Page 42 of Billionaire’s Cruelty

The way Wendy barged in stirred an old memory—a young guy, cocky and reckless, bursting through the door. He had interrupted the first kiss Dannie and I shared, our first taste of something deeper. I remembered how fast it happened—Dannie lifting him by the throat, pinning him against the wall like he weighed nothing, before throwing him to the floor. If his friends hadn’t arrived, that guy wouldn’t have walked out of there in one piece.

“She’s a friend!” I screamed, though our faces were only inches apart.

“She’s not a friend to me,” he murmured, his face unreadable. His finger twitched against the trigger. “Do you know what’s happened in this room?”

I swallowed hard and dipped my head slightly. I knew too well.

Once, this floor had been open—anyone in his triad with a password could reach the top. And they did. Attack after attack. Betrayal after betrayal. Until he locked it down—only senior members had access now. But even that wasn’t foolproof. When the people closest to you turned, the wounds cut deeper.

Could I blame him for trusting no one?

No, I couldn’t.

And maybe that’s why I couldn’t blame him for pointing a gun at Wendy either.

“It’s just instinct,” I reminded myself. But that didn’t stop the cold sweat trailing down my back.

“But she’s my friend,” I said again—softer this time. Almost pleading.

Dannie’s lips curled into something cruel.

“Your friend, honey?” The words dripped with doubt.

“Yes. I trust my life with her.” I met his gaze, steady and unyielding.

Trust.

It meant very little to Dannie.

But not to me. I needed him to know that.

“So… she won’t hurt you?”

I shook my head slowly from side to side.

“I see.”

Dannie lowered his gun. The breath I didn’t realize I was holding rushed out of me as I stepped toward Wendy.

“Hi, nice to meet you. Dannie Wu. Not Daniel—the gorgeous movie star. Dannie—the badass triad boss. That’s me.” His voice was smooth, playful, like he hadn’t just been a heartbeat away from pulling the trigger.

Wendy’s eyes flicked between us, her usual confidence faltering.

“Right… nice to meet you. Not the movie star Dannie Wu.” Her voice wavered, words broken as if her brain struggled to catch up with her mouth. Then, as if remembering herself, she threw out something that made my jaw drop. “It kind of defeats the point of being a badass when you actually have to say the word badass.”

Dannie’s lips curled into an amused smirk. “Noted.”

And just like that, he turned on the charm—flipping the switch with unnerving ease.

“Cookies?” He lifted the tray toward her, his tone warm and inviting.

“I want to say no, but…” Wendy hesitated for only a second before grabbing one with her slightly trembling fingers. “They smell too good to resist.”

I scanned her face. “Are you okay?”

No matter how tough Wendy was, having a loaded gun pointed at you—especially by him—wasn’t something you shook off easily.

She shrugged off my concern with a casualness I wasn’t sure I believed.