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His eyes widen; he knows what that means. “He wouldn’t go that far. I know him, he wouldn’t,” he says, but I can hear the slight doubt in his voice. Like it’s finally dawning on him we’re not playing around. Death’s the only answer, his or my brother’s.

“He would. You both pushed him over the edge Tian,” I seethe, grabbing him by the throat.

His eyes turn to little slits.

Fuck, I don’t know how long the chains can hold his weight, not long judging by the cracks starting to appear across the ceiling.

“Moon is probably already busy with El, so I think you have to reevaluate your plan, wife.”

“Don’t you wife me. We’re done, and Eliot will come through.” I snatch my phone from the dresser.

“Is this the reason why you’ve been checking your phone since you strung me up. I guess Moon has other plans with him if he’s not messaging you.”

I check my phone; he’s right, Eliot hasn’t let me know what’s going on. If he doesn’t come through with a message, it would mean Moon got to him first. Shit.

Tian cracks his neck. “Didn’t think it would happen so soon, did you? Moon loves El, babe; he wouldn’t hurt him. He might let him if he asked though.” He laughs.

“Fuck you, Tian.”

“In a minute,” he jokes. “How long do you think you have?” He hangs his head, his dirty black hair obscuring his eyes.

My stomach drops. Not long if Moon has gotten hold of Eliot. I hit one and press the phone with shaking fingers to my ear. Walking onto the patio with one of the most beautiful views of Shanghai, I wait for him to pick up. Tian’s place is insane. Four stories high with sliding doors leading to a wrap-around pool and a terrace with the best night view of the city. The staircase in the middle of the house going two stories up and the elevator leads to bedrooms and bathrooms all done in black marble.

I keep hearing a dial tone. “Pick up, El, please pick up.”

I hear a lighter click when Eliot answers, but it’s not his voice coming over the speaker. “He’s a little busy at the moment,” my brother Moon rasps.

My stomach drops while I grab the railing for support. “Don’t hurt him, Moon.”

He laughs; it sounds both deranged and excited at the same time. “You really think I’m not going to hurt him, Jade?” Fuck, he just used my real name. “After what he was planning to do to himself? You knew and you let him go. Are you fucking insane? I’ll never forgive you or him, and Tian wouldn’t either.” He inhales deep and I imagine him smoking his cigarette. “Eliot deserves what he’s getting.” I hear a muffled swear at the other end; it sounds like Eliot.

“Don’t you dare fucking hurt him.”

“I’ll make sure the fucker won’t be able to walk away from me. I’m never letting him go again. He’s mine.” His voice cracks at the end, betraying his anger, his hurt.

“Moon,” I warn.

“Don’t Jade, go talk to your husband,” he says ending the call.

“Fuck,” I swear as I look out over the city and the Huangpu River in the distance.

“Are you coming back inside?” Tian yells all excited.

I run a hand through my long hair. “Fuck this shit.” I walk back inside, closing the patio door behind me. Placing the phone on the dresser I feel him watching my every move.

“You had a good talk with your blood?” he asks smugly.

“Don’t,” I warn.

He chuckles. “He held himself back all these years while we were building our empire. For you two might I add. How much do you want to bet Eliot will only be able to crawl after he’s done with him? Moon decides when he lives, and when he dies. Are you scared the same might happen to you?” He laughs, coughing again. The chains rattle in response.

I throw a glance over my shoulder. His toes can barely reach the floor. Maybe I should make it easier for him to breathe? Then again, I haven’t been able to breathe this last year. He deserves every second of what I’m doing to him.

“When are we getting to the good part?”

I shiver under his possessive gaze, hating how breathless my voice sounds. After all these years, the man accumulated more scars over his body than I can count. Even one slicing all the way up his neck. Nonetheless his beauty always knocks the wind right out of my chest. He once told me eyes don’t lie. Maybe they don’t, but words and actions speak louder than any look he’s ever given me.

He leans forward, his dark eyes watching me intently. “I bought this place for you. For us,” he says, with no emotion in his voice, but there’s something simmering in those brown depths. He hates that I have the upper hand, the motherfucker is doing everything in his power to keep himself in check. He’s never been the one to hold himself back so I’m testing my luck here.