Chapter 74

CASSANDRA'S POV~

I regretted stepping foot into this place the moment the door shut behind me.

The bar was suffocatingly luxurious—dark velvet walls lined with gold-trimmed mirrors that reflected soft, red lighting. The air was thick with perfume, alcohol, and smoke. Crystal chandeliers hung above, dripping nothing but elegance in a place that reeked of sin. Booths were draped in black leather, with men in tailored suits lounging like predators, cigars between their fingers, eyes sharp. And then there were the women—unclad, almost entirely. Heels too high, dresses too short, their lips ruby red as they draped themselves over these men like prizes, whispering filth into their ears.

Everything screamed danger.

I didn’t belong here. I knew that the second my heels clicked against the marble floors and heads turned—slowly, calculating, like sharks scenting blood. I adjusted my office blouse, suddenly too tight, too modest. My skirt brushed past a man’s leg and he narrowed his eyes at me l