Page 43 of Billionaire’s Heartbreak

Chloe’s expression softened.

“I know it’s dangerous,” June continued. “I know I might not be able to fix anything. But let me try. Let me do this much for him.”

I watched her quietly.

She wasn't going because she thought she was invincible.

“I think I get it,” Wendy said, her voice softer now, trying to calm the room rather than argue. “And maybe it really does have to be June. Because this is… a family matter. From what I understand, family means everything in their world.”

She glanced between us before continuing. “And when it comes to family business, you need someone they recognize as family.”

“Yes,” I said. Everyone looked at me. I took a breath before adding, “June represents Dannie. Her presence carries weight. Authority. Whether we like it or not.”

June didn’t respond, but I saw the shift in her expression.

“Can we leave later?” June asked, turning to me. “Thirty minutes isn’t enough.”

I held her gaze for a moment. “I wish we could,” I said. “But fights have already broken out in Hong Kong. And once it starts…” I let the sentence hang. There was no need to finish it. I was just repeating what Dannie had already told us, but hearing it again made it harder to ignore.

The takeover had already begun. Laura and Dannie’s uncle were moving fast, meeting people face-to-face and forcing decisions. Making them choose sides. And the story was easy to sell: Dannie was dying, leadership was changing, and there was no point staying loyal to a man who wouldn’t be around much longer.

Even now, in a world run by phones and messages, the triad still worked the old way. People needed to see you, hear it from you, look you in the eye before they believed everything. Sometimes it took persuasion. Sometimes it took force. But what happened in Hong Kong—Dannie collapsing in front of everyone—made Laura’s story very real. Too believable.

But something didn’t sit right. If this was her plan all along… why help us escape? Why not let Dannie die there and take everything clean? What was she really after?

“You should go,” Dannie said quietly, brushing his thumb under June’s eye and wiping away her tears like he was memorizing the shape of her face.

“I’m not leaving you,” June choked out, gripping him tighter.

A faint smile touched his lips. “You were never mine,” he said gently. “I don’t deserve you.”

The words settled into the room with a weight that didn’t belong to the moment. Or maybe they did, just not the way she heard them.

My chest tightened. That wasn’t reassurance. That was something else. Something final. I looked away, suddenly aware I wasn’t meant to be part of this, like I had stepped into a goodbye that wasn’t mine to witness.

“Don’t say that,” June whispered, her voice breaking. “You promised me you’d try. That you’d get better. Remember?”

“I remember,” Dannie said softly.

His fingers moved through her hair, slower this time, lingering like he didn’t want to let go. “I meant everything I said to you,” he added quietly.

He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, his fingers lingering for a second before he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. The gesture was soft, careful, final, like sealing something. June held onto him like she didn’t understand what was happening. Or maybe she did—and refused to accept it.

I swallowed hard. That wasn’t comfort. That was goodbye. And somehow… I still had to fight the urge to look away first.

June had spent her whole life trying to be seen as an adult. Her parents and brothers had always treated her like the youngest, the baby of the family. After all these years—after fighting so hard to outgrow that role—she had fallen right back into it, curled into his arms like a child. Safe. Small. Protected.

A sound slipped out of me before I could stop it. A scoff, soft but loud enough that both of them looked up. Dannie’s gaze found mine first, still calm, still warm. Under the dim light, his eyes almost seemed to glow.

“Can I have a word with you?” he asked, his voice gentle. Too gentle.

He glanced down at June. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to.

She looked back at him and nodded, like they understood each other without words. Something tight twisted in my chest.

“I’ll give you two a minute,” she said as she pulled away from him. Her tone was different. Familiar, but not meant for me anymore. “Can I get you anything from downstairs?” she asked.

“No.”