Chapter 149: This Knife I Stabbed Myself With, Is Now in Your Hands
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Paige looked at him speechlessly. She was distracted for a moment, and her character in the game was shot in the head by Enrico, dying a dramatic death.
Enrico wanted exactly this effect. He turned to her, his gaze traveling up and down with a wicked glint. “Strip.”
He had suddenly challenged her to a game with a bet: lose a round, and she had to remove a piece of clothing, with a one-hour limit.
Paige didn’t want to play, but since he insisted and wouldn’t let her do anything else, she had no choice but to play for the hour.
“……”
Paige simply took off her shoes, standing barefoot on the carpet.
This wasn’t the result he wanted.
Enrico glanced at her small, delicate feet and reached for the remote, turning up the temperature of the air conditioning.
Another round began.
Paige focused intently on the screen, her hands never making a mistake as she controlled the game. She continued the earlier conversation, “Aren’t you afraid that if I agree to Beatrice’s proposal and use your influence, one day when things blow up, you’ll be dragged down with me?”
She wasn’t going to follow his orders blindly. Her boundaries were clear.
“It doesn’t matter; your man can swim,” Enrico said arrogantly, his fingers deftly controlling the game.
Upon hearing this, Paige suddenly understood, turning to him with shock in her eyes. “Are you doing this on purpose? Are you going to help me?”
Was that what he meant?
The implication was overwhelming; she couldn’t believe it at first.
He had said he needed time to think. Could it be that this was what he had been contemplating?
He was compromising?
Just the thought made Paige’s chest heave. She understood what this meant for Enrico and knew he wouldn’t agree to it lightly; he had obviously thought it through.
“So what?” Enrico said with a wicked smile, taking her delicate hand. “Does that mean I can’t help you?”
“……”
Paige stared at him in astonishment.
His brows and eyes were illuminated by the light in the living room, every line of his features etched clearly in her memory.
Her voice faltered. “You were so opposed to what I wanted to do.”
Had he really made up his mind?
“I’m the same now. I’m not doing it for the people in the slums,” Enrico snorted. The people in the slums had no relation to him. Why would he cut himself to help them?
This knife… he only allowed her to wield it.
“……”
Paige understood his meaning. He was doing it for her.
The shock and emotion tangled within her, leaving her momentarily speechless.
After a long while, she finally found her voice. “You don’t need to go this far. I’m already grateful that you’re willing to be a bystander.”
She could rely on herself.
She didn’t need him to go to such lengths.
Enrico brought her hand to his lips, his deep eyes gazing into hers as his voice, husky with breath, brushed against her fingers. “Since I said I’d be your heaven, I won’t go back on my word.”
“……”
Paige stared at him, almost frozen.
“This knife that I’ve used on myself is now in your hands,” Enrico said, his eyes fixed on her as he spoke every word slowly. “In return, you must give me your entire life!”
He was willing to exchange his own wounds for her lifetime of loyalty.
“……”
Paige had never seen such a side of Enrico. He was high-handed, ruthless, and unforgiving, yet he was as clingy as a child. To make her stay, he used every cruel and cunning tactic, and in the end, even surrendered.
She looked at him, her emotions surging wildly. After a long moment, she pulled her hand from his grasp.
Each inch she freed herself, Enrico’s face darkened, his long fingers tightening around her.
But Paige’s hand slipped free.
Enrico’s face turned completely black. Gritting his teeth, he glared at her. “Paige, don’t be ungrateful. Do you think it was easy for me to make this decision?”
She dared to pull away from him.
Seeing Enrico’s sour expression, Paige smiled.
“You’re still smiling?” Enrico’s gaze was fierce, as if he wanted to devour her.
“I know that making this decision wasn’t easy for you, which is why I want to tell you that I won’t exchange myself for conditions,” Paige said with a smile, her almond eyes soft and gentle.
“Paige!” Enrico stared at her intensely.
Paige sat there, looking at his deep-set brows and eyes, and said, “I’m not thinking about spending my life with anyone right now, but I want to tell you that if one day I choose to stay, it won’t be for any exchange. It will simply be because… I want to stay.” She smiled as she said this.
Her eyes were bright.
Enrico’s displeasure was easily soothed by that light. Watching her, his blood silently boiled, making him somewhat uncontrollable.
Even though she hadn’t agreed to anything, why did he feel so relieved?
Enrico’s lips curved slightly, but the smile was quickly suppressed. He pushed her hand away, leaned back on the sofa, and coldly said, “Saying it is like not saying it.”
“Once the slum issue is resolved, I will definitely talk to you,” Paige promised.
“Do I care?” Enrico scowled.
He didn’t care if he had to compromise so much for her. If Paige had previously been unsure whether his actions were driven by possessiveness or love, at this moment, his willingness to hand over the knife he used on himself made it clear that it was no longer necessary to guess.