Page 72 of Billionaire’s Cruelty

“I fainted?” Fainted, passed out—same thing when you drank yourself into oblivion.

“Yes, I found you collapsed over there.” I pointed toward the spot where she’d been sprawled. A flash of Chen Gong’s lifeless body surged through my mind. I shook off the image, but a chilling question lingered—would this memory ever stop haunting me?

“Thank you, handsome. You’re very kind. No one cares about me anymore.”

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she pulled out a few one-hundred-dollar bills and handed them to me. I pushed her hand away, my pride refusing to let me accept her money like this. I had plenty of my own—I certainly didn’t need hers.

In the end, I waved the waiter over, handed him the cash, and instructed him to get her something hot. Tea, coffee, whatever he could find behind that brown door he had disappeared into earlier.

“What’s my phone doing out here?” Now that she was more alert, I could see that life hadn’t been kind to her. Her oddly plump face was a telltale sign of Botox, but beneath the artificial smoothness lingered something raw and real.

Sadness. And no plastic surgery in the world could ever erase that.

“I must have taken it out at some point then,” she murmured, rummaging through her small black handbag.

I watched her in silence, noting the tremor in her hands as she checked the contents of her purse.

“Do you need me to take you to the hospital, Auntie Five?” My attempt to keep calling her Ms. Wu faltered as the old nickname slipped from my lips.

Her head lifted slightly, her expression unreadable.

“No, no need,” she replied, her tone dismissive.

She didn’t flinch at the name, but she did take her time studying me. Her gaze wasn’t harsh—not at all—but something about it made my stomach lurch.

“Well, if you’re okay, then I should really get going.” I turned and left without waiting for the young waiter to return.

But my mind wouldn’t let her go. The questions that had haunted me for years resurfaced with a vengeance. Had she betrayed me back then? Sold my information to the kidnappers just to make a quick buck? Did she know what they did to me—how they punched and kicked a helpless boy who couldn’t defend himself? Had she ordered it?

I had lived with those questions for so long. And now, here she was. I wanted answers.

If she tried to kidnap me again, it wouldn’t be so easy this time. I could take her instead. Return the favor. Let her feel the terror of being captured and locked away in a small, dark, stinking room where no one came to save you.

But I couldn’t risk her discovering who I really was. Not without Dave and Clare. Not in a room full of triad members. And not with June in such easy reach.

“Leng Chai,” she called softly, but I pretended not to hear her.

I returned to the table where I had left Laura. June had found her way there and was now sitting beside her, chatting and giggling. More cakes had appeared—three extra plates piled high with more than two women could possibly eat.

Dannie slipped past me and claimed the seat next to June, and I swore he did it on purpose.

My mind was still tangled with thoughts of Auntie Five, warning me that this place was dangerous. These people weren’t my friends. If they wanted to, they could lock me up again. Worse, they could take June, Trevon and Wendy too. We were foreigners, mere guests in Hong Kong. If the triad decided we were a problem, we could disappear without a trace—like those backpackers who were never heard from again.

The crowd had thinned, and I saw my chance. I leaned in close to June and whispered, “We should make a move. I have an early flight tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she agreed softly. “Let me quickly say goodbye to a few people.”

I braced myself. Someone—Laura, Dannie or his grandmother—would surely try to make her stay.

But surprisingly, Dannie handed us a keycard.

“My personal suite,” he said with a smirk.

I took the card without hesitation. Now wasn’t the time for pride. One day, maybe I’d buy a hotel chain and have my own personal suite in every city around the world. But right now, all I wanted was to get out of there.

I shouldn’t have left Jenny behind. Alone and helpless. The mess was partly my fault, and I had abandoned her to clean it up.

Tomorrow, I had to leave. No matter what.