Divorce?
Cassius’s blood boiled at the thought of letting Tatiana go. His eyes darkened.
“Cassius, I know what you might be thinking…” His grandfather tried to speak, but Cassius cut in coldly.
“You once told me how you fought till the end just to be with Grandma. Now you’re telling me to give up on the woman who pulled me out of the dark?” he asked, his voice as cold as ice.
“Fighting them would mean endangering your loved ones. Your mother almost died because…” his grandfather said.
“And you asked me not to chase them. I would have burned the fucking Wallingtons alive. I had a plan, but you stopped me. I’ll destroy their chain and be with her, even if it means burning down the world. You did that for Grandma, then why are you stopping me?”
A sigh came from the other side, indicating his grandfather’s surrender. Everything Cassius said was right. The Wallington family would always be in their way.
The only way to stop this was to destroy them. Mr. Holden, Cassius’s grandfather, had once had a run-in with the devil, Maximus Wallington (Tatiana’s father).
Maximus Wallington had always wanted to expand his empire with every chance he got. But the Kings, one of the greatest families in the country, were not joining.
This caused the accident involving Cassius’s mother, Aurora, creating chaos. Holden King loved his family, so he asked Cassius to let the situation go. In return, the Wallingtons wouldn’t bother them again.
And now, Cassius was married to his daughter. Maximus Wallington would definitely come back.
“Remember your promise the day you found me and my mother. I was so mad at you for being oblivious to her existence. You promised to help me with whatever I wanted. I became the king of the entertainment industry because of my capability. The Wallingtons will be a piece of cake. I have a plan for them. I only need your army,” Cassius stated, and his grandfather sighed again on the other side.
“This is the mafia world we are talking about. I know you’re one, but you’re not deeply involved in this,” the old man said.
“I’ve always been a mafia,” Cassius smirked.
—
Tatiana stirred gently from her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open and met Cassius, who was staring down at her with a smile.
“Good morning, wife,” he greeted and kissed her gently.
“Good morning. How long have you been staring at me?” she asked, and he tucked her loose hair behind her ear.
“A long while. You snore a lot,” he said, and her smile dropped.
“Liar… take that back,” her nose flared up. She looked cute.
“Nope.”
“Cash! I don’t snore,” she sat up, her cheek puffed.
“You do,” he let out a soft laugh.
Tatiana grabbed a pillow and hit his head. “Take it back!” He poked his tongue at her. When she tried to hit him again, Cassius took the pillow from her and threw it aside.
He pressed his lips against hers, shoving his tongue into her mouth and rolling it with hers. His hand roamed over her body, and she moaned.
“Get prepared for tonight,” he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on her neck.
“For what?”
“A welcome party,” he responded, pulling up her nightgown.
In the next moment, Tatiana’s moans filled the room as Cassius buried his face between her legs.
—
Jolene was still in her nightwear when she heard her doorbell ring. Her father had already left for work, so she went to answer the door herself.
She froze at the sight of the familiar figure.
“Mr…. Jaxon?” she stuttered.
Jaxon pulled down his mask and smiled. When she remained at the entrance, blinking at him, he asked, “Are you going to let me in?”
“Oh… yeah… yeah,” she nodded and left the door open for him.
She watched him scrutinize her small apartment.
“You should move out,” he suddenly said, facing her.
“Tatie said the same thing many times, but I don’t take advantage of people. It’s my decision to stay here,” she said, her voice barely audible.
“Hm,” he stepped forward, his height looming over her. She was like a fragile cat staring at a huge beast. Jaxon was built, almost as Cassius, and that made him incredibly attractive!
“You haven’t seen me in weeks. You didn’t text or call.”
Jolene blinked. “Should I have?”
“Yes, a big yes. I was busy, but you should have texted or called at least,” he sounded a bit upset.
Jolene bit her lip. Though she found his reason for being upset strange, she should have called. He had saved her and her father.
“I’m sorry. I was pretty busy too. Thank you, Mr. Jaxon…”
“Jaxon. Just call me Jaxon.”
“Jaxon. Thank you for the other day,” she said softly, and a small smile crept across his face. Jolene observed him closely. “You look tired.”
“Yeah, I was just returning from Berlin.”
Jolene’s eyes went wide. “You haven’t gotten home?”
“Hm,” he drew closer to her, his face inches from hers. “I wanted to see your cute face first.”
“Cute face?” Jolene mused as her face turned bright red.
“Yeah. Remember, you owe me, cutie,” he said, and Jolene swallowed, overwhelmed by his amazing cologne.
“Yes,” she managed to speak. She noticed his eyes moved down to her lips and back to her. His eyes locked with hers, and she was mesmerized by their beauty.
“I want to kiss you. Can I?” he asked.
Jolene felt like lightning had struck her. Her heart skipped a beat, and her temperature rose. A kiss? Did she hear him right? He wanted to kiss her?
Jolene had never been with a man before. She had never been in a relationship. Some men had approached her, but she had ignored and rejected them all. For recent years, she had focused on helping Tatiana win her war.
“It’s fine if you say no.”
“Uhm…” Her eyes were fixed on his. This man, Jaxon Miller, was incredibly handsome. He was many women’s dream. Why on earth did he want to kiss her? Maybe he was teasing her.
She was way below his league.
Jaxon swiftly pecked her cheek instead.
“See you at the welcome event, cutie,” he smiled slightly and left the apartment.
Jolene stayed frozen, not moving an inch. Her heart sounded like a drum in her ear, and her skin tingled. His words and actions replayed in her head, and she swallowed.
Not only did he ask for a kiss, but he also pecked her.
‘Is Jaxon into me?’ That question seemed impossible. Was this a dream? Her heart was about to burst.
However, Jaxon approached the car waiting for him and ruffled his hair gently.
He couldn’t believe he asked for a kiss. Wasn’t that too straightforward?
He got into his car and smiled. Her reaction was just too cute.
He couldn’t wait to see her at the event. He started his car and drove off to meet Aurora.
—
Tatiana stared at her reflection in the mirror. Excitement blanketed her face, and at the same time, she felt nervous.
Will the new brothers and sisters like her? Tatiana had once signed with a company years ago, and she had to deal with many schemes plotted by rivals.
If she compared herself back then to who she was now, she was ruthless then, unlike now. She had become softer after falling into the deceitful arms of Nathan.
Tatiana felt Cassius’s strong arms encircle her waist, his face nestled in the crook of her neck.
“You’re beautiful,” Cassius whispered.
Tatiana’s eyes met his. “Are they going to like me?”
“Why are you so nervous?” he asked lightly and held her cheek. “You’re their queen.”
Tatiana smiled and nodded. Still, she couldn’t shake the strange feeling building up inside her. Was it because of the event? Or because something was coming?