CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

CASSIAN

I heard a knock on my door and walked over to open it. The moment I did, I froze.

Standing in front of me was the most handsome man I had ever seen in my life.

He was tall, broad, and packed with muscle. His grey eyes were sharp and cold, like he could see straight through me. His black hair was packed neatly in a bun, and even though he was just standing there, I could feel the heavy aura around him. He looked expensive. Dangerous. Like someone who didn’t waste time with small talk.

He looked me up and down once before speaking.

“I’m Rafael Vitali,” he said. His voice carried a slight British accent that made every word sound arrogant and expensive. “Your new bodyguard.”

I blinked at him, still holding the door. “You?”

Rafael raised one eyebrow slightly. “Is there a problem?”

I quickly shook my head. “No… no problem.”

He gave a small nod. “Good. I’ll be outside if you need anything.”

Then he turned and walked away like he hadn’t just shaken my entire system.

A few hours later, I was already regretting everything.

Rafael was breathing down my neck. Everywhere I went, he followed. If I walked to the kitchen, he was right behind me. If I sat in the living room, he stood by the door like a statue. It was suffocating.

I was sitting in the garden trying to get some air when my phone rang. It was Maya.

I picked up and smiled when her face appeared on the screen.

“Hey, Maya.”

The moment she saw me, her eyes widened.

“Cassian! What the hell happened to your arm?!” she screamed so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear.

I sighed. “It’s nothing serious. Just a small accident.”

“Small accident my foot! That looks like a gunshot wound! I’m booking the next flight to Varynia right now—”

“No, no, no,” I said quickly. “Maya, relax. I’m fine. It’s just a graze. The doctor already checked me.”

She was still panicking on the screen. “Cassian, this is serious! Who’s protecting you over there? I swear if anything happens to you—”

“I’m fine,” I repeated. “I have a bodyguard now. See?”

I turned the phone slightly so she could see Rafael standing a few feet away. He was staring straight ahead with a bored expression on his face, like he couldn’t be bothered with anything happening around him.

Maya paused. “That’s your bodyguard?”

“Yeah.”

She narrowed her eyes. “He looks scary.”

“He is,” I muttered.

Rafael didn’t even react. He just kept standing there like a statue.

After I ended the call with Maya, I turned to him.

“You can leave if you’re tired,” I said. “You don’t have to follow me everywhere.”

He didn’t reply.

I frowned. “I said you can go. I’m just sitting here.”

Still nothing.

I tried again. “Rafael. You can leave.”

He finally looked at me, but his face didn’t change.

“I was ordered to protect you,” he said calmly. “So I will.”

I wanted to scream.

Later that afternoon, I was walking in the garden again when a little boy from one of the servant families ran up to me. He was holding a small yellow flower.

“Lord Cassian!” he said excitedly. “This is for you!”

I smiled and bent down to take it. “Thank you. That’s very sweet of you.”

Before I could even touch the flower, a hand snatched it from the child’s grip.

I looked up in shock.

Rafael crushed the flower in his hand without any expression and threw it on the ground.

The little boy’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

I stood up fast. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

The child started crying loudly.

Rafael looked at me like I was the one being unreasonable.

“It could be poisonous,” he said simply.

I was so angry I felt like my head was going to explode.

“Are you crazy?!” I shouted. “It’s a flower! From a child!”

I quickly turned to the boy and crouched down, trying to calm him.

“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry. Uncle Cassian still likes your flower, okay? Thank you.”

The boy was still sobbing as I patted his head. After a while, he ran off, still crying.

I stood up and glared at Rafael.

“You’re insane,” I said through gritted teeth. “Absolutely insane.”

He didn’t even blink.

I was so angry that I marched straight to Dante’s office. I didn’t even knock. I pushed the door open and walked in.

My uncle, Lord Ashford, was also there. They both looked up when I entered.

“Cassian?” my uncle said, surprised. “What’s wrong?”

I pointed behind me. “This bodyguard is crazy! He just crushed a flower a child gave me and made him cry! For what? Because it ‘could be poisonous’? Are you hearing this?”

Dante didn’t even bat an eye. He just leaned back in his chair.

“That’s the Head of Intelligence,” he said calmly. “He’s doing his job.”

I stared at him, shocked.

“His job is to make children cry?!” I asked.

My uncle just shrugged. “You were in danger, Cassian. He’s only trying to protect you.”

I turned to my uncle, desperate. “Uncle Ash, say something! This is ridiculous!”

Before my uncle could reply, Rafael’s voice came from behind me. I didn’t even realize he had followed me.

“His Majesty asked me to protect you,” Rafael said, his voice cold and steady. “Protect you, I shall.”

I turned around slowly, ready to curse him out.

But before I could open my mouth, Dante called my name firmly.

“Cassian.”

I swallowed the swear words that were already on my tongue and just glared at Rafael instead. Then I turned around and walked out of the office in anger.

Three weeks later, I was packing my bags with a big smile on my face.

I was finally going back to the United States. No more Rafael following me everywhere. No more cold stares. No more crushed flowers. I was free.

I was folding my clothes when someone knocked on my door.

“Come in,” I said.

The door opened and Dante walked in.

I looked up and smiled. “Hey. I’m almost done packing.”

Dante didn’t smile back. He just stood there and said, “Rafael is going with you.”

My hands froze on the shirt I was holding.

I slowly turned to look at him.

“…What?”

“He’s going with you to the United States,” Dante repeated. “He’ll continue protecting you there.”

I sat down on the bed like all the strength had left my body.

“No,” I said. “No, no, no. I already have bodyguards back home. My dad won’t let anything happen to me. I don’t need Rafael.”

Dante’s face didn’t change. “It’s already decided.”

I stood up again. “Dante, please. I’m begging you. I can’t deal with him anymore. He’s… he’s a psychopath. He’s worse than the three of you combined and that’s saying something!”

Dante still didn’t react.

“He’s the only one I trust with this,” he said simply. “Rafael will go with you.”

Then he turned around and walked out of the room.

I stood there in the middle of my room, staring at the door.

Then I slowly sat back down on the bed.

I looked at my half-packed bag and felt all the happiness drain out of me.

I was going back to the United States with Rafael.

I covered my face with both hands and groaned loudly.

“Fuck my life.”