Chapter 3: Chairwoman

Mina drove her red convertible Maserati straight to the OPA Corporation headquarters. Not wasting a second, she dialed the number for the executive secretary.

"Hello, I'm the representative sent by SCJ. I have a scheduled appointment with your chairman today..."

"Yes, please inform him I'll be there in exactly five minutes..."

Mina glanced at her watch. She always measured time down to the exact minute. To her, time was more precious than gold, and today's agenda had been mapped out to the second. The meeting with Chairman Hung hadn't been in the original plan—but Mina believed she could still maintain control. As always.

That was just how she operated: professionalism taken to the extreme.

Outside the chairman's office, a woman in business attire hurried toward her, heels clicking frantically across the marble floor. She looked rattled—more than the usual fear Mina inspired in people. There was something else, something deeper, as if she were afraid of something... or someone.

Mina noticed the building felt strangely deserted. Staff were present, yes, but the air lacked the busy rhythm of a corporate hive like SCJ. And there was something else—an unpleasant perfume lingering faintly in the air ever since she stepped inside, sharp and sickly sweet. It made her wrinkle her nose.

The secretary—her name tag read "Oh"—finally reached her, panting as if she'd just run a marathon.

"I'm Kamakiri Mina from SCJ," Mina said coolly.

"Y-Yes... Chairman is waiting for you inside. Please follow me," the secretary stammered, still trying to calm her breath.

Mina gave a courteous nod and walked after her. There were too many questions she didn't have answers to—but she didn't care to dwell. Her sole objective today was to finalize SCJ's acquisition of the entire chain of convenience stores under OPA's management. That would solidify SCJ's dominance in Southeast Asia.

The deal had been mostly sealed over drinks weeks ago. So why the sudden resistance from Chairman Hung? He wasn't exactly a man known for integrity, but he wasn't irrational either. What had gone wrong? Was he... asking for a different kind of exchange?

If so, she wouldn't be surprised.

She followed the secretary to the office door. The woman was trembling as she stepped aside, almost hiding behind the frame. Mina tilted her head slightly. Was she really that terrifying?

She pushed the thought aside and entered.

The office was lavish. Too lavish. Expensive artworks cluttered the walls—many of them tasteless, bordering on obscene. At the center hung a massive painting of a nude woman. So the rumors were true—Chairman Hung was a perverted creep.

Mina didn't flinch. She merely showed a flicker of disdain in her eyes.

"Chairman Hung? I'm Kamakiri Mina from SCJ..." she said calmly.

No answer.

The scent of that cloying perfume was stronger here—thick, sweet, almost invasive. But it couldn't pierce through Mina's mental armor. She walked further in.

The chairman's leather chair slowly rotated.

And then—

It wasn't an aging sleazeball who faced her.

It was a woman. A stunningly beautiful young woman, with reddish-brown hair, dressed in an off-shoulder crop top so short it barely passed as corporate attire. She had her legs casually propped up on the desk.

Mina blinked. She had to admit, she was surprised—but it didn't take her long to collect herself.

"Where's Chairman Hung?" she asked, voice even.

The woman tilted her head, eyeing Mina from head to toe with an amused smirk.

"So you're Mina..." she said softly.

"...Yes," Mina replied, biting back the instinct to correct the overly familiar address. This situation was already off-script; she needed to tread carefully.

The woman chuckled, dropping the little notebook she'd been reading onto the desk. Mina caught the title by accident—"Duyen's Diary"—but the woman quickly covered it up.

"You're looking for the chairman? Then you've found them. I am the chairman now."

Mina's brow twitched. "Excuse me?"

She knew Chairman Hung was a man in his fifties. Everyone in the business world knew that. No one had ever mentioned a female successor.

Had he stepped down? But the name she recalled was definitely male too.

"Forgive my bluntness," Mina said, smile strained, "but... isn't Mr. Hung the chairman?"

This felt like some absurd prank show. If they were trying to make a fool of her, they'd picked the wrong target.

The woman gave a lazy shrug. "Oh, him? He transferred the title to me."

"You... have proof of that?"

"Proof? Sure~"

She grinned mischievously, gesturing to the nameplate on the desk.

It read:

Chairwoman of the Board – Shigonami Shana

Mina narrowed her eyes. What the hell was this?

Apparently not satisfied with just that, Shana reached into a drawer and pulled out a signed transfer document.

"Here you go. Look closely—isn't that his seal?"

Mina took the paper and examined it carefully.

Chairman Hung's signature. Official seal. Fingerprint. All in place.

It looked... legitimate.

But something about this woman still screamed untrustworthy.

Mina set the document down and stepped outside to find the secretary.

Shana simply giggled, pulled out a bag of chips from under the desk, and started munching.

"Secretary?" Mina called.

The woman reappeared, still visibly shaken.

"Wasn't Chairman Hung the one in charge here?"

"Y-Yes... He was..." she stammered.

Then came Shana's voice from the office—playful, yet laced with something dark.

"Secretary Oh, sweetheart? Remind me—who's the chairman now?~"

"Uh... i-it's..." the woman froze, trembling.

"Hmm? Who is it, dear?~"

"...It's you. You're the chairwoman, Miss Shana..."

"Good girl. You may go now."

The secretary fled like a scared rabbit, leaving Mina alone with the strange woman and a hundred unanswered questions.

Mina turned back to Shana, now openly glaring.

She was known for her diplomatic finesse—but this time, she made no effort to hide the disgust on her face.

"So," Mina said, forcing a smile, eyes cold, "Chairwoman Shigonami..."

"Just call me Shana~"

"Well then, Chairwoman Shana. This is all... quite a spectacle."

Shana smirked. "Didn't you come here to discuss the convenience store deal? I have a lot to say, Mi~na."

Mina sat down slowly, carefully.

The atmosphere shifted—suddenly dense and electric, like the calm before a storm.

Two beautiful women. One luxurious office.

Each calculating.

Each hiding their real motives.