The dining room was bathed in early morning sunlight, highlighting the fruits, pastries, and tea laid out on the table. Lady Eun-ha, Dong-wook's mother, sat at the sides of the table with a disapproving gaze. Lady Ji-young, Dong-wook's younger sister, eyed Rang with barely concealed scorn as he took his seat.
Rang, walked in with a smug smirk. The cold stares from Dong-wook's family were a challenge, but he was determined to handle them with grace.
Lady Eun-ha's gaze was icy. "mother " she said, " won't you tell brother-in-law of what you decided?"
Lady Eun-ha met her gaze with a smile. "Well, Sang-bum, you see, it not like you will ever birth a child so you will have to accept if Dong-wook decides to marry a real wife someday."
Ji-young smirked. "right brother- in- law, just cause you can't become a mother doesn't mean my brother doesn't deserves to be a father."
Rang's smirk widened, his eyes glinting with amusement. He wasn't fond of the Duke or the whole marriage thing, but messing with people's heads? That was a different story.
"Well, Ji-young," he said casually, leaning back a bit, "if popping out kids is all it takes to be a wife, then I guess there'd be a lot of 'em lining up for the job, huh? But it's gonna take more than that to stick around in Dong-wook's life. A title, a ring, and a baby don't make someone worthy."
He turned his gaze to Lady Eun-ha, his tone turning softer but still sharp. "And you, Mother in law ," he said, almost playfully, "I appreciate you worrying about Duke's future. Really, I do. But if he ever feels like he needs something—or someone—else, I'm pretty sure he can figure that out without anyone pushing him."
Lady Eun-ha's smile stiffened, her eyes narrowing a bit. "So, you're saying you'd just let him take another wife if it came to that?"
Sang-bum's eyes glinted with a bit more mischief. "Oh, I'd let him do whatever he wants," he replied, his voice light, "as long as it keeps things interesting. "he muttered the last part under his breath.
Ji-young let out a short laugh, crossing her arms. "You really think you can keep him happy forever?" she said with a sneer.
Sang-bum didn't miss a beat. "Who said I had to?" he shot back smoothly. "Sometimes, you don't need a winning hand. You just gotta know how to play the cards you got."
The room went quiet, the air heavy with his words. He didn't care about proving himself to any of them, but seeing the cracks in their calm expressions was almost too much fun.
Later that afternoon, Dong-wook was strolling through the estate's garden when he spotted Rang taking a walk. Seizing the opportunity, Dong-wook approached him.
"Master Sang-bum," Dong-wook greeted, his tone curious. "You seem to be enjoying the garden."
Rang turned to face Dong-wook. "Duke Dong-wook, it's lovely here. But it's even better with you around."
Dong-wook looked surprised. "Is that so?"
Rang stepped closer, his voice warm but intense. "Yes. There's something about you that makes everything more interesting. I've found myself wanting to be near you more and more."
Dong-wook raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You're quite forward today."
Rang's eyes locked with Dong-wook's. "I can't help it. "
Dong-wook's curiosity deepened. "And why is that?"
Rang just smirked and left.
Later, Rang met with Yuri in the garden.
"Yuri," Rang said, " any progress or ideas?"
Yuri said with enthusiasm. "well i have some info but we need to discuss it , privately."
both of them left to Rang's room and unfolded the papers with info on study.
Yuri nodded. "well i have gathered that-
India is a major source for diamonds, pearls, sapphires, and rubies.Sri Lanka (Ceylon) is known for sapphires, garnets, and other colored gemstones.Egypt trads in emeralds from the mines in the Eastern Desert and turquoise from the Sinai Peninsula.Persia was famous for its turquoise, and China had an abundance of jade. If we manage to get the stones from there, we can get it at cheaper prize and sell at a lot more higher price. "
Rang was impressed " impressive Yuri, as expected , you are good at this. Ok , work on it further, i want all the details."
As Yuri left to handle the arrangements, Rang was left alone with his thoughts. His fixation on getting free from this marriage . Every decision he made was influenced by his desire to win.
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Plot Twist: The Husband's Mine!
Fanfiction"Kim sang-bum and Lee dong-wook got married out of political agreements . there was no love in between them. they never even looked at each other after their marriage. After an year of their marriage, Lee dong-wook met his first love , Nam ji-ah at...
