CHAPTER 3 – THE PRICE OF A BROKEN ALLIANCE
CHAPTER 3 – THE PRICE OF A BROKEN ALLIANCE
The moment the words left the man's mouth, every weapon on the runway came up.
Dae moved before anyone else.
His body shifted instinctively between the armed men and the three people behind him.
Amara.
Hana.
Haru.
He had never stood in front of anyone to take a bullet.
Not in all the years he had ruled boardrooms by day and the criminal underworld by night.
But now, without thinking, he became a wall.
One of his captains, Joon Park, stepped beside him.
"Boss."
Dae never took his eyes off the newcomers.
"No shooting."
Joon frowned.
"They came armed."
"I know."
"They're threatening your family."
"I know."
"Then why—"
"Because my daughters are standing five feet behind me."
The runway fell silent again.
Across from them, the leader of the Min family's security detail smiled.
"So."
"You finally discovered what being a father feels like."
Dae's expression remained unreadable.
"What does Chairman Min want?"
The man held up his phone.
"To remind you that promises have consequences."
A voice came through the speaker.
Old.
Calm.
Terrifying.
"Dae Han."
Chairman Min.
The patriarch whose influence reached judges, senators, CEOs, and men whose names never appeared in public records.
"You embarrassed my daughter."
Dae answered evenly.
"I never intended to."
"No?"
"You canceled the wedding on the runway."
"In front of hundreds of witnesses."
"My investors."
"My allies."
"My enemies."
"You've made me look weak."
"I won't apologize for acknowledging my children."
A long pause.
Then the old man laughed.
It wasn't amusement.
It was disappointment.
"I expected love to make you foolish."
"I didn't expect it to make you predictable."
The call disconnected.
The leader slipped the phone into his pocket.
"Our chairman sends one message."
He looked directly at the twins.
"They've changed your priorities."
Dae's voice became ice.
"If you finish that sentence..."
"...you won't leave this airport."
The man grinned.
Then, surprisingly, he nodded.
"Good."
"Now we understand each other."
He signaled his men.
The convoy left as quickly as it had arrived.
No shots fired.
No blood spilled.
Which worried Dae far more.
Chairman Min never wasted soldiers.
If he chose words today...
It meant he was planning something much worse tomorrow.
Minutes later, the airport had been locked down.
Dae escorted Amara and the girls into one of the executive lounges reserved for foreign dignitaries.
The twins had fallen asleep almost instantly.
Exhaustion had defeated fear.
Hana rested against Amara's shoulder.
Haru slept curled beside her sister, still holding the worn stuffed rabbit.
Dae stood several feet away.
Watching them.
Three years.
Three birthdays.
Three Christmas mornings.
Three first words.
Three first steps.
Gone.
Stolen from him.
Finally he spoke.
"Start talking."
Amara didn't pretend to misunderstand.
"I was kidnapped."
His eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"The night I disappeared."
"You think I left."
"I didn't."
She slowly rolled up her sleeve.
A pale scar wrapped around her wrist.
Then another.
Around her ankle.
"They chained me."
Every muscle in Dae's body tightened.
"Who?"
"I didn't know."
"They wore masks."
"They never said names."
"They only repeated one sentence."
She forced herself to look at him.
"'If Dae Han finds you, your babies die first.'"
The room became unbearably quiet.
His breathing slowed.
Which everyone who knew him understood was the most dangerous sign.
"You were already pregnant."
She nodded.
"I found out two days before."
"Why didn't they kill you?"
"They wanted leverage."
"When they realized I was carrying your children..."
"They kept me alive."
She looked toward the sleeping twins.
"I escaped six months after they were born."
Dae stared.
"Six months?"
"They moved us constantly."
"I finally escaped during a transfer."
"Then why not come to me?"
Tears filled her eyes.
"Because they were watching."
"If I contacted you..."
"They promised to murder the girls."
"You believed them?"
"I watched them kill one of their own men..."
"...because he accidentally let me see his face."
Silence.
Even Joon, standing outside the door, lowered his head.
Amara whispered,
"I wasn't protecting myself."
"I was protecting them."
For the first time since seeing her again...
Dae believed every word.
That night...
Someone else was listening.
Inside a downtown Los Angeles penthouse, Chairman Min replayed airport security footage.
Again.
Again.
Again.
His daughter stood alone.
The wedding ended.
The twins appeared.
Then he paused the screen.
Zoomed in.
Not on Dae.
Not on Amara.
On the stuffed rabbit.
He smiled.
"So."
"They're still alive."
One of his advisors looked confused.
"You knew about the children?"
Chairman Min folded his hands.
"I knew about the pregnancy."
"You ordered the kidnapping?"
"No."
"I ordered the disappearance."
"They exceeded instructions."
The advisor swallowed.
"What now?"
The old man's smile vanished.
"Retrieve what belongs to me."
"The woman?"
May you like
"No."
"The twins."
