Here is Chapter 35: Blood and Betrayal (Approx. 1000 words), continuing the drama with Hara's emotional fallout and Jun-ho's backstory:
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Chapter 35: Blood and Betrayal
Hara sat curled up on the velvet couch of her penthouse suite, hidden away in one of Seoul's most exclusive hotels. Her eyes were red-rimmed but dry now. No more tears. Just silence—and cold, burning fury.
She had cut ties with Madam Seo two days ago. The woman who raised her had proven to be nothing more than a manipulative monster. Hara had walked away, slammed the door, and told herself she didn't need anyone.
Min-ah, her longtime best friend, came in quietly, holding her phone like it was burning a hole in her hand.
"You need to see this," Min-ah said, her voice hesitant.
Hara looked up slowly, then reached for the phone.
A video was playing—a grainy but clear clip taken just outside a luxury rooftop café. Seo Jun-ho, her elusive half-brother, shook hands with Hena. A simple gesture, but the symbolism was deafening.
Hara's eyes widened. She replayed it again.
Jun-ho and Hena are working Together, they are both Allies.
Those Traitors.
She stood up so fast her wine glass shattered on the floor.
"That bastard," she hissed, her voice trembling. "He's helping her?!"
Min-ah bit her lip. "I didn't even know he was still in Korea. I thought he vanished years ago…"
"Oh, he didn't vanish," Hara snapped. "He's been watching. Waiting. Just like our precious Hena."
She tossed the phone onto the sofa and paced furiously.
"He's always hated Madam Seo. I know that. But to turn around and side with her—with Hena—" she stopped, her voice cracking. "He's choosing her over me."
Min-ah looked nervous. "I mean… she is his sister too."
"She's a thief," Hara replied back with a serious look. "Nothing but a fake who's stealing everything from me!"
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Fifteen Years Ago
Jun-ho had learned early not to ask for too much. Even as a child, the difference was clear. Madam Seo might have given birth to him, but she never gave him love.
He was the first son of Chairman Seo's empire—born out of a brief, bitter union between Madam Seo and the powerful man who would later father twins: Hara and Hena.
Jun-ho was raised within the estate but treated like a shadow. She dressed him for show when necessary, groomed him to look perfect—but she never looked at him with warmth. Not like she looked at Hara.
Hara had always been the favorite, the jewel, the chosen child.
Jun-ho had watched quietly as Madam Seo built her life around Hara, controlling her every step. When the twins were separated, and the lie was forged—that Hara was the only daughter worth keeping—Jun-ho had realized then: he was just a stepping stone. An unwanted heir in a story that was never his to write.
So he left. Disappeared.
And for fifteen years, he stayed gone.
Until now.
Back in the Present
"I want to know everything, Min-ah," Hara growled. "Where he's been. Why he's back. And what he wants from her."
Min-ah nodded quickly. "From what I gathered, Jun-ho has been working overseas, in Hong Kong and Singapore. He owns part of a holding company tied to your father's early investments. He's got money. Power. And now, apparently, loyalty to Hena."
Hara laughed bitterly. "He's playing hero now? What's he planning to do—expose Madam Seo to the world and crown Hena queen of our family?"
Min-ah looked uneasy. "He might try."
Hara's jaw clenched. "Then we'll have to stop him."
She turned to the window, staring out at the glittering skyline.
"I've already lost Damian," she whispered. "I'm not losing my legacy to her."
Min-ah came closer. "So what do we do?"
Hara was quiet for a long moment. Then she looked over her shoulder, her eyes burning with something dark, something determined.
"We remind Jun-ho exactly who I am," she said. "And we show Hena that even with allies, she's not safe."
Min-ah frowned. "What about Madam Seo?"
"She's dead to me," Hara snapped. "That woman used me like a puppet. Lied to me for years. Let my sister be raised by strangers while she paraded me around like some prized daughter."
Her voice dropped.
"I hate her. But I hate betrayal more."
Min-ah didn't reply. She knew there was no stopping Hara now.
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Across town, Jun-ho sat in a quiet café, staring at a folder Hena had handed him earlier that day. Inside were copies of legal files, transaction records, and proof of false identities—documents Hena had painstakingly gathered over months.
She was smart. Strategic. Relentless.
He almost admired her.
His phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number.
"She knows."
Jun-ho sighed.
So Hara had found out.
He wasn't surprised. She was many things—spoiled, wounded, vengeful—but she wasn't stupid.
He leaned back in his chair, murmuring to himself, "Let the war begin."