Love Game With The Rebel Billionaire

While we ate, my mind kept replaying his calm demeanor during my questioning. Wasn't he even slightly curious about the strange things I'd been asking him? "I have a question for you," Ash said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

"That guy..." He paused briefly, as if choosing his words carefully. "Does he really look like me? So much so that you couldn't tell it wasn't me?"

I blinked twice, trying to process the question he had just asked. It took me a moment of staring at him in silence before I could respond.

"W-What?" I even stammered, my gaze locked on his.

At first glance, his face seemed neutral-neither smiling nor frowning-but when I looked closer, I saw sadness in his eyes.

I can't help it. Their resemblance was uncanny. Every detail, down to his physique and hairstyle, had been perfectly replicated.

The only thing the imposter hadn't captured was Ash's aura. Ash had an expensive, serious energy, not the dark, sinister vibe his copy radiated.

But was I right about this? How was it even possible?

"Never mind," Ash muttered abruptly, breaking my train of thought as he slammed his spoon and fork down on the table.

I flinched, startled, and turned to glare at him, only to find him glaring back even more intensely.

"You weren't even listening, Sapphire," he said coldly.

I looked away, my gaze falling to the floor.

He was right. I'd been lost in my thoughts, not paying attention to him despite his being right in front of me.

Ash had always been possessive, demanding my attention completely-just like before.

Wait. Why was I comparing everything to the past?

Just because something happened between us last night didn't mean anything would change. I knew Ash wasn't the type to shift his behavior because of a single night. I couldn't let my guard down. I couldn't afford to get hurt again. My focus had to stay on my children.

"D-Did you say something?" I asked hesitantly, finally meeting his gaze.

He shook his head, his expression unreadable as he cleared his plate.

"You said you have work. You'd better hurry," he said, his tone flat. "I'll take care of this."

I offered to help, but he immediately refused. Instead, he walked me outside, called someone to drive my car, and sent me on my way without another word.novelbin

The whole thing left me feeling bitter. It was as if what happened between us was a one-night stand, and the thought infuriated me even more.

To distract myself, I buried myself in work. I finished everything ahead of schedule and even looked for missions to occupy my mind, but nothing caught my interest. "Jerk," I muttered, stealing a glance at my phone.

He hadn't called or messaged since the morning.

Was he angry with me? For what?

"If he won't call, why don't you call him instead?"

I looked over at Evangeline, lounging on the couch in my office, her attention split between her phone and tablet.

I glared at her, but she didn't even glance up.

"I'm not waiting for Ash's call," I snapped, but she only smirked.

She finally looked at me, her brow arched. "Did I say his name?"

I pursed my lips. "Yeah, right."

Evangeline stood and perched herself on my desk, her scars visible but healing. "Admit it-you want another round, don't you? Spill!"

"Ouch!" I yelped as she swatted my arm, pretending her hand was light as a feather. "We didn't plan last night, okay? And no, I don't want another round!"

I couldn't believe how crude her words were today.

"Liar," she teased, narrowing her eyes.

I ignored her, but then my phone rang. I grabbed it quickly, feeling my heart race when I saw Ash's name on the screen.

"Hello?" I tried to sound composed, but my nerves betrayed me.

"Meet me at the restaurant near your office at lunchtime," he said casually, but his words made me frown.

"And how the hell do you know I'm at the office right now?"

I glanced at Evangeline, suspecting she'd told him, but she raised her brow at me in feigned innocence before returning to her gadgets.

"It's just a guess," he replied.

"Liar," I muttered, closing my laptop. "What do you want?"

"You'll find out. I'll be waiting," he said before abruptly hanging up.

I sighed, slipping my phone into my bag and gathering my things.

"I'm meeting Ash downstairs," I told Evangeline, but she smirked knowingly.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you two ended up at a hotel or your condo later," she teased. "Does he have a condom-"

"Evangeline!" I cut her off, stomping my foot in frustration.

"What? Don't act all innocent!" she retorted, gathering her own things.

Her fierce demeanor always amazed me, especially after all she'd been through.

As I glanced at the scars on her arms, her expression darkened.

"If I ever catch that person, I'll make sure their eyes are the only part of them left unscarred," she growled. "And they can do my backlogs as punishment." "Right," I agreed with a small smile. "Or you could make Haze do them," I added, pointing at the man who had just walked in.

"What the-"

"Bye, bitch," I said, patting Haze on the shoulder as I walked out the door.

When I reached the ground floor, I saw Ash waiting for me.

My heart raced as I approached him, wondering if he wanted to talk about what had happened. "What do you-"

"Make it look like you're fucking pissed at me," he interrupted.

"What?" I frowned, caught off guard.

"Just do it," he insisted, scanning the area as though someone was watching us.

That's when I realized I'd been right all along. Someone was indeed watching, and Ash knew who.

"You know them, don't you?" I asked quietly, my tone laced with accusation. "You know the killer-the one who ruined our relationship. And yet, you didn't defend yourself?"

He didn't respond, but his silence was enough.

"What the fuck? Are you for real?" I asked in disbelief.

"It's risky to act without knowing the full picture," he finally admitted, his voice low. "But it's even riskier, especially that I do know everything."

I closed my eyes, the weight of his words sinking in.

"Is that why I can't tell the difference between the two of you?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Because you've been working with them?"

He said nothing, his silence louder than any confession.

I gripped the glass of water in front of me, fighting the urge to throw it at him.

"Then you're no better than them," I spat, standing abruptly. "And don't worry-I'm not pretending to be pissed at you. Because I fucking am."