THE BITCH CEO (Im Nayeon)

31

NAYEON'S POV

"Did the DeBourbon sisters invite you to the banquet dinner next week? I heard that, the King and Queen will also be attending." Jhiyo asked, leaning slightly forward as she spoke.

She was seated across the table from me, her expression curious yet teasing.

We had decided to take a break from the endless demands of the office and grab lunch outside, hoping the change of scenery would help us recharge.

Convincing her to join me hadn't been easy; Jhiyo was usually buried under meetings and projects. But today, I managed to drag her away.

She's the COO of IMC, a position that keeps her busy on the 25th floor of our building while I work on the topmost level.

Despite being one of my closest friends since childhood, along with Jennie, we hardly see each other in the building.

It's rare that our paths cross, so moments like this are something I truly cherish.

'Yes, they did. In the most awkward situation possible.' I whispered in my head, cringing inwardly at the memory that had haunted me for days.

It had been three days since the incident at Hans' office, but the embarrassment still burned fresh in my mind.

I had been caught in an undeniably compromising position, naked under the duvet on Hans' king-sized bed.

To make things worse, it was Hans sisters who walked in on us.

I tried to block out the mortifying moment, but the image kept resurfacing, vivid and relentless.

Hans hadn't been around since. She'd flown to Dubai for business shortly after dropping me off at my penthouse that morning.

Even though we hadn't seen each other in person, she made an effort to keep in touch, calling or texting me regularly to update me on her whereabouts or simply to check in.

Her thoughtfulness was one of the things I admired most about her.

"Yes, they did." I finally replied to Jhiyo, taking a small bite of my food.

"So." She continued, her tone shifting to a playful one.

"How's the project you're working on? And your business partner? Did you two finally get along, or is there still tension?" She grinned, clearly enjoying herself.

I hesitated, debating whether to tell her the truth about Hans and me. Jhiyo and the girls had always been my pillars of support, always by my side no matter what.

But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to share this with them, not yet.

It wasn't that I didn't trust them; I did, with my life. But this felt...delicate. Private.

Maybe it was selfish, keeping something so big from them, especially when they'd never hesitated to include me in their lives.

Still, I wasn't ready.

I needed more time to sort through my feelings and figure out how to explain everything to them.

And then there was the matter of Hans' sisters.

After they caught us together, I'd had no choice but to ask Hans to ensure they wouldn't breathe a word about it, to their girlfriends, who also happened to be my friends.

Hans had reassured me that she would handle it, but I couldn't shake the worry that somehow, the truth would slip out.

'I'm hoping they'll keep it to themselves.' I whispered under my breath.