THE BITCH CEO (Im Nayeon)

23

NAYEON'S POV

"Hurry up, I'm Nayeon!" I heard my sister Yeri shouted from the hallway outside my bedroom.

Her voice was already a little too loud for comfort, and I could tell she was getting impatient.

She'd been yelling nonstop for a minute, but I was in no mood to rush.

I wasn't even ready to face the night, and I certainly wasn't ready to deal with the DeBourbon family.

"Yeri, you're giving me a headache! I swear, I'm going to smash that mouth of yours if you don't stop!" I shot back, frustrated, finally stomping out of my room.

I glanced at her from the last step of the foyer, arms crossed and trying to keep my composure.

Her grin was impossible to ignore.

"Wow! You look stunning, unnie. And hot! Phew!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up dramatically, as if I were the star of a fashion show rather than someone reluctantly heading to a birthday party.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" I asked, hoping the question would distract from her antics.

"They already left. Come on, let's go!" Yeri replied, tugging at my arm, clearly eager to get moving.

Before I could protest, she pulled me toward the door, practically dragging me out to the car that was waiting in the driveway.

And I'm in heels for Christ sake!

We were on our way to Tzuyu's birthday party, but the thought of being there made me tense.

Seeing them again—the sisters, wouldn't be the hard part.

No, it was the possibility of seeing the eldest sister that made my heart race: Hans.

I had been avoiding the mansion for the past few days, staying away from my family events and gatherings in hopes of keeping my distance.

Yeri had told me that Hans had been over at the mansion constantly lately, meeting with Dad in the library or hanging around in the living room.

Every time she called and mentioned Hans' name, a strange mix of dread and frustration filled me.

I hadn't even gone to visit the mansion since the last time I ran into her. I couldn't shake the feeling that she was everywhere I turned, as if I couldn't escape the shadow of her presence.

I hadn't expected my parents to force me into this, but Dad had been disappointed when I told them I wasn't going.

"You're going, and that's final. You will go to this party, or I'll restrict you from the mansion for an entire month." He'd said.

A month. The thought alone made my blood boil. I couldn't even imagine being kept away from the mansion for that long.

It felt like a punishment more than a consequence. A full month of being banned, unable to go into the mansion that held so many memories and so many secrets.

I fumed, but the ultimatum was clear. And when Mom added her gentle but firm.

"Your father's right, darling." She'd said and I knew there was no escaping it.

That's how I ended up here, with my sister dragging me to the car, already halfway to a party I didn't want to attend.

My father, he had always been a piece of work.

I couldn't stand the way he manipulated people, especially me.

Since I was little, he had used every trick in the book to get me to obey him, and now, as an adult, his persuasion skills hadn't dulled.