The Billionaire’s Biggest Regret

4|| Five Thousand Humiliation

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the chandelier above me, glittering in the morning light. It took a second to register it all, aside from the fact that my head hurt so much it felt like it’s about to split open.

The memories from last night hit me like a truck. My breath caught, and I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop a scream rising in my throat.

Sarah.

She took the last thing that was truly mine. She stole it like I didn’t matter, as if I wasn’t even a human being.

Tears blurred my vision as my chest started heaving. I cried hot, bitter tears that shook me to my core.

I had finally become what Mama Lin always said I was.

Nothing.

What right did I have to fight back, to dream, to want more when the universe kept reminding me I was never meant to have any of it?

And Sarah… the only person I thought I had… the one friend I trusted was the one who betrayed me.

I tried to sit up but everything hurt. Not in the way it did after a long shift at Golden Skillet or lugging crates in the back alley. No. This was different.

I blinked hard, trying to see through the tears as I looked around the room. The deep purple velvet chair facing the bed. The expensive furniture that looked like it belonged in a magazine.

I turned slowly.

And there was him.

The man was still asleep. The one I’d given something I could never take back.

My virginity.

I narrowed my eyes at his back- his broad, muscular shoulders turned away from me, the sheets pooled around his narrow waist like he was in a photo shoot. I turned my face away, bile rising in my throat. Just the sight of him made me want to scream. The memories of last night, being underneath him rushed in like a panic attack.

I waited, heart pounding ruthlessly, until it calmed enough to move. I needed to get out of there. There was still Lily to worry about.

But the second I tried to stand, pain shot through me so sharp I cried out, clutching my thighs. It burned.

And yet I could think about was the money. Everything I’d done it for. And how I was going to get it.

That should’ve been enough to break me.

Even as I stared at the red patch staining the sheets, the tears already dried on my cheeks, I felt… nothing. Just hollow. Like an empty can someone had kicked aside.

But I couldn’t let the same thing happen to Lily.

She was the only good thing left. And I’d burn the whole world down before I let it take her too.

I grabbed the heels, speed walking to door to quietly get out but the second my hand touched the door handle, it swung open.

A man walked in like he owned the place, dressed in a floral shirt with two thick gold chains hung from his neck. His hair was slicked back with way too much gel, and everything about him was sleazy. Like a villain from a bad movie.

He froze when he saw me. His small beady eyes shamelessly dragged slowly down my body, lingering on the bruises, the marks the man on the bed had given me.

“Looks like you had fun in there, huh?” he said, flashing a wide grin. A gold tooth gleamed in the corner of his mouth.

I recognized him immediately.

He was the man from last night. The one who grabbed me without even letting me speak. The one who dragged me down that hallway. The one who mistook me for someone else and didn’t care when he pushed me into this room. I couldn’t even say he was wrong he one that caused all this mess in the first place, that spot would be reserved for Sarah and Sarah alone.

The first instinct that surged through me was violence. I wanted to lunge at him. Dig the heel of my shoe into his face and keep going until this hollow, aching rage in my chest finally stopped.

But I didn’t. I didn’t even have the strength to explain to him that he had made a huge mistake last night.

Instead, in a voice far calmer than I expected, I stretched out my hand.

“Give me my money.”

He grinned as if I’d just said the funniest thing in the world “Of course,” he said in satisfaction. “You did a good job last night.”

He reached into his shirt, pulled out a thick envelope, and shoved it against my chest. His eyes raked over me with that same disgusting look as I pushed his hand away.

“Why don’t you give ne a chance too, huh?” he said smirked. “I’ll give you another round. Show you what it’s like to f**k a real man.” He laughed so hard he was coughing. “It’s not like you’ve got anything better to do than sleep with men for money.”

I didn’t flinch. Didn’t even blink. I just stared at him because he was right about one thing.

I had nothing left.

I snatched the envelope from his hand, ignoring every filthy word spilling from his mouth. My fingers tore it open, pulling out the thick wad of cash. Right there, in front of him, I started counting.

Ten thousand dollars.

He’d given me ten thousand dollars.

Double what I needed to save Lily.

My chest tightened but not with joy. It was with something softer. Hope.

If I gave Mama Lin the five thousand, I could finally leave. I could find a small place by the creek, maybe one of those flats that went for fifteen hundred a year. It wouldn’t be much, but it would be ours.

With the rest, I could keep Lily fed, put shoes on her feet, maybe even get her a winter coat that actually fit.

We could start over.

Just the two of us.

My heart pounded as I turned, already thinking of a better life for Lily. I shoved the man aside, ready to walk out and never look back—

But his hand shot out, catching my wrist. He yanked me back hard, his face suddenly inches from mine. His breath was hot and sour, his expression twisted.

The sleazy grin was gone.

His voice dropped. “The deal’s done now. Take the money and disappear like you promised. If I ever see your face again coming to ask for money, I’ll wring the life out of your neck myself. Got it?”

I stared into his cold, cruel eyes and I knew deep in my bones that he meant every word.

“I’d rather die than ever stand in front of you again.”

I shoved him off me and turned, flinging the heels behind me like dead weight. Then I ran, bolting out of the club, heart pounding.

The doors burst open and the cold morning air hit me like a slap. I gasped for breath, filling my lungs with something that wasn’t perfume and sweat and shame.

Lily. Lily. Lily.

I flagged down a taxi, almost screaming at the driver. “Ashpoint. Now.”

As the cab sped through the city, I carefully divided the money, keeping Mama Lin’s share in the envelope, folding the rest into the lining of my dress. My fingers shook, but my mind was clear.

When we pulled up, I tossed the driver a few bills and bolted toward the apartment complex. I took the stairs two at a time and slammed open the door to our unit.

Mama Lin was sitting in the living room, popping slices of orange into her mouth like a bored housewife. My father and Markus sat beside her, eating breakfast as if I didn’t even exist. No one looked up to acknowledge me, but I didn’t care. I grabbed the envelope and tossed it in front of Mama Lin.

“Five thousand dollars. In cash.”

The moment I said it, they turned to me, their mouth dropped like they couldn’t believe what I had just said. I shoved my hand behind me to stop them from seeing how nervous I was at that moment. Because heaven knows I couldn’t believe it too.