Hello! My first author's note! How do we feel about the story so far? I'm so curious to know what you think of the characters so far. Hope to hear from you all.
I should have left him there. Right in front of the damn station, with his bruised face and busted lip and that stupid lopsided smirk that always made me want to punch him or kiss him, depending on the decade.But I didn’t.I couldn’t.As we stepped out of the station, I felt the eyes on me. Cold. Judging. Like I’d just walked out hand in hand with a convicted criminal. A few officers even had the nerve to sneer. Estelle was the only familiar face, sipping coffee like this was a Saturday strolland not a PR nightmare. She caught my eye and I gave her the subtlest nod before continuing on, heels clicking as I headed straight to my car.Cassian followed like a shadow, silent until we reached the parking lot.He cleared his throat. I stopped, hand on the car door. “What?”He shrugged, looking pointedly at my vehicle. “You’re really gonna leave me here? No cash. No phone.”“Go back inside and get your phone,” I said dryly, pulling the door open.He tilted his head. “Might’ve lost it when
The automatic doors of the firm slid open as I stepped into the warm afternoon sun, phone pressed to my ear, calling Cassian again. No answer, just like the last six attempts.I was halfway across the parking lot, mind focused entirely on my next move, when a voice broke through the noise.“Thea!”I turned and nearly stumbled.Estelle.Her sharp brown curls bounced as she jogged over in a crumpled uniform, hand waving like a traffic signal. The sight of her instantly dragged me back to late-night study sessions and vodka-soaked pep talks in our dorm room.“You look like you're about to commit arson,” she said, breathless.I opened my mouth to respond, but Estelle beat me to it.“I would love to catch up, really, but I’ve got to go,” I said quickly, checking my watch. “A client’s in trouble.”“Oh, you mean Cassian?” Estelle’s voice was casual, like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb.I froze mid-step.She tilted her head, arms crossed. “Because that—him being arrested without a warrant—is w
The clock on the wall ticked past ten. Cassian was twenty minutes late. Unusual.Scratch that—impossible.Three years apart or not, Cassian Draven was nothing if not punctual when his career was at stake. And this wasn’t some sparring match at the gym. This was his legal career, his name, his legacy. I leaned back in my chair, staring at the untouched file on my desk, the one marked C. Draven in my handwriting.My fingers hovered over my phone for a beat.I considered it. Calling him. Just to ask.But I didn’t.The door opened before I could change my mind.Olivia stepped in, tablet clutched to her chest like it was a shield. Her expression was tight, unreadable, but I knew that face. She only wore it when she was annoyed. “You have a visitor,” she said. “Laura Ozier.”That name.Of course I’d heard it. Read it. Seen the pictures of her at Cassian’s side.“She says it’s important,” Olivia added, her voice cool.I gave a short nod. “Let her in.”She hesitated.“Olivia.”With a sigh, sh
CASSIAN DRAVEN I glanced around the apartment fast. My instincts counted heads, exits, weapons. The only thing within reach was the ceramic vase sitting pretty on the coffee table. A gift from Laura. I’d always hated it.“You want a confession?” I said, voice steady despite the chaos in my veins.Laura looked at me and for a second, the room dropped away. Not fear. Not blame. Just... trust.The kind that gutted you when you’d let someone down before.I wasn’t letting that happen again.“Then face me like men,” I said. “Leave her out of this.”The big one holding Laura chuckled, low and mocking. “You really think you can take on all four of us, champ?”I stared him down. “There’s only one way to find out.”They didn’t wait for a second invitation.Two of them lunged.I moved first, ducked low as the first guy’s fist shot past my face. I swept his legs, sending him crashing into the bookshelf, and as the second charged in, I snatched the vase from the coffee table and slammed i
CASSIAN DRAVENIt took me three damn years to realize I didn’t know what the hell I wanted.Three years of pretending soft could satisfy me. That perfection could replace passion. That sweet smiles and folded hands could ever drown out the fire of a woman who looked me in the eye and made me answer for every part of myself—good and bad.I came back to an apartment that smelled like lavender.Jazz spilled softly from the speakers.And Laura—brunette, beautiful, sweet—was twirling around the living room, asking me to dance like we were part of some quiet little dream.But I didn’t want dreams.I wanted chaos. I wanted Thea.I wanted the jagged crack of her laughter the first time she landed a takedown—how it echoed off the locker‑room tiles and made my blood zing with something I couldn’t name.Laura was everything Thea wasn’t: gentle, agreeable, romantic in a way that didn’t scare me. But that was the problem. She didn’t challenge me. Didn’t cut me open just to see if I’d bleed truth.
I walked out of the visitation room with my heart pounding like it wanted out of my chest.But I kept my face neutral. Eyes cold. Steps steady.Glass over embers. That was my code.Olivia was waiting just down the hall.“Ma’am, what happened? Is he—?”“I’m fine,” I cut her off sharply. “No interruptions until further notice.”Her lips parted, but she didn’t argue. Smart girl.The clack‑clack of my heels faded in my ears as the office door clicked shut. The walls felt too tight. My suit, too hot.I ripped the file open again, trying to focus—trying to be the attorney I was supposed to be.But the words blurred. My head spun when his words echoed.“But I remember what you look like when you fall apart. When you begged me not to stop. Do you?”A scent still lingered on me from the precinct. The industrial soap. His cologne.And suddenly, I was back there.THREE YEARS AGOI had rules.No repeats. No feelings. No sleeping over.Cassian Draven broke all three in one night. He didn’t knock.