"You're the Vice President, right?" Shan asked, voice low but steady as he stepped into the dimly lit executive lounge.
Jen Heo Won gave a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Indeed I am. Please, have a seat, Mr. Wolf."
The room was elegant and cold, laced with the scent of wood polish and quiet danger. Shan took the offered leather seat across from her. A glass of Scotch, neat and on the rocks, was slid toward him with practiced grace. He accepted, though something about the setting felt... rehearsed.
They drank.
The ice clinked softly, the silence between sips growing thicker.
"I'm guessing you're wondering why I asked for this meeting," Jen said, swirling her drink lazily. "I was just curious. I wanted to see the man who did such an excellent job with our operations lately."
Then she leaned forward, voice laced with honeyed interest.
"I was hoping you could share how you managed to bring Ms. Eva Kim in. That was... impressive."
Shan placed his glass down gently. The warmth of the liquor had turned sour in his throat.
"Cut the bullshit," he said flatly.
Jen's brow lifted slightly. "Excuse me?"
"I know your history with Eva. I'm not falling for this act."
She leaned back, unfazed, and smirked as she raised her glass to her lips.
"Interesting. I heard you were involved in that voyeurism incident. And the sexual misconduct scandal, too." Her tone was too calm, too casual. Each word was a dagger dipped in silk. "It must've been tough, staying in this company after all that. But here you are… still standing."
Shan narrowed his eyes. Was this a power play? A test? His instincts screamed.
Then it hit him.
A strange taste.
He blinked.
His lips tasted like iron. He reached up—blood. Trickling from his nose. The room felt like it was tilting, gravity thickening.
His tongue went dry. His vision blurred. The numbness crept through him like slow venom.
"What the fuck...?" he slurred, voice cracking with confusion.
Jen didn't flinch. She sat calmly, sipping her drink, legs crossed, posture relaxed. Her next words were like ice water down his spine.
"Funny. Are you cold, Mr. Wolf?"
Shan's fingers trembled as he reached for the edge of the table. His body was betraying him. His breath came in shallow gasps. He tried to move, to stand, but the muscles in his legs failed him. The room shrank around him.
He'd been set up. Poisoned.
As his vision dimmed, he saw Jen casually lift her phone.
"Is it done? Good. Make sure that Eva bitch stays dead in her car. The truck guy got injured on the bridge? Mark it as an accident."
Those words echoed like a curse. His heart flared with rage—Eva. No. Not Eva.
"I'll make you suffer, bitch..." he murmured through clenched teeth, blood slipping past his lips. The world went dark.
And then—
Ding.
The soft hum of an elevator.
Shan's eyes burst open.
He gasped, hands flying to his chest. His body was whole. His suit still reeked faintly of Scotch and blood, but he was alive.
His power had activated.
He had died.
And now… he was back.
"Shit!" he hissed, sprinting out of the elevator and bolting toward Ingrid's office, lungs burning with urgency.
"Ingrid!" he shouted, slamming the door open.
"Shan? What—?" Ingrid blinked up from her desk, startled.
"Where's Eva?!"
"She… just left. Five minutes ago."
"Dammit!" Shan fumbled for his phone, dialing Eva's number over and over until she finally picked up.
"Boo? Why are you calling me so many—?"
"Eva! I died! Don't leave the building!"
"What?!" Her voice cracked. Panic bled through the speaker. "How? Who?!"
"The Vice President!" Shan roared, already leaping down the stairwell, skipping three steps at a time. His lungs screamed but he didn't stop. "She's trying to kill you! Eva, get out of the car NOW!"
"What—"
HONK!!!
A deafening horn.
Eva turned just in time.
A truck barreled toward her. She barely leapt from the car as it crushed into her vehicle with a devastating impact. The explosion lit up the underground parking zone. The air smelled of burning rubber and death.
"Eva!" Shan shouted, crashing into the parking lot.
Eva stumbled backward from the flames, breath hitching, eyes wide with terror. Shan caught her in his arms and held her close.
"I'm here," he murmured. His voice was shaking, but his arms held her firm.
"Was it her?" Eva asked against his shoulder.
"Yeah," he replied bitterly. "The Vice fucking President."
Eva clenched her fists. Her voice shook with fury. "I'm going to kill her."
"No. We can't. Not yet. There's no proof. And the only witness we had is burning in that wreck."
Eva turned her gaze toward the truck. The driver was already dead, his body swallowed in flame.
"God… this is too much," she whispered. "What do we do, Boo?"
Shan looked at the inferno and then at her. "Since I've seen what's coming, I know what we must do. But for now... I'm taking you home."
He led her to his car. The drive was silent, except for the soft hum of the engine and Eva's steady breathing as she processed what had just happened.
At her apartment, she turned to him.
"Thanks, Boo."
"I told you, didn't I?" Shan said softly. "I'll always have your back."
"I know. Goodnight, Boo."
She stepped inside, locking the door behind her.
Shan stood in the quiet street, staring at the phone in his hand.
Unknown number.
He answered.
"Shan Wolf speaking. Who is this?"
A smooth, controlled voice responded.
"Hello, Mr. Wolf. I'm Gon Jun San, assistant and bodyguard to the Vice President."
"Of course you are," Shan muttered inwardly.
"The Vice President has requested your presence. Kindly note—she does not appreciate being kept waiting."
Shan's voice was calm.
"I'll be there."
After the call ended, Shan stood in the shadows, a slow, bitter laugh escaping him.
"Oh, I'll be there alright…" he whispered, eyes gleaming with a deadly purpose.
"I'll be there… and bring hell with me on you, Vice President."
---
Chapter 26 — End