The office was silent, save for the faint scratching of my pen and the ticking clock on the wall. Every man outside knew not to interrupt me. Discipline was the spine of my world, and I had no patience for broken rules.

So when the door burst open without a knock, irritation flared hot in my chest. I lifted my head sharply, ready to tear apart whoever had dared—

And then I saw them.

Kaori. My wife. Ten years beside me, once my sharpest secretary, now the woman who ruled my home. She stood in the doorway, calm but weary, her gaze apologetic. And in front of her, darting into the room with wild energy—our daughter.

Nara. Eighteen months old. My little girl.

She wore a tiny dress, the fabric swishing as she squealed with laughter, running circles around my office as if it were her playground. Her dark hair, my hair, bounced with each step, and when she turned her face up toward me, those unmistakable blue eyes—Kaori’s eyes—shone with pure joy.

The ice in my chest cracked. The scolding that had been forming died instantly. My pen slipped from my hand, forgotten.

“Papa!” Nara’s little voice rang out, shrill and delighted, as she rushed to my desk. She slammed her small palms against the polished wood and laughed, as if interrupting the most dangerous man in the city was the grandest game.

Kaori moved forward slowly, her voice soft. “Seunghyun… I told her you were busy, but she wouldn’t listen.”

I leaned back in my chair, my gaze never leaving the tiny whirlwind in front of me. Cold, strict, unbending—that was who I was to the world. But here, now, I was undone.

“She takes after me,” I murmured, the corner of my mouth twitching despite myself. “No one tells her where she can or cannot go.”

Kaori sighed, though I saw the warmth in her eyes. She knew as well as I did that I would never send them away.

Nara shrieked with laughter again, spinning clumsily on her little feet. She was chaos, she was noise—two things I despised in every other form. And yet when it was her, I wanted it to last forever.

I stood, slowly, deliberately, and came around the desk. The men outside would wonder why their boss hadn’t barked for silence, why he hadn’t thrown the intruder out. Let them wonder. This was mine.

As I crouched down, Nara squealed and barreled straight into my arms. I caught her easily, lifting her up against my chest. Her tiny hands grabbed at my collar, her laughter muffled as she pressed her face against me.

The weight of her, the warmth of her—this was the only thing that could make me forget the blood, the power, the endless wars outside these walls.

Kaori stepped closer, her hand brushing against my arm as she looked at us both. “You’ll never be able to say no to her,” she whispered knowingly.

I smirked faintly, pressing a kiss to the crown of Nara’s head. “I never planned to.”

For everyone else, I was Baek Seunghyun—the cold, merciless boss. But for Kaori and Nara, I was simply a man. A husband. A father. And the only rule in this office now… was that they could break it.