The morning sun spilled through the tall glass windows of the Lee mansion, painting streaks of gold across the marble floor. Seoul looked alive — yet inside Ethan’s chest, there was only frost.
Sophia woke to the faint scent of coffee and the rustle of papers. Ethan was already dressed — black suit, crisp tie, an aura of control so sharp it could cut glass. He didn’t glance at her once.
“Breakfast is ready,” she said softly, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I told the chef to make it—”
“I don’t eat breakfast,” he interrupted, eyes fixed on his tablet.
She swallowed. Every word from him felt like a door slamming shut. Still, she smiled faintly. “You should. Even CEOs need energy.”
Ethan looked up at her then, just for a second. There was something in his gaze — not annoyance this time, but confusion. She spoke to him like he was human, not a machine built of schedules and numbers.
“You care too much, Mrs. Lee,” he said coldly, placing the tablet down. “That’s dangerous.”
Sophia tilted her head. “For me or for you?”
His eyes flickered. She’s bold, he thought. Most people flinched under his stare. She stood there, calm, almost teasing.
Later that day, at Lee Corporation headquarters, the boardroom was thick with tension. Sophia, dressed elegantly in ivory, had accompanied Ethan for the quarterly review — not because she wanted to, but because the media demanded the perfect image of their “happy union.”
Reporters whispered as they entered together.
The cold CEO finally brings his wife to a meeting?
Maybe the rumors of separation weren’t true after all.
Ethan ignored the noise. But he didn’t ignore how Sophia moved — graceful, unbothered, commanding attention without effort. He hated how the room noticed her before him. And yet… something in him felt proud.
When the meeting ended, Sophia stayed behind, admiring the cityscape from the window. Ethan approached silently.
“You handled yourself well,” he said finally.
She turned, surprised. “Was that a compliment, Mr. Lee?”
He smirked faintly. “Don’t let it get to your head.”
For a moment, there was silence. Then Sophia spoke softly. “Do you ever get tired, Ethan? Of pretending not to feel anything?”
His jaw tensed. “What makes you think I’m pretending?”
“Because no one can be that cold without reason,” she said gently. “You freeze everything that gets close. There must have been a fire once — something that burned you too deeply.”
He looked away, voice low. “别管我过去的事 (Bié guǎn wǒ guòqù de shì) — Don’t concern yourself with my past.”
“Maybe I already am,” she whispered.
He turned sharply, eyes stormy. “Why? What do you gain from caring?”
Sophia smiled faintly, sadness flickering in her gaze. “Maybe I just want to see the man behind the ice.”
Her words hung in the air like a challenge.
For the first time in years, Ethan felt something unfamiliar — warmth creeping through the cracks he thought had sealed long ago.
He stepped closer, close enough for her to catch the faint scent of his cologne.
“Careful,” he murmured. “If you melt me, you might drown too.”
Sophia met his gaze, fearless. “Then I’ll learn to swim.”
That night, Ethan stood alone in his study, staring at a photo hidden in his drawer — a woman’s smile, soft and cruel. Han Soojin. The one who betrayed him. The reason he built his empire of ice.
His phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number:
“Long time, Ethan. Ready to lose everything again?”
He clenched his fist, fury darkening his eyes. Chen. The rival CEO — and Soojin’s new lover.
The door creaked open. Sophia stepped in, barefoot, holding two mugs of tea. “You’re still awake.”
He hid the photo quickly. “Work.”
She placed a mug beside him. “You don’t have to fight everything alone.”
He stared at her, the storm in his chest quieting for just a second.
“Why are you being kind to me?” he asked quietly. “After everything — the coldness, the distance — why?”
Sophia smiled, her voice soft but steady.
“Because even ice has a heart. It just needs someone brave enough to touch it.”
Ethan froze. No one had ever spoken to him like that. No one dared.
He looked at her, truly looked — the warmth in her eyes, the quiet strength in her posture. Something cracked inside him, something he couldn’t control.
“그만 와.” (Come closer.)
The words escaped his lips before he could stop them.
Sophia’s heart raced. She stepped closer, her breath mingling with his.
For a moment, the cold CEO forgot who he was supposed to be.
But before their lips met, his phone buzzed again — the same unknown number flashing across the screen.
“Tomorrow, Dragon Holdings strikes first.”
The warmth vanished. The Ice Man returned.
Ethan turned away, voice low and distant again. “Go to sleep, Sophia. Tomorrow… things might change.”
Sophia watched him, confusion and worry filling her chest. She didn’t know what war was coming — in business or in love — but one thing was certain:
She had touched his heart… and it had started to beat again.
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