He kissed her!
He was true to his word, leaving her breathless as his lips moved wildly against hers. She gasped when he pulled her waist closer, giving him the chance to thrust his tongue in.
Soft, addictive, inviting, and sweet. He couldn’t get enough. He deepened the kiss, demanding more-it was just like that night, a night he would never forget.
He recalled how she barged into his room, drunk, and before he could speak, she crashed those same addictive lips onto his. Cassius remembered how he couldn’t stop himself that night, devouring her as if he owned her.
Now, he was tasting those lips again, fucking addictive. His tongue rolled against hers, prompting her response, and when she moaned into his mouth, he gently grazed her lower lip with his teeth, earning another moan.
With every nerve, he suppressed his urge and broke the kiss. His eyes fixed on her lips, slightly swollen and wet, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.
She slowly opened her eyes, confusion swirling in them. Her chest heaved, pressing her breasts against him with every breath, and the thought of tearing the fabric covering them made him take a step back.
He clenched his jaw, averting his gaze from her. “There are plenty of rooms here. Ask Butler Conrad to escort you to any one of your choice. Goodnight.” He stepped away and left.
After a while, Tatiana found a room-a random one she picked since the thought of the intense moment with Cassius wouldn’t let her think clearly. The butler handed her a comfortable nightwear.
“It’s the Master’s, but he hasn’t worn them. Please change immediately so you won’t catch a cold, ma’am,” he said.
“Thank you, Conrad,” she replied. As soon as she shut the door, her eyes widened, and her lips parted in disbelief.
“Oh God, what was I thinking? Why? Why, Tatie?” She grumbled, gently slamming her head against the door. “He kissed you; you should have pushed him away, Tatie. Why did I kiss him back? I must be so stupid to have forgotten he was engaged. Shit!”
In a few minutes, she had freshened up and dressed in the comfortable wear given to her. She checked her phone and saw several missed calls from Catelyn.
“You’re still at Mr. King’s home, huh?” Catelyn’s voice teased over the phone.
“Dylan requested his favorite, and then the rain started when I wanted to leave-”
“Aww.”
“Don’t make that sound; nothing unusual happened. I’m in a guest room, and I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
“How sad, he’s engaged. You both are perfect for each other-ready to tear the world down if they mess with you or your loved ones,” Catelyn said, and Tatiana scoffed.
“That’s not true.”
“Didn’t you see the news about Dylan’s school? I’m sure Mr. King is behind it. Jojo didn’t tell you?”
Tatiana quickly checked the news about Dylan’s school and confirmed it was true. The school went bankrupt after an important investor withdrew. His name wasn’t mentioned, but she knew Cassius was behind it.
But why?
—
“She’s been like this since yesterday. When I checked on her in the middle of the night, I heard her crying,” the maid who lived with Indigo told Hudson as they stood before Indigo’s doorstep.
“I’ll talk to her,” Hudson assured and knocked lightly on the door.
“Dee,” he called softly but got no reply. Hearing her light sobs, Hudson sighed and decided to open the door with an extra key.
He found Indigo seated on the floor, her back resting against the bed behind her.
“Dee,” he called softly.
“Go away,” Indigo’s voice croaked.
“How long are you going to be like this?”
“I said go away. I want to be alone,” she demanded, her face still lowered.
Hudson sighed and sat beside her. “I understand your pain, Dee. I know how badly you wanted Cassius to look at you the way you do, but what’s done is done. You can’t force someone to like you back.”
Indigo raised her head, her eyes swollen and red. “But I’ve tried, Hudson. I’ve tried everything just to make him want me back.”
“I know, but you’ll find someone better-”
“If she hadn’t returned, he would still want me. She ruined everything, and you know it,” Indigo almost raised her voice, her chest heaving slowly.
“She had nothing to do with this; it wasn’t intentional-”
“Oh yeah? Tatiana fucked up her marriage and threw herself at Cassius. Not just that, she bore him a child. Do you think that was also an accident? She had her eyes on Cassius, and she decided to act like a-”
“Dee! Don’t tell me you despise her because of that.”
“It’s all her fault. And you’re taking her side because she’s your idol. She decided to be my friend even after knowing what she had done. She made a fool of me, Hudson. She stole my life,” Indigo retorted.
“Dee, please drop this. Cassius warned you he was only doing this to fulfill his mother’s wish. He told you a day like this might come. You’ll find a man who cherishes you… okay?” Immediately after his words, his phone buzzed, reminding him of his work.
“I’ll come back. Make sure you eat and stop making that poor maid worry.” He ruffled her hair like he used to and stood up. “Also, don’t let this destroy the good person in you. Cassius still cares about you.”
He left the room, and Indigo stared into space. Her phone rang, and she wiped her tears before picking it up.
“Babe! I’ve found the perfect wedding dress. It’s fucking awesome!” Her best friend’s voice boomed from the other side.
“Cassius broke up with me,” she announced.
“What?!”
—
Tatiana entered the ward where Mason lay on the bed, bandages covering almost every part of his body. His face, hand, and leg were swollen.
Even with his bad condition, Tatiana didn’t feel an ounce of pity. She even felt the punishment wasn’t enough.
“Five minutes, ma’am,” the cop in charge of watching over him informed her and left.
Mason’s eyes opened and met hers.
“What are you doing here, bitch?” he asked weakly, his brow furrowing. Of course, he realized Tatiana was behind the evil scheme against him.
“Here to console you,” Tatiana smiled and sat before him.
“I’ll kill you when I get my hands on you,” his words dropped one after the other like those of an old drunk man.
Tatiana chuckled and took his hand, placing it on hers. She grinned. “I’m still breathing.”
“Fuck you.”
“You don’t have a dick.”
Mason felt like his head was going to explode at any moment.
“Do you wish for freedom? I can give it to you if you want,” Tatiana sighed and sat back, crossing her legs.
“Get out.”
“Who’s Zero? And how can I find him?” Tatiana asked, her gaze turning serious.
“Go to hell.”
“Can you please answer like a normal person? Oh, sorry… I almost forgot you’re an animal,” she pressed her fingers to her temples.
“Oh, I’ll tell you where you can find Zero. So he’ll be the one to kill you because the moment you cross him, that will be the end for you,” Mason sneered.
“That’s quite interesting. Tell me more.”
“He isn’t just some mere man in the industry that you can fuck up the way you want. He has many dogs that can run any dirty job for him. Go after him, Tatiana. I can’t wait to see how you’ll end up dead like your sister, Isabella.”
Tatiana grinned like she had just heard something exciting.
“That Zero man, he runs dirty jobs for whoever pays him, right?” she asked calmly.
“Connections you’d never imagine, power you’d never imagine. The underground man has all of them and has been running things for years. All you have to do is pay him, and he’ll do the job. Your sister’s life was paid for, and she got what was coming to her.”
“Who paid?” Tatiana asked, and Mason chuckled.
“And you think I’m going to tell you that?”
Tatiana exhaled deeply. Zero was definitely going to be a tough opponent. She had never dealt with someone like him, and from the way Mason described him… this wouldn’t be easy.
But she wasn’t going to stop.
“Where can I find him?” She asked.