Bride of Retribution: Aloof Billionaire's Dominant Game

The phone no longer carried her voice, only suppressed breathing.

Avery Jane’s complexion was nearly pale, her teeth clamped tight like clam shells, trembling slightly.

”Where on earth are you?” The man’s low tone was tinged with evident anger.

Joshua Hughes’s entire heart felt like a volcano about to erupt.

Even if Lucas Yates was already dead, he didn’t want Avery to spend another second with him.

He pictured the first time he saw her, that night the gentle breeze caressed her as she moved gracefully, standing before his tombstone, tracing the name with her fingers and softly speaking.

He had never seen her dressed up seriously, except on that night, her beautiful long dress made her look like a celestial fairy descending to earth.

Women beautify themselves for their beloved, but she never dressed up for him; yet for a dead man, she wore her most beautiful attire, which showed the status Lucas Yates held in her heart.

The answer was obvious, but he wanted to hear her say it herself.

”At the mall.”

Avery fought to control her emotions, striving to make her voice sound normal.

She had found a glimmer of hope; she didn’t want to provoke this man.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling office window, he looked at everything outside as if he were a king overseeing his realm, seemingly able to see through space to the lonely cemetery where the beautiful young girl held her phone and lied to him.

Her breathing gradually calmed, Joshua’s eagle-like eyes slightly narrowed, as if he could see through her thoughts over the airwaves: ”Which mall?”

”In a little shop next to the café, you wouldn’t know it, just some small gadgets.”

Beside the café was a little shop selling hand-made cloth dolls. She often visited it, so she casually mentioned it.

”Wait there; I’ll come to get you.”

Compared to Joshua’s cunning, Avery’s rudimentary lies were vulnerable before him.

Her heart was pounding wildly; she swallowed hard, unable to imagine if he went to that little shop and found out she lied.

”No need; I’ll come to find you instead.”

Avery said anxiously, her heart jolting up and down in her chest, envisioning his sharp gaze that seemed to penetrate one’s mind, laying all thoughts bare before him.

”You’re coming?” Joshua leisurely smirked, ”Then I’ll wait for you.”

His words made her uneasy, but she knew the possibility of being questioned or enduring his wrath was better than him going to the doll shop and not finding her.

The surroundings were so quiet, quiet enough that the drop of a pin would be audible.

Avery wondered if Joshua could hear her anxious and frantic heartbeat over the phone.

Fortunately, he didn’t insist on finding her.

She hurriedly urged the car toward Joshua’s office building, thankful there was no traffic. She quickly dashed into the bathroom, washed her face well, tidied her hair; either from the rush or nerves, her face was devoid of color.

She picked up a randomly carried lip balm, applied it, then bit her lip to make herself look more spirited, and then got into the elevator.

The secretary, with a professional smile, led her into the office. Joshua saw her but said nothing, merely sat there gazing at her as if she were an alien creature.

His gaze made her feel uneasy; she didn’t dare meet his eyes, bowed her head, fingers helplessly twisting tighter and tighter.

The office was very quiet; she could hear her rapid heartbeat, whereas his contrasted starkly, steady and powerful.

Joshua’s lips carried a faint smile, extending his hand toward her: ”Come over...”

He was undeniable, at least not someone she could provoke right now, so she obediently stepped forward, and he tugged her hand, pulling her down.

Being this close made her heart race even faster, as if it could leap from her throat at any careless moment.

Joshua’s warm breath enveloped her head, the faint scent of musk invading her olfactory nerves; she felt as though she were being engulfed by his exclusive aura, a little suffocated, a little dizzy.