One Night With Me

CHAPTER THREE: HELPLESS

Once they reached the suite, the door clicked shut behind them. She rested herself on the door to keep herself upright.

“Sit.”, Cassian said, unbuttoning his cufflinks.

She didn’t. She couldn’t.

She moved away from the door and looked at him, eyes fierce once again.

“My brother's name is Allen Moore. He has a heart defect that keeps getting worse. We-we had insurance. Then we didn’t. And I was told he has 2 weeks left to live.”

“How did you get in?”, Cassian asked, pouring himself a glass of whiskey and taking a sip, his expression not changing.

Alina blinked, stunned. “That is not important!”

“No, it is”, he started removing his jacket. “I need to fire whoever is in charge of the security and list of servers, seeing as they did a terrible job tonight.”

That made her flinch. She didn’t think others would have to suffer for her.

“I swear I wasn’t trying to make a scene”, her shoulders slumped. “It was all my fault.”

Cassian watched as the same girl who had insulted a group of highly respected men took the fall for some insignificant people she did not know.

He had seen hundreds of people beg for money. But this one… this girl... she crashed an impenetrable gala while pretending to be a server, publicly shamed a board member, and nearly got arrested just to make her case.

And not for herself.

For a child.

Cassian didn’t know why he was attracted to her.

She wasn’t pretty. Her black hair was overgrown and lacked luster, her face bare of any makeup, her green eyes rimmed with fatigue, and that shirt didn’t fit right because she was too thin.

But there was something about those tired eyes when she’d shouted in that ballroom.

Rage without apology. Fire without finesse.

He couldn’t stop watching her.

He set the glass down.

“I will help you,” he said.

She looked up.

Her green eyes started to dilate.

“I will cover your brothers medical bills till he is done with treatment”

Alina, hands flew to her mouth as she gasped in surprise.

“Oh my God, thank you- thank you so…”

“Sleep with me”, he cut in a dry tone. “One night with me. No strings attached. You leave with more than enough money to keep your brother in that hospital, and pay for the surgery in full.”

The words hit like cold water.

“What?” she whispered.

“You said you'd do anything to save him. I'm just making it easier to decide what ‘anything’ means.”

Alina took a step back, shaking her head slowly, the confusion slowly turning to rage.

“You disgusting imbecile.”

Cassian watched as her green eyes darkened and veins pulsed in her temple.

“Probably,” Cassian said. “But I’m also the solution.”

She looked at the door. The pain in her skull pounded harder. She finally took notice of where they were. A hotel room. A very expensive hotel room.

She let out a short dry laugh, “Wow, I can't believe I saw you as an angel. I told you my brother was dying and you asked me to sleep with you. Are you insane?!”

Cassian didn’t answer.

He just watched her as she grinded her teeth, her breathing becoming heavier and her face reddening.

He had no idea why he was doing this.

It was like he wasn’t even in control.

What he had told her was absolutely horrendous and he was fully aware.

Why did he want her?

Because she screamed at power like she wasn’t afraid of it.

Because she looked at him having no idea who he was, and he liked it.

But wanting to sleep with her is a line he shouldn’t cross.

So why?

But he didn’t say any of that.

He just said,

“You have until midnight to decide. You can leave after that.”

Alina almost snapped her neck to look at him. She marched closer to him, the burning feeling in her chest almost killing her.

“You think you can just buy people?” she snapped, jabbing her finger at him. “You think just because you have money, you can do whatever you like?”

Cassian said nothing. He remained absolutely expressionless, like her rage was background noise.

“Do you even see people like my brother?” she continued. “Do you know what it’s like to beg for time? To sit in a hospital and watch the person you love dying in front of your eyes, knowing there’s a cure, but not a single soul who cares?”

Her voice cracked. “You’re a monster.” she said, staring into his eyes. Eyes that showed no reaction to her outcry.

“And a freak”

“A disgusting pervert”

Cassian narrowed his eyes.

“And yet… you’re still here.”

That stung.

She turned away, pacing, one hand pressed to her temple. Her head was screaming. Her whole body felt like it was breaking under pressure. Rage, grief, guilt, everything boiling over.

“I hate rich people,” she whispered, more to herself than him. “Why did you even buy the hospital? Is this your plan? To get s*x in exchange for treatment.”

Cassian’s jaw flexed, but he said nothing.

Silence settled. Heavy. Unforgiving.

Alina sank onto the floor, the cold marble cooling her hot skin.

Allen’s face came back to her, small, pale, smiling through the pain. The way he’d whispered, “I just want to go home, Alina.”

She’d fought so hard to protect him.

She’d tried everything.

But nothing had worked.

And now… this was the last door. The last disgusting, humiliating, cruel door.

She looked up at Cassian. His face was unreadable.

“Just one night?” she asked, her voice hollow.

He nodded once.

“No names. No cameras. You leave with the money in hand. And we never speak again.”

Alina swallowed hard. Her throat burned.

She hated him. Hated everything he stood for.

But she hated her helplessness even more.

She closed her eyes, clenching her fists until they hurt.

And whispered,

“Okay.”

The silence between them stretched like a live wire.

Cassian said nothing, he just moved to the bed and sat there waiting.

Alina rushed into the bathroom and bent over the sink.

If there had been food in her stomach she would have thrown up. She looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Why did he even want her? She was too thin and had no appeal. Her eyes were red and swollen plus she had mucus running down her nose from crying.

Maybe he just likes toying with the emotions of the weak.

That neanderthal.

She splashed water on her face and used her shirt to dry it. Taking a deep breath she walked back into the room.

The suite beyond was minimalist and warm. Gold-toned lamps. Paintings filled the walls, Floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city. A king-sized bed where Cassian sat still, staring as she walked closer.

Alina looked at everything except him.

Her feet felt heavier with every step.

She stood near the edge of the bed, staring down at her reflection in the dark window. Cassian continued sitting in silence, watching her with no expression.

He didn’t touch her.

He just waited.

It started quietly.

Neither of them spoke.

Not when she slowly reached for the buttons on his shirt, undoing it one at a time.

Not when she stepped closer and reached for his zipper, as though this was a business transaction and not a memory that would haunt her forever. She had no idea what she was doing.

She kept her eyes away from his. Couldn’t afford to see herself in them.

But when his hand brushed her shoulder reaching for her buttons, just once, something in her cracked.

It wasn’t lust.

It was grief. Frustration. Surrender.

Time flew by.

The bed was warm. The air smelled like expensive linen and woody cologne. His hands were warm, his body firm, but nothing about it was violent or rushed.

Just quiet. Like a storm trying not to wake the house.

And when it was over, neither of them moved.

She sat at the edge of the bed, pulling the blanket around her like a shield. Her body felt disgusting.

She was empty. Broken.

He stood by the window again, shirt unbuttoned, sleeves rolled, staring out at the Chicago skyline as if none of it had touched him.

“The money will be settled before sunrise,” he said, voice even.

She didn’t reply.

He didn’t look at her.

And she didn’t say goodbye.