Chapter 196:
Makenna’s POV:
I instinctively shrank back, trying to keep my voice steady. “I can go stay with Alice.”
Bryan’s expression darkened immediately, his eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint. “Makenna, are you playing hard to get?”
My heart skipped a beat. Did he suspect I was using him? “What do you mean?” I shot back, trying to mask my anxiety.
Bryan snorted coldly but didn’t reply right away. Instead, he settled beside me and ordered the driver to start the car.
I reassured myself silently. Bryan, for all his arrogance, couldn’t have figured it out. He didn’t know about Kristina’s threats or the necklace, and today’s plan was a spur-of-the-moment idea. The chances of him connecting the dots were slim.
After what felt like an eternity of silence, Bryan finally broke it, looking at me with that self-assured smirk of his. “So, you know me so well. Seems all those rejections of yours were just an act.”
I blinked, taken aback, and then inwardly rolled my eyes. How self-centered. I chose not to respond.
But Bryan wasn’t one to let things go. He pressed further, his tone dripping with arrogance. “If it wasn’t an act, then why are you so familiar with my preferences? Even down to the smallest details? Admit it, you’ve been playing hard to get.”
His relentless questioning was wearing me down, so I decided to cut to the chase. “When we first started training, Hayley briefed us on your preferences. I just happen to have a good memory, that’s all.”
Bryan’s face darkened further, his jaw clenching. “Is that all?” he asked, his voice tight with frustration.
I nodded, keeping my expression neutral. Those earlier vulnerabilities were part of the plan, and now that it was over, I had no intention of letting Bryan get the wrong idea about me. The last thing I wanted was to be entangled with him any longer, especially after everything he’d done.
Bryan let out a bitter laugh, the sound laced with exasperation. His hand shot out to pinch my face—not gently, either. “Makenna, I just saved your life. The least you could do is say something nice.”
𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕔𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕖: 𝗀𝖺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀﹒𝖼𝗈𝗆
I met his gaze calmly. “If you ask, I’ll tell you the truth. But if you’re trying to leverage your act of saving me to make me change my words, then I’m willing to comply.”
My blunt honesty only seemed to fuel Bryan’s anger. “You’re unbelievable!” he snarled, his grip tightening, and for a moment, I thought he might actually strangle me as he had done in the past.
My heart raced. I had just been choked by that obese man; the last thing I needed was to be strangled by Bryan too. But then, something shifted in Bryan’s expression. He looked at the bruises on my neck, his hand pausing mid-air.
“Dammit,” he muttered, his tone suddenly softer, yet still laced with irritation. “I’ll let you off today. But next time, think carefully about how many lives you have left before you talk to me like that again.”
The car came to a stop in front of his villa. Bryan scooped me up and carried me inside, unceremoniously dropping me onto the sofa. He waved a servant over with a flick of his hand.
“Go fetch the ointment for external injuries.”
I blinked, surprised. Was Bryan really going to apply the ointment for me?
