Jin’s POV
The snap of the lacquered wood between my fingers was like a gunshot in the silent room.
All eyes flicked to me, then to the two broken pieces of chopstick I held in a white-knuckled grip. Minjun’s smug smirk didn’t falter; it widened. He’d gotten the reaction he wanted. He’d baited me, and I’d taken it, hook, line, and sinker. My father’s expression remained an unreadable mask, but I felt his disapproval like a physical chill. Lack of control. The worst sin in his eyes.
And Emily. I could feel the tension radiating from her beside me, a silent scream. Minjun had reduced her to a transaction, a bought favor, in front of my entire family. The fury that lanced through me was white-hot and blinding. It wasn’t just about the insult to her, though that was a fire in my gut. It was
