Chapter 23.1

Chapter 23.1

Lee Goyo found this kind of situation completely awkward and unfamiliar.

She had never properly voiced her own thoughts before. After all, raising her voice would only result in getting hit.

Lee Yi-taek, who would impose sanctions at the slightest sign of defiance, as if his word was law.

Lee Yoon-gun, who not only acted selfishly but would also persist until others acknowledged he was right.

Neither of these men would have ever asked for Lee Goyo’s opinion. They only forced their will upon her, never allowing her the right to choose.

She had thought Kwon Jae-heon was of the same ilk, but he was subtly different.

Though the sex was rough, he at least asked for consent beforehand. While he didn’t seem particularly interested in hearing her answer, he still offered her drinks and asked if he could smoke.

However, his awkward way of asking suggested that Kwon Jae-heon wasn’t someone accustomed to seeking consent. Yet he appeared to be making an effort for her sake.

‘Please don’t worry about me.’

‘Is that a yes or no? Should I smoke or not? You need to speak clearly for me to understand.’

He muttered while taking a deep drag from his cigarette.

“I don’t mind.”

Though the cigarette smoke clinging to her skin should have been unpleasant, it wasn’t bothersome. Neither the acrid smell that seemed to numb her sense of smell, nor his sharp scent that permeated him. It was surprisingly not unpleasant.

Lee Goyo couldn’t understand why.

“That’s good, that you don’t hate it.”

The smile on Jae-heon’s lips spread across his entire face. Unlike his relaxed mouth, his eyes still held a cold glint, as if some dissatisfaction remained.

“Hoo-.” Jae-heon exhaled cigarette smoke in a long stream, as if sighing.

“How long are you going to let yourself be dragged around?”

It wasn’t a question expecting an answer. He just found it amazing that she maintained her sanity, caught between a father who made her lobby with her body and a son who saw her as a sexual object.

“I understand you slept with me because Congressman Lee wanted it.”

The immature son Lee Yoon-gun had messed with Kwon Moo-young’s woman. The way to appease an angry old man was obvious – giving him something more valuable than what was taken.

But the cunning Lee Yi-taek, instead of appeasing Kwon Moo-young who was retiring to the back room, chose to make the crown prince who would inherit the kingdom his ally.

Jae-heon looked at her with the cigarette between his lips.

“Are you really okay with this relationship? Are you sure you have no complaints?”

This was the answer Jae-heon wanted to hear from her.

Lee Yi-taek’s doll wasn’t just pretty-faced.

Those empty eyes – unclear whether filled with resentment or resignation. That cold expression – impossible to tell if she was smiling or crying.

Even today, standing there with a breathtaking body line that a single layer of dress could hardly conceal, she seemed more decadent than beautiful.

Countless males salivated at the thought of possessing her.

Kwon Jae-heon once sneered at such shallow men. He found those who danced to Lee Yi-taek’s dark intentions pathetic. With so many women available for clean, trouble-free fun, there was no reason to step into such murky waters.

Unlike others, he had been confident he wouldn’t fall for such cheap provocation.

But he only gained one realization.

That any man who faces Lee Goyo becomes nothing more than a base creature infatuated with a beautiful woman.

And he was no different. That fact deeply disturbed him.

“Is my opinion necessary?”

Goyo turned to look at him directly. What kind of answer was he looking for?

‘If it weren’t for you, Director, I would have sunk into the mire today.’

‘It was a miserable situation, but I’m glad the sex with you was satisfying.’

Her intuition told her that Kwon Jae-heon wouldn’t be satisfied with any answer.

Jae-heon knew. Lee Yi-taek thoroughly calculated this relationship. Therefore, any answer from Goyo would inevitably sound artificial.

“It was good.”

Goyo chose the most neutral answer. A simple, straightforward response that neither wallowed nor made herself pitiable.

‘I’m glad I didn’t have to spread my legs for your father or that philandering divorcee. At least with you, it was less miserable.’

This was her true feeling, but she didn’t say it.

“You have no backbone.”

Jae-heon’s voice dropped impossibly low.

“Are you angry with me?”

Goyo was confused. She couldn’t understand why Kwon Jae-heon’s mood had suddenly soured.

“I’m asking you kindly. Why you let them push you around.”