Chapter 314 – An Unbreakable Vow with the Heartless Tycoon

“One three and one-two,” Waylen says. “Let’s open it.”

Waylen pops the cup open, and his face darkens. Leilani leans forward and sees four sixes sitting in the velvet-lined cup. Andrew pulls her to his side and kisses the top of her head.

“You must be my good luck charm,” he says.

Andrew picks up the whip and tosses it from hand to hand. He stands and waves it through the air, making it crack with an expert flick of his wrist. Thunder still booms in the background, echoing the loud noise of the whip.

“Well, you can’t say I didn’t warn you, Waylen,” Andrew says.

Waylen kneels on one leg next to the sofa. He leans forward, placing one arm on the ground for support and exposing his back to the whip. Leilani looks away. She can’t bear to watch this barbaric part of the game.

There’s a loud crack as the whip hits Waylen’s back. Andrew is using all his strength. Leilani digs her nails into her palms and bites her tongue. It feels like Andrew is whipping her heart.

“Do you want to play again?” Andrew asks, putting the whip down.

Waylen stands and nods. He walks back to the sofa with his back straight and his arms at his sides as if the whipping was nothing. He sits down, and his face is still calm and unreadable.

Rebecca gives him a worried look and asks, “Waylen, are you okay?”

He ignores her question and slides the dice cup across the table to Andrew. Andrew shakes it, making the dice rattle and clatter against the inside of the cup. He puts the cup on the table and makes his guess: six ones. He opens the cup, and Leilani leans forward to see—there are six ones.

“Mrs. Clifford, don’t you agree? I have tremendous luck?” Andrew asks, kissing her on the cheek.

Leilani pulls away, and Andrew gets up and takes the whip. Waylen gets into the same position—half-kneeling on the floor. Leilani closes her eyes as the whip cracks, biting her lower lip until she tastes blood. She doesn’t understand how Andrew has such good luck—the odds are impossibly low.

Andrew sits down on the sofa, sliding close to Leilani. He reaches for the dice cup and gives it a quick shake as Waylen stands and walks back to his sofa. Though Waylen doesn’t look like he’s in pain, Leilani can’t bear the thought of him suffering another blow from the whip.

“Why don’t you let me roll them this time?” Leilani says, taking the cup from Andrew.

Andrew smirks and says, “Are you sure you’re interested in playing?”

Leilani nods and starts to shake the cup. She has trouble believing that Andrew is lucky enough to have guessed two extremely rare rolls. She wonders if there’s something fishy about the game—some way he’s cheating. If he’s cheating, his luck will change as soon as she starts rolling the dice. But if he’s just lucky at dice, Waylen doesn’t stand a chance.

Andrew puts his hand on top of her, forcing her to stop shaking the cup. She turns to glare at him and finds that his face is just inches from hers. She can smell the mint on his breath

“Kiss me, and I’ll let you roll,” he whispers.

Leilani glares at him. He never tires of trying to force her to kiss him. She knows he’s just doing it because Waylen is here. She presses her lips together and shakes her head once.

“Mrs. Clifford likes playing coy,” Andrew says with a smirk in Waylen’s direction.

Leilani grinds her teeth and gives him a quick peck on the cheek. She pulls away as if his skin has burned her lips, but he grabs her hand and kisses each one of her knuckles. His lips linger slow and warm as he moves them across her hand.

“You’re my good luck charm, Mrs. Clifford,” he says. “I have to treat you well.”

Leilani snatches her hand away and shakes the cup hard. The dice rattle inside, and she tries to keep her expression calm; Andrew stares at her with bright eyes, as if he wants to read her thoughts. She flips the cup over and puts it down on the table, unable to meet the men’s eyes. The men call their numbers, and she peeks under the edge of the cup—Waylen has won.

Andrew looks under the cup and says, “I thought you were my lucky charm. What happened?”

Waylen’s mouth twitches, and he looks under the cup. His smile widens when he sees the numbers, and he stands slowly and grabs the whip. Andrew kneels down on one leg and supports himself with his hands, waiting for the whip to fall across his back.

Waylen raises his arm in the air and brings the whip down as hard as he can. Leilani flinches, but her reflexes are too slow—she sees Andrew shudder with pain as the whip hits him. Andrew stands slowly and looks at Leilani. His face is pale, and his jaw is clenched. Suddenly, Leilani remembers the wounds on his back from the ship. They’re only a few days old, and the whip must have reopened some of them.

Leilani frowns and looks away. I shouldn’t waste time feeling guilty about this, she thinks. After all, Andrew started this game, and he needs to suffer the consequences. I know he saved my life, but I can’t stand by and let him hurt Waylen—especially if he’s cheating to do it. Despite her thoughts, her stomach churns with guilt.

“Do you feel sorry for me now?” Andrew whispers into her ear.

She nudges him in the ribs with her elbow and slides further down the sofa. He slides next to her and wraps one arm around her waist, pulling her into his side. He nuzzles his nose into the space below her ear, and she clenches her hands into fists.

“Mrs. Clifford, please roll again,” Andrew says.

Leilani grabs the dice cup and shakes it carelessly. The game disgusts her, and she wants it to end as soon as possible, but the men seem determined to continue. She looks around the room and notices that Rebecca has slipped out. She wishes she could leave too, but she’s half-worried they’ll play to the death if there’s no one around to stop them.

Andrew wins the next round, but then he loses the following one.

Each time the men whip each other, she closes her eyes and presses her hands over her ears. She can still hear the awful crack of the whip and the heavy breathing of the loser.

After thirteen rounds, the men are almost even: Andrew has had six whippings, and Waylen has had seven. Andrew’s face is pale and covered in sweat, and Leilani can only imagine how bad his back must look. The back of Waylen’s suit-coat is torn, but his face is a frozen mask. Leilani can’t tell if he’s in as much pain as Andrew.

Leilani looks out the window and sees that the lightning has stopped. The rain falls in a light sprinkle, and the clouds seem lighter than before. She grabs the dice cup off the table and puts it in her lap.

“The rain is letting up,” she says. “I think it’s time for us to go now.”

Andrew shakes his head and says, “But we’ve only just begun. I think we have to continue. What do you say, Waylen?”

“Let’s play,” Waylen says.

Leilani shakes her head and says, “No, this is insanity. You both need to stop. Andrew, come on, let’s go.”

“Are you tired, honey?” Andrew asks. “I’m sure Rebecca can find you someplace to rest while we finish our game.”

Leilani bites her lip and looks between the men. Their faces are set with grim determination, and their eyes flash with the intensity of their hatred. She knows there’s no way she can force them to stop playing.

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