Page 67 of Billionaire’s Cruelty

June needed my trust.

I reminded myself that I was only one person.

There was nothing I could do about June. I had promised to trust her, and I needed to hold up my end of the bargain—even if it tore me apart inside.

I texted Trevon, updating him on how June and I had run into Dannie and how I had ended up in the very room we had tried, and failed, to get into earlier.

Trevon decided not to push his luck again. Those men wouldn’t forget a big Black man attempting to crash their exclusive party—not in a city where people who looked like him were a minority.

Another text let me know that he and Wendy were hanging out in the lobby with Clare.

Clare. Of course. I hadn’t forgotten about her or her mistake. I wasn’t deliberately trying to punish her, but I couldn’t spare the energy to manage her while everything else spiraled around me. She was probably panicking, terrified of losing a job that overpaid her for doing very little. As long as she stayed out of my way and didn’t piss me off, she would keep that job.

I wondered if Trevon would even be allowed through the door if Wendy vouched for him. Then again, they probably didn’t care enough about Wendy to let her bring a guest.

A part of me died each time June shook another hand. With every introduction, another person in that room became a witness to the lie that she and I didn’t belong together. I watched her from behind a wall of people, feeling like a pathetic loser. Occasionally, her gaze found mine. She would offer a subtle reassurance—a nod, a small smile, a fleeting gesture. Each one was a lifeline, a spark that made me crave her even more.

She gave me something no one else ever could: recognition. A sense of belonging. An energy that felt like a magic pill, easing the growing fear that I wasn’t enough.

For years, I had battled the anxiety that seized me whenever danger crept too close. Dave had learned to anticipate my triggers, eliminating threats before they could affect me. And if he couldn’t prevent them, he would warn me, preparing me for the worst.

I had tried everything to cure the anxiety that haunted me—the sudden, unpredictable breakdowns that paralyzed me at the slightest hint of danger. My training in multiple martial arts, hoping that constant exposure to practice and controlled attacks would numb me to the fear. But it never worked.

Extreme sports were the other thing I tried. The adrenaline rush from car racing, rock climbing, and skydiving had never triggered an episode. But lately, something had changed.

And I was sure it had everything to do with June.

If it weren’t for her, my body would have shut down completely, and it would have taken me hours or even days to recover from the sight of someone being held at gunpoint. But instead of collapsing into a useless pile of flesh when Jenny went missing, I stood up and took matters into my own hands. I had accomplished many things in life, but year after year, I failed to battle my own demons—until now. Until June came back into my life.

I needed June.

“Hey, mind if I join you?” Laura’s voice cut through my thoughts as she stood next to the empty chair across from me.

“Sure,” I said, pulling the chair out for her.

“Are you hungry?” she asked. I shook my head, but she had already flagged down a waitress, ordering a selection of cakes.

“Thanks,” I muttered. I didn’t want cake, but she probably did, and I knew better than to question her.

“No problem. There are three flavors. You’ll see,” she said with a smile, and I gave a noncommittal nod, unwilling to muster another thank you.

The waitress returned with two large plates, each holding three rectangular slices of cake in varying shades of brown, yellow and green. Laura’s lips—a deep shade of adzuki bean red—curled into a smile, revealing her pearly white teeth.

“I love cake,” she declared brightly.

“I figured,” I replied, the smile on her paper-white face making her fondness obvious.

“How do you know June?” she asked, cutting into one of the slices.

“Me?” I echoed. She nodded, her mouth too full of cake to speak. “Through my friend—her brother.”

“She has a brother?” She asked once she swallowed.

“Two, actually.”

She hummed in approval as she sampled another bite.

“Chocolate with goji berry,” she announced, her fork already spearing the next bite. “It was an interesting combination I hadn’t tried before.”