Chapter 7

CASSANDRA'S POV~

"This had better be important, nurse," the deep baritone of Adriano's voice purred into my ear. A shiver ran down my spine, and for a split second I wondered if this was what evil sounded like. Then I mentally slapped myself.

"Right, no flirting," I told myself. "Just get to the point."

Adriano, however, seemed to have a different idea. "You know, love," he cooed, "your voice is like music to my ears. Did I ever tell you that?"

My blood began to boil.

"Listen, Adriano," I snapped, doing my best to ignore the wave of irritation washing over me. "I don't have time for your nonsense. Did you buy the land our old house was on, and then give us this villa?"

Adriano laughed—a deep, throaty chuckle that sent a chill down my spine. Again. "What a fascinating question," he replied, still chuckling. "Why would you ask such a thing?"

I clenched my teeth, grinding them together so hard I thought I might chip a tooth. "Just answer the damn question!"

"All right, all right," he said, his laughter dying down. "Yes, I did buy the land and yes, I did give you the villa. After all, a girl's first home should be special."

My jaw dropped open. "What?" I gasped. "Why would you do that?"

Adriano chuckled again, that infuriatingly arrogant chuckle that made me want to throw the phone against a wall. "Because I can," he replied. "And because I wanted to."

"What exactly do you mean, 'every girl's home has to be special?'" I snapped, trying to suppress the urge to strangle Adriano through the phone.

"Well, now that you're mine," he drawled, "I have to make sure that every first thing I get you is special. Your first house. Your first car. Your first cat."

"My first what?" I sputtered, struggling to make sense of his madness. "And I don't want anything from you. Especially a house that I didn't ask for! I'm not selling my house! That's it!”

"Are you rejecting my gift?" Adriano purred, his voice taking on a dark, almost predatory quality. "That would be a breach of contract, my dear. And I'm afraid the penalty for that is...unpleasant. You just can't breach a contract…”

"Oh, I'll show you unpleasant," I fumed, my blood boiling over. "And since when did I sign any contract with you?"

"Since the moment you accepted my help. I mean since your mother agreed to sign over the house,” he replied, his chuckle sending a shiver down my spine. "You're mine now, Cassandra. Mine. And I'll make sure you never forget it."

With a furious growl, I hung up the phone and began pacing, muttering under my breath.

"Mine? Mine?! Oh, that man is going to be mine—as in, 'Mine to beat with a baseball bat if he keeps up this nonsense!'"

I sat on the pavement, exhaustion and rage coursing through my veins, all I could think about was how I would never, ever, ever let that arrogant jerk Adriano think he had any kind of hold over me. I was my own person, dammit! And no amount of mansplaining or macho posturing was going to change that.

My thoughts turned to my mother, and how she had managed to get me into this mess in the first place. Had she lost her mind? How could she have signed a contract with someone like Adriano without even consulting me?

My mind raced through potential escape routes like a squirrel on caffeine. What if I ran away? Moved to Antarctica? Changed my name and started a new life as a sea turtle researcher?

But then it hit me—my boyfriend, Eden. Maybe he could help me. After all, two heads were better than one, right?

I pulled out my phone and dialed his number, praying he'd pick up. "Come on, Eden," I muttered to myself.

Eden's voice came through the phone, sounding groggy like he had just woken up from sleep. I winced, immediately feeling guilty for waking him.

"Hey, Eden," I murmured, trying to keep the apology from my voice. "How are you?"

"I'm good," he replied, yawning. "Just tired. But I'm up now. What's going on?"

My heart thundered in my chest as I contemplated my next words.

Deep breath, Cassandra. Just come out with it.

"So, Eden...I've got something important to tell you."

He hummed thoughtfully, and I could imagine him blinking sleepily on the other end of the line. "Okay, I'm listening," he said. "What's on your mind?"

My brain whirled with possibilities as I tried to find the right words. The only way to get Adriano to back off, I realized, was to get married as soon as possible. And that meant marrying Eden.

“Cassandra?" Eden's voice cut through my thoughts, and I realized I'd gone quiet. "Are you still there?"

I took a deep breath. "Yes, sorry," I replied. "I'm...I'm trying to find the right words. It's a big thing, and...I'm not sure how to say it."

"Oh!” Was all Eden said and then kept quiet and my heart kept pounding.

"Eden, I know we had plans, but...is there any way we could move up our wedding plans?" I asked, my voice coming out in a rush.

Silence stretched between us, long and taut, and I began to wonder if we'd been disconnected. I pulled the phone away from my ear, but the call was still active.

"Eden?" I said tentatively. "Is everything okay?"

There was a sound of a throat clearing, and then a deep, uncertain breath. "Yes, everything's...fine," Eden replied. "It's just...I'm surprised, that's all." His voice was strained, his hesitation clear. "We’ve been together for long. Why the rush? Don't you trust me or something?"

My grip tightened around the phone. How could I explain this to him? How could I make him understand the danger I was in without making him think I was crazy?

"Eden," I started, searching for the right words. But nothing seemed to capture the urgency I felt.

Eden cleared his throat again, his voice low and uncertain.

"Cassandra, I...I don't know. I haven't reached my career goals yet, and I'm worried that...well, that you'll think less of me. If we rush into this, will you still respect me?"

I stared at the pavement beneath my feet, the ground suddenly a great deal more interesting than before.

"Eden, I don't care about your career success right now," I said, my voice soft but insistent. "I just want to secure our future together. I want us to be safe. I need you, Eden. Please believe that."

After what seemed like an eternity, Eden finally replied, "Okay. If it means that much to you, I'll do it. We'll have the engagement banquet next week."

I could have kissed him through the phone. "Thank you, Eden," I whispered. "I love you."

I hung up the phone, feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. But as I tucked the phone back into my purse, I felt a sudden chill in the air.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of something approaching, sleek and dark. A black, luxury car, its windows tinted so dark I couldn't see inside, slowly rolled past me.

The air around it seemed to vibrate with a sense of danger, a warning that something was very, very wrong.