004

Dante’s POV

I walked out of the hotel, and I couldn’t help but be amused by the mess of the last few hours. In all my forty-two years, I had never met someone who unsettled me the way she did. Most of my encounters with women were predictable—quick, ravenous, over in hours. But her? She was clumsy, feeble-minded in a way, yet oddly captivating. It was memorable, and I wasn’t used to remembering.

“Boss,” Tyson greeted, bowing his head slightly. I only gave him a nod and slid into the back seat of the car. Still, I didn’t give the order to drive. Instead, I sat back, hands folded, eyes fixed on the hotel doors. She had rejected my offer earlier, but I wasn’t the kind of man to leave loose ends. I wanted to see her walk out, make sure she got home safely. Or maybe I just wanted to see her one more time.

“Isn’t that the boyfriend?” I muttered when I noticed a man pacing outside, shoulders tense, jaw set.

Tyson leaned forward. “You mean..”

Before he could finish, she came out. Cassandra. Her auburn hair catching the early light, her face stormy.

“Nicholas?” I heard her call, and then she launched herself at him before I could even blink.

The scene that unfolded made me laugh—actually laugh. A real laugh I hadn’t tasted in years. Tyson startled beside me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was a whirlwind of fury, yanking the man’s hair, clawing at him like a tigress. No matter what explanation he spat out, she wasn’t hearing any of it. She only let go after she had a fistful of his hair in her hand, victorious.

“She’s quite feisty,” I murmured, almost to myself. And God, why did I like that? Women usually bowed to me, but she…she's different.

I watched her storm off, shoulders stiff, chin high, the kind of walk that said she’d rather break than bend. I didn’t need to worry about her. She’d survive.

“That man…” My voice dropped into command, smooth and final. “Make sure he never gets an investment again. Not from me, not from anyone I know.”

Tyson scribbled a note, his face giving nothing away.

As the car pulled away, a strange hollowness tugged at me. It felt like leaving something half-finished, like walking away from a game just when it started to get interesting. A smirk crept to my lips. “Perhaps we’ll meet again, Cassandra,” I whispered, and the words tasted wicked.

******************

“Good morning, sir,” voices chorused as I walked through the office doors, but I barely acknowledged them with a grunt. My ear was already being chewed off through the phone.

“Are you even listening to me, Uncle?” My niece Mira’s sharp voice cut through the line.

“Yes,” I lied, loosening my tie as Tyson trailed me into my office. Mira was one of my favorites, but goodness, the girl could nag.

“Don’t tell me you’ve got a woman over there. Uncle, you’re in your forties, you should stop playing games. Settle down, act your age…”

I set the phone on my desk, letting her rant while I rolled my sleeves up. Her voice droned on, filling the air like a persistent fly.

Finally, I cut her off. “Mira, I’m at the office. I’ll call later.”

“You’d better not forget Grandfather’s birthday. Don’t embarrass us!” she snapped.

I arched an eyebrow. I hadn’t even remembered that detail. Truth was, I’d been gone a long time, building a life outside of my family’s shadow. While they squabbled and schemed, I’d built my empire brick by brick. A construction company that was already thriving before my return. Now, everyone wants to partner with me. Everyone wanted a slice. But I wasn’t careless. I was selective. I’d seen too many businesses rot from underground dealings.

I hung up, finally breathing again. Tyson, too, looked relieved, if I didn't know better I would have said he feared my niece more than me.

“Updates,” I said, my tone cutting.

He handed me a stack of files. “These are submissions from interior design firms for the new project. I filtered the top five.”

I flipped through them, unimpressed. Until my eyes caught on one. I stilled. A name. Her name.

“What company is this?” I asked, my voice low.

Tyson glanced. “A smaller firm. New, but with potential. The designs are…unique.”

“Can they handle it?”

“They might struggle, but..”

I cut him off, my eyes glued to the portfolio. I didn’t need the details. I saw what I needed: her signature at the bottom. Cassandra.

“Well, well,” I muttered, smirking. “Heaven’s playing generous today.”

“Sir?” Tyson tilted his head.

“Set up a meeting. Monday.”

“You’ve already decided?”

I finally looked up at him, my smirk sharper now. “Make sure she’s the one who attends. The brain behind the proposal. No substitutes.”

Tyson studied me, wary. “This isn’t just business, is it?”

I leaned back in my chair, the weight of power settling comfortably around me. “She’ll be interesting,” I said softly, almost to myself. “And I like interesting things.”

My thumb brushed the edge of her portfolio, and for a moment I pictured her again those wide eyes when she crashed into me, the way her breath had caught, her lips parting like she wanted to speak but couldn’t. Innocent, but not untouched. Feeble-minded, she’d called herself in my mind. But I knew better. Underneath, she had claws.

And soon, those claws would be mine to test.