Page 25 of Billionaire’s Heartbreak

“And don’t run off on another honeymoon. We all know how much you love your pretty wife.”

That was when I noticed it. The faint scar cutting down his face. The glassy stillness of one eye. A fake eye.

Cold crept beneath my skin. Without thinking, I slipped my hand into Dannie’s. His fingers closed around mine immediately.

Lam pointed at Kai. “Who is this? I thought you said no outsiders.”

“You don’t recognize him?” Dannie chuckled lightly. “You should keep up with current affairs, Uncle.”

“Should we?” Hong asked, his voice rising slightly. “He doesn’t look like one of us.”

“Chinese billionaire. Based in Shanghai,” Dannie said.

“A legitimate businessman?” Hong pressed.

“Yes.” Dannie’s mouth curved. “Because some of us are moving away from crime.”

Their laughter spread through the room like smoke.

“We all thought that once,” Frank said. “It never works. Ask the old generations.”

“I’ve balanced both for years,” Dannie replied. “Now it’s time to go all in.”

Lam lit a cigar and exhaled slowly. “You won’t be satisfied. Legal money is slow. And boring.”

At that moment, waiters appeared from the stairwell, moving carefully between the tables. A steaming soup dish was placed in the center of ours, even though the starters still sat untouched. The normal rhythm of service felt surreal against the charged silence. And somehow, that made everything more dangerous.

Sensing the tension, the waiter left without dividing the soup into little bowls, as was customary in Chinese restaurants.

This wasn't my world. My hands were cold. My pulse beat high in my throat. I kept them folded in my lap so no one would see the slight tremble in my fingers. The air felt thick, difficult to draw into my lungs. Every voice in the room sounded too loud. Too sharp. I kept my spine straight and my chin lifted, pretending to be calm. If they smelled fear, I knew, they'd feed on it.

“How about your other business?” Frank asked. “How do you manage that on your books? Don’t forget, we have agreements. You can’t just end them.”

“That’s one of the reasons I invited you here today,” Dannie said.

“We’ll soon transition our operations to… better ones,” he continued. “Some previous businesses—and agreements—may need to end.”

“Absolutely not,” Hong snapped. “We make good money.”

I didn’t even know which business they meant. I had always made it a point not to ask.

“We have to,” Dannie said. “For better goods. For our future.”

Frank laughed harshly and pointed his cigar at me. “This is because of her, isn’t it?” Then he stood abruptly, pointing at me. “Bat poh. Your mother didn’t teach you not to meddle in men’s affairs?”

“What did you call her?” Dannie said.

Kai didn’t say anything. But the moment Frank stood, he pushed back his chair and rose too, his eyes fixed on Frank.

I met his gaze. My Cantonese was good enough now to understand the insult—he’d just called me a cunt.

“Just remember,” he spat. “We don’t take orders from a woman.”

A gunshot cracked through the room.

Everyone froze.

At the back of the hall, Laura stood on a chair, her arm extended, the gun aimed directly at our table. “You will now,” she said clearly. Her gaze locked onto Frank. “You old fossil.”