The city stretched out before him, glittering with lights, but Logan Kingsley had no interest in the view. He leaned back in his chair, listening as the man across from him stammered through excuses.
"It was just a minor miscalculation..."
Logan's sharp gaze cut through the man's weak defense. "And yet, that 'minor miscalculation' cost us potential investors." His voice was quiet, but the weight of it pressed down like a storm ready to break. "Tell me, why should I keep you around?"
The man paled. He scrambled to explain himself, but Logan had already lost interest. He tapped his fingers against the polished desk before flicking his gaze to Henry, his assistant.
"Fix this mess," he ordered. "And get rid of him."
Without another word, Logan dismissed them both. Weakness had no place in his company.
As the door shut, Logan exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders back.
There was a time when he had been the weak one. Overweight, poor, and the perfect target for the privileged elites who thrived on making others feel small. They had mocked him, tested his patience, and assumed he would never be more than a punching bag for their amusement.
They had been wrong.
He had shed his past along with the extra weight, but unlike them, he didn't rely on an inherited empire. He built his own kingdom from the ground up, and now, he was untouchable.
A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Henry re-entered, a stack of files in his hands.
"Morrison Corp has signed the deal," Damien reported. "And Mr. Kim Chong Yu's legal team sent over the finalized contract. Everything is in place."
Logan barely reacted. He had expected nothing less. Kim Chong Yu was already in his pocket.
"Good," he said simply, flipping through the documents. This was just another victory in a long list of many.
Logan leaned back, sipping his coffee as he scanned the day's agenda. Nothing out of the ordinary. No surprises.
And certainly no threats.
Or so he thought.
The office air was crisp, perfectly regulated by the latest temperature control system, but Logan's mood shifted the moment his phone buzzed. Henry's tone was even, but Logan detected the faintest edge of hesitation.
"There's been a slight delay with Mr. Kim's contract," Henry informed him.
Logan's brows lifted slightly. "Excuse me?"
"His team requested to review a few clauses again before making it official."
Silence.
Logan closed the file in his hand and leaned forward, his fingers steepling. "Did he say why?"
"Not specifically. Just that another party has expressed…" Damien hesitated before finishing, "...interest."
Logan's fingers twitched slightly before he schooled his expression. Interest? From who?
A competitor, no doubt. But none of them should have been bold enough to interfere this late in the game.
Logan exhaled through his nose, a slow smirk forming.
"Let them try." His voice was laced with amusement, but the sharp glint in his eyes told another story.
The deal wasn't slipping away from him. Whoever thought they could step in was about to learn a very painful lesson.
Logan tapped his fingers against the desk, his mind already working ten steps ahead. A delay was one thing. A direct challenge was another.
If someone was bold enough to step into his territory, he needed to handle it personally.
With a flick of his wrist, he pressed the intercom.
"Henry, my office. Now."
Within moments, the door opened, and Henry stepped inside, his expression sharp and professional as always.
"We're going to South Korea," Logan announced without preamble.
Henry, unfazed, nodded. "Understood. I'll arrange the flight and accommodations. Who's coming with us?"
"Get the legal team. I want my lawyer, Gregory, reviewing every clause in that contract before we land. Bring Marcus too, if there's a flaw in our product, I want it fixed before anyone can use it against us."
Henry jotted everything down efficiently. "You're worried that Mr Kim will reject working with us?"
Logan's lips curled into a slow, dangerous smirk.
"I'm expecting someone to regret challenging me."
Logan barely spared a glance at the towering skyline of Seoul as his car sped toward THE KINGS HOTEL. His focus was on one thing… Kim Chong Yu.
His sources had confirmed that Mr. Kim was staying at his son's hotel, a convenient location for business meetings. Logan planned to catch him off guard, a strategy that had never failed him before.
As the car pulled up to the entrance, Henry was already listing off the details.
"Our meeting with Mr. Kim isn't scheduled, but his secretary confirmed he'll be in the executive lounge this afternoon. If we move quickly, we can intercept him before the other competitor."
"We never know where he might be, so it's better to ask in the reception."Damien, his lawyer suggested.
Logan nodded at him and strode through the grand lobby of the luxurious South Korean hotel, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings with practiced ease. He didn't have time to waste, he needed to know who dared to challenge him for Kim Chong Yu's contract. Approaching the reception desk, Henry, leveled the young woman with a commanding stare.
"We're here to see Mr. Kim," he stated coolly.
The receptionist, slightly flustered by all the men's presence, quickly checked her records. "Mr. Kim is currently in the dining hall, sir. He's in a meeting."
A meeting. Logan's jaw tensed. Was he already too late? No. He refused to believe it. Whoever was trying to steal his deal wasn't going to win this easily. With a composed but deliberate stride, he adjusted his suit and made his way to the dining hall.
As he stepped inside, his sharp eyes instantly found Mr. Kim seated at a private table near the large windows. The man was laughing, looking thoroughly entertained by the company of… Logan's eyes narrowed, a woman?
Logan slowed his pace, his confidence unwavering but his curiosity piqued. Is this the person trying to take my deal?
Mr. Kim noticed him then, his laughter fading into surprise. "Mr. Kingsley! I must say, I wasn't expecting you here at all before the contract adjustments."
Logan barely acknowledged the greeting. His focus was locked onto the unknown woman, whose back was still turned to him. Something about her posture, the way she sat with complete ease, unsettled him.
Kim hesitated briefly before gesturing toward the empty chair at the table. "Why don't you join us for lunch?"
Logan remained standing, his hands in his pockets. "I'm more interested in knowing who I'm up against."
At that moment, the woman pushed back her chair in slow motion. The sound of her heels clicking against the floor sent a prickle of irritation down Logan's spine. And then… she turned.
His breath hitched for a fraction of a second.
Jean.
Standing before him, poised and confident, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips.
"Surprised?" she asked sweetly, though her eyes gleamed with amusement. "You shouldn't be."
Logan clenched his jaw, masking his shock with a slow, unimpressed glance over her. "I should've known only you would stoop this low, Adams."
Jean's smirk widened. "Oh, Logan," she purred. "You haven't seen anything yet."