Page 115 of Reign of a Billionaire

My obsession with Louisa became oxygen and water. It was born out of emotions that the world had almost erased.

I couldn’t pinpoint when I fell in love with Louisa. It just happened—like a breeze becoming wind and then turning into a hurricane. It grew with each touch and kiss, each stolen moment.

My heart bled and ached during the years when I believed she was gone. I was a dead man walking, as cliché as it sounded. And then fate brought her back into my life. It was our second chance, and I wouldn’t waste it. I’d hunt down every threat and eliminate it.

Starting with Sofia Volkov.

Something had bothered me about this whole situation. It lacked any logic. Why would Sofia have orchestrated this whole thing?

And now, this random girl turned up beaten and confused, claiming her name was Louisa.

It was all connected. The question ofhowremained.

When we got back to the house, I barely spared Dr. Freud a glance when I said, “Your ride home’s waiting. Send me the bill.”

I lifted Louisa by the hips and sat down with her on my lap as Dr. Freud hightailed it out of there. She turned out to be very useful, although I wished she’d been able to offer me a way to spare Lou from it all. She kept staring at me as if she’d seen a ghost.

“Tell me how I can help,” I murmured, brushing my nose against hers.

“I’m Louisa?” She was still shellshocked, her eyes twitching and her mouth turned down in a frown. “You’re not going to break my wrist?”

I clenched my jaw so hard my molars almost shattered. That bitch must have forced all Lou’s old habits out of her.

Inhaling a calming breath, I forced a smile on before I said, “No. Nobody will ever hurt you again.” Her forehead came to rest against mine, her breathing shallow. “Take your time. Breathe. Everything else will come.”

“How could I forget?” she whispered. “How could I forget you?” She swallowed hard. “Me? Us?”

I stayed silent for a moment, thinking of the best way to answer. Maybe I should have kept Dr. Freud on for a bit longer, but now that Lou was back, I didn’t want any witnesses to our reunion.

“It was probably a combination of Sofia’s torture and your mind’s coping mechanisms.”

“Am I crazy?” Her voice trembled.

“No, sunshine. You’re not crazy.” My grip around her waist tightened. “You’re a survivor. You’re the strongest woman I know. Hell, one of the strongest human beingsperiod.”

“I feel like I’m losing it,” she whispered. “I don’t know what’s true and what isn’t. It’s insanity.”

“Then you ask me, and we’ll figure it out together.”

“Together,” she repeated softly, as if tasting the word on her lips.

“Yes, together.”

She shifted, her golden-brown eyes on me. “How did you survive?” She blinked several times. “I remember… the torture. Yours. Mine. I thought you died, and I wanted to die too.”

“Alexei saved me.” I took her chin between my fingers. “I thought you died. I touched you and…” Fuck, my voice cracked. “I passed out, and when I woke up, you were gone.”

“Sofia played us.”

My jaw clenched.

“She did.” She shuddered, goosebumps visible on her skin. I ran a hand down her arm, then wrapped her in a hug. “But she’ll never get to you again,” I vowed.

“You… We always wanted this, didn’t we?” Her voice was muffled against my neck. “The beach and the sun… just the two of us. True?”

I rubbed my hand over her back soothingly.

“True.”