THE FORGOTTEN DAD

Chapter 66: The War Before The Wedding

The countdown had begun: 14 days until Dae Ho's long-awaited wedding to Jasmine. The days dragged like an unshakable burden, each minute feeling longer than the last. The wedding preparations were only halfway done, yet every detail felt weighty under the pressure of looming perfection. Dae Ho sat in his office, staring at the pre-wedding photos he'd posted on Instagram. For years, he had kept his relationship with Jasmine shrouded in secrecy, only to finally expose it to the world. Now, the public was showering him with admiration.

"The most eligible bachelor, finally taken!"
"Jasmine Park, the luckiest woman in Korea!"
"Kim Dae Ho's mystery girl revealed!"

He smirked as he scrolled through the comments. To them, he and Jasmine were the perfect couple—flawless, powerful, untouchable. They had no idea how far he had gone to make that illusion real. The ring on his finger felt like the culmination of years of effort, of relentless ambition, and finally, his dream was coming true.

He had waited for this moment ever since their days at university, where he first fell for her. He kept his feelings hidden for years, always watching, always planning, biding his time. The obstacles never mattered to him—neither Emil nor anyone else could stand in the way of what he wanted. Not even his own mother's disapproval could change his mind now. She had tried, of course. She loathed Jasmine, saying she wasn't fit to be the wife of a man like him. But Dae Ho had stopped caring about what his family thought. Jasmine was everything to him. He would do whatever it took to make her his.

The sudden buzzing of his phone shattered his thoughts. The name on the screen sent a cold wave of annoyance through him: Ruby West.

He hesitated for a second before picking up the call, already knowing this would be unpleasant.

"What do you want, Ruby?" His voice was flat, exuding disdain.

"What do I want?" Ruby's voice cracked with fury on the other end. "I want to know why the hell you left Eva with Emil!"

Dae Ho clenched his jaw, her words like nails scraping against his already frayed nerves. He could feel her venom even through the phone. Ruby never knew when to stop.

"Eva will return when it's closer to the wedding," Dae Ho said curtly. "It's not the right time now."

"Not the right time? Emil is planning to move back to South Korea because of Eva! He's doing it because you left her with him! You've handed him exactly what he wanted."

Dae Ho's breath hitched, his hand tightening around the phone. Emil moving back to South Korea? How hadn't he known this? His carefully laid plans were starting to unravel right in front of him, and Ruby's accusation didn't help. He needed time to think, but Ruby kept pushing.

"Are you that incompetent, Dae Ho?" Ruby spat. "All you ever wanted was Jasmine, and now you're throwing Eva into Emil's lap? Is this all an act? Do you even care about her, or is this just to keep Jasmine happy?"

The dig hit harder than Dae Ho expected, striking something deeper, a truth he didn't like to face. His feelings toward Eva were complicated—too complicated to explain to someone like Ruby.

"Enough," he snapped, his voice rising. "This isn't about Eva. This is about Emil. I'll handle it, but Eva stays where she is."

"Oh, please," Ruby scoffed, the sound of her voice sending a shiver of hatred down his spine. "You're lying through your teeth. You've never wanted Eva in your life, not in Jasmine's either. You want Emil gone, but you have no idea how to do it. You're afraid. Admit it."

His temper flared, blood rushing to his face. "You don't know anything, Ruby. Emil will not come back to South Korea. I'll make sure of it."

Ruby's laugh was sharp, filled with derision. "The only way to stop Emil is to take Eva back, and we both know you won't do that. You're scared Emil might come back and ruin everything. How pathetic. You're too weak to even protect what you want."

Dae Ho's voice became deadly quiet. "It's all give and take, Ruby. If you want my help, you'd better offer something in return."

The silence that followed hung heavily between them. Ruby's voice softened, but it was laced with suspicion. "And what exactly do you want?"

Dae Ho's lips curled into a sneer. "I want to know how you managed to send Emil to jail four years ago."

There was a pause, long enough for Dae Ho to feel the weight of his demand. When Ruby finally spoke, her tone was sharp. "That's a secret you don't need to know, Dae Ho."

"So you expect me to help you, but you're not willing to help me?" He laughed bitterly. "Then you're on your own."

He slammed the phone down, his mind racing. Emil returning to South Korea could ruin everything. If Emil was close to Jasmine, close to his life, it would throw a wrench into everything he had worked for. He needed a plan, and fast.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Ji Hoon, his loyal PA, entered.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Ji Hoon asked, sensing the tension in the air.

Dae Ho nodded, turning toward the window as he considered his next move. Jasmine had asked him for something—something that had piqued his own desire for revenge. She wanted to destroy Ruby, and for the first time in their long, twisted history, Dae Ho agreed with her.

"Ruby," Dae Ho said slowly. "We're going to take her down."

Ji Hoon raised an eyebrow. "What's the plan, sir?"

Dae Ho's fingers tapped against his desk as his mind worked. "We'll send someone into Langston Beauty. Ruby's empire will crumble from the inside. I don't want Jasmine involved in this mess. Ruby is too dangerous."

Ji Hoon nodded, but his eyes darkened. "If I may, sir... Ruby's real strength comes from her control over Emil. That's her leverage. If we can sever that, she'll fall apart."

Dae Ho paused, intrigued. "What are you suggesting?"

Ji Hoon leaned in, his voice lowering. "Ruby has something on Emil. Something that has kept him tied to her all these years. If we can find out what that is and destroy it, Emil will be free. But..."

"But that would leave Emil with nothing to lose," Dae Ho finished, his voice grim. He could see where this was heading. Freeing Emil from Ruby would only create a new problem: Emil would be unleashed, and Jasmine might pity him. He couldn't allow that. He wanted both of them destroyed.

Ji Hoon's eyes gleamed with malice. "That's where Langston Motors comes in. If we can sabotage their cars, cause accidents... it would destroy their reputation. And not just Langston Motors—all of Langston Group would be hit. Emil's empire would collapse."

Dae Ho leaned back, a slow smile spreading across his face. The idea was perfect. Ruthless, yes—but perfect. It would be a deathblow, one from which neither Ruby nor Emil could recover.

"And the public?" Dae Ho asked, his voice cold. "They'll buy it?"

Ji Hoon nodded confidently. "Absolutely. It'll look like faulty engineering. When the accidents start piling up, there will be public outrage. Langston Motors will have no choice but to recall their cars. The lawsuits, the media... they'll drown them."

Dae Ho exhaled slowly, his mind racing through the logistics. It was brutal, methodical. It was exactly the kind of plan that would ensure he came out on top—untouched, with Jasmine by his side.

"Do it," he finally said, his voice quiet but filled with resolve. "Take down Langston Motors. Make sure it's untraceable. We'll watch them burn."

Ji Hoon nodded and left the room, leaving Dae Ho to bask in the cold, dark satisfaction of the moment. His plans were unfolding, and soon, both Ruby and Emil would be left with nothing. The perfect ending.

As he sat alone, staring at the engagement ring once again, he whispered to himself, "This is for us, Jasmine. For us."

His dreams of a perfect life with her were within reach, but the path was paved with ruin—for everyone else.