Chapter 12: Control Your Fucking Self

CASSIUS

I stood paralyzed for a heartbeat, watching her look up at me with eyes that held a challenge I hadn't seen before. Something dark and possessive bubbled up in my chest, a volatile mixture of fury and a memory of her skin against mine. The way that word- ..daddy.. rolling off her tongue was a deliberate strike against my self-control.

“Marielle..”

I growled her name, a final warning vibrating in my throat. She didn't flinch. Instead, she rolled her eyes and stepped back, flipping her hair with a slow, agonizing confidence.

“I don’t need your permission, and you know exactly where I’m going. So chill.”

She turned on her heel, her long hair catching the air as she walked away. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. My gaze tracked the line of her soft legs, the curve of her hips, and the way that skirt clung to her as she moved. A violent urge to grab her, to pin her against the car and remind her exactly who she was talking to, nearly overthrew my reason.

I inhaled sharply, my lungs burning, trying to douse the fire in my nerves. I clenched my fists until they ached, watching the car pull down the drive.

“These are the documents you asked for.. ” Enzo’s voice cut through the silence. He stopped mid-sentence, looking at my face, and likely seeing the carnage I was ready to unleash.

“What happened?” I snapped, adjusting my collar. My voice was a serrated blade. “Get the car ready for the meeting.”

“Someone needs to settle their business with you,” Enzo informed me.

Good. I needed someone to break.

I couldn't focus. Every time I looked at a contract, I saw Marielle in that lavender skirt. Every time a car drove past the office, I thought of her out there, dressed like a target, behaving with a boldness that didn't belong to the timid girl I'd raised.

The disobedience was a fever in my blood. I wanted to drag her home and show her exactly who was in charge.

I was leaning over my desk, my veins throbbing with suppressed adrenaline, when the door to my office swung open. I looked up, ready to roar, but stopped when I saw her.

“Cas-”

“What are you doing here, Serena?”

She froze, the smile faltering on her face. I didn’t care about the coldness in my voice. She was a business arrangement…a face to show the families to keep the rumors of my "distractions" at bay and she was overstepping.

“You seemed stressed, so I just came to-”

“Who told you?” I asked, my voice sharp enough to draw blood.

“Enzo.”

I cursed Enzo under my breath. He wasn't just a soldier anymore…he was playing matchmaker with my life, and I was going to kill him for it.

Serena stepped forward, invading the space around my desk. “Cassius, you should have told me. You already canceled our dinner plan-”

“You are well aware that I don’t do dinners,” I warned.

She didn't take the hint. Most women don't when they see the Marchetti name. She bent down, her hand sliding onto my chest to steady herself, her lips brushing against my earlobe.

“I can relieve your stress, if you let me,” she whispered.

Her hand traveled down, tracing the line of my abs, moving lower. I caught her wrist in a vice grip, glaring at her with enough heat to melt lead, but before I could throw her out, my phone buzzed on the desk.

I glanced at the screen, and the world stopped. It was a photo.

In the image, a guy had his hand buried in Marielle's hair, his other arm wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. She was smiling.

The office turned cold. The rage that had been simmering for hours finally boiled over.

“Baby..” Serena started, trying to lean in again.

I pushed her off me with enough force to make her stumble. “Control your fucking self, Serena. Get out. Now!”

She gasped, her eyes wide with shock. I didn't wait for her to move. I snatched my phone and slammed it against the wall. It shattered into a thousand jagged pieces of glass and plastic.

“Enzo!” I roared.

Enzo appeared in the doorway seconds later, looking from the sobbing Serena to the wreckage on the floor. She scrambled past him, fleeing the room.

“What happened-”

“Get Marielle home,” I commanded, my voice dropping into a register that made the air in the room feel heavy.

“You have five minutes.”

“Cassius, what..”

“Don’t fucking ask me again! Do what you’re told!”

I stared at the spot where my phone had died.

You’re playing with fire, Adeline Fernando.

You wanted to see the monster? You found him. And this fire is going to burn us both to the ground.