THE HEIRESS • TAENNIE

03

Taehyung stared at her for a long moment. Her slender, feminine beauty with her long, silky dark hair reminded him of flawlessness.

It was why his brother wanted to be with her. Jongin sought out superficial fixes to deeper problems. But she had to be close to her breaking point.

“This is an unfair burden on you at the moment. You can’t be expected to solve problems here while your father needs you.”

He watched her skin pale and she lowered her head. He resisted feeling too much empathy for her.

She had grown up in a privileged world, sequestered away from any real struggle. He had observed her from afar, always dressed neatly with security holding mere mortals away from her.

He could remember times when his mother couldn’t afford heat in their flat, yet Jennie and her family would spend a month in New Zealand or London escaping the bitter grey days in Korea.

It was why he worked so hard to make something of himself, so he wouldn’t have to struggle each day for food and proper shelter.

Jennie titled her head up. “Do I have your agreement?”

He relaxed his shoulders. “No. If Kim enterprise is to survive, decisive action is needed. I’ll wait on layoffs for a day or two, but make no mistake, they will be needed.”

Her eyes glittered with irritation, or possibly misplaced anger. “I won’t agree to let people go. Our employees have been with us for years and years.”

He took in a deep breath. “Go and see your father. This issue won’t be solved today.”

She turned away from him and slipped out the door.

Taehyung removed his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He wouldn’t allow her to soften him.

If decisive actions weren’t undertaken immediately, there wouldn’t be a Kim enterprise in a few weeks’ time.

The predators were circling.

James Kim had made many enemies, and they would not sit idly back, watching someone resurrect the business while James slowly recovered.

They’d use their power and influence to help it collapse.

A year ago, men would whisper about issues facing Kim enterprise. Now they were talking with reporters and coming up with all the dirt they could unearth.

It was impossible to hide from it.

Taking a seat at the desk, he flipped open his laptop and began scrolling through the accounting reports.

Kim enterprise was hemorrhaging cash everywhere. There wasn’t one solvent subsidiary.

It was hard to imagine James had any hope left in the days before his accident. A complete re-structuring of the business was needed, but it wouldn’t guarantee that the couture house would survive.

Taehyung flexed his shoulder muscles. If he hadn’t owed James Kim his life, he’d walk away without a backward glance.

But that simply wasn’t possible.