Bound by a Ruthless Contract - Chapter 150

That moment when sadness filled her eyes would forever be etched in his memory.

“…hah.” After running his hands over his face, Si-heon opened her room door with slightly trembling hands and quickly closed it behind him, fearing her lingering scent and presence might dissipate.

He approached her desk slowly, sat in her chair, and surveyed the room. What thoughts had occupied her mind in this space? Had she… cried here alone?

He gently ran his palm across the desk’s surface. Even the wood grain felt like her—quiet and gentle. Taking a deep breath, he opened the desk drawer. Perhaps, like the note she’d left on his desk, she might have left something here as well.

The moment he opened the drawer, his dilated black pupils trembled violently. His momentarily frozen heart began to race uncontrollably. Whatever had been barely holding together inside him finally crumbled completely.

Even as he furrowed his brow and drew in a deep breath, his wildly beating heart refused to calm. There, placed before him, was the ring—identical to the wedding band that now encircled the fourth finger of his left hand.

“I explained to the child that rings mean ‘we share the same heart,'” the words echoed. “That’s why people in love wear matching rings…”

“And Ga-eun’s response?”

“She… agreed.”

His blood turned to ice. The ground beneath him crumbled, and his thoughts came to a standstill. Si-heon closed his eyes for a long moment before opening them again.

“…”

But the ring remained there, unmoved. The ruby gleamed like a blazing sun—it was the heart Ga-eun had left behind. It was achingly brilliant, burning with clarity, both scorching and beautiful.

His throat constricted with heat. Si-heon reached out with trembling hands and clutched it. So this is what it feels like when your heart breaks into pieces, he thought.

“It’s for insomnia, they say…”

His grip tightened around his wife’s ring. There was no reason for Ga-eun to return to him. Not a single one.

***

From that day forward, Si-heon devoted all his resources to finding Ga-eun. Yet unsurprisingly, locating her proved far from simple—a direct consequence of his declaration of war against Chairman Kwon Soon-yeol. All the privileges he once easily commanded as the chairman’s grandson had vanished.

“The Yoon Group has declined to release any communication records.”

“GM has also expressed their reluctance to share any information.”

“TrackingTech maintains the same position. My sincerest apologies, Director.”

He understood the gravity of the situation without overcoming these obstacles, not only would he fail to inherit the group, but he would also lose any chance of keeping Ga-eun truly by his side. He needed to find her through his own strength as Kwon Si-heon, not as the chairman’s eldest grandson.

“Send photos of the Yangpyeong residence to Chairman Yoon. Ask if he’d like the location of Kim Director’s mistress as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

“For GM, leak only portions of the stock manipulation attempt report. Tell TrackingTech we’ll help build their image as a socially conscious enterprise—offer to hack the cryptocurrency hidden in paper companies and donate it under their name.”

“Understood, Director.”

“What about immigration records?”

“The Chief Secretary doesn’t appear to have left the country.”

Si-heon narrowed his eyes. “Keep watching. Don’t lose track.”

“Yes, Director.”

Back at his desk, after several phone calls and reviewing documents, he turned his attention to the monitor. Two weeks had already passed—fourteen days since she’d left, fourteen days since he’d last known proper sleep. It had also been fourteen days since all projects under his supervision had ground to a halt.

Following his announcement at Jungshimwon, where he’d informed Chairman Kwon that the leash had changed hands, Si-heon had not returned to the office.