A loud gasp escaped Tatiana’s lips as she snapped out of her nightmare. She was breathing hard, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead as she immediately sat up.
Her eyes darted and fell on Cassius, who was working on his system.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, his voice dripping with concern as he rose from the chair.
“Cash!” She yanked off the duvet and swung her feet down. She dashed toward him and hugged him tight. “You’re alive… you’re okay,” she sobbed on his chest.
“Alive?” His perfect brows creased, and his hand reached for her hair.
“Dylan? Where’s Dylan!” She suddenly broke the hug, worry blanketing her eyes.
Storming out, she went straight to Dylan’s room. When she saw her son lying peacefully, she breathed out in relief. Tears streamed down her face as she ran to hold him in her arms just to feel him.
Even with how gently she held him, Dylan’s eyes fluttered open. A small frown appeared on his adorable face.
“Mother?” A wave of relief washed over Tatiana upon hearing his soft whisper. He drew his head closer and wrapped his little arms around her.
Dylan went back to sleep.
Tatiana wiped her tears and patted her son’s head gently, her heart still racing from the nightmare. The man in black, the gunshot, and the sight of her loved ones lying lifelessly on the floor sent a deep fear into her core.
A gentle hand reached for her shoulder, and she looked up to see Cassius. He gave her a small, reassuring smile that said he was here with her.
She slowly laid Dylan back down and covered him properly. Cassius then led her back to their room and faced her.
“Do you wish to talk about it?” Cassius asked lightly as their eyes met.
“I… I don’t want to lose you two. I don’t want to lose any of you. I can’t handle it. I won’t. I’ll kill myself if it happens. I don’t want revenge anymore. I can’t lose anyone else. I really can’t…” Tatiana broke down in tears again, and Cassius immediately pulled her close for a hug.
“We are going nowhere, Rebel. It’s just a dream,” Cassius whispered.
“No, it’s not. It was scary. You both were covered in blood. I don’t want to lose you… I can’t. I just-”
Cassius lifted her chin and kissed her briefly. He then reached for her tears and wiped them gently with his thumb.
“I’m here with you. Dylan too, and we are not going anywhere. We’ll stay by your side forever,” Cassius whispered.
“Promise?” she whispered, and he kissed her again, deeply enough to make her feel his warmth. He tilted her head to one side and thrust his tongue deeper.
She rolled her tongue with his, and her nerves eased, replaced with a sense of tranquility. When she was short of breath, he pulled away.
“I promise,” he answered, and she smiled a little.
Tatiana wrapped her arms around his firm body and pressed her head against his broad chest.
Shutting her eyes, she confessed, “I love you, Cash. I love you so much.”
She felt the man stiffen, but it only lasted for seconds.
When he didn’t reply, she looked up at him. He was smiling.
“I love you, Rebel,” he caressed her hair.
“Really?”
“You’re my woman. My queen. I love you.”
Joy like never before coursed through her. A beautiful smile graced her lips, and he kissed her again.
It was scary; Tatiana wouldn’t deny that. The thought of losing either her son or Cassius became her nightmare. A nightmare she wouldn’t dare to trigger.
The next day, Tatiana’s car halted at the graveyard. She stepped out with Jolene and approached a particular grave with flowers in her hands.
With a heavy heart, she dropped the flowers before the grave and looked up at the name engraved on the stone.
‘Issabella Wallington’
“Hey, Isabella,” she croaked. “For the first time in my life, I’ll break my promise. I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to go after the one behind your suffering. I’m selfish, you can say that.”
As she spoke, her voice trembled with emotions, and she felt a lump form in her throat. Never had she broken a promise before, especially the ones she made with her loved ones.
“I badly want to find justice, Belle. I badly do.” Tears slipped out of her eyes, and she didn’t bother wiping them away. “But the truth is, I’m scared. I’m scared of losing another. I sound selfish, don’t I?”
She sniffed and continued, “I hope you find a place in your heart to forgive me, Issabella. I hope you understand.”
She really hoped she did.
—
Cassius tapped on his table consecutively with his fingers, his gaze overlooking the city before him. The scared look on her face, her trembling fingers, and her words lingered in his head.
She had a nightmare. Quite disturbing.
But since she had decided not to go after her father again, he would respect that decision. However, if Mr. Wallington crossed the fucking line to hunt either her or Dylan, he wouldn’t sit still.
—
In the next few weeks, Tatiana buried herself in work. The guilt of not doing justice for Issabella’s death still haunted her, but the thought that her family was safe was enough to crush it.
The set decided to go for a drink to celebrate. Gavin was absent. After he was done acting, he never appeared until the day of the photo shoots.
Tatiana was dressed beautifully. She was breathtaking; one would definitely turn their head after she passed by. Her skin was fair and radiant, like porcelain-so smooth. Even her shape was worth dying for.
“Big boss is really doing a good job.”
Tatiana, who was busy with her phone, grinned. “He is.”
They both let out a small laugh.
“When are you going to announce your relationship with him? I’m sure big boss is ready to tell the whole world that you are his,” Jolene said.
“Yes, I know. But I don’t want people to think I climbed up to fame because of him,” Tatiana responded. She knew Cassius badly wanted to, but she wasn’t ready yet.
She wanted people to know her as Tatiana, the best actress-not Tatiana, the one who climbed to the top because of Cassius. Netizens would never understand their relationship…
They would condemn her wherever she went.
They would say whatever came to their minds, and it would affect her career and hers. Even Dylan would be dragged in.
Relationships were really complicated, especially in the entertainment industry.
She was with Mr. King-a man who dominated this world. She needed to climb higher and show she was worthy of being the King’s wife.
After explaining her thoughts, Jolene nodded in agreement.
“Hmm… We better be fast about it then. This movie is definitely going to blow the market’s mind off.”
“Sure it will,” Tatiana smiled.
“And you are to sign into the King’s company,” Jolene said, and Tatiana sighed. “It would be a normal process. The authorities in King’s company are going to be the ones to interview you. Of course, big boss too.”
“I just don’t think they’ll accept me after one movie,” Tatiana shrugged.
“This isn’t your first movie. And every movie you’ve done in the past made billions in the market. You should try it out. Besides, you’ll get to be around big boss.”
“Fine,” Tatiana gave in. What a talkative assistant she had.
It was time for her shoot. Tatiana stepped before the camera and was given prompts.
She posed with ease-fierce, sexy, cold, beautiful, and so on.
“Is she a model?” one of the workers on the camera set asked another.
“No, just an actress.”
“I know, but she’s as good as a model. She has such a beautiful, talented presence. She shouldn’t waste it.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know… I’m just saying.”
It was time for the couple shots. Tatiana watched Gavin joining her on set. She spotted the nervous look on his face.
When he was close to her, he cleared his throat. “I hope Mr. King won’t kill me,” he whispered low enough for only her to hear.
“You’ll be fine, as long as you don’t cross your limits. You don’t want to lose your fingers, do you?” Tatiana asked, and Gavin swallowed.