Tatiana was led into the large hall filled with exquisite people clad in their unique attire. Their chatter filled the air, making the atmosphere lively.
“Idol,” Hudson rushed to her, worries filling his gaze. “Are you alright?” he asked calmly. His black, alluring suit matched the cheerful aura around him.
“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks to Mr. King,” Tatiana responded, her heart still racing a bit from the harsh encounter outside. What if he hadn’t saved her? That would have been a mess.
“I’m glad to hear that. I’m so sorry about it. I’ll find out who did that,” Hudson assured, and she nodded.
“Thanks, Mr. Hudson.”
“Hudson, just call me Hudson. I’ll take you to Cassius,” he said and led her away from the crowd.
Indigo, who was busy discussing with some of her friends, saw this and furrowed her brow. Tatiana was here again, and Hudson was leading her to Cassius. What was her deal?
Hudson led Tatiana up to a large, not-so-dark room. There, Cassius stood with one of his hands tucked in his pocket as he overlooked the city through the transparent glass.
Tatiana felt the familiar sense of fragility creeping in. He was the only one who could bring that side of hers out without even trying.
His piercing blue eyes met hers as he spun around. They looked tired, and she wondered what kept him so busy.
“I’ll leave you to attend to the others,” Hudson excused himself and left.
As Cassius approached her, the light thud of his black, shining shoes hitting the marble floor echoed in the room, accompanied by her fast-beating heart.
Tatiana remained frozen in her spot as their gazes locked, and his height overshadowed hers. His amazing cologne hit her nose, and the urge to inhale more of it surged through her.
“Are you hurt?” His deep, rich voice snapped her back to reality.
“No… thanks for what you did out there,” she said appreciatively, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Fools like them shouldn’t be in the industry. They deserve what they got. Hudson said you wanted to see me,” he proclaimed.
“Yeah, you haven’t been replying to my texts, so I thought I’d come here to see you.”
“I’ve been busy, little rebel. Speak.”
“I need you to help my older sister. She is being badly abused by her husband and-” Tatiana took a deep breath. “Also, there’s an important thing I need to let you know.”
Cassius’s gaze remained firm, devoid of emotion.
“After that night we encountered, I-” Tatiana’s voice trailed off when the door swung open, and a man in a suit stepped in.
“Mr. King, the guests are here and they request your presence,” the man informed, and Tatiana bit her tongue.
“I’ll be right there,” Cassius said, looking back at Tatiana. “Talk to Hudson; he’ll attend to whatever you need,” he said and left.
She missed telling him about Dylan again. Keeping her phone, she went to find Hudson.
“What do you need, idol?” he asked calmly.
“A huge amount of money. I need to save my sister tonight, and I have a plan,” she replied.
After talking with Hudson, Tatiana left to meet Director Felix, who introduced her to some producers and actors. Even the senior director was present; he smiled with her as he chatted.
“I’m glad I accepted your proposal, Miss Tatiana. My senior director hardly takes interest in any artist, but he liked your talent. The project will be starting in a few days, and I’m thrilled to work with you,” Director Felix informed and left with the others.
Tatiana exhaled as her phone beeped, and Maya’s message popped up.
~We’ll be on our way soon~
Tatiana texted her back.
~Trust me~
Her gaze spotted Indigo with some other artists chatting. Their gazes met for a moment. Tatiana couldn’t quite figure out those looks, but that wasn’t the problem right now; it was time to take Mason down.
Getting out of the hall, she made a call. “Parker, Stacy. Are you ready?”
“Ready,” the two responded on the other side.
Maya was seated in the car, waiting for Mason. Tatiana had asked her to trust her, and she was going to do just that.
She had seen Tatiana dealing with those who messed with her in the industry years ago and knew how capable and tricky she was.
Maya suddenly let out a cough and felt a liquid fall from her lips. Her hand reached for it, and she saw her own blood. Terror flashed in her eyes.
Internal bleeding. Oh no.
The door opened, and she quickly wiped her lips with a handkerchief, hiding it hastily.
“You okay?” he asked lightly, and she nodded. “Use your goddamn mouth.”
“I’m fine,” Maya clenched her jaw.
“Good,” Mason mumbled and drove to the casino.
Reluctantly, Maya was forced to accompany him. Her smile was fake because her husband threatened to lock her up for days if anyone noticed her discomfort. She knew he meant those words. He’d do it.
Maya was beautiful, tall, and elegant. Her round face, sharp nose, and emerald-green eyes made her beauty unique. Men drooled over her as Mason led her to the table.
As they played, Mason won the men over with Maya’s assistant.
“You have such a clever woman, Mason,” one of the men remarked.
“Thank you; she is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Mason answered. The subtle deceit in his words went unnoticed by the others.
A tall, dark American man with a briefcase and his face covered approached the table, his gaze fixated on Maya.
“May I be your opponent?” he politely asked. Mason frowned at the mysterious man.
“Who are you? A newbie?” Mason inquired.
The dark man introduced himself as Harry and claimed to be the king of cards in the casino.
Mason scoffed. “Why should I agree to play with you?”
“I’ll be betting five billion dollars.” He took out his briefcase and opened it. All eyes widened at the money, especially Mason. That prize was more than enough to solve his problem. “And you’ll be betting all that you’ve won today.”
Mason’s eyes flickered with interest. Maya leaned down to whisper so that only he could hear.
“Honey, we’ve already won five hundred million, which is more than enough. We shouldn’t push our luck any further.”
“You expect me to say no to five billion? Stop complaining and play. Beat this arrogant man and I’ll give you the best night of your life,” Mason assured, his hand caressing her leg under the table. Maya felt irritated but dared not push his hand away.
Mason placed the five hundred million dollars they had won on the table, disregarding Maya’s attempt to stop him.
Fidgeting in his seat, his eyes focused on the cards before him. He had a good hand but wondered what his opponent held. He searched for any sign of weakness but found none.
Taking a deep breath, Mason played the card Maya had agreed on. The man sitting across from him took a deep breath as well.
Maya could see the excitement in his eyes before it quickly faded. As he revealed his cards, the couple’s faces fell. They had lost.