Page 43 of In Love with a Cruel Billionaire

Mairi burst into laughter. “Maybe I should call you Gollum instead.” But even as she teased him, she couldn’t help but feel cherished. Because those words, translated to English, meant ‘my precious’.

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“WE’RE AGREED THEN?You will move in this weekend?” Damen asked as his limousine slowed down to a stop on the very same road Mairi had chosen to meet with him the first time. The cloak-and-dagger stuff she insisted on frustrated Damen but for now, he knew he should not push his luck.

It was already a miracle he had somehow persuaded her to come back into his life. Damen would not dare do anything else that could make her leave him again. If she wanted to walk back to school from here, then so she would. However, Mairi did not have to know that he would also have an entire security team tailing her to make sure she reached her destination in one piece.

She bit her lip. “Are you sure Diana won’t mind?” Greek girls could still be terribly conservative and she didn’t want anything to ruin her friendship with the young girl as much as possible.

“She will understand. This is normal for Greek men.”

Mairi glanced at him in astonishment. “Really? I thought it would be the opposite?”

Her words puzzled Damen. “In what way should it be opposite? Do you think it is better thatIlive inyourhome?”

“No, no. I mean, it’s not normal for a couple to move in together before marrying, right? Not that I’m saying we’re going to get married soon but—-” Mairi stopped, belatedly noticing the way Damen had suddenly whitened.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

How could they have—-

FUCK! This was not fucking happening. This could not be fucking happening.

“Damen? What’s wrong?” Mairi reached out to touch his face, but he caught her wrist and shook his head. She let her arm fall back down, trying not to feel hurt.

He asked carefully, “What exactly do you think we are now, Mairi?”

She frowned at the question, unable to see the point of it. “Are you worried about the labels?” she asked finally. “We don’t have to be girlfriend or boyfriend. We can just be...an item.” That was the best she could come up with.

“An item...that will eventually lead to marriage?”

She colored, but not wanting to lie she said, “Eventually, yes.”

“But how can that be when I am still engaged to the Kokanis heiress?”

The words made Mairi’s vision blur. “What do you mean you’re still engaged?” she whispered.

The pain in her voice made him flinch. Goddamn it! He had promised himself he would not hurt her, but why the hell did things always get fucked up between them?

“Mairi, I didn’t lie to you this time. When we were in Vlahos’ yacht, I told you I wanted you in my life.”

“Yes.”

“But did I say I was going to break it off with her?”

“No, but...” She looked at him blankly. “How else will you have me back in your life if you still belong to her?”

“I don’t belong—-”

She shouted, “How?”

This time, he was the one who tried to reach out to her. And this time, she was the one to push him away.

“How?” she sobbed out. She had a feeling she already knew, but she needed to hear him say it.

Damen said bleakly, “I wanted you back in my life as my mistress.”

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