The Billionaire’s Secret Vow

Morning sunlight filtered through gauzy curtains and spilled across the lavish bed.

At its center was a small mound beneath the covers. After a while, it stirred. A moment later, a tousled head of black hair slowly emerged.

Chloe Cole gave a soft groan. She opened her eyes a fraction, only for the harsh light to force them shut again. When she tried once more, the blinding white ceiling above her made her eyes fly open. In the next instant, she bolted upright.

"Ah..."

Halfway up, her delicate face twisted in pain. Her body stiffened and dropped back onto the mattress, which sank beneath her and then gently rebounded.

What had happened? Why did her whole body hurt so badly?

Chloe's lashes trembled rapidly, and a mist of tears rose in her clear eyes.

Where was she? Where was her grandfather?

"If you're awake, stop playing dead."

A cold voice came from her right, edged with barely restrained anger. It struck the stunned woman on the bed like a blade of ice.

Chloe shivered and sat up in alarm. The sudden movement made pain twist her small face again as her round eyes darted toward the doorway.

A tall man stood there in a black shirt, its sleeves rolled to his wrists and revealing the firm muscles of his forearms.

His slightly long hair shadowed his sharp brows, but it could not hide his narrow, piercing eyes. His thin lips were pressed together, making his displeasure unmistakable.

Chloe had no time to marvel at how handsome he was. The fog in her mind cleared, and everything that had happened yesterday rushed back like a tide.

"Y-you..."

She was terrified. Her fingers clenched the soft bedding, and her eyes reddened at once like those of a frightened rabbit.

"Why did you take me? Where is my grandfather?"

Yesterday, this was the man who had taken her from the village without explanation. He had claimed he would bring her to her grandfather, but instead he had taken her here before she could even see Silas. He had even tried to take advantage of her.

Bennett Barrett's handsome face twitched.

Here she went again. Last night, she had cried like a rabbit while hitting him at the same time. His forehead began to ache anew.

"Are you addicted to playing the rabbit?" Bennett asked impatiently.

She had already revealed her true nature yesterday. Did she think she could still fool him?

"R-rabbit?" Chloe drew back, her neck shrinking as she stared at him with wide, bewildered eyes.

Bennett's brows knit. He lifted a hand and pointed at his own forehead with long, well-defined fingers. His voice turned grim.

"Have you forgotten what you did yesterday? Do you expect me to believe you're a helpless, fragile woman?"

He practically forced out the words "helpless woman" through his teeth.

Chloe followed his hand in a daze. It was beautiful—pale, clean, and unlike any hand she had ever seen.

Then she noticed the faint purple bruise at the edge of his forehead, half hidden by his dark hair.

The scene from last night immediately returned to her. She had punched him there hard.

She glanced at him cautiously, then quickly looked away. The moisture in her eyes gathered into tears, ready to fall with the slightest blink.

"You attacked me first. I didn't mean to hit you."

Her voice was wronged and frightened. She truly had not meant to do it; when she felt threatened, fighting back was simply an instinct she could not control.

"I attacked you?" Bennett's teeth clenched. His dark eyes were as cold as ice. "You should be grateful I didn't break your hand when you touched me."

The chill in his gaze was almost tangible, like a bucket of icy water poured over Chloe from head to toe.

Her shoulders curled inward. At last, the tears in her eyes fell one after another.

"You're so fierce... so scary. I want my grandfather."

This man had said he would take her to Silas.

She straightened as best she could, gathered her courage, and asked, "Where is my grandfather?"

The coldness in Bennett's eyes deepened. His hand closed into a fist. After a long moment, he loosened it and pointed toward the bathroom.

"If you want to see your grandfather, change your clothes and get yourself ready." He glanced at his watch, frowning with impatience. "Three minutes."

At the prospect of seeing Silas, Chloe forgot how frightening Bennett was and ignored the pain in her body. She scrambled off the bed and ran in the direction he had indicated.

*Bang.*

The sound of a body hitting glass rang through the silent room.

"Ow..." Chloe rubbed her knee and sucked in a breath. The pain made her head swim.

Bennett's temple jumped. Unable to bear her fumbling any longer, he strode over, caught her by the collar, and dragged her to the vanity without the slightest gentleness.

The moment he released her, Chloe lost her support and grabbed his hand in panic to steady herself.

"Cough, cough..." Her neck had been squeezed painfully tight. Once the pressure vanished, she broke into a violent fit of coughing, her face turning red.

After she finally calmed down, she looked up and saw that his expression was even darker than before.

He frowned in distaste at the hand gripping his arm.

"Let go."

His sharp gaze swept over her, and his voice was glacial.

Chloe trembled at the sound. She released him instantly and sprang backward like a startled rabbit, desperate to get as far away from him as possible.

"Mm..."

Her back hit the vanity, and a fresh burst of pain flared through her. Her eyes immediately turned red again.

What an idiot.

Bennett took several deep breaths, forcing down the temper rising in him.

From the moment her name had appeared before him, this woman had done nothing but test the limits of his patience.

"Hurry up and brush your teeth." Seeing her panicked state, his brow tightened unconsciously. "Don't tell me you'll manage to hurt yourself doing that, too."

Chloe felt aggrieved. She did not want to get hurt, but there were so many things here she had never seen before, and she did not know the place at all.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she was about to leave when her collar tightened again. She cried out, "What are you doing? I can walk by myself."

"Walk by yourself? So you can run into the glass again?" Bennett gave a cold snort. He did not have time to waste on her.

"I-I did that by accident." Reaching up to stop him, Chloe defended herself in a small voice. "The glass was so clean. It was hard to see."

Bennett ignored her explanation, dragged her back to the bed, and flung her down as if she weighed nothing.

He took a dress from the wardrobe and tossed it onto the bed.

"Put it on."

Chloe immediately sat up and examined the dress. The skimpy cut made her hesitate. She looked at Bennett carefully.

"Can I change into something else?"

"What gives you the right to be picky?" he mocked.

Chloe bit her lip. "Then give me back my own clothes."

"Don't even think about it. As the Young Mistress Barrett, you will never wear those rags again."

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