32. Cassius

32

CASSIUS

T he dim office light casts shadows across the hallway, intensifying the weight of anticipation that hangs in the air. I know Annalise has been avoiding me, and my patience has worn thin. She’s mine. But she doesn’t seem to understand that yet.

“Annalise!” I call out as I spot her retreating figure. She freezes for a moment before trying to slip away, but I’m too quick for her. My hand seizes her arm, the heat of her skin sending a jolt through me. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“Let go of me, Cassius,” she demands, her green eyes blazing with defiance. Yet, beneath her anger, I can see the vulnerability that lingers just under the surface.

“Come with me,” I command, my grip firm but not painful. I pull her into my office, closing the door behind us. The sound echoes through the room like an omen, sealing our fates together. “You don’t need to hide from me, Annalise.”

“Who says I was hiding?” she retorts, attempting to pull away from me. But I don’t let her go, my fingers digging into her delicate flesh just enough to remind her who’s in control.

“Your actions speak louder than your words, Lily,” I say, using her nickname as a way to assert my dominance further. “Now, tell me what’s really going on.”

I can feel her pulse quicken beneath my fingertips, her breath hitching as she searches for the right words. That sense of vulnerability she tries so hard to conceal is now exposed, and I can’t help but feel a twisted sense of satisfaction. She’s finally letting me in, even if it takes force to do so.

My hand is still wrapped around her arm, I can feel the tension radiating from her body. Annalise bites her lip and averts her eyes, unwilling to meet my gaze.

“Look, I’ve just been busy,” she says, feigning nonchalance. “I haven’t had much time for…whatever this is.”

“Busy?” I raise an eyebrow, unimpressed by her excuse. “You think I don’t see how you’ve been avoiding me, Annalise? You’re not fooling anyone.”

“Fine,” she sighs, relenting. “Maybe I have been avoiding you a little bit. But it’s complicated, Cassius. You know that.”

“Complicated?” I scoff, my grip on her arm tightening slightly. “I’m tired of playing games, Annalise. Tell me what’s going on.”

“Can’t you just leave it alone?” she pleads, her voice cracking with vulnerability. “It’s not that simple.”

“Nothing ever is with you,” I murmur, my frustration mounting. In that moment, an idea forms in my mind—one that could potentially solve our problems, or drive us further apart. “Is this about what happened between you and Nikhil? Because, I don’t care. I don’t mind sharing you.”

“Sharing me?” she repeats, confusion etched across her face.

“With Nikhil,” I state firmly, watching as her eyes widen in shock. “I’m not blind, Annalise. I know there’s something between you two. And if sharing you means keeping you in my life, then so be it.”

“Are you out of your mind?” she asks, incredulous. “You really think that would work?”

“Maybe.” I shrug, finally releasing her arm. “But at least it’s an option worth considering. I won’t let you slip through my fingers, Annalise. Not without a fight.”

As I watch her process my words, I can’t help but feel a strange mixture of desperation and hope. This may be our last chance to salvage what we have—even if it means sharing the woman I love with my own brother.

I watch the conflict play across Annalise’s face, her green eyes clouded with uncertainty. She bites her lip, a nervous habit I’ve come to find endearing, and finally speaks up.

“Even if I were to consider this…arrangement,” she says hesitantly, “it’s not exactly…normal.”

“Normal?” I scoff, my jaw tightening. “Since when have we ever been normal, Annalise? We’re bratva—normal isn’t part of our vocabulary.” I take a step toward her, my blue eyes locked on hers. “Besides, who cares what’s normal? I want you, and I know you care for both me and Nikhil. If this is what it takes to keep you in our lives, then damn the consequences.”

As silence envelops the room, I can practically hear the gears turning in her head. She appears torn, caught between her desires and societal expectations. I reach out and grasp her hand, feeling the warmth of her skin against mine. Her body trembles beneath my touch, and I can see the vulnerability in her eyes as she finally opens up.

“Dammit, Cassius,” she whispers, her voice quivering with emotion. “There’s something else…”

“Tell me,” I demand gently, sensing the weight of her unspoken words.

“Fine.” She takes a deep breath, steadying herself. “I…I slept with Damian.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, I’m left reeling. I laugh, a bitter, incredulous sound that feels foreign even to me. “You’re joking, right? This is some twisted attempt at humor?”

“Trust me, Cassius, I wish I were,” she replies, her voice choked with tears. “But it’s the truth.”

My laughter dies down, replaced by a cold fury that sends a shiver down my spine. How dare he touch her—how dare he lay his hands on what’s mine? My knuckles whiten as I clench my fists, the urge to make Damian pay for his betrayal consuming me from within.

The air in the room grows heavy with tension, suffocating me as I force myself to swallow the burning rage that threatens to consume me. Annalise’s tear-filled emerald eyes lock onto mine, pleading for understanding and forgiveness. “Cassius, it wasn’t…it wasn’t like that.”

“Wasn’t like what?” I demand, my voice barely above a whisper, as every nerve in my body stands on edge. “You need to tell me everything, Annalise. Did you want it? Was this something you desired?”

She shakes her head vehemently, her wavy brown hair dancing around her face. “No, Cassius. I never wanted that…I mean, not until that night. It just…it happened so fast, and he made me feel…”

I clench my jaw, struggling to maintain control as her words wrap like a vise around my heart. The thought of Damian taking advantage of her innocence sends a shudder through my veins, igniting an inferno of fury that not even the iciest depths of Siberia could extinguish.

“Do you like him too?” I hiss, raking my fingers through my dark blond hair in frustration.

Her gaze remains fixed on the floor, unable to meet my eyes. “I don’t know. No?”

I can feel the fire of my anger blazing in my chest, threatening to consume me whole. Damian, my own brother, used Annalise—this beautiful, strong woman who has become the center of my world. I can’t contain it any longer; I spin on my heel and stalk away, each step fueled by my rage.

“Wait! Cassius!” Annalise calls out, her voice tinged with desperation as she follows closely behind me. The sound of her footsteps echoes through the empty corridor, a testament to the storm that brews between us.

“Please,” she begs, reaching out to grab my arm. “Don’t do something you might regret.”

“Regret?” I snarl, shaking off her grip. “What I regret is not seeing Damian for who he truly is sooner.”

“Tell me what you’re planning to do,” she pleads, her emerald eyes searching mine for answers. But all she’ll find within me now is darkness, an abyss of fury and betrayal.

“Damian will pay for what he’s done,” I say ominously, my words dripping with venomous intent.

She opens her mouth to say more but I cut her off. “Enough,” I growl, my tone harsher than ever before, as I push open Damian’s office door. The scent of leather and dark wood fills my nostrils, a sensory reminder of the man who has caused so much turmoil in our lives.

“Damian,” I call out, my voice laced with venom.

He looks up from his computer, his piercing blue eyes widening in surprise at my intrusion. For a moment, he simply stares at us, assessing the situation.

“What the hell, Cassius?” Damian snaps, irritation quickly replacing his initial surprise. “You can’t just barge in here like this. We have rules, remember?”

“Rules?” I scoff, my rage bubbling to the surface once more. “Like the ones you broke when you slept with Annalise?”

His expression darkens, and his jaw clenches as he regards me coldly. “That’s none of your business.”

“None of my business?” I seethe, my hands balling into fists at my sides. “She’s everything to me, and you had no right to touch her. You know how I feel about her, and you just used her.”

“Look, whatever happened between Annalise and me is between us,” Damian retorts, attempting to regain control of the situation. “And if you have a problem with that, take it up with her, not me.”

“Annalise didn’t ask for this!” I shout, feeling my control slipping with every word. “You took advantage of her, and now you’re going to pay for it.”

“Okay, enough,” Annalise interjects, stepping between us. “We’re all adults here, and we can handle this like rational human beings. Right?”

The air crackles with tension as my rage roars to life, overtaking any sense of rationality. With one swift movement, I reel back and punch Damian square in the face, his head snapping back from the impact. His eyes widen with shock, but it’s not enough to quell the fire burning within me.