Lyla barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, Min-Jae's voice echoed through her head.
"Be my personal assistant for a month."
"If I decide to want you… you won't escape."
"Let the real game begin."
By dawn, she sat at her vanity mirror, staring at her reflection like a stranger. Her hair was still curled from last night, her lips slightly swollen from biting them, her skin pale with anxiety.
But she couldn't even fall apart.
Her father had already texted:
7AM. Don't ruin this. If you fail, forget my support forever.
Her stomach knotted.
She checked her messages—
One unread from Junho.
"Why were you with my father last night? Call me NOW."
Her hands shook.
She shut her phone off.
She wasn't ready to face him. Not after everything. Not after he walked away and left her alone with heartbreak.
But fate wasn't kind.
Today she would be entering his world again—
Not through the son.
But the fatherAt exactly 8:15AM, Lyla stood inside the towering glass skyscraper of K Group Headquarters, surrounded by polished floors, marble walls, and high-class employees dressed in expensive suits.
Everyone looked busy. Important. Confident.
She felt like a trembling paper doll dropped into a wolf den.
A receptionist approached her.
"Miss Lyla Han?"
"Yes…" she whispered.
"You're expected on the top floor. The Chairman is waiting."
That sentence alone sent a ripple across the lobby.
Employees glanced at her—quick, curious stares.
"The Chairman?"
"Who is she?"
"Young mistress?"
"New mistress?"
"She's too young… could it be…?"
Heat rushed to her cheeks.
She wanted to disappear.
She took the private elevator—because only Min-Jae, his direct staff, and VIP guests ever used it.
She didn't feel like a VIP.
She felt like a girl walking into a trap she couldn't escape.
The elevator opened to a silent, luxurious top floor with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking all of Seoul.
His secretary—Madam Eun-Seo, elegant with sharp eyes—stood waiting.
"You're late."
"It's 8:17…" Lyla whispered.
"Chairman Kang is a man who values precision. If he says 8:15, he means 8:15."
Lyla swallowed nervously.
"Follow me."
She entered his office.
The space was enormous. Sleek. Minimalist. A storm of power and silence.
And Kang Min-Jae stood near the windows.
Tall.
Sharp-jawed.
Suit jacket off.
Black shirt rolled up to his forearms.
A breathtaking sight of cold authority and masculine control.
He didn't turn around.
"Close the door," he said.
Lyla obeyed quietly.
He finally faced her.
"Come here."
She stepped closer.
Her heart raced.
"Why didn't you answer my son's message?"
She stiffened.
So he knew.
"I… I didn't know what to say."
"Then don't say anything," he replied. "Junho has no right to demand explanations from you."
Her chest tightened.
"But he will ask at some point," Min-Jae continued. "And when he does, you will not tell him anything about your involvement with me. Understood?"
She nodded.
"Use words."
"Yes… I understand."
His eyes swept over her slowly.
"Good. Sit."
She sat in front of him.
He leaned against his desk, arms crossed, toweringly dominant.
"Before we begin, there are rules."
Her heart pounded.
"Rules?"
"Yes. If you're going to be my assistant whatever else your father expects—there must be boundaries."
"W-whatever else…?" she whispered.
He smirked slightly.
"Don't act shy now. You came to seduce me, didn't you?"
Her face warmed.
"I—was forced—"
"I know," he said. "Which is why I will make the rules, not your father."
She looked at him, confused.
He straightened.
"Rule one. Don't lie to me. Not even small lies. I'll know."
She nodded weakly.
"Rule two. When I give instructions, you obey. Immediately."
Her breath hitched.
"Rule three."
His voice dropped, rich and dangerous.
"If you choose to tempt me, if you play with fire, you must accept the consequences. I don't entertain childish games."
Her lips parted in shock.
"I'm not—"
"You are," he interrupted. "But you don't understand what seduction means to me yet."
She swallowed hard.
"Rule four."
He tilted her chin upward with two fingers—shockingly gentle.
"You will stay by my side for the next 30 days during business trips, meetings, and negotiations."
Her heart skipped.
"And rule five."
His gaze darkened.
"My son must never find out about us."
That last word—
us
—sent a dangerous shiver through her body.
Us.
What did that mean?
She didn't ask.
He stepped back.
"You start now."
Her first task was simple:
"Prepare my travel documents."
But nothing was simple with Kang Min-Jae.
He handed her a folder shaped like a trap.
She opened it—and froze.
They were traveling together tomorrow.
To Busan.
Alone.
In the same luxury suite—because the hotel reserved only one presidential room for VIPs.
"My father never mentioned anything about trips," she whispered faintly.
"No," he said. "Because I invited you."
Her chest tightened.
"But why me?"
He walked closer.
So close she could feel his breath.
"You think I asked for you because of business?"
His finger brushed a loose strand behind her ear—light, intimate.
"No, Lyla. You're coming with me because I want to see how long you can resist me."
Her knees weakened.
"Wh-why would I resist you?" she whispered.
He smiled darkly.
"Because I'm your ex-boyfriend's father."
She flinched.
"And because," he continued softly, "you still look at me like you're debating whether to run… or surrender."
Her breath came in uneven bursts.
"Which one is it, Lyla?" he murmured. "Run… or surrender?"
She couldn't answer.
He chuckled.
"Doesn't matter. You'll do both."
Before she could process his words, the office door flew open.
Lyla jumped.
Min-Jae didn't.
The intruder?
Junho.
Her ex.
He stood frozen, eyes widening as he saw Lyla sitting intimately close to his father's desk—wearing Min-Jae's suit jacket from last night.
His voice broke with shock and anger.
"Lyla… what are you doing here?"
Her stomach dropped.
Min-Jae turned around slowly, expression unreadable.
"She's my assistant," he said calmly.
Junho's jaw clenched.
"Since when?"
"Since today," Min-Jae replied. "Is that a problem?"
Junho's eyes burned into Lyla.
"You—work—for my father?"
Lyla whispered, barely audible, "Junho… it's not what you think—"
"Really?" he spat. "Because it looks exactly like what I think."
Min-Jae stepped closer to his son, voice colder.
"You don't get to question her."
"I have every right!" Junho snapped. "We dated—"
"You left her," Min-Jae cut in, voice sharp. "You lost that right."
Junho froze.
Lyla's heart ached painfully.
Min-Jae moved protectively in front of her.
A silent claim.
A warning.
"Unless you have business here," Min-Jae said, "leave."
Junho's voice cracked.
"You're… taking her with you? On your trip?"
"Yes," Min-Jae said without hesitation.
Lyla's breath caught.
Junho looked shattered.
"You're mistaken," he whispered to his father. "She's not… she's not a toy."
Min-Jae's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"And who said I play with toys?"
Silence exploded.
Lyla's pulse raced wildly.
Junho stepped back, voice breaking.
"I won't let you ruin her."
Min-Jae replied quietly, chillingly:
"Then you should have protected her when you had the chance."
Junho's face crumbled with guilt.
He left the office without another word.
The door slammed shut.
Silence.
Lyla trembled.
Min-Jae turned toward her, eyes dark with possessive warning.
"From now on," he said, "stay close to me. Don't talk to him alone. Don't accept anything from him."
Her lips parted.
"Are you… jealous?" she whispered softly.
He stepped forward, trapping her between his body and the desk.
"No," he murmured slowly. "I am territorial."
Her breath stopped completely.
"And you," he added, voice deepening, "are under my control now."
Her heart slammed violently.
Territorial.
Control.She whispered, "What if I don't want to be controlled?"
He leaned in, lips brushing her ear—barely touching.
"Then why," he whispered, "do your legs shake every time I'm near you?"
Her knees buckled.
He caught her waist before she could fall.
His hand—large, warm, steady—held her against him firmly.
She gasped.
He smirked.
"Get used to it," he murmured. "We're sharing a suite tomorrow."
Her entire body heated.
"And Lyla…" he added softly, lifting her chin again.
"Don't bother pretending. You're already here to awake hell for the next 30 days."
Her heart melted into fire.
Because the worst part?
She didn't want to escape.