The Kwon Group headquarters looked like a fortress under siege. Armored cars in the garage, extra guards with earpieces, and the entire top floor on lockdown. Kang-woo stepped out of the SUV with glass still in his hair and blood on his collar, suit rumpled but the diamond ring still flashing like nothing had happened. Ji-woon didn't let him walk three steps alone—arm locked around his waist, body angled like a shield.
"You're staying in my office until the vote," Ji-woon said, voice low enough that only Kang-woo heard. "No arguments."
Kang-woo wanted to snap something crude, but the Alpha's scent was wrapped around him too tight and the bite on his neck still throbbed like a brand. He just nodded.
Inside the penthouse-level office, the emergency board meeting was already chaos. Executives shouted over each other. The Japanese investors were on a massive screen, faces tight with panic. Headlines from the car attack scrolled on every monitor: "Kwon Heir Assassination Attempt – Merger in Jeopardy."
Min-jae was already there, bandage still on his cheek, looking every inch the worried younger brother. "Hyung, this is getting out of hand. Maybe we should delay the vote. Safety first."
Kang-woo's jaw clenched. Safety my ass. You set this up.
Ji-woon sat at the head of the table and pulled Kang-woo into the chair right beside him. Not across the room. Not at the end. Right there, in front of everyone. His hand stayed on Kang-woo's thigh under the table—possessive, steady, public.
"The vote happens now," Ji-woon said. "We don't run."
Kang-woo leaned forward before anyone could argue. "The leak isn't coming from outside. It's inside. Someone's been feeding the press and moving money to make the merger look toxic. Same person who probably tipped off the shooter today."
He slid the flash drive across the table. Yoon-ah had already loaded the files onto the main screen. Bank records. Timestamps. Min-jae's email login caught red-handed at 2:17 a.m. last week.
The room went dead quiet.
Min-jae laughed, but it cracked at the edges. "This is insane. Seung-ho's still half-delusional from the accident. He doesn't even remember his own name and now he's playing detective?"
Kang-woo met his eyes across the table. "I remember enough to know a rat when I smell one."
Ji-woon's hand tightened on his thigh—warning and approval at the same time.
The Japanese investors started rapid-fire questions in broken Korean. Kang-woo didn't wait for translation. He leaned into the camera, voice soft but every word sharp as a switchblade. "You want clean numbers? Then cut the offshore bullshit. The money that vanished last Tuesday is sitting in a Cayman account linked to a shell company owned by someone in this room. Fix it in the next hour and the deal stays alive. Keep playing games and we walk. Your choice."
One of the Japanese execs actually smiled. "Direct. We like direct."
The vote passed. Barely. But it passed.
Min-jae stood up so fast his chair scraped loud enough to echo. "This isn't over," he said under his breath, eyes locked on Kang-woo as he left.
Ji-woon didn't stop him. Not yet. He just pulled Kang-woo closer the second the door closed behind the last board member, mouth brushing the claiming bite through the collar.
"You just saved the merger again," he murmured. "In front of the entire board. In front of the world."
Kang-woo's pulse hammered. "Didn't do it for the company."
Ji-woon's hand slid higher up his thigh. "I know."
The slow burn between them was turning into a wildfire. Kang-woo could feel it—Ji-woon's scent thickening, the way his body leaned in like he wanted to knot him right there on the conference table. But before either of them could move, the door burst open.
Security. Pale faces.
"CEO-nim. Director Min-jae just cleared out his office. Took every hard drive. And there's a new leak—live footage of the car attack. It shows your Omega pulling you down to protect you. They're calling him a hero… and calling you compromised. The board's panicking again."
Ji-woon's eyes went flat and murderous.
Kang-woo felt the cage crack wider.
Min-jae wasn't running anymore.
He was burning everything down on his way out.
And this time the fire was aimed straight at both of them.