THE BITCH CEO (Im Nayeon)

32

NAYEON'S POV

The night air outside was cool, but inside my penthouse, warmth and laughter filled the space.

The table was crowded with plates of food and half-empty glasses of wine, the voices of my friends overlapping as they shared stories and teased one another.

Jennie sat next to me, smirking at something Momo had said.

Across the table, Sana was animatedly recounting a recent adventure, her hands gesturing wildly as she brought the story to life.

Jeongyeon leaned back in her chair, occasionally chiming in with dry remarks that made everyone laugh, while Mina and Jisoo exchanged knowing smiles.

Rosé sat beside Jisoo and Jhiyo, her soft voice cutting through the chaos now and then with her own witty observations.

"Okay, okay. Let's talk about the real mystery here, why has she been so quiet lately?" Momo said, waving her fork dramatically. Her eyes landed on me, a playful grin spreading across her face.

"Can't I just enjoy the chaos without being dragged into it?" I replied and rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my wine.

"Nope! We've all noticed it. You've been different. Spill!" Sana chimed in, leaning forward eagerly.

"Different how?" I asked, feigning ignorance, though I could feel my heart rate picking up.

"Quiet, distracted. Almost like you're hiding something." Jisoo began, tilting her head thoughtfully.

"Exactly. You've been evasive lately, and we want to know why." Jennie said, pointing her spoon at me.

"We're just worried about you. If something's wrong, you can tell us, unnie." Mina smiled softly, her voice gentle as she added,

I glanced around the table, feeling the weight of their attention.

These were my closest friends, the people who had been with me through everything.

And yet, the idea of telling them about Hans, about what we were, what we might become, felt daunting.

"It's not that simple." I said finally, looking down at my plate.

"You're deflecting." Jeongyeon said bluntly, though her tone was more curious than accusatory.

"She's totally deflecting. Come on, we won't judge. Unless it's really juicy, in which case we'll totally judge, but in a supportive way." Rosé agreed with a teasing grin.

Their laughter broke some of the tension, and I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm fine, really. Work's just been...a lot lately." I said, though the words felt like a weak defense.

"Uh-huh! And does 'work' happen to involve a certain new business partner of yours?" Jennie said, crossing her arms.

I froze, the room suddenly feeling much smaller.

"Who's who?" Momo asked, her brow furrowing.

"Oh, you don't know? Hans is the mysterious, elusive business partner who's apparently the cause of all this." Jhiyo said with a grin.

I glared at Jhiyo when realization hits me.

I was so sure, she was the person behind of why Jennie knew that my business partner was Hans.

I didn't tell everyone that Hans is my new business partner.

And Jennie spilled it out to the girls.

I swear, i'm gonna smack Jhiyo's mouth later.

"Is that true?" Mina asked, her voice curious but kind.