Chapter 6 One Ring Off, Another Offered

If he was so terrified of losing me, then why had he been so ruthless just moments ago?

He threw me into the pool, just to watch me flounder, to revel in my misery.

"Leonard, let go."

I punched and kicked, but Leonard held on stubbornly, refusing to release me.

"She said let her go! Are you freaking deaf?"

With one punch, Leonard loosened his grip and staggered back, collapsing onto the ground.

When I looked up, I recognized him-it was the man who had pulled me from the pool earlier.

His eyes were impossibly clear, like the still surface of the sea-gentle, serene, breathtaking.

Just one glance was enough to still the storm raging inside me.

Yet the instinctive wariness in my bones warned me-no one helped without a reason, let alone twice.

I steadied myself and said coldly, "You've saved me twice now-what the hell do you want from me?"

He narrowed his eyes, his expression careless, almost amused.

"Just simple admiration, that's all."

The very next second, I pulled the knife hidden in my dress lining and aimed it straight at his throat.

Men had tried to get close to me more times than I could count.

As a precaution, I had developed the habit of hiding a blade inside my dress.

"Don't play games with me!"

The man gave a helpless shrug, "That's some way to treat the guy who just saved your ass."

This time, my blade rested steady against the edge of his skin.

"What exactly are you after?"

He gently brushed the blade aside, a radiant smile spreading across his face.

"You're smart, Miss Grant. How about we team up? I'll help you win back everything you've lost, and in return, you'll help me too."

I withdrew the blade, my gaze turning to ice.

"But in my current state, I can't be of any help to you."

He didn't answer, only offered a faint smile.

"You can. You've got way more now than you ever did before. I know it all."

What was that supposed to mean?

My face darkened.

This man was far more dangerous than I had imagined-and he knew things about me that I myself didn't even know.

He pulled out his phone and played a video.

It was my parents, lying in hospital beds, struggling for every breath.

"You married Leonard, faking affection, just so you could use the Harlow family's medical resources to save your parents, didn't you?"

"I'm telling you, I can save them."

I lowered my voice, "Then what do you want from me?"

He smiled and slipped an arm around my waist.

"You'll find out soon enough. For now, just play along."

We were close enough that I could hear the thrum of his heartbeat against mine.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

Leonard stormed over, yanking me away from the man, his eyes blazing with disbelief.

"Why were you pressed up against him like that?"

Before I could answer, the man beside me smirked and touched his lips.

"According to Miss Grant here, I'm her new man."