Chapter Thirteen

Cassian’s POV

I followed Liora’s taxi through the city traffic after my investigator informed me that she had skipped her lunch delivery and was tracking Elaris’ car downtown. The moment my driver pulled up to the valet entrance of the riverfront restaurant, I stepped out onto the sidewalk, bypassed the host stand without saying a word, and walked straight into the dining room.

A loud commotion was coming from the center of the room, and as I cleared the tall decorative plants near the aisle, I saw Liora screaming at the top of her lungs, her white dress soaked in orange juice as she reached down and aggressively grabbed the arm of six-year-old Casey, who was crying uncontrollably in his chair.

"Look at what you did to my dress, you worthless little creature!" Liora shrieked, her fingers digging deep into the boy's small arm as she shook him violently.

An overwhelming rage surged through my entire body, and before Elaris or Enzo could even take another step forward, I closed the distance between us in two quick strides, reached out my arm, and shoved Liora’s hand away from the boy so hard that she stumbled back three full steps, nearly falling over an empty table.

"Get your hands off him right now, Liora!" I shouted, my voice echoing across the entire restaurant as I immediately stepped between her and the crying boy, shielding Casey with my own body while my chest heaved with heavy breaths.

"Cassian?" Liora gasped out, her eyes widening in pure shock as she held her bruised wrist, looking at me as if she had just seen a dead man walking into the room. "You... why are you here? Why are you protecting this little brat?"

"I said do not lay a single finger on him!" I growled, turning my head to glance down at Casey, who was clutching his reddened arm while crying into Elaris' skirt.

Looking down into the boy's dark, tear-filled eyes, an unexplainable, deep instinctual pull hit my chest, making me want to protect him at all costs, and seeing the absolute terror and protection I felt for this boy made Liora's face turn completely white with panic.

"Cassian, you don't understand what happened!" Liora stammered out, taking a step closer to me while trying to pull her fake, gentle act back over her frantic expression, "He spilled his sticky drink all over my expensive dress on purpose because Elaris raised him to hate me, and when I tried to correct his behavior, Elaris slapped my hand!"

"He is a six-year-old child, Liora!" I snapped back, my jaw clenching so tight my teeth hurt, "You are a grown woman standing in a public restaurant screaming at a little boy and digging your nails into his skin over a piece of clothing!"

"He is Elaris' child, Cassian!" Liora yelled back, her voice turning high-pitched and hysterical as she pointed an orange-stained finger at Elaris, "Why are you taking their side against me after everything I did for you? Why do you care so much about some random kid she had with another man?"

"I don't care who his mother is right now," I said, my voice dropping into a cold, hard tone that made Liora flinch, "I am telling you that if I ever see you put your hands on a child again, especially in my presence, I will personally throw you out of my house without a single cent to your name."

"You... you would throw me out for them?" Liora whispered, tears of pure humiliation and terror welling up in her eyes as she backed away, noticing how every single guest in the dining room was staring at her with disgust.

"We don't need your hypocritical protection, Cassian," Elaris interjected, her voice cold and cutting as she pulled Casey behind her back, completely ignoring the fact that I had just defended her son, "Liora is your problem, so take your fiancée out of this restaurant and keep both of your lives away from my children."

"Elaris, I just stopped her from hurting your boy," I said, turning to look at her while feeling a strange, sharp pain in my chest at how coldly she was looking at me, "can you for once stop treating me like I am your enemy?"

"You brought her into our lives, Cassian," Enzo spoke up, stepping forward and placing his arm around Elaris' shoulders while looking down at me with authority, "you enabled this woman for six years, and now her obsession with you is spilling over onto Elaris' kids."

"Stay out of this, Everhart!" I snapped, my eyes locking onto his hand on Elaris' shoulder as a wave of intense jealousy washed over me, "I am talking to Elaris, not you!"

"You have nothing to say to me, Cassian," Elaris stated firmly, taking Casey's small hand in hers while Enzo grabbed Cassandra's hand on the other side, "we are leaving now, and if you or Liora follow us out those doors, I will file a formal restraining order against both of you before the sun goes down."

"Elaris, wait!" I called out, taking a step after her, but Enzo shifted his body to block my path completely while two restaurant security guards stepped between me and the exit doors.

"Mr. Virelli, please let them leave peacefully," the head manager said nervously, standing near my side, "the other guests are very disturbed by this incident, and we need to restore order to the dining room."

I stood frozen in the middle of the restaurant, watching Elaris walk away with her children and Enzo without looking back at me even once, while Liora stood behind me sobbing hysterically into her hands, completely terrified by the look of fierce protection I had just shown for Elaris' son.