The flowerbed - Aespa's Giselle x M!Reader

The fallen dragon (Part 2)

CEO Lee's Office - The Next Morning

I  adjusted my tie, savoring the moment before knocking. Everything had  led to this - years of being overlooked, of watching others climb while I  stagnated. Finally, my time had come.

"Enter."

Lee sat behind his imposing desk, barely glancing up as I walked in. Perfect. Let him think I was beneath his notice. For now.

"Choi-ssi," he said dismissively. "I don't recall having a meeting scheduled."

"Oh,  this couldn't wait for scheduling." I kept my voice pleasant as I  dropped the envelope on his desk. "I have something you need to see."

His annoyance shifted to shock as he opened the envelope, color draining from his face as he flipped through the photos.

"What is this?" The tremor in his voice was delicious.

"That,"  I said, settling into a chair uninvited, "is your precious manager  having a rather... intimate moment with one of your most valuable  assets."

"These could be manipulated," he started, but we both knew they weren't. The evidence was too clear, too damning.

"They're  quite real," I assured him. "As are these." I pulled out my tablet,  revealing the financial documents. "Interesting accounting practices you  have here. I wonder what the board would think?"

His hands shook slightly as he set down the photos. "What do you want?"

Now we were getting somewhere.

"Two  things," I said smoothly. "First, Y/N needs to go. Immediately. Make it  public, make it clear that this kind of behavior won't be tolerated."

"And second?"

"I  want his position." I leaned forward, dropping the pleasant act. "aespa  needs a new manager. Someone who understands... discipline."

"You're blackmailing me." It wasn't a question.

"Blackmail  is such an ugly word." I smiled, all teeth. "I prefer to think of it  as... mutual benefit. You avoid a scandal that could destroy your  company, and I get to ensure nothing like this ever happens again."

"And if I refuse?"

I  pulled out my phone, already queued to send the evidence to every major  news outlet in Korea. "Then by this evening, everyone will know about  your manager's indiscretions. And your creative bookkeeping. I wonder  which scandal will hit harder?"

The silence stretched as he weighed his options. But we both knew he had none.

"You  have until the end of the day," I said, standing. "Fire him, announce  my appointment, and all of this..." I gestured to the evidence, "stays  private."

"You won't get away with this," he said quietly.

"I  already have." I moved to the door, pausing with my hand on the handle.  "Oh, and one more thing - when you fire him? Make it hurt. I want him  to remember this day for the rest of his life."

The door clicked shut behind me, victory singing in my veins. In my pocket, my phone buzzed with a message from Jung:

"Well?"

"It's done," I typed back. "By tonight, Y/N will be gone, and aespa... they're all ours."

CEO Lee's Office - After Y/N's Firing

"You  went too far," Lee's voice shook with barely contained rage. "The agreement was to remove Y/N. Nothing more. And now the press is crawling  all over this?"