Chapter 10

LISA POV:

Lisa woke up at 8:00 a.m. feeling like she had been hit by a truck made of money and bad decisions.

She stared at the ceiling of her new bedroom. It was gray. Not a depressing gray, but a “this-cost-more-than-your-education” charcoal gray. It was sleek, modern, and currently, it was the only thing standing between her and Jennie Kim’s 8:30 a.m. breakfast mandate.

“8:30,” Lisa muttered, pulling a pillow over her face. “Who does she think she is? The CEO of mornings?”

Technically, Jennie was an executive, so she probably was the CEO of mornings.

Lisa groaned and rolled out of bed. Her wing of the penthouse was perfect, which was the problem. It felt like a hotel. A very nice, very expensive hotel where she was staying indefinitely with a woman who wanted to kill her and possibly kiss her, though Lisa was still trying to convince herself the second part was just a side effect of high-altitude living.

She dressed quickly in a pair of soft black joggers and a cropped hoodie. If she had to be awake this early, she was going to be comfortable. She wasn’t putting on a suit just to eat toast.

She walked out into the shared living space.

The “Billionaire Aquarium” was glowing in the morning light. The Han River looked like a silver ribbon below them. It was beautiful, but Lisa’s attention was immediately pulled to the kitchen.

Jennie was already there.

She was wearing a cream-colored silk robe that looked softer than a cloud. Her hair was up in a messy clip, and she was currently staring at the industrial espresso machine like she was trying to reprogram its soul.

“It’s 8:28,” Jennie said without turning around. “You’re early. I’m concerned.”

Lisa leaned against the kitchen island, watching her. “I couldn’t sleep. The ghost of the beige marble kept me awake.”

Jennie finally looked at her. She had a smudge of flour on her cheek. Lisa’s heart did a very annoying little hop.

“The marble is in my wing, Lisa. You’re safe.”

“Nowhere is safe in this house, Kim. I saw a green beanbag chair in the living room. It’s haunting the hallway.”

Jennie rolled her eyes and turned back to the coffee machine. “I told you to throw that thing away.”

“Never. It’s my only friend in this cold, glass box.”

Lisa walked closer. The kitchen smelled like expensive coffee beans and something sweet. She noticed a plate of croissants on the counter.

“Did you… bake?” Lisa asked, sounding genuinely shocked.

Jennie stiffened. “I warmed them up. There’s a difference.”

“Right. Efficient warming. Very corporate.”

Lisa reached for a croissant, but Jennie swiped it away before she could touch it.

“Coffee first,” Jennie commanded. “Then the agenda. Then food.”

Lisa pouted. “You’re a literal dictator. I’m calling the union.”

“You are the union. Now sit.”

Lisa sat.

She watched Jennie work the espresso machine. It was fascinating. Jennie moved with a precision that was almost hypnotic. Every movement was deliberate. Every flick of her wrist was graceful. Even in a bathrobe with messy hair, Jennie Kim looked like she was in charge of the universe.

Jennie set a cup in front of her.

Lisa took a sip. It was perfect. Of course it was.

“Okay,” Lisa said, leaning back. “Agenda. Give it to me. Who are we lying to today?”

Jennie sat across from her, holding her own cup with both hands. She looked smaller like this. Less like a terrifying heiress and more like a person. A person Lisa was starting to realize she liked spending time with far too much.

“Today is ‘casual’ day,” Jennie said. “The families want a ‘candid’ photo of us. Something that says ‘we are a normal couple living a normal life in our 50th-floor glass fortress.'”

Lisa snorted. “Candid. Right. So we’re going to look at each other and pretend we aren’t calculating the legal fees for a divorce we haven’t even had yet?”

Jennie didn’t laugh. She just watched Lisa over the rim of her cup.

“They want us to go for a walk,” Jennie said. “Near the park. No security in plain sight. Just us. And a photographer hiding behind a tree half a mile away.”

Lisa sighed. “A walk. I can do a walk. Do I have to hold your hand?”

Jennie’s eyes flickered down to Lisa’s hand on the table, then back up.

“Would that be a problem?”

The air in the kitchen suddenly felt very thick.

Lisa cleared her throat. “I mean, technically, my hands are very soft. It would be a benefit to you, really. A luxury experience.”

Jennie’s mouth twitched. “You’re so full of yourself.”

“It keeps me warm.”

“Fine,” Jennie said, standing up. “Go get ready. Wear something… approachable. Not the leather jacket. You look like a rebel without a cause in that.”

“I have a cause,” Lisa called out as Jennie walked toward her wing. “My cause is annoying you!”

“You’re succeeding!” Jennie shouted back,

An hour later, they were walking along a path near the river.

The sun was out, the breeze was cool, and for anyone watching, they looked perfect. Lisa was wearing a simple tan trench coat and jeans. Jennie was in a long wool coat and boots.

They looked like a Pinterest board for “Successful Couple Goals.”

“Don’t look at the trees,” Jennie whispered, her smile fixed for the cameras she knew were there. “The photographer is near the fountain.”

Lisa tucked her hands into her pockets. “I’m looking at the river. It’s more dramatic. Gives me that ‘thoughtful fiancée’ look.”

“You look like you’re thinking about lunch.”

“I’m always thinking about lunch, Jen. That’s my secret. I’m always hungry.”

Jennie laughed. It was a soft, genuine sound that made a few people passing by turn their heads.

“Lisa,” Jennie murmured. “Your hand.”

Lisa hesitated.

Then, slowly, she reached out.

She slid her hand into Jennie’s.

Jennie’s fingers were cold, but as soon as they laced through Lisa’s, everything went warm. It wasn’t the “fake” warmth of a camera flash. It was real. It was the kind of heat that started in your palm and traveled straight to your chest.

Lisa’s heart started thumping a rhythm that definitely wasn’t “casual.”

She squeezed Jennie’s hand.

Jennie squeezed back.

Neither of them looked at each other. They just kept walking.

“You’re shaking,” Jennie whispered.

“It’s the wind,” Lisa lied.

“There is no wind, Lisa.”

“It’s an internal wind. Very rare. Very scientific.”

Jennie let out a tiny breath. “Shut up.”

They walked for ten minutes like that. Hand in hand. Silent.

It was the most honest ten minutes they had ever shared. There was no bickering. No insults. Just the weight of Jennie’s hand in hers and the steady rhythm of their footsteps.

Lisa realized, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that she didn’t want to let go.

She wanted to keep walking until the park ended, until the city ended, until the “fake” part of their life vanished and they were just two people holding hands because they wanted to.

“We should head back,” Jennie said, her voice sounding a bit strained. “I think they got the shots.”

Lisa stopped. She didn’t let go of Jennie’s hand immediately.

She turned to face her.

Jennie looked up. Her cheeks were pink from the cold. Her eyes were searching Lisa’s face, looking for the joke, looking for the sarcasm.

But Lisa didn’t have any left.

“Jennie,” Lisa said.

“Yeah?”

Lisa reached up with her free hand. She wanted to touch Jennie’s cheek. She wanted to see if her skin was as soft as it looked.

She stopped just an inch away.

“You have… a loose thread,” Lisa lied, brushing the air near Jennie’s shoulder.

Jennie blinked. The tension broke like a glass vase hitting the floor.

“Oh. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Lisa stepped back, finally letting go of Jennie’s hand. The loss of contact felt like a physical ache.

“Let’s go home,” Lisa said.

Back at the penthouse, the silence felt different.

Before, it had been a cold silence. A “we-don’t-know-each-other” silence.

Now, it was a heavy silence. A “we-know-too-much” silence.

Lisa went straight to her wing. She needed to breathe. She needed to remind herself that Rule Number One was “It’s all for business.”

She threw her coat onto the bed and sat down.

Her phone buzzed.

It was a notification from a celebrity gossip site.

SPOTTED: The Golden Couple of the Year. Jennie Kim and Lalisa Manoban seen sharing a romantic morning walk by the Han River. Is this the real deal?

Beneath the headline was a photo.

It was the moment Lisa had squeezed Jennie’s hand. They weren’t looking at the camera. They were looking at the path ahead. They looked happy. They looked in love.

Lisa stared at the photo for a long time.

“It’s a good lie,” she whispered.

But as she looked at the way her thumb was hooked around Jennie’s, she knew the truth.

The photo wasn’t the lie.

The lie was Lisa pretending she wasn’t already falling apart.

She stayed in her room for hours, trying to work, trying to focus on anything other than the woman in the other wing.

Around 7:00 p.m., there was a knock on her door.

Lisa opened it.

Jennie was standing there. She had changed into a simple oversized sweater and leggings. She looked tired.

“The families called,” Jennie said.

Lisa leaned against the doorframe. “Of course they did. Did they like the photos?”

“They loved them,” Jennie said flatly. “So much so that they’ve decided we’re hosting a housewarming dinner. Next Friday.”

Lisa closed her eyes. “A housewarming. In an aquarium.”

“Yes.”

“With everyone?”

“Everyone,” Jennie confirmed. “Investors, board members, and unfortunately… Minho Park.”

Lisa’s eyes snapped open.

“Minho? Why him?”

Jennie shrugged, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes. “His father is a major stakeholder in the new merger. It would be a ‘slight’ if he wasn’t invited.”

Lisa felt that ugly, territorial heat flare up again.

“Fine,” Lisa said. “He can come. But if he touches the beige marble, I’m calling security.”

Jennie laughed.

It was a small, tired laugh, but it was enough to make Lisa relax.

“I’ll see you at dinner?” Jennie asked.

“What are we having?”

“I ordered Thai,” Jennie said. “The place you mentioned. The spicy one.”

Lisa blinked.

Jennie had remembered.

“Rule number two,” Jennie reminded her, pointing a finger at her. “I’m providing the food because today was a ‘terrible day.’ Now come eat before I change my mind.”

Lisa watched her walk away.

She felt a grin spreading across her face.

“Yeah,” Lisa whispered to the empty hallway. “I’m definitely screwed.”

She followed Jennie into the kitchen, the green beanbag chair watching her pass, and for the first time, the penthouse didn’t feel like a cage.

It felt like a beginning.

And that was the most terrifying thing of all.

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