Page 67 of Emperor of Lust

“Small world, bumping into you here, isn’t it?” He smiles the charming grin I remember, the one that used to fool everyone into thinking he was harmless.

I can’t move, my head swimming. He’s talking to me like we’re just old classmates, like he didn’t sit there andlaughas I was held down, as I screamed?—

“Between you and me,” he says, leaning in and lowering his voice, “I’m staying in Japan for a while. You know, with all those deposition summons going on with the Donahues.”

My stomach twists violently. “Deposition summons?” I echo faintly, barely holding it together.

Prescott raises an eyebrow. “They didn’t contact you?” He groans. “Josh’s parents are on the warpath. They claim they’ve got evidence it wasn’t a drunk driving accident.” He shrugs. “I guess they’re looking for someone to blame.”

I shake my head, feeling like the ground’s slipping out from under me, staring at him with a floaty sort of disbelief as he glances at his watch.

“Shit, I have to run. Video call with my new boss.” He grimaces. “Fuckin’ Japanese have zero concept of work-life balance, am I right?” He grins at me. “Great seeing you, Hana.”

He starts to turn but then frowns, stopping and glancing back at me with a look that chills me to the bone. “Look… I just have tosay it. What happened back then… We were all just stupid kids, right? And you were totally in on it, yeah?”

I stare at him, my mind whirling, barely able to process what he’s saying. “Excuse me?”

“Josh told us later that was your…thing.” He winks. “You know. Having an audience, being assaulted. A rape kink.”

I feel sick, my vision blurring at the edges as his smile only grows wider and more nauseating. “Too bad he had whiskey-dick that night, huh?”

My reality shatters, fragments splintering and my breath catching, shallow and sharp. My fingers dig into the window-ledge behind me to ground myself as the old memories claw up from the depths.

“Since we’re both here in Tokyo, we should get a drink sometime. Catch up.”

My voice briefly fails me, but then it calls out unbidden as he turns.

"What were you saying about the Donahues and deposition summons?"

Prescott rolls his eyes. "Who knows. I just heard a rumor they're trying to claim it was foul play, not that asshole driving around loaded." he chuckles. "But, I mean, come on. It's not like anyonekilledhim or anything."

My face goes numb. Prescott smiles.

“Good seeing you, Hana. Let's catch up soon. Really."

And with that, he’s gone, strolling down the hall as if he hadn’t just ripped open old wounds, pouring salt and acid into each one.

I stumble back, my vision blurring. I feel sick. Shattered. I can’t breathe.

And then, when I whirl away, I slam into a firm chest, instantly gasping as a hand shoots out and wraps around my throat, lifting my chin until my eyes lock with Damian’s.

“Who thefuckwas that?”

20

DAMIAN

I pacethe perimeter of the gala, drink in hand, jaw clenched so tight I can almost feel the enamel chipping.

The ice in my glass rattles. Every second since Hana left feels like another drop of gasoline on a spark that threatens to consume everything in its path.

Part of meverybegrudgingly wants to admit that maybe I overreacted earlier.

The other part of me thinks that Scott is lucky to have walked away with his fucking jaw intact.

Yes, I feel a slight smugness knowing he never had her—never fucked her or touched her the way I have. But still.

I don’t like the fact that he fuckinghuggedher.

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