Colors Of Warmth | Seulrene

TWENTY

SUNSET SERENITY

Emerging from the shadows of past pain, you find solace in the gentle embrace of family life. Each day unfolds with the soothing touch of love, like a soft, guiding light weaving through every moment, filling your heart with warmth and serenity.

The aftermath of Mrs. Bae’s arrest unfolded with a fervor that rippled through society, a storm of revelations and reactions. Mrs. Bae, whose real name was Kim Jin Ah, was charged with a litany of crimes that shook the foundations of the Bae Empire. The full scope of her deceit emerged: embezzlement on a colossal scale, siphoning off funds alongside key investors, and orchestrating schemes that nearly bankrupted the empire years earlier. The public was aghast at the extent of her betrayal, and the once-powerful matriarch was now a symbol of greed and corruption.

The scandal was compounded by the disclosure that Mrs. Bae had leaked Yerim’s medical records, a revelation that had triggered Irene's uncontrollable rage. With Mrs. Bae’s arrest came a wave of media frenzy. The public outrage was intense; a torrent of indignation and disbelief consumed social media and news outlets. Irene’s meticulous dismantling of Insider Wave and its corrupt associates became a spectacle of power and vengeance.

The wife of the senator who had an affair with Mrs. Bae, publicly humiliated and livid, added to the uproar. She orchestrated a dramatic confrontation at the detention center where Mrs. Bae was held, making a scene that was widely covered by the press. The senator, already shamed by the public, faced an onslaught of scorn and derision.

In the midst of this storm, Irene remained a formidable figure, her cold resolve and strategic genius leaving an indelible mark. Her relentless pursuit of justice had brought down Mrs. Bae and her accomplices, and the sight of her enemies in chains was both a victory and a warning. Irene’s reputation was solidified as a powerful force, one not to be trifled with. The message was clear, cross Irene Bae, and you would face a reckoning that would unravel your world.

But the one most deeply affected by the fallout was Bae Woo-Sung, the patriarch of the Bae family. For years, he had been the unchallenged head of the family, a man whose authority and decisions shaped the destiny of their empire. Yet, in the aftermath of Mrs. Bae’s arrest, the full extent of his wife’s betrayal hit him with a force that left him reeling. The realization that all his hard work had been undermined by the very person he had trusted most was devastating.

He had been blissfully unaware of the theft and deception happening right under his nose, his wife siphoning off funds and bringing the Bae Empire to the brink of collapse. The betrayal cut deeper than he could have imagined—his life's work, the empire he had built from the ground up, was almost destroyed by someone he loved and trusted.

But the personal betrayal was even more excruciating. Mrs. Bae’s affair with a senator, who had been his friend for years, was a punch to the gut that left him gasping for air. It wasn’t just the infidelity; it was the sheer audacity of her actions, the cold calculation with which she had played him for a fool. He had been blinded by love, too willing to overlook the signs, too eager to believe in the facade she had carefully crafted.

In the stillness that followed the storm, Mr. Bae was left alone with his thoughts, the weight of his choices pressing down on him like an unbearable burden. The noise and chaos had subsided, leaving behind a silence that was more oppressive than any shout or accusation. In that quiet, memories that he had long tried to bury came rushing back, refusing to be ignored any longer.

His mind wandered back to the first woman he had ever loved—the mother of his two daughters, Irene and Wendy. She had been everything to him once, a beacon of light in his life. But that light had dimmed, snuffed out by her betrayal. She had left him, abandoning not only him but also their daughters. The pain of her departure had been a wound that never truly healed, a festering sore that bled into every aspect of his life. He had tried to erase her from their lives, severing all ties. He had made sure that Irene and Wendy grew up without any connection to their real mother. He had thought it was for the best, that by erasing her, he could erase the pain as well.