught his brief glance at me in the mirror.
I ignored it.
I was too busy replaying the way she'd looked just now—
that white crop top, sunlight tracing every line of her body, her laugh with Grandma still echoing in my head.
She said she had a nightmare, huh?
So was I.
But mine wasn't a nightmare—it was a memory.
A cruel replay of the moment I let her go.
My hand reached into the narrow gap behind the driver's seat, fingertips brushing against the crisp edge of paper.
There it was—the file Minho tucked away.
The black binder felt cool against my palm, the faint scent of ink and leather mingling with the lingering smoke from my cigarette.
Flipping it open, my eyes scanned the first page.
.
Sherina Sze.
The name alone was enough to tighten something in my chest.
Every word beneath it—height, weight, address, education, acquaintances, movements—was laid out in precise lines of text. Clinical. Cold. The way John always compiled his reports.
I leaned back against the seat, the file still open on my lap. Each page I turned was like peeling back layers of the life she built without me.
A life I let her walk into.
I took another slow drag from my cigarette, letting the smoke linger in my lungs before I released it into the warm air.
I don't need to touch her. Not yet.
For now, I'm content to watch her smile and act, to see that faint curve in her lips that she probably doesn't even notice she's doing.
She thinks she's just passing through my life again.
She's wrong.
This time, I'll drag her into it.
Even if I have to burn the bridge behind us.
.
.
End of POV
.
.
Kang Minho's POV
.
.
I stood in front of her door for a moment, letting my hand linger on the handle before slowly withdrawing it.
A quiet breath escaped me, heavy and deliberate.
Straightening my suit jacket, I adjusted my tie and slid my glasses higher up the bridge of my nose.
Composure first—always composure.
Then I turned away from her door, my steps unhurried, almost reluctant, the sound of my polished shoes soft against the worn floor of the street. By the time I reached the car, I'd shed all trace of hesitation from my expression. I opened the driver's door, settled into my seat, and closed it with a measured click.
A glance at the rearview mirror caught him—Leon—resting his head against his hand, eyes narrowed at the document he was holding. Silence filled the car, heavy and unbroken, except for the faint rustle of paper when he turned a page.
Leon works day and night, even during vacations. I've seen it firsthand.
He had pushed through a month's worth of work ahead of schedule just to carve out leisure time... for her.
It still amazes me that he hasn't collapsed under the weight of it all.
Leon Hak Liu—always the chairman's favorite.
Even as an illegitimate son, his leadership skills, sharp instincts, and the cold precision in his decision-making... they all screamed of the chairman's bloodline.
His presence alone could unnerve anyone—an intimidating aura so palpable it made lesser men take a step back.
If you placed Leon beside Signor Ledo, most people—those who didn't know the truth—would swear Leon was the legitimate son. And that... was exactly why Signor Ledo's hatred burned so violently.
When they were younger, his jealousy festered into cruelty, tormenting even his own sweet sister until she fled.
Signor Ledo wanted to be the only successor, the only one worthy of the family name.
But no matter what he did, Leon remained the perfect model for the position.
Still, it would never be simple. Not with the power Signora Rossi—Mr. Chairman's wife—wielded, and her iron-fisted protection over her one and only son.
My train of thought was interrupted by movement in my side mirror.
A white car had pulled in behind us.
It was familiar. Too familiar.
I flicked my eyes toward Leon—still absorbed in the document—when a woman stepped out from the white car. Her face was equally familiar. She moved with confident steps toward us, her perfume trailing faint lavender notes that seeped into the enclosed space as soon as she slid into the passenger seat.
"Mr. Liu," she began without preamble, "We successfully completed the core coding for the new loan application system in just a week. We're now moving to user interface testing, with the beta launch scheduled for next week."
Silence settled over the air for a moment.
"There's also the meeting with our new investor, the KNB Group, in three days. The director specifically requested your presence." The woman continue.
"Move all the schedule," Leon replied without looking up. His voice was flat, final.
So, he's clearing his schedule. I leaned back slightly, my gaze shifting to Ms. Mira. She remained unreadable as always.
"What else?" Leon tossed the document onto the seat beside him. The movement allowed me a fleeting glimpse of the paper—John's compiled dossier on Ms. Sherina Sze.
"A meeting with Mr. Chen is set for Tuesday. And..."
Mira hesitated slightly, "...the chairman has requested you attend lunch tomorrow with Mr. Chen's daughter, Ms. Hannah Chen."
Leon chuckled—not warmly, but with a sharp, dismissive edge.
Mira and I exchanged a brief glance at the sound.
"Move all of it," he said firmly, eyes turning toward the window as he lit another cigarette. He inhaled deeply, the ember burning bright, then exhaled a slow stream of smoke.
"I don't want to be interrupted for the next three weeks." His lips curled into something between a smirk and a sneer. "Even if the chairman himself asks for me, tell him I'm dead."
A pause.
"...At least for three weeks." He let out another low chuckle.
A few minutes later, Mira stepped out of the car, bowing politely before walking away.
"Minho," Leon called my name the moment she was gone.
I looked at him through the rearview mirror, silent but attentive.
"Get the penthouse in that condominium." His gaze was fixed in one direction. I followed it, frowning slightly.
The building towered at least fifty stories high—directly across from the narrow alley where her apartment was.
"Right away, Young Master," I replied, starting the engine.
Leon's sudden change in behavior... the chairman will notice. He always does. And when he does, he will dig.
And when he digs, Ms. Sze's quiet, unremarkable life will crumble.
Perhaps... that's exactly what Leon wants.
.
Is this revenge?
After all those years, Ms. Sze never once recognized him, never even thought of him—not once—while Leon's entire existence since that day revolved around her. Even when she had a fiancé, he never touched another woman. Not one. Unless she had Sherina's face, her mind, her body... she was invisible to him.
The chairman has tried countless times to push him toward marriage with eligible heiresses, but Leon never wavered.
Now, watching him from the driver's seat,
I have the unsettling feeling that time will soon reveal the truth—
That the beast everyone fears... has already been tamed.