Upon returning to his home office, Kang Woo immediately summoned Secretary Choi. Ignoring the stacked approval documents, he stared at Secretary Choi. The fiery aura surrounding his black pupils made Secretary Choi shrink back.

“Let’s continue from where we left off. Is there a connection between the maid, the dismissed driver, and my father?”

“President, there is a connection with Representative Cha, but that doesn’t mean Representative Cha orchestrated this.”

Kang Woo picked up a pen and tapped the tip on the table, creating intermittent, tense friction sounds in the silent room. A chilly smile briefly crossed his neatly sealed lips.

“Secretary Choi, do you happen to know the story of a female giraffe?”

“Yes?”

“A female giraffe kicks her newborn with her hind legs. If it doesn’t stand up immediately, she abandons it.”

“…”

“My father is an exceptional person. He doesn’t acknowledge weak children like animals do. You understand well, don’t you?”

“Even so, determining that Representative Cha threatened you seems a bit…”

Secretary Choi, who had observed Nam Tae’s temperament since childhood, couldn’t finish her sentence. She knew how harshly Nam Tae treated Kang Woo and Hyun Suk.

Nam Tae was harsh on his legitimate children. He scolded them for having a loud voice and scorned them for speaking too softly. If they walked fast, they were considered unlearned; if they walked slowly, they were deemed lazy. If they stumbled even once, he made them ask for permission for every little thing, from their attire to their outings.

However, when Kang Woo entered middle school, the household turned upside down. After a conflict with his father, Kang Woo walked a path opposite to what Nam Tae commanded.

He rejected studying abroad and entered S University, choosing computer engineering instead of business or international relations.

He didn’t stop there; he became independent from the family. Decisively, he married Se-ah, not someone connected by Nam Tae’s arrangements.

Although they expected a big fuss, surprisingly, Nam Tae readily accepted Se-ah, alleviating some of the deep-seated conflicts between the wealthy families.

“Due to mixed emotions, I won’t rashly suspect my father. Tell me about the information you found.”

“The maid and the driver share one commonality: their children received sponsorship from Representative Cha. The maid and the driver were previously unmarried parents who entrusted their children to the childcare facility sponsored by Representative Cha.”

Unexpectedly, Kang Woo burst into laughter. Gazing absently at the desk, he lifted his head.

“It’s quite fascinating, coincidentally having two individuals with unusual experiences come into my orbit.”

“But Representative Cha has no reason to harm you, does he?”

“He probably didn’t intend to kill, just wanted to stir up trouble. Do I contradict my father’s wishes again?”
Leaning against the backrest with fists clenched, he spoke forcefully but had no intention of blindly betraying his father or denying his actions without reason. From the day he first saw Go Jin-ho, he carefully pondered the situation. Assuming Nam Tae as the culprit would explain many things. Vice President Lee Chang-seok might have known about Nam Tae’s embezzlement from our company. The need for a maid and a driver was conveyed to Hyun-suk through Se-ah, and it would have been passed on to Nam Tae.

Nam Tae had the power not only to manipulate things with his authority but also to freely use Hyun-suk’s family and even me to grab what he wanted.

He believed that the purpose of the torment was simple: to tame me in advance for his use in the re-election. It was just a demonstration to prevent him, my father, from being ignored recklessly.

However, suddenly, an incongruent puzzle piece slipped in. Se-ah’s face during the tailing that day.

Memories he tried to erase deliberately overwhelmed his mind. Why was Se-ah so anxious, waking up from sleep like that? As if someone who already knew they were being followed.

Upon reflection, the image of this director also automatically intertwined with the memory. The two of them secretly conversing at the hospital and the back gate of the main house.

Suppressed unpleasant memories seeped into his mind. His pupils stiffened more than before, and even his insides trembled, making his eyebrows twitch fiercely.

Ah, the paranoia is acting up again. Shaking his head vigorously, he said, “President, are you okay? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“My head is throbbing a bit. Okay, just go out and work.”

Secretary Choi left the Double. Devil business report on the table and quietly vacated the seat.

Se-ah was packing for a ten-day business trip. Tonight, she was heading to New York. Even though there wasn’t much time to say goodbye for a week, she had to let him go without much ceremony.

Ten days without seeing him… How could she endure? Before marriage, she used to count how many times she saw him every year. How did she endure then? Just the thought of him was enough to bring forth intense longing.