Chapter Sixteen; Away From Home
1265 Words
Raphael was gone and I was alone.
I stood there in the middle of the massive, empty hallway, staring at the spot where he had been standing just seconds ago.
The silence of this house always managed to creep up on me the moment anyone walked away.
Back home, things were completely different.
If I were back home right now, I wouldn't be standing around feeling sorry for myself. I would probably be sitting at my desk, looking over my accounts, and planning how to grow the business all by myself.
I had goals back then. I had a life that actually made sense, even if it was hard.
But here, everything was different, and I felt completely stripped of who I used to be.
Here, I was nothing but an unloved wife living in a giant, golden cage.
I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the heavy feeling in my chest, but it didn't really work.
A maid came up to me, cutting right through my thoughts. She bowed her head slightly, not even looking me in the eye.
"Sir called for you," she said, her voice flat, like she was reading from a script. "He wants to see you in his study right now," she added.
I nodded at her, keeping my face as blank as possible.
"Alright, thank you," I said.
She turned and walked away, leaving me alone again. I stood there for a second, wondering why on earth he was calling for me out of the blue.
We barely spoke unless we absolutely had to or when he wanted to strip and act like his personal w***e, so this sudden summons made my stomach do a little flip.
Whatever it was, I knew I couldn't keep him waiting, because Cassian wasn't the type of man you made wait.
I walked up the grand staircase, my shoes clicking against the marble floor. The sound seemed to echo through the entire house, making me feel even more exposed.
When I reached the door of his study, I paused for a quick second to steady my breathing. Then I knocked twice and pushed the door open.
In his study, he was working on something at his desk. Papers were scattered everywhere, and he didn't even look up when I walked in.
I closed the door quietly behind me and stood there, waiting for him to notice me. He didn't say a word for a whole minute, just kept writing.
Then, he started talking slowly, about business.
He didn't ask how I was doing or how I slept the night before. He didn't even ask if I had eaten anything today. It wasn't like I expected him to. After all, even this marriage was just a business deal to him.
It was just straight-up business from the very first second he opened his mouth.
"We have a deal to close in Rome," Cassian said, his voice calm and indifferent. "I need someone to handle the final negotiations on the ground," he continued. "I want you to handle it, Belinda."
I stood there, completely stunned by his words. My mind went totally blank for a second as I tried to process what he had just said.
"You want me to go to Rome?" I asked, my voice sounding a lot smaller than I wanted it to.
"Yes, that is what I just said," he replied, finally looking up from his papers.
"Do you trust me that much?" I asked, genuinely confused by this sudden assignment. "I mean, besides the trust issue, how would I even navigate a place like that alone?" I added. "I don't know anyone in Rome, and I don't know your people there either.”
Cassian leaned back in his chair, his eyes locking onto mine with a cold, hard stare.
"I don't trust anyone, Belinda," he said plainly. "Trust has absolutely nothing to do with this decision," he added.
"Then how am I supposed to manage out there by myself?" I asked.
"Raphael will accompany you," Cassian said, shifting his gaze back down to his desk.
That was it. Just like that, my heart dropped straight into my stomach, and I suddenly didn't want to go to Rome at all.
The mere mention of Raphael's name made my entire body tense up with anxiety. I remembered my fantasies of Raphael from before, and it made me feel sick with guilt.
I really didn't trust myself alone with him in a completely different city. To make things so much worse, Raphael seemed to know exactly what I did the previous night.
The way he had looked at me earlier made it obvious that he knew my secrets. How could I spend days traveling and working with a man who held that kind of power over me?
Cassian, however, didn't care about my internal panic at all. He didn't even look up to see the look of dread on my face. Not like he'd care… cold bastard.
"Get ready, because you will be leaving with Raphael soon," he said, his tone final.
"No, I don't want to do this," I said, trying to sound firm. "I am not going to Rome with him," I stated, stepping closer to his desk.
Cassian stopped writing, but he didn't look angry. He just sat there, waiting for me to finish whatever I had to say.
"I am your wife," I said, gripping the edge of the desk. "I am supposed to go with you, not with your head of security," I argued. "If there is a business trip, we should be going together as a couple," I added.
Cassian was so calm, it was actually terrifying. He didn't yell, and he didn't snap at me. But the look he gave her said more than words ever could. His eyes were completely dead, dark, and filled with quiet warning that made me want to step back.
"You are my wife, Belinda," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerously low whisper. "And because you are my wife, I would decide what you use your time to do," he added. "You do not dictate terms to me in this house or in my business," he said.
I felt a hot surge of anger rush through my veins.
I wanted to retort so badly.
I wanted to scream at him that I wasn't an object he could just ship off to another country.
I wanted to tell him that I had a brain and a choice.
But just as the words reached the back of my throat, I recalled what my brothers had said to me before I got married.
They had warned me about Cassian. They told me exactly what kind of man he was and what he was capable of doing to people who crossed him.
They told me to keep my head down.
So, I forced myself to swallow my pride and my anger.
I clamped my mouth shut and just stared at him, my hands trembling slightly against my sides.
Cassian saw that I wasn't going to fight him anymore, and he went right back to his papers.
"You have just two days to prepare for Rome," he said, not even looking up this time.
My eyes widened in pure shock.
Two days was nothing.
Two days to pack my entire life, brace myself for Raphael, and figure out how to handle a massive business deal.
I felt completely trapped, with absolutely no way out of the mess I was in.
It was already this bad. It couldn't get any worse than this.
- Writer
