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Familiar

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Chapter 16: Familiar (Kai's POV)

Shock. Panic. Fear. Curiosity. You could name just about any emotion, and it was painted all over Rose's pretty little face for the entire table to see. Clearly, our families meeting so soon had caught her off-guard. 

I couldn't say she was the only one; I was almost as baffled when my mother called me this morning, demanding my presence at brunch with the Chens. 

Truth be told, the idea that Rose may have agreed to this arrangement only temporarily to buy herself more time did cross my mind. But the look in her eyes betrayed my suspicions last night. 

She looked desperate enough to think working with me was a good idea. And that was about as desperate as her morals would ever let her be. 

I couldn't help but watch her throughout the conversations that buzzed around us at that table. It wasn't simply because I struggled to take my eyes off of her. She watched and listened to the conversations between our parents with undivided attention. 

I could already see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to devise a solution to this problem, but the sighs of defeat and frustration she let out every few moments told me that all the scheming was to no avail. 

There was no out. She made her bed, and now she would have to lay in it. 

"Rose?" 

I kept my eyes on her as Mrs. Chen called her name. She missed it, continuously poking and prodding at whatever was left on her plate. 

"Rose," Mrs. Chen repeated, clearing her throat. 

"Rose," her father said sternly. 

Inhaling sharply, her eyes snapped straight up to his. "I'm sorry." The words slipped out of her mouth so fast, it was practically a reflex. It seemed like that's all she was ever doing around her father. Apologizing. 

"Mr. Warner would like to know what you think," Dom said to her quietly. 

She blinked once, then twice, absolutely lost in the conversation. She was so zoned out that she hadn't comprehended a single word spoken in the past fifteen minutes. 

"Mr. Chen," I said, meeting the man's eyes. Along with his, everyone else's gaze shifted to me. 

Remind me never to draw attention to myself at a table with these people. 

"I would like to have a word with your daughter," I paused. "Alone." 

His eyes narrowed for a brief moment. "Do you deem that to be proper, Kai?" 

"Frankly, Sir, what I deem improper is you not letting me speak to my fiancée alone." 

"Kai," my mother hissed at me. 

I held his gaze, arching a brow slightly as I tilted my head. 

He scoffed dryly before nodding dismissively. "Go ahead." 

I rose from my seat and rounded up to Rose, waiting for her to join me before we walked away from the table and headed toward the building. "What's wrong, Ms. Chen? Getting cold feet already?" I smirked, slowing my steps as I noticed the quick succession of hers. 

She sighed in annoyance. "Something like that, I suppose," she muttered. 

"You regret it," I said. 

She glanced at me briefly. 

"It's not a question. It's written all over your face. You regret it. You wish you had fought back against your father a little harder, rebelled a little more, and resisted a little longer. You want out, not just from this marriage, but from this life you're living." 

She arched a brow at me. "You got all that by looking at me, Warner?" 

"No, I got all that from observing you." 

"Awfully observant for someone who hates me, aren't you?" 

"Perhaps," I said, opening one of the double oak wood doors to the library, gesturing for her to lead the way. 

She glanced inside, then at me, and then walked in anyway. 

She should know better by now than to leave herself alone with me. 

"Tell me what you're thinking, Chen," I said as I trailed behind her through the library aisles. 

"Don't you want to guess? Make it a game like you do with everything else?" she scoffed, tracing along the spine of each book we passed with a single finger. Walking through a library this large was like walking through a maze, one we both knew how to get lost in easily. 

"We've been playing for too long," I replied, my eyes traveling from the tip of her finger as it kissed the spine of each book, up across her arm, and the slope of her shoulder. 

"Have we?" she asked, glancing at me over her shoulder. "I thought we were just getting started." I thought I caught the ghost of a smirk dancing on her lips as she turned back and rounded a corner, slipping out of my view. 

I took my time catching up with her while she scanned every book in this goddamn room. 

"Did you pull me away just to tour the library we've been visiting since we were kids, Mr. Warner?" she asked, stopping at a dead end and finally turning to face me. "Or do you have something you truly want to ask me?" 

I walked forward until there was no distance left between us. She held my gaze, tilting her chin back as she retreated with a tiny step, her back meeting the shelf. "I want to know your game plan, Ms. Chen," I said. 

Her brows furrowed briefly. "What makes you think I have one?" 

"It's impossible that you don't," I retorted. "You have a problem on your hands and a rather difficult one at that, I admit. But I refuse to believe you resigned so easily. So, what will it be?" 

She held my gaze.

"Will you work with me? Or against me?" I braced my hands on the shelf, caging her in. 

She rested her head against the shelf, her eyes scanning my face. "Are you sure those are my only two options?" 

"If you think I'll let you use me to get your way in whatever game you and your father are playing, I would highly suggest you think again," I told her, keeping my voice low but my words sharp. 

There was a heavy silence between us for several minutes. Neither one us moved, not even a whisper escaped our lips. 

Nothing until she finally said, "You are my gameplan, Warner." 

"Elaborate, my love." I inched slightly closer to her, our chests brushing against one another. 

"Frankly speaking, you overestimate me," she added. "Let me make it clear for you. I will marry you. I intend to walk down that aisle, say 'I do,' and do whatever else it takes to convince my father that I am your wife. But don't be fooled, Warner. I have no intention of letting things stay that way for long." 

"Is that so?" I asked, nudging her chin up gently with my knuckles. 

She hummed in response. "I will play pretend, and I will do a good fucking job, Warner. Will you?" 

I watched her, calculating for a moment. 

"You don't truly expect me to believe you're accommodating me by doing this out of the goodness of your heart, do you? Either you want something in return or have other intentions or a motive. So, which is it?" she demanded.

Rose was an intelligent girl, far too brilliant for her own good and far too clever for me to fool with hollow lies. 

My inheritance and role at Warner & Co. weren't the only things on the line for me. There was a lot more riding on my shoulders, something I couldn't afford to lose, something that wasn't entirely mine to own. It wasn't something I was selfishly doing for myself. 

"A little bit of both, perhaps," I said, finally answering her question. 

"Perhaps," she echoed. As my hand slipped down to her hip, I caught the way her grip tightened on the shelf behind her, her knuckles turning white. Her back almost instinctively arched off the shelf as she took a sharp breath. "What do you think you're doing?" she whispered as my hand trailed lower, toying with the hem of her tennis skirt. 

Instead of answering her, I traced a single line across her thigh. 

She huffed, "If you're trying to distract me, you're not doing very well." 

"Maybe it's not a distraction, my love," I said quietly, dropping my lips to her ear. Testing my luck and her patience, I dared to take my fingers higher, tracing the waistband of her panties, relishing in the softest gasp she let out as I touched her hipbone. "Feel a little familiar?" I smirked, my lips brushing against her earlobe. 

"The truth?" She eased me off just enough to meet my gaze. "You used to be better at that four years ago." Grabbing my wrist, she eased my hand out from under her skirt and pushed me off with a roll of her eyes. "Then or now, my words still stand, Warner. There is nothing only you could possibly give me." 

"Are you sure about that, Rose?" I asked. 

She held my gaze, a hint of uncertainty swirling in them. 

"Let me prove you wrong," I offered, lifting a brow at her. 

She paused in confusion and curiosity. "Elaborate." 

"I'll make you a deal, Rose. Cover for me, and I'll cover for you. No questions asked. Use me all you want to win this game. You get to do whatever you want. You have my word. I won't interfere. And in return, you'll do the same. I don't know what you have planned, and frankly, my love, I don't care. But the bottom line is..." I leaned down until we were eye to eye. "You need me far more than I need you. You need me... but I want you." 

Her eyes narrowed slightly. 

"If there's anyone I trust to keep my dirty little secrets, it's you." 

"Me?" she questioned. "The one person who's always had it out for you? The one who enjoys watching your downfall is the one you trust?" 

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "If this will be my downfall, it'll be at your hands and your hands only. Isn't that what you want, sweetheart? Tell me, what exactly do you have to lose?" 

She paused in thought and I eventually voiced the answer for her. 

"Nothing," I whispered. "You have nothing left to lose." 

Everything with her was dangerous and lethal, and she could never be trusted. It was dangerous... but it was familiar. 

"So, Ms. Chen," I sighed, "do we have a deal?" 

She held my gaze. "We have a deal, Warner."

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Chapter 16

I AM VERY MUCH ALIVE GUYS

I can't believe it's been two months since my last update, but I FINALLY took the time to write today!! (By 'took out the time,' I mean I'm writing in the middle of the night)

I won't disclose the next chapter's name yet because I haven't decided it, and I can't promise when the next update will be, so I'm sorry about that!!