Page 11 of Billionaire’s Heartbreak

After the morning’s chaos and that first unexpected meeting with Kai and Lucy, the day had dissolved into an endless procession of faces and condolences. People I didn’t know. Names I would never remember. If Dannie hadn’t been there, I would have drowned in awkward silences. His effortless charm carried us through conversation after conversation, and I stayed close to him whenever I could. It gave me something to do with my hands, somewhere to rest my eyes. Besides, even if he showed nothing, losing his grandmother and aunt on the same day couldn’t have been easy.

I’d shaken hands with people from every corner of society—Hong Kong’s elite, celebrities, senior police officers, politicians. Even officials from other countries had flown in to pay their respects. I couldn’t help wondering just how far the reach of a “small” triad family really went—or whether the Mafia operated the same way.

“Come on. Are you ready?” Dannie’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I flinched.

“Yes.” I nodded quickly. “Are you sure we won’t get into trouble for leaving?”

He almost choked on a laugh. “No.”

I huffed out a breath. “Right. Silly question. Who would dare give you trouble?”

A faint smile touched his lips, tired but real, and he wrapped an arm around me as we headed for the exit. The building was eerily quiet now, a stark contrast to the noise and crowds from earlier. His people carrier waited outside. Squirrel—his right-hand man—slid the door open and closed it firmly behind us once we were inside.

From the driver’s seat, Squirrel passed a paper box back to Dannie.

“Hungry?” Dannie asked, peeking inside. His eyes lit up.

“No,” I answered right away. I was too exhausted to eat.

He held a buttered bun near my mouth. “Try a bite.”

I took one bite—and then another, bigger one. Warm, soft, slightly sweet. My stomach twisted with sudden awareness, and I grabbed the bun from his hand.

“Okay… this is really good.”

“Of course. Best pineapple buns in the world,” he declared, already reaching for one himself.

He didn’t say much after that. He hadn’t said much since telling me about the deaths. The silence around him felt heavy, like grief had settled into his bones.

I hadn’t hesitated when he asked me to come to Hong Kong, even though it meant leaving my child in Malaysia with his godmother, Stephanie. Some decisions didn’t feel like a choice.

The car slowed, then stopped—but we weren’t at Dannie’s apartment. My breath caught as I recognized the grand entrance ahead.

“Are we staying here?” I asked quietly, staring at the hotel as memories of his touch rose, vivid and unwelcome.

“No.”

Dannie stepped out as Squirrel opened the door from the outside.

“You have business to attend to?”

“Something like that.”

He held out his hand. I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. My body felt heavier than usual, as if the past were clinging to my skin.

I held on to him, to the promise I’d made—to be his partner in life. Being beside him was the only thing that kept me steady, that made the world feel less threatening. The way he looked at me—like I mattered, like I was worth something—was what got me out of bed each morning.

He made me feel seen. Chosen.

But as we walked toward his suite, my heart began to race. The hallway smelled the same. The lighting hadn’t changed. Memories I’d fought to bury clawed their way back, sharp and relentless. I edged closer to him, pressing into his warmth, hoping it would anchor me in the present.

When he knocked, panic fluttered in my chest. The door opened.

Kai stood there.

My heart lurched into my throat. Instinctively, I leaned into Dannie, my head resting against his shoulder as if I could hide there.

His arm slipped around my waist, steadying me, holding me upright like I might collapse. I glanced around the suite.