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A Bitter Pill to Swallow:
Yuna stood alone in the hallway outside her father's office, her heart pounding in her chest. The conversation with Joo Hyun had shaken her to the core. She had always known he wasn't perfect, but this? This was a betrayal she hadn't seen coming. Her father, the one person she had always looked up to, was abandoning her just when she needed him the most.
She pressed a hand to the cool surface of the wall, taking a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She couldn't let this break her. She couldn't afford to lose herself to anger or disappointment. If she did, Seok Jin would have won without even lifting a finger.
Yuna clenched her jaw, her resolve hardening. If her father wouldn't stand by her, she would do this herself. She had no choice now.
As she turned to leave, her phone buzzed again, pulling her from her thoughts. This time, it was a message from Jiwon.
"We've got a problem. Seok Jin has moved faster than we thought. We need to regroup—now."
Yuna didn't hesitate. She typed back: "I'll be there in 10."
She needed to get ahead of Seok Jin's next move. Whatever he was planning, it wasn't going to end with her father's capitulation. Yuna knew that much.
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Plotting the Next Move:
Yuna arrived at the office and walked into Jiwon's office, where her best friend was pacing back and forth. Jiwon's face was set in a hard line, her sharp eyes betraying her concern.
"What's going on?" Yuna asked, her voice steady but her mind whirring with a hundred possibilities.
Jiwon stopped pacing and turned to face her. "Seok Jin has made a counteroffer to the board members. He's promising them a piece of the company's expansion in return for their loyalty. The ones who were still on the fence are now leaning toward him. He's moving fast, Yuna."
Yuna felt a cold shiver run down her spine