The heavy silence of the Fu mansion didn't feel lonely to Li Yue. Wei had always used silence as a weapon, a cold shoulder he'd give her when she wasn't sweet enough or when she hesitated to do what he wanted.
Six years of being the perfect girlfriend had left her with a constant, humming anxiety in the base of her skull. She moved through the master suite like a ghost, her footsteps leaving no sound on the plush rugs.
She reached the top of the grand staircase and paused, her hand gripping the cold marble banister. She expected the house to be empty. A man like Fu Yao surely had empires to run, but as she passed the double oak doors of the library on the ground floor, she saw they were slightly ajar.
The scent hit her first, rich espresso and the faint, sharp tang of expensive ink. She peered inside.
Fu Yao was there.
He wasn't the untouchable groom from the altar. He was wearing a charcoal cashmere sweater with the sleeves pushed up, revealing the corded muscles of his forearms as he leaned over a massive mahogany desk. A pair of silver-rimmed reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He looked younger like this, his messy hair catching the light
"You're awake." He didn't look up. He didn't ask how she felt.
Is he angry? she thought.
"I... I slept late," she said, her voice small. She stayed near the door, her body poised as if ready to bolt if he raised his voice.
Fu Yao finally looked up, sliding the glasses off. His dark eyes were hooded, dissecting her stillness. "There is food in the kitchen. The chef left a selection since you missed the morning service."
"Thank you." She twisted her wedding ring. The diamond was huge and cold. It felt like a weight she hadn't earned. "Mei said... she said you answered my phone earlier."
"It was ringing," he replied, his gaze narrowing as he tracked the way she stood, shoulders hunched, eyes darting toward the exit. "I told her you were not to be disturbed. I assumed you needed the rest."
"I did." She swallowed hard, her mind spiraling into the old patterns of apologising for being a burden. "I'm sorry if it was a bother."
Fu Yao went still. He leaned back, the leather chair creaking. "Li Yue. Look at me."
She forced her eyes up.
"I don't care about the phone call," he said, his baritone dropping into a tone of quiet command. "Are you hungry?"
Li Yue felt a flicker of confusion. Wei would have let her stumble and apologize for ten minutes just to feel superior.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Then go eat," he said, his expression returning to its disciplined mask. "I'm not a warden, and this isn't a prison. Unless you want it to be."
He returned to his work, the rhythmic tapping of his stylus against a tablet the only sound left.
Li Yue turned and walked out, her heart thumping. She felt like a fluke. He'll realize I'm not worth the merger, she thought. He'll find someone who isn't so... broken.
She sat at the marble breakfast bar, peeling an orange with shaking hands. She pulled out her phone and saw a notification, a post from Wei's cousin showing off her engagement ring.
The fear in Li Yue's chest didn't vanish, but it was suddenly crowded by a cold, sharp spark of hate. As she picked up a heavy silver spoon to stir her tea. Engraved on the handle was the Fu family crest, a symbol of power that reached into every corner of the city. She stared at it, her reflection distorted in the polished metal.
She had hidden the truth from Mei, her best friend. Mei thought Wei had simply cheated, a common heartbreak from a common trash bag of a man. She hadn't told anyone about the locker-room recording she'd overheard, or the way the cousin had laughed about the six-year bet.
She hadn't told Mei that her first time, the moment she had been told was a gift of love, was actually just the closing of a bet.
A wave of nausea rolled over her, that familiar, oily feeling of being handled like an object. She gripped the spoon so hard the edges dug into her palm.
Mrs. Fu. The name felt like a heavy cloak, but as she looked at the crest, she realized it was also a weapon. Wei had had wanted to break her and move on to the next prize. He thought he had left her in the dirt.
She just took a slow sip of her tea, her eyes fixed on the Fu family crest.
I'm going to make you pay, she thought, her internal voice sounding older, colder, and far more dangerous than the girl who had walked down the aisle. I'm going to make everyone involved in that bet wish they had never messed with me.