Chapter 3 #2
“We don’t know that’s true,” Kai replied, his jaw tight. “It’s just a letter. There’s no proof. Besides, I wouldn’t want anything from you.”
“That’s a handwritten letter from my father. His last words…” Dannie shot back, his voice tightening. “What more proof do you want?”
“I mean…” Kai ran a hand through his hair, pacing two steps forward before turning and taking two steps back. “At parties like that, there could’ve been other men. Or my dad. You don’t know.”
“Spoken like an expert,” I muttered before I could stop myself, unease prickling at how familiar he sounded with those gatherings.
“Ask your mother,” Dannie said coldly. “She would know.”
“No way. I’m not talking to her about her sex life.” Kai shook his head. “Even if it’s true, she’d never admit it.”
“Then do a DNA test,” I suggested, the words coming out steadier than I felt. “That’s one way to find out.”
Belief wasn’t evidence. Dannie’s father might have been convinced, but that didn’t make it fact. And still…
A man didn’t usually write something like that as a joke from the grave.
“I need a drink.” Dannie pushed to his feet and headed for the cabinet.
I followed him, but the room tilted violently. The floor seemed to shift beneath me, and suddenly my knees gave out. I dropped back onto the couch.
Both men moved at once, but Kai reached me first, kneeling in front of me.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
I pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose, trying to steady myself. The spinning slowed, but didn’t stop.
Our eyes met.
It was the first time since I’d walked into the suite that I’d really looked at him. I’d been avoiding it. Avoiding him. The history between us felt like something alive, breathing in the room.
I broke the gaze and reached toward Dannie as he rushed back.
“What’s wrong?” Dannie sat beside me, his hand firm against my back.
“Probably didn’t eat enough,” I said, though we all knew that wasn’t it. Too much information, too fast. My mind couldn’t keep up.
The two men I had been with…
Brothers.
It felt like a cruel punchline.
“Do we have food?” I asked.
“No. Just baby food.”
The word baby twisted something deep inside me. My stomach clenched, my chest aching with a quiet, familiar grief. The man I had once believed was the love of my life now had a wife. A child. A whole world that no longer had space for me in it.
“Check the minibar,” Dannie said.
“That’s not real food.” Kai snapped. “I’ll call room service. What do you want?” Kai asked.
“Just some juice,” I said softly.
“Cheeseburger,” Dannie added. “They make a great one here.”
I smiled at him without thinking. I must have complained too many times about burgers back in Malaysia—how different they tasted, how much I missed the rich, greasy American ones.
Of course he remembered. He always did.
Kai stepped out and returned a couple of minutes later, his expression tighter, more serious.
“There’s something I wanted to ask,” he said, looking at Dannie. “How did… your grandma and Auntie Five die?”
Dannie’s jaw flexed. “That’s actually the other thing I needed to talk to you about today.”
“It wasn’t really a heart attack, was it?” Kai asked quietly.
“No.” The single word dropped like a stone into still water.
I stayed silent, dread creeping through me as I waited for what would come next.
“They were murdered,” Dannie said.
My head had only just stopped spinning, and now the room tilted again.
“Who would do that?” I whispered.
I had always thought his family was untouchable—too powerful, too feared.
“That’s the problem.” His expression hardened. “I don’t know.”
“You said Laura found them?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you talk to her? Did she see anything strange?”
“I spoke to her,” Dannie said. “She said they looked like they were sleeping. Just… collapsed out on the floor. No sign of a struggle. Nothing out of place.”
“Was she alone when she found them?” Kai pressed.
“Yes,” Dannie replied. “That’s the strange part. There’s always someone else in the house. Always. I don’t know if she was telling the truth.”
“What does the autopsy report say?” I asked, my voice barely steady.
“Heart attack.” Dannie gave a humorless shake of his head. “I don’t believe it. Either someone altered the report, or they used something that couldn’t be detected.”
My chest tightened, each breath thin and shallow.
Both men fell silent, lost in the same dark thoughts, wearing the same hard expression. Maybe it was the shock, but I could see it now—the resemblance. The set of their mouths. The intensity in their eyes. How easily they could share the same blood.
“What are you going to do?” Kai asked.
“I need your help,” Dannie said.
“How?” Kai frowned. “What can I do?”
“I need you to take over the triad.”
“What?” Kai stared at him. “You can’t be serious.”
“Let me finish,” Dannie said. “June will start handling triad operations. You’ll assist her.”
“Dannie…” I cut in, hurt threading through my voice. “You should’ve asked me first.”
He nodded, contrite. “You’re right. I’m sorry, June. But be honest—would you have said yes?”
“That’s not the point,” I said, my pulse hammering.
“Why me?” Kai asked.
“Because you’re my brother,” Dannie replied.
“You don’t know that.”
“I decided this before I ever saw the letter. If we really are related, that’s just a bonus.”
“Dannie!” I raised my voice, desperate for him to slow down, to hear me.
“But where is this coming from?” Kai asked.
“Kai,” I warned, shooting him a sharp look before turning back to Dannie, afraid the truth might come out.
He met my eyes and then said quietly, “Because I’m dying.”
The words slammed into me. The fear I’d been carrying for the past year surged to the surface.
“You’re going to be fine,” I said quickly, moving closer and pulling his arms around me, needing the solid warmth of him. “Don’t talk like that. Promise me.”
“I’m sorry, honey.” His voice was soft, unbearably gentle. “But you saw what happened today. The way they treated you. Like they forgot who’s in charge.”
“What happened today?” Kai asked.
“Nothing. Just some idiot,” I said quickly.
“Yes, one foolish man,” Dannie agreed. “But then Laura. The way she spoke to you, like your authority meant nothing. If I let that go, the entire triad forgets who their real boss is.”
“Does it matter that much?” I asked.
“Yes.” His jaw tightened. “I worked my whole life for this. One year away, and this is how they act? They disrespect me. My people.”
“We should stop,” I announced. “You need rest. It’s late. Kai should rest, and I don’t want to wake—”
“Will you help me or not?” Dannie stood and held out his hand to Kai.
“Are you sure you want me involved in the triad?” Kai asked.
“Yes. And all my businesses. I need someone I trust to handle everything. The clean and the dirty.”
Kai hesitated, then clasped his hand. “Anything for you.”
The air left my lungs, like something inside me had quietly collapsed.