Crushed And Bond

Chapter 24: Confrontation

The atmosphere inside Jungkook's office was electric with tension. Both he and Lalisa were glaring at each other, anger burning in their eyes. Jungkook's jaw was clenched so hard it was a wonder it hadn't shattered. He looked at the petite woman in front of him, his gaze as cold as ice.

"What do you want to talk about?" he demanded, his voice chilling.

Lalisa's heart pounded in her chest. The last time they had such an intense encounter was at the awards show. She frowned slightly, struggling to keep her voice steady. "How did you get to know about Jiyeon?"

Jungkook let out a cold, humorless chuckle. "I have my ways, my sources. You hid her well, but I still found out about her."

He took a step closer, his voice rising with each word. "Speaking of which, why did you hide my daughter from me? Why did you keep her a secret?"

Lalisa's eyes narrowed, her own anger bubbling to the surface. "Your daughter? She is my daughter, Jungkook. Mine. I gave birth to her, I raised her. What does she even know about you aside from the fact that you are her father?"

Jungkook's fists tightened until his knuckles turned white. He pointed an accusatory finger at Lalisa. "You have no right to hide her from me. Why did you hide her? Why?"

Lalisa took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt a lump forming in her throat but forced herself to speak.

Lalisa sighed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I never intended to hide her from you."

Jungkook's eyes narrowed, his heart pounding in his chest. He let out a sarcastic laugh. "Lies," he said, growing serious all of a sudden.

Lalisa took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice. "I came back to Korea six years ago when Jiyeon was just seven months old. I never wanted to hide her from you because I knew the pain of growing up without a father. I thought we could start fresh, forget the past. But when I reached our house, it was locked. I asked around, and they said they hadn't seen you for months. With no choice, I headed for the Jeon family house."

Jungkook's frown deepened as he listened, but he said nothing.

"I asked the security guard there," Lalisa continued, tears slipping down her face. She harshly wiped them away with the back of her hand. "He seemed new, didn't recognize me. I asked him if you were there and that I wanted to meet you."

Jungkook's heart clenched as he saw her cry, but he forced himself to remain stoic. No, he wasn't going to fall for this.

"Do you know what he told me?" Lalisa's voice cracked. "He said you never wanted to see me again, that you wanted me to leave. So, I left, cradling my daughter in my arms."

Jungkook let out another sarcastic chuckle. "Stop lying, Lalisa. Stop speaking nonsense. You never came back."

Lisa let out a sarcastic chuckle, the sound echoing in the tense silence of the room. "Of course you wouldn't believe me," she said, shaking her head. "That's why I came prepared."

She reached into her elegant YSL sidebag, her movements deliberate. Jungkook watched her, his frown deepening as she pulled out a pair of old plane tickets. She walked over and placed them on his desk with a steady hand.

"Look at these," she said, her voice steady but laced with pain. "These are the plane tickets from six years ago. I came back, hoping we could reconcile, but you ruthlessly told me to leave."

Jungkook picked up the tickets, his frown deepening as he examined them. The dates matched her story. He looked back up at her, his confusion evident. "I never knew you came back. I was never informed."