Page 41 of Billionaire’s Heartbreak

“Dannie,” Kai said quietly, stepping closer to the bed, his voice steady but serious. “Whatever you need to sort out in Hong Kong… I’ll do it for you.”

Dannie looked at him for a moment, then a slow smile spread across his face. “Oh, brother,” he said, the word sounding strange and yet somehow natural at the same time. Then his eyes shifted to me. “You should go with her.”

My head jerked slightly. “Me? I wouldn’t even know what to do.”

“You’re my wife,” he said simply. “Officially, at least. People know you. They know you’re the one who stands beside me.”

His gaze moved back to Kai. “No one knows about you. And I’d like to keep it that way.”

Kai’s expression tightened, but he nodded.

“The truth is,” Dannie said, leaning back against the pillow, “I wouldn’t know what to do either if I went myself.”

That surprised me. The Dannie I knew always had a plan.

“Back in the day,” he continued, “we would’ve just fought it out. Whoever was still standing would take over the triad.”

I stared at him, trying to process how casually he’d said it. “And am I supposed to fight them with my bare hands?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then how?”

He let out a slow breath. “The truth is… I don’t know.”

That answer scared me more than anything.

“Money plays a big part in all of this,” he went on. “That’s why I spent years building legitimate businesses. Expanding. Investing. Trying to make sure I had something that couldn’t be taken away by a gun.”

He gave a small, tired smile. “But no matter how much I tried… there was always resistance.”

“People didn’t want things to go legit?” I asked.

“The return is slower,” Kai said from the side, his arms crossed, his tone calm but matter-of-fact. “And smaller. At least in the beginning.”

“How so?”

“In the old way,” Dannie said, “you don’t need much to start. Just a little money… and the willingness to take risks most people wouldn’t.”

Dannie looked down at his hands. “And after a while… the risk becomes addictive.” He let out a quiet sigh. “It gives you adrenaline. Power. Control. You feel like the rules don’t apply to you.”

I frowned slightly. “Like the first time you lie to your parents?”

Dannie looked up, surprised, then chuckled softly. “…Yeah. Something like that.”

“The first time is scary,” I said, thinking out loud. “Some kids stop because they’re afraid of getting caught.” I paused. “But some keep doing it… because they like the thrill.”

Kai let out a quiet breath, almost like a laugh without humor. “That’s exactly it.”

I looked down at my hands, suddenly feeling completely lost. “How are we supposed to handle Laura?”

Dannie didn’t answer right away. His expression changed, the warmth fading into something heavier.

“I wish you hadn’t moved me,” he said quietly.

My head snapped up. ““What? We had no choice.”

“My people needed me.” His jaw tightened. “I should’ve stayed.”