Chapter 6

VIOLETTA

Cassian had just reached for me when Logan caught my wrist.

Okay…?

I froze.

What the fuck is going on here?

It had just been less than twenty-four hours since Logan had stood in front of the entire university and made it painfully clear that he wanted nothing to do with me.

He'd humiliated me, destroyed my reputation, and nearly ruined the career I'd worked so hard to build.

So what was this stupid charade?

“Let go of her, Cassian.” Logan said, through gritted teeth… trying and failing to sound intimidating.

The two of them stared at each other as though they were only seconds away from throwing punches.

Ollie would have paid good money to be an audience to this spectacle.

As much as I hated to admit it, a small part of me couldn’t stop wondering where this version of Logan had been all while I'd begged for the bare minimum.

I had spent two years hidden away like some dirty little secret, yet the moment he saw me with someone else, suddenly I was worth claiming.

The realization left a bitter taste in my mouth.

This wasn’t love but rather petty jealousy.

Cassian shot back at him, pulling me back to the present, “Why?”

The smug smirk on his face told me he was clearly enjoying every second of getting under Logan's skin.

Since Logan refused to let go of my wrist, Cassian closed the remaining distance between us until his chest brushed lightly against my shoulder.

It was obvious he was doing this to further antagonize him to everyone but Logan… and judging by the murderous look on Logan's face it was clearly working.

“I. Wasn't. Asking,” Logan growled.

Said the man that has sacrificed me for his future? What a joke!

“Good.” Cassian’s other arm slipped around my waist, pulling me effortlessly even closer, “Because I wasn't planning on listening to you.”

The air between them became suffocating and it didn't help that I was in the middle.

For one terrifying second, I genuinely thought they were about to fight inside the classroom.

“What would people say if they walked in and saw their beloved Logan with a fiancée dragging my girlfriend around?”

Logan scoffed, “Vee is just a friend and I was taking to her before you walked in so fuck off!”

Eyeing Cassian's stance he continued, “We both know nerds aren't your type.”

I tilted my head, taken aback by the game he was playing.

“And they sure as hell aren't mine so we are safe from whatever narrative anyone is going to paint.”

I hated that his words affected me even if it was only a tiny bit, they hit harder than they should have.

It was amusing to see that even while acting all jealous and possessive… He still couldn't bring himself to acknowledge that I'd ever been more than an embarrassing mistake.

Cassian's mouth curved into a lazy smirk.

“If that’s the case, let go of my girlfriend’s hand. Nerds may not be my type…” Cassian’s hand around my waist drew circles, “…but Red definitely is.”

Red?

Who was red?

Logan scowled as his eye trailed to my hair… my breath caught.

For one embarrassingly stupid second, I almost swooned before reminding myself that this was all an act.

A very convincing one.

I couldn’t deny how satisfying it was to see the shocked look on Logan’s face. After everything he’d done to me, watching him stand there speechless filled me with a sense of petty satisfaction.

But it wasn’t just Logan’s reaction that got to me.

It was Cassian.

The way his hands stayed unmoved around my waist, the emotion in his voice as he easily blended into his role… if he wasn't thinking of pursuing hockey, he could sell as an actor .

It wasn’t until Logan took a threatening step forward that I realized things had gone too far.

“Time out!” I screamed, drawing their attention back to me.

A dirty smirk filled Logan’s face, he clearly thought that knew about reprimanding Cassian… I mused as I watched it fall when I gently pulled my wrist free from Logan's hand before taking a step back.

“You told the entire university we were never together so what is this act?”

His expression faltered but he said nothing.

“I’ll admit it that I had been delusional to think that we had something but this… is messed up.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“But you made yourself perfectly clear and clearly I moved on, you don’t see me chasing and saying shit about you to anyone.”

I met his eyes, “This is me respecting your decision but if you pull this kind of staunt again, I’d be forced to show others your dirty character.”

His lips parted, “You don't mean that.”

“I do.”

He reached for me again but this time, I stepped back before he could touch me, instinctively moving closer to Cassian.

For reasons I couldn't explain… standing beside him while basking in his warmth made me feel safe.

Silence filled the room before he finally leaned in, hissing, “I didn't come here to talk about relationships and where we stand so enough with the threats.”

We stood nowhere!

Logan lowered his voice as he continued. “I also came to find you out because I need to know what happens to my social media now.””

I stared at him in disbelief.

Surely… he didn’t mean what he was spitting out.

“My accounts are a mess, Vee… and with this engagement on my page; I really need you now more than ever.”

And still no apology or taking accountability for the mess he created for no reason… he couldn’t even if I was okay or pretend to regret what he'd done.

This has got to be a fucking joke.

Yet he looked so serious.

I didn’t know how long I stood there, frozen, imagining all the different ways I was going to make Logan pay for everything he’d put me through before a nudge against my side pulled me back to reality.

Cassian still had a frown on his face when he said, “I think we’re done here.”