Page 61 of Billionaire’s Cruelty

A chill slid down my spine.

“Dannie?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

“Yes. Who else?”

I knew Dannie had always liked me—and maybe he was a little protective of me—but love? That was different.

And dangerous.

“You never thought he might still want you?” Trevon cut in, his voice low. “That he is stopping you from leaving?”

“He wouldn’t—” I started, but the words fell flat. Wouldn’t he?

Kai’s jaw clenched. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it doesn’t matter,” I said, protesting. “He would never hurt me.”

“Wouldn’t he?” Kai’s words sliced through my fragile confidence.

A bitter laugh escaped me. “I already walked away from him once. And he let me go.”

“Maybe he regrets it,” Wendy murmured. “Men like him? They don’t forget. They don’t forgive.”

The weight of their words settled over me, thick and suffocating.

Kai stepped closer, his voice quieter but no less intense. “What if you’re wrong? What if this time, he won’t let you go?”

I lifted my chin, defiant. “He has never hurt me and he’s not going to start now.”

His hand curled around my waist. “How can you be sure?”

“I know what it looks like,” I said, wishing they’d just let it all drop.

“Oh wow…” Wendy interrupted.

“Shut the fuck up and let me finish,” I snapped at Wendy, and it was about time someone taught her not to interrupt when someone was talking, “Dannie is a very powerful person in Hong Kong. None of us can deny that. His friend is going to help me get a visa tomorrow. His name is Huang An, and he works high up in the department. I just met him at the party.”

Everyone in the room looked a little confuse. I knew right away they either didn’t believe me, or they didn’t believe Dannie would actually help me.

“Look, Dannie and I have history. If I didn’t go back to America and become a doctor, I probably would have married him. Just live, never work, have babies for him, and never worry about a thing in the world. But I didn’t. I went back to the States, and it was over for us. I know you guys don’t trust him, but I do—with my life. He would never hurt me, okay? He would kill for me. He has…”

Wendy gasped while the men didn’t seem to react. Kai shot me another look, and I knew he had questions about my past that needed answering.

“It wasn’t a big deal.” But it was, wasn’t it? I’ve always known that, even if I tried to play it off now.

“What the…” Wendy couldn’t help herself. I realized her need to interrupt people couldn’t be fixed in one day.

“Someone assaulted me. And before I knew it, you know, Dannie did something…” I kept it brief deliberately. I didn’t want to relive that traumatic experience.

“I would do the same for you.” Kai wrapped his arms around me, kissing me on the forehead.

I looked up at him. “Do you trust me now? Dannie wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Okay. I trust your judgement. And if he cares about you that much, then I know at least he can keep you safe. But if he is in love with you, why would he ever let you go? I know I wouldn’t.”

“Well, he let me go once, right?”

“Yes, he would be an idiot to let you go twice.”