THE BITCH CEO (Im Nayeon)

73

NO ONE'S POV

Nayeon sat in her office, her eyes fixed on the phone that lay on her desk, motionless and silent. It had been three days since Hans flew to Thailand, and the lack of communication since then had her nerves on edge.

Hans was supposed to return yesterday, but instead, all of Nayeon's calls went straight to voicemail. Even Vlad, Hans's dependable personal bodyguard and assistant, was unreachable, leaving Nayeon spiraling into worst-case scenarios.

She ran a hand through her hair in frustration, glaring at the untouched pile of documents on her desk.

Normally, she'd lose herself in her work to distract from any personal worries, but not today. Her mind was racing, every thought circling back to Hans.

What if something happened to her? What if she's in danger? What if she needs me?

Nayeon checked her phone again for the hundredth time, her fingers hovering over Hans' name.

She hit "call" once more, knowing it would likely go to voicemail again, but she couldn't stop herself. The automated message came through, as expected, and she groaned in frustration, throwing her phone onto the desk.

Her secretary knocked softly on the door and poked her head in.

"Ms. Im, you have the final review meeting for the marketing campaign in ten minutes."

"Cancel it." Nayeon said abruptly.

"Shall I reschedule—" The secretary blinked in surprise.

"Just cancel everything for the day. I'm going home." Nayeon interrupted, standing up and grabbing her bag.

When Nayeon arrived at the mansion, she immediately noticed something was off. The house was unusually quiet.

Haven's cheerful giggles, which usually filled the living room, were absent. She peeked into the kitchen, where one of the helpers was cleaning the counters.

"Where's everyone?" Nayeon asked.

The helper looked up, startled.

"Good evening, Miss Nayeon. Your parents and sister took Haven to a football game."

"A football game? Since when do my parents like football?" Nayeon echoed, confused.

The helper shrugged with an apologetic smile. Nayeon frowned but didn't press further. She headed upstairs to her room, hoping that a hot shower would ease her growing anxiety.

After her shower, Nayeon changed into a pair of sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt, tying her hair into a loose ponytail.

Sitting at her vanity, she stared at her reflection, trying to focus on anything other than her girlfriend's mysterious absence.

Her phone buzzed on the desk, snapping her out of her thoughts. She grabbed it instantly, her heart leaping with hope, only to see a flood of messages from her group chat.

Jennie: "Come outside now!"
Jeongyeon: "We won't wait any longer, Nabong. Hurry up!"
Momo: "It's an emergency!"
Sana: "Hans unnie has been kidnapped!"
Jisoo: "Hurry up!"

Nayeon's blood ran cold. Her hands trembled as she read the messages, each word making her heart pound faster.

"Oh God." She whispered, panic seizing her. Without thinking, she bolted out of her room, running barefoot down the grand staircase.

As she reached the middle of the foyer, her phone rang. She answered without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?!" She said frantically.