The penthouse gleamed with polished marble and floor-to-ceiling glass. Beyond the windows, the Seoul skyline shimmered, but inside, the air was heavy with anger.

"You failed?" your father's voice thundered, reverberating off the high ceilings. His fist slammed against the counter, hard enough to rattle the crystal glasses. "All the money, all the sacrifices I made, and this is what I get? You're pathetic!"

You flinched where you stood by the sofa, your eyes fixed on the floor. Your lips parted, but no words came. Your hands trembled at your sides.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" he yelled, taking a threatening step forward. His hand twitched, one wrong word and it could turn into something worse.

"Stop."

The command cut through the room like a note sung to silence a crowd.

Celine emerged from the hallway, tall and statuesque, her long black hair, streaked with elegant gray, falling in soft waves over her silk blouse. Even in her late forties, her beauty was staggering, sharpened by high cheekbones, almond eyes, and lips that once captivated millions when she stood under stage lights with the Sunlight Sisters. Now, she stood with the same authority, only fiercer.

Her gaze locked onto your father. "You will not raise your voice or your hand against her in my home."

His head snapped toward her. "Who the hell are you? Some washed-up celebrity playing dress-up with my daughter's life?"

Celine didn't flinch. She took a step closer, her heels striking the marble. "I am the woman who protects her. Who ensures she is cared for, respected, and safe. Something you, in all your years as her father, have failed to do."