Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed



Dave's frame visibly tensed, "Leda, it wasn't me... It was Levi, he's the one who said you..."

"What he said doesn't matter. What does is that you brought me to this dinner party, and you used me to strike up a conversation with Mr. Hawkes, didn't you? Or was that Levi's doing too? He must be incredibly dedicated!"

"Leda, hear me out... I wasn't using you, I swear. I'm genuinely terrified of these kinds of social gatherings, that's why I asked you to come with me..." "Terrified? You seemed quite at home, mingling and enjoying the wine, looking anything but scared."

"I..."

Dave was at a loss for words.

"Let's end this here. From now on, if we meet, we'll be strangers," Leda said, turning on her heel. Suddenly-Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

"Think you can just walk away from me?" His voice was cold and deep, as if emerging from the depths of hell, "Do you think it's going to be that easy?"

Leda turned around to see the once cheerful and honest 'puppy dog' now bearing a look of sinister greed, no longer hidden behind a facade.

"Two million dollars, plus the lead role in that A-list TV series, and we're square."

Leda laughed, stepping closer to him, "You're setting terms with me?"

Dave clenched his teeth, then said, "You could say that."

"Do you think you're in a position to negotiate?"

"Our intimate photos, isn't that leverage enough?"

Far from being intimidated, Leda's smile grew even wider, "And if I refuse, what then? You'll release the photos?"

"That's right."

"You" Dave was taken aback.

Leda continued, "I'm confident in my looks and my figure; there's not a single part of me that I'm ashamed of. But what about you? Once the photos are out, can you handle the scandal of being kept?"

"I couldn't care less. I'm not in showbiz, nor do I aspire to be a superstar. But what about you? Don't you care?"

With just a few words, she had him cornered.

Dave's expression shifted multiple

times, eventually reverting to his pitiful puppy dog' look, "Leda, I'm sorry, I was wrong, please don't leave me..."

But Leda merely smirked, lightly tapping his cheek with a look of cruel indifference-

"When I liked you, I could pamper

you, love you, indulge you; but once my feelings are gone, I can discard you just as easily. That's the rule, got it?

"If you want to survive in this circle, know your place. Don't think too highly of yourself."

"To put it nicely, I was supporting you; to put it bluntly, you were nothing but a dog I kept."

"A dog that bites its owner knows what fate awaits, right?" She spoke slowly and deliberately, "Skinned, and bones stripped."

With each word she uttered, Dave grew paler.

By the end, he was trembling, drenched in sweat.

It turned out no one in the upper echelons was a fool, and it was laughable how he thought he could control her.

Leda was pleased with his reaction.

With a light laugh, she walked away.

Just as she left, a figure emerged from the shadows, the cigarette between his fingers burned down to the filter.

He stamped it out under his foot.

York watched her departing figure, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

Damn, she's ruthless and even more decisive in cutting ties than he was, yet irresistibly captivating.