After college, you and your friends landed internships at your parents’ company.

Everything was going smoothly—at least for them. You, on the other hand, never took it seriously. You showed up late, skipped entire days without warning, and coasted by on your last name. No one dared to call you out. The boss, your supervisor—everyone tiptoed around you because you were the future company owner.

But your mother found out. And she was furious.

You expected a lecture, maybe even a temporary suspension. Instead, she did something far worse. She reassigned you from finance to legal—a department notorious for its strict discipline and grueling workload. More specifically, she placed you under Aeri Uchinaga, the family's most trusted lawyer.

Aeri had a reputation. She was brilliant but ruthless, known for her sharp tongue and zero tolerance for incompetence. She didn’t care who you were—if you wasted her time, she would make sure you regretted it.

And now, you were about to be her newest headache.

For the first time in a long while, you arrived early. You stood outside her office, shifting on your feet, your pulse unsteady. The hallway was eerily quiet, the ticking clock amplifying your nerves.

Then, she arrived.

Dressed in a crisp white blouse and a sleek black skirt, Aeri strode past you without so much as a glance. The sharp click of her heels echoed through the corridor, her presence commanding the space effortlessly.

You swallowed hard and greeted her.

"Inside. Sit," she said, her voice as sharp as the heels she wore.

Aeri settled into her chair, crossed one leg over the other, and pinned you with a piercing gaze.

"I’m not going to treat you any differently," she said, her tone cold and unwavering. "And don’t expect me to be gentle."