FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT| JJENINII

16

The dining room was perfectly set, as it always was.

The staff had arranged the table with crisp white linens, gleaming silverware, and just enough flair to make even an ordinary meal feel polished.

Dinner tonight was a roasted chicken with sides of vegetables and buttered rolls, served under the quiet elegance of the chandelier's soft glow.

Jennie and Taehyung sat across from each other, the faint clink of utensils and the occasional murmur of conversation filling the room.

It had become routine, these quiet dinners where they fell into an easy rhythm, sharing moments of calm after their long workdays.

Taehyung set his knife down and looked across the table at Jennie, who was finishing her vegetables. "Your team did well today," he remarked. "The adjustments you proposed for the merger documents were spot-on."

Jennie shrugged, though a small smile crept onto her lips. "It's what I do. Glad you noticed."

"Noticed?" Taehyung leaned back slightly, picking up his water glass. "It's the highlight of my day when legal saves us from a potential disaster."

Jennie rolled her eyes, setting her fork down with a quiet clink. "Don't flatter me, Taehyung. I still have a list of things to review tomorrow that might make you less impressed."

"I doubt it," he replied with a smirk, his tone light but genuine.

Before she could respond, a soft chime echoed through the dining room. Taehyung's security system tablet, resting on the sideboard, lit up with an alert.

He frowned slightly, standing to retrieve it.

"What is it?" Jennie asked, glancing over her shoulder.

He tapped the screen, and the live feed from the estate's front gate appeared. A sleek black car was pulling in, the headlights cutting through the dim light as the gate automatically closed behind it.

"Did you invite anyone?" he asked, his voice calm but curious.

Jennie shook her head, setting her napkin down. "No. Did you?"

"No." His brows furrowed as he swiped to another camera angle, showing the driveway. The car came to a stop, and the doors opened. Both of them leaned closer to the screen as Taehyung froze.

"It's my parents," he said under his breath.

Jennie's eyes widened as she recognized the familiar figures stepping out of the car.

His mother was adjusting her scarf, and his father followed behind her with a measured stride. A third person appeared, catching both of them off guard.

"Is that Jungkook?" Jennie asked, recognizing his cousin from the family debrief he had given her.

Taehyung nodded, his lips pressing into a thin line. "What is he-they doing here? They didn't even call."

Jennie's pulse quickened, her gaze darting to the wine bottle on the table. She stood abruptly, gesturing toward it. "The wine. Taehyung, the wine."

He was already moving, grabbing the bottle and tucking it into a cabinet. Jennie quickly picked up the wine glasses, handing them to him as he slid them out of sight.

She glanced at the table, her mind racing as she straightened the napkins and adjusted the water glasses, hoping to make everything look natural.

"I feel like we're staging a crime scene," she muttered under her breath.

"Not a crime scene," Taehyung replied, closing the cabinet with a soft click. "Just avoiding an interrogation about why the supposedly pregnant fiancée is sipping Cabernet."