Farewell to Love: The CEO's Desperate Chase novel Chapter 417

That’s right—he really was that twisted.

And yet, she only smiled. In the biting chill of late autumn, her smile seemed even brighter, a vivid splash of color in an otherwise faded world.

“Mr. Kaufman, you brought two contracts with you, didn’t you?” Her voice was calm, almost conversational.

He didn’t catch her meaning at first, just lifted his chin, signaling her to go on.

“One is the contract we negotiated and finalized today,” she explained. “The other is your little prank contract.”

Emilia lowered her eyes slightly, her long lashes curling upwards, making her look impossibly lovely.

“I’m guessing you wouldn’t want to miss the look on Tye’s face when your little trick works. So you probably had your assistant print both contracts and bring them over.”

She had looked right at him and smiled as she said this—her words matched his plan almost exactly.

He lived for that moment, the look on someone’s face when they realized they’d been played. What was the point if he couldn’t see it for himself?

“So—”

Her smile remained perfectly poised, giving nothing away—not a hint of fear.

“Mr. Kaufman, how about we make a wager?”

That actually caught him off guard. Usually, he was the one proposing bets.

The usual routine went like this:

His opponent would believe they’d struck a deal, rush off to print the paperwork, and return, only to discover they’d been duped. Furious, they’d try to salvage things, and he’d offer them a chance to win it all back in a bet. They’d take the bait, desperate for hope.

If they lost, well—he’d toss them out like mongrels.

If they won? Even better. He’d rip up the contract right in front of them and sneer, “Surprise! Wasn’t that fun?”

Watching their expression in that instant—now that was entertainment.

“Like this—”

“Bang!” He mimed pulling the trigger with his left hand, lips twisted into a cruel smile.

But she didn’t flinch. Not even a flicker of fear crossed her gaze, not at him, not at the circle of guns pointed right at her.

She only nodded gently. “Alright. I accept. Let’s bet our lives.”

She acted as if a dozen guns were nothing out of the ordinary, as if this was just another part of the conversation.

That was the first time he truly looked at the woman before him.

During the negotiation, her moves had been deft—brilliant, even—but he’d never planned to sign, so he hadn’t cared.

But now, her life was literally in his hands.

Cerulion was a place where guns were never empty. Was she really not afraid?