CHAPTER 3 — THE MAN WHO LIED TO A MAFIA BOSS
CHAPTER 3 — THE MAN WHO LIED TO A MAFIA BOSS
Daniel Han had spent twenty-eight years surviving powerful men.
He knew when to flatter.
He knew when to disappear.
Most importantly—
He knew when to lie.
By the time he stepped onto the executive floor of Shin Global Tower, his tie had been straightened twice, his breathing slowed, and three different explanations had already been rehearsed.
He expected questions.
He expected anger.
He did not expect the office to be empty.
The lights were dim.
The floor-to-ceiling windows reflected Manhattan's gray skyline.
Joon Shin stood alone with his back to the door, hands clasped behind him.
No lawyers.
No assistants.
No security.
That frightened Daniel more than an army would have.
The door clicked shut behind him.
"You asked to see me."
Joon did not turn around.
"When was the last time you lied to me?"
Daniel forced a smile.
"I've served you loyally for almost three decades."
"I asked a question."
Silence.
Joon finally faced him.
His expression carried no emotion.
Only calculation.
"My wife."
Daniel blinked.
"...What about her?"
"My wife."
The words came slower.
"Why did you destroy the investigation file?"
A pulse jumped in Daniel's neck.
"It was routine."
"It wasn't."
"It was company policy."
"You created the policy."
Daniel hesitated.
A mistake.
Joon noticed.
"You forged the witness statements."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"The hotel receipt."
"I assumed Legal verified it."
"The photographs."
"They came anonymously."
"Who received them first?"
Daniel looked away.
Another mistake.
Joon pressed a button beneath his desk.
The office door opened.
Not with guards.
With an elderly woman wearing a gray suit.
Grace Kim.
Head of Shin Global's internal intelligence division.
Daniel's stomach dropped.
Grace carried three sealed folders.
"I recovered backup archives from an off-site server," she said quietly.
"I thought those were erased."
"They were."
She placed the folders on the desk.
"But someone forgot about the mirrored storage."
Daniel's face lost all color.
Grace opened the first file.
"Original metadata."
Second folder.
"Email routing logs."
Third.
"Financial transfers."
Joon never touched the papers.
He watched Daniel instead.
People rarely confessed because of evidence.
They confessed because of silence.
Five long minutes passed.
Finally—
Daniel laughed.
Softly.
Almost sadly.
"I suppose you've figured it out."
Grace looked disgusted.
"You destroyed their marriage."
"I protected the empire."
Joon's eyes narrowed.
"Explain."
Daniel took a slow breath.
"When your father died, every investor questioned your judgment."
"You were young."
"In love."
"Married to a woman with no powerful family."
"No political connections."
"No dynasty."
He looked toward the skyline.
"The board wanted someone...useful."
"Elena wasn't useful?"
"She was dangerous."
"How?"
"She made you happy."
The words echoed through the office.
Daniel continued.
"You were willing to leave the organization."
"You wanted children."
"You wanted a normal life."
"You were becoming weak."
Joon said nothing.
Daniel mistook silence for uncertainty.
"So yes."
"I created evidence."
"I hired witnesses."
"I paid investigators."
"I convinced you she had another man."
"You signed the divorce."
"You stayed."
"The empire survived."
He smiled.
"I regret hurting her."
"But I saved everything your family built."
The room became unbearably quiet.
Grace slowly removed her glasses.
Even she hadn't expected such complete honesty.
Joon walked forward.
One step.
Then another.
Stopping less than a foot away.
"For five years..."
His voice barely rose above a whisper.
"...my daughter grew up believing I abandoned her."
Daniel didn't answer.
"For five years..."
"...my wife raised our child alone."
Still nothing.
Joon leaned closer.
"And you believed that was acceptable."
Daniel finally spoke.
"It was necessary."
The slap echoed through the office.
No one had ever seen Joon Shin strike anyone with his own hand.
Daniel stumbled backward, blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"I gave you everything!" Daniel shouted.
"I made you king!"
Joon looked at him with complete indifference.
"No."
"You made me a fool."
He turned toward Grace.
"Freeze every account under Daniel Han."
"Yes."
"Notify the board."
"Yes."
"Contact every captain."
Grace nodded.
"They'll want instructions."
Joon's voice became ice.
"Tell them Daniel Han no longer speaks for the Shin family."
Daniel understood exactly what that meant.
Not prison.
Not retirement.
Exile.
In their world, losing protection was often worse than death.
He lunged toward Joon in desperation.
"You can't destroy me over one woman!"
Two security officers burst through the door before he reached the desk.
They pinned Daniel to the floor.
As he was dragged away, he screamed one final sentence.
"You think she's innocent?"
Joon stopped.
Daniel laughed wildly.
"You never asked why someone wanted her gone!"
The door slammed shut.
The office fell silent.
Grace frowned.
"What did he mean?"
Joon stared at the city below.
"I don't know."
Then he looked at the family photograph on Elena's legal file.
Elena.
Yuna.
Both smiling.
May you like
A picture he should have been standing inside.
"We're going to find out."
