Bound by a Ruthless Contract - Chapter 148

Below this, Ga-eun had meticulously listed, in her characteristically neat handwriting, all the fragrances, body lotions, and fabric softeners she had been using. With her typical thoughtfulness, she had even included a note explaining that she was adding products she no longer used but had used before, in case it might be helpful. And then… the final sentences.

[I hope you continue to sleep deeply.

That is all I wish for you.]

This was all she wished for her husband, the heir to the Hwanhee Group. Just this – merely his well-being. His face crumpled with a pain he had never experienced before. The agony now piercing his heart exceeded the sum of every migraine he had endured throughout his life.

Ga-eun had left.

From his side, perhaps forever.

The moment this realization struck…

Si-heon’s vision flickered to black.

***

“So you’ve come.” Chairman Kwon Soon-yeol’s composed demeanor despite Si-heon’s late visit confirmed his grandson’s suspicions. His grandfather had intervened in Ga-eun’s divorce declaration and disappearance.

“Where did you send her?”

“What do you mean?”

“My wife. Where is she?”

“Ah. I told you titles are important.” Soon-yeol closed the Go game record he had been reading. “Don’t call her that anymore. What if you slip up later?”

Removing his reading glasses, Soon-yeol met Si-heon’s gaze directly. “Prepare for remarriage.”

“What did you say to Ga-eun?”

His cherished grandson appeared outwardly calm, maintaining his usual cold and calculated demeanor. At least on the surface. But Soon-yeol knew better. He could see the crimson flames of fury blazin within those dark eyes. So it had come to this… his grandson had fallen for that illegitimate child, Gye Ga-eun.

“You want to know what I told her?” Soon-yeol spoke nonchalantly. “I merely repeated the words you spoke when you proposed.”

Si-heon’s brow furrowed. His words? What could he possibly…

“That you agreed to divorce once you achieved what you wanted.”

“…”

“Wasn’t that the agreement? To part ways? Why such commotion now, coming at this late hour?” Soon-yeol said while cleaning his glasses with a soft cloth. “This old man is aging. Late nights are taxing now. Go home and prepare for what’s ahead. Once you remarry, I’ll promote you to CEO.”

Being made CEO meant public acknowledgment as the successor. Yet even hearing these long-awaited words, Si-heon’s expression remained unchanged.

“Such an unmoved face? What, did you expect to skip straight to my position? Nonsense. I’m still quite vigorous.”

“Where is she?”

“Si-heon.”

“Ga-eun. Where did you send her?”

Soon-yeol frowned. “Why are you acting like this? This isn’t like you.”

“Is she still in Korea?”

“Kwon Si-heon!”

A beast-like roar shook the room, yet Si-heon didn’t flinch. His attention remained entirely focused on the absent Ga-eun—a fact both he and Soon-yeol understood perfectly well.

“Didn’t you say she was merely medicine? You claimed you wouldn’t lose your mind over a mere object, so why are you acting this way?”

“If you won’t tell me, I’ll find out for myself.”

“By what means?” At those words, Si-heon held his breath.

“Kwon Si-heon. The world where you soar was created by me.”

“…”

“How could a mere creature fly beyond this world?” The implication was clear—one would suffocate trying. No, nothing could exist outside this world he’d created.

“Yes, you’re still young, so this behavior is somewhat understandable. I’ll overlook it this time. However, after today, you must never speak that girl’s name again—”

“Even if I remarry,” Si-heon cut in, “it will be to Ga-eun.”

“…What?”

“Both you and I know how tenuous your hold on my leash truly is, Chairman.”

Kwon Jae-sung, Kwon Si-jung, Jung Yeo-jin—all three combined couldn’t match Si-heon alone, and both men knew this truth intimately.

“I willingly follow your lead because our goals align in wanting the Hwanhee Group to prosper. However—” Si-heon met Soon-yeol’s piercing gaze with unwavering eyes. “If our objectives diverge, why should I continue to do so?”

“Kwon Si-heon! How dare you speak to me this way…!”

“Keep hiding Ga-eun and opposing this—if you wish to witness the downfall of Hwanhee Group that you cherish as your own flesh and blood.”

His deep, heavy voice struck Soon-yeol to his core.

“My leash now belongs to Ga-eun.”