Yoon Ara spent the rest of the day with Yura's words echoing in her mind.
"So... You and jae-min were together on the balcony"
It shouldn't have mattered. Ara reminded herself of that again and again as she typed reports at her desk, her fingers moving mechanically over the keyboard. Yet every time she glanced toward the glass-walled cabin, her chest tightened.
Jae-min hadn't looked at her even once since morning.
He was colder than usual—if that was even possible. Meetings ended with clipped instructions, his tone sharp and distant, as if she were nothing more than another employee instead of the woman bound to him by a contract she hadn't wanted to sign.
Ara lowered her gaze. This is better, she told herself. Distance meant safety. Feelings had no place in a contract marriage.
Still… it hurt.
By evening, the office had mostly emptied. Ara was gathering her bag when she heard heels approaching. She stiffened even before turning around.
Yura smiled sweetly, holding a coffee cup. "You work very hard," she said lightly. "No wonder Chairman trusts you so much."
Ara forced a polite smile. "It's my job."
Yura's eyes flickered toward Jae-min's cabin. "Jae-min doesn't like people misunderstanding him. Especially women."
Ara's fingers curled around her bag strap. "I don't misunderstand him."
"Really?" Yura tilted her head. "Then you won't mind if I tell him what I saw."
Ara's heart skipped. "Saw what?"
Yura leaned closer, her voice soft. "How you looked at him. On the balcony. Like you expected something."
Ara stepped back, shaken. "That's not true."
Yura's smile widened. "You should be careful, Ara. Men like him don't appreciate attachment."
Before Ara could respond, the cabin door opened.
Jae-min stepped out.
The air shifted instantly.
His gaze moved from Yura to Ara, sharp and unreadable. "What's going on?"
Yura laughed softly. "Nothing. I was just thanking Ara for her hard work."
Jae-min's eyes lingered on Ara for a moment longer than necessary. Then his jaw tightened. "You can leave," he said to Ara, his voice emotionless.
Ara nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat, and turned away.
She didn't see the way Jae-min's hand clenched into a fist.
That night, at the mansion, silence filled every corner. Ara lay awake in her room, staring at the ceiling, wondering what Yura had planted in his mind.
In another room, Jae-min stood by the window, remembering the balcony—how close Ara had been, how warm her presence felt.
And how dangerous that feeling was.
Neither of them knew that by morning, the misunderstanding would deepen… and there would be no turning back