The heating bill lay crumpled in Adana’s coat pocket like a death sentence. Three months overdue, she shifted 5-year-old Chitty’s weight on her hip as they climbed the stairs of the gleaming office building, her secondhand heels clicking against marble that probably cost more than her yearly rent. “Mama, I’m hungry,” Chitty whispered in Ebo.

“Soon, NWAM, be patient.” The receptionist’s eyes flickered over them with barely concealed distaste. Adana had seen that look before in grocery stores on subway trains, in the eyes of landlords who suddenly had no vacancies. She straightened her spine. Her degree from Lagos University meant something, even if Korea didn’t think so.

 Miss Okafor, Mr. Han will see you now. The office was all glass and steel with a view of soul that made her breath catch. Behind an imposing desk sat Han Jung, and he looked exactly like the rumors suggested, sharp featured expensive suit and eyes that could freeze lava. “You’re late,” he said in English, not looking up from his tablet.

 The subway was delayed. “I apologize.” “Apologies don’t make deadlines.” His gaze finally lifted, sweeping over her and shitty with cold assessment. You brought a child to an interview. Heat crept up her neck. I had no choice. His daycare excuses. He set down the tablet with a decisive click. My previous executive assistant made excuses too right before she emptied my company account and disappeared with my business partner.

So, understand this, Miss Okafor. I don’t tolerate incompetence, dishonesty, or excuses. Are we clear? Something in his voice underneath all that ice sounded broken. Adana recognized it because she’d heard the same fracture in her own voice two years ago when her husband’s family had driven her out after his death when they’ called her child a curse because of his darker skin. “Crystal clear, Mr.

 Han,” she said quietly. But if I may, I’m not your ex-wife, and I’m not here to make excuses. I’m here because I’m the best candidate you’ll interview. My references prove it. His eyebrow arched, confident, qualified. For the first time, something that might have been amusement flickered across his face. You start Monday, 6 a.m. sharp.

 Your son, that will be a problem. It won’t be. I’ll manage. See that you do? He returned to his tablet, dismissing her, but as she turned to leave, his voice stopped her. “Miss Okapor, don’t make me regret this.” She looked back at him. This beautiful wounded man in his fortress of glass. “I won’t, Mr. Han. I promise you that.

” 3 weeks in and Adana had learned several things about Han Jung. He took his coffee black at 6:15 a.m. He never ate lunch. He worked until midnight most days and he was absolutely impossibly infuriating. These reports are wrong, he said. Not for the first time that week. Adana counted to 10 in Ebo before responding.

 They’re exactly as you specified, Mr. Han. The formatting is identical to the template you provided. She pulled up the document on her screen. C. Margins, font size, spacing, all correct. He leaned over her desk to examine it, and she caught the scent of his cologne, something expensive and cedar tinged. This close, she could see the exhaustion carved into his features, the tension in his jaw.

“You’re right,” he admitted, straightening, then quieter. “I apologize.” She nearly dropped her pen. In 3 weeks, he’d never apologized for anything. “Mr. Han, when was the last time you slept?” I sleep more than 4 hours. His silence was answer enough. You know, she said carefully, you work everyone here like machines, including yourself, but machines break down without maintenance.

Are you lecturing your boss, Miss Okafor? I’m observing that a sleepd deprived executive makes mistakes, like accusing his assistant of errors she didn’t commit. For a moment, she thought she’d gone too far. Then he laughed, actually laughed, and the sound transformed his entire face. Suddenly, she understood why his ex-wife had married him before whatever happened between them had turned his heart to ice. “You’re fearless,” he said.

 “I’m honest. There’s a difference.” The lights flickered, then went out completely. “Emergency lights cast everything in eerie red as thunder cracked overhead.” “Blackout!” Jung muttered, pulling out his phone. Building’s backup generator isn’t starting. We’re locked in until they manually override the security system.

Adana’s heart lurched. How long? Could be hours. He noticed her panic. What’s wrong, Chitty? The after school program closes at 8. If I’m not there, her voice cracked. They’ll call child services. They’ve warned me before about being late. Where is he? She told him the address.

 And without hesitation, Jay Sun was dialing. Minjun, I need you to pick up a child. He rattled off instructions to his driver with the same efficiency he applied to million-doll deals. When he hung up, Adana was blinking back tears. Thank you. Don’t thank me. Just he ran a hand through his hair, suddenly looking uncertain, human. You shouldhave told me about your situation.

 Would you have hired me if you’d known? No, he admitted I would have been wrong to let that stop me. You’re the best assistant I’ve ever had, Adana. It was the first time he’d used her first name. In the red tinged darkness, something shifted between them. Some wall beginning to crack.

 Why did she do it? The question slipped out before Adana could stop it. Your wife, I mean, if it’s not too personal. His expression shuddered. She said I loved work more than her. Maybe she was right. He moved to the window, staring out at Soul’s darkened skyline. I built this company from nothing. Worked every hour every day. When my father said I’d never amount to anything when investors laughed at me, I proved them all wrong.

 But somewhere along the way, he trailed off. You forgot what you were building it for. Adana finished softly. Something like that. He turned back to her. What about you? Your husband dead car accident two years ago. His family blamed me. Said I brought bad luck. They wanted chitty but not me. She swallowed hard.

 So I took my son and left everything I knew. Came here because my cousin said there were opportunities. Instead, I f

ound closed doors and people who look at me like I’m invisible. I see you, Jung said, and the intensity in his voice made her breath hitch. The emergency lights seemed to pulse in the silence between them. Then he crossed the space, standing close enough that she could feel his warmth.

You’re not invisible, Adana. You’re He lifted his hand as if to touch her face, then dropped it. We should maintain professional boundaries. Yes, she whispered even as every nerve in her body screamed the opposite. We should, but neither of them moved away. Mr. Han has decided to work from home today. Adana told the assembled staff at Monday morning’s briefing.

 She kept her voice steady despite her concern. He’d looked awful on Friday, gray-faced, trembling before she’d practically forced him into his car. She hadn’t expected him to text her at 300 a.m. Temperature 39.5. Can’t think straight. Need you now. Standing outside his penthouse apartment with soup she’d made and Chitty clutching her hand, Adana wondered if she’d crossed some irrevocable line.

 The door opened to reveal Jung in rumpled clothes, hair disheveled, looking more human and vulnerable than she’d ever seen him. “You came,” he said horarssely. “You needed me.” She ushered Chitty inside. “Sit down before you fall down. His apartment was impersonal. All modern furniture and empty spaces like a hotel room. No photos, no personality.

It made her heart ache. Chitty, you can watch cartoons over there, she said, setting him up on the couch with his tablet and headphones. Then she turned to Jung. You bedroom now. Bossy, he muttered, but obeyed. His bedroom was more of the same expensive and cold. She helped him back into bed, pressed a hand to his burning forehead, and felt genuine fear. You need a doctor.

 No doctors. They’ll ask questions. Make me rest. You need rest, you stubborn man. She rung out a cool cloth and pressed it to his forehead. The company won’t collapse without you for a few days. My father said I was weak. His eyes were feverite, defenses stripped away. Said I’d never be strong enough to lead.

 I can’t prove him right. Your father was wrong. She sat on the edge of the bed. Strength isn’t working yourself to death. It’s knowing when to accept help. He caught her wrist, his grip surprisingly firm. Why are you so kind to me? I’ve been nothing but harsh to you. Because I see past the ice, she said softly.

 And I understand what it costs to build those walls. I had them too after my husband died. After his family rejected us. She paused. But Chitty taught me that walls don’t protect you. They just make you lonely. I am lonely, he confessed. And the raw honesty of it broke something open in her chest. So damn lonely, Adana. She didn’t think.

 She just leaned down and pressed her lips gently to his forehead, meaning comfort. But he turned his face up, and suddenly their mouths met. The kiss was soft, tentative, tasting of fever and longing. When she pulled back, they were both trembling. “That was inappropriate,” she whispered completely, but his hand still held her wrist. “Stay, please.

 I’ll make you soup.” She spent the day nursing him, working remotely on her laptop while Chitty colored at the kitchen table, and Jung slept. It felt surely domestic, like playing house in someone else’s life. By evening, his fever had broken. He emerged from the bedroom looking steadier, found her in the kitchen. You didn’t have to do all this. I know.

 He watched her stir the pot. Something unreadable in his expression. Then have dinner with me. Nod as boss and assistant. Just as us. Mr. Han. Jung, please. The name felt intimate on her tongue. Jung, this is complicated. I know. He moved closer until she was backed against the counter. But I can’t stop thinking about you. The way youchallenged me that first day.

 How you’re not intimidated by my moods. The strength it took to rebuild your life in a foreign country. His hand came up to cup her cheek. You’re extraordinary. I’m ordinary. She protested. A single mother struggling to survive. You’re extraordinary to me. This kiss was different. deeper, hungry, full of weeks of suppressed tension.

 His hands tangled in her braids as she gripped his shirt, and when they broke apart, both were breathing hard. “Mama?” Chitty’s small voice made them spring apart. He stood in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. “Is Mr. Han better now?” Jung crouched down to Chitty’s level, and Adana watched something gentle enter his expression.

“Much better, thanks to your mama. Are you hungry?” Yes, sir. How about we all eat together? And Chitty, you can call me Jung. Over dinner, her soup and rice, they talked and laughed, and it felt like a glimpse of something impossible, a future she’d never let herself imagine. Later, after she’d put Chitty to sleep in the guest room, she found Jung on the balcony staring at Soul’s glittering lights.

 “Thank you,” he said quietly, for everything. You’re welcome. He turned to her and in his eyes she saw the question he wasn’t asking. She answered it by stepping into his arms, letting him hold her as the city sparkled below them like fallen stars. I don’t know how to do this, he admitted against her hair.

 After everything with Min, I don’t know how to trust again. One day at a time, she murmured. We<unk>ll figure it out together. board won’t like this,” Minjun warned, arms crossed as he stood in Jung’s office. “Your ex-wife already spread rumors about you dating your assistant.” “I don’t care what the board thinks,” Jung interrupted, not looking up from the documents he was reviewing.

 “And Adana isn’t just my assistant anymore. She’s been promoted to chief operations officer.” “Because she’s qualified, or because you’re sleeping with her.” Jsung’s head snapped up, eyes dangerous. Watch yourself. I’m trying to protect you, Min. He merely destroyed you. Adana is nothing like Mint. His voice went cold.

 She’s earned this position through months of exceptional work. The fact that I’m in love with her is separate. Mjun softened slightly. You’re really serious about her. I’m going to marry her, Jung said simply. If she<unk>ll have me. 3 months had passed since that feverdream night in his apartment. 3 months of stolen moments, careful discretion, and falling deeper with every day.

 Adana had moved in two weeks ago. Her and Chitty both, and his empty penthouse had transformed into something that finally felt like a home, but shadows still lingered. The office door burst open. Adana rushed in, her usually composed expression fractured with panic. Jung Chitty School called immigration services showed up. They’re saying my visa has irregularities.

 Her voice broke. They’re threatening deportation. His blood went ice cold. That’s impossible. I had our lawyers check everything. Unless someone reported her, Mjun said grimly. Someone who wanted to hurt you. The pieces clicked together. Man. Adana’s phone rang. She answered, listened, then went pale. They’re at the apartment now.

 They have Chitty. Jung was moving before she finished speaking, grabbing his coat and keys. Mjun, get our lawyers to the apartment immediately. Adana, come with me. The drive was a blur of traffic and terror. Adana gripped his hand so tightly her nails drew blood, but he didn’t care. All he could think about was Chitt’s small, frightened face.

 At the apartment, immigration officials stood in their living room while Chitty sat on the couch crying. The sight of the boy’s tears ignited something primal in Jung. On whose authority are you in my home? The lead official held up papers. Miss Okafor’s work visa was obtained through fraudulent means. Her previous employer was my company.

 Jung interrupted smoothly. And I assure you, everything was legitimate. Any irregularities are clerical errors that my legal team will correct immediately. However, he moved to stand beside Adana, taking her hand. Those papers are now irrelevant. Miss Okafor will be applying for permanent residency as my wife. Adana’s head whipped toward him.

 What? He turned to her, ignoring everyone else in the room. I had a whole plan. Dinner at the Han River. Roses getting down on one knee properly. But I’m not waiting another second. He pulled a small box from his pocket. He’d been carrying it for weeks, waiting for the perfect moment.

 Adana Okaphor, you walked into my life when I’d forgotten how to feel anything but anger. You showed me that strength isn’t about walls. It’s about letting someone in. You and Chitty, you’re my family. The only family that matters. He opened the box, revealing a stunning diamond ring. Will you marry me? Tears streamed down her face. You don’t have to do this just because.

 I’m not doing this because of immigration. I’m doing this because I love you.Because I want to wake up next to you every morning and teach Chitty how to ride a bike and maybe give him a little brother or sister someday. He smiled. Because you’re my home, Madana. Say yes. Yes, she whispered then louder. Yes.

 He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her soft and sure while Chitty cheered and the officials shuffled awkwardly. “We’ll need documentation,” the lead officials said finally. “You’ll have it within the hour,” Minjun said from the doorway. Lawyers in tow along with a lawsuit for harassment if you don’t leave my employer’s home immediately.

 After they’d gone, after the lawyers had left and Mjun had departed with a knowing smile, the three of them sat together on the couch. Jung, Adana, and Chitty curled between them. “Are you really going to be my new Appa?” Chitty asked sleepily. Ja Sung met Adana’s eyes over the boy’s head, saw the love and trust and hope shining there, everything he’d thought he’d lost forever.

 “Yes,” he said, pulling them both closer. “If that’s okay with you, will you teach me Korean better and maybe taekwondo?” “Anything you want.” Adana reached across and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. You know, people will talk about us about how fast this happened. Let them talk. He brought her hand to his lips.

 I spent years caring what people thought, building an empire to prove I was worthy. But you taught me that the only thing that matters is this right here. The people we love. When did you become such a romantic? she teased, but her voice was thick with emotion when I fell in love with a fierce Nigerian woman who wasn’t afraid to put me in my place.

 Later, after they’ put Chitty to bed and stood together on the balcony where they had first held each other, Adana leaned against him and sighed contentedly. “I never imagined this,” she admitted. “When I came to Korea, I just wanted to survive, to give Chitty a chance. I never dreamed that you’d end up with a workaholic boss with trust issues.

 He turned her to face him, hands gentle on her waist, that I’d end up finding home again. She cupped his face, her thumb brushing his cheek, that I’d feel safe enough to let someone in. You gave me that Jung, you and Chitty, you’re my beginning again. He kissed her then, deep and slow, pouring everything he felt into it, all the love and promise and gratitude.

 When they broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers. “Take me to bed,” she whispered. “Not as boss and assistant. Not even as fiances, just as us.” He swept her into his arms, making her laugh as he carried her inside. In the bedroom, they undressed each other slowly, reverently. every touch of promise, every kiss of vow. When he laid her on the bed, she pulled him down to her and they came together with gentle urgency, learning each other’s rhythms, whispering words of love in three languages, English, Korean, and Ebo, until they were tangled

together, hearts racing in sync. After, as she traced patterns on his chest, and he played with her braids, Adana felt something settle in her soul. Peace, belonging, home. I love you, he murmured into her hair. My brave, beautiful Adana. I love you too, she replied. My impossible, wonderful Jason.

 Outside, soul glittered beneath the stars. Inside, a new family had been born, forged not from perfection, but from broken pieces that had found their way together. from loneliness transformed into love, from two people brave enough to trust again. And in the morning, when Chitty crawled into bed between them and they all laughed together in the golden light, Adana knew with absolute certainty this was worth every struggle, every closed door, every moment of doubt.

 This was what she’d been searching for all along. This was home.