My Cold-Hearted Husband Wants Me Back-Chapter 8: Cliche Coincidence

"Wait..." Eryx's voice stopped Lunara just as she was about to open the door.

He walked over to the side table, took out his wallet, and pulled out a black card. "I don't know why I'm doing this, but yeah... just consider yourself lucky. Someone lost a bet with me and gave me an amount big enough to settle all the debts, I guess..." He stopped in front of Lunara and held out the card.

"And why?" Lunara's frown deepened. "I don't think we have anything to do with each other for you to be giving me money... Do you often do this kind of charity, Mr. Grantham?"

Eryx's fingers twitched slightly. His expression remained unreadable, but suspicion flickered in his eyes. He hadn't told her his name.

In a blink of an eye, his expression darkened. His smirk disappeared, replaced by something colder and sharper.

"What did you just call me?" His voice was dangerously low.

Lunara stiffened but forced herself to remain calm. "Eryx Grantham. Isn't that your name?"

His grip on the black card tightened, his knuckles turning white. "Funny. I don't remember introducing myself."

Lunara met his glare with a blank expression. "You just said earlier, you didn't need an introduction. You're not exactly an unknown man."

Eryx took a slow step toward her, suspicion flickering in his eyes. "So, you knew who I was this whole time?"

She exhaled sharply, feeling his anger coil around the air like a storm ready to break. "I figured it out."

His gaze turned unreadable, but the irritation in his stance was clear. "Did you?"

Lunara clenched her fists, starting to feel a little anxious. "Does it matter?"

Eryx let out a humorless chuckle, shaking his head. "Of course, it does. You just happened to end up in my room, unconscious and helpless, and now... what? You want me to believe it's all a coincidence?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Lunara's eyes widened slightly before narrowing. "You think I planned this?"

Eryx didn't answer immediately. His jaw clenched, and the silence that followed felt heavier than any accusation he could have spoken.

"I guess you must be disappointed?" he finally said, his voice laced with mockery. He scoffed, nodding slightly to himself. "I understand..." He flipped the black card between his fingers. "If you could get more by sleeping with me, this amount is barely enough, right?"

Lunara's grip on the doorknob tightened, but she didn't look away. "Excuse me?"

Eryx let out a cold laugh, slipping the card back into his wallet. "Oh, don't act so innocent now. You knew exactly who I was, didn't you? That's why you ended up here." His voice turned sharper, each word cutting like a blade. "Was this your plan all along? Playing the helpless damsel so I'd throw money at you?"

Her stomach twisted at the accusation. "I didn't—"

"Spare me the act." He took a step closer, eyes burning with something unreadable, like anger, suspicion, maybe something else. "Or are you the type who likes to play the long game? Make me feel sorry for you, warm my bed for a few nights, and then demand a bigger payout?" His smirk was cruel now. "I've met your kind before. Trust me, I know how this goes."

Lunara's breath hitched, but she refused to back down. "You think I'm that kind of woman?"

He scoffed. "As clear as I can see."

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Lunara's nails dug into her palm, but she held her ground. "Then you're blind."

Eryx let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Blind? No, sweetheart, I see things exactly as they are. A woman shows up in my path, drugged and half-conscious, and just so happens to know my full name?" His eyes darkened, his tone turning ice-cold. "How stupid do you think I am?"

Lunara's pulse pounded in her ears. "I didn't plan any of this."

"Right." He folded his arms, his expression unreadable. "And I suppose you just 'ran' into me by coincidence? Cliché... What was next? Tears? A sob story? Maybe a little trembling to make me feel guilty enough to hand over everything?" His lip curled. "Pathetic."

Lunara's temper flared. Without a second thought, she slapped Eryx across the face, the sharp sound of impact ringing through the room. "You're the one who's pathetic!" she spat. "Save your money and your pride!"

She eyed him with mock disdain, her gaze flicking downward. "I'm not hungry for something that 'small.'"

Lunara stepped back, intent on leaving, but Eryx's hand shot out, gripping her wrist with a force that made her freeze.

"Where do you think you're going?" His voice was low, filled with an anger that matched the tightness in his grip.

She pulled against his hold, her eyes glaring at him. "Let go of me."

But Eryx only tightened his fingers around her arm, his face inches from hers. "How do you know it's small?" he growled, his jaw clenched in frustration. "You sure you're not just making assumptions?"

Lunara's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. "Maybe I'm just going by how you've acted. Small in every sense."

He forcefully pulled her into his arms, "Don't you dare testing my limit." His voice was low and threatening.

"Let me go!" She struggled to release herself from his grasp, her heart pounding with a mix of anger and fear. "I said, let me go!"

Eryx's eyes flared with anger and something darker, his jaw clenched tightly as his grip on her wrists tightened. His voice was low and dangerous, dripping with fury. "You think that's funny?" he growled. "You think you can get away with that kind of insult?"

Lunara's lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, so you can insult me, but you can't handle a little jab back?"

His anger spiking as Lunara's words continued to chip away at his ego. Without warning, he scooped her up onto his shoulder, "I applaud you for being too brave," he muttered, his voice low and tight with irritation.

Lunara was caught off guard as her body was lifted, her protests muffled as she struggled. His movements were quick, controlled, and she had no time to react before he threw her onto the bed, the force of it making her bounce slightly.

Eryx stood over her, his chest rising and falling with controlled breaths, trying to tamp down his rising frustration.

"What are you doing?" Lunara's eyes widened in fear.

He smirked. "Shall we clarify the size?"