Kapitel 31: The Dahlias (9)

"Mother of your daughter?" Lee exclaimed. "You mean...THAT JEON GAYOON?"

"Yes," Minho said irritably. "Now go and hide somewhere."

He casually dismissed the old man who was left to scramble around to look for a hiding place before settling for the washroom. He made a run for it and that too just in time. There was a knock on the front door.

"Come in," Minho said lazily. Lee pressed his ear to the washroom's door, listening intently. Eight years back, when Minho was looking for a suitable surrogate, Lee was the one who made the airtight contract. It clearly stated that if the birth mother tried to contact him or Jina in any way, she would have to pay ten million dollars as compensation. Failure to pay would make her end up in jail.

Then why was she there to meet Minho?

"Hello, Mr. Hwang Minho," Gayoon's voice came through. "I'm here to ask you a few questions about Lee Shawn and Kim Joon."

"I've already given my statement," Minho shrugged. "I don't believe I have anything more to say."

"You were about to enter into a contract with Shawn," Gayoon countered. "You must have been in touch with him for a while."

What are they talking about? Lawyer Lee wondered. They were not discussing Jina nor their contract! What was going on?

"Detective Gayoon," Minho started. "Just because I'm entering into a contract with Shawn's company it doesn't mean that I know him personally. I already stated what I saw at the party. Except one thing."

He was lazily tapping his fingers on the table, leaning back to look at her properly. Gayoon shifted in her seat, trying to avoid his scrutiny.

"I didn't mention how you came to know about the body in the wall," he said."You lied and said that you've overheard some men talking about the wall which wasn't there six months ago whereas the last person you were seen conversing with was Shawn himself. Now, I am not detective but even I can tell that Shawn wouldn't just hand over a clue about a murder he may have committed to you."

He might as well have, Gayoon said in her mind. "I did overhear some people," she replied. "I just indirectly asked him about it and his answer just tipped me off."

It was not a complete lie. After all, no one could really hear what the spirit had told her at the party. Meanwhile, Lee was extremely interested to know what was going on between the two. Why was Hwang Minho refraining from suing her? And detective? She became a cop?

"Why do I find it hard to believe?" Minho countered smugly. Gayoon's temper was flaring but she held herself back.

"Mr. Minho, please cooperate," she insisted. "I need to know the terms of your contract with him so that we can establish his character. Is Shawn a fraud like his partner?"

Minho picked up a file and handed it to her. "You'll find everything in there," he said, turning to his computer. He was typing away on it while listening to Gayoon.

Gayoon read the papers carefully. "You were about to build his new office building?" she questioned. "Was he paying in advance?"

"Fifty percent in advance," Minho replied, as he typed on. "The rest after the work was done. It was non-negotiable."

"But this is a large amount of money," Gayoon frowned. "His company wasn't doing so well. How was he going to pay you?"

"Not really my concern," he said. "As long as he paid every penny. I would have taken him to court if he tried to double cross me."

"Why were you so interested in this project?" Gayoon asked. "I'm sure you had an inkling of his partner being a fraud?"

"My contract was with Shawn," Minho replied, still writing something on his computer. "Not with Kim Joon. As far as I was concerned, they were no longer working together."

"So you knew?"

"Everyone in our circle knew," Minho stated. Something was not adding up. As far as she knew Hwang Minho, the man was extremely cautious about his deals. Then why was he about to take a contract from a company which had a history of bad debts and failed payment records?

"Now if you're done," Minho said. "You can leave. I spent five minutes with you. This time could have been spent making five million dollars but I was compelled to waste it on you."

A nerve twitched on Gayoon's head. "I'll take a copy of this," she gritted. She got up and was exiting the room.

"Leave the file with the secretary outside," Minho told her. "If a single page is missing, I'll file a complaint with your supervisor. It may not mean much to you but it's worth millions to me."

Gayoon turned around with an angry expression on her face. "I won't lose anything!" she retorted. Inwardly, she wanted to shred the papers in front of his face just to enjoy the look of horror on his face but the file was an important clue. It may give her more insights on Shawn.

With a sigh, she left the room. As soon as she left, Lawyer Lee came out of the washroom.

"That was Jeon Gayoon?" he asked in astonishment. "Wow! The girl really did make something of herself."

"More than the women I come across everyday in our circle," Minho commented, not taking his eyes away from the computer.

"But the contract clearly stated that she can't meet with you or Jina," Lee frowned. "Then why…"

"Oh, she doesn't know that she is Jina's surrogate," Minho stated.

"What?" Lee sputtered. "And you…"

"She doesn't know that I'm Jina's father either," he replied. "Does it matter? It's not like she can pay that much money after she finds out."

Was Hwang Minho letting go of an opportunity to extract money from someone? Before Lee could ask him, Minho pressed the 'Enter' button and leaned back with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Done!" he declared.

"Done with what?"

"I just bought Lee Shawn's private villa," Minho said. "The one where the dead body was found."

…

Gayoon was fuming a little as she went into the washroom on her way to the exit.

"Asshole!" she muttered, washing her hands. The guy knew how to infuriate her.

"Did you hear that our boss acquired a fashion company?"

Gayoon's interest perked up and she listened in. A few of the female employees had just entered the washroom, gossiping away.

"Apparently the heiress of Aryan Fashion pissed him off," one of the employees said. "Lim Somin. She did something which made the big boss buy the company within a night."

Aryan Fashion? Lim Somin? Gayoon recalled the snooty blonde who tried to mess with her at the party.

"Really?" another employee asked. "But the boss doesn't have much interest in fashion! Why did he acquire the company?"

"I don't know," the other one said. "But I've heard that the boss took a date to the party and Lim Somin insulted her. You know how she was after the boss for months and to see him bring in someone else must have been an insult to her. WIthin a night, the Lim's went bankrupt and are begging the boss to reconsider. But he refused to bend the knee. I've heard their house is about to be auctioned off within a week."

The employee looked around only to find Gayoon staring at them. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Uh no it's okay!" Gayoon smiled back. She quickly washed her hands, picked up her bag with the file and dashed out. Her mind lingered on what she had just heard.

Hwang Minho bought an entire company simply because the owner insulted her?

"What a weirdo," Gayoon sighed.