Chapter 3 Jealousy Under Surveillance

"It doesn't matter whether you like me. You'll never be able to escape me as long as I still like you."

Unfortunately, Cassian had no sense of romance as he either ignored me completely or rejected me outright. He was so decisive about it that there wasn't even the slightest room for misinterpretation.

Eventually, I became thoroughly annoyed after being turned down so many times.

"So, you're going to play cold and distant and ignore me, huh? Fine."

Hence, I abused my position as his secretary and quietly installed 138 surveillance cameras in Cassian's villa.

All those cameras were very much necessary for full coverage. It was perfect.

After all, I wanted to see whether he was still this aloof even in private.

…

I spent every night glued to the monitors for an entire month, indulging in my one-sided virtual obsession with Cassian. I immersed myself in watching him. Through the screens, it felt as though he was my personal, exclusive heartthrob.

So, it was no surprise that I found myself falling deeper for him the longer I observed him.

Yet, the more I watched him move about, the more something felt… off.

Cassian often sat alone at his desk at night, holding a small photograph in his hand. He would run his fingers over it again and again. If that weren't enough, his gaze would soften to an almost absurd degree.

He was looking at that picture with a tenderness I had never seen before.

'Alright. Odds are, he has a crush.'

The monster named jealousy immediately reared its ugly head within me. I yanked at my hair, desperate to see who was in that photo. Alas, I hadn't had the forethought to place a camera directly facing his desk when I had installed the cameras.

After all, my endgame wasn't to steal confidential documents.

Now, it was biting me in the ass because no matter how hard I stared, I could only make out the vague outline of a woman.

I was simmering in frustration and nearly losing my mind with jealousy when my work phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed Cassian. So, I had no choice but to suppress all my emotions into a neat little box and switch back into my cool, professional secretary persona.

"Mr. Knox."

I heard him say calmly on the other end of the phone.

He was methodically going over work matters with such impressive detached efficiency. Yet, I could see everything clearly through the monitors. Although he was talking shop with me, he was still absentmindedly stroking that photograph with an unbearably gentle look on his face.

The contrast between the way he was treating the mystery woman and me was so sharp that it made my jealousy bubble up further. At this rate, my cauldron was about to boil over.

My chest tightened painfully. I was so distracted and irritated that I jerked to my feet to grab my work laptop and ended up accidentally knocking my knee against the sofa, letting out a small cry.

Cassian's voice cut off mid-sentence. The next second, there was a knock from my neighbor.

"Don't you know I have a kid? Keep it down if you're having a nightlife!"

After my neighbor left, Cassian's voice came through again, slightly hoarse. "Ms. Rhodes, are you alright?"

I forced myself to sound calm. "I'm fine. I just bumped into something."

"Mm." He didn't press further. "Forget it. We'll deal with work tomorrow. Get some rest."

He hung up right after that.

I checked the monitors again in confusion, not knowing why he'd reacted so weirdly. I found Cassian silently sitting in front of his desk for half a minute before suddenly getting up and heading to the bathroom.

'What's going on with him? That's one weird quirk, stopping halfway through work to take a shower.'

I became thoroughly irritated between him hanging up on me and discovering that he had a crush. So, I immediately switched to my burner account and resumed aggressively harassing Cassian. But halfway through, I had to stop to deal with a nosebleed.

On the monitor, Cassian had just finished his shower. His damp hair dripped with water. His physique was smooth and well-defined. His broad shoulders and a narrow waist were a feast to my eyes. After all, the only thing he was wearing was a towel hanging loosely around his hips.

'Dude, you can't tempt a psychopath like that!'

My eyes lit up as my fingers flew across the screen, frantically taking screenshots.

I completely forgot he had a crush after that.

That night, I fell asleep with a silly smile on my lips and my phone in my arms.

My good mood lasted all the way into the next day, when I accompanied Cassian to a business meeting.

We were inside the car when Cassian glanced at the smile I couldn't quite suppress, his expression tightening inexplicably. "You seem to be in a very good mood, Ms. Rhodes. Have you fallen in love?"

I quickly realized that I'd let my mask slip a little too much. So, I instantly wiped the smile from my face, my usual poker face sliding into place in nary a second. "Please don't pull my leg, Mr. Knox."