Chapter 2
Giselle wasn’t reluctant to leave Donovan. She was just confused.
He crushed his cigarette into the ashtray and delivered the truth flatly. “I’m getting married next month. Take the money, and stay out of my life.”
“Getting married?”
Giselle felt nothing. If anything, she was amused. “Honestly, I thought you already had a wife and kids. Congrats!”
A flicker of menace darkened Donovan’s eyes as he stared her down.
Giselle thought about that ten million dollars and feared he might change his mind if she took too long. So, she threw on her clothes quickly.
She bounced over to him, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek. “I’ll take the money, then. Thanks, Mr. Kane. You’re the best!”
The naked greed and slyness in her eyes only deepened Donovan’s disgust. He shoved her away.
“You can go now. And remember what I said—stay out of my life,” he muttered.
“Okay!”
Without hesitation, Giselle pulled out her phone, blocked his number right in front of him, and deleted his WhatsApp contact.
“There. Now you’ll never hear from me again. There’s nothing to worry about.”
As she spoke, she rummaged through the tangled sheets, fished out her bra, and shoved it into her top. After a few wriggles, she turned her back toward him. “Hey. Do me a favor.”
Donovan’s expression darkened, but he held back his temper and fastened her bra clasp with practiced ease.
“Alright. I’m out. Got a late-night snack date with a younger guy, so let’s not waste each other’s time.” Giselle leaned in, whispering in his ear with a teasing grin, “See you, sugar daddy!”
Ignoring his dark glare, she grabbed her things and bolted downstairs. After gearing up, she swung onto her bike, revved the engine smoothly, and sped away from the villa in a flash.
Beneath the pitch-black sky, with the wind howling around her, she cranked the throttle nearly to its limit. She took dangerous curves with easy confidence, slicing through traffic like it was nothing.
The engine’s roar turned heads, drawing stares from other drivers on the road.
But Giselle loved these moments of pure recklessness. They were her ultimate stress relief, as if every worry could just tear away in the wind.
Besides bikes, she was crazy about surfing, skydiving, rock climbing, race cars—basically anything that could get her killed fast.
She lived for extreme sports and short-lived flings. Wild and free, she never let sentimental romance hold her back.
But this time, when Giselle got home and lay in bed after midnight, she couldn’t stop thinking about Donovan. Every moment they’d shared over the past year, especially their final meeting earlier that evening, left her tossing and turning.
Then again, maybe it was just the adrenaline from that ten million dollars keeping her up.
…
Over the next month, Giselle had practically forgotten about Donovan. She was either off planning something with her adventure buddies or hanging out with her best friends, living life exactly as she pleased.
Of course, she had a real career too.
She’d always loved animals, so after studying veterinary medicine abroad for several years, she returned home and opened her own veterinary clinic.
Her clinic business was thriving, thanks to her exceptional talent in the field. She already had three locations open.
One evening, after finishing a mountain of work at the clinic, Giselle’s phone rang. The caller ID made her stomach sink.
She answered the call and snapped, “What do you want?”
