Page 4 of Taming Dahlia

To lie or not to lie?I weighed in my head for a moment.

“I’m twenty-one.”

I wondered if he and I were thinking of the same thing right now.

He looked like he was more than half my age.

The old pervert.

At long last, the Don finally stirred from his stillness and I felt his fingers lightly brush against my cheek as he moved a stray curl out of my face. He twirled the curl around his finger once, before dropping his arm to his side. His gaze lingered on me for a moment longer, before he finally shook his head. “No.”

“No?” I echoed, forgetting myself for a second.

The Don took a step back, away from me. “You’re too young. Next time, tell your madame to send someone older.”

Now… this was unexpected.

Who would have thought that the Don had enough of a moral compass to deny himself something only because of a small age gap?

I briefly changed my perception of him to old-fashioned, and not just about the decor.

But unfortunately, no matter how respectable and decent the notion was, it just wasn’t going to work for me.

“Is there any way that I could convince you to give me a chance?” I tried to persuade him, keeping my tone light and sweet, but he didn’t budge.

“I’m afraid not.”

I nodded and willed my heartbeat to slow down. “Alright then.”

In one swift movement, I pulled out the decorative hairpin that kept my curls high in a messy bun — a pretty, sharp thing, full of poison — and swung it at him.

He jerked out of the way and when he made a move to raise his voice, I immediately clocked him in the mouth with my fist. I kicked him in the shin, and he let out a pained groan as he fell down on one knee. Moving fast, I got behind him and forcibly held my palm over his mouth and nose, cutting off his airflow.

Do not make a sound.

The plan went off the rails and I only had a few seconds until someone would undoubtedly hear us and burst through the door. I had to make every second count.

With my other hand, I tried to jam the hairpin into the soft skin of the Don’s neck, but he pushed backward into me, making me stagger back into a nightstand. The noises must have finally alerted the bodyguards standing outside as the door swung open with a bang and men started to pool in. I tried my best to fight them off, managing to push the hairpin into one of the bodyguard’s arteries, the blood spraying out of it like a waterfall. Another man grabbed my hands and twisted them behind my back, and I felt a strong fist making contact with my jaw, making me taste iron in my mouth.

I snapped my head backward, hitting the man behind me in the face, and for a few seconds, I was released. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, making me feel like I could take on a hundred more men. In front of me, the bodyguard tried to punch me again, but before he could, I pushed the hairpin into his eye.

But then, out of nowhere, I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head and the noises around me gradually began to fade into the background. My vision started to blur and darken around the edges until all I could see was pitch black.

I should have used the poison on myself when I had the chance— was my last thought before I finally went under.

* * *

I gasped for breath as I felt icy cold water being poured over my head. It made the hairs on my nape stand up, bringing every nerve in my body back to life. A wave of vertigo washed over me, causing nausea to swirl in my stomach as I coughed uncontrollably.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty!”

I heard a cheerful voice exclaiming through a sharp, piercing noise in my ears. I felt like a hammer was relentlessly pounding against my temples, causing my mind to deliriously spin.

Another voice chuckled.“Let’s give her a second, guys. She’s still out of it.”

A hand lightly tapped my cheek a few times, and my eyelids felt heavy as I struggled to pry them open.

“And there she is.”The blurry form crouching in front of me crooned softly.

---