Page 72 of Billionaire’s Ruin

A quick nod and a brittle smile were all I managed. “Yes, everything’s fine. Go get your scan done. I’ll be in your suite when you’re finished.”

A small gesture urged Anu to keep moving before I said something I shouldn’t. One more word and I would’ve cracked—everything ready to spill. My fears. My guilt.

But right now, nothing mattered more than saving his life.

Whatever was happening in Shanghai… it couldn’t be that bad.

Could it?

14

June

I was possessed.

By fear. By guilt. By God knows what else was clawing at my insides.

There was nothing I could do back there—nothing useful, nothing grounding—yet my legs moved on their own. My mind kept mumbling nonsense, looping the same fragmented thoughts, but still I found myself heading toward the one place I absolutely shouldn’t be.

Lincoln needed my help.

Surely he did.

Surely that justified the madness rising inside me.

Following the overhead signs toward the taxi stand, my pulse thudded in my temples. I should have ordered a car the smarter way—through whatever app the locals used, the equivalent of Uber—but every time I pulled out my phone, patience evaporated, halfway through the process.

Search the name of the app: scroll through fifty look-alike icons. Download. Register. Think of a password that met fifteen different rules. Verify identity. Add card details. Verify with the bank.

At what point did modern convenience become a ten-step torture ritual? I’d gotten so used to having an assistant that I’d somehow forgotten how to function like a technology-capable adult. The last time I was here, Wendy handled everything. We had a driver waiting and I got to drift through the day blissfully absent-minded.

Traveling alone meant there was zero margin for error. Every decision counted. Every second too.

By the time I reached the taxi rank, relief washed over me. Praise be—traditional taxis still existed. But the line ahead of me was long, ridiculously long. Apparently, I wasn’t the only human being left on this planet who didn’t know how to navigate ride-hailing apps.

Stepping into the queue… the realization hit me.

The worst part? I had no idea where I was going.

Calling Lincoln was the only logical step.

Before the call even finished connecting, a familiar voice burst through the speaker.

“Hello! June, it’s me.” Chloe.

“I know.” A frown tugged at my face as I checked the screen even though I’d clearly heard her. It was Lincoln’s name displayed. My phone still ran on the Malaysian travel SIM card. I hadn’t even switched back to my US number yet. How did she⁠—?

“I’m expecting your call,” Chloe said, as if reading my thoughts.

“Did Link forget his phone? Where exactly is he?” My voice snapped out, too sharp to control. Too demanding. Too much like someone barely holding it together.

I’d come here like a maniac. Dropped everything. Left Dannie behind in a hospital bed. All because of that same awful, choking feeling—the one that drove me to wreck my car to lure Kai back.

Fear. Pure, irrational fear.

And stupidity always came marching right after.

“We swapped phones,” Chloe explained gently. “Lincoln didn’t want to be disturbed while he was out there.”