Kidnapped by a Dragon Billionaire - Chapter 48

Zi Mei sat stewing on the bed in the bedroom. Cursing the infuriating old dragon. Does he have to keep reminding her about the blasted contract? It was not something anyone could easily forget. Signing over your body as a baby making slave to a three thousand years old dragon shapeshifter is not something one could forget in a jiffy. Her heart ached at the way he mentioned it coldly mere moments ago. Did she mean nothing more than a vessel to carry his heirs?

Forget it, Zi Mei! He has already warned you that he doesn’t believe in love. You are just being silly to fall in love with him. Stupid, stupid woman, she admonished herself. Still, her heart twisted at the thought. She needed to think about something else other than Thorin and their complicated relationship.

She took out her phone and texted Darren. She needed to apologise for turning him away and disappearing with Thorin like that. Essentially, she had chosen Thorin over Darren. She doesn’t even know if she would ever have chosen Darren if the situation is different. If she had not been in love with Thorin. If she had not felt an ounce of anything towards Thorin. If she had never met Thorin.

“Darren, I am so sorry,” she texted.

“Are you alright? Where are you?” he replied almost immediately.

“At a hotel, I am too spooked to stay at home tonight.” She replied.

“What??? You checked into a hotel with HIM???”

Okay. This is threatening to turn into another “leave him, he’s no good for you” conversation.

“No, I am alone.” She lied. It’s not as if Darren will ever find out anyway. She doubt that Thorin will tell Darren about spending the night in a hotel with her.

“Do you want me to come over? I can keep you company. ;)”

She stared at the message. Was he being a good friend or was there something more to it?

“S’okay, I’ll brave it out alone, binge of bad movies, order room service, living the life.” She replied.

“Which hotel are you at? I can come over now.”

“Don’t worry about it. I am fine being alone here.” She replied. She can’t let him come over.

“Look, I am not gonna jump on you and attack you! I just want to keep you company and be there for you. No hanky-panky. Promise.”

Something about that message jangled. It seemed off. It didn’t sound like Darren. But then again, she did reject him.

“Look. I won’t even mention my embarrassing declaration of love earlier which you rejected and stomped on.” Came another message. Now she felt bad. She did hurt him by choosing Thorin over Darren. But that can’t be helped. She tried to think of a way to let Darren down gently. Just then a message from Jazzmine came in.

“Mei. I am so sorry about earlier. I was really buried.”

“Jazzy, don’t worry. I am fine.”

“Free to talk now?” Jazzmine asked.

“Sure. Video call?” she replied.

Then Jazzmine was calling her on video call. She answered immediately. Her friend looked as frazzled as she sounded earlier. Her hair was a jumbled mess.

“Hey babe. Wow. Where are you?” Jazzmine’s eyes widened when she noticed the plush surroundings behind Zi Mei. Zi Mei showed her the luxurious room. The gorgeous king-sized bed. The expensive furnishings.

“I’m in a hotel,” Zi Mei said.

“Oooooo….are you there with someone, hmmm?” Jazzmine wiggled her eyebrows. Zi Mei laughed.

“No, I am alone,” she lied, hoping that Thorin will not decide to waltz in while she is still talking to Jazzmine. Her friend frowned. She looked worried.

“Why are you in a hotel?”

“Someone broke into my house and, don’t worry, nothing happened, but I was spooked so I decided to spend a night in a hotel to sort of calm my nerves,” she said.

“What??? OMG! Did you see them? What did they steal?? I am glad you are okay,” Jazzmine was shocked.

“No, no, they didn’t take anything, strangely,” she decided to be partially honest about it.

“Do you think it’s the loansharks? Did they come back maybe?”

“No, no, not the loansharks, I’ve settled all my debts thanks to Thorin so it can’t be them,”

“Could it be that your father took more loans?” Jazzmine suggested tentatively. This brought on another worry. Her father could very well do that wherever he is right now. He doesn’t know she’s now a millionaire but still, he is a gambler. Gamblers rarely ever get over their addiction.

She shook her head. She’s overthinking it. Thorin said her father ran away to another state far away. So, even if he took new loans, surely they wouldn’t be able to track her down. Especially when she has moved out from their old house.

“I don’t think so…” she told Jazzmine.

Jazzmine thought over it for a moment.

“Did you call the police?” she asked.

Zi Mei told her about the police’s reaction. Jazzmine shook her head.

“Trust the police to be assholes sometimes,” she said.

“Anyway, I needed to ask you something.” Jazzmine changed the subject. “Did you notice anything strange about Darren recently?” she asked.

Zi Mei kept her expression neutral. Surely Darren has not told Jazzmine about his confession of love to her and she had rejected him to go with Thorin?

“What do you mean?” she pretended not to know anything.

“There’s just something off about him…I noticed it a few days ago,” Jazzmine said.

“Off?” this is new. Darren seemed normal. Sure, he had confessed and tried to get her to leave Thorin but that’s nothing strange about it. If Jazzmine and Sheena knew about her and Thorin, they would also ask her to leave him.

“Yes, he was behaving strangely a few days ago,” Jazzmine said.

“Strange in what way?”

“Well, he was asking me all these things about you, what you like to eat, your favourite colour, where you usually like to go…”

Now, that is strange. Darren has known her for ages. He knows all these things about her. Why would he ask Jazzmine?

“He did that?” she was puzzled. It didn’t sound like Darren at all. “Maybe he’s teasing you?”

“No, no, he was quite serious about it. He said he needed to know to take care of you better,” Jazzmine said.

That sounded even stranger.

“That doesn’t sound like him at all…are you sure it was Darren you were talking to?” Zi Mei asked, partly in jest.

“Actually, he only asked me through texts, we didn’t actually speak on the phone or meet up,” Jazzmine said.

“Maybe someone else was using his phone?” Zi Mei suggested. Maybe it’s a college mate who took Darren’s phone and did that as a prank.

“That’s what I thought too, maybe that’s it,” Jazzmine agreed.

“Look, Jazzy…I know how you feel about Darren,” Zi Mei didn’t want to hide the fact that she knew about her friend’s crush on Darren.

Jazzmine blushed. She looked away for a moment and took a deep breath before looking directly at Zi Mei.

“I know you like him too, and from the way he looks at you, he probably felt the same way about you, so I won’t get between both of you,” she said in a rush.

“No, no, Jazzy! You got it wrong! I don’t like him like that!” she immediately protested. She inhaled. She might as well confide in Jazzmine.

“I am in love with Thorin and I am in sort of a relationship with him,” she blurted. Jazzmine was shocked into silence.

“You mean you are his mistress?” her friend whispered. Disbelief is written all over her face. There is no other way to say it. Zi Mei nodded. She is technically Thorin’s mistress.

“But…” sudden realisation came over Jazzmine’s face. “Now I get it…that’s why he settled your debts? I was wondering why he was being so generous,” then she studied Zi Mei.

“Did you sleep with him?” she asked in a lowered tone, even though she’s alone in her room and Zi Mei is technically alone in the room.

Zi Mei nodded shyly. Jazzmine gasped. Zi Mei has never had a boyfriend before and though Sheena tends to share intimate details of her every relationship, Zi Mei doesn’t think she is as open as Sheena. She only hoped Jazzmine won’t immediately judge her as a cheap slut who sleeps with the first man who offered to settle her debts. Although, technically, that was what she did.

“Is he any good? Does he look as good naked as he does with clothes on?” Jazzmine asked, curiously. No judgement there. Only curiosity. Zi Mei narrowed her eyes at Jazzmine. Her friend shrugged and grinned.

“He is exceedingly good looking and you can’t blame me…of course I’ve wondered what he looked like naked…is he..you know…well endowed?” she asked, giggling. Zi Mei giggled along. She glanced behind to make sure Thorin had not secretly snuck into the room. After making sure that it’s clear, she whispered.

“Super well endowed and so hot…phewwww” she rolled her eyes and fanned herself.

Jazzmine giggled and she looked envious now.

“Dang…I wouldn’t mind that hotness either,” she said. Then a thought came to her mind. “But, he’s married isn’t it? What about his wife?”

If Zi Mei didn’t know about the fake marriage between Thorin and Jessica, she would have felt guilty. However, she can’t tell Jazzmine that. She settled with the lie she told Darren.

“Oh, they are separated,” she said. Jazzmine nodded at that. Then her eyes widened and her mouth fell open, gaping at something behind Zi Mei.

Zi Mei turned around.