Page 39 of Billionaire’s Cruelty

I opened my mouth, then closed it again. I repeated the motion a few times, feeling like a sore loser—a wreck, a coward.

Dannie stood there, arms crossed over his chest, waiting for an answer. His gaze pinned me in place, patient but expectant.

What was I really here for?

The simple answer was for a fake document—something, anything that would allow me to enter to China. That’s what I thought, at least until I saw his scar. Now, I wanted to know more.

His sleeves were rolled up, exposing the length of the jagged scar. A large, rough line stretched vertically down his arm—an ugly, raised caterpillar. The stitches were clumsy, and uneven. Someone inexperienced had done it—and they’d done it in a hurry.

I shouldn’t have cared. But when he held me up earlier, I felt an irrational urge to fall into his arms—to sink into the familiar warmth of his embrace. The scent of him, clean and sharp with a hint of spice, was intoxicating. It called to me like a siren’s song.

“I really do need those travel documents,” I said, trying to steady my voice.

He laughed, low and bitter, shaking his head. Not a single strand of his perfectly styled hair moved.

“You know it’s illegal, right?”

“Yes, so?” The good girl inside me flinched at the thought of doing something criminal—but what choice did I have? “Are you going to help me or not?”

His jaw tightened.

“Who is he? The guy you’re so desperate to see?” He turned back to the oven, brushing off the question like it didn’t matter—but I knew it did.

“He’s a friend,” I said, though even to my own ears, it didn’t sound convincing.

The moment he opened the oven door, the rich, buttery scent of cookies flooded the room. My stomach growled in response—either the cookies were incredible, or I was hungrier than I realized.

“Don’t lie to me.” He dropped the baking tray onto the counter with a loud clang. “I know Kai Li is rich, but he wouldn’t go above and beyond to impress a girl at a gala. What did he pay for a handful of dates?”

“How did you know that?”

“My guy, remember?”

I nodded. Of course. Ever since Kai entered my life, I’d been exposed to all kinds of surveillance and stalking. Privacy? That was a distant memory.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Well,” he drawled, his voice tight and dry.

“If only I knew you could be bought with money…” He cleared his throat with a rough cough before continuing, “I could’ve easily paid you that ten years ago.”

His words struck like a slap. I picked up my phone, staring blankly at the screen, willing myself to come up with a venomous comeback. But nothing came. A few messages from Link flashed across the display, but now wasn’t the time to deal with him.

“The money was for charity,” I said, hating the defensiveness in my tone.

“How noble of you.” His sarcasm cut deep. “You must really care about that charity of yours. So much so that you fucked him right there as a token of appreciation, huh?”

His face flushed an angry shade of tomato red, and the vein at his temple budged with tension.

“How could you spy on me like that?”

He let out a bitter laugh. “Why do it in public if you didn’t want anyone to see?”

I paced back and forth across his kitchen, my heartbeat thudding in my ears.

“I think I even have a video,” he added, pulling his phone from his pocket and waving it at me. A triumphant, twisted smile spread across his face.

“You’re disgusting,” I spat, my stomach in knots.