Cruel

Long Xia had finished her workout with Shao Lin before escorting her sister-in-law back to her apartment. She then showered when she received a message from her brother: be here in 15 minutes.

She called him. He picked up.

"Don't I need to keep watch of your wife?" she questioned.

"Kun is on his way, he'll take over, but I need you here."

"Why?"

Long Yat-sen hesitated to answer until he said, "Bojing is making a scene."

"And he's my responsibility because?" she retorted.

"He's your partner," Long Yat-sen reminded her.

"He's nothing to me."

"I know that's not true," her brother said.

Long Xia paused. "Even if I were to go there, why would he listen to me? I would only make one of his moods worse."

"Good," he replied, "Because that's what I need. It's a distraction. He won't listen to anyone else."

"My efforts will be in vain," she told him. "But I'll be there in 10 minutes."

Long Xia ended the call before she quickly dressed, placed on her silver-blonde wig, and finished with some black liner that brought out the colour of her eyes.

She then grabbed her car keys, greeting one of the twins—her brother—on the way before she left. Dressed in black with silver hair, she arrived at the club, a raunchy meeting place for people in the Underworld. It was no wonder why her brother did not want his wife exposed to such a scene. It was not for the light-hearted, but still, Shao Lin had to see it sooner or later.

It was his world, and now Shao Lin's.

Long Xia found her eldest brother sitting on a large lounge chair, fit for a king. He casually sat with a leg propped over the other, a hand resting against the side of his face with his elbow on the armrest. He looked impatient and not amused. He met her gaze to note her arrival before his attention went back to the dangerous men that accompanied him.

Her brother ruled this part of the city, but it did not mean there weren't people that would not cross or betray him. He stayed alert, and he oversaw issues within their organization.

Long Xia was loyal to the Dragon Organization through and through, but she was meant for a different path than her brother. She knew it since she was a child when she reached for her father's sword. Her fate was sealed then.

Long Xia's gaze narrowed as she searched for the man that made her miss her favourite detective drama. She sighed. It was a new episode too.

She found Yuan Bojing fighting.

If it had been a normal club, Yuan Bojing and the other man would have been thrown out. But this was not a normal setting. Yuan Bojing's sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, his jacket thrown aside as he was facing his opponent. Other people surrounded them, holding money notes as they cheered on for the person they were betting on.

Long Xia watched with her arms crossed and a raised brow, waiting for the fight to be over.

The other man lunged for Yuan Bojing, but he raised his arms, protecting his head, dodging his blow. Yuan Bojing countered by throwing a right hook, nearly knocking the man unconscious. He then raised his arms in victory as the men cheered for him.

Yuan Bojing downed a shot, looking to see if there was someone else willing to fight him. Long Xia would have taken the challenge if it were not because she was here for a different reason, and that was to make him stop making a scene—to stop fighting. She could tell Yuan Bojing was pissing many people off. He was not part of the organization, nor did he fit in. He was only a guest because of his connection to Long Yat-sen, and he made members look like sorry losers for losing to him.

As Yuan Bojing looked for another opponent, his gaze then collided with hers, and he stilled.

He narrowed his eyes at her as he stumbled, drunk.

Long Xia rolled her eyes as she approached him. She watched as his chest rose and fell when she stepped closer.

Sometimes, Long Xia was unsure if he was close to pouncing on her or throttling her. Perhaps both. He brushed past her as he said, "What are you doing here?"

She turned, following him to a booth. He went to grab another drink as she answered, "I'm here to get you."

"I'm not some child you need to pick up after a sleepover."

"I know," she countered. "I'm here because my brother told me to get here."

"Well, tell your brother to fuck off."

Long Xia sighed. "That's no way to talk about a prince of the Dragon. You're lucky I don't have your hand for that."

He smiled unkindly. "Oh, how gracious of you to grant me mercy, princess," he said sarcastically. Long Xia nearly had enough. It was not normal for him to be in a mood this bad, which meant something triggered him, and she wondered what it was.

She watched as Yuan Bojing took a seat. "Shouldn't you be warming your fiancé's bed?" he asked her.

Long Xia's mouth gaped. "You heard of that?"

He downed another drink. "The entire city knows it."

Long Yat-sen recently had a beneficial match, and she figured she should get one too. Indeed, Long Xia was engaged. It was a marriage of convenience. In the end, a love match was unrealistic, and she stopped being a hopeless romantic years ago.

"Do you love him?" he questioned her.

She was surprised, he asked. "Why does that matter?" Why does he care?

"It matters because you deserve better. You deserve more."

"You're drunk," she said, not believing his words. She never thought Yuan Bojing, the man who spent years tormenting and taunting her, would say something like that.

He chuckled darkly. "Amazing observation skills."

Blood started to spill down his face, and Long Xia reached for him, but Yuan Bojing instinctively stopped her with his hand on her wrist. "Don't touch me," he said.

"You're bleeding, and for god's sake, don't act like a child, and let me touch you."

Yuan Bojing swallowed as Long Xia grabbed a cloth from the table to put it on his face to stop the small bleeding. She held it as she watched his breathing shallow, his expression laced with something like anger and desire.

His eyes were heated. Long Xia brushed a hand across his face. He shuddered, pivoting against her touch. Her eyes widened, realizing she was making him feel a certain way when she thought it would be impossible to happen again.

This was the same man who made it clear things between them would never happen.

Long Xia was sixteen when Yuan Bojing kissed her impulsively. They had sex that same night, which she initiated, and it meant everything to her, but then he stripped away their happiness with something he could never take back. That was ten years ago, and since then, she hated him, and Yuan Bojing did not hide his discontent for her.

It was meant to be like this, a rivalry between them, and nothing more.

She caressed his dark hair, tousling it aside. His eyes glinted. "You are cruel, Long Xiatian," he told her.

Long Xia took his chin in her hand, facing him so close their lips nearly met. "Not as cruel as you," she breathed against his mouth.

She then let go of his face, ache written all over his expression as she stepped back. "Now come with me. I'm taking you home." He did not say anything, but Yuan Bojing reluctantly listened and followed. He hopped in her car, and they remained silent until she arrived at his home.

After making sure he got inside, Long Xia could not help but finally breathe. Even after all this time, he had an effect on her she could not shake, and she hated it.