THE BITCH CEO (Im Nayeon)

69

HANS POV

I was in the middle of a high-stakes business meeting in Busan, seated at the head of a long, polished conference table surrounded by executives and stakeholders.

Charts, graphs, and proposals flashed on the screen at the front of the room, but I could barely focus.

My mind was elsewhere, on two people who had become my entire world. It had been three days since I last saw them, three days too long, and the ache of missing them gnawed at my chest.

As the head of the board continued presenting, my phone vibrated on the table. I quickly glanced down and saw Vlad discreetly holding his hand out, signaling it was important. He leaned in close to whisper.

"It's your girlfriend, Miss Im." He murmured, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Just hearing Nayeon's name was enough to make my heart skip a beat and my mouth curve into a smile.

It had been almost a month since we got back together, and every day with her felt like a blessing I didn't deserve but would hold on to with everything I had.

"Excuse me for a moment." I said, my voice calm but my movements anything but as I quickly stepped out of the room, phone in hand. I pressed it to my ear, my heart already lightening at the sound of her voice.

"Hello, baby. Is everything okay?" I asked, trying to keep my tone steady even though I was practically grinning like a fool.

"Come back already. Your daughter has been sulking, asking why you haven't visited her for three days straight." She grumbled, her voice tinged with irritation but also something softer, something I knew was her way of saying she missed me.

My grin widened as warmth spread through my chest. Haven, our daughter, my sweet little pumpkin.

"What about Haven's mom? Did she miss me too?" I teased, unable to resist.

"No! Why would I?" She snapped, but I could hear the faintest hint of a smile in her tone.

Her response made me chuckle, and for a moment, the weight of the meeting, the deadlines, the responsibilities, they all faded.

"Okay, I'll be back right away. Tell Haven I'll be there this evening, baby." I said, still smiling.

"Fine." She said, her voice softening just a little.

"Bye. Love you." I said, my voice low and tender, waiting for her to say it back.

There was silence, and then the line went dead. My brow furrowed. Did she just hang up on me? I stared at the phone for a moment, debating, and then I redialed her number again. She picked up after just one ring.

"What now?" She hissed, clearly exasperated.

"You forgot something." I said, feigning a dramatic sigh.

"Forgot what?" She asked, her tone skeptical.

"Never mind." I muttered, pretending to sulk.

But before I could hang up, her laughter rang through the line.

"I love you more, weirdo." She said softly, and my heart swelled to the point of bursting.

"Bye-bye, baby." I said, my voice filled with laughter as I finally ended the call.

When I returned to the conference room, everyone was staring at me in confusion, or maybe amusement because I couldn't wipe the goofy smile off my face.

For the rest of the meeting, I was half-listening, my mind already in Seoul with Nayeon and Haven.

The second the meeting wrapped up, I bolted out of my seat, heading straight for Vlad.