Yeojeong, who had rebuffed So Yeon’s request with a refusal, leaned back into the soft sofa cushion and put on airs. Very calmly, as if it were nothing. Then she scanned the people present at the gathering.

With a skewed gaze that couldn’t understand why her mere grandchild was treating her like such a criminal.

However, Yeojeong became somewhat uneasy as she confirmed that everyone’s expressions were frozen.

It was because it didn’t seem like anyone would readily take her side.

Not only her son who had fallen head over heels for that insignificant girl, but even Chairman Gu, who had always been a reliable husband, was like a sack of borrowed barley in front of his wife’s family. The only person Yeojeong could trust and rely on until the end was Chairman Tae, who would die for his sister-in-law.

“I don’t understand why everyone’s making such a fuss over one immature child crying. It’s only natural for an adult to scold a child. Isn’t that right, brother-in-law?”

“Hmm……”

However, Chairman Tae only sealed his lips tightly after clearing his throat to calm the situation. Instead, Yeo Jin burst out with the anger she had been holding back.

“Cha Yeojeong! Do you still not understand the gravity of what you’ve done? Father worried about your greed until his dying breath and asked me to take care of you. But why do you keep choosing to do more and more vicious things as time goes by? I’m so ashamed I can’t even lift my head!”

“Aren’t you being too harsh, elder sister? Do you really have to say such things in front of Won Hoo and Seo Jun?”

No matter how much she knew she was wrong, where would her sharp personality go? Yeojeong, who was upset, retorted to Yeo Jin with false accusations.

“It’s somewhat fortunate that you at least know to be ashamed in front of your nephew and son.”

“No matter how much you love your grandchild, how can you treat me like this, elder sister? Why are you only cornering me like this!”

“You’re asking why? After coveting what wasn’t yours so much, you’ve ended up destroying a family. You should have repented and restrained yourself after that, but how can you keep trying to do things your own way!”

Despite scolding and admonishing her so much in the room, there was no sign of remorse at all. Yeo Jin looked at the fuming Yeojeong with stern eyes, all the more disappointed as she was her only sibling and blood relative. Deep regret was evident in that cold gaze.

“It seems you weren’t really listening to what I said earlier. Listen carefully again, Cha Yeojeong! I can no longer stand by and watch your misguided behavior. I’ve been protecting your dignity until now because of Father’s last wishes, but remember that I won’t do so anymore!”

Yeojeong, who had never experienced her elder sister’s cold glare as they had been close siblings, was considerably flustered. Because of this, though she held her head high, she had to blink her eyes several times as they stung from the cold air.

“Th-then, are you really saying you’ll cut ties with me?”

“I can’t bear it any longer, even for the sake of not embarrassing the children. So now you choose. Whether you’ll sever our sisterly bond, or sincerely apologize to Hyun Woo’s mother and the girl who will become your daughter-in-law.”

“Wh-wh-what?”

Yeojeong, who had turned serious, jumped up.

The condition Yeo Jin had set wasn’t difficult. But how could she apologize to those young ones? Especially in front of her son and nephew, it would hurt her pride.

However, an even bigger mishap was that her elder sister, who had been a pillar of support throughout her life, was turning her back on her. If that really happened, she would be like a kite with its string cut in high society. Therefore, there was only one choice.

After thinking for a moment, Yeojeong clenched her fists and blurted out in a dejected voice.

“Sigh, fine. I’ll apologize. I’m sorry for making Hyun Woo cry. Yeo Do Soon, I’m sorry for treating you harshly all this time.”

Could there be a more shameful moment than this? Yeojeong, who had put the apology in her mouth, tightly closed her eyes, which had become bloodshot as humiliation welled up.

“Now, don’t be mindful of being a daughter-in-law. I’ll listen carefully too. If you have anything you want to say at this point, say it all.”

Chairman Tae, who had been silent, said to So Yeon and Do Soon. Chairman Gu also nodded. It meant that he too would not let the words of the two prospective daughters-in-law fall on deaf ears.

“I accept the apology. And I will make more effort so that aunt’s heart is not uncomfortable in the future. But I won’t try to forcibly make a good impression. Even if it takes a bit more time, I will approach naturally with sincerity.”

If someone were to point a finger at my child, I would surely break that finger. If the world looks askance at my choices, I will face that world’s eyes proudly. I will never be cowed. I will become strong as a mother.

This was something she had resolved long ago, a whole-hearted vow to her tiny baby. And that heart remained unchanged even now.

As such, So Yeon’s eyes and voice were imbued with firmness. Moreover, she did not forget to conduct herself appropriately, not deviating from what was proper for her position.

Following So Yeon, Do Soon also said a word.

“I don’t have much to say. Slowly removing negative emotions is the homework for me and mother. That’s all.”

No matter how bold her speech was, Yeo Do Soon, who knew when to step in and when to step back, spoke briefly and smiled slightly.

How many times had she smiled bitterly at Cha Yeojeong’s actions? Countless times. Do Soon felt refreshed, as if the long-standing indigestion had finally cleared today.

At this point, Chairman Tae and Chairman Gu said they should have a drink together and went into the reception room. Seo Jun and Won Hoo said they would talk more with their women and went up to the second floor.

The reception room, left with only the two sisters, was quiet to the point of being empty.

Yeojeong frowned with hollow eyes and stared at Yeo Jin. She felt resentful, irritated, and blamed her elder sister for embarrassing her in front of her children. However, Yeo Jin, who still had unfinished words, spoke in a calm voice while staring into space.

“Hyun Woo is already mature as he is smart. If you knew what you did to that pitiful child, you should sincerely regret and reflect. I think it will be hard for me to see you again with this feeling. So you and I should keep our distance for a while.”

What nonsense is this after forcing an apology on her sister’s insistence?

“Elder sister…!”

Yeojeong, who had lost her grip on composure, shouted loudly. But Yeo Jin didn’t even blink. She only spoke slowly as she gracefully rose from her seat.

“You reap what you sow, don’t you?”

With these final words, Yeo Jin went into the main room.

How can one change their innate nature? It would be impossible even if summoned before the King of Hell. So Yeo Jin, as the only blood relative, had to at least let her know that. How her wrongful actions would come back to push herself into what kind of situation.

Left alone in the empty reception room, Yeojeong felt her mind go blank as a sigh escaped between her teeth.

“Hah……”

She had admitted her wrongdoing to those two girls she couldn’t stand to look at, albeit reluctantly. Even if it wasn’t sincere, from the moment those apologies left her lips, she had essentially lost any justification to raise her voice at them. Because like time that can’t be rewound, words once spoken can’t be taken back.

But Yeojeong had something even more unfair and upsetting. It was that while her own family was clearly in this house, there was no one by her side to protect her.

In this moment of being left alone, only a lonely silence enveloped Cha Yeojeong.

Amid the hazy smoke, the smell of alcohol was palpable.

This club, which could only be entered by those with a certain social status, might as well have been called a social venue doubling as a business spot for the top 1% of the wealthy.

A man who had been scanning the dimly lit club with sharp eyes suddenly crossed quickly between the tables spaced at appropriate intervals. Those steady footsteps stopped in front of Han Seung Jae, who was sitting in a relaxed posture on a black leather sofa.

The two women flanking him, judging by their appearance wrapped in luxury brands from head to toe, seemed to be daughters of aspiring chaebol families who knew Han Seung Jae was divorced and were aiming for that gap.

“Well… who might this be? Isn’t it my younger brother.”

Han Seung Jae, looking up at Han Seung Yul while seated, let out a sardonic snicker. The sharp gaze that rose crookedly, as if displeased, was deeply ingrained with the consciousness that it should be acknowledged but ignored.

Han Seung Yul also looked down with an equally fierce gaze.

“Brother? You’re saying something very unfamiliar.”

A half-brother was still a brother. But such an expression didn’t suit their uncomfortable relationship. They had made eye contact at the company, but this was the first time they were exchanging words.

As such, Han Seung Jae didn’t care what he was called, and was merely mocking their awkward relationship of being brothers yet unable to call each other brothers.

“Sit down first. It seems you came with something to say to me.”

“If you don’t want to be embarrassed, it would be better for you to stand up.”

As Han Seung Jae lazily rolled his tongue after gesturing arrogantly to clear the surroundings, Han Seung Yul, who immediately retorted, held back a poisonous chuckle.

“Oh my, since when did my little brother care about my face? I never asked for such…”

Thwack!

“Get up right now, you son of a…!”

“Pfft……”

Han Seung Jae, wiping his chin where Han Seung Yul’s fist had landed with the back of his hand, slowly got up. Shrugging his shoulders once and snickering was a mockery that the punch was very weak.

And it was the moment that smile disappeared.

Whoosh!

As if it would be a shame to just get hit, Han Seung Jae threw a punch. However, Han Seung Yul’s movement, having calculated his motion in advance, was a bit faster. Only, he couldn’t avoid the hand that quickly grabbed his collar after the wild swing.

“You bastard…!”

“…!”

Han Seung Yul, who fanatically enjoyed climbing, was of average height with a slim build. The tall Han Seung Jae had solid muscles visible even over his sleek suit. These two men were now tightly gripping each other’s collars.

“It was you who tore apart that I was trying to acquire, wasn’t it?”

Han Seung Yul, who had built up solid practical skills in the United States with his outstanding intellect. After acknowledging him as family, Chairman Han changed the single successor structure to a two-person system, weighing his two sons.

Even that was enough to make Han Seung Jae grit his teeth, and he was the type to rather break his own rice bowl than have it taken away. Even if it harmed . For him, it was only natural that if he couldn’t eat, others shouldn’t eat either.

What such a destructive Han Seung Jae had done without his father knowing was to manipulate the stock price of , which Han Seung Yul had touched, turning it into scrap paper, and spreading malicious rumors to completely block the acquisition funding supported by the group.

Perhaps the noise created in that process had reached Han Seung Yul’s ears.

But even if Chairman Han knew about it, Han Seung Jae didn’t need to worry much.

The group’s overall skeleton in the closet of enormously increasing company assets by taking from others. In other words, if he properly handled Professor Eom, who could prove Chairman Han’s cruel and ruthless past, his father wouldn’t be able to say anything to him.

Having thought that far, Han Seung Jae’s expression was very relaxed.

“I can’t deny it. I’m quite skilled at throwing ashes on a meal that’s almost ready.”

“You must be having so much fun stabbing me in the back? Fine, do as you please. I’ll accumulate that debt bit by bit and surely pay you back!”

“Go ahead. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“If you’re going to look forward to it, double it. I’m planning to shatter even what you’re relying on into pieces.”

Han Seung Yul knew well. That on Han Seung Jae’s orders, several people were suspiciously going back and forth to Canada. He didn’t know exactly what they were aiming for yet, but figuring that out was only a matter of time.

“Seems you’ve been digging around quite a bit. You’re wasting your effort.”

He hadn’t done anything yet, but he would soon carry out that plan. If this guy noticed it, not only his father but even he could be in danger.

As that thought crossed his mind, the flesh under Han Seung Jae’s eyes involuntarily twitched.

“We’ll see. Once I bite into something, I chew it to the bone!”

“Then bite! I’m not the type to just leave a reckless guy like you alone either!”

Han Seung Jae’s sneer implying what could someone like him do. Han Seung Yul’s venom retorting to that. The only thing emanating from the bodies of these half-brothers pressed together was suffocating hatred.

The two men, with their faces drawn close, fixed growling gazes in each other’s eyes.

Like a fight between beasts that would only end when one of them died.