Chapter 2
Finn’s power in Dallas’s elite circle was something no one dared to challenge.
And now, he was turning that very power against me.”
I had just started packing when my agent’s message popped up.§
She told me Finn had made a bet with his drinking buddies, claiming I’d come crawling back within thirty minutes.
Then came her warning, saying, “Faith, if you still want a future in Dallas’s entertainment world, don’t cross Young Master Finn.“}
I stared at her message in silence.
My eyes drifted over the room filled with gifts he’d given me over the years, tokens of love that now felt like shackles.}
It was time.
Time to return everything.§
Time to end it cleanly.
So I said, “Send me the address.”
When I arrived at the private lounge in the bar, I heard a soft, delicate voice float out through the door. It was Darcie’s voice.
“Finn, it’s a little stuffy in here. Maybe I should step out first?“}
A loud crash echoed from inside, glass shattering against the floor.”
Then came Finn’s furious voice, sharp and commanding. “Put those cigarettes out! Can’t you see she’s pregnant? My child can’t breathe that in!“&
T’used to sit beside him at these parties.
Back then, I was the one he shielded. He’d demand everyone stub out their cigarettes because I was allergic.
But it hadn’t lasted.
Eventually, he grew irritated.§
“Faith, you’re an actress. Don’t act so fragile. These are my brothers. Just put up with it. Don’t ruin the mood.“}
He knew the smoke would leave me coughing till dawn, but still, he told me to endure it.§
Yet now, for Darcie, he was willing to turn on the very friends who’d fought by his side.
I swallowed the sting rising in my throat and pushed open the door.
Laughter exploded in the room.}
“Well, weli, look who couldn’t stay away. Our little movie star came crawling back to Brother Finn!”
“What’s the point of winning awards? Being Finn’s woman is the real prize!“}
The tension between Finn’s brows vanished in an instant.”
He glanced at his watch, the corners of his lips curling into a cold, smug smile.§
“Twenty minutes. So much for all that pride, Faith.”
※
“Darcie’s been upset for hours because of your little jab. Apologize to her, and I’ll let it slide. I won’t make things difficult for you.”
All around us, mocking eyes swept over me, some amused, others tinged with pity.
In their minds, everything I’d earned in this industry was handed to me by Finn’s money.
But they didn’t know.”
Two years ago, when Finn was betrayed and on the brink of losing everything, it was me who signed a sky–high gambling clause to keep his company from crumbling.”
Seven years.
It took me seven whole years to finally see the truth: Finn never really loved me.§
Otherwise, how could he look straight at me and not notice my pale complexion, the blood seeping from the IV mark on my hand?}
My fingers felt numb as I threw everything down in front of him: the watches, the jewelry, the gifts he’d showered me with over the years. “These are everything you gave me in the past seven years. I’m giving them all back.”
“From today on, we’re even.”
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Finn stared at me with cold eyes, but the hand clutching his glass turned pale, trembling with tension.§
“You really think we’re even just because you say so? Don’t forget, your contract is still chained to me. Walk away now, and you owe ten billion. You’re nothing but an orphan without a family. How could you possibly pay that?”
When I was with Finn, I’d hidden my true identity, afraid my family would find me.
So I lied. I told him I was an orphan.}
That lie used to be his soft spot, what made him pity and love me.”
Now, it had become his weapon.
A sharp ache tightened my chest.
My eyes dropped to the diamond bracelet circling my wrist, the same bracelet Finn had given me seven years ago, saying it marked me
as his.
But the bracelet felt tighter than ever as if squeezing the distance growing between us.
Suddenly sensing something, Finn sat up abruptly, his breath catching in his throat.
“Faith, don’t you dare.”
Before he could finish, I yanked the diamond bracelet from my wrist and flung it onto the growing pile.
P
