The merger was chaos. A billion-dollar acquisition had landed in their laps, and Ren and Sana were at the center of it. Endless meetings, clashing interests, and late-night emergency calls became their new norm.
But for Sakura Hoshino, masquerading as Sana Mizuki, the chaos was a stage—and she was its master.
She navigated every twist with graceful precision, always one step ahead. For the board, she was the promising new lead. For Ren, she was the loving girlfriend who held his hand through sleepless nights. For herself, she was the puppeteer, carefully spinning a future where no force—not time, not rivals, not secrets—could take him away.
"How do you stay so calm?" Ren asked one night, loosening his tie in exhaustion.
She smiled, brushing his bangs from his forehead. "Because you're beside me."
And it was true. He was her anchor, her obsession, her reason. But each day the stakes rose, and so did the chances of being discovered.
Her double life frayed at the edges.
A nosy intern stumbled across a photo of the real Sakura Hoshino while researching company history. She brought it to HR, thinking it was a fun trivia moment. But someone connected the dots—Sakura's unique violet eyes, barely hidden behind Sana's brown lenses.
An anonymous tip reached the legal department.
Sakura caught it in time.
She summoned the intern under the guise of a private mentorship meeting, spun a tale of impersonation for privacy, threatened legal action wrapped in corporate jargon, and transferred the girl quietly to a research post in Hokkaido.
The warning had been too close.
---
Meanwhile, Ren's world was brightening. Promotions, recognition, and public praise became routine. Interviews called him a rising star. Colleagues admired his brilliance. He credited Sana every time.
"She's my balance," he told one reporter. "She makes the impossible seem easy."
Sakura watched the interview from her penthouse, fingers gripping a wine glass.
"You're mine, Ren," she whispered. "Every part of you."
But perfection breeds envy.
A scandal broke.
Leaked documents suggested insider trading within the merger process—falsified by a rival company to tank Hoshino's public trust. All eyes turned inward. Executives demanded investigations. Trust wavered.
And somehow, Ren's name was attached to one of the altered files.
He panicked. "Sana, what if they think it's me? What if I lose everything?"
Sakura calmed him, even as her own fury boiled. Someone had dared to target him. To tarnish her future.
She worked in the shadows for three nights straight. Hacked into the rival firm's network, uncovered the forgery chain, and delivered it anonymously to the legal team. She wiped her tracks clean.
The next day, the CEO—her own official identity—released a public statement clearing Ren's name and announcing severe legal action against the accusers.
Ren was stunned.
"Whoever that CEO is, they saved me. I wish I could thank her."
Sakura only smiled. "Maybe someday, you will."
---
Their bond deepened. There were no more hesitations. Ren's proposal came again, this time with a simple silver ring under the stars on the office rooftop.
"I don't want to wait anymore," he said. "Let's set a date."
She stared at him, tears threatening. "Yes."
They chose a spring wedding. Cherry blossoms. Quiet ceremony. No press. Just them and a few close friends.
But her secrets loomed. Sakura knew the truth would soon surface. She had silenced many, moved pawns on the board—but Ren's trust wasn't built on lies.
One night, as he slept beside her, she stroked his hair and whispered, "What will you do when you find out who I really am?"
She didn't want to lose him.
But she couldn't let him go.
---
In another corner of the city, Mai sat alone in a bar, watching Ren and Sana's engagement photo circulate on her phone. Her hands trembled.
"She's not who he thinks she is," she murmured.
And with trembling resolve, she dialed a number. "I have information about Sakura Hoshino."
The flame had been lit.
And fire was coming.