The Quiet Contract

Stay Over

Lisa POV

As I sat there, staring at the darkened screen of my laptop, my mind was racing. This wasn't just a random attack. Someone wanted to hurt me—or maybe Jennie. But why?

I stood and paced the length of my office, my thoughts spinning into chaos. "Okay, Lisa, think," I muttered under my breath. "Who would do this? Who even could do this?"

I ran through every possibility in my head. Business rivals? Unlikely. My reputation in the industry had always been solid. No major feuds, no backstabbing deals. And this didn't feel like corporate warfare. This was personal.

"Damn it," I muttered, gripping the back of my chair. "Why Jennie?" Of all the things they could have demanded—money, contracts, shares—they wanted me to publicly deny my connection to Jennie. Why?

My mind flashed to the photos. Diana and I at the bar. The angles that made it all look intimate. Who even took those? Someone had to have followed us, watched us, waited for the right moment to strike.

And the timing? It couldn't be a coincidence. Not when Jennie and I were finally... what? Starting something? Figuring out what we could be? My throat tightened at the thought.

"Alright, let's break this down," I said aloud, needing to hear the words to make sense of them. "Step one: who gains from this? Someone with something to lose if Jennie and I are... together. But who?"

Jennie's ex? Taehyung? He was too much of a showman to pull something like this in the shadows. Besides, this didn't feel like jealousy—it felt calculated.

I stopped pacing and stared out the window thoughts raced. Was this even about me? Could this be about Jennie?

She was powerful. A CEO with influence in industries that mattered. Her connections were deep, her reach even deeper. But Jennie was... untouchable, wasn't she? No one would dare cross her.

Unless...

I clenched my fists, the pieces clicking together in a way I didn't like. Someone wanted to weaken her. And using me? It was the perfect way to do it. Humiliate her publicly. Paint her as someone who couldn't hold her own in relationships, let alone business.

"Damn it!" I hissed, slamming a fist on the desk.

This wasn't just about me. This was about Jennie, about tearing her down—and I was the tool they were using to do it.

I dropped into my chair, my head in my hands. "So what's the plan, genius? How do you fix this?"

I had seven days to figure it out. Seven days to outthink whoever was behind this. Seven days to protect Jennie without letting her know what was happening.

"Alright," I said to myself, straightening up. "Step one: find out who sent those photos. Tzuyu's already on it, but I'll need more resources. Step two: keep Jennie out of this. No way am I letting her get dragged down because of me."

The idea of telling Jennie crossed my mind, but I shut it down immediately. She was already dealing with enough—her work, her emotions, her efforts to be closer to me. The last thing she needed was this mess.

"And step three?" I whispered to myself. "Make them pay. Whoever they are, whatever their motive, they don't get to hurt her. Not Jennie."

I stood, resolve hardening in my chest. Seven days wasn't a lot of time, but it was enough. It had to be.

Because failure? That wasn't an option. Not when Jennie was at stake.

The vibration of my phone on the desk snapped me out of my thoughts. Jennie's name flashed on the screen, and despite the mess of emotions swirling in my chest, I couldn't stop the small smile tugging at my lips.