Chapter 9: You Have Been Intimate Twice

MARIELLE

I cursed my own existence as the clock mocked me: 8:19. Vera had already come and gone to grab me for breakfast, but I had slept through my alarms like a corpse. Panicked, I gave my hair a frantic brush and snatched my phone, bolting out of the room.

I was going to be slaughtered by my professors today. I was halfway to the stairs when the realization hit me like a physical blow. I’d left my wallet on the nightstand.

….Dumbass….

I spun around in a blur of motion, but my momentum was too much for the polished floor. My feet slid out from under me. I felt the sickening drop of gravity, my hands clawing at the air for the railing, but they found nothing but empty space.

The world tilted.

My back slammed into the edge of a step, the air rushing out of my lungs in a violent wheeze. Then, the back of my head connected with the wood with a dull, sickening thud. My body became a dead weight, rolling down the flight like a ragdoll.

I heard screams..distant, distorted…calling my name, but they felt miles away.

Suddenly, the tumbling stopped. Strong arms hooked under my shoulders, pulling me upward to keep my head from another impact. Sharp, white-hot pain radiated through every nerve ending, but the throbbing at the base of my skull was the loudest.

"Marielle!"

The voice was a roar of pure, unfiltered concern. I knew it instantly. Cassius. I tried to open my eyes, but the world was a smeared mess of colors and shadows.

"Call the fucking doctor!"

He growled at the order, and then I felt myself being lifted. My head fell naturally against the steady beat of his heart. I heard the frantic shuffling of the family, the murmurs of panic, but Cassius was already moving, carrying me back up the stairs.

The pain reached a crescendo, a blinding light behind my eyelids, and the darkness finally pulled me under.

CASSIUS

I kicked her bedroom door open, the wood hitting the stopper with a bang as I rushed to lay her on the bed. Victoria and Giselle were hot on my heels, their faces pale with terror.

"Baby," Giselle whispered, reaching out to touch Marielle’s hand. Giselle had always been the heart of this family, sensitive and nurturing, and she loved Marielle with a ferocity that rivaled a mother's.

Victoria moved to the other side, her hand hovering over Marielle’s forehead. "My poor baby," she choked out.

"The doctor is here," Caleb announced from the doorway.

I stepped back, my chest heaving, to give the man space. Enzo must have briefed him on the way up, because he went straight to work without a word. I watched him examine her, my fists clenched so tight my knuckles turned white.

The thought of losing her... it made my skin crawl. I couldn't do this again. I couldn't watch someone I cared for slip away. Fernando's death was a wound that hadn't finished healing, and seeing Marielle unmoving on these sheets was pulling the stitches out.

"Her head has been injured," the doctor finally said, standing up. "It’s not a deep laceration, but the brain is sensitive.

The impact caused a concussion. She’ll likely be unconscious for a while, but the medication should manage the swelling.”He handed the prescription to Giselle. I gave him a curt nod as he left, my eyes never leaving Marielle’s pale face.

"I’ve told her to be careful, but she never listens," Victoria sighed, wiping a stray tear.

I didn't stay to hear the rest. The anger was bubbling up, hot and oily. I walked out of the room, pulled out my phone, and dialed my assistant.

"Cancel all my meetings," I snapped. "All of them."

I walked into my office and ripped off my blazer, tossing it onto the leather chair. I closed my eyes, trying to force the image of her falling out of my mind.

"Calm down, Cassius."

Enzo was standing in the doorway, his face a mask of cold professionalism.

"She got hurt in her own damn house, Enzo."

"It was her own mistake," he countered.

I glared at him, my eyes burning with a rage I couldn't fully explain. Mistake or not, the sight of her broken on those stairs had done something to me.

"You can't just cancel your entire day for her," Enzo continued, stepping into the room.

"She is your best friend’s daughter. I get it- you’re her protector. But Cassius Marchetti doesn't cancel the business of the empire because a girl tripped. This isn't the man I've known since we were kids."

"She is important," I gritted out, my jaw aching from the tension.

"Important, yes. But not special... is she?"

I scrunched my brows, the word tasting like lead in my mouth. "Special?"

"Don't make her special, Cassius. Control yourself. The doctor said she’s fine. Stop pacing around like a fucking lover."

"There is nothing like that! I just can't afford to lose her!"

"Will you let her walk away from you, then?"

The question stopped me dead. The thought of her walking away.. of her belonging to someone else, of her leaving this house..felt just as lethal as the thought of her dying.

Enzo actually smiled, a small, knowing thing that made me want to hit him.

"You’ve always been restless when it comes to her. You can't lose her, and you can't bear the thought of her leaving. It all points to one thing.”

"Shut up!" I growled, the sound echoing off the office walls.

"She is family! My best friend’s daughter! That is all!"

"Then make that clear to her," Enzo challenged, his voice rising to match mine.

"You’ve been intimate twice now. Mistakes happen once, Cassius. Twice is a choice. Get it through her…if it happens again, you’re going to lose a lot more than just a meeting.”