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He nods but doesn’t say anything.

“Do you even talk, Zhan Tian, or only with my brother and El? Or do you just brood all the damn time, and grunt an answer every now and then?”

He raises a brow; shit I called him by his full name again. “I talk,” he says, not elaborating. His gravelly deep voice goes right to the pit of my stomach.

“Okay, wow, going for the two-word answers, I think my question is answered.”

He frowns while he looks out over the city. “I talk when there’s something interesting to talk about,” he says, raising his scarred brow.

“Fuck you,” I bite out.

This gets a chuckle out of him. He flicks the cigarette away, running both hands through his hair, still not looking at me.

“Is that a vow?” he mutters under his breath, the corner of his lip hiking up in a half smile before it’s gone again.

“What?” I reply, I probably didn’t hear him right. He hates me; he isn’t flirting with me. I’m the obnoxious little sister of his best friend he apparently likes to mess with. The only time he ever looked at me was when I was sixteen and almost faceplanted because I missed a step to Moon’s office while he was exiting because of some meeting they had. He didn’t look at me when he helped me up. Thinking about it, the man looked to be in physical pain. The way he straightened his suit after, like he blamed me for wrinkling his fit didn’t help. Like I didn’t deserve to touch him.

“I don’t like you being alone,” he grunts, not bothering to look at me. “I know El is coming, that’s the only reason why I allow it.”

“Come again?” I huff. “You allow it? Who the hell do you think you are? Why do you all of a sudden care about what happens to me, Tian? I’m not your problem.”

His eyes flash to mine, the intensity in them takes my breath away. Something is going on, but I also know he’s never going to tell me. Everyone always keeps me out of the important decisions, as does Moon. I know he does it to protect me, but he even asked El to come to Tokyo and Seoul to translate for him, when I can speak those languages as well. I frown; my brother has been asking a lot about El the last couple of months since both of us came back from New York. No, when we were forced to come back, I need to keep remembering that.

Tian shakes his head, trying to hide his smile behind his hand, like I’m the one acting crazy. “You should check your attitude. Or I will check it for you,” he says, towering over me while staring me down.

I’m this close to punching him in the face; instead, I opt for grinding my molars together.

“Thinking of ways to insult me?” He grins.

“What do you want?” I spit out. “You’ve already taken my cigarettes, what more do you want from me?” I ask, raising my voice and turning in his direction.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair again. “What do I want?” He stretches as he asks himself the question. I stare at his black sleeve garters just above his elbows accentuating his muscles and feel my cheeks heat when he catches me stealing a look.

“Yes, what the hell do you want?” I repeat, standing on my tiptoes to get in his face.

He pushes off the railing, giving me a death stare, while a soft smirk tugs up the corner of his lip.

“Nothing. I want nothing from you, Jade. I already got it from your brother,” he says, calling me by my real name. How dare he? He has no right to use it. After tonight I’m going to make it my mission to make his life hell. Yes, I definitely have a death wish.

Ten years ago, Shanghai

Dash and Tian

I like the defiant stare in her bright blue eyes. She’s sure as fuck not playing me. She really doesn’t know I’m the one destined to marry her. I like the way she’s stabbing me with her eyes though. I also know I shouldn’t be up here with her, but downstairs with Moon in some meeting, planning our next steps. But he decided to pop poor El’s cherry so to speak, so I couldn’t be the only one who’s not playing with our food. We’re taking the two families into the future; we need to keep expanding our legit businesses to survive. To keep them: his little psycho and my little butterfly. I can’t keep killing people to get what I want. I mean, I do like that aspect of the job. This is why I need her. I don’t want her, but I need her to get what I want, peace for the Triad. I kept pestering Moon to hand her over, and after he finally relented, we went full speed ahead.

She shakes her head, saying something under her breath I can’t catch.

“What?” I taunt, playing with her. I shouldn’t, not after our fathers dropped the plan on me and my brothers. I mean it was both of our idea, we orchestrated it in such a way, so the old folks thought it was theirs. Before I knew it, I was the one at fourteen vowing to marry her when the time came. We’re both fucked. This is nothing but a merger, a business deal, nothing more. Moon is the same as me in this regard. We can’t ever love them, but we will have them. No one else is getting what rightfully belongs to us.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she huffs out.

“I’m not looking at you,” I lie.

She narrows her eyes at me, scrunching up her nose like I’m the worst piece of shit she’s ever looked at. I mean she isn’t far off. My cock hardens in my pants and for a minute there I have to grab the railing to steady myself. She doesn’t notice. She hasn’t noticed a lot of things the last few years. I still don’t want her, but I can’t deny a part of me needs her like the air I breathe. Like Moon needs El. Her eyes dart to mine and my dick throbs in response. I wonder, will she make me scream when I take her the first time when she truly becomes mine? Will she fight me while I take off my pants? Or will she be the one pushing me against the sheets? Fuck, I hope she will, the thought alone almost pushes me over the edge.

“I bet you will,” I say, sucking in a breath.

Her head snaps up as she eyes me suspiciously. “What are you talking about?”