Page 82 of Falling for the Billionaire Best Man

She laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. It was bitter, cruel. “I fucking knew it.”

“Knew what?” I asked.

“Is this all an act, Kaisen? Everything you just said to me—was it all a lie?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Did you get off on it?”

“On what?” I snapped. “I just told you something about my mother that I haven’t told anyone. And now you’re accusing me of something. What? What did I do? You fucking ghosted me and shut me out. Why? I don’t understand.”

“You got close to me just so you can see your work in action, is that it?”

“What work?”

“I get it,” she said. “You probably got bored with all your money-counting. I mean, you probably wanted to see it all up close and personal, right? See what your money is doing? The lives it ruins.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Dorie, I don’t understand. How do you know about Carington? Have you been looking me up?”

“That brokerage firm has been harassing me for months! They’ve been trying to buy my shop, preying on my neighbors to sell so they can build luxury condos. And you’re telling me you didn’t know? You just happened to show up when the assholes were really turning up their pressuring tactics?”

I raised my hands, trying to calm her down. I suddenly got it. “I swear to you, Dorie, I had no idea. I’m the CEO, but I oversee dozens of companies. I don’t get involved in the day-to-day operations of every single one. If I’d known⁠—”

“Then why?” she demanded, cutting me off. “Why are you doing this? Why are you here, telling me all of this, if it’s not just some ploy to get me to sell?”

“I’m not⁠—”

“Why are you here, Kaisen? Why now? Or is this just some twisted game to you? Another deal to close, another property to snatch up? Was everything you just said—about your mom, about your dad, about me—was that all just some sick strategy to manipulate me? Because if it was, congratulations. You’ve got me. I believed you. For a second, I actually thought you were being honest with me.”

I got up from the chair, my hands raised in a desperate attempt to defuse the tension. “Dorie, listen to me. I didn’t know. I swear to you, I didn’t know about any of this. I don’t even deal with that firm directly—I don’t micromanage every business I own. If I’d known they were coming after your shop, I would’ve stopped it the second I found out.”

Her laughter was cold, hollow. “Oh, sure. Because that’s what someone like you does, right? Just swoops in and fixes things with a snap of your fingers. Must be nice, being able to throw money at every problem until it goes away. Don’t act like you’re not in the habit of tearing down anything that’s in your way of getting richer.”

“Dorie, I’m not perfect. I know that. I’ve made mistakes—big ones. But this? This isn’t me. I don’t rip people’s lives apart for profit. This isn’t who I am.”

She stared at me, her eyes searching mine for something—truth, maybe, or a crack in the armor she thought I wore. “Then prove it,” she said, her voice quiet but sharp. “Prove you’re not like that. Prove you’re not just another rich guy who sees the world as a game.”

“I’m here, Dorie.”

“Why?” She scoffed. “Why are you here? Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

I stared at her, my heart pounding in my chest. “Isn’t it obvious?” I said, shaking my head. “I want you. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you, Dorie.”

For a moment, she just stared at me. I expected her to argue and call me a liar.

Then something shifted between us, something electric and undeniable. The tension in the room exploded, and before I knew what was happening, we were moving toward each other, closing the distance in a few quick strides.

Our bodies collided. My mouth slammed against hers. My lips smashed against her teeth. Her hands gripped my shoulders, her fingers digging into my skin like she wanted to hold on to me and push me away at the same time. I could feel the storm raging inside her—anger, hurt, doubt—all of it pouring into the kiss. I didn’t care. I kissed her harder, deeper, trying to tell her everything I couldn’t find the words to say. That she was right to doubt me. That I’d never been good at proving myself to anyone. That she was the only thing that had ever made me feel like I wasn’t just a hollow shell of a person.

Her nails scraped down my back. I groaned against her mouth, pulling her closer. She was fire and chaos.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, lifting her off the floor. She gasped. My tongue pushed inside her mouth. I wanted to claim her in every way possible.

When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathless, our foreheads resting against each other. “Kaisen,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Neither do I,” I admitted, my voice just as unsteady. “But I know I can’t walk away from you. Not now. Not ever.”

“This doesn’t fix anything,” she said. “You can’t just kiss me and act like it makes up for everything.”

“I know,” I said. “I’m not trying to make up for anything. I’m just—I’m trying to be honest. That doesn’t come easy for me.”

“What if you hurt me?” she asked. The vulnerability in her tone tugged at my heart.

I cupped her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing against her cheeks. “I don’t want to hurt you, Dorie. I want to protect you. To be there for you. But I can’t promise I’ll always get it right. All I can promise is that I’ll try.”

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, her eyes filling with tears. “Okay,” she said softly. “Okay.”

I pulled her into another kiss, this one softer, sweeter.

“Stay,” she whispered. “Please.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “I couldn’t if I wanted to. Don’t you understand the hold you have on me?”