Page 110 of Billionaire’s Ruin

“I thought they were with you.” Clare finally said.

I froze.

Everything in my head went blank—just gone.

For a beat, I couldn’t even understand the sentence.

Then it hit, too absurd to process.

“What?” My voice came out cutting.

“The people who took them,” Clare continued, her words barely audible, “They claimed you gave the order, Dr. Bennet.”

My brain stalled.

Rebooted.

Stalled again.

What kind of sick joke was this?

“Tell me what game you’re playing.” I spat, the fury shaking through my teeth. “Don’t start lying now, Clare. I swear to God, I know exactly how to make people talk.”

“June.”

Lincoln’s tone sliced through my rage, his palms anchored hard on my shoulders.

“Chill.”

But the warmth of his palms only made the fury vibrate deeper, like a trapped animal rattling its cage.

“Please trust me,” Clare pleaded, her voice breaking. “I’m telling the truth. I didn’t believe them either, but then I saw the man you were with—the man from Hong Kong.”

“The guy from Hong Kong?” I repeated, stunned.

Who the fuck was she talking about?

And then… like a bolt straight to my spine.

A face flashed—his.

Dannie.

Sick.

Hooked up to IVs.

Burning with fever in hospital thousands of miles away.

It made impossible to reconcile.

“Dave!” I snapped, tone sharp as shattering glass. “You said one of the men wasn’t wearing a mask, right?”

“Yes,” he answered instantly. “But the footage wasn’t clear.”

“Where is it?” I demanded. “Show me the damn footage. Now.”

Dave grabbed an iPad from one of the team, swiped quickly, then handed it to me.