chapter 10: First Blood
888 Words
The doctor’s words hung in the tense silence of my suite. “The pregnancy is viable. The baby’s heartbeat is strong. But the early complications mean we need careful monitoring, strict rest periods, stress reduction, and follow-up scans in forty-eight hours.”
I let out a shaky breath, one hand instinctively resting on my stomach. Relief mixed with fresh fear, this child was real, fighting to stay despite everything crumbling around us. Cassius stood like a statue near the window, arms crossed, his dark eyes fixed on the doctor with unreadable intensity.
“Ensure she has everything needed,” he ordered, voice low. “No exceptions.”
The doctor nodded quickly and left, promising to return soon. The door clicked shut, leaving us alone. The air felt thicker, charged from his earlier confrontation over Calder. My body still hummed with the aftermath, nausea lingering, a dull ache in my lower back, and that confusing pull toward the man who now watched me like I was both an asset and a threat.
“You heard her,” I said, pushing to sit up straighter on the bed. “Stress reduction. Yet you barge in here, interrogate me about your brother, treat me like property, how is this supposed to help the baby?”
Cassius turned, his gaze sharpening. Protectiveness surged in him visibly, a dark wave. “The baby is my heir. I protect what’s mine.” He pulled out his phone, typing rapidly. I caught fragments of a message, something about a rival named Rossi spreading fresh rumors online, twisting the scandal to weaken the new alliance.
Minutes later, one of his underbosses entered after a brief knock. Cassius spoke quietly, but I heard enough. “Handle Rossi. Permanently. No loose ends, make it clear what happens to anyone who targets her.”
The underboss left without question. Cold ruthlessness. I witnessed the edge of his power then, not in blood on the floor, but in the casual way he ordered a man’s fate to shield me. My stomach twisted, this was the devil my family had sold me to. Efficient, merciless, yet aimed at protecting the child... and me?
“You just... eliminated someone for rumors?” I whispered, voice cracking with the weight of it.
Cassius met my eyes without flinching. “He was testing boundaries and in my world, rumors become knives. I remove threats before they reach you or the baby.”
The argument ignited fast. “Honestly, Cassius. That’s what I demand. You claim to save me, but you control every move, watch me through cameras, order deaths like it’s nothing. How are you any different from my family? They sold me, you bought me. Both see me as useful, nothing more.”
He stepped closer, circling me slowly with magnetic intensity. The room felt smaller, his presence overwhelming, tall frame, sharp eyes, the faint scent that tugged at buried memories. Hate burned in my chest, but so did unwanted attraction. His nearness made my pulse race, skin heat despite the fear. Dependency weighed heavy; I needed his protection now more than ever.
“You think I don’t know the difference?” he said, voice rough. “Your family discarded you. I claimed you because this marriage secures everything. The alliance, the heir, and yes, because you’re carrying my …” He stopped short, jaw tightening. “Because the child needs stability. Fight me all you want, Lena. It changes nothing.”
I stood despite the dizziness, refusing to shrink. “Then why the small gestures? The temperature, the lights last night. Why bother if I’m just a contract?”
He paused, something flickering behind the ice. Without answering, he left briefly and returned minutes later with a tray himself; fresh fruit, ginger tea for the nausea, and prescribed medicine. No staff. He set it on the bedside table personally, his movements precise but careful not to jostle me.
“Eat,” he said gruffly. “The doctor’s orders.”
The small act of care unsettled me deeper than any threat. This ruthless king, who had just ordered a man dealt with, now brought me tea. Hate and attraction twisted together, dependency sinking its claws in. Was the devil truly worse than the family that sold me? Or was there something beneath the monster I couldn’t yet see?
I took the tea, our fingers brushing. Heat shot through me. He didn’t pull away immediately, his dark eyes holding mine with that charged intensity. The air crackled, argument unfinished, emotions raw and mixing in dangerous ways.
A sharp knock interrupted. One of Cassius’s men entered, tablet in hand. “Sir. Urgent update.”
Cassius took it, scanning quickly. I leaned closer, catching glimpses. Encrypted intel, Liora’s name and Nikolai.
“Report,” Cassius demanded.
The man glanced at me but continued. “Liora Valenti is making aggressive moves to insert herself into Nikolai’s circle. Public appearances, private meetings. She’s positioning as the stable alternative. Meanwhile, our sources picked up chatter, larger forces may have been behind the original setup at the party. Not just her jealousy, Someone pulled strings.”
My blood ran cold. I overheard enough to piece it together, Liora wasn’t done, and there were bigger players in the shadows, orchestrating from the start. My nightmare wasn’t ending, it was only beginning.
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