KISS OF HIS BETRAYAL

CHAPTER 08

After a ten-hour flight, they reached New York, where Mike had already arranged everything for her. He sent his men, who were not just bodyguards, but trusted shadows of his business empire, to receive her.

The sleek black Mercedes-Benz S-Class Limousine he sent wasn’t just a ride— it was a message. Everything, down to the chilled water bottle of her favourite brand, the scent inside the car, and the precise air conditioning setting, screamed of his attention to detail.

Every single staff member had been briefed about her moods, tantrums, silence, and quirky nature. They were told not to ask questions but to obey her and keep him updated— just make her feel safe.

He knew her like no one else ever could. For more than four years, they had breathed in the same air. He’d seen every shade of her rage, laughter, arrogance, and shattering vulnerability.

She didn’t have to speak for him to know what she needed. And he, the man with the devil’s reputation in business, turned into her silent protector.

But now, his men had been standing there for more than ten hours beyond her expected arrival. Anxiety, then panic, began to set in.

“She’s not here. We are not able to get any information on her Sir.” one of the men finally muttered into the phone.

Mike stood frozen when he heard it. Her unread messages, the missed calls… they stared back at him like accusations. He tried everything to reach her, but it was like she’d vanished.

Vanished into thin air.

It reminded him of the incident that happened two years ago.

And that thought alone made his breath hitch.

Flashback — Two Years Ago

After years, she had finally agreed to visit the USA, a discreet travel plan to Florida. A private beach house for a double celebration— her grandfather’s birthday and another secret milestone.

But fate had other plans.

Davina got stuck in London due to an urgent meeting. While Mike was trapped in Seattle. Neither realised they were being deliberately held back.

Their enemies had played a perfect hand.

They kidnapped the only beings more precious to them than life— their precious gems. Their children.

The ransom? Everything.

Her power.

Her company.

Her freedom.

In short, they wanted her.

And Davina… she broke.

She believed it was HIM.

Her demon had come back to haunt her and snatch back everything she held dear to her heart.

They sent videos— cruel, heart-wrenching scenes no parent should ever witness. She tried to fight, to resist, but every scream, every threat, every moment chipped away at her soul.

She couldn’t fathom how he could be so cruel to her babies. Soon, she gathered from her resources the vital information about the abductors. A slight warmth of relief embraced her heart when she learned it wasn’t HIM, but soon panic took over.

Because the reality was all that happened because of HIM.

To get back at HIM.

By his enemies.

Who had dug his past and found out about her.

And only she knew the truth and had to hide that truth from Mike.

Those men who took her babies were a typhoon, a force not to be reckoned with, and his men were known for their cruelty.

And the ones who helped that typhoon, were three of her board members, and her enemy whose business she had subjugated a few months back. Those men planned that attack to weaken her, to bring her to her knees, under their mercy.

Mike and Davina tried everything in their power to rescue their babies. She was even willing to give up her assets, but that didn’t guarantee her babies' lives. They wanted to see Davina beg. Mike didn’t have a choice but to ask for help to protect his family.

Mike called his biggest ally. A brother. A ghost of his past. A man with connections, power, and no mercy for monsters. He found them quicker than they had expected, destroyed them— every single one who were there with the babies, leaving Davina to deal with her board members who assisted those typhoons.

Blood answered blood.

He was their guardian angel who kept the kids safe while letting Mike and Davina deal with the matter. To gather the shards of their shattered world.

Past Ends

Even now, Mike couldn’t sleep without those images haunting him.

That incident made Davina stronger, colder… deadlier, forcing to distance herself from their babies. It left a wound on both of them too deep to heal.

Mike ’s chest tightened.

What if it’s happening again?

What if history is repeating itself?

He was drowning in questions.

“What if someone hurt her?”

“What if they came back for her?”

“What if she’s… gone?”

But he shook his head. No, she can’t just leave me. She’s not that girl anymore.

She wasn’t the fragile soul he once saved. She was now the storm that broke men.

Still, she was his storm. His only family. Her absence ripped him apart.

He contacted her secretary.

Nothing.

The aviators? Nothing.

They’d been instructed by Davina herself not to inform him of anything.

His fists clenched, anger and fear crawling, taking turns in torturing him.

“She still doesn’t trust me… doesn’t talk about her past. Even without giving a second thought dismissed the idea of settling in the USA, and now for God knows what reason, she had preponed her trip to New York. A place she claims to despise. What is she hiding from me this time? What trouble she is going to get herself into now?” he wondered.

Frustrated beyond reason, he made arrangements to travel to New York immediately.

Hours Later…

She finally arrived.

When his men saw her, relief flooded their faces— until they saw her eyes.

There was fire in them.

Fire… and grief.

Jenny apologized to his men for the silence, ignorance and making them worry and wait for so long but Davina remained cold, unreadable. One glare from her and the questions died in their throats.

Mike’s manager handed her the bouquet.

Pink hydrangeas, lilies, Juliet roses, tulips— her favorites. But instead of a smile, her eyes flickered with pain.

She remembered another bouquet.

Another man.

Another lifetime.

She blinked the tears back. No, not now.

She dialed Mike wanting to thank him, deep down wondering if he was worried, but to her utter dismay no answer.

Her lips tightened. She was an emotional wreck yearning to hold on to something.... anything.

Inside the limo, she ran her fingers across the leather. The scent. The softness. The comfort. Everything screamed of him.

Her cheeks flushed, but she masked it with indifference.

Jenny watched her with a smirk. “You’re blushing like a teenager with her first crush.”

Davina rolled her eyes and warned “Don’t you dare start, Jenna. One word and I’ll toss you out of this car.”

Jenny laughed. “Chill, Snow Queen. I’ll save my questions for when you’re not ready to murder someone with your stare.”

Davina sighed.

She tried calling Mike again. Nothing.

Her anxiety returned.

The last time she was in this city, it stole everything from her.

She clenched her jaw.

Not again.

“Jenna… I want you to be prepared. I didn’t come back for closure. I came back to finish what was left unfinished and…. Even she is there in my list…… I am not going to spare her either.”

Jenny frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Davina looked out of the window, voice barely a whisper.

“They all witnessed everything yet no one spoke for me, no one believed me. I cried, begged, pleaded but nothing not even she believed me or stood by me. They humiliated me….. slut-shamed me… even that wasn’t enough for him that he….made my parents watch…… humiliated them…….. ended them….. still he didn’t spare me…. He…..” Davina's voice broke but quickly her pain and sadness turned into fury, hatred, vengeance.

“I won’t kill them…. No that’s not me…… I will let them live… a life of guilt and suffering after taking everything from them. All their happiness….”

Her voice cracked on the word

“My kids….. I don’t want them to know this horrendous past of their mother…. I want to put an end to this…. Before they are old enough to ask questions, I want to end all this. I want a fresh start…..”

She looked shattered, broken yet fierce — but there was fire in her eyes, a fire to burn down her enemies —their pride, peace and will to leave.

Jenny immediately pulled her into a hug. “I’m here. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it. You’re not alone. I don’t know what happened, what you had to go through…But I promise I am with you in everything, through every step.”

“Jenna, I am broken…. I am dying each day…..a part of me wants revenge, a part of me is suffering mentally— struggling with traumas, a part of me is dying to be with kids but don’t have it in me to look at them answer their questions or put them in trouble— again… I left them, Jenna… I left them because I thought it would protect them from HIM or any of mine or HIS nemesis. But it’s tearing me apart. I was a coward. I am still a coward. Still in love with my tormentor.”

“No…. you are not. You're still recovering from your past. Shifu you are just perplexed and scared… You have a family now, and once it's all over, you can go back to them. Mike and the babies.” Jenny whispered.

“You are a mother, and everything you did and you are doing is to protect your babies.”

Davina hugged Jenny as if her life depended on it.

If only the world knew what had been done to her.

If only Mike knew the weight she still carried.

Would he still stand by her and love her?

And if only Mike knew… how much she endured in her past.

Would he be okay to still be with her?

Would he be okay to stand with her, to avenge her and still accept her after everything?

What would HE do if HE knew...

That she was not dead and she was back.....

Not for love.

Not for closure.

But for vengeance cloaked in elegance.

They didn’t even notice they had arrived— until someone knocked on the limo door.

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A gentle note to my readers:

Some of you may be wondering how many chapters this book will have. Originally, I had planned for around 150–200 chapters in total. However, as advised by my editor, I needed to split each chapter into 2 or 3 smaller parts. This was done to make unlocking chapters easier and to enhance your reading convenience. Because of this adjustment, the overall number of chapters has increased beyond what I initially planned.