He stood up abruptly, pulling her up with him thanks to the handcuffs, and pinned her against the wall. His grip on her wrist tightened.
Ni-ki leaned in closer, his voice a cold whisper. "You're playing with fire, angel. Don't think for a second tha...
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NI-KI STOOD IN THE DOORWAY, his hands clenched by his sides as he met Rhaine's gaze.
"What do you want?" Rhaine asked, unsure if she should be happy right now or frustrated.
"I'm... I'm sorry about yesterday," he said, voice low, almost hesitant.
"Really? You're sorry? You didn't even chase after me," she scoffed. A part of her did want to resolve this right away, but she couldn't find it in herself to.
Ni-ki's expression faltered for a split second, but he quickly recovered. "I didn't—" He stopped himself, biting his lip in frustration. "You wanted me to? I didn't want to lose my composure. You were upset, and I didn't want to make it worse."
She shook her head. "You didn't even try."
"No," he snapped, his frustration starting to seep through. "I thought it would give you space to cool down. But of course, you'd rather fight than talk it out." Strike one.
She scoffed, "That's rich coming from you."
"No, that's not what I meant," he said quickly, his voice rising as he tried to backtrack. "Just let me say I want to say, okay?"
Hesitantly, she nodded.
He took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about what you said yesterday... about what you said about Mr. Jin." He swallowed. "Rhaine, just give up on McGill."
Her face froze, the request settling like ice in her chest. "What?"
He bit on his lower lip. "Yeah."
"Ni-ki... that university is everything I've worked for."
The abondamment issues were evident in his face. Rei and his mom. His dad and his loyalty to the business. He couldn't do it.
His jaw tightened, a visible frustration in his eyes. "I would give you everything," he said, his voice low but intense. "Why do you need McGill when you've already got everything you could ever need here?"
The words stung, sharp and unspoken, settling in her chest like a weight. "It's not about what you can give me," she snapped, trying to keep her voice steady. "It's about what I want. What I need. First, it's Mr. Jin, then it's McGill. What's next, Ni-ki? Am I supposed to just sit here and let you make all the decisions for me? I'm so tired of being controlled by the media, by everyone in your world. Maybe you're both right, I don't belong. And maybe I don't want to."
"I'm not trying to control you," he shot back, his voice rising. "I'm trying to make sure you don't get caught up in something that'll hurt you! You're so caught up in trying to prove yourself that you're missing what's right in front of you!"
Her fists clenched at her sides, the walls they'd both tried to tear down now rising higher than ever. "You're acting like what I want doesn't matter."
He shook his head, defensive. "Rhaine, you're acting like you're the only one in this relationship who has something to lose."
Rhaine's heart pounded in her chest as she stood, her mind racing with everything she had been holding back. "Really?" she said, her voice cold and sharp. "What about you, Ni-ki? You have nothing to lose. You've already got everything—your company, your image, your life. But me? I've got nothing but you... and you've already ruined that."
He froze. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You remember how you treated me when we first started this—when you had me sign that contract like I was some pawn in your game?"
Ni-ki's eyes flashed, a flicker of guilt and something darker crossing his face. "We've been through this already, Rhaine. We're past it. Why are you still bringing it up?"
"Because it's not something I can just forget!" she spat, her fists trembling at her sides. "You hurt me, Ni-ki. Physically. Twice! And you act like we can just sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened."
The words hit harder than she expected, the memories of those painful moments flooding back to her. His hands—his grip on her wrist, the way he'd shoved her against the wall, all in a moment of frustration. He hadn't meant to hurt her, but he did. Twice. And it hadn't been a misunderstanding. It had been real.
"I already apologized for that, okay? What do you want me to do, keep beating myself up for it? We've moved on from that."
"Moved on?" Rhaine echoed bitterly. "How do you move on from that and forget it, Ni-ki?"
Ni-ki's eyes flashed, and for a moment, she could see it—the same arrogance, the same indifference that had made her feel so small, so powerless, all over again. "I don't want to forget," he said through gritted teeth, the anger now thick in his voice. "I just don't want to keep fighting about it. I thought we were moving forward! I thought we were past all the bullshit!"
"We're not past it," she said sharply, shaking her head. "You can't just decide that. I'm not going to pretend it never happened. I can't forget how you hurt me."
Their voices rose, accusations spilling out, the words hurtful and unfiltered. The argument grew louder, harsher, until it was hard to tell who was hurt more.
It was all anger now—anger and hurt and things they didn't know how to say without lashing out. They were so consumed that they didn't even notice Jian, who was standing, eyes wide and lip trembling.
Suddenly, a small, choked sob pierced through the heated argument.
They both turned, seeing Jian's tear-streaked face as she stood in the doorway, her small body shaking with each sob. "Unnie, stop," she whimpered. "Please..."
The sight of Jian brought Rhaine crashing back to reality. She took a deep, unsteady breath, the weight of her anger dissipating as guilt rushed in to take its place. "Ni-ki... I think you should go."
He was silent, his face still set in anger, but his eyes softened as he looked at Jian. He took a step closer, his voice coming out quiet, almost pleading. "Rhaine, I didn't mean for it to be like this. I'm sorry. I just... don't want to lose you."
But she shook her head, her voice cold now, resolved. "You need to leave. Now."
His expression tightened, frustration still simmering beneath his apology. He opened his mouth to say something else but stopped himself.
"Please," she repeated. "Just go."
He stared at her for a long moment, the fury still in his eyes, but something else there too. Regret. He let out a deep breath, then turned without another word, walking out of the door.
Rhaine let out a shaky breath, her hands trembling. Jian rushed forward, wrapping her arms around her older sister, her tears spilling over as she cried into her shoulder.
Her hands trembled as she pulled out her phone. Jian was still crying softly beside her, her small sobs a sharp contrast to the rawness of the moment.
She unlocked her phone with shaky fingers, scrolling through to find the name that had haunted her for days. Mr. Jin.
There was a lump in her throat as she hit call, the buzzing on the other end growing louder as the seconds ticked by. She heard the click when he picked up, his voice smooth and calculating.
"Rhaine," Mr. Jin greeted, sounding intrigued but distant, as if he knew what was coming. "Have you made your decision?"
She disassociated, didn't dare to think further about Ni-ki, knowing she'd change her mind if she did. She stared straight ahead as she spoke.
