Chapter 922

"This is a society with laws," Leonie insisted. "Don't their families go to the police?"

Dorian shook his head helplessly.

"Felicia and Sully have protection from higher-ups. When someone gets killed and their family makes a fuss, they just throw money at them until it goes away.

"As long as no one presses charges, money makes the problem vanish. Their connections run deep. Leonie, I know you have a good heart and want to help, but I really don't need it anymore.

"If we just sit here quietly for a few days, you can go back to your life, and I can go back to Felicia. We'll go our separate ways and never see each other again."

Faced with a life-or-death situation, Dorian knew survival came first. Dreams of the future meant nothing if he was dead.

Leonie never expected his mindset to shift so drastically. She stared at his devastatingly handsome face, now haggard and defeated. Under his lashes, his gaze was completely empty.

His unshaven, broken state ruined his normally striking features. Leonie was at a loss for words.

She stared at him for a long time before finally speaking.

"You've changed. You weren't like this before."

Dorian looked at her with pure apathy. Under the dim light of the basement, Leonie still looked like pristine royalty. He, on the other hand, was a mess.

What good were looks anyway? Without money to dress it up, he was just an empty shell, as worthless as a rat tossed in the gutter.

"I did want to escape Felicia at first. But I realized there's no turning back for me. What would I even do if I left her?

"I have no savings, no skills. Just my bare hands. Am I supposed to work a minimum-wage job? Making a few thousand a month won't even cover my basic expenses. I spent too much of Felicia's money. If she demands it back, I literally can't afford to leave her." Leonie felt herself going crazy listening to his defeated logic. She glared at him, furious.

"Is that really all you want out of life? How much do you owe her? I'll pay it off."

Dorian looked at her in shock. He knew she meant it, but millions of dollars wasn't a debt you could wipe out with a casual promise.

And even if she did pay it, would Felicia really let him go? He thought Leonie was just too naive.

He hadn't wanted to argue with her, but she was so stubbornly clinging to her ideals, completely blind to his reality.

Exhausted, Dorian met her gaze.

"I believe you. But I owe her fifty million dollars. Can you pay that?"

Leonie had assumed he owed the woman maybe a million at most.

She never expected to hear fifty million. She was a wealthy heiress, yes, and she lived a life of luxury.

But she had no concept of her family's actual monthly cash flow.

Hawthorne deposited money directly into her parents' accounts every month to fund their lifestyle, supplemented by Layne's corporate income.

She had zero involvement in any of it. Born with a silver spoon, she had no idea where the money actually came from Fifty million dollars was a massive fortune for anyone.

"How could you possibly owe fifty million? Did you break the law? How could you spend that much in a few years?"

Dorian knew she would never understand his world. He just sighed and shook his head.

"Leonie, I told you to drop it. Even if you want to help, you can't."

But Leonie was nothing if not headstrong.

"Hold on. It's just fifty million. Hawthorne will be back from his trip in a few months. Once he's back, I can borrow the money and buy your freedom."

Dorian hadn't expected an answer like that. For a second, he was stunned.

What had he done to deserve this young woman's willingness to drop fifty million on him? But he shook his head and refused.

"Don't be stupid, Leonie. Even if I only owed her fifty bucks, I wouldn't let you help me."

Leonie frowned. "Why wouldn't you want my help?"

"Because it's over, Leonie. We're done. You'll only end up getting hurt. Felicia is not someone you mess with. From now on, we draw a line in the sand."

Later, Felicia had food sent down to the basement. Leonie was too anxious to eat, but Dorian dug in with appetite.

Leonie glared at him, marched over

and knocked the food out of his

hands. Dorian silently started picking Tooked at him with sheer

it'

"Have some dignity! Do you really want to eat her slop? She doesn't even treat you like a human being! This is dog food, and even a dog wouldn't touch it." fo