Page 35 of In Love with a Ruthless Man

The lights switched open, and she found herself staring at a woman with scars crisscrossing her once-beautiful face, grinning at her from behind a cell with steel bars.

Fawn screamed.

DÉJÀ VU,Fawn thought as she found herself once again huddled in the chair in front of the prince’s desk, shivering in fear, and the prince silently commanding her to drink brandy. This time, she didn’t even think of refusing.

She downed it in one shot, and because she hadn’t learned from the past, she ended up choking even more.

“Serves you right,” the prince said unsympathetically. “You were supposed to sip it,parthena mou.”

“You were nicer before,” she mumbled.

“I beg your pardon?”

“My first shock,” she told him tremulously as she handed the empty glass back to him. “You were much nicer.”

“Ah.” The prince took his usual place, too, perching himself on the edge of his desk. “That was because I gave you the benefit of the doubt.”

“For what?”

“For having brains.” He shot her an unimpressed look. “But clearly you don’t.”

She glared up at him. “Are you really blaming me?”

“Yes, I’m blaming you,” he snarled. Even now, his heartbeat hadn’t gone back to normal and he still couldn’t get the sound of her terrified scream out of his mind.

Fawn was incredulous. “How is it my fault?”

“Because this wouldn’t have happened,” he hissed, “if you hadn’t let curiosity get the better of you in the first place.”

“Are you serious?” she gasped. “You have it the other way around! This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t have so many stupid secrets to keep in the first place! Seriously!” She counted them with her fingers. “One: you have a dungeon – a dungeon, oh my God – for a basement. Even worse, two: you have a woman imprisoned in your dungeon. And worst of all, three: that woman is batshit crazy and she tried to strangle me!”

Her voice cracked.

They stared at each other, and when her lips started to tremble, the prince bit back a curse. How the hell he could stay angry – even when he knew he had a right to – when she looked like that?

He said quietly, “I’m sorry.”

The apology took her by surprise, and before she knew it, she was already crying, the tears gradually relieving her of her terror. Taking the seat across her, the prince forcibly scoopedFawn into his lap and, ignoring her flimsy struggles, pushed her head firmly on his chest.

“I’m sorry.”

The words had her forgetting about struggling, and she found herself crying even harder. “I was s-so scared.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

The harshness of his tone penetrated her shock, and Fawn fought for control, sniffing back her tears as she lifted her gaze to his. “I’m sorry, too. I know it wasn’t your fault.”

“It was.”

“It was not.”

“Will we never agree on anything?”

The prince’s tone was sardonic, but his gaze was gentle, and it was this that had her lips trembling anew. Eyes bright with tears she struggled to keep at bay, Fawn said with a bewitchingly tremulous smile, “P-probably.”

Ah.

Did she know how she looked right now? Any man would be forgiven for kissing her, and he was tempted.

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