CHAPTER 167: CHAPTER 166. A VILLAINESS ONLY LAUGHED BEHIND THE SCENE

Ah...Sarah honestly didn’t expect this.

When she told Joseph about her uncle, she was just trying to probe their relationship, whether or not they were involved in whatever scheme they had with Daesung. When she told Lee Hyun that Joseph knew about the visit, she wanted to instigate some kind of fight that might destroy either of their plans.

She certainly never thought it would result in Lee Hyun being accused of leaking the CCTV to sneak buy HS’s stock—exactly what she was doing.

Hearing someone else being accused of her ’crime’...it almost made Sarah lose control of her act. Thankfully, she could easily cover it by faking a gasp and clasping her mouth, stifling any laughter that might spill out. Hajin even helped her by pretending to soothe her--since she was coughing earlier--and gave her another cup of tea so she could calm her facial muscles further behind the drink.

"Y-you mean..." Sarah patted her chest, deep in her bewildered state. "Uncle is trying to take the company from you?"

The chairman scoffed. "How stupid--he can’t take over the company with outsiders’ shares," the old man said, before pausing and looking at Sarah. "You’re not planning to sell your shares to him, are you?"

"No," Sarah replied nonchalantly, but also truthfully. "Besides, does Uncle even have the money for it?"

"He might ask someone else to help him, like Daesung, promising them something," the chairman said. It was clear from his tone, full of mockery, that he didn’t think his brother could do anything worthy against him. Perhaps in the same way he saw Sarah as a silly little girl. "As long as the family’s shares remain in the family, outsiders couldn’t touch the company."

"I see..." Sarah nodded absentmindedly. Seemed like the chairman considered his brother an outsider now.

The chairman looked at Sarah, who was busy continuing her lunch; watching her eat with interest. "But what were you doing at that club?"

"Just trying a new place?" Sarah shrugged, taking the last slice of fresh yellowtail into her mouth. She purses her lips as she chewed, tilting her head in ponder. "I don’t like it, though. The place’s like a maze--we were lost that one time, weren’t we? Ah, that was how I entered Uncle’s room."

The chairman raised his brow. "What a coincidence."

"Huh...now that I think about it, that’s true, isn’t it?" Sarah blinked her widened eyes, gasping lightly. "Was it fate?"

"That would be interesting," the chairman hummed, sipping on his tea while staring at his daughter with a weird, complicated gaze.

Sarah deliberately avoided the gaze by clasping her hands abruptly. "Oh, since we’re talking about this anyway, I recall something weird he said regarding this."

"Your uncle?"

"Uh-huh," Sarah nodded. "He said...what was he saying again? Ah--he said that woman was the one who actually knew the people he met."

"That...woman?" the chairman frowned. "Who..."

"Who else?" Sarah shrugged, lips curling deeply. "That bitch calling herself a madam in your house, of course."

"Jeong Mina..."

There was only one woman Sarah would talk about with that kind of venomous tone, even when she was still far meeker in the past. The chairman frowned deeper, looking at Sarah keenly.

"Sarah..."

"Hm?"

"You’re not telling lies just to get rid of Mina, aren’t you?"

Sarah blinked once, before laughing loudly as if she had just heard the funniest joke ever. "So what if I did?" she stopped abruptly and looked at the chairman with a pair of manic eyes filled with hatred, lips stretched in a twisted smile. "You’re supposed to be looking for a reason to divorce her anyway."

The signed prenup said the chairman couldn’t divorce her without sound evidence--except for an affair, which was fair. That was how she agreed not to receive anything but a fixed amount in consolation. Certainly, being useless wasn’t a reason for a divorce, but frolicking with ’enemy’ company?

"Maybe you should look into it, Chairman," Sarah smiled, this time sweetly, as if she hadn’t just looked like someone who wanted to kill something. "That woman’s connection to Daesung, and what she was aiming for."

The chairman furrowed his brows even deeper. He felt suspicious, and honestly a bit scared, thinking Sarah was rather unstable. But what she said was right; he needed a reason to divorce that woman and marry Vivian.

* * *

"Ahahaha!"

The car on their way back was filled with Sarah’s laughter. She even raised her legs and kicked the dashboard a few times, reminding Hajin of the day Sarah gave him his bejeweled leash and kicking the car out of cringiness.

It was nice that she looked joyful this time.

Hajin chuckled as they stopped at the red light, leaning on the steering wheel while looking at the bright girl. "You sound like a villainess, Princess."

"Ahem," Sarah cleared her throat and fixed her position, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. Maybe she was a bit overboard with the laugh. But then again...it sounded apt for her. "Well, I’d look like one soon, don’t you think? I mean from the other’s perspective."

"And how do you feel about that?" Hajin asked carefully. After all, it was only this morning that Sarah woke up from the nightmare of becoming a villain like Seo Joseph.

Sarah looked up at the dark ceiling of the car, pondering. "I guess...I have to live with it," she said. It was true that collateral damage was inevitable, and those whom she targeted directly wouldn’t necessarily understand why she did what she did. She couldn’t afford to doubt herself anymore. "I’m not doing it for anyone but me, anyway."

Hajin smiled and patted the girl’s head, prompting Sarah to frown.

"What are you doing?"

Hajin merely laughed since the light had turned green again, but he proceeded to pat Sarah’s head again once the car entered the smooth road.

"Hey!"

Hajin laughed, looking at Sarah through the rearview mirror. "We can be a bit relaxed with this, right?"

Sarah stopped scowling at the bodyguard and exhaled slowly. "Yeah, just let those three old men fight it out among themselves."

Lee Hyun only had two options: stop his plan or hasten it. But even if he stopped, the chairman wouldn’t simply forgive him for colluding with Daesung. Once he found out that Mina had known Daesung since the start, wouldn’t the chairman’s anger reach its peak? It would be better if they ended up destroying each other.

As for Joseph...

Well...Sarah wanted to take care of the old snake herself, anyway.

"I wonder, though..." Sarah tapped her chin in ponder. "The one telling the chairman must be Joseph, right? That means he wanted to direct the suspicion to Uncle Hyun."

"Meaning they’re not on the same team," Hajin nodded.

"Yeah, strengthening our theory," Sarah narrowed her eyes. "He didn’t have to do that, though. Letting the confusion brew would already make the chairman suspect someone from the house."

"Maybe because he thought the chairman’s brother was a hindrance, too?" Hajin shrugged. "We still had no idea if he wanted to take over the company or destroy it, but either way, the chairman’s brother is a hindrance--especially if both of them used Daesung."

Sarah arched her brow. "So, Daesung is like...two-timing?"

"How poetic," Hajin snickered.

Sarah chuckled and suddenly remembered they still had some documents to get through that might lead them somewhere in this direction. "What about the progress on the CEO’s stuff?"

Hajin winced. "I’ll try finishing it tonight."

Seemed like the field agent finally felt overwhelmed by the desk work. Sarah laughed and stroked the bodyguard’s arm in return when they were greeted by a light vibration. "Hmm? What’s that sound?"

"My phone."

"Oh? Should I take it out for you?"

Hajin nodded. "My breast pocket."

Hajin’s social life was practically nonexistent since he worked for Sarah, so the people who would call his phone were usually someone calling for Sarah instead--or at least something about her.

"Hmm..." Sarah leaned over and rummaged through Hajin’s suit, while the bodyguard pressed his lips to hold back from laughing and moaning. When Sarah finally fished out the phone, she arched her brow. "Oh, it’s Chairman Yoo."

Hajin blinked, glancing at Sarah through the mirror. "...should I take it?"

"It’s your choice, Puppy," Sarah smiled, patting the bodyguard who always looked guilty whenever he had to reconnect with his father. But while Hajin never said it, Sarah knew he didn’t hate his old man, and Sarah had no intention to force him to feel that way. She placed the phone on the stand fixed on the dashboard. "I’ll put it here--should I put it on speaker?"

"Yes, please..."

Sarah pressed the screen and Chairman Yoo’s voice could be heard instantly. [Hajin?]

"Yes...Chairman," Hajin replied rather awkwardly.

[Oh...]

Even through the phone, and only within one word, Sarah could hear the sad tone from the other side. She knew Hajin did it because of her, so she elbowed the man and rolled her eyes, telling him to just act like usual.

Just because she hated her own father and refused to use the word, didn’t mean everyone else should.

Hajin smiled wryly and cleared his throat. "What’s wrong, Father?"

[Oh, I just...wanted to hear your voice] Chairman Yoo said brightly, the elation clear in his raised voice that was mixed with laughter. [Also, there’s something I need to tell you]

"Yes?"

[Did you bump into Congressman Choi’s daughter when we had lunch last time?] the old man asked.

Sarah and Hajin looked at each other, their brows raised high.