CHAPTER 23 — THE MISSING MOTHER
1082 Words
Aarya couldn't sleep.
Again.
The city outside Jungkook's penthouse glittered beneath the darkness.
Beautiful.
Peaceful.
Normal.
Everything she no longer felt.
Because her entire world had shattered.
Again.
First her father.
Then Jungkook's father.
Then Chairman Han.
And now—
her mother.
The woman she barely remembered.
The woman everyone claimed had died in a tragic accident.
The woman who apparently had secrets.
Dangerous secrets.
Secrets powerful enough for someone to watch Aarya for years.
Aarya stood near the floor-to-ceiling window.
Lost in thought.
Lost in memories.
Or rather—
the lack of them.
She remembered very little about her mother.
A smile.
A laugh.
Warm hands brushing through her hair.
A lullaby.
Tiny fragments.
Nothing more.
She had been too young.
Too small.
Too innocent.
And now—
those missing memories felt important.
Terrifyingly important.
"You should sleep."
The familiar voice came from behind.
Aarya didn't turn around.
She already knew who it was.
Jungkook.
The only person who seemed capable of finding her no matter where she went.
No matter when.
"I'm trying."
His reflection appeared beside hers in the glass.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Dark eyes.
A dangerous man wearing a surprisingly concerned expression.
The sight made her chest tighten.
Still.
Even after everything.
For several seconds—
neither spoke.
Then Aarya finally whispered—
"What if everything I know is a lie?"
The question hung heavily between them.
Jungkook remained silent.
Thinking.
Carefully.
Then—
"It probably is."
Aarya blinked.
Slowly turning toward him.
"That's not comforting."
A tiny smile appeared.
Briefly.
"Wasn't meant to be."
Despite herself—
she laughed.
A small laugh.
A tired laugh.
But a real one.
And somehow—
the tension eased.
Just a little.
Then Jungkook's expression grew serious.
Again.
"Aarya."
Her heartbeat quickened.
"What?"
His gaze never left hers.
"We found something."
Immediately.
The little peace she'd managed to find vanished.
"What?"
Jungkook handed her a file.
A new file.
Recently recovered.
Recently discovered.
Aarya's fingers tightened around it.
Her pulse racing.
Because nothing good ever came from files anymore.
Nothing.
Slowly—
she opened it.
And froze.
The first photograph nearly slipped from her hands.
Her mother.
Young.
Beautiful.
Standing beside Chairman Han.
Smiling.
Comfortably.
Familiar.
As if they knew each other well.
Too well.
"No."
The word escaped instantly.
Her mother looked happy.
Not frightened.
Not forced.
Happy.
The image shattered another piece of her understanding.
Because suddenly—
her mother wasn't some random employee.
She was important.
Very important.
"There are more."
Jungkook's voice was quiet.
Gentle.
A rare thing.
Aarya continued turning pages.
Every photograph made things worse.
Meetings.
Events.
Private gatherings.
Years of history.
Years of connection.
Years of secrets.
Then she found something strange.
A photograph she'd never seen before.
One that made her blood run cold.
Her mother stood beside Chairman Han.
And beside them—
stood Jungkook's father.
And her father.
All four together.
Smiling.
Like friends.
Like partners.
Like family.
The room spun.
Aarya sat down immediately.
Because suddenly—
this wasn't coincidence.
This wasn't random.
Their lives had been connected long before they were born.
Long before fate pushed them together.
Long before Seoul.
"Jungkook."
Her voice shook.
"What if—"
She stopped.
Unable to finish.
Because the thought terrified her.
"What if what?"
Aarya swallowed hard.
"What if our parents were involved in something bigger?"
Silence.
Then—
Jungkook nodded slowly.
"I think they were."
The answer chilled her.
Because deep down—
she already knew.
The next morning brought no peace.
Only more questions.
And unfortunately—
more answers.
The dangerous kind.
Jungkook's private investigation team worked nonstop.
Searching records.
Following leads.
Digging through twenty-year-old secrets.
By noon—
they found something.
Something that changed everything.
Again.
Aarya sat in the conference room beside Jungkook.
Several investigators stood around the table.
Nervous.
Tense.
Because nobody enjoyed delivering shocking news anymore.
Not in this building.
The lead investigator cleared his throat.
"We found records regarding Ms. Kim."
Aarya's mother.
Immediately—
the room became silent.
"What records?"
The investigator hesitated.
Then placed a folder on the table.
"Employment records."
Aarya frowned.
Employment records?
That wasn't surprising.
Not really.
Until she opened them.
Her eyes widened.
Then widened further.
Then completely froze.
Because the company listed wasn't educational.
Wasn't ordinary.
Wasn't even public.
It belonged to Chairman Han.
Specifically—
his private research division.
"What is this?"
Aarya's voice barely worked.
The investigator looked uncomfortable.
"Your mother wasn't a teacher."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Aarya stared.
Unable to process.
Unable to breathe.
Unable to think.
Because her entire childhood suddenly felt fake.
"Then what was she?"
The investigator swallowed.
Hard.
Then answered.
"She was a genetic researcher."
The room froze.
Completely.
Even Jungkook looked surprised.
Aarya's heartbeat thundered in her ears.
A scientist?
Her mother?
No.
That couldn't be right.
Nothing about her life made sense anymore.
Then the investigator continued.
And somehow—
everything became worse.
"She disappeared shortly after stealing confidential data."
Silence.
Dead silence.
The kind that suffocated.
Aarya's hands began shaking.
Because suddenly—
she understood.
At least partly.
Why Chairman Han had watched her.
Why he wanted her.
Why he never stopped searching.
Whatever her mother stole—
he wanted it back.
Then another investigator rushed into the room.
Breathing hard.
Pale.
Terrified.
The room immediately tensed.
"Boss."
Jungkook stood instantly.
"What happened?"
The man looked directly at Aarya.
Fear visible in his eyes.
"We have a problem."
Aarya's stomach dropped.
Because nobody ever said those words before delivering terrible news.
"What problem?"
The investigator swallowed.
Then answered.
"Chairman Han just released a public statement."
Silence.
Confusion.
Then—
"What statement?"
The man handed over a tablet.
Jungkook looked first.
And instantly—
his expression turned murderous.
Aarya grabbed the tablet.
Her eyes scanned the headline.
And her blood turned to ice.
MISSING WOMAN CONNECTED TO CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION IDENTIFIED AS AARYA SHARMA
The article included photographs.
Her photographs.
Her name.
Her face.
Her connection to Jungkook.
Published for the entire country to see.
The room exploded into chaos.
Phones rang immediately.
Security teams rushed into motion.
Orders were shouted.
Alarms triggered.
But Aarya heard none of it.
Because she understood exactly what Chairman Han had done.
He had painted a target on her back.
For the entire world to see.
And somewhere—
watching the news with a satisfied smile—
Chairman Han finally made his first move.
A direct move.
A personal move.
A declaration of war.
And this time—
there would be no hiding.
- Writer
