Chapter 10

Evian

The drive was quiet after Francis disappeared back into the house.

I expected Cassian to ask more questions. About Francis. About what he wanted. About why he thought he could touch me like that.

He didn’t.

He just drove.

The silence wasn’t awkward. It was controlled. Like he was giving me space to speak if I wanted to.

“You pushed him hard,” I said finally.

“He was out of line,” Cassian replied.

“He’s always out of line.”

“You let him stand too close.”

I looked at him. “I didn’t let him.”

“You didn’t stop him soon enough.”

That irritated me. “I handled it.”

“You stepped back. He stepped forward. That’s not handling it.”

I folded my arms. “Why do you care?”

His eyes stayed on the road. “I don’t like people touching what they haven’t earned.”

The way he said it made something tighten in my chest.

He didn’t sound jealous.

He sounded firm.

We drove another minute before he asked, “Was he always like that?”

“Like what?”

“Comfortable.”

I looked out the window. “He used to be different.”

“Before Kate?”

“Yes.”

Cassian nodded slightly, like he had already guessed that.

“He misses access,” Cassian said calmly.

I turned to him. “Excuse me?”

“Not you. Access.”

I almost smiled. “You think he asked for five million because he misses access?”

“Yes.”

“He said it was temporary.”

“People who say that usually mean permanent.”

I didn’t argue.

We arrived at a quiet restaurant near the waterfront. Not flashy. Not crowded. Calm.

“You eat here often?” I asked as we stepped out.

“Sometimes.”

That was all he said.

Inside, we were led to a table near the window. The staff greeted him politely, but not overly respectful. Nothing suspicious. Nothing that screamed power.

Good.

I wasn’t ready for more surprises.

Once we sat down, he looked at me directly.

“Why do you stay?” he asked.

“With my family?”

“Yes.”

I leaned back slightly. “That’s a strange question.”

“It’s a simple one.”

I studied him for a moment. “It’s my mother’s house.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to live inside it.”

“It means I won’t be pushed out.”

“You’re not being pushed out,” he said. “You’re being contained.”

That annoyed me. “I’m not weak.”

“I didn’t say you were.”

“You implied it.”

He shook his head once. “Strength isn’t about staying somewhere that hurts you.”

I didn’t respond immediately.

He continued, “You’re fighting emotionally. They’re fighting strategically.”

I stared at him. “What does that mean?”

“It means you react. They calculate.”

“That’s not true.”

“Freezing accounts was emotional.”

“It was necessary.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “But you did it loudly.”

“And?”

“If you’re going to declare war, don’t do it loudly. Do it intelligently.”

I didn’t like how accurate that sounded.

“You talk like you’ve done this before,” I said.

“I observe.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s enough.”

The waiter came and we ordered. The conversation shifted slightly after that, but his words stayed in my head.

You react. They calculate.

“I stayed because I thought being the good daughter would matter,” I admitted quietly after a while.

Cassian didn’t interrupt.

“I thought if I endured enough, they would see me differently.”

“And?”

“They didn’t.”

He watched me carefully. Not with pity. Just attention.

“I stayed because I thought if I left, they’d win,” I added.

“And now?”

“Now I’m not sure what winning looks like.”

He leaned slightly closer. “Winning isn’t making noise. It’s taking control without them realizing they’ve lost it.”

His hand reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from my face. The gesture was slow. Deliberate.

“Don’t let men like Francis touch you again,” he said quietly.

There was no anger in his tone.

Just certainty.

“I won’t,” I replied.

After dinner, he drove me home.

The gates were open when we arrived.

That was unusual.

The house lights were brighter than normal.

That was worse.

I stepped out of the car and paused.

“I don’t like that,” I said.

Cassian followed my gaze. “Something’s wrong.”

I nodded slightly. “It usually is.”

“Call me if you need to,” he said.

I almost laughed. “You’ll come push someone again?”

“If necessary.”

I looked at him for a second. “Thank you.”

He didn’t answer. He just watched me walk inside.

The moment I entered the living room, I knew something had happened.

My father was pacing.

My stepmother looked furious.

Kate looked pale.

“What happened?” I asked calmly.

They all turned to me at once.

“This is your fault!” my stepmother snapped.

“For what?”

My father stopped pacing and pointed at me. “The company account is under review.”

I blinked. “What?”

“There’s been an inquiry,” he continued angrily. “A formal one.”

“From who?”

“They won’t disclose that yet,” he said. “But it’s connected to the recent financial restrictions.”

I frowned slightly. “You mean the accounts I froze?”

“Yes!” he shouted. “You triggered scrutiny!”

Kate stepped forward suddenly. “I told you this would happen.”

I looked at her carefully. “What exactly happened?”

“There’s an audit request,” my father said. “They’re reviewing transfers and access history.”

That didn’t make sense.

Freezing access shouldn’t trigger an audit.

Unless—

“Unless someone filed something,” I said slowly.

The room went quiet.

Kate looked away first.

“You filed something?” I asked her directly.

She snapped her head back toward me. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Did you?”

“Why would I?”

“To regain access,” I said.

“That’s insane.”

My stepmother stepped in. “Stop accusing her!”

“I’m asking.”

“You think she would sabotage her own father’s company?” she continued.

I held Kate’s gaze. “Would you?”

Her silence lasted half a second too long.

My father exhaled harshly. “This is not the time for internal fighting. We need to fix this.”

“How serious is it?” I asked.

“Serious enough,” he said. “If this escalates, it could freeze corporate operations.”

I felt something click into place.

Ten million.

Urgent.

No explanation.

An audit.

“You needed ten million for this?” I asked Kate quietly.

Her eyes widened slightly. “Don’t twist things.”

“You were trying to move money before something locked.”

“That’s not true.”

“It sounds very true.”

“Enough!” my father shouted.

He looked exhausted now. Not just angry.

“If this company falls under investigation because of your impulsive behavior—”

“My impulsive behavior?” I interrupted.

“You froze accounts without consulting me!”

“I froze personal inheritance accounts.”

“They were linked!”

That made me pause.

Linked?

“How linked?” I asked carefully.

My father hesitated.

Kate stepped in quickly. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” I said.

There was more here than they were admitting.

And for the first time, I wasn’t reacting emotionally.

I was calculating.

If the accounts were connected somehow, if corporate funds and personal inheritance were crossing lines, then this wasn’t about rebellion anymore.

This was about exposure.

And someone was nervous.

Very nervous.

I looked at all three of them slowly.

“You should hope,” I said calmly, “that this audit is clean.”

The room fell silent.