𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐗

Explosions

"Shh. Chae. I won't hurt you."

Chaeyoung's spine stiffened at the whispered voice, and she realized, now that she was pressed more into the man as he hid them in the small alcove beside the book shelves, that he was tall and she had been wrong. What the hell was he doing here?

She struggled against the hand and it finally left her mouth. She turned around and looked incredulously at Jeong Jaehyun, of all the people. What was he doing lurking in a dark corner of her father's office? And what was it with men and lurking and her? Before she could voice the sentiment, the door to the study closed behind the men who had entered and she quietened down, giving Jaehyun a scowl to keep himself quiet. He nodded in understanding and they stood close together, which made her really uncomfortable but she had no choice now did she? How did she manage to get herself into situations like these?

"It did not get any better even after you interfered."

Chaeyoung heard her father's angry voice come very loudly from over his desk. She held her breath, not knowing what was going on or if she should even be here, eavesdropping. Her previous experience in eavesdropping had kind of soured her to the entire thing. No point going there.

"Viktor," she heard Anatoly speak softly, reprimanding her father but he was cut off by him and a harsh "No."

"You made your terrible choices all on your own, Orlov. Don't blame them on me."

Jungkook. His voice, quiet and hard was unlike her father's high pitch. She swallowed. The two had apparently taken their testosterone match inside. And they were having a meeting about whatever deal they had made, about her. Oh google. Jaehyun tried to peek out over to them but she glared at him, stopping him in his tracks. She wasn't going to let this moron ruin her chances of finally finding out what the hell was going on.

"My terrible choices?" her father's voice moved over the desk, most likely facing Jungkook now. "They happened because of you."

Jungkook's lethal voice came from the same spot. He was standing his ground. "I was going to expose you years ago but I couldn't."

Chaeyoung blinked in surprise, not understanding why Jungkook had out and out told her father that he had been planning to overthrow him. Didn't he care for his neck or something? He continued and she diverted her mind back on the topic. "I have the evidence now and I can expose you for who you are now. But I won't. Because Chaeyoung deserves better."

"Don't you dare drag my daughter into this!" Her father's loud bellow made her flinch. She had never heard him so angry.

Jungkook's voice was so hard this time she didn't know how her father didn't crumple. "You did that all on your own, Orlov. I'm the one protecting her."

Her father sighed loudly while Anatoly intervened. "What happened? She was fine when I met her last week for lunch."

"And she is still fine," Jungkook reassured Anatoly in a softer tone. "She will be as long as I am there."

"Jungkook," Anatoly began hesitantly. "Why did you marry Chaeyoung? You knew her before, no?"

Jungkook remained silent for a few minutes and she wished so much to just see the looks being exchanged. After seconds, her father spoke again. "Have you told her?"

Jungkook's tone was hard again. Well, well. No love lost between the father and son-in-law, she supposed. "Do not think for a second that it is for you."

"Then why?"

"For her. I promised to protect her and I will. In every way." The conviction in his voice made her heart stutter but her mind was frustrated. Why did men have to be so dang cryptic? Couldn't they just hold cards and talk like 'Hey, this and this is what we are hiding from Chaeyoung' so at least she would know!