Cassian's POVI had let her go. It wasn’t something I wanted to do. But Reina had agreed to my conditions too easily. No fight. No hesitation. No resistance. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, an unfamiliar sense of disappointment curling in my gut. Still, I’d let her walk out that door.uWhile she was gone, business awaited. Lorenzo arrived precisely on time, stepping into my study with that same calculated grin, his sharp eyes dancing around the room. Looking. Searching. For her. My possession. Reina. I knew it the moment his lips curled into that infuriating smirk. The same smirk he wore every time he wanted to test my patience. “She’s not here,” I said coldly, leaning back in my chair. Lorenzo’s grin widened. “Pity.” He strolled forward, hands in his pockets. “I was hoping we could play another game. You know, like old times.” I didn’t need to ask the price. I already knew what he wanted. A silent, unspoken bet. The stakes were high, but the outcome had al
Cassian’s POVI wanted to be the one to ruin her. I should be the one to ruin her.I need to have a little talk with the person who beat me to it. I have to let him understand how valuable my properties are.Shaking off the thought, I headed to the bed. But the moment I shut my eyes, the past came clawing back. Just like every other night.****I was on the floor. The cold tiles beneath me were slick with blood—my own—spreading in a thick pool around my legs. I tried to move, to push myself forward, but my limbs felt heavy, dead weight dragging me down. I couldn't stand. I couldn't run. I could only crawl. My breath came in ragged gasps as I clawed my way forward, nails scraping against the blood-slick floor. My arms shook, every movement sluggish, as though something unseen was forcing me down, keeping me trapped in my own broken body. But I had to reach her. Had to save her. The masked man stood just a few feet away, towering over her. His black gloved hand held a p
ReinaLet's get married, Mr Morelli.The morning light filtered through the thin curtains, washing the room in soft gold. For once, I wasn’t tangled in the sheets, drowning in the nightmares that haunted me. It was strange. Almost unsettling. Someone had moved me to the bed. I blinked at the ceiling, my body unusually relaxed despite the storm always brewing inside me. Had I imagined it? Had I been too exhausted to remember crawling back under the covers myself? The thought sent a shiver through me. I didn’t have time to dwell on it. My phone buzzed on the nightstand, vibrating angrily against the wood. I didn’t need to look to know who it was. Steeling myself, I answered. “You finally decided to pick my call.” My stepmother’s voice was all sharp edges and feigned sweetness. “The clock is ticking, Reina. We need to finalize the date for the wedding. You’ve been dragging your feet long enough.” Long enough? It's been barely 24 hours since the will was read.My stomach cu
Reina's POV Do I look like a plaything to him? Do I look like a plaything to all of them? A slow, simmering rage curled in my chest as my nails dug into my palms, the sharp sting grounding me. I hated him. I wanted to hurl something at him—something heavy, something sharp. I wanted to scream until my throat burned, to shake him until he saw reason. But I would not beg. Not to him. Not to the man who stole kisses like secrets and branded me with his touch without permission. I forced a breath into my lungs, steadying the tremor in my hands as I turned toward my medical bag. “Should I help you to the bathroom, or do you need me to touch you again?” My voice came out smooth, controlled—completely at odds with the storm brewing inside me. He hesitated, caught off guard by my sudden shift. Good. Let him wonder. Let him second-guess. I refused to let either him or Andrew think they could toy with me. If he wasn’t going to cooperate, I would simply find another way. Whe
Reina's POV Asshole.I refused to let the heat creep up my neck. He was baiting me, playing with me like a cat toying with its prey. And I would not fall into his little game.I turned toward the door. "Get some rest. I’d hate for you to overexert yourself."His chuckle was low, almost taunting. "Worried about me, cara mia?""Worried?" I shot him a saccharine smile over my shoulder. "No. Just making sure you don’t drop dead before I can make my grand escape."His smirk faltered for the briefest moment, something dark flickering in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it came."Escape?" he echoed, tilting his head. "That’s a funny way of describing fate."I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "You’re exhausting.""And you’re mine," he said, his voice dropping an octave.I turned fully then, glaring at him. “I don't care about what you've said so far, Mr Morelli, you don’t own me."His smirk deepened, as if he found my defiance amusing. "You signed the contract, dolcezza.""A contract
Cassian’s POVI didn’t lie when I told her she was always in my dreams.She was always there—bare, bound, legs spread wide. Sometimes she whimpered. Sometimes she screamed. But always, always, I was buried deep inside her.Even now, with the echo of her footsteps fading down the hallway, I could still see it—her on her knees, lips red and swollen, eyes full of venom. Fighting me. Tempting me. Begging and defying all at once.The moment Reina left the room, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The audacity of her.Marriage.The word alone was enough to make my teeth grind. Even if it was just for papers, as she’d so coolly explained, the idea made my blood boil. She had no idea what she was asking of me. No idea what she stirred inside me with every glance, every sharp-tongued retort. No idea how deeply she was already entwined in the wreckage of my soul.Marriage?After that night?After the blood and betrayal, after the taste of death on my tongue and the way the darkn
Cassian’s POVFinally!As soon as Valeria shut the door, I adjusted myself on the chair and motioned for them to come in.My dick still protested, needing more than it got. But what can a crippled man do? I pushed the ache aside and stared at the figure Lucas brought in.“Take it off,” I said coolly, motioning to the hood with a flick of my fingers.Lucas peeled it off, revealing a man in his late fifties, his shirt damp with sweat, spectacles askew, gray hairs clinging to his flushed face. He looked every bit the well-fed, overpaid lawyer—but now, stripped of his comfort, seated in my dark study, he looked like a lamb seconds before the slaughter.The man’s eyes darted around in panic. “Wh-what is this? Who are you people—? I swear, if this is some sort of intimidation tactic, I’ll call the—”“Lucas,” I said calmly.Lucas took a step forward and pulled out a Walther PPK from his belt, laying it quietly on the polished desk between us.The lawyer froze.“Let’s not insult each other,”
Cassian’s POVThe lawyer stared at me, mouth wide open, confused and horrified. “But… but you said—”I cut him off with a cold smile. “I said I wanted to know the truth. Not that I’d set her free.”He shook his head, dazed. “I—I don’t understand… why? Why keep the clause if it was fake to begin with?”I tapped my finger against the armrest of my chair, letting the silence stretch.Then I said, slowly, deliberately, “Because Reina doesn’t get to walk away just yet. Not until I decide she’s earned it.”“But she deserves to know the truth. I thought you would want her to know,” he whispered.I chuckled dryly. “Why act all righteous now, Mr lawyer? Weren’t you paid to tie her down with the monsters that destroyed her childhood?”The lawyer lowered his gaze, staring at his trembling hands as if they belonged to someone else—someone filthier, weaker. His fingers were stained with blood and sweat, the knuckles scraped from where he’d instinctively braced against Lucas’s blows. But it wasn’t
Reina’s POV My heart thundered against my ribs.I backed into the corner of the cell, pulse racing, but the girls moved in like a pack of wolves scenting fear. The one with crimson nails led the charge, her hips swaying with too much confidence, her smirk curling wider with every inch as my heart beat faster than ever.Uh-oh. Today was supposed to be perfect. I had a clear picture in my head and none included getting cornered by a bunch of wild looking girls.“I asked you a question, pretty girl,” she sneered. “You think you're better than us?”“I didn’t say that,” I said quickly, voice trembling but trying to find footing. “I didn’t mean anything—this is just a mistake. I’m not even supposed to be here.”“Oh, you’re here now,” another girl said as she stepped forward, chewing her gum like she was chewing glass. “And you gave us that look. That ‘you people’ look.”I shook my head, holding my hands up. “No, no—listen, I don’t want any trouble, okay? I just came to see an officer—”“Ai
Reina’s POVI skipped.Not walked. Skipped. Like a schoolgirl with a prize in her hands.The file pressed against my chest like it was made of gold, my boots thudded softly down the corridor, my smile wide, my heart hammering with victorious rhythm. That was too easy, I thought giddily. My fingers curled tighter around the file. Mr. Morelli hadn’t even looked twice when he handed it over. Didn’t question my competency. Didn’t doubt me for a second.I shoved open my bedroom door and darted inside, already fishing my burner phone out from under the vanity table.Finally, finally they would take me seriously. The police would listen. Officer Rodney would congratulate me. Maybe even apologize for treating me like some worthless street rat with a grudge and a supposed criminal record.I dialed.No answer.I dialed again.Still nothing.A third time.Click.“Yeah?” came the voice—fast, strained, breathless. The background was chaos. Phones ringing. Shouting. Dozens of voices overlapping.“
Cassian’s POVShe stood at the doorway, barely composed from what had nearly happened minutes before. Hair tousled. Lips pink and bitten. Her chest rising and falling under that damn blouse she thought would be the bait.“I’d like to accompany you,” she said, clearing her throat, lifting her chin like she hadn’t nearly lost herself grinding on my body. “You’ve stretched your bones more than you should have. If anything happens, I want to be there to handle it.”Of course she did.Of course that’s why she dressed like that this morning. A sweet seduction, pretending it was just a coincidence. Oversized hoodies all these while, and now this?I almost laughed.If only she knew she didn’t even need to try. She could wear one of those awful worn-out sweatshirts and I’d still be hard under the table. Still want to press her against a wall and make her forget whose side she was on.She didn’t have to play the sexy spy to get my attention. She had it the moment I set my eyes on her picture. T
REINA’S POVHow can I forget what happens if I disobey when he taught me that yesterday?“You’re dressed like that to provoke me?” His gaze slid down my legs, to the soft silk blouse tucked into the short. “Or do you think being pretty earns you control?”I stayed quiet. Every instinct told me to push back. But I needed him to crack first.“You disobeyed,” he said. “And now you’ll learn.”He grabbed one of the resistance bands and tossed it toward my feet. “On the floor. On your knees.”“I’m not here to be punished. I’m here to help you move again.”“You’ll help me when I say you can. Right now—” He wheeled closer, his face barely a breath from mine. “—you’re going to remember your place.”My heart thundered, but I sank to my knees on the mat. Not because I wanted to surrender. Because I needed him to believe I would.And because I knew how ruthless his punishments are.He looped the resistance band around my wrists, tight enough to make my skin prickle.“Hold that position,” he said,
Reina’s POVI stood under the shower far longer than necessary, letting the hot water beat down on my skin as if it could erase the night. As if it could scrub away the filth, the shame, the ghost of his touch still seared into my flesh.But no matter how hard I scrubbed, it wouldn’t come off.By the time I stepped out, my skin was red and raw.I should’ve thrown on my usual oversized hoodie and sweatpants — my armor, my invisibility cloak.But they wanted evidence, didn’t they?They wanted me to seduce the devil himself?Fine.Let them choke on the smoke of what they asked for.I reached for something different. A silky blouse that clung just a little too well to my curves, tucked into a high-waisted short that stopped just above my knee. Not slutty. Not overt.But it whispered of temptation.A brush of color on my lips. A spritz of perfume behind my ears. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize the woman looking back.I hated her.But she would survive.S
Reina's POVThe morning sun mocked me.It slipped through the velvet curtains in warm shafts, lighting the corners of my room like a spotlight on shame. I lay on top of the blankets, wondering how I got to my room. The last thing I remember from last night was being in the garden. Maybe I came up half asleep, that's why I can’t remember. I looked down. Wait, I took my clothes off too?Strange.My body felt wrung out, like someone had twisted every nerve, every bone, every thought, and left me in pieces.I should’ve gone back to bed. But I couldn’t.My thoughts immediately shifted to the feel of his hands still seared into my skin. To the shameful moments of choking on his cock and the sick memory of the tub, of his body brushing mine under the water like it belonged there.My thighs clenched together involuntarily at the thought, and I groaned in disgust.What the hell is happening to me?Last night, I’d tasted something I’d never wanted to know existed inside me — something dar
REINA’s POVShame. That was all I could feel.I have never felt so humiliated in my life.Not even when Anthony ripped me apart years ago, body and soul.Not even when he and his mother left me bleeding and trembling, cursing myself for surviving.Because at least then, I knew what monsters looked like.Now?Now the monsters smiled.They whispered sweet promises with one hand, while wrapping a noose around my neck with the other.Why are men such beasts?Why do they get off on seeing women shatter, on grinding dignity into dust?I hate Cassian Morelli so bad it hurts to look at him.I wanted to run — to tear myself out of this room, lock myself away in some abandoned island and scream until my lungs gave out.I wanted so badly to plot a thousand ways to make him pay for this, to return the kindness in full.But then Joshua’s face flashed in my mind.That radiant smile that I dragged into my mess. An image flashed in my mind. The look on his face when the bullet pierced his body. His
Cassian’s POVShe stiffened.“It won’t be the first time now, Mr Morelli. Or do I need to remind you how many times you’ve done this. How many times you’ve seen me naked,” she spat angrily amidst tears.“And yet, I never seem to get enough of you. Now, sweet Reina. Hands at your sides.”Slowly, miserably, she obeyed, lowering her arms and standing there — naked, humiliated, trembling — under my gaze.Her cheeks were burning, streaked with tears, but she didn’t speak again.Didn’t plead.She was learning to take it all in.I let the silence stretch out, savoring the way her shame grew heavier with every second, until it pressed down on her like a physical weight."Now," I said, voice light, almost playful. "Touch yourself for me, little nurse."She hesitated — just for a heartbeat — before one trembling hand slipped between her thighs.But I leaned forward slightly, voice turning sharp."Eyes on me."She jerked like I’d slapped her.And then — slowly — she raised her tear-filled angry
Cassian’s POVI let the silence stretch, watched her struggle to process it — to accept it.It was beautiful.Watching her pride fracture.Watching her soul bend. Watching her grind her teeth in barely restrained fury.I loved every bit of it."But," I added, voice dangerously soft, "if you disappoint me... if you defy me... if you so much as hesitate when I give you an order..."I let the threat hang heavy in the air between us.I didn’t need to say it.She knew.She knew exactly what would happen.Joshua’s face flashed in her mind — I could see it — and she crumpled a little more.Sank a little deeper into submission.Perfect."Now," I said, brushing a knuckle over her tear-streaked cheek almost affectionately, "you’re going to kiss my cock. Just a kiss. Cause you might be tempted to do more.”Her eyes widened in horror."I—" she croaked.I backhanded her across the face — not hard enough to injure, but hard enough to shock.Hard enough to remind her.She gasped, cradling her cheek,