Chapter 137: I Will Not Let You Go!

Nan Zhi’s thick, curled eyelashes trembled; she dared not meet his dark, cold gaze for too long.

Just as she averted her eyes, her delicate chin was forcefully gripped by his slender fingers. He compelled her to look into his murky, obsidian eyes.

"Nan Zhi, do you want to leave me that much?" His facial contours were taut, his voice low and dangerous.

He was a far cry from the cold, charming, and brazen man who usually took advantage of her.

Right now, he was cold, dangerous, and completely devoid of warmth.

Frowning, Nan Zhi tried to swat away the large hand gripping her chin, but he released her a second earlier, shifting his hold to her slender waist.

His grip was immense; she felt as though her waist might snap under his pressure.

Nan Zhi drew a sharp breath, glaring at the man who was domineering to the core. "Mu Sihan, let me go!"

"Answer me!" His deep, dark eyes locked onto hers like a dangerous vortex, capable of pulling anyone in.

Knowing she couldn't break free, Nan Zhi endured the pain, her expression cold. "Haven't you heard me? I don't want to stay here at all. I want my freedom. Even though you’ve been good to me at times, being with you leaves me in a state of constant tension. I can’t breathe freely. Do you understand?"

Can’t breathe freely?

Mu Sihan curled his lips coldly. "Then, with whom can you breathe freely? The one who gave you that diamond ring?"

"I don't even know who gave me that ring! I don't want to be here because you are overbearing and unreasonable—it has nothing to do with anyone else!"

Mu Sihan stared at her with displeasure, his grip on her waist tightening.

Nan Zhi endured the pain in silence, refusing to beg or cry out. She stood her ground, staring back at him with stubborn pride. At this rate, even if he didn't break her waist, he would surely leave bruises on her skin.

Mu Sihan gave a cold, mirthless laugh, his eyes devoid of warmth. "Nan Zhi, I must be sick to think a woman like you is worth anything. You are truly heartless."

Nan Zhi frowned, disagreeing with his assessment. Can feelings be forced? Besides, his treatment of her had been a mix of the good and the bad. The shadow of his past humiliation still lingered; how could she think of him as a good person just because he had thrown her a birthday party once?

"I must be crazy to have gone two days and two nights without sleep, flying to New York just to bring back Stephen. I must be crazy to have given you the bullet that was once lodged in my heart. Perhaps to you, that bullet is worthless, but it was once so close to my heart—it was something I pulled out from within me!"

He clenched his fists, one of which struck the wall above her head with a heavy thud. "Why the hell did you have to provoke me in the first place?"

Nan Zhi looked at his furious expression, at a loss for words. She hadn't realized that the bullet held such profound significance to him. She lifted her hand, intending to return it to him, but her gesture only added fuel to the fire.

"If you dare take it off, I will destroy you right now!" he roared, his rage uncontainable.

He glared at her, his gaze biting and cold.

"Without my permission, it doesn't matter who comes to plead for you—you are my servant!"

He kicked the kitchen door with force and left coldly. The air in the wake of his departure seemed to linger with the scent of gunpowder after a battle.

Nan Zhi slumped weakly against the wall, her long eyelashes drooping as her brows knitted together in a tight knot.

Had he truly fallen for her? Or was it, as the old lady had suggested, that he saw the shadow of another woman in her?