29. Dominic
Ileaned against the ropes of the ring, my chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath. My knuckles stung and my muscles screamed in protest, but a surge of adrenaline still coursed through my veins, dulling the pain.
I wasn’t even sure what had just happened. One moment I was waiting for Bree to knock me out and claim the win, and the next I hated her with every fiber of my being for bewitching and deceiving me.
My world had flipped upside down with her song, and Jou and I had reacted on instinct. My conflicting emotions continued to wage war within me even as my fans went wild and my dragon disappeared beneath my skin.
“The Red Dragon is victorious once again!” Frankie’s voice boomed through the arena, nearly drowned out by the chants.
The accolades washed over me in a dull roar as my gaze searched the faces for Bree. There—her hunched figure paused at the back of the gym and turned to meet my gaze. A bittersweet smile graced her lips before the throng swallowed her whole.
Why was she leaving without a word?
And why did she look so damn pleased that I’d won?
I clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white. I wanted to chase after her, drag the truth from her lips once and for all, but the crowd hemmed me in, their jubilant celebration trapping me in place.
Gritting my teeth, I forced a smile and raised my hands in acknowledgment, soaking in their adulation. But beneath the clamor, beneath the triumph, my thoughts were consumed by the siren. She’d seemed so genuine, weaving herself into my life until I couldn’t imagine a day without her.
How could she do this to me? Deceive me like this?
Anger and something else—something far more dangerous—rose in my chest, mingling with the confusion and heartache.
Betrayal.
The cheers became a deafening soundtrack, helping to drown out the pain in my heart. I refused to let my turbulent emotions overtake me, refused to give into the darkness that whispered at the edges of my mind.
Tonight, I would celebrate, but after that?
After that, I would demand answers. I needed to know if she would tell Ichiro or anyone else my plans for shutting down the pyrocrystal trafficking.
I would drag the answers from her traitorous mouth by any means necessary.
A few days later,I sat in my office with Aaron, sorting through stacks of paperwork to finalize my future ownership of the Sato’s business dealings. The room echoed with the sounds of shuffling papers and clicking pens as the accountant ensured I signed every page.
Since we bound our deal with magic, Ichiro had announced me as the official heir shortly after the fight. No one had been surprised, but not even Kenzo’s bitter expression could lift my spirits.
In the days following the fight, my focus kept drifting to the unanswered questions plaguing my thoughts. No matter how hard I tried to focus on the tasks at hand, my mind kept circling back to that last moment I’d seen Bree.
Her gentle smile haunted my every thought.
When the last signature was inked and the final account updated, relief washed over me in a cool wave. The crushing weight of secrecy I’d carried for years slowly lifted from my shoulders.
But beneath the relief lingered a numbness I couldn’t shake. My thoughts drifted to Bree’s departure, the way she’d slipped from my life without a trace. Day by day, my hatred for her lessened until I wondered why the feeling had been so strong.
Aaron clipped the stack of papers together before clapping me on the back with a grin. “Congratulations. Drinks are on me tonight.”
I forced a smile and nodded. “Sounds good.”
As much as I wanted to celebrate our victory and launch into the next phase of our plan, I couldn’t. Not fully.
The beautiful siren had turned my carefully ordered world upside down, then ghosted me. I ran a hand through my hair, frustration gnawing at my composure. Now that my takeover was official, I needed to understand why she’d deceived me.
Betrayal or not, I wasn’t sure I could let her go.
The office door creaked open, stirring me from my thoughts. Frankie stood in the doorway, a key ring clutched in her hand. A deep crease lined her forehead as she walked toward my desk.
Aaron shot me a glance, asking without words whether he should leave.
I shook my head and sighed, too mentally exhausted to deal with the fae woman alone. “What do you need, Frankie?”
“Just droppin’ off the keys.” She tossed the jangling bundle onto my desk. “These belong to the gym, which now belongs to the Sato family. Congrats. Again.”
My brows furrowed in confusion as I picked up the keys, studying them. “How did that happen?”
“Your grandfather and I had a little bit of a debt situation goin’ on,” Frankie explained, a hint of anger tinting her gruff voice. “It was s’posed to be temporary, but Ichiro sped up the timeline. We didn’t raise enough money in time, so it’s yours now.”
The memory hit me like a punch in the gut—Bree had said I would own the gym over her dead body. My mind raced, trying to connect the dots. “Is this why Bree agreed to fight?”
“You betcha. She was hopin’ to settle the debt with her win.” She studied my face and grimaced. “I, uh, didn’t realize you didn’t know. I thought she told you right before you two fought.”
“She was trying to save the gym?”
“Well, that and her home, you big dummy. Her entire livelihood.”
Everything Bree had done suddenly took on a new meaning. She had deceived me, yes, but not in the way I thought. She had sacrificed her home for me.
My chest tightened with a mix of frustration and concern, but mostly, a burning desire to find Bree and make things right. I needed to know the whole truth, to understand why she had kept me in the dark. Had I known, I could have helped her.
The chair scraped against the floor as I stood abruptly. “Is she at Subliminal?”
“Hold your dragon, cowboy. She left a note.” Frankie’s voice was heavy with regret. “Says she’s sorry for deceivin’ us both. I haven’t seen her or Marissa since that night.”
My mouth went dry. Why, after everything we’d gone through, did she think running away was the right choice?
The gym keys grew heavy in my hand, serving as a reminder of the path I needed to take. My plans could wait.
I wouldn’t rest until I found her.
THE END