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Atta girl. “So, did Taylor succumb and tell her everything?”
“Basically, but nothing of use to us. She wanted Park to pressure executives at NAM to have their big-name stars endorse Yami Corporation’s apparel. Be seen wearing it and share how much they love it on social media. All for free.”
“That’s ridiculous. Jihae would never ask for something like that from NAM. She values them as colleagues.”
“I guess Taylor thought NAM would rather do Park’s bidding than lose Rotelle Entertainment’s goodwill.”
“That may very well be true, but Taylor wanted to take advantage of NAM. It’s far from a fair deal. Jihae would never stand for that.”
There was a short pause. “You sound pretty confident about that.”
“I am.” Colin clenched his fists, ready to defend Jihae if his cousin questioned her integrity.
But all Garrett said was “Huh.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means huh. Why does it have to mean anything?” There was a smile in his cousin’s voice. Was Colin that obvious about his feelings for Jihae? “Anyway, the only information that we gleaned from their meeting was that Sylvia Taylor believes Chairman Park owes her. Just more circumstantial evidence.”
“So how did the meeting end?”
“Park told Taylor to go pound sand, and Taylor left in a huff, threatening that her father won’t be happy about this. Maybe Taylor has something on Chairman Park and is pressuring him for favors. But could she be so foolish as to anger the chairman? If she was, then she was playing with fire. The bastard might humor her for now, but he will bury her for daring to pressure him.” Garrett’s sigh communicated his frustration across the line. “But again, it’s all speculation and conjecture. We got nothing, which means we’re back to square one.”
“We did get something. This meeting proves that Jihae Park is innocent. She obviously doesn’t know what Rotelle Corporation’s connection to Yami is about. She was forced to play the middleman, but she walked away.”
“Again, it’s all just conjecture at this point, and it isn’t Park’s innocence that we’re trying to prove but Rotelle’s guilt.”
But it wasn’t conjecture. Jihae could’ve inadvertently been pulled into the espionage scheme, but she’d distanced herself from the situation. She was innocent but the situation reeked of her father’s guilt.
“So what’s next?” Colin dragged his fingers through his hair, pacing his office.
“We need to continue keeping an eye on Sylvia Taylor and Jihae Park.”
“On Jihae? She’s not a part of this.”
“We don’t know that for sure. She may even be the key to solving this case.”
Colin blew out a frustrated breath, not liking the idea of Jihae being watched. It could also reveal their relationship, but he would deal with that later. He needed to protect Jihae from being under the PI’s surveillance.
“Look, Garrett. I’m sure Grandmother has relayed to you that I’m working with Rotelle Entertainment while keeping an eye on Jihae Park. From everything I’ve seen so far, I believe her innocence. But if she ever diverges from that, I’ll be there to see it. Jihae is already under casual surveillance by her father’s people. Following her would only risk the PI’s cover and expose our investigation.”
“I see your point. Then we’ll leave Jihae Park up to you and focus on Taylor.” There was a slight pause on the line. “Colin, I appreciate you doing this for the family, but be careful. You don’t need to risk your dream for us or Hansol. If things get too hot, I want you to stop and focus on producing your film. Is that a deal?”
“Deal.” A small smile quirked Colin’s lips. Garrett was like an older brother to him, and he appreciated how he always looked out for him. “Thanks for the advice, hyung.”
The weight on his shoulders feeling significantly lighter, Colin walked back to his bedroom. Jihae was asleep exactly where he’d left her. She slept with her hand tucked under her chin like a child. He could imagine touching her skin and finding it hard and cold as porcelain, she was so perfect in her sleep. Then her pouty lips blew out a soft breath that sounded like puuuu.
He wasn’t quick enough to cover up his snort but managed to hold back his laughter with his hand over his mouth. He loved that sound. It was so adorable. She always did that—blew out puffs of air like she was trying to extinguish a row of birthday candles—when she was especially tired.
Still laughing softly, he tiptoed to the dresser and searched for a blanket, since she was sleeping over the duvet. He pulled out a soft knit throw and laid it gently over Jihae’s sleeping form. He badly wanted to climb into bed with her and hold her as she slept, but no alarm would wake him if he got that cozy. Frustratingly, sleepovers weren’t allowed in their secrecy pact, so he would need to wake her up in a couple of hours to send her home.
Colin walked to the kitchen and got some coffee going. He would stay awake and catch up on some work. Then he would provide Jihae with the most erotic and satisfying wake-up service she’d ever had.
Ten
“Sylvia Taylor is trying to leech off NAM and their clients. I’m not a brainless pawn you can push around,” she said in a commanding tone she’d never used with her father. “I know I haven’t been a perfect daughter to you, but if you see me as an intelligent human being, you have to let me make my own decisions.”
“You have always been too soft. And stubborn. If you are aware that you’ve disappointed your mother and me, you should obey me without question.”
